Today in One Sentence. The U.S. resumed its naval blockade of Iranian ports and launched a fourth consecutive day of strikes as the ceasefire collapsed; the Trump administration temporarily stopped most ICE vehicle stops nationwide after agents fatally shot two immigrants who weren’t the intended targets; consumer prices fell 0.4% in June, the largest monthly decline since April 2020, while annual inflation slowed to 3.5% from 4.2% in May; Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett asked Congress for $14.6 million to expand their security details as threats against the court are expected to rise 38% this year; Darline Graham Nordone was sworn in to finish the Senate term of her late brother, Lindsey Graham, becoming the first woman to represent South Carolina in the chamber; E. Jean Carroll collected her $5.6 million from Trump after a jury in 2023 found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming her; Trump reduced Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by more than 90%; the House passed legislation to make daylight saving time permanent and end the twice-yearly clock changes; the Trump administration launched a “whole-of-government” campaign to dismantle the International Criminal Court; Trump reportedly plans to use his Thursday prime-time address to the nation to revive his debunked claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him; and voters who dislike both parties prefer Democrats by 26 points in the 2026 House midterms.

1/ The U.S. resumed its naval blockade of Iranian ports and launched a fourth consecutive day of strikes as the ceasefire collapsed. U.S. Central Command said more than 20 warships and hundreds of military aircraft were enforcing the blockade and that the latest attacks were intended to degrade Iran’s ability to strike commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump promised that the bombings would continue “until I say it’s enough.” He also threatened to target Iranian power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations, saying “You better make a deal. You’re not going to have anything left.” Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks against U.S.-linked facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. Trump, meanwhile, abandoned his day-old plan to charge ships a 20% transit fee after Gulf leaders urged him to “do it a different way,” saying: “I don’t think anybody should be able to charge a fee for the Strait” and claiming that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates would instead make “massive investments” in the U.S. Iran’s deputy foreign minister said Tehran had “no obligations” under the ceasefire agreement and would exercise sovereignty over the strait “whatever the cost.” (New York Times / ABC News / CBS News / CNN / Politico / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Axios / Reuters / Associated Press / Washington Post)

2/ The Trump administration temporarily stopped most ICE vehicle stops nationwide after agents fatally shot two immigrants who weren’t the intended targets. The pause applies to ICE deportation officers, with exceptions for serious criminal cases, while the agency reviews its tactics and provides additional training. Federal officials claimed both drivers tried to flee and endangered officers, but witnesses disputed parts of those accounts. The government hasn’t released video or other evidence supporting those claimes, and the Maine agents weren’t wearing body cameras. Border czar Tom Homan nevertheless dismissed the directive as “not a policy change,” calling it a “short pause” to determine whether “something could have been done better,” like not killing innocent people. (New York Times / Washington Post / Bloomberg / CBS News / ABC News)

3/ Consumer prices fell 0.4% in June, the largest monthly decline since April 2020, while annual inflation slowed to 3.5% from 4.2% in May. Core prices, which exclude food and energy, were unchanged, but rose 2.6% from a year earlier. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh, meanwhile, dismissed the the better-than-expected inflation report as “one data point” and rejected any declaration of “mission accomplished,” saying the central bank has “no tolerance for persistently elevated inflation” and that the five-year surge in prices “will be a thing of the past.” Warsh declined to say whether bringing inflation back to the Fed’s 2% target will require higher interest rates. He also defended giving markets fewer clues about future policy moves. (Politico / ABC News / CNN / Associated Press / Bloomberg / CNBC / Wall Street Journal / Axios / New York Times / Washington Post)

4/ Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett asked Congress for $14.6 million to expand their security details as threats against the court are expected to rise 38% this year. The money would add six agents for each justice as part of a broader $228 million budget request. Barrett described a recent swatting incident at her home and recalled having to explain a bulletproof vest to her 12-year-old son. Kagan warned that political attacks on judges are “dangerous,” saying criticism of rulings is “fair game,” but intimidation “crossed the line.” (CBS News / The Guardian / New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / CNN)

5/ Darline Graham Nordone was sworn in to finish the Senate term of her late brother, Lindsey Graham, becoming the first woman to represent South Carolina in the chamber. Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Nordone, who has never held elected office, and she will serve until January. South Carolina will hold an Aug. 11 special primary and a November election for the next full six-year term. “Lindsey has always been there for me,” Nordone said. “And now I will be there for him.” (Associated Press / CNN / NBC News / CBS News)

6/ E. Jean Carroll collected her $5.6 million from Trump after a jury in 2023 found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming her. The payment includes the original $5 million award, plus interest and was released from a court-supervised account after the Supreme Court declined to hear Trump’s appeal. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said Trump had been “stalling this case for years” and ordered him to “pay the judgment.” Trump, nevertheless, continues to deny Carroll’s allegations, while a separate $83.3 million defamation judgment against him remains under appeal. (New York Times / Axios / Reuters / CNBC)

7/ Trump reduced Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by more than 90%, opening more than 2.9 million acres of public land in southern Utah to mining, drilling, grazing, logging, and motorized recreation. The proclamations cut Bears Ears from 1.36 million acres to 121,100 acres and Grand Staircase-Escalante from 1.87 million acres to 181,500 acres. The reductions are deeper than those Trump ordered during his first term, which Biden later restored. (Associated Press / Washington Post / Reuters)

8/ The House passed legislation to make daylight saving time permanent and end the twice-yearly clock changes. The Trump-backed Sunshine Protection Act would keep most of the country on the time observed from March through November, while allowing states to opt out and remain on standard time. The bill heads to the Senate, where its prospects are uncertain, because winter sunrises could be pushed past 9 a.m. in parts of the country. Medical groups also oppose permanent daylight saving time, arguing that permanent standard time better aligns with human circadian rhythms. (Washington Post / NBC News / Associated Press)

9/ The Trump administration launched a “whole-of-government” campaign to dismantle the International Criminal Court, threatening sanctions, travel bans, visa revocations, and more of countries that rely on U.S. assistance and support the court. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. would “systematically disable” the tribunal “brick by brick, if necessary.” Officials are pressing member states to withdraw and cut off funding. Rubio argued that the ICC threatens U.S. sovereignty by claiming authority to investigate and prosecute American officials and service members. The U.S., however, isn’t a member of the court, which prosecutes genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity when national governments are unable or unwilling to act. The European Union, meanwhile, rejected Rubio’s claim that the court threatens U.S. sovereignty, saying the ICC prosecutes individuals, not sovereign states, and that threats against its officials “are simply not acceptable.” (ABC News / The Guardian / New York Times / Bloomberg / CNN / The Hill)

10/ Trump reportedly plans to use his Thursday prime-time address to the nation to revive his debunked claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Trump said his speech will focus on voting machines and “free and fair elections,” while White House officials said he may cite newly declassified intelligence and alleged system vulnerabilities. U.S. intelligence agencies and Trump’s own Justice and Homeland Security officials, however, have found no evidence that foreign interference, voting machines, or widespread fraud changed the 2020 result. Recounts and court reviews also upheld Trump’s losses in Georgia, Arizona, and Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Trump is urging Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require photo identification and proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections and prohibit universal mail-in voting. (Washington Post / Axios / The Hill)

poll/ Voters who dislike both parties prefer Democrats by 26 points in the 2026 House midterms with 55% backing Democrats and 29% supporting Republicans. These “double haters” make up about one-fifth of registered voters and account for roughly 80% of Democrats’ seven-point advantage on the generic ballot. (Strength in Numbers)

The 2026 midterms are in 112 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 847 days.