Happy Friday! It’s still sizzling in Washington, D.C. 🥵 But the good news is that it will drop to “merely seasonably warm” this weekend, according to the Capital Weather Gang. Wahoo. Here’s what’s coming up: 

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced she is running for her 20th term in Congress.
• Hurricane Lee strengthened into a Category 5 storm overnight, with winds nearing 165 mph, but has since been downgraded to a Category 4.
• The White House Situation Room just underwent a casual $50 million renovation.  
• A climate change activist glued his bare feet to the ground at the U.S. Open last night, interrupting play. 
• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s Chipotle order was posted online — and everyone has an opinion. 

I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-stage.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.  

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) just announced that she will be seeking another term in Congress.  

Keep in mind: Pelosi stepped down from her post in Democratic leadership at the end of the last Congress but still serves as a House lawmaker. 

Read her announcement post 

“A Fulton County grand jury suggested charges for a more sweeping group of allies of former President Donald Trump – including three U.S. senators – as they evaluated charging recommendations for those involved with election interference after he lost the 2020 contest.” (The Hill) 

Read the report 

The senators mentioned: Former Sens. David Perdue (R-Ga.) and Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), as well as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

^ Keep in mind: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) did not decide to charge them.  

From CNN:  

• Here’s the list of 39 people the grand jury recommended charges 
• Here’s the list of the 19 people who were charged 

After intensifying to a Category 5 storm overnight, with winds nearing 165 mph, Hurricane Lee has been downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane. 

The question we all want to know — where is it headed?: Lee is still expected to miss Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It’s unclear where the storm will head, but it could impact the Northeastern U.S., Bermuda or Canada. 

Even though the storm is missing the Caribbean: It can still lead to dangerous waves of up to 15 feet. 
 

Because The Weather Channel’s banners keep me entertained: Here’s what led The Weather Channel’s homepage this morning: “WHAT WILL IT DO NEXT”  

A helpful note about the storm models: Meteorologist Jim Cantore posted, “Even though almost all of the ensemble blend members don’t touch the USA, [it’s] all about the trends at this point versus actual individual operational model output.” Graphic of the models and potential paths 

The New York Times’s Michael D. Shear reports that the White House Situation Room — or “the whizzer” — just had a $50 million renovation.  

The real reason it was so expensive: The room was outfitted with highly sophisticated technology to prevent spying. 

Shear describes it: “To walk into the heart of the refurbished Situation Room, which got its nickname from the acronym WHSR, feels a bit like entering the set of a Hollywood thriller. In the windowless basement, one floor down from the Oval Office, the president’s oversize swivel chair faces three huge screens that he can consult while overseeing covert operations around the world.” 

Another cool excerpt: “During a tour for several journalists on Thursday, a panel built into one wall glowed bright green, with the word ‘UNCLASSIFIED’ and the phrase ‘MICS OFF,’ indicating that the room was not being monitored at that moment … The walls, built from sustainably harvested wood, hide what officials say are the most sophisticated technologies in the American arsenal for keeping the room secure.”  

When was it last renovated: 2006 — you can imagine how much technology has changed since then. 

I know, I’ve teased it enough. Here’s a photo of the new Situation Room 

Former President Trump has built a significant lead in the early voting states, with his rivals having limited time to catch up, specifically in Iowa. 

It could be a very short primary season: “If the front-runner, in this case Donald Trump, wins Iowa, wins New Hampshire, this is going to be a short nominating process,” Iowa-based GOP strategist Craig Robinson told The Hill’s Jared Gans. 

Tidbit: “Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign argued in a recent memo that Trump is essentially running as an incumbent given his wide name recognition and the strong, well-established views about him.” Yes, but: “[T]he memo noted that Trump’s lead in early states is somewhat smaller than it is nationally, with the former president holding less than a majority of support from primary voters.” 

