New details emerge on Hegseth's unusual mass gathering of top brass  —  The defense secretary is expected to lecture about the “warrior ethos” for less than an hour, according to multiple people familiar with the event.  But top generals are bracing for possible firings or demotions.  —  just now

Trump Fired a U.S. Attorney Who Insisted on Following a Court Order … For 15 years, Michele Beckwith oversaw some of the toughest federal prosecutions in California.  She went after transnational terrorists, sex traffickers and the Aryan brotherhood.  —  She became the acting U.S. attorney …

Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts arrested by ICE  —  Samantha Hernandez William MorrisDes Moines Register  —  Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts has been arrested by U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement and held at the Pottawattamie County Jail, according to federal and local officials.

False statement charge against Comey appears to center on Hillary Clinton email probe  —  The alleged leak to the media that underpins the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey appears to relate to the 2016 investigation concerning Hillary Clinton, rather than the separate 2016 FBI investigation …

Sinclair Ends ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’  Boycott, Says Its ABC Stations Will Resume Airing Show Immediately  —  TV station group says about the reversal that ‘it is simply inconsistent to champion free speech while demanding that broadcasters air specific content’

Musk, Bannon and Thiel named in new Epstein estate documents … These new files are notable in that they suggest all three powerful men had a relationship with Epstein after his controversial plea deal that forced him to register as a sex offender.  Many people have argued …

Supreme Court Allows Trump to Slash Foreign Aid  —  The court's conservative majority allowed the president to cut the funding in part because it said his flexibility to engage in foreign affairs outweighed “the potential harm” faced by aid recipients.  —  The Supreme Court on Friday allowed …

ICE agents point guns at bystanders during violent arrest in Maryland  —  If you want to support The Handbasket's 100% independent journalism, subscribe now.  You can also become a premium subscriber or leave a tip.  —  Video  —  For about nine minutes Wednesday morning …

Trump asks Supreme Court to decide whether he can end birthright citizenship  —  The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to review the constitutionality of President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship, pushing the issue back before the justices for the second time this year.

‘They will pay a huge price for this’: Shutdown-ready Trump expects Democrats to blink … POLITICO reported Wednesday that the Office of Management and Budget is instructing federal agencies to prepare reduction-in-force plans for mass firings during a government shutdown …

Enough Is Enough ... I Choose VIOLENCE!  —  OPINION … A CALL FOR VIOLENCE  —  It's all about cost, and the cost is not high enough.  —  In some places, the cost is nonexistent.  We need to reinstitute a public debt for anti-social and subversive behavior.

Kristi Noem Fast-Tracked Millions in Disaster Aid to Florida Tourist Attraction After Campaign Donor Intervened  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.  Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published.  —  For months, the complaints …

Trump's Eruption of Rage at Texas ICE Shooting Hints at a Darker Story  —  After the news broke that a man sprayed sniper fire at an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement office in Dallas, President Trump exploded in an extended Truth Social rant.  But sprinkled in among the usual lies …

Cory Mills denies ‘anything salacious’ as he seeks to fend off restraining order … The push for the restraining order against Mills comes amid a swirl of controversies this year for second-term Republican, including a since-withdrawn allegation of assault and an ethics investigation …