Noah Shachtman

If you're a member of the Democratic gerontocracy, the chances of you catching a primary challenger just went up 1000%.

NEW: The FBI's biggest, most important field office has been reprioritized to a single task: redacting the Jeffrey Epstein files.

By me in @vanityfair.com...

www.vanityfair.com/news/story/e...

“Ludicrous” Situation: Epstein Case Review Takes Over FBI’s New York Office

The bureau’s New York field office normally chases drug dealers and spies. Right now, according to multiple sources, priority one is redacting the sex trafficker’s case files.

Holy shit. The Justice Department's inspector general "received, but did not act upon, a potentially explosive set of allegations" against Emil Bove "for more than two months."

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/u...

Unnoticed Whistle-Blower Document Alarms Justice Department Veterans

I don't mean to sound hysterical but there are some pretty clear historical examples of "force the urban-dwellers to the farms," and none of them are great.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com

Brooke Rollins on farm laborers: "There will be no amnesty. The mass deportations continue, but in a strategic way. And we move the workforce toward automation and 100% American participation, which with 34 million able-bodied on Medicaid we should be able to do fairly quickly."

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WHOA. One of Eric Adams' former police commissioners just filed a lawsuit accusing him of running the NYPD like a "racketeering enterprise."

So let me get this straight ...

1. US bombs Iran
2. Oil price goes up a bit, benefitting Russia's petrostate
3. Russia gives Iran targeting info
4. Oil price shoots WAY up
5. US unsanctions Russian oil

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com

Bessent: "We may unsanction other Russian oil"

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Whoa. This is big. "The U.S. Navy has refused near-daily requests from the shipping industry for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war on Iran, saying the risk of attacks is too high for now." www.reuters.com/world/middle...

US Navy tells shipping industry Hormuz escorts not possible for now

The U.S. Navy has refused near-daily requests from the shipping industry for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz since ​the start of the war on Iran, saying the risk of attacks is too high f...

More than that. "The FBI ***recorded*** Tom Homan taking the money "after indicating he could help the agents — who were posing as business executives — win government contracts in a second Trump administration."

Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social

Tom Homan was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Trump's DOJ shut it down. The FBI and Justice officials closed the investigation, which a Justice Department appointee had called a “deep state” probe in early 2025. www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...

Tom Homan was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Trump's DOJ shut it down.

The FBI and Justice officials closed the investigation, which a Justice Department appointee had called a “deep state” probe in early 2025.

I was at a comedy club in Manhattan last night.

Comedian: Where you from?

Audience member: Texas!

Comedian: Oh! Here for an abortion?

Marco Rubio's BFF is an accused foreign agent and money launderer. His trial is about to start — and Rubio is on the witness list.

My @vanityfair.com story on the legal bomb that's poised to go off in Trumpland.

www.vanityfair.com/news/story/m...

Marco Rubio’s Florida Bestie Is an Accused ‘Foreign Agent’ Set to Go on Trial— With Rubio On the Witness List

David Rivera and Rubio bought a house in Tallahassee when they were coming up together in Florida politics. But he’s been a headache for the secretary of state ever since, and now he could be one for ...

Not only do we stand by our reporting. Madison Square Garden’s ridiculous lawsuit actually confirms it, noting the company did, in fact, track the sexual orientation of LGBTQIA celebrities in its talent database.

WIRED @wired.com

A statement from WIRED leadership.

Sassoon is no leftie. She clerked for *Scalia*.

Jennie Coughlin @jenniecoughlin.bsky.social

Danielle R. Sassoon, Manhattan’s acting U.S. attorney, resigned on Thursday rather than obey a Justice Department order that she drop a corruption case against New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, that she had championed, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.

Manhattan’s Federal Prosecutor Quits After Adams Case Is Ordered Dropped (Gift Article)

Danielle R. Sassoon, the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, quit after the Justice Department told her to withdraw corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams.

