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Could Iran attack on U.S. soil?

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/experts-break-down-iran-threats-to-us/

Senate Democrats again blocked Republicans’ attempt to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as background negotiations appear to have fizzled out.

It came just minutes after Kristi Noem, the former South Dakota congresswoman and governor who led President Donald Trump’s DHS in his second term, was ousted from her position on Wednesday.

The agency has been shuttered for nearly three weeks, and Democrats’ latest rejection of a full-year funding bill likely ensures that the closure extends into a fourth week.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus remained dug in on their position that unless the White House caters to their list of reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), they wouldn’t play ball.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats again blocked a bid by Republicans to fund the Department of Homeland Security.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“It’s very easy for them to get all of this funded — simply agree to our common-sense proposals on ICE and Border Patrol,” Schumer said before the vote. “These are proposals. What we’ve asked for is what every police force does in terms of our negotiations. Look, we’re still far apart, but we’re still negotiating and exchanging paper back and forth.”

The vote came moments after Trump announced he would nominate Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to replace Noem as the new DHS chief, following reports that Trump was “furious” with her performance in bicameral Judiciary Committee hearings this week.

[TRUMP SAYS ‘LOSERS’ SCHUMER, DEMS WOULD HAVE CRITICIZED ANY DECISION HE MADE ON IRAN]

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President Donald Trump speaks about Iran before a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House, March 2, 2026, in Washington.(Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

Meanwhile, Trump’s Operation Epic Fury has taken center stage in the upper chamber, with a Democratic push to rein in his war authorities in the Middle East hitting a red wall of Republican resistance on Wednesday.

And as the strikes continue, it has spurred calls from Senate Republicans to fund the agency as concerns over retaliation on American soil increase.

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“Look, I’m not going to vote to fund Ice and let them detain, brutalize, shoot, or kill more American citizens just because Donald Trump started an unconstitutional war that no one asked for,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said.

The House is expected to vote on a slightly modified version of the DHS funding bill later in the day, which is expected to pass in the lower chamber. Even if it does, given the current political standoff, it would likely go nowhere in the Senate.

[DHS FUNDING BILL FAILS AFTER SCHUMER REJECTS TRUMP’S ICE REFORM OFFER]

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued that Democrats were continuing their push to keep DHS closed because it was “politically advantageous.”(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

The last offer made public by either side came last Friday, when the White House sent congressional Democrats what officials called a “serious” counter-proposal. While it appeared that progress was being made after a week of silence, Schumer and Democrats still weren’t satisfied.

A frustrated Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., noted that Democrats had “rebuffed” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., whom he anointed to run point for the GOP in negotiations, after repeated attempts to reach out to their counterparts.

He also charged that it appeared the decision to ignore Britt and Republicans was coming from Schumer.

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“I would say, beyond not engaging, they are just flat rejecting any chance to sit down and actually talk about it,” Thune said. “And that seems to be coming from the top.”

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“I think they see this as [politically advantageous] to them, but this is a posture they’ve adopted which has become increasingly clear — it is just a flat-out unwillingness to try and solve this problem or fund the department,” he continued. “At some point, something bad is going to happen.”

Related Article

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[Operation Epic Fury survives Senate challenge as Republicans close ranks behind Trump]

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

Read Trump’s statement on Truth Social about Noem being replaced as DHS secretary | CNN Politics

By Sara Anwar, CNN
Updated 2:38 PM EST, Thu March 5, 2026

President Donald Trump said Thursday on social media he was pushing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem out of her position and would nominate Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace her.

FIRST ON FOX: As U.S. and Israeli military pressure on Iran intensifies, and President Donald Trump signals support for Kurdish forces, Kurdish opposition groups along the country’s western frontier tell Fox News Digital they are watching closely for an opportunity to strike back against the Islamic Republic, which they have fought for decades.

Kako Aliyar, a member of the leadership committee of the Kurdish opposition party Komala, told Fox News Digital from an undisclosed location in Iraq that the Kurdish movements are ready to act if conditions allow.

“Kurds have been waiting for a moment to do something,” Aliyar said. “We believe that those moments are not far from us.”

