GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy to back Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination

Former Vice President Kamala Harris said she plans to spend time in the South to encourage voters to turn out for the midterm elections following a Supreme Court ruling this spring that further weakened the Voting Rights Act.

"One of the things that I’m doing over these next three months is spending, in particular, a lot of time in the South, especially after that Supreme Court case, Callais, which basically undid the Voting Rights Act that was designed to protect Black voters and anybody else who was the subject of discrimination around election laws," Harris said at a back-to-school rally in New Orleans today.

The April ruling by the Supreme Court said that Louisiana's congressional map was racially gerrymandered, therefore telling states that they could almost never consider race when drawing maps to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act — which was enacted to fight voting discrimination against minority groups.

The campaign of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, crafted a memo to rebut attacks by Democrats on her health care record, a sign of how seriously she’s taking the issue.

The memo, first reported by NBC News, is titled “False, Partisan Attacks on Senator Collins’ Health Care Record” and takes aim at two claims against her.

First, the campaign goes after a Democratic ad that said: “Susan Collins voted to support Donald Trump on the largest Medicaid cut in history.”

The Collins memo responds: “Including her vote against the Big Beautiful Bill, Susan Collins has voted against Medicaid cuts over a dozen times in just the last two years.”

The basis of the ad is Collins’ vote to procedurally advance the Republican party-line bill that contained the Medicaid cuts. Collins ultimately voted “no” on final passage but the bill had enough votes to pass, 51-50.

The second claim is about Affordable Care Act subsidies that Republicans successfully ended after 2025, causing premium hikes. Democrats pushed to extend the funds, and Collins was among a few Republicans to vote with them. But most GOP senators blocked the bill and forced the money to expire.

“The votes the Maine Democratic Party are using to say Senator Collins opposed extending the subsidies were messaging votes Democratic Senators were using to keep the government shut down during the longest shutdown in U.S. history,” the Collins campaign memo said. “Susan Collins voted to extend the ACA enhanced premium subsidies and voted against the Big Beautiful Bill.”

The top senators on the Senate Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on the Interior sent a letter yesterday demanding clarity on Trump's order that signs be installed outside of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History to "warn" of "inaccurate information" inside.

Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., sent the letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum requesting answers including how much the initiative will cost and where visitors will be directed to for "accurate" information.

"For the past 180 years, the Smithsonian Institution has been committed to sharing objective historical evidence through research and education, not political narratives," the letter said. "There is nothing more American than telling our story truthfully."

Murkowski and Merkley also urged Burgum to explain what precedent there was for the National Park Service to use its funding for such a directive and asked whether the service will seek public feedback before finalizing the new signage.

Trump is doubling down on his claims that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was damaged from vandalism. In a Truth Social post today, he said that U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro “should re-visit her hastily made decision” after she dropped the case against a former Olympian, citing a lack of evidence that he vandalized the pool.

Trump has aired his grievances before, including in the Oval Office on Monday where he insisted that Pirro “made a mistake” and that she “choked” from the pressure.

In the post, Trump indirectly mentioned David Hearn, the former Olympian who is trying to get his charges permanently dropped for allegedly vandalizing the reflecting pool.

Trump said Hearn “is represented by a TRUMP DERANGED SLEAZEBAG, Political Hack Lawyer, Norm Eisen,” a co-founder of the Democracy Defenders Fund, which has frequently challenged Trump in court.

“People were on their knees with their hands in the water at the exact location of the ‘slashes,'" Trump wrote in the post. “Additionally, there were witnesses to the VANDALISM, and the flexible areas of the material were cut with a knife.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told reporters this afternoon that it was not easy for her to decide to vote against Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general.

“If it was easy that I was going to get to 'no,' I probably would have made a statement a long time ago,” Murkowski said.

Murkowski said she worried the Trump administration may still try to revive the "anti-weaponization" fund and that Trump may still be immune from proper audits. She also said that she wasn't confident in the handling of the Epstein files.

Justice Samuel Alito told The Wall Street Journal that he is not stepping down from the bench, despite a now-deleted report from NPR that declared he was retiring.

“Obviously I’m here for another term,” Alito, 76, said in an interview published today by The Wall Street Journal.