How this could play out 

“Democrats woke up Thursday to yet another poll showing a large percentage of voters are concerned about President Biden’s age and data that showed most GOP primary candidates fared well in hypothetical match-ups with Biden.” 

The poll: “A CNN poll contained numerous red flags for Biden and Democrats. It found 46 percent of registered voters said any Republican presidential nominee would be better than Biden in next year’s election, and 49 percent said Biden’s age was their biggest concern about him as a candidate in 2024. Biden’s overall approval rating in the poll was 39 percent, and just 74 percent among Democrats.”  

Former Obama White House and campaign strategist David Axelrod weighed in: “These numbers are not good, and they’re consistent with most of the other polling that we’ve seen,” Axelrod said on CNN. “The country is in a sour mood. He’s not getting credit for what I think is a fairly substantial list of achievements.”  

How this could play out in 2024, via The Hill’s Brett Samuels 

Statistician Nate Silver, the founder of FiveThirtyEight, posted some context to 2024 polling. “Guys please stop dissecting the minutiae of 2024 general election polls right now, there is going to be lots and lots and lots of time for that later on. Literally just go for a hike or something.” Read his post 

^ The Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter chimed in: “Yep. Can a big event move numbers a bit? Sure. But, don’t expect to see real substantive or sustained movement. This is going to be another very close race.” 

Climate change protesters halted play during the U.S. Open women’s semifinal last night. One of the protesters glued his bare feet to the ground, stopping play for 49 minutes while he was removed. (NBC News) 

Photo of the protester with glued feet 

Overheard: Watch Coco Gauff vent about the situation during the pause.  

International Intrigue’s Ethan Plotkin posted that he met Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg — or Secretary Mayor Pete as I like to call him — at a Chipotle in Washington, D.C. “Super nice guy but this order just doesn’t cut it,” he wrote. Selfie and photo of Buttigieg’s order 

I have to be honest, Ethan. This is a very respectable Chipotle order. I may have swapped the white rice for brown rice and added corn, but this is almost identical to what I get. 🤷‍♀️ 

So in the interest of ~important journalism~, I asked Ethan Plotkin what he gets: “Brown rice, Black beans, Sofritas or Chicken (depending on the mood), Fajita veggies, Pico, Corn, Sour cream, lettuce,” he told me.  

Feel free to let me know if you agree or disagree and I’ll pass it along. 😉 

The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in India, and Vice President Harris is returning from her Indonesia trip. 

• This morning: Biden landed in New Delhi, India, and met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 
• Sunday: Harris appears on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.” 📺 
• Monday: The 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Expect several ceremonies and remembrances. 
• 3 p.m. Monday: The Senate returns. The Senate’s Monday agenda 
• Tuesday: The House returns. House calendar    

All times Eastern.  

📝 Hey PR folks, know of any events with livestreams?: If you know of an event that will be livestreamed, please feel free to email me cmartel@digital-stage.thehill.com to be included in this section.  

🌭 Celebrate: Sunday is National Hot Dog Day! 

🐧 Nothing can top this penguin photo: The Washington Post published the winning photos of its annual travel photo contest. The winning photos — how cool is that lone penguin on an iceberg 

🌯 What’s dominating my TikTok feed: TikTok users have discovered an easy meal prep hack: Order Chipotle catering to have an assortment of prepared meats and veggies. Story from ABC’s “Good Morning America” 

🎙️ Current and former Jimmy Fallon staffers dished on his show: Rolling Stone published a scathing article of a behind-the-scenes look at “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Sixteen former and current employees gave descriptions, including calling Fallon “erratic” and “belittling.” (Rolling Stone) CNN reports that Fallon apologized to staff. 

🏡 ‘The Fall in Home Prices May Already Be Over’: “The surprisingly quick recovery suggests that the residential real-estate downturn is turning out to be shorter and shallower than many housing economists expected after mortgage rates soared last year.” (The Wall Street Journal) 

And to leave you on a good note before the weekend, here’s a puppy learning to howl.