Latest News
Todd Blanche Becomes U.S. Attorney General after Senate Fight Over his Ties to Trump
Todd Blanche was sworn in as U.S. attorney general Monday after a contentious Senate confirmation fight over his close ties to President Donald Trump and concerns that the Justice Department could become too closely aligned with the president's political interests.
The 50-49 vote came after Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Democrats in opposing Blanche.
The defections left Republicans with almost no room to spare because of their narrow Senate majority. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., provided the decisive Republican vote after raising concerns about the nomination.
Blanche, a former personal lawyer for Trump, represented the president in several criminal cases before joining the administration. He had served as acting attorney general since April.
His background as Trump's attorney became a central issue during the confirmation process, with Democrats questioning whether he would be willing to challenge the president if the Justice Department's law enforcement responsibilities conflicted with Trump's interests.
Vice President Asks Congress for Tougher Anti-Fraud Laws
Vice President JD Vance said last week that the next step in the federal government’s anti-fraud campaign should be tougher laws against the people he accused of stealing billions of dollars from American taxpayers.
Vance met with 20 Republican members of the U.S. House and Senate at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., to seek their help with new legislation.
He leads the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud that the Trump administration organized in March after media revelations that $250 million in federal grants intended for child nutrition programs was stolen by fraudsters in Minnesota.
Since then, the White House Task Force has concentrated much of its effort on Medicare and Medicaid fraud.
“We have been able to identify $230 billion of fraud just since the fraud task force was set up,” Vance said.
Ethics Allegations Threaten Career of Congressman Accused of Abusing Women
Republicans are calling for Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, to resign after his ex-wife accused him in court filings during a child custody battle of violence toward her and their young daughter.
His former wife, Emily Moreno, says Miller threw hot water on her, held a gun to her head, and physically shoved her. She also says their 2-year-old daughter suffered a fractured collarbone that she blames on Miller.
Miller posted an 18-minute video on X last week in which he denied the allegations. He attributed his ex-wife's claims to "significant mental health challenges."
He admitted dousing his ex-wife with water but said it resulted from harmless “horseplay.”
"I sprayed water at her from the sprayer attached to our kitchen sink tap water, which does not reach boiling temperature or scalding," Miller said in his video. "If I had assaulted her, would she have offered to cook me dinner six days later? Would she have invited me to spend an afternoon at the playground with her and our daughter?"
Legal Briefs
Senate Confirms Eight D.C. Judges as Courts Battle Backlog and Funding Shortfalls
The Senate confirmed eight judges last week for Washington, D.C.'s local courts, providing significant relief to a judicial system that has been struggling with judicial vacancies, a growing backlog of cases and increasing demands on its limited resources.
Six of the new judges will serve on the D.C. Superior Court, while two will join the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, bringing the appellate court to full strength for the first time in more than a decade.
The judges will serve 15-year terms.
The six Superior Court nominees have largely worked as federal prosecutors or in the D.C. attorney general's office. Both appellate nominees previously served as Superior Court judges.
The additions come at a time when the Superior Court resolved about 60 percent of more than 100,000 cases last year but more than 40,000 remained pending at the end of the year.
Felony cases increased 44 percent in 2025.
Vida Johnson, a Georgetown Law professor who directs the school's Criminal Justice Clinic, described the combined effect of rising caseloads and judicial vacancies as “enormous.” “It just has overwhelmed our court system and the administration of justice,” Johnson said.
Adding judges does not solve the D.C. Courts' broader financial problems that depend on Congress for resolution.
D.C. in Brief
Justice Dept. Sues Montgomery County Over Gun Restrictions
The Justice Department sued Montgomery County, Maryland, last week in a challenge to a county law restricting where people may carry firearms.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland targets Bill 23-26, which the County Council approved July 21.
The federal government argues the law is too broad. Bill 23-26 prohibits carrying firearms at numerous locations classified as places of public assembly and establishes a 100-yard exclusion zone around them.
The Justice Department contends the restrictions apply even to people who possess valid Maryland permits to carry handguns and, in some circumstances, even when property owners have allowed firearms.
Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said the Justice Department “will not stand idle” while the county restricts what she described as rights guaranteed to law-abiding citizens.
The county adopted the legislation after the Maryland Supreme Court issued a major ruling in April involving Montgomery County's earlier firearms restrictions. The court determined that some of the county's previous regulations exceeded local authority or were preempted by state law.
County officials argue their new legislation was designed to comply with the ruling while preserving the strongest restrictions that Montgomery County believes state law allows.
The revised law retains restrictions on locations such as schools, parks, libraries, polling places and houses of worship. It creates a limited exception for people with concealed-carry permits who are traveling on public highways through restricted areas.
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