AXIOS (Avery Lotz) - DOJ drops New York Times subpoenas over Air Force 1 reports
The U.S. government will withdraw subpoenas of New York Times journalists over their reporting on President Trump's Qatari-gifted jet , the Department of Justice said in a Thursday court hearing. Why it matters: The Trump administration backed down in its battle with the media on the eve of the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, where the president is expected to speak. Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian reportedly grilled the Trump administration in a Thursday hearing over the subpoenas, which the Times' counsel had blasted as harmful and chilling. - A DOJ spokesperson said Subramanian "threatened our attorneys with sanctions unless subpoenas were withdrawn, and blocked us from presenting…