‘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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Journalists turn in press passes as Pentagon clamps down on access in ‘unprecedented’ move  —  For Subscribers They found their dream homes.  Then the government shut down - Confused by stocks lately?  We explain the whiplash  —  Hot Stocks  —  BUSINESS MEDIA

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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)

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 …

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

Johnson shrugs off allegations against Cory Mills  —  Speaker Mike Johnson is shrugging off news that a judge granted the request for a restraining order against embattled Rep. Cory Mills sought by the Florida Republican's former girlfriend.  “I have not heard or looked into any of the details of that …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

Trump's Approval Rating Underwater in Every Swing State for First Time  —  President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen below water in every major swing state for the first time since taking office, according to a new set of state-level polls.  —  The latest Morning Consult survey shows …

Exclusive: “Clever and generous” farm bailout coming, Hassett says  —  There is a “clever and generous” bailout coming for farmers as soon as the government shutdown ends, National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett said at an Axios News Shapers event on Wednesday.

Armageddon in the Civil Service  —  Under cover of the government shutdown, Trump is stretching presidential powers even further by firing thousands of workers. … What would happen if Armageddon came and hardly anyone noticed?  The 1998 Bruce Willis movie of that name was boffo at the box office …

How Apple gave ICE agents the ‘Blue Lives Matter’ treatment  —  The tech giant removed an app that helped communities log immigration law enforcement activity, in part because agents could be part of a “targeted group.”  —  For months, Trump administration officials have resisted attempts …

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 …

Mike Johnson's Shutdown Strategy Is Corruption in Broad Daylight  —  Federal workers go unpaid, premiums are set to spike, and Congress is on a paid vacation—all to protect Trump from the Epstein files.  —  ∙ Paid  —  Typically, a government shutdown is the story in American politics.

The Fascist Dragnet To Avenge Charlie Kirk's Honor  —  Congratulations to the memory of Charlie Kirk.  Trump has, in his death, affirmed that Kirk is the same kind of person as his idol, inflammatory bigot Rush Limbaugh, whom Trump also awarded the Medal of Freedom.