Pirro confirmed as D.C. U.S. Attorney amid partisan clash as Dem nominee blockade continues
The Senate on Saturday confirmed Jeanine Pirro, President Donald Trump’s pick to serve as Washington D.C.’s top prosecutor, as lawmakers failed to reach a deal to ram through dozens of the president’s nominees. The onetime New York judge and prosecutor and former Fox News host was one of the over 150 still outstanding nominees on the Senate’s calendar as Senate Republicans work to find a path forward to ram through Senate Democrats’ blockade of Trump’s nominees, and part of a slew of picks to get a vote over the weekend. But just ahead of her confirmation vote, the path to a deal was derailed, and lawmakers opted to ram through just seven of Trump’s nominees before heading home until September. RECESS ON ICE AS REPUBLICANS HUNKER DOWN FOR HIGH-STAKES NOMINEE BLITZ Pirro, who was confirmed by a 50-45 vote, will serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, a post she has held since May on an interim basis. Pirro previously served as the District Attorney in Westchester County, New York, for over a decade. Prior to that, she was on the bench as a judge in Westchester County in the early 1990s. “Jeanine is incredibly well-qualified for this position, and is considered one of the Top District Attorneys in the History of the State of New York,” Trump said when he nominated Pirro. “She is in a class by herself.” HOMESICK GOP SENATORS MULL THROWING OUT THE RULES OVER STONEWALLING DEMS She was not Trump’s first pick for the job, however. His first choice, Ed Martin, failed to gain enough support among Republicans earlier this year. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., effectively tanked Martin’s nomination over concerns about his views on the Jan. 6, 2021 riot on Capitol Hill. And Pirro’s road to confirmation was not without its own hiccups and drama. GRASSLEY REBUKES TRUMP’S PRESSURE TO ‘HAVE THE COURAGE’ TO SPEED UP NOMINATIONS Senate Democrats have accused her of amplifying Trump’s 2020 election fraud claims and defending him after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot during her time as a Fox News host, and warned that she would do the president’s bidding in her role as Washington D.C.’s top prosecutor. During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last month, Democrats staged a walkout in protest of both her and U.S. District Judge Emil Bove, who was confirmed earlier this week in a tight, 50 to 49 vote. She later advanced out of committee on a party-line vote. “She’s an election denialist, recklessly peddling President Trump’s Big Lie despite even her own Fox News producers and executives warning her to reel it in,” Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill. and the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee said of Pirro.
Dems dig in, Trump demands all: Nominee fight boils over in Senate as GOP looks for a deal
The path to a deal on confirming a slew of President Donald Trump’s nominees appeared shaky at best in the Senate Saturday, as Republicans and Democrats sparred over terms and conditions to find a way forward. Senators were supposed to be long gone from Washington by now, but Trump’s demands to ram his nominees through Senate Democrats’ historic blockade have kept lawmakers in town. But by late afternoon, not much progress had been made. RECESS ON ICE AS REPUBLICANS HUNKER DOWN FOR HIGH-STAKES NOMINEE BLITZ When asked if any headway had been made, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital, “Unfortunately, not really, no.” “The Dems are dug in on a position that’s just not working,” he said. Negotiations have been ongoing among Republicans, Democrats and the White House. Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., met last night to discuss an offer from Democrats. The two have not spoken directly since then, instead communicating through intermediaries, Thune said. However, he expected they would talk again later Saturday. Senate Republicans want to strike a deal that would see nominees that made it through committee with bipartisan support get lightning-fast votes on the floor, but Schumer has not relented. SENATE GOP EYES RULES REVOLT AS DEMS STONEWALL TRUMP NOMINEES A source familiar with negotiations said Senate Democrats are looking for deals on the release of funding withheld by the White House and a guarantee that there will be no future rescissions packages — a particular sticking point for them heading into the looming deadline to fund the government. In exchange, they are offering a tranche of nominees to go ahead now, and another round later in the fall. But Trump, who is at his Bedminster, N.J., golf course, has demanded that lawmakers stay in town and pass the entire slate of nominees on the Senate calendar, which has ballooned to over 150. The president lauded Senate Republicans in a post to Truth Social on Saturday “for fighting, over the Weekend and far beyond, if