William Katz: Urgent Agenda

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:56 P.M. ET:

DODGING A BULLET – The Republicans dodged a bullet in West Virginia today. From CBS News: CBS News has called the West Virginia Senate GOP primary race for the state's attorney general Patrick Morissey. Moments earlier, Don Blankenship, the convicted ex-coal baron Washington Republicans feared might win, conceded. "You're going to have a senator that works for all West Virginians," Morrisey said in his victory speech. President Trump urged Republicans in the state not to vote for Blankenship, citing his inability to win the general election in November, as the GOP looks to unseat Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. Blankenship cited Mr. Trump's tweet as perhaps the biggest factor in his loss. He came in third, behind both Morrisey and Evan Jenkins. Trump carried West Virginia by a wide margin in 2016, and has real political clout there. Joe Manchin must be in deep worry. He's had many chances to switch to the Republican Party, which probably would have guaranteed his political future. But he stayed with the Dems, and runs a serious risk of going down to defeat in November, flipping the seat to the GOP. Look for the president to do serious campaigning in West Virginia.

AND ELSEWHERE – Republicans seem in reasonable shape to flip Democratic Senate seats. From CNN: Congressman Jim Renacci, who had the endorsement of President Trump, will win the GOP Primary in Ohio, setting up a fall race with Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown, CNN projects. Renacci took on self-funding businessman Mike Gibbons in this primary...Mike Braun, businessman and former state representative, has won Indiana's Republican primary, CNN projects, and is now set to face Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly in one of the marquee Senate contests of this year's midterm elections. From the Dayton Daily News: President Trump’s hand-picked U.S. Senate candidate Congressman Jim Renacci will take on U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown this fall after defeating Cleveland businessman Mike Gibbons and several other challengers in Tuesday’s GOP primary. Renacci, a former car dealer who has served in the U.S. House since 2011, was easily the best known of the Republican candidates. Brown is unopposed on the Democratic side and, for now at least, is a favorite to win in November. The oft-quoted Crystal Ball rating system for the University of Virginia Center for Politics lists Ohio’s Senate race as “leans Democratic.” At least the GOP tonight didn't nominate any nut cases. If Trump can help pull off some miracles in November, he should be in fine shape for 2020.

THE WORLD HAS NOT BLOWN UP – And that is the big news, and a surprise to some, following President Trump's announcement that he is withdrawing the United States from the Iran nuclear agreement. His announcement was not that shocking – Washington pretty much expected it – and the decision to withdraw matched his campaign rhetoric. Of course, CNN was immediately on the air and managed, in a lengthy discussion, to avoid any mention of Field Marshal Barack Obama and his role in creating the disagraceful agreement. And Christiane Amanpour, from whom no good can come, went totally irrational in seeming to blame every problem in the Mideast on Bibi Netanyahu. The Iranian regime was treated benignly, if at all. It was an alternative universe.

The real action will come in the next eight weeks or so. Trump left some wiggle room for further talks with Iran that could improve the nuclear agreement, thus avoiding crushing new sanctions on Tehran that the Iranians are desperate to duck. And our European allies, eager to maintain the agreement and the trade with Iran that goes with it, may well step forward and help us extract further concessions from Iran.

The story is not over. This will be a substantial test of Trump's resolve, but also his negotiating skills.

As usual, Trump got almost no support from the Democrats. The idea of a bipartisan foreign policy, especially when confronting an enemy nation, is essentially dead.