How John Thune sees the shutdown ending … “I keep telling them: When they have eight or 10 — preferably 10, or more — when they have a critical mass, let me know if there's a conversation they want to have,” Thune said.  —  He insisted he would not negotiate on the substance of an extension while the government is closed.

FBI cuts ties with Anti-Defamation League, FBI director says  —  The FBI said on Wednesday it had cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish group that tracks antisemitism, after Republicans criticized the group for including slain activist Charlie Kirk's organization in a glossary on extremism.

White House Asks Colleges to Sign Sweeping Agreement to Get Funding Advantage  —  An initial round of nine schools is being asked to sign a wide-ranging accord  —  The Trump administration is laying out a set of operating principles that it wants universities to agree to in exchange for preferential access to federal funds.

Massive immigration raid on Chicago apartment building leaves residents reeling: ‘I feel defeated’  —  Dan Jones was jolted awake around 1 a.m. Tuesday to the sound of federal agents trying to break through his apartment door.  They couldn't get past his double lock, so he went back to bed.

Trump targets states that voted for Harris in shutdown fight … New York-area lawmakers reacted with fury to the infrastructure cuts earlier Wednesday.  —  “Political revenge.  Clearly outlined by Trump, time and again.  He sees the U.S. as Blue and Red, and Blue states are enemies,” …

Activists say Israeli navy has begun intercepting a Gaza-bound aid flotilla  —  Activists on board a flotilla of vessels sailing toward Gaza said late Wednesday that the Israeli navy had intercepted three of its boats as they approached the besieged Palestinian territory.

There's a New Lawsuit Against “Kavanaugh Stops.”  It's Absolutely Devastating.  —  Gregory Bovino, the officer in charge of roving immigration enforcement in American cities, admitted this week that his agents arrest people based on “how they look.”  Asked by a WBEZ reporter to elaborate …

Jane Goodall, Eminent Primatologist Who Chronicled the Lives of Chimps, Dies at 91  —  Her discoveries in the 1960s about how chimpanzees behaved in the wild broke new ground and represented what was called “one of the Western world's great scientific achievements.”

Who Goes Nazi?  —  It is an interesting and somewhat macabre parlor game to play at a large gathering of one's acquaintances: to speculate who in a showdown would go Nazi.  By now, I think I know.  I have gone through the experience many times—in Germany, in Austria, and in France.

Immigration judge denies Kilmar Abrego García's request to reopen case  —  The judge found “insufficient evidence” to show that the Trump administration would send Abrego to Uganda, according to a copy of the decision reviewed by The Washington Post.  —  A U.S. immigration judge …

Jane Fonda relaunches free speech group started by her father during the McCarthy era  —  In wake of the Trump administration's censorship threats, the actor re-established the Committee for the First Amendment with A-list support  —  Jane Fonda has relaunched the Committee for the First Amendment …

Female veterans slam Hegseth's questioning of their combat fitness … - But Elisa Cardnell, the president and CEO of the Service Women's Action Network, said in a statement the “physical requirements for infantry school, special operations, or any other combat role are already gender-neutral.”

Virginia 2025 Poll: Spanberger Holds 10-Point Lead over Earle-Sears for Governor  —  A new Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey of the 2025 Virginia Governor's race finds Democrat Abigail Spanberger leading Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, 52% to 42%, with 5% of voters undecided.

Google joins presidential bribe club  —  PN is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🧠 Subscribe to PN 🧠  —  On Monday, Google paid a $24.5 million bribe to President Trump.  —  The bag of cash was euphemistically described as a “legal settlement …

An Autocracy of Dunces  —  How stone-faced generals, Wall Street pushback, and a government shutdown may save America's quickly declining democracy  —  If America still had a fully functioning democracy, Donald Trump's speech Tuesday to the assembled generals would have ended his presidency.

Head of Eisenhower library resigns after sword spat with Trump administration  —  The head of a presidential library resigned this week after a tug-of-war with the Trump administration over gift selection and a sword for King Charles III, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.

‘Underwater’: Young voters, Black Americans sour on Trump as job market struggles … “Their overall performance [with] Black men, younger voters will holistically depend upon the overall health of the economy,” said Shermichael Singleton, a Republican strategist and former adviser to Dr. Ben Carson …

White House fires much of the National Council on the Humanities  —  The White House appeared to fire all but four members of the National Council on the Humanities, an advisory board to the head of the government's grantmaking agency.  —  The White House on Wednesday abruptly terminated …

Axios Vibes: Grocery price pain rises, in warning sign for Trump and GOP  —  Americans say it's harder to afford their groceries now than it was a year ago, a warning sign for President Trump and Republicans, in the latest Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll.