By ERIC TUCKER and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The Justice Department acknowledged in court Wednesday the grand jury that charged former FBI Director James Comey was not presented with a copy of the final indictment, a concession that may further imperil a prosecution already subject to multiple challenges and demands for its dismissal.

Related Articles

Judge pushes for resolution in lawsuit over legal access at Everglades detention center

What to know about expanded work requirements about to kick in for SNAP

US stocks climb ahead of a crucial couple of tests for Wall Street

Ford recalls more than 200,000 Bronco and Bronco Sports for instrument panel failure

Jurors hear closing arguments in trial of Ohio officer charged in the killing of Ta’Kiya Young

The revelation is the latest indication of a troubled presentation of the case to the grand jury by an inexperienced and hastily appointed U.S. attorney named to the job just days earlier by President Donald Trump.

Concerns about the process surfaced earlier in the week when a different judge in the case said there was no record in the transcript he had reviewed of the grand jury reviewing the indictment that was actually presented against Comey.

Lindsey Halligan, the interim U.S. attorney in charge of the case, said under questioning that only the foreperson of the grand jury and a second grand juror were present for the returning of the indictment.

Comey has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of making a false statement and obstructing Congress and has denied any wrongdoing.

The Justice Department has denied that the prosecution was vindictive or selective and insists that the allegations support the indictment.

Trump fired Comey as FBI director in May 2017 as Comey was overseeing an FBI investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign. The two have been publicly at odds ever since, with Trump deriding Comey as “a weak and untruthful slime ball” and calling for his prosecution.

By MELISSA GOLDIN, Associated Press

President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that military strikes on suspected drug boats his administration has been carrying out for more than two months in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean are saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S.

He most recently cited these numbers on Monday while answering questions from reporters after announcing a new initiative that will allow foreigners traveling to the U.S. for the World Cup next year to get interviews for visas more quickly.

But experts say that this is a grossly simplistic interpretation of the situation.

Here’s a closer look at the facts.

TRUMP: “Every boat we knock out, we save 25,000 American lives.”

THE FACTS: The numbers to support Trump’s claim don’t add up, and sometimes don’t exist. For example, people in the U.S. who die from drug overdoses each year are far fewer than the amount Trump suggests have been saved by the boat strikes his administration has carried out since September.

“The statement that each of the administration’s strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats saves 25,000 lives is absurd,” said Carl Latkin, a professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University who studies substance use. “The evidence is similar to that of the moon being made of blue cheese. If you look carefully, you will see a resemblance. However, a close analysis of this claim suggests that it lacks all credibility.”

According to the latest preliminary data from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, there were about 97,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. during the 12-month period that ended June 30. That’s down 14% from the estimated 113,000 for the previous 12-month period.

Final CDC data reports 53,336 overdose deaths in 2024 and 75,118 in 2023.

The U.S. military has attacked 21 boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since strikes began on Sept. 2, most recently on Nov. 15. Using Trump’s numbers, that would mean the strikes have prevented 525,000 fatal drug overdoses in the U.S — far more than the number of overdose deaths that have occurred in recent two-month periods. This essentially implies that the administration is saving more lives than would have ever been lost.

Lori Ann Post, the director of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine at Northwestern University, explained that “there’s no empirically sound way to say a single strike ‘saves 25,000 lives,’” even if the statement is interpreted more broadly to mean preventing substance use disorders and resulting ripple effects. Among the issues she pointed to are a lack of verifiable cargo data or published models linking such boat strikes to changes in drug use, as well as markets that will adapt to isolated supply losses.

“The math and the data are not there,” said Post, who studies drug overdose deaths and economic drivers of the opioid crisis.

Latkin added that claiming one lethal dose of a drug automatically translates to one death is a “very simple way of looking at it,” as different people have different tolerances.

