Today in One Sentence. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear demanded that Mitch McConnell “directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of [his] capacity to serve, or resign”; Trump and congressional leaders eulogized Lindsey Graham as a “true American original” during the South Carolina senator’s memorial service in Washington; Senate Homeland Security Committee Chair Rand Paul released more than 1,100 pages of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s pandemic-era diary ahead of compelling him to testify about Covid-19’s origins; the Trump administration imposed a new rule that could send nearly 450,000 asylum applicants directly into deportation court; and the Trump administration plans to end a $3.6 billion Medicare drug subsidy program after 2026.

1/ Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear demanded that Mitch McConnell “directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of [his] capacity to serve, or resign.” The 84-year-old Republican has gone 43 days without appearing publicly or casting a vote following a June 14 fall and hospitalization. McConnell’s office released two photos and a statement saying he was “still working hard to get back to my full schedule.” Beshear said those updates don’t establish whether McConnell can “speak, reason, or carry out [his] duties as a senator,” adding: “All we’re asking is just a little bit of proof.” (Axios / CNBC / ABC News / Washington Post / NBC News / CNN / The Hill)

2/ Trump and congressional leaders eulogized Lindsey Graham as a “true American original” during the South Carolina senator’s memorial service in Washington. Trump called Graham “one of the great figures in Senate history” and said “nothing of consequence happened in this capital without Lindsey Graham knowing about it,” while JD Vance remembered him as someone who could “fight with you on one issue, but fight for you on another.” Before serving 23 years in the Senate, Graham helped prosecute Bill Clinton’s impeachment as a House manager. He later he helped secure Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation and turned himself from a Trump critic in 2016, who called him “unfit for office,” into the president’s so-called “Trump whisperer.” The Pentagon, meanwhile, directed the Air Force to rename Joint Base Charleston as Joint Base Lindsey Graham, saying the change “honors Senator Graham’s decades of distinguished service to the United States Congress and the United States Air Force.” Graham served more than six years on active duty as an Air Force lawyer, later joined the Air Force Reserve, and retired as a colonel in 2015. (Associated Press / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / CNN / Politico)

3/ Senate Homeland Security Committee Chair Rand Paul released more than 1,100 pages of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s pandemic-era diary ahead of compelling him to testify about Covid-19’s origins. Fauci described Trump’s briefings as “disturbingly rambling,” wrote that the president “still does not understand the pandemic,” and said Trump was acting “erratically” while blaming rising infections on increased testing. Trump initially told Fauci, “I love you, Tony. I feel like giving you a big hug,” but later demanded more upbeat messaging: “Everybody wants me to fire you […] but you have to be positive.” Paul, meanwhile, claimed that the diary showed Fauci privately entertaining a lab leak while publicly dismissing it, but the entries show that Fauci wrote that the Wuhan market was “the amplifier,” not necessarily the source, and that “somewhere the virus jumped from animals to humans.” Trump responded to the diary release, saying that he eventually “grew tired of” Fauci. (NPR / Washington Post / New York Times / The Guardian / CBS News / CNN / Wall Street Journal)

4/ The Trump administration imposed a new rule that could send nearly 450,000 asylum applicants directly into deportation court, bypassing interviews with asylum officers and exposing some cases to dismissal without a hearing. Officials claimed the change would reduce a 1.4 million-case backlog and stop applicants from using asylum for “delay and work authorization.” Separately, the Office of Refugee Resettlement shared more than 460,000 leads about migrant children, sponsors, and household members with ICE after Trump returned to office. More than 12,000 people were arrested following those referrals. And, court filings in Los Angeles, meanwhile, cited body cameras and text messages showing ICE and Border Patrol agents using racial slurs to describe Latino men they considered potential targets for immigration enforcement. In a deposition, one ICE agent said officers regarded an “older Hispanic male” as suspicious. (Washington Post / Reuters / CalMatters / Los Angeles Times)

5/ The Trump administration plans to end a $3.6 billion Medicare drug subsidy program after 2026. The Biden-era program helped cut average Part D premiums by an estimated 27% and was scheduled to continue through 2027. About 45% of enrollees are expected to face monthly increases between $11 and $20 in 2027, while the base premium will rise 6%, from $38.99 to $41.33. An administration official claimed the subsidies encouraged insurers to raise rates, but didn’t provide evidence that ending the program would lower premiums. Nearly 25 million people have standalone Part D plans. (Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / Reuters)

The 2026 midterms are in 98 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 833 days.