Times uncovers security gaps in Trump's pricey 'bribe plane' upgrade

The New York Times' reporting on Trump's refurbished jet—nicknamed the 'bribe plane'—shows it lacked crucial security and operational features (no lower-level exit, weaker backup power, no advanced antimissile system) and would have taken years to retrofit to the standard Air Force One; taxpayers spent hundreds of millions with little transparency. The administration's subpoenas of Times reporters and Google were withdrawn after a judge threatened to quash them, underscoring tensions between national security investigations and press freedom as coverage continues.