Trump says Jeanine Pirro ‘folded like an umbrella’ in Reflecting Pool case
NBC News Clone summarizes the latest on: Rcrd118163 - Politics and Government | NBC News Clone. This article is rewritten and presented in a simplified tone for a better reader experience.
Trump said he was “disappointed” in Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia, after the DOJ dropped its case against an Olympic canoeist accused of vandalism.
What to know today
- REFLECTING POOL: President Donald Trump this afternoon said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro “choked” by dropping the Justice Department's case against an Olympic canoeist who the administration had accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
- 'ANTI-WEAPONIZATION' FUND: Two key Republican holdouts on the Senate Judiciary Committee said they would support Todd Blanche's nomination to become attorney general after the Trump administration announced a deal to rescind a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund. The support from Sens. Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, and John Cornyn, of Texas, all but assures that his nomination will advance tomorrow morning.
- SHUTDOWN DEAL: Senate leaders have struck a bipartisan agreement to keep the government funded past the 2026 midterm elections and avoid a politically tricky shutdown in October.
Coverage of this live blog has ended. For the laters news, click here.
The legal loophole that could revive the Trump administration’s ‘anti-weaponization’ fund
The deal that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche struck with two holdout Republican senators to formally kill the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund has a major loophole that could allow it to come back to life.
Blanche announced last night that his order in mid-May establishing the fund “is rescinded and shall have no force or effect” — part of a concession that led Sens. John Cornyn, of Texas, and Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, to say they would vote to advance his nomination for attorney general tomorrow.
“This order establishes, beyond any doubt, that there is no fund,” read Blanche’s order, which he posted to X.
But the only person who signed the rescission order was Blanche, while the underlying agreement that established the fund was signed by lawyers for Trump, two of his sons, his company and the head of the IRS. The agreement in May said the deal “may be modified only with the written agreement of the Parties.”
Kansas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Cindy Holscher says she holds 'mainstream' views that cross party divides
State Sen. Cindy Holscher, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Kansas, said on the eve of tomorrow’s primary that she has bipartisan appeal in a state where Republicans are look to flip the governor’s office.
While Holscher has presented herself as antiestablishment in terms of the Kansas Democratic Party — she does not have Gov. Laura Kelly's endorsement — she said she holds “mainstream” views that cross party divides.
“[Kansans] are tired of the cultural wars, and they are tired of the establishment," she told NBC News’ “Meet the Press NOW.”
"We’ve seen over the past few years the tendency of this government to focus on giveaways for billionaires and corporations. And Kansans are extremely fatigued of that."
Asked whether there is room for democratic socialists in the party, Holscher dodged the question and instead pivoted back to her race, saying, “Whatever the label is ... this is very mainstream in terms of what Kansans are wanting.”
Unlike her main opponent, state Sen. Ethan Corson, who has Kelly's backing, Holscher has stayed away from making Trump a focus of her campaign, but she told NBC News she would be a fighter against his agenda.
“I’m going to pull every lever," she said. "I’m gonna push back every way I can to stop these horrible policies that are coming to us from the Trump administration.”
Holscher also discussed why she flipped her position on data centers and is now promising a moratorium on them, saying she has heard concerns about them at “every single stop on the campaign trail.”
Haley Stevens says she's doing things 'the Michigan way' when asked about her support for Israel
Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., downplayed concerns tonight that her position on Israel could cost her the general election if she wins the Democratic nomination tomorrow for an open Senate seat.
“I’m doing this the Michigan way,” Stevens told NBC News when she was asked about voters who don’t support her pro-Israel stance.
“This is a tough, complicated, hard issue for a lot of people, and I have been very consistent,” she said. “I understand that people might disagree, but leadership and public service is also taking positions and communicating effectively and transparently, and that’s how I’ve won four tough elections.”
As recently as today, when protesters heckled her as she walked into an event to make a closing pitch to voters in Grand Rapids, Stevens has faced scrutiny over donations from the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, also known as AIPAC. Her primary opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, has accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians.
Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed offers his take on swing voters and moderates on eve of Michigan primaries
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed tonight gave his "alternative hypothesis" about the motivations of voters who are characterized as moderates.
