Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed

[phkrause]

? Chicago's powder keg

Photo illustration: Maura Kearns/Axios; Photos: Getty Images

Chicago has become the ultimate proving ground for President Trump's domestic military experiment, pitting armed federal forces against a Democratic-led city determined to resist them, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. Why it matters: The arrival of the National Guard — coupled with Trump's calls to arrest Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker — could open a volatile new chapter in American history. Trump officials say the deployment, which relies on 200 National Guard troops from Texas, is meant to protect federal agents conducting immigration operations. Illinois has sued, calling it an illegal occupation. ? Zoom in: Weeks of raids, protests and violent clashes tied to ICE's "Operation Midway Blitz" have already put the city on edge. Homeland Security officials say they're targeting criminal unauthorized migrants, and that incendiary rhetoric by Democratic leaders has led to a surge in violence against ICE officers. Local leaders say federal agents are exacerbating the situation with their increasingly aggressive tactics, including the use of a Black Hawk helicopter to surround an apartment building. ?️ The big picture: Chicago's blend of politics, demographics and history has set the stage for an explosive showdown. A liberal power center: Johnson, the city's Black progressive mayor, has vowed to resist Trump's "authoritarianism" and signed an executive order establishing "ICE-free zones" barring immigration agents from using city property. Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, has made opposing Trump and funding liberal causes central to his political brand. Chicago is also the hometown of former President Obama, Trump's first major political foil. A conservative fixation: For years, Republicans and right-wing media have sought to use Chicago as a poster child for urban violence and Democratic chaos. FBI Director Kash Patel alleged that Chicago has 110,000 gang members, which would amount to nearly 5% of the city's population. A constitutional stress test: The decision to send Texas National Guard troops into Illinois without the governor's approval sits in a legal gray zone — one that could determine how far presidents can go in deploying force at home. Keep reading.

[phkrause]

? White House doubles down on back pay

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The White House isn't just standing by its view that federal law doesn't guarantee back pay for furloughed workers. It has emails showing this belief dates back to the 2019 shutdown, according to correspondence reviewed by Axios' Marc Caputo. Why it matters: This interpretation from the Trump White House's current Office of Management and Budget has roiled Congress, outraged labor unions and added a layer of tension to the federal shutdown that began Oct. 1. Amid the outcry over the possibility of up to 750,000 furloughed workers being denied back pay, OMB general counsel Mark Paoletta briefed Republican congressional staffers Tuesday about a draft OMB memo, first reported by Axios, concerning the furlough law. Paoletta discussed the emails between the office and congressional budget staff in 2019 that raised the same points, administration and congressional sources tell Axios. ? Zoom in: The law in question, the ''Government Employee Fair Treatment Act," or GEFTA, was signed by Trump during the 2019 shutdown, which lasted a record 35 days. At the time, the White House announced GEFTA "requires the compensation of government employees for wages lost, work performed, or leave used during" a shutdown. That was the prevailing view until this shutdown began — and OMB began to publicly interpret the law differently than everyone else. Keep reading.

[phkrause]

Marco's note

Photo: Evan Vucci/AP Above: A note from Secretary of State Marco Rubio to President Trump— captured by AP photographer Evan Vucci — during a meeting in the State Dining Room yesterday on the Gaza negotiations ... "Very close. We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first." Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispers to President Trump after handing him the note. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP

[phkrause]

Clueless Donald Trump, 79, Humiliated After Dodging Legal Question

The president had his Latin knowledge tested at the White House–and failed spectacularly.

Donald Trump was visibly stumped when asked a question about a Latin phrase used primarily in the court system.

The president, 79, was fielding questions from conservative influencers in the State Dining Room of the White House while hosting an antifa roundtable when one reporter asked the president about tackling the anti-fascist movement.

The Trump administration has branded antifa–a term for far-left activists–a domestic terrorist organization and used Wednesday to blame it for “carrying out a campaign of violence” at Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

“Have you given any more thought to possibly suspending habeas corpus to not only deal with these insurrectionists across the nation but also to continue rapidly deporting illegal aliens,” the president was asked.

Trump, appearing unclear on the question, responded, “suspending who?”—apparently thinking habeas corpus was a person.

The reporter repeated “habeas corpus,” leading Trump to squirm, “Oh, oh, I don’t know, I’d rather leave that to Kristi.” Trump was referencing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who was sitting beside the president. “What do you think?”

Noem also deflected, awkwardly stating, “Sir, I haven’t been a part of any discussions on that.”

Trump appeared to purse his lips and move on.

“Comforting,” wrote California Gov. Gavin Newsom in footage of the moment posted to social media.

Habeas corpus is a Latin term that translates to, “that you have the body.” Federal courts can use the writ of habeas corpus to determine if a state’s detention of a prisoner is valid. The writ can be used to bring a prisoner to court to determine if their detention is lawful.

Asking Noem may not have been in the president’s best interests. Testifying before the Senate back in May, Noem was herself humiliated when asked by Sen. Maggie Hassan about the meaning of habeas corpus.

“Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country,” she replied.

“That’s incorrect,” the New Hampshire Democrat said.

During the Wednesday roundtable, Trump said he would be willing to designate antifa a foreign terror organization after designating it as a domestic terror group last month.

Attorney General Pam Bondi backed Trump’s attacks on the anti-fascist organization.

“Fighting crime is more than just getting the bad guy off the streets,” Bondi said. “It’s breaking down the organization brick by brick, just like we did with cartels. We’re going to take the same approach, President Trump, with antifa, destroy the entire organization, from top to bottom. We’re going to take them apart.”

Noem claimed that antifa is “just as sophisticated as MS-13, as TDA (Tren de Aragua), as ISIS, as Hezbollah, as Hamas, as all of them. They are just as dangerous.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/clueless-donald-trump-79-humiliated-after-dodging-legal-question/?

[phkrause]

Trump, 79, Posted Private Bondi Message About Indicting Enemy

The president was “surprised to learn” the message to his attorney general went out to 10 million people.

Donald Trump accidentally posted an incendiary private message to Attorney General Pam Bondi on his public Truth Social account, according to a report.

The president’s furious note, addressed to “Pam,” ultimately went out to his 10.8 million social media followers rather than directly to Bondi.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump believed he was sending Bondi a private message, insisting she prosecute his nemesis and former FBI director, James Comey, along with other targets.Trump posted on Truth Social on Sept. 20, “Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, ‘same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.’”

The Journal cited U.S. officials who said Trump was “surprised to learn” the message to Bondi had gone public. The attorney general was so unhappy with the angry message being on social media that she contacted White House aides and the president.

