USA TODAY is reporting that lawmakers' personal relationships are facing increased scrutiny on Capitol Hill, with a bipartisan push for stricter ethics rules regarding intimate relationships between members of Congress and lower-level staff. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said such relationships are "inappropriate," while Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-New Mexico, stated Congress is a place "to serve, not to date." Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Florida, is developing new bipartisan ethics legislation.
USA TODAY is also reporting an update on Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky. Six weeks after being hospitalized for a fall and treated for pneumonia, McConnell's doctors have not yet cleared him to leave rehabilitation and return to work. The congressional Office of the Attending Physician released a photo of McConnell and his wife, Elaine Chao, and said he is undergoing a "strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation" to rebuild strength and reduce fall risk.
President Donald J Trump is urging senators not to begin their August recess until they pass the SAVE America Act. USA TODAY said Trump made the demand via a Truth Social post and reiterated it aboard Air Force One, specifically calling on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to "get his job done." Trump added he had not considered replacing Thune.
In other political news, USA TODAY reported the Pentagon updated its Iran war death toll, adding four troops to a new list after removing names. It also said the Supreme Court will hear a significant gun test case this year that could impact AR-15 bans, and an appeals court blocked a Trump order on mail-in ballots in 23 states. Former FBI Director James Comey is seeking dismissal of a criminal case accusing him of threatening the president by posting an image of seashells, calling it "punishment of free speech."