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We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
Politico reports there is trouble brewing for Vice President JD Vance regarding his stance on Israel. According to insiders, some pro-Israel donors within the GOP have expressed dissatisfaction with his position on a ceasefire agreement with Iran. This stance, coupled with his outspoken criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration, has not sat well with these supporters who were steadfast backers of the party during Donald Trump’s presidency. One donor remarked, “There’s noticeable unrest among pro-Israel Republicans, both Christians and Jews. The concern is pervasive, and it might be even more serious than it appears.”
It’s crucial to consider that Politico has its own set of biases. Known as a mainstream media outlet with a leftward tilt, Politico is often critical of figures like Donald Trump, JD Vance, and the broader MAGA movement. Their stance on Israel has also been scrutinized. Therefore, this report could be seen as playing into their strategy to provoke discord among their perceived adversaries.
Even with this backdrop, the article serves a purpose beyond the immediate controversy. It opens a discussion on the race for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. The anticipation surrounding JD Vance’s potential candidacy is already stirring. He appears to be a strong contender, yet history and past elections like that of 2016 remind us that political dynamics are inherently unpredictable. As witnessed by former Vice President Mike Pence, securing support from influential figures, including Donald Trump, is never a certainty in the political arena.
Nevertheless, it is also a good article for me to use as a jumping-off point to discuss the 2028 Republican presidential nomination.
Vice President JD Vance is almost certainly running for president. If he runs, he is the clear favorite for the nomination. But there are no guarantees in politics, as 2016 showed. And as former Vice President Mike Pence can attest, Vance can’t be secure about backing from President Trump.
As I have written before, a good comparison for the 2028 GOP primary race is the 1988 GOP presidential race. That was the last time that a Republican vice president sought to follow his two-term president into the White House.
Let’s look at the polling landscapes, where the two vice presidents are almost identical. In July of 1986, Gallup showed that Vice President George H. W. Bush had 41 percent support, while then-Senate GOP leader Bob Dole had 8 percent, then-Congressman Jack Kemp had 3 percent, and religious journalist Pat Robertson had 6 percent. Today, the RCP average has Vice President Vance at 40.3 percent support, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at 20 percent, Donald Trump Jr. at 14 percent, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at 7.1 percent, and Texas Senator Ted Cruz at 3.3 percent.
For unknown reasons, the media persists in measuring Don Jr., who has explicitly said he is not running and supports Vance.
Of course, there are some substantial differences between the two vice presidents. In 1988, Bush was a two-term vice president, who had been the runner-up in the 1980 presidential race, and who also had had an extensive political career. Bush was a member of the establishment faction of the GOP, but as vice president to President Reagan, he had the silent-but-important support of his president and, therefore, had a strong appeal to the conservative Republican faction. Those two factions were the most powerful, with the others being the social conservatives, the liberal Republicans, and a tiny libertarian group led by Ron Paul.
Vance is a one-term vice president who was barely known before being selected by Donald Trump. Importantly, he belongs to the restrainer faction of the GOP, which is the smallest group of Republicans, behind the establishment faction, the conservatives, and the MAGA hawks. And the restrainers are themselves further divided into the MAGA doves and the libertarians, led by Rand Paul.
The only real major advantage Vance has over Bush is that Vance is a charismatic candidate who is an excellent speaker, unlike the more tongue-tied Bush.
But, sometimes, well-spoken politicians may talk too much.
Left to right: ASO PIO Lisa Sacaccio, Sheriff Chad Scott, Elder Options Elder Abuse Project Coordinator Leslie Andrews, ASO Deputy Cary Gallop, ASO Captain Steve Maynard, ASO Detective Travis Parsons
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a joint announcement earlier today, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ASO) teamed up with Florida Elder Options to highlight ongoing scam concerns, urging residents to be vigilant. They advised people to immediately disconnect calls from suspected scammers and to report any scams. Alarmingly, these fraudulent schemes are projected to surge by 25% from 2025 to 2026 in the local area.
Lisa Sacaccio, serving as ASO’s Public Information Officer, fronted the press briefing, emphasizing that scam-related offenses are among the most rapidly proliferating crimes. She noted that virtually everyone has likely encountered a call or message with demands for monetary compensation under false pretenses like jury duty warrants or unpaid toll violations. She also pointed to romance scams where the fraudster nurtures a relationship before seeking funds from the deceived person.
