Donald Trump’s social media company Trump Media managed to go public last week only after it had been kept afloat in 2022 by emergency loans provided in part by a Russian-American businessman under scrutiny in a federal insider-trading and money-laundering investigation. The [former US president](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) stands to gain billions of dollars – his stake is currently valued at about $4bn – from the merger between Trump Media and Technology Group and the blank-check company Digital World Acquisition Corporation, which took the parent company of Truth Social public. But Trump Media almost did not make it to the merger after regulators opened a securities investigation into the merger in 2021 and caused the company to burn through cash at an extraordinary rate as it waited to get the green light for its stock market debut. The situation led Trump Media to take emergency loans, including from an entity called ES Family Trust, which opened an account with Paxum Bank, a small bank registered on the [Caribbean](https://www.theguardian.com/world/caribbean) island of Dominica that is best known for providing financial services to the porn industry. Through leaked documents, the Guardian has learned that ES Family Trust operated like a shell company for a Russian-American businessman named Anton Postolnikov, who co-owns Paxum Bank and has been a subject of a years-long joint federal criminal investigation by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into the Trump Media merger. The existence of the trust was [first reported by the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/15/trump-media-investigated-possible-money-laundering) last year. However, who controlled the account, how the trust was connected to Paxum Bank, and how the money had been funneled through the trust to Trump Media was unknown. The new details about the trust are drawn from documents including: Paxum Bank records showing Postolnikov having access to the trust’s account, the papers that created the trust showing as its settlor a lawyer in St Petersburg, Russia, and three years of the trust’s financial transactions. The concern surrounding the loans to Trump Media is that ES Family Trust may have been used to complete a transaction that Paxum itself could not. Paxum Bank does not offer loans in the US as it lacks a US banking license and is not regulated by the FDIC. Postolnikov appears to have used the trust to loan money to help save Trump Media – and the Truth Social platform – because his bank itself could not furnish the loan. Postolnikov, the nephew of Aleksandr Smirnov, an ally of the Russian president, [Vladimir Putin](https://www.theguardian.com/world/vladimir-putin), has not been charged with a crime. In response to an email to Postolnikov seeking comment, a lawyer in Dominica representing Paxum Bank warned of legal action for reporting the contents of the leaked documents. There is also no indication that Trump or Trump Media had any idea about the nature of the loans beyond that they were opaque, nor has the company or its executives been accused of wrongdoing. A spokesperson for Trump Media did not respond to a request for comment. But Postolnikov has been under increasing scrutiny in the criminal investigation into the Trump Media merger. Most recently, he has been [listed on search warrant affidavits](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.601298/gov.uscourts.nysd.601298.53.5.pdf) alongside several associates – one of whom was indicted last month for money laundering on top of earlier insider-trading charges. Postolnikov and the trust ------------------------- In late 2021, Trump Media was facing financial trouble after the original planned merger with Digital World was delayed indefinitely when the Securities and Exchange Commission opened an investigation into the merger, Trump Media’s since-ousted co-founder-turned-whistleblower Will Wilkerson recounted in an interview. Part of the problem was that Trump Media struggled to get financing because traditional banks were reluctant to lend millions to Trump’s social media company in the wake of the January 6 Capitol attack, Wilkerson said. Trump Media eventually found some lenders, including ES Family Trust, but the sequence of events was curious. ES Family Trust was established on 18 May 2021, its creation papers show. Postolnikov’s “user” access to the account was “verified” on 30 November 2021 [by a Paxum Bank manager in Dominica](https://www.linkedin.com/in/galeine-g-4980a0154/?originalSubdomain=dm). The trust was funded for the first time on 2 December 2021. Trump Media then received the loans from ES Family Trust: $2m on 23 December 2021, and $6m on 17 February 2022. The loans came in the form of convertible promissory notes, meaning ES Family Trust would gain a major stake in Trump Media because it was offering the money in exchange for Trump Media agreeing to convert the loan principal into “shares of Company Stock”. Oddly, the notes were never signed. But the investment in Trump Media proved to be huge: while precise figures can only be known by Trump Media, ES Family Trust’s stake in Trump Media is worth between $20m and $40m even after the sharp decline of the company’s share price in the wake of a poor earnings report. The ES Family Trust account also appears to have benefited Postolnikov personally. As the criminal investigation into the Trump Media deal intensified towards the end of last year, the trust recorded several transfers to Postolnikov with the subject line “Partial Loan Return”. In total, the documents showed that the trust transferred $4.8m to Postolnikov’s account, although $3m was inexplicably “reversed”. (On 17 July 2023, Postolnikov received $300,000. On 17 October 2023, Postolnikov received $1.5m, before it was reversed the next day; later the same day, Postolnikov again received $1.5m, which was also reversed. On 19 October 2023, Postolnikov received the $1.5m for a third and final time.) The reason for the trust’s creation remains unknown. Aside from the money that went to Trump Media, the trust’s statements show the trust has directly invested money with only two other companies: $10.8m to Eleven Ventures LLC, a venture capital firm, and $1m to Wedbush Securities, a wealth management firm. The current status of ES Family Trust is also unknown. The trust’s address is listed as a residential home in Hollywood, Florida. But, according to the property website Redfin, the six-bedroom home appears to have been sold in December 2023. The creation papers also contained something notable: a declaration that, if the original trustee – a Paxum employee named Angel Pacheco – stepped down from the role, his successor would be a certain individual named Michael Shvartsman. Sprawling money-laundering investigation ---------------------------------------- Last month, federal prosecutors charged Michael Shvartsman, a close associate of Postolnikov, with [money laundering in a superseding indictment](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.601296/gov.uscourts.nysd.601296.81.0.pdf) after previously charging him and two others in July with insider-trading Digital World shares. Shvartsman and his co-defendants pleaded not guilty. At least part of the evidence against Shvartsman came from a confidential informant for the DHS, court filings show: in one March 2023 meeting with the informant and an associate, Shvartsman mentioned a friend who owned a bank in Dominica and made bridge loans to Trump Media. “\[Shvartsman\] stated that a friend of his owns a bank in the island of Dominica and would be able to provide banking services to Russian and Ukraine Nationals if the \[confidential informant\] had other clients in need of that service,” [the DHS report said](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24511952-dhs-hsi-report-schvartsman-references-postolnikov). “\[Shvartsman’s associate\] told the \[confidential informant\] that he does not think the SEC would be able to go after \[Shvartsman\] for his part in the investment but mentioned that \[Shvartsman\] essentially provided ‘bridge financing’ for the firm behind the Truth [Social media](https://www.theguardian.com/media/social-media) platform,” it said. The unredacted parts of the DHS report do not specify whether the “friend” was Postolnikov and what the “bridge financing” referred to – but the report left open the possibility that Shvartsman also had a role with the trust. A lawyer for Shvartsman declined to comment on his client’s relationship with Postolnikov. A spokesperson for the US attorney’s office for the southern district of New York also declined to comment. It is unclear whether federal prosecutors are aware that Trump Media was propped up by Postolnikov via ES Family Trust. At the same time, the money-laundering investigation surrounding the Trump Media merger and the scrutiny on Postolnikov appears to have ballooned in recent months. The investigation into potential money laundering appears to have started after Wilkerson’s lawyers Phil Brewster, Stephen Bell and Patrick Mincey alerted the US attorney’s office in the southern district of New York to the ES Family Trust loans in October 2022. Months later, in June 2023, the FBI expanded its investigation to work jointly with the Department of Homeland Security’s El Dorado taskforce, which specializes in money laundering, and its Illicit Proceeds and Foreign Corruption group, which targets corrupt foreign officials who use US entities to launder illicit funds.

