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At least two grand juries in Washington have been hearing matters related to Mr. Trump’s efforts to stay in office. Two of Mr. Trump’s lawyers, Todd Blanche and Christopher M. Kise, briefly mentioned the new target letter at a pretrial hearing in Florida on Tuesday on the documents case. In disclosing that he had received the target letter, Mr. Trump said he was given four days to testify before a grand jury if he chooses. Fani T. Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Ga., who has pressed ahead with her own investigation of Mr. Trump and his allies, could bring charges as early as next month. If she were to proceed first, that could complicate Mr. Smith’s case.

Persons: Todd Blanche, Christopher M, Kise, Blanche, Trump, Willis, Smith Organizations: Court Locations: Washington, Trump, Fort Pierce, Fla, Florida, Fulton County ,

Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. Mr. Wray, who is appearing for the first time before the House Judiciary Committee since Republicans won the House, is likely girding for the worst. The committee, led by Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, says it “will examine the politicization” of the F.B.I. under Mr. Wray and Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. That criticism was once trained on the bureau’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia during the 2016 election.

Persons: Christopher A, Wray, Donald J, Trump, Jim Jordan, General Merrick B, Garland, Stoked, Department’s, Hunter Biden Organizations: Republicans, Committee, Republican, Trump Locations: Ohio, Russia, Lago

An Israeli researcher missing for months in Iraq is being held by a Shiite militia, according to a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She holds both Israeli and Russian passports and entered the country using her Russian passport, according to the Israeli government. Israel and Iraq do not have diplomatic relations, so she would not have been allowed to enter with an Israeli passport. Ms. Tsurkov went to Iraq in January to do academic research. As well as studying at Princeton, she is a fellow at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, a Washington-based research group.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Elizabeth Tsurkov, Tsurkov Organizations: Princeton University, Hezbollah, Princeton, New Lines Institute, Strategy Locations: Iraq, Iran, Baghdad, Israel, Washington

☆ Former F.B.I. Analyst Goes to Prison for Taking Classified Documents
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Adam Goldman | Traci Angel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

intelligence analyst from Kansas received nearly four years in prison on Wednesday in a case that bears parallels to that of former President Donald J. Trump, including the same charge of willful retention of national security secrets. The analyst, Kendra Kingsbury, 50, was accused of improperly removing and unlawfully taking home about 386 classified documents to her personal residence in Dodge City, Kan. She pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the Espionage Act. During her sentencing hearing in Federal District Court in Kansas City, Mo., Ms. Kingsbury said she was loyal and did not apologize for taking the records. She was “guilty of being too honest,” Ms. Kingsbury said, because she had told the F.B.I. Some of the documents would have revealed the “government’s most important and secretive methods of collecting essential national security intelligence,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo, adding that she removed sensitive documents during the more than 12 years she worked in the F.B.I.’s office in Kansas City.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Kendra Kingsbury, Kingsbury, Ms Organizations: Kansas, Federal, Court Locations: Dodge City, Kan, Kansas City, Mo

The target was Aleksandr Poteyev, a former Russian intelligence officer who disclosed information that led to a yearslong F.B.I. investigation that in 2010 ensnared 11 spies living under deep cover in suburbs and cities along the East Coast. In keeping with an Obama administration effort to reset relations, a deal was reached that sought to ease tensions: Ten of the 11 spies were arrested and expelled to Russia. According to Mr. Walton’s book, a Kremlin official asserted that a hit man, or a Mercader, would almost certainly hunt down Mr. Poteyev. Based on interviews with two American intelligence officials, Mr. Walton concluded the operation was the beginning of “a modern-day Mercader” sent to assassinate Mr. Poteyev.

Persons: Aleksandr Poteyev, Obama, Sergei V, Mr, Poteyev, Brown, Calder Walton, Walton’s, Ramón, Joseph Stalin’s, Leon Trotsky’s, Walton, Mercader ”, Grigory Mairanovsky Organizations: Intelligence, Harvard, The New York Times, Kremlin Locations: Russian, East Coast, Russia, Moscow, Britain, Mexico City, S.V.R

☆ Archer Aviation hires former acting FAA administrator
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - Air taxi maker Archer Aviation (ACHR.N) said on Tuesday former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) acting administrator Billy Nolen had joined the company as chief safety officer. California-based Archer said in May it had completed final assembly of its first "Midnight" electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. In March, Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington withdrew his nomination to serve as FAA administrator after Republican criticism. Last week, the U.S. Transportation Department announced Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg was taking over as acting head of the FAA. She is also retaining her role as USDOT but focused on FAA, a department spokesperson said.

