Today in One Sentence. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito considered retiring this year, but decided to stay so he could make “a valuable contribution”; Trump plans to send $90 to 20.8 million Medicare beneficiaries to help offset their Part B premiums; the Pentagon removed all 12 B-1 bombers from the U.K.’s RAF Fairford airbase; a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from building a border wall and related infrastructure through Big Bend National Park in Texas; Trump announced the formation of his new “Super Intelligence Force” and named National Intelligence Director Jay Clayton to lead it; Trump posted Sen. Tom Cotton’s personal cellphone number online and urged Arkansans to call him; the State Department is monitoring reports that a worker at an anti-plague laboratory in Russia died of pneumonic plague; and 59% of Latino voters prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress, compared with 35% who favor Republican control.

1/ Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito considered retiring this year, but decided to stay so he could make “a valuable contribution.” Alito, however, dismissed the idea that presidential politics should dictate when he leaves, saying it is “too hard to predict what the political situation will be.“If Alito, 76, retires next year, it could give Trump the chance to nominate a fourth justice. Democrats, meanwhile, are threatening to block Trump’s judicial nominees if they win control of the Senate in November. Sen. Richard Blumenthal added that the chances a Democratic-led Senate would confirm a Trump Supreme Court nominee are “slim to none.” (Politico / CNBC / Semafor / NBC News / CBS News)

  • READ: Justice Samuel Alito’s interview. (CBS News)

2/ Trump plans to send $90 to 20.8 million Medicare beneficiaries to help offset their Part B premiums. The one-time payments will arrive before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, and come from the roughly $2 billion from the Medicare Improvement Fund. The standard Part B premium rose nearly 10% this year to $202.90 a month, despite Trump’s claim that he had reduced premiums “by significant amounts.” Separately, Trump renewed his promise to send every adult U.S. citizen $5,000 if Republicans retain control of Congress. However, he hasn’t said how he plans to fund the roughly $1.2 trillion proposal, which requires congressional approval. Meanwhile, the administration began distributing $500 checks to roughly 1 million Affordable Care Act enrollees. (Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / Axios / CNN / NBC News / CNBC)

  • The Energy Department will announce $150 million for new power lines in Alaska. JD Vance, meanwhile, is preparing to rally voters for Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, who faces Democrat Mary Peltola in a tight reelection race for a seat Democrats see as key to winning control of the Senate in November. (Reuters)

  • Trump plans to ease restrictions on the use of tax-exempt red-dyed diesel in on-road vehicles as diesel prices remain near record highs. “Red diesel is exempt from the federal excise tax of 24 cents per gallon, enabling its use in on-road vehicles without penalties could translate into an effective tax break in some cases.” (Bloomberg / Politico)

  • 💡 “Trump is clearly trying to buy votes with taxpayer money.” (CNN)

3/ The Pentagon removed all 12 B-1 bombers from the U.K.’s RAF Fairford airbase. Royal Air Force Fairford was used for long-range bombing missions in its war against Iran. Trump claimed “there was a threat,” while JD Vance attributed the redeployment to “an abundance of caution” about a suspected Iran-backed threat to the base. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, downplayed the move as part of routine rotations. British authorities arrested six people in connection with the plot to attack the base, including a British-Iranian dual national. British authorities arrested six people in connection with a suspected plot targeting the base, including a British-Iranian dual national. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there’s “strong indications” that Iran “played a part.” (Bloomberg / New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / CBS News / CNN / NBC News / Axios)

4/ A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from building a border wall and related infrastructure through Big Bend National Park in Texas. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone ruled that the challengers were likely to succeed on at least one claim and would face “serious, irreparable harm.” The injunction bars construction and ground-disturbing work unless the government complies with environmental laws while a lawsuit challenging the project proceeds. Construction, however, had already started in parts of the region, including the roughly 500-mile sector and Big Bend National Park. (ABC News / Axios / CNN / NBC News / Reuters / The Guardian)

5/ Trump announced the formation of his new “Super Intelligence Force” and named National Intelligence Director Jay Clayton to lead it. The task force has 120 days to report on artificial intelligence’s risks and opportunities, and recommend what role the federal government should play. Its charter calls for responding to AI-enabled threats without “overregulation” that could stifle innovation. The move followed Trump’s meeting with top AI executives last week, who signed a “morally binding” set of voluntary safety standards to “self-police” their AI models. Clayton, meanwhile, will continue overseeing the U.S. intelligence community. (CBS News / Politico / Washington Post / CNN / NPR / Wall Street Journal / CNBC / NBC News)

6/ Trump posted Sen. Tom Cotton’s personal cellphone number online and urged Arkansans to call him. The Sunshine Protection Act passed the House in July to end twice-yearly clock changes for most of the country, but the Senate hasn’t taken up the measure. Trump nevertheless blamed Cotton for blocking the bill, saying “Almost everybody wants “The Sunshine Protection Act” to pass, except for Tom Cotton. To the Great People of Arkansas, please let your Senator know it would be a GREAT Bipartisan WIN for the United States Senate, and for America, itself.” (New York Times / CBS News / Washington Post / Politico / CNN / NBC News)

7/ 😬 Well, that’s fantastic… The State Department is monitoring reports that a worker at an anti-plague laboratory in Russia died of pneumonic plague. Russia’s public health agency said her pneumonia was of unknown origin and that tests found no microorganisms linked to her work. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, said: “I don’t think it’s cause for alarm.” (Axios / ABC News / CNN / Washington Post / Associated Press / New York Times / NBC News)

poll/ 59% of Latino voters prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress, compared with 35% who favor Republican control. 25% of Latinos approve of the job Trump is doing as president, while 69% disapprove. (NBC News)

The Supreme Court’s new term begins today; the 2026 midterms are in 29 days; and the 2028 presidential election is in 764 days.