DOJ subpoenas New York Times journalists' phone records over Air Force One leak

Trump Administration Demands Phone Records of New York Times Journalists

The Trump administration has demanded the phone records of several New York Times journalists and their family members in an effort to identify sources who leaked information about the president's new Air Force One.

Late last week, the Department of Justice informed the publication that it had issued subpoenas to third-party phone service providers to obtain records of journalists' phone calls and text messages — including communications with one reporter's mother and two reporters' spouses, the Times reported Monday.

These subpoenas were issued in addition to earlier ones this month that compelled the reporters to testify before a grand jury. Lawyers for the Times journalists filed a motion Saturday to quash the new subpoenas.

White House officials were left fuming earlier this month after the Times reported that Trump had abandoned his Qatari-gifted Air Force One in Europe because it lacked certain security and communications capabilities. Trump claimed that U.S. forces in Europe were eager to see the plane.

However, the Times' reporting appears to have been accurate: The president announced plans Sunday to further "max out" Air Force One, suggesting that the $400 million luxury jumbo jet had insufficient security features.

The Air Force has already spent roughly $400 million on renovating the plane, including changes to the cabin layout, communications system, and security upgrades. This does not account for taxpayer-funded continued maintenance. The jet — one of the largest presidential gifts ever — will be moved to Trump's presidential library foundation in 2029, where it may be available for his use as a private citizen.

This story has been updated.

State Department Report Targets Left-Wing Groups as Cuban "Front Groups"

The State Department is attempting to label left-wing organizations and activists as "front groups and fellow travelers" for the Cuban government.

In a report published Monday titled "Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism," the State Department singled out:

• Political commentator and streamer Hasan Piker
• Amazon union leader Christian Smalls
• The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)
• Environmental activist Isra Hirsi, daughter of Representative Ilhan Omar

The report alleged these individuals and groups support the Cuban government. "This constant stream of Western left-wing activists, influencers and organizers is coordinated by a network of Cuba-backed nonprofits, foundations, academic and cultural partnerships, and even dedicated U.S.-based travel agencies," the report stated, citing the activists' visits to the island.

The report also asserted that the DSA, an organization claiming over 120,000 members, "maintains a fierce, almost religious commitment to the cause of the Cuban regime — not because the group is controlled by Cuban agents, per se, but because that commitment is now simply the de facto policy orthodoxy on the American far left."

The report appears to be part of the administration's broader attack on "far-left political terrorism," coupled with an attempt to engineer regime change in Cuba — both led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Under his watch, the U.S. government has taken the decades-long economic embargo against Cuba and escalated it into a de facto oil blockade that has crippled much of the country.

Rubio has refused to answer questions about whether the U.S. plans to invade Cuba or to elaborate on long-term plans for the island. In January, the U.S. military abducted and arrested Venezuelan President...