Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., announced Friday that he will back Todd Blanche for attorney general, giving President Donald Trump a key vote in the closely watched confirmation fight.
Cassidy, who has repeatedly frustrated Trump and conservative voters, still took several shots at Blanche before ultimately falling in line.
The Louisiana senator criticized Blanche for what he called poor decisions at the Justice Department, including his handling of an anti-weaponization fund and tax-related protections involving the president.
But after laying out his objections, Cassidy arrived at the bottom line conservatives were waiting for.
"I will vote for Mr. Blanche."
Cassidy said the choice was not between Blanche and some ideal candidate, but between Blanche and the possibility of another acting attorney general taking control of the department.
"Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this, but the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche: It is between
A resurfaced 2016 radio interview featuring New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reignited criticism from conservatives this week after social media users accused him of speaking with what they described as a fake Ugandan accent while promoting his mother's Disney film.
The clip comes from a 2016 appearance on South Africa's Kaya 959 radio station tied to the release of Queen of Katwe. During the interview, Mamdani spoke about growing up between Uganda and New York, contrasting nightlife and dancing in the two places.
"The difference for me is I'm from Uganda, but I also grew up in New York. In New York, you go out, some guys are very hesitant to dance," Mamdani said.
"You know, if they're not grinding, they're just standing. In Kampala, you will just not find that. People are all dancing. Everybody's dancing, men, women, and it's fantastic that way."
Although the interview
A federal appeals court dealt President Donald Trump a major setback Friday, ordering most construction on his planned White House ballroom to stop in a 2-1 ruling.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said Trump may continue certain below-ground work tied to security, but blocked the broader project while the legal fight moves forward.
The ruling gives the administration two weeks to seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court.
The majority argued that Congress maintains authority over funding and development at the White House and had not specifically authorized Trump's sweeping ballroom project.
"We are aware of no instance in American history in which a President unilaterally and using privately collected funds demolished substantial portions of the White House that Congress authorized to be built and American taxpayers paid for. Until now," the majority wrote.
The decision broke along ideological lines.
U.S. Circuit Judges Patricia Millett, an
A disgraced former Mount Vernon police official accused of helping her gang-affiliated son carry out a botched shooting had close ties to the Democratic mayor whose administration put her in a lucrative city job, according to new reports.
Jennifer Lackard, 49, was fired Tuesday after prosecutors charged her, her husband and their 20-year-old son, Chase Lackard, in connection with an alleged June 29 drive-by shooting in the Bronx.
Now questions are mounting over how Lackard landed a $125,000 position running Mount Vernon's newly created police Wellness Unit despite having no traditional law enforcement background.
Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard hired Lackard in 2020. City officials confirmed Thursday that the two women are sorority sisters, with sources saying both belong to Delta Sigma Theta.
The pair also attend Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, an influential congregation whose pastor, the Rev. Franklyn Richardson, has longstanding political connections in the
Abdul El-Sayed may be campaigning for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, but a resurfaced clip from his 2018 gubernatorial bid is drawing fresh attention after he bluntly declared his disdain for one of the state's biggest tourist attractions.
Footage from the 2020 documentary How To Fix A Primary shows El-Sayed walking along Mackinac Island as horse-drawn carriages pass by when he vents about the popular vacation destination.
"I hate Mackinac so much," El-Sayed says while heading toward the Grand Hotel.
He then jokes about the possibility of living there if he had won the governor's race, referencing the official summer residence used by Michigan governors.
"It's funny cause, like, if we win, this is gonna be, like, the summer home," El-Sayed said.
"I'm just gonna be like every time I've ever come here, I've hated it. Why am I here," he added with a derisive laugh.
Tony Dokoupil's bid to revive the struggling CBS Evening News took another hit after his temporary replacement drew a significantly larger audience while filling in during the anchor's vacation.
Former ABC News correspondent Matt Gutman, who stepped in behind the desk last week, pulled in about 4.1 million viewers, roughly 300,000 more than Dokoupil averaged throughout July, according to Nielsen ratings first reported by Status and later obtained by the Daily Mail.
The strong showing gave CBS Evening News its most-watched week since March, despite Dokoupil being off for a two-week vacation.
For Dokoupil, 45, the comparison only deepens concerns about the network's continued ratings struggles. July marked his weakest monthly performance since January, when he first assumed the anchor chair, and he has not topped the four-million-viewer mark since March.
