Live updates: Trump floats pulling Todd Blanche’s AG nomination after senators push back on IRS settlement
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Two GOP senators are withholding support for Blanche over concerns about the settlement, which gave Trump tax audit immunity and created an “anti-weaponization” fund.
What to know today
- BLANCHE NOMINATION: President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general after Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn held up the nomination over their concerns about the president's settlement with the IRS. That agreement gave Trump and his family's business immunity from tax audits and created a nearly $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund.
- HEALTH NOMINEES ADVANCE: The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee advanced the nominations of Dr. Erica Schwartz to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Sean Kaufman to be the assistant health secretary for preparedness and response.
- IRAN WAR POWERS: The Senate this afternoon narrowly rejected a war powers resolution that would direct Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran unless explicitly authorized by a congressional declaration of war or authorization of military force.
Scoop: Sen. Chuck Schumer attends fundraiser for Mississippi Senate candidate Scott Colom
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., stopped by a fundraiser in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday for Mississippi Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom, two sources with knowledge of the event told NBC News.
It’s a notable move for the Democratic leader to help a candidate in the deep red state. The incumbent Republican, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, is heavily favored to win re-election, and the race is rated “solid Republican” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. The last time Democrats won a Senate race in Mississippi was 1982.
Colom, a lawyer and jurist, was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2022 to be a U.S. district court judge, but the nomination was blocked by Hyde-Smith under the “blue slip” process. Aides to Schumer and Colom had no comment on the fundraiser.
Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis met with Todd Blanche today
Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, met with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche this afternoon, a source familiar with the meeting tells NBC News.
The meeting comes as Cornyn’s concerns about the settlement agreement between Trump and the government resulted in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote on Blanche’s nomination being postponed.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., was also part of the meeting, according to another source familiar, who said the trio was now working collaboratively on the issue.
The meeting with Blanche came after Cornyn spoke with reporters regarding concerns around the nomination.
Cornyn says he and Tillis are on the frontlines of blocking Blanche nomination, but other GOP senators share concerns, too
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, spoke to reporters after Trump declared on Truth Social that he would be willing to withdraw Todd Blanche’s nomination to be Attorney General until Cornyn and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., were no longer in office.
"All you need is four to tank the nomination, so you don't have to take your shoes off to count that high," Cornyn told reporters, referring to the number of Republicans who would need to vote against Blanche alongside all Democrats to reject his nomination,
Cornyn and Tillis have withheld their approval of Blanche pending an agreement from the Justice Department that they'll kill a proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund that stemmed from a settle agreement for a lawsuit the president had filed against the IRS.
The lawsuit also led to a settlement agreement that would offer protection from IRS audits to Trump and his family members. Tillis and Cornyn have sought to narrow that portion of the settlement in exchange for allowing Blanche's nomination to proceed.
“The fact that they’re balking at putting that in writing tells me that they were hoping to get by with this settlement agreement and his testimony, and then revitalize those provisions at a later date, and that’s I don’t think good faith negotiations,” Cornyn said today.
Asked what he thinks it means that the Administration is unwilling to codify what Blanche testified about during his confirmation hearing, Cornyn said.
“I mean, it suggests to me as they are looking for an out to to do something different than what Todd Blanch testified to at his hearing, and that’s a problem.”
Cornyn said more Republicans than him and Tillis have concerns with Blanche, saying, “We’re just on the front line because we’re in the Judiciary [Committee.]”
GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy won't say whether he'll back Todd Blanche for attorney general
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., is joining two of his GOP colleagues in the upper chamber in expressing concern about Todd Blanche's nomination to serve as attorney general.
"I am very concerned about the weaponization of the Justice Department," Cassidy told reporters on Capitol Hill today.
"Shouldn’t every American be afraid of the weaponization of the Justice Department? If there’s not adequate answers for that, then probably there needs to be somebody else," he added.
Cassidy said that if Blanche can give good answers and commitments to Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, about their concerns, then the nomination could move forward.
Asked if he would support Blanche if the confirmation vote happened today, Cassidy said, "I’m not going to answer that because I’m still in the information-gathering stage."
