Politics
The US Senate confirmed Todd Blanche, President Trump's former personal lawyer, as attorney general in a narrow 50-49 vote. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski opposed the nomination, citing concerns about politicization of the department, while Senator Bill Cassidy provided the deciding vote in favor after raising questions about a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. Democrats criticized the confirmation and raised concerns about department independence, while Republican Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley defended Blanche's qualifications and Trump publicly criticized Murkowski over her opposition.
NBC, WaPo, Guardian, NYT, Le Monde, and Al Jazeera emphasize bipartisan concerns about DOJ independence, quote Durbin's warnings about corruption, and frame Blanche's confirmation as a win for Trump's effort to bend the DOJ to his will, with extended attention to Epstein survivors' criticism and Democrats' broader accusations against Blanche.
Axios, The Hill, and BBC report the core facts of Murkowski's opposition and Blanche's eventual confirmation in largely neutral, procedural terms, emphasizing the narrow vote math, Cassidy's decisive role, and the anti-weaponization fund controversy, with some outlets (BBC) noting Democratic criticism and lingering doubts about whether the fund commitment is binding.
Fox News, Breitbart, Daily Wire, Daily Caller, and Washington Times emphasize Republican-side deliberation and Cassidy's reasoning at length, highlight Trump's public criticism of Murkowski ('I'm against Murkowski... She's not good'), and frame the outcome as Blanche 'surviving' GOP defectors, with less emphasis on Democratic/Epstein-survivor criticism than left-leaning outlets.