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广东2021年以来共打掉涉黑组织121个

2026-08-07 07:43 / 联合早报

2021年常态化扫黑除恶斗争以来，中国广东省共打掉涉黑组织121个、涉恶组织1362个，带动破获各类刑事案件1万余起。

据中新社报道，广东省公安厅星期四（8月6日）晚间发布消息称，全省涉黑恶警情连续五年大幅下降。

通报称，今年以来，广东公安机关持续保持对黑恶犯罪的强大攻势。今年1至7月，全省共打掉涉黑组织八个、涉恶组织226个，抓获犯罪嫌疑人2787名，破获各类刑事案件1238起，带动全省涉黑恶类警情同比下降39.02%。

广东省公安厅日前召开全省公安机关视频会议，落实全国、全省深化扫黑除恶专项斗争视频会精神，就开展深化扫黑除恶专项斗争进行研究部署。

会议指出，随着信息化快速发展，传统黑恶犯罪和互联网犯罪交织，一些新型黑恶犯罪正从“网下”向“网上”、“显性”向“隐性”、“硬暴力”向“软暴力”、“传统领域”向“新兴行业”转变。

会议称，此次专项斗争在持续深挖打击传统黑恶犯罪的基础上，重点依法严厉打击利用网络平台和“软暴力”手段有组织实施的裸聊敲诈、非法放贷、非法催收、舆情敲诈、恶意索赔、强迫消费、劳务碰瓷、色情敲诈等黑恶犯罪，以及跟踪滋扰、威胁恐吓、敲诈勒索等“软暴力”涉黑恶犯罪。

Why US water systems are vulnerable to foreign cyberattacks

2026-08-06T22:54:33.668Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/06/politics/why-us-water-systems-are-vulnerable-to-foreign-cyberattacks

A cyberattack on water systems in a dozen states is exposing years of under-investment in critical infrastructure and how US adversaries can threaten services that everyday Americans take for granted, according to industry experts and current and former US officials.

The cyber intrusions in some cases led to water pressure drops and flooding at facilities, according to the FBI, but did not compromise the safety of drinking water, according to state and local officials.

US officials are now asking themselves why the hackers, who struck during a scorching heat wave, didn’t go further in causing damage at the water facilities. Manipulating devices that monitor chemical dosing, for example, could have jeopardized the safety of the drinking water.

“Do we have the C team and they couldn’t do worse?” one US official said. “How bad could it be if the A team turned to the US?”

Iran is a suspect in the hacks, but US officials have not yet confirmed Tehran’s involvement.

For years, US officials have warned that sabotage-capable hacking teams from Russia, China and, to a lesser extent, Iran, were developing access to sensitive industrial networks across the US and were lying in wait for a moment of crisis to cause disruptions. The soft underbelly of American infrastructure — local water and power plants that serve military facilities, for example ­— have been targeted.

Now, water system operators in modest-sized towns and counties are at the forefront of investigation into one of the most serious cyberattacks on the sector in years. States from South Dakota to Georgia have been affected.

“It’s no secret that water utilities are under-resourced and vulnerable to cyberattacks, and it’s no secret that our adversaries know it,” said Caitlin Durkovich, a former deputy homeland security adviser in the Biden White House. “By targeting critical infrastructure, they can undermine public confidence in our leaders and impose significant costs with relatively little effort. They’ve spent years positioning themselves for exactly this kind of disruption.”

Erin Thomas, a spokesperson for the Clayton County Water Authority in central Georgia, said her team hasn’t experienced a malicious cyber incident at scale before. The water authority is investigating “unauthorized cyber activity” that may have caused a water pump station to fail, triggering a boil-water notice in the early hours of July 27.

“Our main concern when this happened was to make sure that we got the system up and running,” she told CNN on Thursday. (They accomplished that in a matter of hours on July 27).

In Rapid City, South Dakota, a “cyber incident” hit one of the lift stations that serves the city’s wastewater system, officials announced July 31.

“We’re not surprised by it,” Mike Theis, Rapid City’s public works director, when asked about the possibility of being targeted by a foreign adversary in wartime. He couldn’t recall a time when Rapid City had experienced a similar cyberattack. Theis credited the “quick action from our employees who noticed abnormal behavior” on computer systems and isolated them from the internet.

