‘College Group Chat’: JD Vance Dismisses ‘Pearl Clutching’ Over Young Republicans Leak to Attack Jay Jones  —  Vice President JD Vance sparked backlash Tuesday after he dismissed “pearl clutching” over racist, antisemitic and misogynistic messages leaked from a Young Republicans group chat …

Supreme Court weighs whether to gut key provision of landmark Voting Rights Act  —  The conservative majority will consider whether states are barred from considering race when they draw legislative districts aimed at complying with the 1965 law.  —  WASHINGTON — The conservative-majority Supreme Court …

Musician playing ‘Ghostbusters’ outside ICE facility is arrested by agents: ‘Why are they targeting a clarinetist?’  —  ‘Taking us citizens out of state to detain them without charge is a new action from the Feds and should be opposed,’ her band said  —  The latest headlines from our reporters across …

Why Dems aren't fighting Trump's “illegal” shutdown workarounds  —  Democrats in Congress say President Trump's methods for paying military service members and funding food stamps for vulnerable communities are clearly illegal.  But they're not keen to fight him on it.

Trump says U.S. will disarm Hamas if it does not do so itself  —  Hamas has not yet publicly agreed to or signed anything that specifies how it would disarm, but Trump suggested he had received verbal assurances the group would.  —  Just now  —  President Donald Trump said Tuesday …

Los Angeles County declares state of emergency over immigration raids  —  The declaration was passed on Tuesday by a 4-1 vote.  —  A man waves the American flag in front of LAPD officers during the nationwide No Kings protest in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 14, 2025.

Judge grants ex-girlfriend restraining order against Rep. Cory Mills  —  A circuit court judge on Tuesday ordered Central Florida Congressman Cory Mills not to come within 500 feet of his ex-girlfriend and said in his ruling that the reigning Miss United States is “a victim of dating violence.”

ICE took a 13-year-old they said had a gun.  Local cops say he didn't.  —  If you want to support The Handbasket's 100% independent journalism, subscribe now.  You can also become a premium subscriber or leave a tip.  —  Protesters outside Everett City Hall on Tuesday (Image shared with permission)

2025's big ad spender: The U.S. taxpayer  —  The most expensive political ad campaign of the year is being run by the Department of Homeland Security. … But it has spent at least $51 million this year on ads thanking President Trump for securing the border, according to AdImpact.

The Pentagon Is Ordering Staff to Watch Hegseth's ‘MAGA Garbage’ Speech... Or Else  —  Defense Department sources tell Zeteo that staff have been warned that if they don't watch or read the speech, or if they speak negatively of it, they could face severe consequences.  —  ∙ Paid

How the Pentagon sidelined lawyers while testing the legal limits of military action  —  For weeks earlier this year, the Army's top uniformed lawyer had been raising legal concerns inside the Pentagon about some of the new policies being rolled out dictating how the military can be used and staffed.

Feds ram SUV after chase down residential street in Chicago, then tear-gas crowd  —  Federal agents chased a car through a residential neighborhood on the Southeast Side of Chicago Tuesday, and then intentionally crashed into the car in a risky maneuver restricted by some police departments nationwide.

U.S. Attorney Was Forced Out After Clashes Over How to Handle Russia Inquiry  —  The departures of Todd Gilbert and his deputy in the Western District of Virginia show the pressure being brought on prosecutors to pursue the president's perceived foes.  —  Career prosecutors at the Justice Department …

U.S. House Speaker calls Portland naked bike ride 'most threatening thing I've seen yet'  —  Portlanders turned to a local tradition Sunday to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Riding bikes in the nude.  —  Over a thousand riders, some naked, some with various amounts of clothing on …

Members of Congress growing concerned over lack of information from administration about Venezuela strikes, sources say  —  Republicans and Democrats say the administration is failing to share basic information with Congress about the intelligence, rationale and goals of its war on drug trafficking.

Massie posts best fundraising quarter ever as Trump challenge looms  —  Rep. Thomas Massie raised $768,000 from July through September — the best fundraising quarter of his career under threat of being ousted by a super PAC linked to President Donald Trump.

Have I Got Nuzzi For You … In the year since her ouster from New York Magazine over the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. scandal, Olivia Nuzzi all but vanished from public view.  Once a fixture of the Washington press corps and something of a celebrity in its social circles, she decamped to Los Angeles …

The 1,287,923 defects in the Comey case ... so far  —  Public Notice is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  👱‍♀️ Subscribe to PN 👱‍♀️  —  On September 25, the president's lawyer Lindsey Halligan managed to secure …

Media including Fox News overwhelmingly reject Pentagon press policy  —  The network, which is generally supportive of the Trump administration, has joined ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN in not signing the Defense Department press policy.  —  Fox News, along with ABC, CBS and NBC …

Don the Builder: Inside Trump's White House makeover  —  Donald Trump is obsessing over remodeling the White House like no other president.  — He has gilded the Oval Office, replaced trees, paved the Rose Garden lawn, hung art and mirrors all over, erected flagpoles and begun work on a $250 million ballroom.

Before Alaska Flooding, E.P.A. Canceled $20 Million Flood Protection Grant  —  The remote village of Kipnuk planned to use the money to protect against flooding.  On Sunday, it was inundated.  —  Five months before catastrophic floods swept through the Alaska Native village of Kipnuk on Sunday …

Jeffries accepts challenge, says he wants to debate Speaker Johnson on C-SPAN  —  House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said this week that he's ready for a public debate with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) amid the government shutdown, now in its third week.

Chicago teachers say immigration enforcement near schools is scaring kids and disrupting class  —  Staff members are reporting ICE activity and patrolling areas around their schools and, in some cases, escorting families to and from school.  —  CHICAGO — A teacher said tear gas drifted toward …

Trump Rattles Vaccine Experts Over Aluminum  —  The president's call for removal of the metal from childhood inoculations set off alarms.  About half of shots for polio, whooping cough and other diseases would be affected.  —  Federal health officials are examining the feasibility …

Former national security council staffer charged under Espionage Act  —  The FBI said Ashley J. Tellis, an expert on India, was spotted having dinner with Chinese officials in Northern Virginia at least four times.  —  An adviser to the Defense and State departments known as a leading expert …

He Invented “Kavanaugh Stops.”  Now He Is Claiming Total Vindication.  —  “Now, some people don't like me.  I'm very controversial,” former Sheriff Joe Arpaio told me on the phone recently.  This would qualify as an understatement, coming from the so-called toughest sheriff in the nation …

Sununu inches closer to creating contested N.H. primary … It's widely expected Sununu will enter the race, but the former senator hasn't made a final decision. … But there's a brutal looming GOP primary featuring Sununu and former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.).

JB Pritzker Looking at Prosecuting ICE Agents in Chicago  —  Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker on Sunday suggested that state prosecutors might examine the conduct of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.  —  “The tables will turn one day,” Prtizker told FOX 32 Chicago.