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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the $83 million judgment a federal jury awarded writer E. Jean Carroll after a separate jury held Trump liable for defaming her when he denied her sexual assault claims.

In his petition to the Supreme Court, Trump argued that he is immune from liability for statements he made while in office and accused a federal appeals court of refusing to recognize it.

“The Second Circuit instead engaged in procedural contortions to avoid addressing Presidential immunity,” Trump’s petition said.  

In making the claim, Trump is invoking the Supreme Court’s controversial 2024 presidential immunity decision, which effectively shut down then-special counsel Jack Smith’s 2020 election probe and established sweeping protection from prosecution for “official acts.”  Trump argues his public statements regarding Carroll’s claims were made in his “official” capacity as president.  

The circuit court, in its ruling, blamed Trump for failing to raise his immunity argument in a timely fashion.

“Presidential immunity was not raised for the first three years of this case,” Judge Denny Chin said in the April opinion. 

Last month, with no dissents, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Trump’s appeal of a separate verdict that held Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll and awarded her $5 million in damages. The money, plus interest, was subsequently transferred into her account, her lawyers said.

In his new pitch to the Supreme Court, Trump also asked the justices to find his statements denying Carroll’s claims were part of his job as president and to permit the United States government to swap as the defendant.

“Because accusations bearing on the President’s fitness for office are unquestionably matters of public concern, Presidential statements responding to press questions about such accusations are plainly official. This Court should say so,” the petition said.

The 2nd Circuit said Trump’s substitution request also came too long after the fact.

“The fact of the matter is that no other defendant would be permitted to move to substitute the United States in his place, fifteen months after trial and the entry of judgment against him,” Judge Chin’s opinion said.

A federal jury determined in 2023 that Trump was liable for sexually abusing Carroll in the dressing room of a Manhattan department store in the 1990s, and that he defamed her in a 2022 social media post by calling her allegations “a Hoax and a lie” and saying “This woman is not my type!”

In 2024, following a separate trial, Trump was ordered to pay $83 million in damages to Carroll for defaming her in 2019 when he denied her allegations of sexual abuse.

Carroll’s attorneys declined to comment on Trump’s latest petition to the Supreme Court.

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(NEW YORK) — As Tyler Robinson waits to hear whether he’ll stand trial on capital murder charges stemming from the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, prosecutors told the presiding judge his decision to move the case to trial is “straightforward.”

“This isn’t a close case,” prosecutors said in a written argument to Judge Tony Graf.

The Utah County Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting the high-profile case, filed its written argument in the 4th District Court in Provo, saying prosecutors have shown that there is enough probable cause to warrant a trial.

“This is likely as straightforward a bind-over decision as this Court will ever see,” prosecutors said in their written argument filed with the court on Tuesday and reviewed by ABC News.

The written argument from the prosecution came weeks before a Sept. 1 hearing, where both sides are scheduled to present final oral arguments before Graf makes his decision on whether to hold a trial.

Defense attorneys have until Aug. 11 to file their written argument in the case.

Robinson is accused of killing Kirk with a rifle shot fired from a building’s rooftop 200 feet from where the co‑founder of the conservative student organization Turning Point USA was speaking on Sept. 10, 2025, at an outdoor rally at Utah Valley University.

The 23-year-old Robinson is charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.

Robinson has yet to enter a plea to the charges, and his attorneys have not issued any statements on his guilt or innocence.

Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty in the case.

During a weeklong preliminary hearing earlier this month, prosecutors called several law enforcement witnesses and presented a series of security videos allegedly placing Robinson at the scene of the shooting. One of the videos showed Robinson on the roof of the building where the fatal shot that killed Kirk was fired from, prosecutors allege.

Prosecutors also presented a video statement from Robinson’s roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, who claimed Robinson confessed to killing Kirk in a letter, text messages and in person.

“He didn’t go into detail. I just asked him in person what he said was true the night before, and he said it was,” Twiggs said in the video filmed in April 2026 at the Utah County Attorney’s Office. “He started crying a little bit, and he said he wishes he hadn’t done it, and kept going around just doing stuff, I think to keep himself busy or distracted, or something.”