Speaking with NBC News ahead of tomorrow's Democratic primary, El-Sayed said: “This state went for Bernie Sanders in the primary in 2016. Then it went for Donald Trump. Then it went for Joe Biden. Then went for Donald Trump. If everyone was so moderate, why would the state elect Donald Trump twice?”
El-Sayed, who is running against moderate Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens, said the idea of "purple" states was a model that has been “proven incorrect,” arguing that assuming people who are neither Democrats nor Republicans are moderates is wrong.
“I've got an alternative hypothesis,” El-Sayed said. “People are so sick and tired of establishments on both sides of the aisle that are bought off by the corporations who are nickel-and-diming them at every turn that they were willing to hold their nose and vote for Donald Trump twice.”
Ed Markey and Seth Moulton spar over age and PAC money during Massachusetts Democratic Senate debate
Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts traded barbs tonight during a debate for the Democratic Senate nomination, with Moulton hitting Markey over his age and Markey attacking Moulton over his accepting corporate PAC contributions.
Moulton cited the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and the extended absence of Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as reasons to advocate for term limits, and he said age limits should also be considered. Graham died last month at 71 following an aortic dissection, while McConnell, 84, has been absent from Congress for more than six weeks following a fall that led to his hospitalization and subsequent rehabilitation treatment, according to his office.
Markey, who at 80 has held his seat for 13 years after having served in the House for nearly 40 years, touted his progressive track record and endorsements from Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. He also attacked Moulton, 47, for not supporting policies such as “Medicare for All” and accused Moulton of enriching himself in office through investments related to his committee work.
The debate, hosted by the local channels WFXT and GBH Boston, comes a month before the Sept. 1 primary.
Both candidates suggested that Senate Democrats need a new leader, with Moulton saying Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., should be out as Democratic leader and Markey saying there needs to be a "big debate about new leadership." He stopped short of naming Schumer.
It’s not the first time a Massachusetts congressman has challenged Markey him for his Senate seat. In 2020, he fended off a challenge from Rep. Joe Kennedy III.
Wisconsin Gov. Evers campaigns for David Crowley in governor's race, weeks after endorsement
More than two weeks after he formally endorsed Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, Gov. Tony Evers tonight made his first public campaign appearance alongside Crowley in Wisconsin’s Democratic primary for governor.
In the private room of a brewery in Appleton, a small working-class city about 100 miles northwest of Milwaukee, Evers lauded Crowley for being the only candidate with a record of accomplishments and leadership.
“He gets stuff done,” Evers said. “This is a guy that’s going to make the state of Wisconsin a better place, because he talks about the issues.”
Evers also said Crowley’s competitors — including polling front-runner Francesca Hong, who's a democratic socialist and state representative from Madison — are spending too much time on social media.
“All I know is that other candidates spend a lot of time talking on Twitter — and frankly, at this moment, we have to move the state forward,” Evers said.
Incidentally, it has been Crowley who has faced scrutiny over his social media record. NBC News reported last month on the existence of a years-old account registered to Crowley that featured incendiary posts about women and race, along with derogatory LGBTQ references.
Crowley dropped out of the primary in July amid low polling, but days later, following Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez's abrupt exit from the race, he jumped back in with the endorsement of Evers, the popular outgoing governor, who is term-limited.
However, he continues to trail in the polls.
A Marquette University Law School poll released last week found Hong with the support of 38% of Democratic primary voters, with Crowley at 7%. Another 34% said they were undecided. Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes got 16% support, and he dropped out of the race days after the poll was released.
Hong, 37, a single mother and former restaurant owner who has served in the state Assembly since 2021, has faced questions about her electability as a democratic socialist in a purple state.
Asked by NBC News tonight whether he had concerns about Hong’s electability if she were to advance to the general election, Evers replied that she “spends a lot of time, from what I understand, talking on Twitter and [about] all these other extraneous issues.”
“People in this room who have seen tornadoes destroy their city, and we’re going to spend time on that bull---- that, that others are talking about on Twitter? Please, I’m not going to,” Evers said.
