The Justice Department requested metadata on 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses in a subpoena to Apple as part of a February 2018 investigation into lawmakers, staffers and their families, CNN reported Friday.

Why it matters: The DOJ's inspector general said earlier Friday that his office will investigate the department's handling of a leak investigation into former President Trump's political opponents, which included the subpoena to Apple.

House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), a member of the committee, were notified last month that the Trump Justice Department secretly obtained Apple records about them in 2017-18, in what Schiff called "a body blow to our democracy."

Driving the news: Schiff and Swalwell spoke on CNN after the N.Y. Times revealed that as part of a leak investigation, the Justice Department subpoenaed, and received, Apple metadata (records but not actual content) for at least a dozen House Intelligence Committee members, aides and family members. One was a minor.

New details emerged Wednesday about the Trump administration's months-long battle with CNN to obtain the email records of a reporter, which included putting a CNN general counsel under a gag order, the network reported.

Why it matters: The details reveal the extreme lengths the Trump Department of Justice took to keep its pursuit to gain access to CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr's emails cloaked in secrecy.

U.S. Park Police (USPP) and assisting law enforcement did not clear peaceful protesters from outside the White House last year so then-President Trump could pose for a photo in front of a nearby church, according to a government watchdog report released Wednesday.

Why it matters: The move was planned several hours before USPP knew of Trump's visit, but widespread failure to coordinate across seven law enforcement agencies contributed to "confusion" and the unauthorized use of chemical irritants on Black Lives Matter protesters, the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General found.

The family of Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran who was fatally shot while participating in the Capitol riots, is suing Washington D.C. for records revealing the identity of the officer who shot her, CNBC reports.

Why it matters: The suit comes more than a month after the Department of Justice announced the police officer who shot Babbitt would not face criminal charges, after determining there was "insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution."

In a podcast episode released Monday, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) likened former President Trump's rhetoric about U.S. democracy and elections to that of the Chinese Communist Party, the Washington Post reports.

State of play: Cheney was ousted from her position as the No. 3 House Republican after publicly criticizing the former president’s baseless claims of election fraud.

Nick Clegg, Facebook's vice president of global affairs, told ABC's "This Week" that the company's oversight board is a solution where elected officials have abdicated.

Driving the news: Clegg defended the platform's two-year suspension of former President Donald Trump, after recent criticism from Trump about the company's right to censor or silence free speech.

Facebook's decision to ban former President Trump for another two years is drawing ire from both sides of the aisle, showing that the tech giant can't please anyone until the former president is either permanently banned or allowed back on the platform.

Why it matters: These decisions will only become more polarizing as platforms reckon with free speech issues from world leaders around the world.

The GOP of Paul Ryan, Liz Cheney and Mitt Romney is gone for good — replaced by Trumpers, Axios CEO Jim VandeHei said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Friday.

Why it matters: "The Republican Party has spoken," VandeHei declared, adding that anybody who does not believe Trump's iron grip over the GOP has been institutionalized is living in a "fantasy."

Facebook on Friday said it will ban former President Trump from its platform for two years, and announced new policies for how it will handle speech from prominent politicians moving forward.

Why it matters: The decision will bar Trump from using the platform for the next two years as he prepares to launch a potential 2024 presidential campaign.