necessary, in order to get my great Appointments approved, and on their way to helping us MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” “The Radical Left Democrat Senators are doing everything possible to DELAY these wonderful and talented people from being approved,” he said. “If George Washington or Abraham Lincoln were up for approval, the Dems would delay, as long as possible, then vote them out.” GRIDLOCK CRUMBLES AS SENATE ADVANCES SPENDING BILLS IN RACE AGAINST SHUTDOWN While Republicans have confirmed well over 100 of the president’s nominees, the only pick to make it to the floor without objection was Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Not a single one of Trump’s nominees has gotten a voice vote or gone through unanimous consent, two floor actions that have been routinely used to advance nominees in the upper chamber throughout the years. At this point four years ago, 49 of former President Joe Biden’s picks had been confirmed by voice vote. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., explained that Republicans have three options that they have enough support among the conference to move forward with: reach a deal with Democrats; adjourn the Senate and give the president runway for recess appointments and finally, a rules-change package, which some Republicans consider the “nuclear option.” On recess appointments, a move floated since before Trump took office, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., contended it would be up to Democrats whether Republicans actually went through with it. “The Democrats’ obstruction is leading to, in very short order, us taking the necessary actions to give the President power to make recess appointments,” he said. While it would be a touchy move that would set off a firestorm among Democrats, Republicans aren’t afraid to move ahead with a rules change. When asked if a rule change should be done before lawmakers leave town, Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said “I think that’d be best.” But the preference is to strike a deal, preferably on a potential package on over 60 nominees that were advanced out of committee in a bipartisan fashion. “The reason why we’re that way is because Schumer led us down this road,” Mullin said. “He didn’t have to do it this way.”
Sen. Rick Scott endorses Trump-backed Florida gubernatorial candidate
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., has endorsed fellow Republican Rep. Byron Donalds’ Florida gubernatorial bid. Scott served as governor of the Sunshine State prior to current Gov. Ron DeSantis. “I am proud to stand with President Trump and endorse Byron Donalds for Governor of Florida. Byron is a principled conservative who will lead with courage and conviction and fight on behalf of every Floridian,” Scott noted. “I’ve been proud to work with him on critical legislation to make flood insurance more affordable and help Floridians rebuild and recover from catastrophic hurricanes. And during my time as Governor, he was a critical partner in securing billions of dollars in tax relief for Florida families. REP. DONALDS: DEMOCRATS HAVE ‘BETRAYED THE TRUST’ OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE “As Governor, Byron will strengthen our economy, fight for seniors and veterans, protect our communities, and above all, make Florida more affordable for every family.” Donalds thanked the senator. “Thank you @ScottforFlorida for your support! You have been an incredible leader for our state and it’s been an honor to fight alongside you on Capitol Hill,” Donalds posted on X. “As Governor, I look forward to working with you and President Trump to strengthen Florida and Make America Great Again.” Donalds announced his candidacy earlier this year after President Donald Trump endorsed him for the governorship. TOP HOUSE REPUBLICAN BACKS BYRON DONALDS FOR FLORIDA GOVERNOR “Byron Donalds would be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida and, should he decide to run, will have my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, BYRON, RUN!” Trump declared in a February Truth Social post. DeSantis, who is serving his second term in the post, is not eligible to run again in 2026 due to state term limits. “No person who has, or but for resignation would have, served as governor or acting governor for more than six years in two consecutive terms shall be elected governor for the succeeding term,” the Florida constitution states. FLORIDA SENATOR CALLS ON NEW YORKERS WHO ‘HATE SOCIALISM’ TO MOVE SOUTH WITH AERIAL AD Scott and Trump have both also endorsed Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., in her upcoming bid to remain in the Senate. DeSantis tapped Moody to replace Marco Rubio, who departed the Senate well before the end of his term to serve as Trump’s secretary of state. Moody is aiming to win a special election next year to serve out the remainder of what would have been Rubio’s Senate term.
