Hello from CNN, I'm Joe Beck, with the five things you need to know for Thursday July 11th.

Democratic donors are holding back big checks because they're concerned about President Joe Biden's future.

Multiple sources spoke to CNN about donor's anxiety, including a strategist who said, quote,

everything is frozen because no one knows what's going to happen.

They also say donors are hyper-focused on everything Biden is doing this week,

including his solo news conference wrapping up the NATO summit in DC later today.

That will be a huge test for Biden, as the calls for him to step aside as the party's

2024 candidate have been steadily growing louder in the weeks since his disastrous debate performance.

Many Democratic lawmakers are voicing their concerns publicly, including sitting House members

and now two senators.

Actor and longtime supporter George Clooney is also saying the party needs a new candidate,

just weeks after headlining a fundraiser for the president.

He said in a New York Times op-ed piece

that the Biden he saw at the event

isn't the same one who won the 2020 election.

Something former Obama aide and podcaster John Favreau agreed with.

I was there, Klini was exactly right, and every single person I talked to with the fundraiser

thought the same thing.

But I remember my wife Emily turned to me after the fundraisement said, what are we going to do?

Life-threatening heat is gripping Southeast Texas, as many people there are still without power because of the damage caused by Hurricane

barrel. Power outage.US reports more than a million customers have no

electricity this morning. That means no AC even as parts of the state are under a heat alert.

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