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Donald J. Trump White House 2nd Term Page 13
CBS News

What to know about hostage release and Gaza ceasefire:
Israel and Hamas moved ahead with crucial steps of the Gaza peace plan on Monday, as Hamas released all 20 of the remaining living Israeli hostages and Israel released Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
President Trump delivered remarks in the Israeli Knesset, the country's parliament, after arriving in the country on Monday. At a summit later on Monday in Egypt, he and other world leaders signed a document to inaugurate the U.S.-brokered plan to end the war in Gaza.

Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees on Monday as part of the ceasefire agreement in exchange for the return of the Israeli hostages. They included 250 people who are serving life sentences, and about 1,700 others who have been detained and held without charges since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack.
Story by Connor Greene

For months, the White House and federal agencies have drawn outrage from critics for social media posts promoting President Trump’s immigration agenda. Some of the posts deploy jokes or memes. Others use language or images seen as racist dog whistles. This week, the Department of Homeland Security drew pushback for a post that was just one word: remigrate.

The term, which has been embraced among Trump’s MAGA base, has a fraught history in Europe, where it has ties to white nationalism and has been seen as a euphemism for ethnic cleansing.

The short post on X was followed by a link to a government site promoting self-deportation.

Where “remigration” came from
The term “remigration” has traditionally been used in Europe to refer to the mass deportation of non-white immigrants. It has been used by right-winged politicians such as Austria’s Herbert Kickl and Germany’s Alice Weidel of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The term has also been popularized by the Austrian, millennial far-right influencer Martin Sellner.

“In Europe, it's an established part of the linguistic toolbox of white supremacy,” Nicholas J. Cull, a professor of communication at the University of Southern California, tells TIME.

The use of the term in Germany and Austria has been a trademark of recent anti-immigration campaigns. Protests across Germany were sparked last year after it was alleged that AfD party members and far-right Austrians were plotting to deport thousands of migrants, causing mass pro-democracy demonstrations.
The former New York congressman had been sentenced to seven years in prison. In a social media post, Trump said his commutation would release Santos from prison "immediately." George Conway, president of Society for the Rule of Law, and Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, join The Weeknight to respond.
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton surrendered to authorities after being indicted on 18 counts of mishandling classified information. He denies all the charges. The case marks a major escalation in his years-long feud with President Trump and is the latest in a series of federal indictments involving prominent Trump critics. MSNBC Justice and Intelligence Correspondent Ken Dilanian and MSNBC Legal Correspondent Lisa Rubin report the legal charges. MSNBC Legal Analyst Charles Coleman and former FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Feinberg join Erielle Reshef to weigh in.
The wider U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean Sea comes as strikes against alleged drug-carrying vessels continue. CBS News' Eleanor Watson has more.
Story by Leigh Kimmins

Donald Trump has refiled his $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times after a federal judge shredded his original filing for being too long, too repetitive, and too self-congratulatory. President Trump submitted a new 40-page amended complaint in Florida federal court, following U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday’s Sept. 19 order to slash the original 85-page claim.

The revised complaint drops one reporter, Michael S. Schmidt, but keeps three others, The New York Times, and Penguin Random House in the frame for the $15 billion. Merryday gave the president 28 days to try again—and made clear what he thought of the first attempt.

“Alleging only two simple counts of defamation, the complaint consumes 85 pages,” the judge wrote in last month’s ruling. “Count one appears on page 80, and count two appears on page 83 … Even under the most generous and lenient application of rule 8, the complaint is decidedly improper and impermissible.”
By Stefan Becket, Caitlin Yilek, Melissa Quinn

What to know on Day 17 of the government shutdown:
The government shutdown is on Day 17 with no end in sight, after senators failed for the 10th time to resolve the impasse in votes on Thursday.
The shutdown is now the third-longest funding lapse in modern history, eclipsed only by the shutdowns of 1995 and 2018-19. Shutdowns are a relatively recent phenomenon, having only begun in their current form in 1980.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune sent the upper chamber home for the weekend after Thursday's votes, meaning the funding lapse will continue until at least Monday. The House has been out of session since Sept. 19 with no plans to return until the shutdown is over.
By Rhea Mogul

India has seemingly pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s claim it had agreed to stop importing Russian oil, signaling the issue that has strained ties is unlikely to be resolved soon.

Trump on Wednesday said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “assured me today that they (India) will not be buying oil from Russia,” which is subject to US sanctions, describing it as a “big step.”

But on Thursday India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters he was “not aware of any conversation” between Trump and Modi, or any assurance from the Indian leader that he would stop purchasing Russian oil.

Earlier in the day, India’s foreign ministry said the country was a “significant importer of oil and gas,” without naming Russia nor referencing Modi’s purported assurance.
Story by David McAfee

A Los Angeles "No Kings" protester told MSNBC on Saturday that she and her parents were discriminated against by Donald Trump's family when they tried to rent property in New York years ago.

Trump was accused of bias in renting to Black people in connection with the rentals from his father, Fred Trump, in the 1960s, according to the New York Times. That old story got new life over the weekend, when a MSNBC reporter attended a "No Kings" protest in L.A.

The subject was only identified as Jamie from Rancho Cucamonga, and, when asked why she was there, she said, "Because my daughter's future depends on me coming out here like my mother walked for Martin Luther King. She marched, she walked. And I'm here in honor of her. And in honor of my daughter."

When asked about potential parallels to the past, Jamie said, "My parents and I came out of Jim Crow."

