Trump All But Tanks His AG Nominee’s Confirmation In Rant Against John CornynPresident Donald Trump may have just ended his attorney general nominee’s chances at Senate confirmation, signaling he’s not willing to drop his $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund to give payouts to Jan. 6, 2021, rioters — a dealbreaker for two GOP senators currently opposed to confirming Todd Blanche.“Perhaps there has never been a group of people treated so badly in our Nation’s history. They are suffering still, many ruined, and I felt that they should be given compensation for what has been done to them,” Trump said in a Friday rant on social media. “I will always feel that these victims of government abuse should be paid back for what they were forced to endure, their lives have been ruined!”GOP Sens. John Cornyn (Texas) and Thom Tillis (N.C.) are refusing to support Blanche’s nomination in the Senate Judiciary Committee without changes to a blatantly corrupt IRS legal settlement Trump got this year, including the demand that Trump drop this fund. Without their votes, the attorney general nominee can’t advance.Blanche has been working with them to reach a deal, and both senators had signaled progress was being made, but the president keeps blowing their talks, a sign he’s willing to sacrifice his own handpicked nominee in order to preserve his crooked settlement.In his rant, Trump ripped Cornyn for trying to shut down his slush fund: “Millions of people agree with me, as was proven in my landslide Presidential win, where this was a major subject of debate, and so did John Cornyn, until he lost his Election to an opponent that I Endorsed.”Cornyn told reporters Thursday that he thought he had reached a deal with Blanche on Wednesday night — until the president learned about it, and killed it.“As far as Blanche and the Department of Justice, we were pretty much on the same page,” the senator said. “But then, when the president got wind of it,” it was off.If Blanche isn’t confirmed, it’s more of a political loss for Trump than an operational change at the Justice Department. Blanche is currently the acting attorney general, and was previously confirmed by the Senate as deputy attorney general, meaning he can essentially carry on with the same authority he’d have if he were formally confirmed.Latest Live UpdatesFIFA Officer Says Infantino ‘Deceived’ Staff With World Cup Sell-Off PlanFIFA’s chief operating officer Kevin Lamour told The Associated Press that FIFA President Gianni Infantino “deceived” his staff with plans to sell off the World Cup to private investors and that the sale must “not go ahead.”“It is the project of one person,” he said in a statement. “Not only must this project not go ahead … but the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.”Lamour, who joined FIFA in 2024, said he had a duty to his colleagues to speak out against Infantino’s private investor scheme, even if it gets him fired.“And if that means I lose my job, then so be it,” he said. “I will understand and respect that decision. At least I’ll sleep well tonight.”Oprah Winfrey To Close South Africa School For Girls After 20 YearsOprah Winfrey said she will close her South African school for underprivileged girls and transfer the facility to local officials as part of an agreement dating back to the school’s 2007 opening.The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls will close at the end of the 2027 academic year and the residential campus will be returned to South Africa’s Gauteng Department of Education “in accordance with the original partnership agreement,” her academy announced Wednesday.With this move, the billionaire media mogul and philanthropist will transition to an expanded scholarship program for girls across South Africa, she said.“The dream was never simply to build a school,” Winfrey said in a statement. “It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women. That mission doesn’t end with one campus. It continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education.”Republicans Don't Think Steep Food Stamp Cuts Will Hurt Them In The MidtermsRepublicans are arguing the elimination of food benefits for more than 4 million people, including up to 1.5 million children, won’t hurt them in November, downplaying the decline as a positive outcome of the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” the party nearly unanimously passed into law last year. The legislation imposed new “work requirements” and shifted costs onto states, leading to an unprecedented enrollment drop, with more than 4 million fewer individuals and 2 million fewer households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, according to the latest federal data. As of April, 37 million Americans in 20 million households still received benefits. Read more here:Howard University Reinstates 200 Incoming StudentsHoward University reenrolled 200 of its roughly 500 students who had been suddenly dropped from courses, its interim president said.In an interview with The Washington Post on Wednesday, Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick defended the historically Black college’s decision to unenroll about 20% of its incoming freshman class just weeks before the fall semester begins.