U.S. safety regulators have closed an investigation into complaints that steering wheels can fall off of some Toyota SUVs without seeking a recall DETROIT -- U.S. safety regulators have [closed a five-year investigation](https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2018/INCLA-EA18006-10379.pdf) into complaints that steering wheels can fall off of some Toyota SUVs without seeking a recall. The investigation opened in 2018 by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covered about 708,000 Highlanders from the 2008 through 2013 model years. The agency said in documents posted on its website Wednesday that it's closing the probe because the problem happened rarely, and likely was caused by damage due to collisions. Also, Toyota issued a bulletin in 2018 telling technicians to inspect the steering column when making repairs after any crash. The investigation was opened in 2018 after the agency received complaints that the steering column could detach from the lower part of the column while drivers were adjusting the steering wheels. The agency said it had 42 complaints from owners about the problem.  [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/US/aprils-total-solar-eclipse-historic-event-us/story?id=107977119) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-immune-prosecution-criminal-hush-money-case-judge/story?id=108818369) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/US/solar-eclipse-weather-forecast-see-event/story?id=108756487) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/US/elephant-attack-safari-kills-80-year-american-tourist/story?id=108800514) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/ruby-garcias-family-disputes-trump-spoke-after-event/story?id=108796414)

Not since Eugene V. Debs campaigned from a prison cell more than a century ago has the United States experienced what might now happen: a prominent candidate with a felony conviction running for president. And never before has that candidate been someone with a real chance of winning. Former President Donald J. Trump has been charged with dozens of felonies across four cases: [two](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/06/09/us/trump-indictment-document-annotated.html) [federal](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/01/us/politics/trump-jan-6-indictment-2020-election-annotated.html), [one in New York](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/04/04/nyregion/trump-indictment-annotated.html) and [another in Georgia](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/15/us/politics/trump-georgia-indictment-annotated.html). The first of those to go to trial will be the [sex scandal cover-up in New York](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/03/25/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial), where jury selection is scheduled to begin on Monday. For now, he faces no significant campaign restrictions, and in polls of Republican voters [and the broader electorate](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/05/us/politics/biden-trump-2024-poll.html), his strength is undiminished. But some of the cases [are proceeding at a pace](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/us/trump-investigations-charges-indictments.html) that could bring verdicts before the election — and the Constitution and American law have clear answers for only some of the questions that will arise if he is convicted. Others would bring the country into truly uncharted territory, with huge decisions resting in the hands of federal judges. Here is what we know, and what we don’t know. This is the simplest question of the bunch. The answer is yes. The Constitution sets [very few eligibility requirements](https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artII-S1-C5-1/ALDE_00013692/) for presidents. They must be at least 35 years old, be [“natural born” citizens](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/19/us/politics/it-may-be-time-to-resolve-the-meaning-of-natural-born.html) and have lived in the United States for at least 14 years. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Farticle%2Ftrump-investigation-conviction.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Farticle%2Ftrump-investigation-conviction.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Farticle%2Ftrump-investigation-conviction.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Farticle%2Ftrump-investigation-conviction.html).

House Democrats have launched an investigation into a meeting between oil company executives and Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home and club last month, following reports that [the former president offered](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/09/trump-oil-ceo-donation) to dismantle Biden’s environmental rules and requested $1bn in contributions to his presidential campaign. Democrats on the House oversight committee late on Monday evening sent letters to nine oil executives requesting information on their companies’ participation in the meeting. “Media reports raise significant potential ethical, campaign finance, and legal issues that would flow from the effective sale of American energy and regulatory policy to commercial interests in return for large campaign contributions,” the Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the committee, wrote in the letters. The investigation comes after the Washington Post broke the news of the dinner meeting, where Trump spoke in front of more than 20 fossil fuel executives from companies including Chevron, Exxon and Occidental Petroleum. It was reported that Trump said steering $1bn into his campaign would be a “deal” for the companies because of the costs they would avoid under him. The former president offered in a second term to immediately end the Biden administration’s freeze on permits for new [liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/26/biden-delays-cp2-louisiana-lng-export-project), while auctioning off more oil drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico and reversing drilling restrictions in the Alaskan Arctic, among other promises. Oversight Democrats addressed letters to the CEOs of oil giants Chevron and Exxon, liquefied natural gas company Cheniere Energy, and fossil fuel firms Chesapeake Energy, Continental Resources, EQT Corporation, Occidental Petroleum and Venture Global. They also sent an inquiry to the head of the American Petroleum Institute (API), the fossil fuel industry’s top lobbying arm in the US. Asked about the investigation, API spokesperson Andrea Woods said the organization “meets with policymakers and candidates from across the political spectrum on topics important to our industry”. Reports of the meeting are especially troubling, Raskin wrote in the letters, in light of [revelations in Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/08/oil-industry-orders-trump-day-one-00156705#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20oil%20industry%20is,direct%20knowledge%20of%20the%20work.) earlier last week that stated the oil industry is writing up “ready-to-sign executive orders” for Trump aimed at increasing gas exports, slashing drilling costs and increasing offshore oil leases. He asked the executives to provide the names and titles of any company representatives who attended the Mar-a-Lago meeting, copies of materials shared with the attendees, descriptions of rules and policies discussed at the event, and an account of financial contributions to the Trump campaign made at the event or afterward. [skip past newsletter promotion](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/14/trump-oil-executives-democrat-investigation#EmailSignup-skip-link-11) Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential **Privacy Notice:** Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our [Privacy Policy](https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy). We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. after newsletter promotion The junior senator from Rhode Island, Sheldon Whitehouse, who chairs the Senate budget committee, has expressed interest in launching an investigation into the meeting as well. “Trump’s offer of a blatant quid pro quo to oil executives is practically an invitation to ask questions about Big Oil’s political corruption and manipulation,” he said in an emailed statement. Compared with Raskin’s, Whitehouse’s investigation would have a significant advantage: if the companies refuse to turn over information, the Senate budget committee can file subpoenas. Because Republicans have a House majority, House Democrats do not have the power to subpoena documents. A joint investigation by the Senate budget committee and House oversight Democrats [revealed](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/30/big-oil-climate-crisis-us-senate-report) last month that big oil admits that it spent years covering up the dangers of burning fossil fuels, and that major oil companies lobbied against climate laws and regulations they have publicly claimed to support. “Fossil fuel malfeasance will cost Americans trillions in climate damages, and the budget committee is looking at how to ensure the industry cannot simply buy off politicians in order to saddle taxpayers with the bill,” said Whitehouse.

Donald Trump’s former White House lawyer has attacked the judge handling the [classified documents](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/22/trump-classified-documents-case-hearing) criminal case for repeated delays and “incompetence” – while the US attorney general separately criticized as “dangerous” [Trump’s claim](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/22/trump-fbi-doj-lethal-force) this week that the FBI had been authorized to shoot him during its investigation. Former presidential counsel Ty Cobb said decisions made by Aileen Cannon, a Trump-appointed judge in the US district court in Florida who is overseeing the federal documents case, virtually guaranteed that the case would not be tried before November’s presidential poll. He attributed her recent rulings that further slowed the crawling legal process, on issues that most federal judges would have long since dealt with, to “incompetence” and “perceived bias” and said the case should have already come to trial. “I don’t think this case will move at all,” he said. “And I think the fact that she’s scheduling hearings, multiple hearings, sort of one or two motions at a time, is compelling evidence of that … “This is a case that should’ve started trial yesterday or two days ago when the original trial date was set … only her incompetence and perceived bias has prevented that.” Meanwhile, on Thursday, the US attorney general, Merrick Garland, said at the Department of Justice in Washington DC that Trump’s assertions that the FBI had been authorized to shoot him during its 2022 search of his Florida club during an investigation into him hiding classified documents were “false” and “extremely dangerous”. Garland told reporters that the former president and some of his allies had been referring to a “standard operations plan” that limits when federal agents can use lethal force while executing search warrants. The FBI searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in August 2022 to retrieve classified material he retained after leaving office. Agents found a slew of records that led to one of the four criminal prosecutions Trump currently faces. Before the search, the FBI drafted a policy statement, which was made public this week, authorizing law enforcement to use deadly force only if an officer or another person was under immediate threat. Trump was not present when the search took place. Trump falsely claimed in fundraising messages sent by his campaign this week that the FBI had been authorized to shoot him. “BREAKING FROM TRUMP: BIDEN’S DOJ WAS AUTHORIZED TO SHOOT ME! It’s just been revealed that Biden’s DoJ was authorized to use DEADLY FORCE for their DESPICABLE raid in Mar-a-Lago,” fundraising emails said. Garland, who oversees the FBI as attorney general, said such policies are routine and were also in effect during consensual searches of Biden’s homes conducted by the FBI in a separate classified documents investigation. “That allegation is false and it’s extremely dangerous,” Garland told reporters during a press conference announcing a [lawsuit against](https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/may/23/live-nation-ticketmaster-lawsuit) the concert promoter Live Nation. Trump, who is currently awaiting a jury verdict in [a New York trial](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/21/trump-hush-money-trial-defense-final-stretch) in which he is accused of falsifying documents relating to paying an adult film actor hush money, [is charged with](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/08/donald-trump-charged-retention-classified-documents) mishandling classified documents after he left the White House and obstructing an investigation to recover them. [skip past newsletter promotion](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/23/trump-classified-documents-case-delays#EmailSignup-skip-link-15) Sign up to Trump on Trial Stay up to date on all of Donald Trump’s trials. Guardian staff will send weekly updates each Wednesday – as well as bonus editions on major trial days. **Privacy Notice:** Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our [Privacy Policy](https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy). We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. after newsletter promotion While Cannon had denied efforts by the former president’s lawyers to have the case thrown out, she has drawn criticism from legal analysts and Democrats for taking months to rule on individual motions, slowing the case down in an election year. Democrats say her actions serve Trump’s strategy of delaying a trial date beyond November’s election and having the case annulled if he wins. This month, Cannon postponed the trial date indefinitely, citing the need for the court to establish how classified information would be dealt during proceedings – even though such procedures are covered in the Classified Information Procedures Act (Cipa). Cobb, who was appointed Trump’s counsel despite not having voted for him, has previously criticised the conduct that has seen the ex-president facing 88 criminal charges in numerous cases. “The facts are terrible. His conduct is reprehensible,” he told MSNBC in February. He has previously called Trump “the greatest threat to democracy that we’ve ever seen”. Cobb was the then president’s counsel during former FBI director [Robert Mueller](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/robert-mueller)’s investigation into [Russian interference](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/18/mueller-report-william-barr-trump-russia-investigation) in the 2016 presidential election. _Reuters contributed reporting_

The latest on what we know about the shooting at yesterday's Trump rally and the investigation into it.