"While I was at the end of it, we were the result of what happened in Jim Crow, because my parents, who came up from the south, they went into New York and we were discriminated against [by] Trump," she said. "He would not allow us as being Black people to live in his properties."
Story by Owen Scott

A vehicle from Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade was one of several hit by shrapnel during a military parade in California on Saturday.

The detonation took place above Interstate 5 in San Diego County, despite Gov. Gavin Newsom warning the Trump administration about the dangers of using live munitions during the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary celebration.

Although no one was injured, the blast caused shrapnel to rain down, damaging several vehicles including the motorcycle belonging to Vance’s protection detail. According to a report by The New York Times, officers heard a sound similar to pebbles hitting the vehicles before noticing pieces of shrapnel as big as two inches long on the ground and a dent on their car.

After the explosion, Newsom tore into the government on social media in a post which included a photograph of the heavy artillery used in the military show.

“The shrapnel that hit CHP (California Highway Patrol) vehicles over the weekend from Trump and Vance’s military live-munitions demonstration came from this ordnance. It’s no small thing,” Newsom’s press office wrote on social media after the explosion. “This is what the White House thought was fine to fly over civilians on a major freeway.”
Posted byBy Yasmeen F.

ICE agents carrying out a federal immigration operation in Chicago ended up detaining a Black teenager for hours after the operation spilled into a Walgreens store where the teen was shopping with his family.

According to WLS, the operation began when federal agents began pursuing a car reportedly carrying two undocumented immigrants.

Surveillance footage shows a white truck chasing a red SUV around a residential neighborhood on the southeast side of the city. The pursuit reportedly lasted 30 minutes before the truck conducted a PIT maneuver on the SUV and collided with the vehicle.

During the demonstration, federal agents began searching for someone and took their search to a nearby Walgreens, where 19-year-old Warren King was shopping.

Yarelly Jimenez said she went into the store with her partner and her sister’s boyfriend, King, to record what was happening, according to PEOPLE. Masked agents can be seen searching the aisles as Jimenez shouted, “Get the f— out of here!”

Moments later, as she exited Walgreens, she captured King on the ground as a masked agent straddled him.

Cellphone video shows an agent sitting on top of King as Jimenez screams, “He’s a citizen! He’s a citizen!”

“You don’t know what’s going on, so get the f*** back!” the agent is heard shouting back.

King recalled the moments federal agents swarmed the store before directing their attention to him.
Story by Scarlett O'Toole

CNN descended into chaos as the hosts clashed when debating about whether Donald Trump is racist after the president shared a controversial AI video about Hakeem Jeffries.

Political commentator Keith Boykin appeared on CNN alongside journalist Batya Ungar-Sargon as they spoke about the president. "Donald Trump has a history of racism himself," Keith fumed, prompting Batya to shoot back, "No, that's not true."

Keith's eyes widened as he asked, "Are you kidding me?" Batya shook her head and Keith continued, "Donald Trump started his career with racism. In the 1970s, he was sued for housing discrimination. In 1989, he led a lynch mob against the Central Park Five. In the 1990s, he was sued by casino workers for racial discrimination."

In 1973, a federal lawsuit was brought against Trump and his company for alleged racial discrimination at Trump housing developments in New York. The case was settled two years later.

In regards to the Central Park Five, Trump famously took out a full-page advertisement in the New York Times calling for the death penalty to be brought back. The ad didn't mention the Central Park Five, but it ran while intense debates were taking place about the incident.

In the 1990s, Trump's casinos faced numerous lawsuits, including one for unpaid debts. In 1990, a business analyst who made negative comments about the Trump Taj Mahal before it opened sued the now-president for defamation. Trump settled out of court.

During his remarks from the Senate floor today, Senator Chuck Schumer cut through the GOP's web of lies. Schumer stated, "They've been lying about that too."
BUYER'S REMORSE
The president receives poor feedback when his own voters are asked “first word that comes to mind” question.
Ewan Palmer

Several young voters who backed Donald Trump in the last election have explained why they now regret their choice.

When The New York Times asked the young voters for single words to describe life under Trump, “reckless,” “overpowering,” and “aggressive” came to mind.

They were frustrated with Trump’s failure to improve the U.S. economy, his overly strong stance on immigration, abandoning his “America First” agenda, and his handling of overseas conflicts.

In the latest edition of The NYT’s “America in Focus” project, Trump voters in their late 20s and early 30s who said they “somewhat disapproved” of or had mixed views about the president’s performance were asked about their reasons why.

When The Times asked these second-guessing Trump voters for the first word that came to mind when they think of the president, Mustafa, a 28-year-old from Georgia, replied, “The way that he’s been handling things recently, dictatorship.”

Trump’s support among young voters was cited as one of the key reasons for his sweeping 2024 victory. However, polls suggest that this demographic, generally associated with backing Democratic candidates, is already regretting its decision.
BAD BROMANCE
Even Fox was forced to admit the president’s obsession with Vladimir Putin was a little weird.
Tom Sanders

Fox News analyst Brit Hume claims President Donald Trump’s longstanding “man-crush” on Vladimir Putin is officially over, and the president no longer considers the Russian leader a “friend.”

“I think he’s soured on him now,” Hume told host Bret Baier on Wednesday night.
Story by Victoria Churchill, U.S. Political Reporter In Washington, D.C. and Elina Shirazi

A controversial Trump nominee may not survive the week, as more leaked text messages have surfaced from another member of the New York Young Republicans. Paul Ingrassia has been nominated to lead the Office of Special Counsel, but additional text messages released by Politico on Monday set off alarm bells for several top-ranking GOP Senators, who are now saying they oppose his nomination.

