A federal judge has sentenced a Florida man to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to trying to defraud the father of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) out of $25 million.
Why it matters: Stephen Alford perpetrated an alleged scheme "to obtain money based upon false promises or guarantees he made" to Gaetz's father that he "could deliver a Presidential Pardon for a family member" after the Republican Congress member became the target of a federal sex trafficking investigation, according to the Justice Department.
The Internal Revenue Service is launching a comprehensive review of its safety and security measures, the agency said Tuesday.
Driving the news: The review comes after an "abundance of misinformation and false social media postings," with threats directed at the IRS and its employees, Commissioner Charles Rettig wrote in a memo to employees.
A federal judge in Florida has asked former President Trump to clarify what precisely he's seeking after he filed a lawsuit aimed at limiting the Justice Department's review of records seized from Mar-a-Lago.
Driving the news: The brief order from U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, asks Trump to answer by Friday questions including why the court has jurisdiction over the dispute and what "precise relief" he seeks.
Former Louisville Metro police officer Kelly Goodlett on Tuesday pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy related to the killing of Breonna Taylor, admitting that she helped falsify a search warrant and filed a false report after Taylor's death as part of a cover-up attempt.
The Biden administration dramatically cut its forecasts for economic growth and upped inflation projections, according to new estimates published on Tuesday by the White House's budget office.
Why it matters: The new forecasts reflect the drastically different economic reality the Biden administration faces — including disruptions stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine — since it last released projections.
President Biden is expected to announce as soon as Wednesday whether he will resume monthly student loan debt payments or cancel any debt altogether — after months of deliberation and speculation.
Why it matters: Biden may be zeroing in on providing $10,000 of debt relief per borrower, a promise he made on the campaign trail, which could relieve 43 million Americans of some federal student loan debt.
More than 100 congressional Democrats signed a letter Tuesday asking the Biden administration to extend a waiver for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program through July 2023.
Driving the news: "Since the deadline of October 31, 2022 to qualify for PSLF under the waiver program is rapidly approaching, we ask that the Department extend this deadline in order to ensure that all public servants with federal student loans are able to benefit from this historic waiver," the lawmakers wrote.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is spending part of his congressional recesson a luxury yacht in Italy with his family after criticizing President Biden for vacationing in Delaware, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Scott is the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, whose job is to win back a GOP majority in the upper chamber. Republicans' prospects for winning back the Senate have been worsening over the course of the summer, according to polling and analysis.
Why it matters: Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. were also found guilty of conspiring to obtain a weapon of mass destruction in the form of a bomb, which they planned to use to destroy a bridge as part of the kidnapping plot.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem may have "engaged in misconduct" when she got involved in her daughter's application for a real estate appraiser license in 2020, a South Dakota ethics board said Monday, AP reports.
Why it matters: The board's comments come amid an ongoing investigation into Noem, a potential 2024 presidential candidate who has been accused of abusing her power in office. She has denied any wrongdoing.
A majority of Americans say gun violence is increasing and want stricter laws in place, per a poll by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Driving the news: 8 in 10 Americans said that gun violence is increasing in the U.S., with about two-thirds saying it's increasing in their state, the poll found. Less than half of respondents believe gun violence is increasing in their communities.
The Democrats' new climate law could cut related damages by as much as $1.9 trillion through 2050 by reducing impacts from extreme weather events, sea level rise and more, according to a new White House analysis shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: The economic ramifications of climate change are potentially staggering, eating into U.S. GDP by the end of the century, reports have warned.
Jared Kushner writes in "Breaking History," his memoir out today, that then-President Trump said ahead of a 2017 summit in Saudi Arabia: "Jared, this schedule is inhumane. You know you aren't in my will. Why are you trying to kill me?"
Why it matters: Kushner's wife, Ivanka Trump, of course is in the will.
The FBI’s execution of a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago has driven outsized conservative social media attention, triggering the wide sharing of news stories and driving tens of thousands of new users to former President Trump’s Truth Social app.
Why it matters: Trump faces serious potential legal implications after the FBI's seizure of 11 sets of classified documents from Mar-a-Lago. But in the near term, it’s fueling Republican echo chambers’ defense of him and attacks on the FBI.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv is urging American citizens to leave Ukraine, citing State Department information indicating that civilians face a heightened risk from Russian military strikes in the coming days.
Driving the news: The security alert was issued late Monday, as U.S. and Ukrainian officials raise concern that Putin's forces may launch a fresh offensive on Wednesday — which marks six months since the start of the invasion and also Independence Day, when Ukrainians commemorate the end of Soviet rule, per the New York Times.
Australia's former Prime Minister Scott Morrison will face an independent inquiry after a report found he "fundamentally undermined" the principles of responsible government by quietly taking on extra ministerial powers.
Driving the news: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the inquiry plans Tuesday after releasing Solicitor General Stephen Donaghue's report on Morrison being sworn in as joint minister for the treasury, finance, health, home affairs and resources without notifying the public or Parliament.
Anthony Fauci, who's stepping down from his roles as NIAID director and President Biden's chief medical adviser in December, opened up on being the target of pandemic conspiracy theories during an interview on MSNBC on Monday evening.
What he's saying: "What we're dealing with now is just a distortion of reality, conspiracy theories which don't make any sense at all pushing back on sound public health measures, making it look like trying to save lives is encroaching on people's freedom," Fauci said on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show."
A Florida school district rejected a donation of dictionaries after putting a freeze on new books in libraries and classrooms as officials navigate a new state law designed to make it easier to pull books deemed objectionable.
Why it matters: It's an issue many districts are likely wrestling with as students return to school in Republican-led states that have implemented restrictions on book content targeting topics like race, gender and sexuality.