Trump has justified the attacks by saying the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organizations that are flooding America’s cities with drugs. Neither Trump nor his administration have publicly confirmed the amount of drugs allegedly destroyed in the strikes.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly reiterated Trump’s numbers when asked for evidence to support his claims about how many lives are being saved. She wrote in an email: “President Trump is right — any boat bringing deadly poison to our shores has the potential to kill 25,000 Americans or more. The President is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding in to our country and to bring those responsible for justice.”

Latkin noted that this estimate also ignores the reality that even if the Trump administration manages to shut off one source of illegal drugs with its boat strikes, there will still be others. He offered a comparison to the fast food industry, explaining that getting rid of a couple of restaurants would not greatly improve Americans’ health since there are so many other sources where consumers could get the same or similar products.

“It’s incredibly naive to think that reducing the supply in one place will eradicate the problem because it’s such a massive business,” he said.

Related Articles

The Education Department is dismantling. Here’s what that means

Justice Department says full grand jury in Comey case didn’t review copy of final indictment

What to know about expanded work requirements about to kick in for SNAP

U.S. trade deficit drops 24% in August as Trump’s tariffs reduce imports

New sanctions target Russian web hosting service over suspected ransomware operations

Opioids accounted for 73.4% of drug overdose deaths in 2024, according to the CDC. That includes 65.1% from illegally made fentanyl. But while the boat strikes have targeted vessels largely in the Caribbean Sea, fentanyl is typically trafficked to the U.S. overland from Mexico, where it is produced with chemicals imported from China and India.

Overdose death rates began steadily climbing in the 1990s because of opioid painkillers, followed by waves of deaths led by other opioids like heroin and — more recently — illicit fentanyl. New numbers from the CDC show that a decline that began in 2023 has continued. Experts aren’t certain about the reasons for the decline, but they cite a combination of possible factors. Among them are the end of the COVID-19 pandemic; years of efforts to increase the availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone and addiction treatments; and changes to the drugs themselves.

Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck

By DAVID A. LIEB and GEOFF MULVIHILL, Associated Press

After a disruptive U.S. government shutdown, federal SNAP food assistance is again flowing to low-income households. But in the months ahead, many participants will have to abide by new work requirements.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides monthly benefits — averaging around $190 per person — to about 42 million people nationwide. During the first couple weeks of November, many of those recipients missed their regular allotments as President Donald Trump’s administration battled in court over whether tap into reserves to fund the program while the government was shut down.

An employee stocks papayas at the Price Choice supermarket which participates in the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Here’s what to know about SNAP:

The benefits are available across the country after lapses

For the first part of the month, the situation was chaotic after the federal government said SNAP would not be funded because of the government shutdown.

Some states replenished the electronic benefit cards used in the program either fully or partially, using their own funds or federal dollars that were part of court orders. Others didn’t.

Most states boosted food charities, but lines were long and some shelves were empty.

As soon as the government reopened on Nov. 12, many states rushed to get out benefits.

By Tuesday, all states either had loaded full November benefits onto people’s electronic spending cards or were working on it, according to an Associated Press review. Participants should receive December SNAP benefits according to their normal schedule.

More SNAP recipients will face work requirements

A massive tax and spending bill signed into law in July by Trump expanded requirements for many adult SNAP recipients to work, volunteer or participate in job training for at least 80 hours a month. Those who don’t are limited to three months of benefits in a three-year period.

The work requirements previously applied to adults ages 18 through 54 who are physically and mentally able and don’t have dependents. The new law also applies those requirements to those ages 55 through 64 and to parents without children younger than 14. It repeals work exemptions for homeless individuals, veterans and young adults aging out of foster care. And it limits the ability of states to waive work requirements in areas lacking jobs.

The Trump administration waived the work requirements in November, but the three-month clock on work-free SNAP benefits will be in full force in December.

The new requirements are expected to reduce the average monthly number of SNAP recipients by about 2.4 million people over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Agriculture secretary casts doubt about SNAP

In the aftermath of the shutdown, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, whose department administers SNAP, has cast doubt on the program. Rollins has said it is rife with fraud, including deceased people receiving benefits and some people receiving multiple benefits.

