Today in One Sentence. Trump delayed his threat to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants for five days, claiming the U.S. and Iran had held “very good and productive” talks on a “complete and total” resolution of the war Tehran, however, denied that there were any direct or indirect negotiations, calling it fake news, market manipulation, and “psychological warfare” Trump deployed ICE officers to more than a dozen U.S. airports to help with TSA staffing shortages during the partial DHS shutdown and the Supreme Court appears likely to limit mail-in voting in federal elections.

1/ Trump delayed his threat to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants for five days, claiming the U.S. and Iran had held “very good and productive” talks on a “complete and total” resolution of the war. Tehran, however, denied that there were any direct or indirect negotiations, calling it fake news, market manipulation, and “psychological warfare.” Nevertheless, Trump said Iran “wants to settle” the war and “very much” wants a deal, and that the two sides had “major points of agreement,” including reopening the Strait of Hormuz, banning Iran from ever having a nuclear weapon, and removing its enriched uranium. Trump also suggested that any deal would amount to a “very serious form of regime change.” (NBC News / Bloomberg / NPR / Washington Post / Politico / CNBC / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / Reuters / Axios / ABC News)

2/ Trump deployed ICE officers to more than a dozen U.S. airports to help with TSA staffing shortages during the partial DHS shutdown. Trump said the officers were meant to ease delays, but suggested he could send the National Guard next, while airports and administration officials said ICE was not screening passengers and no arrests had been reported. The move came after more than 400 TSA officers quit and about 3,450 called out on Sunday as the partial shutdown has forced TSA workers to keep working without pay. Trump and congressional Republicans have insisted on fully funding DHS, including ICE and CBP. Democrats, however, have pushed to pay for TSA while leaving ICE and CBP unfunded, demanding new limits on ICE tactics, including clearer identification, mask restrictions, and tighter rules for forced home entries. Trump, meanwhile, said he wouldn’t support a DHS funding deal unless it also included the Republican SAVE America Act, saying Congress should “lump everything together as one, and VOTE!!!” (New York Times / Associated Press / Politico / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / CNBC)

  • The Senate voted 54-37 to advance Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security, putting him on track for final confirmation this week. Mullin would replace Kristi Noem. (Axios / Politico)

3/ The Supreme Court appears likely to limit mail-in voting in federal elections. The case could force Mississippi and at least 13 other states to stop counting ballots mailed by Election Day but received later. At issue is a Mississippi law that allows absentee ballots to be counted if they arrive within five business days after Election Day and were postmarked by then. The Republican National Committee argued that federal law requires both submission and receipt by Election Day. Justice Samuel Alito said late-counted ballots can undermine “confidence in election outcomes” and create an “appearance of fraud,” while Justice Neil Gorsuch called it “a contradiction” to say ballots must be cast by Election Day, but need only be mailed by then. But Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett questioned whether that logic could also threaten early voting. A ruling is expected by late June. (NBC News / Washington Post / New York Times / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / CNN / CNBC / Associated Press / Politico)

The 2026 midterms are in 225 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 960 days.

✏️ Notables.

  1. A federal judge ruled that the Pentagon’s policy of restricting press access violated the First Amendment. Judge Paul Friedman said the rules let the Pentagon revoke journalists’ credentials as “security risks” under vague standards and banned reporters from seeking information from military employees who were not authorized to speak publicly. (New York Times)

  2. Voice of America journalists sued Trump administration officials, alleging they tried to turn the federally funded news outlet into a pro-Trump “mouthpiece.” The complaint named Kari Lake and other U.S. Agency for Global Media officials, saying they pushed for favorable coverage of Trump, censored or suppressed reporting they didn’t want aired, and pressured staff to show “loyalty” or risk losing their jobs. (NPR / New York Times)

  3. The Interior Department agreed to pay about $1 billion to abandon two planned offshore wind projects. Instead, they’ll redirect the money to U.S. oil and gas investments. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the money had been tied up in what he called “expensive, weather dependent offshore wind.” (Washington Post)

  4. A far-right activist who spread conspiracy theories about voter fraud and now leads FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery claimed that he was involuntarily “teleported” to a Waffle House. Gregg Phillips made the claims on multiple podcasts. “Teleporting is no fun,” Phillips said on one podcast. “It was real.” FEMA, meanwhile, said the comments were taken out of context or reflected private, informal, and “somewhat spiritual” discussions made before his current role. (CNN / The Guardian)

  5. Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who later led the special counsel investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, died Friday at 81. He spent 22 months investigating Trump’s campaign and Russia, concluding that Russia interfered in the election and that Trump’s campaign had multiple contacts with Russians, but there was “insufficient evidence” to establish a criminal conspiracy. Mueller’s office also chose not to charge Trump with obstruction of justice out of “fairness concerns,” because “a federal criminal accusation against a sitting President would place burdens on the President’s capacity to govern and potentially preempt constitutional process for addressing presidential misconduct.” However, Mueller, citing numerous legal constraints in his report, declined to exonerate Trump, writing: “If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the president clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment.” Trump, meanwhile, responded: “Good, I’m glad he’s dead.” (MS Now / Reuters / Politico / Associated Press)