F.B.I. agents spent hours today searching the home and office of John Bolton, who served as President Trump’s national security adviser during his first term but has since become a vocal critic of Trump. My colleagues witnessed agents carrying boxes into and out of both buildings.
The searches were part of an investigation into accusations that Bolton leaked sensitive national security information to the news media in an effort to damage the president, an official said. The scenes of federal agents entering the home of a prominent critic of the president raised fresh concerns about the Trump administration’s motives, given the president’s use of the government to go after perceived enemies.
But this search could not have been undertaken only on a politician’s whim; it would have required authorization by a federal magistrate judge. The information that provided the basis for the warrant was based on intelligence collected overseas by the C.I.A., my colleague Julian Barnes reported, and involved the mishandling of classified material.
In other Trump administration news:
The Pentagon fired an intelligence agency head weeks after his agency drafted a report contradicting Trump on Iran.
The president said that Intel, the troubled Silicon Valley chipmaker, had agreed to give the U.S. government a 10 percent stake.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C., to carry weapons.
Justice Dept. released interview with Epstein’s close associate
Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for assisting Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking of girls, said she never saw Trump engage in improper or illegal acts during his long friendship with Epstein, according to interview transcripts released this afternoon.
Over a two-day discussion at a Florida courthouse, Maxwell swatted down any suggestion that there were significant details in the government’s files that had not already been made public. She said there was no hidden list of powerful clients, no blackmail campaign by Epstein to extort the powerful men he befriended, and no dark secrets about Trump.
In related news, the Justice Department on Friday gave Congress an initial batch of documents from its investigation into Epstein, in response to a subpoena.
Fed chair signaled that interest rates could soon come down
In a speech this morning, Jerome Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, sent his strongest signal yet that the central bank was preparing to restart interest rate cuts. Powell held back from explicitly endorsing an imminent cut, but his decision to emphasize the labor market’s vulnerabilities made clear that borrowing costs are likely to be reduced next month.
Stocks rose after Powell’s comments.
In related news, Trump said today that he would fire Lisa Cook, a Fed governor, if she did not resign over allegations that she committed mortgage fraud. Many legal experts believe that the president cannot easily fire any Fed board member, including Cook, who has not been convicted of wrongdoing.
U.N.-backed experts declared a famine in Gaza City
Gaza City and the surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, a group of U.N.-backed food security experts announced today, nearly two years into an unrelenting war in which Israel has blocked most aid from entering Gaza.
The group said that at least half a million people in the area were facing the most severe conditions it measures: starvation, acute malnutrition and death. With rare exceptions, the rest of Gaza’s population was also struggling with severe hunger.
More top news
Immigration: Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March, was released from custody. His lawyer said he was returning to Maryland.
Health: A C.D.C. advisory committee formed a task force to review Covid vaccines, led by a panelist who called the shots “the most failing medical product in the history of medical products.”
Russia: In a sign that Trump’s push for an immediate summit was faltering, a top diplomat said that there was “no meeting planned” between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine: The online DeepState map, based on geolocated combat footage and tips from army sources, allows Ukrainians to check whether Russia has advanced.
Court: A parole panel said that Erik Menendez, who was convicted in the killing of his parents, should not be released from prison. His brother, Lyle, goes before a panel today.
Sri Lanka: Ranil Wickremesinghe, who steered the country through an economic crisis as president but lost to a populist leader in 2024, was arrested on corruption charges.
Disease: Officials in California announced this week that a local resident tested positive for plague. Here’s what to know.
Travel: Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, Amtrak’s train from Mobile, Ala., to New Orleans is back. A reporter and a photographer took a ride for The Times.
TIME TO UNWIND
The makers of ‘BoJack Horseman’ take on humans
“Long Story Short,” a new animated comedy from the makers of “BoJack Horseman,” premiered today on Netflix. The show tells the story of a middle-class Jewish family in Northern California, where the showrunner, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, and the show’s supervising producer, Lisa Hanawalt, grew up.
In many ways, Bob-Waksberg said, the series is the most intensely personal one he has done, nodding to his Jewish upbringing while working through his concerns as a new dad. Our critic, James Poniewozik, said he quickly came to love it. “It’s wildly funny, swinging, like ‘BoJack,’ from deep emotion to loony tune slapstick,” James wrote.
A 25-year-old microchip researcher rocked the art world
The art industry has long been engaged in a vigorous debate about restoration. Many conservators favor a light touch, accepting that the flaws that come with aging are part of an artwork. Others prefer maximalist interventions that restore a work to its former glory.
That’s why a new A.I.-assisted restoration process developed by Alex Kachkine, a 25-year-old microchip researcher, has intrigued the art world so much. As a hobbyist restorer, he developed a program that analyzes a painting and creates a super-thin mask to lay over it. The mask makes the painting appear fully restored, without permanently altering it.
Dinner table topics
Move over, mouse ears: Disney adults have a new obsession: tiny stuffed animals that use magnets to stay perched on your shoulder.
What it takes: The pop-soul singer Lola Young is trying to make it big without breaking.
Botanical significance: Take a look at some of the 120 trees that New York City has officially declared to be “great.”
Make a ruling: Is it OK to request custom music in an Uber?
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND
Cook: This German pancake is one of our most popular recipes this week.
Watch: These are the movies that got our critics talking this week.
Read: “Strong Roots” is one of our Book Review’s favorite new releases.
Cool: You should probably turn on your ceiling fan every time you use your A.C.
Listen: Our critic explains the debate around this year’s most polarizing rap freestyle.
Test yourself: Take this week’s news quiz.
Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.
ONE LAST THING
Suddenly, New York is a surfer’s paradise
As Hurricane Erin moved up the Atlantic shoreline this week, swimmers were turned away from beaches in and around New York City. As for the surfers? They hadn’t seen better conditions in a long time.
The storm brought barreling waves of 10 feet or more to beaches in Queens and on Long Island, and local officials let surfers take advantage. Even the most experienced surfers said this week’s waves were something special. “This is what amps them up,” said Adrien Gallo, a surfer dad who was watching his three children, ages 11 to 14, deftly ride waves most adults shouldn’t attempt.
Have a gnarly weekend.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back on Monday. — Matthew
Verónica Sanchis was our photo editor.
We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.