Trump calls for jailing Democratic leaders as troops prepare for Chicago deployment  — Trump threatens to jail Johnson, Pritzker  — Former FBI chief due in court to face criminal charges  — National Guard troops gather outside Chicago despite local opposition

Central witness undermines case against James Comey, prosecutors concluded: Sources  —  Ex-FBI Director James Comey is set to be arraigned on federal charges Wednesday.  —  FBI Director James Comey speaks during a news conference, March 24, 2016 in Washington.

Speaker clashes with Dem senators over Epstein files amid shutdown  —  Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday had a heated, face-to-face exchange with two Democratic senators Wednesday over the government shutdown and the swearing-in of Arizona's Democratic Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva …

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) today floated the idea that workers furloughed during a government shutdown are not guaranteed back pay when the shutdown is resolved.  Marc Caputo of Axios broke the story of the new OMB memo this morning.  Caputo pointed out that in 2019 …

Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar  —  U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died” because of his government's decision to gut its foreign aid program.  But in Myanmar, families tell The Associated Press …

FBI fires special agents who worked on Jack Smith's probe into Trump  —  The three agents were fired after Kash Patel disclosed that Jack Smith's team obtained phone records of members of Congress, which the Smith report itself referenced.  —  WASHINGTON — The FBI has fired …

Inside Stephen Miller's Secret Plan to Normalize Trump's Dictator Rule  —  Stephen Miller has a theory about this political moment.  As President Trump expands his lawbreaking and dictatorial rule, the powerful MAGA disinformation apparatus—at Miller's direction—is supercharging public attention …

Trump Labor Department Says His Immigration Raids Are Causing a Food Crisis  —  In a filing in the Federal Register, the Labor Department argues there are “immediate dangers to the American food supply” due to a lack of migrant agricultural workers.  —  Dayen Labor Department food crisis

Post Traumatic Disorder … Last Thursday, at least a half-dozen staffers on The Washington Post's opinion desk were quietly sent an email from the section's new editor, Adam O'Neal.  The note, which surprised some of its recipients, informed them that their positions had been “impacted as part of our organizational change.”

Republicans could draw 19 more House seats after an upcoming Supreme Court ruling … While a ruling in time for next year's midterms is unlikely, the organizations behind the report said that it's not out of the question.  Taken together, the groups identified 27 total seats that Republicans …

California governor candidate Katie Porter cuts off interview after testy Trump exchange  —  California gubernatorial candidate and former Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) tried to end an interview with a reporter after she was asked what she would say to voters in the state who voted for President Trump.

IMF and BoE warn AI boom risks ‘abrupt’ stock market correction  —  Kristalina Georgieva and UK financial stability watchdog say valuations are closing in on dotcom bubble levels  —  Global stock markets are at risk of a sudden correction as the artificial intelligence boom pushes valuations …

Grand Jury Declines to Indict Two Chicago-Area ICE Protesters  —  A federal grand jury declined to indict two people charged with assaulting law enforcement agents outside a suburban Chicago ICE facility, an attorney for one of the defendants said.  —  Federal prosecutors on Wednesday morning filed …

Earle-Sears highlights Jones texts in new ad  —  Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears's (R) gubernatorial campaign rolled out a new ad Wednesday tying her Democratic opponent, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), to a string of violent text messages sent by Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones.

Bob Ross artwork to be sold to help public television after funding cuts  —  Thirty of the late painter's works will be auctioned starting next month.  The net proceeds will benefit stations threatened by reductions in federal funding.  —  Dozens of Bob Ross paintings will be auctioned …

What Civil Society Can Do to Beat Trumpism  —  President Trump is trying to seize power that he is not entitled to under the law or the Constitution.  —  But Mr. Trump will fail in remaking American politics if people and institutions coordinate against him, which is why his administration …

White House announces radical new plan to allocate tariff revenue without Congress  —  The Constitution gives Congress what's known as the “power of the purse.”  When Trump tries to claim he has his own purse, there's a problem.  —  At a White House event earlier this week …

Florida Man Arrested on Federal Criminal Complaint Alleging He Maliciously Started What Became the Palisades Fire  —  For Immediate Release  —  U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California  —  LOS ANGELES - A former Pacific Palisades resident now living in Florida has been arrested …

Alabama sheriff condemned over ‘racist’ Halloween display at home  —  Mobile county sheriff, Paul Burch, faces backlash after skeletons in sombreros and ‘ICE’ shirts spotted in his yard  —  A sheriff in Mobile county, Alabama, is facing criticism for putting up a Halloween display that featured …

Legacy Journalists from NYT, CNN Are Mentors in a Fellowship Founded for Pro-Israel “Information War”  —  We have a commitment to ensuring that our journalism is not locked behind a paywall.  But the only way we can sustain this is through the voluntary support of our community of readers.

Jensen Huang says Trump's H-1B changes would've prevented his family from immigrating … Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said Wednesday that his family's immigration to the U.S. “would not have been possible” with the Trump administration's current policy.  —  President Donald Trump announced …

The Viral MAGA Accounts Run by a Man Who Has Never Been to America  —  The right loves the accounts, which often rail against supposed voter fraud.  They're run by a Macedonian who illegally donated to a U.S. House candidate  —  The right-wing information sphere on social media is shaped by large …

‘The church cannot be silent,’ Pope Leo XIV tells El Pasoans in Vatican meeting on mass deportation fears  —  News that matters to El Paso, delivered to you.  —  Editor's Note: 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8: This story has been updated with additional comments from Pope Leo XIV.

Exclusive: Apple Quietly Made ICE Agents a Protected Class  —  WASHINGTON — Apple has quietly removed DeICER, a civic-reporting app used to log immigration enforcement activity, from its App Store after a law enforcement complaint — invoking a rule normally reserved for protecting marginalized groups from hate speech.

DHS Says Videotaping ICE Agents Is Illegal.  Federal Courts Disagree. … The Trump administration last month made explicit what it has been implying for months, namely that it considers videotaping ICE raids to be illegal and intends to go after those who do it.

Trump administration officials seriously discussing invoking Insurrection Act, sources say  —  A decision is not expected to be imminent, one source said, but debate within the administration has shifted recently to more deeply exploring how and when the act might be invoked.