UPDATE: FBI-Phoenix tells ABC News that no items related to this matter were taken to the FBI lab at Quantico, as Kari Lake’s spokesperson claimed in a statement earlier today.

https://twitter.com/ajdukakis/status/1589385430671163394

Asked by ABC News if anything from the alleged incident was sent to Quantico for testing, a spokesperson from FBI-Phoenix said “no.”

The FBI’s comment that nothing is being tested at a lab in Quantico directly refutes Lake camp's claim two envelopes sent to campaign office...

FBI, HAZMAT & bomb squad called to Kari Lake HQ 'suspicious item' in mail A campaign staffer for Kari Lake, the GOP candidate for governor in Arizona, allegedly opened an envelope holding a suspicious white substance delivered to Lake’s campaign headquarters in Phoenix, her campaign tells ABC News.

#BREAKING: #AZ federal judge orders in-person hrg TOMORROW in new suit filed by advocacy groups @votolatino @AZRetiredAms seeking to challenge Clean Elections USA & founder Melody Jennings' alleged voter intimidation campaigns.

https://twitter.com/ajdukakis/status/1584985184910311426

The suit accuses CEUSA, Jennings & 10 unnamed "supporters" from armed "organized vigilante groups" of conducting "coordinated vigilante intimidation campaign" at ballot drop box locations -- and seeks a temp restraining order to block them from access to ballot drop box sites.

Of 130 prospective jurors in the pool, 60 in prospective jury pool remain, 70 were dismissed. 
 
All 18 prospective jurors who were ushered into the jury box for this first panel finished reading all their answers to jury questionnaire before the judge dismissed court for today. A woman from prospective jury panel of 18 was excused bc 1 of her answers to jury questionnaire. she answered “yes” to question 29 on the questionnaire; Asked if 29 was yes by Judge Merchan, he then asked her to step forward to speak with counsel. she was then dismissed.

Trump Payroll attorney Michael Van Der Veen told me “there was a lot of bias” when I asked if dismissed jurors from the panel had connections or biases against Trump, Trump Org, Weisselbergs, etc. He also told me among those prospective jurors dismissed were people who had connections to the organization, people with connections to the grammar school Columbia Prep three who knew prosecution.

Latest in Trump Org criminal trial day 1: jury selection under way -

Out of a group of 130 prospective jurors, nearly 50 raised their hand to go back to speak with the judge, prosecution and defense outside the court room [no press access so we can’t hear] to talk over any issues they have named by the judge that would exclude them from serving, and bringing the jury questionnaire we haven’t seen yet.

Inside the court room on the first day of the Trump Organization’s criminal trial, New York state Judge Juan Manuel Merchan decided jurors will be told to expect the trial to last 5-6 weeks. Prosecutors said they expect their case to last 10 court day.

FBI Recovered Eleven Sets of Classified Documents in Trump Search, Inventory Shows - WSJ wsj.com/articles/fbi-r… “The Federal Bureau of Investigation agents took around 20 boxes of items, binders of photos, a handwritten note and the executive grant of clemency for Mr. Trump’s ally Roger Stone, a list of items removed from the property shows.”

Looking closer at the DOJ application to unseal Mar-a-Lago search warrant & property receipt, the filing requests unsealing of those two docs, which were already given to Trump - NOT application for search warrant & affidavit provided to US Fed Judge who approved search warrant NEW: Judge says responses to DOJ's motion to unseal search warrant application due by 8/25/2022."

#BREAKING: @DOJ has moved ot unseal limited portions of the Mar-a-Lago search warrant per AG Garland "The public’s clear and powerful interest in understanding what occurred under these circumstances weighs heavily in favor of unsealing. That said, the former President should have an opportunity to respond to this Motion and lodge objections"

Inside the War Between Trump and His Generals | The New Yorker newyorker.com/magazine/2022/… “The President’s loud complaint to John Kelly one day was typical: ‘You fucking generals, why can’t you be like the German generals?’
‘Which generals?’ Kelly asked.
‘The German generals in World War II,’ Trump responded.

