John Bolton could be headed to prison for endangering national security after the FBI uncovered a trove of evidence at his home.
Bolton has not been indicted, but top FBI officials say he should face charges for stealing classified information during his brief, tumultuous tenure as national security adviser during Trump's first term, the New York Post reported.
According to sources who spoke with the Post, the FBI raid of Bolton's home and office uncovered "a lot" of evidence that prosecutors could use in a case against him.
Members of Trump's Justice Department believe the investigation had gone quiet during the Biden administration, possibly as a favor to Bolton, a vocal critic of Trump.
“The [Biden administration] had probable cause to know that he had taken material that was detrimental to the national security of the United States, and they made no effort to retrieve it,” a senior FBI official told The Post.
Bolton's preferential treatment would have come even as the Biden Justice Department tried to prosecute Trump for his handling of classified information - with the Biden FBI even raiding Trump's Mar-A-Lago estate.
The current investigation into Bolton is separate - and, insiders say, wider and more serious - than a previous criminal probe into Bolton's tell-all book, which contained classified information gathered from his time in the Trump White House.
Bolton, who was fired by Trump in 2019, published the anti-Trump tome despite a judge finding it likely "jeopardized national security."
Trump's critics have accused him of targeting Bolton for revenge, something Trump and his team have denied.
The New York Times, hardly a Trump-friendly newspaper, conceded in a new article that the FBI investigation appears to have a credible basis.
The probe centers on e-mails, intercepted by U.S. intelligence, which had been obtained by a foreign spy service, the newspaper noted. The e-mails were apparently sent by Bolton to people close to him using an unclassified server.
Two different judges signed off on search warrants targeting Bolton, which would have required probable cause of a crime.
"One major reason for conducting the searches was to see if Mr. Bolton possessed material that matched or corroborated the intelligence agency material, which, if found, would indicate that the emails found in the possession of the foreign spy service were genuine," the Times wrote.
After the raid last Friday morning, Trump questioned Bolton's loyalty to the country.
“He’s not a smart guy, but he could be a very unpatriotic guy,” Trump said. “We’re going to find out.”
One of the most notorious Democrats in Congress, Rep. Al Green, has been knocked out of his House seat by Texas Republicans' redistricting effort.
The longtime lawmaker said he will not seek another term in his Houston-area 9th district, which he has represented since 2005, after it was redrawn to favor Republicans - but he is not ruling out a run for the currently vacant, safely Democratic 18th district.
Texas Republicans are seeking to gain up to five new House seats from the new congressional map, which is already being challenged by liberal groups who say it discriminates against minorities.
Green would be favored if he ran for the historically black 18th district, which was reconfigured to include most of Green's old constituents.
Republican candidates who are vying for Green's old seat include former Harris County Judge GOP candidate Alexandra del Moral Mealer and state Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park).
At a press conference announcing his next steps Tuesday, the 77-year-old Green said he may run in the 18th to honor former representatives Sylvester Turner and Sheila Jackson Lee, who both died in office.
Turner was only weeks on the job when he died in March, shortly after attending President Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress. Green was infamously escorted out of the House chamber for heckling and later censured for his conduct.
"I'm going to be in a race just to defend those two people if for no other reason," Green said, referring to Lee and Turner.
There will be a special election for the 18th in November to fill the seat.
Green said he will not enter the crowded contest, which has drawn over two dozen candidates, but he may seek a future run.
"I'm not going to be in that special election, and I'm not going to be in that special election for a multiplicity of reasons but here is one: because if I chose to get in it, and should I win it, I would then have to vacate the 9th congressional district," Green said.
Green has been re-elected 10 times since he won his first House race in 2004.
He is known for bombastic, anti-Trump activism that has been rejected by his own Democratic party as counterproductive. His frequent threats to impeach Trump have gone nowhere.
“My constituents are still where they are and I am still where I have lived for more than 30 years,” Green said.
President Trump has fired Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook - who is refusing to acknowledge the president's order.
In a letter notifying Cook of his decision, Trump explained that she no longer works for the nation's central bank "effective immediately" because she has been credibly accused of mortgage fraud.
The president may remove Fed governors "for cause," Trump noted in his letter to Cook, who swiftly challenged the move.
"The Federal Reserve Act provides that you may be removed, at my discretion, for cause," Trump wrote.
