The FBI relied on years-old claims of fraud, many of them thoroughly investigated, to obtain a search warrant to seize ballots from election offices in Fulton County, Georgia. That's according to an affidavit unsealed Tuesday that shows the investigation began with a referral from an administration official who tried to help President Donald Trump overturn his 2020 election loss. The affidavit provides the first public justification for an FBI search last month that targeted a county that Trump and allies have long seen as central to their false claim that the 2020 election was stolen. Audits, state officials, courts and Trump’s own former attorney general have all rejected the idea of widespread problems that could have altered the outcome.

A federal judge in New York says the Trump administration must keep the money flowing for now for programs aimed at helping low-income families with children in five states. Friday's ruling grants the states' request for a preliminary injunction and a stay against the administration barring it from withholding the money until a lawsuit works its way through the courts. The affected states include California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Jan. 6 that it was withholding money because it had “reason to believe” there was fraud in those states. A spokesperson for government lawyers declined to comment.

A federal judge says the Trump administration must keep the money flowing for now for programs aimed at helping low-income families with children in five states. The ruling extends by two weeks an earlier one in which a judge ordered the money to continue to flow to California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York. Judge Vernon Broderick says he'll decide later whether to order the money be kept moving as the challenge to the action is decided. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Jan. 6 that it was withholding money because it had “reason to believe” there was fraud in those states.