President Donald Trump’s newly appointed envoy to Greenland said Tuesday the administration wants to open a dialogue with residents of the territory, stressing the U.S. is not seeking to ‘conquer’ the island.

During an appearance on Fox News’ ‘The Will Cain Show,’ Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who was tapped as special envoy to Greenland by Trump on Sunday, said discussions must be had with Greenlanders to understand what they want moving forward.

‘What are they looking for? What opportunities have they not gotten? Why haven’t they gotten the protection that they actually deserve?’ Landry said.

Landry added that the U.S. ‘has always been a welcoming party,’ and that the Trump administration is not going to ‘go in there trying to conquer anybody’ or ‘take over anybody’s country.’

Landry’s comments came after Danish leaders sharply criticized Trump after he announced the appointment of the new special envoy to Greenland, a territory controlled by Denmark.

‘We have said it before. Now, we say it again. National borders and the sovereignty of states are rooted in international law,’ Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a joint statement Monday. ‘They are fundamental principles. You cannot annex another country. Not even with an argument about international security.’

Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday that Landry ‘understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World.’

On Tuesday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called Trump’s comments ‘completely unacceptable,’ adding that he would summon the U.S. ambassador.

The Danish kingdom, he wrote on Facebook, is ‘sovereign and cannot accept that others question it.’

Trump has previously expressed ambitions for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, posting on Truth Social in December 2024 that ‘ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity’ for national security purposes.

In another post from January 2025, Trump said Greenland is an ‘incredible place,’ and its people will ‘benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation,’ before declaring, ‘MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!’

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Department of Justice on Tuesday released nearly 30,000 pages of documents related to disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein. This is the latest batch of documents to be released since the DOJ began publishing files on Dec. 19.

The files include a number of revelations, including a psychological assessments from Epstein’s time in prison, a fake passport and his cellmate’s testimony about witnessing the financier’s first apparent suicide attempt. The newly released pages also include a claim made by an unidentified Epstein accuser who said that former President Bill Clinton’s name was used as a way to deter her from coming forward.

Here are some of the top takeaways.

Prison psychology report shows Epstein was deemed ‘low risk’ for suicide days before his death

A Bureau of Prisons psychological assessment released Tuesday by the DOJ showed Epstein was considered to be at ‘low’ acute suicide risk and showed no signs of suicidal ideation just days before his death, according to internal prison records.

The suicide risk assessment, conducted on July 9, 2019, states Epstein was placed on precautionary psychological observation due to the high-profile nature of his case and not because he expressed intent to self-harm.

‘Inmate Epstein adamantly denied any suicidal ideation, intention or plan,’ the chief psychologist wrote in the assessment.

The psychologist noted Epstein appeared ‘polite, calm, and cooperative’ during the evaluation, with ‘organized and coherent’ thoughts and no signs of acute psychological distress. Additionally, the psychologist documented Epstein saying that ‘being alive is fun,’ describing himself as a banker with a ‘big business,’ and expressing confidence in his legal defense.

The report concluded that ‘the Overall Acute Suicide Risk for this Inmate is: Low,’ and, ‘A suicide watch is not warranted at this time.’

Newly shared Bureau of Prisons records shed fresh light on what Epstein’s cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, says he witnessed during the disgraced financier’s first apparent suicide attempt while in federal custody.

‘I was asleep with headphones on when I felt something hit my legs,’ Tartaglione said, according to the memo.

‘I turned on the light and saw Epstein on the floor with something around his neck,’ he told investigators, adding that Epstein appeared unresponsive.

The records state Tartaglione immediately called for help after discovering Epstein on the ground. Correctional officers responded, and Epstein was taken for medical evaluation. Officials later described the incident as an apparent suicide attempt.

The documents also note that Epstein later accused Tartaglione of trying to kill him, a claim Tartaglione flatly denied.

‘That allegation is completely false,’ Tartaglione told investigators. Additionally, Bureau of Prisons officials said there was no evidence to support Epstein’s claim.

Epstein was later removed from the cell and placed under closer observation before his death weeks later in what was ruled a suicide.

Tartaglione was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences in 2024 for killing four people, according to prior reporting from Fox News Digital.

