DOJ drops New York Times subpoenas over Air Force 1 report

Driving the news: A judge reportedly rebuked the administration over the subpoenas that Times' counsel blasted as harmful and chilling in a Wednesday filing.

• The DOJ did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

Catch up quick: The administration issued the subpoenas earlier this month, seeking grand jury testimony, with agents delivering the orders to reporters' homes, per the Times.

• The reporters shared bylines across articles on the luxury Boeing 747-8's security measures compared to the old Air Force One, citing people briefed on the retrofitting of the plane and the president's travel plans.
• The Times moved to quash the subpoenas soon after, calling them a "brazen effort to intimidate the press" that it said carried "glaring indications of bad faith."
• The outlet's lawyers further argued the government did not overcome the legal threshold to compel reporters to disclose confidential sources.

The other side: The government had previously asked U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian to hold the subpoenas for two weeks, while the government requested the Times preserve records but would not demand any testimony or documents.

• Arguing against The Times' effort to kill the subpoenas, the government contended the paper's reporting "presented a substantial national security concern, including because they indicated potential leaks of classified or national defense information."

• The government's filing also said it was still pursuing leads "some of which may bear on the scope of the subpoenas" and could "be relevant to this Court's analysis of whether the reporter's privilege applies."

Friction point: The Times retorted that the "time for pursuing alternative investigative steps was before the Government sent armed agents to the Journalists' homes."

Go deeper: FBI searches WaPo reporter's home and devices