Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy said Friday he'll back Todd Blanche's nomination as attorney general, likely paving the way for Blanche to be confirmed to lead President Donald Trump's Justice Department.
Blanche's prospective confirmation appeared threatened earlier Friday, when Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced her opposition. Murkowski cited concern that the administration could proceed with a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies, despite Blanche formally terminating it.
Also, an appeals court has ruled Trump must seek approval from Congress to build his proposed White House ballroom, saying construction must stop. The U.S. Court of Appeals sided with historic preservationists who sued to stop construction. The court said it would stay its own ruling for two weeks to allow the administration to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Here's the latest:
Senate confirms 74 Trump nominations, including TSA leader and ambassador to Brazil
The Senate also confirmed David Cummins as head of the Transportation Security Administration, an agency facing persistent challenges, particularly after this year's record partial government shutdown left TSA employees working for weeks without pay.
He is taking over as the Trump administration seeks to expand private airport screening and cut thousands of TSA jobs.
Daniel Perez, a close friend of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a former speaker of Florida’s House of Representatives, was confirmed to be the next U.S. ambassador to Brazil. Perez has been central to an ongoing diplomatic dispute between the Trump administration and the government of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Earlier this week, the State Department said the Brazilian government's refusal to accept Perez's appointment was a main reason for its decision to revoke the visa of Brazil's ambassador to the United States.
Senate confirms Cameron Hamilton to lead FEMA
The Senate on Friday confirmed Cameron Hamilton as head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, returning the former Navy SEAL to the embattled agency he led temporarily last year only to be fired after he publicly opposed eliminating it.
He will take over an agency whose future has been uncertain since Trump threatened to get rid of it days into his second term. Hamilton's nomination signaled that Trump may be moving on from that idea, but his Republican administration is still promising drastic changes in how the government handles disasters.
Hamilton will have to shepherd that overhaul while stabilizing an agency of more than 20,000 employees recovering from a slew of chaotic policies enacted during Kristi Noem's tenure leading the Department of Homeland Security.
He was among a group of 74 nominations approved by the Senate 51-47.
Ukraine’s foreign minister commends Senate for passing Russia sanctions bill
Andrii Sybiha called it “an important step” to further strengthening the sanctions regime against Russia.
“This landmark legislation is a powerful demonstration of America’s global leadership. I extend my sincere gratitude to the members of the U.S. Senate for their leadership, their principled bipartisan support, and their enduring solidarity with Ukraine. Together, we are bringing a lasting peace closer,” Sybiha said in a post on X.
Senate passes sweeping Russia sanctions bill negotiated by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham
Passage of the bill Friday signals renewed bipartisan support for Ukraine as the war drags on.
The legislation would penalize countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas and other exports. It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Capitol late last month and watched from the gallery as the Senate took the first procedural votes on the legislation.
The legislation allows the president to impose tariffs on the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas, including China and India. The package next goes to the House.
Army secretary gets inspiration from Ukraine’s weapons advancements
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told The Associated Press that policy changes like making test ranges more accessible to private companies developing drones and missiles have been driven in part by his observations of the war in Ukraine and how quickly that country has moved to produce new weapon systems.
He had been a key interlocutor during talks between Russia and Ukraine last year before those negotiations stalled.
Hillary Clinton blasts Trump’s White House changes
The former first lady and secretary of state said the president’s changes to the White House, such as gold trims added through the building, recall the decor of Saddam Hussein’s palaces.
"I had meetings in some of his palaces and they were quite reminiscent of what we are seeing in our own White House," Clinton said in a podcast with Kara Swisher posted on Friday.
Clinton said she wasn’t opposed to the idea of a ballroom, noting the need during her White House days to hold events in a tent if there were too many guests. But she said she was opposed to Trump’s lack of process.
“The next president is going to have a big decision,” she said. “What do you do with a half-finished ballroom?”
Graham gives closing argument for her brother’s Russia sanctions bill
Sen. Darline Graham of South Carolina has given the closing arguments for a bill that aims to penalize countries that purchase Russian oil and gas, depriving President Vladimir Putin of resources for his war against Ukraine.
The bill is named after her late brother, Lindsey Graham, who spent more than a year trying to win support for the measure before he died.
Darline Graham said the legislation her brother helped craft “hits Putin where it hurts.”
She says lawmakers had a choice to stand up to evil or continue with the status quo.
“It’s time for a show of strength,” she said.