Hesgeth used his personal phone to log into a 4th-tier sports betting site -- and to relay real-time information about U.S. airstrikes.

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/25/u...

Hegseth’s Personal Phone Use Created Vulnerabilities, Analysts Say

The phone number used in the Signal chat could also be found in a variety of places, including on social media and a fantasy sports site.

It's such a relief to know that the mayor is spending every waking moment looking out for the people of New York.

Michael Wolff tried to buy New York Mag — with money from Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein.

So Wolff didn't just have a reporter-source relationship with Epstein. Nor was Wolff his informal PR adviser. They saw each other as potential business partners.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Blurred lines: how Michael Wolff aspired to be part of elite circles he wrote about

The writer who features prominently in newly released Jeffrey Epstein emails has achieved extraordinary access but faced questions about his journalistic ethics

Whoa whoa whoa. WSJ reports that Trump *personally* pushed the Justice Department to settle its antitrust case with Live Nation.

Several sources for my NYT column speculated this was the case. The Journal says it's a fact.

www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...

Noah Shachtman @noahshachtman.bsky.social

Kid Rock posted after the election that he and AG Pam Bondi were going to "whoop ass" on the companies ripping off music fans. Bondi's DOJ just sold those fans out. And Kid Rock is baffled. My latest in @nytopinion.nytimes.com ... www.nytimes.com/2026/03/17/o...

Opinion | The Trump Administration Just Gave Live Nation the Gift of a Lifetime

in retrospect, one of the funniest headlines of all time

The CEO of Cloudflare -- the company that keeps so much of the Internet running -- is looking at the idea of blocking all AI crawlers, like they were malicious traffic.

If it happens, it'd be a massive, massive deal for tech and media.

fortune.com/2025/02/04/m...

Can this tech billionaire save the media from an AI apocalypse?

He thinks the entire internet could be at risk if he doesn't act fast.

The deal to drop Adams' corruption case isn't a one-off. In the last week, Team Trump functionally decriminalized covert foreign influence and overseas bribery. Oh, and they broke up the team that was taking Russian oligarchs' yachts.

Noah Shachtman @noahshachtman.bsky.social

The deal to spring Eric Adams reveals Trump's real agenda: Make America Corrupt Again. My column for @rollingstone.com ... www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

Trump's Plan Comes Into Focus: Make America Corrupt Again

Donald Trump’s deal to drop charges against Mayor Eric Adams is part of a broader effort to legalize bribery and covert foreign influence.

Incredible piece of data journalism here from @wsj.com.

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

The Epstein Email Cache: 2,300 Messages, Many of Which Mention Trump

An analysis of documents released this week by Congress shows President Trump was mentioned in more than half of the messages.

I spoke with 40+ sources for a look inside the Anti-Defamation League. Here’s some of what I found.

ADL’s gentle response to Elon Musk’s infamous salute was partially driven by his support of Israel. To ADL, that indicated he didn’t have “antisemitic tendencies.” (1/x)

nymag.com/intelligence...

This is:

(a) correct;

(b) a demonstration of Van Hollen's political skills, which are stronger than most of us realized;

(c) a sign to other politicians that bold action will bring outsized attention, as it has with Booker and AOC.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com

Van Hollen details why he thinks the government of El Salvador is making a huge mistake in turning itself into a concentration camp for Trump

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I've been saying for the better part of a year that Trump is on a mission to decriminalize corruption. To make it the legal equivalent of jaywalking.

I feel that more strongly now than I ever had.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com

Trump announces a pardon of Henry Cuellar: "I am hereby announcing my full and unconditional PARDON of beloved Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar, and Imelda. Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!"

This is really, really dark.

www.wsj.com/world/middle...

Israeli Soldiers Accused of Using Polymarket to Bet on Strikes

The country’s internal security agency indicted a reservist and a civilian for security offenses, bribery and obstruction of justice in connection with the bets.