{
  "title": "Search: surveillance and subpoenas, head of government Donald Trump",
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      "slug": "2026-cbp-seizes-grayzone-editor-phones-airport",
      "title": "Customs officers seize Grayzone editor's phones at Virginia airport over Iran reporting",
      "occurred_on": "2026-07-10",
      "occurred_on_precision": "day",
      "country": "US",
      "country_name": "United States",
      "continent": "north-america",
      "jurisdiction": "US-VA",
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      "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas",
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      "leader_slug": "donald-trump",
      "leader_name": "Donald Trump",
      "issue_of_the_day": "Blumenthal had traveled to and reported from Iran, a country CBP's own cited policy treats as grounds for additional scrutiny of travelers who have worked in or visited it.",
      "outcome": "reversed",
      "outcome_on": "2026-07-17",
      "outcome_note": "Customs returned Blumenthal's phones after he sued; litigation continued into discovery over possible data extraction.",
      "stage": "punish",
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      "rsf": {
        "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index",
        "year": 2026,
        "rank": 64,
        "of": 180,
        "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180",
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      "era": "2020s",
      "granularity": "granular",
      "status": "reversed",
      "case_count": 0,
      "summary": "U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped Grayzone editor Max Blumenthal at Washington Dulles Airport, questioned him about his reporting trips to Iran, and seized both of his phones without his consent; the phones were returned a week later after he sued.",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-cbp-seizes-grayzone-editor-phones-airport"
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    {
      "slug": "2025-doj-rescinds-media-subpoena-guidelines",
      "title": "United States: Department of Justice rescission of rules limiting subpoenas of journalists, April 2025",
      "occurred_on": "2025-04-25",
      "occurred_on_precision": "day",
      "country": "US",
      "country_name": "United States",
      "continent": "north-america",
      "jurisdiction": "US",
      "level": "national",
      "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas",
      "tactics": [
        "surveillance_and_subpoenas"
      ],
      "leader_slug": "donald-trump",
      "leader_name": "Donald Trump",
      "issue_of_the_day": null,
      "outcome": "sustained",
      "outcome_on": "2025-04-25",
      "outcome_note": "In effect since 2025-04-25; the sources cited report no restoration of the earlier rules (as of 2026-09-22).",
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        "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index",
        "year": 2026,
        "rank": 64,
        "of": 180,
        "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180",
        "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index"
      },
      "era": "2020s",
      "granularity": "granular",
      "status": "in_effect",
      "case_count": 0,
      "summary": "On April 25, 2025, the Attorney General of the United States, Pam Bondi, head of the Department of Justice, the federal department that prosecutes federal crimes, rescinded rules adopted in 2021 and 2022 under her predecessor, Merrick Garland, that barred prosecutors from seeking reporters' records or testimony to identify the sources of leaks. Bondi's memo said leaks of sensitive information to the media undermine the department's ability \"to uphold the rule of law, protect civil rights, and keep America safe.\" The department returned to a test that weighs law enforcement interests against press freedom, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, a United States non-profit that provides legal help to journalists.",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-doj-rescinds-media-subpoena-guidelines"
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