Todd Blanche roasts Adam Schiff in heated hearing: ‘You’re a lawyer, you know the rules’
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche came out swinging against Sen. Adam Schiff on Wednesday, denying allegations of self-dealing and intentional refusal-to-recuse in President Donald Trump’s cases, while accusing the California Democrat of lying. Schiff sparred with Blanche over several legal matters he said prove the nominee is unfit for the job of America’s top law enforcement officer, citing what he described as serious conflicts of interest. Blanche denied the allegations while telling Schiff he was misstating ethics rules and botching key timelines. Schiff pressed Blanche on whether he met with Justice Department ethics lawyers about his prior representation of Trump in the Stormy Daniels, Mar-a-Lago classified documents, and Jan. 6 cases. TRUMP’S AG NOMINEE RACKS UP MASSIVE SUPPORT AHEAD OF CONFIRMATION HEARING: ‘REAL RESULTS’ Blanche affirmed and said he has recused himself from future litigation or Justice Department business involving any of those suits. But Schiff countered that Blanche reportedly told a crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that there was no conflict of interest in the Justice Department firing prosecutors linked to Jan. 6 or other cases. Blanche soon fired back when Schiff criticized him for moving to vacate Jan. 6-related convictions for 12 members of far-right groups. “I was the acting attorney general – so yes, my department moved to dismiss,” he said, adding that there was no reason for him to recuse himself when Schiff pressed him further. BIDEN SPECIAL COUNSEL’S ‘RUNAWAY TRAIN’ SCOOPED UP SENSITIVE LAWMAKER INFO: ‘ABUSE OF POWER’ “From the Proud Boys matter?” Blanche responded with a puzzled look. “You’re a lawyer, you know the rules,” Blanche told the Massachusetts-born graduate of Harvard Law. OBAMA JUDGE HANDS PROGRESSIVES A WIN OVER ANTI-TRUMP ’86 47′ MESSAGE AMID RISING THREATS “There are rules that say when I have to recuse and that’s not one of them,” Blanche said. “There are rules,” Schiff agreed. “And when you’re told to recuse yourself from investigations that you handle for the president…” — “I always do,” Blanche cut in – “you’re supposed to recuse yourself,” Schiff finished. Schiff noted that the second volume of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on Trump has not been released and said the Justice Department has opposed making it available. Blanche denied having anything to do with the decision and pointed out it is not the Justice Department, but a federal judge in Miami that has prohibited its release. “If you went into court asking them to release it, it would be released by now,” Schiff argued. Blanche shot back: “What you’re saying happens not to be true – I did not do that.” “You can’t accuse me of violating my ethical rules and then lie about what I did,” he continued, Schiff asked Blanche at length what allegedly evolved in his professional life that led him to be under such criticisms. “What I don’t understand, Todd Blanche, is what happened to the Todd Blanche who was a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York? What happened to the prosecutor people had respect for,” he said. “What happened to the prosecutor who said that there wouldn’t be a whiff of political partisanship and then prosecutes the president’s enemies over seashells cases, over making a video stating the plain law in the Constitution?” Schiff said – appearing to reference investigations into former FBI Director Jim Comey’s “8647” post that critics said amounted to a threat on Trump’s life. “I think Robert Caro had it right when he said that power doesn’t corrupt as much as it reveals. I suspect it has just revealed who you are and who you are as someone willing to sacrifice everything you once believed in for that title, for that position of Attorney general,” Schiff claimed. “I am still here. I am the same exact person I was when I was a federal prosecutor in the SDNY,” Blanche replied. The exchange led to further criticism of Schiff, including from the Trump-appointed prosecutor in his home region: SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “Facts are not Senator Schiff’s strong suit,” claimed First Assistant U.S. Attorney for Central California Bill Essayli. Former Alabama federal prosecutor Jay Town called the exchange “excellent.” “What [Blanche] is essentially saying is that the Justice Department has gone back to the fundamentals of increasing prosecutions and lowering crime nationwide, unlike the Garland DOJ targeting parents, Catholics, etc.” Fox News Digital reached out to Schiff for comment.
