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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche scraps President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. Will the two Republican senators who insisted on it now allow his nomination to move forward?
Plus, Trump says U.S. strikes on Iran are on hold again Monday morning, following Tehran’s request for a pause.
And Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno publicly calls on his former son-in-law, Rep. Max Miller, to leave Congress, bringing a bitter family dispute into one of the GOP’s most closely watched House races.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Aug. 3, 2026.
Unbiased Updates video will be available shortly.
Blanche scraps $1.8B fund, ending dispute over controversial settlement
Blanche broke a weeks-long standoff with Republican senators by scrapping a controversial part of Trump’s settlement with the IRS.
Blanche announced Sunday night that he has formally rescinded Trump’s proposed $1.8 billion “Anti-weaponization fund,” just two days before the Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on his nomination to become attorney general.
The move follows a political stalemate with Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn, who had refused to advance Blanche’s nomination until the fund was officially removed in writing.
The fund was part of a settlement resolving Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department. It would have paid people who claimed they were politically targeted by the federal government during the Biden administration.
Blanche also revised another part of the settlement, making clear that its protections apply only to IRS matters that were already open when the agreement was signed, and do not shield future tax returns or audits.
Iran denies US talks despite Trump saying a deal is taking shape
After Trump said the U.S. and Iran would hold new talks Monday, Tehran is pushing back, saying there are no direct negotiations with Washington underway.
In his weekly news conference early Monday morning, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said, “We are not negotiating with the United States at this time.”
He said Iran is holding talks with Oman about the Strait of Hormuz but added that under “No circumstances” will the waterway return to its pre-war status.
That directly contradicts what Trump said Sunday night after announcing he had called off new strikes because he believes the two sides are closing in on what he called the “Perimeters of a deal,” including reopening shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
“I was asked to by Saudi Arabia, by UAE, by Qatar, and by Iran. We were all set to go, just about at this time right now, and it would have been a massive attack,” Trump said. “We were all set to go, but when the allies ask to call it off, you gotta sort of say, well, let’s see. And the reason they asked is, I think, there’s a deal. There’s a deal on Hormuz, and then there will be a deal on the nuclear, or you might call it the denuclearization of Iran.”
Meanwhile, CNN reported U.S. Central Command asked troops for “new creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran,” even as the White House said it is giving diplomacy more time.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a member of the Armed Services and Intelligence committees, said the administration has no clear strategy.
“Here’s a guy who got us into this without a strategic goal, without a plan, without a timeline,” Kelly said. “He’s got a secretary of defense that doesn’t know how to manage this war, who decided a good metric at the beginning was just to drop as many munitions as he could on as many targets, and now we’ve got a munitions shortage. Big surprise. So they’re flailing. They’re stuck. They’re responsible for this. And the president is the one that has to try to figure out a way out of this.”
Kelly also voiced concerns about the Pentagon’s request for $67 billion to fund the war.
Moreno turns on Miller, calling congressman unfit as GOP replacement deadline nears
A bitter family feud is now spilling into one of the country’s most watched House races as an Ohio Republican senator has turned on his former son-in-law, urging him to drop out of Congress just days before a key election deadline.
Sen. Bernie Moreno says Congressman Max Miller should not serve in the House of Representatives, alleging that Miller has carried out a pattern of abuse toward his daughter, Emily Moreno, and their young child.
Emily Moreno accuses Miller in court filings of domestic abuse, including pouring hot water on her, holding a gun to her head and injuring their daughter.
Miller has denied the allegations and has sued his ex-wife for defamation.
On Sunday, Miller livestreamed for 20 minutes, again denying the allegations.
“Every single one of these allegations were already investigated, and I cooperated fully every single time because I had nothing to hide and I have nothing to hide now,” Miller said. “My former wife has struggled with significant mental health challenges… I’m not raising that to embarrass her or to attack her; she’s the mother of my daughter, and I sincerely hope she receives every bit of care and support that she needs.”
Sen. Moreno responded just minutes later.
“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them,” He wrote on X. “He should not serve in the House of Representatives. I believe Max Miller needs to seek professional help.”
Miller then fired back, saying if Moreno believed his daughter’s claims, he would not have waited two years to speak out, adding, “This is all political.”
Attention now turns to Wednesday: the deadline for Ohio republicans to trigger a special election to replace Miller on the ballot if he steps aside.
So far, though, Miller insists he’s staying in the race.
FBI seeks additional video from deadly In-N-Out attack
A new cell phone video has given investigators their clearest look yet at the moments before a deadly shooting outside an Idaho In-N-Out Burger, as authorities continue to piece together why it happened. The video appears to show 24-year-old Chad Williams opening the trunk of his car, removing a long gun and walking toward the crowded restaurant before police say he opened fire.
Three people were killed, including an In-N-Out employee, and seven others were wounded outside the new restaurant in Twin Falls. Police said Williams later died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigators believe he acted alone, but they’re still trying to determine a motive.
Police also credit an off-duty Idaho state trooper and an armed citizen with engaging the shooter, saying their actions likely prevented even more people from being killed.
Five victims remain hospitalized, including two in critical condition.
The FBI is now asking anyone who recorded the shooting or its aftermath to turn over photos, video or audio as the investigation continues.
Spokane fires spread, more than 5,000 homes remain under evacuation orders
Firefighters in eastern Washington face another difficult day ahead, with thousands still out of their homes and little sign the threat is easing. More than 5,000 homes remain under evacuation orders after fast-moving wildfires destroyed about 600 homes, businesses and other buildings around Spokane.
Roaring flames have burned more than eight square miles, and as of Monday morning, firefighters had not contained the largest inferno.
No fatalities have been reported; however, officials said gusty winds, dry conditions and steep terrain continue to fuel the fires. Several fires have merged into a complex, making it challenging for crews to control the rapidly spreading flames.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson has declared a state of emergency, while FEMA has approved federal funding to help battle several of the fires.
Looking ahead, forecasters say the region will remain hot and dry through much of the week, with red flag warnings still in effect for parts of eastern Washington as the fire emergency grows and appears to be worsening by the hour.
Surf’s up: Canines hit the waves at World Dog Surfing Championships to support animal charities
The 10th annual World Dog Surfing Championships took over the beach in Pacifica, California, over the weekend, as pups donned surfboards, life jackets, goggles and plenty of attitude before hitting the waves.
Judges scored the canine surfers on their ride, including how long they stayed on the board, their confidence and the waves they handled.
The event also featured pet adoptions and raised money for local animal charities.
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ICE targeted a white van in Houston. Data shows 1,600 in the neighborhood: Exclusive
HOUSTON — The city of Houston is just thinking about waking up at the top of the 6 a.m. hour on this Tuesday morning in July. But on Canal Street, one of the key east-west arteries zipping through the heart of the historic, hard-working East End, the day has already begun.
Pickup trucks blaze by, their tail winds spawning a pre-dawn breeze that flutters the foil balloons and Mexican flags tethered to a utility pole in front of the site where, exactly two weeks earlier — in the 6 a.m. hour on a Tuesday — Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. Some of the vehicles slow in respect, drivers’ eyes taking in the rows of prayer candles that flickered through the night, as they make their morning commute on what will be another heat-emergency day.