Here's a news article synthesizing the provided information:
Trump Sues IRS for $10 Billion Over Tax Data Leak
Former President Donald Trump sued the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on Thursday, demanding $10 billion in damages for the unauthorized leak of his tax returns during his first term, according to the New York Times. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Florida, alleges that the IRS and the Treasury Department failed to prevent a former IRS contractor, Charles Littlejohn, from accessing and leaking Trump's tax documents.
Trump, along with his two eldest sons and his family business, are plaintiffs in the suit. The leaked tax documents were reportedly shared with The New York Times. Littlejohn is currently serving a five-year prison sentence for taking tax documents related to Trump and other wealthy Americans and providing them to news outlets, the NY Times reported. The lawsuit contends that the IRS failed in its duty to protect confidential tax information.
In other news, the Trump administration suggested it is planning to "draw down" federal forces in Minneapolis if there is cooperation from officials, after the fatal shootings of two US citizens in the state, according to the BBC. At a press conference in Minneapolis, White House Border Tsar Tom Homan vowed to continue the immigration enforcement operation, but added he wants "common sense cooperation that allows us to draw down on the number of people we have here." "We are not surrendering our mission at all. We're just doing it smarter," Homan said, according to the BBC. The deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti have ignited local protests and public outcry.
Meanwhile, the European Union added Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to its terrorist list in response to Tehran's crackdown on protesters in recent weeks, the BBC reported. "Repression cannot go unanswered," the bloc's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said, adding the move would put the IRGC - a major military, economic and political force in Iran - on the same level as jihadists like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, according to the BBC. Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, called the EU decision a "stunt" and a "major strategic mistake." Human rights groups estimate thousands of protesters were killed by security forces, including the IRGC, during weeks of unrest in December and January, the BBC reported.
In New York, a man was arrested for allegedly impersonating an FBI agent in an attempt to free Luigi Mangione, who is accused of fatally shooting the CEO of United Healthcare in 2024, according to the BBC. Mark Anderson, 36, allegedly went to the New York jail where Mangione is being held and claimed to be an FBI agent with paperwork "signed by a judge" to release Mangione, the BBC reported. Anderson appeared before a judge on Thursday but has not entered a plea.
In Germany, a farm is giving away millions of potatoes after a bumper harvest, the BBC reported. Thousands of potatoes have been distributed in Berlin since mid-January as part of "the great potato rescue," an effort to prevent approximately 4 million kg (8.8 million lb) of surplus potatoes from going to waste, according to the BBC. Food banks, schools, and churches are among the beneficiaries. However, the Brandenburg Farmers' Association criticized the initiative as a "disgusting PR stunt," lamenting its impact on local markets, the BBC reported.
Discussion
Join the conversation
Be the first to comment