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

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Trump praises Japan’s new prime minister, saying US is an ‘ally at the strongest level’ President Donald Trump began one of his busiest days of his Asia trip on Tuesday by warmly greeting Sanae Takaichi, and taking her with him as he spoke to U.S. troops aboard an aircraft carrier. Read more.

Why this matters: Although Trump is visiting one of America’s most steadfast allies in Asia, there’s no shortage of uncertainty while he’s there. Takaichi, who became the country’s first female prime minister only days ago, must solidify her relationship with Trump while defending her country’s economic interests. Trump is trying to nail down $550 billion in Japanese investment as part of a trade agreement.   Takaichi is primed for a charm offensive, including a potential purchase of Ford F-150 trucks. Reporters arriving for the event were hustled past a gold-hued Ford F-150 as well as what appeared to be white American-made Toyota vehicles parked outside the Akasaka Palace, which is Tokyo’s guest house for visiting foreign leaders. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also told reporters that Takaichi would be nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ US and China seek to strike a deal over rare earths, tariffs and soybeans   China pitches itself as alternative to US protectionism after signing expanded ASEAN free trade pact   Trial begins for man accused of killing former Japanese PM Abe with homemade firearm

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Trump urged GOP-led states to redraw US House districts. Now other states also are gerrymandering President Donald Trump’s call for Republicans to redraw U.S. House districts ahead of next year’s election has triggered an unusual outbreak of mid-decade gerrymandering among both Republican- and Democratic-led state legislatures. Read more.

What to know: Democrats need to gain just three seats to wrest control of the House away from Republicans. And Trump hopes redistricting can help stave off historical trends, in which the president’s party typically loses seats in midterm elections.   Texas was the first state to take up congressional redistricting at Trump’s prodding. Its new U.S. House map faces a legal challenge. California was the first Democratic-led state to counter Trump’s redistricting push, passing a new map that needs voter approval in a Nov. 4 election. Other states approving new House districts include Missouri and North Carolina.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Lawsuit challenges the boundaries of the only GOP-held congressional district in New York City   Democrat Abigail Spanberger backs Virginia legislature’s redistricting push   Flight disruptions continue as air traffic controllers brace for their first full missing paychecks   Federal food benefits and preschool aid to run dry starting Saturday if shutdown continues   Pressure builds on Congress to end the shutdown, but a quick breakthrough appears unlikely   Republicans send Biden autopen report to the Justice Department, urging further investigation   Venezuela suspends energy agreements with Trinidad after US warship arrives at island nation   Trump administration narrows list of potential Federal Reserve chairs to 5   Trump administration must restore grants for school counselors, judge rules   Local GOP official’s social media post draws backlash in Kentucky for its depiction of the Obamas   Border Patrol official Bovino due in court to answer questions about Chicago immigration crackdown   Judge seeks assurances that Abrego Garcia won’t be deported to Liberia in violation of court order   Trump administration asks the Supreme Court to allow it to fire head of US Copyright Office   Democrats set January deadline for states to apply for early 2028 primary contests

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MAGA Reps Suck Up to Trump With Path to Overturn Biden’s Pardons

The former president hit back at the GOP’s claims, describing them as “baseless” and “political retribution.”

Former President Joe Biden’s executive actions have been referred to the Justice Department amid GOP claims that many of his decisions were not his own, but the work of aides trying to conceal his cognitive decline.

However, America’s 46th president hit back, urging Republicans to stop focusing on “political retribution” and instead work to end the government shutdown.

As the shutdown entered its 28th day, the GOP-led House Oversight Committee released a report on Tuesday designed to overturn some of Biden’s pardons and actions in office.

The 92-page report claimed the former administration “went to great lengths to prop up” the president, from stage managing his public appearances to blocking lawmakers from speaking to him.

It also suggested that some of Biden’s top aides misused the presidential autopen—a mechanical device that presidents often use to quickly sign documents—to issue executive actions without his direct involvement.

According to committee chairman James Comer, executive orders signed by autopen should therefore be considered “null and void.”

“The Biden Autopen Presidency will go down as one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history,” Comer said, echoing claims that Donald Trump has often made.

The report is the result of a five-month-long investigation, based on 14 depositions and transcribed interviews with key Biden aides.

But a spokesperson for Biden described the claims as “baseless” and insisted that the Democrat stalwart “made the decisions of his presidency.”

“There was no conspiracy, no cover up, and no wrongdoing. Congressional Republicans should stop focusing on political retribution and instead work to end the government shutdown,” the spokesperson said.

The investigation found there was no record that Biden approved executive actions in several instances, including ones related to presidential pardons.

DOJ memos have also previously suggested that presidents do not need to hand-sign each act of clemency. This presidential power is absolute and has not been curtailed by court rulings or acts of Congress.

However, the committee argued that unless the Biden administration could prove he gave the green light to a given action, then any action taken through an autopen must be deemed as illegitimate.

As president, Biden issued pardons and commutations to 4,245 people—more than any other president. This included controversial pre-emptive pardons for members of his own family, including his son Hunter Biden, who was convicted of federal tax-related charges.

However, it is not clear how many of those orders were signed by him or an autopen.

“There were good processes in place,” top aide Jeff Zients told the committee.

Biden was aged 82 when he left the White House in January after Trump’s inauguration, making him the oldest president to occupy the Oval Office.

The former president was determined to run for a second term, but withdrew his re-election bid after his disastrous performance in last year’s presidential debate, when he froze on stage, fumbled his words and struggled to gather his thoughts.

Allies accused by the committee of facilitating a cover-up include deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini, former first Lady Jill Biden’s chief of staff Anthony Bernal and White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor.

All three took the Fifth Amendment when they were asked to testify.

The committee took particular aim at O’Connor, writing that his refusal to answer questions, combined with testimony indicating that he “may have succumbed to political pressure from the inner circle… legitimizes the public’s concerns that Dr. O’Connor was not forthright in carrying out his ultimate duties to the country.”

As part of the report, Comer recommended the District of Columbia Board of Medicine review O’Connor’s actions for “any potential wrongdoing.”

Other members of Biden’s inner circle, including his chief of staff Ronald Klain, counselor Steven Ricchetti, senior adviser, Michael Donilon, senior communications adviser Anita Dunn and former press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre were also hauled before the committee.

