Totally Brazen.  Comically Corrupt.  Painfully Dumb.  —  Twenty-six days into the government shutdown, we got an actual, meaningful development this morning.  The American Federation of Government Employees—a union that has regularly fought Donald Trump's assault on the federal workforce this year …

Trump Nixing of Dem State Disaster Aid Backfires, Screwing MAGA Voters … In recent days, President Trump has approved federal disaster aid for the red states of Nebraska, North Dakota, Missouri and Alaska while denying it to the blue states of Maryland, Vermont, and Illinois.

Trump: I'd ‘love to’ run in 2028  —  With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine, Ali Bianco and Rachel Umansky-Castro  —  On today's Playbook Podcast: Jack and POLITICO White House reporter Megan Messerly preview next week's elections, plus Thursday's meeting between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Bessent says China to delay rare earths rules by a year, buy U.S. soybeans  —  U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that he anticipates that China will revive substantial purchases of U.S. soybeans for several years and will delay its expanded licensing regime for rare earths …

Trump says he received an MRI during trip to Walter Reed medical center  —  President Donald Trump said that he received an MRI scan during a recent trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center - marking the first time he has provided a reason for his second medical exam this year …

186. When Can States Prosecute Federal Officers?  —  Stephen Miller claims that ICE officers have “immunity” for anything they do while enforcing immigration law.  Even as an argument about *state* criminal prosecutions, that claim is overstated at best.  —  Welcome back to “One First,” …

6 ways the shutdown is about to get worse … “Things are about to get worse,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune warned in a floor speech late last week.  —  And that's to say nothing of the Nov. 1 date that open enrollment begins for Affordable Care Act health plans.

Javier Milei hails ‘tipping point’ as his far-right party wins Argentina's midterm elections  —  Result falls short of giving Milei a congressional majority but surprises many analysts after series of scandals  —  The party of Argentina's far-right president, Javier Milei …

How Jack Smith's strongest case against Donald Trump collapsed  —  Seeking to get the classified documents case to a jury before the 2024 election, the special counsel made a fateful decision that some in his office saw as a misstep.  —  This story is adapted from the forthcoming book by Leonnig and Davis …

Trump again declines to rule out unconstitutional third term  —  President Trump refused to rule out an unconstitutional bid for a third presidential term on Monday but floated a potential ticket of Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Trump Hammers His Own ICE Goons to Suck Up to Foreign Leader  —  RAID ANGER  —  He is slamming ICE over a raid at a U.S. Hyundai plant as he prepares to meet with South Korea's president.  —  President Donald Trump has bizarrely claimed he didn't look too kindly on the massive ICE raid of a Hyundai manufacturing plant in Georgia.

The GOP's antisemitism crisis  —  On October 8, two of the biggest voices in right-wing media sat down for a nearly four-hour chat.  The host was Dave Smith, a libertarian Jewish comedian who has made a name for himself as a vocal critic of Israel's war in Gaza.

Chatbots Are Pushing Sanctioned Russian Propaganda  —  ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, and Grok are serving users propaganda from Russian-backed media when asked about the invasion of Ukraine, new research finds.  —  OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, DeepSeek, and xAI's Grok …

US government debt burden on track to overtake Italy's, IMF figures show  —  Washington to become more indebted than European nations known for fragile public finances for first time this century  —  Sam Fleming in London, Amy Kazmin in Rome, and Claire Jones in Washington

Mark Thompson's D.C. Drop-In … CNN chief Mark Thompson made a rare appearance at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., according to multiple people familiar with the matter.  —  The meeting was ostensibly about introducing to the administration the network's new direct-to-consumer streaming product launching next week …

ICE is out of control and beyond repair  —  This agency needs to be stripped down to the studs.  Dems should start preparing now.  —  Public Notice is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  When President Trump told the Proud Boys to “Stand back and stand by” …

3 Scandals in 4 Days That Would Define Any Other Presidency  —  During the second Trump administration, corruption scandals that would typically define a presidency receive a day or two of coverage.  —  Part of the issue is that for Trump, enriching himself and his family is one of the core purposes of his presidency.

Being Latino in the United States Should Not Be a Crime  —  The Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration has become a campaign of discrimination against Latinos.  Federal agents are rounding up people with brown skin, catching both U.S. citizens and legal immigrants in their dragnet.

Republican chairs left in the dark … Welcome to your second week of The Portal, our Monday morning and Thursday afternoon newsletter that dives deep into all things policy and legislation.  The Portal with Enbloc AI, our new legislative intelligence tool, is a game-changer in Washington.

World's Oldest Ruler Biya Wins Reelection in Cameroon at 92  —  Cameroonian President Paul Biya was declared the winner of elections that were marred by allegations of irregularities, and is set to rule the central African nation until the age of 99 if he completes his eighth term.

ICE detains British journalist after criticism of Israel on US tour  —  Trump ally Laura Loomer took credit for Sami Hamdi's detainment in move denounced as ‘affront to free speech’  —  British journalist Sami Hamdi was reportedly detained on Sunday morning by federal immigration authorities …

First Weekend of Early Voting Shatters Record, as Mamdani Rallies Thousands in Queens  —  Turnout was massive across all five boroughs, with voters telling THE CITY that they were motivated to vote for — and against — the Democratic nominee.  —  Support local news today!