Persons: Billy Nolen, Archer, Billy, ” Adam Goldstein, Nolen, Phil Washington, Polly Trottenberg, Joe Biden, Katie Thomson, Bradley Mims, David Shepardson, Aishwarya Nair, Anil D'Silva, Emelia Organizations: Air, Archer Aviation, Aviation Administration, FAA, Reuters, Denver International, U.S . Transportation Department, Thomson Locations: California, Washington, Bengaluru

During his arraignment, Mr. Trump is expected to be advised of his rights, and a judge will assess whether he has legal representation. The case against Mr. Trump is the second criminal prosecution against the former president this year. Mr. Trump was already arraigned in April in a New York courthouse on state charges that he falsified business records. In the case that has brought him to Miami, Mr. Trump has been charged with 37 counts of unauthorized retention of national security information. After the court appearance, Mr. Trump is expected to fly to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., to give remarks defending himself in the evening.

Persons: Wilkie, Ferguson Jr, Donald J, Trump, Francis X, Suarez, Mr, We’re, James, John Rowley —, Todd Blanche, Christopher M, Jay I, Bratt, Julie Edelstein, Manny Morales, Morales, “, ”, that’s, ” Adam Goldman, Alan Feuer, Charlie Savage Organizations: Mr, Trump, Suarez of Miami, Republican, United States Supreme, Justice Department’s, Trump National Golf Club, Capitol, Miami police Locations: Miami, United States, New York, Florida, Bedminster, N.J, MIAMI

☆ In Earlier Espionage Act Cases, Warning Signs for Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Michael D. Shear | Adam Goldman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Like former President Donald J. Trump, Lt. Col. Robert Birchum was accused in Florida of mishandling classified documents. Like the former president, he was charged with violating the Espionage Act. But unlike Mr. Trump, Mr. Birchum, 55, a highly decorated Air Force intelligence officer, took full responsibility. Despite all that, Mr. Birchum still got three years in prison when he was sentenced this month. The case and others like it are warning signs for Mr. Trump, who faces 31 counts of willfully retaining national defense secrets, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Robert Birchum, Birchum Organizations: Air Force Locations: Florida

The federal indictment of former President Donald J. Trump has unleashed a wave of calls by his supporters for violence and an uprising to defend him, disturbing observers and raising concerns of a dangerous atmosphere ahead of his court appearance in Miami on Tuesday. In social media posts and public remarks, close allies of Mr. Trump — including a member of Congress — have portrayed the indictment as an act of war, called for retribution and highlighted the fact that much of his base carries weapons. The allies have painted Mr. Trump as a victim of a weaponized Justice Department controlled by President Biden, his potential opponent in the 2024 election. Experts on political violence warn that attacks against people or institutions become more likely when elected officials or prominent media figures are able to issue threats or calls for violence with impunity. The pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was drawn to Washington in part by a post on Twitter from Mr. Trump weeks earlier, promising that it would be “wild.”

Persons: Donald J, Trump, —, Biden Organizations: Justice, Trump, Capitol, Twitter, Mr Locations: Miami, Washington

The indictment gives the clearest picture yet of the files that Mr. Trump took with him when he left the White House. Mr. Trump is expected to appear in Federal District Court in Miami on Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Trump continued to rail against the indictment on Friday, calling it the “greatest witch hunt of all time,” in a Truth Social post. Two lawyers, James Trusty and John Rowley, have left Mr. Trump’s legal team, and will no longer represent him in the documents case. “I will be represented by Todd Blanche, Esq., and a firm to be named later,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Jack Smith, “, ”, Waltine, —, Nauta, Trump’s, FVEY, Aileen M, Cannon, Judge Cannon, Biden, James, John Rowley, Todd Blanche, ” Mr, Charlie Savage, Nicholas Nehamas Organizations: White, “ United, Prosecutors, Mr, Court, General Services Administration Locations: “ United States, United States, Florida, Iran, Bedminster, N.J, U.S, Britain , New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Miami, White, Mar, Esq

☆ What’s Next in the Trump Documents Case? A Previous Indictment Offers Clues.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Adam Goldman | Charlie Savage | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It will at once be a routine matter for a federal courthouse — and an extraordinary one. One question is what federal authorities will do when Mr. Trump surrenders on Tuesday. A previous indictment of Mr. Trump offers some clues: In April, he was arraigned in state court in New York in connection with a payoff to an adult film star just before the 2016 election. Often, people taken into custody before an initial appearance may be handcuffed, fingerprinted and photographed for a mug shot. In New York, however, Mr. Trump was fingerprinted, but he was not handcuffed or photographed.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Mr Organizations: Trump Locations: South Florida, New York

