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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered prosecutors in the criminal case of former FBI Director James Comey to produce a trove of materials from the investigation, saying he was concerned that the Justice Department’s position had been to “indict first and investigate later.”

Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick instructed prosecutors to produce by the end of the day on Thursday grand jury materials and other evidence that investigators seized during the investigation. The order followed arguments in which Comey’s attorneys said they were at a disadvantage because they had not been able to review materials that were gathered years ago.

Comey, who attended the hearing but did not speak, is charged with lying to Congress in 2020 in a case filed days after President Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies. He has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have argued that it’s a vindictive prosecution brought at the direction of the Republican president and must be dismissed.

At issue at Wednesday’s hearing were communications seized by investigators who in 2019 and 2020 executed search warrants of devices belonging to Daniel Richman, a Columbia University law professor and close friend of Comey who had also served as a special government employee at the FBI.

Richman factors into the case because prosecutors say that Comey had encouraged him to engage with reporters about matters related to the FBI and that Comey therefore lied to Congress when he denied having authorized anyone at the FBI to serve as an anonymous source. But Comey’s lawyers say he was explicitly responding to a question about whether he had authorized former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe to serve as an anonymous source.

Comey’s lawyers told the judge they had not reviewed the materials taken from Richman and thus could not know what information was privileged.

“We’re going to fix that, and we’re going to fix that today,” the judge said.

Comey’s indictment came days after Trump in a social media post called on Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi to take action against Comey and other longtime foes of the president. The indictment was brought by Lindsey Halligan, a former White House aide and Trump lawyer who was installed as U.S. attorney after the longtime prosecutor who had been overseeing the investigation resigned under administration pressure to indict Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The Justice Department in court papers earlier this week defended the president’s social media post, contending it reflects “legitimate prosecutorial motive” and is no basis to dismiss the indictment.

Tucker writes for the Associated Press.

Fesia Davenport, L.A. County’s chief executive officer, received a $2 million settlement this summer due to professional fallout from Measure G, a voter-approved ballot measure that will soon make her job obsolete, according to a letter she wrote to the county’s top lawyer.

Davenport wrote in the July 8 letter, which was released through a public record request Tuesday, that she had been seeking $2 million for “reputational harm, embarrassment, and physical, emotional and mental distress caused by the Measure G.”

“Measure G is an unprecedented event, and has had, and will continue to have, an unprecedented impact on my professional reputation, health, career, income, and retirement,” Davenport wrote to County Counsel Dawyn Harrison. “My hope is that after setting aside the amount of my ask, that there can be a true focus on what the real issues are here – measure G has irrevocably changed my life, my professional career, economic outlook, and plans for the future.”

The existence of the $2 million settlement, finalized in mid-August, was first reported Tuesday by the LAist. It was unclear what the settlement was for.

Davenport began a medical leave last week. She told staff she expects to be back early next year.

Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Janice Hahn first announced Measure G in July 2024, branding it as a long overdue overhaul to the county’s sluggish bureaucracy. Under the charter amendment, which voters approved this November, the number of supervisors increased to nine and the county chief executive, who manages the county government and oversees its budget, will be now be elected by voters instead of appointed by the board starting in 2028.

In August 2024, a few weeks after the announcement, Davenport wrote a letter to Horvath saying the measure had impugned her “professional reputation” and would end her career at least two years earlier than she expected, according to another letter released through a public records request.

“This has been a tough six weeks for me,” Davenport wrote in her letter. “It has created uncomfortable, awkward interactions between me and my CEO team (they are concerned), me and other departments heads (they are apologetic), and even County outsiders (they think I am being fired).”

This story will be updated.

John Toshack held the record of being Cardiff City’s youngest player for 42 years. Aaron Ramsey then had the honour for 18 years. Rob Tankiewicz? Just 64 minutes.

Midfielder Tankiewicz started in Tuesday’s EFL Trophy match against Newport County at the age of 16 years and 117 days.

That saw him break the record set by Wales captain Ramsey, who made his Cardiff debut at 16 years and 123 days old in 2007, to surpass John Toshack’s previous mark from 1965.

But just as Tankiewicz was getting used to his achievement, Cardiff replaced him with Axel Donczew, even younger at 15 years and 234 days.

Both are attacking midfielders, products of the Bluebirds’ academy and Wales youth internationals, though they both qualify to play for Poland.

An anime film slayed its Hollywood competition at the box office this weekend.

“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle,” already a big hit in Japan, was the highest-grossing movie domestically, beating new films “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” “The Long Walk” and “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.”

The film distributed by Sony Pictures and Crunchyroll opened with a better-than-expected $70 million in ticket sales from the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates, making it the biggest anime opening ever. It’s also the highest-grossing domestic debut of the year so far for an animated film.

Its global weekend for Sony, which owns the Crunchyroll anime brand and streaming service, totaled $132.1 million, which includes 49 international markets.

Globally, “Demon Slayer” had already made more than $272 million in box office revenue, with $213 million in Japan alone, according to data from Box Office Mojo.

The success of “Demon Slayer” is a relief to theater owners at a time when other genres are struggling, including superheroes, comedies and original animation. It’s the latest evidence of anime’s growing global clout.

The new “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” is part of a larger popular anime franchise.

It’s the first installment of a planned trilogy that will span the final showdown between the Demon Slayer Corps and the monstrous creatures the secret organization was created to defeat. A previous theatrical film, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — The Movie: Mugen Train,” was a box office hit in 2020.

The new “Downton Abbey” film from Focus Features launched with $18.1 million in ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada, which was good enough for third place behind the second weekend of New Line’s “The Conjuring: Last Rites.” Lionsgate’s “The Long Walk,” based on a Stephen King novel, opened in fourth with $11.5 million domestically.

“Spinal Tap II,” a sequel to the 1984 mockumentary comedy classic, opened with a weak $1.7 million.

ON July 22, 2025, R&S Records came home.

The pioneering Belgian label, founded in Ghent in 1984, staged a free party at the week-long street festival, Gentse Feesten, transforming the city’s historic centre into a vast, open-air dancefloor.

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With thousands gathering to hear Nastia, Charles Webster (live), LTJ Bukem, and founder Renaat Vandepapeliere himself, the night felt like both a celebration of R&S’s stories past and a bold statement of intent for its future.

Renaat’s set was as fearless as his impeccable, genre defying label with a diverse selection of electronica challenging and delighting the crowd.