Democrat Mandela Barnes drops out of the Wisconsin governor’s race
Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes said he is dropping out of the Democratic race for governor in Wisconsin.
“Last night I had a very difficult conversation with staff,” Barnes said today in a video posted to X. “We’re incredibly proud of all the things that we’ve accomplished and all the resources that we have raised to spread our message. But it’s become very clear who our nominee is going to be.”
That statement is a clear nod to state Rep. Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, who has expanded her polling lead ahead of the Aug. 11 primary.
States push DHS to explain its noncitizen voter claims
State officials are pushing back on the Department of Homeland Security’s claims that it found tens of thousands of noncitizens on its voter rolls, asking the department to explain how it arrived at its conclusion.
Ahead of President Donald Trump’s primetime speech from the White House earlier this month in which he made sweeping claims of voter fraud, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin wrote to officials in Nevada, Pennsylvania, California and New Jersey, saying he believed the four states had more than 250,000 noncitizens on the voter rolls combined. During a news conference the day after Trump’s speech, Mullin threatened officials with potential prison time if they do not “secure their elections.”
Ahead of Mullin’s requested two-week deadline for response, officials in California, Nevada and Pennsylvania sent back letters questioning where DHS got its data. All three states have declined to share private state voter roll data that includes personal identifying information like Social Security numbers.
Democratic Senate candidates pursue a new strategy in rural states: Dropping out
Facing slim prospects in rural red states, Democrats are embarking on a new tactic to expand the Senate map: encouraging doomed nominees to drop out of the race, in order to empower independent candidates to take on Republicans one-on-one.
Senate narrowly rejects Iran war powers resolution
The Senate this afternoon narrowly rejected a war powers resolution that would direct Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress makes a declaration of war or explicitly authorizes the use of military force.
The vote was 49-50, with three Republican senators — Susan Collins, of Maine, Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, and Rand Paul, of Kentucky — joining 46 Democrats in voting to support the measure.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., was the only Democrat to vote against the resolution. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who is still recovering from a fall at his home last month, missed the vote.
Thune says he's still hopeful Senate can advance Blanche's nomination before August recess
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he thinks the Senate could confirm Blanche as attorney general before the August recess if the Judiciary Committee can advance his nomination to the full floor.
"I think there’s a path forward, and I think we could get [Blanche] confirmed, if not obviously this week now, but next week still, if they could get them out of the committee," Thune told reporters, adding that the committee chairman, Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, "would love to make that happen."
"But if at a minimum, they get them out of the committee, we can have them teed up to vote in," Thune said.
Next week is the Senate's last scheduled week in session before the August recess, when lawmakers return to their home states for an extended break.
It's unclear when the committee might hold the vote on advancing Blanche out of committee. Republican Sens. Cornyn and Tillis have withheld their support for the nomination until they get assurances that the Justice Department will address their concerns about a settlement agreement Trump reached with the IRS over the leak of his tax records.
That agreement gave Trump and his family’s business immunity from tax audits and created a nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. The senators said they would like to see the immunity provision narrowed and the fund killed.
Senate committee advances controversial health nominee
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee advanced the nomination of Sean Kaufman to be the assistant health secretary for preparedness and response this morning in a party-line vote.
The position at the Department of Health and Human Services oversees preparations and response to public health emergencies and disasters and is involved in decisions about funding next-generation vaccines against pandemic flu or other infectious disease threats.
In LinkedIn postings, Kaufman has made comments cheered by vaccine skeptics, arguing against hepatitis B vaccinations for newborns and saying he served as an expert witness to advocate for people who refused the Covid vaccine. He also supported a Trump administration decision last year to cancel projects to develop vaccines using mRNA technology.
“Mr. Kaufman has said some pretty stupid things and irresponsible things regarding immunization,” the Senate committee's chairman, Dr. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said.
But Cassidy said he spoke to HHS officials and was assured that personnel changes are being made at the department to provide “better oversight to ensure that science, not ideology, is driving decision-making.”
Cassidy also said he has been assured that if Kaufman is confirmed, “he will not be involved in vaccine policy and nor will he be the ultimate decision-maker on certain issues.”