In their filing on Tuesday, prosecutors alleged Robinson committed the homicide “in front of approximately 3,000 eyewitnesses” who attended the Kirk rally, and noted that Robinson surrendered to law enforcement after a massive manhunt for the shooter was launched.

“These admissions, along with others, establish probable cause to support most of the elements of the charges,” prosecutors said in their written argument. “DNA testing, surveillance video, and eyewitness testimony buttress those elements and demonstrate probable cause to support the remaining elements.”

Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, and his parents, Robert and Kathryn, attended the preliminary hearing, sometimes leaving the courtroom to avoid seeing graphic evidence of the shooting. President Donald Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr., a friend of Charlie Kirk, was also in the courtroom for the preliminary hearing.

During the hearing, the Kirk family issued a joint statement, saying, “Every court proceeding serves as a painful reminder of his death and the loss that has irrevocably impacted our lives and the lives of his children. We remain deeply grateful for the support, prayers, and kindness we have received. This outpouring has sustained us during the darkest days of our lives.”

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(WASHINGTON) — The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday as the economy weathers resurgent inflation set off by the Iran war.

The policy decision arrived as oil prices surged and stock prices tumbled in response to a resumption of fighting in the Middle East, underscoring the challenge faced by central bankers tasked with containing price increases.

The Federal Open Market Committee, a 12-member policymaking body at the Fed, issued a statement describing “elevated” inflation attributed in part to “supply shocks that have driven price increases in certain sectors, including energy.”

Nine members voted in favor of maintaining interest rates at current levels while three members supported a quarter-point rate increase, the FOMC said.

The war triggered a historic oil shortage that drove up fuel costs and catapulted inflation to a three-year high.

A preliminary peace agreement in June offered up some relief, but a burst of on-again, off-again fighting in recent weeks has caused crude prices to rise.

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, who took the helm of the central bank in May, has repeatedly vowed to slash inflation to the Fed’s desired level of 2%. The annual pace of price increases currently registers at 3.5%.

“Persistently high prices are a burden for the American people,” Warsh told reporters in Washington, D.C., last month. “This committee will deliver price stability.”

Odds stand in favor of a rate hike in September, the next time central bankers meet, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch Tool, a measure of investor sentiment.

Elevated price increases pose a challenge for central bankers eager to beat back price hikes. In theory, the Fed could raise interest rates in an effort to cool off prices, but the move risks a slowdown of hiring.

So far this year, hiring has proven largely resilient, despite increased costs borne by shoppers and businesses.

Over the first half of this year, the labor market added an average of 92,000 jobs each month, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed. That pace marks an improvement from an average of about 7,000 jobs lost per month over the second half of 2025.

Oil prices, a key ingredient in overall price levels, have swung dramatically in recent weeks. Last month, oil prices briefly fell to their lowest level since before the late February outbreak of the Iran war on news that a preliminary agreement to end the war had been reached.

A resumption of large-scale fighting between the U.S. and Iran, however, cast doubt over the staying power of that deal.

Shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz declined sharply as the war escalated. The maritime trading route facilitates transport of about one-fifth of global oil supply. In turn, worldwide oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel last week.

By Monday, however, oil prices had plunged below $90 a barrel after the U.S. paused strikes on Iran in an apparent attempt at further negotiations. On Wednesday, surged back above $90 per barrel after fighting resumed.

Crude costs account for a large share of the price of auto gasoline. The average price of a gallon of gas currently stands at $4.09, according to AAA, which marks a 37% jump since the Iran war began in February.

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(NEW YORK) — Global oil prices surged on Wednesday after an Iranian attack elicited a vow of reprisal from President Donald Trump, ending a brief calm that had renewed hope among investors of a negotiated resolution.

A benchmark index for worldwide crude prices climbed more than 7% on Wednesday, crossing above $90 a barrel.

Major stock indexes, meanwhile, tumbled. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 710 points, or 1.3%, while the S&P 500 increased 0.6%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq declined 0.8%.

