The Final 5: July 15, 2026

Police to serve alcohol during organized social events without a traditional liquor license. The idea was inspired by residents who argue moving into senior living shouldn't mean giving up simple pleasures like sharing a drink with friends. New law takes effect in a couple of weeks. Supporters say it's all about preserving independence, dignity and making people happier. Hope you have a good night. The final high with Jim Locay starts now. And right now the final five harsh criticism for acting Attorney General Todd Blanch in the Senate. Yet another return to the question, who won the election in 2020 and who is tonight's world's best grandma? That's your final five. Let's do this. And welcome to the final five on this Wednesday night. Senate Judiciary members grilled acting Attorney General Todd Blanch as he looks to get the role permanently today. He'll need the support of every Republican in the Senate Judiciary Committee for his nomination to advance. He, of course, is the man who took over for Pam Bondi after she was fired earlier this year. But just like Bondi, a major point of contention has been the investigation into the Epstein files and the investigation surrounding them. His response. What are you talking about? I want to go on to the Epstein investigation. Is it closed or open? When you say the Epstein investigation, what are you referring to, Senator? Well, the FBI said in in last year in July that it had closed the Epstein investigation. So I'm just using their words. Is it open or closed? I don't believe the FBI said that. Well, I mean, if you're your head of the Department of Justice, is the Epstein investigation open or closed? I guess I don't understand what Epstein investigation means. That'll be for the DOJ did not technically use the phrase closed to describe the Epstein investigation, but they did say they didn't find a client list, which Pam Bondi once claimed that she had. They completed the review of the files and found no quote incriminating evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties. That is something that some have suggested as lawyers speak for case closed. But remember, Todd Blanche is to a lawyer. And before serving as acting AG, he was once President Trump's personal attorney. In less than 18 months of the Department of Justice, you've shown you're still President Trump's personal attorney. Your tenure can be summed up in the four words you said, quote, I love you, sir, to President Trump. This was your response when you asked what you would say to him. This nation deserves an attorney general who loves the Constitution more than any single president. Now, on several occasions, Blanche has condemned the idea that he is currently acting like President Trump's personal attorney, you know, except for today. Are you and President Trump friends? I'm his lawyer, was his lawyer, and now I'm the deputy attorney general. So I met him as his criminal defense attorney. I'm not sure there's very many people who have ever had a criminal defense attorney who calls that person their friend. I now have a. Well, let me put it this way. Are you enemies? No, we're not enemies at all. Also today, President Trump's pick to lead America's intel agencies had his own hearing on Capitol Hill. Jay Clayton was U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. He was supposed to actually have this confirmation hearing last month, but the president delayed that to pressure lawmakers to pass the Save America Act voting legislation, which ultimately didn't happen. There were also some disruptions in the actual hearing today. The Capitol Police will receive the annoying or remove the annoying lunatic from the crowd. I apologize to lunatics for comparing that guy to them. Republicans in the Senate hope to vote on this confirmation as early as next week, but Democrats have been critical of Clayton for many reasons, including a familiar question they frequently ask President Trump's nominees. Who won the 2020 election? You know what? I'm not I'm not going to do this with you. This is a job interview. We've established that you have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the committee. Yes, you do have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the committee. Yes. Who won the 2020 election? Like I said, I'm not I'm not going to get into that with you. You refuse to answer a simple matter of fact about the 2020 election. Is that right? No, that's not right. Then answer the question. Who won the 2020 election? I have answered. Answer it. What is your answer? I've given you my answer. What is your answer? You refuse to answer a basic question about who won a presidential election. No, but you asked to lead America's intelligence community. Isn't it humiliating to be unable to answer this question, to have to indulge the president's delusions? It's notable they were having that discussion and that Georgia Senator John Ossoff was involved because, as you heard, President Trump is going to be speaking tomorrow night. We'll have analysis on the final five. But the point is, there's a lot of speculation the president may relitigate parts of the 2020 election, including the fact that Ossoff was elected in Georgia, a state where he's been trying to lodge voter fraud claims for four years now. Ossoff was front and center against Jay Clayton. Again, more on all of this tomorrow. But let's get back to that, because the reality is Trump lost. Biden won. Whatever. People relitigate the past all the time. Just today, in fact, former President Joe Biden announced he's releasing a new memoir this fall titled Promise Me America. He