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For Vandepapeliere, the night was a leap into the unknown. “Honestly, I almost backed out myself,” he admitted. “I’ve never played for 6,000 people and I was nervous. I even called around to find someone to replace me, but a few friends convinced me to just go for it.

“The main goal was to take a risk and hopefully entertain some new people. Many had never heard us or the music before.”

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Risk-taking has always been central to R&S. From the early days of releasing Joey Beltram’s Energy Flash, Model 500 and Aphex Twin, to shaping the careers of CJ Bolland, James Blake and many more, the label has built its reputation on fearless choices.

“We had no idea, we weren’t trying to be anything other than sharing music we liked and believed in,” Vandepapeliere reflected. “Let’s be honest, good music is good music. There is, as I always say, the right time and the right place to play whatever it is.”

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That philosophy was evident in the Ghent lineup, which spanned genres and generations.

“It’s an opportunity to bring other people into the genre that aren’t necessarily into those sounds,” Vandepapeliere explained. “It has raw authenticity and a depth behind it. I could make a billion lineups like that, there’s so much talent and exciting music to share.”

His own set was guided by instinct and emotion. “It was intuitive, with many influences,” he said. “Today, if a set is different, it could be bad, so my honest opinion is to ask the crowd.”

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The reaction was telling. He added: “You didn’t see any phones going up and all that. It was random people wondering what the hell was going on, of all ages, which I also find very interesting.”

For Vandepapeliere, who has spent much of his career behind the scenes, the experience rekindled something powerful. “Let’s say it’s actually set a new spark,” he admitted. “I now want to play more.”

Looking ahead, he is keen to build on the success of the Gentse Feesten. He said: “I would love to do more events. I don’t know if it’s possible, but yes, I’d really love to. Keeping it different, keeping it fresh, I think that would be really cool.”

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But through all the years and transformations of dance music, Vandepapeliere insists the spirit of R&S hasn’t changed.

“We always wanted to be an eclectic label,” he said. “Not really be pushed into a certain corner and have a freedom of expression.

“It’s definitely not about formula. I wanted to be free. That’s all. You have to love what you’re doing and work for it. Nothing comes that easy. It is work, with a lot of failures and a lot of frustration. But hey, that’s the price you have to pay for freedom.”

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform publishes thousands of page on Epstein case but two lawmakers still pushing for ‘full release’ of files.

A Republican-led US House of Representatives committee said it released 33,295 pages of files on the late high-society sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as a pair of lawmakers continued to push for the “full release of the Epstein files” by the administration of President Donald Trump.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform said on Tuesday that the thousands of pages on the Epstein case were provided by the Department of Justice and that the documents had been redacted to remove “victim identities and any child sexual abuse material”.

The mass document release comes as Republican Representative Thomas Massie and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna continued to call for what Khanna described as “the full release of the Epstein files and justice for the survivors.”

Massie and Khanna’s “full release” proposal would require Attorney General Pam Bondi to make public all unclassified Epstein records in the possession of the Justice Department, including the FBI and US attorneys’ offices.

Massie and Khanna were scheduled to hold a news conference with some of Epstein’s victims on Wednesday morning to support their call for the full release of files in the high-profile case.

Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that he believed Massie’s petition was “inartfully drafted”, because it lacked language that would protect the identities of victims who were sexually abused by Epstein.

Johnson also claimed the petition for the full release of the Epstein files was “moot” due to the work of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which had released thousands of pages of files on Monday.

“It’s superfluous at this point, and I think we’re achieving the desired end here,” Johnson said.

The committee subpoenaed the Justice Department and Epstein’s estate for documents and took a deposition from convicted Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

In July, the Justice Department and the FBI released a memo stating that a “systematic review” of Epstein-related files “revealed no incriminating ‘client list’”, and said that no credible evidence had been found that Epstein had blackmailed prominent figures.

That announcement surprised many people, including prominent conservatives among Trump’s support base, who had been pushing for all Epstein-related documents to be released, a promise Trump had made during his re-election campaign.

A poll in July by Reuters/Ipsos found that a majority of Americans, including among Trump’s Republicans, believe his administration is hiding details on the Epstein case.

Epstein was linked to a sizeable number of high-profile politicians and businesspeople through his financial dealings and charitable contributions.

He was found dead in his New York City jail cell on August 10, 2019, where he was being held while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.

Some of Epstein’s victims were girls as young as 14.

It’s been a big year for música Mexicana. Corridos tumbados are still dominating the global charts, with a handful of established stars leading the charge — among them Fuerza Regida, Peso Pluma, Tito Double P, Junior H and genre newcomer Netón Vega.

But amid this flurry of new releases, you might have missed an album or two worthy of recognition. Here are five música Mexicana records you should check out.

Chino Pacas, “Cristian”

Chino Pacas has staked his claim to the spotlight following the release of his sophomore album, “Cristian,” which came out earlier this month. At just 18 years old, he’s amassed over 17 million monthly Spotify listeners, largely due to his uniquely gritty vocals that pair well with the genre’s thunderous instrumentation.

Now with “Cristian,” Chino Pacas looks to stand out among other corridos tumbados stars by exploring a range of sounds, including traditional banda rhythms in “No Es Un Juego” (ft. Banda Otro Pedo) and the hip hop-infused “GTO” (ft. Santa Fe Klan). (The latter’s music video is filmed in some iconic Boyle Heights locations, including Mexican deli Los Cinco Puntos and El Mercado’s Virgin Mary shrine.) Pacas also picks up the pace with his rendition of Tropicalísimo Apache’s 1993 song “Ojitos Mentirosos,” a song currently trending on TikTok; Pacas’ version has risen considerably on Mexico’s Top 50 chart on Spotify.

Armenta, “Portate Bien”

After producing some of Fuerza Regida’s most iconic hits, Armenta seized the opportunity to release his own debut album, “Portate Bien,” in early August. At its core, the project captures the depths of love and heartache across 15 melancholic tracks, carried by the Mexican singer’s crisp and bold vocals.

Sonically, the LP is a blend of corridos tumbados with the occasional touch of reggaeton and harmonious pop, which shines brightest in tracks like “Ansiedad” and “AbrilSinTi” (ft. Alex Garcia). The crooner also plays with traditional bolero rhythms for his last track “Bolerito” (ft. Manuel Medrano). Already a growing hit for the singer-songwriter is the love-struck ballad “Pensando y Pensando,” which deals with ruminating thoughts of love and loss.

