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Federal agents carried out a search of John Bolton’s Maryland residence early Friday morning in connection with what officials described as a “national security investigation in search of classified records,” NBC News confirmed through a source familiar with the operation.

In a statement, an FBI spokesperson explained that the bureau was “conducting court authorized activity in the area. There is no threat to public safety.”

No additional details were provided by the bureau, and Bolton, who resides in Bethesda, did not immediately respond to inquiries from NBC News.

On X, FBI Director Kash Patel posted early Friday, “NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino both appeared to weigh in on the matter online.

“America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always,” Bondi wrote.

“Public corruption will not be tolerated,” Bongino stated in his own message.

The search reportedly began shortly after 7 a.m. and centered on Bolton’s handling of restricted materials, including whether some of those records had been leaked to journalists, a source with knowledge of the investigation said. The probe stems from a criminal inquiry that originated under the Biden administration but had not advanced at that time.

Another FBI official confirmed that agents also executed a warrant at an address on M Street in Washington, D.C.

Historically, U.S. intelligence agencies have sometimes opted against criminal prosecutions in leak cases, fearing that presenting evidence in court could expose even more sensitive material. It was not immediately clear whether that reasoning influenced earlier decisions by Biden officials.

Bolton’s government career spans two Republican presidencies, serving as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during George W. Bush’s tenure, and later as national security adviser under President Donald Trump for a year and a half in Trump’s first term.

Trump and Bolton left on bad terms in 2019, with Trump asserting he had dismissed Bolton, while Bolton maintained he resigned following disagreements.

After leaving office, Bolton became one of Trump’s sharpest critics, publishing a 2020 memoir that cast Trump in a highly negative light.

During Trump’s first term, the Justice Department pursued Bolton over his use of classified material, seeking unsuccessfully to block the release of his memoir and prevent him from profiting from it.

But by 2021, under Biden’s Justice Department, both the civil lawsuit and a related criminal inquiry were abandoned. NBC News reported at the time that the department had notified a federal judge it was closing its case against Bolton.

A former DOJ official, familiar with why Attorney General Merrick Garland’s team ended the case, said the decision was grounded in the strength of the evidence and the likelihood of success. The official rejected the notion that partisan politics factored into the outcome, pointing out that Garland had also appointed a special counsel to investigate Biden’s own handling of classified documents and had prosecuted Hunter Biden on unrelated charges.

“Attorney General Merrick Garland investigated Democrats and Republicans, including President Joe Biden, his boss,” the former official said. “To suggest that any decision was made based on political reasons is absurd.”

Bolton’s book portrayed Trump as someone who frequently put his personal political fortunes ahead of America’s national interest, citing numerous instances that Bolton described as misconduct or incompetence in foreign policy.

Before the book’s release, Trump’s Justice Department sued, claiming Bolton sidestepped mandatory prepublication reviews meant to ensure no classified information was disclosed. Initially, the government sought to prevent publication altogether.

When that effort collapsed, officials attempted instead to seize Bolton’s earnings from the book, alleging he violated obligations tied to his security clearance. That effort, too, failed in court.

Bolton insisted he had adhered to the process, producing a 2020 letter from a National Security Council reviewer certifying that the book contained no classified material.

Later, however, the White House initiated another review, conducted by a more senior official, which delayed the book’s release. Bolton’s lawyers argued the second review was politically driven, a “transparent effort” to prevent damaging revelations about Trump from becoming public.

When asked Friday about the FBI’s search, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told Fox News he did not view the raid as motivated by personal grievances.

“So I don’t think this is retribution, I think this is accountability,” Comer said. “We’ll see if, for no reason, they raided his house just to embarrass John Bolton, like the Democrats did to President Trump at Mar-a-Lago, then I think that they should bear some criticism. But right now, I have confidence in Kash Patel, and I don’t believe he would do anything without having ample evidence to move forward.”

Speaking to reporters at a Washington, D.C., museum, Trump said he had no advance notice of the raid and would be updated on developments.

Earlier this year, only days after Trump’s second term began, the president revoked Bolton’s Secret Service protection, even though Bolton had previously been the target of an assassination plot orchestrated by an operative of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

In recent months, Bolton has again criticized Trump’s approach to foreign policy, questioning his meeting with Vladimir Putin last week and condemning administration officials for discussing planned military actions over a Signal chat instead of official secure channels.

Back in 2022, Bolton publicly mused about “seriously considering” a presidential run in the GOP primary with the stated aim of blocking Trump from regaining the White House.

{Matzav.com}

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who identifies as a socialist, is facing growing scrutiny over his network of advisors and allies, many of whom have openly promoted anti-Israel sentiments and socialist policies, Fox reports. The candidate has been working to counter claims that he is “too radical” to lead the country’s largest city.

