Lindsey Graham’s sister carries on late senator’s work, becoming South Carolina’s first female senator

July 14, 2026 2:36pm EDT / Fox News

Darline Graham was sworn in as senator Tuesday after her brother’s sudden death

By Alex Miller, Fox News

Trey Gowdy emotionally shares his thoughts on Darlene Graham, the sister of late Sen. Lindsey Graham, being sworn in as interim senator.

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Newly minted Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., represents a series of firsts for the Senate and for her home state.

Graham, who was sworn in on Tuesday, is the first female senator from the Palmetto State, the first sister ever appointed to the upper chamber and the first person to fill the colossal gap left behind by her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

“Lindsey has always been there for me, and now I will be there for him,” Darline Graham said during her appointment ceremony. “My brother was the most amazing person, outstanding leader and just a genuinely good man.”

WHO IS DARLINE GRAHAM? LINDSEY GRAHAM’S SISTER EMERGES AS TRUMP’S SENATE PICK

Darline Graham speaks during a news conference outside the governor’s South Carolina State House office in Columbia, S.C.(Grant Baldwin/Getty Images)

Though she’s never held elected office, she has had front-row seats to her brother’s work, appearing with him on the campaign trail and during his own swearing-in ceremonies.

“It is such a privilege to get to finish some of his important work, and I promise to work hard over the next several months to support the president and carry forward the efforts of my brother on behalf of the citizens of South Carolina and the United States,” she continued.

Years ago, when her brother was running for president, he was asked by C-SPAN whether, if he made it to the White House, his sister would get a role in the administration.

“If she took a role, she would be a great representative of our country. I can’t think of a better person to represent our country in an event than my sister,” Lindsey Graham said in 2015.

TRUMP REVEALS WHO HE’S EYEING TO REPLACE LINDSEY GRAHAM

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6401105922112

Her sudden ascension to the Senate and subsequent swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday in the old Senate chamber just a few yards from the Senate floor capped a fast-moving first chapter in replacing her brother, whose shocking death sent shock waves through Washington, D.C., and beyond.

Darline Graham was appointed to fulfill the remainder of her brother’s term Monday by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster. President Donald Trump recommended she get the position, and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., spoke with her several times before appearing alongside her in Columbia, South Carolina.

“Lindsey took care of his little sister in years long departed. It’s my honor to ask his little sister, Darline Graham, to finish his work for him now,” McMaster said.

She is expected to act as a caretaker for the seat, finishing off the remainder of Lindsey Graham’s term through January, when a new face will take over as the junior senator for South Carolina.

GRAHAM’S DEATH IGNITES GOP SCRAMBLE FOR SENATE SEAT AS TRUMP HINTS HE ALREADY HAS A FAVORITE

Former Sen. Lindsey Grahama and his sister, Darline Graham(Getty Images)

Meanwhile, the public and private battle for the special election to replace Lindsey Graham as the GOP nominee in South Carolina is in full swing. So far, both Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., have shown interest in jumping into the race, which is scheduled for Aug. 11.

Trump has not yet said who he would endorse in the contest but did show interest in Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., who he backed in his first run for the House in 2022 when he toppled former Rep. Tom Rice, R-S.C., who was one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach him in his first term.

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And in the immediate future, Republicans will have to figure out replacements for Lindsey Graham on the several committees he sat on.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the conference was still “working through” that task.

“Obviously, his sister will be sworn in today, and then we’ll figure out which of his committees she wants to stay on, and then we’ll go from there,” Thune said.

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

See the moment Darline Graham is sworn in to serve remainder of brother’s term

Published 3:55 PM EDT, Tue July 14, 2026 / CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/14/politics/video/darline-graham-lindsey-graham-sworn-in-senate-digvid

Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister, was sworn in Tuesday to serve the remainder of her brother’s Senate term after his sudden death over the weekend.

0:53 • Source: CNN

Politics of the Day 11 videos

Supreme Court justices push Congress to boost security funding: “Threats have come very close”

July 14, 2026 / 3:33 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett urged Congress on Tuesday to provide additional funding to enhance protection for the justices as they face a rise in threats, with Kagan warning that the “threats have come very close” for some members of the high court.

