National

The Department of Justice must release a 2019 memorandum supporting then-Attorney General Bill Barr's decision to clear former President Donald Trump of obstruction of justice, a federal appeals court in Washington ruled on Friday. 

The big picture: Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 2019 investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election found that while he could not conclude that Trump committed obstruction of justice, Mueller's final report "does not exonerate" the former president.

After Mueller sent his then-confidential report to Barr, the former attorney general sent a letter to Congress explaining that the report did not sufficiently show Trump had obstructed justice.

State of play: A nonpartisan government watchdog organization sued the Justice Department in 2019 for documents related to Barr's decision to clear Trump, including a memorandum from the department's Office of Legal Counsel to Barr.

A district court judge ruled in May 2021 that the DOJ must release the memorandum, after finding the department's claim that it was used in the decision-making process to be "disingenuous." 

Some documents can be exempted from public records requests if they were used internally to make decisions, an exemption known as the deliberative-process privilege.

However, the judge in 2021 found that the memorandum, which was finalized after Barr sent the letter to Congress, could not have been part of the decision-making process.

Driving the news: The three-judge panel unanimously upheld the lower court ruling on Friday, rejecting the DOJ's argument that the memo was part of the decision-making process of how to convey the report to Congress and the public.

"The court determined that the Department had failed to carry its burden to show the deliberative-process privilege applied," wrote Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan, who was joined by Judges Judith Rogers and David Tatel. 

"In particular, the court held that the Department had not identified a relevant agency decision as to which the memorandum formed part of the deliberations. The Department's submissions, the court explained, indicated that the memorandum conveyed advice about whether to charge the President with a crime. But the court's in camera review of the memorandum revealed that the Department in fact never considered bringing a charge."

Appeals court upholds ruling ordering DOJ to release memo on Mueller report

Then-Attorney General Bill Barr cited the memo to justify clearing Trump of obstruction of justice.

William Barr on March 7. Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Bill Barr

Politics & Policy

Elon Musk "freed" the bird on Thursday night, and with his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, he is already turning to the changes he has said he wants to implement. 

State of play: Even after months of dramatic attempts to renege, Musk has talked for a while about the things he would want to change about the social media platform, from ending permanent bans to limiting content moderation.

Here's a look at everything Musk has  said he wants to alter:

Musk said he would like to reform the platform's use of permanent user bans, including reversing former President Trump's ban — a stance that Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey agrees with.

Musk called Twitter's ban of Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot "morally wrong and flat out stupid" because it didn't silence Trump but drove him to create his own social media platform, Truth Social.

He believes permanent bans on Twitter should be quite rare because they "fundamentally undermine trust in Twitter as a town square where everyone can voice their opinion," though he said they could be used against "spam" or "scam" accounts.

Instead, he would like the platform to temporarily suspend people who tweet something "that is illegal or destructive to the world" or delete the tweet entirely.

Musk has also suggested allowing long-form tweets. 

He commented on a long Twitter thread in April 2022: "My most immediate takeaway from this novella of a thread is that Twitter is *way* overdue for long form tweets!"

Where it stands: Twitter has a 280 character limit. The company increased from a 140 characters in 2017. 

Musk once called spam bots "the single most annoying problem" on Twitter. He tweeted in April 2022: "If our twitter bid succeeds, we will defeat the spam bots or die trying!" 

He wrote in a reply to that tweet that Twitter would "authenticate all real humans" under his ownership. 

Musk has said he's concerned about bias being inherent to Twitter's algorithm — which he said he'd solve with an open-source algorithm.

In late March 2022, he tweeted, "I’m worried about de facto bias in 'the Twitter algorithm' having a major effect on public discourse. How do we know what’s really happening?"

Musk polled his followers on whether they'd support an open-source algorithm. About 83% of more than 1.1 million respondents said they would.

Be smart: An open-source algorithm would make publicly available the calculus which determines what appears on a person's Twitter feed.

Musk has outlined his free speech-first vision for Twitter. He said at the TED2022 conference he thinks Twitter should not regulate content beyond what is required by the laws of the countries it operates in.

"A lot of people are going to be super unhappy with West Coast high tech as the de facto arbiter of free speech," Musk said in a tweeted in January 2021.

Our thought bubble: It's easier to advocate broad policy change from the outside of a company like Twitter than to enact it from within. It's also worth remembering that Musk has been a mercurial tweeter, and his plans could easily change.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.

Why Elon Musk's Twitter deal matters for everyone

Twitter employees in the dark as Elon Musk purges top execs

Everything Elon Musk wants to change about Twitter

Potential changes to the social media platform include ending permanent bans and limiting content moderation.

