From the Senate’s confirmation of President Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general after a contentious standoff to a senator’s request to prosecute former top infectious-disease official Dr. Anthony Fauci, here’s what happened in the news this past week.
Senate Republicans confirm Blanche as AG
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans confirmed Todd Blanche to be President Donald Trump’s attorney general Saturday despite bipartisan concerns over Blanche’s lack of independence from the White House.
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana provided the deciding vote in the 50-49 tally after he said Friday he thought Blanche was the best option Trump would put forward.
Senators raised concerns about Blanche’s handling of the release of documents related to investigations of late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as his role in a proposed $1.8 billion “anti- weaponization” fund and a tax-immunity agreement for Trump and his sons.
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President Donald Trump attends an event to sign executive orders related to birthright citizenship Thursday in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington.
Trump again targets birthright citizenship
Republican President Donald Trump signed two executive orders in a new but narrower attempt to curtail birthright citizenship after the Supreme Court rejected his previous effort in June.
The orders expand who would be considered ineligible for birthright citizenship, including via “birth tourism.” They also could affect people born in U.S. territories, should Congress enact a proposed law to end automatic citizenship there.
Proposed Hormuz deal would give Iran control
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A proposed deal between Iran and Oman to help end five months of war between Iran and the United States would give Tehran control over ships entering the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Reuters on Wednesday, one of the biggest concessions yet to Iran.
While President Donald Trump said a deal reopening the strait is imminent, U.S. officials insisted they would never agree to Iran controlling access to the world’s most important energy trade route.
A deal that gives Iran authority over traffic through the strait would mean the war the U.S. and Israel launched in February resulted in a major shift in the balance of regional power in Tehran’s favor. Before the war, the strait was open to all ships with no fees.
In other news
Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, attends a July 29 hearing about the COVID-19 pandemic in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in Washington.
FAUCI: Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Thursday asked the Justice Department to prosecute Dr. Anthony Fauci for refusing to answer questions about the COVID-19 pandemic after a Senate committee voted to hold the former top infectious-disease official in contempt of Congress.
BALLROOM: A U.S. federal appeals court ordered Donald Trump’s administration on Friday to stop construction on a $400 million ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing, dealing the Republican leader a major setback in a case testing his presidential authority.
CAPITOL RIOT: A federal judge granted the Justice Department’s request Tuesday to dismiss cases against members of the right-wing Oath Keepers militia who took part in Trump supporters’ Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a court filing.
FEDERAL FUNDING: The Republican-led Senate passed a temporary measure Saturday to fund federal agencies through Dec. 11, though differences between the bill and the House version will have to be resolved to avert a federal government shutdown.
CDC: The Senate voted 51-44 Wednesday to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after the Trump administration’s repeated failed attempts to fill top health posts.
ELECTION: The Democratic Party’s progressive wing scored a high-profile victory when Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s U.S. Senate primary Tuesday, giving its anti-establishment message a boost ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The water cooler — trending news
OUTBREAKS: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday 345 people were sickened in 27 states in a Salmonella outbreak linked to jalapenos; 36 people were hospitalized but no deaths were reported. Health officials also widened their probe into a cyclosporiasis outbreak, tied to iceberg lettuce from Mexico, to 15 states; Michigan alone reported 12,485 cases and two deaths as of Thursday.
SALAD AND GO: The last day of service for all Salad and Go locations nationwide was Wednesday after the Arizona-born fast food chain announced it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. “This is a painful day for everyone who built, worked for, and loved Salad and Go,” CEO Mike Tattersfield said in a news release.
BID DROPPED: U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., said Wednesday he would drop his bid for reelection, after a House Ethics Committee recommended a censure following allegations of sexual harassment. The panel’s report found he “engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.”
AI HACKING: Meta said Wednesday one of its artificial intelligence models hacked another company during cybersecurity testing, after similar incidents at rivals Anthropic and OpenAI. Democrats and Donald Trump’s conservative supporters both blame the president’s ties to the tech industry for his administration’s limited response to the recent hacks.
Big number
About $1 billion: The amount President Donald Trump’s administration refunded to businesses from tariffs the Supreme Court struck down, a court filing showed Tuesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney on Oct. 7 at the White House in Washington.
Quote of the week
“I would like to inform you that the teleprompter has ceased to function. Unlike a certain world leader, I do not view this as a conspiracy,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said at a news conference Wednesday, referencing U.S. President Donald Trump’s reaction to a U.N. teleprompter issue last year.
