Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska announced on Friday, August 7th, 2026, that she will oppose President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Todd Blanche. While Murkowski described Blanche as "decent and capable" in a post on X, she stated, "Ultimately, however, I will oppose his nomination."

This development follows Republican Senator Susan Collins’ earlier declaration on Tuesday that she would vote against Blanche, leaving the nominee with little margin for error in securing confirmation.

Blanche, currently serving as acting attorney general, had persuaded Republican holdouts John Cornyn and Thom Tillis to support him by pledging in writing that Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund was defunct and that a related tax-immunity deal applied only to past tax returns. Both provisions stem from a settlement of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS.

In related news, President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday evening aimed at ensuring the commercial viability of U.S. production of polysilicon and its derivatives, citing economic and national security requirements.

Additionally, an Associated Press estimate noted that a previously Democrat-leaning district now tilts Republican, with 71% of voters new to the district. Meanwhile, 60% of independents expressed support for government-provided healthcare coverage for all Americans, a policy promoted by progressives including Michigan US Senate nominee El-Sayed as “Medicare for all.”

These political shifts come shortly after the US Supreme Court struck down Trump’s previous order denying birthright citizenship to children of non-citizens, a right guaranteed since the 14th Amendment’s ratification in 1868.

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