The Evening Brief: Japan quake toll climbs to 18; US splits on Blanche's AG confirmation

Japan's earthquake toll climbed to at least 18 dead as rescue crews raced against time and heat in multiple collapsed structures. A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Kumamoto area in southwestern Kyushu on July 28-29, 2026, collapsing buildings and igniting a gas explosion at an Aeon Mall shopping center that killed three people, while a chimney collapse at a nearby paper factory killed five. The exact number of people still missing remains unclear, but rescue operations at two major sites continue with at least 62 people injured, including six in serious condition, according to the Kumamoto prefectural government.

In Washington, Republican senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis are blocking their party's attorney general nominee from a confirmation vote. Todd Blanche's confirmation is set for Senate Judiciary Committee action Thursday morning, but Cornyn and Tillis are withholding their votes pending written guarantees that the Trump administration will dissolve an $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund tied to a disputed tax settlement. Cornyn says no written proposal has been provided; Tillis says negotiations are ongoing. In a 51-49 Republican Senate, even a single GOP defection can doom a nomination, meaning Blanche's path to confirmation now hinges on whether the Trump administration delivers the written assurance Cornyn and Tillis have demanded.

Elsewhere, the Federal Reserve held interest rates at 3.5 to 3.75 percent on July 29, 2026, but a 9-3 vote marked rare public dissent: three officials, Beth M. Hammack, Neel Kashkari, and Lorie K. Logan, dissented in favor of a quarter-point rate increase. The Fed cited solid economic growth, strong productivity, and steady job gains, but noted that inflation remains elevated relative to its 2 percent target, partly due to supply shocks in energy sectors. The three dissents signal internal disagreement on inflation response as the economy navigates uncertainty from Middle East conflict and energy supply pressures.

In domestic violence cases, a federal judge blocked Minnesota's prediction market ban on July 28, ruling that federal commodity law preempts the state's authority to restrict platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket. U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez issued a preliminary injunction, finding that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and prediction platforms are likely to succeed in proving irreparable harm. Minnesota's ban was set to take effect August 1, and the ruling signals that similar bans in six other states face steep legal barriers. European wildfires continue to displace roughly 330,000 people across France and Spain. French authorities ordered 4,000 more evacuations from Atlantic coastal tourist sites on July 29, as the Gironde fire, which has burned an area four times the size of Paris, forced 220,000 evacuations alone. Interior Minister Laurent Núñez described the displacement as "very likely" Europe's largest civilian evacuation outside war.