Kagan and Barrett made rare back-to-back appearances before House and Senate subcommittees to testify about the Supreme Court’s budget request for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. Their testimony came just weeks after the Supreme Court finished handing down decisions to wrap its latest term, which included blockbuster rulings on immigration, voting rights,executive power and President Trump’s effort to restrict birthright citizenship.

The Supreme Court is seeking more than $228 million from congressional appropriators, an increase of more than $20 million. Part of the court’s funding request includes an additional $14.6 million to expand security for the justices provided by the Supreme Court Police, which would allow for an additional six agents per member of the court, according to budget documents. The money would also be used for travel when the justices are outside of the Washington, D.C., region.

Each justice is currently assigned between four and eight officers as part of their security details, Barrett and Kagan said, but that may increase if a member of the court is facing a particular threat or is participating in more public events.

Kagan told lawmakers that the recent increases in the court’s budget have been “almost entirely” for security expenses, since the Supreme Court’s in-house police force took over residential security for the justices from the U.S. Marshals Service.

“For some of us, those threats have come very close, and all of us live with the knowledge that they may again materialize,” she said. “But as the chief justice has said, all members of the court continue to do their jobs as they believe legally right, adjudicating cases without fear or favor.”

Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett testify before a House subcommittee in Washington, D.C., on July 14, 2026. Kent NISHIMURA /AFP via Getty Images

The Supreme Court Police is anticipating a 38% increase in threats for 2026, Kagan said. For federal judges, there was a 57% rise in “security incidents of significant concern” in fiscal year 2025, according to the Marshals Service. As of July 1, there have been 370 threats to judges this fiscal year, and the Marshals have conducted 512 investigations, according to agency data. In the last fiscal year, there were 564 total threats to judges, the Marshals Service said.

“It is increasingly dangerous to be a Supreme Court justice these days, and it’s appalling to me that some of the rhetoric is coming from public officials on both sides of the aisle who should know better than to levy personal and political attacks against the judiciary and the court specifically,” Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who leads the Senate Appropriations Committee, said.

She cited comments from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in 2020, when he said of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, “you have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price.” Mr. Trump has also lobbed sharp personal attacks against Supreme Court justices, particularly after the high court struck down his most sweeping tariffs. The president said Gorsuch and Barrett, who were in the majority, are “an embarrassment to their families.” He has also attacked some of the justices as “weak, stupid, and bad,” and called them “fools and lapdogs for the RINOs and the radical left Democrats.”

“Wherever these come from, and whatever political figure says them, whatever party that political figure is a member of, these statements are really unhelpful,” Kagan said. “They’re dangerous in terms of individual justices’ security and they’re not appropriate in the way to treat a coordinate branch of government.”

She said criticism of the court’s rulings are “fair game,” but warned, “intimidation is a different thing entirely. And when political figures of any stripe are trying to intimidate judges and justices to do things that they like rather than the things that they don’t, that’s where we really have crossed the line.”

Sitting judges and members of the Supreme Court have been facing a barrage of threats in recent years. A CBS News analysis found there were 126 prosecutions in 2025 that stemmed from threatening communications and 12 of those cases arose from menacing messages directed at judges.

Following the May 2022 leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, protesters descended outside the homes of several conservative justices, including Barrett’s. That June, an individual from California was arrested outside of Kavanaugh’s Maryland residence with a handgun, knife and tools.

Prosecutors said the defendant aimed to kill three members of the Supreme Court and had researched their home addresses. The individual, who was arrested as Nicholas Roske but now goes by Sophie Roske, pleaded guilty in April 2025 to attempting to kill or kidnap a Supreme Court justice and was sentenced to more than eight years in prison.

Barrett separately told House and Senate members about being given a bulletproof vest following the leak of the decision reversing Roe v. Wade and having to answer questions from her then-12-year-old son about it.

“I didn’t expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was and why I had to wear one,” she said.

The justice also said that she was the victim of a “swatting” incident roughly six weeks ago. Her teenage son opened the door to their home and saw police cars on the street responding to a false report of gunshots and “raised voices,” Barrett said.

The Supreme Court Police, who were stationed outside her house, met with local police and explained it was a “false alarm,” she said.

“Federal judges across the country, throughout the judiciary, including the Supreme Court, continue to do their jobs without fear or favor, but the threat level is really high,” she said.

