FIREWORKS IN DC - Senate Votes on Save Act Voter ID - It's Official Now
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Republican majority in the Senate rejected a GOP-led effort to attach key provisions of election integrity legislation sought by President Donald Trump to a measure funding agencies of the Department of Homeland Security during an early Thursday morning vote. The amendment failed by a vote of 48 to 50.
Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky joined all Democrats in opposing the attachment of a modified version of the SAVE America Act to the bill funding immigration enforcement. Their defection occurred during the Senate’s lengthy “vote-a-rama,” a period in which lawmakers can propose votes on a wide range of amendments regardless of alignment with the main budget plan.
The outcome highlighted warnings from several Republicans in recent weeks that the proposal lacked sufficient support within the GOP to pass. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota had initiated an oral filibuster to advance the measure with a simple majority of 50 votes. Nevertheless, Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana advocated for his version of the SAVE America Act and threatened to delay the process until Thursday.
Kennedy acknowledged that his approach might not align with the strict Senate rules governing the reconciliation process, known as the Byrd Rule, but argued that critics “can’t predict the future.” Had Kennedy’s proposal been adopted, it would have directed the Senate Rules Committee to draft legislation requiring voter ID for federal elections, limiting voting to Election Day, and mandating that ballots be counted within 36 hours. The plan also included a $10 billion cap for implementing those changes. The Senate Rules Committee, chaired by McConnell, would have been responsible for developing the legislation.
Collins previously said she supports the broader SAVE America Act but did not back this version of the proposal. Murkowski and Tillis also expressed opposition following the Republican-led push to advance the measure. Tillis and McConnell are both retiring after the midterm elections.
President Trump has consistently advocated for the passage of the SAVE America Act. Last month, he pledged not to sign any other bills until it is approved and stated that he would not accept a diluted version. Kennedy’s unsuccessful attempt occurred at a time when discussion surrounding the SAVE America Act had lost focus in the Senate in recent weeks. The Senate floor has been largely dominated by the GOP’s reconciliation gamble, efforts to reauthorize the nation’s contentious surveillance powers, and the ongoing war in Iran.
Nevertheless, Republican leadership currently has no plans to conclude its takeover of the floor. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson and McConnell have come out in support of Trump’s actions in Iran, even amid the president’s online statements threatening to practically wipe out Iran. McConnell, when asked about Trump’s comments, said he supports Trump’s efforts in Iran. “They’ve been at war with us for 47 years,” McConnell said. “They’ve killed Americans. They’ve killed Israelis. They’ve killed throughout the Middle East. They’re bad guys.” McConnell said he does not know how the conflict in Iran will end. However, he stated that the country’s capabilities have “significantly diminished.”
When Pope Leo XIV criticized the Iran war on Wednesday, Johnson used centuries-old Christian theological teachings to defend the Trump administration’s strikes against Tehran, calling them a “just war.”
The SAVE America Act would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections, strengthen voter identification rules, and expand federal involvement in maintaining voter rolls. Polling has consistently shown broad public support for such requirements across party lines. The failed amendment vote reflects ongoing partisan divisions over election procedures, immigration enforcement funding, and the use of the reconciliation process. The Senate continues to navigate multiple high-stakes deadlines, with lawmakers weighing national security, fiscal priorities, and electoral integrity measures as the midterm cycle approaches.
Further attempts to advance voter ID provisions or related election integrity measures may occur in subsequent legislative vehicles. The outcome of the vote-a-rama has drawn attention to internal Republican dynamics and the challenges of achieving consensus on contentious policy riders during budget negotiations. Both parties are expected to continue debating the balance between security, access, and administrative feasibility in federal elections.
Acting AG Blanche Fires Back at Obama’s DOJ Criticism
Acting AG Blanche Fires Back at Obama’s DOJ Criticism
Posted July 21, 2026
Former President Barack Obama sharply criticized the Trump administration this week over what he described as growing political influence inside the United States Department of Justice, prompting an aggressive response from Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defending both the administration’s prosecutions and President Donald Trump’s authority over the executive branch.
The escalating public dispute comes as the Justice Department faces mounting scrutiny over a series of criminal investigations and indictments involving several longtime Trump critics and political adversaries, including former FBI Director James Comey.
Obama raised the issue during an interview with Stephen Colbert on CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that aired Monday night.
“The White House shouldn’t be able to direct the attorney general to go around prosecuting whoever,” Obama said during the interview. “The idea is that the attorney general is the people’s lawyer. It’s not the president’s consigliere.”