Kane Rodriguez, “La Batuta”

Like many before him in the genre, newcomer Kane Rodriguez first debuted his signature raspy vocals on TikTok, where he would upload acoustic covers of popular corridos. Now the Houston native is using the same platform to promote “La Batuta,” his first album of all-original songs, which was released in April.

In a genre obsessed with flashy gimmicks, Rodriguez sticks to the traditional corrido sound across 13 tracks, setting himself apart from the crowd with his raw vocals and prickly guitar style. Like most of his contemporaries, the 22-year-old explores themes of illicit activity, touting a risqué lifestyle in popular numbers like “La Batuta” and “Morro Mañoso.” In the fierce standout track “Se Volvieron Locos,” he lambastes haters for not believing in him.

Clave Especial, “Mija No Te Asustes”

Clave Especial released their highly-anticipated debut studio album, “Mija No Te Asustes,” this past February — and the 16 hard-hitting tracks were well worth the wait. Since forming in 2021, the trio has transformed their tempered banda sound into a more boisterous affair, likely drawing inspiration from other acts on their label, Street Mob Records, led by Fuerza Regida frontman, Jesús Ortiz Paz. The LP remained on the Billboard 200 chart for 11 weeks, peaking at No. 91.

Clave Especial and Fuerza Regida join forces in their brassy mobster-core singles “Como Capo” and “No Pasa Nada.” The possessive love song “Tu Tu Tu,” which features vocalist Edgardo Nuñez, reached the top of the Regional Mexican Airplay chart just this week — marking a first for the band from Salinas, Calif. Clave Especial is set to kick off their first U.S. headlining tour this fall.

Chuy Montana, “No Fue Suerte”

In 2024, the rising corridos bélicos singer Chuy Montana was murdered in Tijuana after singing songs that authorities said “displeased his aggressor.” It’s a tragic fate that has met other legendary Mexican singers, including the narcocorrido trailblazer Chalino Sanchez in 1992. In June, Street Mob Records released Montana’s posthumous debut album, “No Fue Suerte,” after finishing his songs in close collaboration with his family.

Using his rugged vocal delivery, Montana peppers his lyrics with amusing vulgarities. His most popular song, “Qué Bendición,” tells tales of his trials and tribulations, and his mother’s blessing that follows him wherever he goes — although some songs sound haunting now, in light of Montana’s passing. Among those songs is the accordion-riddled track “Perdón Mamá” featuring Juanpa Salazar, in which Montana foreshadows his tragic death and delivers a heartbreaking, preemptive apology to his grieving mother.

KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda has agreed to a deal with the United States to take deported migrants as long as they don’t have criminal records and are not unaccompanied minors, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

The ministry said in a statement that the agreement had been concluded but that terms were still being worked out. It added that Uganda prefers that the migrants sent there be of African nationalities, but did not elaborate on what Uganda might get in return for accepting deportees.

The U.S. Embassy in Uganda declined to comment on what it called “diplomatic negotiations,” but said that diplomats were seeking to uphold President Trump’s “policy of keeping Americans safe.”

The Trump administration has been seeking ways to deter migrants from entering the country illegally and to deport those who already have done so, especially those with criminal records and including those who cannot easily be deported to their home country.

Human rights activists criticized the deportee deal as possibly going against international law.

Henry Okello Oryem, Uganda’s state minister for foreign affairs, on Wednesday had denied that any agreement on deportees had been reached, though he said his government was in discussions about “visas, tariffs, sanctions, and related issues.” He also suggested that his country would draw the line at accepting people associated with criminal groups.

“We are talking about cartels: people who are unwanted in their own countries. How can we integrate them into local communities in Uganda?” he said at the time.

Oryem and other Ugandan government officials declined to comment Thursday.

Opposition lawmaker Muwada Nkunyingi suggested that such a deal with the United States would give the Ugandan government legitimacy ahead of elections, and urged Washington not to turn a blind eye toward what he described as human rights and governance issues in Uganda.

Uganda’s leaders will rush into a deal to “clear their image now that we are heading into the 2026 elections,” Nkunyingi said.

Human rights lawyer Nicholas Opio likened a deportee deal to human trafficking, and said it would leave the status of the deportees unclear. “Are they refugees or prisoners?” he said.

“The proposed deal runs afoul of international law. We are sacrificing human beings for political expediency; in this case because Uganda wants to be in the good books of the United States,” he said. “That I can keep your prisoners if you pay me; how is that different from human trafficking?”

In July, the U.S. deported five men with criminal backgrounds to the southern African kingdom of Eswatini and sent eight more to South Sudan. The men from Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen and Vietnam sent to Eswatini are being held in solitary confinement until they can be deported to their home countries, which could take up to a year.

A legal challenge in the U.S had halted the deportation process of the eight men in South Sudan but a Supreme Court ruling eventually cleared the way for them to be sent to South Sudan.

Uganda has had challenges with the U.S. after lawmakers passed an anti-homosexuality bill in 2023 that punishes consensual same-sex conduct with penalties including life imprisonment. Washington threatened consequences and the World Bank withheld some funding.

In May 2024, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Uganda’s parliamentary speaker, her husband and several other officials over corruption and serious abuses of human rights.

Government had hoped to get files released about Jeffrey Epstein associate to quell furore that had grown over the case.

A United States judge has denied a request by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to unseal transcripts from a grand jury that indicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend and associate of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a decision issued on Monday, Judge Paul A Engelmayer said lawyers for the government failed to convince the court that extraordinary circumstances warranted the release of the grand jury testimony, which is typically delivered privately and sealed.

“[The government’s] entire premise – that the Maxwell grand jury materials would bring to light meaningful new information about Epstein’s and Maxwell’s crimes, or the Government’s investigation into them – is demonstrably false,” Engelmayer wrote in his decision.

The DOJ in June announced it would not release any additional documents from the investigation into Epstein, causing an uproar among President Donald Trump’s base, which holds a number of conspiracy theories about the well-connected sex trafficker.

In an effort to quell the backlash, the DOJ at the order of Trump then sought to unseal transcripts both from Maxwell’s grand jury as well as Epstein’s.

In 2021, Maxwell was convicted of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein – a one-time friend to the powerful and influential in the US – and was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her crimes.

Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex-trafficking charges.

Aug. 8 (UPI) — The federal judiciary is enhancing security on electronic case filing systems in U.S. courts, which have come under sophisticated and persistent cyberattacks in recent days, officials announced Thursday.

While it is working to block existing threats, a branch of the judiciary is also enhancing systems that will thwart future attempts to breach the filing system.

