US withdraws subpoenas targeting three New York Times reporters

The U.S. government has withdrawn subpoenas that would have forced three New York Times reporters to testify about their sources for stories involving Donald Trump’s Qatargifted aircraft. The move came after a federal judge criticized government lawyers for poor legal handling and said subpoenas against journalists should be used only as a last resort. The judge signaled he would likely have rejected the requests anyway because the government had not shown it exhausted other investigative options. The case was part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to pursue leaks and challenge reporting it disputes. The newspaper had also challenged related demands for phone records, arguing that the requests were too broad and appeared aimed at identifying source relationships rather than narrowly advancing an investigation.