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Life, liberty and the right to a stable climate? A group of young Americans say President Donald Trump is trampling their inalienable rights through an aggressive push for fossil fuels and a crusade against federal climate science — and on Tuesday, a rural courtroom in Missoula, Montana will be their stage in a closely watched showdown.Lighthiser v. Trump is emblematic of a growing global trend of legal action as a tool to push action on planetary warming amid political inertia — or outright hostility.”It’s very intimidating to think about my future,” lead plaintiff Eva Lighthiser recently told AFP in Washington, where she and other plaintiffs represented by the nonprofit Our Children’s Trust recently traveled to lobby lawmakers.The 19-year-old from Livingston, Montana, described smoke-choked skies, relentless floods, and her family’s climate-driven relocation as “a lot to reconcile with, as somebody who’s just entering adulthood.”Over two days of hearings, she and 21 co-plaintiffs — all young adults or minors — will testify about their health and other harms they have endured from the Trump administration’s actions. At issue are three executive orders that “unleash” fossil fuel development and curb the electric vehicle market; invoke emergency powers to accelerate drilling; and designate coal a “mineral,” granting it priority status for extraction. The plaintiffs also allege that scrubbing climate science from federal research has obscured the risks from global warming.Their lawyers have called on several expert witnesses, including climate scientists, a pediatrician and even former senior White House official John Podesta, to weigh in on the legality of the directives at issue.”This is really the first time plaintiffs have been able to put on live, cross-examined testimony against the federal government about how it is causing the climate crisis and injuring young people,” Andrea Rogers, a lawyer with Our Children’s Trust, told AFP.- A long road -The plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary injunction that could open the door to a full trial. The federal government, joined by 19 conservative-leaning states and the territory of Guam, wants the case thrown out.Most observers give the youths long odds. Judge Dana Christensen, an Obama appointee with a record of pro-environment rulings, is presiding. But even if the plaintiffs notch a win, the case would then almost certainly land before the conservative-dominated Supreme Court.”We don’t have strong judicial precedent for there being a constitutional right to a clean environment at the federal level,” Michael Gerrard, a professor of environmental law at Columbia University told AFP.”They’re trying to frame it as a matter of substance or due process, but that would require novel rulings from the courts to apply that to climate change,” he continued, adding: “This Supreme Court is more about taking away rights than granting them, unless you’re a gun owner.”Still, the legal team hopes momentum is building in the wake of recent state-level victories. In 2023, a Montana judge sided with young plaintiffs who argued ignoring climate impacts when issuing oil and gas permits violated their constitutional right to a clean environment. A year later, youth activists in Hawaii reached a settlement requiring the state to accelerate decarbonization of its transport sector.But the record has proven bleak at the federal level.The most prominent case was filed in 2015, Juliana v. United States, and eventually got dismissed after the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal earlier this year.The new suit argues that the government is violating due process by stripping citizens of fundamental rights, overstepping executive authority under laws like the Clean Air Act, and breaching its duty under the Fourteenth Amendment by knowingly worsening climate risks.Gerrard said it would be intriguing to see whether the government will try to contest the factual claims brought by the plaintiffs, or focus instead on legal arguments. The government is expected to argue these are policy questions for elected officials, not by courts.But Rogers argued it was the government straying from its lane. “Whether the executive branch is violating the constitutional rights of young people — that’s precisely the kind of question courts have resolved for decades.”