Colleagues from both parties applauded as she closed, something they rarely do after Senate speeches, an acknowledgment of just how personal the bill was for her brother.
Trump says he will appeal ruling on ballroom, which he calls a 'desperately needed Military Center'
The president reacted to the ruling with a lengthy post on social media.
In it, he said he will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, quoted from a dissenting opinion issued by one of the judges and described the plans for the facility to include bomb shelters, a hospital and medical facilities, “Top Secret Military Facilities” and other security features.
“The Military and Secret Service are viewing this horrendous, politically motivated, and unlawful ruling as a National Security threat to our Nation in that the entire Complex is being built for the protection of our Country and, additionally, all future Presidents,” Trump wrote.
He also repeated his false claims that it will not cost taxpayer money. Congress refused the Trump administration's request for $1 billion for the ballroom in May. In June, Democrats warned that $350 million in funds appeared to have been redirected for the ballroom.
Trump administration pledges $2B for humanitarian assistance to faith-based organizations
The State Department announced the commitment with little fanfare on Thursday. The money will primarily find Samaritan’s Purse, World Vision and Compassion International, it said.
The move “underscores the Trump administration’s commitment to partnering with organizations that demonstrate faith in action and have proven their ability to deliver health and humanitarian assistance in the world’s most difficult environments.”
The three groups are all Christian charities and have been active in combatting the recent Ebola virus outbreak in Africa as well as delivering assistance in the Middle East and Latin America.
National Trust for Historic Preservation reacts to ballroom ruling
Brent Leggs, the nonprofit organization’s president and CEO, said the appeals court ruling affirmed “the American people’s right to voice their opinions about the historic places they cherish,” including the White House.
“This is a great day for our country,” Leggs said. “From the beginning, our position has been clear and consistent: the law states that only Congress can authorize the construction of a ballroom at the White House. 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.”
Army pushes for faster weapons development under new test range initiative
The U.S. Army says it’s opening up test ranges to private companies developing missiles, drones and other weapons in hopes of buying them more quickly for use on the battlefield.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told reporters Friday at a range in Michigan that the effort will cut the red tape that can stifle military contractors. He pledged to grant companies access to ranges within 30 days of making a request through an online marketplace.
The announcement comes as warfare is rapidly changing around the globe, particularly with the use of cheap drones in Ukraine and Iran. The Pentagon also is grappling with the costs of the Iran war, which has diminished the nation’s stockpiles of advanced weapons.
Trump says he kept Ogles endorsement out of loyalty
The president tried to explain away why Rep. Andy Ogles, one of his handpicked endorsements, lost his primary in Tennessee on Thursday night.
“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,” Trump wrote on social media on Friday, referring to Ogles.
Trump takes great pride in his endorsements and the mostly winning record he has in Republican primaries.
Ogles was defeated by former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher. The president said Friday that Hatcher is a “Great ‘Trump’ Candidate” and that he now has his “Complete and Total Endorsement!”
Cassidy acknowledges political tightrope on Blanche vote
The senator nodded to the realities of being a Republican who doesn’t reflexively align with Trump.
“Mr. Blanche has become a referendum on how people feel about President Trump,” he said. “This process should be about Mr. Blanche.” He added, with emotion, “I’ll be criticized for this vote, but what’s new.”
Cassidy criticized Blanche for initially approving a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Jan. 6 rioters, among others, and for endorsing a tax immunity deal for Trump.
“Mr. Blanche is not perfect,” Cassidy said, before arguing essentially that Blanche is likely better than anyone else Trump could nominate.
Cassidy didn’t acknowledge Trump’s saying in an interview released Friday that he’d keep Blanche as acting attorney general if the Senate rejected him.
In either instance — Blanche’s confirmation or continuing as acting chief — the president could fire him at any point, a legal reality Cassidy glossed over in his stated reasoning.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued over the ballroom project in December
That came a week after the White House finished demolishing the East Wing to make way for a ballroom Trump said would fit 999 people.
Government lawyers have argued that the project — the biggest structural change to the White House in more than 70 years — includes critical security features to guard against a range of threats, such as drones, ballistic missiles and biohazards.
“These upgrades, alterations, and improvements are essential to protecting the President, his family, and his staff, as well as the White House itself, and the entire project flows from them,” government attorneys wrote in a court filing.
Attorneys for the preservation group countered that the lack of a White House ballroom doesn’t constitute a national security emergency.