Ingrassia is accused of racist tirades in a group chat with Republican friends. Text messages released by Politico showed Ingrassia admitting he has a 'Nazi streak', it has been reported. The messages include calling for MLK day to be 'tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs', adding that there should be 'no moulignon holidays,' using an Italian slur for black people.

Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune asked the White House to withdraw Ingrassia's nomination, adding, 'he's not going to pass.' Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott told reporters Monday evening that he does 'not support' Ingrassia's nomination.
Obama once joked about what a gaudy Trump White House would like – the president seems bent on proving him right
David Smith in Washington

When Barack Obama roasted Donald Trump at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, the icing on the cake was a cartoon illustration of what the White House might look like if Trump ever became US president.

The name “Trump” was emblazoned across the top in giant capital letters, followed by “the White House” in lurid purple cursive, then “hotel casino golf course” and “presidential suite”. The parody imagined gold pillars, a giant crystal chandelier and two scantily clad women sitting at reception.
Trump said in July that the project “won’t interfere with the current building.”
By Gabe Gutierrez, Monica Alba, Peter Alexander and Dareh Gregorian

The entire East Wing of the White House will be demolished “within days,” according to two Trump administration officials.

The demolition is a significant expansion of the ballroom construction project from what President Donald Trump said this summer.

“It won’t interfere with the current building,” Trump said on July 31. “It’ll be near it, but not touching it, and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.”

The New York Times first reported the extent of the demolition.

A White House official told NBC News the “entirety” of the East Wing would eventually be “modernized and rebuilt” while acknowledging the process is fluid.

“The scope and the size of the ballroom project have always been subject to vary as the process develops,” the official told NBC News.

Receiving a significant expansion during Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency in 1942, the East Wing is connected to and part of the White House complex, and it has typically been used by the first lady and her staff.

Construction on the ballroom began last month. Trump has said it will hold up to 900 people, and last week he said the total price would be about $250 million, which he said he and private donors will pay for. However, on Wednesday, Trump said the ballroom's price is "about $300 million."
The sudden destruction of the White House's East Wing to make way for a massive gilded ballroom is a huge departure from previous remodels and renovations.
By Hayes Brown, MSNBC Opinion Writer/Editor

The scale, speed and lack of transparency we’re seeing from President Donald Trump’s determination to build a 90,000-square foot ballroom makes it by far the most absurd — and potentially unethical — “renovation” project any president has undertaken.

Former officials and historical experts were appalled at the images of demolition equipment ripping through the White House’s East Wing were first published by The Washington Post Monday. The outcry only grew Tuesday as the rapid renovation spread further, not merely taking down the facade outside the East Wing but tearing haphazardly into the building. A White House official confirmed Wednesday that the plan is now to raze the whole structure rather than tagging on the ballroom as an addition.

The White House’s press team posted a thread on X, formerly known as Twitter, to claim that the destruction was merely a continuation of a process that presidents have undertaken for more than a century. It’s true that there have been several major overhauls to the Executive Mansion in that time, many of which drew consternation over their scope, their disregard for history or their expense. But the project Trump has undertaken is on another level entirely.

Given his past as a real estate developer, his obsession with size and grandeur and his questionable taste in internal decor, Trump’s vision for a White House ballroom comes as little surprise. During the initial announcement in July, he claimed that the addition “won’t interfere with the current building. It won’t be. It’ll be near it but not touching it — and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of. It’s my favorite. It’s my favorite place. I love it.” (Trump reportedly calling the White House “a dump” during his first term, which he has denied, and spending a big chunk of his second term staying at the properties he owns, doesn’t exactly support the idea it’s his “favorite place.”)
Vance criticizes Israel’s parliament vote on West Bank annexation, says the move was an ‘insult’
By RENATA BRITO and MATTHEW LEE
Leer en español

JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance criticized on Thursday a vote in Israel’s parliament the previous day about the annexation of the occupied West Bank, saying it amounted to an “insult” and went against the Trump administration policies.

Hard-liners in the Israeli parliament had narrowly passed a symbolic preliminary vote in support of annexing the West Bank — an apparent attempt to embarrass Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while Vance was still in the country.

The bill, which required only a simple majority of lawmakers present in the house on Wednesday, passed with a 25-24 vote. But it was unlikely to pass multiple rounds of voting to become law or win a majority in the 120-seat parliament. Netanyahu, who is opposed to it, also has tools to delay or defeat it.

On the tarmac of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport before departing Israel, Vance said that if the Knesset’s vote was a “political stunt, then it is a very stupid political stunt.”
Story by Colin Kalmbacher

The Trump administration got a boost from an appellate court late Wednesday night in one of the ongoing legal showdowns over the federal use of state National Guard troops to police American cities.

In an order without a majority opinion, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit declined to rehear en banc the dispute between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump.

In late June, a three-judge panel said courts had an oversight role to play but must be "highly deferential" to executive authority in military matters — issuing a stay, pending appeal, of a lower court injunction in Trump's favor. The panel further found the 45th and 47th president "likely" acted "lawfully" when deploying the Golden State's troops in service of actions to protect federal property and agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from protesters.

In early July, one 9th Circuit judge, in a sua sponte — or "of one's own accord" — order, called for the entire court to reconsider the case. In turn, motions practice commenced in response to that request and, simultaneously, on a parallel track as Newsom and Trump continued the overarching appellate battle amid a flurry of amicus briefs.

