International
Bongino announces FBI will release files on COVID cover up, Mar-a-Lago Raid and more
MxM News
Quick Hit:
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced that the bureau will begin releasing information on a number of controversial investigations long shielded from public view.
Key Details:
- Bongino said the FBI is clearing information on high-profile cases, including COVID, Crossfire Hurricane, and the Trump Mar-a-Lago raid.
- The bureau is actively working with the DOJ on releasing Epstein case details and cracking down on child sexual abuse content.
- Bongino dismissed media attacks on FBI Director Kash Patel as “verifiable lies” and accused the press of fabricating stories.
Diving Deeper:
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino disclosed on Saturday that the bureau will begin releasing information previously kept under tight wraps, including cases that many Americans believe were swept under the rug for political or institutional protection.
Bongino, a former NYPD officer, Secret Service agent, and outspoken conservative commentator, took to X to announce that his office has already started cooperating with Congress and the public by providing long-requested information. Among the cases he cited: the attempted assassination of Rep. Steve Scalise, the Nashville Christian school shooting, the Crossfire Hurricane probe, and the COVID-19 origins and cover-up.
“This isn’t business as usual anymore,” Bongino wrote. “We’re clearing information to Congress, and the public, as quickly as possible.”
One of the most politically explosive revelations relates to the FBI’s handling of the Mar-a-Lago raid, an unprecedented move to search the home of the sitting president’s top political opponent, President Donald Trump. Bongino’s announcement signals that internal communications and case files may soon be scrutinized by congressional investigators and the public alike.
Bongino also confirmed that the agency is working closely with the DOJ on the Epstein case, noting the overwhelming volume of child sexual abuse material that must be reviewed. He emphasized that protecting children remains a core mission of the FBI under his and Director Kash Patel’s leadership.
“Operation ‘Restoring Justice,’ where we locked up child predators and 764 subjects, in every part of the country, is just the beginning,” he wrote. “Think twice if you’ve targeted children, because you’re next.”
The deputy director didn’t hold back in pushing back against media reports that characterized Patel’s leadership as unserious or performative. “The media continue to entirely fabricate stories,” Bongino wrote, describing reports about Patel skipping briefings and attending sports events as “a verifiable lie.”
He defended Patel’s work ethic, noting that the FBI director routinely works 10–12 hour days and meets with top counter-terror officials and global law enforcement partners.
Quick Hit:
President Trump on Friday abruptly shut down trade negotiations with Canada and announced retaliatory tariffs over Ottawa’s new tax on U.S. tech firms. Calling the measure a “blatant attack” on America, Trump said he would unveil new tariffs within a week.
Key Details:
- Trump blasted Canada’s Digital Services Tax on Friday, saying it unfairly targets American tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Meta.
- In a Truth Social post, Trump said the U.S. is “terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada” and would announce a new tariff schedule in the coming days.
- Canadian officials confirmed the tax will be enforced starting Monday, retroactive to 2022, despite strong U.S. opposition.
Diving Deeper:
President Donald Trump on Friday pulled the plug on trade talks with Canada and said tariffs on Canadian exports are imminent in response to the country’s new Digital Services Tax (DST), which targets major American technology companies.
“We have just been informed that Canada… has just announced that they are putting a Digital Services Tax on our American Technology Companies, which is a direct and blatant attack on our Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The president described Canada as a “very difficult country to trade with,” referencing longstanding frustrations over high tariffs on American agricultural goods—especially dairy.
The move comes just days after Trump returned from the NATO summit, where Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was also in attendance. Trump accused Canada of mimicking the European Union, which is engaged in similar disputes with Washington over taxing U.S.-based tech firms.
Citing the tax as unacceptable, Trump declared that “ALL discussions on Trade with Canada” were terminated immediately. “We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period,” he added.
The Canadian DST, which was passed last year, applies retroactively to 2022 and is scheduled to begin collecting payments Monday. The measure is designed to cover revenues generated by digital services operating in Canada, affecting both Canadian and foreign firms—chiefly U.S.-based tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Meta.
Canadian leaders signaled earlier this month they would not suspend the tax despite U.S. pressure, further escalating trade tensions. Prime Minister Carney, in a statement issued after Trump’s announcement, indicated Canada would remain at the negotiating table. “We’ll continue to conduct these complex negotiations in the best interest of Canadians,” Carney said, according to POLITICO.
Under current U.S. trade policy, goods covered by the USMCA are shielded from tariffs. But products failing to meet those guidelines could face steep penalties—25 percent under the April 2 “Liberation Day” reciprocal tariffs, with some Canadian energy and potash exports already subject to a 10 percent levy.
Trump’s response marks the most significant disruption in U.S.-Canada trade relations since his earlier standoff with former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Talks had shown signs of progress in recent months, but the Canadian DST appears to have ended that detente.
From LifeSiteNews
Donald Trump made the announcement Friday, citing frustration with Canadian tariffs on U.S. dairy products and its newly-enacted digital services tax.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday an immediate halt to trade negotiations with Canada, citing frustration with Canadian tariffs on U.S. dairy products and its newly-enacted digital services tax.
Starting June 28, Canada’s digital services tax imposes a 3 percent tax on revenue from “[c]ertain digital services that rely on engagement, data, and content contributions of Canadian users” and “[c]ertain sales or licensing of Canadian user data.”
The Albany Times Union notes that the tax would apply to companies such as Amazon, Google, Meta, Uber, and Airbnb, but most critically from an American perspective “will apply retroactively, leaving U.S. companies with a $2 billion U.S. bill due at the end of the month.”
On Friday afternoon, Trump took to Truth Social to declare, “We have just been informed that Canada, a very difficult Country to TRADE with, including the fact that they have charged our Farmers as much as 400% Tariffs, for years, on Dairy Products, has just announced that they are putting a Digital Services Tax on our American Technology Companies, which is a direct and blatant attack on our Country.”
“They are obviously copying the European Union, which has done the same thing, and is currently under discussion with us, also,” the president continued. “Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately. We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
🚨 HUGE: Trump announces IMMEDIATE END to trade negotiations with Canada’s. Tariffs to be announced within 7 days.
📸 Screenshot says it all 👇 pic.twitter.com/v0SefdB2MM— John-Henry Westen (@JhWesten) June 27, 2025
The United States currently imposes a 25 percent tariff on goods deemed not compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the trade agreement Trump negotiated in his first term to replace NAFTA; a 10 percent tariff on USMCA non-compliant energy products; and a 10 percent tariff on USMCA non-compliant potash.
Politico reports that Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had previously set a July 16 deadline for a new trade agreement, under which it was hoped that existing tariffs would be lifted. Instead, onlookers are now bracing to see what new tariff rates will be.
The tariffs on Canada are part of the Trump administration’s broader series of varying tariffs on most other nations (which have been adjusted, lifted, and delayed at various points over the past several months). Supporters say the trade war is necessary to make international trade fairer and spur a return of domestic manufacturing; opponents argue they increase costs on American consumers and small businesses.
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