Asked how he felt about Hong’s decision to include leftist streamer Hasan Piker at a campaign rally in Milwaukee over the weekend, Evers sidestepped the question and said, “Going back and forth on Twitter is is not the way you win the races.” The ne touted Crowley as a “candidate that wants to get things done just like he has done in in the county of Milwaukee."
Jack Smith accepts invitation to appear before Senate Judiciary Committee, pending DOJ approval
Former special counsel Jack Smith will accept an invitation from Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to appear before the committee next month, his lawyers said this evening.
In a letter addressed to Grassley, which was obtained by NBC News, Smith’s attorneys said, “He stands by the decisions he made as Special Counsel and looks forward to the opportunity to appear before your Committee in a public hearing to correct the many mischaracterizations of his tenure."
The lawyers, Lanny Breuer and Peter Koski, also said in the letter that Smith “steadfastly followed Justice Department policies, observed applicable legal requirements, and took actions based on the facts and the law.”
They added that Smith will appear before the committee on Sept. 22, pending approval from the Justice Department. Former Justice Department employees must seek approval before they provide testimony, Breuer and Koski said in the letter.
Grassley announced today that he had invited Smith to appear before the committee in connection with the Justice Department's Arctic Frost probe, which investigated allegations of a criminal conspiracy to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss. Grassley has accused Smith of unlawfully obtaining information about GOP lawmakers’ communications.
Jeanine Pirro seen leaving the White House hours after Trump rebuke
The U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, was seen leaving the White House this afternoon, hours after Trump issued a harsh rebuke of her in remarks to reporters.
It wasn’t immediately clear why Pirro was at the White House. The visit came shortly after Trump said she “choked” by dropping the government’s case against an Olympic canoeist accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
“I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro, really disappointed with Jeanine Pirro. She folded like an umbrella, and people get away with things,” he said, calling the lack of charges “a disgrace.”
Trump sidestepped multiple questions from reporters about whether he would reconsider Pirro’s role or fire her.
Trump to attend fundraiser in California tomorrow
Trump will head to California tomorrow to speak at a fundraiser at his Los Angeles golf club, where, the White House says, the audience can expect him to attack Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said in a statement that Trump will “tout his wins for the people of the Golden State” and that he “will draw a sharp contrast between his commonsense agenda and the radical policies of Democrats like Gavin Newsom.”
A White House official said the fundraiser is for the Republican National Committee. The official added that Trump will visit Las Vegas on Wednesday to speak about the economy at Red Rock Casino.
Senate Judiciary Committee chair invites Jack Smith to testify
Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said today on X that he has invited former special counsel Jack Smith to testify before the committee in late September.
Grassley said he sought testimony from Smith about the Arctic Frost investigation, a code name for the Justice Department probe into the efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss, which Grassley alleges was used to unlawfully obtain information about communications by Republican lawmakers, including him.
“American ppl deserve nothing less than full transparency+ accountability for Arctic Frost and special counsel lawfare,” Grassley wrote on X.
An attorney for Smith did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Grassley’s invitation to testify on Sept. 22.
Republican senators revealed last year that the FBI analyzed lawmakers’ phone records surrounding the days of Jan. 6, 2021, including callers and dates and times of calls, but not their content. Grassley alleged that violated the privacy of GOP lawmakers and warned of potential consequences, saying, “If heads don’t roll in this town, nothing changes.”
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, formally asked the Justice Department to prosecute Smith last month, alleging that Smith made false statements at a congressional deposition last year about lawmakers' communications. Attorneys for Smith denied that he made any false statements.
John Cornyn says it would be a 'monumental mistake' if Todd Blanche tried to revive the 'anti-weaponization' fund
Cornyn, who recently threw his support behind Blanche for attorney general, warned against any effort to resurrect the "anti-weaponization" fund that was at the heart of his earlier reluctance to back Blanche's nomination.
Cornyn told reporters he can't say whether such an effort will materialize, but he said it would be a “monumental mistake” if Blanche were to attempt it.