Trump then followed the explosive post with one full of praise. “Pam Bondi is doing a GREAT job as Attorney General of the United States,” Trump posted on Truth Social, this time deliberately.

Five days after his Truth Social post to Bondi, Comey was indicted by a federal grand jury. Comey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of making a false statement and obstructing a congressional proceeding.

After the indictment, Trump posted, “JUSTICE IN AMERICA! One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to is James Comey, the former Corrupt Head of the FBI.”

Bondi was asked about Trump’s “private” social media post during a fiery Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, asked Bondi if she believed Trump’s post was “a directive to the Justice Department.”

“Trump is the most transparent president in American history,” Bondi said, “And I don’t think he said anything that he hasn’t said for years.”

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

Trump suffered another Truth Social mishap on Wednesday.

During a White House roundtable with conservative influencers, Secretary of State Marco Rubio interrupted Trump and handed him a note.

The note, spotted by AP’s Chief Photographer in Washington, Evan Vucci, reads, “We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.”

After receiving his instructions from Rubio, Trump told the assembled media, “OK, I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying, ‘we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East’ and they’re gonna need me pretty quickly.”

Trump also had son-in-law Jared Kushner and U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff review the Truth Social post before he made it public, according to a White House official, as reported by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trumps-massive-truth-social-texting-blunder-exposed/?

[phkrause]

Trump Hit With Humiliating Attack From Republicans Over His ‘Abuses of Power’

Almost 40 people signed a statement accusing the president of threatening the safety and rights of every American.

Dozens of Republicans have signed a statement blasting President Donald Trump for using the Department of Justice to launch his own personal revenge campaigns.

The statement—which was signed by nearly 40 people who have held key roles in law, government, and national security—accused the president of “abuses of power” for demanding that the DOJ prosecute his perceived enemies.

“No president should order the investigation or prosecution of specific individuals against whom he bears personal grievances, especially not when advised by Justice Department attorneys that the facts and the law do not support such a case,” said the statement, which was first shared with Axios.

The “politicization and weaponization” of law enforcement poses a “mortal danger” to core American values, including “fair play, equal protection of the laws, the right to a fair trial, and the freedom to speak our minds without fear of government persecution,” the statement continued.

Among the signatories were former Republican governors, congressional representatives, ambassadors, and deputy attorneys general. Notably absent were any sitting Republican officials.

The statement did not name any specific prosecutions, but seemed to especially reference charges against former FBI Director James Comey, who was indicted on suspicion of lying to Congress, and a DOJ investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan—a 36-year-old insurance attorney and Trump loyalist with no prosecutorial experience before being named to head one of the country’s most important U.S. Attorney’s offices—brought the case against Comey even after her predecessor Erik Siebert warned that the charges wouldn’t hold up.

Trump forced Siebert to resign after the veteran prosecutor refused to charge James with mortgage fraud, citing a lack of evidence.

Halligan has nevertheless vowed to continue investigating James and has pushed ahead with the Comey indictment, despite members of her staff refusing to be involved in the case. Trump has also demanded that the DOJ target Sen. Adam Schiff for alleged mortgage fraud.

The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.

The president has long claimed that he was the original victim of government “weaponization” after he was the subject of numerous investigations and prosecutions.

James successfully sued the Trump Organization for fraud last year and is leading multiple lawsuits challenging the president’s policies.

His feud with Schiff and Comey stems from the “Russia, Russia, Russia” investigation, in which the two men played central roles in investigating foreign interference in the 2016 presidential election.

In their statement, the Republican leaders wrote that, “Whenever one believes politicization of justice started, there’s no question that it has entered a new and disturbing chapter.”

“These abuses of power threaten the safety and rights of every American, as well as the stability of our economy,” the statement said. “Democrats, Republicans, and independents all lose when the sword of the government is wielded arbitrarily against its own people.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-hit-with-humiliating-attack-from-republicans-over-his-abuses-of-power/?

[phkrause]

Panicked Republicans Beg Trump to Ditch His Shutdown Plot

GOP leaders have warned the White House against mass layoffs and deep benefit cuts as the shutdown bites.

Senior Republicans have reportedly urged Donald Trump to shelve plans for mass federal layoffs and steep benefit cuts as the government shutdown enters its second week.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Senate Majority Leader John Thune had privately begged the president to contain the damage caused by the shutdown—warning him that sweeping cuts and layoffs could backfire and lead voters to blame Republicans.

The outlet says the “hand-wringing” marks a break with Trump’s threat to use the shutdown as an “unprecedented opportunity” to slash agencies and potentially deny back pay.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Journal, “The only reason we are forced to have these conversations is because the Democrats shut down the government,” adding that the quickest fix is reopening government.

There are signs, however, that Trump is feeling the pressure. The administration hasn’t yet executed the firings the president—nicknamed TACO, for Trump Always Chickens Out—has teased.

Aides are discussing tariff revenue to fund food aid benefits while promising back pay to most federal workers, says the report.

The wobble comes after the White House turned furloughed workers’ auto-replies into partisan messages blaming Democrats—now reported to be the subject of legal scrutiny and a congressional probe.

Inside the party, the strategy divide is stark. Sen. Ted Cruz hailed the prospect of pink slips for federal workers as “fantastic.”

But other Republicans warn the public will blame them if healthcare costs jump, with Democrats making expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies their red line, according to the Journal.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican, has criticized the shutdown approach and urged her party to “get real” on healthcare subsidies.Already the real-world strain is mounting. Air traffic controllers have been forced to work without pay, leading to outages and delays this week. Federal workers—including 1.3 million active-duty service members—face missed paychecks around Oct. 15 if the stalemate drags on.

Republicans say their message should be that Democrats are “holding the government hostage,” and talks on subsidies can wait until after a reopening vote.

But with both Senate funding plans failing again on Wednesday—and the White House still dangling cuts—the risk of political blowback is exactly what Thune is trying to head off, says the Journal.

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and Thune’s office for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/panicked-republicans-beg-taco-donald-trump-to-ditch-his-shutdown-plot/?

[phkrause]

Damning Poll Shows Ratings for Major Government Agencies Plummeting Under Trump

Disapproval for three of the agencies was across party lines.