Trump 1.0 alums share chilling Google message from before second-term return: ‘LAWFARE at its finest’
Officials from the first Trump administration are alleging they received notices from Google shortly before they returned to office that they were being probed by the FBI under the Biden administration and the web giant was unable to tell them because of a court order. Dan Scavino, who is now White House Deputy Chief of Staff and assistant to the president, described the matter as “Biden lawfare” kicking in after he “patriotically and proudly” served during Trump’s first term. “Google received and responded to a legal process issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation compelling the release of information related to your Google account. A court order previously prohibited Google from notifying you of the legal process…” Scavino shared on X from an email he said he received from Google five weeks before Trump returned to the White House. “I’ve never shared this — but this is a small taste of the INSANITY that many of us went through — right here in the United States of America. LAWFARE at its finest. A Complete and Total Disgrace!!!!!” he added. TOP GOP SENATOR DEMANDS PROBE INTO WHETHER JACK SMITH ‘UNLAWFULLY’ TRIED TO INFLUENCE 2024 ELECTION Less than a half-hour after Scavino’s post, FBI Director Kash Patel responded to him saying “I got one of those too…” Jeff Clark, the current acting administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, then chimed in Saturday morning, saying that he, too, received a similar message. “Indeed, a whole Jack Smith team was assigned to go through my emails after there was a privilege review,” Clark wrote on X in reference to the former special counsel. “But that group of lawyers ignored my religious pastor privilege, marital privilege, and other privileges and basically shipped all they could to Jack Smith. But it still cost me tens of thousands to try to protect my communications,” he added. FORMER CIA DIRECTOR JOHN BRENNAN ‘CLUELESS’ ABOUT WHY FBI WOULD INVESTIGATE HIM Smith was tapped by former Attorney General Merrick Garland to probe allegations that Trump sought to overturn the 2020 election results, and later investigated the handling of classified documents that were uncovered during a raid at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago compound. “My medical records and other private communications had nothing to do with the 2020 election. They were no one’s business. But it didn’t matter to these thugs with law degrees and the willingness to abuse government power,” Clark said Saturday. “They were trying to bait me to go to court to get them to destroy their secret copies of the emails, so they could try to break even my lawyer-client privilege with President Trump. But my team and I didn’t fall for it,” Clark also said. “Moreover, the whole thing was a blatant attempt to intimidate me. It didn’t work and I didn’t fold under the pressure.” The FBI did not immediately respond Saturday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Fox News’ Alex Miller contributed to this report.
Manhunt for ex-US soldier suspected of killing 4 in Montana bar
Police have told residents to stay home and not approach the suspect, who could be ‘armed and dangerous’. A manhunt is under way for a former United States soldier suspected of carrying out a shooting in a bar in the US state of Montana, which has left four people dead. The shooting happened on Friday at about 10:30am (16:30 GMT) at The Owl Bar in Anaconda, with four people pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation. The suspect has been identified as 45-year-old military veteran Michael Paul Brown. Brown lived next door to the bar, according to public records and owner David Gwerder. Gwerder, who was not there at the time of the incident, said a bartender and three patrons were killed before Brown fled the scene. “He knew everybody that was in that bar. I guarantee you that,” Gwerder said. “He didn’t have any running dispute with any of them. I just think he snapped.” Brown’s home in Anaconda – a town of about 9,000 people, located in southwest Montana about 109 miles (175km) west of the city of Bozeman – was cleared by a SWAT team. Montana Senator Steve Daines said a “massive manhunt” is under way, aided by drones. Authorities said Brown was last seen in the Stump Town area, just west of Anaconda, and he is “believed to be armed and dangerous”. He should not be approached if seen, the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement Center said in a social media post, while Anaconda residents have been instructed to stay home and lock their doors. More than a dozen police officers have converged on Stump Town, locking it down so no one is allowed in or out as police search for Brown in a wooded, mountainous area. Advertisement Randy Clark, a retired police officer who lives in the area, said a police helicopter hovered over a nearby mountainside as officers moved among the trees. A US army spokesperson said Brown served as an armour crewman from 2001 to 2005 and was deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005. Brown was also in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to 2009. Montana Governor Greg Gianforte said in a social media post that he was “closely monitoring the situation involving an active shooter in Anaconda”. Our hearts are with the community of Anaconda, Montana, where four lives were lost in a senseless bar shooting. Law enforcement is actively searching for the suspect, Michael Paul Brown, who remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous. We stand with the brave officers… pic.twitter.com/nHmlib8D2o — National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) (@GLFOP) August 1, 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Nigeria kills her sun: Death and vindication for Ken Saro-Wiwa, Ogoni Nine