“I don’t know what somebody might do. I don’t know whether somebody might claim this release as immunity from a future tax audit,” Cornyn said. “But what we wanted to do is make sure that there was an authoritative statement about what the scope was intended to be — that it only affected the parties to the underlying lawsuit.”
Asked whether Blanche’s agreement to rescind the "anti-weaponization" fund would be enough to ease his colleagues' concerns, Cornyn said the main issues had been resolved.
“I’m happy to talk to them about my thought process, and Sen. Tillis and my — our thought process about why it is we’re willing to go forward with the markup tomorrow,” Cornyn said. Tillis also backed Blanche's nomination after the deal over the fund was announced.
Ethics panel recommends censure for GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards for ‘inappropriate conduct’
The House Ethics Committee said today it is recommending that the full House censure Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., after a finding that he “engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.”
“The Committee found that Representative Edwards violated the House Code of Official Conduct by failing to adhere to the spirit of rules prohibiting sexual harassment of and unwanted advances to House staffers,” the Ethics Committee said in its 25-page report following a monthslong investigation.
The bipartisan panel, led by Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., and the ranking member, Rep. Mark DeSalnier, D-Calif., said Edwards denied that any of his actions were intended to be sexual or romantic in nature. He cooperated with the investigation, according to the report.
And the committee said it found no evidence that Edwards engaged in sexual activity with or propositioned any of his staffers. It also concluded that the allegations “do not implicate quid pro quo sexual harassment” or violate federal sexual harassment law.
These Senate primaries offer a sneak peek at 2028 presidential dividing lines
This month’s Democratic primaries in Michigan and Minnesota are already shaping up to be major battles about the party’s future, with voters heading to the polls to choose between moderate members of Congress and insurgent local candidates intent on shaking up the status quo.
Trump says U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro 'folded like an umbrella' in dropping the Reflecting Pool vandalism case
Trump said today that he's "disappointed" with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro after she decided to drop the Justice Department's case against a former Olympic canoeist who was accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
"Jeanine Pirro made a mistake. It was vandalism," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
He repeated his claim that people cut the Reflecting Pool's material with "knives or cutters," saying, "These guys knew what they were doing, and they cut all the way along the base — cut, cut, cut."
Trump admitted that it's difficult to make out who was responsible in a tape containing video of the Reflecting Pool, but he said, "It was people cutting this very expensive material, waterproofing material."
"I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro, really disappointed with Jeanine Pirro. She folded like an umbrella, and people get away with things," he said, calling the lack of charges "a disgrace."
Trump dodged multiple questions about whether he would reconsider her role or fire her.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump insists peace negotiations are taking place with Iran
Trump insisted again that the U.S. is involved in peace talks with Iran, even though Iran claimed the two nations are not negotiating.
Trump had said yesterday that the two sides were in the middle of talks and had made progress toward a peace deal, but Iran has said it is speaking only with Oman — not the U.S. — to negotiate a temporary safe route for ships through the Strait of Hormuz. In the Oval Office today, Trump reiterated his claims that the U.S. has “total control” of the strait.
Trump said peace talks are “going on right now.”
“We’re in talks, and they’ll sometimes deny it, even though they spend hours and hours together talking,” he said. “No, the talks are going along.”
Trump weighs in on accusations against Rep. Max Miller
At an Oval Office event today, Trump was asked about the domestic violence accusations against Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio.
Miller's ex-wife, Emily Moreno, who is the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, accused Miller of assaulting her. Miller denied the allegations and has not faced criminal charges related to her claims.
"I know Max," Trump said. "He's a good person. I mean, I always thought he was a very good person, and I'm going to let the families figure that out."
He added: “It’s a very sad thing, especially when you know somebody so well to be going through that. But it’s accusations, and I’m going to let them figure that out.”
U.S.-brokered ‘pilot zones’ offer little relief for Lebanese displaced by Israel’s offensive
A plan brokered by the U.S. for Israel to withdraw from parts of southern Lebanon in exchange for the disarmament of Iran-backed Hezbollah has so far offered little relief to families displaced by the monthslong military offensive.