Americans’ approval ratings for key federal agencies have dropped dramatically under Trump, according to a new poll. The performance ratings have plummeted since 2024 for FEMA, the CIA, the CDC, the FDA, the EPA, and the IRS, new data from Gallup reveals. The drop reflects broader frustration with the government’s performance. Many of the agency approval ratings have slumped to their lowest ebb since Gallup began collecting the data in 2003. In all, 15 agencies were measured in both 2024 and 2025. Only the Department of Homeland Security has seen a significant uptick in its rating from the public. The Postal Service, meanwhile, “is the sole government agency garnering a majority-level positive rating for its work,” Gallup wrote. Overall, the survey noted a partisan shift. Generally, it was found that Republicans tend to think services have improved, while Democrats tend to believe they’ve deteriorated. Approval for FEMA, the EPA, and the CDC has plummeted across party lines. Meanwhile, less than 35 percent of all voters regard favorably the State Department, the FAA, the Justice Department, the Federal Reserve Board, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Six key government agencies have suffered falling ratings. Gallup

https://www.thedailybeast.com/americans-ratings-for-major-government-agencies-plummet-under-trump/?

[phkrause]

Americans Really Aren’t Buying Trump’s Health Advice

The president’s outlandish claims about Tylenol and autism have been met with deep skepticism from the public.

The vast majority of Americans remain skeptical about Donald Trump’s claims that Tylenol is linked to autism in newborns, according to a new poll. The KFF poll conducted after Trump’s Sept. 22 remarks in the Oval Office revealed that 77 percent of the public had heard the claim—which lacks scientific evidence—and only around 35 percent agreed with it. Just 4 percent of the 1,334 adults surveyed believed the statement was “definitely true.” A much larger share, 35 percent, said it was “definitely false,” while 60 percent were unsure, evenly divided between “probably true” and “probably false.” The findings highlight the partisan divide in American society, with 59 percent of Democrats rejecting the Tylenol claim as definitely false, compared to just 12 percent of Republicans. Half of all GOP voters, meanwhile, believed Trump’s claim was “probably true.” The poll also indicates a decline in trust in health institutions. Trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has fallen to 50 percent, its lowest level since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a significant 24-point drop in trust among Democrats since 2023.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/americans-really-arent-buying-trumps-health-advice/?

[phkrause]

New York Attorney General Letitia James charged in fraud case after pressure campaign by Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Thursday in a mortgage fraud case that President Donald Trump urged his Justice Department to bring after vowing retribution against some of his biggest political enemies.

https://apnews.com/article/letitia-james-fraud-justice-department-donald-trump-41d8746d4674f2be42d667647089b213?

NY Attorney General Charged

A federal grand jury indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) yesterday on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.  The charges stem from James’ 2020 purchase of a home in Norfolk, Virginia. James stands accused of violating her mortgage contract by renting out the home instead of treating it as a secondary residence—a decision prosecutors say stands to save her $19K. James dismissed the allegations as baseless. She accuses the Trump administration of retaliation after bringing a civil fraud case against President Donald Trump that led to a since-tossed $500M fine (the ruling was upheld). Trump appointed the prosecutor in this case—his former aide and defense attorney Lindsey Halligan—to the role last month. Halligan has since brought an indictment against former FBI Director James Comey, another political foe of Trump's. Comey pleaded not guilty this week to charges of lying to Congress and obstruction.

US is sending about 200 troops to Israel to help support and monitor the Gaza ceasefire deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is sending about 200 troops to Israel to help support and monitor the ceasefire deal in Gaza as part of a team that includes partner nations, nongovernmental organizations and private-sector players, U.S. officials said Thursday.

https://apnews.com/article/mideast-gaza-israel-hamas-us-military-c19caf7b193dbb3bfaf056366f9e2369?

[phkrause]

A Heel Turn

View in browser

Way back in 2018, before she had ever held any kind of political office, Marjorie Taylor Greene reportedly endorsed a plan to murder former President Barack Obama. “Stage is being set,” she wrote in response to one Facebook commenter’s request to “hang” Obama and Hillary Clinton. “We must be patient. This must be done perfectly or liberal judges would let them off.” (Greene later distanced herself from the comments but did not deny having written them.)

Oh how things change. After nearly five years in Congress, the hard-right North Georgia representative is calling for an extension of provisions in the Affordable Care Act, Obama’s signature health-care policy, breaking with her party over the central policy issue of the current government shutdown and creating ripples of anxiety throughout the broader MAGA movement. “I’m absolutely disgusted that health insurance premiums will DOUBLE if the tax credits expire this year,” she wrote on X. Today, Greene put the blame for the government shutdown squarely on Republican leadership. (Greene’s office did not respond to a request to comment on some of her recent statements.)

Greene is no Democrat: She believes that Obamacare created many of the problems with today’s health-insurance market, but she also believes that Republicans “have no new solution.” Lately, her impulse to go after both sides has left her very much on her own.

Her sudden criticism of Republicans’ approach to health care comes after a summer of minor defections from the far-right political milieu. In June, while many Republicans were throwing their full support behind Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza, Greene became the first Republican congressperson to call Israel’s actions a “genocide.” And whereas the White House has tried to put an end to the discussion about the sex offender and former Donald Trump associate Jeffrey Epstein, Greene has pushed for transparency, supporting a petition to force a vote on the release of information about individuals connected to Epstein (the other backers have largely been Democratic House members). She has also continued to champion oddball issues that few others in Congress seem to care about. Her Clear Skies Act, for example, doubles down on Greene’s stated belief that “they” control the weather. Jury’s out on who “they” are.

Neither the White House nor congressional leaders have been shy about expressing frustration with Greene’s heel turn. “What’s going on with Marjorie?” Trump reportedly asked at least two different senior Republicans. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, whom Greene tried to oust from Congress last year, alluded to the idea that Greene doesn’t have all the facts. “Not everyone knows everything,” he said during a press briefing. Democrats, however, are praising Greene for her new stances. “You are going to hear me utter words I never thought I’d say,” said Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia. “Marjorie Taylor Greene is right.”

When she first ran for Congress, Greene was more known for her fanatical adherence to the QAnon conspiracy theory than for her vision for sound policy. Even as she was publicly praising Trump from afar during her campaign, Greene didn’t receive the president’s endorsement right away—she was well on her way to winning before he threw his support behind her. Greene has hewed closely to the MAGA movement during her time in Congress, even after the White House reportedly discouraged her from attempting a Senate run this past spring and neglected to give her a Cabinet position. But she insists that she is still a free thinker: “I’m not some sort of blind slave to the president,” Greene told NBC News this week. “I got elected without the president’s endorsement, and I think that has served me really well.”