Mamdani, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, relies on a core team of advisors that the New York Times referred to as his “brain trust.” Among them is Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an organization that has long advocated for ending “state support for detention, deportation, and mass incarceration.”

Awawdeh has strongly defended providing taxpayer-funded healthcare to illegal immigrants, saying they “deserve” access to those services.

“SEEKING ASYLUM AT THE BORDER IS A LEGAL RIGHT,” Awawdeh posted on X in 2022. “ASYLUM SEEKERS ARE FLEEING FOR THEIR LIVES FROM VIOLENCE, PERSECUTION, & IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. THE U.S. HAS A LEGAL OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE REFUGE.”

The NYIC has financial connections to the Vera Institute for Justice, an organization that has received significant federal funding under the Biden administration to assist illegal immigrants in avoiding deportation. Additionally, NYIC has accepted $175,000 from the George Soros-backed nonprofit network.

Soros also has ties to another Mamdani advisor, Patrick Gaspard, who has held several high-profile political roles, including serving as an advisor to Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, executive director of the Democratic National Committee, and, since 2021, president of the Center for American Progress (CAP).

According to reports, Gaspard made millions while leading Soros’s Open Society Foundations from 2017 to 2020. He has been outspoken in defending Soros, saying earlier this year that he was “inspired by the selection of my friend George Soros, who is one of our leading defenders of inclusive and accountable democracy and vibrant civil society,” after then-President Joe Biden awarded Soros the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“His accomplishments, in the face of distortions and threats from extremists, will be lauded well into the future,” Gaspard added. In a 2023 X thread, he also attempted to deflect criticism from Soros following reports that Soros’s network funneled millions of dollars into campaigns for progressive district attorneys and left-leaning groups that promoted social justice policies and lighter sentences for violent offenders.

Mamdani has brushed off accusations of being a communist, laughing off the label when questioned by Fox News Digital earlier this year. However, one of his key advisors openly embraces communist associations.

Housing activist Cea Weaver, another member of Mamdani’s “brain trust,” is part of the Democratic Socialists of America and advises him on housing issues, including his controversial proposal to “freeze” rent across the city — a plan that has sparked backlash from property owners and developers.

Weaver previously served as coalitions director for Housing Justice for All, an organization linked with multiple far-left groups, including the Communist Party of the United States of America and the New York Young Communist League.

“Elect more Communists,” Weaver posted on social media in 2017, according to the New York Post. In 2018, she added another post: “Seize private property.”

Mamdani has also been criticized for his long-standing anti-Israel positions dating back to his college years, and several of his close advisors have expressed similar views.

One of them, activist Faiza Ali, previously worked for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), whose executive director Nihad Awad stated following Hamas’s October 7 attacks that he was glad to see Gazans “breaking the siege” against the “occupying power” of Israel.

Awad later claimed his remarks were misrepresented.

Ali’s associations extend to Linda Sarsour, a prominent anti-Israel activist frequently accused of antisemitism. Ali has been photographed with Sarsour, and both are connected through the Muslim Democratic Club of New York.

Sarsour has faced criticism for praising Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, rejecting the Jewish right of return to Israel, and calling for “jihad” against President Trump in 2017. She later clarified that her remarks referred to nonviolent resistance.

Another figure tied to Mamdani’s team is Maya Handa, a campaign manager who previously served as a senior advisor to former Democratic Congressman Jamaal Bowman. Bowman drew backlash last year after defending the phrase “from the river to the sea,” widely interpreted as a call for the elimination of Israel.

Mamdani’s senior advisor Morris Katz, described by the New York Times as one of the two most influential members of his inner circle and an “emissary” to Jewish voters skeptical of Mamdani, has also publicly criticized Israel.

Katz has stated that the real threat to Israel’s existence is “not the Palestinians who’re being oppressed and denied basic human rights” but rather Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself.

In addition, Katz highlighted Mamdani’s statement supporting Democrats who have pushed for a ceasefire and an arms embargo, quoting him as saying they are “rightfully outraged over Israel’s killing of over 40,000 Palestinians.”