But Aliyar said Kurdish forces cannot yet move against the regime because Iran still retains the ability to launch missile and drone attacks, which opposition fighters would struggle to defend against.

Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq Feb. 12, 2026.(Thaier Al-Sudani/ Reuters)

Aliyar said Iranian forces continue to target Kurdish opposition bases across the border in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

Trump signaled support for Kurdish fighters launching an offensive against Iran, saying in a telephone interview with Reuters Thursday that he would back such a move.

“I think it’s wonderful that they want to do that — I’d be all for it,” Trump said.

Asked whether the United States would provide air cover for a Kurdish offensive, Trump declined to elaborate.

“I can’t tell you that,” he said.

Aliyar said Kurdish groups remain under pressure from Iran and continue to face attacks on their bases across the border in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

“Our camps, the Kurdish political parties, are still under attack by the Iranian regime, and we can’t go into detail,” he said.

Still, he indicated that if the opportunity arises, Kurdish fighters would attempt to return to Iranian territory.

“If we get an opportunity to go back to our own country, we will use it,” he said.

Kurdish opposition signals unity

The comments come as Iranian Kurdish opposition groups attempt to present a united front against Iran.

In February, several factions formed the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan, bringing together parties including Komala, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), PJAK and the Kurdistan Freedom Party.

Aliyar said the coalition is still organizing itself but carries an important political message.

“Politically, it’s a huge message for the Kurdish people inside the country and the international community that Kurds are united,” he said. “We are working together, and we are trying to reach our goals together.”

Kurdish groups have long fought the Iranian government. Armed clashes between Kurdish militants and Iranian forces date back to the years following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when Kurdish factions sought autonomy and were violently suppressed by Tehran.

Today, many Kurdish opposition groups operate from neighboring Iraqi Kurdistan, where they maintain political offices and limited military forces.

[NETANYAHU INSISTS US AND ISRAEL’S STRIKES ON IRAN WON’T LEAD TO ‘ENDLESS WAR’]

A general view of Tehran, Iran, with smoke visible in the distance after explosions were reported in the city, March 2, 2026.(Contributor/Getty Images)

Waiting for Iran’s military capabilities to weaken

Aliyar suggested Kurdish forces would only be able to move if Iran’s military capabilities are significantly degraded.

“I believe those missile and drone abilities have to be more weakened or totally removed because we are not able to defend ourselves against them,” he said.

Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones remains one of the regime’s strongest deterrents against internal or external challengers.

“They can still launch missiles and they can still kill people,” Aliyar said.

If those capabilities were reduced, he believes Kurdish forces could attempt to exploit the moment.

“I think everyone has the capacity to do so because Kurdish political parties have huge legitimacy among the people,” he said. “People support them, people support us.”

However, Aliyar cautioned that no one can predict how events will unfold.

“When a war starts, you are trying to find a way to use it in your best way, but you cannot predict what happens tomorrow,” he said.

Kurdish resistance rooted in decades of struggle

Kurds in Iran represent one of the country’s largest ethnic minorities and have historically maintained organized opposition movements.

Kurdish parties developed armed wings and political networks decades ago, giving them a level of organizational structure that many other Iranian opposition movements lack.

Jino Victoria Doabi, an international political analyst focused on Iran and Kurdistan, told Fox News Digital, “Kurds inside Iran have their own history and tradition of struggle and resistance with political parties and armed forces.”

Doabi said Kurdish forces are unlikely to move without clear backing from Washington.

[TRUMP TELLS IRANIANS THE ‘HOUR OF YOUR FREEDOM IS AT HAND’ AS US-ISRAEL LAUNCH STRIKES AGAINST]

[IRAN]

Bombing occurs in Iran on Feb. 28, 2026.(Fatemeh Bahrami/Getty Images)

“For that to happen, they need assurance from America, both politically but also security-wise,” Doabi said.

“Kurds have learned that they cannot just do it for the good cause anymore, because that’s going to cause civilians a lot of pain and destruction and killings.”

Discussions about the idea of Kurdish involvement may have been underway long before the recent escalation, according to Doabi.