The question is whether Greene’s actions are the result of genuine disenchantment with the congressional GOP and its mode of governing—an expression of the anti-establishment spirit that got her elected in the first place—or just political maneuvering. Her political calculations may have to do with the fact that an estimated 2.3 million Georgians signed up for Obamacare from 2014 to 2024—one of the highest numbers of any state. “It’s as authentic as anything is in Congress,” my colleague Mark Leibovich told me of Greene’s recent moves. “Whether it’s a heel turn, or whether it’s a calculated heel turn,” he isn’t yet sure. “And I don’t pretend to understand her thought process.” Still, he said, her ideological independence has “gotten her pretty far in a pretty short period of time”: Not every representative secures a subcommittee chairmanship so quickly.

Upstart political candidates in the GOP broadly understand that their potential for success is correlated with their fealty to the MAGA movement and its leader. Greene understood this before most; she was bending the knee well before Trump even acknowledged her. And perhaps it’s thanks to those political instincts that she now seems to be recognizing an opportunity to seize the narrative. With the government at a standstill, Greene is once again making noise.

Related:

• It’s not easy being (Marjorie Taylor) Greene.
• Why is Marjorie Taylor Greene like this? (From 2022)

[phkrause]

Judge blocks National Guard deployment in Illinois for 2 weeks

A judge on Thursday blocked the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago area for at least two weeks, finding no substantial evidence that a “danger of rebellion” is brewing in Illinois during Trump’s immigration crackdown.

https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-trump-chicago-portland-court-b5d227814d775159eb9c3814779b3ae3?

[phkrause]

How Trump made Gaza deal

As negotiations for a Gaza peace deal approached the finish line, President Trump provided a personal guarantee he wouldn't let Israel abandon it and resume the war, Axios' Barak Ravid writes. Why it matters: Trump's assurances were a key factor in convincing Hamas to take the deal, two U.S. officials revealed in a briefing with reporters. The ceasefire is now officially in effect after Israel's Cabinet approved the deal early this morning local time. The officials said that part of Trump's guarantee was the establishment of a U.S.-led military task force — set to include 200 American soldiers and officers — to oversee the ceasefire and address any violations. The Israeli military must now withdraw its forces to an agreed perimeter inside Gaza within 24 hours of the Cabinet vote. In the next 72 hours after that happens, Hamas must release all of the remaining hostages, 20 of whom are alive. That should be completed by Monday. The intrigue: A U.S. official told Axios one factor in the breakthrough was that "Hamas had started to see the hostages as a liability rather than an asset" in terms of its future negotiating position. With that in mind, the U.S. side came into this week's talks believing Hamas was now ready to free the hostages, and that they could ensure the Israelis stuck to their side of the bargain. ? Behind the scenes: Trump asked his envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, what the odds of a deal were before they departed for Egypt on Tuesday. "100%," Kushner replied, according to a U.S. official. A surprised Trump asked how he could possibly know that, and Kushner answered: "Because we can't afford to fail." After arriving, Witkoff and Kushner delivered a message to the mediators, and through them to Hamas, that Trump stood behind every point of his 20-point plan and would ensure it was fully implemented. "There was a great deal of mistrust between the sides," another U.S. official said. "The president wanted to make it clear that this deal was very important to him, that he wanted it to happen, that he wants to end the carnage, and wanted to make sure everyone understood he would enforce good conduct." Both U.S. officials said Trump was personally involved in the negotiations, making at least three calls to various interlocutors to express his assurances directly. ? Zoom in: One part of Trump's guarantee is a U.S.-led military monitoring mechanism for the ceasefire. Witkoff and Kushner discussed the idea with CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper while on the flight to Egypt. Cooper later joined the negotiations to present the idea.

[phkrause]

?️ 1 for the road: Trump's monument clue

A model of an arch is seen on the Resolute Desk during President Trump's Oval Office meeting yesterday with Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images Spotted on the Resolute Desk during an Oval Office press conference yesterday: a mock-up of what would be a new triumphal arch just across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. The arch, if built as depicted, would sit at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. Arc de Trump? The model resembles the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, "which was commissioned by the French emperor Napoleon in the early 19th century to commemorate fallen soldiers during his military campaigns," AFP notes. Government shutdown The government shutdown is expected to extend into next week after the Senate again failed Thursday to advance rival Democratic and Republican stopgap spending bills. No further votes are expected until Tuesday, prolonging job uncertainty for thousands of federal workers. President Donald Trump on Thursday also vowed to target "Democrat programs" for cuts if the shutdown continues. "We'll be making cuts that will be permanent, and we're only going to cut Democrat programs," he said during a Cabinet meeting. "They wanted to do this, so we'll give them a little taste of their own medicine," he added. Trump did not specify which programs he planned to target for cuts.

[phkrause]

Trump’s Frenzied Nobel Peace Prize Demands Get Brutal Snub

The president’s relentless push for the prestigious honor did not pay off as he’d hoped.

President Donald Trump was not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday despite his desperate lobbying campaign for the honor he craves above all others.

Instead, the Norwegian Nobel Committee gave the prize to María Corina Machado, a Venezuelan democracy campaigner and staunch critic of the country’s leader, President Nicolás Maduro.

“She is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for our struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” announced Jørgen Watne Frydnes, the committee’s chairman.

Machado has been fighting against Maduro after supporting her ally Edmundo González Urrutia in last year’s election. The U.S. recognized González as the winner of the race, but Maduro claimed victory and has remained in power.

She has been in hiding for months fearing political persecution and threats to her life. Despite being a hugely influential opposition figure, the Venezuelan government has completely barred her from holding public office, ultimately preventing her from appearing on the ballot in the 2024 presidential election.

In April, Machado was included in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Trump has been openly pining for a Nobel Peace Prize for years and has kept up his crusade in his second term, claiming he has helped end seven international conflicts since returning to office. This includes stopping conflicts between Azerbaijan and Armenia—which the president frequently confuses with Albania—and between India and Pakistan.

The campaign intensified after the president took credit for brokering a ceasefire in Gaza, aiming to halt the two-year war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, just two days before the Nobel Prize announcement.

However, the Norwegian committee that decided who would receive the prestigious honor would have likely made its decision weeks before the peace deal in Gaza was announced.

During Friday’s announcement, Frydnes was asked by a reporter if Trump’s all-out campaigning for a Peace Prize “affected the deliberations and the thinking” of the panel.

“We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year from people wanting to say what, for them, leads to peace,” Frydnes replied. “This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates, and that room is filled with both courage and integrity. So we base our decision only on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel.”

On the eve of the Peace Prize winner being declared, Trump went on a posting spree on Truth Social, sharing links and articles suggesting he is deserving of such an honor.

Trump also raged against his old nemesis, former president Barack Obama, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, suggesting on Thursday that the former president got the award for “nothing.”

“He got elected, and they gave it to Obama for doing absolutely nothing but destroying our country,” Trump said.