Trump had called for Cook to resign last week after a federal housing regulator, Bill Pulte, filed a criminal referral to the Justice Department that accused Cook of claiming two different homes as her primary residence.
"For example, as detailed in the Criminal Referral, you signed one document attesting that a property in Michigan would be your primary residence for the next year," Trump explained.
"Two weeks later, you signed another document for a property in Georgia stating that it would be your primary residence for the next year. It is inconceivable that you were not aware of your first commitment when making the second. It is impossible that you intended to honor both,” Trump wrote.
At best, Cook made a damning mistake that disqualifies her from serving as a top financial regulator, Trump said. At worst, she engaged in "deceitful and criminal conduct."
"The Federal Reserve has tremendous responsibility for setting interest rates and regulating reserve and member banks. The American people must be able to have full confidence in the honesty of the members entrusted with setting policy and overseeing the Federal Reserve,” Trump added
“In light of your deceitful and potentially criminal conduct in a financial matter, they cannot and I do not have such confidence in your integrity."
"At a minimum, the conduct at issue exhibits the sort of gross negligence in financial transactions that calls into question your competence and trustworthiness as a financial regulator.”
By removing Cook - an appointee of Joe Biden and the first black woman to serve on the Federal Reserve Board - Trump has an opening to increase his influence over the central bank, which sets the nation's monetary policy, including the interest rates that influence mortgage costs.
Cook is demanding her job back, and she has hired former Hunter Biden lawyer Abbe Lowell, who said a lawsuit would be forthcoming.
But Trump - who last week had a $500 million penalty against him thrown out on appeal, just his latest victory against Democratic party lawfare - told reporters that he is "always ready" for a legal fight.
"She seems to have had an infraction and she can't have an infraction. And especially that infraction because she's in charge of, if you think about it, mortgages. We need people that are 100% above board, and it doesn't seem like she was," Trump said Tuesday.
Texas Republicans have enacted a new law that bans government entities from covering abortion travel.
In Texas, abortion is almost completely banned under state law. Republicans in Texas cried foul after the Democratic city of Austin allocated $400,000 to cover abortion-related travel costs.
Republicans said Austin was defying state law, and Senate Bill 33 was introduced by Sen. Donna Campbell to ensure compliance. Austin decried the ban as an attack on "reproductive freedom."
"This law sends a clear message that Austinites don’t deserve the freedom to make personal medical decisions or the right to (enact) policies shaped by our values," said Austin City Council member Vanessa Fuentes said in a statement. "It’s shameful, it’s wrong, and only deepens the reproductive health crisis Texans are already facing.”
The law "prohibits Texas governmental entities from financially or logistically supporting abortions, including entering into contracts with abortion providers or with entities that assist individuals in obtaining abortions," according to Governor Greg Abbott (R-Tx.), who signed the ban into law.
Abbott simultaneously signed Senate Bill 31, which clarifies the medical exception to the state's abortion ban, allowing doctors to perform abortions when a pregnancy poses a risk of death or serious bodily impairment to the mother.
“In Texas, we support mothers and their children,” Abbott said in a statement. “This session, the Texas Legislature worked together to pass the Life of the Mother Act to protect both mothers and babies while giving medical professionals the legal security and clinical clarity they desire. I am also proud to sign a law to ban taxpayer dollars from funding abortions. Texas is a pro-life and pro-family state. With these laws, we will stay that way, "he said.
Abortion tourism became a more prominent issue after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, triggering Democrats to seek workarounds to abortion bans in Republican states.
The Biden administration led the way, adopting a since-revoked policy that reimbursed women in the military for abortion-related travel.
Texas Republicans have been at the forefront of pro-life activism since Roe was repealed, and Senate Bill 33 solidifies the state's status as a sanctuary for unborn children.
The law creates a private right of action, empowering private citizens to file lawsuits to enforce it.
The state's Republicans are also looking to crack down on the flow of abortion-inducing drugs into Texas, where some women have turned to ordering pills online to have illegal abortions at home.
House Bill 7 would allow private citizens to sue out-of-state abortion providers for $100,000 or more per violation.
“A person could order abortion pills online right now and they’d be delivered to their doorstep the next day,” said Texas Right to Life Legislative Director Ashley Leenerts in March. “The fact that 19,000 Texans did this last year breaks my heart, and it should break yours, too.”