☆ Special Counsel Avoids Possible Legal Fight by Moving Trump Case to Miami
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Adam Goldman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prosecutors also tried to determine if Mr. Trump had directed someone to move the documents or sought to conceal some of them at the resort after the Justice Department issued a subpoena for their return. “When a prosecutor thinks he has a strong case, the objective becomes protecting the legal case by taking legal issues off the table,” Mr. Fitzpatrick said. (Mr. Trump received 4 percent of the vote in the District of Columbia in the presidential election of 2016, and 5 percent in 2020.) Prosecutors in Miami could face a more skeptical jury because of Mr. Trump’s popularity in that state. Juries in Washington have swiftly convicted rioters egged on by Mr. Trump in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Persons: Trump, Mr, Fitzpatrick Organizations: Justice Department, Trump, District of Columbia, Prosecutors, Washington, Mr Locations: Florida, Washington, District, Miami

Once he was sworn in as president, Mr. Trump reimbursed Mr. Cohen. Rather than publish her account, the tabloid suppressed it in cooperation with Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen, prosecutors say. Legal experts say that Mr. Trump and others appear to be at “substantial risk” of prosecution for violating a number Georgia statutes, including the state’s racketeering law. But if she were to prevail at trial, a judge could impose steep financial penalties on Mr. Trump and restrict his business operations in New York. Ms. James’s investigators questioned Mr. Trump under oath in April, and a trial is scheduled for October.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s, Jack Smith, Alvin L, Bragg, Stormy Daniels, Michael D, Cohen, Daniels, Karen McDougal, McDougal, Brad Raffensperger, Biden’s, —, Emily Kohrs, “ You’re, ”, “, Willis, Jan, Mr . Biden, Smith, Mike Pence, Mark Meadows, Letitia James, Mr, James, Donald Jr, Eric, Jonah E, Rebecca Davis O’Brien, Michael Gold, Michael Rothfeld, Ed Shanahan, Richard Fausset, Ashley Wong Organizations: Capitol, Manhattan, National Enquirer, Mr, ., The New York Times, Justice Department, Trump, Prosecutors, White House, Trump White House, New York, Civil, New Locations: Manhattan, Georgia, . Georgia, Fulton County, United States, Washington, Trump’s, New, New York, Bromwich

☆ Republicans, Escalating Attacks on F.B.I., Vow to Hold Director in Contempt
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Luke Broadwater | Adam Goldman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

House Republicans said on Monday that they would move this week to hold the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, in contempt of Congress, escalating their attacks on the federal law enforcement agency as they grasp for evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden. Representative James R. Comer, the Kentucky Republican who is chairman of the Oversight Committee, made the announcement after summoning F.B.I. officials to Capitol Hill for a closed-door briefing on a document containing an unverified allegation of bribery against Mr. Biden when he was vice president. But Mr. Comer complained afterward that the agency, citing concern about protecting the identity of the informant, declined to allow other members of the committee to view it.

Persons: Christopher A, Wray, Biden, James R, Comer, F.B.I, Mr, Hunter Biden’s, “, Wray’s, Jamie Raskin Organizations: Republicans, Kentucky Republican, Capitol, Trump Justice Department, Maryland Locations: Ukraine

☆ United's Midnight air taxi is on track to debut by 2025 — take a look at the plane
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

United Airlines ordered $1 billion worth of Archer Aviation's electric air taxi known as "Midnight." A regulatory change could delay the launch, but Archer's CEO says commercial flights are still on track for 2025. The era of electric air taxis is near, but a regulatory change has created an obstacle for manufacturers. While the FAA has made progress, the lack of guidance has left air taxi companies in limbo as they do not know how the future laws could impact design and production — effectively delaying the launch of some eVTOLs, like Joby Aviation's air taxi that Delta Air Lines ordered in October. Insider spoke with Archer Aviation CEO Adam Goldstein to learn more about the status of eVTOL certification and the future of its "Midnight" air taxi.

Persons: Archer, —, Adam Goldstein Organizations: United Airlines, Morning, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Delta Air Lines, Archer Aviation

☆ Taking on the F.B.I., Trump Allies Single Out a Former Agent
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Adam Goldman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

agent, Timothy R. Thibault reeled in big names while investigating public corruption, sending two Democratic congressmen to prison and overseeing sensitive inquiries into the Clinton Foundation and the former governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, another Democrat. In their casting, Mr. Thibault, who retired last year, is the face of bias and misconduct at the bureau. Powerful Republican lawmakers, including Representative Jim Jordan and Senator Charles R. Grassley, demanded that Mr. Thibault testify before their committees. official, Mr. Jordan’s panel in a news release last year denounced Mr. Thibault as “public enemy No. 1.”But his story is more complicated than Republicans have made it out to be.