Several judges, including Barrett, have also been the victims of “pizza doxxing,” where they’ve received anonymous pizza deliveries to their homes, she said. The pizzas are sent in the name of Daniel Anderl, the 20-year-old son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas who was shot and killed at their New Jersey home by a disgruntled lawyer in 2020.

“They’re designed to intimidate or designed maybe to punish after decisions that the person sending the threat didn’t like, as a warning not to do it in the future,” Barrett told senators of how she views the intent of threats against judges. “It’s hard to interpret, particularly those anonymous deliveries that are sent in the name of Judge Salas’s murdered son, as anything other than an attempt to intimidate and influence decisions.”

Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett testify during a House subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., on July 14, 2026. Kent NISHIMURA /AFP via Getty Images

Lawmakers appeared ready to provide the resources for the Supreme Court to beef up its security.

Rep. David Joyce, an Ohio Republican who chairs the House subcommittee, said judicial officers “must be able to do their jobs without fear for their safety or their family’s safety.”

Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the top Democrat on the panel, said, “With a deeply divided country and increasingly violent rhetoric being directed at judges, Congress must provide sufficient funding to ensure the safety of all judicial personnel.”

Beyond protection at the justices’ houses, the Supreme Court is also seeking $6.5 million for a facility to screen visitors to the high court outside of the building, similar to the Visitor Center at the U.S. Capitol. Roughly $2.3 million would go to cybersecurity, according to budget documents.

While the justices were on Capitol Hill to testify about the court’s requested operating budget, Kagan and Barrett fielded questions about the Supreme Court’s code of conduct, which it adopted in 2023, as well as the court’s caseload and requests for temporary relief made on its interim docket, also known as the emergency or “shadow” docket.

The high court has faced scrutiny for its handling of cases on its shadow docket, largely as it faced a slew of requests from the Trump administration last year to enforce the president’s second-term policies, and lower courts indicated they were struggling with how to apply the Supreme Court’s orders.

But Kagan said in the past year or so, the Supreme Court has “gotten more experienced” in handling those requests and providing a more thorough explanation of its decisions.

“We better recognize that at least sometimes, there is a need for additional information, and we have issued opinions and sometimes majority and dissenting opinions accordingly,” she told lawmakers.

Still, she acknowledged there are still improvements to be made.

Kagan noted that the Supreme Court has “tried to do better in important cases” by soliciting additional briefs and holding oral arguments, such as in the recent dispute over Mr. Trump’s attempt to fire Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case and ruled last month that Cook can continue in her post while her lawsuit challenging her attempted removal moves forward.

Asked by Rep. Mark Pocan, a Democrat from Wisconsin, about the shadow docket, Kagan suggested the increase in emergency requests may be because some parties have had success in securing relief while their case proceeds.

“People see that there is at least a potential for us to grant relief, and so why not file a petition,” she said.

Congressional testimony by the justices used to be a common occurrence. Justices appeared before House and Senate panels at least once every year from 1960 through 2011, according to a 2023 report from the Congressional Research Service. But their participation has waned in recent years.

Members of the Supreme Court — Kagan and Justice Samuel Alito — last answered questions from the House in 2019 in a hearing that focused on the court’s budget request. And sitting justices — Justices Stephen Breyer and the late Justice Antonin Scalia — last testified at a Senate hearing in 2011.

While Chief Justice John Roberts was asked to testify on Capitol Hill about ethics rules governing the high court in 2023, he declined to do so. Roberts told Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat who chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time, that testimony by the chief justice is “exceedingly rare” and cited “separation of powers concerns and the importance of preserving judicial independence.”

Senators unveil sweeping Russia sanctions bill, urge passage in honor of Graham

Jul 14, 2026, 3:28 PM ET / CNN

By Jennifer Hansler, Morgan Rimmer, Manu Raju, Alison Main

Updated Jul 14, 2026, 3:39 PM ET

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting with members of the government via video link at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia July 8, 2026.

Gavriil Grigorov/Pool/Sputnik/Reuters

US senators on Tuesday unveiled their sweeping bipartisan Russia sanctions bill, which they have urged Congress to quickly pass to honor of one its main sponsors, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.

