©  Associated Press

This week’s storms have been no joke, with more potentially on the horizon.

At least two people were killed, and more than a million people lost power as storms rolled through the eastern United States overnight Monday.

Thousands of people from Pennsylvania through Georgia still haven’t regained power, according to tracking sites.

Federal employees were sent home early on Monday, as the National Weather Service (NWS) declared a tornado watch in the area for the first time in a decade.

More than 1,700 flights in the U.S. were canceled on Monday and more than 8,800 were delayed, according to flight trackers.

More from The Hill here.

Hundreds of U.S. flights were delayed or canceled today because of the storm. Over a hundred flights each were cancelled at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, LaGuardia Airport in New York and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C. (The Hill)

July was officially the hottest month on record, scientists say. (The Hill)

It’s Tuesday, Aug. 8. I’m Elizabeth Crisp, filling in for Cate, with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. Send me your tips: ecrisp@digital-stage.thehill.com and follow me on Twitter @elizabethcrisp.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to try to retool his fledgling bid for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, and this time it’s a shakeup at the top.

The DeSantis team confirmed to The Hill that DeSantis’s gubernatorial chief of staff James Uthmeier has replaced Generra Peck as the operation’s manager. Peck will continue working with the campaign as chief strategist.

Additionally, David Polyansky, who previously worked as chief of staff to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and was an adviser at the pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down, is shifting to the DeSantis campaign team.

It’s the latest shakeup on team DeSantis since his poll numbers began sagging. Once thought to be the direct challenger to frontrunner former President Trump, DeSantis hasn’t gained much traction, despite frequent travels to early-voting states.

(More from The Hill)

Another day, another indictment? As his legal issues continue to mount, former President Trump is likely to be indicted imminently in a case stemming from Georgia and his alleged attempts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election results there.

The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch breaks down the latest case on Trump’s plate and the anticipated indictment.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) has been on the Trump case for more than a year. It’s the latest legal hurdle for the 2024 GOP presidential candidate, following indictments last week on charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and efforts to interfere with the 2020 election outcome.

Trump previously has been indicted in a case over his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House and his alleged hush-money payment to an adult film star.

“The work is accomplished,” Willis recently told local news outlets in Atlanta. “We’ve been working for two-and-a-half years. We’re ready to go.”

FOLLOW LIVE: The Hill has live updates from indictment watch here.

Republican lawmakers are seizing on the nation’s recent credit rating downgrade as the latest challenge to “Bidenomics” — coopting the buzzword that the White House has latched onto as members of the administration seek to make a case for President Biden‘s first term in office while heading into his reelection bid.

Fitch Ratings — one of the “Big Three” credit agencies — cited the nation’s growing debt burden and partisan standoffs in Washington over the country’s finances for its recent downgrade from AAA to AA+. The federal government is again limbering toward the threat of a shutdown, as Congress hasn’t been able to work out a long-term spending plan to stretch spending past the end of September.

But Republicans in Congress are not shying away from pointing the finger at Biden.

“The Fitch Ratings credit downgrade is a wake-up call that Bidenomics doesn’t work,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “Congress must assert its power of the purse to resolve this concern and restore faith in U.S. financial institutions.” (The Hill)

President Biden will designate an area just outside Grand Canyon National Park as a national monument, the fifth of his presidency, while on a trip to Arizona today.

The designation of the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument has long been sought by Native American tribes who hold the area sacred. It has also been a major request among state and federal lawmakers. (The Hill)

Republican presidential candidate and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is again taking aim at his one-time ally, former President Trump, and blasting Trump’s attempts to push past his growing legal challenges.

“He’s not putting America first. That’s the great irony of this campaign,” Christie said in a MSNBC interview Tuesday, noting Trump’s ultra-patriotic messaging. “He’s put Donald Trump first.”

“The problem with Trump is that he knows no sense of history, no intellectual curiosity and doesn’t care whether he puts himself before the country at every turn,” Christie added. (The Hill)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the GOP presidential candidate who appeared to be nearing in on frontrunner former President Trump until the DeSantis campaign had to regroup amid sagging popularity, appears to be testing the waters of a more direct attack against Trump.

The Hill’s Julia Manchester reports that DeSantis’ recent remarks about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, which was prompted by Trump’s questioning of the 2020 election results, “are some of the most aggressive the governor has made regarding Trump since launching his campaign, a development that will encourage those Republicans who have urged the governor to step up his attacks on the frontrunner.”

“Reluctant Trump primary voters frustrated with the focus on the 2020 campaign may finally have a home,” Brian Seitchik, a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign staffer, told The Hill. “I have believed for some time that the only way to beat Trump was not to wait for him to combust but aggressively shake his voters loose. Will it work? Who knows.” (The Hill)

Former Vice President Pence’s campaign says he’s met the qualifications to take part in the first GOP debate later this month. (The Hill)

A record-setting Mega Millions jackpot is still up for grabs ahead of tonight’s drawing after no one matched Friday’s winning numbers.

What to do if you win the roughly $1.55 billion jackpot? Experts have several pieces of advice and things you should know and where you can keep your identity confidential.

More from Nexstar via The Hill here.

The Texas Tribune Festival lineup is out this morning with a roster of politicians, pundits and media personalities slated to take part next month. As Tribune co-founder Evan Smith posted, “it’s amazing.” (Tweet).

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) has hopped on the pickleball train. “Happy National Pickleball Day!” she posted along with a photo.

The House and Senate are off this week. President Biden is in Arizona, and Vice President Harris is in Philadelphia.

• 11 a.m.: President Biden received the Presidential Daily Briefing while in Arizona

• 12:25 p.m.: Vice President Harris is addressing infrastructure during remarks in Pennsylvania.

• 1 p.m.: Biden will deliver remarks on conservation and natural resources then take part in a lookout of the Grand Canyon.

• 2:10 p.m.: Harris will receive a briefing at the construction site of the Betsy Ross off-ramp to I-95.

• 2:55 p.m.: Harris is scheduled to head back to D.C.

• 4:20 p.m.: Biden will depart Grand Canyon Village, Ariz., en route to Albuquerque, N.M., for an evening campaign reception.

• 5 p.m.: House Oversight Committee holds a field hearing in Sierra Vista, Ariz., on border security.

All times Eastern.

• 1 p.m.: Biden will deliver remarks on conservation and natural resources then take part in a lookout of the Grand Canyon. (Watch here)

• 5 p.m.: House Oversight Committee holds a field hearing in Sierra Vista, Ariz., on border security. (Watch here)

Today is National Frozen Custard Day! More than just “ice cream,” the sweet frozen treat gets its silky-smooth consistency by incorporating egg yolks. (It’s even regulated by the Food and Drug Administration for consistency.)

And because you made it this far, check out this video of a baby elephant just trying to steady itself…

Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to ecrisp@digital-stage.thehill.com. A friend forward this to you? Subscribe here.

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