President Donald Trump’s subpoenas of The New York Times has been widely criticized for potentially violating the First Amendment, to the point where the prosecutors trying to force out the publication’s sources on weaknesses with Trump’s Qatari-gifted jet have been threatened with losing their Bar license. Now a recent report reveals a judge presiding over that case has humiliated a prosecutor trying to win it.“The Times swiftly moved to quash the subpoenas, arguing that they were issued in a bad faith effort to harass and intimidate the journalists,” reported Lawfare's Anna Bower on Tuesday. “What’s more, the newspaper contended that the government hadn't come close to meeting the standard set out in New York Times v. Gonzales, the Second Circuit precedent establishing that prosecutors seeking a reporter's confidential sources must show, among other things, that the information can't be obtained by other means.”Bower added, “The Justice Department, in response, didn't ask the court to deny the motion outright. Instead, it asked the court to hold the subpoenas in abeyance for two weeks while it pursued additional investigative steps—steps that, the government suggested, might bear on the scope of the subpoenas and on whether the Gonzales factors could ultimately be satisfied.”She then discussed Judge Arun Subramanian, who blasted the government for failing to rise to the Gonzales standards. “Given that the government has asked to hold the subpoenas in abeyance while it pursues further investigative steps, is the government willing to just withdraw them?” Bowers asked U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Sean Buckley. But Buckley said the government believes the ‘appropriate measure’ is to hold the subpoenas in abeyance while it takes unspecified additional investigative steps. In other words: the government wants to put enforcement of the subpoenas on pause rather than withdraw them entirely.Subramanian then reportedly interjected, “[Let me] stop you right there. So the answer to my question is 'no'?” After some back and forth with Buckley, the government conceded it could not rise to that standard.Subramanian then quoted from the Justice Department’s own filing, that to overcome the qualified reporter’s privilege recognized in Gonzales, the government must show that the information it wants is not obtainable from other sources. "You agree, right?" the judge asked aloud. But Buckley had to acknowledge that Subramanian was correct, adding that he believed the steps have now been achieved even though they had not when the subpoenas were first issued.“It’s the kind of admission that tends to end an argument before it starts, and Subramanian treats it that way,” Bowers reported. “‘Seems like you've got two options,’ he says to Buckley. ‘Either we can quash the subpoenas or you could withdraw the subpoenas.’”The judge was similarly dismissive of the rest of the government's position because of its failure on that key question.“Asked if he has anything to add, Buckley allows himself one small act of defiance: the government disputes any suggestion of bad faith, he says.And that's where Buckley left it, Bowers reported.
President Donald Trump appeared to fall asleep during his late friend Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) funeral on Tuesday, sparking a wave of commentary online.Trump delivered a eulogy for his Republican ally and his former golf buddy, then appeared to doze off during the service at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.Social media users were quick to notice as the president seemed to close his eyes."Trump, face drooping heavily, is struggling to stay awake at Lindsey Graham's memorial service," journalist Aaron Rupar, who captured the moment, wrote on X."We are five months out from him faceplanting for all the world to see," X user Jo, a political commentator with more than 1 million followers, wrote."Trump’s tribute was observing a brief moment of unconsciousness," Sundae Divine, a progressive political X account, wrote."Like I said before, it was remarkable to me how tired he was for an event in the afternoon. It's even more remarkable that the legacy media have no interest in what's going on with his health," political scientist David Darmofal wrote on Bluesky.Trump, face drooping heavily, is struggling to stay awake at Lindsey Graham's memorial service pic.twitter.com/E0SzRm87s2— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 28, 2026
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) said there's no hope of President Donald Trump's top legislative priority passing the Senate, calling the odds "basically zero."DeSantis made the prediction Monday on X, responding to a follower who asked about the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility — or SAVE America — Act, which would require voters to show proof of citizenship to register and a photo ID to cast a ballot.The Senate has twice failed to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to advance the bill past a Democratic filibuster, according to Newsweek. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told Newsweek in June that Republicans simply do not have the votes."I think the chance the Senate actually passes a real SAVE Act before the August break is basically zero," DeSantis wrote on X. "Happy to be wrong about this, but I don't think I am."Trump has made the bill the centerpiece of his 2026 legislative push, telling House Republicans in March it would "guarantee the midterms" and vowing he would not sign other legislation until it reached his desk, according to The Hill. He has also demanded the Senate cancel its August recess to keep the bill alive.Thune has said the bill is "not something we can get done absent having an election and electing more Republicans," according to Newsweek.Senate Rules Committee Chairman Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has warned that a federal mandate could give a future Democratic president tools to carry out "a complete federal takeover of American elections," according to Roll Call, writing in a Wall Street Journal op-ed."Unless they do the work to get to the 60 votes, they know it's dead, and so all this is theater," Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) told The News & Observer this month.Trump escalated his pressure campaign Monday, posting on Truth Social that Thune "should not allow the United States Senate to 'leave town' until it passes The Save America Act…"The Senate is scheduled to leave for its August recess after Aug. 7.