Epstein accuser said Clinton’s name was used to deter her from coming forward

A woman who accused Epstein of sexual misconduct said she was warned that his ties to former President Bill Clinton could prevent her from working if she spoke out, according to a sworn attorney-released statement in Tuesday’s DOJ document dump.

In the statement, dated August 27, 2019, the woman identified as Jane Doe alleged that after fleeing an encounter with Epstein at his Manhattan mansion, another woman cautioned her that Epstein ‘knew a lot of powerful people, including Bill Clinton,’ and that refusing him could end her career in the modeling industry.

The accuser said she believed the reference to influential figures was meant to intimidate her and discourage her from coming forward.

The statement does not allege that Clinton participated in or had knowledge of the alleged encounter. Clinton has previously denied wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

Jeffrey Epstein’s fake passport revealed

The latest documents also include a fake passport that Epstein apparently used in the 1980s. The passport appeared to be issued from Austria, with Epstein going by the name ‘Marius Robert Fortelni.’ It listed Saudi Arabia as his place of residence. 

In a 2019 letter to a federal judge over his detention on sex trafficking charges, Epstein’s lawyers justified his use of a false identity. 

‘Eighth, as for the Austrian passport the government trumpets, it expired 32 years ago,’ his attorneys said in the letter. ‘And the government offers nothing to suggest — and certainly no evidence — that Epstein ever used it.’ 

‘In any case, Epstein – an affluent member of the Jewish faith – acquired the passport in the 1980s, when hijackings were prevalent, in connection to Middle East travel,’ the letter continued. ‘The passport was for personal protection in the event of travel to dangerous areas, only to be presented to potential kidnappers, hijackers or terrorists should violent episodes occur.’

Epstein requested ‘razor to shave,’ complained of lack of water weeks before death, document shows

Documents indicate that Epstein requested a razor to shave while in federal custody just weeks before his death, while also raising a series of complaints about his detention conditions.

In a July 30, 2019 internal communication labeled ‘Inmate Epstein,’ Epstein asked for a razor and requested access to water during attorney conferences, saying the available machine ‘does not have water’ and that he was becoming dehydrated, according to the document.

The same email notes Epstein claimed he did not receive all of his prescribed medications after being placed on psychological observation, and said he had not slept well in 21 days due to the absence of his CPAP machine. Epstein also complained about noise in the Special Housing Unit, warning he could suffer ‘psychological trauma’ from the conditions.

Fox News’ Bill Mears contributed to this report.

President Trump has faced unprecedented lawfare, including four indictments, two impeachments and countless lawsuits aimed at keeping him from power, confiscating his wealth and even putting him in prison for life. The most stark example? The FBI’s August 2022 raid of his Mar-a-Lago property. This week, we learned that even FBI agents did not believe there was probable cause for the sham raid.

The Fourth Amendment is fundamental to our Republic. The government cannot search or seize one’s home, office, papers or person without probable cause. Usually, authorities must obtain a search warrant prior to searching or seizing.

When the raid on Mar-a-Lago became public, lawfare opponents were horrified, for we had crossed the Rubicon. FBI agents rummaged through Trump’s personal effects and took his passport. They staged photos of folders supposedly containing classified information haphazardly strewn about and the Justice Department under then-President Biden released them to the media to cast Trump in a negative light.

The material in question consisted of records that Trump was allowed to maintain under the Presidential Records Act. A battle started between Trump and the National Archives, which wanted some of the documents. Biden’s White House Deputy Counsel Jonathan Su waived executive privilege, allowing the Biden Justice Department to begin an investigation. The Justice Department obtained a warrant to search for and seize the records, and Trump was indicted for allegedly unlawful retention of classified materials the following year.

The entire process was corrupt. First, the records were under Secret Service protection. Former presidents receive federal funds for secure office space so that they can maintain classified records. Former presidents, prior to Biden’s disgraceful decision to lock out Trump, were entitled to receive classified intelligence briefings. Trump allowed government officials to come to Mar-a-Lago to view the records and was opposed only to turning them over.

Second, the motive for the return of the records had nothing to do with security concerns. Trump had many records concerning Operation Crossfire Hurricane, the official name for the Obama-Clinton Russian Collusion Hoax. The 2016 campaign of Hillary Clinton cooked up the claim that Trump colluded with Russia to hack Clinton’s emails. Trump sued Clinton and the Democratic National Committee based on the Russia investigation.