Oil prices account for a large share of the price of auto gasoline. The average price of a gallon of gas currently stands at $4.09, according to AAA, marking a 37% jump since war broke out in late February.

Trump on Wednesday said the U.S. will respond to an overnight missile attack launched by Iran.

“We’ll be hitting them [Iran] hard,” Trump told Fox News.

The U.S. intercepted an “attempted surprise attack” involving multiple ballistic missiles, which targeted U.S. forces in the Middle East on Tuesday, according to U.S. Central Command.

Oil prices have swung dramatically over recent weeks in response to on-again, off-again fighting.

Last month, oil prices briefly fell to their lowest level since before the war on news that a preliminary peace agreement had been reached.

A resumption of large-scale fighting between the U.S. and Iran, however, cast doubt over the staying power of that deal.

Shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz declined sharply as the war escalated. The maritime trading route facilitates transport of about one-fifth of global oil supply. In turn, worldwide oil prices soared above $100 a barrel.

Another round of price relief arrived on Monday after the U.S. paused attacks on Iran over the weekend, but the resumption of fighting on Tuesday rekindled price gains.

The Iran war set off a jump in overall inflation due in large part to a rise in oil prices and, in turn, fuel costs.

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, who took the helm of the central bank in May, has repeatedly vowed to slash inflation to the Fed’s desired level of 2%. The annual pace of price increases currently registers at 3.5%.

“Persistently high prices are a burden for the American people,” Warsh told reporters in Washington, D.C., last month. “This committee will deliver price stability.”

The Fed stands poised to issue a decision on the level of interest rates on Wednesday afternoon.

It could raise interest rates in an effort to cool off prices, but the move risks a slowdown of hiring.

Futures markets peg a roughly 66% chance of interest rates being left unchanged on Wednesday, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch Tool, a measure of investor sentiment. Odds, however, stand in favor of a quarter-point rate hike in September, the next time central bankers meet.

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(BOISE, Idaho) — Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty last year to the University of Idaho murders, is trying to challenge his conviction, according to new court documents.

Kohberger filed a petition on Monday for post-conviction relief with the Ada County District Court. He is currently representing himself, according to the docket.

The family of victim Kaylee Goncalves said in a statement Monday that Kohberger admitted his guilt in his plea and “chose not to leave his fate — or the facts of the case — to a jury.”

“We would have preferred a death-penalty trial; we believe fully in the evidence,” the family said. “Instead, [Kohberger] received exactly what he asked for: a deal that spared his life. Know this — he hates that life. He wants another chance to roll the dice.”

If Kohberger is granted a hearing, the family said that day in court will offer him a “welcome break from solitary confinement: a ride, perhaps different food, photos taken, and the spotlight once again fixed on him and his supposed ‘innocence.'”

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador said in a statement Monday, “My heart goes out to the families of Madison, Kaylee, Xana, and Ethan, who have already endured unimaginable loss and now must face today’s deeply painful news. My office stands ready to do whatever is necessary to ensure justice is fully carried out.”

Kohberger was arrested for the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students — roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, and Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin — at the girls’ off-campus house in 2022.

DNA from a knife sheath left at the crime scene was found to be a “statistical match” to Kohberger, authorities said. Kohberger’s phone was also near the victims’ house at least 12 times before the murders, court documents said, with all of those times, except for one, late at night or early in the morning.

In July 2025, weeks before his trial was set to start, Kohberger pleaded guilty to all counts. As part of the plea deal, the death penalty was taken off the table.

Kohberger was given four consecutive life sentences for four first-degree murder counts as well as 10 years for the burglary count. Kohberger — a criminology student at Washington State University at the time of the murders — didn’t address the court at sentencing.

Authorities said last year that the motive remained unknown and they didn’t know which victim was the specific target.

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(NEW YORK) — Former FBI Director James Comey’s attorneys have filed a motion seeking the dismissal of the indictment charging Comey for posting a picture on his Instagram account of seashells spelling out “8647,” which federal prosecutors say constituted a threat against President Donald Trump’s life.