The hacking incidents have triggered federal and state policy responses. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, has announced about $9 million in grants to try to strengthen the cyber defenses of water systems across New York.

Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California plans to introduce legislation next week that would give the Environmental Protection Agency’s greater authorities to help boost water cyber defenses, Schiff’s spokesperson told CNN.

Coupled with national security concerns is a deep frustration among water-sector specialists and cyber experts that there is still so much infrastructure that is directly accessible from the internet.

“For the past 20 years, experts have been telling utilities to make sure their systems were not directly accessible from the internet,” said Marty Edwards, former head of the Department of Homeland Security’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team. “This recent set of intrusions is the result of complacency and a lack of budget prioritization.”

Rep. Max Miller faces growing calls to resign from Senate Republicans

PUBLISHED Aug 6, 2026, 6:01 PM ET / CNN

By Annie Grayer, Ellis Kim, Lauren Fox

Updated Aug 6, 2026, 6:04 PM ET

Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, walks on stage before speaking at an annual leadership meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition, in Las Vegas, on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022.

John Locher/AP/File

Embattled GOP Rep. Max Miller is facing growing calls from Senate Republicans to resign or end his reelection bid – but has so far vowed to remain in the race as he denies abuse allegations from his ex-wife.

Sen. Jon Husted, an Ohio Republican, said on Thursday – after sidestepping questions on the matter for days – that Miller should end his campaign and leave Congress.

“I believe Max would be making the right decision to step aside as a candidate and resign from Congress to focus on what is in the best interest of his daughter. Years from now, I believe he will look back and know it was the right choice for her,” Husted posted on X.

Pressed later on why he took so long to call on Miller to resign, Husted said: “That speaks for itself.”

Miller, meanwhile, has denied any wrongdoing and vowed to stay in his reelection race.

“I’m going to continue to push. I am going to win this race,” Miller told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead” earlier this week.

While publicly Miller continues to be defiant that he won’t abandon his bid for reelection, an intense push to get him out of the race is still underway by party officials, who believe he could now imperil the GOP’s chances in the district, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Ohio’s 7th Congressional District is solidly Republican with Trump winning there by 11 points in 2024.

So far, the efforts haven’t been successful, but the slew of statements calling for him to get out are expected to continue, the source told CNN.

Over the weekend, Ohio GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno – Miller’s former father-in-law – said that Miller “should not serve” in Congress, calling him “a danger to my daughter.”

“He should not serve in the House of Representatives,” Moreno said on X.

Sen. Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican, backed up Moreno, telling CNN “we should stand with Bernie” when asked if senators need to call for Miller to step aside.

“My heart is broken for his granddaughter and his daughter. Their safety is what’s most important and we should stand with Bernie,” she told CNN.

Speaking to reporters earlier this week, Sen. Moreno suggested that Miller had withheld a blue bunny from his daughter – the senator’s granddaughter – saying that at one point “Max would not hand over the little blue bunny, literally held it hostage for 48 hours.

“This girl is crying at night because she can’t sleep without her little blue bunny,” he said.

In the interview with Tapper on Tuesday, Miller denied that, saying, “This is nothing more than an individual who’s being politically vindictive.”

On Wednesday, Miller posted on X a message to Sen. Moreno to “stop the lies.”

Montana GOP Sen. Tim Sheehy said on X Thursday, responding to a post by a reporter regarding the blue bunny, “Max should step aside and seek help. Staying in this race makes it far more likely we lose this seat and hand Democrats a majority to impeach President Trump.”

Another Republican – GOP Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota – said he would stay out of the matter.

Asked by CNN if Miller should step down or stop running given how open Moreno has been about the ordeal, Rounds replied, “I think if Senator Moreno has made it very clear that it’s a very sensitive family member, and I’ll let him do it. I’m not following it, and I don’t have any more information than anybody else has. I will stay out of it.”

Rounds emphasized, “It’s one thing to be accused. I’ll let those individuals who are investigating it take the lead.”