President Donald Trump paid tribute to his friend, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), with jokes, anecdotes, and a touching reflection on his decadeslong career. “Today we gather with the deepest gratitude, profoundest sorrow, to honor a beloved friend, a devoted brother, a respected statesman, a giant of the United States Senate, and a true […]
Ukraine seeks more firepower for air defenses and Israeli prime minister tries to repair relationship with US presidentDonald Trump hosted back-to-back White House meetings with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, as Ukraine seeks more firepower for its air defenses and the Israeli prime minister tries to repair his strained relationship with the US president.It was Netanyahu’s first visit to the Oval Office since he and Trump launched their joint military campaign against Iran on 28 February. Continue reading...
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro made a significant enough mistake that one legal expert says was incredibly stupid. A bombshell report on Monday revealed that the government's own witness in the David Hearn case over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Hearn is being accused of grabbing the pool lining with both hands and ripping it up. The DOJ's witness revealed that the damage the DOJ alleges came from Hearn was already there before Hearn arrived. An even bigger bungle, however, comes from an observation from writer and lawyer Amee Vanderpool, who runs the "Shero" Substack. Citing an NBC News report about the case, saying that the person who indicated the pool was already damaged spoke to the grand jury about the damage prior to Hearn. Beyond the fact that it sinks the DOJ's case, Vanderpool explained that by "using this" information, lawyers for Hearn "can now get all of the Reflecting Pool repair documents (and all documentation that is missing) in disclosure."Hearn's lawyers are asking for information about the disclosure and legal instructions grand jurors were given. They want to see the trial minutes, which will detail the dialogue line by line. In a different case involving six activists and politicians who protested outside of an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, it was discovered that the grand jury was being given conflicting information that wasn't factual and that the prosecutors were talking about defendants as if they were already found to be guilty. Anyone who looked to be wavering was excused from the jury. It's unclear whether the DOJ did the same in this case, but Hearn's lawyers having access to all of the information may reveal what happened in the grand jury as well as a slate of other details. Hearn's lawyers will be able to see documents involving the Reflecting Pool contractors, why they were chosen in a no-bid contract and why the costs were so much higher than President Donald Trump said they would be. "Jeanine Pirro is an idiot to pursue this," said Vanderpool. Last week, the judge in the case warned the DOJ that all of the workers looking at fixes to the pool and tearing up the liner were tampering with evidence. “Non-preservation,” the judge told the DOJ, “the government does it at its own peril.”One of Hearn's long-time friends, Adam Van Grack, who once served as chair of the U.S. Olympic governing body for canoe and kayak sports, said that going after Hearn was a mistake."The U.S. government could not have picked a worse person to be the headliner felony defendant in this trial," Van Grack told The Atlantic.
President Donald Trump rued the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) for getting the "last laugh" against him during his speech at Graham's funeral on Tuesday.Graham and Trump had a contentious relationship early in Trump's political career, but things seemed to smooth out between them over time. Graham had since become one of Trump's most staunch allies in the Senate and played a considerable role in passing Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" and in confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Even so, Trump shared that it was Graham who had the "last laugh" in their relationship. "I miss him greatly," Trump said. "As you remember, Lindsey and I did not exactly get off to the best of starts running against each other back in 2016. Lindsey said something rather nasty on his flight to becoming the next president of the United States. So, naturally, I did something that I shouldn't have done. I shared his personal cell phone number with the millions of people that happened to be watching that particular day, as I made a speech, a very important speech." "And I remember the number ... If anybody wants to give it a shot," Trump added. "His phone exploded. He said, I had that number for 20 years. I don't know what he did with it, but it exploded. That was the beginning of a friendship in a way. But it was Lindsey who had the last laugh, because while I blew up his phone, all for one day, we became great friends, and Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next ten years."
President Donald Trump couldn't help himself on Tuesday while delivering his eulogy for late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) — throwing a quick swipe.Trump was giving his tribute at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., when he went off script during the speech honoring the longtime lawmaker."Virtually everyone — Republican or Democrat — liked Lindsey," Trump said. "Well, not everybody. But it sounds good. Not everybody. He was a tough cookie. OK, I have to be honest. I have to veer from this for a second. He was a tough cookie, Darline, but he was beautiful," Trump added, directly commenting to Graham's sister, Darline, who was appointed to fill the vacancy after her brother's sudden death.Graham died suddenly on July 11 after traveling to Ukraine in support of the country's war against Russia. Officials listed his cause of death as an aortic dissection. Trump takes issue with the Lindsey Graham eulogy he's reading: "Virtually everyone liked Lindsey. Well, not everybody. But it sounds good. I have to be honest. I have to veer from this for a second." pic.twitter.com/L5JwAXxWi0— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 28, 2026
