Friday, August 7 | By Cate Martel
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Happy Friday! I don’t want to jinx anything, but we are hopefully nearing the much-needed August recess.
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- Cassidy says ‘yes’ to Blanche, sealing his confirmation (!)
- Senate’s Friday scramble
- Trump ordered to stop ballroom construction
- July jobs report sends warning sign
- Scientists used AI to develop viruses
- BMW adds Spider Man ad to cars
- The $100 hot dog
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It’s been a rollercoaster week for Todd Blanche: |
It’s official. Todd Blanche officially has enough votes to be confirmed as the next permanent attorney general. It all came down to the last remaining undecided senator, Sen. Bill Cassidy (La.).
“All considered, I will vote for Mr. Blanche,” Cassidy announced this morning. “I'll be criticized for this vote. What's new?”
It looked iffy up until later this morning: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) announced today that she will oppose Blanche’s nomination, putting his confirmation into serious question. And Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also opposes Blanche. Collins and Murkowski both voiced serious concerns about his ability to preserve the political independence of the Justice Department.
Which brings us to Cassidy: Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) was the determining vote. (Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) extended absence sure has complicated things.) Cassidy has clashed with Trump over the past several high-profile issues recently and kept his lips shut about how he planned to vote. This gave him the power to singlehandedly decide whether Blanche’s nomination would sink or swim.
And late this morning, Cassidy revealed his answer: yes, he will support Blanche.
What happens next?: The Senate is expected to vote on Blanche either today or sometime over the weekend.
💬 Follow today’s live blog
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It’s been a rollercoaster week for Todd Blanche: |
Senators are eager to get out of town for their 5-week summer break and are scrambling to finish its remaining work today.
Aside from Blanche’s nomination, the Senate will try to pass a Russia sanctions bill that was led by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and a bloc of Trump nominees.
📆 Here is today’s agenda so far
THE HOUSE MAY BE OUT, BUT THERE ARE STILL HEADACHES FOR THEM:
“House Republicans are confronting an unwelcome political headache as a string of abuse and harassment allegations involving several GOP lawmakers threatens to complicate the party’s midterm message just months before the November elections,” The Hill’s Sudiksha Kochi reports.
Specifically: “The domestic abuse allegations against Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), coupled with the scrutiny surrounding Reps. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) and Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.), have dominated headlines and handed Democrats fresh political ammunition at a critical point in the campaign.”
Read Kochi’s reporting: ‘Abuse, harassment allegations threaten to derail Republicans’ midterm message’
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A new hiccup in the White House ballroom construction: |
A federal appeals court just blocked President Trump’s White House ballroom construction.
Why?: The court says Congress has control over any new development at the White House.
What this means: The court mandated work to stop, except for below-ground construction, including security upgrades that Trump has deemed necessary.
What happens now?: The court paused its order for two weeks so the Trump administration can seek emergency guidance from the Supreme Court.
The court’s ruling: 2-1 along ideological lines. An Obama appointee and a Biden appointee ruled in favor of blocking the project, while a Trump appointee ruled to let the project continue.
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That was … not what we expected to see: |
The U.S. economy lost 23,000 jobs in July and the unemployment rate dipped to 4.1 percent, according to new data released today.
Why this is disappointing: Economists expected a job *gain* of 83,000 jobs in July and the unemployment rate to remain at 4.2 percent. June’s jobs numbers were also disappointing. The U.S. added just 57,000 jobs when experts anticipated a 110,000 job gain.
And then factor in the GDP: “Meanwhile, the economy showed signs of slowing in the second quarter, with U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) increasing at an annual rate of 1.5 percent, down from 2.1 percent in the prior three-month period.”
MEANWHILE, SOME COMPANIES ARE GETTING A BIG BOOST:
The Trump administration handed back massive tariff refunds to some companies, giving a significant boost to their quarterly earnings.
For example: “Amazon reported receiving $600 million. Apple said tariff refunds added $0.11 in diluted earnings per share for the quarter. PepsiCo told investors that refunds were helping offset higher commodity costs. Caterpillar said its refunds boosted its operating profit margin higher than anticipated.”
Read more: ‘Tariff refunds boost quarterly earnings for some of biggest US companies’
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The Washington Post: The rules are changing on marijuana. Here’s how it affects flying with pot.
Investigation in The New York Times: How the Reflecting Pool Came to Mirror Trump’s Washington: A hospitality manager for the Trump Organization traveled to Las Vegas to find a solution to problems at a national landmark. This is the untold back story of the fallout.
The Atlantic: How the U.S. Squandered Its Strategic Advantage: Idle threats and munitions shortages have boxed Trump in.
The Washington Post: The Trump administration has refunded $100 billion in tariffs. Will you get any of the money?
Politico: How solar donors helped take down a Trump-backed Republican
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The House is out. The Senate is in for a rare Friday session. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EDT)
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3 p.m. Trump hosts a roundtable discussion at the State Department on American mining. 💻 Livestream
Late this afternoon: Trump leaves for Bedminster, N.J.
Sunday: Trump returns to the White House.
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🍰 Celebrate: Today is National Raspberries and Cream Day.
📺 Another place you may no longer be able to escape advertisements: The Atlantic reports that luxury car maker BMW has added a commercial for the latest Spider Man movie. Read: ‘An Unfortunate Surprise for BMW Owners’
Unsurprisingly, BMW owners are furious.
Excerpt: “Cars are the perfect vehicle for this phenomenon because their passengers are quite literally stuck. … If the automotive industry continues to follow in the footsteps of Big Tech, it’s not hard to see where this goes from here: Soon, you might face targeted ads based on where you drive or Netflix-like tiers that ask you to pay to go ad-free. Serenity inside one’s car, something that was once a given, may become a luxury good.” 🙃
🌭 Have you heard about the $100 hot dog? Or should I say, ‘haute dog’?: The hot dog has been experiencing a “cultural glow-up” in fine dining circles, The Wall Street Journal’s Adam Chandler reports. Like, a $100 caviar hot dog and a tower of hot dogs. This has clearly struck a nerve because I have seen so many posts about this article on social media. Read: ‘The Rise of the $100 Hot Dog’
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