Category: Uncategorized

The UK’s highest court gives Palestine Action permission to appeal the government’s proscription of the group under anti-terrorism legislation.

Source: BBC.

When it came to Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination, Senate Republicans hoped to complete a relatively straightforward plan this week, which included a Thursday vote from the Senate Judiciary Committee, before a confirmation vote ahead of next week’s scheduled recess. That plan, at least for now, lies in tatters.

As MS NOW reported, two Senate Republicans who serve on the panel, John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, continue to withhold their support from the controversial nominee. Both GOP senators, who are poised to exit Capitol Hill at the end of the year, “say the Trump administration has yet to satisfy their demands on Trump’s IRS settlement. The pair is asking Blanche to formally kill the so-called anti-weaponization fund and narrow the scope of the IRS audit immunity afforded to Trump, his family, his businesses and others under the agreement.”

Until then, MS NOW’s report added, “They’re refusing to advance his nomination to the Senate floor.”

Cornyn told reporters Thursday morning that he believed he and administration officials were close to a resolution but “higher-ups” at the White House intervened, leading to the cancellation of Thursday’s scheduled committee vote. Around the same time, Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who’s also wrapping up his congressional career this year, suggested that he might oppose Blanche, too.

In a provocative online statement, Cornyn also said that Donald Trump “is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis,” an observation bolstered by Cassidy’s on-camera comments.

It was around this time that the president surprised many with an unexpected statement of his own published to his social media platform, which read in its entirety:

Todd Blanche is a STAR, and everyone knows it! He has the potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time. However, John Cornyn, of Texas, and Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, both of whom I refused to Endorse, and whose political careers have been ended by my action, are refusing to vote for this Great Nominee, who will remain, in any event, as Acting. Remember, both Cornyn and Tillis voted for Merrick Garland, and others, too numerous to mention. I have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd’s name, if they do not do the right thing, and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office.

The president’s online comments were the first real indication from the White House that Blanche’s nomination is, at a minimum, facing hurdles that might prove insurmountable.

As Trump apparently sees it, he can pull Blanche’s name from consideration in the short term, allow him to serve as the acting attorney general, and then re-nominate him next year.

That approach, however, is not without flaw. For one thing, it’s by no means a certainty that there will be a Republican majority in the next Congress, and for another, there are ongoing legal questions about whether Blanche can continue to lead the Justice Department indefinitely in an acting capacity.

In the meantime, it remains an open question as to why Team Trump refuses to provide GOP senators with the measures and formal assurances that Cornyn and others in the party have requested.

“This doesn’t need to be this hard,” the Texas Republican told reporters Thursday morning.

The post As Blanche struggles, Trump opens the door to ‘temporarily withdrawing’ his nomination appeared first on MS NOW.

From MS Now.

The Green Party is grappling with how to manage its social media following a controversial post by its leader.

Source: BBC.

The Green Party is grappling with how to manage its social media following a controversial post by its leader.

Source: BBC.

This drop-dead gorgeous actress knows exactly what she’s doing with her melons on full display … and we’re taking another trip to the farmers market! The starlet has become a household name thanks to her starring role in a hugely popular HBO…

From TMZ.

Post Malone’s got a new collab cookin’ … with the muppets of Sesame Street! The singer makes a celeb guest appearance with Elmo and the gang in the upcoming special, “Storm on Sesame Treat,” performing a twist on his hit song with Morgan Wallen.…

From TMZ.

Tomi Adeyemi, the author of the novel “Children of Blood and Bone,” said in a TikTok video posted Wednesday that she left the set of the book’s film adaptation in tears.

This post was originally published on NBC News.

The news comes as two key Republicans are withholding their support over concerns about the Justice Department’s deal with President Trump.

(Image credit: Win McNamee)

Source: NPR.

An L.A. model and influencer already in deep you-know-what with prosecutors has found herself on the wrong side of the law again … because she was just arrested in a separate theft case months after being hit with a slew of burglary charges.…

From TMZ.

From The Hill

Sen. Cynthia Lummis has introduced the Farmers and Ranchers Relief Act to restore congressional exemptions for normal agricultural activities from federal permitting requirements following decades of judicial narrowing.

From The Hill

🧑‍🍳 Plus: RFK Jr. launches cooking show {beacon}   Happy Thursday. I can’t wait any longer to wish you a happy National Cheesecake Day!! Nothing will ever top the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake in my personal ranking. Anyone agree?   In today’s issue: Three Trump nominees advance 2 Republicans derail Blanche confirmation Trump’s Senate demands fall…

EXCLUSIVE: Mike Darnell is back. The reality television luminary has struck a major deal with Netflix as he enters his third act. Darnell has signed an exclusive, multi-year overall deal with the streamer. He will also provide “strategic creative guidance” across its entire unscripted slate. The surprising move comes three years after Darnell left Warner […]

Source: Deadline.