
Biden set to announce two new circuit court selections in first-year sprint to fill judicial openings
CNN
President Joe Biden will soon announce two new selections to serve as circuit judges as the push to name -- and confirm -- a raft of judicial nominees stays a central focus of the White House and Senate Democrats, according to a White House official.
Biden has selected Andre B. Mathis as his nominee to serve on the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals, the official said. Judge Alison J. Nathan will be nominated to serve on the 2nd US Court Circuit of Appeals. Nathan is currently presiding over the criminal trial of former Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
The selections mark the latest effort to fill critical appeals court openings, which are viewed as exceedingly important in the effort to shape the second-highest courts in the country. Biden's two latest picks will bring his total number of circuit court nominees to 16 so far.

5 things to know for August 1: Extreme weather, Tariffs, Counterterrorism, Drug prices, Air marshals
CNN’s 5 Things AM brings you the news you need to know every morning.

The Pentagon has scheduled its first major test of the multibillion-dollar Golden Dome missile defense system for just before the 2028 election, according to two sources familiar with the matter, setting an aggressive deadline for military officials to prove they can turn President Donald Trump’s vision for a space-based shield that can protect the entire US into a reality.

The family of Virginia Giuffre — one of the women who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sex trafficking and who died by suicide earlier this year — said Thursday that she would have wanted documents related to the disgraced financier to be made public, as the Trump administration faces mounting pressure around the case.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll on Wednesday ordered the US Military Academy at West Point to rescind an offer of employment to a former top national security official who served under President Joe Biden, announcing the move in a post on X — the latest example of the Pentagon’s political leadership dictating staffing and curriculum at the nation’s military academies.