Trump furious as reports expose problems with his new Qatar jet
Bad news for press freedom and government accountability, as Trump goes after journalists who reported on his corruption and a costly, poorly-equipped new plane.
- Trump is fuming that reports revealed his $400 million jet gifted by Qatar lacks the defensive systems the old Air Force One had, and needed two planes flown to a NATO trip at double the cost.
- In response, his administration subpoenaed New York Times journalists and sent federal agents to reporters' homes to intimidate them.
- Critics call the Qatar jet a bribe that also puts national security at risk, and say punishing reporters attacks the First Amendment.
- Trump also threatened to "decimate" Iran with a thousand missiles if it tries to assassinate him, while Iran rejected fresh talks and Oman floated a deal over the Strait of Hormuz.
- Separately, Congressman Ro Khanna became the first US congressman detained by armed Israeli settlers in the West Bank, with IDF soldiers backing the settlers.
Outlook: The subpoena fight heads toward a grand jury within days, and tensions with Iran and over West Bank settler violence look set to keep rising.