Apple sues NSO Group to curb the abuse of state-sponsored spyware - Apple - press release apple.com/newsroom/2021/… WOW - “Apple today filed a lawsuit against NSO Group and its parent company to hold it accountable for the surveillance and targeting of Apple users. The complaint provides new information on how NSO Group infected victims’ devices with its Pegasus spyware.”.. 1/2

Statement of Roger J. Stone Jr. regarding the @January6thCmte Subpoena -
 
“I understand that I have been included in this round of subpoenas issued by the January 6th Select Committee…” “I have not yet been served and have not seen the details of what I may be asked to provide or what information they want from me. I have said time and time again that I had no advance knowledge of the events that took place at the Capitol on that day…”

Ghislaine Maxwell asked a federal appeals court Thursday for release from jail, where she has been kept under “conditions fitting for Hannibal Lechter.” UPDATE: ICYMI, in a letter to the court from the government filed Monday w/an "update regarding the
defendant’s conditions of confinement at [MDC]" Footnote 2 alledges MDC staff directed Maxwell "to clean her cell because it had become very dirty."

🚨 NEW POLL ALERT 🚨

Axios/Ipsos poll out this morning looks at Americans attitudes toward a COVID-19 vis-a-vis confidence in vaccine development, when ppl expect to actually take a vaccine once it’s ready

FULL STUDY: ipsos.com/sites/default/… For example, the poll found that 6 in 10 Americans say they are not likely to get a first generation COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it's available.

— 39% say they are likely to get the expected vaccine

— 60% say they’re not likely to get a first generation COVID-19 vaccine

#BREAKING: @ABC obtains Michael Caputo’s personal statement: “After consultation with President Trump and Secretary Azar, I have decided to take a temporary medical leave of absence to pursue necessary screenings for a lymphatic issue discovered last week...” 1/ 2/ “My experience mirrors that of many Americans. When I first noticed I was losing weight, I thought it was because of a new exercise and diet regimen. But over time, I realized there may be other factors causing my weight loss for months...”

SenApprops on COVID hrg, Redfield insists the scientific integrity of the CDC reports, known as the MMWR reports not compromised: “I want to make it really clear … At no time, has the scientific integrity of the MMWR been compromised..." 1/4 2/4 "And I can say that under my watch it will not be compromised.” SenMurray asks if Redfield agrees "no truth at all" to claims by HHS's Caputo there's “resistance unit” at CDC. “Absolutely senator and I want to make a comment that not only is it not true, it deeply saddens me"

From #SenIntel release of P5 of bipartisan Russia report:

"While the GRU and WikiLeaks were releasing hacked documents, the Trump Campaign sought to maximize the impact of those leaks to aid Trump's electoral prospects." 1/ "Staff on the Trump Campaign sought advance notice about WikiLeaks releases, created messaging strategies to promote and share the materials in anticipation of and following the release, and encouraged further leaks." 2/

Per @AaronKatersky: FedJudge: fed gov’t tried to interfere w/@MichaelCohen212’s 1st amnt rights imposing certain conditions on his home confinement - Judge agreed Trump’s frm personal attorney + fixer was retaliated against when remanded back to fed prison from COVID furlough 1/5 The condition in question required Cohen to have “no engagement of any kind with the media, including print, TV, film, books or any other form of news/media.” 2/5

THREAD: According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, a majority of Americans support the Black Lives Matter movement and a record 69 percent say black people and other minorities are not treated as equal to white people in the criminal justice system. 1/10 But the public generally opposes calls to shift some police funding to social services or remove statues of Confederate generals or presidents who enslaved people 2/10

According to a Washington Post-@ABC News poll, Americans’ views of President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic have deteriorated significantly as cases rise across the country and personal fears of becoming infected persist. 38 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the outbreak, down from 46 percent in May and 51 percent in March. Sixty percent disapprove, up from 53 percent in May and 45 percent in March.