Trump signs executive orders targeting birthright citizenship, birth tourism after Supreme Court setback

White House says new directives rely on existing immigration authorities to narrow who qualifies for automatic citizenship

August 6, 2026 4:56pm EDT / Fox News

By Jasmine Baehr

President Trump signed executive orders targeting birth tourism and expanding categories of people the administration says are ineligible for automatic U.S. citizenship.

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President Donald Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders targeting birthright citizenship and birth tourism, saying his administration is taking a new approach after what he called a “very unfortunate” Supreme Court ruling.

“We’re making adjustments because it’s very unfair,” Trump said. “They’re building businesses around birthright citizenship. That’s not the way it was supposed to work. It’s a disgrace. They’re buying their way in, and we’re not going to let it happen.”

The moves come after the Supreme Court blocked Trump’s earlier executive order seeking to limit automatic birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment.

BIRTH TOURISM CRACKDOWN EXPANDS AS HOUSE CHAIRMAN RAISES CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY CASE

President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Oval Office of the White House Thursday in Washington, D.C.(Getty Images)

White House officials said the new directives rely on existing executive and immigration authorities and are intended to narrow eligibility for automatic citizenship in certain cases while cracking down on foreigners who travel to the United States to give birth.

White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller said the first order expands the categories of people the administration considers ineligible for birthright citizenship, including “alien enemies of the United States, members of foreign terrorist organizations, and large categories of people who lobby and act on behalf of foreign governments.”

Miller said the second order was issued “for the first time ever in American history to ban birth tourism.” He said the administration will deny visas to people who seek to enter the United States “to have a child, to make that child an automatic citizen” as well as those who organize such trips.

Citing Section 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, Miller called birth tourism “by definition, a fraud on the American system” and “a fraud against the American government.”

TRUMP BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP FIGHT COMES ROARING BACK WITH ‘INVADERS’ PLAY AFTER KAVANAUGH ROADMAP

White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller said the first order expands the categories of people the administration considers ineligible for birthright citizenship.(Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP via Getty Images, File)

Asked how the administration plans to enforce the order, Trump said, “We’re cracking down very big, very big, big crackdowns. … This will give us the right to do it in a much more forceful manner.”

When asked whether the orders would survive court challenges, Trump replied, “I think it will.”

Will Scharf, White House staff secretary, said the orders target organized birth tourism operations through visa denials and law enforcement, arguing the administration was relying on “legally validated means” that do not conflict with the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Trump called the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling on the matter “very unfortunate.”(Kevin Carter/Getty Images, File)

The White House had not yet released the text of the executive orders as of publication time.

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The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment.

Jasmine Baehr is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, the military, legal debates surrounding life and family policy, as well as faith and culture.

Bessent says Trump admin. is cracking down on undocumented immigrants’ use of U.S. financial system

August 6, 2026 6:15 PM EDT / CBS News

By Richard Escobedo

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the Trump administration is moving quickly to crack down on criminal enterprises, cartels and undocumented immigrants using the U.S. financial system for their payroll schemes, illicit financing and other fraud.

In remarks to Arizona bankers Thursday, Bessent said, “This administration will not tolerate blatant abuse of our financial system, nor will it permit risks posed by the extension of financial services to illegal aliens.”

He told the bankers the administration is relying on their help to make good on its efforts to root out fraud and financial schemes carried out by those in the U.S. illegally.

“We do not ask bankers to assume the burdens of border enforcement,” Bessent said. “But we depend on banks to do what you do best: know your customers, identify risks as they arise, and report suspicious patterns before they metastasize into criminal schemes.”

The renewed effort stems from an executive order President Trump signed in May directing Treasury and federal banking regulators to tighten oversight of financial activity linked to unauthorized employment.

The president signed the order, titled “Restoring Integrity to America’s Financial System,” on May 19 and directed the Treasury Department, Federal Reserve, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, FDIC, National Credit Union Administration and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to strengthen customer identification and due-diligence rules and to reassess how banks weigh credit risk for borrowers without work authorization.

The order also set a timetable to implement the order, with advisories and guidance due within 60 days, a proposed customer due-diligence rule within 90 days and a customer identification proposal within 180 days, by November.