Trump was so desperate to be awarded the prize that he called Norway’s finance minister, Jens Stoltenberg, to ask him to campaign on the president’s behalf, Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv reported in August.

Asle Toje, deputy leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said in September that “influence campaigns” are more likely to have a negative impact on how the panel decides who gets the annual award.

“Some candidates push for it really hard and we do not like it,” Toje told Reuters. “We are used to work in a locked room without being attempted to be influenced. It is hard enough as it is to reach an agreement among ourselves, without having more people trying to influence us.”

Trump received support from multiple allies to be given the honor, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who nominated him for the Peace Prize in July after the president facilitated a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

On Thursday, Netanyahu also shared an AI-generated image of himself awarding Trump a comically large gold medal, along with the caption: “Give Donald Trump the Nobel Peace Prize—he deserves it!”

In June, Trump seemed willing to accept that he may not get the Nobel Peace Prize this year, lamenting that it would never be awarded to him “no matter what I do.”

“But the people know, and that’s all that matters to me!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-fails-to-win-the-2025-nobel-peace-prize-he-wanted-so-badly/?

[phkrause]

Trump’s Beauty Queen Prosecutor Humiliated After Another Typo in Retribution Campaign

It’s the second embarrassing blunder since Lindsey Halligan assumed the role in less than a month.

Donald Trump’s beauty queen prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, made an embarrassing typo in the indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Halligan, who serves as the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, is assigned to the case against James, a longtime target of the president.

It’s the second such blunder since the former beauty queen was installed in the role on Sept. 22, with a résumé that includes insurance law and being a Trump attorney.

The five-page indictment lists one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution tied to two homes she owned, one in Brooklyn, New York, and the other in Norfolk, Virginia.

But the criminal case cover that accompanied the filing, which is meant to provide basic details about the defendant and charges, mistakenly listed her residence as “Brooklyn, NJ” while including the ZIP code for the New York borough.

Halligan, who took on her new role with no previous prosecutorial experience, made another major spelling error in issuing a statement on the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey.

Social media users were quick to rip into Halligan for the mistake. “Her law license must have been the prize at the bottom of a cereal box,” one person wrote on X.

“She’s so incompetent at this which seems to be a qualification for job in this admin!” one person said.

Another person said they “worked as a legal assistant” and “we would NEVER have sent anything out with the mistakes she made,” adding: “Every document was gone over by half a dozen people.”

Another X user added, “Apparently they don’t teach basic U.S. geography in beauty pageant school.”

James’ indictment came as Trump demanded that she be prosecuted by his Justice Department.

“What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social last month that was addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi. “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility.”

James accused the president in a statement on Thursday of a “desperate weaponization of our justice system.”

“He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as the New York State attorney general,” James said. “These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost.”

The Daily Beast has contacted Halligan’s office for comment.

Halligan said “No one is above the law.”

“The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust. The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.”

Halligan said that if convicted, James could face a prison sentence of up to 30 years for each count, fines of up to $1 million per count, and possible forfeiture.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-beauty-queen-prosecutor-humiliated-after-another-typo-in-retribution-campaign/?

[phkrause]

Billionaire Investor Issues Ominous Warning of ‘Civil War’ Building Under Trump

Ray Dalio said soaring debt and polarization are creating a dangerous “test of power.”

Billionaire Ray Dalio warned Friday that surging U.S. debt and hardening political divides under Donald Trump are pushing the country toward civil war.

The veteran hedge fund manager, 76, warned that borrowing “relative to income” is “like plaque in the arteries that then begins to squeeze out the spending.”

He told Bloomberg the combination of swelling deficits, wealth inequality, and global flashpoints has created “plenty to worry about” and an environment “very much analogous” to the years before World War II.

Asked whether a wider conflict is imminent, he replied that a “civil war of some sort” is developing with “irreconcilable differences” in the U.S. and elsewhere moving toward “tests of power.”

As such, Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, added, it was “crucial” to address the strains now.

Trump, for his part, keeps boasting that the U.S. is enjoying the “strongest economy ever,” and likes to portray himself as ‘The Peace President.’

On social media and in speeches, he’s hailed “the best of all worlds” with prices “down,” record stock markets, and tariffs “making our country an economic power again,” claims his team has echoed from the White House lectern and campaign channels.

But independent reads are less rosy. Revised labor data showed the weakest quarter since 2010 outside the pandemic, while deficits remain swollen and interest on the debt has topped $1 trillion.

Official projections also back Dalio’s dire fiscal warning. The Congressional Budget Office estimates debt held by the public equaled about 99 percent of GDP in 2024 and will climb to roughly 122 percent by 2034—higher than any prior peak—driven by persistent deficits and rising interest costs.

Dalio’s critique comes as he has increasingly framed the stakes of America’s political economy during Donald Trump’s presidency.

In an interview published last month by the Financial Times, Dalio said the U.S. under Trump is veering toward a 1930s-style autocratic climate as polarization deepens and state intervention rises.

However, he faulted both parties and urged a blend of higher tax take and spending cuts to defuse what he calls the “deficit/debt bomb.”

“If we don’t worry about these things, then we have greater risks,” Dalio told Bloomberg.

Dalio founded Bridgewater in 1975 and became synonymous with an internal culture of “radical transparency.” He began a gradual exit from management in 2017 and completed his transition this summer, selling his remaining stake and stepping off the board.

The Westport, Connecticut, firm, led by CEO Nir Bar Dea, managed about $92 billion as of Dec. 31 and is on track for its strongest year since 2010, Bloomberg reported.

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/billionaire-ray-dalio-issues-ominous-warning-of-civil-war-in-the-us-under-donald-trump/?

[phkrause]

Karoline Leavitt’s Attempt to Fact-Check Fox News Backfires Big-Time

The press secretary’s bizarre rebuke of Fox News’ reporting on Trump’s Gaza peace plan prompted head-scratching on social media.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt fumbled a bizarre attempt to fact-check Fox News over its reporting on the peace deal between Israel and Hamas.

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had “signed off on the first phase” of his 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza, which involves releasing Israeli hostages in return for Palestinians jailed in Israel.

On Thursday evening, Fox News’ X account followed up with the latest update, posting, “BREAKING: US troops headed to Israel to support historic peace deal.”

Leavitt was evidently unhappy with how the Murdoch-owned network framed the news.

“This is NOT true and taken out of context,” the 28-year-old press secretary responded 20 minutes after Fox News’ post went up. “To be clear: up to 200 U.S. personnel, who are already stationed at CENTCOM, will be tasked with monitoring the peace agreement in Israel, and they will work with other international forces on the ground.”