“This indictment targets protected speech at the heart of the First Amendment,” Comey’s attorneys said in their filing, regarding the charges announced in April over the since-deleted Instagram post from May 2025.

“Mr. Comey, an outspoken critic of President Trump, posted a photograph of seashells spelling out ’86 47,’ a well-known political slogan that expresses opposition to the President,” the filing said. “In fact, thousands of items featuring this slogan have been sold on the internet and are available to this day, and the slogan was commonly displayed at protests around the country in the months preceding Mr. Comey’s post.”

The filing, one of a series of anticipated efforts by Comey’s legal team to have his case thrown out before trial, accuses the Justice Department of singling out Comey “to prosecute one of the President’s most prominent critics for publishing another person’s statement of political opposition.”

“That attempt to suppress core political speech contravenes both the statutes at issue and the First Amendment,” Comey’s attorneys wrote.

Comey has vigorously denied his post was ever intended as a threat against Trump and is expected to plead not guilty in an arraignment scheduled for next month in North Carolina.

“Forcing Mr. Comey to stand trial for a statement opposing the President — even if he is ultimately acquitted — would itself be an unconstitutional punishment of free speech,” the filing said. “And it would invite future prosecutions by the Executive Branch against perceived political enemies for their opposition to the President. Government officials have already warned that they plan to target citizens if they ‘copycat’ Mr. Comey’s ‘political statement.'”

In their motion Monday, Comey’s attorneys revealed that after the former FBI director deleted his post, he contacted the local police chief “to notify him about the controversy over the post” and, as ABC News previously reported, agreed to be interviewed by Secret Service agents.

In making their argument that the post falls well short of the high legal bar to constitute a “true threat” as the Supreme Court has defined it, Comey’s lawyers claimed that prosecutors have provided no evidence to support the necessary standard showing Comey himself intended to engage in a violent act.

They also pointed to recent statements made by President Trump that they argue go much farther in potentially inciting violence against his political enemies, including Trump’s claim earlier this year that the lawmakers who posted the video urging service members to disobey unlawful orders amounted to “treason” that was “punishable by death.”

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(SEATTLE) — A 15-year-old is in custody and a second suspect is at large following a shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival that left three people dead and several wounded, officials said.

Authorities were dispatched to the scene at the Seattle Center at about 6 p.m. Sunday and found two people shooting at each other, according to the Seattle Police Department.

A 15-year-old has been detained and booked for investigation for firearms violations and first-degree assault, Mayor Katie Wilson said at a news conference on Monday.

“We believe this teenager opened fire in the crowd, but details are still under investigation,” Wilson said.

She added that no one has been arrested for investigation of homicide.

The other person alleged to be firing shots is unidentified and remains unaccounted for, police said Monday.

At least seven victims were caught in the crossfire, Wilson said.

The victims killed were identified by police as a 19-year-old man, a 44-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman.

Three injured victims — a 2-year-old boy, a 23-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman — were hospitalized, authorities said. The man and woman have since been discharged while the 2-year-old is in satisfactory condition, police said on Monday.

A fourth injured victim, a 40-year-old woman, had minor injuries and declined to be taken to the hospital, according to officials.

Police said they are also investigating a potential fifth wounded victim. A 27-year-old man with a gunshot wound went to a hospital in satisfactory condition and police said they are working to determine if this person was hurt in the shooting.

The shooting erupted during Bite of Seattle, an annual festival with food vendors and live music held at the Seattle Center.

The 15-year-old will appear in court on Monday, Wilson said.

ABC News’ Amanda Morris contributed to this report.

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(SEATTLE) — Three people were killed and four others were injured after shots rang out at the Bite of Seattle food festival at the Seattle Center on Sunday, according to officials.

The Seattle Fire Department said first responders were dispatched to the scene at about 6 p.m.

When officers arrived, two people were shooting at each other, according to the Seattle Police Department.

“Our officers were there within seconds. They performed emergency aid to the wounded until the Seattle Fire Department was on scene,” Acting Chief Tyrone Davis, of the Seattle police, said in a statement. “Simultaneously, officers launched a search for the people responsible for this senseless violence.”

