Today in One Sentence. Trump threatened to temporarily withdraw Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general rather than accept limits on an IRS settlement that protects Trump, his family, and their businesses from tax audits; Iran vowed to “punish the aggressor” after the U.S. launched a “heavy wave of strikes” against dozens of Iranian targets; ICE expanded immigration arrests at airports beyond travelers with deportation orders to people who entered the country legally, but overstayed their visas; the U.S. economy slowed to a 1.5% annualized growth rate in the second quarter; and the Energy Department admitted that it selected more than 600 clean-energy grants for cancellation “solely” because the projects were in states Kamala Harris won in 2024.

1/ Trump threatened to temporarily withdraw Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general rather than accept limits on an IRS settlement that protects Trump, his family, and their businesses from tax audits. The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed its vote after Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis demanded written guarantees that the nearly $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” can’t be revived and that the protections only cover past returns and the parties named in Trump’s lawsuit. Trump, meanwhile, said he had “no objection” to pulling Blanche’s nomination and trying again after the senators leave office in January. Cornyn warned that Trump was “mistaken” if he believed the objections ended with them, while Tillis said the administration’s position was “not popular” and “killing some of our candidates.” (ABC News / New York Times / Bloomberg / Associated Press / Washington Post / Axios / CNN / Politico / NBC News / Reuters / CBS News / Wall Street Journal / The Hill)

2/ Iran vowed to “punish the aggressor” after the U.S. launched a “heavy wave of strikes” against dozens of Iranian targets. The strikes came in response to ballistic missiles Iran fired at American forces in Jordan. Central Command said the operation hit command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal defenses, and maritime capabilities tied to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. The war also widened to Egypt for the first time, where an unidentified drone set fire to two gas vessels at the Mediterranean port of Damietta, including a U.S.-owned gas storage tanker. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, formed a 14-country maritime coalition intended to protect Red Sea shipping as attacks increasingly threaten the remaining energy and trade routes. (New York Times / NBC News / Bloomberg / CNN / CNBC / Wall Street Journal / Reuters / Washington Post / Axios / CBS News)

3/ ICE expanded immigration arrests at airports beyond travelers with deportation orders to people who entered the country legally, but overstayed their visas. Six immigration lawyers said some of those detained have pending asylum applications, work permits, or protections limiting removal to their home countries. The arrests appear to coincide with increased information sharing between ICE and the TSA. The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, said immigrants in the country illegally “can no longer fly unless it is out of our country to self-deport.” (Washington Post)

4/ The U.S. economy slowed to a 1.5% annualized growth rate in the second quarter, down from 2.1%. The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure, meanwhile, eased to 3.7% in June from 4.1% in May, but remains nearly twice the Fed’s 2% target. Core inflation was 3.3%, the personal savings rate fell to 2.7%, and renewed fighting with Iran pushed gasoline prices above $4 a gallon. Employers added 57,000 jobs in June, less than half May’s gain. Weekly unemployment claims rose to 197,000. (Associated Press / New York Times / ABC News / Reuters / Washington Post / NBC News / NPR / Axios / Associated Press / Reuters)

5/ The Energy Department admitted that it selected more than 600 clean-energy grants for cancellation “solely” because the projects were in states Kamala Harris won in 2024. The Office of Management and Budget later terminated 284 of the grants in October 2025. The admission came from a class-action lawsuit brought by University of California researchers seeking to overturn the cancellations and restore funding. The Energy Department later denied that “any of the termination decisions were based on political considerations,” directly contradicting the department’s own federal court filing. (CNN)

The 2026 midterms are in 96 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 831 days.

📊 By the numbers.

60% of voters oppose U.S. military action against Iran, while 34% support it. 74% oppose sending U.S. ground troops, 66% say the war hasn’t been worth fighting, and 54% say the U.S. is not winning. (Quinnipiac)

64% of Americans say the war with Iran hasn’t been worth fighting. 28%, meanwhile, approve of Trump’s handling of Iran, down from 34% last month, while his overall approval stands at 33%. (Associated Press)

63% of Americans say Republicans are spending too little time on the cost of living, compared with 52% who say the same of Democrats. A majority of voters say Congress would be better off if most current members were unseated. Democrats lead Republicans by 8 points among registered voters. (CNN)

67% of Americans say they’re concerned that political leaders will pressure election officials into changing election outcomes, and 80% are concerned political leaders will take actions they know could be illegal. 57% are concerned ballots won’t be properly handled, counted, or secured, and 52% worry about voter intimidation near polling places. (Gallup)

39% of Americans say they’d consider voting for a democratic socialist for president, while 55% wouldn’t. 75% of Democrats would consider supporting one. 30% say democratic socialism is similar to communism, 32% say it is different, and 36% are unsure. (Washington Post)

72% of MAGA Trump voters say they’d continue supporting a Republican candidate accused of domestic violence, 66% say they’d support with a GOP candidate accused of sexual assault. (Politico)