NPR News: 07-15-2026 1PM EDT

Speaker 10:00

This message comes from Capital One with the Venture X card. Earn unlimited double miles, a three hundred dollar annual Capital One travel credit, and access to airport lounges. Capital One. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. Details at capitalone.com.

Lakshmi Singh· Host0:15

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Senators are grilling Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche about his close ties to the president. NPR's Carrie Johnson reports Blanche once helped defend President Trump in several high-profile criminal cases.

Carrie Johnson0:35

Few senators question Todd Blanche's qualifications to lead the Justice Department. He served as a prosecutor in New York for years. But it's his work as a personal defense lawyer for President Trump that worries Democrats. They say Blanche lacks independence and is carrying out vendettas against the president's foes. Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, asked Blanche whether he was Trump's friend. The nominee replied, "I'm his lawyer," before quickly adding, "I was his lawyer." Blanche famously said in April that he loves the president and working for him was, quote, "the honor of a lifetime." Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.

Lakshmi Singh· Host1:19

Other Senate confirmation hearings are being held today for President Trump's nominees. Trump selected Jay Clayton to head the nation's intelligence agencies, and