A freak Texas flood in July that resulted in the deaths of over two dozen girls who were at summer camp, along with countless injuries and devastation, sparked Texas lawmakers into taking quick action.
According to JustTheNews, the Texas Senate just passed the first part of a camp-related safety bill that prioritizes safe conditions at campgrounds in the wake of the nightmarish and deadly flooding incident.
The Texas House first took action on the issue by passing a relief package that included a camp safety bill last week. It then went to the Senate for a unanimous vote in favor of passing it.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott applauded the bipartisan effort to pass the safety bill, saying he would gladly sign it once it hit his desk.
Camp Mystic, located in Hunt, Texas, took the brunt of the flash flooding that resulted in the deaths of 27 campers and counselors on July 4.
The problem, according to many of the parents of the campers who perished, is that they believe their deaths were preventable. They took the matter to the state legislature to get action taken to prevent such a nightmare from happening again in the state.
JustTheNews noted:
Their parents testified before the Texas Senate for the first time on Wednesday in support of the bill. They also said their daughters’ deaths were “100% preventable,” arguing the camp didn’t have safety protocols in place, The Center Square reported.
Campers weren't the only people who died during the flash flooding event, as the barrage of water claimed a total of 137 lives in Texas, including 37 children in total.
JustTheNews noted:
After House business was halted during the first special session by absconding House Democrats, all House Democrats voted for the bill on Thursday. It nearly passed unanimously. One Republican holdout voted against it, expressing opposition to amendments added by Democrats and other language, The Center Square reported.
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows released a statement on the situation.
“This summer’s tragic flooding has left profound impact on our state – taking the lives of innocent adults and children, devastating families and entire communities, and breaking the hearts of every Texan. From this tragedy, the Texas Legislature stepped up to examine the systems and processes in need of improvement so we are better prepared for all future emergencies," the state Speaker said.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also issued a statement regarding the bill.
“Every child who attends summer camp should come home with nothing more than memories of laughter, friendship, and adventure. This July, Texas was shaken by the catastrophic flooding at Camp Mystic, where 27 young lives were lost. Today, the Texas Senate has taken an important step to ensure that no parent in our state ever has to endure that kind of heartbreak again," he said.
Lt. Gov. Patrick added, "We cannot legislate away every danger in life, but we can insist on vigilance, preparedness, and accountability where children are entrusted to the care of others. This bill gives parents peace of mind and sets clear expectations for camp operators – because the safety of Texas children must always come first."
President Donald Trump and his administration aren't afraid to let go of people who no longer serve their agenda, and a high-ranking Defense official just found that out this week.
According to the New York Post, Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), was fired this week in the wake of a DIA bomb-damage assessment report that was ultimately leaked to the media.
The report claimed that President Trump's strikes on Iran earlier this year only set the rogue regime back a few months regarding its nuclear program, contrary to what the Trump administration has claimed.
A senior Defense official reportedly told the Post that Kruse "will no longer serve as DIA Director."
The firing reportedly came down from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over what was described as a "loss of confidence" in the three-star general, according to congressional sources.
The damage assessment report after the strikes on Iran, which were carried out by stealth bombers, was reportedly leaked to CNN.
The Post noted:
The DIA’s classified, “low confidence” estimation of the effectiveness of the June 21 airstrikes on Iran’s Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear facilities was leaked to CNN three days after American B-2 stealth bombers and cruise missiles bombarded the sites.
The report, which was based on intel gathered just a day after the bombings, suggested that Iran could recover from it and bring its nuclear program back online within months.
President Trump was not happy about the report or the fact that it was leaked to the press.
"AN ATTEMPT TO DEMEAN ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MILITARY STRIKES IN HISTORY," in a Truth Social post at the time. "THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED!"
Special envoy Steve Witkoff was especially fired up regarding the DIA's report, calling it "treasonous" and "outrageous."
The Post noted:
Special envoy Steve Witkoff charged that any suggestion the US did not achieve its military objectives in Iran is “completely preposterous,” in an interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” at the time.
Witkoff went on to slam the leaking of the DIA assessment as “outrageous” and “treasonous,” and called for an investigation to find the person responsible for it in order to hold them accountable.
Kruse's firing was only the latest in the Trump administration's efforts to clean house in the U.S. intelligence community.
DNI Director Tulsi Gabbard announced earlier in the week a major overhaul at her agency and others in the world of U.S. intel.
