Good morning, it's Tuesday, Oct. 13. Federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar's home three weeks before Election Day, and a long-standing Justice Department habit is now part of the story.

Also in today's issue: 430 trees and a furious judge, Ohio's socialist mailers, Iran's plot at a U.S. base, Talarico's missing days.

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Three weeks before Election Day, federal agents carried boxes out of a sitting congresswoman's home, and a long-standing Justice Department habit advises against moves like that this late.

Early Monday, Homeland Security Investigations agents searched the Washington residence of Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat. They carried a search warrant that a judge signed at the Justice Department's request. Sources told CBS News the criminal investigation centers on possible false statements and immigration fraud in paperwork her late father filled out when she was a child.

That detail reaches well beyond one politician. Omar arrived in the U.S. as a refugee and became a citizen in 2000, at 17. Many American families share some version of that story: a parent fills out the forms, and the child grows up a citizen. If you or someone you love became an American that way, this case tests how far back the government can reach into papers a parent signed decades ago.

So what does the government say? A Justice Department spokesperson said agents executed a "judicially authorized search warrant" as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Attorney General Todd Blanche knew about the search, and the department consulted its Public Integrity Section, the unit that handles cases involving elected officials, according to sources. Border czar Tom Homan confirmed the probe in September. Vice President JD Vance said in May the administration would look into fraud claims against Omar.

The case for the search is simple. A judge reviewed the evidence and signed off, and members of Congress are not above the law. President Trump said he "had nothing to do with" the search. "I think she's a terrible person, but that's really up to the DOJ," he told reporters.

The case against starts with Omar herself. She says she has done nothing wrong and called the search an attempt to "weaponize federal law enforcement" against political enemies. House Democratic leaders called it "deeply disturbing." Critics also point to Saturday, when Trump told a rally that Vance "and our people are looking at it very strongly."

Now that habit. In recent years, the Justice Department has advised prosecutors to avoid overt steps, like a search, involving candidates within 60 days of an election, ABC News reported. Omar is on the ballot in 22 days, and early voting in Minnesota starts later this week. It's a practice, not a law. Its purpose is to keep law enforcement from becoming a campaign event for either party, since a search can sway voters long before any judge or jury weighs the evidence.

So watch two things. If charges come before Nov. 3, the department will have to explain in court why this couldn't wait. If no charges come, the search itself becomes the campaign story, and the department's own 60-day guidance will be the yardstick people use to judge it.

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A federal judge halted all work at East Potomac Golf Links on Monday after Justice Department lawyers admitted crews cut down 430 trees over the holiday weekend. The public course along the Potomac River is part of President Trump's plan to rebuild it for professional tournaments. In May, Judge Ana Reyes told the government she wanted notice before more than 10 trees came down. Notice arrived at 4:55 p.m. Friday, and the cutting began Saturday. Government lawyers said the work follows a 2019 plan to clear dead and dangerous trees. Reyes said the real question now is whether she was lied to. She has called Greg Wischer, a senior Interior Department official, to testify Tuesday, and she could extend her order to 14 days.

Mailers telling Ohio voters to "Join the Revolution" are promoting a socialist independent over Democrat Sherrod Brown in the U.S. Senate race, and federal filings tie them to Republican operatives. The sponsor, Enough Promises Ohio, formed Sept. 29 and paid a brand-new firm more than $397,000 last week for printing and postage. That firm shares a South Carolina office suite with a mail outfit run by the strategists who advise Trump's MAGA Inc. super PAC. The same strategists ran Sen. Bernie Moreno's 2024 win over Brown. The candidate, Greg Levy, says the fliers impersonate his campaign and is weighing legal action. Boosting a third-party candidate to pull votes from a rival is an old tactic. Brown faces Republican Sen. Jon Husted in a race that could help decide Senate control.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard "almost certainly" directed a September plot against RAF Fairford, the English air base American bombers used to strike Iran, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told lawmakers Monday. Police found gasoline but no explosives in three vans. Seven men in their 20s were arrested and released on bail, and no one has been charged. The U.S. has already sent its bombers home, and the Trump administration has said the threats aimed to kill American troops. On Monday, the U.S., Canada and about two dozen allies jointly condemned Iran's use of proxies for arson, sabotage and plotting on their soil. Britain also sanctioned two Iranians. Iran denies any role and wants proof. The war's risks now reach bases thousands of miles from the Gulf.

James Talarico's campaign released home-security images Monday that appear to show him at his Austin home every day from Oct. 1 to 8. Talarico, the Democratic Senate nominee in Texas, disappeared from the campaign trail for nearly two weeks, saying he had the flu. His Republican opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton, asked on social media, "Who actually believes that?" Online accounts then claimed, without evidence, that he had been treated at an Ohio mental health center. That center says he never was. CBS News matched the backyard in the images to satellite photos of his home. Voters can fairly expect answers when a candidate goes quiet this close to an election. This answer came with timestamps.

That's how many trees crews cut at a public D.C. golf course over one holiday weekend. The judge overseeing the case had asked for notice before more than 10 came down. On Tuesday, she hears from the official who pushed for the work to happen fast.

P.S. Should the DOJ pause raids on candidates near elections? Hit Reply — one word is enough.