Third, the warrant was a sham because the magistrate was not neutral and detached. Magistrate Judge Bruce Rinehart of the Southern District of Florida signed the warrant. Just six weeks earlier, Rinehart had recused himself from the Trump/Clinton lawsuit. The reason was obvious: Rinehart, while a civilian in 2017, had written a Facebook post viciously bashing Trump. The Biden Justice Department ran to a blatantly biased judge in order to procure the warrant.

This week, through documents released by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, we learned that even agents in the FBI’s Washington Field Office did not think that probable cause existed for the raid. The involvement of the Washington Field Office itself is scandalous. The alleged crime occurred in the Southern District of Florida. Yet, Biden special counsel Jack Smith used a D.C. grand jury to obtain subpoenas. D.C. voted for Trump’s opponents at a clip of 90% or more during the last three elections. Smith also went to shamelessly leftist D.C. Chief District Judges Beryl Howell and James Boasberg to obtain favorable rulings. Smith only indicted Trump in the Southern District of Florida because he feared that a D.C. conviction would get reversed over improper venue.

Florida District Judge Aileen Cannon invalidated Smith’s appointment on constitutional grounds. Then, Trump won a decisive electoral victory last November, and Smith ended his ignominious witch hunt, fleeing back to Europe.

The lawfare waged against Trump, his aides, his supporters, and even members of Congress, most blatant during Operation Arctic Frost, where nearly a dozen senators had their phone records seized, threatened to destroy the Republic. The lawfare perpetrators failed, however, and it is time for legal accountability in the form of an indictment for conspiracy against rights pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 241.

The government searched a former president’s home without probable cause to seize records in order to protect a corrupt former presidential candidate and to end the future political prospects of Trump. And the government procured the search warrant from a biased judicial disgrace who had no business anywhere near any case involving Trump. What occurred is a stain on the judiciary and the nation. Justice must, and will, come.

A former conservative lawyer-turned-vocal critic of President Donald Trump is jumping into the crowded Democratic primary to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y.

George Conway, who was previously married to Trump’s 2016 campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, filed to run in New York’s 12th Congressional District on Monday.

The Manhattan-based district is considered a safe blue seat. Nadler, who served in Congress since 1992, announced in September of this year that he was stepping down amid pressure on older Democrats to make way for a new generation.

Conway was once known in Washington, D.C., as one of the lawyers who worked on Paula Jones’ case when she sued then-President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment.

He also championed conservative causes as a member of the Federalist Society, a right-wing law society.

But in recent years, Conway has made a name for himself as a vehement Trump critic, even while his wife worked as a senior advisor in his White House. George and Kellyanne Conway announced their divorce in March 2023.

Conway was also a founding member of the Lincoln Project, a Republican group that has taken out advertisements and championed causes in direct opposition to Trump.

A document on the Federal Election Commission (FEC) website shows that Conway registered a principal campaign committee on Monday based in New York City.

What appears to be a campaign website listed on the form, GeorgeConwayForCongress.com, is not yet active as of early Monday afternoon.

The registration also notes he is running in the Democratic primary, which is shaping up to be a crowded race. 

At least 12 people have shown interest in the seat so far. Among the most prominent candidates is Jack Schlossberg, the 32-year-old grandson of John F. Kennedy.

Cameron Kasky, an organizer for the anti-gun group March For Our Lives, is also one of the candidates alongside New York State Assembly members Micah Lasher and Alex Bores.

ABC News legal analyst Jami Floyd and New York City council member Erik Bottcher have also filed to run.

Fox News Digital reached out to the emails associated with Conway’s FEC filing for further comment but did not immediately hear back.

Although Vice President JD Vance might not agree, many observers saw his barn burner of a capstone speech at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest this weekend in Phoenix as the first major moment of the 2028 presidential election. But was Vance crowned as the nominee? It’s complicated.

Anna, in her 30s and a longtime AmFest attendee, was all in on Vance after the speech.

‘I live in Florida and I love Gov. DeSantis, but he is too right wing for the whole country,’ she told me.

Paul, in his 50s and attending his first TPUSA event, sounded a similar sentiment, saying, ‘Who else is there? I don’t see why we wouldn’t just stick with what is already working.’