Cassidy says confirming Blanche is better than Trump picking someone else
The Louisiana senator seemingly secured confirmation for the president’s acting attorney general after weeks of Senate wrangling.
Cassidy affirmed on the Senate floor that he still worries about Trump’s influence over the Justice Department, especially the prospects of a $1.8 billion fund for possible payouts to the president’s supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. But Cassidy said, essentially, that confirming Blanche is better than allowing Trump to pick another potential Justice Department chief.
“This is not a referendum on President Trump, it is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances,” Cassidy said.
Republicans Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine had already said they wouldn’t support Blanche’s confirmation, effectively leaving his confirmation up to Cassidy.
Cassidy voted to convict Trump on impeachment charges in 2021. He lost a Republican primary earlier this year after the president endorsed his opponent.
Appeals court orders halt to White House ballroom construction
An appeals court has ruled President Trump must seek approval from Congress to build his proposed White House ballroom, saying construction must stop.
The U.S. Court of Appeals sided with historic preservationists who sued to stop construction. The court said it would stay its own ruling for two weeks to allow the administration to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help,” the court wrote.
Sen. Cassidy supports Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy said Friday he'll back Todd Blanche's nomination as attorney general, likely paving the way for Blanche to be confirmed to lead President Trump's Justice Department.
The Louisiana senator announced his support on the Senate floor after Blanche’s confirmation was thrown into doubt over opposition from two other Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.
Blanche's path to confirmation has been complicated over a settlement of Trump's lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service that's drawn intense scrutiny by Republicans and Democrats alike.
The settlement called for the creation of a $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who feel mistreated by the criminal justice system and provided Trump and family members with immunity from tax audits.
ICE will release body camera video only when seen in the agency’s ‘best interests,’ policy says
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is moving to equip officers with body cameras in the next two months but the agency's policy gives it broad control over what footage will be made public by specifying any releases must be in its "best interests."
After years of delays, ICE said its field officers nationwide will have body-worn cameras by the end of September. The rollout comes after recent fatal shootings by officers enforcing President Trump's immigration crackdown have intensified pressure for accountability the cameras could provide.
But the agency's body-worn camera policy could mean taxpayers who are pitching in tens of millions of dollars to pay for the cameras may be kept in the dark about some high-profile confrontations, at least in their immediate aftermath.
‘I’m very good at grass.’ Why Trump goes into the weeds on one of his favorite topics
President Trump will tell you: The grass is always greener on his side of the fence.
And tell you. And tell you.
Trump has spoken repeatedly of his prowess with green lawns since returning to the White House — at some events even spending more time talking about it than the war in Iran, the economy or November's midterm elections.
It was on the president’s mind just five weeks after his second inauguration, when he pointed out the Oval Office window during an interview with The Spectator. “You see the grass outside, right?” he asked before detailing his plans to pave over much of it. “Some people would like to leave it. But the problem is, you can’t.”
Trump has kept on the topic constantly ever since. All told, he’s mentioned grass in at least 45 public events or interviews over the past 18 months — or at least once every 12 days. That doesn’t include the numerous social media posts he’s also made on the topic.
Trump bounces between confidence and pragmatism on midterms
The president maintained that Republicans can hold onto control of Capitol Hill and he told Punchbowl News he’s “working hard” to make it happen.
“I’m going to fight,” he said, noting this week’s trip to western states and the upcoming GOP midterm convention that was his idea.
Still, Trump noted the historical trends that go against Republicans. “Even good presidents, they tend to lose in the midterms,” he said.
He even called House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries a “nice guy” and recalled a “good meeting” with him, even though he and the would-be speaker have been “harsh” with one another publicly.
Trump also pushed back against the idea that his presidency would effectively end if Democrats win a majority in the House, Senate or both.
“To some degree,” he said. But he nodded to the presidential veto. “I have great blocking power,” he said. “I’m a great blocker.”
A deal with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz may require a compromise from Trump
Any concession would be tough for the Republican president, who's insisted there's no truth to his sagging poll numbers, the sluggish economy and the U.S. military's dwindling stockpiles of key weapons following the Iran war he launched with Israel more than five months ago.
“He divides the world into winners and losers, and this would make him a loser,” said Eliot Cohen, who served as counselor of the State Department in the George W. Bush administration. “And the image of being a loser, I think, would be intolerable for him.”
The sticking point has been over control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil normally flows. While both sides say a deal is close, the Trump administration has ruled out any arrangement that would cement Iran's grip over the waterway, including Tehran charging fees.