Bessent invokes assassination attempt ‘2 hours after being sworn in’ in dramatic brushback of leftist threat
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday he was the target of an assassination attempt by a “left-wing activist” just two hours after being sworn into office, citing the case as evidence that violent political extremism from the left is a real and growing threat. Speaking at the State Department‘s Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism, Bessent pushed back against critics who have questioned the Trump administration’s focus on violent far-left extremist groups. “I’m going to remind everyone in this room — and all the media — that I was the subject of an assassination attempt by an addled left-wing activist two hours after being sworn into my job,” Bessent said. “Any of you who want to report that this is a fiction and does not exist, be there for the sentencing this August.” Bessent appeared to be referring to Ryan Michael English, a 24-year-old Massachusetts man who pleaded guilty in March to charges related to attempting to assassinate the then-Treasury secretary nominee at the U.S. Capitol. English traveled to Washington on Jan. 27, 2025, carrying a folding knife and two improvised Molotov cocktails before approaching a U.S. Capitol Police officer and asking to turn himself in, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors said English admitted he had come to the Capitol intending to kill a Cabinet nominee whose Senate confirmation vote was scheduled that day or burn down a Washington think tank. Investigators also recovered a note in which he allegedly wrote, in part, “This is terrible but I cant do nothing while nazis kill my sisters.” English pleaded guilty in March to one count of unlawful receipt, possession and transfer of a firearm and one count of carrying a dangerous weapon on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. He is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 14. Before his time as Treasury secretary, Bessent spent years at Soros Fund Management, serving as the firm’s chief investment officer from 2011 to 2015 after earlier helping lead its London office. Following his departure, he launched Key Square Capital Management with backing from George Soros, the billionaire investor and Democratic megadonor who has frequently been a target of criticism from Trump and other conservatives. Bessent made the remarks as administration officials gathered representatives from roughly 65 countries for a State Department summit aimed at building international cooperation against what the Trump administration describes as a resurgence of violent far-left political terrorism.
Dems roasted for comparing Hegseth’s testosterone initiative to ‘gender-affirming care’
Democrats, including Sens. Adam Schiff of California and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, are being mocked online for likening the Pentagon’s new testosterone testing and treatment plan to cross-sex “gender-affirming care.” Following Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s announcement that the military would begin screening for testosterone deficiency, Democratic leaders quickly took to social media to mock the program as a return to “gender-affirming care.” “Pete Hegseth comes out in favor of gender-affirming care…,” wrote Schiff, while Hirono wrote, “So the Pentagon is promoting gender-affirming care now?” Several other Democrats piled on with similar posts. Their posts, however, were met with immediate pushback. MED SCHOOL DEANS COME UP EMPTY IN TENSE HEARING WHEN ASKED POINT BLANK IF MEN CAN HAVE BABIES: ‘RIDICULOUS’ Commenting on Schiff’s post, one user wrote, “Giving testosterone to men is gender-affirming and not harmful. Chemically castrating a boy or a double mastectomy on a girl is gender-denying, irreversible and harmful. [Schiff] is not only a liar, he is stupid.” In response to a post by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., saying, “Sounds like gender-affirming care to me,” conservative influencer “Just a Bama Gal” shot back, “Not even close.” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., even brought up the program during a House hearing, bashing it as “absurd” and suggesting that the government could begin testing whether representatives are “male enough to be in Congress.” “The Secretary of Forever Wars, Pete Hegseth, just announced they are going to provide hormone therapy to male service members who don’t have enough testosterone,” Jayapal wrote on X. “Let’s be clear: This is gender-affirming care, and it completely debunks all of Republicans’ attacks on trans people.” In response, one user who goes by the name Ellie May wrote, “Let’s be clear your ignorance is showing. Giving your body more of something that it naturally produces is not the equivalent of giving your body the exact opposite it needs to thrive and survive.” DEMOCRATS REVOLT OVER ‘BIOLOGICAL’ WORDING IN WOMEN’S HISTORY MUSEUM BILL “Are you crazy???” responded another user named Leah Babcock, “When a woman goes through menopause and gets hormone replacement she’s not suddenly a trans person.” Hegseth announced the program in a post on Wednesday. He explained the military would begin testosterone screening for service members over 30 and optional screening for those under 30 as part of its annual health assessment. Hegseth said that if treatment is recommended, service members will have the choice of undergoing testosterone replacement therapy. He clarified, “This