The legislation, which is meant to pressure Moscow and deprive it of revenue for its war against Ukraine, has been in the works for more than a year. Graham announced on Friday, just a day before his sudden death, that lawmakers reached an agreement with the White House to move forward on the bill.

The more-than-60-page bill, if passed, would impose mandatory sanctions on Russian political and military leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, as well as oligarchs, state-owned enterprises, and foreign companies that support Russia’s defense industrial base.

It would also impose sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet, its energy projects, and its financial institutions. In addition, it would impose up to a 100% tariff on the top five countries, including China and India, that purchase Russian crude oil and natural gas. It does allow an exemption for countries that import less than 15% of Russia’s total natural gas exports and are “taking significant steps to reduce those imports,” a Senate aide said.

Another Senate aide noted that “the vast majority of Russia’s income, particularly used toward its war of aggression in Ukraine, is made up from its exports of Russian oil and gas,” so the legislation has been “narrowly tailored . to very much focus on that aspect of the Russian economy.”

It is unclear when the bill will come to a vote, but the first Senate aide said there were more than two dozen co-sponsors and growing as of Tuesday early afternoon.

Bipartisan senators have expressed hope that the bill could finally pass, calling it a “fitting tribute” to Graham.

The second Senate aide said that at last week’s NATO summit, Graham and Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen – a main co-sponsor of the bill – held a number of high-level conversations with administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, to move the bill forward.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, one of the key backers of the bill, said he spoke to Graham “literally hours before his passing.”

“I will say I have never heard him so exultant because we received word that the White House would support our sanctions bill after painstaking and sometimes painful, difficult bipartisan negotiation with the trade representative, the White House, the Treasury Department,” the Connecticut lawmaker said.

Alabama Republican Sen. Katie Britt, another cosponsor, said she spoke to Graham on Saturday night and “he was so excited about getting the White House on board with the Russian sanctions bill.”

“He had just talked to the president. He said that it was going to be the most consequential thing that he has accomplished in his long and storied career,” she said.

Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott was clear that he will back the bill.

“Whatever we can do to sanction Russia, I’m all in,” Scott said, calling Putin a “thug.”

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the bill had “a good chance,” but suggested that additional measures targeting Iran and Hezbollah could be added.

The first Senate aide, asked about Trump’s comments, said that the legislation “does contain secondary sanctions and secondary tariffs … for those that are engaged with the Russian defense industrial base, among other items,” which would impact Iran.

Trump reveals when US military will leave Iraq after 23-year mission

July 14, 2026 1:46pm EDT / Fox News

Iraqi PM al-Zaidi declared armed factions would have ‘no justification’ once the coalition mission ends

By Morgan Phillips Fox News

Published July 14, 2026 1:46pm EDT | Updated July 14, 2026 2:28pm EDT

Trump says US no longer needs troops in Iraq

President Donald Trump says Iraq is ready to stand on its own without U.S. troops, while Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi says armed groups outside state control will have “no justification” after the coalition mission ends.

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President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States no longer believes it needs a military presence in Iraq, arguing Iran has been weakened enough for Baghdad to stand on its own as the U.S.-led coalition mission approaches its planned Sept. 30 conclusion.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi echoed that vision, declaring that armed factions operating outside state control would have “no justification” once the coalition mission concludes and insisting Iraq’s security forces would be capable of protecting the country on their own. Al-Zaidi said limiting weapons to the state was “a decision, not an option.”

Trump said the U.S. partnership with Iraq would shift away from military cooperation toward investment and energy development, while al-Zaidi said: “The 30th of September, the U.S. forces would be out of Iraq. While U.S. companies will be inside Iraq.”

TRUMP ADMIN WARNS IRAQ OVER IRAN TERROR PROXIES AS US REPORTEDLY BLOCKS CASH PAYMENTS

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures toward Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as they participate in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, July 14, 2026.(Evan Vucci/Reuters)

“We don’t think we need the military there anymore,” Trump said. “We’re there to help them. We’re there to protect them if need be. But we don’t think that’s going to be necessary.”

He argued Iraq’s security environment had fundamentally changed because Iran had been “very much destabilized” and its military was now “just a tiny fraction” of what it had been four months ago.