On Wednesday afternoon, the appellate court finally held a hearing on the en banc request.

Now, without one line of reasoning, a majority of active judges have declined to take up the matter of the months-old stay pending appeal.

"A judge of this court sua sponte requested a vote on whether to rehear this case en banc," the one-page order reads. "A vote was taken, and the matter failed to receive a majority of the votes of the non-recused active judges in favor of en banc consideration. Rehearing en banc is DENIED."

There are two dissents attached to the order — one formal and one less than formal. One of the dissents is stylized as a "statement" while the other, penned by a lone judge, is stylized as a "dissent."

The statement by Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Marsha Berzon, a Bill Clinton appointee, was joined by 10 other judges — including three other senior judges. In the U.S. judiciary, senior judges are not allowed to vote on motions to rehear a case en banc; senior judges are allowed to perform other dispute-related work, like writing statements.
Story by Katherine Faulders, Alexander Mallin, Peter Charalambous, Steven Portnoy

Prosecutors who investigated New York Attorney General Letitia James for possible mortgage fraud found evidence that would appear to undercut some of the allegations in the indictment of James secured earlier this month -- including the degree to which James personally profited from her purchase of the property -- according to a memo summarizing the state of the case in September, sources told ABC News.

Prosecutors who led the monthslong investigation into James' conduct concluded that any financial benefit derived from her allegedly falsified mortgage would have amounted to approximately $800 in the year she purchased the home, sources said.

The government lawyers also expressed concern that the case could likely not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt because federal mortgage guidelines for a second home do not clearly define occupancy, a key element of the case, according to sources.

Prosecutors detailed the findings to the previous U.S. attorney, Erik Siebert, in an internal Department of Justice memo summarizing the status of the case early last month, according to sources familiar with its contents. Siebert was ousted by President Donald Trump last month after refusing to seek charges against James amid what critics call Trump's campaign of retribution against his perceived political foes.

"I want him out," Trump said the day before Siebert was ousted, telling reporters that it was because Virginia's two Democratic senators supported his nomination. Of James, Trump said, "It looks to me like she is very guilty of something, but I really don’t know."

Interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan -- who Trump appointed with the explicit mandate of bringing charges against James and others -- secured an indictment against James earlier this month on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.

Last week Halligan abruptly fired the author of the memo, career prosecutor Elizabeth Yusi, in part due to her resistance to bringing the case against James, sources said.
Story by Joe Sommerlad

Dr Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, got himself into a desperate mathematical tangle attempting to defend President Donald Trump’s rhetoric on drug prices on Wednesday.

Appearing on NBC News’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, the former daytime TV personality was invited to watch a montage of Trump making wildly inflated promises on the percentage by which his administration planned to cut the cost of pharmaceuticals, which rose from 1,200 percent to 1,500 percent depending on which press event the president was speaking at.

“Cutting drug prices by 400 percent, anything over 100 percent, wouldn’t that effectively make them free? Is that a realistic goal from the president?” Welker asked Dr Oz.

Strictly speaking, cutting prices by 100 percent would make them free, and any reduction beyond that would put the seller in the nonsensical position of having to pay people to take their product.

Attempting to mount an explanation, the administrator said: “The president does the calculation by saying, ‘OK, if a drug was $100 and you reduce it to $50, it’s 100 percent cheaper because you’re taking $50 off and left with only $50, so the amount you took off the price is equal to the amount that’s left. They’re equal so it’s 100 percent.’”

In fact, reducing a $100 item to $50 would mean it is only 50 percent cheaper.

Pressing on without correcting Oz, the understandably baffled Welker pointed out that Trump has boasted about reducing drug prices by up to 1,500 percent.

“Well, if you take a drug that is $200 or $240 like we did last week and reduce it to $10, those are the numbers you’re talking about,” Oz answered, only intensifying the atmosphere of confusion.
Story by Nicole Charky-Chami

Shocked reactions flooded in on Wednesday after a major university announced a deal with the Trump administration in what a college professor called "another shakedown."

The University of Virginia made a deal with the Trump administration to cease investigations — at least for now — after facing threats of a federal investigation over accusations of civil rights violations.
Story by Robert Alexander

A senior federal judge has issued an unusual warning about the dangers of normalizing presidential use of military forces in U.S. cities, breaking with colleagues on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Newsom v. Trump, a dispute over President Donald Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard.

Legal experts say the ruling has far-reaching implications for presidential power, judicial oversight, and the historic boundary separating civilian law enforcement from military authority in the United States.

Why It Matters
The dispute over Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard has become a major test of presidential authority and judicial oversight.

At issue is whether a president can send troops into American cities without meeting strict legal conditions set by Congress—and whether courts will enforce those limits. In sharply worded dissents, two Ninth Circuit judges warned that normalizing military involvement in domestic law enforcement could erode the separation of powers and the nation’s long-standing resistance to using armed forces against its own citizens.

Their concern extends beyond a single administration: It questions how far future presidents may reach in claiming unilateral authority during civil unrest.
Story by Fatima Hussein

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the midst of a federal government shutdown, the U.S. government’s gross national debt surpassed $38 trillion Wednesday, a record number that highlights the accelerating accumulation of debt on America’s balance sheet.

It's also the fastest accumulation of a trillion dollars in debt outside of the COVID-19 pandemic — the U.S. hit $37 trillion in gross national debt in August this year.

