Another Friday, another move against a perceived enemy of the president.

Last week, the FBI searched the Maryland home and Washington office of President Trump’s former national security advisor, John Bolton.

Since he was fired from the administration during Trump’s first term, Bolton has turned into one of the president’s most vocal critics.

Vice President JD Vance confirmed in an interview that aired this weekend that this raid was in part connected to a criminal investigation over Bolton’s handling of classified documents and information.

What does this investigation say about the priorities of the Justice Department in Trump’s second term?

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"Corrupt" is the word President Trump is using, without evidence, to describe mail-in voting. It's how almost one third of Americans cast their ballots in the last election.

States including Florida and Pennsylvania also saw recent jumps in GOP mail-in ballots, after President Trump in his campaign called for votes by any means possible, including by mail.

And while mail-in voting has historically favored Democrats, there is no evidence of the fraud Trump is claiming. But his push to end it fits a pattern: our President wants to change how elections are run in the United States.

In this installment of our weekly series, “If You Can Keep It,” we get to the issue right at the very heart of U.S. democracy: the ability to cast a ballot in free and fair elections.

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President Donald Trump is continuing his efforts to influence the Federal Reserve. 

He’s calling on one of its governors to resign, publicly criticized Chair Jerome Powell, and is trying to fast-track a close ally onto the board.

The White House continued its campaign against the Smithsonian Institution this week. Its given museums 120 days to adjust any content that the administration finds problematic in “tone, historical framing and alignment with American ideals.”

In a break from the federal guidance under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the American Academy of Pediatrics released updated recommendations this week that urge COVID-19 vaccinations for infants and young children.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov questioned whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy even has the authority to sign a “peace deal” for the war in his country at all.

Israel’s military says they’ve taken the first steps in their planned operation to take over and occupy Gaza City. On Thursday, they ramped up their attacks in a move that could displace close to one million Palestinians.

Haitian police are deploying drones armed with explosives in an attempt to fight back against gangs that control the majority of the capital city of Port-au-Prince.

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ChatGPT has at least 500 million weekly users. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says that number is growing extraordinarily fast.

When the chatbot went through an update a couple weeks ago, it brought to light how many users were relying on AI for their emotional wellbeing and even as a companion.

People using AI for intimate, personal reasons is a phenomenon that we are only beginning to understand.

There are reports of AI inducing delusional thinking and even psychosis. One survey by Sentio University found that 63 percent of people involved said AI improved their mental health.

With such a powerful tool being privy to our deepest secrets, what guardrails exist to protect users’ wellbeing and privacy? Why are so many people leaning on artificial intelligence for connection in the first place?

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Nearly 43 million Americans have federal student loan debt. Their borrowing totals more than $1.8 trillion. That’s according to the Education Data Initiative.

Now, the federal student loan system is facing significant changes under the Trump administration.

One of the biggest differences is the end of the Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE plan, started by President Joe Biden. The income-driven program offers low monthly payments and an expedited path to loan forgiveness. 

Republicans challenged the plan in court where it’s still tied up, leaving the 7.7 million enrollees in limbo.

How is the Trump administration overhauling the federal student loan system? And what does this mean for the tens of millions of current and future borrowers?

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President Donald Trump gave Vladimir Putin what the Russian leader wanted during their meeting in Alaska last week. 

Now, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is back in the U.S. for more talks. His last visit to the White House was disastrous, to say the least. This time, he’s bringing key European leaders with him to meet with Trump.

What does the future of the conflict in his country look like? And what’s changed for Trump since his meeting with Putin?

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President Donald Trump and his administration want control over exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution.

In a letter sent Aug. 12, three White House officials told the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Lonnie G. Bunch III, that the administration would conduct a review at certain Smithsonian museums. 

The goal? To “celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.”

In this installment of our politics series, “If You Can Keep It,” we talk about how the administration is injecting itself into the affairs  – and the exhibits – of the Smithsonian Institution and what that means for our understanding of our shared history.

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President Donald Trump put the police force in Washington D.C. under federal control.

He also called in the National Guard and ICE to patrol the streets. The Justice Department says last year violent crime in the District of Columbia hit a 30-year low.

Cuts to the social safety net are set to leave some 2.4 million Americans without access to the food stamps they were entitled to before the passage of the spending bill earlier this year.

And, in global news, Israel killed four journalists working for Al Jazeera in a targeted strike on the tent in which they were staying in Gaza. Also this week, Israeli soldiers shot 25 people seeking aid in Gaza as Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu claims he’ll “allow” Palestinians to leave during an upcoming offensive in the Strip.

A sit down takes place this week between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that he will not exchange land for peace.

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President Donald Trump has taken over Washington D.C.’s police force and deployed the National Guard in the capital.

The president took over the city’s police department for 30 days, and says he wants Congress to grant him “long-term” control of the force.

All this in the name of public safety, despite the fact that D.C.'s violent crime rate is at a 30-year low.

He says he might do the same in places like Los Angeles, Chicago and Baltimore.

We get into what it all means for our nation’s capital and beyond.

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The U.S. undertakes the census every 10 years. Hundreds of thousands of Census workers set out to count everyone living in the U.S., regardless of their citizenship status.

That data is used to reallocate seats in the House of Representatives, redraw voting districts on the local level, and decide how federal funds should be allocated in each state.
The next one is 5 years away, and President Donald Trump wants to make big changes to the 2030 count – by excluding noncitizens. 

Why does it matter who’s counted in the Census? How would making changes to it influence the life of every person living in the U.S.?

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