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John Bolton’s day in court

10 3
17.10.2025

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Happy Friday! What a perfect weekend coming up to do all the fall activities. My sourdough journey is in full force, so I’m planning to bake several loaves.

In today's issue:

• Trump foe John Bolton pleads not guilty

• Zelensky’s next Trump one-on-one

• Who signed the Pentagon restrictions

• Smucker sues Trader Joe’s

• Thousands expected at ‘No Kings’ protests

🏛️ NEWS THIS MORNING

John Bolton’s day in court:

Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton, right, arrives for his arraignment at the Greenbelt Federal Courthouse in Greenbelt, Md., Oct. 17, 2025. (Rod Lamkey Jr., Associated Press)

Former national security adviser John Bolton made his first court appearance this morning after officially becoming the third political foe of President Trump to face federal charges. Bolton has pleaded not guilty.

What we know: Bolton was indicted on Thursday for illegally sharing and storing classified information. Federal prosecutors say Bolton sent more than a thousand pages of “diary-like entries” containing top secret information to two relatives outlining his day-to-day as national security adviser during Trump’s first term. Prosecutors also say he retained documents related to national security.

This case began under the Biden administration and is seen as having key differences from other recent cases targeting Trump foes that have drawn significant scrutiny, including the amount of alleged evidence involved and the fact that career prosecutors are the ones bringing this case.

Bolton’s charges: Bolton faces 18 charges — eight counts of transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of retaining national defense information. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Read more: 5 takeaways of Bolton’s indictment

Did we know this was coming?: It’s not a surprise. The FBI raided Bolton’s home in August.

How does this compare to the classified documents case against Trump?: There are a lot of similarities in the charges. However, only Trump was charged with obstruction and only Bolton has faced transmission charges.

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