‘Between Perfection and Mr. Blanche’

Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for Aug. 7, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

Todd Blanche won last-minute support from retiring Sen. Bill Cassidy, who gave a morning floor speech before an eventual confirmation vote, which has not yet been scheduled.

• “Mr. Blanche is not perfect,” the Louisiana Republican said, “but the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche. It is between Mr. Blanche and another acting attorney general who may not run the department effectively under President Trump.”

The Senate passed its sweeping Russia sanctions bill championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham in an 86-11 vote. The measure faces an uphill battle in the House.

• The chamber also cleared 74 additional nominations, including FEMA head Cameron Hamilton and TSA administrator David Cummins.

As of publication time, Senate leaders are still working on a deal to expedite passage of several pre-recess priorities, including a stopgap government funding bill and Blanche’s nomination. The Senate’s college sports bill has multiple GOP holdouts that could force it to slip into September.

• “As you all know around here, people start getting more real about their demands as the clock rolls on,” John Thune said.

THE ADMINISTRATION

Donald Trump’s administration plans to ask the Supreme Court to weigh in on his ballroom — which he calls a “Military Center” — after a federal appeals court demanded he cease construction this morning.

Trump nominated Danielle Thumann, currently senior counsel to FCC Chair Brendan Carr, to serve as an agency commissioner. The panel comprises two Republicans and one Democrat.

The White House sent Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook a letter, signed by deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, saying it was “considering” removing her from the position. SCOTUS’s June decision on her firing left an opening for Trump to revive his attempts.

The finance industry continues to hemorrhage jobs — and AI could be partly to blame, according to today’s Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Overall, the economy lost 23,000 jobs last month.

THE HILL

Retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Michigan) is already eyeing his next gig on the West Coast.

The White House sent a memo dispelling the notion that the Senate’s Protect College Sports Act could preempt state laws banning transgender women in women’s sports — an emerging GOP concern, Punchbowl reports.

THE STATES

The operator behind Trump-backed gas stations racked up nearly 200 penalties in New Jersey before Trump touted the network last month, Politico reports.

Maryland Republicans are suing after Democrats passed a ballot question concerning state redistricting earlier this week.

PRONOUNCED ‘AWE’

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kelly Poe and Erik Schutz. If you like it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please subscribe — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at finalnotus@notus.com.

Correction: Yesterday’s newsletter misstated which state Sen. Boozman serves. He is a senator from Arkansas.