Key Takeaways
- President Trump is seeking $230 million from the Justice Department for alleged malicious prosecutions.
- Construction has begun on a new privately-funded White House ballroom, drawing criticism.
- A journalist encountered threats inside a suspected Antifa hideout in Portland, prompting questions about police response.
- Paris museums have been targeted by high-value thefts, including $100 million in jewels from the Louvre.
- Senator Dick Durbin is proposing a government takeover of credit card services.
Deep Dive
- President Trump is seeking approximately $230 million from the Justice Department for alleged malicious prosecutions, raising unprecedented conflict-of-interest concerns within his administration.
- A complaint alleges Attorney General Garland, FBI Director Ray, and Special Counsel Smith engaged in political prosecution, costing Trump tens of millions in legal defense.
- DOJ settlements are taxpayer-funded and require approval from top officials, including Deputy AG Todd Blanche and Associate AG Stanley Woodward, both with past ties to Trump's legal defense.
- Conservative strategist Scott Jennings advised Trump to table his damage claim until after leaving office; a DOJ spokesperson stated all officials follow ethics guidance.
- The DOJ previously settled a privacy lawsuit for $2 million with two individuals whose text messages were made public, criticized by Congressman Jim Jordan.
- Construction has commenced on a new 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom.
- The project is privately funded and estimated to cost $300 million.
- Donors include Lockheed Martin and Google, with $22 million coming from a settlement President Trump received.
- Senator Dick Durbin is proposing a government takeover of credit card processing.
- The Electronic Payments Coalition argues this legislative action would reduce competition and security in the financial sector.
- Critics suggest such a takeover could potentially increase risks for consumers.
- Journalist Nick Sortor filmed inside a suspected Antifa safe house near Portland's ICE facility, encountering threats and slurs from occupants.
- Sortor reported that officers allegedly received stand-down orders, preventing intervention against anti-ICE activists and violence.
- Police defended their presence as protection for life, safety, and First Amendment rights, facing scrutiny over their response.
- The Louvre Museum reopened after a heist where eight Napoleonic jewels, valued at approximately $100 million, were stolen.
- French prosecutors announced the arrest of a woman in connection with a separate theft of 13 pounds of gold nuggets, valued at $1.7 million, from Paris's natural history museum.
- The arrest represents a development in one of two high-profile museum robberies in Paris.