“Despite this sham investigation, every White House official testified President Biden fully executed his duties as President of the United States,” said Democrat ranking rember Robert Garcia. “The testimonies also make it clear the former President authorized every executive order, pardon, and use of the autopen.”

With Biden out of office, the spotlight this week turned to Trump’s health issues, after the 79-year-old president let slip that he had an MRI scan as part of his latest check-up.

The October 10 check raised eyebrows at the time, as it was the second in six months and took place amid ongoing speculation over his deeply bruised hands and swollen ankles.

His latest revelation of an MRI has now fueled further speculation, with a prominent cardiologist, Dr Jonathan Reiner, saying he believes the president may have quietly had the scan because he showed symptoms associated with a neurological issue.

“They can be neurologic symptoms that prompt an MRI. They could be back pain that prompts an MRI. There can be issues with the heart that would prompt an MRI. And for those reasons, the public should really be told, you know, why did the president undergo the test, what consultants he saw, and what was the result of the testing?” he said.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-reps-suck-up-to-trump-with-path-to-overturn-bidens-pardons/?

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Bush-Appointed Judge Predicts Trump Will Cause ‘America’s Ruin’

J. Michael Luttig said it is “abundantly clear” that Trump will do everything he can to remain in office beyond his term limits.

A former top conservative federal judge has warned that the country must take seriously Donald Trump’s talk about seeking an unconstitutional third term in office.

Judge J. Michael Luttig, who was nominated by former President George H. W. Bush to serve on the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, wrote a scathing piece for The Atlantic suggesting that Trump has already taken steps in his second term to ensure he never relinquishes power.

“With his every word and deed, Trump has given Americans reason to believe that he will seek a third term, in defiance of the Constitution,” Luttig wrote. “It seems abundantly clear that he will hold on to the office at any cost, including America’s ruin.”

The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution bars anyone from serving as president for more than two terms, with Trump currently 10 months into his second and final one. However, Trump and his allies have suggested there may be ways for the 79-year-old to seek a third term in 2028.

Speaking aboard Air Force One on Monday, Trump admitted he would “love” to violate the Constitution by running for a third term. Top Trump loyalist Steve Bannon also told The Economist that there are “different alternatives” that could allow the president to run again in 2028, without offering details.

One theory—that Trump could run as a presidential candidate’s running mate in 2028, who would step aside once in the White House to allow him to return as commander-in-chief—was dismissed as “too cute” by Trump on Monday.

Luttig, who testified before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, warned that Trump’s authoritarian pursuit of “absolute power” in his second term is paving the way for him to try to remain in office indefinitely.

He cited Trump’s use of the U.S. military to carry out personal vendettas in Democratic-led cities, efforts to eliminate birthright citizenship, and the conservative-majority Supreme Court giving the president its “imprimatur to continue his power grab.”

“Trump has always told us exactly who he is. We have just not wanted to believe him. But we must believe him now,” Luttig wrote.

“If America is to long endure, we must summon our courage, our fearlessness, our hope, our spirited sense of invulnerability to political enthrall, and, most important, our abiding faith in the divine providence of this nation.

“We have been given the high charge of our forebears to ‘keep’ the republic they founded a quarter of a millennium ago. If we do not keep it now, we will surely lose it,” he added.

The judge reiterated his warning about Trump’s march toward totalitarianism during an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Tuesday.

“Donald Trump has seized near absolute unchecked power in the United States—unchecked by either Congress, the Supreme Court, the several states, or the media itself,” Luttig said.

“There’s no question at all that, as of today, Donald Trump has all the power he would ever need to run for a third term and be seated as the next president, whether or not he actually won that election.”

When contacted for comment, a White House spokesperson referred the Daily Beast to Trump’s comments about how he’d “love” to run for another term.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/bush-appointed-judge-predicts-trump-will-cause-americas-ruin/?

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Judge extends order barring the Trump administration from firing federal workers during the shutdown

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday indefinitely barred the Trump administration from firing federal employees during the government shutdown, saying that labor unions were likely to prevail on their claims that the cuts were arbitrary and politically motivated.

https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-layoffs-judge-trump-fdcb16f91c94d7bf73977e8968210b0e?

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Trump, 79, Gets Confused Explaining Water to the Navy

The president went on a baffling rant about the scientific properties of water on board the USS George Washington.

Donald Trump went on a deranged rant about the power of water to destroy magnets during a rambling address to the U.S. Navy just off the coast of Japan.

Speaking aboard the USS George Washington aircraft carrier during his tour of East Asia, the president appeared to suggest—in a largely incoherent speech—that he is pushing for aircraft carriers to use “steam for the catapults” and hydraulics for elevators, while wrongly claiming that water can disable magnets.

The elderly president was talking about the magnetic catapults used to launch planes from the latest Navy super carriers, the USS Gerald R. Ford class, and the electromagnetic elevators used to move weaponry to the flight deck. Both systems double the speed with which planes can be armed and launched but slowed the delivery and commissioning of the $13 billion flagship of the class.

“You know, the new thing is magnets. So instead of using hydraulic that can be hit by lightning and it’s fine. You take a little glass of water, you drop it on magnets, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Trump said.

“So, you know, the elevators come up in the new carriers—I think I’m going to change it, by the way—they have magnets. Every tractor has hydraulic, every excavator, every excavating machine of any kind has hydraulic. But somebody decided to use magnets.”

The 79-year-old president then stumbled over his words and failed to complete a coherent sentence before moving on and asking the watching troops whether they preferred hydraulics or magnets.

Trump then called out to a “top-ranking general” in the crowd for his opinion before continuing his tirade against the 2,000-year-old technology.

“I’m going to sign an executive order. When we build aircraft carriers, it’s steam for the catapults and it’s hydraulic for the elevators. We’ll never have a problem,” Trump said. “He agrees. Everybody agrees. But, ahh, these people in Washington.”

Trump has labored under the misunderstanding that magnets are somehow destroyed by water for at least 18 months.

In August, Trump also suggested that the global reliance on magnets was some kind of conspiracy orchestrated by China.

“You know, China intelligently went and they sort of took a monopoly of the world’s magnets, and nobody needed magnets until they convinced everybody 20 years ago, ‘Let’s all do magnets,’” Trump said. “There were many other ways that the world could have gone.”

