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Mo News: DOJ, Trump Agree: Release the Search Warrant!
Mosheh Oinounou
August 12, 2022
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Hi everyone!
The weekend is right around the corner - but the news sure isn't taking a break. So let's get started:
Mar-a-Lago Latest: The Attorney General speaks out for the first time and is asking a judge to unseal the search warrant for Trump's home. That comes as we learn that they were reportedly looking for documents about the US nuclear program;
A gunman with Jan 6 connections attacks the FBI Cincinnati office;
The IRS responds to concerns about who their new agents will be auditing;
The CDC relaxes quarantine, social distancing rules;
Disney+ surpasses Netflix and is raising prices;
And, our weekly edition of what we're eating, reading, and watching this weekend.
Thanks for reading,
Mosh
🔎 OUR LIPS ARE... UNSEALED
In his first public statement since federal agents searched former President Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago Monday, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department has asked a federal judge to unseal the search warrant and related documents used by the FBI to raid Trump’s Palm Beach home.
Garland addressing the FBI's recent search of Mar-a-Lago. | Getty Images
"Without fear or favor." The Justice Department has been facing pressure to explain why it authorized the search of Trump’s Florida home, believed to be the first-ever search of a former president's residence in connection with a criminal investigation. Garland said he personally approved the decision to seek the warrant.
The DOJ wanted to keep the search on the down low since it’s an ongoing investigation. "Much of our work is, by necessity, conducted out of the public eye," Garland said. But, after Trump publicly revealed what happened Monday, the department felt the need to acknowledge the search warrant and file to make it public. Garland also cited the “substantial public interest" in the investigation.Nuclear Secrets at Mar-a-Lago? The Washington Post reported late Thursday that classified documents relating to nuclear weapons could be among the items FBI agents were looking for in their search of Trump's home. That is one of the reasons authorities tried to move as quickly as possible to recover sensitive documents that could cause harm to U.S. security.
Regardless, this is how Trump responded on his Truth Social platform late Thursday night:
Notably, the most revealing document connected to the Mar-a-Lago search will not be made public… for now. A federal search warrant is not usually filled with a trove of exciting details or information. That information is likely hidden in the affidavit of probable cause, which would have the details and evidence into why authorities believe a crime could have been committed at Mar-a-Lago.
Is there a leaker in Trump's house? The FBI reportedly received a tip that additional classified documents were still at Mar-a-Lago – which is what prompted the search. One inside source tells Fox that probable cause for a search warrant “very likely” came from a member of the Secret Service.
To sum it up: Trump revealed the Mar-a-Lago search, and called it a baseless, biased, political attack. Garland responded Thursday with a filing to make the search warrant public--including potential details on the documents Trump has kept hidden.
What's Trump now saying? Go for it. Release all of it!
What’s next? Judge Bruce Reinhart (who also approved the original search warrant) considers the request to unseal it. It is unclear how long he will take.
"I will not stand by silently": Garland also condemned Thursday what he called "recent unfounded attacks on the professionalism of the FBI and Justice Department agents and prosecutors" in connection with the search and related investigation.
🚨 FBI CINCINNATI ATTACK
A gunman attempted an attack on Cincinnati’s FBI office yesterday morning, allegedly flashing multiple weapons before leading FBI officials on a car chase. Authorities eventually killed the gunman in a shootout after an hours-long standoff.
The incident began around 9 a.m. ET yesterday, when a man armed with an AR-15-style rifle attempted to breach FBI Cincinnati's visitor screening facility. An alarm went off, immediately alerting FBI agents.
The suspect, identified as Ricky Shiffer, allegedly fired a nail gun into the FBI building before fleeing onto the highway, leading officers on a car chase. Police said the suspect and officers exchanged gunfire during the chase, leading to a standoff. Law enforcement officers shot and killed Shiffer at about 3:45 p.m. ET after he raised his gun toward police. ~USA Today
The FBI is investigating Shiffer’s social media presence and whether he had ties to right-wing extremism, a source tells CNN. He was reportedly at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 and participated in the insurrection.
The attack comes just three days after FBI agents served a search warrant at former President Trump’s home. A number of republicans have been directing rage at the FBI, comparing the lawfully executed warrant to Nazi violence, in order to rile up their base. Right wing social media accounts have been calling for assassinations and "war" on the agency. For his part, the FBI Director, Chris Wray, told reporters online threats against law enforcement were “deplorable and dangerous.”
