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 opposition follows Republican Senator Susan Collins’ declaration earlier in the week that she would vote against Blanche, leaving the former personal lawyer of Trump with a narrow margin for confirmation.

Blanche, currently serving as acting attorney general, secured support from Republican holdouts John Cornyn and Thom Tillis by pledging in writing that Trump's $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund was terminated and that a related tax-immunity agreement applied only to past tax returns. Both provisions originated from a settlement of Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS.

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

President Trump also signed an executive order on Thursday evening aiming to ensure the commercial viability of U.S. production of polysilicon and its derivatives, citing economic and national security needs.

These orders come five weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Trump’s previous executive order denying birthright citizenship to children of non-citizens, a right protected since the ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868.

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