Lawmakers target spotted lanternflies in new bill
A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill last week to designate spotted lanternflies as "a high-priority research initiative for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture" because of the damage the invasive insect is causing to U.S. agriculture.
The bill, dubbed the Spotted Lanternfly Research and Development Act, refers to the bug as "an invasive species that poses a significant threat to our nation’s agricultural economy."
Some localities, including New York City, have previously urged residents to kill lanternflies on sight because of the harm they cause to plants and crops.
A spotted lanternfly. Matt Rourke / AP file
The bill is led by Sens. Dave McCormick, a Republican, and John Fetterman, a Democrat, both of Pennsylvania, as well as Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden, of Oregon, and Kirsten Gillibrand, of New York.
Fetterman said in a statement that spotted lanternflies have cost Pennsylvania "millions of dollars and thousands of jobs" and "ravaged crops that are critical to Pennsylvania’s economy including grapevines, apples, peaches, hops, and more."
McCormick said in a statement that the bill "will help protect our farms, strengthen our agricultural economy, and better control this invasive species."
Sen. Tim Kaine says evidence suggests U.S. has 'killed individuals who are not involved in narcotrafficking'
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., alleges in a letter to Trump today that evidence he has reviewed suggests the U.S. has "killed individuals who are not involved in narcotrafficking" in its drug interdiction efforts in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
"To date, according to public reporting, the United States has engaged in more than 65 kinetic operations killing more than 220 people pursuant to your directive,” Kaine wrote.
Kaine said he has reviewed the classified notifications to Congress, which he said "vary in detail but often include descriptions of the targets and their activities during the kinetic operations.”
He wrote that his review of those notifications, as well as Trump's directive last year ordering the strikes and a Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel opinion, has found that the U.S. has engaged in "violent and fatal attacks against people far beyond those whom the OLC opinion claimed could be lawfully targeted. In other words, a careful review of the available evidence suggests that the United States has killed individuals who are not involved in narcotrafficking."
Kaine called on Trump to closely review the circumstances of the strikes to ensure that he is "personally aware" of the extent to which the Pentagon may have exceeded his directive to target drug traffickers.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement that Trump vowed during his campaign to take on drug cartels whose "narcoterrorism" has caused American deaths.
"All of these decisive strikes have been against designated narcoterrorists bringing deadly poison to our shores, and the President will continue to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice," Kelly said.
Senate leaders reach a deal to avert a shutdown before the 2026 elections
Senate leaders have struck a bipartisan agreement to keep the government funded past the 2026 midterm elections and avoid a politically tricky shutdown in October.
Funding expires at the end of Sept. 30, triggering a full government shutdown on Oct. 1 if Congress fails to act.
Democratic socialist apologizes after saying her ‘greatest concern’ is how Israel is losing support
Melat Kiros, the democratic socialist who in June unseated longtime Rep. Diana DeGette in a Colorado congressional district primary, yesterday walked back comments she made about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that allies saw as too deferential to the Israeli perspective.
The comments came in an interview with the journalist Margaret Hoover after Hoover asked Kiros if traveling to Israel or the Middle East would change her perspective on the conflict. Kiros is among a number of democratic socialists who’ve won primaries this cycle criticizing Israel’s conduct in Gaza and framing their Democratic opponents as out-of-step with the electorate on the issue.
Melat Kiros participates in a candidate forum in May. RJ Sangosti / The Denver Post via Getty Images file
“I’m sure it would, right?” Kiros said. “Part of the work we’ve been doing here is having conversations with the Jewish community, specifically the Zionist Jewish community specifically to understand different perspectives, different positions, different experiences.”
“My values have always been rooted in protecting dignity and safety for every single person, especially as it relates to these inalienable things about our religion, our ethnicity, our culture,” she continued, adding, “My greatest concern right now is that the state of Israel is losing support all across the political spectrum here in the U.S.”
Kiros, who has referred to Israel’s conduct in Gaza as a genocide and has called for a full arms embargo on Israel, as well as the cutting off of U.S. military aid, gained notoriety after she was fired from a law office job over a post she authored on Israel after the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.