Senior White House official Stephen Miller vowed Monday that the Trump administration would dismantle an alleged “vast domestic terror movement” that he linked to the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, made the comments on Kirk’s podcast, which Vice President JD Vance hosted on Monday.”We are going to channel all of the anger that we have over the organized campaign that led to this assassination, to uproot and dismantle these terrorist networks,” said Miller.Miller and Vance both alleged the existence of a rising left-wing extremist movement, which they said the administration would now target.”We are going to use every resource we have at the Department of Justice, Homeland Security and throughout this government to identify, disrupt, dismantle and destroy these networks and make America safe again for the American people,” said Miller.The remarks, which come before all details of Kirk’s killing are fully known, have sparked alarm among some Trump critics that such a campaign could be used to quash dissent.While Kirk was a vocal conservative, the United States has seen violence targeting members of both political parties in recent years, amid a sharp rise in polarization and easy access to firearms.US President Donald Trump escaped two assassination attempts on the campaign trail last year, while a Minnesota Democratic lawmaker and her husband were shot dead by a masked gunman in June.Two months earlier, a man attacked the home of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a prominent Democrat.Kirk, a close ally of Trump, was shot Wednesday during a speaking event on a Utah university campus. He was the founder of the influential conservative youth political group Turning Point USA.On the podcast Monday, Vance was full of praise for a man he called “the smartest political operative I ever met.””He was a critical part of getting Donald Trump elected as president, getting me elected as vice president,” he said.Trump will attend a memorial service for Kirk on Sunday at a stadium in Arizona.On Monday, the president said he was considering designating “Antifa” a domestic terrorist organization and bringing organized crime charges against those raising funds for alleged “agitation.”Antifa — short for “anti-fascist” — is an umbrella term for diffuse far-left groups, and is often mentioned in right-wing talking points around violence at protests.Trump has previously threatened to name Antifa a “domestic terrorist organization” in his first term, but never followed through.While federal law enforcement includes combating domestic terrorism under its purview, the United States does not have a list of designated “domestic terrorist organizations.”- DNA evidence -Earlier Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel said that DNA found at the scene of the murder had been matched to suspect Tyler Robinson, who was arrested Thursday after a 33-hour manhunt.The 22-year-old is expected to be formally charged in the murder on Tuesday.Authorities said the suspect used a rifle to shoot Kirk with a single bullet to the neck from a rooftop.Patel also discussed a note that Robinson is believed to have written before the crime and later destroyed.The note is “basically saying… ‘I have the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I’m going to take it,'” Patel said on Fox News.Kirk, a father of two, used his audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for conservative talking points, including strong criticism of the transgender rights movement.A polarizing figure, he often posted carefully edited clips of his interactions during debates at his many college events.Utah Governor Spencer Cox on Sunday said Robinson was romantically involved with a transgender roommate and had “leftist ideology.”Patel has been heavily criticized for his actions in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, including having quickly announced the arrest of a suspect, only to confirm they had been released two hours later.On Monday, Patel defended his actions.”Could I have worded it a little better in the heat of the moment? Sure. But do I regret putting it out? Absolutely not,” he said.Patel is expected at Congress on Tuesday to answer questions from lawmakers.

From breaking up a fight or identifying a suspected robber to picking up trash and removing graffiti, National Guard forces are on an unusual deployment mixing security and cleanup in the US capital.Now such unorthodox assignments may soon be replicated elsewhere, with President Donald Trump on Monday signing an order sending troops to Memphis, Tennessee.Trump deployed the military in Washington a little over a month ago to help crack down on what he claimed was out-of-control crime, despite police statistics showing violent offenses were down in the city.The contentious move — which the Washington attorney general’s office said amounts to an “involuntary military occupation” — offers a preview of what the National Guard may do not only in Memphis, but also in Baltimore and Chicago where Trump has threatened to send troops.”Fighting crime in this manner is very unusual,” Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine colonel and senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said of the Washington deployment.Guard members have been called in for particular incidents that last a few days, “but this longer-term policing function” is not typical, Cancian said.There are currently some 2,300 troops in Washington, more than half of them from eight Republican-led states and the rest from the city’s National Guard.Federal law enforcement personnel have also increased their presence on Washington’s streets, and Trump threatened overnight Monday to declare a national emergency and federalize the city because Mayor Muriel Bowser said local police would no longer help with immigration enforcement.            – ‘Visible crime deterrent’ -A spokesperson for Joint Task Force-DC (JTF-DC) — to which the National Guard troops in the city are assigned — said they are tasked with “monument security, community safety patrols, protecting Federal facilities, traffic control posts, and area beautification.””Guard members will provide a visible crime deterrent, not arrest, search, or conduct direct law enforcement actions,” the spokesperson said.JTF-DC statements provide a snapshot of troop activities.On September 12, for instance, they responded to a potential active shooter situation at a Metro station, cordoning off the area. Five days earlier they broke up a fight near another station.In late August they identified and followed a suspected robber until police arrived and made an arrest, and protected a family that was being harassed by a man who said he had a gun.National Guard forces are also involved in projects aimed at city cleanup — another of Trump’s stated goals.As of September 15, troops cleared some 900 bags of trash, spread more than 700 cubic yards (535 cubic meters) of mulch, removed five truckloads of plant waste, and painted nearly 100 yards (90 meters) of fencing, according to JTF-DC.- ‘Shame and alarm’ -Cancian said that while these are not typical jobs for the Guard, troops have “been used for all kinds of things,” from handing out leaflets during the pandemic to shoveling snow or driving buses.However, “if you want to do landscaping, hire a landscaping company,” he said, as they are “much, much better at it, and cheaper, faster.”The deployment has been controversial — something JTF-DC is well aware of, according to a document mistakenly sent to journalists this month.The document, a daily summary gauging media and online sentiment, said social media mentions “from self-identified veterans and active-duty commenters expressed shame and alarm” about the deployment.”Trending videos show residents reacting with alarm and indignation,” it said, also referring to “mentions of fatigue, confusion, and demoralization — ‘just gardening,’ unclear mission, wedge between citizens and the military.”The open-ended nature of the mission in Washington could also be an issue, Cancian said, noting that “strain increases” as the deployment goes on, especially if “people don’t think that they’re doing something that’s particularly important.”There could eventually be “pushback from the Guard saying, you know, either we get a real mission… which doesn’t seem to be there, or send us home.”

Lower US tariffs on Japanese autos are set to take effect this week, a Commerce Department notice confirmed Monday, as Washington implements a recent trade pact it had negotiated with Tokyo.Starting Tuesday, Japanese autos entering the United States will face a 15-percent tariff instead of 27.5 percent, providing manufacturers some reprieve from President Donald Trump’s fresh duties this year.Since returning to the presidency in January, Trump has targeted specific sectors with tariffs, and imported automobiles and parts face a 25-percent duty.This dealt a blow to Japanese automakers, for whom the 25-percent duty piled atop an existing 2.5-percent tariff — bringing the overall level to 27.5 percent.For goods falling outside specifically targeted sectors, Trump has also imposed a separate 10-percent duty on imports from nearly all trading partners since returning to the presidency.In early August, he hiked the 10-percent rate to various higher levels for goods from dozens of economies, including the European Union and Japan.The move left Japanese products facing a 15-percent US tariff tacked onto existing duties for many goods.While the two countries had initially unveiled a trade pact in July, they appeared to diverge in their understanding of its details, such as whether the duties would generally stack on existing tariffs for certain products.Japan’s tariffs envoy Ryosei Akazawa previously told reporters that Washington was expected to revise the rule.The new US order taking effect Tuesday will see a 15-percent tariff cap instead for many products, applying retroactively to August 7.Under the terms of the US-Japan tariff deal, Japan is also expected to make investments worth $550 billion in the United States, according to the White House.

President Donald Trump said a US new strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat from Venezuela killed three people Monday, as the South American country’s president Nicolas Maduro vowed to resist Washington’s “aggression.”Trump’s administration has faced questions over the legality of deadly military strikes on suspected drug boats since the first such attack earlier this month which killed 11 people.The fresh attack also comes amid spiraling tensions in the Caribbean as a large US naval build-up sparks speculation that Washington may be seeking regime change in Caracas.Trump posted a video of a boat bobbing in the sea before exploding in a ball of orange flame as he announced the strike on social media, adding that it resulted in “3 male terrorists killed in action.””The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S,” he said.The strikes have raised questions about whether they are within international law or effectively amount to extrajuducial killings, but Trump insisted the United States was confident that the dead men were traffickers.”We have proof,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “All you have to do is look at the cargo that was, like, it’s spattered all over the ocean. Big bags of cocaine and fentanyl all over the place.”Tensions between longtime foes the United States and Venezuela reached new heights in recent weeks after Trump dispatched eight warships to waters near Venezuela to pressure Maduro.The United States accuses the leftist of heading a cocaine trafficking cartel and recently doubled its bounty for his capture to $50 million. Much of the international community rejected his July 2024 re-election, with the opposition claiming widespread fraud.