Vought sounds layoff siren: ‘The RIFs have begun’ … It's unclear how many people were laid off and Vought provided no further details.  —  But an administration official granted anonymity to discuss the layoffs said they hit agencies including: Interior, Homeland Security, Treasury, EPA, Commerce, Education, Energy, HHS and HUD.

Regarding the Compact  —  The U.S. Department of Education recently sent MIT and eight other institutions a proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” along with a letter asking that MIT review the document.  —  From the messages I've received, I know this is on the minds …

The Justice Department's Dangerously Weak Case Against Letitia James  —  Lindsey Halligan didn't have a strong case against Letitia James.  She indicted her anyway.  —  Meet The Authors … Earlier this week, the Justice Department seemed poised to pursue an indictment …

Transcript: Trump ICE Raids Worsen as Pritzker Drops Bombshell Warning  —  The following is a lightly edited transcript of the October 10 episode of the Daily Blast podcast.  Listen to it here.  —  (After we recorded, a judge temporary blocked National Guard deployments in Illinois).

Announcement, Nobel Peace Prize 2025  —  The Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 goes to a brave and committed champion of peace - to a woman who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.  —  The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 to Maria Corina Machado.

Johnson says House will remain closed until shutdown ends  —  House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Friday that he won't call House lawmakers back to Washington until the government shutdown ends.  —  “We will come back, and get back to legislative session, as soon as the Senate Democrats turn …

Why Trump wasn't awarded Nobel Peace Prize for Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal  —  President Trump lost out on this year's Nobel Peace Prize despite brokering a historic cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas after more than two years of war.  —  But it wasn't a snub, more just a case of bad timing …

Inside billionaire Peter Thiel's private lectures: Warnings of ‘the Antichrist’ and U.S. destruction  —  The Washington Post reviewed leaked audio from four off-the-record lectures the tech investor delivered in San Francisco over the last month that fused beliefs about religion and technology.

Hegseth announces Qatar will build air force facility at U.S. base in Idaho  —  Washington — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday announced a finalized agreement that will allow the Qatari Emiri Air Force to build a facility at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.

DHS top lawyer says ‘no legal barrier’ to actions officers can take to defend federal property  —  In a memo obtained exclusively by The Handbasket, Federal Protective Service (FPS) officers were given free rein. … Staffers at a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) law enforcement agency received …

Some killed in explosion at Hickman County plant felt miles away — everything we know  —  Kirsten Fiscus Vivian Jones Craig Shoup Angele Latham Liz Schubauer Austin Hornbostel Hadley HitsonNashville Tennessean  —  Hickman County emergency services are warning people to stay away …

“Less Than a Ham Sandwich”  —  SHERO is a reader-supported publication that makes most articles free and available to the public.  Please support independent journalism for everyone by becoming a paid subscriber today.  —  Federal prosecutors dismissed charges on Wednesday against three …

1 big thing: The 22 states close to (or in) recession … - Their problems are driven largely by a mix of slowing immigration, increasing tariffs and federal job cuts, Zandi argues.  — The analysis is based on Zandi's calculation of where things stood in the economy at the end of August …

Trump's antifa roundtable made some wild claims about Portland.  Here's the truth about 7 of them  —  President Donald Trump held a roundtable on Wednesday, which featured prominent administration officials and independent journalists, billed as a “Roundtable on antifa.”

Trump threatens ‘massive’ tariff hike on China over rare earths dispute … President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to slap a “massive increase of Tariffs” on Chinese products imported into the United States to “financially counter” new export controls that China imposed on rare earths from that country.

WGN-TV producer detained during ICE enforcement action in Lincoln Square  —  A WGN-TV video editor and producer was roughly detained by two Border Patrol agents on Friday morning during a highly visible rush hour enforcement action in Lincoln Square.  —  Debbie Brockman, who has worked …

UPS is ‘disposing of’ U.S.-bound packages over customs paperwork problems  —  Shifting Trump tariffs have created a nightmare for UPS, as thousands of packages from overseas pile up at its hubs while they await customs clearance.  —  Thousands of U.S.-bound packages shipped by UPS are trapped …

The Tom Homan Affair Has More Red Flags Than a May Day Parade  —  The accusations are explosive: That in 2024, Tom Homan, now President Trump's border czar, met with some businessmen who handed him $50,000 stuffed into a bag from Cava, the fast-casual restaurant chain; in exchange …

Key Trump nominee accused of sexual harassment … What's not disputed is that the two ended up sharing a room on the business trip, and that it resulted in an official investigation.  —  The fallout from the incident has been the talk of the upper echelons of DHS ever since.

Trump's Orders Targeting Antifascism Aim to Criminalize Opposition  —  Purporting to go after “domestic terrorism,” the president presents an imagined left-wing conspiracy and authorizes punishments for even tenuous connections to speech the administration doesn't like.

Criminal charges against Bolton expected as early as next week  —  Federal prosecutors could charge Trump's former national security adviser as early as next week, sources told MSNBC exclusively.  —  The acting U.S. Attorney in Maryland is moving forward quickly to seek criminal charges …

Is This What ‘Late-Stage Democracy’ Looks Like?  —  What if the Constitution *is* a suicide pact?  —  ∙ Paid  —  Sarah and I did a meatspace Secret pod for you.  It's not emo, exactly, but it's not a normal show.  We just asked each other a bunch of questions and hung out.

Senate Shame  —  I first came to the Senate in early 1970—55 years ago!  I worked for George McGovern, but most of the time I was working for a coalition of five senators seeking an end to the war in Vietnam—including three Republicans, Jacob Javits and Charlie Goodell of New York, and Mark Hatfield of Oregon.