U.S. bans foreign-made humanoid robots, targeting China over national security
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is banning imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots and power inverters, citing national security risks, in a move that targets China.
The measures are likely to test relations with Beijing ahead of a planned U.S. visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to meet with Trump in September. China dominates the global market for humanoid robots with an estimated market share of roughly 85%.
Trump floats renominating Blanche after two Republican senators leave office
Trump floated temporarily withdrawing Blanche's nomination to be attorney general and renominating him after two GOP senators leave office.
His comments come as Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have expressed hesitancy to vote to advance Blanche’s nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"I have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd’s name, if they do not do the right thing, and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office," Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Cornyn countered Trump in a post to X, suggesting that more Republicans senators were also concerned about Blanche.
"POTUS is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis," the Texas senator write.
Trump said in his post that Blanche is a "STAR" who "has the potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time."
Cornyn and Tillis are concerned over aspects of Trump's settlement with the IRS for the leak of his tax returns.
As part of the settlement, the Justice Department established a so-called $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" fund and afforded Trump, his family members and companies protections from IRS audits.
The DOJ has since backed off of the "anti-weaponization" fund, but Cornyn and Tillis want written guarantees that it won't be brought back. They also want the audit provision of the settlement to be narrowed.
In his Truth Social post, Trump noted how he did not endorse either candidate, arguing that their "political careers have been ended by my action."
Cornyn was defeated in his GOP primary by Ken Paxton, who was endorsed by Trump. Tillis decided not to seek re-election.
Senate committee advances nomination of Dr. Erica Schwartz to be Trump’s CDC director
A Senate committee today advanced Dr. Erica Schwartz’s nomination to be director of the nation’s top public health agency, setting aside concerns that she will not stand up to political meddling.
If confirmed by the full Senate, the 54-year-old would become the 22nd director of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is charged with protecting Americans from preventable health threats. Her resume includes medical and law degrees, a stint as deputy surgeon general, and a leadership position at the U.S. Coast Guard.
Schwartz appeared to be on shaky ground after a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee this month. The chairman, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and others questioned whether she would be willing to stand up to Republican President Donald Trump’s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., if he ordered CDC to do something that was unsupported by science and good public health practice.
But when the committee met last week, Cassidy said he had spoken with Schwartz after that hearing and to others who knew her.
“I’m confident that she knows what she is doing and will stand against those who do not,” said Cassidy, whose support was necessary for the nomination to go forward.
The committee’s near party-line vote today moved Schwartz’s nomination ahead. Among those who opposed her was Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent.
“The issue at hand is not complicated,” Sanders said last week. “Will we have people in the Trump administration who have the guts to stand up to people who are anti-science and into conspiracy theories?”
U.S. strikes Iran in wake of surprise attack on American forces
The United States launched major strikes against Iran this morning after Trump vowed to hit the regime “very hard” as retaliation for a surprise attack on American forces in the region earlier in the week. It comes as a new poll shows 72% of Americans disapprove of the president’s handling of Iran. NBC’s Gabe Gutierrez reports for "Today."
Senate Democrats demand Trump administration restore funding for research grants canceled in blue states
Senate Democrats are calling on the Trump administration to restore funding for hundreds of energy projects that were canceled "based solely" on political grounds, calling the terminations "an attempt to punish perceived political enemies."
In a letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Office of Management and Budget Director Director Russell Vought, Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., were joined by 37 Democratic-caucusing senators in demanding that 223 energy grants be restored.
“Once an administration begins punishing Americans for how they vote, the threat extends far beyond these projects: no state, community, business, or worker can trust that the federal government will apply the law fairly,” the letter said.
The grants, canceled in October, were terminated because they were connected to states that did not vote for Trump in 2024 and had two Democratic-caucusing senators, according to a court filing from a Trump administration official this month.
The letter from Democrats called the cancellations "an attack on the rule of law and the basic democratic principle that the federal government serves the entire country — not merely those who support the President."
“At a time when energy prices are skyrocketing, the administration is hell-bent on political retribution instead of working to bring down costs for millions of Americans," the letter said. “For the good of our country, the rule of law, and the American people, we demand that you change course and restore the previously awarded funding."