Sheriff Scott: Scammers use increasingly savvy techniques; don’t let embarrassment stop reports
Sheriff Chad Scott cautioned that scams are evolving into more daunting, convincing, and financially draining experiences. “Scam artists continuously refine their strategies, leveraging technology while preying on fear, trust, urgency, and even affection to swindle their targets,” he explained. Scott stressed that while many feel too embarrassed to admit falling for such scams, it’s important to remember that these con artists’ methods are exceptionally persuasive. Reporting incidents is crucial as it aids law enforcement in piecing together the puzzle to combat these fraudsters effectively.
Florida Elder Options Elder Abuse Project Coordinator Leslie Andrews said awareness is critical to preventing scams.
Scammers impart a sense of urgency
ASO Detective Travis Parsons said scammers impart a sense of urgency in their victims and try to isolate them from their support network, whether by keeping the victim on the phone for hours at a time or telling the victim that something bad will happen if they tell anyone. They threaten some sort of negative consequence if the victim doesn’t pay, and they often ask for gift cards or cryptocurrency.
ASO Captain Steve Maynard said it’s important to understand that these scammers have a lot of information about you, and they use it to make you think you can trust them.
Hang up the phone and call the agency or office directly
Andrews added, “If someone is calling you, saying that they are a government official or law enforcement, please verify that. Hang up the phone, call them directly, and verify it.”
ASO Deputy Cary Gallop, who works in Crime Prevention, said scammers can even spoof valid phone numbers, so the victim’s phone might say that the call comes from the Sheriff’s Office, a business, or a relative, for example. He said, “Make sure you hang up the phone. Don’t hit redial; look up our number and dial it yourself.”
Detective Parsons said the jury duty warrant scam “is a nationwide epidemic at this point.” He also spoke about “courier scams,” in which the scammer asks the victim to buy gold and give it to a courier.
Limit public information on social media profiles
Andrews said romance scammers use information found on social media to target victims; she advised everyone to check their social media settings and “make sure that your phone number on there is not visible, your email is not visible, and try to limit your information on there as much as possible.”
Fraud is expected to top $8.6 million in Alachua County in 2026
Maynard said the financial losses from theft, burglary, robbery, and property damage add up to about $2 million per year in Alachua County, but white-collar crime, scams, and fraud are projected to result in losses of over $8 million in 2026, just in Alachua County. Andrews added that the National Center for Elder Abuse estimates that 44 cases go unreported for each scam that is reported, so that number is probably low.
Non-fraud property crime loss in Alachua County by year
Fraud and scam loss in Alachua County by year
Elderly people are more likely to be targeted (about 51% of local victims in 2026 have been above the age of 60), but victims can be any age, particularly with the jury duty warrant scam.
Don’t worry about being rude to callers
Deputy Gallop said that because so many organizations gather information about customers and then sell those lists, it’s best not to answer the phone call in the first place, and don’t worry about being rude to callers you don’t know. He recommended that everyone (but particularly elderly people) have someone they trust to provide advice when they receive a phone call or message that asks for money.
Trust your sixth sense
Detective Parsons said, “Trust your sixth sense.” Victims should ask themselves whether the call or message was expected and what the caller is asking for. Watch out for someone who asks you to pay money to avoid something bad and also tells you it needs to happen right away. Parsons added, “If you try to hang up,… do they become irate? Do they pressure you more? That’s because they’re trying to prevent you from verifying that… they’re trying to steal your money.”
Regarding job offers, Parsons said, “If it seems too good to be true, it typically is.” He specifically mentioned fraudulent job offers that involve the victim in money laundering or otherwise helping an ongoing criminal enterprise.
Captain Maynard said another red flag is when the scammer gives you advice to help you explain why you’re taking so much money out of your account. For example, the scammer might tell the victim to say it’s for a vacation: “Why would someone who is a trusted person tell you to lie to the bank teller? That should be a red flag, right?”
Andrews pointed out that a sense of urgency shuts down critical thinking.
Report the scam immediately
Detective Parsons said if you think you’re being scammed, you should hang up, and you don’t have to confront the scammer: “You don’t have to worry about keeping them on the line so we can try to trace the phone call… Just hang up the phone.” Victims should also save “every scrap of communication or receipts… And once you hang up that phone, call 911… The sooner it gets reported, the better chance we have to investigate it,… and if you have suffered loss, the sooner we can get the right resources to you in order to care for you after this traumatic event.”
