Today in One Sentence. House Republicans blocked a Democratic effort to force an immediate vote limiting Trump’s war powers over Iran the Strait of Hormuz remained effectively closed despite the U.S.-Iran ceasefire Trump – again – threatened to leave NATO and then used a closed-door meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to complain that U.S. allies “weren’t there when we needed them” and Melania Trump denied any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell, saying “the lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today.”.

1/ House Republicans blocked a Democratic effort to force an immediate vote limiting Trump’s war powers over Iran. Republicans ended a brief pro forma session before Democrats could seek unanimous consent on a war powers resolution, delaying any House votes until lawmakers return from recess. Senate Democrats said they would force a vote on their own measure. Trump, meanwhile, said he was “very optimistic” about a deal with Iran as Democrats said Congress had to “step in and take control of the wheel.” (NBC News / Wall Street Journal / Semafor / The Guardian / Reuters / NBC News / Axios / Wall Street Journal)

  • Army survivors of the Iranian drone strike in Kuwait disputed the Pentagon’s account, saying their unit was left exposed at an unfortified post where six U.S. service members were killed. They rejected Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s claim that one drone slipped through defenses at a fortified site, saying the position had no real protection from aerial attack. (CBS News)

  • Trump said the U.S. military was “loading up and resting” for its “next conquest” even as American forces remain deployed around Iran until Tehran honors what he called the “real agreement.” (CNBC)

  • The Selective Service System plans to automatically register eligible U.S. men ages 18 to 26 for a military draft by December. There are no formal plans to reinstate the draft. (CNBC)

2/ The Strait of Hormuz remained effectively closed despite the U.S.-Iran ceasefire. The head of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. said the strait was “not open” and that access was being “restricted, conditioned and controlled,” and shipping data showed that about seven ships had passed through in the previous 24 hours compared with about 140 a day before the war. Iran’s military and state-linked outlets have signaled that Tehran plans to “manage and intelligently control the Strait of Hormuz.” It’s unclear, however, whether Iran had formally imposed a toll system or was restricting passage. While Trump had said the truce depended on the “complete, immediate and safe opening” of the strait, he later said Iran “better not be” charging tankers tolls and that, “if they are, they better stop now.” (NBC News / CNBC / Semafor / Reuters / Axios / Bloomberg)

3/ Trump – again – threatened to leave NATO and then used a closed-door meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to complain that U.S. allies “weren’t there when we needed them.” Rutte responded by claiming allies were “doing everything the United States is asking” and that “the exact structure is less important than the speed here.” But it’s not clear what, exactly, Trump was asking for as a White House official insisted that Trump had “zero expectations for NATO” and “did not ask them for anything.” Britain, meanwhile, is now assembling a roughly 40-country coalition and France said about 15 countries are planning a “strictly defensive” shipping mission. (Reuters / CNBC / Bloomberg / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Politico / New York Times / Semafor / Wall Street Journal / Politico)

  • British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “fed up” with U.K. energy bills rising and falling because of Trump and Putin. The White House, meanwhile, defended Trump’s Iran war, saying he had taken “courageous action” to ensure Iran could never get a nuclear weapon and was pursuing a deal for “lasting peace.” (CNBC)

4/ Melania Trump denied any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell, saying “the lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today.” She said she had “never had any knowledge” of Epstein’s abuse, called a 2002 email to Maxwell “casual correspondence,” and said “Epstein didn’t introduce me to Donald Trump.” She said she was responding to “lies” and “fake images” linking her to Epstein that have been circulating on social media for years, but it’s not clear why she chose to respond now. She also called on Congress to hold “a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors.” Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said he agreed and urged Chairman James Comer to schedule one “immediately.” (CNN / Bloomberg / Reuters / Associated Press / Politico / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal)

The 2026 midterms are in 208 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 943 days.