was diagnosed with cancer shortly after leaving office. He's only made a handful of high profile experiences. The book will be released November 17th, just about two weeks after the midterms. It's about the challenge we face as a nation, about the decisions I made and why I made them. Leading the country through COVID, rebuilding our economy and restoring our democracy after the attack on January 6th. It's about why I chose to run for reelection and why I chose to step aside. The former president may not pop up much anymore, but his name is invoked just about every day from congressional testimony about his 2020 victory to podcast where Vice President J.D. Vance muses poetically about his ice cream eating habits. The thing I couldn't get over Biden is, is just bad staff work, man. The way that he ate ice cream, I mean, it's like, you know, we could bring some of this stuff up, but it's like they would get him eating ice cream in the most ridiculous, suggestive way imaginable. Suggestive? Which Biden eating ice cream video are you talking about? Hey, but anyway, whatever. Like I said, people like to relitigate the past quite a bit, and sometimes how far they go is pretty surprising. In fact, this week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer even seemed to surprise himself. Let me say this first, George Bush, sorry, Donald Trump is in terrible shape and the Republicans are in Michigan. Oh, oh, trying to play the hits of 2004. So close. Senator Schumer. We've not had a Bush in the White House in 17 years, five months, 25 days, and I don't know whether to be impressed or confused at how you just managed to mix him up with the place's current occupants. But Bush is still a pretty common household name, and a lot of people seem to be mixing up their B words lately. They're also suggesting some words are brand new and made up when they are most definitely not. And they said affordability, affordability. They go, that's a fake word that they use. They cause the affordability problem. It's called high prices. They came up with this word. They're good at coming up with words. But we came up with a good word to the Democrats. You take the B out. Most people don't know that dumb is a B. OK. No matter how you feel about him, President Trump is not going to be a politician anybody forgets anytime soon. After all, somebody literally named an airport after him last week. And now the U.S. Mint, under his own Treasury secretary, will start producing a new one dollar gold coin featuring his face. The coin is already in production and will be available this fall. And we should point out that federal law prohibits any living individuals from being on U.S. money. But Scott Besson found the loophole. He says it's in commemoration of America's 250th anniversary, and he calls it a, quote, lasting symbol of patriotism. During the 150th, there was a Calvin Coolidge coin. So we can put living people's images on a coin. President's also going to have a coin coming out with his image on it. We could put your image on it. Let's not get carried away. People might hoard it. My family and that's it. He stole my idea, because unlike the Trump coins, those Jim bucks you see at the beginning of the show, these are not legal tender. I mistakenly put one on my wallet and tried to pay for coffee once with it. Didn't go too far with it. I don't carry it in my wallet anymore. So sadly, future generations are not likely to find my face in their wallet, even though it would be kind of cool. And if you're watching us on Fox local time and you want a Jim buck, find me on social media. We'll take care of it. Especially, you know, if we're talking about sons or daughters of people in the Trump administration right now, because apparently there are a lot of them. We're having a lot of babies. We want people to have babies during the Trump administration. Exactly. You can claim that the 1000, the vice president's done it, chief of staff, Caroline Leavitt. Caroline Leavitt. So we. Stephen Miller. So. You guys are very busy. We know what their hobby is. Wait, wait. What is the hobby? was it? Oh, God, I hope not. Final thoughts. Back up to this. Get your sexy. Get your sexy, huh? I'm bringing sexy back. The League of Women Voters is sounding the alarm after President Trump removed the bipartisan leadership of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Supporters say it's about a president just exercising his authority, but critics say it's a threat to the independence of our nation's election system. League CEO Celina Stewart. midterms and beyond. Thanks for joining us. Good to see you tonight. Thank you. This. We saw so much about the power of a president. That was really what was before the Supreme Court. And this is one of the first big decisions made after the Supreme Court ruled that he can make changes to two independent, otherwise independent commissions here. Yeah. What concerns you most about this move? Well, what concerns me most is that it undermines congressional authority and what they intended following the 2000 election. And then in 2002, when this was created, HAVA, the Health America Votes Act, was there to do widespread updates to election administration and make sure that local and state officials had a point of contact to run elections more efficiently. And so this really, I think, just sends a signal that the bipartisan nature and people working together and having to work together for the American people is being undermined. So this is the Election Assistance Commission. And to be fair, most people watching this probably have never heard of it before. It seems, though, it's also