is not about artificial enhancement; it’s about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity and ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight.” In an X post, he labeled his announcement “the High-T Department of War.” Meaghan Mobbs, a former Army paratrooper and president of the nonprofit the R.T. Weatherman Foundation, posted on X, “If you are one of the people melting down because the Department of War wants to screen men over 30 for testosterone deficiency, I am begging you to spend ten minutes reading the science before letting Hegseth Derangement Syndrome rob you of common sense.” “Testosterone is not some cosmetic ‘masculinity’ metric,” Mobbs explained. “It is a major endocrine signal tied to muscle mass, bone density, red blood cell production, metabolism, sexual function, energy, concentration, mood, recovery, and physical performance. Clinically low testosterone can present as exhaustion, loss of strength and muscle, impaired concentration, irritability, depressed mood, reduced motivation, and diminished sexual function.” She said that “for years, veterans, clinicians, and military families have begged the system to [take] endocrine health more seriously,” adding, “Now someone finally is. Thank God.” TRUMP SAYS US IS ‘BOOMING,’ PREDICTS IRAN WILL BE ‘DEFEATED VERY SOON’ Likewise, Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services Adm. Brian Christine wrote, “I fully support Secretary Hegseth’s initiative at the Department of War in recognizing the importance of healthy testosterone levels in its warfighting men!” “Optimizing testosterone supports strength, endurance, healthy body composition, cognitive performance, mission readiness, and overall well-being—ensuring America’s fighting force is prepared to perform at its highest level,” wrote Christine.
Trump admin fires US attorney in Seattle minutes after he was appointed
The Trump administration took the fight over who controls U.S. attorney appointments to a whole new level, firing a Seattle-based prosecutor less than an hour after he was picked for the job without the blessing of the administration. “District court judges can appoint a temporary U.S. Attorney, and POTUS can fire them,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote Wednesday on X as he was testifying before the Senate in his confirmation hearing, calling out a U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington state panel for elevating Judge Roger Rogoff to be the top federal prosecutor in Seattle. “WDWA judges abandoned the time-honored process of consultation with the administration so that the selected U.S. Attorney is qualified to serve in the administration,” Blanche said. “Roger Rogoff has been fired by the President.” That post came after Rogoff, 57, a former King County Superior Court judge and longtime state and federal prosecutor, was sworn in before 8 a.m. local time at the federal courthouse in downtown Seattle as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington. TRUMP’S AG NOMINEE RACKS UP MASSIVE SUPPORT AHEAD OF CONFIRMATION HEARING: ‘REAL RESULTS’ He then went to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and asked to meet with Charles Neil Floyd, the Trump administration’s preferred choice for the job, whose 120-day interim term expired in February. While Rogoff waited in the lobby, he received an email notifying him that Trump had removed him from office. Rogoff’s situation was not mentioned in Blanche’s Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday, but Blanche is back before the Senate again Thursday and Rogoff now might be a notable topic of discussion during his confirmation process. BIDEN JUDGE REJECTS TRUMP’S SANCTUARY CITIES LAWSUIT, SAYS EVEN A WIN WOULDN’T SOLVE DOJ’S PROBLEM The quick dismissal came after all 17 active and senior federal judges in the deep-blue district appointed Rogoff to the vacancy. The judges, appointed by five presidents (10 by Democrats and seven by Republicans), had opened an application process after the administration did not send Floyd’s nomination to the Senate and instead kept him in place by making him first assistant U.S. attorney while leaving the top job vacant. U.S. attorneys, who serve as the Justice Department’s chief federal prosecutors in each district, are normally nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Federal law allows the attorney general to name an interim U.S. attorney for 120 days. If that period expires without a confirmed nominee, district judges may appoint someone to serve until the vacancy is filled. Because of obstruction by Democrats in the narrowly held Senate, the Trump administration has resorted to using acting titles and other personnel moves to keep its prosecutors in place. Courts have pushed back in several Democrat-heavy districts like Seattle and New Jersey, issuing legal challenges to the Justice Department and White House authority. “I don’t think it’s the way to run the Department of Justice,” Rogoff told The New York Times. “When you have this sort of made up way of putting people in these positions, the process breaks down.” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., opposed Floyd for the U.S. attorney job and blasted Rogoff’s quick firing. “Throughout his career, he has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to public service, and he was appointed legally by the federal judges in the Western District of Washington,” Murray wrote in a statement. “This administration doesn’t want to deal with advice and consent — they just want to install cronies to carry out a corrupt political agenda.” LEGAL WAR ON TRUMP’S AGENDA GAINS FIREPOWER AS FEDERAL LAWYERS DEFECT TO DEMOCRATS Trump administration officials have long noted that the “advise and consent” role of the Senate does not grant Democrats against Trump’s administrative priorities to be a hard block on his agenda and nominees, though. Rogoff has retained an employment law firm and is considering a legal challenge to his firing. Fox News Digital reached out to Rogoff for comment. The Seattle clash follows similar disputes elsewhere. In New Jersey, Alina Habba resigned as the top federal prosecutor after an appeals court said she had been serving unlawfully. In Virginia, Lindsey Halligan left an acting U.S. attorney post after a judge found her appointment unlawful and dismissed indictments she had brought against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey. The administration has also fired court-appointed U.S. attorneys in other districts. Rogoff, who spent 20 years as a state prosecutor and six as a federal prosecutor before becoming a state judge, said he knew the administration might fire him immediately. Despite this, he said he had no qualms about the potential conflict he was walking into, because being U.S. attorney is “the best job there is.” “I’m really proud of my career,” Rogoff said. “The fact that the judges of this district — most of whom I’ve spent my career appearing in front of, or trying cases against, or working with — believed that I was the right person to do this work is just really humbling and amazing.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump’s swift ICE reversal hailed for showing ‘confidence’ in frontline agents
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump’s quick reversal of a nationwide ban on ICE vehicle stops has been a “huge” boost for many ICE agents on the ground and reassured them that the commander-in-chief still has “confidence in the agency and its people,” a federal special agent working deportations said. Speaking with Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity, the agent said that the concerns that prompted the pause – a need for additional training for ICE agents on adversarial vehicle stops – are still being addressed. At the same time, the agent said the president’s action proved he still believes in law enforcement professionals to get the job done amid what has been an especially operationally challenging year. “Today, when the president came out with his un-pause, I think what he showed was confidence in the agency and its people, and I think that goes a long way when somebody is in one of those difficult situations,” said the agent. “I’ve been doing this a long time and I’ve never seen something like that,” the agent added. TRUMP REVERSES DHS POLICY, ORDERS ICE TO RESUME VEHICLE STOPS AFTER ONE-DAY PAUSE The Department of Homeland Security announced a pause on Tuesday for ICE vehicle stops after two ICE officer-involved shootings in Maine and Texas. The guidance was short-lived, however, as the next day Trump instructed the agency to reverse course on what he called “one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools.” Trump wrote that “the men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done.” He noted that “CRIME IS WAY DOWN IN AMERICA, in many cases with numbers that haven’t been seen in decades.” To the ICE agents operating across the country, Trump wrote, “Be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job. Keep those Crime Stat Records coming! Remember, you are loved and respected in America.” 2028 DEM HOPEFULS TORCHED OVER WEBINARS TEACHING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HOW TO ‘DEFY’ ICE In response, the agent said Trump’s message meant he had the agents’ back. “You don’t have to be a Donald Trump fan but to know that the person who is ultimately responsible for all of this is saying, ‘Hey, I believe in you, you guys will work this out, we’re going to be all right,’” the agent said. The agent said that in the last year, illegal immigrants have grown more adversarial during arrests, increasing the danger of operations for both the arrestee and law enforcement. This is further exacerbated, said the agent, by the prevalence of interference and even often violent confrontation by civilian bystanders during operations. This means that agents are operating in increasingly stressful, unpredictable environments. Amid this, the agent likened ending all vehicle stops to removing a tool from a toolbox. “Any tool you take out of the toolbox is going to create challenges for [agents] to do their job in a more efficient way,” he said. DOCS EXPOSE HORRIFIC STRANGLING, KIDNAPPING CHARGES AGAINST ANTI-ICE LAWYER CHAMPIONED BY DEMS Still, the agent said they would “welcome” even more training. According to the agent, ICE has already increased its training for officers working deportation operations on the streets. The additional training has been especially concentrated on responding to riot-type situations, something that the agent said most ICE officers previously did not need to prepare for. “They should constantly be looking at these policies and how they affect the people in the field, but also how it’s perceived by the public, how legal it is, and how do we do this more safe?” the agent said, concluding, “I think any sane person would be in agreement with me to say, ‘Hey, let’s look at how we can do this safer for everybody.’”