Rollins suggested that everyone who receives SNAP be required to reapply. But it’s not clear whether Rollins was suggesting an additional requirement or referring to the current one that mandates people to periodically recertify their income and other information.

Related Articles

Judge pushes for resolution in lawsuit over legal access at Everglades detention center

Justice Department says full grand jury in Comey case didn’t review copy of final indictment

US stocks climb ahead of a crucial couple of tests for Wall Street

Ford recalls more than 200,000 Bronco and Bronco Sports for instrument panel failure

Jurors hear closing arguments in trial of Ohio officer charged in the killing of Ta’Kiya Young

An Agriculture Department spokesperson didn’t clarify but instead said in a statement that the standard recertification processes for households is part of a plan to eliminate fraud, abuse and waste.

Under federal law, most households must report their income and basic information every four to six months and be fully recertified for SNAP at least every 12 months. Full recertification can occur every 24 months for households where all adults are age 60 and above or have disabilities.

But states can require more frequent eligibility verifications. Last year, 27 states required at least some households to be fully recertified every four to six months, depending on their household circumstances, according to a USDA report.

By PAUL WISEMAN, Associated Press Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit fell by nearly 24% in August as President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs pushed imports lower.

Related Articles

US stocks climb ahead of a crucial couple of tests for Wall Street

A fourth tier of credit cards has begun to emerge

Ford recalls more than 200,000 Bronco and Bronco Sports for instrument panel failure

Quarterly profit slide at Target hints at a challenging holiday season for the retailer

Oak Park Heights ‘Taco Bell Mom’ Brenda Foley marks 30 years

In a report delayed for more than seven weeks by the federal government shutdown, the Commerce Department said Wednesday that the the gap between what the United States buys from other countries and what it sells them fell to $59.6 billion in August, from $78.2 billion in July.

Imports of goods and services dropped 5% to $340.4 billion in August from July when U.S. companies were stocking up on foreign products before Trump finalized taxes on products from almost every country on earth. Those levies went into effect Aug. 7.

U.S. exports blipped up 0.1% in August to $280.8 billion.

Trump, charging that America’s persistent trade deficits mean that other countries have taken advantage of the U.S., has overturned decades of U.S. policy in favor of free trade, slapping double-digit tariffs on imports from most countries and targeting specific products, including steel, copper and autos, with their own levies.

Still, the U.S. trade deficit is up so far in 2025, coming in at $713.6 billion through August, up 25% from $571.1 billion in January-August 2024.

A drop in imports and the trade deficit is good for economic growth because foreign products are subtracted from the nation’s gross domestic product. GDP is the output of a nation’s goods and services.

“August’s smaller trade deficit will be a tailwind for third quarter real GDP, since it means that more U.S. expenditures were directed toward domestically-produced goods and services rather than foreign ones,” Bill Adams, chief economist at Comerica Bank, wrote in a commentary. “While this release is quite dated because of the government shutdown, it contributes to evidence that the economy was growing briskly in the third quarter.”

Tariffs, which Trump says will protect U.S. industries and lure factories to America, are paid by importers who typically attempt to pass along the higher cost to their customers. Economists say Trump’s tariffs are one reason U.S. inflation remains stubbornly above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.

After voters’ dissatisfaction with the high cost of living led to big Democratic gains in the Nov. 4 elections, the president relented and dropped tariffs last week on beef, coffee, tea, fruit juice, cocoa, spices, bananas, oranges, tomatoes and certain fertilizers, saying they “may, in some cases” have contributed to higher prices.

A worker arranges produce at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

His tariffs are also facing a legal challenge that has gone to the Supreme Court. In a Nov. 5, hearing, the justices sounded skeptical that the president had the authority to bypass Congress and slap unlimited tariffs on most imports simply by declaring a national emergency.

AP Writer Josh Boak contributed to this report.