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U.S. Senate confirms Florida’s Pam Bondi as U.S. attorney general • Florida Phoenix

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floridaphoenix.com – Ashley Murray – 2025-02-04 19:15:00

U.S. Senate confirms Florida’s Pam Bondi as U.S. attorney general

by Ashley Murray, Florida Phoenix
February 4, 2025

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Tuesday night confirmed Florida prosecutor Pam Bondi as the attorney general of the United States under President Donald Trump.

Senators voted 54-46 to install the former Florida attorney general at the top of the U.S. Justice Department, an agency Trump has in his crosshairs after federal prosecutions targeted his actions following his loss in the 2020 presidential election.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted in favor of Bondi’s confirmation.

Bondi easily gained the support of the Republican-led Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which put her on a glide path to confirmation. The panel split along party lines Wednesday to advance her to a full floor vote.

Grassley support

“I’m disappointed that none of my Democratic colleagues on the Judiciary Committee voted for Ms. Bondi, and I hope the full Senate takes a different approach,” Committee Chair Chuck Grassley of Iowa said on the floor Monday.

“If my colleagues won’t cross the aisle for this qualified nominee, they’ll show that they’re intent on opposing President Trump’s picks for purely partisan reasons,” Grassley said.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Tuesday that Americans have “lost faith” in the Justice Department.

“Pam Bondi has promised to get the department back to its core mission: prosecuting crime and protecting Americans from threats to their safety and their freedoms,” the South Dakota Republican said Tuesday afternoon on the floor, accusing the department of political bias under former President Joe Biden.

‘Real concern’ from Whitehouse

Democrats spoke out against Bondi ahead of the confirmation vote, highlighting Bondi’s indirect response to Democratic committee members’ questions over who won the 2020 election.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said Tuesday that Bondi’s responses during her confirmation hearing were cause for “real concern.”

“She said a lot of the right things about independence of the department and rule of law. What I couldn’t get over was how things changed when she got to a topic that would have been sensitive to Donald Trump, something that would have gotten Donald Trump all twitchy,” Whitehouse said on the floor.

“She couldn’t say obvious things, things like,’ Did President Biden win the 2020 election?’ That’s an easy answer, ‘Yes, he did, sir or ma’am.’ Super simple. When she can’t say that, that’s a sign,” Whitehouse continued.

The former president faced charges for scheming to overturn the 2020 election results and for hoarding classified documents in his Florida estate. The Justice Department dropped the cases after Trump won the election, citing a long-term policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents.

Trump’s interim U.S. attorney in Florida’s Southern District last week dropped the classified documents case against Trump’s two co-defendants.

Trump has fired a round of Justice Department officials who were involved in prosecuting him as well as those involved in prosecutions of those charged after the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

On his first night in office, Trump granted clemency to all of the nearly 1,600 defendants charged in the attack.

Last updated 9:03 p.m., Feb. 4, 2025

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.

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Judge limits a small part of a court order blocking Trump’s election overhaul as lawsuits continue

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www.clickorlando.com – Ali Swenson And Christina A. Cassidy, Associated Press – 2025-07-18 16:38:00

SUMMARY: A federal judge modified part of a preliminary injunction against President Trump’s election overhaul executive order. The adjustment restricts the block on assessing citizenship for voter registration forms to only 19 states that sued, not nationwide. However, this has limited practical impact since another judge blocked the mandate across all 50 states in a separate case. The change follows a Supreme Court ruling limiting nationwide injunctions. Other aspects of the initial injunction, including proof-of-citizenship and mail-in ballot rules, remain blocked. The Department of Justice continues to fight the lawsuits filed by Democratic state attorneys general and civil rights groups.

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Tomorrowland music festival opens after its main stage was destroyed by a huge fire

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www.news4jax.com – Ahmad Seir, Associated Press – 2025-07-18 10:17:00

SUMMARY: The Tomorrowland music festival in Belgium began Friday despite a massive fire that destroyed its main stage two days earlier. Workers rushed to clear debris, and the opening act, Australian electronic group Nervo, performed amid remnants of the charred structure. No injuries were reported, though the cause of the fire is under investigation. With 38,000 campers onsite, most attendees remained committed despite the setback. Festival spokesperson Debby Wilmsen emphasized unity and positive energy as key to the experience. Fans from Australia and Ukraine expressed relief and joy that the event continued, highlighting the festival’s vibrant atmosphere beyond individual performers.

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A Libyan accused of war crimes has been arrested in Germany, ICC says

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www.clickorlando.com – Mike Corder, Associated Press – 2025-07-18 04:31:00

SUMMARY: Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, a former senior official at Miriga Prison in Tripoli, Libya, has been arrested in Germany on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, torture, and sexual violence, allegedly committed between 2015 and 2020. The arrest was made on a sealed warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on July 10. El Hishri will remain in German custody pending transfer to The Hague. The ICC thanked German authorities and noted the case stems from a 2011 UN Security Council referral. The court has warrants for eight other Libyan suspects.

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