While the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, championed the progress the Department of Justice has made in recent months during his Senate confirmation hearing, such as the prosecution of drug dealers, illegal aliens, foreign terrorist organizations, and fraudsters, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee used their time to hammer him for being loyal to President Donald Trump. Blanche’s Testimony “I spent nine years prosecuting violent gangs and drug dealers. I rose through the ranks of the Department of Justice as a line prosecutor, then acting attorney general. But I did not take that path for a title, I took it to make a difference for American families and the towns they call home.” “My family’s blessing should be available to all Americans. When a family can send their kids to school, walk their neighborhoods after dark, every promise of the American dream is within reach,” Blanche said. “We are keeping America safe,” Blanche continued. “Murders are down roughly 20% nationwide, and we have the lowest murder rate since 1900. Violent crime arrests increased by nearly 114%. We’ve taken almost 5,00 child predators and human traffickers. The DOJ has filed nearly 100,000 indictments since January of 2025.” During his testimony, Blanche continued to tout the historic achievements the department has accomplished since Trump assumed office for the second time in January of 2025. “In just the last months, we’ve paid $90 million in claims to eligible surviving families of fallen public safety officers,” Blanche continued. “If you look at Washington and Memphis as examples, where we have worked with state and local partners, pulling thousands of criminals off the streets, homicides are down in D.C. up to 50%, and overall crimes in Memphis are down by over 40%. We’ve seized thousands of illegal guns and cleaned up parks and spaces families have avoided.” “We are enforcing our borders, we are prosecuting the smugglers who profited from our open borders. We’re removing illegal aliens, we’re smashing the cartels, and the scourge of drugs in our communities,” he added. “We designated the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations because that is what they are,” he said, referring to the numerous designated cartel members that have been apprehended and prosecuted at home and abroad, including Venezuela’s former President Nicolas Maduro. Blanche attributed these efforts to the historic decline in drug overdoses being witnessed in the United States. Blanche also cited the largest fraud takedown, which began in Minneapolis in December 2025. “Drug seizures are skyrocketing, and overdose deaths are finally falling. We are protecting taxpayers.” “I’m proud of what we’ve done to help American families see safer streets, and none of this is a Republican or Democrat issue. We are keeping America safe, and we are just getting started.” J6 and Tax Returns Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., used his time after Blanche’s testimony to question the acting attorney general on why he didn’t “twist the president’s arm” for pardoning Jan. 6 protesters, who, the senator stated, “attacked the Capitol.” “The Constitution gives the president full power to pardon,” Blanche responded. Durbin then moved to talk on the president’s tax returns, accusing Blanche of wanting to prosecute the individual who illegally leaked the president and his family’s tax returns. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, defended Blanche and said that the tax returns were unlawfully released in 2020. However, the senator noted that the lawsuit against the individual was not filed until Blanche took office, then questioned if Blanche filed the lawsuit as a favor to the president. The acting attorney general responded by adding that the lawsuit against the individual was filed not because it was a favor to the president, but because the individual broke the law. Later in the hearing, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Conn., took aim at some of the president’s other appointees and asked if Blanche would hold them accountable. “How long are you going to put up with this Kash Patel?” Whitehouse said. “Are you going to make sure he’s not drinking on the job? “That’s an extraordinarily obnoxious question,” Blanche responded. Conservative Defense Prior to Blanche’s statements, Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., highlighted the former prosecutor’s accomplishments in building a career defending the United States against dangerous drug dealers and violent criminals, which, Moody noted, “caught the attention of the president.” After the testimony, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., added that “no fair-minded person could conclude that you are not qualified, so the opposition of my Democrat colleagues has to be based on something else.” He then asked Blanche if he is friends with the president, to which the acting attorney general responded, “Yes.” “Will a president appoint his enemy?” Kennedy asked rhetorically. The senator then asked Blanche whether he was “responsible for all the president’s decisions?” to highlight that Blanche is not responsible for the president’s executive decisions, which the Democrats touted during the hearing.