Ironically, it was the Chinese who first made use of magnets as far back as 200 B.C.

Trump let slip on Monday that he underwent an MRI scan that the White House tried to keep quiet during his second medical exam earlier this year. The medical profession has used MRI, or Magnetic Resonance Imaging, since the 1970s. The scanners, which contain a large magnet, use a natural phenomenon identified by an American physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery in 1944.

The president, who has not said why he needed the scan, also complained about the use of magnets in elevators after swearing in Tulsi Gabbard as the director of national intelligence.

“They have all magnetic elevators to lift up 25 planes at a time, 20 planes at a time. And instead of using hydraulic, like on tractors that can handle anything from hurricanes to lightning to anything, they use magnets,” Trump said. “It’s a new theory. Magnets are going to lift the planes up, and it doesn’t work. And they had billions and billions of dollars of cost overruns.”

Trump’s hatred of magnets even dates back to at least January 2024, when he once again pushed the bizarre claim, “Give me a glass of water, let me drop it on the magnets, that’s the end of the magnets,” during a campaign speech in Iowa.

The president returned to the topic of magnets during his so-called “weave” aboard the USS George Washington on Tuesday while also vowing to bring back the use of steam-powered catapult systems on aircraft carriers.

“They spent $993 million on the catapults trying to get them to work. And they had steam, which works so beautifully, and it has for 50 years,” Trump said. “I’m going to do an executive order. I’m not going to let them continue to do this. They’re trying to make it work. They’re trying so hard, and they have something that’s perfect, so we’re going to go back on that, and the magnets.”

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-79-gets-confused-explaining-water-to-the-navy/?

ps:Explaining water to Navy personal!!!!! Seriously??????

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White House Hides Truth on Trump’s Health After MRI Bombshell

The results of Trump’s latest medical examination have renewed speculation about the president’s health.

The White House is refusing to say when Donald Trump had his most recent cognitive test after the results of his latest medical examination did not mention one.

And officials have also declined to comment further on the MRI scan the president revealed he’d undergone this month, which has reignited speculation about the 79-year-old’s health.

While Trump insists he is in excellent shape, renewed questions emerged on Monday after he let it slip that his latest check-up at Walter Reed Medical Center on October 10 included Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which can highlight symptoms associated with conditions such as strokes, brain issues, or tumors.

“I got an MRI. It was perfect,” Trump said in response to a question from reporters aboard Air Force One.

“I gave you the full results. We had an MRI, and the machine, you know, the whole thing, it was perfect,” he added.

But the report provided by White House physician Sean Barbabella simply said Trump underwent “advanced imaging” (which can also include CT scans and other tests) and did not, in fact, reveal that the president had an MRI, let alone why it was conducted or what it found.

In another glaring omission, there was also no mention of whether Trump took a cognitive test, which formed part of his first medical examination in April.

After the April check-up, Barbabella provided three pages of results, which detailed everything from Trump’s lab tests and the medicine he was taking to his vital statistics and all the physical examinations he’d had.

Among them was the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a 30-point test that screens for cognitive impairment.

“A comprehensive neurological examination revealed no abnormalities in his mental status, cranial nerves, motor and sensory function, reflexes, gait, and balance,” the report said. “Cognitive function, assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), was normal with a score of 30 out of 30.”

However, the report of Trump’s latest visit came in the form of a five-paragraph summary that did not make any reference to a cognitive test. When asked by the Daily Beast if Trump had one, the White House did not respond.

Trump referenced cognitive tests on Monday while criticizing Democratic Party congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett as “low IQ” people who wouldn’t do well on such assessments.

“The first couple of questions are easy: a tiger, an elephant, a giraffe, you know,” he explained.

“When you get up to about five or six, and then when you get up to 10 and 20 and 25, they couldn’t come close to answering any of those questions.”

But the president didn’t offer specific details on when exactly he last took a cognitive test, or his most recent score.

The evasiveness surrounding Trump’s health is not unusual for presidents: Woodrow Wilson, for example, hid details about his strokes, John F Kennedy did not disclose his back problems and Joe Biden famously covered up the extent of his cognitive decline.

But Trump’s October 10 visit raised eyebrows at the time, as it was the second in six months and took place amid ongoing speculation over his deeply bruised hands and swollen ankles.

His latest revelation of an MRI has now sparked further questions, with prominent cardiologist Dr Jonathan Reiner saying he believes the president may have quietly had an MRI scan because he showed symptoms associated with a neurological issue.

“Typically, they’re prompted by symptoms,” Reiner told CNN.

“They can be neurologic symptoms that prompt an MRI. They could be back pain that prompts an MRI. There can be issues with the heart that would prompt an MRI. And for those reasons, the public should really be told, you know, why did the president undergo the test, what consultants he saw, and what was the result of the testing?”

Reiner also added that an MRI is “never part of a routine evaluation, whether you’re president of the United States or whether you’re just a civilian.”

Despite the speculation, the October 10 report of Trump’s visit to Walter Reed nonetheless stated he was in “excellent overall health,” that his cardiac age was 14 years younger than his 79 years, and that comprehensive lab studies performed as part of the visit were “exceptional.”

“Nobody has ever given you reports like I give you,” Trump told reporters on Monday. “The doctor said (they’re) some of the best reports, for the age, they’ve ever seen.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-79-mystery-over-brain-test-and-secret-mri-scan/?

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Food banks are preparing for a surge as federal food aid could be paused in the government shutdown

Food banks and pantries were already struggling after federal program cuts this year, but now they’re bracing for a tsunami of hungry people if a pause in federal food aid to low-income people kicks in this weekend as the federal government shutdown persists.

https://apnews.com/article/snap-pause-food-pantries-f9d6c4b6050b96c4941d4b5b212f7e90?

