The Latest: Comey’s lawyers to argue that Trump’s prosecution is vindictive, must be tossed

Former FBI Director James Comey will make another run Wednesday at getting his criminal case dismissed, with his lawyers looking to convince a judge that the prosecution is vindictive and rooted in President Donald Trump’s hatred of him.

The arguments arrive as the Comey case appears freshly imperiled following a judge’s excoriation of the Justice Department on Monday and as multiple challenges to the indictment may result in its dismissal.

Comey has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of making a false statement and obstructing Congress and has denied any wrongdoing. He’s contested the legitimacy of the hastily appointed Trump administration prosecutor who filed the case and has said he was singled out for prosecution because of Trump’s personal animus against him, an argument that will be debated Wednesday in federal court in Virginia.

Though vindictive prosecution motions are not often successful, Comey’s lawyers contend that his case should be dismissed and call it the outgrowth of the president’s hunger for retribution against the man who once served as his FBI director. Trump fired Comey from that job in May 2017 as Comey was overseeing an FBI investigation into potential ties between Russia and the Republican president’s 2016 campaign.

The two men have been publicly at odds ever since, with Trump deriding Comey as “a weak and untruthful slime ball” and calling for his prosecution.

Here’s the latest:

US trade deficit drops 24% in August as Trump’s tariffs reduce imports

In a report delayed for more than seven weeks by the federal government shutdown, the Commerce Department said Wednesday that the the gap between what the United States buys from other countries and what it sells them fell to $59.6 billion in August, from $78.2 billion in July.

Imports of goods and services dropped 5% to $340.4 billion in August from July when U.S. companies were stocking up on foreign products before Trump finalized taxes on products from almost every country on earth. Those levies went into effect Aug. 7.

U.S. exports blipped up 0.1% in August to $280.8 billion.

Trump, charging that America’s persistent trade deficits mean other countries have taken advantage of the U.S., has overturned decades of U.S. policy in favor of free trade, slapping double-digit tariffs on imports from most countries and targeting specific products, including steel, copper and autos, with their own levies.

House Speaker Mike Johnson hosts Saudi crown prince at the US Capitol

Johnson met privately with Prince Mohammad bin Salman despite ongoing concerns about the gruesome death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in 2018.

The GOP speaker also attended a lavish White House dinner for the crown prince, who’s known as MBS, alongside billionaire Elon Musk and others the night before as the Trump administration rolls out the red carpet for the visitor.

Senate has officially passed the Jeffrey Epstein bill, sending it to President Trump

The legislation would force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on Epstein, who was a convicted sex offender.

In an unusual move, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate agreed Tuesday evening to pass the bill as soon as it was sent over from the House, which had passed it 427-1 earlier in the day.

The Senate received the bill Wednesday morning and it was immediately passed without any floor action.

The quick Senate action came after months of opposition from Trump and Republican leadership. But they relented as it became clear it would pass with many Republican votes.

Trump has now said he will sign the bill.

Migrants thought they were in court for a routine hearing. Instead, it was a deportation trap

The government lawyer knew what was coming as she stood inside a courtroom and texted an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent waiting in a corridor a few feet away.

“I can’t do this,” the lawyer said in a text message. “This is a new emotional load.”

“I understand,” the agent responded. “Hopefully we meet again in a better situation.”

Nearby, a Cuban man who’d lived in the U.S. for years stepped into the courtroom where the government lawyer was waiting for what the man thought was a routine hearing. The man was doing what the law required, and brought along his wife, a legal resident, and their 7-month-old infant.

Then the lawyer moved to have the man’s asylum claim dismissed and a judge agreed, making the man eligible for “expedited removal.” As he left the courtroom, the man was swarmed by plainclothes immigration agents who’d been surveilling him. A struggle ensued and the wife’s shouts could be heard from the hallway as the lawyer moved on to the next case.

The agent replied minutes later: “Got him.”

Over several months, reporters for The Associated Press observed immigration court proceedings in 21 cities. Hearings repeatedly ended with cases dismissed by the government, allowing plainclothes federal agents to carry out arrests in courthouse hallways in close coordination with attorneys from the Department of Homeland Security.

Melania Trump and Usha Vance making early holiday visit with North Carolina military families

Melania Trump and Usha Vance were headed out on their first trip together Wednesday to spend time with North Carolina service members and their families in a show of appreciation for their service and sacrifice as the holidays approach.

The wives of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, a former Marine, are scheduled to visit with military personnel at Camp Lejeune, the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast, and Marine Corps Air Station New River.

The day includes joint appearances with military-connected students and remarks from both women to a gathering of service members and their families, according to Trump’s office.

The first lady was expected in her remarks to recognize the Marine Corps’ 250 years of service, express gratitude to Marines and military families, especially during the holiday season, and highlight the importance of families in supporting the U.S. military.

Economic Club of New York webinar with Larry Summers is postponed

An Economic Club of New York event scheduled Wednesday afternoon featuring Larry Summers and economist R. Glenn Hubbard, has been postponed, according to event organizers.

The former U.S. treasury secretary said yesterday that he’ll step back from public commitments after the release of emails showing he maintained a friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein long after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl in 2008.

Trump’s congressional gerrymandering push is getting complicated for the GOP

As President Trump laid it out to reporters this summer, the plan was simple.

Republicans, he said, were “entitled” to five more conservative-leaning U.S. House seats in Texas and additional ones in other red states. The president broke with more than a century of political tradition in directing the GOP to redraw those maps in the middle of the decade to avoid losing control of Congress in next year’s midterms.

Four months later, Trump’s audacious ask looks anything but simple. After a federal court panel struck down Republicans’ new map in Texas on Tuesday, the entire exercise holds the potential to net Democrats more winnable seats in the House instead.

“Trump may have let the genie out of the bottle,” said UCLA law professor Rick Hasen, “but he may not get the wish he’d hoped for.”

Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers quits OpenAI board after release of Epstein emails

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is resigning from OpenAI’s board of directors, the ChatGPT maker and his office said Wednesday.

His departure comes after the release of emails showing he maintained a friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein long after the financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl in 2008.

Summers, who is also the former president of Harvard University, joined the OpenAI board in Nov. 2023, part of an effort to restore stability at the nonprofit and bring back its CEO Sam Altman after its previous board members fired Altman days earlier.