State Rep. Meg Weinberger, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, has pledged to promote animal therapy education and laws that crack down on animal cruelty in the Sunshine State. Elected to office in 2024, Weinberger is a wife, mother of six, and founder of animal rescue nonprofit organizations. She successfully introduced—and helped pass—legislation to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, and to designate a state highway segment as President Donald J. Trump Boulevard. She is also responsible for getting West Palm Beach International Airport renamed the Donald J. Trump International Airport. Referred to as “MAGA Meg” by the president, Weinberger sits on the state’s Joint Administrative and State Affairs committees. She introduced legislation to codify Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s moves to ban certain food coloring, such as Red Dye 40, and she sponsored bills to designate days to commemorate Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and autism awareness. This spring, she co-sponsored legislation to increase the penalties against registered sex offenders. This included restricting their access to communication with vulnerable victims, revising the residency requirements of convicted sex offenders, and facilitating law enforcement to apprehend sex offenders believed to be capable of reoffending. However, despite delivering these and other conservative wins, the lawmaker’s profound love for animals and children has characterized her time in the state Legislature. “For years, I’ve dedicated my life to rescuing, rehabilitating, and advocating for abused, neglected, and abandoned animals through my work at Rescue Life Sanctuary,” Weinberger told the Daily Signal. “[I also] have worked in the Florida Legislature to strengthen animal welfare laws, combat animal cruelty, promote responsible pet ownership, and foster a culture of compassion and respect for animals.” Her passion for animals prompted her to bring forth legislation to impose a “duty to report” instances of animal cruelty by treatment providers. During the 2025 and 2026 legislative sessions, Weinberger introduced another piece of legislation to create a database on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement website to keep track of convicted animal abusers in the state. The effort is designed to prevent them from purchasing and abusing animals in other parts of Florida, where their criminal records might be unknown. Weinberger’s heart for animals even served as one of her primary purposes to run for public office. Prior to her decision to seek reelection to represent District 94 in the Florida House of Representatives, Weinberger turned her Southeast Florida ranch home into an animal sanctuary that rehabilitates and treats abused animals. Rescue Life, her ranch, is now home to 14 dogs, 30 cats, two zebras, four donkeys, four goats, two alpacas, nine pigs, 16 swans, 20 ducks, and two cows. In addition to providing the animals with shelter and rehabilitation, she has partnered with multiple South Florida-based organizations to offer animal therapy for local children, families, and even prisoners seeking a new way of life. “Think about all the prisoners who are now training dogs—they never had that feeling of empathy and compassion that the animals have taught them,” Weinberger said. “Imagine if they had learned that when they were younger, at the beginning of their life. It could have changed the trajectory of their life.”

Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican nominee for governor in Ohio, on Tuesday received the Chamber of Commerce PAC endorsement. It’s an endorsement that Ramaswamy teased is just one of more to come. Early on in his remarks, Ramaswamy addressed the American Dream. He said he knows it exists because of his own experience. “I know it exists because I have lived it, because I have lived it in this state, because of the opportunities that the state of Ohio gave to me and to my family. I’m running for governor because my faith teaches me that we have a moral duty to use those blessings to leave this state better than we found it,” he shared. “As Rob told you, no, I was not born like some, I was not born with a silver spoon in my life,” Ramaswamy continued, referencing his running mate, Senate President Rob McColley. Ramaswamy credits his success “because of the gift of freedom of enterprise… American capitalism… that American Dream that says no matter who you are, or where your parents came from, or what your skin color is, or how long your last name is in some of our cases, that you are able to achieve the maximum of your own God-given potential with your own hard work, your own dedication and your own pursuit of your dreams.” The best way to make the American Dream more affordable is to bring high-paying jobs back to Ohio & I know how to get it done. Grateful for the endorsement today from the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Enjoyed meeting business leaders & workers at Kimball Midwest this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/OI5F1sQg0s— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) July 14, 2026 In addressing his “vision,” Ramaswamy mentioned that Ohio would become a zero-income-tax state, “because that’s what’s going to further attract even more businesses to our state” and away from states that already have a zero-income-tax rate. Ramaswamy said he will put out a plan to achieve such status in 10 years or less. This, Ramaswamy said, is “what brings high-paying jobs to the state.” “If this election is decided on one issue, I think it ought to be this,” Ramaswamy shared. He mentioned the importance of affordability, offering that the best way to deliver on that is by