The $38 trillion update is found in the latest Treasury Department report, which logs the nation’s daily finances.

Kent Smetters of the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Wharton Budget Model, who served in President George W. Bush’s Treasury Department, told The Associated Press that a growing debt load over time leads ultimately to higher inflation, eroding Americans' purchasing power.

The Government Accountability Office outlines some of the impacts of rising government debt on Americans — including higher borrowing costs for things like mortgages and cars, lower wages from businesses having less money available to invest, and more expensive goods and services.
Story by Paul Blumenthal

Two top House Democrats sent a letter to President Donald Trump warning him that his effort to order the Department of Justice to pay him $230 million in taxpayer funds as compensation for its investigations into him during the Biden administration is both unconstitutional and illegal.

The letter from Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, notes that the Constitution’s Domestic Emoluments Clause prohibits the president from receiving any additional payment above his salary from the federal government and that the Federal Tort Claims Act further prohibits the payment of damages that Trump seeks.

“In remarks to the press this week, you described a blatantly illegal and unconstitutional effort to steal $230 million from the American people,” the letter states. “Your plan to have your obedient underlings at the Department of Justice (DOJ) instruct the U.S. Treasury to pay you, personally, hundreds of millions of dollars — especially at a time when most Americans are struggling to pay rent, put food on the table, and afford health care — is an outrageous and shocking attempt to shake down the American people.”
Adam Lynch

The New York Times reports U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan may have left out important information in her indictment against New York AG Letitia James that might have derailed some charges.

“In the indictment, … Halligan accuses Ms. James of having misrepresented the purpose of the house when she purchased it in August 2020 for $137,000,” reports the Times. “The indictment says that while Ms. James indicated to her mortgage broker that she expected to use the house as a second home, she had instead used it as a “rental investment property, renting the property to a family.”

Only it does not look like she rented it at all.

The Times reports occupant Nakia Thompson — Letitia James’ grandniece — testified to a grand jury in Norfolk, VA. that she “had lived in the house for years (with her children) and that she did not pay rent,” according to a person familiar with her testimony.

Additionally, The Times reports prosecutors did not ask Nakia Thompson to testify again, and the grand jury that voted to indict Letitia James was not seated in Norfolk, where this information was revealed, but in Alexandria.
Story by Mayukh B

A Houston family came through a major nightmare on Thursday morning when their 16-year-old was attacked by ICE. Reports say that he was choked, beaten, and racially abused by U.S. immigration agents on his way to school, but little did they know that he was American-born only. Sources reveal that the name of the boy is Arnoldo Bazan, and he said that he was travelling with his father, Arnulfo Bazan, on October 23, and suddenly their car was stopped by men dressed in plain clothes who came with an unmarked vehicle.

And, what he said next can be compared to a plot of a bad movie. “Their vests, they didn’t say ‘police’ (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), nothing. And that’s when me and my dad got scared because they started hitting our window, tried to open the door,”Arnoldo told reporters at a press conference. He further said, “Me and my dad went to fight-or-flight mode, and we just backed away.”
Threats rise to alarming heights amid immigration crackdown
Written By Mayukh B

Death threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are increasing as the agency carries out the administration’s tougher immigration policies. New Department of Homeland Security figures were released on Wednesday. It shows an 8,000% jump in death threats aimed at the officers.

The increase has rattled officers and DHS leaders alike. Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that officers “risk their lives every single day to remove the worst of the worst.” She even described the range of attacks the agency is seeing: “From bounties placed on their heads for their murders, threats to their families, stalking, and doxxing online, our officers are experiencing an unprecedented level of violence,” she said, in part. McLaughlin also blamed “sanctuary politicians”

DHS laid out several recent, chilling examples. In Dallas, authorities say a Mexican national living in the U.S. illegally, Eduardo Aguilar, posted a TikTok message offering $10,000 for the murder of an ICE agent. The post was written in Spanish and reported by DHS. It allegedly called for “10 dudes in Dallas with determination who aren’t afraid to [two skull emojis].”
Story by Harry Cockburn

Just weeks after Jeffrey Epstein died in jail in 2019, banking giant JPMorgan Chase alerted the Trump administration to more than $1 billion in potentially suspicious transactions involving several high-profile U.S. business figures, as well as wire transfers to Russian banks.

The report, which JPMorgan filed – and which was released this week among hundreds of pages of previously sealed court records – flagged over 4,700 transactions, amid concerns they could potentially be related to human trafficking operations involving Epstein.

Among the names highlighted in JPMorgan’s suspicious activity report are: Leon Black, co-founder of private equity firm Apollo Global Management and former MoMA chairman; billionaire hedge fund manager Glenn Dubin; celebrity attorney Alan Dershowitz; and trusts linked to retail magnate Leslie Wexner.

Though each man appeared in connection with financial dealings tied to Epstein, what those transactions involved, and precisely how Epstein fits into the picture, remains unclear. None of them has been charged with crimes in connection with the disgraced financier.
Domestic violence is crime no matter what Trump thinks


During his remarks to the White House Liberty Commission at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. several weeks ago, Donald Trump downplayed the seriousness of domestic violence by making jokes about it and implying that it shouldn't be considered a crime.

During his remarks at the White House this month, President Trump admitted that he is unable to speak without a teleprompter. Trump stated, "My teleprompter wasn't on."
Despite a judge's ruling ordering the administration to fund SNAP benefits, President Donald Trump said that November's payments were likely to be delayed.
By Alexandra Marquez

As the federal government shutdown passes the one-month mark, a new round of impacts will soon hit millions of Americans on Saturday.