In the filing this month, an Energy Department official stated that the canceled grants were selected "based solely on the political identity of the grant recipient’s state" and not because of other factors, like cost reductions.
The Energy Department said in a statement last week that the filing did not show that cancellations were made with a political bias, arguing that it was "misrepresentation of the court filing" to say so.
Trump to launch effort to increase the number of veteran truck drivers
Trump is expected to launch an effort his afternoon to open pathways for military veterans to become commercial truck drivers.
The initiative, dubbed "Freedom Haulers," was confirmed by White House spokesperson Anna Kelly.
“President Trump has made our highways safer by taking illegal alien, non-English-speaking truck drivers off the road," she said in a statement. "Now, he is expanding pathways for our veterans to obtain commercial drivers licenses and access quality, high-paying trucking jobs!”
In a post to X, Kelly shared a Fox News story detailing the plans, which said the Transportation Department will expand the eligibility of veterans to obtain expedited commercial driver's licenses and will double the waiver period that allows veterans with driving experience in the military to skip a skills test to two years after active-duty service. Commercial driver's license training will also be offered for veterans who did not drive heavy vehicles during their military service, Fox News reported.
Trump signed an executive order last year aimed at taking commercial truck drivers who aren't proficient in English off the road. The AP reported earlier this month that the Trump administration wants veterans to fill vacancies left by drivers who could not pass the requirements.
Cornyn sent 'counterproposal' to DOJ on Trump's IRS settlement agreement before any vote on Blanche
Cornyn has offered a counterproposal to the Justice Department on his request that it put a revised settlement agreement between Trump and the government into writing before he will vote in committee to send Blanche’s nomination for attorney general to the full Senate.
Yesterday, Cornyn said he’s looking for “written proposals to modify the release that was signed in the tax dispute with President Trump and his and his organization.” A Justice Department official says it has transmitted new language to Cornyn and Tillis.
The push by Cornyn and Tillis, who is also on the Senate Judiciary Committee, resulted in the committee postponing the vote on Blanche’s nomination, which had been scheduled for this morning. A new date for the vote has not yet been set.
Urban League report says Trump administration is harming Black Americans’ chances at American Dream
The American Dream may not be dead for many Black Americans, but it is further away than at any point since the Civil Rights Movement, warns a report by the National Urban League.
Released today, the annual “State of Black America” report grimly describes Black Americans’ economic and political prospects as having worsened due to policy changes from Trump’s administration, according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press.
Michigan’s Senate primary tests voters’ appetites for populism and authenticity
A state that aggressively promotes itself as “Pure Michigan” is playing host next week to a collision course of purity tests in a hostile Democratic Senate primary.
Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment at heated Senate hearing
At a contentious hearing on Capitol Hill yesterday, Dr. Anthony Fauci refused to answer repeated questions about his handling of the Covid pandemic, invoking the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times. Now, Republicans are threatening to hold him in contempt of Congress. NBC’s Monica Alba reports for "TODAY."
Amid Iran war, Sanders and Grassley introduce a bill to fine the Pentagon if it fails an audit
Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, say the Defense Department should perform its first successful full-agency audit, as required by federal law, or face financial penalties.
Iran vows to ‘punish the aggressor today’ after U.S. unleashes ‘heavy wave’ of strikes
Iran vowed to “punish” the United States today after the American military said it had completed a “heavy wave of strikes” overnight, the latest retaliation for an attack by Tehran on U.S. forces in the Middle East.
The renewed fighting shattered a brief period of calm that had seen the two sides engage with a push to revive diplomatic efforts and stave off dramatic new escalation.
Senate committee postpones vote on Blanche’s nomination over disagreements with GOP senators
The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed its vote on whether to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general after two Republican senators said they did not receive written assurances they were seeking from the Justice Department surrounding a settlement between Trump and the IRS.
The GOP-led committee was scheduled to vote this morning on sending Blanche’s nomination to the full Senate, but Cornyn and Tillis, both of whom have clashed with Trump and neither of whom faces re-election in November, have complicated Blanche’s path to confirmation with their demands from the Justice Department.