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said a suspect has been taken into custody. Further details on the suspect have not been released. The other person alleged to be firing shots was still unaccounted for, the police said.

First responders attempted lifesaving efforts at the scene for two of the seven people who were shot, but those efforts were unsuccessful, according to fire officials. Both were declared deceased at the scene, officials said.

Another person later died after being transferred to a local hospital, officials said during a press conference. Officials at the University of Washington Medicine’s Harborview Medical Center earlier said that one woman was in surgery and was in critical condition.

The Seattle Police Department said in an update early on Monday that two men, aged 19 and 44, along with woman, 56, were killed.

The other patients — a boy, a 23-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman — are in stable condition, according to the hospital. A 40-year-old woman with minor injuries from the scene declined transport to the hospital, according to fire officials.

The shooting occurred during Bite of Seattle, an annual festival with food vendors and live music held at the Seattle Center.

“What happened at the Seattle Center today was an act of horrific violence,” Wilson, the mayor, said in a statement. “Impacted families are living through the worst moment of their lives, and an entire community is trying to understand how a gathering built around culture, connection, and joy ended in gunfire.”

“No one should have to weigh the risk of being shot before attending an event, gathering with friends, or experiencing their city,” Wilson said.  

Two guns were recovered at the scene, officials said. There were no surveillance cameras in the immediate area of the shooting, law enforcement said. Police are asking the public to come forward with information.

Detectives from the police’s Homicide and Gun Violence Reduction units were investigating the shooting, the department said.

Multiple agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Seattle field office responded to the incident, an agency spokesperson told ABC News.

The FBI is aware of the shooting, an agency spokesperson said.

ABC News’ Amanda Morris contributed to this report.

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(WINDER, Ga.) — A teenage boy accused of carrying out a mass shooting at his Georgia high school pleaded guilty Friday to all 55 counts against him, including murder and aggravated assault.

Colt Gray, 16, agreed to a non-negotiated guilty plea, the judge said, meaning there is no plea deal; the state will present its argument for an appropriate sentence, and the defense will do the same.

The judge said the minimum sentence is life with parole and the maximum is a life sentence without parole.

Gray was 14 years old in September 2024 when he opened fire at Apalachee High School, killing two students and two teachers and injuring several others.

Breanna Schermerhorn, whose son, 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn, was killed, said in a victim impact statement Friday, “Mason was so much more than a victim.”
“Mason was kind, compassionate, funny and fiercely protective of others,” she said. “As a child with exceptional needs, he understood what it felt like to struggle and be overlooked by others. Instead of becoming bitter, he became an advocate.”

“He made people that were typically unseen feel seen, accepted and safe,” she said.

“I had no doubt in my mind if Colt had actually attended school as he should have, that Mason would have befriended him,” Breanna Schermerhorn said.

She said Gray “knew that pulling that trigger was wrong, he knew that every choice he made that day would forever alter countless lives.”

One of Mason Schermerhorn’s sisters, Alanna Schermerhorn Wallace, said through tears that she lost the life she knew and her sense of safety on the day her brother was killed. She said she’s always scanning for exits and monitoring the people around her and is triggered by loud noises and unexpected sounds.

Another sister, Lilianah Ahmed, said through tears, “From a very young age, Mason wanted to be a family man. He wanted to have a wife, kids. He wanted to go to school and pursue a career. … All these different parts of himself he didn’t get to explore because of Colt.”

“My brother died alone and scared. [Gray] was the last person to see Mason alive, and he took him from us,” Ahmed said.

She also called her brother “the success story that Colt could have been.”

Shayna Aspinwall, whose husband, Richard Aspinwall, was killed, described him as a beloved dad, teacher and coach.

“Every holiday, birthday, anniversary and ordinary day is a reminder of what has been stolen from us,” she said. “… Now our daughters, who were 5 and 2 at the time, must grow up without their father. They will miss his guidance, his encouragement, his hugs, and all the milestones he should have been here to witness.”

Shayna Aspinwall asked the judge to not sentence Gray to life with the chance for parole, saying the parole hearings would be “continued torture” for her family.

