Blanche wins support for attorney general from GOP Sen. Cassidy, likely paving way for confirmation
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana says he’ll vote for Todd Blanche as attorney general, likely paving the way for Blanche to be confirmed to lead President Donald Trump’s Justice Department. Cassidy announced his support Friday on the Senate floor, saying Blanche isn’t perfect but no one is. Blanche’s confirmation had been 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 has drawn intense scrutiny by Republicans and Democrats alike.
Appeals court rules Trump can't build White House ballroom without congressional approval
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration must stop construction of the $400 million White House ballroom because Congress has not approved the project. Trump blasted the decision Friday as “unjust” while vowing to appeal it to the U.S. Supreme Court. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit ruled that Trump doesn’t have the unilateral authority to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom where the East Wing stood before he ordered its demolition. The panel upheld an April order from a lower court judge for aboveground work on the project to be halted.
Senate passes sweeping Russia sanctions bill negotiated by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has approved a punishing Russian sanctions bill that was a top priority for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. Passage of the package 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, but some Democrats have concern it gives Trump too much tariff authority.
Senate confirms Hamilton to lead FEMA and clears more than 70 other Trump nominees
The Senate has confirmed Cameron Hamilton as head of the embattled Federal Emergency Management Agency. Hamilton was among 74 nominations approved by the Senate on Friday. The former Navy SEAL is returning to the agency he briefly led last year. FEMA's future has been uncertain since President Donald Trump threatened to eliminate it. Hamilton's nomination suggests Trump may be moving on from that idea, but his administration is promising major changes in federal disaster response. Democrats accuse the Republican president of politicizing disaster aid. The Senate also approved David Cummins to lead the Transportation Security Administration and Daniel Perez for ambassador to Brazil.
Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia sign a mutual defense deal, and other Middle East news
Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia have signed a mutual defense agreement. The deal means an armed attack on one is considered an attack on all. It was signed Friday during a meeting in Saudi Arabia. The agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence against aggression. Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have increased attacks on Saudi-linked targets. They were blamed for an attack in Marib province in Yemen and struck the Najran region in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. The attacks have escalated tensions since a 2022 truce. Separately, an Israeli strike wounded a Lebanese soldier in the village of Mansouri. Here’s a look at the latest developments across the Middle East.
US stocks jump as employers unexpectedly cut 23,000 jobs, raising hopes that rate hikes can wait
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose on Wall Street and Treasury yields fell after the government reported that employers unexpectedly cut 23,000 jobs last month. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% Friday, topping the all-time high it set on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite added 1.3%. The weaker signal on the job market raised hopes that the Federal Reserve can wait longer before raising interest rates to fight inflation. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.64%. The price of Brent crude rose 1.3%.
Trump administration moves ahead with efforts to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is moving ahead with its efforts to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, two months after the Supreme Court allowed her to retain her job while she fights the president’s effort to terminate her over mortgage fraud allegations that she has denied. The justices, in a 5-4 decision in June, said Cook, who was nominated to the Fed’s Board of Governors by President Joe Biden, could remain in her post at least as long as her lawsuit challenging her firing goes on. The Trump administration is appealing a lower-court ruling in Cook's favor. A letter this week from the White House to Cook said President Donald Trump was “considering” firing Cook but wanted to give her an opportunity to challenge the effort.
Lindsay Clancy trial spotlights her psychiatric care before she killed her 3 children
Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial is zeroing in on her psychiatric care before she killed her three children. Testimony has traced a monthslong path to a final psychiatric appointment the day before the tragedy. Two psychiatrists testified Friday. Through questions, prosecutors emphasized she never told the doctors she planned to hurt the children or herself. Clancy’s defense aimed to flesh out its claim that various providers didn’t properly diagnose her and put her on a series of medications that left her worse off. Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, has pleaded not guilty to murder. Prosecutors argue she was an intentional killer, while the defense claims she was mentally ill.
New video shows gunman shooting victims at Idaho In-N-Out Burger drive-thru
Surveillance video shows a gunman at an In-N-Out Burger in Idaho killing one of three victims by firing through a drive-up window, before shooting more people outside the fast-food chain restaurant. Police in Twin Falls said at a news conference Friday that they still don’t have a motive for the shootings last Saturday. Video shows Williams walking up to the drive-thru window four times and firing shots. Two people died after being shot outside the restaurant and in a parking lot. Among the three people killed were a worker at the chain and a man who dedicated his life to helping others get sober. Seven people were wounded. The 24-year-old gunman, Chad Williams, killed himself.
As blackouts stretch for days, life in Cuba revolves around small bursts of electricity
HAVANA (AP) — Cuba's power blackouts have been stretching sometimes for days, so Cubans are planning their lives around the lights turning back on. Those small gasps of relief may be for just a few minutes or hours — and at any time of the day or night. The crippling blackouts are fueled by an oil blockade imposed by the Trump administration to pressure the adversary government. But the move transformed the lives of average Cubans suffering one of the worst crises the island has had since the Cuban revolution. Daily life has turned into a tangle of compounding crises families have to work to unravel.