“The vast majority of documents filed with the Judiciary’s electronic case management system are not confidential and are indeed readily available to the public, which is fundamental to an open and transparent judicial system,” a release from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts said. “However, some filings contain confidential or proprietary information that are sealed from public view.”

The court said the new security measures will also help protect litigants. The release said some of the documents can be targets of interest to hackers, and to better protect the records, the courts will create more “carefully controlled and monitored circumstances.”

In June, Judge Michael Scudder of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit told the House Judiciary Committee that some electronic filing systems are “outdated, unstable due to cyber risk and require replacement.”

During his testimony, Scudder said the courts would update their security systems over time as opposed to unveiling a completely overhauled version.

A federal judge in the United States has rejected a request from the Department of Justice to release transcripts from a grand jury investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

On Wednesday, US District Judge Robin Rosenberg of Florida indicated her hands were “tied” in the matter.

The unsealing of grand jury testimony is relatively rare, given the need for secrecy in such sensitive criminal investigations.

There are only narrow exceptions to federal criminal procedure that would allow for the transcripts to be released, and Judge Rosenberg indicated that those were not met by the Justice Department’s requests.

The request Judge Rosenberg received was one of three issued by the Justice Department, as it seeks to tamp down outrage from President Donald Trump’s base about the lack of recent revelations in the Epstein scandal.

Epstein scandal fuels conspiracy theories

In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi played up the impending release of a trove of documents related to Epstein, a disgraced financier and convicted sex offender whose entourage included high-profile figures.

Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial in New York, fuelling conspiracy theories that his death might have been a cover-up orchestrated by powerful, shadowy figures.

But the nearly 200 pages Bondi and the Justice Department ultimately published failed to produce any major new revelations. It also notably lacked the “client list” that Bondi told Fox News was “sitting on my desk right now to review”.

Some of President Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters had pushed the idea that paedophiles had infiltrated the highest levels of government and popular media, and that Epstein kept a client list in order to blackmail those power brokers.

Even Trump’s appointee to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kash Patel, and his second-in-command Dan Bongino had promoted the conspiracy theories, claiming there was a “black book” or “list” in the government’s possession that would prove the Epstein rumours.

But the FBI and the Justice Department have since attempted to quash that speculation. In July, the agencies released a joint memorandum denying the existence of such a list.

“This systematic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list.’ There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions,” it read.

Scrutiny on Trump

That, however, did little to abate the outrage, and scrutiny has since turned to President Trump’s own relationship with Epstein.

The Wall Street Journal this month published a report alleging that Trump had signed a birthday note to Epstein featuring a suggestive message, alongside a doodle of a naked woman. Trump denied ever writing or drawing such a birthday message, and he has since sued the newspaper and its parent company.

But on Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal continued its coverage of the Epstein scandal with an article that alleged the Justice Department knew Trump’s name appeared multiple times in files related to the sex offender.

Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, called the latest report “another fake news story”.

Trump has called for all the Epstein transcripts to be released, calling the ongoing scandal a “scam” and a “hoax”. He also repudiated any of his supporters who believed the rumours.

“My PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bull****,’ hook, line, and sinker,” Trump wrote on social media on July 16. “Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work.”

While the Justice Department has argued there is “extensive public interest” in releasing the grand jury transcripts, experts say those testimonies are unlikely to contain the full extent of the evidence in the Epstein case.

Federal grand jury testimonies are usually brief, supplying only enough information to secure an indictment.

One former federal prosecutor, Sarah Krissoff, told The Associated Press the transcripts are likely to be a “distraction”.

“The president is trying to present himself as if he’s doing something here, and it really is nothing,” Krissoff said in an interview published earlier this week.

Democrats seek advantage

Democrats, meanwhile, have sought to highlight the lingering questions about Epstein in a bid to damage Trump’s reputation with his supporters.

In the House of Representatives, for instance, Democrats on the Committee for Oversight launched a bid to subpoena the Justice Department for all its Epstein files.

Rather than risk a vote to push for further Epstein records, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson adjourned the chamber early for its six-week August recess.

Democrats like Representative Summer Lee seized upon that manouevre as evidence of complicity.

“They’re fleeing our work, our job and sending us back home because they don’t want to vote to release these files,” Lee said.

But Johnson defended the move this week, saying Trump officials were “already doing everything within their power to release them”.

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Monday released records of the FBI’s surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr. despite opposition from the slain Nobel laureate’s family and the civil rights group that he led until his 1968 assassination.

The digital document dump includes more than 240,000 pages of records that had been under a court-imposed seal since 1977, when the FBI first gathered the records and turned them over to the National Archives and Records Administration.

In a lengthy statement released Monday, King’s two living children, Martin III, 67, and Bernice, 62, said their father’s killing has been a “captivating public curiosity for decades.” But the pair emphasized the personal nature of the matter and urged that the files “be viewed within their full historical context.”

The Kings got advance access to the records and had their own teams reviewing them. Those efforts continued even as the government granted public access. Among the documents are leads the FBI received after King’s assassination and details of the CIA’s fixation on King’s pivot to international anti-war and anti-poverty movements in the years before he was killed. It was not immediately clear whether the documents shed new light on King’s life, the civil rights movement or his murder.

“As the children of Dr. King and Mrs. Coretta Scott King, his tragic death has been an intensely personal grief — a devastating loss for his wife, children, and the granddaughter he never met — an absence our family has endured for over 57 years,” they wrote. “We ask those who engage with the release of these files to do so with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family’s continuing grief.”

They also repeated the family’s long-held contention that James Earl Ray, the man convicted of assassinating King, was not solely responsible, if at all.

Bernice King was 5 years old when her father was killed at the age of 39. Martin III was 10.

A statement from the office of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard called the disclosure “unprecedented” and said many of the records had been digitized for the first time. She praised President Trump for pushing the issue.

Release is ‘transparency’ to some, a ‘distraction’ for others

Trump promised as a candidate to release files related to President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination. When Trump took office in January, he signed an executive order to declassify the JFK records, along with those associated with Robert F. Kennedy’s and MLK’s 1968 assassinations.

The government unsealed the JFK records in March and disclosed some RFK files in April.

The announcement from Gabbard’s office included a statement from Alveda King, Martin Luther King Jr.’s niece, who is an outspoken conservative and has broken from King’s children on various topics — including the FBI files. Alveda King said she was “grateful to President Trump” for his “transparency.”

Separately, Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi’s social media account featured a picture of the attorney general with Alveda King.