“The university didn’t make a mistake,” Frederick told The Post.According to the university, students who were dropped from enrollment last week had failed to meet payment or financial aid reporting deadlines, despite many students citing miscommunication or confusing emails from advisers.Read more at The Washington Post.Fed Warns Of 'Significant Increase' In Cyber Attacks On Local Water SystemsThe federal government is warning of “a significant increase” in cyber attacks on local water systems, which, according to several news outlets, are being investigated as potentially linked to Iran.The federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) advised water facilities on Thursday to strengthen online security protections after hackers changed passwords to lock out operators and disconnected controls by changing IP addresses. “This activity has resulted in boil water notices and sustained manual operations,” the CISA said.The warning follows a cyberattack earlier this week on more than 30 municipal water systems in Minnesota, the state’s IT services agency said. Federal officials are looking into whether Iran, or hackers associated with the country, is behind the attacks, ABC News, The Washington Post, and The New York Times reported citing U.S. and state officials.Betting Site Kalshi Sued By New York For ‘Running Illegal Gambling Operation’New York’s governor and attorney general said they’ve filed a lawsuit against the betting site Kalshi, accusing it of illegally operating as an unlicensed gambling operation that exposes New Yorkers “to serious personal and financial risk.”The online prediction market, which allows users to bet on everything from sports and politics to the climate, has not obtained a license from the state’s Gaming Commission. It also allows users under the state’s legal gambling age of 21 to place bets, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James said in a press release.The lawsuit calls for the company to forfeit all illegal gains, distribute restitution to any harmed consumers, and pay fines equal to three times the gains the company made through its illegal actions.“Kalshi has chosen to ignore New York’s gaming laws, which exist to protect consumers, prevent problematic gambling, deliver funding for critical public services, and ensure that every company plays by the same rules,” said Hochul.A spokesperson for Kalshi called the legal action “political theater” in a statement to CNN.The company said, “States can’t just shut down a federally licensed exchange. This would also just hurt New Yorkers, who would be driven offshore. We love New York, we love New Yorkers, and New Yorkers love our product.”Talarico Holds Narrow Lead Over Paxton As Texas Senate Race Tightens, New Fox News Poll ShowsA new Fox News poll shows Texas Democratic state Rep. James Talarico leading Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the race for Texas’ open U.S. Senate seat, 51% vs. 48%, mirroring a broader trend of polling this month that signals character concerns and a struggle to unify the GOP. The poll, conducted July 23-27 under the joint direction of Democratic firm Beacon Research and Republican firm Shaw & Company Research, includes a sample of 1,006 Texas registered voters randomly selected from a statewide voter file.Among the issues most important to their vote were inflation at 37%, followed by immigration and border security at 18%, and healthcare at 11%.But the race is still widely viewed as one of the most competitive Senate races for the November midterm elections.A Texas Public Opinion Research survey released this week found Talarico leading by an even wider 5-point margin, 45% to 40%, marking his largest lead of the general election cycle in any public poll. A New York Times/Siena poll from late June indicated the race essentially tied at the time, 47% to 47%. Zelenskyy Asks Trump To Intervene For Kyiv To Get Help From Musk: ReportDuring his sit-down with Donald Trump in the Oval Office earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked his U.S. counterpart to urge SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to allow Ukraine to use its Starlink satellites for drone strikes inside Russia, The Atlantic reported.For now, Musk has only allowed Ukrainians to use Starlink within their country, including on territories that Russia currently occupies, but has blocked them from using it inside the neighboring country. Zelenskyy wants to change that to enable his country to effectively target ballistic-missile launchers inside Russia, the report explains.While Trump said he would consider Zelenskyy’s request and speak to Musk, he did not make any commitments, the outlet said.Zelenskyy had also requested a meeting with Musk during his time in Washington this week but the tech billionaire turned down the opportunity, the report said.Read more at The Atlantic:Infantino Adviser Resigns Over FIFA World Cup ProposalCarlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to FIFA President Gianni Infantino resigned on Friday, citing his disagreement with a controversial proposal to bring private investment into the World Cup.“I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,” Carlos Cordeiro said in a lengthy statement. “Let me be clear: I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally. It is a bad deal for FIFA’s Member Associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game.”Cordeiro argued that FIFA already has vast financial resources, while also calling out the lack of transparency over the plan.“Why this deal? Why now? What oversight exists? Who benefits? Was there a competitive process? What governance will be in place? What will investors ultimately gain, and at what cost to football? These questions remain largely unanswered, and yet Member Associations are being asked to make a decision of enormous consequence in barely 50 days or risk being left behind,” he said. “That is not a responsible way to determine the future of the world’s game.”“FIFA’s responsibility is not to maximize commercial returns at any cost. It is to protect and strengthen football for future generations. When those principles come into conflict, football must come first,” Cordeiro continued.Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs executive and ex-U.S. Soccer Federation president, also served on the White House World Cup Task Force.Defiant FIFA Doubles Down On Controversial World Cup PlanFIFA said on Friday it would push ahead with consultations on a plan to bring private investment into the World Cup despite European football threatening a boycott and other regional confederations rebuking the global soccer body’s plans.Switzerland-based FIFA said “incorrect media reports” this week had disrupted its planned consultation process but that it would press on with putting the controversial proposal in front of its 211 national football member associations.Read more at Reuters:See All Updates