Parsons said that in the past, most of these crimes originated overseas, but that’s no longer the case, and investigators have more tools than they used to; he said the sooner he learns about a scam, the more likely it is that he will be able to recover the funds or bring the scammer to justice.
Captain Maynard said law enforcement has been reaching out to the banking industry in an effort to encourage tellers to help prevent scams by asking questions when individuals withdraw a large amount of money.
Ask for more information
Andrews said that if a potential victim is unsure whether a call is legitimate, they can ask for written verification of the reason for calling, they can ask for time to consult someone, and they can ask for a call-back number: “Typically, that scammer is going to resist all three.”
Approach everything with a healthy dose of skepticism
Detective Parsons said it’s important to understand that scams can happen to anyone and to approach everything with “a healthy dose of skepticism.” He added that younger people can help by staying in touch with elderly family members and notifying law enforcement if they fear the relative has been contacted by a scammer; he said deputies are more than happy to talk to the potential victim and take that burden off the family member.
Call 352-955-1818 if you think you’re being scammed
Deputy Gallop said he would rather get involved too early than too late, and he recommended calling ASO’s non-emergency line if you have any questions about a potential scam: 352-955-1818, Option 5. Andrews also provided the Elder Options helpline: 1-800-262-2243.
AI can use voice samples from your voicemail greeting
Responding to a question about whether AI is being used by scammers, Deputy Gallop said the FTC put out a notification that AI apps can use your voicemail greeting to duplicate your voice and call your relatives, pretending to be you. He said the FTC recommends removing your voice from your voicemail greeting and developing passcodes or safe words with family members.
Sheriff Scott concluded by saying his office takes these crimes very seriously, and he emphasized again that everyone is a potential victim.
Lingering questions persist surrounding the tragic death of Mississippi teen Nolan Wells, who vanished during a weekend excursion with friends, marked by celebratory boating activities.
His lifeless body was tragically located on Horn Island, two days following his disappearance from the boat on July Fourth.
The United Cajun Navy, known for its dedicated search and rescue efforts, confirmed through a representative to News Media the discovery of Wells’ body on July 6.
Nolan Xavier Wells had vanished while enjoying a boating outing with friends, as per information from authorities shared on the Fourth of July.(Jackson County Sheriff’s Department via Facebook)
“It was, in fact, a ranger from the National Park Service who found the body and made the report,” stated Brian Trasher, vice president of the organization.
He said he joined the mission to try and find the teen when his organization was contacted on social media.
“Throughout the morning, we were talking with locals, trying to get any kind of intel on the last sighting or anything that could help,” he said.
He says the search effort relied on the help of boats and an aircraft. “We were in the air about two hours before we noticed the activity on the beach,” he goes on to say, “We were searching where the wind and drift patterns were taking the current.”
Rumors are swirling online as to the circumstances that led up to Wells’ becoming separated from his friends and the boat.
Trascher said, “There’s no evidence to suggest that he was dumped on an island and left for dead.”
“The working theory is that he drowned,” he said.
He told News Media Wells’ body was found “washed right back” close to where he was last seen.
Trascher said, “That tells me he didn’t go that far out.” He went on to say, “The wind and drift patterns tell a story.”
It’s important to note that the organization is not leading the investigation, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is.
The United Cajun Navy shared a video of the search Monday morning on Facebook.(United Cajun Navy via Facebook)
“I’m not a medical professional. I’m not a professional investigator. I’m a search-and-rescue guy,” Trascher said.
The official cause of death has not yet been announced by authorities.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department continues to investigate Wells’ death and has asked the public to come forward with any information.
Wells’ family has hired attorney Ben Crump to represent them.
“The family is calling for a thorough and transparent investigation into how Nolan died,” the firm said.
In the East Village, street-savvy rats are becoming an unsettling presence, challenging their human neighbors on heavily infested blocks. Residents report these pests are surfacing from trash bins and even claiming parked vehicles as their territory.
These problem areas have become hotspots for rodent activity, recording 300 complaints since the start of the year—a significant 37.6% increase in rodent reports compared to the previous year. While citywide rat sightings have decreased from 12,017 instances to 9,023, data from the 311 service indicates the East Village is bucking this downward trend.
Stephen Perez, a longtime porter on Second Avenue, shared his ongoing battles with these persistent pests, noting that the rat population continues to grow despite an overall decline in sightings throughout the city.