Besides fulfilling Trump’s order, the latest release means another alternative headline for the president as he tries to mollify supporters angry over his administration’s handling of records concerning the sex trafficking investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself behind bars while awaiting trial in 2019, during Trump’s first presidency. Trump on Friday ordered the Justice Department to release grand jury testimony but stopped short of unsealing the entire case file.

Bernice King and Martin Luther King III did not mention Trump in their statement Monday. But Bernice King later posted on her personal Instagram account a black-and-white photo of her father, looking annoyed, with the caption “Now, do the Epstein files.”

And some civil rights activists did not spare the president.

“Trump releasing the MLK assassination files is not about transparency or justice,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton. “It’s a desperate attempt to distract people from the firestorm engulfing Trump over the Epstein files and the public unraveling of his credibility among the MAGA base.”

The King Center, founded by King’s widow and now led by Bernice King, reacted separately from what Bernice said jointly with her brother. The King Center statement framed the release as a distraction — but from more than short-term political controversy.

“It is unfortunate and ill-timed, given the myriad of pressing issues and injustices affecting the United States and the global society,” the King Center, linking those challenges to MLK’s efforts. “This righteous work should be our collective response to renewed attention on the assassination of a great purveyor of true peace.”

Records mean a new trove of research material

The King records were initially intended to be sealed until 2027, until Justice Department attorneys asked a federal judge to lift the sealing order early. Scholars, history buffs and journalists have been preparing to study the documents for new information about his assassination on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn.

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which King co-founded in 1957 as the civil rights movement blossomed, opposed the release. The group, along with King’s family, argued that the FBI illegally surveilled King and other civil rights figures, hoping to discredit them and their movement.

It has long been established that then-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was intensely interested if not obsessed with King and others he considered radicals. FBI records released previously show how Hoover’s bureau wiretapped King’s telephone lines, bugged his hotel rooms and used informants to gather information, including evidence of King’s extramarital affairs.

“He was relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign orchestrated by J. Edgar Hoover through the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” the King children said in their statement.

“The intent … was not only to monitor, but to discredit, dismantle and destroy Dr. King’s reputation and the broader American Civil Rights Movement,” they continued. “These actions were not only invasions of privacy, but intentional assaults on the truth — undermining the dignity and freedoms of private citizens who fought for justice, designed to neutralize those who dared to challenge the status quo.”

The Kings said they “support transparency and historical accountability” but “object to any attacks on our father’s legacy or attempts to weaponize it to spread falsehoods.”

Opposition to King intensified even after the Civil Rights Movement compelled Congress and President Lyndon B. Johnson to enact the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. After those victories, King turned his attention to economic justice and international peace. He criticized rapacious capitalism and the Vietnam War. King asserted that political rights alone were not enough to ensure a just society. Many establishment figures like Hoover viewed King as a communist threat.

King’s children still don’t accept the original explanation of assassination

King was assassinated as he was aiding striking sanitation workers in Memphis, part of his explicit turn toward economic justice.

Ray pleaded guilty to King’s murder. Ray later renounced that plea and maintained his innocence until his death in 1998.

King family members and others have long questioned whether Ray acted alone or if he was even involved. Coretta Scott King asked for the probe to be reopened, and in 1998, then-Atty. Gen. Janet Reno ordered a new look. Reno’s Justice Department said it “found nothing to disturb the 1969 judicial determination that James Earl Ray murdered Dr. King.”

In their latest statement, Bernice King and Martin Luther King III repeated their assertions that Ray was set up. They pointed to a 1999 civil case, brought by the King family, in which a Memphis jury concluded that Martin Luther King Jr. had been the target of a conspiracy.

“As we review these newly released files,” the Kings said, “we will assess whether they offer additional insights beyond the findings our family has already accepted.”

Barrow writes for the Associated Press. AP journalist Safiyah Riddle contributed to this report from Montgomery, Ala.

The Trump administration is forging ahead with a plan that is sure to fuel alarm across California’s immigrant communities: handing over the personal data of millions of Medicaid recipients to federal immigration officials who seek to track down people living in the U.S. illegally.

The huge trove of private information, which includes home addresses, social security numbers and ethnicities of 79 million Medicaid enrollees, will allow officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement greater latitude to locate immigrants they suspect are undocumented, according to an agreement signed this week between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security and obtained by the Associated Press.

“ICE will use the CMS data to allow ICE to receive identity and location information on aliens identified by ICE,” the agreement says.

The plan, which has not been announced publicly, is the latest step by the Trump administration to gather sensitive information about people living in the U.S. as it seeks to deliver on its pledge to crack down on illegal immigration and arrest 3,000 undocumented immigrants a day. It is certain to face legal challenges.

Critics have sounded the alarm ever since the Trump administration directed the CMS last month to send the DHS personal information on Medicaid enrollees, including non-U.S. citizens registered in state-funded programs in California, Illinois, Washington and Washington, D.C.

These states operate state-funded Medicaid programs for immigrants who are otherwise ineligible for federal Medicaid and had committed not to bill the federal government.

California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff warned last month of potential violations of federal privacy laws as Trump officials made plans to share personal health data.

“These actions not only raise ethical issues but are contrary to longstanding HHS policy and raise significant concerns about possible violations of federal law,” the Senators wrote in a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz.

“We are deeply troubled that this administration intends to use individuals’ private health information for the unrelated purpose of possible enforcement actions targeting lawful noncitizens and mixed status families,” Padilla and Schiff said in a statement. “The decision by HHS to share confidential health information with DHS is a remarkable departure from established federal privacy protections that should alarm all Americans.”

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin declined to answer questions about whether immigration officials are now accessing the personal Medicaid data or how they plan to use it.

“President Trump consistently promised to protect Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “To keep that promise after Joe Biden flooded our country with tens of millions of illegal aliens CMS and DHS are exploring an initiative to ensure that illegal aliens are not receiving Medicaid benefits that are meant for law-abiding Americans.”

Undocumented immigrants are not permitted to enroll in Medicaid, a joint federal and state program that helps cover medical costs for low-income individuals. The program also limits benefits for other lawfully present immigrants, with some required to undergo waiting periods before they can receive coverage.

However, federal law requires states to offer emergency Medicaid, coverage that pays for lifesaving services in emergency rooms to everyone, including non-U.S. citizens.

