Congress

How one moderate Democratic leader is bracing for Israel politics in the next Congress

Published

58 minutes ago

July 17, 2026

Rep. Brad Schneider, the leader of the House’s centrist New Democrat Coalition, is trying to understand how his party became so divided on Israel.

Earlier this week, over 100 House Democrats voted for a Republican-authored amendment to a State Department funding bill that would have cut Israel off from U.S. aid. That amendment failed amid near-unified GOP opposition, but progressives celebrated the Wednesday vote as a seismic victory, saying the break with Israel was born out of years of fury inside the Democratic base over Israel’s treatment of Palestine and, more recently, its handling of the war in Gaza.

In the aftermath, Schneider, a pro-Israel Illinois Democrat, said he is searching for an explanation for how a “hastily crafted, cynically introduced” legislative proposal to cut humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza generated support among his own peers, who have largely supported the longtime ally.

Yet even as hard-left candidates topple incumbents around the country, an Israel-critical bloc of House Democrats will be more powerful than ever next term — and Schneider insisted in a Thursday interview that his party can unite on the fractious issue.

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

On Democrats ultimately having similar goals: The goal in the Middle East in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to get security, stability, dignity and a holy peace for the people in Israel, in Gaza, the West Bank, in the whole Middle East. … What can we do that will advance peace? And what can we stop doing that has allowed the status quo? I think for many people, that was their intention in how they were voting.

How do we get to a place where members of Congress are sharing a common purpose and advancing peace for the region, recognizing Israel’s need for security as a Jewish, democratic state, recognizing Palestinian rights and their aspirations for sovereignty and a state of their own one day that’s living side by side in peace with Israel, not threatening Israel but providing a future for Palestinian children?

On Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries voting against the amendment, while Minority Whip Katherine Clark voted in favor — and members being left to make their own decisions: I don’t think you’ll see cynical amendments [in a Democratic majority]. I expect what you’ll see is us … working on advancing the interests of American voters. … I think to do that, we need to work together, and leadership has to be coordinated and speaking in one voice.

… Hakeem Jeffries has kept the Democrats united. We have been able to legislate from the minority … and where there’s times and differences, he’s allowed those to be reflected without festering or ultimately tearing apart the caucus. I think next year [if Democrats win the House] you’ll see that leadership take a step up to the next level. There’s a difference between being minority leader and majority speaker.

On whether Democrats can find consensus next term with the influx of hard-left new members: I suspect we will not get unanimity. … I think where Democrats almost universally come down is how do we make the world safer, more secure for Americans and for our allies around the world.

On whether Israel’s divisive prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has pushed Democrats leftward: Netanyahu is not popular. I’m not a fan personally myself. I think it’s more than just Netanyahu. … They have to address the settler violence in the West Bank. I will always be committed to Israel’s security and safety. I believe addressing settler violence is critical for that.

On more Democrats disavowing money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee: Members will do what they want. I’d like to see members doing more to advance peace rather than advancing their own personal careers.

Congress

Alan Dershowitz cancels on House Oversight ahead of planned Epstein interview

Published

28 minutes ago

July 17, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Alan Dershowitz, a professor emeritus at Harvard Law School who worked to craft the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s 2008 plea deal, will not appear before the House Oversight Committee for his scheduled transcribed interview Monday, according to two committee aides granted anonymity to speak candidly.

Lawyers for Dershowitz told the Oversight panel he would not show up as planned and the committee has reached out to Dershowitz’s team to put another meeting on the schedule, said one of the aides.

Dershowitz is a well-known criminal defense attorney who has represented high profile clients such as President Donald Trump and O.J. Simpson. Many have contended Dershowitz’s work to get Epstein the plea deal in Florida allowed him to continue victimizing young women and girls for years until his subsequent arrest and suicide in prison in 2019.

The Oversight Committee continues to interview people tied up in Epstein’s web as part of its ongoing investigation. Jes Staley, a former JPMorganChase and Barclays executive, is set to sit for an interview with the panel July 23. The committee is also scheduled to have billionaire investor Leon Black, the co-founder of Apollo Global Management, appear for a videotaped deposition Sept. 3 that will be conducted under oath.

Dershowitz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Congress

Darline Graham is considering running for her brother’s Senate seat in South Carolina

Published

1 hour ago

July 17, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Newly minted Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.) is considering running for her late brother’s old seat in the South Carolina special election, according to one person granted anonymity to discuss private conversations.

Graham was sworn in earlier this week to replace Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who died on Saturday. Her appointment, backed by President Donald Trump, was widely seen as a move to fill the seat with a caretaker who would leave Washington at the end of the term in January.

Graham’s interest in running for the seat was first reported by Semafor.

The filing window for candidates in the August 11 primary opens Tuesday. The field of candidates could include Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette; Reps. Russell Fry, Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman; businessman Mark Lynch; and former Gov. Mark Sanford, among others.

On Wednesday, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) hinted that Graham could join their ranks. “Darline has so far been off to a remarkable start,” Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told CBS News. “Why not her?”

A spokesperson for Graham did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The news of her interest in running for a full term came as a surprise to some prominent South Carolina Republicans. “My understanding is that she told Governor [Henry] McMaster that she would accept the appointment to fill the rest of the term, not to be a candidate for it,” said South Carolina Republican Party Chair Drew McKissick.

Congress

Parent advocates urge Senate panel to subpoena Zuckerberg, Google CEO

Published

2 hours ago

July 17, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

A coalition of parents whose children died or experienced mental health difficulties linked to tech platforms is urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to subpoena Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai to testify before the panel.

In a letter sent Friday to Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and ranking member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), advocacy groups Parents RISE and ParentsTogether Action argued that only the companies’ top executives can be held accountable for decisions they say contributed to children’s harm.

“Every time Mark Zuckerberg testifies in public, more parents understand what happened or what is happening with their own child,” the groups wrote. “Parents like us are done being told to wait.”

The appeal comes after the White House intervened in a bid to spare some of the CEOs from testifying, according to four people granted anonymity to discuss private negotiations. Grassley agreed to allow lower-level executives from the tech companies to appear before the panel, and in turn, the administration is supporting a package of child online safety bills known as the James T. Woods Act, the people added.

“Chairman Grassley remains committed to advancing lifesaving child safety legislation and holding Big Tech accountable,” a Senate Judiciary Committee spokesperson said in a statement.

“The top CEOs of each of these tech companies should be called to testify, just as they were when then-Chair Durbin held a similar hearing in 2024,” a Durbin spokesperson told Blue Light News. “Senator Durbin supports subpoenas for these tech CEOs.”

Meta declined to comment, and Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.

“As long as the men who made the decisions that killed our children are allowed to hide behind their lower-ranking employees,” the parents’ groups wrote, “there will be no real accountability — and we will see no real justice.”

The two groups will also lead a phone call drive today, demanding Grassley subpoena Zuckerberg and Pichai, according to Shelby Knox, ParentsTogether’s online safety campaign director.

Last week, the parents of James Woods — a 17-year-old Instagram user who died by suicide after being sexually extorted on the platform and after whom the package is named — condemned the White House intervention.

Grassley and Durbin have been working to advance the James T. Woods Act, seeking to attach it to the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act.