Fetterman reveals what it would take for him to leave Democratic Party
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has “no plans” to leave the Democratic Party but if it officially became the “anti-Israel party,” count him out. “My long-term concern has been with the Democratic Party, as I am a member of that, is that our party is going to back away and turn their back to Israel,” he said Wednesday at the Hill Nation Summit in Washington, D.C. “If our party ever becomes, and just makes it official, the anti-Israel party, that’s when I would leave because that’s been a moral clarity for me.” The news comes as Fetterman and fellow Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., launch a rare joint fundraising PAC called “Common Ground PA” this month, according to FEC filings, and Fetterman’s breaks from Democratic Party votes have become increasingly apparent since he was elected in 2022 and took office Jan. 3, 2023. SEN JOHN FETTERMAN PLEDGES TO BE ‘LAST MAN STANDING’ IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN SUPPORT OF ISRAEL “Though I was elected as a Democrat, I’m proud to serve all Pennsylvanians,” Fetterman wrote in a May op-ed, delivering the age-old mantra that he has not changed from his principles, the party has. “It has become increasingly lonely to serve in that way, but I firmly believe it’s what is needed. “My party cannot simply be the opposite of whatever President Donald Trump says. The president could come out for ice cream and lazy Sundays, and my party would suddenly hate them. Such pointless pile-ons and attacks are unproductive. The American people want us to work together to find solutions on issues they and our country face.” His lines in the sand, he wrote, had been laid bare on: JOHN FETTERMAN’S FALL FROM HERO TO HERETIC EXPOSES DEMOCRATS’ HARD LEFT TURN The push away from Israel has become a “long-term concern” that he “can’t understand” and might ultimately become the ultimate red line for him, he told the Hill Nation Summit. “You look at the kinds of individuals that are winning our recent primaries,” he said. “It’s becoming more… anti-Israel and hostile to people.” Fetterman declined to discuss what he called “private conversations” with Republicans on a potential party switch, but he wrote in May he would first become independent. “Being an independent voice that works with the other side to deliver for Pennsylvanians might put me at odds with the party that I have stayed committed to and have no plans to leave — but I will continue to put the commonwealth and the country first,” he wrote. “Plus, I’d be a terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats.” WHY TRUMP, GOP ARE COURTING JOHN FETTERMAN, WHO INSISTS HE’LL REMAIN A DEMOCRAT The latest vow to break from Democratic Party votes is his rejection of the amendment from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., that would cut off $3.3 billion in annual security assistance to Israel. He is also increasingly concerned about the primary election successes of progressive candidates who have been sharply critical of Israel – evidence of what he views as a troubling shift inside his party. Democrats are “trying to ingratiate ourselves with that segment of the base of our voters” that are “intensely, intensely anti-Israel,” he warned Wednesday. Fetterman also raised concerns about Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s performance in polling for the state’s Senate primary, warning that Democrats could be forced to spend more heavily in the battleground state if El-Sayed becomes the nominee against former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., who narrowly lost Michigan’s 2024 Senate race. “Rogers just barely, barely lost in ’24,” Fetterman said. “If El-Sayed wins, then that puts Michigan much more in play for us and would require us to spend more money. What’s defined El-Sayed is the more anti-Israel and hostile-to-Israel thing.” Fetterman also criticized El-Sayed and other progressive candidates over past support for the “defund the police” movement, arguing that his party risks repeating political mistakes from the 2024 election. “Now here’s more Democrats to ‘defund the police,’” he warned. “Here we are back to part of the worst impulses that we just can’t resist. “We forgot the crazy things that we said, and that cost us the election in 2024. Now we want to revisit that — if anything, they’re coming back in the strongest kind of terms. Look at the people who are winning.” The senator also took aim at fellow Democrats who backed progressive Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner before Platner ended his campaign following allegations that he raped a woman in 2021. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., forcefully supported Platner, which left him “angry,” he said, questioning why Democrats embraced him as the evidence mounted. “Why did you push these people? Why did you buy in and then plunge that most consequential Senate race now into chaos?” Fetterman asked, arguing that it is now “more difficult” to defeat Republican Sen. Susan Collins and win control of the narrowly held Senate. “Where’s the accountability?” Fetterman asked. “Imagine if I would have done that and pushed that kind of individual.” Fox News Digital reached out to Fetterman’s Senate office and campaign officials for further comment.