The remarks underscore a remarkable shift for a country once synonymous with roadside bombs, sectarian violence and the fight against ISIS. More than two decades after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Trump administration is publicly arguing the security environment has improved enough to replace a military partnership with an economic one, pointing to billions of dollars in planned U.S. energy investments as evidence American companies are now willing to do business where American troops once fought.

Iran has long exercised influence in Iraq through political parties and powerful militias within the Popular Mobilization Forces, many of which have operated alongside — but outside — the Iraqi security apparatus. Washington has for years pressed Baghdad to bring those groups fully under state control.

HOW IRAN ATTACKS ARE FORCING THE PENTAGON TO RETHINK ITS DECADES-OLD MIDDLE EAST BASE STRATEGY

Under a 2024 agreement, the U.S. and Iraq agreed to end the American-led coalition’s military mission in Iraq starting in September 2025. While U.S. forces drew down from several bases, American troops have remained in the country in an advisory role and to support counter-ISIS operations tied to neighboring Syria.

U.S soldiers rest at their base on March 5, 2009 in Baghdad, Iraq.(Wathiq Khuzaie/Getty Images)

Iraqi riot police close a bridge leading to the heavily guarded Green Zone during a demonstration of supporters of Iraq’s influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr against corruption in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq.(AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

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About 2,500 U.S. troops remained in Iraq prior to the beginning of the drawdown in September 2025, down from a peak of about 170,000 during 2007 at the height of the Iraq war. Nearly all U.S. forces departed in 2011 before about 5,000 returned in 2014 to fight ISIS.

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Al-Zaidi, a businessman and political newcomer, took office this year after emerging as a consensus candidate following months of political deadlock. Trump publicly backed his candidacy and opposed the return of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whom the administration viewed as too closely aligned with Iran.

During Tuesday’s Oval Office meeting, Trump repeatedly praised al-Zaidi, calling him “a great leader” and predicting his influence would extend “all throughout the Middle East.” Trump also claimed he had “played a role” in al-Zaidi’s rise to power and said his endorsement helped propel the Iraqi leader to victory.

Blanche set to face harsh questioning at Senate confirmation hearing for attorney general

2026-07-14T12:53:00-0400 / CBS News

Washington— Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will appear Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing to take over the role on a permanent basis, where he is set to face tough questions about hot-button issues he has been involved in during his time at the Justice Department.

Democrats are expected to grill him over what they believe are politicized prosecutions, the department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and his prior advocacy for a nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund.

President Trump nominated Blanche, his former personal defense attorney, to lead the Justice Department last month following the ouster of Pam Bondi in early April. He has been acting in a temporary capacity since Bondi’s firing.

While Republicans hold the majority of seats on the Judiciary panel, the party’s margin narrowed with the unexpected death of Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina late Saturday. Graham was one of the most senior Republicans on the Judiciary Committee and a staunch defender of Blanche.

Most observers believe Blanche is likely to be narrowly confirmed by the GOP-led Senate. Still, he may face skeptical questions from some Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, namely Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

“Anti-weaponization” fund and IRS deal

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on July 1, 2026. Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Cornyn, Tillis and other Republicans criticized a settlement between the IRS and Mr. Trump that resolved a civil lawsuit over the leak of the president’s tax returns by a former government contractor.

That deal called for the creation of the new fund at the Justice Department to pay victims of so-called government “weaponization” and granted immunity to Mr. Trump, his two oldest sons, his company and related companies from future tax claims.

Amid bipartisan backlash, Blanche testified to a House committee last month that the department was scrapping the payout plan. His assertions, though, have done little to quell the fallout from the anti-weaponization program and broader settlement.

On Monday, a federal judge in Miami rebuked the Justice Department and sanctioned an attorney for Mr. Trump in the IRS case, finding the president pursued the lawsuit “for an improper purpose.”

The ruling raised questions about whether Blanche and Stanley Woodward, the No. 3 official at the Justice Department, violated ethical rules. It barred them from citing the provisions of the deal as evidence of a settlement in any formal court or government proceeding.

In a separate case, which challenges the legality of the Justice Department’s fund, the Trump administration last month declined to submit to a court a sworn declaration from Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that reiterated the claim that the fund is defunct, calling the demand “unnecessary.”