J.D. Vance is 39 years old and has spent just 18 months as the junior senator from Ohio; he had never even attended a national political convention before this year. But tonight, the newly minted Republican vice-presidential nominee will introduce himself to millions of Americans as one of the party’s most powerful figures. You can expect Vance to use the prime-time address to [tell his personal story](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/17/us/politics/jd-vance-speech-rnc.html), our political correspondent Michael Bender told me. It’s the kind of tale that helped convince Donald Trump that he would be an asset: Vance grew up poor, enlisted in the Marine Corps, went to Yale Law School and wrote a best-selling book. So far, Vance has received a mostly warm welcome in Milwaukee, where the party’s convention is in its third day. “We’re at a moment in time right now where Trump can do no wrong in the party’s eyes,” Michael said. “A lot of that excitement and momentum is transferring directly to J.D. Vance.” Vance — once a sharp Trump critic — earned the admiration of many of the former president’s allies [during his time in the Senate](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/17/us/politics/vance-senate-trump.html), where he did not establish much of a legislative record but showed a willingness to break with Republican orthodoxy and mount a lawyerly defense of Trump’s policies. Perhaps his most consequential shift was his choice to [defend Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/17/us/politics/donald-trump-jd-vance-republican-2024-election.html). We took a look at [Vance’s other policy views](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/15/us/politics/jd-vance-abortion-immigration-issues.html). Michael said we should also expect Vance to mention his isolationist foreign policy positions, perhaps including his opposition to aiding Ukraine. “Trump picked Vance not just because of his roots in the Midwest where Trump needs to win, but also because he has been one of the party’s most combative voices on some of its most controversial issues,” he added. [Follow our live coverage](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/07/17/us/trump-republican-convention-biden). **Test yourself:** Think you know Republicans’ host city? [Take our Milwaukee quiz](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/15/us/milwaukee-republican-convention-quiz.html). Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F07%2F17%2Fbriefing%2Fjd-vance-speech-trump-investigation-emmy-nominations.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F07%2F17%2Fbriefing%2Fjd-vance-speech-trump-investigation-emmy-nominations.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F07%2F17%2Fbriefing%2Fjd-vance-speech-trump-investigation-emmy-nominations.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F07%2F17%2Fbriefing%2Fjd-vance-speech-trump-investigation-emmy-nominations.html).

[CrowdStrike](https://qz.com/crowdstrike-global-tech-outage-1851599739) is the Texas-based cybersecurity giant responsible for [a massive global tech outage](https://qz.com/crowdstrike-tech-outage-microsoft-airlines-banks-1851599680) Friday that [delayed flights](https://qz.com/airline-flight-cancellations-airports-crowdstrike-1851599645), halted business operations and big firms, and in a few cases, even [interrupted emergency services and some surgeries](https://qz.com/crowdstrike-global-tech-outage-hosptials-1851600047). Before its big blunder this week, CrowdStrike was best known, to some, for its investigation into Russia’s hack of the Democratic National Committee leading up to the 2016 election. That investigation [put CrowdStrike on the radar of far-right conspiracy theorists](https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2019/09/26/the-crowdstrike-conspiracy-heres-why-trump-keeps-referencing-the-cybersecurity-firm/), who believed that its investigation into the Russian hack was a ploy to discredit then-President Donald Trump’s victory. Trump fueled the flames of the theory. He referenced it in a 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that eventually helped lead to his first impeachment. “I would like you to find out what happened with this whole situation with Ukraine, they say Crowdstrike …I guess you have one of your wealthy people … The server, they say Ukraine has it,” Trump said in the call. This was likely an allusion to [conspiracy theorists’ belief that the CrowdStrike investigation involved Ukraine](https://apnews.com/article/aa1f66a1770d4995a6bada960a7d119e), and that the company was owned by a wealthy Ukrainian. In fact, its co-founder Dmitri Alperovitch is Russian American. “With regards to our investigation of the DNC hack in 2016, we provided all forensic evidence and analysis to the FBI,” CrowdStrike told Forbes at the time. “As we’ve stated before, we stand by our findings and conclusions that have been fully supported by the US Intelligence community.” CrowdStrike has also worked with the Republican Party in the past on cybersecurity issues, helping the party’s House campaign arm [investigate email thefts by hackers in 2018](https://apnews.com/article/53ce4d0adc494e878615edb022a71939). **Read more**: [What to know about the massive global tech outage grounding flights, disrupting banks and more](https://qz.com/crowdstrike-tech-outage-microsoft-airlines-banks-1851599680)

Transportation Department opens investigation of Delta as travel disruptions enter 5th day following global tech outage WASHINGTON -- Transportation Department opens investigation of Delta as travel disruptions enter 5th day following global tech outage.  [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/538/polls-harris-trump-matchup/story?id=112162146) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-drops-2024-presidential-race/story?id=111648603) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/US/secret-service-director-kimberly-cheatle-resigns-sources/story?id=111990439) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/US/pushed-president-biden-withdraw-reelection-race/story?id=112144814) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-rushed-off-stage-disturbance-pennsylvania-rally/story?id=111913361)

The Justice Department on Friday settled a lawsuit with two former F.B.I. officials who had accused the Trump administration of violating their privacy by sharing their texts disparaging former President Donald J. Trump with the news media, according to court documents. As part of the settlement, the government agreed to pay the former officials, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, concluding at least some of the litigation. The amount was not disclosed in court filings, but Mr. Strzok’s law firm said he [received $1.2 million.](https://www.zuckerman.com/news/press-release/peter-strzok-finalizes-12-million-settlement-doj-over-privacy-act-claims) Their texts incited a political firestorm after the Justice Department in December 2017 invited reporters to review them at night before handing them over to Congress. Then a senior F.B.I. counterintelligence agent who helped oversee the bureau’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia in 2016, Mr. Strzok exchanged inflammatory messages with Ms. Page, a bureau lawyer involved in the inquiry. Republicans seized on the texts to try to discredit the investigation. The agreement is likely to anger Mr. Trump, who has railed against the pair for years and leveled baseless accusations that the investigation was a “witch hunt” intended to damage his campaign. Mr. Strzok drafted the memo opening the investigation, which was approved by his superiors. In 2019, Mr. Strzok and Ms. Page filed separate lawsuits against the department and the F.B.I. Mr. Strzok is still suing the Justice Department on two other counts, claiming it also violated his constitutional rights and that [its subsequent decision to fire him](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/13/us/politics/peter-strzok-fired-fbi.html) was politically motivated. Mr. Strzok is seeking to be reinstated to his job so he can retire with full benefits. Mr. Strzok’s lawyer, Aitan D. Goelman, welcomed the decision, adding that he would continue to fight the remaining claims. “This outcome is a critical step forward in addressing the government’s unfair and highly politicized treatment of Pete,” he said in a statement. “As important as it is for him, it also vindicates the privacy interests of all government employees.” Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F07%2F26%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ffbi-texts-strzok-page-trump.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F07%2F26%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ffbi-texts-strzok-page-trump.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F07%2F26%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ffbi-texts-strzok-page-trump.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F07%2F26%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ffbi-texts-strzok-page-trump.html).

Authorities continue to investigate the gunman who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump. While a motive for the attack is still unknown, a clearer picture of the shooter is emerging.

The FBI says it's still working on its investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The bureau has provided an update on what it has uncovered so far.