Almost everyone I spoke to, and I spoke to a lot of people, shared this view. The exception was Kelli, who is 55 and fiercely proud that her two kids in their 20s have remained staunch conservatives in bright blue Seattle. She likes Vance, but said, ‘I think he has to earn it. We need a real primary.’

Something unique is happening here.

After the 2022 midterm disaster for the Republicans, I asked GOP voters who supported both Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis if they wanted everyone to go all in for their guy or if they wanted a fight. Everyone chose the latter, but that isn’t true today.

It isn’t so much Vance himself who is garnering near universal support at AmFest, it is the Trump administration, the team the president has assembled. More so than any presidential election since Vice President Al Gore ran in 2000, this is shaping up to be a race for a third term.

In the English language, we don’t have a lot of pleasant-sounding words for a small group of people who maintain power. Utterances like ‘regime’ and ‘cabal’ come off negative, but there is nothing undemocratic about this idea, it’s just a bit untraditional.

In an age in which Congress can’t pass a resolution to tie its own shoes, many voters are looking to the executive branch for consistency and continuity.

I asked Vance himself about this theory and if he saw himself as running for a third Trump term.

‘Honestly, it feels disloyal to even talk about 2028,’ he said. ‘We’re not even a year in! But yes, I am very much on the team. It’s one of the reasons I think the 2028 talk is so premature.’

‘Consider this hypothetical: If an opportunity is presented that would make Marco Rubio look good, be great for the administration, and wouldn’t really involve me (at least publicly), what do I do?’ Vance continued. ‘If I’m optimizing for 2028, I try to kill the opportunity. If I’m optimizing for the country, for the administration, and to be a good human being, we do it.’

To be completely clear, Vance told me flat out he is not thinking about 2028. But his remarks did suggest, I think correctly, that one way or another, it will be the Trump administration and its policies and priorities that will be on the ballot in 2028, not some new vision.

Aside from his position as No. 2 on the Trump team, the other reason that Vance seems to have the inside track for 2028 is the enthusiasm that young conservative voters have for him.

There were teenagers lined up at 4 a.m. to see Vance. I have a teenager, and getting him out of bed before 10 a.m. on a Sunday is a miracle, but the kids love their vice president, there is just no denying it.

We’re a long way from 2028, and there are a lot of dominoes that still have to fall. But as it approaches, it will be the entire Trump administration not just defending its record in the presidential race, but asking to stay in power.

Trump has brought the conservative movement to the mountaintop, in sight of the promised land. Is JD Vance the man who can take it there? Only time will tell, but if you ask almost anyone at AmFest, the answer is a resounding yes.

China has reportedly loaded more than 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles into three newly constructed silo fields near its border with Mongolia and shows little interest in arms control talks, according to a draft Pentagon report seen by Reuters.

The assessment underscores Beijing’s accelerating military buildup, with the report saying China is expanding and modernizing its nuclear forces faster than any other nuclear-armed power. Chinese officials have repeatedly dismissed such findings as attempts to ‘smear and defame China and deliberately mislead the international community.’

The Pentagon declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital about the Reuters report.

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump said he may pursue denuclearization discussions with China and Russia. The Pentagon report, however, concluded that Beijing does not appear inclined to engage.

‘We continue to see no appetite from Beijing for pursuing such measures or more comprehensive arms control discussions,’ the report said.

According to the assessment, China has likely loaded more than 100 solid-fueled DF-31 intercontinental ballistic missiles into silo fields near the Mongolian border. While the Pentagon had previously disclosed the existence of the silo fields, it had not publicly estimated how many missiles had been placed inside them.

China’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The report did not identify potential targets for the newly loaded missiles and could change before it is formally submitted to Congress, U.S. officials said.

China’s nuclear warhead stockpile remained in the low 600s in 2024, reflecting what the report described as a slower production rate compared to previous years. Still, Beijing is on track to exceed 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.

China says it adheres to a nuclear strategy of self-defense and maintains a no-first-use policy. But analysts say Beijing’s public messaging increasingly contradicts that restraint.

‘For a country that still advocates a policy of ‘no-first use,’ China has become increasingly comfortable showcasing its nuclear arsenal, including parading its nuclear triad together for the first time in September,’ said Jack Burnham, a senior research analyst in the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Burnham said Beijing’s rejection of arms control talks reflects the pace of its weapons construction. ‘China has no interest in locking in a long-term strategic disadvantage, and every intention of building an arsenal on par with its perceived place in the world, alongside and potentially eventually ahead of the United States,’ he said.