A 2024 Congressional Budget Office report found that a total of $27 billion was spent on emergency Medicaid for non-citizens between 2017 and 2023. That number represents less than 1% of overall spending on Medicaid during that time period. Nevertheless, Trump and other federal leaders have pushed to reduce spending on Medicaid, alleging that undocumented immigrants have been taking advantage of the program.

Hannah Katch, a CMS advisor during the Biden administration who previously worked for California Medicaid, told The Times that the Trump administration’s plan to turn over Medicaid data represented “an incredible violation of trust.”

The data that states send to CMS has certain protections and requirements in statute and also by custom, Katch said. For CMS to share the information of Medicaid enrollees outside the agency, she said, would have a devastating impact on people who depend on emergency Medicaid to access critical care.

“Making people afraid to seek care when they are experiencing a medical emergency, or when their child is experiencing a medical emergency, it is an incredibly cruel action to take,” Katch said.

Elizabeth Laird, the director of equity in civic technology at the Center for Democracy & Technology, said the sharing of such data would further erode people’s trust in government.

“By turning over some of our most sensitive healthcare data to ICE, Health and Human Services has fundamentally betrayed the trust of almost 80 million people,” she said in a statement to The Times.

“This jaw-dropping development proves that the Administration’s claim of using this information to prevent fraud is a Trojan horse that instead will primarily advance their goal of deporting millions of people,” she said. “Over 90 percent of entitlement fraud is committed by U.S. citizens, underscoring the false pretense of sharing this information with ICE.”

The plan to share Medicaid data is not the first time the Trump administration has sought to share personal information across departments. In May, the Department of Agriculture told states they had to turn over data on the recipients of SNAP food benefits.

Last month, the California Medical Assn. warned that the Trump administration’s sharing of personal Medicaid data would put nearly 15 million patients and their families at risk statewide.

Dr. René Bravo, CMA’s president elect, said that sending sensitive patient information to deportation officials “will have a devastating impact on communities and access to care that all people need.”

“Our job is not protecting the borders, it’s protecting our patients and providing the best health care possible, “ Bravo said in a statement. “When patients come to us it’s often the most vulnerable times in their lives, and we offer a safe space for their care.”

Orange County’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs notified the public last month that the CMS had been directed to send DHS personal information of Medicaid enrollees, including non-citizens.

“This data, provided for the purpose of administering healthcare, may now be used to locate individuals for immigration enforcement or to challenge their future immigration applications,” the statement read.

The agency wrote that it had already heard of increased anxiety among clients who are fearful that their personal information could be used against them if they seek health care services.

“We are concerned this will further erode trust in public institutions and care providers,” the agency wrote.

Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, who represents a large Latino population that includes Santa Ana and portions of Anaheim, said the families enrolled in Medi-Cal did so with the reasonable expectation their information would be kept private.

He called the action a “cruel breach” that erodes people’s trust in government.

“These actions discourage participation in healthcare and mean that some individuals may not seek needed medical services,” he said in a statement. “This hurts the overall community, creates serious public health concerns, and increases costs for our healthcare system.”

Jose Serrano, director of Orange County’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, said certain information about those who sign up for benefits has long been shared with the state, which passes it along to the federal government for research, funding and eligibility purposes.

“The one thing that is different during this time is that the information is being used against people, especially those who are immigrants,” he said.

The situation has already caused anxiety among immigrant populations in Orange County, Serrano said. Some have reached out to the agency asking whether they can un-enroll from programs or change their addresses for fear that they or their families may be targeted by immigration officials.

“The truth is immigrants spend more and invest more in our communities and the economy then they take away,” Serrano said, adding that it’s unfortunate that this medical information is “going to be used against the same families that are already investing in our communities through the taxes they pay on a yearly basis.”

Owen Cooper has made history with his Primetime Emmy Award nomination, as Netflix’s surprise hit of 2025 has been smashing records again

Netflix’s unexpected smash hit of 2025 continues to shatter records, a full four months after its initial release on the streaming giant.

The buzz is palpable as the complete roster of Primetime Emmy Award nominations was unveiled this Tuesday (15th July).

Set for this September, television’s most prestigious night will witness titans like Severance, The Last of Us, and The Bear vie for top honours.

In a historic moment, Adolescence’s young sensation Owen Cooper has become the youngest nominee ever in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series category, surpassing a record that stood for over half a century, previously held by Scott Jacoby who was nominated at 16 for the 1972 TV movie That Certain Summer.

In the gripping Netflix series, Cooper delivers a compelling performance as Jamie Miller, a 13 year old boy detained under suspicion of murdering a female classmate, reports the Express.

Stephen Graham, Cooper’s co-star, hailed him as a “rare talent” on The One Show, comparing the prodigious actor to the legendary Robert De Niro.

Graham himself has been acknowledged with a nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Limited Series and received accolades for his role in penning the acclaimed drama alongside Jack Thorne.

Ashley Walters, another cast member, earned recognition in the supporting actor category for his portrayal of DI Luke Bascombe.

Speaking to Deadline, Cooper confessed “it’s crazy” upon receiving one of his first significant awards nominations.

“It’s been the best year of my life,” he continued. “Now it’s over a little bit, I’m going back to a bit of normality. School has been perfectly fine.”

Having caught the eye of Hollywood bigwigs, Cooper is lined up to appear alongside Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in the forthcoming Wuthering Heights adaptation by Saltburn director Emerald Fennell.

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During filming, Cooper disclosed that Adolescence was gaining such traction on Netflix that his fellow actors couldn’t ignore it.

“They were all saying how big the show’s gone,” he shared with a grin.

“And they were sick of seeing me on TV and stuff. That’s what Jacob said. Margot said that she was dying to watch it.”

Both audiences and critics have unanimously hailed Adolescence as a “masterpiece” making it an essential addition to your watchlist if you’ve yet to discover this gem.

Adolescence is available to stream on Netflix.

The first encounter between Usyk and Dubois was in Wroclaw, Poland, in August 2023.

It was a fight not many gave Dubois a hope of winning, but he floored the reigning champion in the fifth round.

The referee, though, immediately called a low blow and Usyk was controversially given time to recover. The Ukrainian had the mostly partisan crowd on his side, but Dubois’ team at ringside were furious with the decision.

The call is still being debated and was a major talking point at the announcement news conference.

Once the fight resumed, Usyk quickly went to work, slowly chipping away at Dubois’ energy reserves.

By the eighth round the Briton looked exhausted and frustrated when he tried to fend off a flurry of shots. He hit the canvas, managed to get to his feet, but was then dropped again in the ninth round and couldn’t beat the referee’s count.