A hearing in the case is set to take place Wednesday in federal court in Virginia, while Blanche’s confirmation hearing is unfolding.

Blanche reiterated to reporters last month that “the answer remains the same, that the anti-weaponization fund is dead, it’s not coming back to life, it’s not on life support, it never was really started.”

A Justice Department spokesperson dismissed the Miami judge’s ruling, saying it was incorrect.

“There was no collusion in this case, and the partisan judge who speculated otherwise has disregarded decades of precedent,” the spokesperson said.

“This case was brought by President Trump in his personal capacity, as well as by several members of his family, who were all victims of admitted violations of law. There was a live dispute because the plaintiffs sought relief that the government had not provided. The plaintiffs did not receive any money and were barred from receiving any from the now-defunct Anti-Weaponization Fund.”

Blanche’s handling of Trump’s political priorities

Blanche served as deputy attorney general before Bondi’s departure. During his time in that role, he oversaw the controversial indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who are frequent targets of Mr. Trump’s ire. Both of the cases were dismissed after a federal judge determined the indictments were secured by an unlawfully appointed interim U.S. attorney. The Justice Department is appealing that decision.

Comey faces a separate legal battle after he was indicted in April for allegedly making threats against the president. He briefly shared an image on Instagram last year that showed seashells arranged on a beach to form the numbers “86 47,” which Mr. Trump said on Truth Social is a “mob term for ‘kill him.’”

Legal experts and former federal prosecutors who spoke with CBS News in the wake of the indictment, however, were skeptical that the Justice Department can show Comey’s speech is not covered by the First Amendment. Comey deleted the image from his social media account soon after it was posted and said he did not realize some associate the numbers with violence.

He has denied any wrongdoing and is set to appear in court for an arraignment in September. On Tuesday, his lawyers indicated in court filings they intend to challenge the prosecution as being both selective and vindictive.

In the criminal case brought against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador last year and brought back to face human smuggling charges, a federal judge in Tennessee dismissed the indictment after concluding the prosecution was vindictive. The judge wrote that public comments from Blanche, as well as other factors, tainted the investigation into Abrego Garcia “with a vindictive motive.”

A Justice Department spokesperson dismissed the judge as an “activist,” saying the decision “was a wrong and dangerous attempt to place politics above public safety.”

Blanche also made numerous misstatements about the ongoing criminal prosecution against the Southern Poverty Law Center in Alabama, including falsely claiming the case started during President Joe Biden’s tenure. The investigation, however, was opened during Mr. Trump’s first term, when Jeff Sessions was serving as attorney general. Blanche also incorrectly asserted that the nonprofit never shared intelligence about hate groups with law enforcement.

And his decision to personally interview Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s accomplice who is serving a 20-year prison sentence, sparked shock among former prosecutors who viewed his actions as improper and unethical.

Blanche met with Maxwell while an appeal of her criminal conviction on sex-trafficking charges was pending before the Supreme Court. Soon after the two met, Maxwell was transferred from a low-security federal correctional institute in Tallahassee, Florida, to a minimum security prison camp in Texas.

A Bureau of Prisons spokesperson previously said that Maxwell was transferred for security reasons and received no preferential treatment.

Blanche’s career

Blanche has had a somewhat unusual career trajectory compared with others who have reached the top ranks of the Justice Department. He started working at the department as a paralegal while he attended night school at Brooklyn Law to earn his degree. He then worked his way up the ladder in New York’s Southern District, one of the most high-profile U.S. attorney’s offices in the country.

Those who knew Blanche from his time as a federal prosecutor in New York had largely positive interactions, telling CBS News he never discussed politics in the office and was considered a solid prosecutor. They described him as a “bro” who people in the office enjoyed getting a beer with after work.

After many years in New York’s Southern District, he left to join the law firm WilmerHale. In a somewhat unusual move given his experience as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan, he never worked as a partner. Blanche later shifted to the firm formerly known as Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, where he became an equity partner after about two years, according to a person with direct knowledge.

In 2023, Blanche left to lead Mr. Trump’s defense against 34 felony charges in New York related to a “hush money” payment made in the closing days of the 2016 election. Blanche often stood side-by-side with Mr. Trump in the hallways of a Manhattan courthouse as lead counsel during the 2024 trial, which ended in felony convictions on all counts.