Lagos, Nigeria – “Lord, take my soul, but the struggle continues,” the man said, before his body went limp. It swung gently from the makeshift gallows, hurriedly built a few days earlier. Before that morning, the prison had last enforced a death sentence 30 years earlier, during British rule. It was November 10, 1995. For weeks, local activists from the small Ogoniland settlement in Nigeria’s lush Niger Delta region had been protesting against oil spills seeping into their farmland and the gas flares choking them. The Niger Delta, which produces the crude that earned Nigeria 80 percent of its foreign revenues, teemed with gun-carrying soldiers from the military dictatorship of the feared General Sani Abacha. They responded to the protests with force. That day, the loudest Ogoni voice – renowned playwright and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa – faced his fate. A week earlier, a military tribunal had declared his sentence. And just the day before, five executioners tasked with carrying it out had flown in from the northern city of Sokoto. At 5am that morning, Saro-Wiwa and the eight other Ogoni activists accused alongside him of murder were moved from the army camp where they had been held to the prison grounds in Port Harcourt, the regional hub a few hours drive from Ogoniland. There, they were herded into a room and shackled. Then, one after the other, they were led out to the gallows. Saro-Wiwa went first. It took five attempts to kill him. After one failed tug, the activist cried out in frustration: “Why are you people treating me like this? What kind of country is this?” Advertisement On the final attempt, the gallows finally functioned as they were supposed to. By 3:15pm, all nine men had been executed. Their bodies were placed in coffins, loaded into vehicles and escorted by armed guards to the public cemetery. On the streets, thousands of horrified people watched the procession as soldiers fired tear gas into the air to quell any thoughts of rebellion. No relatives of the nine men were allowed into the cemetery. There were no dignified burials, no parting words from loved ones. Thirty years later, on June 12 this year, Nigeria’s Democracy Day, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pardoned Saro-Wiwa and the others – the Ogoni Nine as they had become known. He went on to call them heroes and awarded them prestigious national titles. For Saro-Wiwa’s daughter Noo Saro-Wiwa, who is now aged 49, and other relatives of the executed men, the pardons were moving but insufficient. In Ogoniland, it reopened old wounds that remained as deep as when they were first inflicted all those years ago. Protesters march to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, the city where he was put to death [File: Sunday Alamba/AP] Saro Wiwa, accidental environmental activist Before his death at age 54, Saro-Wiwa wanted to be known as a great writer. A bundle of energy, he dabbled in many things, but books were his true love. More than two dozen books, poems and essays bore his name. His radio dramas and TV plays were wildly successful, particularly one that mocked the corrupt Nigerian elite, which took over after independence in 1960. In the short story Africa Kills Her Sun, Saro-Wiwa eerily warned of his killing: A man condemned to death pens a long letter to his lover, Zole, on the eve of his execution, telling her not to grieve. Saro-Wiwa’s execution made him a martyr for the Ogoni people – the man whose death drew international attention to their plight. In 1958, when Nigeria discovered oil in the southern Niger Delta, of which Ogoniland is a part, a 17-year-old Saro-Wiwa wrote letters to the government and oil companies questioning how delta communities would benefit from oil dollars. Later on, his essays highlighted how Ogoniland still lacked infrastructure – roads, electricity, water – despite the oil. In October 1990, Saro-Wiwa led the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), which he cofounded, to present the Ogoni Bill of Rights to the Nigerian government. In it, the Ogoni people denounced the dominance of the majority tribes (Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo) and the sidelining of minorities like the Ogoni. They called for political autonomy and direct control of oil profits, saying: Advertisement “Thirty years of Nigerian independence has done no more than outline the wretched quality of the leadership of the Nigerian majority ethnic groups and their cruelty as they have plunged the nation into ethnic strife, carnage, war, dictatorship, retrogression and the greatest waste of national resources ever witnessed in world history, turning generations of Nigerians, born and unborn into perpetual debtors.” It marked Saro-Wiwa as a thorn in the side of the military dictators, and from 1992 to 1993, he was arrested without charge several times. Still, he continued to condemn the slow death he said Ogonis were sentenced to. “I accuse the oil companies of practising genocide against the Ogoni,” he wrote in one article. The Nigerian government, he said, was complicit. Saro-Wiwa’s fervour took hold in Ogoniland. About 300,000 Ogonis, out of a population of half a million, marched with him in January 1993 to peacefully protest against the Nigerian government and Shell, the oil company that they said bore particular responsibility for the oil spills in their part of the delta. It was one of the largest mass demonstrations Nigeria had ever seen at the time. Protesters carried signs with messages like: “Assassins, go home.” The protests were so large that the world began to notice the Ogonis and the slight, articulate man speaking for them. Soon, he was speaking at the United Nations, presenting the Ogonis’ case there. Environmental rights groups like Greenpeace noted and supported his activism. By the end of that year, riots were breaking out, and angry protesters had destroyed oil pipelines worth billions of dollars. Shell was forced to suspend operations. The government promptly deployed a special task force to suppress what is