CENTCOM, also known as the United States Central Command, directs military operations in the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia.

Leavitt’s sharp rebuttal quickly stirred confusion in the comments, with users asking how her statement differed from Fox News’ report.

“Then it is true and you just provided more details,” one user wrote.

Another commented, “So in other words... US troops are headed to Israel because of the peace deal. That doesn’t seem to be out of context or not true.”

A third probed the semantics of Leavitt’s post, writing, “How can one thing be not true and be taken out of context at the same time?”

The Daily Beast understands that Leavitt was emphasizing that up to 200 troops will be tasked with monitoring the agreement, some of whom will be on the ground in Israel.

When reached for comment, Fox News referred the Daily Beast to a follow-up post from the network’s X account. The post came 45 minutes after Leavitt’s public rebuke and appeared to partially address her objections:

“BREAKING: The U.S. plans to utilize up to 200 troops already in the middle east to help support and monitor the ceasefire deal in Gaza as part of a team involving various nations, a senior official told Fox News.”

While it’s unclear what prompted Leavitt to forcefully push back against the Trump-friendly network, she may have been anxious to dispel any notion that U.S. troops are taking on a larger role in the Middle East, given MAGA’s “America First” stance against foreign entanglements.

The 200 troops who have been tasked with monitoring the ceasefire deal will set up a civil-military coordination center in Israel to provide security and humanitarian support, The New York Times reports, and are not intended to go into Gaza.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/karoline-leavitts-attempt-to-fact-check-fox-news-on-gaza-epically-backfires/?

[phkrause]

White House Tries to Spin Trump’s Embarrassing Truth Social Note by Attacking Biden

Trump’s aides dug up a photo of Biden being handed a note after Marco Rubio was spotted having to tell Trump what to write on his social media platform.

The White House attempted to turn the moment when President Trump needed to be told how to announce a Middle East ceasefire into a petty attack on Joe Biden.

Trump was mocked after being handed a note by Secretary of State Marco Rubio during an Oval Office meeting on Wednesday, telling him that a social media post had been written in his name so he could claim credit for the deal between Israel and Hamas.

The missive, spotted by AP’s chief photographer, Evan Vucci, read, “We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.”

Trump then told the assembled media, “OK, I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East and they’re gonna need me pretty quickly.”

On Thursday, the White House posted a picture of the moment on its official X account, alongside a photograph of then-President Joe Biden being handed a note during a 2021 meeting that read, “Sir, there is something on your chin.”

The snarky caption read: “We are not the same.”

The top image shows Biden in July 2021 reading a card an aide slipped him during a meeting on wildfires. Photographers captured the card’s text at the time, in an embarrassing moment then reported by the media.The lower images show Trump clutching paper at a table and another of Rubio whispering in his ear.

The White House is gaining a reputation for trolling its opponents.

During the shutdown, Trump aides rewrote furloughed workers’ auto-replies to read like campaign broadsides, slamming opponents and promoting Trump’s agenda.

The White House comment line was also converted into a trolling stunt under Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, with callers funneled to a prerecorded message that needled Democrats.

Leavitt even used the official press room podium to mock Biden’s stamina, quipping before he made a primetime address in April that she was surprised the former president, 82, was speaking so late because she “thought his bedtime was much earlier.”

The Trump administration’s latest trolling of Biden came as Israel and Hamas signed the first phase of a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire, clearing the way for a pause in fighting within 24 hours and a staged hostage-prisoner exchange.

Israel’s cabinet approved the package after talks in Egypt, while Hamas officials say they received mediator guarantees—including from the U.S.—that the war will end if the phased plan is completed.

Phase one requires Hamas to release roughly 20 living hostages and transfer the remains of others within 72 hours of the truce starting, while Israel begins repositioning forces and frees large numbers of Palestinian detainees.

Public tallies of Palestinian detainees vary. One outline cites all women and children plus 250 long-term prisoners and about 1,700 others arrested during the war, while another summary puts the total at about 2,000.

Humanitarian aid is slated to surge and the Egypt-Gaza crossing to reopen. Washington has said about 200 U.S. troops will help monitor and support implementation.

Mediators include the U.S., Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey. Key end-state issues—Hamas’ disarmament, Israeli withdrawal logistics, interim governance and reconstruction—remain to be hammered out in later phases.

While the deal offers hope, success still depends on follow-through by all parties and volatile Israeli domestic politics.

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/white-house-defends-domald-trumps-embarrassing-truth-social-note-by-attacking-joe-biden/?

[phkrause]

The Real Reason Trump Can’t Stop Bragging About Ending ‘3,000-Year’ War

His biblical comparison for the Middle East peace deal proves he can’t quiet his own Trump-et blast.

Nearly 3,000 years ago, the Old Testament predicted the coming of the “Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

And on the 9th day of October 2025, President Donald J. Trump came close to suggesting he might have been who Isaiah had in mind.

“The whole world has come together, but the Middle East has come together for the first time in 3,000 years,” he told the New York Post.

Perhaps, then, a good time for a history lesson which—hold your breath—may not quite confirm the quality of Trump’s prophetic vision but has some intriguing parallels.

To begin at the beginning: Around the start of the 1st millennium BCE (or about 3,000 years ago), a period of great turmoil occurred in the Middle East, with the Egyptian and Hittite Empires struggling to hold onto power in a region where Assyrian King Tiglath-Pileser I was fighting back after the collapse of the Bronze Age.

The warrior king was feared by his own people almost as much as his enemies. He would bring elephants and bulls back from his wars to delight and frighten his citizens. He used ritual human sacrifice to keep order and lived by the dictum, “Let them hate, as long as they fear.”

Under his leadership, Assyria became the dominant military power in Mesopotamia (in what is now northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey), expanding into Syria and Anatolia—modern-day Turkey—and extending its reach across the Mediterranean.

Historians do not describe the period as peaceful. There was fighting on every front. Failing regimes do not give up easily.

Trump may see something of himself in the Assyrian warlord. After all, until he became the peacemaker of seven wars and counting, the president was more interested in expanding into Greenland and Canada.

More likely, when he says to anybody who will listen that he is bringing peace to the Middle East after 3,000 years, he is more histrionic than historical.

There is a very long history of pain in the Middle East between the Israelis and Palestinians, but this war in Gaza dates back two years to that terrible day in October 2023. The modern Israeli state was only established out of British Mandatory Palestine in 1948.

Based on archaeological evidence, the Jewish link indeed dates back 3,000 years to when Jerusalem became the capital of Israel under King David. You cannot understate the complicated emotions and atrocities inflicted in a long history of enmity among the Middle East’s peoples.