- ‘Lord of death’ -Maduro hit back on Monday, branding US Secretary of State Marco Rubio the “lord of death and war” over his tough rhetoric on Latin American cartels.Referring to the US naval build-up and the earlier boat attack, Maduro told reporters that Caracas would “fully” exercise its “legitimate right to defend itself.”Maduro often accuses the United States of attempting regime change in his country.Speculation has been swirling that the Trump administration could be preparing targeted strikes against Latin American drug cartels, including in Venezuela.Trump refused to deny it was a possibility on Sunday.”We’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters when asked if strikes on the Venezuelan mainland were possible. “Venezuela is sending us their gang members, their drug dealers and drugs. It’s not acceptable.”Earlier this month Washington dramatically upped the ante by blowing up a speedboat with 11 people on board that it claimed was smuggling drugs from Venezuela.In an interview with Fox News during a visit to Jerusalem on Monday, Rubio defended the attack on the boat traveling in international waters, amid questions over its legality.”We have 100 percent fidelity and certainty that that boat was involved in that trafficking of those drugs,” Rubio said.- Military build-up -Maduro said communications with the Trump administration had broken down over the US “aggression,” adding his country would “confront it.”He leveled much of the blame at the hawkish Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants to the United States who has been a vehement critic of left-wing authoritarian governments in Latin America.Although most of the cartels on the terrorism list are Mexican, Washington has focused its attacks on Venezuela.Maduro said the “bomb threats” had caused a complete collapse in relations between the two countries, which broke off diplomatic ties in 2019.In the face of the US pressure, he has deployed 25,000 troops to Venezuela’s border with Colombia, a transit point on the Latin American drug trafficking route, and along the Caribbean coast.Thousands of people have also joined a civilian militia intended as backup for the military.Over the weekend, they thronged training camps where they learned to handle and fire weapons.”If they (the United States) try to attack the homeland, the entire population will defend it!” said Jenny Rojas, a 54-year-old lawyer who was among the recruits.burs-dk/jgc

One in six American parents has delayed or skipped some or all of the standard childhood vaccines, according to a new Washington Post poll released Monday.Most of those parents cite concerns about potential side effects as well as a lack of confidence in federal health authorities to ensure their safety.Some nine percent have opted out of administering their kids with polio or MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) shots, a trend public health experts warn risks triggering a widespread return of potentially fatal illnesses that routine childhood vaccination had largely wiped out.In 2025, the United States experienced its worst measles outbreak in more than 30 years, with more than 1,400 total confirmed cases and three deaths, including two young children.The people who said they delayed or skipped vaccines were more likely to identify as Republican, be under 35, cite religious beliefs or homeschool their child.The wide-ranging Washington Post-KFF poll said parents are even less likely to have vaccinated their children against Covid-19 or the flu: approximately half of parents did not get their children flu shots last year, and 56 percent said they were not confident that Covid-19 vaccines are safe for kids.The vast majority of American parents still support vaccinations and 81 percent said public schools should still require measles and polio shots, the poll showed.But while vaccinations have long been part of standard-issue medical care, resistance has mushroomed in the United States in recent years, stoked in large part by debunked claims linking shots to autism.The US federal health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has played a significant role in fueling those fears by repeating the false claims and sowing doubts about vaccine safety.As the top US health official, he has taken steps to curb access to Covid shots and recently ousted Sue Monarez from her post as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over immunization guidelines.Monarez is set to testify before the Senate health committee this week.Kennedy’s revamped Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) — a scientific advisory board meant to make recommendations to the CDC, which he has staffed with vaccine skeptics after dismissing the entire previous body — is also set to convene at the end of this week.On Monday the CDC announced an additional five ACIP members, including figures who have argued against Covid vaccine mandates and pushed unproven treatments for the disease.