“They’ll be in the garbage cans, they’ll pop up when I open the lids,” Perez explained, emphasizing the daily challenges of managing this growing issue.
“I started seeing more of them recently … in the last two months,” said 23-year-old Halle, who lives near Cooper Square: “I usually leave my apartment around 5 a.m., and there’s a lot of trash on the side of the street, so they are always running back and forth.”
“It’s a constant battle,” said fellow resident Kirk Marcoe, 55. “You have to look for signs of rats, and you have to mitigate it, fill holes, just stop them, stop giving them places to live.
“You have to deal with it every single day.”
Manhattan’s Community Board 3 — comprising the East Village, the Lower East Side, Two Bridges and swaths of Chinatown — reported 300 complaints since June — a staggering 37.6% increase in rat-related calls from the same time last year.
But the sanitation department blames the spike on just three corridors for the surge.
The rat-tled streets included Second Avenue between East Seventh Street and St. Mark’s Place; East Fifth Street between Cooper Square and Second Avenue; and Broome Street between Ludlow and Orchard Streets – the latter of which reported a 400% increase compared to this time last year.
“This is not a district-wide increase in rat sightings, but rather, a sharp increase on three specific blocks,” DSNY rep Vince Gragnani said. “The increases you are seeing are driven by a few specific addresses, and … potentially reflect issues inside the individual buildings.”
A majority of the offending buildings, located mostly on East Fifth and Broome streets, have more than 10 units – which are exempt for now from DSNY requirements mandating the use of new anti-rat garbage bins.
Some 70% of all trash in the city is required to be in sealed containers to cut off rats’ food supply, “and the remaining 30 percent is from high-density housing units, of which there are a high proportion in Manhattan,” Gragnani said.
“We are containerizing … trash in phases,” the rep said, “and by 2031, all trash will be in containers.”
Jose Amigon, manager of Paul’s Da Burger Joint, attributes the ratty increase to patrons throwing food in the street – and leaving a mess behind for varmints to munch on.
“With all the restaurants in the streets, there is a major rat ingestion in this area,” said East Village resident Manny, referring to outdoor dining. “You can’t drop a morsel on the ground.”
But some East Village residents say that, even when trash is put away properly, pickup is sometimes delayed – leaving a smorgasbord for critters to feed on.
“Sometimes [it’s] Sanitation: they come and pick up the garbage, sometimes they don’t,” Perez, the porter, said. “They’ll come the next day or maybe two days [later].”
More than 126 missed trash collection complaints were logged to 311 in the district since Jan. 1 to date this year, compared to 219 during the same period in 2025.
However, the sanitation department contends the days of lingering trash – when refuse went out at 4 p.m. and lingered until the following evening – are “long over” and pickup is completed before most people are awake.
Anyone who sees a violation of these rules — or who experiences a missed collection — should contact 311, the sanitation department said.
President Donald Trump recently disclosed that medical professionals informed him a portion of Lindsey Graham’s body had “literally exploded,” following the senator’s unexpected passing last weekend, sparking widespread speculation.
In a phone interview with Newsmax on Monday, Trump was queried about the transparency regarding the situation. He remarked, “I believe we have clarity,” adding that respected doctors mentioned that, astonishingly, a specific part of Graham’s anatomy had “literally blown up.”
However, during a press encounter at the White House on Tuesday, the president firmly dismissed any notions of misconduct. He noted having heard “various conspiracy theories” around the incident, emphasizing his belief that the “FBI is wasting their time” with the ongoing investigation.
Although a preliminary cause of death for the 71-year-old South Carolina Republican has been announced, several experts are advocating for a more detailed inquiry.
Among those calling for deeper examination is Texas Senator John Cornyn, a former colleague of Graham’s in the Senate. On Monday, he stressed the importance of reviewing the toxicology findings.
‘Given where he was and the sorts of things he was advocating for, I think we just ought to resolve all those questions by seeing what the toxicology reports show,’ he told NBC News.
Graham’s spokesperson said the death certificate ‘will be pending until all the toxicological and microscopic testing are finalized,’ and will then be updated to reflect the cause and manner of death.
FBI director Kash Patel said Sunday his agency had stepped in to ‘assist’ local DC authorities. The Daily Mail spoke Monday with Graham’s neighbors, who were interviewed after an estimated 20 agents descended on his house.
