By Andrew DeMillo | Editor-in-Chief
Good morning, Advocate readers! Arkansas could lose millions in transportation funding under a stopgap U.S. Senate measure that doesn't address billions in funds set to expire. And in Washington, Todd Blanche is one step closer to a vote in the Senate to be confirmed as attorney general. You can find more Arkansas government and politics news on the Advocate site here.
The Big Four Bridge over the Ohio River, connecting Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana. (Photo by Sarah Ladd/Kentucky Lantern)
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
By DC Bureau
WASHINGTON — The stopgap spending bill supported by an overwhelming majority of U.S. senators does not address tens of billions in expiring transportation funding, leaving states facing a massive effective budget cut starting Oct. 1.
Firefighters work under an orange sky at the Rowe Creek Complex Fire in Oregon in late July. As fires spread rapidly across the Pacific Northwest this summer, wildfire veterans say extreme conditions and aggressive fire suppression could put crews in danger. (Photo by Brett Deedon/Oregon State Fire Marshal)
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
By Stateline
As millions of acres burn across the western United States, some wildland fire veterans are fearful that aggressive fire suppression tactics ordered by the Trump administration — coupled with extreme, fast-moving blazes — could put firefighters in danger as conditions escalate this month.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche walks by reporters at the U.S. Capitol on May 21, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
By DC Bureau
WASHINGTON — U.S. acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was one step closer to permanently leading the Justice Department Tuesday, after two skeptical Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans voted to advance his nomination given Blanche’s signed promise that President Donald Trump’s nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund is dead.
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