The report also warned that China expects to be able to fight and win a war over Taiwan by the end of 2027. Beijing claims the self-governed island as its own territory and has never ruled out the use of force.

China is refining options to seize Taiwan by ‘brute force,’ including long-range strikes up to 2,000 nautical miles from the mainland that could disrupt U.S. military operations in the Asia-Pacific, the report said.

The findings come as the 2010 New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia, approaches expiration. The treaty limits both sides to 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads.

‘What is surprising is that China has now loaded only about 100 of the silos it has built recently,’ said Gordon Chang. ‘That’s an indication money is tight in the People’s Liberation Army.’

Chang warned against extending New START without Beijing’s participation. ‘This is no time for the U.S. to agree to an extension of the New START Treaty with Russia,’ he said. ‘Russia and China are de-facto allies, and they are ganging up on America. Without China in a deal — Beijing has flatly rejected every nuclear arms-control initiative of the U.S. —no treaty can be in America’s interest.’

Reuters contributed to this report.

The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) internal watchdog has confirmed that the agency’s publicly reported phone service data was accurate and that performance improved during fiscal year 2025, according to a new audit completed after Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., questioned whether the figures could be trusted.

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) reviewed the SSA’s national 800-number telephone metrics and found that the data the agency released to the public was correct, and that overall service improved during fiscal year 2025, according to a draft audit report provided to agency leadership ahead of public release. The report did not issue any recommendations to the agency.

The review was initiated after Warren expressed concerns in June about long wait times and the reliability of SSA’s phone performance data. She formally requested an audit on July 24, prompting SSA Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano, who serves under President Donald Trump, to agree to an independent review by the watchdog.

The audit found that SSA served 68 million callers during fiscal year 2025, either through live agents or automated systems, a 65% increase from the prior year. Average wait times fluctuated early in the year but improved steadily, according to the audit, ending the fiscal year at roughly seven minutes in September after peaking at about 30 minutes in January.

The metric cited by the agency, known as Average Speed of Answer, measures only the time callers actively wait on hold before speaking to an employee and does not include time spent waiting for callbacks.

‘Last year, people waited 40 minutes on the phone, and now they’re in single digits. We’re doing twice as many calls,’ Bisignano said.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Bisignano said the audit confirmed what agency leadership had been reporting publicly about improvements in service levels.

‘Senator Warren was completely wrong in everything that she was saying, and it’s now been proven out,’ Bisignano said, citing the watchdog’s finding that SSA’s publicly reported telephone metrics were calculated accurately.

Bisignano said he welcomed the audit and was confident the data would withstand independent scrutiny.

The inspector general’s report concluded that SSA’s telephone performance improved during fiscal year 2025 largely because of operational changes, including the rollout of a new cloud-based telecommunications platform, expanded automation and staffing realignments. The platform, implemented in August 2024, allowed SSA to increase call capacity, expand self-service options and monitor performance in real time, according to the report.

The watchdog also confirmed that SSA’s internal data-verification process ensured accuracy by comparing raw data with reported metrics and working with vendors to resolve any discrepancies. The audit found no evidence that the agency misrepresented its national 800-number performance.

Bisignano said improvements were driven by a combination of technology, process changes and workforce adjustments.

The report explains that SSA experienced especially high call volumes between January and March 2025 due to Medicare and tax-related questions, as well as the implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023, which affected more than 3.2 million beneficiaries. 

Despite the surge, the agency reduced average wait times over the course of the year.

The audit also found that about 25 million calls during fiscal year 2025 ended without callers receiving service, either because callers disconnected, did not answer callback attempts or encountered busy signals. Those calls were not included in the agency’s wait-time metrics.

Automation played a growing role in absorbing the surge. According to the audit, automated systems handled an average of nearly 2.9 million calls per month in fiscal year 2025, up from about 300,000 per month the year before. Automated services allowed callers to complete common tasks without speaking to a live agent, reducing pressure on phone lines.

The inspector general also reviewed how SSA calculates its Average Speed of Answer metric, which measures the time callers actively wait on hold before speaking to an employee. The audit clarified that callers who accept a callback are counted as having zero active wait time, a methodology that reduces the average but does not include the time callers wait to receive callbacks.