Bessent said the Treasury Department has met the order’s first deadlines. In June, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued guidance to help banks spot patterns tied to unlawful employment, labor brokers, shell companies, payroll tax evasion and identity theft.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency followed with an advisory on lending to borrowers not authorized to work in the U.S., instructing banks to weigh a borrower’s “willingness and capacity to repay” as part of standard underwriting.

Bessent said Arizona’s compliance programs, employee training, suspicious-activity reporting and information-sharing reflect the kind of partnership the executive order envisions.

In return, Bessent said, the Treasury Department is committed to giving banks better tools to catch fraud early, and he promised officials in Washington would listen more closely to community bankers.

Legal and tax analysts caution that the order’s effectiveness will depend on how the regulations are written. In a June 3 client alert, law firm Debevoise & Plimpton noted the order doesn’t impose new compliance obligations on banks, though it does start agency actions that could reshape anti-money-laundering compliance, customer due diligence and lending standards.

The CFPB is also weighing whether borrowers’ risk of deportation and lost wages should be factors in determinations of their ability to repay loans. The firm noted the order stopped short of an earlier, more sweeping proposal that would have required banks to verify citizenship status for all customers.

An analysis in June from KPMG’s Washington National Tax practice similarly described the order as “a policy signal rather than an immediate change to any law, rule, or regulation.”

But the firm warned that if the review leads to stricter know-your-customer requirements, multinational employers and global mobility programs could see a slowdown in account openings and an increase in documentation demands for employees who rely on Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers rather than Social Security numbers. This is a group that may include workers who are lawfully in the U.S., as well as those without authorization.

Federal regulators had until July 20 to issue credit-risk guidance and the CFPB’s ability-to-repay clarification, while the Treasury Department faces an Aug. 17 deadline to propose changes to customer due-diligence rules. A broader customer identification proposal is due by Nov. 16.

美国设多晶硅最低进口价 并征15%关税

2026年8月7日 07:15 / 联合早报

8月7日，美国总统特朗普在白宫椭圆形办公室签署了调整多晶硅进口措施的行政令。 （法新社）

美国宣布对半导体和太阳能电池板核心材料多晶硅制品设定一系列最低进口价，并征收15%的关税，12月4日生效。

路透社报道，美国总统特朗普星期四（8月6日）根据1962年《贸易拓展法》第232条发布这项总统公告，旨在保护美国国内的多晶硅（Polysilicon）制造商免受中国竞争的影响。

白宫说，这些贸易保护措施将于12月4日生效。

根据白宫文件，特朗普为多晶硅及相关产品设定最低进口价格，包括多晶硅每公斤21美元（约27新元）、多晶硅锭和硅片每公斤100美元、太阳能电池每瓦0.22美元，以及太阳能组件（即电池板）每瓦0.38美元。

总统公告也授权商务部制定激励计划，鼓励企业投资建设多晶硅及相关产品生产设施。

路透社率先报道特朗普政府计划推行将最低进口价格与关税相结合的混合机制。

彭博社指出，近十余年来，太阳能供应链一直难以在美国扎根。在此之前，美国已发起一系列贸易诉讼，并导致来自中国和部分东南亚国家的太阳能设备被征收关税。有证据表明，外国制造商通过在不同国家之间转移生产线来规避关税。

新关税措施也可能进一步推高太阳能组件成本，为可再生能源开发商带来更大压力。他们目前不仅面对联邦补贴减少，还要应对特朗普政府政策转向支持化石燃料。

多晶硅是一种高纯度的硅材料，处于半导体和太阳能制造供应链的起始端。制造商将硅片加工成太阳能电池，然后将这些电池组装成用于太阳能项目的太阳能电池板。

Stevens says of El-Sayed: “Differences were aired out” and “we did the unity deal”

August 6, 2026 / 6:22 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan said Thursday she’s moving on from the contentious Senate primary, which she lost to Abdul El-Sayed, saying their “differences were aired out.”

“Everything that needed to be said in the primary was said,” Stevens said in an interview with “The Takeout with Major Garrett.” “It’s a big tent party.”

