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Deputy attorney general who defended Trump in hush money trial is named acting librarian of Congress

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Deputy attorney general who defended Trump in hush money trial is named acting librarian of Congress
News

News

Deputy attorney general who defended Trump in hush money trial is named acting librarian of Congress

2025-05-13 08:14 Last Updated At:08:20

WASHINGTON (AP) — Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who represented Donald Trump during his 2024 criminal trial, has been appointed acting librarian of Congress, the Justice Department said Monday. Blanche replaces longtime librarian Carla Hayden, whom the White House fired last week amid criticism from conservatives that she was advancing a “woke” agenda.

Also Monday, two other Trump appointees to the library attempted unsuccessfully to enter the Copyright Office, according to a person with knowledge of the incident. Brian Nieves, a deputy chief of staff and senior counsel in Blanche’s office, was named acting assistant librarian, Justice Department spokesman Chad Gilmartin confirmed. And Paul Perkins, an associate deputy attorney general and veteran Justice Department attorney, is now the acting register of copyrights and director of the Copyright Office, replacing Shira Perlmutter, whom the Trump administration pushed out last weekend.

Nieves and Perkins were in the hallway outside the Copyright Office, which is part of the Library of Congress, but could not get in without access to badges, according to the person. After a brief discussion with library officials and U.S. Capitol Police, whom the library had contacted, the appointees left voluntarily. The person was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Capitol Police said that no one was barred from, or escorted out of, the building and otherwise referred questions back to the Library of Congress.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Monday that lawmakers are investigating whether Trump has the power to fire the librarian of Congress, who is technically a legislative branch employee.

“We want to make sure congressional equities are respected and protected in this process,” Thune said.

The Associated Press obtained an internal memo from Robert Randolph Newlen, who had been serving as acting librarian, saying that Congress was “engaged” with the White House about Blanche’s appointment and that the library had not yet “received direction from Congress about how to move forward.”

The implications of Trump's installing a close ally as librarian of Congress could be far-reaching.

For instance, the librarian could see requests made by lawmakers to the Congressional Research Service, which are usually seen only by the requesting office and the CRS itself, according to a congressional aide who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The nonpartisan agency is largely known as the think tank of Capitol Hill and provides analyses meant to help lawmakers in the legislative process. But Democrats are already concerned about what kind of information Trump-appointed officials could access in a process that is typically confidential between CRS and lawmakers.

Senior House Democrats on Monday also raised the prospect that data held by the Library of Congress, which holds a vast archive of books and historical documents, could have been improperly transferred to the executive branch, including officials at Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Unauthorized information sharing “could compromise legislative branch independence and the ability of Members of Congress to carry out their constitutional duties,” according to the letter, which was signed by lawmakers including New York Rep. Joe Morelle and Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrats on the House Administration and Appropriations committees, respectively. They are asking for an inspector general investigation.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has purged officials he regards as opposed to him and to his Republican agenda. Hayden, nominated by President Barack Obama in 2015 and confirmed on a 74-18 Senate vote the following year, named Perlmutter as head of the Copyright Office in 2020.

Shortly before her firing, Perlmutter’s office released a highly anticipated report that questioned the legality of the tech industry’s use of copyrighted works to “train” their artificial intelligence systems and compete with the human-made works they were trained on.

Tech companies have argued their AI training practices are protected by the “fair use” doctrine, which allows for limited uses of copyrighted materials such as for teaching, research or transforming the copyrighted work into something different. Perlmutter’s report questioned those assumptions, arguing that “making commercial use of vast troves of copyrighted works to produce expressive content that competes with them in existing markets, especially where this is accomplished through illegal access, goes beyond established fair use boundaries.”

The report — despite being marked as “pre-publication” — quickly made waves in legal circles after it was posted online late last week, winning praise from creators who have challenged the tech industry in court, and criticism from a tech industry trade group.

It was the third and final part of a yearslong study that Perlmutter began in 2023, with the intent to advise Congress and others on whether reforms are needed. The report didn’t call for government intervention, and its nuanced findings hold no official weight in the numerous copyright infringement lawsuits now pending against tech companies.

But attention around the report grew after Perlmutter’s firing Saturday, including from Trump’s supporters.

Mike Davis, a lawyer who regularly defends Trump, posted an alarm emoji on social media and warned: “Now tech bros are going to attempt to steal creators’ copyrights for AI profits. This is 100% unacceptable.”