“I don’t think this has happened overnight,” she said. “I think this has been discussed for a long time.”

Regional complications

Despite the growing attention on Kurdish groups, Aliyar emphasized that Iraqi Kurdish authorities are not directly involved in any potential campaign.

“Iraqi Kurds are not part of it,” he said. “I am not Iraqi, so I cannot comment on that.”

Analysts say Kurdish insurgents alone are unlikely to topple the Iranian regime. But if internal unrest spreads and Kurdish forces coordinate with broader opposition movements, Iran’s western frontier could become a serious pressure point for Iran.

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A person holds an image of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Iranian demonstrators protest against the U.S.-Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Feb. 28, 2026.(Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters)

For Aliyar and other Kurdish leaders, however, the goal remains clear after decades of opposition to the Islamic Republic.

“We have had this desire for 47 years,” he said. “If we get an opportunity, we will use it.”

Related Article

[If Khamenei falls, who takes Iran? Strikes will expose power vacuum — and the IRGC’s grip]

Efrat Lachter is a foreign correspondent for Fox News Digital covering international affairs and the United Nations. Follow her on X @efratlachter. Stories can be sent to efrat.lachter@fox.com.

FBI investigating ‘suspicious’ cyber activities on critical surveillance network

2026-03-05 / CNN

[Paula Reid], [Sean Lyngaas], [Evan Perez], [Katelyn Polantz]
1 hr 46 min ago

PUBLISHED Mar 5, 2026, 1:17 PM ET

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The logo of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is seen at the Los Angeles Federal Building on June 4, 2025.

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The FBI has identified a suspected cybersecurity incident on a sensitive network used to manage wiretaps and intelligence surveillance warrants, and officials are working to determine the seriousness of the incident, according to an FBI statement and a source familiar with the investigation.

“The FBI identified and addressed suspicious activities on FBI networks, and we have leveraged all technical capabilities to respond,” the bureau said in a statement to CNN on Thursday, declining to elaborate.

A source familiar with the investigation told CNN the cybersecurity incident is related to a digital system the bureau uses to manage wiretapping and foreign intelligence surveillance warrants as part of investigations.

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The recently discovered cybersecurity incident has prompted senior officials at the FBI and Justice Department focused on civil liberties and national security to respond, the source said.

Like other major federal agencies and corporations, the FBI is a regular target of hackers seeking sensitive information held by the bureau. But breaches to the bureau’s systems are rarely disclosed.

It’s not clear whether the latest “suspicious activity” uncovered by the FBI is connected to the serious Salt Typhoon breach attributed to Chinese intelligence that affected a variety of US government networks. Suspected Chinese hackers are believed to have infiltrated private sector communications providers and targeted national security networks, [CNN reported] in 2024.

The recent possible breach comes amid what some current and former officials say has been a diminishing of the FBI’s cybersecurity response capabilities, with FBI Director Kash Patel pushing out some of the senior officials overseeing the information technology operations and experts overseeing the FBI’s handling of the Salt Typhoon response.

The increased turnover in FBI ranks, and wider upheaval at the FBI in the past year, has added to challenges the US faces in thwarting foreign cyberattacks, the current and former officials say.

CNN [reported] on a separate breach in 2023 that targeted affected a computer system in the New York FBI field office used in investigations of images of child sexual exploitation, including a system used to store images from the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, according to people briefed on the matter.

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Twenty-four US states file lawsuit to stop Trump’s latest global tariffs

March 5, 2026 5:38 PM UTC / Reuters

By Dietrich Knauth

March 5 (Reuters) – A group of 24 U.S. states sued President Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday in the first legal challenge to his newly imposed 10% global tariffs, alleging that the president cannot sidestep a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that invalidated most of his previous tariffs on imported goods by citing new legal authority.

The Democratic-led states, including New York, California and Oregon, argue the new tariffs, which Trump announced immediately after the high court ruling on February 20, are also illegal. The tariffs were imposed for 150 days under the Trade Act of 1974, which is meant to address short-term monetary emergencies, not routine trade deficits that arise when a wealthy nation like the United States imports more than it exports, according to the states’ lawsuit filed in the New York-based U.S. Court of International Trade.