Tottenham captain Son Heung-min to leave Premier League club
Son Heung-min captained Tottenham Hotspur to the Europa League title last season but will leave the club this summer. After 10 years with Tottenham Hotspur, captain Son Heung-min announced on Saturday that he plans to leave the English Premier League club. At a media conference in Seoul, Son, appearing at times to be holding back tears, said his decision to leave the Spurs was ’the most difficult” of his career and said the club was supporting him as he looks to move on to another team. Spurs will face Newcastle United in a preseason friendly on Sunday in Seoul in what could be the final match of Son’s time at Spurs. “Before we start the press conference, I just want to share the information that I have decided to leave this club in this summer,” Son said. “Respectfully, this club is helping me to my decisions. So I just wanted to share this information before we start the conference. “I came to North London as a kid, 23 years old, very young age, a young boy came to London who even didn’t speak English and leaving this club as a grown man is a very, very proud moment.” He continued his tribute by thanking Tottenham fans. “So I just want to say thank you to all of the Spurs fans that gave me so much love and felt like it was my home,” he said. “It was one of the toughest decisions I ever made. So I hope the goodbye is always also in a good timing you know. But I think it’s the right time to make this decision.” Son was asked in Korean on his future playing plans, and he replied: ’I don’t think I have an answer yet.” He also confirmed in Korean that he would play for South Korea at the World Cup next year in North America. Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min lifts the trophy with teammates after winning the Europa League final [Andrew Couldridge/Reuters] In May, Son finally won his first title in Europe as Tottenham defeated Manchester United in the Europa League final. Advertisement “I felt the pressure. I wanted it so badly,” Son said after that match. “The last seven days, I was dreaming about this game every single day. It finally happened, and I can sleep easy now.” The 33-year-old Son has been one of the biggest stars of the Premier League, scoring 173 goals in 454 competitive appearances for Tottenham. He was made captain in 2023 by former head coach Ange Postecoglou and helped the club lift its Europa League title, a first trophy since 2008. Son added that the team’s recent success was a factor: “ Winning the Europa League made me feel I had achieved everything I could here. I need a new environment for a fresh challenge.” Son has been heavily linked with a move to the United States and there is reported interest from Saudi Arabian clubs. Thomas Frank succeeded Postecoglou in June and the Danish coach paid tribute to Son on Saturday. “He is truly a Spurs legend in every aspect,” Frank said. “One of the best players to ever play in the Premier League, in my opinion, as a winger. I think it is probably the perfect timing, going out on a high.” Later in the media conference, Son reiterated that he has not decided on where he will play next. But he said next year’s World Cup was his priority for his home country. “I don’t think I have an answer yet,” he said of his future playing choices. “I think I can share more about my future after tomorrow’s game once things become more certain. “My most important priority right now is the World Cup. It’s likely to be my last World Cup and I want to give everything I have in that environment … I want to be able to play football happily, which I think will play the biggest role in my future decision-making. I am still trying to organise my thoughts around that.” Adblock test (Why?)
22-years-old IIT Bombay student dies by suicide, jumps from hostel building, probe underway, here’s what we know so far
A student of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay student committed suicide by jumping from the hostel building on the Powai campus on Saturday, as confirmed by Mumbai Police.
India denies Donald Trump’s ‘good step’ claim, continues to buy oil from Russia
Earlier, United States President Donald Trump (local time) claimed that India may cease purchasing Russian oil, calling it “a good step” if confirmed, while India has defended its sovereign right to conduct energy policy based on national interest.
Who is Sameera Fatima? Nagpur’s ‘looteri dulhan’ arrested for extorting over Rs 5000000 after marrying 8 rich men
A woman from Nagpur, known as ‘Looteri dulhan’ has been arrested by police in a fraud case. She has been accused of allegedly marrying at least 8 men for over past 15 years. As per reports, she has extorted over Rs 50 lakhs from her targets, even tricking senior officer from Reserve Bank of India.