Murkowski Defies Trump Again on AG Nominee Amid Plummeting Alaska Approval Ratings
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the Alaska Republican long known for bucking her party and President Donald Trump, dealt another setback to the administration Friday by announcing she will vote against confirming Todd Blanche as attorney general.
The move comes as the senator faces abysmal approval numbers back home that raise serious questions about her political future in the 2028 cycle.
In a statement released early Friday, Murkowski said she had “numerous constructive meetings” with Blanche, Trump’s former personal defense attorney who has served as acting attorney general since April, and that she found him “decent and capable.”
Yet she declared she would oppose the nomination, citing what she called the “politicization—even weaponization—of the Department” that “has accelerated” under the Trump administration.
Murkowski specifically took issue with the Justice Department’s handling of the release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, sweeping immunity protections granted to the president, his family, and their businesses, and statements made to anti-abortion groups.
She also zeroed in on the Department’s nearly $2 billion “anti-weaponization” fund—derided by critics as a potential slush fund that could have rewarded January 6 protesters—arguing it is “only off the table because this nomination is pending and the Senate has leverage. Once we vote, that will end, and there is no telling what the future holds.”
“The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration,” Murkowski wrote.
“I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case,” Murkowski added.
The opposition leaves Blanche’s path to confirmation in jeopardy.
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, but Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky remains sidelined by health issues, and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine has already declared she will vote no.
All Democrats are expected to oppose the nominee, meaning another Republican defection—potentially from Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who remains undecided—could sink the nomination of the man Trump tapped to lead the Justice Department permanently after firing Pam Bondi.
Blanche, who previously served as deputy attorney general, has been a key figure in the administration’s efforts to reverse what conservatives widely view as the prior weaponization of federal law enforcement against Trump and his allies.
His confirmation had cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee 12-10 this week after he pledged to scrap the controversial fund, yet holdouts like Murkowski continue to prioritize institutional concerns over the president’s clear mandate.
This latest defiance fits a familiar pattern for the Alaska senator, who has repeatedly frustrated Republican voters by crossing party lines on high-stakes issues.
It also arrives against the backdrop of deeply troubling polling data that underscore how far she has drifted from the state’s conservative base.
The most recent detailed statewide survey from Alaska Survey Research, among 1,415 respondents, found just 31.3% of Alaskans approve of the job Murkowski is doing as U.S. senator, while 51.7% disapprove and 17% are unsure—a net rating of roughly -20.
Favorability numbers in the same poll were similarly weak: 12% very positive and 25.6% somewhat positive, against 22.8% somewhat negative and 32.8% very negative.
These figures mark a continuation of the steep decline first captured in Alaska Survey Research’s July 2025 tracking, which showed Murkowski at 33% positive and 60% negative, down sharply from a nearly even 47-44 split earlier that year.
Conservatives in particular have rated her negatively at consistently high rates for years.
Her 2022 reelection victory over Kelly Tshibaka relied on ranked-choice voting and outside support that drew a formal censure from the Alaska Republican Party against Mitch McConnell’s PAC.
With her Senate term running through 2028, the numbers suggest Murkowski enters the next cycle in a precarious position.
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Alaska’s independent-minded electorate has rewarded her brand of moderation in the past, but sustained disapproval above 50% and a collapsed progressive-moderate coalition that once buoyed her leave little room for error.
Analysts note that without recovering support among the very voters who have soured on her post-2024 shifts, a primary challenge or independent run could prove formidable in the Last Frontier’s unique electoral system.
White House officials called Murkowski’s decision “disappointing” while defending Blanche as “exceptionally qualified.”
BREAKING: Dolly Parton’s Cause Of Death Revealed: ‘Brief Battle’
Dolly Parton’s death came after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives revealed Tuesday.
The country music legend died Aug. 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. She was 80.
Parton had been admitted to the cancer center Friday, four days before her death. Her representatives confirmed the cancer diagnosis in a statement to PEOPLE but did not disclose what type she had.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement read.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.
The “Jolene” singer had also been dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues before her death, PEOPLE previously reported.
Just days earlier, Dolly Parton opened up about her declining health and acknowledged that she had put off addressing some medical issues while caring for her husband, Carl.
“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over [my husband] Carl. You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” Parton told PEOPLE.
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in an Instagram video Tuesday on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he says in the video.
Seaver, who served as Parton’s head of security for more than two decades, said she had asked him years earlier to deliver the announcement.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he continued. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
Seaver said the moment brought immense pride and heartbreak, but he took comfort in his faith that Parton had been reunited with Carl and other loved ones.
Seaver added: “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless othe
Shocking 'truth' behind Prince Harry's decision to quit major role
Prince Harry should have "resigned in disgrace" from the board of a controversial African wildlife charity, a commentator says. James Walker makes the bombshell remark in Wednesday's episode of this publication's podcast, Daily Expresso.
He and the show's host, JJ Anisiobi, delve into the Duke of Sussex's dramatic decision to step down from African Parks. James, commenting on the controversy, said: "When you hear about this stuff and how long it's been going on for, you should be resigning in disgrace. [Harry] should be saying: 'I'm not touching that with a barge pole. That is a failed entity. We're going nowhere near it'.
"But no. He's still saying he's going to 'support their mission'. And again this Caroline Pearce, executive director of Survival International, goes on to say: 'His departure doesn't undo that record'.
"She alleged that African Parks was aware of the abuses for years, but it was only after Survival complained to Harry that the charity finally commissioned an investigation."
James added: "Well, she's got a point."
It emerged on Monday (August 24) that Harry was no longer a board member of the wildlife charity.
The conservation organisation has admitted that human rights abuses were committed by its rangers against members of the semi-nomadic Baka group in Congo-Brazzaville.
African Parks has said since that it has improved its safeguarding processes both in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park and institutionally.
Its admission followed an independent human rights investigation into allegations guards managed and paid by the charity had beaten, raped and tortured indigenous people in Odzala-Kokoua National Park.
Harry was president of the charity for six years before he became a member of its board of directors in 2023.
A spokesman for the Duke said he remains an active and avid supporter of African Parks. He added: "The Duke is proud of his 10 years with African Parks and fully supports the ongoing strengthening of its board.
"His commitment to conservation in Africa continues and he remains a supporter of African Parks’ mission."
Human rights organisation, Survival International, said it had been calling on Harry to step down from African Parks for years.
The group's director, Caroline Pearce, said in a statement: "It’s outrageous that for 10 years Prince Harry has served African Parks while the organisation has been responsible for abuse and violence against Indigenous people.
"His departure doesn't undo that record — African Parks itself must now be held accountable, and must abandon this model of fortress conservation for good."
Survival International said indigenous peoples know how best to manage their land and the idea outsiders know better is racist and colonial.