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Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said during a press conference that Trump’s latest tariffs are an attempted “end run” around working with Congress, as the U.S. Constitution requires.

“Make no mistake about it, President Trump’s signature economic policy is historically unpopular and is costing Americans, our business, and us as states hundreds of billions of dollars,” Rayfield said. “It cannot continue just because a few of Trump’s lawyers have found a way to twist words and craft a legal argument.”

White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement that the administration will vigorously defend the president’s action in court.

“The President is using his authority granted by Congress to address fundamental international payments problems and to deal with our country’s large and serious balance-of-payments deficits,” Desai said.

Trump’s February 20 executive order imposed a 10% tariff on imports, but U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that those rates would likely rise to 15% later this week.

CENTRAL PILLAR

Trump has made tariffs a central pillar of his foreign policy in his second term, claiming sweeping authority to issue tariffs without input from Congress. But the Supreme Court on February 20 handed Trump a stinging defeat when it struck down a huge swath of tariffs he had imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, ruling that the law did not give him the power he claimed.

Trump responded by criticizing the justices who ruled against him and announcing new duties under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a law that – like IEEPA – had never before been used to impose tariffs in the U.S. Trump has also imposed other tariffs, on imports like autos, steel and aluminum, under more traditional legal authority. Those tariffs are safer from legal challenges.

Section 122 authority allows the president to impose duties of up to 15% for up to 150 days on any and all countries to address “large and serious” balance of payments issues. It does not require investigations or impose other procedural limits. After 150 days, Congress would need to approve their extension.

The balance-of-payments deficit measures in the Trade Act are primarily meant to address “archaic” monetary risks that existed when foreign governments could trade in their dollars for gold held by the U.S., according to the states. Trump, however, has misapplied that standard in an attempt to instead address U.S. “trade deficits,” which occur when a nation imports more than it exports, according to the states.

The states that filed the lawsuit include 22 states with Democratic attorneys general and two, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, with Democratic governors and Republican attorneys general. They are asking the court to issue an order that would block the new tariffs and order any tariff payments already made under Section 122 authority to be refunded.

Meanwhile, the court is grappling with about 2,000 lawsuits from businesses seeking refunds for more than $130 billion in IEEPA tariff payments made by importers before the Supreme Court’s February ruling. On Wednesday, the court ordered U.S. Customs to begin processing tariff refunds.

Reporting by Dietrich Knauth in New York, Nate Raymond in Boston, Jan Wolfe in Washington, D.C., Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Diane Craft

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

FBI confirms its networks were targeted by “suspicious” cyber activities

Updated on: March 5, 2026 / 1:09 PM EST / CBS News

The FBI on Thursday confirmed its networks were targeted by “suspicious” activities, without providing further details.

“The FBI identified and addressed suspicious activities on FBI networks, and we have leveraged all technical capabilities to respond. We have nothing additional to provide,” the bureau said in a statement.

The networks that were targeted in the cyber incident are known as the “digital collection system,” according to sources with knowledge of the matter.

Documents obtained by a Freedom of Information Act by the Electronic Frontier Foundation decades ago described the FBI’s “Digital Collection Systems Network” as a suite of software that is used by the bureau to conduct a wide range of surveillance activities, from wiretaps to pen registers, which are surveillance tools that record phone numbers, IP addresses, signaling and other information, in real time.

CBS News could not ascertain additional details, including when the incident occurred, who was behind it or whether any information was compromised.

In 2024, state-sponsored hackers from China known as “Salt Typhoon” launched cyber assaults against commercial telecommunications companies.

The group hit numerous major U.S. companies, including Verizon, AT&T, and Lumen Technologies, and that they also breached systems used by U.S. intelligence to conduct wiretaps, CBS News previously reported.

That same group was also responsible for trying to tap into phones or networks used by then-former President Donald Trump, Sen. JD Vance and members of former Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, CBS reported at the time.

