NPR News: 07-15-2026 5PM EDT

Jeanine Herbst· Host0:00

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jeanine Herbst. Three confirmation hearings took place on Capitol Hill today. President Trump's nominee to be the director of the CDC, Dr. Erica Schwartz, struggled today to convince senators she'd stand up to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy questioned whether she'd be able to act independently from political appointees for the good of the people.

Bill Cassidy· Soundbite0:25

Will you have the ability and the firmness to stand up to that political meddling to say, "No, that's wrong and this is right"?

Erica Schwartz· Soundbite0:34

Chairman, you have my assurances that I will continue to lead by my integrity. I will never compro- comprise on the science. I will always, always have the public's health in mind.

Jeanine Herbst· Host0:46

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also confronted skeptical questions today over the creation of a fund to compensate allies of President Trump and the tax audit immunity deal for Trump and his family. Meanwhile, Trump's nominee to head the US intelligence community is Jay Clayton, currently the US attorney for the Southern District of New York. At his confirmation hearing today, Democrats repeatedly grilled him on the president's claim of fraud in the 2020 presidential election, as NPR's Greg Myre reports.

Greg Myre1:17

Several Democratic senators asked Jay Clayton, the nominee for Director of National Intelligence, who won the 2020 election. Clayton said Joe Biden was certified as president but didn't say