Blanche confirmation allows Trump to continue ‘pervasive, breathtaking corruption’, says Schumer – US politics live

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1. Version 2updated
   Saturday, August 8, 2026 at 12:28 PM UTC

   Although Donald Trump has not yet commented directly on Todd Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general, he has taken to his platform Truth Social to post a screenshot from an account on X that refers to Lisa Murkowski, the Republican Alaska senator, as a “traitor”. Murkowski was one of only two Republicans, along with Maine’s Susan Collins, to vote against Blanche.

2. Version 4updated
   Saturday, August 8, 2026 at 1:03 PM UTC

   The US Senate on Friday passed a government funding bill that will prevent a shutdown through the midterm elections, though it still must be approved by the House of Representatives. The continuing resolution (CR) passed by a 90-6 vote will keep the government running at its current funding levels until 11 December, more than a month past the midterms in which Democrats are hoping to regain control of Congress and block Donald Trump’s legislative agenda for the final two years of his presidency. The measure’s passage signals a recognition by both parties that they would prefer to avoid a messy battle over federal spending in the weeks leading up to the 3 November vote. The government will shut down after 30 September if new funding is not approved, and the Republican Senate appropriations committee chair, Susan Collins, called the CR “a major step toward averting a damaging shutdown that only harms vital programs and federal workers”, and noted it makes no major changes to funding leve.

3. Version 5updated
   Saturday, August 8, 2026 at 1:57 PM UTC

   Democrats instigated a government shutdown last year when they refused to approve funding bills without an agreement to extend subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans. That led to the longest funding lapse in US history, but ultimately no agreement to keep the cost offsets going after the shutdown ended 43 days later. Some government agencies shut down again briefly earlier this year after Democrats held up a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in protest of the killings by federal agents of two US citizens in Minneapolis during an intensive immigration enforcement drive. While an agreement was reached to resolve that blockade, the two parties did not agree on funding DHS for weeks, as Democrats held out for reforms to immigration enforcement operations.

4. Version 6updated
   Saturday, August 8, 2026 at 3:07 PM UTC

   Joe Biden’s prostate cancer has spread throughout his body, causing the former president great pain, his son Hunter Biden said during an interview broadcast Friday. “The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further,” Hunter Biden said in a sit-down with the BBC. “It’s very painful and it’s very debilitating in many respects.” “It’s really sad to watch,” Hunted Biden also said. “The only thing that I’d say about my dad, about his health right now, is I wish he would complain more, because it’s not good.” Biden, now 83, disclosed his prostate cancer diagnosis in May 2025, just months after he departed the White House. As the oldest president in US history, Biden’s age was routinely the target of his political opponents. Biden and his staff have also been criticized for purportedly hiding his health problems. This criticism came to a crux following a devastating debate against Donald Trump that prompted calls for him to step out of the presidential race. Biden abandoned his.

5. Version 7updated
   Saturday, August 8, 2026 at 5:10 PM UTC

   We’re wrapping our live politics coverage for the day. Here’s the top political news: The US Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general. Blanche, who was deputy attorney general prior to former AG Pam Bondi’s ouster, previously served as Donald Trump’s criminal defense attorney. Blanche won the confirmation by a 50-49 vote early Saturday morning. Just two Republican senators, Maine’s Susan Collins and Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, voted against him.

6. Version 8published
   Saturday, August 8, 2026 at 6:55 PM UTC

   Senate minority leader condemns Republicans after Donald Trump’s former defense lawyer confirmed by 50 votes to 49 early on Saturday morning Joe Biden ’s prostate cancer has spread throughout his body, causing the former president great pain, his son Hunter Biden said during an interview broadcast Friday. “The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further,” Hunter Biden said in a sit-down with the BBC . “It’s very painful and it’s very debilitating in many respects.” Continue reading...

7. Version 9unpublished
   Saturday, August 8, 2026 at 7:11 PM UTC

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