When Mr. Trump returned to the White House, he nominated Blanche to serve as deputy attorney general. The Senate confirmed him by a vote of 52 to 46.

At that time, many DOJ employees reserved judgment, assuming his years as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York meant he respected long-standing Justice Department norms and would not cross a red line.

But several of those who adopted a wait-and-see approach told CBS News their hopes have been dashed.

“There is absolutely no wall between the Justice Department and the White House,” said Gene Rossi, a former federal prosecutor who is now in private practice. “Blanche literally does what Trump wants him to do.”

Some of those who know Blanche well said they observed a change after he began representing Mr. Trump in federal and state criminal cases.

Mimi Rocah, a former federal prosecutor who worked closely with Blanche in New York and once considered him a friend, said she believes he has fundamentally changed, and has allowed his views about the Justice Department’s prosecutions of Mr. Trump to cloud his judgment in his leadership roles at the department. Rocah successfully ran as a Democrat for district attorney of Westchester County, New York.

“I think his viewpoint became transformed by this experience of representing Trump,” she said. “I do think he genuinely believes that Trump was persecuted.”

“The problem is carrying it over into this position, and he seems to have rationalized that in his mind. And that to me is the really troubling part,” Rocah added.

The Justice Department has lost roughly 16,000 employees through firings, resignations and early retirements under the second Trump administration. As a result of the departures, Blanche is also facing hostility from current and former Justice Department employees who believe his leadership has been detrimental to the career workforce.

“Blanche has fired or overseen the firings of hundreds of these employees — usually without notice, and for improper, unlawful reasons,” wrote the advocacy group Justice Connection, in a letter signed by about 1,200 former Justice Department employees.

“Some were terminated for having worked on cases the President didn’t like; for being relatives of the President’s foes; for adjudicating immigration cases in accordance with due process; for declining to initiate vindictive prosecutions; or for refusing to lie in court,” they said. “These terminations violate the very civil service statutes designed to prevent corruption and political purges.”

Abhi Kambli, a former deputy associate attorney general who worked with Blanche at the department, said any ethical concerns about him are “overstated.”

“Todd Blanche is very careful and very ethical in my experience, and he’s very mindful,” he told CBS News.

Some inside the Justice Department initially saw him as a more moderating force against the White House’s worst impulses, several told CBS News.

Since then, between the new Comey prosecution, the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center and the proposal of the anti-weaponization fund, some said they think he has fully embraced the MAGA movement — likely in an effort to secure the attorney general nomination.

But Brian Nieves, Blanche’s former chief of staff, recently wrote a letter to the Wall Street Journal praising his leadership, and urging the Senate to swiftly confirm him.

“I saw what leadership looked like when the cameras were off,” he wrote. “I sat in meetings where the facts were contested, the legal questions were difficult and every available course carried consequences. Mr. Blanche listened, pressed for candor, challenged assumptions and demanded that recommendations be rooted in law and fact.”

Melissa Quinn contributed to this report.

Trump’s helicopter flights to resume from Ellipse, breaking South Lawn tradition

July 14, 2026 at 1:50 p.m. EDT / The Washington Post

The park south of the White House will become a temporary landing zone for the president’s Marine One flights, which have been on hold for two months because of construction.

Preparations have begun for installing a landing zone in the Ellipse. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

By Dan Diamond, Jake Spring and Dan Lamothe

President Donald Trump is set to resume his helicopter departures from Washington as soon as Wednesday — but by using the Ellipse, a park south of the projects that have rendered the White House lawn unusable, according to three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration plans.

US Russia sanctions bill eases threat of tariffs on China and India

2026-07-14T19:07:36.824Z / Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with journalists to comment on new U.S. sanctions targeting two major Russia’s oil producers, as well as other international issues, in Moscow, Russia, October 23, 2025. Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• Revised bill caps potential tariffs at 100%, only for top five buyers of Russian oil and gas
• Bill would let Trump waive sanctions if he deems it in the US national interest
• Trump said Iran and Hezbollah-related provisions could be added

WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters) – U.S. senators on Tuesday unveiled an updated version of the Russia sanctions bill, championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, which ‌eases the original proposal’s tariff threat on China, India and other importers of Russian oil and gas.