So yes, Trump has made a significant breakthrough, maybe a historic one. We shall know in the days to come.

But please God, will he please stop bragging?

This is not to diminish the importance of peace to the region, nor the American president’s achievement. Trump appears to have found a path his predecessors never dared to take. He may have paid more attention during history class than I give him credit for. King Tiglath-Pileser I also understood the bully power of strength.

But even when he is on the brink of a genuine achievement—and while the deal has yet to be finalized, there appears to be a very real chance the hostages will be freed by Hamas early next week—the president simply cannot resist blowing his own Trump.

He was, to some degree, a successful property developer and a well-known TV personality, even if his character in The Apprentice was more caricature than chief executive.

But even now, that’s not enough for Trump. He needs to boast that he created the New York skyline, that he was one of the most successful personalities in the history of television.

He can’t help selling the Middle East peace deal like it’s an infomercial. Solve two wars and throw in a third for free.

Trump tells the world every day that he is the best president ever; he won the last election by a landslide and was robbed of the one before. He builds the greatest hotels, the best golf courses. Nobody sells wine or steaks or watches or water like he does. He even peddles the holiest Bibles.

He’s as slippery as a snake oil salesman with the truth, and he has learned through experience that nobody really cares if you say it loudly and often enough.

If he were going down with the Titanic, he’d be saying it was the most enormous iceberg in history.

For his entire adult life, Trump has been trying to prove to the Manhattan establishment that they were wrong to shun the loudmouth from Queens with the slicked-back hair and the ready wallet. It is so under his skin that he very occasionally lets you see the pain.

Those flickers of casual cruelty. The very personal digs. At his Cabinet meeting on Thursday, he found it necessary to say Nancy Pelosi wasn’t looking good. She’s 85. He mentions “Sleepy” Joe Biden, who is battling cancer.

Trump works politically because of his authenticity. His anger is real and deep. And his authentic grievance is class-based. He knows he will never be accepted. Not even as a twice-elected President of the United States.

And so he shows off like that fourth-grade kid we all knew who was so desperate for attention that everyone teased him.

Trump couldn’t quite compute on Thursday that he received positive press for his efforts with Gaza. It was because his strategy of delivering Hamas an ultimatum paid off. And he does seem genuinely concerned for the hostages and their families. He did not need to tell us he had done the best deal since civilization began. Or in the past 3,000 years. In fact, he did not even need to announce the deal when he did: a few hours delay would have made it more concrete.

But he can’t help himself. He is the scorpion who stings himself halfway across the river because that’s what he does.

Hopefully, he will get this one over the line. And maybe he will be remembered in 3,000 years for the right reasons.

The Bible says that the “Prince of Peace” Isaiah prophesied would take 1,000 years to come to Earth.

As for the second coming? As much as Trump tells us differently, we’re still waiting…

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-real-reason-trump-cant-stop-bragging-about-ending-3000-year-war/?

[phkrause]

“I Don’t Want to Be Here Anymore”: They Tried to Self-Deport, Then Got Stranded in Trump’s America

She desperately wanted to get out of the country.

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-self-deportation-cbp-home-app?

ps:How much lower can this country go?

Scientists Completed a Toxicity Report on This Forever Chemical. The EPA Hasn’t Released It.

Agency scientists found that PFNA could cause developmental, liver and reproductive harms. Their final report was ready in mid-April, according to an internal document reviewed by ProPublica, but the Trump administration has yet to release it.

https://www.propublica.org/article/epa-pfna-forever-chemical-report?

Five Ways the Department of Education Is Upending Public Schools

In just over eight months, the second Trump administration has made a rapid succession of political hires and policy decisions at the U.S. Department of Education that could spur profound changes in the way schools are operated and children learn.

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-department-of-education-changing-public-schools?

Oregon Fast-Tracks Renewable Energy Projects as Trump Bill Ends Tax Incentives

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has ordered state agencies to take “any and all steps necessary” to fast-track solar and wind permits that must break ground by next year or likely miss out on a federal tax credit Congress is ending.

https://www.propublica.org/article/oregon-renewable-energy-trump-tax-credits?

Firings of federal workers begin as White House seeks to pressure Democrats in government shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House budget office said Friday that mass firings of federal workers have started, an attempt by President Donald Trump’s administration to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown dragged into a 10th day.

https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-federal-worker-firings-0439e8d0979d9a32e021c5c851fea1cf?

[phkrause]

"Substantial" federal layoffs begin

Via X The Trump administration has begun its much-anticipated layoffs of federal workers amid the government shutdown, Axios' Josephine Walker and Emily Peck report. ? The "reductions in force," or RIFs, are the latest blow to the federal workforce, which is already down 200,000 employees this year. ? White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought announced the layoffs on X by saying: "The RIFs have begun." ?‍? President Trump has repeatedly threatened to use the shutdown to fire thousands of federal employees. ✂️ "We'll be making cuts that will be permanent. And we're only gonna cut Democrat programs," Trump said yesterday at the White House. "We'll be cutting some very popular Democrat programs that aren't popular with Republicans, frankly, because that's the way it works." An OMB spokesperson confirmed the RIFs have started, and are substantial. The aide declined to specify which departments are affected. But spokespeople for HHS and Treasury confirmed to Axios that layoff notices have been sent out. ? The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) said in a statement that it has sued the administration, and won't stop fighting until every layoff notice is rescinded. "It's time for Congress to do their jobs and negotiate an end to this shutdown immediately," the union said. Get the latest. ps:Couldn't get enough fired during the DOGE garbage, so now we'll do what was the original plan all along!!

[phkrause]

Scoop: Trump plans leaders summit on Gaza during Egypt visit next week

President Trump plans to hold a summit of world leaders on Gaza during his visit to Egypt next week, according to four sources with knowledge.

https://www.axios.com/2025/10/10/trump-gaza-summit-egypt-world-leaders?

Trump threatens 100% tariff on Chinese goods over rare earth restrictions

President Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Chinese goods next month if China follows through on plans to tighten export controls on minerals critical to American industry.

https://www.axios.com/2025/10/10/trump-china-rare-earths-trade-war?

Wall Street tumbles to its worst day since April after Trump threatens more tariffs on China

NEW YORK (AP) — A monthslong calm on Wall Street shattered Friday, and U.S. stocks tumbled after President Donald Trump threatened to crank tariffs much higher on China.

https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-ai-f2c8bcc1f46043ab504cf4b0281e3401?

Trump unveils drug price deal with AstraZeneca

President Trump and pharma giant AstraZeneca on Friday announced a deal to lower drug prices that largely tracks with a pact the White House struck with Pfizer last week.

https://www.axios.com/2025/10/10/trump-drug-prices-astra-zeneca?