A spokesperson for [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) blamed “Deep State Trump-haters and bad faith actors” for a bombshell [report](https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/08/02/trump-campaign-egypt-investigation/) on Friday about a secret criminal investigation into whether [Abdel Fatah al-Sisi](https://www.theguardian.com/world/abdel-fatah-al-sisi), the authoritarian ruler of [Egypt](https://www.theguardian.com/world/egypt), sought to give the former president $10m during his [victorious 2016 White House run](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/us-elections-2016). “The investigation referenced found no wrongdoing and was closed,” Steven Cheung told the Washington Post, which [published the report on Friday](https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/08/02/trump-campaign-egypt-investigation/). “None of the allegations or insinuations being reported on have any basis in fact. The Washington Post is consistently played for suckers by Deep State Trump-haters and bad faith actors peddling hoaxes and shams.” The deep state conspiracy theory holds that a permanent, shadow government of agents, operatives and bureaucrats exists to thwart Trump. One of the theory’s chief propagators, Steve Bannon, has said it is “[for nut cases](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/oct/03/trump-steve-bannon-deep-state-conspiracy-theory)”. Nonetheless, it remains popular on the US right and among Trump’s aides. Bannon was Trump’s campaign chair in 2016. According to the Post, five days before Trump’s inauguration in January 2017, an organisation linked to Egyptian intelligence services withdrew $10m from a Cairo bank. “Inside the state-run National Bank of Egypt,” the Post said, “employees were soon busy placing bundles of $100 bills into two large bags.” Four men “carried away the bags, which US officials later described in sealed court filings as weighing a combined 200 pounds and containing what was then a sizable share of Egypt’s reserve of US currency”. According to the Post, US federal investigators learned of the withdrawal in 2019, by which time they had spent two years investigating CIA intelligence that indicated Sisi sought to give Trump $10m. Such a contribution would potentially have violated federal law regarding foreign donations. This year, in a New York state case concerning hush-money payments to the adult film star [Stormy Daniels](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/06/stormy-daniels-gofundme-alleged-threats-), Trump was [convicted](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/30/trump-trial-hush-money-verdict) on 34 criminal charges of falsifying business records. According to the Post, US investigators who discovered the $10m Cairo withdrawal “also sought to learn if money from Sisi might have factored into Trump’s decision in the final days of his run for the White House to inject his campaign with $10m of his own money”. Eight years on, with Trump running for president again, the Post report landed in the aftermath of the [bribery conviction](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/16/bob-menendez-bribery-verdict) of Robert Menendez, a Democratic senator from New Jersey who took gold bars and cash from Egyptian sources. Menendez faces a maximum sentence of 222 years. [While in office](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/9/24/trump-praises-el-sisi-not-concerned-with-egypt-protests), Trump [repeatedly](https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/09/politics/donald-trump-egypt-abdel-fattah-al-sisi-meeting-white-house/index.html) praised Sisi, over objections from US politicians concerned about the Egyptian’s authoritarian rule. [skip past newsletter promotion](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/02/trump-campaign-2016-egypt-investigation#EmailSignup-skip-link-15) Sign up to The Stakes — US Election Edition The Guardian guides you through the chaos of a hugely consequential presidential election **Privacy Notice:** Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our [Privacy Policy](https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy). We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. after newsletter promotion As described [by the Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/08/02/trump-campaign-egypt-investigation/), the US investigation which uncovered the Cairo withdrawal was questioned by William Barr, Trump’s second attorney general. Ultimately, a prosecutor appointed by Barr closed the inquiry without criminal charges being filed. Later, as the 2020 election approached, CNN [reported](https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/14/politics/trump-campaign-donation-investigation/index.html) that a mysterious DC courthouse hearing in 2018 – involving prosecutors working for Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election – concerned an Egyptian bank. A Trump spokesperson, Jason Miller, said then: “President Trump has never received a penny from Egypt.” On Friday, Cheung, Trump’s current spokesperson, called the Post report “textbook fake news”. The justice department, the US attorney in Washington DC and the FBI declined to answer questions, the Post [said](https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/08/02/trump-campaign-egypt-investigation/). The prosecutor who closed the case, Michael Sherwin, said he stood by his decision. An Egyptian government spokesperson declined to answer the Post’s questions. An anonymous government source [told the Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/08/02/trump-campaign-egypt-investigation/): “Every American should be concerned about how this case ended. The justice department is supposed to follow evidence wherever it leads – it does so all the time to determine if a crime occurred or not.”

Usually, after a deadly emergency or an event that could have become one, the governor of the state where it happened somberly pledges to support the agency investigating it however he or she can. This is not quite what happened in Florida after the apparent attempted assassination of Donald Trump on one of his golf courses over the weekend. Instead, after the F.B.I. announced it was investigating the incident, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, a Republican, announced that his state would do its own research on what had happened. “In my judgment, it’s not in the best interest of our state or our nation to have the same federal agencies that are seeking to prosecute Donald Trump leading this investigation,” DeSantis said on Tuesday morning at a news conference in West Palm Beach, raising the possibility that [the suspect, Ryan Routh](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/16/us/trump-suspect-golf-course-routh.html), could face a state charge of attempted murder. It is not uncommon for state and federal investigators to conduct parallel inquiries after a major event — but it is uncommon for state leaders to publicly impugn federal investigators in the process. It’s a sign of the way Sunday’s incident has become the latest front in the war that Trump’s party is waging with federal law enforcement, and the latest example of Republicans seeking to release their own version of the facts to score political points. So today, I reached out to my colleague [Patricia Mazzei](https://www.nytimes.com/by/patricia-mazzei), the Miami bureau chief for The New York Times, to ask about the apparent assassination attempt and DeSantis’s investigation. Our conversation was edited and condensed. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F09%2F17%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-assassination-attempt-investigation.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F09%2F17%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-assassination-attempt-investigation.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F09%2F17%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-assassination-attempt-investigation.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F09%2F17%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-assassination-attempt-investigation.html).

“The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systematic fashion,” said the [Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election,](https://www.justice.gov/archives/sco/file/1373816/dl) AKA the Mueller Report. “A Russian entity carried out a social media campaign that favored presidential candidate Donald J Trump and disparaged presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.” Robert Mueller, the special counsel, did not criminally charge Trump but did not give him a clean bill of health, contrary to misleading claims made by Bill Barr, Trump’s attorney general, in a 24 March 2019 letter – AKA the Barr Report. Barr’s bad-faith action angered Mueller and members of his team, among them prosecutors Aaron Zebley, James Quarles and Andrew Goldstein. So much so, the three have now written a book of their time at what was once the central maelstrom of American politics. “The purpose of appointing a special counsel was to shield the investigation from political interference so there would be public confidence in the outcome,” the three men now write in Interference, their look back at their time in the special counsel’s office. “That required the public to see our actual analysis and conclusions, not those of a politically appointed attorney general.” Under the subtitle The Inside Story of Trump, [Russia](https://www.theguardian.com/world/russia), and the Mueller Investigation, Zebley, Quarles and Goldstein shed new light on the decisions not to subpoena or indict Trump, who Mueller nonetheless saw as a “subject” – someone “whose conduct is within the scope of the investigation”. The tenor of Interference is sober, not breathy. Its prose is dry. This is a book by establishmentarian lawyers. Their boss, an ex-US marine and FBI director, earned the sobriquet “Bobby Three-Sticks”, a reference to his name and the three-fingered Boy Scout salute. Justice department protocols barred federal prosecutors from charging an incumbent president, yet doubts lingered. “The department had twice taken the position, in writing, that a sitting president could not be indicted,” the authors acknowledge. But “if the special counsel’s office had evidence proving Trump truly was a Manchurian candidate, a puppet who was being directed by Russia in a way that was an immediate and ongoing threat, then the public interest in an indictment might be so great as to warrant pushing the department to revisit the \[Office of Legal Counsel\] opinion in order to safeguard the nation”. Also, Rod Rosenstein, the Janus-faced deputy attorney general who oversaw Mueller after Jeff Sessions, Trump’s first attorney general, recused himself, reportedly instructed Mueller to limit his investigation to criminal conduct connected with Russia’s election interference. “This is a criminal investigation,” Rosenstein purportedly [told Mueller](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/30/us/politics/trump-russia-justice-department.html). “Do your job, and then shut it down.” Examination of Trump’s prior ties to Russia was outside Mueller’s remit. Furthermore, a 2 August 2017 “scope memo” between Rosenstein and the special counsel gave the deputy attorney general the power to veto new lines of investigation, Zebley, Quarles and Goldstein now disclose. We know how the story ends. Trump was not charged. Associates were convicted, only to be pardoned. Roger Stone and Paul Manafort remain in Trumpworld. Zebley, Quarles and Goldstein portray Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney, as untrustworthy. By the end, Mueller “decided he would never again meet or speak with Giuliani – and he never did”. Giuliani is now under indictment in Arizona and Georgia, for his role in Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Not everyone who worked for Mueller was thrilled with Zebley, Quarles and Goldstein. Andrew Weissmann, a Mueller deputy, now a New York University law professor and MSNBC commentator, has strafed Zebley for being overly cautious, adhering to a narrow reading of the special counsel’s mandate. In [Where Law Ends](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/27/where-law-ends-review-robert-mueller-donald-trump-andrew-weissmann): Inside the Mueller Investigation, his 2020 memoir, Weissmann hearkened back to the generals who served Abraham Lincoln, comparing Zebley to the “timorous” George McClellan, reluctant to fight the Confederates, while presenting himself as a hero, an approximation of Philip Sheridan and Ulysses S Grant. In turn, Zebley, Quarles and Goldstein see Weissmann as a zealot. Mueller and Zebley knew him but the decision to bring him on board engendered discussion. “He had a reputation for being unduly harsh with some defendants,” the authors write. In addition, Weissmann was already collecting information on Manafort, “almost as though it had been a hobby”. Maybe “that should have caused us to consider whether he was too interested in the investigation”. [skip past newsletter promotion](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/29/interference-book-review-mueller-report#EmailSignup-skip-link-15) Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you **Privacy Notice:** Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our [Privacy Policy](https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy). We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. after newsletter promotion Later, the authors describe Weissmann’s failed efforts to have the Manhattan district attorney resurrect the federal case against Manafort, after he had received a Trump pardon. As Interference arrives, the US is embroiled in another brutal election. Again, the Kremlin is in the mix. Earlier this month, the justice department [indicted](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-rt-employees-indicted-covertly-funding-and-directing-us-company-published-thousands) two employees of RT, the Russian propaganda machine, as part of “a $10m scheme to create and distribute content to US audiences”. Pro-Trump American lackeys purportedly benefited from such largesse. Trump continues to brag about his relationship with the Russian leader and his ilk. “I know Putin very well,” [he announced](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/harris-trump-presidential-debate-transcript/story?id=113560542) at the September debate. “I have a good relationship.” Also in September, federal prosecutors charged Dimitri and Anastasia Simes in a scheme to evade sanctions and launder money at the behest of Channel One Russia. Dimitri Simes previously led a thinktank with ties to the Kremlin and Trumpworld. His name appeared dozens of times in the Mueller Report, earning a whole subsection, Dimitri Simes and the Center for the National Interest. As he seeks a second presidency, Trump is unhinged and unrestrained. “I am your retribution,” he tells supporters. “I’m being indicted for you.” “We were not prepared then,” Mueller writes in his introduction to Interference, “and, despite many efforts of dedicated people across the government, we are not prepared now. This threat deserves the attention of every American. Russia attacked us before and will do so again.” * _Interference: The Inside Story of Trump, Russia, and the Mueller Investigation is_ _[published in the US](https://bookshop.org/p/books/untitled-s-s-nf-if-to-be-confirmed-simon-schuster/21389318?ean=9781668063743)_ _by HarperCollins_