The Republican National Committee elected a new leader Friday as its former chair, Michael Whatley, formally stepped aside to run for the Senate in North Carolina.
Whatley's replacement, Trump ally Joe Gruters, was elected chair at a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday. President Trump had endorsed Gruters, a Florida state senator and longtime Trump ally, calling him a "MAGA warrior who has been with us from the very beginning."
With Trump's backing, Whatley was elected RNC chair in 2024 after Ronna McDaniel's troubled tenure, which saw Republicans slog through electoral losses and anemic fundraising.
2024 proved to be a banner year for Republicans as Trump pulled off the greatest political comeback in U.S. history and delivered historic gains with working-class voters, handing the GOP a trifecta -- control of the White House and both houses of Congress.
In an interview with the Daily Caller, Whatley touted the RNC's robust election integrity operation and a significantly improved financial outlook, which has left the party with $80 million in cash on hand. He credited Gruters, the RNC's former treasurer, with helping to replenish the party's coffers.
“He was the co-chair of the Florida campaign, along with Susie Wiles back in 2016 and has been one of the president’s steadfast allies on the committee,” Whatley explained.
“Over the last year, he has made sure that the stewardship that we’ve had in terms of fundraising and our financial shape -- which has never been better. So he’s an absolutely perfect pick. I think he’s going to be a very strong chair.”
Whatley is running to succeed Republican Sne. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who announced his retirement after clashing with Trump. Whatley has Trump's endorsement.
The Senate contest is expected to be a slugfest, with some predicting it will be the most expensive Senate race in American history.
While Whatley may be leaving the RNC, it remains firmly aligned with Trump and his priorities: namely, winning the midterms and keeping our elections safe from fraud.
“When we go back to the 2020 election cycle, there were really three states that I felt had an election integrity program that really succeeded. They were Ohio, Florida and North Carolina. And I put together that North Carolina program. Joe put together the Florida program,” Whatley told the Daily Caller.
Gruters was the co-chair of Trump's 2016 campaign in Florida, a onetime swing state that has turned solidly Republican under Trump's leadership.
In an interview with Fox, Gruters emphasized continuity and the centrality of Trump's vision in everything the party does.
"This is the president's party. This is the president's vision, overall. The party fully embraces the president, and we're gonna ride the president all the way to victory in the midterms, and we are going to win big," Gruters told Fox News.
A New York City judge denied President Trump's request to unseal grand jury material from the Jeffrey Epstein case, calling the request inappropriate and a distraction.
Richard Berman, a Clinton appointee, essentially accused the administration of trying to pass the buck on the Epstein files.
"The instant grand jury motion appears to be a 'diversion' from the breadth and scope of the Epstein files in the Government's possession. The grand jury testimony is merely a hearsay snippet of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged conduct," he wrote.
Berman was set to preside over Epstein's trial for sex trafficking when the financier died in his Manhattan prison cell in August 2019.
Earlier this summer, the Justice Department said it would not release further information in the case, sparking an uproar within Trump's MAGA movement.
The DOJ's memo concluded that Epstein died by suicide and that he did not have blackmail on a secret list of clients - contradicting speculation that has circulated for years about Epstein's powerful connections.
To quiet backlash from the right, the Trump administration started seeking the release of grand jury materials, but the requests have been shot down repeatedly.
The denial from Judge Berman marks the third time that the DOJ's grand jury push has been shut down.
Berman said that the government did not provide sufficient justification for releasing sensitive grand jury material that is normally kept confidential.
The judge said the grand jury evidence could expose victims to harm if released, and the material in the government's possession would be more instructive.
"The Government's 100,000 pages of Epstein files and materials dwarf the 70 odd pages of Epstein grand jury materials," Berman wrote.
Democrats have made releasing the Epstein files a priority, seizing on the issue to cast suspicion on Trump and his administration. But Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have also demanded transparency, while drawing attention to Epstein's Democratic connections like Bill Clinton.
According to House Oversight chairman James Comer (R-KY), the Justice Department had agreed to begin sharing the Epstein files with Congress on Friday, August 21.
“We’re going to review (them) and we’ll work as quickly as we can. You know, this is sensitive information. We want to make sure we don’t do anything to harm or jeopardize any victims that were involved in this, but we’re going to be transparent. We were doing what we said we would do. We’re getting the documents, and I believe the White House will work with us,” he told reporters Friday on Capitol Hill.
