Todd Blanche reaches deal with GOP holdouts and Ariana Grande steps back: Morning Rundown

Morning RundownTodd Blanche reaches deal with GOP holdouts and Ariana Grande steps back: Morning RundownPlus, wildfires rage in Washington state and Iran denies a Trump claim that new talks will start today.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Ariana Grande at the 16th Governors Awards in Los Angeles last November.JC Olivera / WWD via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleAug. 3, 2026, 7:01 AM EDTBy Kayla HayempourTrump’s attorney general pick scraps an “anti-weaponization” fund in a deal with holdout senators. Iran denies a Trump claim that new talks will start today after he called off attacks. And wildfires in Washington state burn 250,000 acres.Here’s what to know today.Todd Blanche reaches deal with holdout senators to scrap ‘anti-weaponization’ fundTodd Blanche attends a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be attorney general in Washington, D.C., on July 15.Nathan Posner / Anadolu via Getty Images fileTodd Blanche announced last night that he had reached a deal with the GOP senators blocking his nomination for attorney general, issuing an order “officially” rescinding the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund.“This order establishes, beyond any doubt, that there is no fund,” the order read. This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.The fund was part of a settlement agreement that stemmed from a lawsuit President Donald Trump filed against the IRS, which also shielded the Trump family from tax audits. Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis said their support for Blanche hinged on the administration’s rescinding of it.Blanche had testified before Congress that the fund was dead, but the president threatened Saturday to “push hard” to revive it.The Senate Judiciary Committee votes on Blanche’s nomination tomorrow.Read the full story here.More politics news:Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno said that his former son-in-law Rep. Max Miller should not serve in Congress foll...