GOP Sen. Steve Daines’ last-minute withdrawal from Senate race was meant to block Democrats from fielding a top-tier recruit

2026-03-05T17:56:11.320Z / CNN Politics

GOP Sen. Steve Daines made the last-minute decision to abruptly pull out of his Senate race to prevent Democrats from fielding a top recruit for the open Montana seat, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Daines was aware that if he withdrew too soon then Democrats would have a chance at fielding one of several potential Democrats — namely former Sen. Jon Tester or former Govs. Brian Schweitzer or Steve Bullock. Any of those Democrats could have put the state on the map in the midterms and likely have sucked up enormous cash, as Democrats have done in red states like Alaska and Ohio, scrambling the race for the majority in the fall.

Instead, Daines withdrew from the race minutes before the Wednesday evening filing deadline. Kurt Alme, who was US attorney in Montana, filed to run eight minutes before the deadline. With the deadline closed, no top-tier Democrat can now jump in the race.

While Daines taped a video recently in Montana explaining his decision not to run, he didn’t know until after Alme resigned as US attorney Wednesday afternoon that he planned to run for the seat, the sources said. Daines planned to run for a third term if Alme had passed on a bid, according to the sources.

President Donald Trump was aware of the internal deliberations, as were Senate GOP leaders, and the president issued a Truth Social post praising Daines and endorsing Alme minutes after the filing deadline closed.

Trump said on social media that Daines had decided to “pass the torch” to Alme.

Democrats sharply criticized Daines and the GOP for engineering a move to anoint a successor and deny voters a chance to consider from an array of candidates, including in the primary. But it resembles a similar move made last year by Democratic Rep. Chuy Garcia in Illinois.

The timing of the announcement quickly drew criticism from another candidate in the race, independent Seth Bodnar, who said in a statement that Daines “has so little respect for Montana Republicans that he withdrew at the last minute to coronate his handpicked successor instead of giving them a voice at the ballot box.”

CNN reached out to Daines’ office for comment.

Mike Lee unveils national constitutional carry bill to override ‘hostile’ state gun laws

Sen Mike Lee’s bill would end fees, criminal penalties for eligible Americans carrying firearms in public

By Alex Miller
Fox News

Published March 5, 2026 1:09pm EST

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is pushing nationwide constitutional carry for firearms, a move that would eliminate concealed carry permits, fees and criminal penalties for people who want to carry a firearm in public.

Lee’s National Constitutional Carry Act, first obtained by Fox News Digital, would eliminate several hurdles Americans face with concealed carry across the country.

“The Founders established a national right to keep and bear arms, not to ask for permission from hostile local officials or risk imprisonment for crossing the wrong state line,” Lee said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Many states already protect the right to carry without a permit, and it’s time to reaffirm this right for all law-abiding Americans,” he continued. “The National Constitutional Carry Act will establish nationwide permitless carry to keep America safe and her people free.”

Currently, 29 states allow some form of constitutional carry, meaning residents can carry a concealed firearm without a permit.

Lee’s legislation, which he plans to introduce Thursday, would eliminate concealed carry permit requirements nationwide for eligible U.S. citizens — those already legally allowed to own a firearm.

US APPEALS COURT STRIKES DOWN CALIFORNIA’S OPEN-CARRY BAN IN MAJOR SECOND AMENDMENT RULING

It would also prohibit state and local governments from requiring licenses that impose fees or other conditions on public carry and would bar states from criminalizing public carry for eligible citizens.

The bill would, however, preserve private property rights that prohibit firearms, maintain bans in security-screened locations such as government buildings and ensure that individuals who are not legally allowed to own a firearm would remain prohibited from carrying one.

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The legislation was previously introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in the House in 2024 but did not become law.

SUPREME COURT CASE COULD RESTORE GUN RIGHTS FOR MILLIONS IN BLUE STATES: AG BONDI

Lee’s bill has the backing of the National Association for Gun Rights and Gun Owners of America.

The National Association for Gun Rights lauded the bill as “the only legislation that will restore the right of all law-abiding Americans to carry a firearm in every state without having to beg for government permission.”

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Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America, said, “In a time of war, Americans cannot afford to have the right to bear arms delayed by arbitrary state permitting processes,” referencing the conflict involving Iran.