one of those agencies that's not meant to be front facing. This is supposed to provide support and sort of give that backup power to, as you mentioned, states. And where the power of running these elections lies in the first place. Yeah. And I think that's important. So we have to watch the things that are not only happening in broad daylight, right? We have to watch these little things that are happening, or big things, really. This is a big thing that's happening, that's happening behind the scenes and follow the money and ask why. Because the Election Assistance Commission, they pass through money to local and state officials who need to update their systems to make sure that the technology is right. And that's how we go. Now we feel the benefit of that. We go to the booth. Everything works out smoothly. We tap our thing, hit things, spit out a receipt, and then we're done. But there's so much work that goes into that before voters get there. And so now it's like, how does that happen in terms of what guidance election officials have, what remedies they can have if things come up, what widespread things that this commission, which it does, is making it easier for both election officials and voters to execute their ballots. We should be clear, too. I mean, you're coming from a organization that represents people of all political persuasions here. And you're meant to be a voice. And this is why you're speaking up tonight. Because Democrats win elections, Republicans win elections. Everybody wins when you know it is a fair and reliable voting system out there. And I think by and large, that has been the case, but you do have people sowing those seeds of doubt. Is this one of those cases where we're trying to advance that? Well, the league is a nonpartisan organization. We don't support or oppose candidates or parties. And so when we think about the origin of this commission, it was done by Republican President Bush all those years ago. And so I think that when we're talking about whether or not it undermines the trust, I think it does. I think this show is so important because it's raising visibility about what this means for the everyday person. And so I think to that to that point, yes, I think it sounds an alarm, but also it's important to really shed light on what it means for people. This has also happened at a time when the administration has been going to various states, including Maryland, and pressuring them for information about voters, information about voting systems, threatening federal funding right now. And a lot of these states are Democratic led states. As you see that happen, is this does this compound concerns that many election advocates have? Oh, yeah. I think that, you know, you have to follow the target. I feel like you have to follow the target. You have to follow the money. And this is certainly a target. But this is going to affect every single state. And that's the danger in it, because it's so it's millions upon millions of voters who will be impacted by this commission not being in practice. There's still things that they can do. Like they can still move money that Congress allocates to the commission to push it to states, but they can't do things like decertification appeals. If someone appeals certification, where does that go? There's nobody to actually review that. And so when we think about that, I think it is scary, especially for voting rights activists who support the EAC. They've been a partner and it's bipartisan. People have to work together to form policy. It required a three vote. So on the commission, it's four people to two Republicans, two Democrats. And so it required a three person vote, which means that they had to come together in some way to move policy that was going to affect the election infrastructure overall. So I think that that is why we're worried when we see attention paid to the voting system as it stands right now, the people who are calling for change, the people who are saying we need to crack down on make sure voter rolls are accurate. They're saying this is just about increasing confidence in elections out there. But to be fair, a lot of these concerns that have been brought up, you know, this idea that dead people are voting in mass. And this is not something that has been the case. These are people saying we're just we're just trying to make it. We just want people to be to have confidence in the election system. So currently there are so many checks and balances on the current system. Yeah, our elections have been safe for decades and decades. Things like this undermine that a bit because there is no nonpartisan or bipartisan commission to oversee that. But I think that what we're I think the larger issue is, you know, if there is fraud, which we have seen no evidence of that, the league filed several cases and there was no fraud that was found in mass. So why, if there are concerns, at least from one side, about there being election fraud, about this being prevalent, why would we take away the safeguards and the guardrails that actually promote having safe and effective elections? It just doesn't make sense. And so I think that you have to ask the deeper question like, why is there an effort to undermine the guardrails and the safety that we have in elections? And the timing of this is suspect. It's just months before the November election. And so it's concerning. But I think that the public has an opportunity to push back to speak up. I think that Congress has an opportunity. This is their authority that this check and balance is now being removed from them where they could protect particular independent agency