US sought to lure Nicolás Maduro’s pilot into betraying the Venezuelan leader

A veteran U.S. law enforcement agent secretly tried to recruit Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s personal pilot to join a plot to capture the leader and deliver him into U.S. custody to face drug trafficking charges. The scheme reveals the extent — and often slapdash fashion — to which the U.S. has for years sought to topple Maduro.  Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

Takeaways from AP’s report on how US sought to lure Maduro’s pilot into betraying Venezuelan leader US launches strikes on 4 alleged drug-running boats in the eastern Pacific, killing 14 A timeline of US attacks off South America and what Congress has had to say   Texas vs. Tylenol  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit yesterday against Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, alleging the companies marketed Tylenol as safe for pregnant women without disclosing possible links between neurodevelopmental disorders and acetaminophen use. The lawsuit claims the companies violated consumer protection laws and cites recent public statements from President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The suit centers on claims that prenatal acetaminophen use may be associated with autism and ADHD, referencing a Harvard and Mount Sinai review that found correlations but did not establish causation. Health experts and leading medical groups have disputed those conclusions, saying current evidence does not support a causal link. Johnson & Johnson, which transferred its consumer health business to Kenvue in 2023, has said it retains no liability for Tylenol following the divestiture. The lawsuit alleges the move was intended to shield assets unlawfully. Kenvue maintains that Tylenol remains safe for use during pregnancy.

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? Some evangelicals "quiet quit" MAGA

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Evangelicals and Catholics uneasy with President Trump's rhetoric and immigration policies are subtly distancing themselves from MAGA — and taking some congregation members with them, Axios' Russell Contreras writes. Some churches are seeing a "quiet quitting" trend as pastors avoid political sermons and help members disengage from Trump's movement — without ostracizing family members who might still be MAGA devotees. ? Zoom in: Some pastors and their followers are angry that Trump's administration has lifted bans on immigration agents going into churches to make arrests. Others are dismayed by cuts to humanitarian aid programs at home and abroad. Reality check: Precisely how many evangelicals are "quietly quitting" MAGA isn't clear — most don't announce it publicly for fear of being criticized or harassed online. Keep reading.

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Asia tour

President Donald Trump met with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung today on the final leg of his Asia tour. Lee presented Trump with the country's highest honor, a medal usually reserved for South Korean leaders. He was also gifted a replica of an ancient golden crown. Earlier, Trump addressed business leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, saying he had signed "groundbreaking agreements" with Malaysia, Cambodia and Japan during his trip. He added that the US has “pretty much finalized” a trade deal with South Korea. On Thursday, Trump is set to hold a high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The president also said he would not meet with North Korea's Kim Jong Un despite earlier floating the possibility.

Trump third term

President Trump said it is "pretty clear" the US Constitution does not permit him to run for a third term in office, following days of speculation prompted by claims from allies that there might be a way for him to run again. "Based on what I read, I guess I'm not allowed to run so we'll see what happens," he told reporters hours ago on board Air Force One. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that he had spoken with Trump about the possibility of seeking a third term, but he sees no path for it as any change to the Constitution would be well after Trump has left office. Trump has joked about running for a third term, and Trump 2028 hats are on display in a room near the Oval Office.

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Trump administration shakes up ICE leadership across the country in major overhaul, AP sources say It is reassigning at least half the top leadership at Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices around the country in a major shake-up of the agency responsible for carrying out the president’s vision for mass deportations, according to one current and one former U.S. government official. Read more.

What to know: The current official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity, said 12 ICE field office directors — the officers who run the network of field offices around the country responsible for immigration enforcement — were being reassigned. Half are to be replaced by existing or retired Customs and Border Protection staff, while the other half would be replaced by ICE officers, both the current and former officials said.   The reason for the personnel changes wasn’t immediately clear. But they indicate a greater integration of Border Patrol agents in ICE at a time when Customs and Border Protection has been accused of using heavy-handed tactics in its immigration enforcement.   Homeland Security and the White House did not comment on the reassignments and each instead highlighted that all elements of immigration enforcement were working as one team. This is the third shake-up at ICE since Trump took office.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ A federal judge in Tennessee warns Trump officials over statements about Kilmar Abrego Garcia

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Trump administration moves to overrule state laws protecting credit reports from medical debt It’s a move to overrule any state laws that may protect consumers’ credit reports from medical debt and other debt issues. Read more.

Why this matters: Medical debt is often the most disputed part of a consumer’s credit report, because insurance payments can take time, and oftentimes patients do not have the means to fully pay a medical bill if insurance is not covering a procedure that has already taken place.   The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has drafted what’s known as an interpretative rule related to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, interpreting the law in a way that says the FCRA should preempt any state laws or regulations when it comes to how debt should be reported to the credit bureaus like Experian, Equifax and Trans Union. This repeals previous Biden-era rules and regulations that allowed states to implement their own credit reporting bans.   The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that Americans owe roughly $220 billion in medical debt. In Republican-controlled states like South Dakota, Mississippi, West Virginia and Georgia, roughly one in six Americans have outstanding medical debt, according to the KFF. Having outstanding, delinquent medical debt can impact the ability for an individual to apply for a mortgage, a credit card or an auto loan.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Trump says ‘it’s too bad’ he can’t run for a third term   Vance says troops will be paid as pressure builds on Congress to end the shutdown   What to know as federal food help and preschool aid will run dry Saturday if shutdown persists   Judge extends order barring the Trump administration from firing federal workers during the shutdown   Missing government data not likely to sway Federal Reserve from rate-cut path   Layoffs are piling up, raising worker anxiety. Here are some companies that have cut jobs recently   Senate votes to block tariffs on Brazil. It shows some pushback to Trump trade policy   Federal trial to start over Trump’s efforts to deploy the National Guard in Portland, Oregon   Court disqualifies Trump-appointed US attorney from overseeing multiple criminal cases   White House urged firing live bombs, not dummies, for Trump’s visit to Navy celebration: AP sources   Trump’s decision to send aircraft carrier to South America will leave Mideast and Europe with none   North Korea touts missile tests as Trump visits South Korea   Trump scores golden gifts but no investment dollars during South Korea visit   Hegseth welcomes Japan’s arms spending increase, says US-Japan alliance key to deter China   Donald Trump Jr. mocks ‘No Kings’ protests and praises father’s approach to Mideast at Saudi summit   In a California GOP stronghold, voters are not happy with Newsom’s plan to help Democrats   Amnesty says US strike on a Yemen prison that killed dozens of African migrants may be a war crime   The East Wing demolition was ‘jarring.’ But a White House history buff sees a silver lining   President Trump’s granddaughter gets exemption to LPGA tournament

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Oh, No! Trump, 79, Attempts Indian Accent on Asia Tour

The president went into full embarrassing grandpa mode at a summit in Gyeongju, South Korea.

