Today in one sentence: The judge presiding over Trump’s classified documents case denied a request from federal prosecutors to block Trump from making false claims that FBI agents were prepared to kill him; Trump was repeatedly booed and heckled at the Libertarian National Convention after he asked members for their support; the International Court of Justice on Friday ordered Israel to immediately halt its military assault on Rafah, citing an "immediate risk" to Palestinians; and on Sunday, two Israeli airstrikes on a tent camp where displaced civilians were sheltering ignited a deadly fire that killed at least 45 people and wounded 249 other people in Rafah, the Gaza city where more than 1 million people are seeking refuge in dire conditions.

1/ The judge presiding over Trump’s classified documents case denied a request from federal prosecutors to block Trump from making false claims that FBI agents were prepared to kill him during the search of Mar-a-Lago for classified documents in 2022. Special counsel Jack Smith had asked Judge Aileen Cannon to limit Trump’s ability to comment on law enforcement that searched Mar-a-Lago, calling Trump’s statements “intentionally false and inflammatory” and said they could “expose those agents, some of whom will be witnesses at trial, to the risk of threats, violence, and harassment.” Cannon, however, denied Smith’s request, calling the request “wholly lacking in substance and professional courtesy.” Cannon accused prosecutors of not discussing with Trump’s lawyers before making their request for a potential gag order after Trump baselessly claimed that FBI agents were “authorized to shoot” him while executing a court-authorized search warrant at Mar-a-Lago “Because the filing of the Special Counsel’s Motion did not adhere to these basic requirements, it is due to be denied without prejudice,” adding, “it should go without saying that meaningful conferral is not a perfunctory exercise.” (Politico / CNN / Axios / USA Today / CBS News / Associated Press / Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News)

2/ Trump was repeatedly booed and heckled at the Libertarian National Convention after he asked members for their support. Within minutes of speaking, Trump turned on the third party, mocking its poor electoral record in presidential elections even as asked attendees to “nominate me or at least vote for me […] What’s the purpose of the Libertarian Party of getting 3 percent […] You should nominate Trump for president only if you want to win.” Both Trump and Biden have expressed concern about third-party threats, including Robert F Kennedy Jr., in an election expected to be decided by a narrow margin in a handful of states. (CNN / Axios / Reuters / Politico / Washington Post)

  • Trump has pressured Republicans into passing legislation in a second Trump term to keep him out of prison forever. “This, of course, would require that Republicans keep the House, take back the Senate, and have enough votes and agreement on the wisdom of these ideas to get it done.” (Rolling Stone)
  • Trump told donors he will crush pro-Palestinian protests and expel student demonstrators from the United States. “One thing I do is, any student that protests, I throw them out of the country. You know, there are a lot of foreign students. As soon as they hear that, they’re going to behave,” Trump said. (Washington Post)

3/ The International Court of Justice on Friday ordered Israel to immediately halt its military assault on Rafah, citing an “immediate risk” to Palestinians. Then on Sunday, two Israeli airstrikes on a tent camp where displaced civilians were sheltering ignited a deadly fire that killed at least 45 people and wounded 249 other people in Rafah, the Gaza city where more than 1 million people are seeking refuge in dire conditions. Israeli tanks also advanced into central Rafah for the first time. Despite international condemnation and world leaders calling for an investigation into the attack and for Israel to halt its military offensive in Rafah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the strike was “a tragic accident,” but gave no indication of curtailing his offensive in Rafah. The Israeli military said the strike used “precise munitions” to kill two senior Hamas leaders, and claimed “our munitions alone could not have ignited a fire of this size” – suggesting that a secondary explosion — possibly of a weapons cache — was likely the cause of the fire. Biden, meanwhile, is not altering his policy toward Israel and the White House said the Israeli strike on a tent camp hadn’t violated his “red line” because it wasn’t “a major ground operation.” The White House, however, suggested that the attack on “innocent Palestinians [is] heartbreaking” and that “Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians.” (New York Times / CNN / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / Axios)

Three years ago today: Day 129: "Short-term political gain."
Four years ago today: Day 1225: "Big action."
Five years ago today: Day 859: "False narrative."