Federal worker protections are under attack

Long-standing U.S. worker rights and protections are under acute threat. These include attempts to roll back standards that set a national floor for minimum wages, health and safety, nondiscrimination, unemployment insurance, and other rights and protections long taken for granted in most U.S. workplaces.

https://www.epi.org/holding-the-line-state-solutions-to-the-u-s-worker-rights-crisis/?

[phkrause]

Firings of federal workers begin as White House seeks to pressure Democrats in government shutdown

The White House budget office said Friday that mass firings of federal workers have started in an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers in the ongoing government shutdown. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

Speaker Johnson keeps House lawmakers away, canceling another week’s session as shutdown drags Wall Street drops to its worst day since April after Trump’s threats of tariffs shatter its calm MIT president says she ‘cannot support’ proposal to adopt Trump priorities for funding benefits

[phkrause]

Vindictive and Selective (Stefani Reynolds / Bloomberg / Getty)

View in browser Yesterday afternoon, a federal grand jury indicted New York State Attorney General Letitia James on two charges—bank fraud and false statements to a financial institution—both connected to her purchase of a home in Virginia. The government is alleging that she saved $18,933 in all. It’s not the kind of money the DOJ typically seeks to recoup, but James isn’t just any alleged fraudster. A prominent anti-Trump gadfly, James brought a civil case against Donald Trump and his company in 2022 and won, resulting in a $500 million fine being levied against the president (he later successfully appealed the fine and has so far paid nothing, although the ruling maintained his liability). Even before that case, James had been outspoken about her criticisms of Trump; in 2018, she called his presidency “illegitimate.” James’s indictment comes just more than two weeks after the Justice Department launched its case against another longtime Trump target, former FBI Director James Comey, on charges that he lied to Congress in 2020. (Both Comey and James deny the charges.) Is this a coordinated attack on Trump’s enemies? And how much control can the president really exert over the DOJ’s lawyers? My colleague Quinta Jurecic, who has covered both indictments, joins me to discuss. Will Gottsegen: Why is now the moment to indict both Comey and James in such quick succession? Quinta Jurecic: The Comey indictment happened when it did because there was a ticking clock. The statute of limitations for most defenses is five years, and last month would have  been five years from the congressional testimony that Comey gave in which they’re alleging that he lied. Trump installed a new prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia late last month, after the previous prosecutor refused to go after Comey and James. This prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, is now bringing these seemingly retributive cases. In the Comey and James cases, she presented the indictment to the grand jury solo; that’s extremely unusual. And she is also the only person whose signature is on the indictment (typically you’d see the signature of at least one assistant U.S. attorney who is working on the case), which makes it pretty clear that she is channeling the White House’s wishes here. Will: Halligan was appointed amid an effort by the president to force out many top prosecutors. What are the kinds of guardrails in place at the DOJ to prevent it from being used as a political weapon? Quinta: The standard for getting an indictment before a grand jury is not high, making it an authority that is really easy to abuse. What the Justice Department has done to prevent that is to build up these kinds of guardrails of internal guidelines that tell prosecutors how to behave. The Justice Department’s internal manual says you should only bring a case before a grand jury if you think you can win a conviction at trial. Prosecutors who were abiding by that seem to have reached the conclusion that there was simply nothing to the James case or the Comey case, and therefore those cases shouldn’t be brought. You end up with a situation where the only person who is apparently willing to put these cases in front of the grand jury is Halligan—somebody who has no prosecutorial experience, had never served in the Justice Department before this, and doesn’t seem bound by these Justice Department rules in the ways that previous prosecutors felt that they were. Will: What does a healthy relationship between the White House and the Department of Justice look like? Quinta: In the post-Watergate era, a thicket of norms and practices has grown up around the importance of maintaining law enforcement’s independence from the president. The department really built up this ethos, which presidents have more or less respected until Trump, that the Justice Department is part of the executive branch, it is constitutionally under the control of the president, but there are strong, normative restrictions around the president using the department as a weapon. Trump has been very effective in reshaping public perceptions of the Justice Department as something that can be used in this way. And he did it by arguing that the Biden administration had done it to him. His commentary on these issues is essentially, Well, I was prosecuted, so why can’t you be too? (This line of argument is particularly flimsy, given those were cases where the Justice Department took pains to make sure that they were not subject to political influence.) And I think what that does is makes it seem like this is common practice when it really is not. I worry that that has broken the public perception of the relationship between the president and the Justice Department in a way that is going to be very hard to get back. Will: With these norms out the window, what might happen to the DOJ? Quinta: Right now, there are fewer mechanisms than there used to be for policing Trump’s actions, thanks in significant part to the Supreme Court’s ruling on the immunity case, which basically said, We think that the president has the constitutional authority to tell the Justice Department what to do. And so Trump actually has a pretty strong case that what he is doing is constitutional, whether or not it is a good idea. In Watergate, you saw what was known as the Saturday Night Massacre: There was this bulk resignation of Justice Department leadership when Nixon ordered the firing of Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor investigating him. But any mutiny that is going to happen here is going to be quieter. In some ways, I think we’re seeing it already. We’ve seen an extraordinary amount of leaking coming out of the department over the course of these investigations, all basically saying, Prosecutors think that there’s no basis for these charges. One form of resistance is covering your tracks and quietly making it apparent to the press that you do not like this. Another is just that people are leaving. We’re seeing a pretty astonishing exodus of talent from across the department. And I think a lot of that is that people see what’s happening. They don’t like it, and they don’t want to go along with it. Will: What does a DOJ exclusively full of Halligans look like? Quinta: They’re going to have trouble actually prosecuting these cases. I would not be surprised in the slightest if both the Comey indictment and the James indictment really fall flat. Beyond these specific cases, the broader hollowing out of talent is making it much harder for the Justice Department to bring even basic cases, just because they don’t have the resources. Will: How does Comey—and James, too, if this is the route her defense decides to go—prove that he’s being unfairly targeted as a rival of the president’s? Quinta: Vindictive prosecution is the idea that you’re being prosecuted only because of improper reasons. You executed a constitutional right, and now you are being punished. There’s also a related idea of selective prosecution: 100 people did the same thing that I did, but only I am being prosecuted. We know that Comey is going to bring this motion; his lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, has said as much. I would not be surprised in the slightest if James brought the same motion. And though these motions are very difficult to win, these two people have what must be one of the strongest cases for such a motion ever. Related: Retribution is here, Jonathan Lemire argues. Trump’s politicized prosecutions may hit a roadblock.