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The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 Tuesday to advance Todd Blanche's attorney general nomination after Senators Cornyn and Tillis withheld support pending written DOJ confirmation that a controversial Trump IRS audit-immunity fund had been rescinded. That assurance was delivered, clearing the path to a full Senate floor vote. Blanche has served as acting AG since April.
Texas AG Ken Paxton launched a statewide economic tour in Allen, TX today, rolling out a sweeping tax proposal featuring a $50,000 deduction for first-time homebuyers, a $25,000 medical expense deduction, and gym and health lifestyle deductions. New polling shows Paxton and Democrat James Talarico in a dead heat, making Texas one of the most competitive Senate races in the country heading into fall.
Trump is touring California and Nevada on an economic swing as the White House and Sacramento remain locked in a bitter battle over $4 billion in clawed-back federal funding for California's high-speed rail project. A federal audit found the state repeatedly missed grant deadlines; Trump has called it Newsom's "train to nowhere." Newsom insists the defunding is purely political.
The FBI and EPA issued a joint alert after a coordinated cyberattack on more than 30 community water systems that began in Minnesota quickly spread to Michigan and six additional states. Investigators believe Iranian-affiliated actors are likely responsible. Some systems reported pressure loss severe enough to risk contamination of drinking water lines.
Trump declared Monday that a deal with Iran is "imminent," covering the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and denuclearization, after calling off what he described as the largest planned US military strike since World War II. Iran denies direct negotiations, saying talks run through Omani mediators. Treasury Secretary Bessent said a Hormuz agreement could arrive "today or tomorrow," though oil markets remain on edge.
A female suicide bomber detonated a homemade explosive at the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square in central Moscow Saturday evening after a security guard refused her entry. Three people were killed — the bomber, the guard, and a patron — and at least 21 others were wounded. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called it a "brutal terrorist act"; Russian authorities have not linked the attack to Ukraine.
Up to 60,000 migrants stormed Spain's North African exclave of Ceuta from Morocco in an unprecedented border breach; the death toll has climbed to 72. Spanish authorities confirmed at least 10 individuals previously convicted of jihadism in Spain were detected among the wave. Italy suspended passport-free Schengen travel with Spain for one month, and the US raised its travel advisory for the region.
A critical cryptographic flaw in Coldcard hardware wallets — widely trusted cold-storage devices — allowed hackers to drain roughly 1,755 Bitcoin, approximately $116 million, from more than 4,500 wallet addresses. The vulnerability stemmed from a flawed random-number generator that used predictable device serial numbers as seed input, letting attackers systematically recalculate private keys. Canadian manufacturer Coinkite issued an emergency notification late last week.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told a podcast audience that the agency has captured imagery of objects it cannot identify, directly endorsing the Trump administration's push for UAP transparency. "Based on the data we have within that imagery, we don't know what it is," Isaacman said. He stopped short of claiming extraterrestrial origin but said he believes humanity will eventually confirm the existence of other lifeforms.
Jory Thomas, a 14-year-old ranch kid camping near Greycliff, Montana, grabbed a 12-foot lariat and roped a man being swept downriver after a rafting accident threw four people into the current. Thomas pulled the man to shore through chest-deep water until first responders arrived. His grandmother noted he had never once packed a lasso on a camping trip before — but this time he did. Sweet Grass County Sheriff's Office honored him with a Certificate of Achievement.