Blanche was named the No. 2 Justice Department official after serving as Trump's criminal defense attorney in two cases brought by the department during President Joe Biden's administration. He is a former federal prosecutor who was a key figure on Trump’s defense team in his New York hush money trial, which ended in a conviction on 34 felony counts.

Hayden's dismissal was widely condemned by Democrats and by many who worked with Hayden, the first Black person and the first woman to be named librarian of Congress. Ada Limon, who served three years as U.S. poet laureate after Hayden chose her in 2022, said last week that “Dr. Carla Hayden is the kindest, brightest, most generous Librarian of Congress we could have hoped for as a nation.”

The creators and cast of the Tony-nominated musical “Dead Outlaw” canceled a planned visit to the library and issued a statement praising Hayden as "a fierce advocate for preserving America’s cultural memory and a great champion of the Broadway community.”

Italie reported from New York. Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker in Washington and Matt O’Brien in Providence, R.I., contributed to this report.

FILE - Todd Blanche, attorney for President-elect Donald Trump, departs court, Jan. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

FILE - Todd Blanche, attorney for President-elect Donald Trump, departs court, Jan. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

FILE - Former President Donald Trump, left, standing with defense attorney Todd Blanche, speaks at the conclusion of proceedings for the day at his trial at Manhattan criminal court, May 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, Pool, File)

FILE - Former President Donald Trump, left, standing with defense attorney Todd Blanche, speaks at the conclusion of proceedings for the day at his trial at Manhattan criminal court, May 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, Pool, File)

President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn of the White House to board Marine One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Md., to begin a trip to the Middle East, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn of the White House to board Marine One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Md., to begin a trip to the Middle East, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

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Thunder break NBA record for total points in a season, including playoffs

2025-06-14 10:31 Last Updated At:10:41

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A record for Oklahoma City: No team in NBA history has scored more points in a season than the Thunder.

It's a nuanced record, taking into account both regular season and playoff games. And technically, the Thunder would have broken the record on Wednesday if their appearance in the NBA Cup championship game — which is considered an exhibition — counted in any league totals.

But now, no matter how one counts, it belongs to the Thunder. They came into Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers needing 68 points for the record and got it on a free throw by NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 6:09 left in the third quarter on Friday night.

That gave the Thunder 12,162 for the season, breaking the mark of 12,161 scored by the Golden State Warriors in 104 games during the 2018-19 season. Friday's game was the 102nd official contest for the Thunder this season. (They scored 81 points in the NBA Cup championship game loss to Milwaukee in December, a point total and outcome that doesn't factor into any season stats.)

The total-points record is the latest entry on a history-making season for the Thunder, who set a franchise record with 68 regular-season wins and — if they win the NBA title — would become the fourth team in league history to post at least 84 victories in a full season. Only Golden State (88 wins in 2015-16), Chicago (87 in 1995-96) and the Bulls again (84 in 1996-97) have reached 84 wins in a season.

“I think there’s just a lot of integrity to the team,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said when asked how the team doesn't seem fazed by its numbers. “I think that starts with the makeup that these guys have. Great psychological makeup, competitive makeup, personal makeup. Then over time we’ve had to really kind of forge into this version of ourselves, in visible spaces.”

The total-points mark is obviously fueled by longevity of the season. The Thunder were only fourth in points per game during the regular season behind Cleveland, Memphis and Denver, and when adding in playoffs Oklahoma City's scoring average this season was only 27th in NBA history.

That said, no matter how the finals end, it has been a season that will be in the Thunder record books for a long time. In addition to the scoring, the Thunder are currently second all-time in average point differential per game (12.2 entering Friday) behind only the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks.

It helps illustrate how big a turnaround the Thunder have enjoyed after going 22-50 in the 2020-21 season, then 24-58 a year later and 40-42 the year after that.

“We haven’t relied on anything outside the outcomes,” Daigneault said. “The noise, we haven’t relied on that when we weren’t winning. We haven’t relied on that while we were building. We haven’t relied on that while we were rising. We’re not relying on that now that we’re in a different position.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) motions after making a three pointer against the Indiana Pacers during the second half of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) motions after making a three pointer against the Indiana Pacers during the second half of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) dunks against the Indiana Pacers during the first half of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) dunks against the Indiana Pacers during the first half of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) drives on Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin during the first half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Friday, June 13, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) drives on Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin during the first half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Friday, June 13, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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