One veteran television executive questioned the timing of Dokoupil's extended absence, arguing that summer is often when
Former NBA first-round pick Enes Kanter Freedom is taking aim at the WNBA's transgender participation debate by declaring himself eligible for the 2027 WNBA draft.
Freedom, the former No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, announced the move in a tongue-in-cheek social media video Friday, framing it as a challenge to the league's policies on gender identity and inclusion. The outspoken former center has spent years criticizing LeBron James, Nike and the Chinese Communist Party, and has long argued his political activism effectively ended his NBA career.
The announcement comes as the WNBA faces renewed scrutiny over transgender participation in women's sports. The league has not publicly weighed in on the broader debate in recent weeks, even as players and coaches have been asked where they stand.
Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams recently said, "I would welcome a trans athlete on my team or
A former California state park superintendent accused of secretly recording lifeguards inside an employee locker room appeared in court Thursday as prosecutors pursue dozens of criminal charges tied to the disturbing allegations.
Kevin Pearsall, 59, of Long Beach, faces five felony counts of eavesdropping, 23 misdemeanor counts of secretly filming another person and three misdemeanor counts of unlawfully distributing private recordings, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Pearsall, who once held a sworn law enforcement position overseeing state parks in Orange County, appeared in court wearing a white button-up shirt and red tie.
His attorney requested that the arraignment be delayed, and the judge granted the request. Pearsall is now scheduled to return to court Sept. 21.
At least nine alleged victims attended Thursday's hearing.
Authorities accuse Pearsall of secretly recording audio and video inside a lifeguard locker room for at least 11 months beginning in August
Federal and local authorities arrested a California man accused of scoping out President Donald Trump's Los Angeles-area golf club days before the president was scheduled to arrive for a Republican National Committee event.
Jeanine John Taele, 38, was taken into custody Saturday at Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles in Rancho Palos Verdes after plainclothes federal agents said they spotted him monitoring security preparations, taking photos and recording video on the property.
The Justice Department charged Taele with possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle after investigators searched his home and found what authorities described as an illegally modified AR-style weapon.
If convicted, the federal charge carries up to 10 years in prison.
The FBI's Los Angeles field office said Taele's conduct near the course raised alarms because Trump was expected to appear there Tuesday.
Federal agents first noticed Taele on July 31 during security surveillance, according to court documents.
He was
Mike Lindell is stepping away from the company he founded to focus entirely on his bid to become Minnesota's next governor.
The MyPillow founder announced Tuesday that he is relinquishing his role as CEO after more than two decades, reducing his ownership stake to a minority position while remaining on the company's board of directors. The shakeup comes as the Republican ramps up his campaign ahead of next week's primary.
"I will be no longer involved in any way, shape or form. I will be running for governor. I'm all in for governor, I will just be a minority stockholder," Lindell told KSTP, adding, "my company is stronger than ever."
Former MyPillow President James Furlong is returning to lead the company as chief executive after previously serving in the role from 2004 through 2019. Justin Butler will take over as chief financial officer.
Lindell said the decision allows
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tore into CNN on Tuesday after the network aired a report claiming U.S. military stockpiles had fallen to "dangerously low" levels during the war with Iran.
Hegseth called out a CNN chyron that said U.S. forces had used nearly 80% of key missile interceptors and that top commanders were warning of depleted stockpiles.
The banner, discussed on air by CNN's Kasie Hunt, read, "Sources: U.S. has used nearly 80% of key missile interceptors in Iran war, top commanders warn stockpiles 'dangerously low.'"
Hegseth fired back on X, accusing the network of spreading false information about American readiness.
"That banner is NOT TRUE," wrote Hegseth. "Shame on you. We don't hate the Fake News media enough."
CNN's written report, authored by Zachary Cohen, Jim Sciutto and Haley Britzky, cited multiple sources familiar with Pentagon assessments who said the U.S. has burned through major portions of key
President Donald Trump said he has not decided whether U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro will keep her job after prosecutors in her office abruptly dropped a felony vandalism case involving the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Trump met with Pirro at the White House on Monday after publicly accusing his longtime ally of choking under pressure and allowing former U.S. Olympian David Hearn to escape prosecution.
Asked by reporters in Los Angeles on Tuesday whether Pirro was "safe" and would remain in her position, Trump left her future conspicuously uncertain.
"I haven't made a determination," Trump said before boarding Air Force One.
"I told her I was not happy," he added.
Trump stood by his claim that the reflecting pool had been deliberately damaged and defended the contractors involved in its $16 million renovation.
"I just think she was totally wrong. They did a beautiful job, there were a couple