💲 I.R.S. IRE
Democrats' $700 billion ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ includes nearly $80 billion in funding for the Internal Revenue Service, which would be used, in part, to hire 87,000 new IRS employees – potentially doubling the agency’s size over the next decade. That beefed-up funding has sparked fears of increased auditing of lower-income Americans - and the Treasury Department is responding. ~CNBC
All sides of the story: Democrats and the White House say the proposed funding will go after wealthy tax cheats, and will help close the “tax gap” (the amount owed to the federal government compared to what is actually collected). They also note the hires will not just be for IRS enforcement agents, but also customer service and technology specialists.Republicans have been warning that thousands of more IRS agents would result in more audits on middle-class Americans and small businesses – including those making less than $400,000 a year – a group Biden vowed he would not tax.Last week, a nonpartisan government group called the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated up to 90% of the revenue generated from the new IRS hires will come from Americans earning less than $200,000 annually.IRS audits have plunged over the past decade, with the biggest declines among the wealthy, according to a May 2022 report from the Government Accountability Office. The audit rate for Americans making $5 million or more dropped to about 2% in 2019, compared to 16% being audited in 2010, the report found. The agency has since said it is working to improve these numbers.
In response to the uproar, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen directed IRS officials not to use the new funding secured for the agency to increase audits on households making under $400,000 annually.“This means that, contrary to the misinformation from opponents of this legislation, small business or households earning $400,000 per year or less will not see an increase in the chances that they are audited,” she said.
The Inflation Reduction Act still needs approval from House lawmakers, who are scheduled to vote on it as soon as today. Notably, nearly 1/3 of them (150+ and counting, from both parties) may not even show up for the debate, and will instead submit a “proxy vote” – a remote voting option that began during Covid. It was intended for members who were worried about traveling during the pandemic…not because they didn’t want to come back to DC during their August vacations. But Congress is gonna Congress....
🗞 THE SPEED READ
CDC Eases Covid Guidelines, Noting Virus Is ‘Here to Stay’ (New York Times)
The CDC has eased its Covid-19 guidelines to eliminate quarantines and put less emphasis on social distancing, routine surveillance testing, and contact tracing. Responsibility for risk reduction is now largely on individuals, given vaccinations and prior infections have granted many Americans some degree of protection. Plus, treatments, vaccines, and boosters are now all available to reduce the risk of illness. “We know that Covid-19 is here to stay,” Greta Massetti, a C.D.C. epidemiologist, said at a news briefing on Thursday.
Detection of the polio virus in wastewater samples in New York and in London has worried the public officials, even though the virus has been widely eradicated for years. Experts say the U.S. is “highly” protected from polio through mass vaccination efforts throughout the years and 93% of children in the U.S. are vaccinated against it.
Anne Heche was under the influence of cocaine and possibly even fentanyl when she sped through a residential area and crashed her car into a house last Friday. The Los Angeles Police Department told TMZ the actress’ blood test results came up positive for both substances, but that sometimes fentanyl is used as a pain medication in hospitals, so more testing will be done to determine if the fentanyl was in her system at the time of the crash. TMZ also reported that Heche’s condition is dire, with no improvement since she was admitted to the hospital.
8 corrections officers who were barred from guarding Derek Chauvin get $1.5M settlement (Star Tribune)
After being barred from interacting with former police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering George Floyd in May 2020, eight Minnesota police officers were awarded a nearly $1.5 million settlement. The officers allege the former jail superintendent Steve Lydon prohibited them from guarding Chauvin. Lydon reportedly told his superiors that he made the decision "to protect and support" minority employees by keeping them away from the former Minneapolis police officer.
Why monkeypox is getting a new name (The Hill)
The World Health Organization (WHO) is planning to rename the monkeypox virus amid concerns the name is racist and not reflective of its origins (it’s not from monkeys! the virus’ origins are still unclear). In a joint statement, scientists called the current name “discriminatory and stigmatizing.” The name has also led health officials to warn people against targeting monkeys over the disease.
Starting Dec. 8 in the U.S., Disney+ with commercials will be $7.99 per month — currently the price of Disney+ without ads. The price of ad-free Disney+ will rise 38% to $10.99 — a $3 per month increase. It comes as Disney+ (plus ESPN and Hulu) announced this week that they have surpassed Netflix in total subscribers.
🎉 CHEERS TO THE FREAKIN' WEEKEND
What We're Watching: The animated show Bluey... apparently parents love it even more than kids
What We're Reading: We're dusting off the ol' comic book collection and breaking out the original Spiderman series to celebrate the legendary superhero's 60th birthday!
What We're Eating: Ready or not, here it comes. So long, summer... hello, pumpkin spice season 🎃🍂
[Top Banner Photo Credit: Getty Images]
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