Aside from the controversy over the low blow, Usyk was the better fighter with a more controlled display. He landed more shots, 88 to 47, and was the more accurate puncher with 25% landing compared to 16% for his opponent.

But will Dubois target the body more in the rematch to come out on top?

EUGENE, Ore. — Kenyans Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet set world records and American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won a star-studded women’s 100 meters Saturday as the Prefontaine Classic celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Kipyegon finished the 1,500 in 3 minutes, 48.68 seconds, besting her record of 3:49.04 in the event set last year.

Chebet became the first women to run under 14 minutes in the 5,000, finishing in 13:58.06 to surpass Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay’s 2023 mark of 14:00.21 set at the Prefontaine Classic.

“When I was coming here to Eugene, I was coming to prepare to run a world record, and I said I have to try. I said, ‘If Faith is trying, why not me?’” Chebet said about her good friend. “And today, I’m so happy because I’ve achieved being the first woman to run under 14. I’m so happy for myself.”

The day’s most anticipated race was the 100, which featured the top three finishers from the Paris Olympics.

Jefferson-Wooden, who took the bronze medal last summer, finished in 10.75 seconds. Gold medalist Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia was second in 10.77,and Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith of Ivory Coast was third in 10.90.

Sha’Carri Richardson, the silver medalist in Paris, finished last in the nine-runner field. It was just the second outdoor 100 of the year for Richardson, who said she struggled with an unspecified injury in February.

“The only motivation that I had today was having a healthy race and the fact that I executed a healthy race knowing that now I have the time, because I do have that by being the reigning world champion, and all I have to do is just keep pushing and focusing in our practice, so I’m super excited to just finish,” said Richardson, who has her attention on September’s world championships in Tokyo.

Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson won the men’s 100 in 9.86 seconds, ahead of British runner-up Zharnel Hughes. Thompson, who finished second to Noah Lyles at last summer’s Olympics, went into the Pre with the world’s best time this year at 9.75.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who set the world record in the 400 hurdles in Paris, easily won the flat 400 in 49.43.

“It’s a long year, so I’m really just taking it day by day, taking it slow, building and seeing which direction you want to go in by the end of it,” McLaughlin-Levrone said.

Ethiopian Tsige Duguma, the silver medalist at last year’s Olympics, won the 800 in 1:57.10.

Rudy Winkler set an American record in the hammer throw with a hurl of 272 feet, 10 inches. Canadian Camryn Rogers won on the women’s side.

“My training this week was very bad, so I kind of came into this like zero expectations of like ‘Whatever I throw, I throw,’ so I was super surprised by that today,” said Winkler.

In the other field events, American Chase Jackson won the women’s shot put at 68-8 1/2. Lithuanian Mikolas Alekna took the discus at 232-10.

Tara Davis-Woodhall won the long jump with leap of 23-2 1/2 inches. Pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, who set a world record in Stockholm last month, cleared 19-8 1/4 at the Pre.

Biniam Mehary of Ethiopia ran the 10,000 in 26:43.82, a world best this year. Jamaican Ackera Nugent won the 100 hurdles in 12:32.

Alison dos Santos of Jamaica, the bronze medalist in both the Tokyo and Paris Games, won the men’s 400 hurdles in 46.65. Olympic gold medalist Letsile Tebogo of Botswana won the 200 in 19.76. British sprinter Matthew Hudson-Smith held on to win the flat 400 in 44.10.

Niels Laros of the Netherlands won the Bowerman Mile, an event unique to the Prefontaine, in 3:45.93.

The Prefontaine Classic is named for Steve Prefontaine, the Oregon track star who died in a car accident in 1975. The event is the lone U.S. stop on the Diamond League series.

WASHINGTON — Court records show that the Trump administration has agreed to spare from deportation a key witness in the federal prosecution of Kilmar Abrego Garcia in exchange for his cooperation in the case.

Jose Ramon Hernandez Reyes, 38, has been convicted of smuggling migrants and illegally reentering the United States after having been deported. He also pleaded guilty to “deadly conduct” in connection with a separate incident in which he drunkenly fired a gun in a Texas community.

Records reviewed by the Washington Post show that Hernandez Reyes has been released early from federal prison to a halfway house and has been given permission to stay in the U.S. for at least a year.

Prosecutors have identified Hernandez Reyes as the “first cooperator” in the case against Abrego Garcia, according to court filings. The Department of Homeland Security maintains that Hernandez Reyes owned a sport utility vehicle that Abrego Garcia was allegedly using to smuggle migrants when the Tennessee Highway Patrol stopped him in 2022. That traffic stop is at the center of the criminal investigation against Abrego Garcia.

Hernandez Reyes is among several cooperating witnesses who could help the administration deport Abrego Garcia.

Abrego Garcia, a construction worker who had been living in Maryland, became a prime focus in Trump’s immigration crackdown when he was mistakenly deported to his native El Salvador in March. Facing mounting pressure and a Supreme Court order, the administration returned him this month to face the smuggling charges, which his attorneys have called “preposterous.”

On Friday, attorneys for Abrego Garcia asked a federal judge in Tennessee to delay his release from jail because of “contradictory statements” by the administration over whether he’ll be deported upon release.

A federal judge in Nashville has been preparing to release Abrego Garcia to await trial on human smuggling charges. But she’s been holding off over concerns that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would swiftly detain him and try to deport him again.

Abrego Garcia’s attorneys are now asking the judge to continue to detain him after statements by administration officials “because we cannot put any faith in any representation made on this issue by” the Justice Department.

Abrego Garcia has pleaded not guilty.

June 27 (UPI) — The Standard & Poor’s 500 and Nasdaq Composite on Friday rose to record highs nearly three months after plunging to bearish stock prices amid tariff wars.

The S&P finished at 6,173, an increase of 32.05, or 0.52% at the close of trading at 4 p.m. EDT. The previous all-time high closing price was 6,144 on Feb. 19. The index dropped to 4,982.77 on April 8, six days after Donald Trump announced trading tariffs on virtually all U.S. trading partners. That low point was 19% off the record with a bear market considered to be 20%.

Tech-heavy Nasdaq finished at 20,273, a rise of 105.55, or .52%. The last all-time high was 20,173.89 on Dec. 16. The year’s low was April 8 at 15,267, a decline of 24.5% from the record.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the day at 43,819.27, a rise of 431.43 or 1%. DJIA hit a record of 45,014.04 on Dec. 4 and was down to 37,645.59 on April 8. The high this year was 44,882.13 on Jan. 30th, 10 days after Donald Trump became president.