Alito finished his 20th full year at the high court on June 30. That same day, an article was mistakenly published by NPR after journalist Nina Totenberg said she misunderstood an announcement of staff retirements by Chief Justice John Roberts — accidentally assuming it included Alito's. NPR took down the article and apologized that afternoon.

Asked about pressure from conservatives to retire while Trump is still in office and could ensure a conservative replacement is appointed to the bench, Alito said, "It’s not pleasant, in the sense that it’s a reminder of mortality.”

“It’s like, what are those vultures doing up there? They are flying around. But it goes with life tenure," Alito added.

The White House this afternoon celebrated the announcement from Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., earlier today that he would vote in favor of Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general — a vote that was necessary for Blanche to earn confirmation.

“This is great news and we look forward to his final confirmation shortly," Lauren Bis, a spokesperson for the White House, said in a statement, adding that Blanche "has done an excellent job as acting Attorney General and will continue doing so as Attorney General."

"Todd Blanche is an American patriot who has played a critical role at the Department of Justice in advocating for sanity, law and order, and policies that keep Americans safe," Bis added.

Cassidy's pledge to vote in favor of Blanche comes as Republicans need at least 50 of their 53 senators to back Blanche in order to clinch his confirmation.

Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, both said they would not vote for Blanche, and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will miss the vote as he will work from home while recovering from a fall.

The Senate confirmed Cameron Hamilton today to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of a large group of nominations.

His confirmation comes during hurricane season and a tough wildfire season, including fires in Spokane, Washington, that have destroyed many structures.

Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL and combat medic, served as the senior official performing the duties of FEMA administrator last year during the first five months of Trump’s administration.

In May 2025, he testified to a House committee that he didn’t believe FEMA should be eliminated, contradicting Trump's stated desire to dismantle the agency. A day later, Hamilton was removed from the job.

Trump tapped Hamilton to lead the agency again in May.

Cameron Hamilton.  Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for The Washington Post via Getty Images file

The Trump administration will appeal a federal court ruling blocking construction on his White House ballroom project to the U.S. Supreme Court, the president said today in a Truth Social post.

Trump blasted “Obama and Biden Appellate Court Judges” who “voted against the desperately needed Military Center,” which he said would also include bomb shelters and "State of the Art Hospital and Medical Facilities."

“The Military and Secret Service are viewing this horrendous, politically motivated, and unlawful ruling as a National Security threat to our Nation,” he said.

Trump has falsely claimed that there will be no expense to American taxpayers for the project. In May, Senate Republicans introduced a funding bill that included $1 billion from taxpayers for security-related costs associated with the ballroom; but in June the plans were dropped.

The Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass legislation to impose sanctions against Russia and Iran after months of fits and starts, with the death of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham providing the final push.

The 61-page legislation, renamed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, in honor of the bill’s biggest proponent, was designed to punish major buyers of Russian oil and gas. It also features additional sanctions on Russian leaders, family members and oligarchs.

And it allows for targeted tariffs on products from countries that buy most Russian oil and gas, limiting them to the five biggest importers.

The vote was 86-11.

Read the full story here.

The Senate is voting now to pass the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, a vote that needs a simple majority to pass.

The legislation allows the president to impose targeted tariffs on imported goods from countries that buy the vast majority of Russian oil or gas and countries that enable Russian sanctions evasion. The bill limits these tariffs to the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas, and top five countries that aid Russia’s energy sanctions evasion.

The bill also includes a provision to prevent a lapse in sanction authority that restricts funding for Iran’s energy and weapons sectors.

The bill has been criticized by a group of Democrats, and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., with Democrats arguing it gives Trump too much tariff authority.

In recent years, Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong, an unabashed democratic socialist, called to defund and abolish the police. Just three months ago, she said that, “my perfect world would be a world without prisons.” And in 2021, she wrote that she wanted to “abolish the Senate.”

Now, in the final stretch of a tumultuous Democratic primary for governor, in which Hong has expanded her polling lead, she has backed down from those comments. In media interviews over the past week, Hong has said she will “not abolish the police,” described her past statements on prisons as “more aspirational” and said getting rid of the Senate is “nonsensical.”

Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong. Sara Stathas / The Washington Post via Getty Images

Read the full story here.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Republicans are “trending hopefully in the right direction” to move forward today on Todd Blanche’s nomination after securing Sen. Bill Cassidy’s, R-La., support, though he cautioned that doing so will require Democratic cooperation on the Senate floor.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is celebrating the appeals court decision today blocking the construction of the White House ballroom above ground.

The National Trust brought the case challenging the ballroom. The president and CEO, Brent Leggs, said in a statement that his organization has made clear from the beginning of the process that only Congress can authorize construction of the ballroom.

"We are pleased with the DC Circuit Court’s decision to uphold the District Court’s preliminary injunction, which although stayed for 14 days will block any above-ground ballroom construction unless and until Congress takes action," Leggs said.

He added, "This decision is particularly meaningful as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and advocate for renewed protections for historic preservation. The White House, a global landmark that symbolizes American identity and the ideals of democracy, belongs to the American people."

Construction continues on a new helipad on the South Lawn of the White House and the East Wing ballroom yesterday. Kevin Carter / Getty Images

In a post on Truth Social today, Trump offered his "complete and total endorsement" to former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, who yesterday beat the president's original endorsee, Rep. Andy Ogles, in a primary.

"Last night was another good night for Endorsements, 8-1, and the 1 was a person who I remained loyal to even though he had virtually no chance of winning, and was running against a Great “Trump” Candidate, and former Agricultural Commissioner of Tennessee, named Charlie Hatcher," the president wrote today. "Good luck Charlie! Run tough and hard. You have my Complete and Total Endorsement!"

Trump had campaigned with Ogles, appearing at a virtual "tele-rally" with him on July 28.

Ogles lost his re-election bid after making controversial Islamophobic and homophobic statements online during this term.

The National Academy of Sciences announced today that it would conduct a review into the climate science section of a reference manual for judges; the section has been heavily criticized on the right.

The independent nonprofit said that it "determined that questions about the processes used to develop the chapter warrant a independent review."

The "Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence" is jointly produced by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Federal Judicial Center, the research arm of the judiciary.

The center had already removed the chapter following the wave of criticism, based in large part on allegations that the authors were biased. The authors have rejected that claim.

With various potentially high-stakes cases involving climate change currently in the courts, including one being heard by the Supreme Court this fall, how judges approach climate science is hotly contested.

A Republican organization in Rep. Max Miller’s district has canceled a Monday event that the embattled congressman was scheduled to headline, citing security concerns.

The Ohio representative was set to rally in Brunswick, Ohio, with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. Miller is facing abuse allegations from his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, as well as calls to resign and abandon his re-election campaign. He has not faced criminal charges related to his ex-wife's allegations and has denied them.

“I am angry and deeply disappointed to announce that we must cancel Monday’s SAVE America Act Rally with Congressman Max Miller and Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna,” Shannon Burns, a Miller ally and chair of the Strongsville GOP, said in a statement posted on the group’s website this morning.

​“After consultation with law enforcement and the venue, the number and nature of the threats received have made the event untenable,” Burns added. “We cannot responsibly expose our guests, attendees, volunteers, venue staff, or law enforcement officers to an unacceptable safety risk.”

A spokesperson for Miller declined to comment.

A federal appeals court on Friday affirmed a U.S. judge’s ruling to block construction of the White House ballroom while allowing below-ground work to move forward.

But the federal appeals judges put their own order on hold to give the Trump administration an opportunity to seek Supreme Court review.

Read the full story here.

Senators are trying to wrap up their work so they can leave town for the August recess, and if they have to jump through all the procedural hoops, it could be days before they get to Blanche's nomination.

But as we've seen time and time again, once senators set their sights on leaving town for a recess, they can coalesce around a time agreement to move quickly on all of it.

Sen. Cassidy announces he will support Blanche's nomination as attorney general

05:35

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., announced this morning that he plans to support Blanche's nomination for attorney general, making it likely that Republicans will have enough votes to confirm him.

“This is not a referendum on President Trump; it is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances. All considered, I will vote for Mr. Blanche,” Cassidy said in remarks on the Senate floor.