A chief concern for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in recent weeks was the impending lapse in funding for SNAP benefits, colloquially known as food stamps, for which millions of people were set to lose benefits on Saturday.

Over 40 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits to purchase food, leading to concerns from elected officials that millions could go hungry. Governors and other state leaders from dozens of states across the country have said that they will free up emergency funds in their states to temporarily assist families that usually rely on their SNAP benefits to purchase food.

A coalition of municipalities, nonprofit groups and business and union organizations sued earlier this week, requesting that a federal judge in Rhode Island force the Trump administration to use contingency funds in the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pay out SNAP benefits.

On Friday, U.S District Judge John McConnell did just that, ordering the USDA to distribute money from a contingency fund “as soon as possible,” in time for Nov. 1 SNAP payments to be made.
By STEPHEN GROVES, ALI SWENSON and SUSAN HAIGH

WASHINGTON (AP) — The crises at the heart of the government shutdown fight in Washington were coming to a head Saturday as the federal food assistance program faced delays and millions of Americans were set to see a dramatic rise in their health insurance bills.

The impacts on basic needs — food and medical care — underscored how the impasse is hitting homes across the United States. Plans by the Trump administration to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Saturday were halted by federal judges, but the delay in payouts will still likely leave millions of people short on their grocery bills.

It all added to the strain on the country, with a month of missed paychecks for federal workers and growing air travel delays. The shutdown is already the second longest in history and entered its second month on Saturday, yet there was little urgency in Washington to end it. Lawmakers are away from Capitol Hill and both parties are entrenched in their positions.

The House has not met for legislative business in more than six weeks, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., closed his chamber for the weekend after bipartisan talks failed to achieve significant progress.
Sasha RogelbergBy Sasha Rogelberg

Aviation industry leaders are urging Congress to end the shutdown out of concern for the wellbeing of air traffic controllers working without pay, as well as on air travel ahead of a busy holiday season.

“It’s putting stress on people. It’s not fair to those people. It’s also putting stress on the economy,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told reporters outside of the White House on Thursday. “Airlines are a pretty good real-time indicator of the economy, and we start to see, still minor, but steep booking impact. And you see that happening in the economy. We put the whole economy at risk.”

Kirby called for bipartisan agreement on a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government. He, as well as industry leaders like Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Chris Sununu, the former Republican governor of New Hampshire and current CEO of industry trade group Airlines for America, met with Vice President JD Vance on Thursday to discuss the impact on the government shutdown on aviation, Bloomberg reported.
Story by Adam Nichols

In a landmark immunity case last year, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts argued that sweeping presidential immunity was necessary to prevent an executive branch that "cannibalizes" itself. Roberts claimed that without such protection, a president would be "free to prosecute his predecessors, yet unable to boldly and fearlessly carry out his duties for fear that he may be next."

But that sweeping protection might have just been thrown away by President Donald Trump, two experienced federal law experts warned Saturday.

The Supreme Court's decision has had unintended consequences, wrote ex-acting assistant attorney general for national security, Mary McCord, and Andrew Weissmann, a former general counsel for the F.B.I., in the New York Times. Both have worked under presidents from both parties, including Trump.

Rather than preventing the weaponization of prosecutions, the court has seemingly unleashed a new form of executive power manipulation, they wrote.
Story by Tommy Christopher

President Donald Trump attacked Democrats in a rant about being forced to pay SNAP benefits during the government shutdown — even as he threw a glitzy Great Gatsby-themed party at Mar-a-lago.

Two federal judges — Judge Indira Talwani in Massachusetts and Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island — ruled Friday that the White House must continue funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is commonly referred to as Food Stamps.

Shortly after the ruling, Trump posted a lengthy rant on the rulings even as he was preparing to welcome guests to a party modeled on the epitome of obscene wealth. Trump wrote that he would delay paying the benefits until his lawyers could “ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible” and would do so only “If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court”:
Story by CK Smith

Just before the election last year, the New York Times Opinion section published a stark, all-caps warning, both online and in print: “DONALD TRUMP SAYS HE WILL PROSECUTE HIS ENEMIES, ORDER MASS DEPORTATIONS, USE SOLDIERS AGAINST CITIZENS, PLAY POLITICS WITH DISASTERS, ABANDON ALLIES. BELIEVE HIM.”

At the time, many dismissed it as hyperbole. Less than a year into Trump’s second term, elements of that warning are already playing out in real policy, from aggressive political prosecutions to deportation plans and disaster response controversies. The prediction wasn’t just provocative — it was prescient.

The warning resurfaced on social media this week, going viral as users grappled with the unnerving reality of the Times’ editorial foresight. Reactions ranged from disbelief to dark humor, with memes, threads, and commentary documenting current events as they unfold. For many, the post is no longer satire; it’s a reflection of policy and political behavior that directly impacts Americans’ lives.

U.S. has admitted to killing unidentified civilians in a series of illegal extrajudicial boat strikes in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean under orders from the Trump administration. Officials conceded they did not know the identities of the victims and lacked evidence to prosecute any survivors, acknowledging that at least 62 civilians were killed. While Washington has defended the strikes as part of a “non-international armed conflict,” both Democratic and Republican lawmakers — including Sara Jacobs and Rand Paul — condemned them as unlawful extrajudicial killings. UN experts have also denounced the attacks as violations of international law.
Story by Jordan Green, Investigative Reporter

Former acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf’s appearance before a Senate hearing on political violence this week resurfaced inconvenient remarks for a witness called by Republicans intent on painting rising political violence as a left-wing problem.

Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) read back Wolf’s Senate testimony from five years ago.

“White supremacist extremists, from a lethality standpoint over the last two years … are certainly the most persistent and lethal threat, when we talk about domestic violent extremists,” Wolf said at the time.

On Tuesday, before the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, chaired by Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Wolff offered a strikingly different assessment.

“The increase in politically motivated violence over the last several years has been driven largely by radical, left-wing extremist groups and individuals that believe violence is a legitimate means to achieve political goals,” Wolf testified.

Wolf is now executive vice president of the America First Policy Institute. Founded in 2021 and closely aligned with Trump, former leaders include Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, Secretary of Agriculture Brook Rollins and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

A federal court ordered the Trump administration to use contingency funds to prop up the SNAP food program as millions of Americans who rely on government assistance wonder if they’ll lose access to food this weekend. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) joins Christina Ruffini to discuss the alarming situation and more.

During his remarks in a press gaggle in August, President Trump pouted about receiving criticism. Trump complained, "I've been treated very unfairly."

Donald Trump promised his supporters he would be their "retribution" if re-elected. Now, he's making good on that promise with his DOJ putting two prosecutors on leave for they signed court documents describing the "mob of rioters" on January 6th. ABC News' Jonathan Karl joins The Weekend: Primetime to discuss this as well as Trump's focus on revenge in his new book, "Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign that Changed America."
Story by David McAfee

Donald Trump on Saturday declared a late-night TV host was "probably" breaking the law by criticizing him, leading a senator to sound the alarm.

Trump over the weekend targeted host Seth Meyers, saying, "Seth Meyers of NBC may be the least talented person to 'perform' live in the history of television."

"I watched his show the other night for the first time in years. In it he talked endlessly about electric catapults on aircraft carriers which I complain about as not being as good as much less expensive steam catapults. On and on he went, a truly deranged lunatic," Trump claimed, adding, "NO TALENT, NO RATINGS, 100% ANTI TRUMP, WHICH IS PROBABLY ILLEGAL!!!"
Story by Y. Kyles

On Oct. 30, the president took to his Truth Social platform to focus on the Nobel Prize in Physics by claiming victory in the category that three physicists won.

President Donald Trump is taking credit for winning a Nobel Prize presented to three other people.

Trump, 79, has been consumed with the idea that the Nobel Foundation should award him the prestigious honor. He has particularly been obsessed with the Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump appeared to cite Chris Wright, the 60-year-old former Liberty Energy CEO who currently serves as the U. S. Secretary of Energy, in the social media post.

“Chris Wright: ‘A former Lawrence Berkeley National Lab scientist won the Nobel Prize in physics for work in Quantum physics,’” Trump wrote on Wednesday afternoon.

The billionaire businessman resumed, “‘Quantum computing, along with AI and Fusion, are the three signature Trump science efforts. Trump 47 racks up his first Nobel Prize!’”

Obviously, Trump was not named a 2025 Nobel laureate. British scientist John Clarke was actually among the winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics this year.

Election Day is just 2 days away and the Governor races in New Jersey and Virginia mark the first major electoral tests of President Trump’s agenda. President and CEO of Voto Latino Maria Teresa Kumar and former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh join The Weekend to discuss the busy week ahead.
Story by Frank Yemi

President Donald Trump issued a fiery warning to Republicans on Saturday, telling his party not to be “weak and stupid” and urging them to fight to make sure Democrats “never again have the chance” to govern the United States. In a string of Truth Social posts, the president railed against Democrats over the ongoing government shutdown and accused them of trying to destroy the country, while pressing Republicans to hold the line.

“Remember, Republicans, regardless of the Schumer Shutdown, the Democrats will terminate the Filibuster the first chance they get,” Trump wrote. “They will Pack the Supreme Court, pick up two States, and add at least 8 Electoral Votes.” He continued, “Their two objectors are gone!!! Don’t be WEAK AND STUPID. FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! WIN, WIN, WIN!”

The remarks landed as the shutdown dragged into another week, with talks frozen over a continuing resolution to fund federal operations. Democrats are pushing to extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, Republicans have balked, and the White House has framed the dispute as a historic test of political resolve. Trump argued that Republicans are “very unified” and “want to do what’s right for the country,” while accusing Democrats of reckless spending and lax border policies.

In another post, Trump broadened the message beyond the immediate crisis. “We will immediately END the Extortionist Shutdown, get ALL of our agenda passed, and make life so good for Americans that these DERANGED DEMOCRAT politicians will never again have the chance to DESTROY AMERICA!” he declared. He added, “This is much bigger than the Shutdown, this is the survival of our Country!”
Story by Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY

President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Nov. 1 to announce that he has instructed "our Department of War to prepare for possible action" against the Nigerian government over "the killing of Christians."

In addition to immediately stopping all aid and assistance to Nigeria, per Trump's post, he said the U.S. military may go into Nigeria with "guns-a-blazing" to "completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities."

"If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!" Trump concluded his post.