All but two of CNBC’s 11 sectors declined. Energy dropped 0.5% and health 0.17%. The biggest increases were consumer discretionary at 1.78% and communications services at 1.55%.

Stocks had been trading higher Friday until Trump posted on Truth Social that trade talks with Canada were terminated.

“We have just been informed that Canada, a very difficult Country to TRADE with, including the fact that they have charged our Farmers as much as 400% Tariffs, for years, on Dairy Products, has just announced that they are putting a Digital Services Tax on our American Technology Companies, which is a direct and blatant attack on our Country,” Trump posted.

“Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately,” he said. “We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period.”

The United States has imposed a 25% tariff on non-compliant Canadian goods, including vehicles, with energy products subject to a 10% tariff. Also, Canada was hit by the 50% tariff on steel and aluminum imports like other nations. Canada has retaliated with its own tariffs.

Products involved in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement are exempted.

Investors were buoyed after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said a trade framework with China had been finalized. At one time, Trump imposed a 134% tariff but it has since been cut to $30.

Lutnick said he expects deals with 10 trading partners soon.

On “Liberation Day” on April 2, Trump said he would impose a baseline 10% tariffs on most trading partners and stiffer ones for big violators. A week later, he paused them until July 7 and that date might be extended.

“I can see where the risks are here — if the trade [progress] is just hype from the White House and no deals are really forthcoming, then this market is going to roll over,” Thierry Wizman, global FX and rates strategist at Macquarie Group, told CNBS. “Ultimately, this all comes back to growth in the U.S. economy and growth of earnings.”

“We think the recovery makes sense, considering that most large-cap companies should weather the tariffs reasonably well,” David Lefkowitz, head of U.S. equities at UBS Global Wealth Management, told investors in a note. “In fact, we think the upcoming [second-quarter] earnings season will once again highlight the resilience of corporate profits.”

Vital Knowledge analyst Adam Crisafulli sees possibly bumpy times.

“We think there’s a dangerous amount of complacency on trade/tariffs, a view underscored by the fact markets this morning are celebrating the China ‘deal’ for a third time,” Crisafulli said in a report.

The records come days after Trump brokered a cease-fire between Israel and Iran.

Oil prices surged before the U.S. bombed three nuclear targets in Iran. West Test Intermediate crude climbed to $74.14 a barrel after being as low as $57.13 on May 13. On Friday, crude oil settled at 65.07, up 17 cents from the day before.

One year ago, it reached nearly $84.

The average price for unleaded gas in the United States is $3.207, a penny down from last week and $3.503 one year ago, according to AAA.

Investors are also pleased with good economic data.

Inflation rose 2.4% in May over one year.

The unemployment rate 4.2% and has been at this level since May 2024.

The Federal Reserve has not raised interest rates since Dec. 18. The Federal Funds Rate is 4.25% to 4.50%.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has described a “wait-and-see” approach to interest rate adjustments, describing the need for more data. The next meeting is July 29 and 30.

The Trump administration must turn over a cache of documents, photos, internal reports and other evidence detailing the activities of the military in Southern California, a federal judge ruled Tuesday, handing a procedural victory to the state in its fight to rein in thousands of troops under the president’s command.

Ordering “expedited, limited discovery,” Senior District Judge Charles R. Breyer of the federal court in San Francisco also authorized California lawyers to depose key administration officials, and signaled he might review questions about how long troops remain under federal control.

The Department of Justice opposed the move, saying it had “no opportunity to respond.”

The ruling follows a stinging loss for the state in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last Thursday, when an appellate panel struck down Breyer’s temporary restraining order that would have returned control of the troops to California leaders.

Writing for the court, Judge Mark R. Bennett of Honolulu said the judiciary must broadly defer to the president to decide whether a “rebellion” was underway and if civilians protesting immigration agents had sufficiently hampered deportations to warrant an assist from the National Guard or the Marines.

Bennett wrote that the president has authority to take action under a statute that “authorizes federalization of the National Guard when ‘the President is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.’”

But neither court has yet opined on California’s other major claim: that by aiding immigration raids, troops under Trump’s command violated the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which forbids soldiers from enforcing civilian laws.

Shilpi Agarwal, legal director of the ACLU of Northern California, argued the White House is abusing the post-Civil War law — known in legal jargon as the PCA — by having soldiers support Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.

“There isn’t a dispute that what the National Guard is doing right now is prohibited by the PCA — legally it absolutely has to be,” said Agarwal. “Going out with ICE officers into the community and playing a role in individual ICE raids really feels like what the Posse Comitatus Act was designed to prohibit.”

In his June 12 order, Breyer wrote that charge was “premature,” saying that there was not yet sufficient evidence to weigh whether that law had been broken.

The 9th Circuit agreed.

“Although we hold that the President likely has authority to federalize the National Guard, nothing in our decision addresses the nature of the activities in which the federalized National Guard may engage,” Bennett wrote. “Before the district court, Plaintiffs argued that certain uses of the National Guard would violate the Posse Comitatus Act … We express no opinion on it.

Now, California has permission to compel that evidence from the government, as well as to depose figures including Ernesto Santacruz, Jr., the director of the ICE field office in L.A., and Maj. Gen. Niave F. Knell, who heads operations for the Army department in charge of “homeland defense.”

With few exceptions, such evidence would immediately become public, another win for Californians, Agarwal said.

“As the facts are further developed in this case, i think it will be come more abundantly clear to everyone how little this invocation of the National Guard was based on,” she said.

In its Monday briefing, the Trump administration argued that troops were “merely performing a protective function” not enforcing the law.

“Nothing in the preliminary injunction record plausibly supports a claim that the Guard and Marines are engaged in execution of federal laws rather than efforts to protect the personnel and property used in the execution of federal laws,” the Justice Department’s motion said.

The federal government also claimed even if troops were enforcing the law, that would not violate the Posse Comitatus Act — and if it did, the Northern District of California would have only limited authority to rule on it.

“Given the Ninth Circuit’s finding, it would be illogical to hold that, although the President can call up the National Guard when he is unable ‘with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States,’ the Guard, once federalized, is forbidden from ‘execut[ing] the laws,’” the motion said.

For Agarwal and other civil liberties experts, the next few weeks will be crucial.

“There’s this atmospheric Rubicon we have crossed when we say based on vandalism and people throwing things at cars, that can be justification for military roaming our streets,” the lawyer said. “There was more unrest when the Lakers won the Championship.”