‘Come and get me,’ Pritzker says of Trump threat; Vance says governor ‘should suffer some consequences’  —  Illinois' Democratic governor spoke on ABC's “This Week” after VP Vance.  —  Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks with ABC News while appearing on This Week, Oct. 12, 2025.

More than half of CDC staffers recently fired by Trump administration have been reinstated  —  Hundreds of staff fired from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Friday have been reinstated, according to the American Federation of Government Employees.

He was wrongfully imprisoned for 43 years.  Moments after being released, ICE took him  —  On the morning of Oct. 3, 2025, Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam walked out of Huntingdon State Correctional Institution, the Pennsylvania prison that had confined him for more than four decades.

Pressure growing on Johnson to call House back amid shutdown fight  —  House GOP leaders are facing increasing pressure to bring the chamber back to Washington amid a shutdown fight with no end in sight.  —  A growing number of GOP lawmakers are voicing frustrations with their leadership …

‘Using us as political pawns’: federal workers reel over threats of firings and withheld back pay  —  Employees express growing anxiety over their pay - and the future of their jobs - amid the US government shutdown  —  With no end of the federal government shutdown in sight, an estimated 750,000 workers remain furloughed.

Purge, Merge, and Surge  —  As Trump deploys a combination of ICE, National Guard troops and other paramilitary forces to multiple American cities, he is implementing a three-step plan.  The plan involves different parts of the national security state, immigration enforcement, and the military:

Maga figures back Bukele's call for Trump to crack down on US judges  —  Experts say El Salvador president's intervention comes as Trump is employing tactics used by autocrats abroad  —  Donald Trump is not known for taking advice, especially from foreign leaders who often seek to flatter and compliment the US president.

Trump's 100% tariff threat sparks defiance from Beijing … The White House didn't respond to a request for comment.  —  Trump announced the 100 percent tariff on Chinese imports — a hefty increase on the current average 55 percent levy on those goods — in a fiery Truth Social post Friday …

Meta AI adviser spreads disinformation about shootings, vaccines and trans people  —  Critics condemn Robby Starbuck, appointed in lawsuit settlement, for ‘peddling lies and pushing extremism’  —  A prominent anti-DEI campaigner appointed by Meta in August as an adviser on AI bias has spent …

Black Unemployment Is Surging Again.  This Time Is Different.  —  Federal layoffs and an end to diversity initiatives have weakened a historically strong labor market for Black workers.  —  Joblessness for Black workers is rising again, two years after reaching a record low.

Bracing for war, Venezuela's Maduro starts Christmas early — again  —  It's become an annual tradition: President Nicolás Maduro, feeling pressure from opponents or enemies, plays Santa.  Venezuelans aren't buying it.  —  CARACAS, Venezuela — Trees around the presidential palace …

Four dead, at least 20 injured in South Carolina island shooting  —  Four people were killed and at least 20 injured in a shooting at a restaurant in a South Carolina island town on Sunday, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office said.  —  Deputies were called to Willie's Bar and Grill …

‘Cavalier and aggressive’: why are border agents flooding into US cities?  —  Border agents have become a key force in Trump's migrant crackdown - operating far from their traditional rural range  —  Border patrol officers have become ubiquitous footsoldiers in Donald Trump's mass deportation plan …

Ukraine hit Russian energy sites with US help  —  Trump administration has supported Kyiv's operations since summer in co-ordinated push to weaken Moscow  —  Christopher Miller in Kyiv, Amy Mackinnon in Washington and Max Seddon in Riga  —  The US has for months been helping Ukraine mount …

Democratic lawmaker decries strikes on Venezuelan boats as ‘illegal killings’ … Himes — the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee — said aside from a White House memo informing lawmakers about the strikes, members of Congress had not been briefed on a list of outstanding questions …

Is Trump “doing what he promised”?  |  Weekly roundup for October 12, 2025  —  I don't normally devote the lead slot in this weekly roundup just to disagreeing with someone's analysis, but I'm going to make an exception this week.  U.S. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt recently shared …