JUST IN: Jack Smith, who continues to file things as though March 4 trial date will remain, says Trump should be barred from telling jury he was targeted for prosecution by Joe Biden. It’s not just wrong, he says, but irrelevant to whether evidence proves his innocence or guilt.
Among other things Smith wants Trump barred from raising to the jury:
-Agency prep for Jan. 6
-Undercover agents in J6 crowd
-Alleged foreign influence in 2020
-Cross-examination Qs to witnesses that might infringe on valid privileges.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
In a late night filing, DOJ says Kilmar Abrego Garcia should be returned to detention because he is subject to laws governing detention during deportation proceedings — and “may seek a bond hearing” before an immigration judge. However … storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
The administration has been arguing in thousands of cases that people in Abrego’s position are not entitled to bond hearings at all — and rather are subject to mandatory detention. Hundreds of judges across the country have ruled that position illegal politico.com/news/2025/11/2…
And DOJ knows, but doesn’t mention here, that the immigration courts are all bound by a recent Board of Immigration Appeals ruling — breaking with decades of precedent — finding that bond hearings are not available to virtually anyone facing deportation proceedings. politico.com/news/2025/09/0…
HAPPENING NOW: Taylor Taranto, a pardoned Jan. 6 defendant who was convicted for bringing weapons to Obama’s neighborhood, has returned to DC and has been roaming Rep. Jamie Raskin’s neighborhood — alarming police.
Today, DOJ asked a judge to immediately re-jail him.
Taranto lives in WA state but drove across the country in recent weeks. He has filmed ominous videos from the Pentagon parking lot and was wandering Raskin’s Takoma Park area at 2am. DOJ says it’s nearly identical conduct to what he was charged for in 2023.
Judge Nichols, who convicted Taranto in a bench trial earlier this year, is weighing whether to detain him immediately for violating his supervised release conditions.
HAPPENING NOW: Rahmullah Lakanwal makes his initial appearance in DC Superior Court, from a hospital bed, on charges for last week's National Guard shooting.
He's being apprised, through an interpreter, of the murder charge against him as well as charges of possessing of a firearm during commission of a violent offense, assault w intent to kill while armed.
Prosecutors are asking the judge to keep Lakanwal detained during pretrial proceedings. Lakanwal, who does appear to be in pain, says he can't open his eyes. His attorney is advising him not to speak.
The cases have surged as ICE reclassified millions who have resided in the United States for years as “arriving aliens” or “applicants for admission” — making them subject to mandatory detention typically meant for those who just crossed the border. politico.com/news/2025/11/2…
NEWS: The criminal cases against James Comey and Letitia James are gone. A federal judge ruled that the appointment of Lindsey Halligan as the lead prosecutor was illegal.
DOJ could try again, but there are other headwinds.
JUST IN: A federal judge says one of the Venezuelan men — illegally deported to El Salvador in March before he was swapped back to Venezuela in a prisoner exchange — is now missing, possibly a victim of the violence he was seeking asylum from.
Judge Stephanie Gallagher, a Trump appointee in MD, says the administration flagrantly and repeatedly defied her orders to provide regular updates about the man’s return. But she stops short of finding contempt bc it was Rubio, who isn’t named in the lawsuit, who was responsible for communicating w El Salvador