The US Senate is due to vote late Monday on the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s choice to join the Federal Reserve’s board — as the clock ticks down to a key policy meeting.If confirmed, Stephen Miran, who chairs the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), would join the Fed as one of 12 voting members on a panel that sets interest rates steering the world’s biggest economy.Policymakers on the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee are due to begin their next two-day meeting on Tuesday morning.The swift moves to confirm Miran come as Trump has intensified pressure on the independent central bank to slash interest rates, often citing benign inflation figures in doing so.And the president has taken other actions that critics worry would threaten the bank’s independence from politics.Besides naming White House economist Miran to fill a vacancy on the Fed’s board when Fed Governor Adriana Kugler resigned early in August, Trump moved to fire another governor Lisa Cook in the same month over mortgage fraud allegations.A federal judge has temporarily blocked the ouster of Cook — the first Black woman to serve on the Fed’s board of governors — as her legal challenge against Trump plays out.This means she is likely to remain in the FOMC’s meeting this week, unless Trump succeeds in appealing this ruling.But the eventual outcome of her lawsuit could have broader implications for the Fed.The Fed is widely expected to lower the benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points on Wednesday, to a range between 4.0 percent and 4.25 percent.Trump on Monday reiterated his call for a major interest rate cut, writing on his Truth Social platform that Fed Chair Jerome Powell “must cut interest rates, now, and bigger than he had in mind.”All eyes will be on Powell’s remarks after the rate decision is unveiled Wednesday afternoon, for hints on the pace and size of further reductions to come.For now, Miran looks poised to clear a confirmation vote by the Republican-majority Senate, despite Democratic lawmakers raising concerns over his White House ties.Their main worries include Miran’s plan to take a leave of absence from the CEA rather than resign — a decision he attributed to his short tenure of just over four months if confirmed to replace Kugler for the remainder of her term.Miran holds a PhD in economics from Harvard University and served as a senior advisor in the Treasury Department during Trump’s first presidency.He later joined conservative think-tank the Manhattan Institute where he wrote commentaries on issues including calls for Fed reform.

Maurene Comey, the federal prosecutor who handled the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and whose father is a prominent critic of US President Donald Trump, filed suit on Monday over her firing.She is the daughter of former FBI director James Comey and was summarily dismissed in July from her position as an assistant US attorney in Manhattan.In a lawsuit filed in a federal court in New York against the office of the president, the Justice Department and others, Comey said she had an “exemplary” record and her firing was “unlawful and unconstitutional.”Comey, who prosecuted a number of major cases during her 10 years in the US attorney’s office, said she was never given any explanation for her dismissal.”In truth, there is no legitimate explanation,” the lawsuit said. “Rather, Defendants fired Ms. Comey solely or substantially because her father is former FBI Director James B. Comey, or because of her perceived political affiliation and beliefs, or both.”Since taking office in January, Trump has taken a number of punitive measures against his perceived enemies, purging government officials deemed to be disloyal, targeting law firms involved in past cases against him and pulling federal funding from universities.Comey was dismissed a week after the Justice Department confirmed that it had opened an unspecified criminal investigation into her father, a long-time Trump adversary.It also came amid mounting pressure on Trump to release material from the probe into Epstein, who committed suicide in a New York prison in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking.Comey was among the prosecutors who handled the case involving the wealthy financier, but it never went to trial because of his death.She also prosecuted Ghislaine Maxwell, the only former Epstein associate who was criminally charged in connection with his activities.Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking of underage girls.Comey’s father has had a contentious history with Trump dating back to his first term in the White House.Trump fired the elder Comey in 2017, as the then-FBI chief was leading an investigation into whether any members of the president’s campaign had colluded with Moscow to sway the 2016 election, in which the Republican beat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