The bill, backed by both Republican and Democratic senators, seeks to impose sanctions on Russian officials and to use tariffs to pressure China and India to reduce their dependence on Russia as an energy supplier.

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Graham, who died suddenly on Saturday, had announced during a trip to ​Ukraine just a day earlier that he had reached an agreement with Republican President Donald Trump to move forward with the bill, more than ​a year after it was introduced.

Senate aides said there were 26 co-sponsors for the bill, and they expected more within ⁠several hours, expressing optimism about its chances of passage. “We’re pretty confident on its path,” one aide said.

The bill is changed from the original version introduced by ​Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, and Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, in April 2025.

The new version of the measure eases tariffs that could be placed on ​third-party buyers of Russian oil and natural gas to a maximum of 100% on the top five purchasers, from the previous proposal’s blanket 500%.

It also allows an exception for countries which import less than 15% of Russia’s natural gas exports and which are taking significant steps to reduce those imports, which could exempt Japan, France, Hungary and Belgium.

The top five purchasers ​of Russian crude are China, India, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan, and the top importers of Russian natural gas are China, France, Japan, Hungary and Belgium, the ​aides said.

The measure also imposes sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers that do not depend on Western maritime services, on Russian financial institutions including the Central Bank of the ‌Russian Federation, ⁠and on Russia’s largest state-owned energy projects, including Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 1, 2 and 3.

In addition, the new version includes a provision that allows Trump to waive the sanctions if he deems it in the U.S. national interest to do so.

BUY IN FROM EVERYBODY

Asked about the softening of some of the provisions from the original bill, one of the Senate aides noted the months of negotiations that had gone into getting a deal with Trump.

“This is the only product ​that currently has buy-in from everybody and ​is likely the only product that ⁠is going to move forward and put pressure on Russia the way we would all like to get,” the aide said. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because discussions surrounding the bill were confidential.

Trump told reporters at the White ​House earlier on Tuesday that sanctions on Iran and Hezbollah might be added to the bill, saying it would ​be a “very big thing” ⁠if those measures were added.

Blumenthal expressed caution, however, about adding new targets in the bill. “With all due respect to the president, he has approved this bill, and we should move forward with this bill rather than opening it, in my view, to other potential targets,” Blumenthal told reporters.

Asked about Trump’s comment, a second Senate aide said the ⁠bill exposes ​countries such as Iran that work with the Russian defense industrial base to sanctions and tariffs.

Trump ​also expressed optimism that the bill would pass and become law.

“This is in honor of Lindsey. This was his thing. He wanted this more than anything. You know how he felt, and there’s ​a good chance that it gets done,” Trump said.

Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Timothy Gardner; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and David Ljunggren; Editing by Edmund Klamann

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Fired Election Assistance Commissioner on what the dismissal of the agency’s leadership means for November midterms

3:57 PM EDT, Tue July 14, 2026 / By Margaret Given, CNN

Fired Election Assistance Commissioner on what the dismissal of the agency’s leadership means for November midterms

CNN’s Brianna Keilar talks to Thomas Hicks, one of the leaders of the Election Assistance Commission fired by Trump last week. Hicks details the implications of the dismissal of the agency’s leadership for voters and the midterm elections. Hicks warns, “if this had happened in Russia, Cuba, there would be an alarm being set, but it’s happening in America and there should be more people outraged.”

5:46 • Source: CNN

US judge blocks Trump administration’s visa limits for social media researchers

July 14, 2026 7:16 PM UTC Updated 43 mins ago / Reuters

Jul 4, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of an American flag waved by a fan before a game between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Colin Hubbard-Imagn Images Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

July 14 (Reuters) – A federal judge on Tuesday ​blocked U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing a policy ​that targets foreign ​nationals who study disinformation ⁠and hate ​speech on social media ​for visa denials and deportation.

Chief U.S. District ​Judge James Boasberg ​in Washington sided with ‌the ⁠Coalition for Independent Technology Research in finding that the ​administration’s ​policy ⁠likely unlawfully burdens the speech ​of non-citizen ​researchers ⁠in the United States in violation ⁠of ​the U.S. ​Constitution’s First Amendment.

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Reporting by ​Nate Raymond in Boston

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.