Lindsey Graham and President Donald Trump enjoyed a close friendship during his final years
US Senator John Cornyn speaks to reporters during a Senate vote at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, June 23, 2026
Cornyn is not the only Republican who has concerns over the circumstances surrounding Graham’s death, given that he had just returned from Ukraine and was in the process of announcing a bipartisan bill to sanction Russia.
In an interview with News Nation host Katie Pavlich, retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg said that foul play in Graham’s death, particularly by Russia, should not be ruled out.
‘I’m not a conspiracy nut, but I think a full autopsy and toxicology report needs to be done just to quell the waters, and make sure everything quiets down about it.’
‘I mean it’s unfortunate that’s what’s happened, but as you said, I don’t trust the Russians at all, that they would do something like this, I wouldn’t be surprised by it,’ Kellogg added.
Kellogg has served as Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine and Russia as well as National Security Advisor to the Vice President, holding jobs in both Trump administrations.
Kellogg’s daughter, Megan Mobbs, a former Army officer and West Point graduate who serves as the Director of the Center for American Safety and Security at the Independent Women’s Forum, has also called for further investigations into Graham’s death.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Mobbs revealed why she thinks a toxicological report is so critical, given the circumstances surrounding Graham’s final days.
‘What I’m really hoping for is that it’s a toxicological examination that is informed by everything: the foreign threat environment, international travel, symptoms, timeline, medications, meals, contacts, potential exposure,’ Mobbs noted to the Daily Mail.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg a former Trump adviser, speaks to the media in the lobby at Trump Tower, November 15, 2016 in New York City
Meaghan Mobbs, Director of the Center for American Safety and Security at the Independent Women’s Forum, a conservative think tank
Mobbs told the Daily Mail that a sophisticated operation would be built precisely to look natural.
‘A sophisticated assassination operation would exploit natural vulnerability – that’s what our adversaries are very good at – and purposefully obscure attribution so that it could produce a medically plausible death,’ she said.
She noted that with older patients, medical examiners do not always look for secondary factors, and warned that a lack of transparency hands adversaries fresh openings.
‘I just want as many questions answered as possible, so the unanswered ones don’t dominate the conversation,’ she added.
Her father, Trump’s former Ukraine envoy Kellogg, has long believed the Russians tried to kill him in 2000, when he was an officer at the Pentagon. He has recounted feeling a sharp pain in his right elbow as he left an event at the Russian Embassy.
By the next day he was in the hospital, where doctors nearly amputated his arm to stop a spreading staph infection that Mobbs recalled was ‘significantly treatment-resistant’ and took months to heal.
Mobbs also renewed her criticism of Representative Anna Paulina Luna, who she said ‘is willing to give every conspiracy under the sun a thorough investigation and vetting’ yet has asked no questions about Graham’s death. Luna’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Asked about Trump calling the FBI investigation a waste of time, Mobbs urged giving the president ‘a lot of grace’ as he grieves ‘a dear, dear friend.’
His dismissal, she suggested, may reflect ‘some level of psychological processing,’ a reluctance to accept that ‘an adversary could actually get to one of us,’ given threats on his own life, some potentially tied to foreign actors.
A tragic turn of events unfolded in the San Francisco Bay when a boat carrying 20 individuals capsized near the iconic Alcatraz Island, resulting in one fatality and leaving three others unaccounted for, as reported by local authorities.
The U.S. Coast Guard and San Francisco Fire Department sprang into action around 3:30 p.m. following reports of a boat engulfed in flames situated between the renowned Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island.
San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen recounted that a police marine unit was the first to reach the scene, discovering a man in “severe distress” struggling in the water. They urgently pulled him onto their vessel and administered CPR, but sadly, upon arrival at Gas House Cove, he was pronounced deceased.
Chief Crispen initially estimated 19 passengers aboard the ill-fated boat, although eyewitness testimony later confirmed the presence of 20 people.
Thanks to the swift response, 13 individuals were successfully rescued and brought safely ashore. Meanwhile, three others, sustaining injuries from the impact of leaping into the water, were hospitalized and are reported to be in stable condition, according to Chief Crispen.
Three people remain missing, the fire chief said.
San Francisco Fire Lt. Mariano Elias said the boat, named Volare, was based out of Stockton and was a 50-foot cabin cruiser. It was not immediately clear what caused the boat to sink about 600 yards from Alcatraz.