Donald Trump gushed over Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the most cringeworthy way possible on Wednesday, describing the leader as “the nicest-looking guy” and then attempting to impersonate him.

The elderly president went there at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, during his tour of East Asia. He was bragging again that he single-handedly brought a swift end the four-day armed conflict between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan earlier this year by allegedly threatening both nations with 250 percent tariffs.

Indian officials have publicly rejected Trump’s repeated claims that he mediated the ceasefire. Sources told Bloomberg that Modi skipped the entire summit in Malaysia this week because Indian officials were worried Trump would once again repeat his self-proclaimed role in ending the conflict. They probably didn’t anticipate the accent.

“I’ll tell you what, Prime Minister Modi is the nicest looking guy,” Trump said, adding Modi looked like someone “you’d like to have as your father.”

But then 79-year-old president pivoted and said, “he’s a killer.”

“He’s tough as hell,” Trump said, before launching into a Modi impersonation, complete with what sounded like an attempt at an Indian accent: “No, we will fight!”

“I said, ‘Whoa, is that the same man that I know?’” Trump told the room.

Trump then took credit again for ending the escalating crisis, a claim disputed by officials in New Delhi. He said it wouldn’t have been resolved “if it wasn’t for the tariffs.”

“After a little while, and they’re good people, and after literally two days they called up, and they said we understand, and they stopped fighting—isn’t that amazing?”

He then took a jab at his predecessor, President Joe Biden.

“You think Biden would have than that? I don’t think so. Most people wouldn’t have thought of it, but you know,” Trump went on, as the audience erupted in applause.

“I said I was going to put 250 percent tariffs on each country, which means that you’ll never do business… that’s a nice way of saying we don’t want to do business with you… and they understood that and within 48 hours we had no war,” Trump added.

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

The spiralling crisis between India and Pakistan erupted after a brutal assault at a tourist spot in the town of Pahalgam in Indian-controlled Kashmir in April left at least 26 tourists dead and 17 more wounded.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/oh-no-trump-79-attempts-indian-accent-on-asia-tour/?

ps:What an embarrassment this man is!!!!!

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Trump, 79, Grudgingly Mumbles that He Really Can’t Run Again

The president acknowledged it is “pretty clear” he is in his second and final term in office.

Donald Trump has apparently, kind of, grudgingly accepted that he will not be able to seek an unconstitutional third term in the White House.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday, the 79-year-old president conceded that the Constitution makes it “pretty clear” he is not allowed to run for office again at the end of his second and final term.

“It’s a very interesting thing. I have the best numbers for any president in many years,” Trump said, despite recording all-time low approval ratings. “And I would say that, if you read it, it’s pretty clear. I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad,” he added. “But we have a lot of great people.”

Under normal circumstances, a president acknowledging that he will follow the law would not be newsworthy. But the convicted felon and his MAGA allies have repeatedly suggested he would seek a third term in 2028, even though the 22nd Amendment specifically prohibits any person from being elected president more than twice.

Trump, who proudly displays “Trump 2028” merchandise in the White House, told NBC News in March that he was “not joking” about exploring how he might remain in office. He told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday that he would “love” to run again and did not rule out attempting to do so.

Top Trump ally Steve Bannon also told The Economist last week that he was working on a “plan” that could allow Trump to run again in 2028, without specifying further details.

House Speaker Mike Johnson shot down Trump’s dreams on Tuesday, saying he does not “see a path” for the president getting another term.

“I think he knows, and he and I have talked about the restrictions of the Constitution,” Johnson said at a press conference.

Johnson added that it is improbable that the Constitution will be amended to allow Trump to seek a third term because such a move “takes about 10 years to do.” Any amendment to the Constitution also requires approval from two-thirds of the House and Senate—meaning it needs substantial Democratic support—and must then be ratified by at least 38 of the 50 U.S. states.

Trump told Time magazine in April 2024 that he “wouldn’t be in favor” of repealing the 22nd Amendment to allow him or anyone else, such as Barack Obama, to seek a third term in office.

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-79-finally-admits-hes-a-lame-duck-president/?

ps:I hope no one actually believes he wont seek a third term!!!!!

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Trump, 79, Brags His Government ‘Created No New Jobs’ During Shutdown

The president bragged about the lack of job creation under his administration as hundreds of thousands of federal employees work without pay.

Donald Trump bragged about the fact that his government has created “no new jobs” during his presidency—even as federal employees are forced to work without pay during a government shutdown.

The president made the boast as he delivered the keynote speech at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEOs luncheon in Gyeongju, South Korea.

“One hundred percent of all new jobs created in America under my administration have been created by the private sector,” Trump said. “Think of that. The government created no new jobs. The private sector created the record number of jobs that we’re talking about. That’s a country, that’s really a success.”

He also outlined how he could have fudged the numbers to make his administration look good by creating jobs, which he accused his predecessors of doing. “It’s easy to create government jobs. I could say, ‘Add a lot of people to your payrolls,‘ I could fake up the numbers if I want, but that’s not the way you build a great country,” he told attendees.

“That’s what they used to do under the Biden administration, under Barack Hussein Obama, they’d say ‘Hire a lot of people so we can make our numbers look good,’ I do the opposite.”

The remarks came just one week after Trump set a record as being the man who has presided over the most days of a government shutdown, between this month’s stoppage and the 35-day shutdown of 2018-19.

The shutdown has resulted in thousands of federal employees working without pay, prompting the country’s largest federal workers’ union to call for an end to the shutdown.

While the Trump administration did accept a $130 million donation from billionaire Timothy Mellon in order to cover the salaries of active service members during the shutdown, Democrats were quick to note that the amount would not go far in covering the salaries of over a million soldiers.

At the start of his second term, Trump recruited Tesla CEO Elon Musk to establish the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to hack and slash his way through government agencies in the name of saving money.

But DOGE wasted some $21.7 billion in taxpayer dollars in its wild campaign to slash spending, and left federal agencies including the IRS and the General Services Administration quietly begging fired workers to return to their desks.

In addition, the U.S. has seen a string of disappointing jobs figures, with unemployment edging up during Trump’s second term, prompting Trump to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, who he said had ”RIGGED” jobs figures “to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.”