Rubio puts entire world on notice against rise of ‘poisonous’ far-left terror ‘masked as equality’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Thursday that violent far-left political terrorism “can no longer be denied” as he urged more than 60 countries gathered in Washington to treat the threat as a global counterterrorism priority. Speaking at the opening of a State Department ministerial attended by roughly 65 foreign delegations, Rubio said governments had spent too long overlooking what he described as a resurgence of transnational far-left extremist violence and called for greater international cooperation to counter it. Rubio described radical leftism as “a poisonous resentment cloaked in the language of equality and justice.” TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FAR-LEFT PROTESTERS CLASH WITH POLICE IN ANTI-CONSERVATIVE PARTY RIOTS “Today we face a new wave of this old evil here in the United States, the share of left-wing terrorist attacks and plots has risen to levels not seen in decades,” the secretary went on. Rubio said the administration is rebuilding the U.S. counterterrorism strategy around what it views as an increasingly transnational threat, announcing that additional foreign terrorist organization designations are forthcoming after the State Department designated four foreign far-left groups in November 2025. Rubio said far-left extremist networks coordinate across borders by sharing training materials, encrypted communications, financing and safe houses while working alongside hostile foreign states. He argued the United States and its allies must respond by expanding intelligence sharing, law enforcement cooperation and efforts to disrupt terrorist financing. “You are here because this is real, and it is getting worse, and it can no longer be denied, and it can no longer be ignored,” Rubio said. “It is time to crush this evil forever.” “It’s time for people of the civilized world to defend themselves,” he added. A foreign terrorist organization designation criminalizes providing material support to the group, enables the U.S. government to freeze assets under its jurisdiction and blocks members from entering the United States. Administration officials said the ministerial is the culmination of an eight-month diplomatic effort to convince foreign governments that violent far-left extremist networks have become a growing cross-border threat requiring greater international coordination. The initiative comes as some analysts and foreign officials have questioned whether violent far-left groups constitute a cohesive international terrorism threat comparable to Islamist extremist organizations. Others have raised concerns governments could use such initiatives to target political opponents under the banner of counterterrorism. Administration officials rejected those concerns Wednesday, arguing the effort is narrowly focused on criminal and terrorist violence rather than political beliefs. “We haven’t waded into trying to disambiguate people’s beliefs and ideologies,” a senior State Department official told reporters. “In America, you can believe anything you want. The minute that you cross the legal threshold, that changes.” BILL MAHER TORCHES FAR-LEFT ASSASSINATION CULTURE AFTER STRING OF HIGH-PROFILE ATTACKS Officials argue governments spent much of the past two decades concentrating on jihadist terrorism while underestimating what they describe as a resurgence of politically motivated violence from violent far-left extremist networks operating across borders. “This has been a blind spot for a lot of our partners, frankly. They have not seen these trends … since the 1970s,” the senior State Department official said. “Our partners have talked to us about the rise of assassinations or assassination plots.” Administration officials pointed to a series of recent attacks in Europe that they argue underscore the need for greater international cooperation. On July 1, coordinated firebomb attacks targeted the homes of members of Greece’s governing New Democracy party in Thessaloniki, killing the mother of parliamentary candidate Afroditi Nestora and injuring four others. Greek anti-terrorism police later arrested three suspects. In January, an arson attack on a power transmission facility in Berlin, Germany, knocked out electricity to tens of thousands of homes and businesses. German authorities later transferred the investigation to the federal prosecutor over suspected involvement by a terrorist organization. The meeting builds on a series of actions the administration has taken since late 2025, including designating four foreign far-left organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, along with offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the disruption of their financial networks. Rubio is expected to argue that violent far-left extremist groups increasingly operate across borders, sharing tactics, coordinating attacks and exploiting international conflicts to recruit followers, making greater cooperation among governments essential to disrupting the threat. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also are expected to address the ministerial, which will include discussions on the global threat landscape, terrorist financing, intelligence sharing and protecting critical infrastructure. Officials also disputed reports that foreign partners were reluctant to participate, saying several governments approached the United States seeking to join the initiative after recognizing similar trends within their own borders. “We’ve had countries who have reached out to us that want to be part of this,” the senior State Department official said. The four organizations designated by the administration in November were Antifa Ost, the Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front (FAI/FRI), Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense. The administration says the groups, which operate in Germany, Italy and Greece, have coordinated violent attacks across national borders.