Elon Musk speaks at a press conference at SpaceX's Starbase facility near Boca Chica Village in South Texas on February 10, 2022. Photo: JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Elon Musk

Media

Elon Musk <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="&quot;freed&quot; the bird" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/10/28/elon-musk-twitter-ownership" data-vars-content-id="45dfb4c3-ff60-455d-b976-fc78bab8530f" data-vars-headline="Everything Elon Musk wants to change about Twitter" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/10/28/elon-musk-twitter-ownership" target="_self">&quot;freed&quot; the bird</a> on Thursday night, and with his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, he is already <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="turning to the changes" data-vars-click-url="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1585959864454459393" data-vars-content-id="45dfb4c3-ff60-455d-b976-fc78bab8530f" data-vars-headline="Everything Elon Musk wants to change about Twitter" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1585959864454459393" target="_blank">turning to the changes</a> he has said he wants to implement. State of play: Even after <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="months of dramatic attempts" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/17/elon-musk-twitter-timeline" data-vars-content-id="45dfb4c3-ff60-455d-b976-fc78bab8530f" data-vars-headline="Everything Elon Musk wants to change about Twitter" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/17/elon-musk-twitter-timeline" target="_self">months of dramatic attempts</a> to renege, Musk has talked for a while about the things he would want to change about the social media platform, from ending permanent bans to limiting content moderation.

From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.

Technology

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

Paraguay's Vice President Hugo Velázquez Moreno said on Thursday that he will not resign from office as he awaits more information about the United States' corruption allegations against him, Reuters reported.

The big picture: Velázquez announced last week that he would resign from office and drop out of Paraguay's presidential race, after the U.S. placed him on a corruption list for allegedly offering a bribe to a public official.

Driving the news: Velázquez said on Thursday that he reconsidered his original decision, after the Paraguay prosecutor's office notified him on Wednesday that there was no case against him in the U.S., according to Al-Jazeera.

"I had mentioned when I spoke with you that I was going to resign from office ... in order to go and defend myself as a common citizen," Velázquez said to a local radio station, per Reuters.

"Yesterday afternoon I found out that the Public Ministry decided to ask the United States Embassy for the facts about the complaint against me," he added, according to Reuters. "Today, I do not have a platform to defend myself because there is no investigation in the United States either."

Despite reversing his decision to step down as vice president, Velázquez said he does not plan to reenter the presidential race, Reuters reported.

Paraguay VP reverses, says he will remain in office amid corruption allegations

Hugo Velázquez Moreno had previously announced that he would resign from office and drop out of Paraguay's presidential race, after the U.S. accused him of corruption.

Paraguay's Vice President Hugo Velázquez, who last week said he would resign after being sanctioned by Washington for "significant corruption," speaks to the press to announce he had reconsidered and will remain in his post, in Asuncion on August 18, 2022. Photo: NORBERTO DUARTE/AFP via Getty Images

Paraguay

Paraguay&#x27;s Vice President Hugo Velázquez Moreno said on Thursday that he will not resign from office as he awaits more information about the United States&#x27; corruption allegations against him, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Reuters reported" data-vars-click-url="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/paraguays-vice-president-reverses-says-he-wont-resign-yet-2022-08-18/" data-vars-content-id="6a55ec8a-efb2-4380-907a-4e05f4ddf587" data-vars-headline="Paraguay VP reverses, says he will remain in office amid corruption allegations" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/paraguays-vice-president-reverses-says-he-wont-resign-yet-2022-08-18/" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>.The big picture: Velázquez announced last week that <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="he would resign from office and drop out of Paraguay&#x27;s presidential race" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/12/paraguay-vice-president-resign-corruption-allegations" data-vars-content-id="6a55ec8a-efb2-4380-907a-4e05f4ddf587" data-vars-headline="Paraguay VP reverses, says he will remain in office amid corruption allegations" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/12/paraguay-vice-president-resign-corruption-allegations" target="_self">he would resign from office and drop out of Paraguay&#x27;s presidential race</a>, after the U.S. placed him on a corruption list for allegedly offering a bribe to a public official.

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

The European Medicines Agency said on Friday that European Union countries may temporarily use smaller doses of the monkeypox vaccine in order to boost supply.

The big picture: The EU drug regulator's announcement comes after the United States Food and Drug Administration said earlier this month that it was considering a "dose-sparing" approach that would split doses of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine into fifths.

Driving the news: The EMA advised in a press release that national authorities can use the smaller dose "to protect at-risk individuals during the current monkeypox outbreak while the supply of the vaccine remains limited."

Data showed that people who received one-fifth of the standard dose "produced similar levels of antibodies" to those who received the normal dose, according to the press release.

Background: The dose-sparing approach requires a different method of injection than the normal approach.

While the full dose is administered with a subcutaneous injection, or an injection into the fat layer underneath the skin, the smaller dose is administered with an intradermal injection, or an injection into the dermis. The dermis lies just below the top layer of skin known as the epidermis.

The EU agency's Emergency Task Force noted that "only healthcare professionals with experience giving injections intradermally should administer the vaccine this way." 

