Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland appoints a special counsel to oversee the ongoing investigation into his boss's son, Hunter Biden.

As the Department of Justice now says that Hunter Biden will likely have to face a trial on tax and gun charges.

Plus Donald Trump's lawyers also appear in federal court today

as the judge limits what the Republican frontrunner can say

in his election interference case

and issues a new warning against intimidating witnesses.

And new images of the utter destruction from wildfires on the island of Maui and Hawaii.

These 55 people are dead, more than a thousand mate are still missing,

and what the governor is calling the worst natural disaster in the state's history.

The Happy Friday. Welcome to meet the press now. I'm Chuck Todd reporting from Washington,

and we begin today with multiple breaking developments on legal cases that have significant

political implications for the 2024 race for president.

In an unexpected, but also perhaps, in hindsight, inevitable move today,

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the appointment of U.S. Attorney David Weiss

to now serve as a special counsel to oversee the Justice Department ongoing investigation into President Biden's son,

Hunter Biden.

On Tuesday of this week, Mr. Weiss advised me that in his judgment, his investigation had reached a stage

at which he should continue his work as a a special counsel and he asked to be so appointed

upon considering his request as well as the extraordinary circumstances relating to this matter

i have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint him as special counsel and just

moments after that announcement from the attorney General, Weiss's team revealed

in a court filing that plea negotiations with Hunter Biden's lawyers over tax and gun charges

...