“Public safety is threatened not only by ordinary criminals but also by bad actors working for foreign adversaries, and Americans need to be armed for the security of our free state,” Pratt said.

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

Tech investors sue Trump administration, accusing it of violating TikTok ban

March 5, 2026 / 12:56 PM EST / CBS News

By

Scott MacFarlane Justice Correspondent
Scott MacFarlane is CBS News’ Justice correspondent. He has covered Washington for two decades, earning 20 Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards. His reporting has resulted directly in the passage of five new laws.

[Read Full Bio]

A pair of tech investors, with the legal backing of a former Justice Department prosecutor, have filed a civil lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of failing to enforce a law that required TikTok to either separate from its China-based owner or face a ban in the United States.

The 33-page lawsuit, which was filed Thursday in the Washington, D.C., Circuit Court of Appeals, asked the court to declare that the administration’s multiple extensions to forestall the shutdown of TikTok last year were unlawful. President Trump instead opted multiple times to grant extensions. It also argues a deal that was cut earlier this year for new investors to take over TikTok’s U.S. operations did not comply with the law.

The plaintiffs are ZhaoCheng Tan and Garrett Reid, who are investors in Google parent company Alphabet Inc. and Facebook parent Meta Platforms, respectively.

They argue in their lawsuit: “Such relentless violation of the law has harmed petitioners, who have invested in companies that compete with TikTok’s American operations. When the illegal sale was announced, petitioners suffered financially. By sanctioning an unlawful deal, the government has created a legal impediment to petitioners’ financial recovery.”

Brendan Ballou, a Justice Department prosecutor who is handling the lawsuit against the department, told CBS News his clients have “experienced a direct and very real financial harm.”

The law, which was unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court, made it unlawful for app stores to offer updates or new downloads after the Jan. 19, 2025, deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest from TikTok. But while negotiations to divest TikTok took place, Mr. Trump issued a series of executive orders every few months directing the Justice Department not to penalize the tech companies who host TikTok on their platforms, keeping the app widely available.

The law only allowed the president to grant a single 90-day extension if there was “evidence of significant progress” toward a deal that complied with the legislation.

A year after the deadline, TikTok announced in January 2026 a new U.S.-based entity had been formed to take over the app’s operations for American users. The joint venture was made up mostly of investors based in the United States, with ByteDance retaining 19.9% of the company, just below the 20% cap allowed under the law.

In their lawsuit, Tan and Reid argue the deal “facially violated the TikTok Law.”

“First, under the deal, TikTok U.S. would not own the app’s recommendation algorithm,” the plaintiffs wrote. “Rather, ByteDance would continue to own the algorithm, which it would license to TikTok U.S. In turn, TikTok U.S. would simply ‘retrain, test, and update’ the algorithm on user data stored in the United States.”

The law requires TikTok U.S. to have no “operational relationship” with ByteDance, including cooperation on the content recommendation algorithm.

The suit also argued “the deal the President approved rewarded allies.” The suit said some of the investors in the new deal include firms or executives who “have close ties to the President, and have at times personally enriched him.”

Those investors include Oracle, which was founded by billionaire Larry Ellison, whom Mr. Trump has described in the past as a “friend.” The lawsuit pointed to reports that a “$100,000-per-person” Trump fundraiser was hosted at Ellison’s home in 2020. (Larry Ellison’s son, David Ellison, is the chairman & CEO of Paramount Skydance, which is the parent company of CBS News. The Ellison Family owns a controlling interest in Paramount Skydance.)

It also mentions TikTok investors Susquehanna International Group and General Atlantic, whose leaders have donated to pro-Trump super PACs. And it points to Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX, which struck a deal last year that involved buying $2 billion worth of a cryptocurrency issued by a Trump family-affiliated company.

Ballou, the lead attorney in the case, now serves on the Washington, D.C.-based Public Integrity Project. The organization’s home page said it seeks to raise “the cost of corruption in America by suing the people, companies, and countries that seek to bribe government officials, as well as the government officials who seek to be bribed.”

The Department of Justice said they had no further comment. Oracle declined to comment to CBS News. Susquehanna, MGX, General Atlantic and TikTok did not respond to CBS News’ request for comment.