On Sunday, Kiros responded to a critic by writing, “I fumbled this line, plane and simple.”
“To be clear, my foreign policy priority is ending Israel’s occupation, apartheid, and genocide in Palestine,” she wrote. “I also reject the notion that anti-Zionism is antisemitism, and it’s important that we distinguish the two in order to combat actual antisemitism. I have always been opposed to any form of ethno-supremacy, and I refuse to vote for any of our tax dollars to go to any government that discriminates on that basis.”
In her interview with Hoover, Kiros said that progressives are essentially “leaving a vacuum on the left” on the Israel-Palestinian conflict that allows for certain right-wing commentators to mask what she described as their “overt hatred for Jewish people” as genuine concern about Palestinians. She added that Israel, Gaza and the West Bank have “a distinctly Jewish character, a distinctly Christian character, a distinctly Muslim character.”
“It’s a land that has seen bloodshed for centuries,” she said. “And we I think are doing a disservice to the people of that region by not offering our progressive vision in a way that isn’t immediately swatted down as bigoted or antisemitic.”
“And that’s going to require a lot of conversations, a lot of hard conversations,” she continued. “There will be things that we learn, there will be missteps and mistakes made, but as long as we’re continuing that conversation, we’re at the very least presenting an actual vision in line with our values that can combat and hopefully silence a lot of the antisemitism that’s coming from the right, because we’re leaving that vacuum wide open right now if we’re afraid to have these conversations.”
Govs. Kevin Stitt and Wes Moore say civility can win general elections but primaries promote partisanship
Govs. Kevin Stitt, R-Okla., and Wes Moore, D-Md., on Friday blamed partisan primaries for making politics more extreme and called for bringing back “dignity” in politics and government.
Asked whether dignity is a quality that could win a presidential election, Stitt told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker, “I would think so.” They were speaking during a moderated conversation with Moore and Tim Shriver at the National Governors Association summer meeting in Oklahoma City.
“I think the pendulum is swinging,” the Oklahoma governor added. “Of course, you get to the general election, it wins. But the problem is, you got to get through the primaries.”
Acting DNI Bill Pulte to transition out of the agency today
Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte announced on X over the weekend that he will transition out of the office today, making room for newly confirmed intelligence chief Jay Clayton to take over.
“I have offered Jay my complete and total support as he transitions to take over this incredible agency!” Pulte wrote.
Pulte and Clayton attended last week’s Cabinet meeting at Camp David. Pulte was also listed on the Air Force One manifest for the president’s travel to Bedminster, New Jersey, on Friday.
Clayton was confirmed by the Senate last week.
Senate Republican holdouts now say they will back Blanche for attorney general
Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., announced this morning that they will support Blanche's nomination to be attorney general after Blanche announced he would formally scrap the administration's proposed "anti-weaponization" fund.
The senators, who had held up Blanche's nomination, said they had been clear with the administration that they needed a written document addressing their concerns about the fund and the scope of tax immunity granted to Trump and his family business as part of an IRS settlement over the leak of his tax records several years ago.
"We are pleased that the Department of Justice has issued a formal order terminating the anti-weaponization fund," the senators' joint statement said. "Additionally, the Department has acknowledged in a binding written order that the audit settlement is limited to the plaintiffs and the scope does not extend beyond the defendants in the lawsuit, the IRS and the Treasury, addressing concerns that multiple of our Republican colleagues share."
“We want to express our gratitude to Mr. Blanche and his staff for working with us on this, and we look forward to voting to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon," they added.
The panel is expected to vote at 9 a.m. tomorrow on advancing Blanche's nomination. The Senate is expected to vote by the end of this week to confirm him.
Sen. Bernie Moreno says former son-in-law Max Miller shouldn’t serve in Congress following abuse allegations
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said yesterday on X that his former son-in-law Rep. Max Miller “needs to seek professional help” and should not serve in Congress following domestic abuse allegations made by Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno, the senator’s daughter.
“Out of concern for the safety of my family, I hoped to keep this matter private but Max Miller’s increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior has made that impossible,” Moreno said in a lengthy post to X, the first time he has discussed his daughter’s divorce and the allegations against Miller in depth.