officials. And the president could not just do it at free will. So now this agency, without the commissioners in place, creates an opportunity for there to be partisan pressure that doesn't need to happen. We're going to follow this. Selena Stewart, great to meet you. Thank you so much. And we're back after this here on The Final Five. Welcome back. Time for the third block. And we've been doing this show for a while, just under 10 years, if you can believe it. In that time, we've come to expect certain types of stories at certain times of the year, like in January. Tis the season for ironic license plates, because without fail, states across the country make a big show of releasing some of the more entertaining license plates, which they had to reject for one reason or another. These are some of the ones from last year in Illinois, for example, things like Bad Arse, Axe, that's A-X-E, Hole, Duck Off and some others that are a bit more Illinois specific like Jagweed and I'll Cut You. But today, my gentle viewers, we were thrown for a loop because it's July. It is nowhere close to ironic license plate season, but leave it to Florida to break the mold. Usually the story is citizens of its plate state rejects it. But this time, not yet, not yet. Not this one. This time, the state of Florida sent a 76 year old woman a plate. There it is. It was not supposed to be customized, but somehow the DMV managed to randomly come up with, quote, Squeeze Ass, spelled S-Q-Z-A-5-5, which is definitely not how you spell it, but sure as heck how you say it. The woman who received that is in a retirement home and says she intends to keep the plate at least for now. She said, quote, I can handle it if I get a few honks here and there. Actually, being over 70, I might like a few honks. And for that, we are also naming her tonight's world's best grandma, because that is a final five segment that knows no season. And that said, given her sense of humor, she probably already owns the mug. Meanwhile, somebody who decides to compliment that woman on her license plate probably is more testosterone than they know what to do with. And apparently that's quite unlike some folks over at the Department of War. Just today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a new requirement in the military's annual physical testosterone tests. Men over 30 will have to get them and will be offered testosterone replacement therapy if their levels are below average. If treatment is recommended, it's entirely your choice to receive testosterone replacement therapy. This initiative, it's not about artificial enhancement, it's about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities. So the Pentagon has yet to cite any actual academic studies backing the decision and didn't mention anything about new screening requirements for female troops. But hormone therapy is nothing new, as some rather appropriately pointed out on the Hill today. This, by the way, is gender affirming care. And by the way, male members of this committee, watch what you vote for. Do you really want the government getting into your business, taking your testosterone levels and determining whether or not you have enough testosterone? Are you male enough to be in Congress? So as long as we're being talking about being big and tough, let's talk about the fifth season of Fox's Special Forces, the world's toughest test. And yes, you can watch that show on Fox 5 at 9 p.m. Eastern coming up in September. But the reason we're talking about it is not because it's a shameless plug for our bosses at Fox. And for that, we thank you for letting us bring the show to our masses every night. But it's actually not to tell you about the reality shows star-studded cast set to face brutal training challenges in Malaysia. We actually mentioned it simply to share an exciting update from the one and only George Anthony Devolter Keturah Ravache Santos. He may have gotten kicked out of Congress and may have gone to jail for lying to get his ass off to get elected. But now he's out and he announced, quote, I took my fat behind off the couch and tried something new and it changed everything. I can't wait to share this experience with you all. And he tagged Special Forces coming Thursday, September 24th at 9 p.m. Only on Fox 5. I can't wait. I hope you can't either, because coming up next, we'll tell you who's sleeping soundly and who's tossing and turning tonight. Closing out the show tonight with some good news for Benjamin Netanyahu, because while his opposition to his government is growing among Democrats, it still is not strong enough to change American policy. A bid in Congress spearheaded by Thomas Massey to block three billion dollars in aid failed overwhelmingly 314 to 104. Netanyahu can shrug off the Democratic revolt and point to the bottom line. Republicans who control the House remain firmly behind them. Democratic leaders are divided and the weapons will keep flowing. Meanwhile, Lindsey Graham's death has had profound consequences because Ukraine has lost more than a reliable vote. And it could mean a tough road ahead for Volodymyr Zelensky, who lost a Republican advocate who could speak President Trump's language, get into his ear and push his party towards tougher sanctions on Russia. Others may support Ukraine, but few had Graham's access or influence. And with Putin counting on Washington's patience to run out, that voice will be very difficult to replace. That's your final five. Thank you so much for watching us. We're back at it again over on Fox 5 tomorrow at 1130. The morning crew is right behind me at 4 a.m. Hope you have a great night. Go to bed.