But Iran has insisted on some measure of control, saying the strait will not go back to being an open international waterway as it was before the war.
Trump backs Johnson as House leader but is less enthusiastic about Sen. Thune
The president praised House Speaker Mike Johnson, a stalwart Trump loyalist, and said he should be the Republican leader even if the GOP loses its narrow majority.
“He’s great. We work together great,” Trump told Punchbowl News. Sometimes, the president mused, “we’re one heart attack away from losing the House in Congress,” yet Johnson has still delivered major pieces of Trump’s agenda.
“I don’t think there’s even a thought of anybody challenging him,” Trump insisted.
Trump wasn’t so effusive about Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
“I don’t want to get into that. It’s early,” Trump said when asked whether he’d support Thune’s reelection as leader.
Trump said he gets along with the South Dakota senator but lamented the leader’s opposition to scrapping the filibuster and the Senate’s inability to pass the president’s proposals to expand federal power over elections.
“It’s a shame he doesn’t have the votes,” Trump said.
Trump says Republican voters are frustrated with Congress — but not him
The president's job approval rating of 33%, according to the latest AP-NORC polling, is as low as it has been in his second presidency — the kind of numbers that hurt a president's party in midterm elections. But Trump insisted to Punchbowl News that he isn't the real target of voter frustration, especially among Republicans.
“They’re not angry at me, but they are angry at Republicans” on Capitol Hill, he said.
He cited voter turnout in presidential elections, alluding to analyses that show he’s attracted sporadic voters and flipped some historically Democratic-leaning voters.
“The question is, will they vote? Because a lot of them are very angry at Republicans to be honest with you,” Trump said.
The president maintained that Republicans can hold their House and Senate majorities this November. But his overall argument was clear: If they don’t, it’s not his fault.
US employers unexpectedly cut 23,000 jobs last month amid strain from the Iran war
And Labor Department revisions shaved 103,000 jobs off payrolls in May and June. But the unemployment rate dipped to 4.1% as Americans left the job market.
The June jobs numbers from the Labor Department on Friday marked a sharp reversal for the American labor market.
Hiring had rebounded this year from a lackluster 2025 in the face of the conflict in the Persian Gulf that has sent energy prices surging and put a strain on family budgets. Job growth had been solid, if unspectacular. Some businesses are having trouble filling vacancies. Others are using technology to do the work humans used to do.
Trump promises he’ll tap his campaign chest to help Republicans
The Republican president is sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign money but told Punchbowl News in an interview released Friday that he’ll unleash the funds to help GOP candidates ahead of the November midterms.
Trump says he has as much as $800 million to spend.
“I control it,” he emphasized.
Notably, he did not offer any details about when or where he’ll distribute the campaign cash.
Many Republicans have been counting on Trump’s super PAC being a key part of the GOP’s defense of their House and Senate majorities. The president’s political funds are a key part of Republicans’ overall financial advantage in the midterm campaign, despite individual Democratic Senate and House candidates outraising their Republican opponents in many key races across the country.
Trump says he’d leave Blanche as acting AG whatever the Senate decides
The president told Punchbowl News he’ll leave his acting attorney general at the Justice Department even if his nomination fails.
“It’ll be very sad,” Trump said, but, “we’ll all survive. Todd will survive.”
Trump called Blanche “fair” and said he’s “not a radical flamethrower.” But he acknowledged the political realities.
He singled out Sen. Murkowski as one of his Republican critics but said he has no regrets about his relationship with the Alaska Republican or other GOP senators, including Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy, who could now determine whether Blanche is confirmed.
“You do what you have to do,” Trump said. “Just so you understand, they voted to impeach me. ... In all fairness, you think that I’m going to support somebody that voted to impeach me?”
Cassidy and Murkowski were among the Republicans who voted to convict Trump on impeachment charges in 2021 after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she’ll oppose Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination
The Alaska Republican announced on social media that she’ll vote against confirming the acting attorney general for the permanent job.
Murkowski complimented Blanche personally after private meetings with him but said she’s concerned he cannot lead an independent Justice Department under President Donald Trump.
“The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration,” she said. “I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case.”
Murkowski’s decision puts Blanche’s nomination on the brink of failing in a chamber where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. She joins Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine in opposition, and Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has missed Senate votes since early June because of health problems.
That leaves Sen. Bill Cassidy as the potentially deciding vote given that all Democrats are expected to vote against Blanche.