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August 16, 2026

2 entries on this date.

Attorney General Blanche refused to pledge DOJ independence from White House, said Trump's views can factor into prosecutions

Attorney General Todd Blanche told NBC News's "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker on August 16, 2026, "No, I'm not going to pledge that" the Justice Department would always act independently of the White House, saying "no attorney general should ever pledge that." Asked whether he takes President Trump's views into consideration on individual prosecution decisions, Blanche said "Yes, of course," and called the idea that the president secretly directs specific prosecutions "an extraordinarily false narrative." The comments came in Blanche's first Sunday show appearance since his Senate confirmation as attorney general the prior week.

ICE detained Padres coach Oswaldo Pirela at El Paso airport; family says his 2014 asylum case is still pending

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Oswaldo Jose Pirela, a Venezuelan-born San Diego Padres minor-league catching coordinator, at El Paso International Airport at approximately 5 a.m. on August 16, 2026, while he was traveling for work. The Department of Homeland Security said Pirela's authorized stay expired in February 2018 and that he lacked legal immigration documentation when encountered; his family says he filed for asylum in 2014 and that the case has remained pending since. He remained in ICE custody as of August 18, 2026, pending removal proceedings.