DOJ hits states with broad requests for voter rolls, election data
The most unusual activity is happening in Colorado — a state that then-candidate Donald Trump lost by 11 points — where a well-connected consultant who says he is working with the White House is asking county clerks whether they will allow the federal government or a third party to physically examine their election equipment. Federal agencies have long offered technical assistance and cybersecurity advice to election officials but have not examined their equipment because election laws tightly limit who has access.
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Los Angeles Times
13 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Trump imposes limits on Mexican flights and threatens Delta alliance in trade dispute
The Trump administration imposed new restrictions Saturday on flights from Mexico and threatened to end a longstanding partnership between Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico in response to limits the Mexican government placed on passenger and cargo flights into Mexico City several years ago. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Mexico's actions to force airlines to move out of the main Benito Juarez International Airport to the newer Felipe Angeles International Airport more than 30 miles away violated a trade agreement between the two countries and gave domestic airlines an unfair advantage. Mexico is the top foreign destination for Americans, with more than 40 million passengers flying there last year. 'Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg deliberately allowed Mexico to break our bilateral aviation agreement,' Duffy said of the previous administration. 'That ends today. Let these actions serve as a warning to any country who thinks it can take advantage of the U.S., our carriers and our market. 'America First' means fighting for the fundamental principle of fairness.' All Mexican passenger, cargo and charter airlines will now be required to submit their schedules to the U.S. Transportation Department and seek government approval of their flights until Duffy is satisfied with the way Mexico is treating U.S. airlines. It's not immediately clear how Duffy's actions might affect the broader trade war with Mexico and negotiations over tariffs. A spokesperson for Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum didn't reply immediately to a request for a comment, and she didn't mention the restrictions at an event Saturday. Delta and Aeromexico have been fighting the Transportation Department's efforts to end their partnership that began in 2016 since early last year. The airlines have argued that it's not fair to punish them for the Mexican government's actions, and they said ending their agreement would jeopardize nearly two dozen routes and $800 million in annual consumer savings. 'The U.S. Department of Transportation's tentative proposal to terminate its approval of the strategic and pro-competitive partnership between Delta and Aeromexico would cause significant harm to consumers traveling between the U.S. and Mexico, as well as U.S. jobs, communities, and transborder competition,' Delta said in a statement. Aeromexico's press office said it was reviewing the order and intended to present a joint response with Delta in the coming days. But the order terminating approval of the agreement between the airlines wouldn't take effect until October, and the airlines are likely to continue fighting that decision. Funk writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Amaranta Marentes in Mexico City contributed to this report.
The Hill
13 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump administration imposes limits on Mexican flights and threatens Delta alliance in trade dispute
The Trump administration imposed new restrictions Saturday on flights from Mexico and threatened to end a longstanding partnership between Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico in response to limits the Mexican government placed on passenger and cargo flights into Mexico City several years ago. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Mexico's actions to force airlines to move out of the main Benito Juarez International Airport to the newer Felipe Angeles International Airport more than 30 miles away violated a trade agreement between the two countries and gave domestic airlines an unfair advantage. Mexico is the top foreign destination for Americans with more than 40 million passengers flying there last year. 'Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg deliberately allowed Mexico to break our bilateral aviation agreement,' Duffy said of the previous administration. 'That ends today. Let these actions serve as a warning to any country who thinks it can take advantage of the U.S., our carriers, and our market. America First means fighting for the fundamental principle of fairness.' All Mexican passenger, cargo and charter airlines will now be required to submit their schedules to the Transportation Department and seek government approval of their flights until Duffy is satisfied with the way Mexico is treating U.S. airlines. It's not immediately clear how Duffy's actions might affect the broader trade war with Mexico and negotiations over tariffs. A spokesperson for Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum didn't reply immediately to a request for a comment, and she didn't mention the restrictions at an event Saturday. Delta and Aeromexico have been fighting the Transportation Department's efforts to end their partnership that began in 2016 since early last year. The airlines have argued that it's not fair to punish them for the Mexican government's actions, and they said ending their agreement would jeopardize nearly two dozen routes and $800 million in annual consumer savings. 'The U.S. Department of Transportation's tentative proposal to terminate its approval of the strategic and pro-competitive partnership between Delta and Aeromexico would cause significant harm to consumers traveling between the U.S. and Mexico, as well as U.S. jobs, communities, and transborder competition,' Delta said in a statement. Aeromexico's press office said it was reviewing the order and intended to present a joint response with Delta in the coming days. But the order terminating approval of the agreement between the airlines wouldn't take effect until October, and the airlines are likely to continue fighting that decision.