{Matzav.com}

A car bomb and a separate attack on a police helicopter in Colombia killed at least 17 people Thursday, according to authorities. President Gustavo Petro attributed both attacks to dissidents of the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, commonly known as FARC. At least 12 police officers died in the attack on a helicopter that according to authorities was transporting personnel to an area in Antioquia in northern Colombia, to eradicate coca leaf crops, the raw material for cocaine. Petro had reported initially eight officers killed, but Antioquia Gov. Andrés Julián said four others died later and three remain injured. The Antioquia governor had said on X that a drone attacked the helicopter as it flew over coca leaf crops. Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said preliminary information indicates the attack caused a fire in the aircraft. Meanwhile, authorities in the southwest city of Cali reported that a vehicle loaded with explosives detonated near a military aviation school, killing five people and injuring more than 30. The Colombian air force did not immediately provide additional details of the explosion. Petro initially blamed the Gulf Clan, the country’s largest active drug cartel, for the attack on the helicopter. He said the aircraft was targeted in retaliation for a cocaine seizure that allegedly belonged to the group. The president said an alleged member of the dissident group was arrested in the area of the explosion. FARC dissidents, who rejected a peace agreement with the government in 2016, and members of the Gulf Clan both operate in Antioquia. Coca leaf cultivation is on the rise in Colombia. The area under cultivation reached a record 253,000 hectares in 2023, according to the latest report available from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. (AP)

With just one month remaining before tens of thousands of visitors are expected to arrive in Uman for Rosh Hashanah, Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, Rav Kalman Bar, and Member of Knesset Rabbi Michael Malchieli conducted a visit to the Ukrainian city on Thursday.

During their visit, the Chief Rabbi and MK Malchieli met with local community leaders and davened at the tzion of Rav Nachman of Breslov. As part of their itinerary, they also held discussions with Uman Mayor Iryna Pletnova to review the city’s preparations for the massive influx of visitors expected over the upcoming Yamim Noraim.

The visit began at the local institutions and yeshiva led by Uman’s Rav Yaakov Jan. Rav Bar delivered a special shiur to the talmidim, offering words of encouragement and expressing admiration for their dedication and commitment to Torah learning in the city.

The delegation then proceeded to the kever of Rav Nachman of Breslov, where the Chief Rabbi led tefillos for the swift return of the hostages. He also recited a special Mi Shebeirach for IDF soldiers, asking for their safety, success, and safe return from all missions.

MK Malchieli focused much of his visit on reviewing logistical preparations for the thousands of mispallelim expected to arrive for Rosh Hashanah. He toured the offices of United Hatzalah in Uman, where he received a detailed briefing on emergency medical readiness and security arrangements for the pilgrimage period.

In meetings with local officials, Malchieli and Mayor Pletnova discussed crowd management, infrastructure, and measures to ensure smooth coordination between Israeli and Ukrainian authorities during the Yom Tov period.

{Matzav.com Israel}

BREAKING: President Trump announces he will fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook if she doesn’t resign amid the mortgage fraud probe: “If she doesn’t resign, yes. I’ll fire her.”

POTUS: “I wish they’d say, ‘I need help.’ I wish the mayor of D.C. would say, ‘We’re overridden with crime and we need help’ instead of saying the stats are down. I mean, they’re under investigation now for fake numbers,”

POTUS: “I’m not a fan of John Bolton. He’s a real sort of lowlife… I know nothing about it. I just saw it this morning… I tell Pam and I tell the group I don’t want to know about it. You have to do what you have to do.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced that Waymo has received its first permit to test autonomous vehicles in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn, requiring a trained safety specialist behind the wheel at all times under the city’s strict AV safety rules.

President Trump makes a surprise stop at “The People’s House” gift shop across from the White House, sporting a “45-47” hat.

WATCH: Footage captures the Israeli Air Force shooting down a Houthi drone launched from Yemen over southern Israel.

A federal judge ruled on Thursday that Alina Habba, who previously served as one of President Trump’s personal attorneys, has been serving unlawfully as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann stated in his decision that the Trump administration placed Habba in the role of U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey using “a novel series of legal and personnel moves,” which clashed with the views of district court judges and criminal defendants over who had the authority to lead the office.

“Faced with the question of whether Ms. Habba is lawfully performing the functions and duties of the office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, I conclude that she is not,” Brann wrote in a 77-page opinion.

The issue was raised after two New Jersey defendants facing federal drug trafficking charges argued that Habba lacked authority to prosecute them because her 120-day interim appointment expired last month.

Brann determined that Habba has been serving unlawfully since July 24 but delayed the implementation of his ruling to allow time for an appeal.

When Habba’s interim term ended, federal judges in New Jersey declined to reappoint her and instead exercised a rarely used authority to select their own choice for the position: attorney Desiree Leigh Grace, who had been Habba’s first assistant.

Shortly afterward, Attorney General Pam Bondi stepped in, dismissing Grace and accusing the judges of being “politically minded” for refusing to extend Habba’s tenure.

Grace, however, asserted that she intended to continue as U.S. attorney and wrote on LinkedIn that she has worked under both Republican and Democratic administrations, insisting that politics “never impacted” her approach to the job.

