John Bolton arrived in federal court on Friday to face authorities on charges that the Trump administration’s former national security adviser kept top-secret records at home and passed diary-like notes containing classified information to relatives.
Bolton made no comment to reporters as he entered the courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he is expected to make his first appearance before a judge on the 18-count indictment filed against him Thursday.
Authorities have suspected that sensitive information was exposed when agents believed to be linked to the Iranian government hacked Bolton’s email account and gained access to sensitive material he had shared. A Bolton representative told the FBI in 2021 that his emails had been hacked, prosecutors say, but did not disclose that Bolton had shared classified information through the account or that the hackers were in possession of government secrets.
The third case against a Trump opponent in the past month will come amid fears that the Justice Department is pursuing the Republican president’s political enemies while wresting control from his allies.
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Trump is expected to host Ukrainian leader Zelensky
President Donald Trump will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for talks at the White House on Friday. The U.S. leader is signaling he is unwilling to agree to selling Kiev a long-range missile system that the Ukrainians say they urgently need.
The meeting comes a day after a lengthy phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In recent days, Trump has appeared open to selling long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, despite Putin’s warnings against it.
After Thursday’s phone call with Putin, Trump appeared to downplay the prospects of Ukraine receiving the missiles.
Trump says he expects more countries to join the Abraham Accords “soon.”
As Israel and Hamas continue to adhere to a ceasefire and hostage agreement, Trump is positive that more Middle Eastern countries and Muslim countries will take steps to normalize relations with Israel.
The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco established diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel through Trump’s first term, the so-called Abraham Accords. Trump now wants to quickly expand these efforts and believes Saudi Arabia – the region’s largest economy – could now be accessible.
Trump added in an interview with Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that Israeli and U.S. attacks earlier this year that wiped out Iran’s nuclear program could also influence Riyadh’s consideration of joining the accords.
“I hope Saudi Arabia steps in, and I hope others step in,” Trump said. “I think if Saudi Arabia goes in, everyone goes in.”
Senators introduce resolution to stop US from attacking Venezuela
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, along with Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, and Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, will once again test Senate Republicans’ willingness to rein in President Donald Trump’s war powers, this time with a resolution that would prevent Trump from attacking Venezuela without congressional authorization.
Kaine argues that the U.S. is conducting hostilities with Venezuela and that the War Powers Resolution was “specifically intended to give Congress the ability to try to stop a war.”
Senators can force a Senate vote on the resolution in the coming weeks. It is intended to provide political resistance to the Trump administration’s aggression in the region.
Trump says his threat of additional 100 percent tariffs on Chinese goods is “unsustainable.”
The president appeared to acknowledge in an interview that his threat last week to impose an additional 100% import tariffs on Chinese products would be problematic for the U.S. economy.
According to excerpts from his interview with Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” Trump said his plan to dramatically raise import tariffs on Nov. 1 unless China lifts restrictions on sporadic earth exports essentially amounts to harsh words. The president plans to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea later this month.
“It’s not sustainable,” Trump said of the possible tariffs, “but that’s the number. It’s probably not, you know, it could stay, but they forced me to do it.”
The president claims that he has “always had a great relationship” with Xi and that Chinese officials “only respect strength.”
Former national security adviser John Bolton makes his first court appearance
John Bolton arrived in federal court Friday to surrender to authorities and make his first court appearance on charges that he accused the former Trump administration national security adviser of keeping top-secret records at home and passing diary-like notes containing confidential information to relatives.
Thursday’s 18-count federal indictment also suggests that classified information was disclosed when agents believed to be connected to the Iranian government hacked Bolton’s email account and gained access to sensitive material he had shared. A Bolton representative told the FBI in 2021 that his emails had been hacked, prosecutors say, but did not disclose that Bolton had shared classified information through the account or that the hackers were in possession of government secrets.
The closely watched case centers on a longtime fixture in Republican foreign policy circles who became known for his aggressive views on American power and served for more than a year in Trump’s first administration before being fired in 2019. He later published a book in which he was extremely critical of Trump.
Former NSA adviser expected to appear in court
John Bolton is expected to surrender to authorities and make his first court appearance.
The Trump administration’s former national security adviser is accused of keeping top-secret records at home and passing diary-like notes containing confidential information to relatives. Bolton’s lawyer says Bolton “did not unlawfully disclose or retain any information.”
Bolton is expected to appear in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, later Friday. It is the third lawsuit filed against a Trump opponent in the past month. There are concerns that the Justice Department is pursuing the Republican president’s political enemies while depriving his allies of oversight.
Orbán celebrates Hungary’s hosting status for the meeting between Trump and Putin
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has celebrated his country’s role as host of upcoming talks between Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
The leaders are expected to discuss ending the war in Ukraine when they meet in Budapest. Trump said Thursday the meeting would take place in about two weeks. Orbán, a close ally of Trump and Putin, suggested that Hungary’s opposition to Western military aid to Ukraine influenced the decision.
Hungary has refused to supply Ukraine with weapons and has defied EU sanctions against Russia. The location of the meeting is symbolic, as the agreement on the sovereignty of Ukraine was signed in Budapest in 1994.
Trump’s approval of Israel rises after Gaza ceasefire, polls show
A recent AP-NORC poll finds more U.S. adults support Trump’s handling of the conflict in Israel after he brokered a ceasefire deal in Gaza, but his approval ratings on domestic issues remain tender.
The poll shows that Trump’s apparent success on the world stage has not improved his overall standing at home. Even some of those who voted for him believe he needs to do more to address issues like the economy, health care and immigration.
The survey was conducted October 9-13, after the ceasefire agreement was announced. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults overall approve of the way Trump is doing his job, unchanged from September.