They are men and women, students and retirees.By the thousands, Venezuelans from different walks of life have responded to President Nicolas Maduro’s call to join militia training to “defend the homeland” against a feared US invasion.Over the weekend, they swarmed to training camps, where they learned to handle and shoot guns to the backdrop of anti-American rhetoric and as US warships loomed off the coast.If the Americans “come with their war machines … we will greet them with lead,” Pedro Arias, a 62-year-old volunteer in Caracas, told AFP on Saturday.Maduro, whose last two re-elections Washington does not recognize, and who it accuses of being a drug lord, has warned of a US “threat” amid the biggest American naval buildup in the Caribbean in years.US forces blew up an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean earlier this month, killing 11 people, and on Saturday, Caracas said US forces had detained a fishing boat for eight hours in its exclusive economic zone.As tensions build, Maduro has massed troops along the Caribbean coast and the Colombian border.He has also urged Venezuelans to join the militia, a civilian outfit linked to the armed forces.At the Fuerte Tiuna military complex in Caracas, volunteers were dropped off in cars and buses over the weekend for training.Some wore sports clothes, others replica military dress. Many of the recruits displayed logos of groups they belong to: the national electricity company, “socialist bikers,” and public television. An elderly man in camouflage gear supported himself with a walker.”To defend ourselves against the gringos,” 16-year-old Victoria, a member of the pro-government political movement “Futuro,” told AFP about her decision to join training with a group of friends.”With our fists if necessary,” her companion Maikel, 20, added. Neither wanted to give their full names.- ‘We are ready!’ -At the shooting range, a tank inscribed with “Independence or Nothing” greeted the volunteer fighters, and an officer sought to pump up the recruits.”I need committed people ready to take up the rifle and face our enemies,” he shouted.”You are here to receive military training. This won’t be a war like the ‘guarimbas’ (street protests). It won’t be stones and pistols” but “weapons of war!” The officer was referring to the street blockades and demonstrations that followed Maduro’s disputed reelection to a third term last year, and left about 30 people dead in clashes with the security forces and militia members.Across town, at the Cuartel de la Montana 4F — a military site that houses the mausoleum of late President Hugo Chavez — dozens more Venezuelans turned up for courses.Besides learning to handle AK-47 assault rifles and pistols, they were also schooled on the US invasion of Panama in 1989/90.”I have come to receive training. To learn about weapons, about tactics to defend my country,” said Jenny Rojas, a 54-year-old lawyer who works for a pro-government foundation.”If they (the United States) try to attack the homeland, the entire population will defend it!” she added.According to specialized military publications, Venezuela’s militia numbers about 212,000, in addition to some 123,000 professional soldiers.”Any person is capable of using a weapon,” instructor Oviedo Godoy told AFP at the 4F barracks.”If the Americans come, the people will be ready. We are ready! We are trained!” he added.

DNA found at the scene of the murder of US conservative influencer Charlie Kirk has been matched to suspect Tyler Robinson, FBI Director Kash Patel said Monday.Robinson, 22, was arrested Thursday after a 33-hour manhunt and is expected to be formally charged in the murder later this week.Kirk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, was shot Wednesday during a speaking event on a Utah university campus. He was the founder of the hugely influential conservative youth political group Turning Point USA.Authorities said the suspect used a sniper rifle to shoot Kirk with a single bullet to the neck from a rooftop.”I can report today that the DNA hits from the towel that was wrapped around the firearm and the DNA on the screwdriver are positively processed for the suspect in custody,” Patel said on Fox News Monday morning, referring to a screwdriver recovered from the scene.Patel also discussed a note that Robinson is believed to have written before the crime.The note is “basically saying… ‘I have the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I’m going to take it.’ That note was written before the shooting,” Patel said.He added that note was left at the suspect’s family home.”Even though it has been destroyed, we have found forensic evidence of the note,” the FBI director said.Kirk, a father of two, used his audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for conservative talking points, including strong criticism of the transgender rights movement. He often posted carefully edited clips of his interactions during debates at his many college events.US President Trump will attend a memorial service on Sunday at a stadium in Arizona. His vice president, JD Vance, hosted Kirk’s podcast on Monday.The alleged murderer was a brilliant high school student raised in the Mormon faith by Republican parents and is expected to be charged on Tuesday by Utah authorities.Utah Governor Spencer Cox said Robinson was romantically involved with a transgender roommate and had “leftist ideology.”FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino — also a prominent right-wing podcast host, appointed to the FBI under the Trump administration — said the suspect had shown “intent” before the attack.”There appear to have been multiple warning signs,” he told Fox News on Monday.Bongino cited friends and family members who said the suspect had become “more political.”FBI Director Patel has been heavily criticized for his actions in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, including having announced the arrest of a suspect a few hours after the shooting.Two hours later, he confirmed that that person had been released.On Monday, Patel defended his actions.”Could I have worded it a little better in the heat of the moment? Sure. But do I regret putting it out? Absolutely not,” he told Fox News.Patel is expected at Congress on Tuesday to answer questions from lawmakers.