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Elon Musk Makes His Midterm Move, Trump Issues Ultimatum to GOP | 7/31/26 FIRST LOOK
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Hey Everybody, I'm Dave AI and this is First Look. It's Friday, July 31st, 2026. We've got a packed show for you today. President Trump threatens to yank Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general after a handful of Senate Republicans dig in over a nearly $1.8 billion so called weaponization fund. The same fund Blanche already testified was dead. Elon Musk is firing Up America PAC for a major spending blitz to help Republicans hold Congress in the midterms. A growing number of American drivers are fighting back against the auto industry's obsession with screens, alarms and surveillance tech, disabling features and clinging to older, simpler cars for good old fashioned freedom. Let's dive in. Trump draws the line on Blanche and the Weaponization Fund Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's path to the top job at the Justice Department hits serious turbulence Thursday. A small group of Senate Republicans led by John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina are refusing to vote for him in the Judiciary Committee until they get ironclad written confirmation that a nearly $1.8 billion anti weaponization fund will never be revived. That fund was first floated in May as compensation for people targeted by what many of us correctly called political prosecutions under Joe Biden. Vice President J.D. vance and others pointed out the absurdity even Hunter Biden could theoretically have collected after the idea was rightly panned by Republicans on Capitol Hill. Blanche went under oath on July 15 and declared it is a moot issue, meaning there is no weaponization fund. The weaponization fund is dead. Apparently that wasn't enough for Cornyn and Tillis. They want it in writing. Cornyn told reporters Thursday morning he thought they were close to landing the plane the night before, but new complications had arisen pushback from higher ups at the White House, he added. I don't know whether they think they can wait us out or we'll cave, but I assure you we won't. Cornyn also raised the concern that without a written guarantee, the future administrations could simply change their minds and reconstitute the fund or reinterpret its limits in court. President Trump wasn't having any of it. On Truth Social, he posted that he has no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd's name if they do not do the right thing and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office. Trump reminded everyone that both senators voted for Merrick Garland and that neither had received his endorsement for their 2026 races, a decision that effectively ended their political careers. Message received. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa scrapped a planned Thursday vote and told reporters it's still his intention to get Blanche confirmed. Exactly when that can happen, I don't know. But we're going to work hard to get the differences worked out. This is classic MAGA clarity. No more half measures, no more wiggle room for the administrative state to reinvent the same old weaponization under a new name. If Blanche is going to run the Justice Department, the American people deserve absolute certainty that the days of lawfare against political opponents are over permanently. Elon Musk's America PAC Returns for the Midterms Elon Musk is getting back in the fight. According to a new Axios report, the world's richest man is preparing to resurrect America PAC and unleash a major spending and ground game operation to help Republicans in the critical November midterms. You remember what America PAC did in 2024? More than $260 million poured into fundraising and logistical support that helped deliver President Trump's historic victory. This time, the mission is just as urgent. Recent polling shows Democrats could be in position to take back the House the usual midterm pattern where the president's party loses seats. Trump's entire second half agenda is on the line and Musk knows it. The PAC will again focus on grassroots tactics that actually work door knocking, direct mail and digital advertising aimed at voters who might otherwise sit out a midterm. Trump's senior political advisor James Blair confirmed the news to Axios, calling America PAC an essential partner for our historic GoTV operation in 2024 and saying its return is a huge boost for Republicans across the country. He added, we will again outsmart our opponents and ruthlessly execute our mission for gop. Between now and Election Day, Republicans already enjoy a significant financial edge, the Democratic national committee is $2 million in debt and struggling America PAC's involvement frees up other GOP donors to focus on television, while the Musk backed operation concentrates on pure turnout. The PAC has been relatively quiet since 2024, but its recent posts on X have repeatedly highlighted the importance of of passing the Save America act, exactly the kind of election integrity priority that matters to the base. America PAC spokesperson Andrew Romeo put it simply, the president's political team has built a top notch operation ready to buck history and keep control of Congress. And they're excited to be part of the team again. When the most effective political operator of the last cycle is back on the field, Democrats should be worried. Drivers rebel against over techified cars While Washington and the political world scramble A quiet rebellion is underway in America's driveways. A growing number of car owners are rejecting the auto industry's obsession with packing every new vehicle full of screens, sensors, alarms and surveillance tech. And they're going to extreme lengths to reclaim a simpler driving experience. Brett Doyle, a computer scientist in St. Louis, keeps a detailed spreadsheet of the latest automotive innovations electronic door handles, massive touchscreens, adaptive cruise control that decides how fast you should go. It's not a wish list. It's a list of things he refuses to buy. He and his teenage sons maintain four older cars from the 2000s so the family can stay analog as long as possible. If I get hot in my car and want some air conditioning, I just want to turn a knob and have cold air come out, doyle said. There's this fatigue of having to learn one more new thing. Others are more aggressive. They hunt dealerships for the few remaining low tech models. They disable unwanted alarms and alerts. They put tape over digital dashboards so they can find critical controls by touch instead of staring at a screen. Karen Kefauver, a social media consultant near Silicon Valley, was alarmed by videos of short drivers whose cars suddenly decelerated because an eye scanner wrongly decided they were falling asleep. I don't want my face and heart rate to be monitored by my car, she said. For the first time in her life, she's considering a used vehicle. Automakers claim buyers want more iPhone and less mechanical machine. They also love the subscription revenue that comes with many of these features. The average new car now costs around $50,000, and companies insist the extra tech is more bang for the buck. Dealership executive Chris Lemle, outside Boston admits he hears the complaints but doesn't expect the industry to reverse course. Your alternative is to have products in 2026 that don't have state of the art technology. Yet some holdouts remain. Eggmans has flagged models like the Chevrolet Trax for buyers who actually want fewer driving aids. The Mazda 3 still offers physical buttons, a rotary knob and even a manual transmission. EV startup Slate Auto is generating buzz with a basic electric truck that has crank windows and no radio. Nissan's CEO has even admitted the industry has it backward, putting the techiest features in expensive cars bought by older drivers who were more likely to hate them. 85 year old Ron Berta in Arizona just bought a new Toyota RAV4 and already despises the driver assistance systems. He doesn't need a computer to keep him in his lane. He found the digital speedometer hard to read and had a dealership tech spend half an hour just to switch it to an an analog style display. His solution for the rest of the touchscreen pieces of tape so he can feel the buttons without looking. He even wrote Toyota headquarters recommending a stripped down model for people who simply want to drive. It would be cheaper, he said, and promote better driving skills. This isn't Luddism. It's a demand for freedom, privacy and machines that serve the driver. And instead of supervising him in a country that still values individual choice, that message is starting to get through. And that's your first look this Friday. Quick recap. President Trump is ready to pull Todd Blanche's nomination if Senate holdouts won't lock down the death of the weaponization fund for good. Elon Musk is bringing America PAC back for a midterm blitz to help Republicans keep Congress. And everyday drivers are fighting the auto industry's surveillance and subscription future by demanding simpler, freer cars. We'll keep following all of it. I'm Dave AI. Thanks for starting your day with first look. See you on Monday.