Stevens acknowledged that the race put the schism within the Democratic Party over U.S. support for Israel on display, but said “the time for all this negative, nasty, the disunity stuff — it’s over.”

El-Sayed attacked Stevens throughout the campaign for support she received from the pro-Israel lobby. El-Sayed has been highly critical of Israel’s government and the war in Gaza, while Stevens continues to back sending U.S. military aid to Israel.

“I’m going to continue to hold my beliefs. I know it’s a a word sometimes that people don’t understand, but I am a Democratic Zionist,” she said. “There is a home in the party that I’m still in for someone like me.”

Though Stevens stressed a unified front moving forward, she was evasive on whether she would appear with El-Sayed on the campaign trail as he takes on his Republican opponent in the November race, former Rep. Mike Rogers.

“Abdul’s got a big campaign to run,” she said. “We did the unity deal.”

“My focus here is, no Rogers. No Republicans,” she added. “Abdul and I had our primary. It’s over. It’s over.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/stevens-backing-el-sayed-after-primary-loss-stopping-maga-trump/

US scrutinizes more schools over admissions practices, diversity and pro-Palestinian protests

2026-08-06 22:21:21 / Reuters

Summary

Trump has targeted top US schools throughout this term
His administration has attempted to freeze federal funding
Rights advocates raise concerns about free speech, due process and academic freedom

WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s administration ​targeted more universities on Thursday over issues like race and diversity in admissions and pro-Palestinian protests, ‌marking the federal government’s latest crackdown against U.S. schools.

The Department of Justice alleged admissions practices at Duke University School of Law were biased in favor of Black and Hispanic applicants, citing findings of a federal probe.

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The DOJ alleged the ​law school “emphasized racial diversity in admissions” and that “a Black or Hispanic applicant has a substantially higher ​likelihood of admission to Duke Law than a white or Asian applicant with ⁠the same academic credentials.”

The DOJ said it sought a voluntary resolution agreement.

“Duke is committed to complying with ​the law and will continue to do so in a manner that is consistent with our academic ​mission,” the university said, adding it was reviewing a DOJ letter.

The DOJ alleged the same this year about admissions practices in medical schools at the University of California and Yale. The schools said their practices were rooted in merit.

Trump, who casts diversity goals ​as anti-merit and discriminatory against white people and men, has signed orders to dismantle them. Rights ​advocates say diversity practices address historic inequities for marginalized groups.

The Supreme Court rejected affirmative action at colleges in 2023 when ‌it ⁠struck down race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina.

Separately, the Education Department said it was probing California’s San Jose State University and San Francisco State University over pro-Palestinian protests.

The department said it received complaints about the universities that alleged failure to respond to antisemitism accusations on campuses. It ​noted reports of hostility ​towards Jewish students, displays ⁠of “antisemitic graffiti” and pro-Palestinian protests that it said disrupted classes.

Both universities have condemned all forms of discrimination, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Trump’s administration alleges pro-Palestinian protesters are antisemitic ​and support extremists.

Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the government wrongly labels criticism ​of Israel’s assault ⁠on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories as antisemitism and advocacy for Palestinian rights as support for extremism.

Trump has targeted universities with probes and funding suspension threats over pro-Palestinian protests, diversity initiatives, transgender policies and climate programs, ⁠leading to ​free speech, due process and academic freedom concerns.

On Monday, Education ​Secretary Linda McMahon called on universities to commit to reforms by the end of 2026. The National Education Association, the largest ​U.S. teachers’ union, urged universities to reject her call.

Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Stephen Coates

特朗普再收紧出生公民权 禁赴美生育旅游

2026-08-07 07:55 / 联合早报

白宫副幕僚长米勒（左）说，特朗普两项行政令的另一目的，是阻止“外国恐怖组织”人员及“代表外国政府游说行事的各类人”的子女取得出生公民权。 （路透社）

美国总统特朗普星期四（8月6日）签署两项行政令，收紧“出生公民权”适用范围，并禁止赴美生育为新生儿取得美国公民身份的“生育旅游”。

路透社报道，白宫说，根据特朗普6日签署的一项行政令，计划赴美进行生育旅游的人将被拒绝入境，并可能被永久禁止入境。

根据白宫公布的行政令文本，国土安全部长可以基于人道理由，或者当相关外籍人士的入境符合美国国家利益时，给予入境批准。

特朗普在白宫椭圆形办公室签署行政令时说，新措施针对的是打着旅游幌子赴美生子的人。

他说：“这些人把出生公民权当成一个笑话。”

这是特朗普第二次尝试收紧出生公民权。特朗普2025年1月重返白宫后，曾签署行政令，规定父母并非美国公民或合法永久居民的新生儿，不能自动取得美国公民身份。不过，美国最高法院今年6月30日以6比3裁定，驳回这项行政令。

特朗普说，这项裁决“太令人失望”。他说：“我们做出了调整，因为这非常不公平。”

白宫副幕僚长米勒说，新行政令的另一个目的，是阻止“外国恐怖组织”成员，以及“代表外国政府游说行事的人”的子女取得出生公民权。

米勒说：“这么做是为确保大量本不应取得出生公民权的人，不再享有这项资格。”

Reporter’s Notebook: Summer ends, but the Senate’s fall crunch begins

August 6, 2026 2:41pm EDT / Fox News

By Chad Pergram Fox News

Trump demands summer recess cancellation to pass SAVE Act

Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram has the latest on the Senate approaching recess as President Donald Trump urges the SAVE Act to pass on ‘Special Report.’

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It may be summer. But fall is consuming the United States Senate.

Bipartisan lawmakers are trying to avoid a government shutdown.

“The fiscal year begins Oct. 1 each year,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. “This resolution keeps the government open for business.”

The House approved an interim spending bill in July to keep the government funded through Dec. 4. But bipartisan senators are trying to duck yet another protracted government shutdown odyssey, like last year’s 43-day exercise.

HOUSE GOP VOTES TO PUNT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BATTLE TO AFTER NOVEMBER MIDTERMS

A shutdown occurs when Congress and the president fail to sign into law 12 appropriations bills to continue providing funding for government operations.(Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

“I look forward to passing this bill in the next few days,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

The measure funds the government with a fiscal Band-Aid through Dec. 11 – well after the midterms. But Democratic buy-in is paramount. The main reason the government closed last fall was because Senate Democrats refused to provide votes to break a filibuster on the GOP plan. Democrats protested a lapse in Obamacare subsidies – and hoped to underscore to voters that Republicans were vulnerable on healthcare. Now Democrats are on board. The Senate curbed a filibuster on the bill with a vote tally of 89-4. The question is when the Senate will pass the bill. And what happens when senators send this to the House.

“We want to fund the government and avoid a shutdown,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Ironically, funding the government may be the easiest thing before the Senate right now.

There are all sorts of lists out there. Santa’s list. Hollywood’s blacklist. Craigslist. And bucket lists. But no list is more daunting than what the Senate is trying to accomplish over the next few days. And truth be told, the Senate might not check much off its list at all.

Senators are bewildered about what the plan is over the next few days. Many hope to escape Washington. Those running for re-election are anxious to head home and campaign as control of the Senate swings in the balance.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., emerged from the Senate Republican weekly luncheon on Tuesday, mystified about what the legislative traffic may look like.

“If there is a plan, they are doing a good job of hiding it,” said Kennedy. “I learned nothing in that meeting.”

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: HOUSE’S FINAL SPRINT PUTS SAVE AMERICA ACT AND IRAN FUNDING IN PLAY

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., speaks to reporters as he leaves the Senate Republicans’ lunch meeting in the U.S. Capitol on June 25, 2025.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

Kennedy posited that “maybe it’s because our leadership doesn’t know.”

In no particular order, here are some of the big ticket items the Senate hopes to rifle through over the coming days: A bill to sanction Russia, named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general. Handle a budget resolution so the GOP can prep a filibuster-free bill to restock military munitions because of the war in Iran and maybe approve parts of the SAVE America Act. Fund the government. Greenlight a slate of nominations unrelated to Blanche. Advance a bill to regulate college sports and the use of NIL (for name, image and likeness). Perhaps reauthorize FISA, the nation’s top terrorism prevention program. And finally, establish a framework for cryptocurrency. The last one is the least likely.

