Top Items:
Tyler Pager / New York Times:
Donor Who Gave $130 Million to Pay Troops Is Reclusive Heir to Mellon Fortune … Timothy Mellon, a reclusive billionaire and a major financial backer of President Trump, is the anonymous private donor who gave $130 million to the U.S. government to help pay troops during the shutdown, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
CNBC, New York Post, NewsMax.com and Forbes
RELATED:
Adam Cancryn / CNN:
Pentagon to use $130 million donation from anonymous Trump ‘friend’ to pay military members — The Trump administration plans to funnel a $130 million donation from an anonymous ally of President Donald Trump toward paying military service members during the government shutdown, the Defense Department confirmed on Friday.
Greg Jaffe / New York Times:
Trump to Use $130 Million Donation to Help Pay Troops
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money, Daily Mail, Newsweek and twitchy.com
Brianna Tucker / Washington Post:
Pentagon to use $130 million anonymous donation to help pay troops
Pentagon to use $130 million anonymous donation to help pay troops
Discussion:
Salon, Associated Press, FOX 32 Chicago and NewsMax.com
Politico:
DOD accepts anonymous $130M donation to partially cover troop pay
DOD accepts anonymous $130M donation to partially cover troop pay
Discussion:
NBC News, New York Post, Clayton Cramer, Daily Caller News Foundation, Wall Street Journal, HuffPost and Mediaite
Anastasia Obis / Federal News Network:
Can DoD use private funds to pay troops during shutdown?
Can DoD use private funds to pay troops during shutdown?
Discussion:
The Hill, NewsMax.com, The Moderate Voice, NewsNation, Lawfare and Instapundit
Annie Karni / New York Times:
Keeping the House Absent, Johnson Marginalizes Congress and Himself … It has been over a month since there has been a policy debate or vote on the House floor. Spending legislation is not being considered. Oversight hearings are on hold until further notice.
RELATED:
Stephen Groves / Associated Press:
Shutdowns began as a way to enforce federal law. Now Trump is using it to take more power
Shutdowns began as a way to enforce federal law. Now Trump is using it to take more power
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
Laura Kuenssberg / BBC:
‘I am not done’ - Kamala Harris tells BBC she may run for president again — Laura KuenssbergPresenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg — Former US Vice-President Kamala Harris has told the BBC she may run again for the White House. — In her first UK interview, Harris said she would …
RELATED:
Louise Guillot / Politico:
Kamala Harris hints she is ready to run again for US president — The Democratic Party hopeful, who lost to Donald Trump in 2024, told the BBC she is “not done” with politics. — Former United States Vice President Kamala Harris suggested she may run again for U.S. president.
Discussion:
HuffPost and The Gateway Pundit
Washington Post:
How Trump's ballroom will dwarf the White House — Trump's new 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom would be almost as large as the rest of the complex. — President Donald Trump's project to build an expansive new White House ballroom officially broke ground Monday.
Discussion:
Reuters, NBC News and Talking Points Memo
RELATED:
New York Times:
Justice Department Will Monitor Elections in California and New Jersey — The Trump administration said that monitors will watch polling in two states, led by Democrats, where key races or issues are on the ballot. — The Trump administration said on Friday that the Justice Department …
RELATED:
Guy Marzorati / KQED:
Newsom Says Trump Is ‘Rigging the Election’ With Federal Poll Monitors — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday accused the Trump administration of “rigging the election” by dispatching federal poll monitors to five California counties, as voters cast ballots on Newsom's Proposition 50 redistricting measure.
Discussion:
Al Jazeera, Mercury News, VINnews, Blaze Media, Grabien, New Jersey Globe and The Daily Caller
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
October 24, 2025 — Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has canceled House business again next week, meaning that over the last 17 weeks, the House of Representatives will have worked on Capitol Hill for just 20 days. It also means that the House will not be back at work before November 1 …
RELATED:
Politico:
Trump administration says it won't tap emergency funds to pay food aid
Discussion:
CNN, MSNBC, RedState, Axios, Roll Call, NewsNation, Associated Press, Newsweek, State of California, Scripps News, Civil Eats, GovExec.com, New York Times, WBUR, Washington Times, Pingree, Bangor Daily News, The Hill, Breitbart, NewsMax.com and New York Post
Financial Times:
US and China kick off trade talks ahead of high-stakes Trump-Xi summit — Washington describes first day of negotiations between Scott Bessent and He Lifeng as ‘very constructive’ — The US and China kicked off high-stakes trade talks in Malaysia on Saturday that Washington described as …
RELATED:
Paul Wiseman / Associated Press:
Trump says a Canadian ad misstated Ronald Reagan's views on tariffs. Here are the facts and context — Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share — President Donald Trump pulled out of trade talks with Canada Thursday night …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Parnas Perspective, Washington Post, Straight Arrow News, CNBC, Associated Press, RedState, Newsweek, The National Pulse, TheJournal.ie, Adweek, NBC News, CBS News, HuffPost, Blaze Media, New York Magazine, One America News Network, Wonkette, PBS NewsHour, Salon, Daily Kos, Crooks and Liars, IJR, New Republic, France 24, Mediaite, Daily Caller News Foundation, New York Daily News, ABC News, New Jersey Online, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Western Journal, Raw Story, The Post Millennial, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, Washington Times, NewsMax.com, The Week, Fox Business, The Hill, Politico, UPI, Washington Examiner, Forbes, New York Post and The Independent
RELATED:
Ryan Mancini / The Hill:
Reagan ad that infuriated Trump set to run during World Series
Reagan ad that infuriated Trump set to run during World Series
Discussion:
France 24, Politico, New Jersey Online, Mediaite, Reuters, American Thinker, Associated Press, New York Times, CityNews Toronto, National Review, New York Post, The Daily Boulder, PolitiFact, Forbes, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, The Wrap, MSNBC, HotAir, Townhall, Washington Times, Business Insider, Bloomberg, The Guardian, NewsNation, New Republic, Newsweek, Washington Examiner, The American Conservative, Blaze Media, Axios, CNN, New York Sun, Scripps News, CNBC, NewsMax.com, IJR and The Independent
New York Times:
As Vance Takes on a Forceful New Role, His Positions Are Shifting — Vice President JD Vance has found himself defending or promoting positions that he once opposed, even as recently as the campaign. — Online, overseas and in the halls of the White House, Vice President JD Vance has taken on a far more visible role in recent weeks.
