Today in One Sentence. The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to let it impose new mail-in voting restrictions in 23 states and the District of Columbia before the November midterms; Trump demanded that the Senate cancel its August recess until Republicans pass the SAVE America Act or eliminate the filibuster; Trump paused U.S. strikes on Iran after 13 consecutive nights to give negotiations “some space,” but “if they don’t work out, we will go back to very strong military action”; former FBI Director James Comey urged a judge to dismiss the Justice Department’s federal charges over his “86 47” seashell post on Instagram; Trump ordered the National Park Service to install signs outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, warning visitors that its exhibits contain “inaccurate information”; Mitch McConnell is not medically cleared to leave rehabilitation or return to the Senate, six weeks after falling at home; Trump attacked journalists at Friday night’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, and then continued escalating his attacks over the next three days; 32% of Americans said Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act hurt their finances, while 49% said they couldn’t explain what the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” does.

1/ The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to let it impose new mail-in voting restrictions in 23 states and the District of Columbia before the November midterms. Trump’s order directs federal agencies to build a citizenship-based voter list and requires the Postal Service to withhold ballots from voters who don’t appear on the state-approved lists. A federal appeals court, meanwhile, declined to lift a lower-court injunction blocking the order because the Constitution gives the authority over elections to the states and Congress, not the president. The appeals court warned the “unprecedented” federal intervention would “sow confusion” and “threaten disenfranchisement of many eligible voters.” (Associated Press / Washington Post / Bloomberg / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Politico / USA Today / ABC News / Reuters)

2/ Trump demanded that the Senate cancel its August recess until Republicans pass the SAVE America Act or eliminate the filibuster. Republicans, however, lacks the votes for either approach. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he’d support keeping senators in Washington only if someone could show him “the picture of victory at the end,” noting that Republicans have already repeatedly tried to advance the bill. The legislation would require proof of citizenship to register for federal elections and photo identification to vote, while a House-passed budget framework includes $10 billion for related election changes that Thune said also lacks the 50 Senate votes needed. The Senate is scheduled to leave Washington on Aug. 7 and return Sept. 14. (Associated Press / Politico / USA Today / The Hill / Talking Points Memo)

3/ Trump paused U.S. strikes on Iran after 13 consecutive nights to give negotiations “some space,” but “if they don’t work out, we will go back to very strong military action.” Trump claimed the two sides were in “very deep talks,” but Iran denied any direct negotiations. Trump denied that weapons shortages drove his decision to pause the strikes, but acknowledged that the U.S. would “certainly like” more of its most sophisticated weapons. (Axios / CNBC / Bloomberg / Reuters / New York Times)

4/ Former FBI Director James Comey urged a judge to dismiss the Justice Department’s federal charges over his “86 47” seashell post on Instagram. Comey’s lawyer argued “no reasonable observer” would interpret the post as a serious true threat” against Trump, adding that the image was protected political speech and forcing Comey to stand trial “would itself be an unconstitutional punishment of free speech.” Comey was indicted in April on charges of threatening Trump and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce after posting the numbers formed from shells on a North Carolina beach. (Associated Press / NBC News / ABC News / CNN)

5/ Trump ordered the National Park Service to install signs outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, warning visitors that its exhibits contain “inaccurate information.” The signs promote a 162-page White House report accusing the museum of “extreme political activism,” and telling visitors that the exhibits should be renovated to align with the administration’s findings. The order, however, doesn’t identify the specific errors that need to be corrected or what resources the administration considers accurate. Nevertheless, Museum director Anthea Hartig disputed the report, saying it “does not fairly or accurately” characterize the museum’s work and that the institution “does not take sides in America’s political debates.” (The Hill / Politico / CBS News / CNN / ABC News)

6/ Mitch McConnell is not medically cleared to leave rehabilitation or return to the Senate, six weeks after falling at home. The 84-year-old has missed 38 Senate votes since June 14, and provided no timeline for his return, but noted that he’ll miss Kentucky’s Fancy Farm picnic this weekend. McConnell isn’t running for re-election in November and plans to retire when his term expires. (Washington Post / Associated Press / CNN / NBC News)

7/ EARLIER: Trump attacked journalists at Friday night’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, and then continued escalating his attacks over the next three days. The rescheduled event, held three months after a gunman disrupted the original dinner, opened with Trump asking: “Is this supposed to be fun?” Over the next hour, he told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins to “just smile,” mocked her appearance, insulted other reporters and political opponents, and ended in a “Trump 2028” hat as most of the room sat silent. On Sunday, Trump posted a doctored mock Bud Light advertisement replacing transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney’s face with Collins’s, which an official White House social media account then amplified. By Monday, journalists were calling to end or overhaul the dinner. The White House, meanwhile, dismissed the backlash, saying: “The liberal media can dish it but they can’t take it.”(Washington Post / New York Times / NPR / CNN / Wall Street Journal)

poll/ 32% of Americans said Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act hurt their finances, while 8% said it helped them a lot. 49%, however, said they couldn’t explain what the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” does. 26% of Trump voters nevertheless believed it delivered substantial tax breaks for the working class. (Politico)

The 2026 midterms are in 99 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 834 days.