USA TODAY is reporting that President Donald Trump indicated Thursday he may temporarily withdraw his nomination of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. It said Trump is responding to opposition from Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who are set to leave Congress in January. Blanche's confirmation process has faced difficulties due to objections regarding his handling of a settlement in Trump's lawsuit against the IRS. USA TODAY said Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin believes other Republican senators share Cornyn and Tillis' concerns but have been hesitant to voice them.
The newspaper also reported that President Trump stated a deal had been reached for peace in Gaza, which included a phased disarmament by Hamas. However, a Hamas official described the agreement as a draft, and Israel remained skeptical.
In other news, USA TODAY said Colin Gray, 55, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for providing the gun used by his 16-year-old son, Colt Gray, in a 2024 Georgia high school shooting that killed four people. This sentencing occurred days after Colt Gray received a life sentence.
Additionally, USA TODAY reported that Haitian residents in Springfield, Ohio, began receiving letters this week from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ordering them to report to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A separate report noted that a policy change could direct asylum seekers toward deportation.
USA TODAY also highlighted a statement from Indiana coach Curt Cignetti at the Big Ten Conference, where he asserted the Big Ten is the best league in football, putting the Southeastern Conference on notice without directly naming it. Cignetti said the Midwest believes everything is "earned, not given."