Cassidy acknowledged he has had a “history” with Trump, but said that “does not matter one bit.” He added that he had spoken to multiple senators, current and past administration officials, former U.S. attorneys and former Attorney General Bill Barr, who served in Trump's first administration, before making his decision.

The senator also voiced criticisms of Blanche that other senators on both sides of the aisle expressed at his confirmation hearing. He said the nominee, who is the acting attorney general, “showed poor judgment in approving the anti-weaponization slush fund and exempting the president from IRS audits.”

“I am particularly concerned about episodes of apparent lawfare, DOJ bringing suits against political enemies," Cassidy added. "Both parties, presidents of both parties, have been guilty of this. It must stop.”

National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett this morning confirmed reports that Trump is calling newly installed Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh.

“There have been some news stories that the president is talking to Kevin Warsh and of course he is," Hassett said on Bloomberg Television and Radio this morning. Asked if they discusses the sensitivities of monetary policy, Hassett responded, “I’m not listening to the conversations, but I’m sure the president is not saying you have to do this with interest rates.”

This is not a normal thing for a sitting president to do with a sitting chief of the central bank. The last time the Fed chair and the president regularly had contact was under the Nixon administration, when then-Fed chair Arthur Burns let inflation run rampant after pressure from the administration.

When the last Fed chair, Jerome Powell, had contact with the president, the Fed’s press office immediately released a readout and details of the conversations, such as who initiated them and where they took place along with the topics discussed.

Warsh's Fed has not released any details of the contacts with the president. In congressional testimony last month, Warsh hinted that contact with the president might have occurred, but he did not indicate how often or what was discussed.

Here are some things to keep in mind after Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced this morning that she will oppose Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general.

Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell says he’s been discharged from a rehabilitation center and will continue his recovery at home. The 84-year-old Republican had been away for nearly two months after falling at his home and being hospitalized.

Mitch McConnell leaves rehab to continue recovery at home

00:32

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed a joint defense agreement in Mecca today, a wedding of Sunni Muslim U.S. allies alarmed at a regional conflagration that has rained missile fire onto Gulf oil exporters. Iran and its allies have been firing on Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, and blockading their energy shipments, since the U.S. and ⁠Israel attacked it on February 28 in a major escalation after years of regional tumult.

The agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three would be regarded as an attack on all, they said in a joint statement.

Read the full story here.

The U.S. economy shed 23,000 jobs in July, a sign that the labor market had not stabilized after four months of positive growth.

The unemployment rate ticked down only slightly to 4.1%.

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones were expecting the release to show 83,000 added roles, more than June’s 57,000.

Read the full story here.

The Senate will be in session today for votes on a number of measures before it leaves town for its August recess.

The session, scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. ET, will include votes on a bill to impose sanctions on Russia and Iran, on a bloc of Trump nominees and on advancing a short-term spending bill to fund the government through Dec. 11. It’s unclear when the Senate will hold a confirmation vote on Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general.

If a bipartisan agreement on floor time comes together, the Senate could vote on Blanche tomorrow. If not, Democrats could use the full procedural time allotted to drag out the process.

After today’s session, the Senate is expected leave town for a five-week recess.

Ogles has lost his Republican primary, NBC News projects, falling to a former Tennessee official in a primary season that has seen an unusually high number of incumbents lose renomination.

Charlie Hatcher, the former state agriculture commissioner, rode support from prominent establishment Republicans to a victory over the controversial congressman who was backed by Trump. Hatcher is a heavy favorite in the general election in the deep red district.

Rep. Andy Ogles at the Capitol. Kent Nishimura / Bloomberg via Getty Images file

Read the full story here.

Tennessee's senior senator has won the Republican nomination for governor, NBC News projects, defeating Rep. John Rose in a race in which Trump declined to endorse a candidate.

Blackburn, 74, became the first woman to represent Tennessee in the Senate after she won her current seat in 2018; she had served in the House since 2003. If she wins the governor’s race, she would be the first female governor.

Read the full story here.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, came out today against Trump’s pick of Todd Blanche for attorney general, leaving the nomination hanging by a thread.

Murkowski joins fellow centrist Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, to oppose the president’s choice. With Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., out indefinitely, and Democrats expected to vote no, a third GOP opponent would block the nomination for the powerful job.

Read the full story here.