‘Somebody needs to do something’: GOP senators split as Tuberville demands McConnell answers
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is calling for more information about Sen. Mitch McConnell’s, R-Ky., prolonged absence from the Senate, while Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., urged people to “leave Mitch alone” as questions about the Kentucky Republican’s health persist. “Somebody needs to do something,” Tuberville told Fox News Digital. “Somebody needs to come out.” McConnell finally broke his silence on his previously undisclosed medical conditions that have kept him absent from the Senate since he was first hospitalized on June 14. In a post to social media, McConnell said he would not be returning to the Senate floor just yet due to doctors’ orders, but vowed he would return to “finish the job” before his announced retirement at the end of his term. MITCH MCCONNELL BREAKS SILENCE ON MYSTERY HOSPITALIZATION AFTER GRAHAM’S DEATH Tuberville said no additional information from Senate leadership about a timeline for when McConnell may come back or the status of his health has been given out internally to his colleagues. “We didn’t get any information today in our luncheon,” Tuberville said Tuesday. “I don’t know what’s going on, but you know that’s not my business.” Meanwhile, Kennedy vehemently defended McConnell, dismissing rumors that the 84-year-old senator was in a vegetative state, or even dead, as some had speculated a more serious condition than what was disclosed. “Look, I believe Mitch,” Kennedy said. “I don’t believe all these stories that he’s brain dead and all of that. People need to get a life.” ‘THIS IS NOT NORMAL’: AOC UNLOADS ON MCCONNELL’S PROLONGED ABSENCE In his post, McConnell claimed that his childhood fight with polio contributed to a fall that left him “briefly unconscious” and hospitalized last month — when some speculated he had suffered cardiac arrest. He said he was then hit with a “mild case of pneumonia” while in recovery, extending the healing process. “I think he had a fall, and Mitch is not 29 anymore,” Kennedy said. “And he’s recuperating from it, and he’ll be back as soon as he can.” He continued, “That’s what he said, and I take him at his word.” MCCONNELL WAS FOUND ‘UNCONSCIOUS’ IN HOME LAST MONTH AS CONDITION REMAINS UNKNOWN While Tuberville also expressed his well-wishes for McConnell’s recovery, he said more information about his timeline for return needs to be shared before the Senate begins August recess — when senators will take a break to head back to their home states from Aug. 8 to Sept. 13. “He’s gonna need to come back probably before this three-week session’s over with, because then we’re off for like five weeks,” Tuberville said. Tuberville said Republicans will need McConnell back as the Senate prepares for votes on President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda before lawmakers leave for the August recess. McConnell has not indicated when he expects to return. “We’re gonna need him, because the Democrats are not gonna give us any votes,” Tuberville said.
Trump AG pick hangs by a thread as key GOP senators refuse to commit
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is headed for a second straight day of grilling in the Senate, and his path to confirmation still remains cluttered with two key Republicans keeping tight-lipped on whether they’ll support him. Blanche’s first day was fraught with questions about the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) handling of millions of documents related to the late, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, known as the Epstein Files, the now-defunct anti-weaponization fund and whether he would operate the DOJ as a tool of retribution for President Donald Trump. Two Republicans on the committee hold the key to Blanche’s success, Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, and so far, neither has committed to voting for him. TRUMP’S DOJ PICK IN TROUBLE AS GOP CONCERNS THREATEN CONFIRMATION Cornyn, who has taken issue with the nearly $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund and the underlying settlement reached by Trump and his family and the IRS, which Blanche acknowledged was still “enforceable” but was not moving forward, was noncommittal on how he would vote. “Well, I don’t know what other information’s gonna be coming in,” Cornyn said. “The hearing is not even halfway done. And so, you know, I don’t have to make a decision now, so I’m not.” Blanche received heat throughout the hearing for being Trump’s former personal defense lawyer, and quickly corrected himself when asked by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., if he considered himself the president’s friend. TRUMP’S AG NOMINEE RACKS UP MASSIVE SUPPORT AHEAD OF CONFIRMATION HEARING: ‘REAL RESULTS’ “I’m his lawyer — was his lawyer, and now I’m the deputy attorney general,” Blanche said. When asked about the slip-up, Cornyn said, “I think he’s