“The information we have is that it left from St. Francis Yacht Club, and the initial report was a vessel on fire. Upon arrival, our members did not evidence any fire. The reports we’ve had from witnesses is that there was rough seas and apparently the vessel began to take on water and was turned over in the bay,” Crispen said.
Crews had 11 vessels involved in the effort to find the missing boaters, Crispen said, and they planned to continue their search through the night.
“I want to make sure that every family member out there and everybody knows that we are in an active search,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said. “This is an all-hands-on-deck search and, hopefully, rescue.”
Crispen said all the people on board are adults, and most of them are family members.
“Our understanding was there was some sort of memorial service they were engaging in. That’s why they were using this particular vessel,” Crispen said.
Officials set up a family reunification center at Fort Mason, which is west of Fisherman’s Wharf, and the 13 taken safely to shore were at the center.
Crispen said the initial rescue also involved the Oakland Police Department’s marine unit and private vessels in addition to the Coast Guard.
Anyone who believes a family member may have been on the boat and is looking for more information should call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767).
WASHINGTON — As Senate Majority Leader John Thune anticipates the upcoming hearings, he holds an optimistic view regarding Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Director of National Intelligence nominee Jay Clayton’s prospects for confirmation.
Blanche’s candidacy faced turbulence last month amidst a Republican protest triggered by the now-abandoned $1.776 billion DOJ weaponization fund. Meanwhile, Clayton’s initial confirmation efforts faltered due to Trump’s insistence on a new Manhattan US Attorney’s Office prosecutor before endorsing Clayton, leaving Bill Pulte as the interim DNI.
“Blanche’s recent discussions have gone remarkably well, as feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Thune (R-SD) in an interview with The Post. He continued, “Clayton, likewise, benefits from prior confirmation experience here for the SEC.”
Expressing confidence in their chances, Thune remarked, “Unless the upcoming confirmation hearings reveal an unexpected twist, both should be in a favorable position. My goal is to have them finalized before we pause for the August recess.”
Although Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) had previously shown concerns over Blanche’s involvement with the weaponization fund, Thune noted that recent dialogues have been notably productive.
Blanche has been the acting head of the Justice Department since April 2, when Trump elevated him from his deputy attorney general post after firing Pam Bondi. The president tapped Blanche, his onetime personal attorney, to serve in his Cabinet permanently about two months later.
Police unions representing more than 670,000 officers, 300 angel families and 100 bipartisan DOJ officials “spanning the Reagan, H.W. Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden administrations” have all written to Congress voicing their support for Blanche’s nomination, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said Tuesday.
Former Attorney General John Ashcroft, who served under former President George W. Bush; Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association President John Adler; and Jennifer Bos, the mother of a woman whose death was covered up by an illegal immigrant in Illinois, have been invited by Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans to testify in support of Blanche’s nomination, according to Politico.
Democrats on the panel are bringing in Dani Bensky, a victim of notorious sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein, and Liz Oyer, a former DOJ official, to testify in opposition to Blanche.
Their invitations suggest Democrats plan to attack Blanche’s handling of the release of documents related to Epstein and accuse him of weaponizing the Justice Department in service of Trump.
Oyer was “fired by Blanche for refusing to rubberstamp gun ownership rights to Mel Gibson, a convicted domestic violence abuser and friend of Donald Trump,” while Bensky had her name “included in multiple batches of released Epstein Files,” due to an apparent failure by the DOJ to redact her name from the documents, Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dick Durbin (D-Ill) said Monday.
Thune does not expect any Democrats to vote in favor of either Blanche or Clayton.
“They’re both probably, you know, looking at party-line votes,” he said, noting that Clayton’s 2017 nomination to head the Securities and Exchange Commission garnered bipartisan support “back when Democrats actually produced some votes for qualified nominees.”
After touting the work of Senate Republicans to confirm more than 500 executive branch nominations and 47 federal judges during Trump’s second term — noting he has “another 50 plus [nominations] teed up to go” — Thune laid into Democrats once more.
“What’s frustrating, obviously, is that everything takes longer than it should,” Thune said, because Democrats have refused to confirm “a single judge or a single civilian executive branch” via unanimous consent.
“They’re forcing us to go the long way on everything,” he lamented.
“They’re obstructing even qualified nominees, and it’s really a sad commentary on kind of where the Democrat Party is — these people really have, in a lot of ways, lost their minds in the way that they’re playing with, not just nominees, but other things.”