President Trump is thinking about the destiny of his eternal soul as he labors to end deadly conflicts around the world.
In a startlingly modest and deeply personal reflection, the world's most powerful man opened up about his desire to go to heaven when he dies and speculated on his odds of being saved.
"I want to get to heaven if possible. I'm hearing I'm not doing well. I hear I'm at the bottom of the totem pole," Trump told Fox and Friends.
Trump has long wanted to be a peacemaker, a legacy he has come closer to achieving in his second term as he brokers a string of peace deals across the world.
Several countries have nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, an honor Trump would doubtless find flattering - but recently, the president is viewing his worldly career in more spiritual terms.
In the wake of high-level meetings concerning the conflict in Ukraine, Trump confessed that he hopes his efforts to end the bloodshed will give him a boost when Judgment Day comes.
"If I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons," he said.
"I just want to end it. If I can save seven thousand people a week from getting killed, that's pretty good," Trump said.
While Trump's comments on the afterlife had a hint of humor - he is "at the bottom of the totem pole," he quipped - Trump left little doubt as to the sincerity of his feelings.
Making it clear he will work with anyone to save lives, Trump touted his "warm" relationship with Russia's widely reviled leader, Vladimir Putin.
"There's a warmth there ... there's a decent feeling," he said. "Thats a good thing, not a bad thing."
Trump also vowed not to send any American soldiers to fight in Ukraine and said a bilateral meeting between Putin and Ukraine's Zelensky is necessary for lasting peace.
"It takes, in this case, two to tango, they have to have a relationship otherwise we're just wasting our time," he said.
Trump has often credited his unlikely political comeback to divine intervention, praising God for sparing his life when an assassin's bullet nearly killed him on the campaign trail last year. But it is still unusual to hear him speak about religion in such a modest, and personal, way.
Coming from the world's most powerful man, it is a deeply moving testament to the desire in every one of us to be united with our Creator.
Defying President Trump's immigration crackdown, Illinois' Democratic governor J.B. Pritzker is expanding public benefits for illegal aliens at taxpayer expense.
It's a peculiar move from a Democratic governor who has his eyes set on the White House - with one Republican blasting Pritzker's move as a "slap in the face" to hard-working Americans, Fox News reported.
The push comes despite budget shortfalls that have already forced Pritzker to rein in spending on illegal aliens.
Pritzker ended a program in July, Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA), that would have cost the state $404 million this year. The program, which Pritzker launched in 2021, provided health insurance for illegal aliens aged 42 to 64 at taxpayer expense.
But the governor is still finding ways to move leftward on immigration - an issue that Democrats mishandled disastrously under President Biden, turning public opinion sharply against the party.
House Bill 460, which Pritzker has now signed into law, ensures that Illinois students who are "not otherwise eligible for federal financial aid," such as illegal aliens, can receive state and local government benefits such as scholarships, grants, and room and board assistance.
The law was championed by state Sen. Celina Villanueva, a Democrat, who says the law guarantees that "no student is left behind because of where they were born.”
Pritzker's law "eliminates the patchwork of confusing and sometimes conflicting requirements that have excluded undocumented, DACAmented, and mixed-status students from critical aid," Villanueva said.
Rep. Mary Miller (Il.) blasted Pritzker for " a slap in the face to hardworking Illinois families and students.”
“Our state is drowning in debt, yet JB Pritzker is determined to drain even more taxpayer dollars to reward illegals,” she said. “It’s absolutely shameful.”
Pritzker has long championed Illinois as a "sanctuary" where illegal aliens can find refuge from federal immigration law and receive public benefits.
The governor has garnered headlines recently for sheltering Texas Democrats who fled their state to block a Republican redistricting push. Pritzker has threatened to gerrymander Illinois in response, even though the state already has one of the most aggressive Democratic gerrymanders in the nation.
With his latest move to welcome illegal aliens, Pritzker is apparently trying to position himself as an anti-Trump figure ahead of the Democratic presidential primary in 2028 - and Illinois residents will be left paying the price.
“Illinois taxpayers should not have their hard-earned taxpayer dollars pay for benefits to illegal immigrants who shouldn’t be here in the first place,” a spokesperson for the state's Republicans told Fox News Digital.