Trump fared even worse during his first term in office, during which time, according to FactCheck.org, the economy lost 2.7 million jobs and unemployment climbed by 1.7 points to 6.4 percent.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-79-brags-his-government-created-no-new-jobs-during-shutdown/?

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Chest-Beater Hegseth Deploys Bonkers ‘Taken’ Threat

For all the bravado, the U.S. has not provided any evidence to substantiate its allegations of drug trafficking.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has issued a chest-beating warning to so-called “narco terrorists” after the U.S. military killed 14 people in yet another series of strikes on alleged drug boats.

Amid growing skepticism over the legality of the lethal strikes, the former Fox News host appeared to channel Irish actor Liam Neeson while justifying the latest bombing on four suspected drug vessels in the Eastern Pacific.

“These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda, and they will be treated the same. We will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them,” Hegseth said.

The threat was reminiscent of the famous line from the action blockbuster Taken, in which Neeson plays a former CIA agent searching for his kidnapped daughter.

“If you let my daughter go, that’ll be the end of it... But if you don’t I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you,” he says in the film.

But for all the machismo, the U.S. has not provided any evidence to substantiate its allegations of drug trafficking, nor have any the identities of any victims been provided.

The latest strikes were announced by Hegseth on social media on Tuesday, bringing the total number of people killed by the administration to 57.

The strikes are the latest to take place since September 2, when the first operation killed 11 people in the Caribbean Sea. Trump claimed they were from the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua.

This was followed by at least 13 other air strikes, the most recent being on Friday, hours after Trump issued a chilling threat to keep killing enemies without legal authority.

“I don’t think we will necessarily ask for a Declaration of War,” he said, referencing the Act that Presidents must request from Congress, which has the authority under the Constitution to declare war.

“I think we will just kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. Okay? We’re going to kill them. They’re going to be, like, dead.”

The administration’s actions have sparked growing concerns, with legal experts, global leaders and even some Republicans questioning the legality of bombing suspected civilian cartel members without any attempt to intercept or capture them first.

“We can’t just kill indiscriminately because we are not at war. It’s summary execution!” said Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, one of the few Republicans willing to speak out against Trump.

On Tuesday, Democrat Senator Jamie Raskin added: “The president is not himself the police, the judge, the jury and the executioner. It’s a terrifying logic they’re advancing to the world... Only Congress can declare war.”

The strikes have also expanded into a broader pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom the Trump Administration considers illegitimate.

Trump has denied he is seeking regime change in Venezuela, but has ramped up threats against the country’s president and ordered a massive naval buildup off Venezuela’s coast.

But in what appears to be a growing pattern in Hegseth’s Pentagon, Reuters reports that military officials involved in expanding operations in Latin America have been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements to keep the details secret.

“Good luck going into a federal court and arguing that you need to enforce a contract to shield mass murder,” said former Republican and past trial lawyer John Jackson. “Pig won’t fly.”

Some global leaders, such as Colombian President Gustav Petro, have called for a criminal investigation by the United Nations, likening Trump’s actions to murder.

Tensions escalated this month when Petro claimed that one man who was killed in a boat strike that took place in mid-September was “lifelong fisherman” Alejandro Carranza, whose boat had experienced damage and was adrift.

Trump responded online by declaring Petro, who rose to prominence as a Colombian Senator by exposing links between right-wing paramilitary groups involved in drug trafficking and corrupt politicians, was an “illegal drug leader.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/chest-beater-hegseths-bonkers-taken-threat-to-boat-narcos/?

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MAGA Stars Turn on Johnson in Heated Strategy Call

Republicans butted heads on a conference call Tuesday over Johnson’s shutdown strategy.

The list of Republicans frustrated with House Speaker Mike Johnson’s strategy of ensuring congress doesn’t do anything while the government is shutdown is growing.

Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw expressed concern about how the House could make up for all the time it’s spent in recess, according to Axios reporting from a conference call between Republican lawmakers Tuesday.

Johnson sent the House home before the end of September and has kept it out of session ever since. The tactic is designed to pressure Senate Democrats to fund the Republicans’ government spending bill, but Democrats have signaled they won’t sign until it extends Affordable Care Act subsidies.

Crenshaw, 41, is the latest Republican congressperson to express frustration with the Johnson’s strategy. The most vocal critic has undoubtedly been Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has chastised the speaker for having “no policy plan” to address taking Americans off health care if the current budget bill is passed.

Greene once again lambasted Johnson, 53, on Tuesday’s conference call. The initial reporting from Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman said Greene demanded Republicans nuke the filibuster and push the funding bill through with a simple majority vote—something Republicans have been reluctant to do for fear of how it could be used against them when Democrats next control the Senate.

Greene, 51, confirmed the reports on X and added, “You left out I said I have no respect for the House not being in session passing our bills and the President’s executive orders. And I demanded to know from Speaker Johnson what the Republican plan for healthcare is...”

Johnson, who has been at odds with MTG since she broke with him on the shutdown strategy, said Republicans had been working “day and night” on a health care solution and whined that Greene shouldn’t bash her colleagues online.

“How does that help us, Marjorie?”, he reportedly asked. Greene wasn’t satisfied.

“...He refused to give one policy proposal to our GOP conference on our own conference call,” she posted.

The Daily Beast reached out to Mike Johnson for comment.

Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley, 40, of California also expressed frustration with the House being closed during the shutdown, according to sources on the call. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska said Republicans should be negotiating with Democrats on Obamacare after the call.

“I do think we should be negotiating the ACA tax credits and have that compromise to put in the Approps bills,” Bacon, 62, told Axios.

Though the grumbly conference call suggests small cracks, the GOP’s shutdown stonewall doesn’t yet appear ready to break. Johnson has maintained that the vast majority of Republicans agree with his strategy, while senior Republican House members on the call agreed that there is not a widespread revolt against Johnson yet.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-stars-turn-on-johnson-in-heated-strategy-call/?

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South Korea gives Trump a crown weeks after No Kings protests

President Trump was gifted a ceremonial crown Wednesday by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

https://www.axios.com/2025/10/29/trump-gift-crown-south-korea-no-kings?

Ballroom saga

President Donald Trump’s decision to demolish part of the White House has sparked widespread backlash — even among supporters. CNN’s Aaron Blake says it’s shaping up to be one of his most controversial second-term moves.