Ismael Angulo, whose brother, 14-year-old Christian Angulo, was killed, also asked the judge to sentence Gray to life without the possibility of parole, as he described “every day as a nightmare.”

“The defendant’s family will still get to see their son, talk to him and know he is breathing. My mother, my father don’t get that privilege,” he said. “… There is no fairness in that reality. Christian was a beautiful, innocent soul who was robbed of his dreams.”

Gray was accused of carrying out the shooting with a rifle his father, Colin Gray, gifted him as a Christmas present, officials said. This March, Colin Gray was convicted of charges including second-degree murder and manslaughter, becoming the first parent in the U.S. convicted of murder due to the alleged acts of their child.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(NEW YORK) — The House Oversight Committee is set on Thursday to interview Jeffrey Epstein’s former private JPMorgan Chase investment banker, Jes Staley, whose career as a finance executive came crashing down after the convicted sex offender’s death in 2019.

Staley, 69, spent more than thirty years at JPMorgan Chase, including in senior roles in the private banking and investment divisions, where he managed relationships with ultra-wealthy clients, including Epstein.

After Staley left JPMorgan Chase, he became the CEO of the British multinational bank Barclays in 2015.

Staley agreed to a voluntary transcribed interview with the committee after its chairman, Kentucky Republican James Comer, requested his appearance as part of the panel’s wide-ranging inquiry into the federal government’s handling of the criminal investigations of Epstein.

Staley’s interview, like others that have occurred in recent months, will not be recorded.

Following Epstein’s arrest and death in 2019, Staley came under scrutiny in a lawsuit brought by Epstein’s victims, who contended in court filings that JPMorgan Chase and Staley had allegedly ignored red flags that helped enable Epstein to traffic women and girls. JPMorgan Chase settled the case in 2023 for $290 million, without any admission of wrongdoing.

Barclay executives told U.K. financial regulators after Epstein’s death that Staley and Epstein did not have a close relationship and that Staley had cut off contact long before he joined the bank as its CEO. But the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) subsequently determined — based partly on hundreds of emails and records that emerged from the victims’ lawsuit — that Staley had provided misleading information about the extent of the relationship and its timing.

Staley stepped down from Barclays in 2021 and was subsequently banned by the FCA from working in Britain’s financial sector.  

Staley lost his appeal of the regulatory body’s findings. During the appeal proceedings last year, Staley acknowledged that he had what he described as a consensual sexual encounter with one of Epstein’s adult assistants at an apartment building in New York City, owned by Epstein’s brother, where Epstein housed some of his employees.

“We had one encounter,” Staley testified, according to an account in The Guardian. “Much to my embarrassment today.”

Staley has also acknowledged visiting Epstein’s private estate in the U.S. Virgin Islands, though not while Epstein was there. He also claimed to have no specific recollection of a series of emails in which Staley and Epstein refer to women using names of Disney characters.

“That was fun. Say hi to Snow White,” Staley emailed to Epstein in 2010, according to documents made public in the victims’ litigation.

“Which character would you like next,” Epstein asked.

“Beauty and the Beast,” Staley answered.

“Well, one side is available,” Epstein responded, according to the documents.

A lawyer believed to be representing Staley for his interview on Capitol Hill did not respond to a request for comment in advance of Staley’s appearance.

Staley, who has not been charged, has denied all wrongdoing and has said he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.

An attorney representing Staley in the victims’ civil lawsuit said claims that Staley aided and abetted Epstein were “baseless.”

“The allegations against him are slanderous, and the potential damages are astronomical,” attorney Brendan Sullivan wrote in a 2023 court filing.

Records released by the Justice Department earlier this year in response to the Epstein Files Transparency Act include unproven allegations of wrongdoing by Staley. The allegations, raised by an alleged Epstein victim, were detailed in an 86-page internal prosecution memo from December 2019.

It’s unclear if federal prosecutors pursued those allegations. The Department of Justice has said repeatedly since the disclosure of the Epstein files that there are no credible allegations or evidence that would lead to new federal criminal investigations.

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