Bisignano said transparency about how the numbers are calculated is essential.

‘We figured out how to leverage technology, process engineering, and human capital,’ he said.

Staffing changes also contributed to the turnaround. Early in fiscal year 2025, the number of employees available to answer national 800-number calls declined by about 13%. By July, SSA began assigning roughly 1,000 field office employees each day to help handle national call volume. The audit found that this coincided with sharp improvements in wait times, with Average Speed of Answer dropping from about 13 minutes in June to roughly 7.5 minutes in July.

The audit did not evaluate service levels or wait times at local Social Security field offices.

Beyond wait times, the audit found that service quality remained high. About 87% of callers who responded to post-call surveys said their issue was resolved on the first contact. The survey results reflect feedback from callers who reached an SSA employee and do not include callers who only used automated services.

Bisignano said the improvements matter most for seniors and beneficiaries who rely on Social Security services.

‘We’re investing in Social Security and servicing the American public at a level they’ve never been serviced before,’ he said. ‘We’ll meet you where you want to be met: on the phone, in the field offices or on the web.’

He added that people who haven’t called the agency recently may be surprised by how much has changed.

‘What would surprise them the most is how quickly they can get their phone call answered,’ he said.

Looking ahead, Bisignano said the agency plans to continue expanding digital services and reducing backlogs, including in disability claims, while maintaining accountability through ongoing oversight.

‘Expect us to always have double-digit improvements in every metric we have,’ he said. ‘This is just the beginning.’

The OIG report in full can be read here.

‘The bottom line is that Donald Trump’s Social Security chief lied about call wait times to cover up his customer service mess,’ Sen. Warren said in an email to Fox News Digital. ‘This new watchdog report reveals that true wait times were more than three times higher than what Commissioner Bisignano claimed, and tens of millions of callers were simply unable to get help on the phone at all.’

The Justice Department on Monday appealed the dismissal of its criminal cases against former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, making good on its vow to revive both cases despite what appear to be significant legal and procedural hurdles.

Lawyers for the Trump administration appealed both cases Monday to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Va. 

‘The power to appoint an interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546 during the current vacancy lies with the district court until a U.S. Attorney is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate,’ the Justice Department said in its appeal.

Both appeals challenge a ruling handed down by U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie in November, which found that former Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan was illegally appointed to her role as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. 

Because Halligan was unlawfully appointed — and was the sole prosecutor who secured the indictments — Currie ruled that the indictments were invalid and dismissed both cases without prejudice.

‘Ms. Halligan has been unlawfully serving in that role since September 22, 2025,’ Currie said in an opinion filed in both cases. 

‘All actions flowing from Ms. Halligan’s defective appointment’ as a result, he said, ‘constitute unlawful exercises of executive power and must be set aside.’

Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed then to ‘immediately’ appeal the decision, and FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI and Justice Department are exploring other options to keep the case against Comey alive.

James was charged with two counts of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution during her 2020 purchase of a home in Norfolk, Virginia. 

Comey was charged with making false statements to Congress and for obstruction related to his testimony in September 2020. 

Currie dismissed Comey’s case and James’ case ‘without prejudice’ – a detail that left the door open for the government to secure new indictments.

Prosecutors ultimately attempted, without success, to re-indict both Comey and James, prompting new questions about the strength of the case.

Federal prosecutors twice tried and failed to secure a new indictment against James from grand juries in Norfolk and then in Alexandria. Neither effort was successful.

In Comey’s case, a separate judge ordered prosecutors to erase certain evidence – including emails and data – that had played a central role in the Justice Department’s case.

Comey’s case also raises statute-of-limitations concerns, as both charges carried five-year limits that expired Sept. 30 – just three days after Bondi installed Halligan at the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

It is unclear whether the judge’s order ‘resets the clock’ on the statute of limitations under a federal law, as Trump’s allies have argued it should. 

Under the same law, a dismissal by the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals would trigger a 60-day window for the Trump administration to re-indict Comey.

The Justice Department notified the lower court Monday that it had filed both requests to the Richmond-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. 

The Department of War announced Monday that the Pentagon is partnering with Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem to deploy Grok across its government systems.

The agency said the ‘frontier‑grade’ capabilities of xAI’s Grok family of models will be integrated into the department’s recently launched AI platform, GenAI.mil. 

