- Trump issues ultimatum on Todd Blanche’s confirmation and anti-weaponisation fund
- Manhunt launched after suspect escapes custody van outside Liverpool court
- Death toll rises to 67 as 50,000 migrants enter Ceuta from Morocco
- European commission confirms majority of migrants return to Morocco
- Russia Launches Ballistic Missiles at Kyiv, Killing Nine Civilians
- Thousands of migrants surge into Spanish enclave Ceuta as crisis escalates
- AFC calls for transparency after FIFA drops investment plan for World Cup
- Taber’s Kraft Hockeyville-winning ice rink reopens following 2025 explosion
UK public borrowing exceeds official forecast in September
FT.com Tweet
Government borrowing overshot official projections in September, which is a sign of the difficult fiscal position that the Chancellor faces as she puts the finishing touches on her first tax and spending budget.
CITY AM Tweet
Get you up to speed: Trump poses ultimatum on Blanche, will push for “anti-weaponization fund” if AG not confirmed
President Trump issued an ultimatum to Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn regarding the confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general during an event on Saturday. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Blanche’s nomination on Tuesday, despite the ongoing disputes over the “anti-weaponization fund.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Todd Blanche’s nomination at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. While the “anti-weaponization fund” has been termed “dead,” legal proceedings are ongoing regarding its status and related lawsuits.
President Trump issued an ultimatum to Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn, requiring them to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general or he would revive his proposed “anti-weaponization fund.” In response, Tillis remarked that it is “unfortunate” Blanche’s confirmation is being hindered, and expressed hope for a resolution by Tuesday, ahead of the Senate’s upcoming summer recess.
What remains unclear — It is uncertain if the Senate Judiciary Committee will secure the necessary votes to confirm Todd Blanche before the summer recess.
Trump issues ultimatum on Todd Blanche’s confirmation and anti-weaponisation fund
President Trump delivered an ultimatum to Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn on Saturday, telling them to stop stalling on confirming Todd Blanche as attorney general or he would push again to make his “anti-weaponization fund” a reality.
Tillis and Cornyn have refused to vote for Blanche as the full-time attorney general unless it is put in writing that Mr. Trump will no longer pursue the “anti-weaponization fund,” a nearly $1.8 billion fund to pay people who claim they were politically persecuted, which was announced in May as part of a settlement to resolve Mr. Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department.
On Saturday morning, Mr. Trump not only said the “anti-weaponization fund” was off the table, but he would keep Blanche in the acting AG role and push to pass the fund if the two senators who oppose it don’t vote for Blanche.
“If Senators Cornyn and Tillis, both upset because I wouldn’t Endorse them (they lost, and quit, respectively!), aren’t going to approve Todd Blanche, one of the most respected professionals, according to everybody, in the Country, to be the United States Attorney General, then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G., and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill, which takes care of those who have been so badly treated by the Crooked Joe Biden (and Obuma!) Administration (I get nothing, although I was treated horribly!), PASSED,” the president wrote Saturday morning on Truth Social.
He added, “Todd Blanche was a voice of reason! It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done.”
Tillis responded to the ultimatum Saturday.
“Despite comments as late as yesterday that the fund is dead, President Trump clearly intends to resurrect the payout pot for punks either by inappropriately establishing another bogus fund or pushing Congress to vote for a bill that the majority of Republicans in the Senate would be against,” Tillis posted on X.
“It’s unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal. Hopefully, we can resolve this by Tuesday,” he added.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears at his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on July 15, 2026. Eric Lee / Getty Images 
Mr. Trump lamented the supposed end of the fund during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David on Saturday.
“Well, it is dead, but you know, I wish it weren’t,” Mr. Trump said. “To be honest with you, I think people were horribly treated, horribly abused … and I’d like to see them compensated for the the pain. They lost their families. They committed suicide.”
He continued, “People that were very successful that wanted to go to a rally or an event, and ended up spending the rest of their lives in horror. So, I mean, you can say what you want about the fund, and they’ve agreed to not have a fund. But there are a lot of people that are very upset about it.”