John Durham, the Trump-era special counsel who for four years has pursued a politically fraught investigation into the Russia inquiry, accused the F.B.I. of a “lack of analytical rigor” in a final report made public on Monday that examined the bureau’s investigation into whether the 2016 Trump campaign was conspiring with Moscow. Mr. Durham’s 306-page report appeared to show little substantial new information about the F.B.I.’s handling of the Russia investigation, known as Crossfire Hurricane, and it failed to produce the kinds of blockbuster revelations impugning the bureau that former President Donald J. Trump and his allies had once suggested that Mr. Durham would find. Instead, the report — released without substantive comment or redactions by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland — repeated previously exposed flaws in the inquiry, including from a 2019 inspector general report, while concluding that the F.B.I. suffered from a confirmation bias as it pursued leads about Mr. Trump’s ties to Russia.

The online profile being investigated also includes several pictures showing a black tactical vest with an RWDS patch. In addition, the profile includes a screenshot from Google Maps showing the time at which the mall where the shooting took place was likely to be busiest. Even so, one fact weighed heavily on the suburban community outside Dallas where the murders occurred: There were children among the victims. Although the police would not indicate how many children died, officials including President Biden acknowledged that there were more than one. As of Sunday afternoon, one patient had been transferred to a children’s hospital and was in fair condition.

But the killings in Allen, coming after other recent mass shootings, has deepened her feeling that something has to be done. “I’m not totally against gun control, but they’re trying to control it for the wrong people. Mass shootings have not been,” Mr. Taggart said. “My first question would be, Why do we have mass shootings now? Mr. Abbott won by a wide margin.

Through a wave of new subpoenas and grand jury testimony, the Justice Department is moving aggressively to develop a fuller picture of how the documents Mr. Trump took with him from the White House were stored, who had access to them, how the security camera system at Mar-a-Lago works and what Mr. Trump told aides and his lawyers about what material he had and where it was, the people said. At the heart of the inquiry is whether Mr. Trump sought to hide some documents after the Justice Department issued a subpoena last May demanding their return. The existence of an insider witness, whose identity has not been disclosed, could be a significant step in the investigation, which is being overseen by Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. The witness is said to have provided investigators with a picture of the storage room where the material had been held. Little else is known about what prosecutors might have learned from the witness or when the witness first began to provide information to the prosecutors.

☆ Former F.B.I. Agent Charged in Jan. 6 Riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Adam Goldman | Alan Feuer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Over the past two years, scores of rioters with military experience have been arrested in connection with the Capitol attack. Wise is the rare former federal agent to have been charged. Thomas E. Caldwell, a member of the Oath Keepers who was convicted in November of felony charges stemming from the Jan. 6 riot, had once worked with the F.B.I. And Mark S. Ibrahim, an active-duty agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration, was charged in July 2021 in connection with the riot. Wise worked on counterterrorism matters at the F.B.I.

☆ The solar system was hit with a gamma-ray burst so bright, it blinded scientists' equipment in space
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Chris Panella | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Our solar system was hit by a gamma-ray burst so bright, it blinded space equipment and telescopes. A gamma-ray burst that recently hit our solar system was so bright, it temporarily blinded gamma-ray instruments in space, according to a NASA release. Scientists say the gamma-ray burst (GRB), the most powerful type of explosion in the universe, was 70 times brighter than any previously recorded event. What is a gamma-ray burst? Because it blinded space instruments, they couldn't accurately record it, so scientists weren't sure how bright the burst was when it first reached our planet.

WASHINGTON — It became a regular litany of grievances from President Donald J. Trump and his supporters: The investigation into his 2016 campaign’s ties to Russia was a witch hunt, they maintained, that had been opened without any solid basis, went on too long and found no proof of collusion. Egged on by Mr. Trump, Attorney General William P. Barr set out in 2019 to dig into their shared theory that the Russia investigation likely stemmed from a conspiracy by intelligence or law enforcement agencies. To lead the inquiry, Mr. Barr turned to a hard-nosed prosecutor named John H. Durham, and later granted him special counsel status to carry on after Mr. Trump left office. But after almost four years — far longer than the Russia investigation itself — Mr. Durham’s work is coming to an end without uncovering anything like the deep state plot alleged by Mr. Trump and suspected by Mr. Barr. Moreover, a monthslong review by The New York Times found that the main thrust of the Durham inquiry was marked by some of the very same flaws — including a strained justification for opening it and its role in fueling partisan conspiracy theories that would never be charged in court — that Trump allies claim characterized the Russia investigation.

☆ Stellantis and Archer team up to manufacture electric aircraft
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailStellantis and Archer team up to manufacture electric aircraftCNBC’s Phil LeBeau sits down with Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares and Archer CEO Adam Goldstein to discuss their partnership to manufacture Archer’s flagship electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, Midnight.

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