The [Trump administration](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/trump-administration) protected Brett Kavanaugh from facing a full FBI investigation in the wake of serious allegations that he sexually assaulted two women – once in high school and once in college – during his controversial 2018 Senate confirmation to become a supreme court justice, according to a new report. An investigation led by the Democratic senator Sheldon Whitehouse also found that both the Trump White House and the [FBI](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/fbi) “misled the public and the Senate” about the scope of the investigation it did conduct into the sexual assault allegations by falsely claiming that the FBI had conducted its investigation thoroughly and “by the book”. Kavanaugh’s confirmation by the Senate seemed to be in doubt after Christine Blasey Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University, alleged he had sexually assaulted her while the two were in high school. A classmate at Yale, named Deborah Ramirez, alleged in a report published by the New Yorker that Kavanaugh had exposed himself at a drunken dormitory party. Kavanaugh denied both allegations. The Senate judiciary committee agreed after Ford publicly testified about her allegations that the FBI conduct a supplemental background check to examine those allegations before the full Senate voted on his nomination. In the aftermath of Kavanaugh’s ultimate confirmation by the Senate, in a 50-48 vote, Whitehouse and his staff set out on a six-year investigation to try to find answers about how the FBI conducted its investigation. The investigation was hampered, Whitehouse said, by executive branch delays, reluctance to answer even basic questions, and often incomplete answers. “In 2018, I [pledged](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOTDMnnYXdk) to Christine Blasey Ford that I’d keep digging, for however long it took, and not give up or move on from Senate Republicans and the Trump White House’s shameful confirmation process for Justice Kavanaugh,” Whitehouse said. “This report shows that the supplemental background investigation was a sham, controlled by the Trump White House, to give political cover to Senate Republicans and put Justice Kavanaugh back on the political track to confirmation.” The findings are significant because at least eight senators cited the FBI’s findings – that “no corroborating evidence” had been found to back up the allegations against Kavanaugh – when they voted to confirm the justice. They include the then majority leader, Mitch McConnell, Shelley Moore Capito, former senator Jeff Flake and Bob Corker, Chuck Grassley and Susan Collins. In reality, the Whitehouse report claims the FBI’s limited supplemental background investigation involved only a “handful” of interviews of relevant witnesses, and ignored other potential sources, including Kavanaugh himself, Ford, or others who had offered to give the FBI corroborating or otherwise relevant information. Ford was not interviewed, the report said, even though her attorney repeatedly contacted the FBI directly to request the FBI interview her. A lawyer for Ramirez provided lists of suggested witnesses to the FBI, including a list of 20 additional witnesses likely to have relevant information who Ramirez suspected could corroborate her account. [skip past newsletter promotion](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/08/trump-brett-kavanaugh-investigation-fbi#EmailSignup-skip-link-13) Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning **Privacy Notice:** Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our [Privacy Policy](https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy). We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. after newsletter promotion In one case, a former classmate of Kavanaugh at Yale named Max Stier sought to come forward to report that he had once witnessed Kavanaugh with his pants down at a drunken party, and that his friends pushed the future justice’s penis into the hands of a female student. The alleged incident was separate from others that became public during the investigation but bore similarities to the allegations made by Ramirez. Stier notified the Senate and the FBI about his account, according to media reports, but the matter was never investigated by the FBI. The FBI director, Christopher Wray, was even personally notified by Senator Chris Coons of Delaware about Stier’s account but he was never contacted. Stier, who runs a non-profit in Washington, has declined to discuss the matter with the Guardian. He is married to Florence Pan, who serves as a circuit judge on the US court of appeals, a post formerly held by the supreme court justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. In response to the release of the report, Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, lawyers for Ford, said in a statement: “Dr Ford performed a heroic act of public service that came at a steep personal cost for her and those close to her. We know today that Trump White House officials acted to hide the truth. They conspired, with the FBI complicit, to silence those who offered important evidence, including one college classmate who ‘saw Mr Kavanaugh with his pants down at a different drunken dorm party, where friends pushed his penis into the hand of a female student.’ We also know that this will likely result in no consequences for those involved, though it should.” The FBI also declined to pursue information it received through the agency’s tip line. The tips were forwarded directly to the White House.

 MIAMI — Florida’s Attorney General is asking a federal judge to stop the U.S. Justice Department from blocking the state from investigating and [prosecuting Ryan Routh](https://www.npr.org/2024/09/16/nx-s1-5113801/trump-shooting-assassination-attempt-suspect-ryan-wesley-routh). Routh is charged with attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump while he was golfing in September. Deputies arrested Routh after fleeing from what the FBI says was a “sniper’s nest” at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach. He’s [charged with several counts](https://www.npr.org/2024/09/24/g-s1-24421/donald-trump-assassination-attempt-charges-ryan-routh), including attempting to assassinate a major Presidential candidate. Routh has [pleaded not guilty](https://www.npr.org/2024/09/30/nx-s1-5133485/ryan-routh-donald-trump-pleads-not-guilty-charge-attempt-assassination). Shortly after his arrest, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state would [open its own investigation](https://www.npr.org/2024/09/17/g-s1-23430/florida-prosecution-ryan-routh-trump). At a news conference, DeSantis questioned whether the Justice Department, which is prosecuting Trump in two criminal cases, can handle Routh’s prosecution fairly and transparently. The federal government quickly blocked that move. Justice Department officials cited a law which gives the federal government superseding authority over state investigations in cases like this. In a letter to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, U.S. Attorney for Florida’s Southern District Markenzy Lapointe said that the federal indictment of Routh on a charge of attempted assassination “resolves any potential uncertainty” about whether the federal law preempting the state’s authority applies. That same law, Lapointe says, “does not preclude state prosecutions permissibly following the conclusion of the federal prosecution.” Moody has [filed a complaint](https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=25250029-moody-comp) in federal court asking a judge to overrule the Justice Department’s action and allow the state’s investigation of Routh to go forward. She says forcing Florida to wait to begin its investigation until the federal government completes its prosecution makes the state’s case harder to prove at trial. “Evidence disappears, memories fade, and the State has no way to force the federal government to cooperate.” By blocking the state’s investigation and prosecution of Routh, she says the federal government is illegally taking authority from the state guaranteed under the Constitution’s 10th amendment. “The federal government’s attempt to thwart Florida’s investigation vastly overreads (the law),” Moody says, “and any enforcement of it would constitute illegal executive action.” It's not clear when the federal judge will rule on the request.