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US will share tech to let South Korea build a nuclear-powered submarine, Trump says

GYEONGJU, South Korea (AP) — The United States will share closely held technology to allow South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine, President Donald Trump said on social media Thursday after meeting with the country’s president.

https://apnews.com/article/nuclear-powered-submarine-trump-south-korea-ce3ad17d6288573696bf42ca089e76c5?

Trump-Xi Meeting

President Donald Trump instructed the Defense Department to resume nuclear weapons testing minutes before meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea. The meeting was ongoing as of this writing; see live updates here. Trump had projected optimism going into today’s meetup—the leaders’ first face-to-face encounter in six years. In advance, the US previewed a framework trade agreement that could see China delay its rare earth export controls, expand US soybean purchases, and crack down on fentanyl-related exports. In exchange, the US could lower tariffs on Chinese imports, settle a deal on TikTok ownership, and reduce export controls on semiconductor chips. Barring a deal, Trump has pledged 100% tariffs on Chinese goods beginning Saturday, Nov. 1.  The meeting comes after Trump met with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung yesterday. While they did not sign a new trade deal, South Korea pledged to invest $200B in the US, in apparent exchange for keeping tariffs at 15%.

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A Bargaining Chip (Sebastian Mast / Connected Archives)

View in browser Two weeks ago, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that the ongoing government shutdown was “starting to cut into muscle.” Now it appears to be nearing the bone: For the first time in its 61-year history, SNAP, the federal food-assistance program for low- and no-income people, is set to run out of money. If November’s payments don’t arrive in people’s accounts on Saturday, roughly 42 million Americans will need to figure out another way to pay for their meals. On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees SNAP, announced in a memo that it would not tap into the roughly $6 billion contingency funding set aside for the program. According to the memo, the reserve is “not legally available to cover regular benefits,” and “the best way for SNAP to continue is for the shutdown to end.” A coalition of 25 Democrat-led states and the District of Columbia is suing the Trump administration, alleging that not only is the administration able to use those funds—it must use them. (When I emailed a USDA spokesperson for comment, I received an automated response saying they had been furloughed and could not respond.) The disruption would be unprecedented; not even the longest government shutdown in history, during President Donald Trump’s first term, interfered with SNAP funding. The timing of the USDA’s mandate is questionable. Congress set aside that $6 billion for SNAP over the past year and a half. And earlier this month, the agency had a 55-page memo on its website detailing how it might use the reserve for SNAP in the event that funding lapsed, per requirements set by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (SNAP costs the government about $8 billion a month; the OMB is run by Russell Vought, who has used the shutdown to cut into government funding writ large). But the plan has now mysteriously disappeared from the USDA site. The agency’s new memo from Friday contends that “the contingency fund is a source of funds for contingencies,” a category for which a government shutdown doesn’t appear to qualify. Legal scholars and budget experts have largely disagreed with that interpretation. Bobby Kogan, of the Center for American Progress, told me that the administration is employing “the narrowest interpretation you could possibly have” of the law to avoid paying for SNAP, in contrast with the “broadest interpretation” of the law now being used to justify a private donor paying the military during the shutdown. As Dottie Rosenbaum, of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, explained to me, “The idea that SNAP’s contingency funds could not be used for SNAP benefits stands in sharp contrast to what the face of the law says,” as well as previous USDA guidance. David Super, a professor of constitutional law at Georgetown Law, put it simply on his blog: “Terminating SNAP is a choice, and an overtly unlawful one at that.” In other words, it’s not that the administration can’t pay up—it’s that it has chosen not to. Although Republican lawmakers have acknowledged their constituents’ reliance on SNAP, they are focused on taking swipes at the Democrats. In a statement, the OMB blamed the Democrats who “chose to shut down the government knowing full well that SNAP would soon run out of funds.” House Speaker Mike Johnson told Republican representatives yesterday that the “pain register is about to hit level 10” as the shutdown drags on and SNAP cuts go into effect, but urged the GOP to stay the course, according to Politico. Without a deal to end the shutdown, Congress is limited by its lack of funding. And the executive branch, which still has some latitude to act, has been incredibly selective about which services to fund and which not to. Trump has halted blue-state projects that depend on federal dollars while emphasizing that “we’re not closing up Republican programs because we think they work.” However, as my colleague Toluse Olorunnipa recently reported, Trump hasn’t been able to protect his supporters from the shutdown’s impact entirely. Congressional paralysis has been compounding the hurt: Republican Senator Josh Hawley recently introduced a bill to fund SNAP’s November payments, but it likely won’t be put to a vote before the Saturday deadline. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who would make that call, has said “there’s not a high level of interest in doing carve-outs” to fund specific government programs, and that Republicans will block a similar bill from the Democrats. But food isn’t partisan. SNAP is one of the nation’s largest social-welfare programs, a reliable source of relief for one in eight Americans. On average, the federal government pays each recipient $187 per month, exclusively for food. Many SNAP participants, spread across both red and blue states, are seniors, people with disabilities, and families with young children. SNAP has survived for so long in part because of a long-standing bipartisan recognition of the program’s importance, in spite of the equally long-standing Republican mission to pare back government funding for welfare programs. Ronald Reagan’s administration made cuts to food assistance, as did Trump’s: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will slash $186 billion from all SNAP-related funding by 2034. But no politician wants to be blamed for halting SNAP altogether. “Americans don’t like welfare, but they don’t want to see fellow Americans go hungry,” Christopher Bosso, a political-science professor at Northeastern University and a historian of SNAP, told me. This summer, a poll found that 66 percent of Americans oppose cuts to food assistance. SNAP isn’t a perfect program, but such a sudden disruption would have an immediate material impact: Food banks are already signaling that they might not be able to keep up with demand. Friday’s USDA memo declared that states would not be reimbursed for covering SNAP benefits, and few have committed to doing so. The costs are just too high for some states to cover on their own, especially for those with higher percentages of SNAP recipients. Social welfare isn’t exactly a priority for the Trump administration. The president’s budget proposals have historically threatened to eviscerate food assistance, and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s cuts to SNAP are the largest in U.S. history. For low-income Americans, SNAP can be a lifeline; for this White House, it’s another political tool. Related: Trump is trying—and failing—to shield MAGA from the shutdown. A donor-funded army wouldn’t just be illegal—it would be dangerous.

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? Trump threatens to revive nuclear testing

Via Truth Social

President Trump announced last night — just an hour before meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping — that the U.S. will resume testing nuclear weapons, Axios' Dave Lawler writes. Why it matters: The U.S. hasn't conducted a nuclear test since 1992. If Trump follows through on the decision to resume testing, it could reignite a superpower arms race. Between the lines: Trump alluded to testing by "other countries." But there have been no public reports of Russia or China conducting full-fledged nuclear weapons testing. He may have been referencing Russia's recent test of a new long-range missile. Trump responded to a reporter's question on that test earlier this week by noting that "we have a nuclear submarine, the greatest in the world, right off their shores." The only country conducting major nuclear tests in recent years has been North Korea. ? Zoom out: China's nuclear build-up is a source of great concern in the Pentagon, though it still has far fewer nukes than Russia and the U.S. But an end to the moratorium on testing could arguably play to China's advantage if Beijing uses the opening to test the weapons it has in development.

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Exclusive: 11th-hour workaround to pay troops

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

President Trump's budget team raided three different financial accounts to make sure U.S. troops are paid tomorrow as the government shutdown continues, White House officials tell Axios' Marc Caputo. Why it matters: As long as military personnel are paid, Trump isn't planning to budge on the nearly month-old shutdown, even with as many as 42 million people set to lose food stamp benefits Saturday. Earlier in the week, it was unclear whether the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) could find roughly $5.3 billion to make the military's payroll by tomorrow. But two White House officials tell Axios the money was found at the last minute. The OMB found: $2.5 billion from a military housing fund specified in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act to continue paying housing allowances for military personnel. $1.4 billion from the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation fund, which largely will cover U.S. Army and Air Force payroll. The account normally funds military research and was heavily relied upon two weeks ago to cover military paychecks. $1.4 billion from a Defense Department procurement account for building U.S. Navy ships, largely to fund the Navy and Marines.

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Trump Rattles Off Laundry List of Enemies to Investigate

The president is plowing ahead with his revenge campaign against high-profile foes.

President Donald Trump has issued a laundry list of political enemies he wants investigated in a Truth Social post riddled with dramatic name-calling and failing syntax.

Continuing his personal revenge campaign against high-profile foes, Trump lashed out at a roster of officials who worked on the 2016 Russia collusion investigation, his two impeachments and the Jan. 6 Capitol attack inquiry.

“Former FBI Agent Walter Giardina is a DIRTY COP! He should be, along with Deranged Jack Smith, the sinister team of Lisa Monaco and Andrew Weissmann, Liddle’ Jay Bratt, Norm Eisen and his FAKE Charity, CREW, Christopher Wray, Merrick Garland, Thomas Windom, who dreamt up the corrupt J-6 Witch Hunt, should be investigated, immediately,” the 79-year-old president wrote. “They are a disgrace to our Nation. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Trump, who is currently in South Korea, sent the message at 5:55 a.m. local time.

While the president may find his rage-posting therapeutic during his six-day Asia tour, it could be setting his aides on edge.

Three Trump officials told Zeteo earlier this month that they fear the president’s Truth Social tirades against his political enemies could be used against the administration in court.

Four people on Trump’s long list of enemies—former FBI Director James Comey, New York attorney general Letitia James, and former national security adviser John Bolton—have already been indicted after pressure from the president.

But both Comey and James are seeking to have their case thrown out by arguing that they are the victims of selective or vindictive prosecutions overseen by Trump.

“WHY?? There is no need to do the defense’s work for them.” one senior Trump appointee lamented, according to Zeteo, after seeing Trump’s bombshell post in September ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute his enemies.

The president’s newest Truth Social diatribe lashes out against former FBI Special Agent Walter Giardina and former DOJ prosecutor Andrew Weissman, both of whom worked on the investigation into Russian interference in Trump’s 2016 election victory.

In addition, Trump once again targeted Jack Smith, the former Justice Department special counsel who pursued criminal cases related to Trump’s alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 presidential election results and his alleged mishandling of classified documents. Jay Bratt and Thomas Windom served as top deputies to Smith.

Meanwhile, Norman Eisen served as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee for Trump’s first impeachment in 2020.

Trump also extended his retribution campaign to Christopher Wray, who served as FBI director from 2017 to 2025; Merrick Garland, the attorney general under the Biden administration; and Lisa Monaco, Garland’s deputy attorney general.

On Friday, the president accused Smith, Garland, Monaco, and “other crooked lowlifes from the failed Biden Administration” of rigging the 2020 election, even though the election took place while Trump was in office and before the Biden administration assumed power.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-issues-laundry-list-of-enemies-to-investigate/?

ps:Exactly to the last paragraph of the article!!!!!

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Details of DHS Agreement Reveal Risks of Trump Administration’s Use of Social Security Data for Voter Citizenship Checks

This year, when states began using an expanded Department of Homeland Security system to check their voter rolls for noncitizens, it was supposed to validate the Trump administration’s push to harness data from across federal agencies to expose illicit voting and stiffen immigration enforcement.

https://www.propublica.org/article/dhs-social-security-data-voter-citizenship-trump?

Citing Trump Order on “Biological Truth,” VA Makes It Harder for Male Veterans With Breast Cancer to Get Coverage

The Trump administration is making it more difficult for veterans with a rare but deadly cancer to get their health care needs covered by the government. The new policy, involving breast cancer in men, is laid out in a Department of Veterans Affairs memo obtained by ProPublica.

https://www.propublica.org/article/veterans-affairs-male-breast-cancer-coverage-trump-executive-order?

China agrees to purchase 25 million metric tons of US soybeans annually, treasury secretary says

WASHINGTON (AP) — China has agreed to purchase 25 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans annually as part of an agreement reached by its leaders, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday.

https://apnews.com/article/bessent-china-trump-soybeans-8e318b06345d4392804c5c93a96e81b5?

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Trump sets 7,500 annual limit for refugees entering US. It’ll be mostly white South Africans

The Trump administration is restricting the number of refugees it admits annually into the country to 7,500 and they will mostly be white South Africans, a dramatic drop after the United States previously allowed in hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and persecution from around the world. Read more.

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