RELATED:
Freddy Gray / Spectator:
Can anyone stop J.D. Vance becoming president?
Aaron Rupar / Public Notice:
G. Elliot Morris on Trump's dire polling — “He just continues to be worse and worse than every other president before him.” — ∙ Paid — Public Notice is supported by paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ — ✊ Subscribe to PN ✊
NBC News:
Border Patrol's Bovino called to court after being accused of throwing tear gas canister in Chicago — Immigration officials say that Bovino, who was not wearing a helmet, was struck in the head by a rock. One protester who filmed the encounter disputes that he was hit.
Discussion:
Chicago Sun Times, CWB Chicago, American Greatness, CBS News, IJR, Block Club Chicago, Capitol Fax.com, CNN, New York Times and Raw Story
RELATED:
Josh Kovensky / Talking Points Memo:
Chicago Federal Judge Hauls Bovino in to Court
Chicago Federal Judge Hauls Bovino in to Court
Discussion:
FOX 32 Chicago
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Pitches Meeting With Kim Jong Un During Asia Tour: ‘Put Out the Word’ — North Korean leader refuses to discuss denuclearization, but meeting would boost his global legitimacy — Departing for his first Asia trip of his second term, President Trump publicly called for a meeting …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill, New York Post, Fox News, The Independent, RTÉ, TheJournal.ie, France 24, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, The Japan Times, The Gateway Pundit and NewsMax.com
Paul Krugman:
Talking With Erica Chenoweth — Civil resistance: Does it work, and when? — MAGA may say that No Kings Day 2 was a “hate America” event, but in reality it was not just peaceful; it was joyous. Participants in the huge march I joined in New York, and by all accounts at other demonstrations across …
Patricia Mazzei / New York Times:
In Florida, Obamacare Price Hikes Pose an Outsized Threat — South Florida will feel some of the most intense reverberations if Congress allows the extra insurance subsidies it approved during the pandemic to expire. — If the extra subsidies that help Americans pay for Obamacare insurance plans expire …
Discussion:
Raw Story and The Independent
Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
Burnin' Down the House — Before the orange cyclone hit town, Washington was a far more staid place. — Al Gore loved to host small dinner parties focused on scholarly topics. One dinner was devoted to the meaning of metaphor. “I l-i-i-ke metaphors,” Gore drawled to The Washington Post when he was vice president.
New York Times:
Trump Administration Plans a Shake-Up at ICE to Speed Deportations — The preliminary plan stems from frustration over the pace of the deportations, which are lagging behind President Trump's demands. — The Trump administration is drawing up plans for a shake-up at Immigration and Customs Enforcement …
Discussion:
Raw Story
The Atlantic:
The U.S. Is Preparing for War in Venezuela — More U.S. military firepower is headed to the Caribbean as Trump escalates his anti-Maduro rhetoric. — as a naval aviator, Alvin Holsey trained to conduct missions that required precise targeting. For years, his job was to fly helicopters …
Discussion:
France 24, Boston University, Al Jazeera and NOTUS
RELATED:
NPR:
It's supposed to be payday for many federal workers. Instead, they're getting nothing — The sight was staggering in Prince George's County, Md., home to more than 60,000 federal workers: middle-class professionals lined up for boxes of pasta, protein and produce to feed their families.
Discussion:
Straight Arrow News, Breitbart, HuffPost, WTTG-TV, CBS News and New York Times
RELATED:
April Rubin / Axios:
Civilian employees at several federal agencies miss their first full paycheck
Civilian employees at several federal agencies miss their first full paycheck
Discussion:
NBC News, NewsMax.com, Scripps News, Federal News Network and GovExec.com
Associated Press:
Anti-abortion pregnancy centers are looking to offer much more than ultrasounds and diapers — Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share — Pregnancy centers in the U.S. that discourage women from getting abortions have been adding …
Hannah Harris Green / The Guardian:
RFK Jr to urge Americans to eat more saturated fats, alarming health experts — Guidance from health and human services secretary contradicts decades of dietary recommendations — Robert F Kennedy Jr, the health and human services secretary, is planning to issue guidance encouraging Americans …
Discussion:
Washington Times



