Friday morning news: August 19, 2022

Hearing on FBI affidavit » A federal judge may soon unseal the FBI affidavit supporting the search warrant for Donald Trump’s home, but likely not all of it.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart is giving the Justice Department one week to show him which parts of the document it wants to have blacked out.

The search warrant in the case is already unsealed.

But Cedarville University Law Professor Marc Clauson says the affidavit is much more specific.

CLAUSON: It deals with actual legal theories, may list witnesses, and in more detail what they think they found or want to find, and who told them.

The Justice Department has argued that the affidavit contains highly classified information and that unsealing it would damage its investigation.

But the judge will consider keeping at least the most sensitive parts of the document under wraps. Reinhart said he’ll review the Justice Department’s proposed redactions next week.

Republicans and several newsgroups have asked the court to unseal the affidavit to determine if the raid of Trump’s estate was justified.

Trump associate pleads guilty to tax evasion, agrees to testify » Meantime, the Chief Financial Officer of Donald Trump’s family business has struck a plea deal, agreeing to testify against the company. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports.

AUDIO: Mr. Weisselberg, how do you feel, sir? Are you going to testify against Trump?

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: Reporters shouted questions as Allen Weisselberg exited a New York courthouse Thursday.

That after he pleaded guilty to tax evasion, receiving a 5-month jail sentence.

He admitted to accepting nearly $2 million worth of untaxed perks.

Weisselberg did not agree to testify against Donald Trump personally.

The former president has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing in this matter.

New York’s attorney general alleges Trump’s company has broken numerous laws. The organization denies that.

And Donald Trump insists the probe is politically motivated.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Russia attack in Ukraine » In Ukraine, at least 12 people were killed when Russian missiles struck an apartment building in Kharkiv.

Russia's military claimed that it struck a base for foreign mercenaries in Kharkiv.

But Ukrainian officials say all of the dead were civilians, many of them “elderly and disabled,” and that there “is no military facility near the destroyed building,”

Nuclear plant latest »And world leaders continue to sound alarms about the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, which experts warn has been battered by war.

ERDOGAN: [Speaking in Turkish]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Thursday that Zaporizhzhia could be the ‘new Chernobyl.’

And U.S. State Department Spokesman Ned Price said America’s position is clear:

PRICE: The United States condemns in the strongest terms Russia’s reckless disregard for nuclear safety and security.

Russia now controls the plant and says it can shut down the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Ukraine says that would just increase the risk of a nuclear disaster.

Ukrainian officials say they’d welcome a UN visit to the plant. The Kremlin has yet to say if it agrees.

U.S. announces trade talks with Taiwan » AUDIO: [Taiwan defense drills]

The Taiwanese military conducted missile drills Thursday, just as the U.S. government announced it will hold new trade talks with the island.

Taiwan is the ninth-largest U.S. trading partner. And China’s not happy about that, as it considers Taiwan its territory and wants to bring it under Beijing’s control.

China recently blocked imports of Taiwan’s citrus and other food in retaliation for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Aug. 2 visit.

The White House said the trade deal would deepen ties with Taiwan. But the U.S. still has no formal diplomatic relations with the Taiwanese government.

Jobless / housing numbers » The Labor Department is reporting a slight dip in new jobless claims. WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown has that story.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, REPORTER: Applications for benefits last week fell by 2,000 from the previous week to about a quarter-of-a-million total.

Last week's number raised some eyebrows, but the Labor Dept. also revised that number down by 10,000.

Meanwhile, the housing market is slowing down, even as interest rates have dipped.

The Commerce Department said the month of June saw the slowest rate of new home sales since 2020. That despite mortgage rates dropping eight-tenths of a percent.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

I’m Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org.

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