EU countries may use smaller doses to increase supply of monkeypox vaccine, agency says

The United States Food and Drug Administration said earlier this month that it was considering a "dose-sparing" approach as well.

Doses of Imvanex, a vaccine to protect against Monkeypox virus, on a tray in a pharmacy in Lille, France, on August 10, 2022. Photo: FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP via Getty Images

European Union (EU)

The European Medicines Agency said on Friday that European Union countries may temporarily use smaller doses of the monkeypox vaccine in order to boost supply.The big picture: The EU drug regulator&#x27;s announcement comes after the United States Food and Drug Administration said earlier this month that it was <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="considering a &quot;dose-sparing&quot; approach" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/05/fda-considering-dose-sparing-approach-increase-availability-jynneos-vaccine" data-vars-content-id="9323c8de-178c-4e71-ac7f-fc60ce2e1c46" data-vars-headline="EU countries may use smaller doses to increase supply of monkeypox vaccine, agency says" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/05/fda-considering-dose-sparing-approach-increase-availability-jynneos-vaccine" target="_self">considering a &quot;dose-sparing&quot; approach</a> that would split doses of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine into fifths.

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

Health

The Louisville Metro Police Department on Friday fired a fourth police officer who was involved in the March 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor,  the Louisville Courier-Journal reported.

The big picture: Sgt. Kyle Meany was indicted by a federal grand jury earlier this month for knowingly submitting a false affidavit to obtain the search warrant for Taylor's home and providing false information to federal investigators, per the Courier-Journal.

Former officers Joshua Jaynes, Brett Hankison and Kelly Ann Goodlett were also indicted on various charges, including falsifying the search warrant and using excessive force. 

Hankison was fired by the department in June 2020, while Jaynes was fired in January 2021 alongside former officer Myles Cosgrove. The department was in the process of firing Goodlett when she resigned earlier this month.

What they're saying: "I made the decision to terminate Sgt. Kyle Meany after careful consideration and not with ease," Police chief Erika Shields said on Friday, per the Courier-Journal. Shields had announced on Aug. 4 that she had begun termination procedures for both Meany and Goodlett.

"I fully respect the judicial process and realize Sergeant Meany has yet to be heard before a jury of his peers," Shields added. "That being said, he is facing multiple federal charges after a lengthy investigation by the DOJ. As an employer, the character of our organization is paramount and it is not reasonable to expect continued employment under such conditions."

Background: Taylor was fatally shot by police in March 2020 when officers conducting a narcotics investigation entered her home with a no-knock warrant.

The 26-year-old was killed in the crossfire, after her boyfriend fired a shot at the plain-clothes officers, thinking it was someone attempting to breaking into their home.

Go deeper: Breonna Taylor was alive after police shooting, did not receive treatment

Louisville police fire fourth officer involved in death of Breonna Taylor

Sgt. Kyle Meany was indicted earlier this month for knowingly submitting a false affidavit to obtain the search warrant for Taylor's home.

A photo of Breonna Taylor is seen among other photos of women who have lost their lives as a result of violence during the 2nd Annual Defend Black Women March on July 30, 2022. Photo: Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Frontline Action Hub

Officer-involved shootings

The Louisville Metro Police Department on Friday fired a fourth police officer who was involved in the March 2020 killing of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Breonna Taylor" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2020/06/17/breonna-taylor-shooting-updates" data-vars-content-id="d81e67e5-8bfe-445f-a24c-cd9180cca19d" data-vars-headline="Louisville police fire fourth officer involved in death of Breonna Taylor" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2020/06/17/breonna-taylor-shooting-updates" target="_self">Breonna Taylor</a>, the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Louisville Courier-Journal reported" data-vars-click-url="https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/crime/2022/08/19/breonna-taylor-louisville-police-lmpd-sgt-kyle-meany-fired/65398786007/" data-vars-content-id="d81e67e5-8bfe-445f-a24c-cd9180cca19d" data-vars-headline="Louisville police fire fourth officer involved in death of Breonna Taylor" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/crime/2022/08/19/breonna-taylor-louisville-police-lmpd-sgt-kyle-meany-fired/65398786007/" target="_blank">Louisville Courier-Journal reported</a>.The big picture: Sgt. Kyle Meany was indicted by a federal grand jury earlier this month for knowingly submitting a false affidavit to obtain the search warrant for Taylor&#x27;s home and providing false information to federal investigators, per the Courier-Journal.

Julia Shapero

Stories

Everything Elon Musk wants to change about Twitter

EU countries may use smaller doses to increase supply of monkeypox vaccine, agency says

Louisville police fire fourth officer involved in death of Breonna Taylor

Appeals court upholds ruling ordering DOJ to release memo on Mueller report

Paraguay VP reverses, says he will remain in office amid corruption allegations