 President-elect Donald Trump has selected Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as his attorney general, tapping the combative Florida Republican to the key post as Trump potentially aims to rein in the independence of the Justice Department. Gaetz, 42, would take the helm of a department that as recently as last year was investigating him for possible sex trafficking offenses. Ultimately, prosecutors recommended against bringing charges against him after a long-running probe. In a statement on his Truth Social account, Trump called Gaetz a "deeply gifted and tenacious attorney" and said he "has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice." "Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System," Trump added. "Matt will end Weaponized Government, protest our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans' badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department." Gaetz has been a close ally of Trump, particularly in supporting him during his New York criminal trial. Gaetz was [one of several GOP politicians](https://www.npr.org/2024/05/16/1251767758/trump-trial-michael-cohen) who traveled to New York to sit in on the historic proceedings and testimony. Gaetz has served for several years on the House Judiciary Committee, where he was a fierce critic of the Russia investigation and staunch supporter of Trump. He was also the prime mover behind former Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy's political defenestration last year. McCarthy did not block a separate House Ethics Committee investigation tied to sex trafficking and drug allegations into Gaetz. Gaetz has denied those allegations and noted that the related FBI investigation that began in 2020 was closed without charges. If confirmed, Gaetz would also oversee the FBI. Should Gaetz be confirmed as attorney general, the ethics investigation in the House would end. "Once a member of Congress is no longer a member, whether they resign or whether they or whatever the circumstances of the House Ethics Committee does in fact lose jurisdiction," Rep. Michael Guest, the chair of that committee, explained. Guest said he could not comment on any ongoing work within the committee. _NPR's Lexie Shapitl and Barbara Sprunt contributed reporting._

Antitrust enforcers with the Federal Trade Commission have opened a wide-ranging investigation into Microsoft’s business practices, starting off a big legal project that an incoming Trump administration must take up or abandon Antitrust enforcers with the Federal Trade Commission have opened a wide-ranging investigation into Microsoft's business practices, starting a big legal project that an incoming Trump administration must take up or abandon. The FTC is investigating Microsoft's cloud computing business and related product lines such as [artificial intelligence](https://apnews.com/hub/artificial-intelligence) and cybersecurity, according to a person who was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. It's the latest action of more than three years of aggressive antitrust enforcement shepherded by FTC Chair Lina Khan, [who was elevated](https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-technology-business-government-and-politics-57d894c1f85a5d6d2ad4d7d05934e4f8) to lead the agency by President Joe Biden after he came into office pledging tougher scrutiny of monopolistic behavior by Big Tech companies. Khan's FTC already lost one antitrust fight with Microsoft last year when a federal [judge declined to block](https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-activision-xbox-playstation-call-of-duty-2322c62e67e6c1316b3ce043e66cff62) its $69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard. This case would go deeper into the core of Microsoft's business in a way the company hasn't experienced in the U.S. since its antitrust showdown with the Justice Department in the 1990s. Microsoft declined to comment. Bloomberg News first reported about the investigation last week. The case will only move forward if President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the FTC decides to continue the investigation and take it to court. Some analysts are expecting a lighter approach to the tech industry under Trump, though incoming Vice President JD Vance has praised Khan's work. A number of other tech-related antitrust matters are also in play, including the Department of Justice's [investigation into chipmaker Nvidia](https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-openai-microsoft-ai-antitrust-investigation-ftc-doj-0adc9a4a30d4b581a4f07894473ba548) and its push to break up Google — possibly [spinning off the Chrome web browser](https://apnews.com/article/google-android-chrome-antitrust-f4b73387d152a1c14c9df65bf0149a69) — after a federal judge ruled Google [maintained an illegal monopoly](https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/5/24155520/judge-rules-on-us-doj-v-google-antitrust-search-suit) for the last decade.

Antitrust enforcers with the Federal Trade Commission have opened a wide-ranging investigation into Microsoft’s business practices, starting off a big legal project that an incoming Trump administration must take up or abandon Antitrust enforcers with the Federal Trade Commission have opened a wide-ranging investigation into Microsoft's business practices, starting a big legal project that an incoming Trump administration must take up or abandon. The FTC is investigating Microsoft's cloud computing business and related product lines such as [artificial intelligence](https://apnews.com/hub/artificial-intelligence) and cybersecurity, according to a person who was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. It's the latest action of more than three years of aggressive antitrust enforcement shepherded by FTC Chair Lina Khan, [who was elevated](https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-technology-business-government-and-politics-57d894c1f85a5d6d2ad4d7d05934e4f8) to lead the agency by President Joe Biden after he came into office pledging tougher scrutiny of monopolistic behavior by Big Tech companies. Khan's FTC already lost one antitrust fight with Microsoft last year when a federal [judge declined to block](https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-activision-xbox-playstation-call-of-duty-2322c62e67e6c1316b3ce043e66cff62) its $69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard. This case would go deeper into the core of Microsoft's business in a way the company hasn't experienced in the U.S. since its antitrust showdown with the Justice Department in the 1990s. Microsoft declined to comment. Bloomberg News first reported about the investigation last week. The case will only move forward if President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the FTC decides to continue the investigation and take it to court. Some analysts are expecting a lighter approach to the tech industry under Trump, though incoming Vice President JD Vance has praised Khan's work. A number of other tech-related antitrust matters are also in play, including the Department of Justice's [investigation into chipmaker Nvidia](https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-openai-microsoft-ai-antitrust-investigation-ftc-doj-0adc9a4a30d4b581a4f07894473ba548) and its push to break up Google — possibly [spinning off the Chrome web browser](https://apnews.com/article/google-android-chrome-antitrust-f4b73387d152a1c14c9df65bf0149a69) — after a federal judge ruled Google [maintained an illegal monopoly](https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/5/24155520/judge-rules-on-us-doj-v-google-antitrust-search-suit) for the last decade.

