Round 2 of ‘No Kings’ draws Republican attacks … “They might try to paint this weekend's events as something dangerous to our society, but the reality is there is nothing unlawful or unsafe about organizing and attending peaceful protests,” said Deirdre Schifeling of the American Civil Liberties Union.

With a phone call, Putin appears to change Trump's mind on Ukraine.  Again.  —  It was the latest swing in Trump's position on the war that often shifts following contact with Putin, who has shown skill in persuading the U.S. president.  —  Just now  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin put …

Coast Guard Buys Two Private Jets for Noem, Costing $172 Million  —  Public documents show the Department of Homeland Security has contracted to purchase a pair of top-of-the-line Gulfstream jets for the secretary and other top officials.  —  The Department of Homeland Security has purchased …

Santos Is Released After Trump Commutes His Sentence  —  George Santos's lawyer said the disgraced former congressman was freed from a New Jersey prison around 10 p.m. on Friday.  He served less than three months on his fraud conviction.  —  Former Representative George Santos of New York …

GOP split over how to respond to racist texts … Stefanik's shift reflects a broader dilemma Republicans across the country are now facing as they're forced to confront a damaging situation: whether to denounce or deflect in their public messaging in response to a trove of private discussions Democrats …

The Shutdown is Stretching On.  Trump Doesn't Seem to Mind. … President Trump has repurposed money to fund military salaries during the government shutdown.  He has pledged to find ways to make sure many in law enforcement get paid.  He has used the fiscal impasse to halt funding …

Is the US about to attack Venezuela?  —  The US is up to something in Venezuela.  But what exactly?  —  Since early September, the US military has carried out at least five lethal strikes on civilian boats in the Caribbean, alleged by the Trump administration to be piloted by members …

Unfettered and Unaccountable: How Trump is Building a Violent, Shadowy Federal Police Force  —  Trump's DHS appointees have dismantled civil rights guardrails, protected agents' anonymity and encouraged them to wear masks, threatened groups that stood in their way, and overwhelmed legal challenges to their arrests and tactics.

Prosecutor Who Rejected Trump's Pressure to Charge James Is Fired  —  The dismissal was the latest fallout from attempts by career Justice Department officials to impede the president's wide-ranging campaign of retribution.  The prosecutor's deputy was also fired.

Epstein skied with, had dinners with a top Florida prosecutor on his case, docs show  —  Jeffrey Epstein had multiple appointments, phone calls and dinners with Matthew Menchel — the Miami U.S. Attorney's office chief criminal prosecutor who spearheaded Epstein's sweetheart deal in 2007, newly released documents show.

University of Virginia Won't Join White House's Compact for Colleges  —  It was the fifth school in a matter of days to refuse an offer of preferential funding treatment from the government, even as the White House has threatened schools that do not sign up.

Military Plans to Fire Artillery Over California Freeway on Saturday  —  Rounds were fired on Friday across Interstate 5 as part of a test run for Saturday's event at Camp Pendleton in Southern California.  —  The Marines plan to fire 155-millimeter artillery shells over a major freeway …

With shutdown cuts, Trump moves closer to eliminating Education Department  —  The administration is looking to shed workers and transfer some operations to other departments as it seeks to close the Education Department  —  Just now  —  The prolonged government shutdown is helping …

German far right setting agenda as opponents amplify its ideas, study finds  —  Normalisation of far-right stances likely to affect success of such parties at ballot boxes across Europe, say researchers  —  Mainstream parties are increasingly allowing the far right to set the agenda …

Jeffrey Epstein's Angry Emails to Billionaire Leon Black … Jeffrey Epstein was furious.  For years, he had relied on the billionaire Leon Black as his primary source of income, advising him on everything from taxes to his world-class art collection.  But by 2016, Mr. Black seemed …

Wikipedia Volunteers Avert Tragedy by Taking Down Gunman at Conference  —  After the man walked onto the stage at the “Wiki World's Fair” event and threatened to kill himself, witnesses said, two members of the audience jumped in to stop him.  —  The armed man came striding up the aisle …

IRS files tax lien against Jim Justice … A spokesperson for Justice did not respond to a request for comment.  —  It wasn't immediately clear why the IRS decided to move forward with the lien at this time.  The IRS filed two documents.  Both indicate they were prepared and signed Sept. 30 …

How the shutdown enabled the Trump administration's mass firing spree  —  The White House is using the government shutdown as an opportunity to fire thousands of people — furthering the aims of Elon Musk's DOGE effort earlier this year. … It's all about shrinking the federal government …