Trump's warning comes after he on Oct. 31 accused Nigeria of religious freedom violations, saying that “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria," subsequently designating the nation as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act, CNN and The Associated Press reported.
During a press briefing several months ago in May, HHS Secretary RFK Jr. revealed that President Trump received $100 million from pharmaceuticals. Trump nodded his head in agreement, confirming RFK Jr.'s statement.
During a press event in the Oval Office with FBI Director Kash Patel several days ago, Donald Trump bragged about terminating the Hudson Tunnel project in New York and personally called out Chuck Schumer. "Tell him it's terminated, Jennifer," he told a reporter.
A top Justice Department official admitted that if Donald Trump were anyone else, he would already face arrest. The statement highlights concerns over accountability and the perception of unequal treatment under the law.
Story by Tom Latchem

A federal judge humiliated a Justice Department attorney after he tried to shut down questions about Stephen Miller’s role in Chicago’s ICE crackdown.

Government lawyer Sarmad Khojasteh stumbled through objections to a demand from plaintiffs to hand over details of communications between Miller and Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino.

The argument came during Bovino’s deposition as part of a lawsuit about immigration agents’ aggressive tactics during the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago, prompting an intervention from U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis.

During the testy exchange, Khojasteh repeatedly cut across the bench and even continually misnamed the operation “Midway Drift.” He also had to apologize for being new to the case, according to a transcript reported on by the Chicago Tribune.

Khojasteh complained to Ellis that he had prepped Bovino for a narrow set of issues saying, “I mean, they asked today about communications with Stephen Miller. They asked today about body cam [footage] from the Los Angeles [immigration operation]. I feel sandbagged right now.”
Story by David Edwards

President Donald Trump announced that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits would not be disbursed until the government shutdown ends after attorneys for his administration promised a federal judge that at least half of the payments would be sent out in November.
Dick Cheney warns about the dangers of Donald Trump in resurfaced clip following former vice president’s death
Story by S.V. Date

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s justification for summarily killing alleged drug smugglers, rather than arrest, try and convict them in court, appears to be based on a massive lie: that they were in the process of bringing to the United States the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl.

“You can see it, the boats get hit, and you see that fentanyl all over the ocean,” Trump said at an Oct. 15 news conference, the day after after the fifth of what are now 15 lethal attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean that have killed 65. “It’s, like, floating in bags. It’s all over the place.”

“Every boat that we knock out, we save 25,000 American lives,” Trump also told reporters.

“U.S. Intelligence confirmed this vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics,” he wrote in a social media post three days later about yet another missile strike on Oct. 16.

However, the claim that the missile attacks on small boats — in most cases far too small to have been en route to the United States without requiring multiple stops for refueling — are disrupting fentanyl trafficking into the U.S. are belied by what Pentagon officials have told members of Congress in recent briefings.

“They’ve not recovered fentanyl in any of these cases. It’s all been cocaine,” said one congressional source familiar with the content of one of the briefings.

“They argued that cocaine is a facilitating drug of fentanyl, but that was not a satisfactory answer for most of us,” California Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs told reporters after a briefing she attended last week for members of the House Armed Services Committee.

The mounting frustration over the lack of clear information is bipartisan. Last week, the Senate Armed Services Committee, chaired by Mississippi Republican Roger Wicker, took the unusual step of posting twoletters demanding details of how the military is conducting the boat strikes on its website.

“I’m not getting follow-up. We’re not getting the information. How do they choose this boat?” added Oklahoma Republican James Lankford, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Story by Abha Bhattarai, Andrew Tran

A majority of Americans say they are spending more on groceries and utilities than they were a year ago, and they blame President Trump for the rising prices, a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll finds.

About 7 in 10 Americans say their grocery costs have risen in the past year, while about 6 in 10 say their utility costs have edged higher, according to the poll, conducted in late October. Roughly 4 in 10 say the same about health care, gas and housing. The findings reflect angst about the cost of living, which has emerged as a key issue in the off-year elections across the country on Tuesday.

“Even as inflation has gone down, people are still struggling with very high price levels for food, energy and health care,” said Sophie Mitra, an economics professor at Fordham University. “The rate of increases has slowed, but things are still very difficult, especially for low- and middle-income households.”

Americans’ discontent reflects government data showing that inflation is slowly worsening. Utility costs, in particular, have jumped 12 percent in the past year, according to data from September. Grocery prices have risen by 3 percent, though some categories have recorded more dramatic increases. Meat prices, for example, have climbed more than 8 percent since last year, while canned fruits and vegetables are up 5 percent. Coffee has gone up by nearly 19 percent.

Roughly 6 in 10 Americans blame Trump “a great deal” or “a good amount” for the current rate of inflation and rising prices, the Post-ABC-Ipsos survey found. About two-thirds of independents (66 percent) and 92 percent of Democrats blame him, compared with 20 percent of Republicans.
Opinion by Ja'han Jones

The Trump administration’s newly announced policy of minimizing refugee admissions — from around 125,000 to 7,500 — while giving priority to white Afrikaners from South Africa has prompted a rebuke from the kinds of evangelical groups one might expect to see among the MAGA faithful.

To slash refugee resettlement to historic lows while granting privilege to white South Africans, all while peddling bigoted lies about anti-white oppression in their home country, is an unmistakably racist move by the administration. It also creates problems for churches that welcome new members from around the world, including refugees from places where Christians may be facing persecution.

Many faith groups appear alarmed by the new policy. Christianity Today quoted Matthew Soerens, an executive for the Christian humanitarian organization World Relief, saying the new policy “is slamming the door on persecuted Christians, along with those persecuted for other reasons.”

Bishop Mark Seitz, chairman of the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops, issued a critical statement, urging the administration to grant “due consideration for all those who have long awaited their opportunity for relief.” He continued:
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