Capitol Hill Rundown: Trump-crypto talks, defense spending wrangling, and high-stakes confirmations

A busy Capitol Hill day features senators briefing President Trump on a sweeping crypto-regulation bill (the Clarity Act) amid debates over an ethics provision, as lawmakers push to finish before the August recess. At Camp David, House GOP leaders plot a slimmed-down $95 billion defense/spending package to unlock reconciliation despite Trump’s call for about $1.5 trillion in defense funding. Confirmation hearings unfold for Todd Blanche (Attorney General nominee) and Erica Schwartz (CDC nominee), with Epstein-related questions shaping the scrutiny, while Democrats press Jay Clayton over journalists’ subpoenas and Republicans weigh a stricter stock-trading crackdown and a contentious Israel aid amendment. The day clips together high-stakes policy battles across crypto regulation, defense spending, judiciary appointments, and oversight examinations.