trying to walk the line.” “I think he’s trying to walk a very difficult line,” he said. Tillis’ primary concern, similar to Cornyn’s, is the anti-weaponization fund and whether it is truly dead and gone. He declined to say whether he would support Blanche, but noted that when asked if he was willing to work on legislation to put a permanent end to the fund, Blanche said, “Yes.” TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON $1.8 BILLION ‘SLUSH FUND’ THAT KILLED HIS AGENDA, SPURRED REPUBLICAN REBELLION “I think that’s a pretty strong indication that he and the administration are OK with [it],” Tillis said. “Does anybody really believe that the nominee for attorney general would answer that question if he didn’t think that he had the support of the president to end this?” Meanwhile, Senate Democrats on the panel are dug in against him. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the top-ranking Democrat on the committee, browbeat Blanche for his handling of the Epstein Files release and whether he would actually meet with Epstein survivors. “Anyone who can represent a known pathological liar like Donald Trump can have no integrity,” Durbin said. “You can’t have integrity if you represent Donald Trump, because he is such an inveterate liar. And that person, of course, should never, never, never be attorney general.” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., admitted that Blanche was, “qualified… as someone who has been a prosecutor.” “But given his legal experience, he should have known better than to be willing to tolerate or support the weaponization of the department,” Coons said. “Using it as a tool not to follow the facts and the law, to pursue justice, but to carry out a retribution agenda by President Trump.”
Dem Senate hopeful’s pink-gloved meltdown resurfaces after viral pep talk ignited mockery
Rep. Haley Stevens’ awkward campaign pep talk that went viral this week is not the first time the Michigan Democrat has made waves for an unusual public speaking moment. Stevens, who is now running for Michigan’s open Senate seat, was mocked online this week after a video of her cringey stump speech telling supporters she would bring “a little bit of enthusiasm, a little bit of energy and a little bit of stick-it-to-them… because that’s the Michigan way” went viral and garnered reaction online. The viral moment harkened back to a separate cringey 2020 House floor episode, when Stevens wore pink latex gloves during comments about the coronavirus pandemic and was repeatedly gaveled down after her time expired. SWING-STATE POLL SPELLS TROUBLE FOR FAR LEFT AS SCHUMER-BACKED CANDIDATE DOMINATES WITH CRITICAL VOTING BLOCS “I rise for every American who is scared right now,” Stevens said during the March 2020 floor speech, after requesting additional time while pointing to the gloves she was wearing, her voice raising as her testimony progressed. The speaker pro tempore, residing on the House floor, tried to gavel Stevens out repeatedly, which she ignored. Eventually, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., yielded her 30 more seconds, at which time Stevens continued addressing doctors and nurses despite the calls to order. “You will see darkness. You will be pushed. And our society needs you to stand together at this time. Our country loves you – to our doctors and our nurses, I wear these latex gloves to tell every American to not be afraid,” Stevens continued before once again being cut off by the speaker pro tempore. MICHIGAN DEM SENATOR THROWS SUPPORT BEHIND CANDIDATE TO REPLACE HIM IN CONTENTIOUS PRIMARY “The gentlelady’s time has expired… the gentlelady from Michigan is out of order,” the speaker pro tempore said repeatedly, even as Stevens refused to cease her enthusiastic remarks. “The gentlelady from Michigan is out of order. The gentlelady from Michigan is no longer recognized.” Stevens’ viral moments come just three weeks until Michigan’s Senate primaries, at which time she will take on Democratic challenger Abdul El-Sayed. “Maybe Abdul El-Sayed is winning hearts and minds in liberal Michigan… or maybe he’s just running against this?” Brent Scher, editor-in-chief for the Daily Wire, said in a post to X, referring to Stevens’ awkward stump speech. “I just want to know why, and when, she chose to adopt this fake accent?” Chris Gustafson, the communications director for the Senate Leadership Fund wrote on X after the stump speech. “Stevens’ ads from 2018 sound like an entirely different person. Make it make sense.” In recent weeks, the Michigan primary has drawn national attention as it pits El-Sayed, a candidate pushing the party further left on issues like healthcare and international affairs, against Stevens, an establishment figure with the backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Those lines grew clearer as a third Democratic candidate, Mallory McMorrow, dropped out of the race earlier this month, taking away a third, more middle-of-the-road option.