Obama suggested the principle of DOJ independence may ultimately need to be codified into law by Congress, arguing that the justice system risks becoming politicized if presidents are perceived as directly targeting political opponents through federal prosecutions.
The comments immediately triggered pushback from the Trump administration.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson accused Obama of hypocrisy, arguing that his administration played a central role in the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation.
“Barack Hussein Obama is the king of weaponization,” Jackson said in a statement, referencing declassified documents related to the FBI’s Russia probe.
But the administration’s most extensive response came Wednesday from Blanche during an interview with CBS News in Phoenix.
Blanche forcefully rejected accusations that the DOJ is engaged in political retaliation and defended the president’s constitutional authority over the executive branch.
“Article Two says, ‘the executive power shall be vested in the President of the United States of America,’” Blanche said while holding a pocket copy of the Constitution during the interview. “It does not say that the Attorney General stands off to the side.”
Blanche emphasized that the attorney general serves within the executive branch and argued that presidents are fully entitled to direct priorities involving law enforcement, immigration, drugs, and national security.
“To the extent that President Trump calls me and says that he thinks we have a problem in this country, whether it’s the scourge of drugs, illegal immigration, every American wants him to do that,” Blanche said. “And he should.”
The acting attorney general also dismissed accusations that the DOJ is pursuing politically motivated cases against Trump critics.
“We are absolutely doing nothing but what we should be doing at the Department of Justice,” Blanche said. “I wake up with a very clean conscience every morning.”
The public clash comes amid multiple high-profile investigations involving Trump adversaries.
Most notably, Comey was recently indicted after prosecutors alleged a 2025 Instagram post featuring seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47” constituted a threat against Trump, the 47th president. Prosecutors argue “86” is commonly understood slang meaning “to eliminate” or “get rid of.”
Blanche defended the case, arguing threats against the president must be treated seriously given recent assassination attempts and escalating political extremism.
Last year, Trump publicly urged then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue prosecutions against Comey, James, and Sen. Adam Schiff, writing on social media that “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED.”
Blanche declined to discuss private conversations with Trump when asked whether the president personally directed prosecutions.
“But rest assured,” Blanche said, “he has much better, bigger and important things to do than to worry about me doing my job.”
Blanche also turned Democrats’ criticism back against them by pointing to the multiple criminal prosecutions Trump himself faced before returning to office, including cases brought by state prosecutors in New York and Georgia as well as federal investigations overseen by Special Counsel Jack Smith.
“So I welcome criticism. Let’s go,” Blanche said. “But if you’re sitting in a glass house, you ought not throw stones.”
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Posting as GuestTHE CAR DEALER MOCKED THE GREASE-COVERED BOY
PART ONE — THE BOY ON THE HOOD
“Kid, do you honestly think you know anything about cars?”
The question echoed through the most expensive showroom in Dallas.
Mason Caldwell leaned toward the grease-covered eleven-year-old sitting on the hood of a black supercar and laughed loudly enough for the customers to hear.
Eli Carter did not look like someone who belonged beneath the crystal lights of Caldwell Sterling Motors.
His blue mechanic’s coveralls were stained with oil. His sneakers were worn at the toes, and a dark streak of grease ran across one side of his face. His hands were small, but the calluses along his fingers came from real tools, not toys.
Mason looked entirely at home.
He wore a custom gray suit, polished Italian shoes, and a watch worth more than most of the vehicles parked outside. As director of the company’s flagship showroom, he had spent years perfecting the expression of a man who could decide whether another person deserved to remain in the room.
The car beneath Eli was called the Aegis X1.
Only one existed.
Its carbon-fiber body reflected the showroom lights like black glass. The electric performance system had been developed in secret, and the vehicle was expected to sell for more than two million dollars after its official unveiling.
Employees had been warned not to touch it without authorization.
Mason pointed toward the floor.
“Get off the car before your father spends the rest of his life paying for the fingerprints.”
Eli remained still.
“My father is dead.”
For half a second, several employees stopped smiling.
Mason’s expression barely changed.
“Then find whichever mechanic brought you inside.”
A few salespeople laughed nervously.
They did not find the joke funny.
They laughed because Mason noticed people who did not.
Eli looked around the showroom.
Customers stood near luxury sedans and limited-edition sports cars. Several had already raised their phones to record the confrontation.
Mason enjoyed the attention.
He stepped closer.
“You know what happens to people who touch things they cannot afford?”
Eli slowly removed one dirty glove.
He placed it on the Aegis’s hood.
“I know enough to understand that you’re about to have a very bad day.”
The laughter ended.
Mason’s face tightened.