[A new Justice Department investigation](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-civil-rights-violations-memphis-police-department-and-city-memphis) has revealed that officers in the Memphis Police Department use excessive force, discriminate against Black people and people with behavioral health disabilities, and engage in unlawful searches and arrests. The harrowing findings, part of a report released Wednesday, are the result of a 17-month investigation into the department, launched after Memphis police killed [29-year-old Tyre Nichols](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23574206/tyre-nichols-death-bodycam-video-memphis-police-release) in a traffic stop last year. But for now, Memphis isn’t required to act on the findings. Any legally binding commitment to reform would require more action by DOJ, including a possible lawsuit and settlement with the city. It’s not guaranteed that the agency will — or would be able to — take that action before President-elect Donald Trump starts his second term, however. And if it doesn’t, the Trump administration could choose not to pursue oversight of Memphis at all. [Trump](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/08/27/trump-policing-biden-harris-police-accountability/), [as well as his allies](https://www.themarshallproject.org/2024/07/20/trump-project-2025-crime-prosecutors) at the Heritage Foundation and elsewhere, have made clear that they’re less interested in efforts to hold police accountable than President Joe Biden has been. That much was evident during the first Trump administration, when the DOJ significantly [dialed back its oversight of police](https://www.vox.com/2020/6/30/21281041/trump-justice-department-consent-decrees-jeff-sessions-police-violence-abuse). Over Trump’s four years in office, [the DOJ opened just one new](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/what-happened-lone-police-department-investigation-started-trump-s-doj-n1231321) investigation into potential departmental civil rights violations, far less than the [25 it opened during former President Barack Obama’s tenure](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/what-happened-lone-police-department-investigation-started-trump-s-doj-n1231321) and [the 12 it has opened under Biden.](https://www.reuters.com/legal/bidens-justice-dept-has-yet-reach-accords-police-misconduct-cases-2024-10-29/) Additionally, it was much more reluctant to enter into legal agreements with cities [about required police reforms](https://www.propublica.org/article/the-obama-justice-department-had-a-plan-to-hold-police-accountable-for-abuses-the-trump-doj-has-undermined-it) — one of the department’s best tools for enforcing changes to policing. “Based on the first Trump administration, I would expect that in the second Trump administration, civil or criminal investigations into police will decrease,” Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy project director on policing at the ACLU, told Vox. There are two key avenues for DOJ oversight of police departments: civil pattern-or-practice investigations and criminal investigations of individual offenses. The Memphis investigation was the former. Pattern-or-practice investigations can be triggered by a specific incident, but seek to examine whether there is a pattern of [systemic civil rights violations](https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-10/pattern_or_practice_investigation_faqs_english.pdf) by a locality’s police department. The DOJ’s Memphis inquiry was prompted by the brutal police killing of Nichols — a Black man who was [tased and beaten by five officers](https://apnews.com/projects/tyre-nichols-police-body-cam-footage-analysis/) after getting pulled over for a traffic stop in the city last year — and aimed to examine just how widespread such problems are. (That incident is also the subject of its [own separate federal criminal inquiry](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/five-former-memphis-police-officers-charged-federal-civil-rights-conspiracy-and-obstruction).) Once the DOJ concludes its investigation and announces its findings, [it typically files a lawsuit if it identifies misconduct](https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/local/2024/12/04/what-is-consent-decree-memphis-police/76751013007/). A judge will then impose what’s known as a consent decree, or a court mandate, for the city to implement reforms that both the locality and DOJ agree upon. These changes can include requirements that a police force reduce the frequency of use of force incidents and improve community trust in police, among other possible provisions. The court also appoints an independent monitor to oversee the department’s efforts, who will keep an eye on progress or violations of the consent decree. Cities that don’t comply with consent decrees can be fined and face other penalties. Memphis has said it won’t enter into negotiations with DOJ about potential reforms until it has an opportunity [to review and push back on the report’s findings](https://apnews.com/article/tyre-nichols-memphis-police-federal-investigation-beac021fcf8b5fd255ce79520cec86fa). And if the Trump administration decides not to pursue the typical lawsuit, Memphis likely won’t need to enter a consent decree at all. [A similar scenario transpired in 2017](https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/crime/2024/12/04/trump-white-house-impact-consent-decrees/76749027007/) after the Obama administration identified police abuses in Chicago following a pattern-or-practice investigation, and Trump’s DOJ [chose not to pursue the process further.](https://www.propublica.org/article/the-obama-justice-department-had-a-plan-to-hold-police-accountable-for-abuses-the-trump-doj-has-undermined-it) (In that case, [the state of Illinois](https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-police-consent-decree-timeline/) stepped in to finalize [a consent decree with the city](https://www.startribune.com/under-president-trump-is-minneapolis-pending-consent-decree-with-the-doj-dead/601179980).) During his 2024 campaign, Trump repeatedly signaled an intent to empower police, often making remarks that suggested a reduction in federal oversight of law enforcement. “We will give our police back their power, protection, respect that they deserve,” [he said in July](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/08/27/trump-policing-biden-harris-police-accountability/?_pml=1), pledging to end Democrats’ so-called “war on … police.” He’s talked, too, about emboldening officers to use force, rather than curbing the practice: “They have to be extraordinarily rough,” Trump has said about [police’s response to shoplifters](https://www.npr.org/2024/11/14/nx-s1-5183142/police-welcome-trumps-return-to-the-white-house), claiming, too, that one [“violent day” of policing would end crime](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/29/trump-violent-day-policing-crime-00181619). Other policies that Trump has advocated for, like [the return of stop and frisk](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/trump-stop-frisk-black-male-voters-rcna157084), [which has led to racial profiling in the past](https://policing.umhistorylabs.lsa.umich.edu/s/detroitunderfire/page/stop-and-frisk), and the [provision of military-grade equipment to local police](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/08/27/trump-policing-biden-harris-police-accountability/?_pml=1), also stress an interest in empowering law enforcement. And Trump’s first term also offered a preview of how the DOJ could take a much laxer approach to police oversight once the president-elect is back in office. It could do so in several ways, experts told Vox. The first way is that it could pull back on existing consent decrees that have already been put into place. In 2017, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions attempted to delay the implementation of a [consent decree that the Obama administration](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/blow-doj-federal-judge-approves-baltimore-police-reform-agreement) had already negotiated with Baltimore, but such efforts were blocked by the courts. Given this precedent, it would likely be difficult for the DOJ to drop the decrees entirely, though it could dedicate fewer resources to oversight or helping the local department craft policies for training and other needs. The second way is that it could effectively abandon investigations that have not yet resulted in consent decrees. Cities like Memphis [and Phoenix](https://theappeal.org/city-fighting-phoenix-police-doj-investigation/), for example, have yet to enter into settlements with the DOJ. If they fail to do so prior to the end of the Biden administration, it’s unlikely that the Trump administration will pursue them. At that point, state governments, or civil rights organizations like the ACLU, could potentially step in and use the DOJ investigation to file lawsuits of their own, with the goal of forcing courts to require changes by these cities. In the interim, however, these cities won’t face binding requirements to pursue police reforms. During Trump’s first term, Sessions explicitly instructed DOJ staff to “[exercise special caution](https://www.vox.com/2020/6/30/21281041/trump-justice-department-consent-decrees-jeff-sessions-police-violence-abuse)” when agreeing to a consent decree with local governments and effectively told them to do so sparingly. Sessions also required DOJ lawyers to “get permission from many of the Justice Department’s most senior officials before entering into a consent decree,” [Vox’s Ian Millhiser wrote](https://www.vox.com/2020/6/30/21281041/trump-justice-department-consent-decrees-jeff-sessions-police-violence-abuse). “Technically … the Attorney General is supposed to be somewhat independent from the President. But in reality … if the President says, you know, I’m not sure we need to be involved in these cases as aggressively as the prior administration \[was\], I think any attorney general would see the tea leaves there,” Michael Gennaco, a former DOJ civil rights attorney and principal at OIR Group, an independent auditor that works with cities to review police practices, told Vox. The third way the Trump administration could reduce oversight is by opening up fewer new investigations altogether. The lower number of pattern-or-practice investigations opened in Trump’s first term, compared to Biden’s and Obama’s, underscores the likelihood of this possibility. The DOJ has a unique authority and access when it comes to looking into misconduct by local police departments and doing a deep dive on their day-to-day operations. State governments also have this capacity, but they tend to have fewer resources than the federal government — and they aren’t backed by the same laws that empower federal investigations. That means if Trump’s DOJ takes a step away from police oversight, there will be no comparable authority that can scrutinize departments to the same degree. “The horrific attack on Tyre Nichols, that kind of police violence never comes out of nowhere,” Borchetta said. “It always results from some kind of department-wide problem, but understanding what problem leads to that kind of tragedy requires looking under the hood of the police department.” You’ve read 1 article in the last month Here at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you — threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country. Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change. We rely on readers like you — join us.  Swati Sharma Vox Editor-in-Chief See More: * [Criminal Justice](https://www.vox.com/criminal-justice) * [Policy](https://www.vox.com/policy) * [Politics](https://www.vox.com/politics)

Florida officials filed charges on Wednesday against the man accused of [trying to assassinate](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/15/us/politics/trump-shooting-golf-course.html) President-elect Donald J. Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course in September, defying federal prosecutors who had asked the state to suspend its investigation while their own moved forward. The state charged Ryan W. Routh with attempted felony murder, citing injuries that a child sustained in a crash on Interstate 95 shortly after police officers shut down the highway in pursuit of Mr. Routh. He [has pleaded not guilty](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/30/us/trump-golf-ryan-routh-gunman-plea.html) to federal charges, including the [attempted assassination of a presidential candidate](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/23/us/politics/trump-assassination-attempt-routh-hearing.html). Ashley Moody, the Florida attorney general, and Gov. Ron DeSantis, both Republicans, have repeatedly criticized the Biden Justice Department over its investigation of Mr. Routh, questioning federal prosecutors’ credibility because [until recently](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/25/us/politics/jack-smith-trump-election-documents-charges.html), they were also prosecuting Mr. Trump. Mr. DeSantis [began the state’s parallel investigation](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/17/us/politics/trump-assassination-attempt-investigation.html) two days after the shooting, saying the federal agencies could not be trusted. In October, Ms. Moody sued the Justice Department, asking a federal judge to stop the department from blocking the state’s investigation after federal authorities said theirs should proceed first. Ms. Moody’s complaint said that among other things, federal officials did not want Florida to interview witnesses while the federal investigation was going on. Having dueling federal and state investigations could complicate them both, especially because the federal system does not allow for depositions as the state system does, said David S. Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor in Miami who is now a defense lawyer. When a witness provides statements to multiple investigators, defense lawyers become more likely to find inconsistencies in the testimonies that could allow them to create reasonable doubt. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F18%2Fus%2Fflorida-trump-assassination-plot-charges.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F18%2Fus%2Fflorida-trump-assassination-plot-charges.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F18%2Fus%2Fflorida-trump-assassination-plot-charges.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F18%2Fus%2Fflorida-trump-assassination-plot-charges.html).

