By SOPHIE AUSTIN and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that the Justice Department is investigating him and his wife, accusing the Trump administration of targeting him for political purposes as he weighs a presidential bid. The full scope of any investigations related to Newsom were not immediately clear. Newsom, said in a video posted on X that federal agents in recent days have knocked on the doors of his friends and former employees, and have asked for records. A person familiar with the matter confirmed that there are multiple federal investigations into people around Newsom, including one related to his wife's taxes.
A federal judge in Virginia has extended a court-ordered block on the Trump administration's $1.8 billion settlement fund for compensating people who claim to be victims of a weaponized government. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says the government is scrapping its plans for the fund after bipartisan backlash. Plaintiffs' attorneys aren't satisfied by Blanche's assurances the fund won't move forward. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema previously agreed to temporarily block President Donald Trump's Republican administration from proceeding with the fund for at least two weeks. Brinkema on Friday gave the parties a week to negotiate an agreement for Blanche to submit a sworn declaration the administration won't revive the fund.
A judge has denied a request from the Kennedy Center to pause a ruling ordering President Donald Trump's name removed from building. That denial came Friday. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled last month that Trump's name was illegally added to the iconic Washington performing arts facility. Cooper ruled only Congress could institute a change to the Kennedy Center's name and ordered references to Trump to be removed by Friday. Now he's refused the Kennedy's Center board's request to stay the ruling.
By MICHELLE L. PRICE and SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press
President Donald Trump says he wants his new acting director of national intelligence to cut the office, which has already been significantly scaled back during his second term. Trump noted aboard Air Force One the size of the office has been "way too high for way too long" and if Bill Pulte cuts it, he "wouldn't mind." The Republican president said in an earlier interview with The Wall Street Journal he has asked Pulte to start the process of firing employees. Trump says Pulte will stay in the acting position depending on how long it takes to get his successor confirmed. The president says he's considering five people but hasn't named them.
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi has finished her interview with House lawmakers about the release of the Jeffrey Epstein case files. Bondi stood behind the Trump administration's release of the Epstein files but refused to answer questions on President Donald Trump's involvement in it. Democratic lawmakers said Friday that Bondi told them she would not speak about the Republican president in the closed-door interview. Several survivors of Epstein's abuse gathered outside the Capitol office where lawmakers were interviewing Bondi. The survivors tried to make their presence known to Bondi as she entered the room but say they were shoved aside by police officers.
The Justice Department is pressing for the dismissal of preservationists' lawsuit over the planned $400 million White House ballroom after the shooting at Saturday's media gala. But its latest court filing reads more like a Truth Social post from President Donald Trump than a document crafted by government lawyers. The filing submitted Monday by the Justice Department is chock-full of the kind of Trumpian touches the president uses in written communication, such as erratic capitalization, exclamation points, non sequiturs, praise for the president and accusations his opponents are insane. The 16-page filing is a sign of the extraordinary degree to which the president has demolished the traditional wall of independence between the Justice Department and White House.
