Today in One Sentence. Trump paused his 50% tariffs on about $20 billion of Canadian goods for three days; in Florida, democratic socialist state Rep. Angie Nixon upset the far better-funded Alex Vindman for the Democratic Senate nomination and will face Republican Sen. Ashley Moody; in Alaska, former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola and Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan advanced to November’s Senate election; Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff called Trump a “draft-dodging, crook president” who “has plunged our nation recklessly into a war he knows not how to end or to win.”; interim Sen. Darline Graham said she was “not that informed on national security” and that “national security is not my thing”; North Korea denied that Trump and Kim Jong Un have been in direct communication after Trump said he plans to meet with the North Korean later this year; Trump nominated an abortion opponent and supporter of the administration’s overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule to lead the FDA; the Justice Department urged a federal judge to reject James Comey’s effort to dismiss charges accusing him of threatening Trump with an Instagram photo of seashells arranged to read “86 47”; and Trump, his businesses, and his administration have been involved in 61 media and defamation lawsuits since 2015.

1/ Trump paused his 50% tariffs on about $20 billion of Canadian goods for three days, claiming that the U.S. and Canada “have a DEAL!” Prime Minister Mark Carney, however, said only that “substantial progress” had been made and that “important work” remained. The White House nevertheless claimed Canada had committed to remove trade barriers affecting U.S. alcohol, dairy, and motor vehicles, while the U.S. trade representative said the agreement would include “comprehensive market access for all American goods,” economic security commitments, and digital trade alignment. Canadian officials haven’t publicly confirmed those commitments. Trump, meanwhile, said the U.S. may lower its 50% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum and hinted at reducing auto tariffs. (New York Times / Politico / CNBC / NBC News / The Guardian / NPR / Axios / Semafor / Bloomberg)

2/ 🟥🟦 Primaries: In Florida, democratic socialist state Rep. Angie Nixon upset the far better-funded Alex Vindman for the Democratic Senate nomination and will face Republican Sen. Ashley Moody. Vindman raised more than $16 million to Nixon’s less than $1 million. Trump-backed Byron Donalds won the Republican nomination for governor and will face Democrat David Jolly. Republican Rep. Cory Mills, who faces a House Ethics Committee investigation, and Trump-backed House candidate Catalina Lauf lost their primaries. Meanwhile, Democratic Reps. Jared Moskowitz and Debbie Wasserman Schultz won theirs. In Alaska, former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola and Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan advanced to November’s Senate election, with Peltola leading Sullivan 48% to 42.8% as votes were still being counted. In Wyoming, state Sen. Eric Barlow defeated Trump-backed Megan Degenfelder for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Trump ally Harriet Hageman won the GOP Senate primary, while election denier Chuck Gray won the Republican nomination for the state’s lone House seat. (Reuters / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / ABC News / CNN / The Hill / Wall Street Journal)

  • ✏️ Trump said he told Cory Mills to “get out of the race” but that the embattled lawmaker “wouldn’t listen.” “Trump endorsed Mills in February and never publicly rescinded his support, despite the Florida congressman facing significant scrutiny over accusations of assault, potential campaign finance violations and an ex-girlfriend alleging that he threatened to release sexually explicit images and videos of her.” (CNN / Politico)

3/ Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff called Trump a “draft-dodging, crook president” who “has plunged our nation recklessly into a war he knows not how to end or to win.” Two days earlier, Ossoff accused Trump of “lying a nation into war, treating citizens as fools and those who serve as pawns,” and said that while “the sailors on the Lincoln fight his war,” Trump “sleeps through his meetings” and “golfs and trades stocks.” Ossoff also mocked Trump for wanting to “build his ballroom and travel with Natalie” Harp, Trump’s executive assistant. In response, Trump called Ossoff “Pee-wee Herman” while White House communications director Steven Cheung called him a “cuck loser.” Ossoff is running for reelection. (CNN / The Guardian / Politico / The Hill / CNN / Axios)

  • 🧐 Who is Natalie Harp?
  • Trump’s 35-year-old special assistant and executive assistant, who’s been nicknamed the “human printer” because she follows Trump around with physical copies of the news and social media posts. Natalie Harp works just outside the Oval Office, travels with Trump, relays messages, arranges meetings, and helps draft and publish his Truth Social posts. She joined Trump’s staff in 2022 after repeating Trump’s false claims that he won the 2020 election on One America News. Harp reportedly spends more time with Trump than any other aide and has written him letters of devotion saying, “You are all that matters to me.” She was also among the small group of people moved with Trump to a secret military plane in Turkey, because of an alleged potential Iranian assassination threat. This week, Sen. Jon Ossoff mocked Trump for wanting to “travel with Natalie” instead of doing his job. (New York Times / Washington Post / CNN / The Guardian / CBS News / NBC News / Wall Street Journal)

4/ Interim Sen. Darline Graham said she was “not that informed on national security” and that “national security is not my thing.” Graham’s comments came during the only debate before South Carolina’s Republican Senate runoff when she was asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea are U.S. national security issues. Graham, who was appointed to the seat after the sudden death of her brother, Lindsey Graham, maintained that she supports the military as gasps and boos came from the audience. Her opponent, Rep. Ralph Norman, called Taiwan an ally and argued that the island is worth protecting against China. (CNN / The Guardian / Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News / USA Today)

5/ North Korea denied that Trump and Kim Jong Un have been in direct communication after Trump said he plans to meet with the North Korean later this year. Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, acknowledged that Kim “personally holds good memories and feelings toward Trump,” but maintained that the U.S. “hostile policy remains unchanged.” She also dismissed Trump’s decision to scale back joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises as insufficient. When asked whether he’d exchanged letters with Kim Jong Un, Trump refused to answer, but said they get along “very well” the dictator. (Bloomberg / CNN / Politico / Washington Post)

  • ✏️ South Korea admits Trump blindsided Seoul by cutting military drills. “The alliance has staged joint exercises for more than 70 years — but the U.S. president highlighted his “very good relationship” with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in scaling them back.” (Politico)

6/ Trump nominated an abortion opponent and supporter of the administration’s overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule to lead the FDA. If confirmed by the Senate, White House health policy aide Heidi Overton would take over an agency that has been without permanent leadership since May. Overton has also criticized the abortion pill mifepristone and called for tighter restrictions on its use. (New York Times / Politico / Axios / The Guardian / CBS News / NBC News / ABC News / Associated Press)

7/ The Justice Department urged a federal judge to reject James Comey’s effort to dismiss charges accusing him of threatening Trump with an Instagram photo of seashells arranged to read “86 47.” Prosecutors argued that “there is no serious dispute” and that an objective viewer could interpret the photo of seashells as “Kill President Trump.” Comey, however, denied the charges, deleted the post, and argued that the post was protected political speech. (Associated Press / The Hill / The Guardian / CNBC)

8/ Trump, his businesses, and his administration have been involved in 61 media and defamation lawsuits since 2015. 25 came between 2025 (16) and 2026 (9), while 36 lawsuits were filed from 2015 through 2024. (Axios)

The 2026 midterms are in 76 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 811 days.