Israel conveys concerns to the U.S. about Hamas disarmament deal
Israel says it has shared concerns with the United States about the proposed disarmament deal with Hamas, raising new doubts about the agreement touted by Trump.
“Israel has conveyed its comments and concerns on the proposed framework to our American counterparts. The version that has been made public does not reflect Israel’s position,” Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, said in comments the office sent to NBC News.
Rep. Marcy Kaptur hospitalized after hit-and-run car crash
Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries following a hit-and-run car crash yesterday morning, representatives for the Toledo Police Department and her congressional office confirmed to NBC News.
“This morning Congresswoman Kaptur was a passenger in a vehicle on her way to a church service when the car she was traveling in was struck. She is active, alert, and being treated for non-life threatening injuries,” Ben Kamens, a spokesperson for Kaptur, said in a statement.
Senators unveil temporary spending bill
Senators have released the text of a stopgap spending bill that would keep the government funded at current levels through Dec. 11, which lawmakers hope to pass before funding runs out at the end of September.
The Senate plans to take up the bill this coming week before it leaves for a monthlong August recess, with the first procedural vote scheduled for Monday at 5:30 p.m. But even if the Senate passes the bill this week, the House is not set to return until Aug. 31, so this process won’t be over until September.
Both Republicans and Democrats lauded the bill’s release, with Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Susan Collins, R-Maine, calling the bill “straightforward.”
“This measure gives Congress the time we need to continue our work on bipartisan appropriations bills, which are always my strong preference for handling annual government funding,” Collins said in a statement, “I am grateful for the work of my colleagues; this CR is a major step toward averting a damaging shutdown that only harms vital programs and federal workers.”
Democrats say the stopgap measure would temporarily block a proposed Office of Management and Budget rule that would allow Trump officials to cancel grants for any reason, which they argue would politicize federal funding.
The Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member, Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Republicans prevented the proposed rule from being killed outright as a part of this bill. Murray said in a statement, “I’m going to keep fighting to put a stop to it once and for all, and I will keep pressing my Republican colleagues to do exactly that.”
Rob Sand, a Democrat, highlights Republican support in new TV ad in Iowa governor’s race
In a new TV ad out today, Iowa state Auditor Rob Sand, the Democratic nominee for governor, is pitching himself as a “genuine” leader and centrist.
The ad features a lifelong Republican who is supporting Sand’s campaign and tells viewers, “I worked a county fair booth for the Republican committee. Those things that the Republican party talks about, yeah, I actually believe in all of them. But the extremes on the left and the right are just souring everybody’s attitude.”
The man, named Mace, adds that Sand “is going to rally this entire state,” and is as “genuine as the day is long.”
The TV ad is the latest salvo in a governor’s race viewed as one of Democrats’ top pick-up opportunities in this year’s midterm elections. Sand, Iowa’s lone statewide elected Democrat, is running against political operative and farmer Zach Lahn. Gov. Kim Reynolds, R-Iowa, decided not to seek another term.
Former Texas Rep. Kay Granger dies at 83
Republican former Rep. Kay Granger of Texas has died, lawmakers announced Sunday.
Granger, who served on Capitol Hill for 28 years and chaired the House Appropriations Committee, was 83.
Acting AG Todd Blanche reaches deal with holdout senators to scrap $1.8B ‘anti-weaponization’ fund
After a weekslong standoff between senators and the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced last night that the parties had reached a deal and that had he issued an order “officially” rescinding a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund.
“My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions,” Blanche wrote on X. “We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order and update with regard to the May IRS settlement. The Department always welcomes and appreciates productive engagement with all members of Congress.”
Trump says new Iran talks will start today after calling off attacks
The United States and Iran will hold new talks this afternoon, Trump said, after announcing he called off intense new strikes to allow for a deal on the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s nuclear program.
Trump said earlier that he agreed to call off the attacks amid what he said were the “perimeters of a deal” that would include resuming shipping through the key global trade route.
Iran said today it was not currently holding talks with the U.S. but was in discussions with Oman over a temporary safe route through the strait.
