Today in one sentence: A Texas sheriff opened a criminal investigation into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision to fly 48 Venezuelan migrants to Martha’s Vineyard; the U.S. arrested more than 2 million undocumented immigrants along the southwestern border in the past 11 months; the Justice Department charged 47 defendants with stealing $240 million from a federal program that provided food for needy children during the pandemic; newly obtained surveillance video shows Trump allies and contractors working on his behalf copying sensitive software and data from voting equipment in a Georgia county elections office; Trump’s lawyers acknowledged that the criminal investigation into his handling of sensitive government documents could lead to an indictment; and adults under 65 should be screened for anxiety and all adults should be checked for depression.

1/ A Texas sheriff opened a criminal investigation into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision to fly 48 Venezuelan migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said the migrants appeared to have been “lured under false pretenses” into staying at a hotel before they were flown to Florida and later Martha’s Vineyard, where they were “left to fend for themselves.” DeSantis, meanwhile, defended his decision, saying outrage over the flights was misplaced because everyone had “signed consent forms.” (CNN / Politico / NBC News / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal)

2/ The U.S. arrested more than 2 million undocumented immigrants along the southwestern border in the past 11 months. It’s the first time that immigration arrests have topped 2 million, exceeding last year’s record of more than 1.7 million. In August, the number of undocumented immigrants from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras dropped 43% from last August, while the number of Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans rose 175%. Many of the migrants are seeking asylum, which was significantly restricted during the Trump administration. (New York Times / Washington Post)

3/ The Justice Department charged 47 defendants with stealing $240 million from a federal program that provided food for needy children during the pandemic – the largest Covid-19-related fraud to date. “This was a brazen scheme of staggering proportions,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said in a statement. Federal prosecutors said a network of individuals and organizations tied to Feeding Our Future, a Minnesota-based nonprofit, “exploited a program” designed to provide meals for underserved children and that the defendants “prioritized their own greed” by purchasing “luxury cars, houses, jewelry, and coastal resort property abroad.” More than 125 million fake meals are at issue. (New York Times / NBC News / CNN / Washington Post)

4/ Newly obtained surveillance video shows Trump allies and contractors working on his behalf copying sensitive software and data from voting equipment in a Georgia county elections office on Jan. 7, 2021. The group of forensics experts from SullivanStrickler spent eight hours inside the Coffee County elections office examining electronic “poll pads,” which contain voter data and are used to check in voters at polling locations. SullivanStrickler was hired by Sidney Powell, a conspiracy theorist and Trump’s former lawyer. Among those seen in the footage is former Georgia Republican Party official Cathy Latham, who is under criminal investigation for posing as a fake elector in 2020. In sworn testimony last month, Latham said she briefly stopped by the office in Coffee County, but stayed in the foyer and spoke with an official about an unrelated matter at the front desk. The surveillance video footage, however, shows that Latham visited the elections office twice that day and stay for more than four hours in total. She also took a selfie with one of the forensics experts before leaving at 6:19 p.m. (CNN / Washington Post / New York Times)

5/ Trump’s lawyers acknowledged that the criminal investigation into his handling of sensitive government documents could lead to an indictment. In a letter to Judge Raymond Dearie – the newly appointed special master – Trump’s lawyers objected to Dearie’s request to “disclose specific information regarding declassification to the Court and to the Government.” Trump’s lawyers argued that forcing Trump to specify which documents he purportedly declassified would “fully and specifically disclose a defense to the merits of any subsequent indictment” and leave him at a legal disadvantage. Trump’s attorneys instead argued that the Justice Department hasn’t proven that the documents with classification markings are actually classified. Dearie has until Nov. 30 to complete his work but has reportedly set a timetable for the 11,000 documents seized at Mar-a-Lago to be inspected and labeled by Oct. 7. (Washington Post / CNN / New York Times / CNBC / NBC News / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

  • Trump was warned last year by a former White House lawyer that he could face legal liability if he did not return government documents he had taken with him to Mar-a-Lago. Shortly after the discussion with Eric Herschmann, Trump turned over 15 boxes of material to the National Archives, which contained 184 classified documents. (New York Times)

6/ Adults under 65 should be screened for anxiety and all adults should be checked for depression, according an influential group of medical experts. The draft guidance marks the first time that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended anxiety screening in primary care for adults without symptoms. The task force previously issued similar draft guidance for children and adolescents. Anxiety disorders affect about 40% of U.S. women and more than 1 in 4 men. This summer, more than 30% of U.S. adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depression. And, the CDC reports that the percentage of U.S. adults who received mental-health treatment within the past 12 months increased to 22% in 2021 – up from 19% in 2019. Globally, anxiety and depression increased by 25% during the first year of the pandemic. (Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Washington Post)

Last year today: Day 244: "Irreparable harm."
Three years ago today: Day 974: "Totally appropriate."
Four years ago today: Day 609: Such an outstanding man.
Five years ago today: Day 244: Nothing there.