bringing high-paying jobs to the state. Asking which candidate for governor will do that is a question Ramaswamy wants Ohioans of all political views to think about. “Answer that question and cast your ballot accordingly,” he said. The endorsement comes as Ohio was ranked by CNBC as the best state to start a business, as CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Steve Stivers mentioned at the event. The Chamber PAC believes, Stivers also shared, that Ramaswamy “recognizes the importance of keeping Ohio competitive for the future.” Last Friday, Cook Political Report changed its forecast for this race from “Lean Republican” to a “Toss-Up.” Polls have shown a close race between Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton. While taking a question on what the endorsement means for his campaign, Ramaswamy brought up other endorsements as well. He referred to them as “a signal of different stakeholder groups across our state coming together and to be united in standing for an economic vision of success.” Ramaswamy continued by again emphasizing jobs, which he said was the topic the Chamber of Commerce focused on most during the endorsement process. “It was the number one issue that we spoke about, is what is going to bring high-paying jobs back to Ohio. Who’s going to be the candidate who delivers on that? And to me, what this endorsement represents is a vote of confidence that I am the candidate best equipped to bring the maximal number of high-paying jobs to Ohio starting in 2027,” Ramaswamy continued. Ramaswamy has spoken to CEOs about more investments in Ohio, especially if he’s governor, though warned they will be scared off if “somebody who is anti-business, anti-enterprise, anti-growth” is in office. That, he says, “would destroy the prospects for otherwise extraordinary economic growth that our state is on the cusp of unlocking.” “I do believe that this is a significant election for the future of Ohio’s economy. This is not an ordinary election. Ohio is at a fork in the road where we can either continue in our trajectory of economic growth by providing tax relief and regulatory relief to entrepreneurs and value creators and workers in this state, or we can take a very different direction that other states… have taken in the last couple of years, where we penalize success, where we penalize the businesses that create investment in our state, and the consequences for the 11.8 million people in this state are going to be significant,” Ramaswamy said. He concluded by pledging to “deliver an economic revival of a scale this state has never seen.”

Maine Democrats are gearing up to choose their replacement for accused rapist Graham Platner, who withdrew from the race following multiple sexual-assault allegations. Four candidates will take the debate stage Thursday night, including Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who will bring her long record of opposing election integrity with her.  “I’m so excited to launch my campaign for US Senate because flipping the Senate in November is crucial. I’m running to pass Medicare for all, fight for workers’ rights, and protect our neighbors,” Bellows wrote on X.  The SAVE America Act is at the forefront of politics in Washington. However, election integrity and security are also at the forefront for most Americans. According to a March YouGov poll, 80% of American voters favor requiring photo ID to vote, and 66% favor requiring proof of citizenship as well.  More than 80% of Americans support common-sense voter ID. The SAVE America Act isn't radical – Democrats voting against it is. https://t.co/w4pAdxt7BU— RNC Election Integrity (@RNCVoteProtect) July 13, 2026 “In some isolated incidents, some noncitizens may be on the rolls,” Bellows said in 2025, admitting that at least “some” ineligible voters were registered to vote in her state. While Maine requires photo ID to register to vote, there is no proof-of-citizenship requirement or photo ID required at the polls. In 2023, Bellows testified against a bill that would require voters to produce photo identification to cast ballots, calling it unnecessary and detrimental to voter participation.  “Forcing people to carry a specific type of photo identification to vote would result in logistical challenges, financial burdens, and potential discrimination,” Bellows said. Ahead of the 2024 election, she attempted to bar President Donald Trump from appearing on Maine’s 2024 ballot. However, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rejected efforts by states to disqualify presidential candidates.  “More than 80% of Americans support voter ID, yet Shenna Bellows has repeatedly sided with partisan politics over Maine voters—opposing commonsense election safeguards and even trying to remove President Trump from the ballot,” Ally Triolo, election integrity communications director for the Republican National Committee, told the Daily Signal.  “Her record is clear: politics comes first, not the will of Mainers,” she continued.  Bellows will join Troy Jackson, Nirav Shah, and Jordan Wood on stage in Maine for a 90-minute debate Thursday night. This will be their first public faceoff ahead of the July 25 nomination to replace Platner as the U.S. Senate nominee.  Democrat Senate Candidates across the country jumped ship last night after their leadership and Super PAC announced they were condemning Platner and “redirecting resources away from the Maine Senate race."The same party and PAC stood by him through countless allegations of… pic.twitter.com/1um5T9t1uy— Virginia Grace McKinnon (@virginiagmck) July 7, 2026

During Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing to be attorney general, Democrats focused heavily on his ties to President Donald Trump as his personal lawyer and on Jeffrey Epstein cases. Jeffrey Epstein, who died in a New York prison cell in 2019 after an arrest for federal trafficking charges, had connections with high-profile people including Trump and former President Bill Clinton. He also pleaded guilty in Florida state courts to solicitation of prostitution of a minor. The Justice Department is still investigating trafficking cases involving Epstein, and in December 2025 began publishing records on the deceased convict. Several Democrat senators on Wednesday asked Blanche if he would meet with Epstein victims, some of whom attended the hearing. “You’d agree with me, wouldn’t you, then, you can well meet with any of the survivors or victims, with their counsel present?” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked. “I never said that I would not meet with them. I said, if they were represented, I could meet with them through counsel,” Blanche said. “Of course, I can meet with them. I’m the acting attorney general of the United States. I very strongly believe that for these victims to tell their stories and the evidence they have, they should meet, like any victim of a crime, with the FBI, or a law enforcement agent, and that we will do everything we can do to prosecute it if we can.” Blanche, who was confirmed as deputy attorney general in 2025, became the acting attorney general in April after the president fired Pam Bondi, the first attorney general of Trump’s second term. The president in June officially nominated Blanche for the top Justice Department post. Numerous Democrats on the committee also mentioned Blanche’s time as Trump’s defense lawyer, asserting that Blanche would prioritize loyalty to Trump above enforcing the law. However, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., referenced former President John F. Kennedy, who appointed his brother, Robert F. Kennedy Sr., as attorney general. He said a president typically appoints allies to the post. “Are you and President Trump friends?” the Louisiana senator asked. Blanche replied: “I’m his lawyer — was his lawyer, then the deputy attorney general. So I met him as his criminal defense attorney.” Kennedy followed, “Are you enemies?” Blanche replied they were not, to which Kennedy asked, “Have you ever seen a president of the United States appoint an enemy attorney general?” Blanche replied, “I have not.” Blanche later noted his career as a federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, and said he represented Trump for two years while also representing numerous other clients. One of the tense moments in the hearing occurred when Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., took shots at FBI Director Kash Patel. “Let me ask about the FBI. How long do you intend to put up with that Kash Patel character? Are you good with these airplane jaunts? Are you confident he’s not drinking on the job? Are you sure none of his travel is a pretext for vacation activities like snorkeling Olympics and visiting girlfriends? Are you sure he knows what he’s doing?” Whitehouse asked. “Do you vouch for him?” Blanche responded, “That’s an extraordinarily obnoxious question, senator, and I have full faith in Director Patel and the work that he’s doing every day. Great. Got to own that.” Blanche discussed the administration’s focus on election integrity in response to a question by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. Klobuchar asked about the Justice Department lawsuits seeking voter registration data from more than two dozen states. “The DOJ has carried out a campaign to push states to turn over voters’ sensitive and private data to the administration,” Klobuchar said. “Thirty states, including Republican-led states like Georgia and West Virginia, have refused.” She added that 15 federal courts ruled against the Justice Department in favor of states. “Could you discuss how cutting off anti-terrorism funding to states that refuse something that 15 federal courts have found to be illegal enhances our national security?” Klobuchar asked. Blanche defended the Justice Department’s effort, but said he can’t speak to individual cases in pending litigation. “Election integrity is extraordinarily important to this administration,” Blanche said. “It’s important to this body, and so, to the extent that the work that we’re doing is to make sure that we have fair and honest elections, that the only people voting are the people who are eligible to vote, and that they’re only voting once, that’s important.” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who recently lost his primary and is considered a key vote for Blanche’s confirmation, seemed skeptical about whether a controversial fund to pay victims of government weaponization is dead. A settlement between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service created the fund in May, which would pay out $1.776 billion to victims of government weaponization. The DOJ eventually dropped the fund after a court blocked it, and earlier this week, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida blocked the settlement. Cornyn referred to the wording of the settlement agreement that said it can only be modified, “upon the written agreement of the parties.” “Has there been a written agreement of the parties to modify the settlement fund?” Cornyn followed. “It’s just, it never started,” Blanche said of the weaponization fund. Cornyn pressed, “Is the settlement agreement enforceable as a contract by the parties?” Blanche said, “I suppose if President Trump’s counsel sought to enforce it, that they potentially could. … They could potentially say that, I suppose, that we breached by not moving forward. They haven’t done that, and I’m not aware that they’re planning on doing that.”