Todd Blanche secures his final, much-needed ‘yes’ vote

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Happy Friday! I don’t want to jinx anything, but we are hopefully nearing the much-needed August recess. 

Cassidy says ‘yes’ to Blanche, sealing his confirmation (!) 

Senate’s Friday scramble 

Trump ordered to stop ballroom construction 

July jobs report sends warning sign 

Scientists used AI to develop viruses 

BMW adds Spider Man ad to cars 

It’s been a rollercoaster week for Todd Blanche: 

It’s official. Todd Blanche officially has enough votes to be confirmed as the next permanent attorney general. It all came down to the last remaining undecided senator, Sen. Bill Cassidy (La.). 

“All considered, I will vote for Mr. Blanche,” Cassidy announced this morning. “I’ll be criticized for this vote. What’s new?” 

It looked iffy up until later this morning: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) announced today that she will oppose Blanche’s nomination, putting his confirmation into serious question. And Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also opposes Blanche. Collins and Murkowski both voiced serious concerns about his ability to preserve the political independence of the Justice Department.   

Which brings us to Cassidy: Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) was the determining vote. (Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) extended absence sure has complicated things.) Cassidy has clashed with Trump over the past several high-profile issues recently and kept his lips shut about how he planned to vote. This gave him the power to singlehandedly decide whether Blanche’s nomination would sink or swim. 

And late this morning, Cassidy revealed his answer: yes, he will support Blanche. 

What happens next?: The Senate is expected to vote on Blanche either today or sometime over the weekend. 

💬 Follow today’s live blog 

It’s been a rollercoaster week for Todd Blanche: 

Senators are eager to get out of town for their 5-week summer break and are scrambling to finish its remaining work today.  

Aside from Blanche’s nomination, the Senate will try to pass a Russia........

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