The Hill
13 minutes ago
- The Hill
MAGA comes to Trump's defense on Epstein after WSJ turmoil
Influential figures in the MAGA realm who have pushed the administration to release more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's case are coming to President Trump's defense after The Wall Street Journal reported that the commander-in-chief allegedly sent a lewd letter to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender over 20 years ago. The Journal reported on Thursday about an alleged letter the president sent to Epstein in 2003 for his 50th birthday. The letter, a copy of which was not featured in the piece, reportedly has text framed by the outline of a naked woman and features the line 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.' Trump has denied writing the letter. The president sued the Journal the next day in federal court in the Southern District of Florida's Miami division, demanding billions of dollars in damages. 'This lawsuit is filed not only on behalf of your favorite President, ME, but also in order to continue standing up for ALL Americans who will no longer tolerate the abusive wrongdoings of the Fake News Media,' the president said on Truth Social. Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon, who last week called for a special prosecutor to be appointed to review the Epstein files, said on his 'War Room' show Friday, 'In fact, we made the recommendations that are the best for President Trump in this movement, which is President Trump is best when it's attack, attack, attack. This is the deep state. This is the ruling class in America. They're trying to use it to destroy President Trump.' On the podcast, Bannon asked MAGA podcaster and influencer Jack Posobiec, 'Where are we in all of this, sir?' 'We're so back. Look. Everyone is firing on all cylinders. The MAGA movement is completely united behind this fight right now,' Posobiec said. Conservative commentator and host Megyn Kelly, who has called out Trump supporters who deferred to the administration's posture on the Epstein controversy, said the Journal article on Thursday was the 'dumbest attempted hit piece I've ever read.' Tech billionaire Elon Musk, whose relationship with Trump soured in recent months amid a public fallout, said the 'letter sounds bogus.' Hours after the Journal article was published, Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday night to release relevant grand jury testimony in the Epstein case. The order from Trump was welcomed by MAGA as parts of the base have expressed deep dissatisfaction with the administration following last week's release of an unnamed joint DOJ and FBI memo, stating that Epstein did not keep the so-called 'client list' and that he died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial. After Trump issued the order to Bondi on Thursday night, Turning Point USA founder and conservative activist Charlie Kirk wrote on X that it was a 'major move. Let's go!' The DOJ followed through on Friday, filing a pair of nearly identical motions to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, requesting to unseal the grand jury transcripts. The DOJ said it would shield the names of potential victims and 'personal identifying information' prior to releasing the transcript. The release of grand jury transcripts is rare due to sensitive information, but not impossible. Right-wing activist Laura Loomer, an ardent supporter of Trump, slammed the former Chairman of News Corp Rubert Murdoch and argued that the president should 'cut him off' forever. News Corp owns the Journal. 'Rupert Murdoch should never be allowed to have access to Donald Trump ever again. He's a slime ball. He's a liar and he obviously tried to weaponize his News Corp to, and his media platform, very wealthy, multi-billion-dollar media platform, to assassinate the character of President Trump, because he was not successful in assassinating President Trump's 2024 presidential election,' Loomer said Friday while on Bannon's 'War Room' show. Trump bashed GOP voters earlier this week for being overly focused on the Epstein case and told his supporters that they should move on to other issues. The president also wondered why the Democratic Party lawmakers did not call for the release of the Epstein files while they controlled the White House and had the majority in the Senate. 'If there was a 'smoking gun' on Epstein, why didn't the Dems, who controlled the 'files' for four years, and had [former Attorney General Merrick] Garland and [ex-prosecutor Maureen] Comey in charge, use it,' Trump said Friday on Truth Social, adding 'BECAUSE THEY HAD NOTHING!!!' Even if the administration releases all of the grand jury testimony, Trump said on Saturday that even those disclosures will not be enough to please the 'troublemakers and radical left lunatics.'