“You have five seconds to get down.”
Eli reached into the pocket of his coveralls and removed a sleek black key fob.
It carried no manufacturer’s logo.
Only a small silver symbol shaped like a shield.
Mason recognized it immediately.
“That key doesn’t belong to you.”
Eli pressed the upper button.
The Aegis’s headlights came alive.
A second later, the vehicle’s electric system produced a deep synthetic growl that rolled through the showroom floor.
Mason stumbled backward.
A woman near the reception desk gasped.
The car had not yet been publicly activated.
Only four people were supposed to possess functioning authorization keys.
Mason grabbed Eli’s wrist.
“Where did you steal that?”
“Take your hand off him.”
The voice came from the showroom entrance.
An older man stood between the glass doors with two attorneys, the company’s chief engineer, and a pair of federal investigators behind him.
Henry Carter was seventy-one.
His silver hair was neatly combed, and he wore a dark blue suit without a tie. Age had bent his shoulders slightly, but nothing had weakened the authority in his voice.
Forty-two years earlier, Henry had built the first Carter performance engine inside a rented machine shop.
The company now employed more than six thousand people.
Mason released Eli immediately.
“Mr. Carter.”
Henry looked at the red handprint forming around his grandson’s wrist.
Then he looked at Mason.
“My grandson spent the morning helping our engineers inspect this prototype.”
Mason’s face lost color.
“Your grandson?”
Eli climbed down from the hood.
“My father designed the Aegis drive-control system before he died.”
Henry rested one hand on Eli’s shoulder.
“Lucas Carter also left his controlling shares to his son.”
Mason stared at the boy.
The child he had just humiliated owned a larger percentage of Carter Automotive than any current executive.
But Eli was not smiling because of the inheritance.
He opened the driver’s door and reached beneath the dashboard.
When he pulled his hand back, he was holding a recording device no larger than a pack of gum.
“I found this connected to the diagnostic port.”
Dr. Priya Shah, Carter Automotive’s chief engineer, stepped forward and examined it.
Her expression changed immediately.
“This is not a tracking unit.”
“What is it?” Henry asked.
“A data siphon. It has been copying prototype software every time the system powers on.”
Henry turned toward Mason.
“You told the board our design files were stolen through a foreign cyberattack.”
Mason’s mouth opened.
“I can explain.”
Eli pressed another button on the key fob.
The Aegis’s speakers activated.
Mason’s voice filled the showroom.
“Sell the software before the launch. Once Carter’s stock falls, Northstar purchases the company for nothing.”
Phones turned toward Mason.
A sales manager stepped away from him.
One of the federal investigators moved closer.
Mason lunged toward Eli.
The second investigator blocked him.
Henry did not raise his voice.
“You asked whether the boy knew anything about cars.”
He looked at the recording device.
“My grandson knew enough to discover what every adult in this showroom was too frightened to report.”
Mason’s confidence disappeared.
Then Eli climbed into the driver’s seat and opened the prototype’s diagnostic records.
A hidden file appeared on the central display.
It showed that Mason had not merely copied the vehicle’s software.
Someone had entered the Aegis control system the previous night and disabled the emergency braking response before a scheduled high-speed test.
The driver assigned to perform that test was listed at the bottom of the screen.
HENRY CARTER.
Henry stared at his name.
Eli looked up at his grandfather.
“He wasn’t only trying to steal the company.”
Then he turned toward Mason.
“He was trying to inherit it.”
One investigator reached for Mason’s arm.
Before he could place him in handcuffs, a woman’s voice cut across the showroom.
“No one is arresting anybody.”
Every employee became still.
Margaret Carter descended the curved staircase overlooking the showroom.
She was sixty-eight, elegant, and dressed in a cream-colored suit. A silver Carter emblem rested at her collar.
To the public, Margaret was the graceful wife who had stood beside Henry from the company’s earliest years.
Inside the corporation, she was vice chair of the board.
To Eli, she was Grandma Margaret.
She had attended every Christmas dinner, mailed birthday cards, and cried at Lucas’s funeral.
Now she held a second Aegis key fob in her hand.
Henry stared at her.
“Margaret, step away from the security controls.”
She looked at Eli instead.
“I warned Mason that the boy was too much like his father.”
Eli’s breathing stopped.
Margaret pressed the lower button.
Metal security shutters dropped across the showroom’s glass doors.
Every exit locked.
The crystal lights dimmed.
The Aegis display went black.
Customers began shouting.
Margaret’s eyes remained on her grandson.
“Lucas never knew when to stop asking questions either.”