At his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Blanche reiterated the fund was “dead.” Cornyn noted the settlement states any changes to it must be agreed upon in writing by all parties involved.
“Has there been a written agreement of the parties to modify the settlement fund?” he asked.
“No, the settlement fund is just not moving forward,” Blanche responded. “There’s no modification. It never started. No money went from the Treasury to any other account.”
After delaying a vote last week on Blanche’s nomination due to Cornyn and Tillis, the Senate Judiciary Committee said Saturday it would now be voting this Tuesday at 9 a.m.
“Chairman Grassley wants Todd Blanche’s nomination to be successful,” the committee said in a statement announcing the vote. “Noticing the markup gives more time for the White House to secure the votes for the President’s nominee. Grassley would like to see Blanche confirmed before the August recess as he has an excellent record restoring law and order and keeping Americans safe.”
The “anti-weaponization fund” was temporarily blocked by a federal judge in May to allow her time to consider whether to grant longer-term relief for those suing about the fund, which included two plaintiffs represented by Democracy Forward.
“This is a victory for transparency, the rule of law, and the American people,” Democracy Forward CEO Skye Perryman said in a statement at the time. “No administration has the authority to spend public money through a political rewards program that Congress never authorized.”
The Justice Department would confirm in June through court filings that the fund was not going forward and thus the lawsuits should be rendered moot. Democrats, who’ve called it a “slush fund,” and many Republicans opposed the announcement by Mr. Trump, so it might be a tough road to approve the fund even if Cornyn and Tillis do not relent to the president’s ultimatum.
The Senate will go on its summer recess at the end of next week. It will not return until mid-September.
Caitlin Yilek
contributed to this report.
In:
Get you up to speed: Manhunt after suspect escaped prison van moments after it arrived outside court | News UK
Stephen Grzyb, 22, escaped from a custody van outside Liverpool magistrates’ court where he was due to face charges of domestic-related burglary. Merseyside Police are conducting extensive inquiries to locate him, and he was last seen on Red Cross Street heading towards The Strand.
A manhunt is under way following Stephen Grzyb’s escape from a GEOAmey custody van outside Liverpool magistrates’ court at approximately 10am. Extensive inquiries include patrols at the alleged victim’s home and ongoing CCTV investigations throughout the city centre.
Merseyside Police are actively searching for Stephen Grzyb, 22, who escaped from a custody van shortly before his scheduled court appearance, with Inspector Bethan Hannon urging the public to report any sightings to aid in his recapture. In addition to public appeals, officers are conducting extensive inquiries and patrols, particularly around the home of the alleged victim, as they work to locate him swiftly.
What remains unclear — Authorities have not disclosed whether there are security measures in place to prevent a similar escape in the future.
Manhunt launched after suspect escapes custody van outside Liverpool court
A manhunt is under way after a suspect escaped a custody van moments after it pulled up outside court.
Stephen Grzyb, 22, was due to appear at Liverpool magistrates’ court this morning charged with a domestic-related burglary.
Merseyside Police released a photo of him as part of an urgent appeal, saying: ‘He remains on the run.’
Grzyb, of Princess Drive, Liverpool, was last seen on Red Cross Street, heading in the direction of The Strand.
He is described as white, with short, dark hair and was last seen wearing a navy T-shirt and navy shorts.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Extensive inquiries are currently being taken by officers to locate him and patrols have also attended the home of the alleged victim in the case.
Inspector Bethan Hannon said: ‘We understand the concern this incident will cause, and it is vital the public can see Grzyb’s face so they can report any sightings and help us bring him back into custody as soon as possible.
‘If you have heard from him or know where he is, please do the right thing and come forward.
‘Assisting him in any way will bring police to your own door, so it is not an association worth keeping.
‘If you see Grzyb, please call 999 immediately.
‘We are carrying out extensive enquiries to find him with patrols on foot and CCTV enquiries being made right across the city centre so that we can return him to custody.’
Add as preferred source
Breaking News
Never miss the biggest stories with breaking news alerts in your inbox.
What to Watch
Amazon prime - TV & Netflix
What to Watch
Love Sports
- Readers Digest
Subscribe to Updates
Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

