Friday, August 7, 2026 · Evening Edition

The Senate is on track to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general after Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) announced he would provide the deciding vote, a capitulation that prompted former Republican strategist Tim Miller to say Cassidy looked like a broken shell of a man on the Senate floor. PBS reports the chamber simultaneously passed the toughest sanctions bill on Russia yet, while a slew of other high-priority items remain tangled largely due to Republican division. Slate wrote: "If you're going to vote to undermine the rule of law, at least spare us the big speech ahead of time."

The U.S. economy unexpectedly shed 23,000 jobs in July, a reversal CBS News MoneyWatch correspondent Kelly O'Grady detailed. The loss underscores the fragility of a recovery that leaves working people exposed to capital's whims.

New Jersey Attorney General opened a civil rights investigation into Delaney Hall, issuing subpoenas to examine whether employees at the migrant detention center violated civil rights. The New York Times reports the state attorney general said her office would investigate whether employees at the migrant detention center had violated civil rights.

The administration's authoritarian drift continues on multiple fronts. President Trump is renewing his effort to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook despite the Supreme Court thwarting his earlier attempt in June, with a letter from White House presidential aide Dan Scavino dated Wednesday stating the president was "considering" removal. Meanwhile, a GAO report warns that a "lack of clear instruction" by the Department of Education is triggering confusion over student loan changes.