Following the dispute, Trump withdrew Habba’s nomination for U.S. attorney but appointed her as first assistant U.S. attorney instead, effectively making her the acting U.S. attorney in what was widely seen as an attempt to keep her in charge.

Judge Brann rejected the strategy in his decision. “I conclude that Ms. Habba was ineligible to assume the functions and duties of the office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey on July 24, 2025, because she was not the first assistant when the vacancy occurred upon Mr. [former U.S. Attorney Philip] Sellinger’s resignation on January 8, 2025,” he wrote. “Therefore, Ms. Habba may not participate in the defendants’ prosecutions going forward as the ‘Acting United States Attorney.’”

During her brief time leading the office, Habba drew attention as two Democratic officials faced criminal charges related to an incident at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility under her oversight.

Her nomination also faced strong opposition from New Jersey Democratic Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim, casting serious doubt on the likelihood of her confirmation.

Attorneys for one of the defendants, Cesar Pina, issued a statement explaining that they challenged Habba’s authority because her appointment disregarded established rules that “give legitimacy” to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

“Prosecutors wield enormous power, and with that comes the responsibility to ensure they are qualified and properly appointed,” lawyers Abbe Lowell and Gerald Krovatin said.

{Matzav.com}

The IDF says a drone launched from Yemen by the Houthis was intercepted over southern Israel after triggering sirens in several communities near the Gaza and Egyptian borders; multiple interception attempts were made before it was downed, with no damage or injuries reported.

Sec. Doug Burgum says the officers of the U.S. Park Police in Washington, D.C. have “been re-empowered by President Trump… Crime is WAY DOWN, but morale is WAY UP across the over dozen federal agencies that are all deployed working on this.”

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday opened the door ever so slightly to lowering a key interest rate in the coming months but gave no hint on the timing of a move and suggested the central bank will proceed cautiously as it continues to evaluate the impact of tariffs and other policies on the economy. In a high-profile speech that will be closely watched at the White House and on Wall Street, Powell said that there are risks of both rising unemployment and stubbornly higher inflation. That puts the Fed in a tough spot, because it would typically cut its short-term rate to boost hiring, while keeping it high — or raising it — to fight inflation. “The stability of the unemployment rate and other labor market measures allows us to proceed carefully as we consider changes to our policy stance,” Powell said in prepared remarks. That suggests the Fed will continue to evaluate jobs and inflation data as it decides whether to cut rates, including at its next meeting Sept. 16-17. “Nonetheless, with policy in restrictive territory, the baseline outlook and the shifting balance of risks may warrant adjusting our policy stance,” he added, a more direct sign that Powell is considering a rate cut than he has made in previous comments. (AP)

Russian FM Lavrov: “There is no meeting planned. And I’m not challenging this, but you — you cannot, cannot, I think, understand what I am saying. Putin is ready to meet with Zelenskyy when the agenda would be ready for a summit. And this agenda is not ready at all.”

BREAKING: FBI agents have now swarmed John Bolton’s Washington, DC office following the earlier raid on his home.

FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino both tweet while raid was going down at home of Former National Security Advisor John Bolton.

The Israeli military says its air force struck a primed Hamas rocket launcher in Deir al-Balah on Thursday and that a drone also targeted a Hamas mortar site used in Wednesday’s attack on an army encampment in Khan Younis.

BREAKING – NYPD OFFICER SHOT IN QUEENS: 22nd Road and Whitestone Expressway, in the 109 Precinct. The officer has been rushed to Jamaica Hospital.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Tzipi Hotovely, forcefully rejected criticism from British officials after being summoned regarding the newly approved housing project in the E1 area, which connects Ma’ale Adumim with Yerushalayim.

“I wouldn’t tell the British where to build in London,” Hotovely told the Daily Mail on Thursday night. “We see E1 as part of greater Jerusalem.”

Her summons came after UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy denounced Israel’s decision to advance plans for 3,400 housing units in the E1 region.

In a statement released Wednesday, Lammy warned that implementing the project “would divide a Palestinian state in two, mark a flagrant breach of international law and critically undermine the two-state solution.”

“The Israeli government must reverse this decision,” he added.

The Civil Administration granted its approval for the project to move forward on Wednesday, nearly a week after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich officially announced the plan during a press briefing.

Although several European nations have condemned the initiative, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee countered by stating that “this is not a violation of international law.”

“We will not dictate to Israel what to do, we will not interfere in the running of the country. It would be very strange to say that others can live in this area but Israelis cannot,” Huckabee said in an interview with Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio).

The U.S. State Department also expressed support for the project, emphasizing that the construction of Jewish homes in E1 contributes to Israel’s security and aligns with the administration’s objectives.

{Matzav.com}