Trump's ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion  —  On Wednesday, the Trump administration sent letters to nine major universities proposing a “compact.”  As The Times reports, the agreement would, among other things, require these universities to freeze tuition rates for five years …

Jeanne Shaheen is Democrats' shutdown whisperer … Earlier this year, Shaheen was one of the 10 Democrats who helped advance a GOP-written stopgap to avoid a March shutdown — and one of two members of the caucus who ultimately voted for it.  This time around, she's holding out as she works …

ICEBlock Owner After Apple Removes App: ‘We Are Determined to Fight This’  —  The developer of ICEBlock, an app that lets people crowdsource sightings of ICE officials, has said he is determined to fight back after Apple removed the app from its App Store on Thursday.

MAGA's Top “Voter Fraud” Watchdog Votes in a Swing State.  He Doesn't Live There.  —  This article is a joint production of Slate and the Handbasket.  —  Jack Posobiec is very concerned about voter fraud.  An influential MAGA voice and prominent conspiracy theorist, he's perhaps best known …

After Declining to Give Trump a Sword for King Charles, a Museum Leader Is Out  —  The departure of Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, came after the administration sought a sword from its collection as a gift for King Charles.

A Note About the Comey Case  —  In the wake of the Comey indictment, The Washington Post is reporting tonight that “Lawyers inside the high-profile U.S. attorney's office [for the Eastern District of Virginia] prosecuting former FBI director James B. Comey are unnerved by what they see as an unprecedented push …

Dave Chappelle Criticizes Free Speech in America at Saudi Arabia Comedy Festival  —  “It's easier to talk here than it is in America,” the comedian told an audience at the Riyadh Comedy Festival. … The comedian was one of more than 50 performers participating in the event …

Kash Patel fires FBI agent trainee for displaying gay pride flag  —  The FBI employee was fired on the first day of the government shutdown as President Trump threatened more terminations.  —  FBI Director Kash Patel on Wednesday fired an agent in training for displaying a gay pride flag …

White House Senses Political Risk on Healthcare Despite Shutdown Bravado  —  Trump aides are discussing proposals to extend Obamacare subsidies on which millions of Americans rely  —  Loading...  WASHINGTON—President Trump has projected unwavering confidence that he is winning the messaging war over the government shutdown.

Paramount Officially Acquiring The Free Press and Making Bari Weiss CBS News Editor in Chief: Report  —  Paramount Skydance will be officially acquiring The Free Press and hiring its founder Bari Weiss as editor in chief of its CBS News division, with the deal to be announced this coming Monday …

Lawmakers From Both Sides Pressed Pentagon on Legal Basis for Cartel Boat Strikes  —  Defense Department general counsel faced questions from Republicans and Democrats in a closed-door briefing  —  Senators on both sides of the aisle pressed the Pentagon's top lawyer in a closed-door meeting …

Robert Morris, Texas megachurch pastor, pleads guilty to sexually abusing a child  —  Under a plea agreement, Morris was given a 10-year sentence, but he will serve only six months in an Oklahoma jail.  —  PAWHUSKA, Okla.— Robert Morris, the Texas megachurch pastor who built Gateway Church …

ICE Agents Rappel from Helicopter in Overnight Chicago Raid, Dragging Kids from Beds to U-Hauls  —  “It was heartbreaking to watch,” said a neighbor who described seeing “buck naked” children getting separated from their mothers during the raid on a South Side apartment building.

Putin warns of ‘new stage of escalation’ if U.S. supplies long-range missiles to Ukraine … Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the potential supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine would mark a “completely new stage of escalation” between Washington and Moscow.

South Shore Residents Return To Ransacked Apartments After ICE Raid: ‘It Looks Like Hell’  —  SOUTH SHORE — He's an Army veteran now retired after three decades working for the U.S. Postal Service.  —  Federal agents pounded on the door of his South Shore apartment about 2 a.m. Tuesday.

Transcript: Chris Murphy's Dark and Unnerving New Warning about Trump  —  The following is a lightly edited transcript of the October 3 episode of the Daily Blast podcast.  Listen to it here.  —  Greg Sargent: This is the Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network.

Rejecting injustice: The jury's role in a politicized justice system  —  The acquittal of Brayan Ramos-Brito is more than just a legal victory for one individual; it is a powerful reaffirmation of the American jury system.  After a federal jury in Los Angeles took just over an hour …

Cori Bush launches comeback bid for Missouri seat  —  Former Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) is making a play for her old St. Louis seat in Congress, she announced Friday on X, a year after losing a primary in part due to her opposition to Israel.  “I ran for Congress to change things for regular people,” she said in a video announcement.

National Guard presence may deter crime, but experts warn of the long-term costs  —  As the Trump administration expands its anti-crime initiative aimed at Democratic-led cities, criminologists are watching to see how effective the federal interventions will be in deterring crime.

‘I was ordered to lie’: Weber State censorship event canceled, after organizers said school wanted to censor speakers  —  A university official warned the event had to comply with the Utah Legislature's ban on DEI language.  An independent “teach-in” was set for Friday.

Trump Canceled 94 Million Pounds of Food Aid.  Here's What Never Arrived.  —  ProPublica obtained records from the Department of Agriculture that detail the millions of pounds of food, down to the number of eggs, that never reached food banks because of the administration's cuts.

15,000 churches could close this year amid religious shift in U.S.  —  The U.S. could see an unprecedented 15,000 churches shut their doors this year, far more than the few thousand expected to open, according to denominational reports and church consultants.

Trump's push for executive control runs into a hurdle: economic independence  —  The White House sustained two setbacks on personnel this week: pulling its controversial nominee to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics and losing its bid to immediately oust Fed governor Lisa Cook.