Raw StoryFar Left
Judge who forced Trump DOJ to back down on NYT subpoenas not done with them yet: report
The Justice Department made a major retreat this week, withdrawing its controversial subpoenas against New York Times journalists intended to root out a leak.But the federal judge who strong-armed them into backing down isn't finished with them quite yet.According to Lawfare's Anna Bower, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian of New York issued an order on Friday demanding the DOJ turn over a number of documents pertaining to their operations.Specifically, the judge wants all internal communications about the decision to seek a non-disclosure order — which comes just a day after he forced Justice Department counsel to admit certain claims made in that filing were inaccurate."With respect to the July 14, 2026 application for a non-disclosure order, the Government should, on or before Monday, July 27, 2026, furnish to the Court on an ex parte basis any internal communications on or before July 16, 2026, concerning (1) the decision to seek the non-disclosure order, (2) whether the application should or should not reference that the owners of the records were reporters, and (3) whether and when notification of the third-party subpoenas should be given to the reporters," wrote Subramanian.The leak investigation was a reaction to New York Times reporting about potential security vulnerabilities in the new Air Force One jet gifted to President Donald Trump by the Qatari government — something Trump and federal officials had publicly been denying.Directly interrogating reporters for the source of their information is a violation of the Justice Department's own rules about press freedom, except in narrow circumstances where all other options have been exhausted.
Read at Raw Story →TruthoutFar Left
DOJ Drops Subpoenas of New York Times Journalists and Their Family Members
“Are you going to do this again?” the judge asked lawyers for the administration.
Read at Truthout →Alternet.orgLeft
Critics slam New York Times for claim Trump shocked staff over Graham loss
President Donald Trump appeared to shock his staff and allies by having emotions during a meeting with the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) In a New York Times report about how Trump decided on Graham's sister, Darline Graham Nordone, as the nominee to run for South Carolina's full Senate seat, the piece painted Trump as "grieving." At two points in the report, it mentions a single meeting with Nordone in which Trump appeared to show emotion. It described Trump as having a "fraught week." The report claimed "several people described [Trump] as uncharacteristically emotional about the death of his friend."In the meeting with Nordone, top White House officials shared "stories about Mr. Graham. Mr. Trump, who is not known to show emotion, appeared upset by the loss, two people said."A staffer then handed Trump a list of Graham replacements, and the report rattled off all of the objections as the room moved on. Trump was concerned that having Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.) run for the seat meant leaving open a congressional seat while there's a narrow majority in the House already. Nordone, who was still in the room, asked what he thought about her running for the full term.Producer and Emmy Award-winner Mark Concannon blasted the Times for "parrot[ing] this Trump pressroom garbage.""He wasn’t 'grieving' about Lindsey Graham. He just knows his sister will be as big a sycophant as her brother was and do anything he tells her to do. That’s why he endorsed her. Full stop," Concannon added. Lawyer Steven Jaffe commented, "The NYTimes has outdone itself."The social bookmarking website Pinboard commented from the company's X account, "Curious how 'a grieving Trump' passed the laugh test at the NYT."National security analyst Marcy Wheeler pointed out the headline and the discrepancy between the headline and a quick mention of Trump's "emotional" state before breaking into a telling of his shrewd political determinations. "If you were struck by the description of Trump the sociopath making a decision (to appoint Lindsey's sister, which decision Gov McMaster had already made) [because] of something NYT called 'grief,' the passage on the left precedes the passage on the right in the story," she wrote on BlueSky, pasting the excerpts beside each other.
Read at Alternet.org →AxiosCenter Left
DOJ drops New York Times subpoenas over Air Force 1 reports
The U.S. government will withdraw subpoenas of New York Times journalists over their reporting on President Trump's Qatari-gifted jet, the Department of Justice said in a Thursday court hearing. Why it matters: The Trump administration backed down in its battle with the media on the eve of the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, where the president is expected to speak.Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian reportedly grilled the Trump administration in a Thursday hearing over the subpoenas, which the Times' counsel had blasted as harmful and chilling.A DOJ spokesperson said Subramanian "threatened our attorneys with sanctions unless subpoenas were withdrawn, and blocked us from presenting the meticulous process of this investigation."The spokesperson added that the investigation "remains ongoing, and we will pursue justice against those threatening national security by leaking classified information, a serious federal crime."Catch up quick: The administration issued the subpoenas earlier this month, seeking grand jury testimony, with agents delivering the orders to the reporters' homes, per the Times.The reporters shared bylines across articles comparing the security measures on the luxury Boeing 747-8 to those on the old Air Force One, citing people briefed on the retrofitting of the plane and the president's travel plans.The Times moved to quash the subpoenas soon after, calling them a "brazen effort to intimidate the press" that carried "glaring indications of bad faith." The outlet's lawyers further argued the government did not overcome the legal threshold to compel reporters to disclose confidential sources.The other side: The government had previously asked Subramanian to hold the subpoenas for two weeks while it requested that the Times preserve relevant records, but it said it would not seek testimony or document production during that period.Arguing against the Times' effort to kill the subpoenas, the government told the judge that the paper's reporting "presented a substantial national security concern, including because they indicated potential leaks of classified or national defense information."The government's filing also said it was still pursuing leads, "some of which may bear on the scope of the subpoenas" and might "be relevant to this Court's analysis of whether the reporter's privilege applies."Friction point: The Times responded that the "time for pursuing alternative investigative steps was before the Government sent armed agents to the Journalists' homes."Go deeper: FBI searches WaPo reporter's home and devicesEditor's note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout.
Read at Axios →NYT > U.S. > PoliticsCenter Left
U.S. Withdraws Subpoenas Issued to New York Times Journalists
A federal judge raised questions about the government’s handling of the subpoenas, which The Times called an attempt to intimidate the free press.
Read at NYT > U.S. > Politics →NBC News PoliticsCenter Left
Justice Department agrees to withdraw subpoenas of New York Times journalists over Air Force One reporting
A judge repeatedly questioned why prosecutors had issued the subpoenas before pursuing alternative investigative steps.
Read at NBC News Politics →The New RepublicLeft
Trump Caves and Withdraws Subpoenas for New York Times Journalists
Donald Trump’s administration withdrew its subpoenas Thursday for three New York Times journalists who reported on Air Force One’s security issues. Lawyers for the publication appeared in court to challenge subpoenas that would’ve compelled reporters to testify about their confidential sources before a grand jury, and granted access to reporters’ and their family members’ phone records. Times lawyers argued that the Department of Justice had ignored its own protocols for failing to give advance notice and issuing subpoenas “without first conducting any serious investigation.” On Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian seemed to agree. “Subpoenas are not the first thing you do, they are the last thing you do,” he said. The judge argued that the Trump administration’s actions had turned the First Amendment and free speech regulation “on its head.”After nearly an hour of intense grilling, Sean Buckley, chief counsel to the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, announced that the government was prepared to “unilaterally withdraw” its subpoenas. Subramanian made it clear he would have rejected the subpoenas anyway. White House officials were left fuming earlier this month after the Times reported that Trump had ditched his new Air Force One in Europe because it was missing certain security and communications capabilities. The president later announced plans to further “max out” the plane, suggesting that the $400 million luxury jumbo jet indeed lacked sufficient security features—all but confirming the story had been accurate. The Air Force has already spent roughly $400 million on renovating the plane, changing the cabin layout, communications system, and security upgrades. That doesn’t account for the taxpayer-funded continued maintenance of the plane, either. The Qatari-gifted jet will be moved to Trump’s presidential library foundation in 2029, where it may be available for him to use as a private citizen. This story has been updated.
Read at The New Republic →