“I feel like we’re trying to put 20 pounds of potatoes in a 10-pound bag,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., on Fox.

Confirming Blanche is probably the biggest priority for Republicans. But it’s unclear if Blanche has the votes. Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, came around over the weekend after they received assurances from Blanche that the anti-weaponization fund was dead. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Bill Cassidy, R-La., huddled with Blanche late Wednesday. With former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., out and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a nay on Blanche, Republicans can only lose one more of their own and still confirm him.

Ironically, the hallmark of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda, the SAVE America Act — which requires proof of citizenship to vote — is the one thing the Senate might not tackle. But GOP senators could present the president half a loaf with some voter ID mandates and election security. In short, the Senate won’t cancel its summer recess to pass the SAVE America Act.

“I think there’s nothing more important than the Save America Act. I think they should stay,” said Trump.

Even the Senate’s newest member wants to stay in Washington — even though she faces a primary next week.

TRUMP’S VOTER ID BILL CATCHES UNLIKELY BREAK AS MCCONNELL REMAINS SIDELINED

Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, R-S.C., participates in a ceremonial swearing-in at the Old Senate Chamber on July 14 in Washington, D.C.(Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

“What’s up with recess, anyway? Who gets a month off from work? I think we should stay up there and work and get it done,” said Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C.

Some Republicans dared their colleagues to thwart the bill.

“If you’re going to oppose something, you’ve got to earn it on the floor as opposed to this kind of kabuki theater we do right now where you just give a thumbs up or a thumbs down,” said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.

Thune – who often doesn’t see eye-to-eye with the president – dismissed the push for the SAVE America Act. It’s about the math. Thune lacks votes to pass it. In fact, the Senate’s already blocked that bill twice.

“It seems to me some days that I’m the only one here who can count to 50 in this town. But we don’t have the votes to get rid of the filibuster. And we aren’t flipping 10 Democrats to vote for the SAVE America Act,” said Thune.

But even if they won’t vote yes, some Democrats commiserate with Thune.

GOP RIFT GROWS AS THUNE HITS BRAKES ON TRUMP’S ELECTION BILL TO AVERT SHUTDOWN

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, joined by Sen. Tim Scott, speaks to reporters following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on March 3, 2026.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“The votes don’t exist and some of our colleagues just don’t know how to count sometimes,” said Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M.

Political observers wonder if it was risky for Senate Republicans to promise the SAVE America Act to party loyalists – but fail to deliver.

But Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., disagreed with that argument.

“I don’t think we overpromised. I think we wished it would work,” said Tuberville.

“There wasn’t a plan? This was a wish?” I inquired.

“There’s nothing certain up here. I’ve learned that in six years,” replied Tuberville. “I wish we could get this done for the people of Alabama.”

“There’s that word, again: wish,” I said to Tuberville.

PRESIDENT TRUMP PUSHES LAWMAKERS ON LEGISLATION AS ‘PROTECT COLLEGE SPORTS ACT’ HANGS ON BY A THREAD

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., speaks to reporters as he returns to his office at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 10, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

There’s a possible breakthrough on a bill to regulate college sports and fundamentally alter compensation structures for student-athletes. President Trump is pushing lawmakers to vote on the plan after the SEC and Big 10 signed off on the legislation.

“NIL or whatever it is, is very close to getting solved. And we have a bipartisan deal as of right now,” said the president.

At best, the college sports bill could score a procedural vote – which is significant. But there’s still much to hash out.

“It’s not ready,” said Kennedy. “I think many senators still have questions.”

Yours truly told Kennedy that the bill “seemed pretty dense when I read it.”

The Louisiana Republican agreed.

“It’s dense as hell,” said Kennedy. “That’s a legal term.”

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This Senate agenda is pretty dense. And maybe getting it all done now is a wish. Especially in such a short period.

No matter what, summer is winding down in the Senate. It will soon be fall. Both on the calendar and on Capitol Hill.

And many senators are just wishing they could go home.

Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.