President Trump fired 17 inspectors general, the internal watchdogs who monitor federal agencies, on Friday night, capping a week of dramatic shake-ups of the federal bureaucracy focused on loyalty to the president, three people with knowledge of the matter said. The sweeping move did not affect Michael E. Horowitz, the inspector general for the Justice Department, according to one of the people with knowledge of the matter. But inspectors general at several major agencies were believed to have been fired. The Washington Post [reported the firings](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/01/24/trump-fire-inspectors-general-federal-agencies/) earlier. A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The firings threatened to upend the traditional independence of the internal watchdogs, and critics of Mr. Trump reacted with alarm. “Inspectors general are charged with rooting out government waste, fraud, abuse and preventing misconduct,” Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, said in a statement. “President Trump is dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption.” People involved in the Trump transition had signaled such a shake-up was likely. And it is in keeping with an effort that Mr. Trump began in early 2020, when he dismissed five inspectors general from their roles. At the time, Mr. Trump was dealing with a raging coronavirus pandemic across the country, but he also was seeking to reshape the government to remove people he saw as trying to damage him. That included Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for the U.S. intelligence community, who dealt with the anonymous whistle-blower complaint that led to Mr. Trump’s first impeachment by the House. Democrats accused Mr. Trump of trying to gut the independent offices. Mr. Horowitz delivered to the Justice Department in late 2019 a report about the F.B.I. investigation of potential links between his campaign and Russians that began in 2016, called Crossfire Hurricane. Mr. Horowitz found that the F.B.I. had a valid basis for opening the investigation, but he was critical of the application for a warrant to secretly monitor a Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page. He also said the F.B.I. director at the time the investigation was opened, James B. Comey, had violated the department’s policy with secret memos about his interactions with Mr. Trump that later became public. The Justice Department declined to prosecute Mr. Comey, a decision that infuriated Mr. Trump.

**Welcome to The Logoff.** Today’s edition is about Donald Trump’s efforts to purge the Federal Bureau of Investigation of his perceived enemies — a power struggle with ramifications for the rule of law throughout the United States. **What’s happened so far?** On Friday night, the Department of Justice moved to fire several senior FBI executives — including the head of the Washington field office. Additionally, DOJ is demanding a list of FBI personnel who investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. **What’s next?** DOJ says the list will be reviewed “to determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary” — raising the possibility that they’ll fire some or all of the thousands of FBI staff who worked on the January 6 investigation. **Meanwhile, legal advisers are preparing to sue to block the firings if they go forward.** **Is this normal?** Absolutely not. I asked two scholars of FBI history if there was any precedent for this. Both said no. Agents can be fired for corruption or incompetence after a review, but a mass firing for participating in an investigation is unheard of, they said. **What’s the larger context?** The firing of top officials could make the FBI less effective in critical areas such as counterterrorism. And mass firings of FBI staff involved in the January 6 investigation would serve as a warning to bureau employees about what happens if they investigate Trump’s political allies, corroding the independence the agency depends on to enforce federal law. **What’s the long-term fear?** Both historians mentioned potential long-term fears for the rule of law — and for civil liberties — if Trump continues on this path. “This is what authoritarian secret service and intelligence operations look like,” Beverly Gage, a history professor at Yale University who wrote a book about the FBI, told me. “They are the security wing of one man, serving at his behest, rewarding his friends and punishing his enemies. … We’ve got a lot of battles ahead, but it is extremely bad news.” As a reminder: Logging off doesn’t mean turning off your brain. It means taking care of yourself so you — and not the doomscroll — are in charge. To that end, I offer this remarkable Vox piece about [one person’s quest for confidence](https://www.vox.com/even-better/392058/gaining-confidence-coach-research-self-improvement-success), and all the revelations she had along the way. See More: * [Donald Trump](https://www.vox.com/donald-trump) * [Politics](https://www.vox.com/politics) * [Trump Administration](https://www.vox.com/trump-administration)

 ROME — Donald Trump Jr. has angered Italian politicians who accuse his hunting crew of killing a rare duck. The president's eldest son appeared in a video posted on the website of Field Ethos — an outdoor adventure brand he co-founded — hunting in wetlands bordering Italy's Venice Lagoon. The footage shows Trump wearing camouflage, shooting birds out of the sky and appearing beside a pile of dead birds. Experts identified one of the birds as a ruddy shelduck, a protected species in Europe. It's not clear from the video, which has since been removed from the site, who in the hunting party allegedly killed a protected bird, but the saga has set off what one Italian [newspaper called](https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2025/02/05/news/venezia_trump_jr_caccia_proibita-423982384/) the "Donald Duck crisis." Green party politicians in Italy's Veneto region are pressing for an investigation of Trump and his hunting party, saying killing a ruddy shelduck is a crime. "Yesterday morning, before attending the meeting of the Regional Council in Venice, I filed a complaint with the Forest Police of Mestre Venice regarding the controversial hunting trip of Donald Trump Jr. in the Venice Lagoon protected by the European Union," regional legislator [Andrea Zanoni with the Europe Green party said](https://www.facebook.com/andreazanonix/posts/pfbid02fycL8ri9Q7BuR1Q1SszQapWWkyM9WvnoneJJUt2Y9QyfFJcYe2FMwM9CERzZhdBjl) in a Facebook post Wednesday. Another party member in Italy's lower house has also raised the issue with the country's environment minister, The [Associated Press reported](https://apnews.com/article/italy-trump-jr-duck-hunt-investigation-415a449c345800ee974bc12738fc4be1). Donald Trump Jr. did not reply to NPR's request for comment. But his spokesperson, Andy Surabian, told AP that "Don takes following all rules, regulations and conservation on his hunts very seriously and plans on fully cooperating with any investigation." Hunting is legal but strictly regulated in Italy. Surabian said the group was hunting with permits in a legally permitted area.

[Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) on Tuesday opened yet another front in his assault on global trade norms, ordering a new investigation into possible tariffs on copper imports to rebuild US production of a metal critical to electric vehicles, military hardware, semiconductors and a wide range of consumer goods. Trump, looking to thwart what his advisers see as a move by China to dominate the global copper market, signed an order directing commerce secretary Howard Lutnick to start a new national security investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the same law that Trump used in his first term to impose 25% global tariffs on steel and aluminum. A White House official said any potential tariff rate would be determined by the investigation, adding that Trump preferred tariffs over quotas. The White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said the investigation would be completed quickly, “in Trump time”. [ What are the tariffs on steel and aluminum Trump announced? ](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/10/trump-steel-aluminum-tax) Navarro claimed China was using state subsidies and economic influence to gain control over global copper production, in much the same way it now dominates steel and aluminum production. That said, the countries set to be most affected by any new US copper tariffs would be Chile, Canada and Mexico, which were the top suppliers of refined copper and copper articles in 2024, according to US Census Bureau data. “Like our steel and aluminum industries, our great American copper industry has been decimated by global actors attacking our domestic production,” Lutnick, the US commerce secretary, said in a statement. “To build back our copper industry, I will investigate the imposition of possible tariffs.“ Lutnick said US industries and national defense depended on copper and “it should be made in America, no exemptions, no exceptions”. “It’s time for copper to come home,” Lutnick added. The White House official said the investigation would look at imports of raw mined copper, copper concentrates, copper alloy, scrap copper and derivative products made from the metal. The official declined to identify any specific derivatives, saying that would prejudge the investigation. [skip past newsletter promotion](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/25/trump-copper-tariffs-investigation#EmailSignup-skip-link-11) Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration **Privacy Notice:** Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our [Privacy Policy](https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy). We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. after newsletter promotion The official added that the Department of Energy recognized copper as a critical material in the medium term due to increased demand for solar energy technologies and global electrification, noting that it was the second most widely used material in US weapons platforms. The official said based on current demand for electric vehicles and power-hungry artificial intelligence applications, there will be a US copper shortage in the future, and the US cannot develop adequate copper smelting and refining capacity unless there is a reasonable certainty of long-lasting trade protection for the sector. The move is the latest effort by Trump to build a tariff wall around the nation’s economy as part of his drive to rebuild a long-declining US manufacturing base and redraw decades of trade relationships. Trump said on Monday that separate 25% general tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada were “on schedule” ahead of a 4 March implementation deadline despite efforts by both to avoid them by securing their US borders and halting the flow of fentanyl, the deadly opioid.