As soon as early 2026, the partnership will allow the Department’s 3 million military and civilian personnel to safely access more advanced AI tools for everyday tasks, including handling sensitive government information.

According to xAI, its tools can support administrative tasks at the federal, state and local levels, as well as ‘critical mission use cases’ at the front line of military operations.

‘Today, the War Department officially entered into an agreement with xAI, paving the way for the deployment of its advanced capabilities on GenAI.mil,’ the department said. ‘This move builds on the rapid deployment of cutting‑edge AI across the Department’s 3 million military and civilian personnel.’

The tools will allow employees to use xAI safely on secure government systems for routine work, including tasks involving sensitive but unclassified information, without violating security protocols.

With xAI designed to analyze real-time data, the War Department said the partnership would give personnel ‘a decisive information advantage.’ 

Grok will give personnel access to live information from X, providing the War Department with faster situational awareness around the globe, the department said.

xAI added that the partnership could lead to potential future classified workloads. 

‘Through an ongoing, long-term partnership with the DoW and other mission partners, xAI will make available a family of government-optimized foundation models to support classified operational workloads,’ the company said.

The War Department said that it will continue to scale its AI ecosystem for speed, security and decision superiority.

‘This announcement marks another milestone in America’s AI revolution, and the War Department is driving that momentum forward,’ the department said. 

‘These two new partnerships are part of our longstanding support of the United States Government and xAI’s mission to bring the best tools and technologies available in industry to benefit our nation,’ xAI added.

The collaboration marks another chapter in Elon Musk’s long-running relationship with government initiatives.  

Musk previously helped lead the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, where he briefly reformed operations and cut excess spending within the federal government. 

The Federal Communications Commission announced on Monday that it would ban new foreign-made drones, citing national security concerns.

The FCC said it was adding uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and their critical components made in China and other foreign countries to its ‘covered list’ that features equipment that has been determined to pose an ‘unacceptable risk’ to U.S. national security and the safety of Americans. Specific drones or components would be exempt if the Pentagon or Department of Homeland Security determined they did not pose such risks.

The distinction prohibits the products from being sold or imported in the U.S. The order does not apply to technology that has already been sold in the U.S.

The agency said that allowing foreign-made UAS and component parts to be sold in the U.S. ‘undermines the resiliency of our UAS industrial base, increases the risk to our national airspace, and creates a potential for large-scale attacks during large gatherings,’ citing upcoming events such as the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

‘Criminals, terrorists, and hostile foreign actors have intensified their weaponization of these technologies, creating new and serious threats to our homeland,’ the FCC said in its notice.

The announcement comes a year after a defense bill was adopted that raised national security concerns about Chinese-made drones, which have been used in farming, mapping, law enforcement and filmmaking.

The bill called for stopping two Chinese companies — DJI and Autel — from selling new drones in the U.S. if a review found they posed a risk to U.S. national security.

A spokesperson for DJI said in a statement that it is ‘disappointed’ by the FCC’s decision and that ‘no information has been released regarding what information was used’ in the government’s determination to add its drones and component parts to the covered list.

‘Concerns about DJI’s data security have not been grounded in evidence and instead reflect protectionism, contrary to the principles of an open market,’ the statement said.

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party praised the FCC’s move, saying it ‘strongly supports’ the decision.

‘It will help safeguard our national security, protect the American people, and wind down the unacceptable national security threat posed by DJI and other Chinese drones,’ the committee wrote on X.

‘Taken together with the Administration’s recent executive actions to accelerate domestic drone commercialization, this sends an unmistakable signal to American industry: The U.S. is open for drone innovation—and American manufacturing will be rewarded,’ it added.

Arthur Erickson, chief executive officer and co-founder of the Texas-based drone-making company Hylio, told The Associated Press that the departure of DJI would provide more opportunity for American companies like his to grow. He said new investments are coming in to help him boost production of spray drones, which farmers use to fertilize their fields, and it will bring down prices.

But Erickson also called it ‘crazy’ and ‘unexpected’ that the FCC would expand the restrictions to all foreign-made drones and their components.

‘The way it’s written is a blanket statement,’ Erickson said. ‘There’s a global-allied supply chain. I hope they will clarify that.’

The Associated Press contributed to this report.