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 Says a Recent M.R.I. Scan Was ‘Perfect,’ and He'd ‘Love’ a Third Term  —  President Trump made the comments on the second day of his trip to Asia.  The Constitution limits presidents to two terms, but Mr. Trump has suggested he might try to circumvent it.

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.

Lawsuit Plunges New York Into the National Gerrymandering Fight  —  A suit filed by an election law firm contends that the state's 11th Congressional District, represented by a Republican, is drawn in a way that disenfranchises Black and Latino voters.  —  A lawsuit filed on Monday on behalf …

Hunger, Bribes and Sociopathy  —  As food assistance runs out and a billionaire offers money for troops, Trump dances in Malaysia  —  Some 42 million Americans rely on federal food stamp benefits to stave off hunger, including millions of children.  At the end of this week on Nov. 1 …

Left-wing ideas have wrecked Democrats' brand, new report warns  —  THE SCOOP  —  Democrats have badly weakened their party with left-leaning ideas and rhetoric, growing only with self-described “white liberals” while losing ground with other voters, according to a new center-left group's report shared first with Semafor.

ICE's Hiring Surge Is Already a Disaster  —  It's cutting standards and racing to hire exactly the wrong people, precisely as predicted. … ICE, turbocharged by $75 billion in new dollars, is in a huge rush to hire, train, and deploy 10,000 new deportation officers.

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 …

Accusing Jordan Silverman  —  Jordan Silverman still isn't sure he wants me to write this story.  —  He isn't sure if he wants me to publish his real name (I have), his photo (I have not), or the real names of his partner and kids (I have not).  —  Silverman says he wants to clear his name.

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Let Him Fire the Top Copyright Official  —  An appeals court sided with the director of the U.S. Copyright Office, saying her role is to work with Congress.  —  The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow the president to remove …

Scoop: Graham Platner's campaign manager is out … - Platner's former political director, Genevieve McDonald, also previously departed the campaign.  — Politico reported that before Brown's start date, another aide, Daniel Moraff, worked as the de facto campaign manager, according to McDonald.

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,” …

29-year-old anarchist arrested for alleged $45K hit on Pam Bondi: FBI  —  An anarchist with a lengthy rap sheet has been arrested for allegedly putting a $45,000 hit out on US Attorney General Pam Bondi on TikTok, according to the feds.  —  Tyler Maxon Avalos, 29, was nabbed on Oct. 16 …

2 Illinois National Guard members speak out: “I won't turn against my neighbors”  —  Chicago — Two Illinois National Guard members told CBS News they would refuse to obey federal orders to deploy in Chicago as part of President Trump's controversial immigration enforcement mission …

How Riley Gaines and the trans panic steal from horror films  —  Fake victims like Gaines evoke the little girls of “The Exorcist” and “The Conjuring”  —  On paper, former swimmer Riley Gaines is a puzzling choice for MAGA's appointed “victim” of trans people.

The Venezuela Boat Strikes and the Justice Department's Golden Shield  —  Please click here to opt in to receive via email our Roundup—brief daily summaries of news developments and commentary related to executive power.  —  Many commentators have argued that the Trump administration's Venezuelan boat strikes are unlawful.

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.

DC's only outdoor statue of a Confederate general is back in a Judiciary Square park  —  On Saturday, the National Park Service returned the statue of Brig. Gen. Albert Pike to its home after being in storage for over five years.  —  The only statue of a Confederate general in the nation's capital …

Sports Poll: Americans To NFL: Move The Super Bowl To A Holiday Weekend, Quinnipiac University National Sports Poll Finds; NFL Fans Favor Expanding Regular Season To 18 Games  — mail_outline  —  NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has talked about the possibility of extending the regular NFL season …

Eugene Debs and All Of Us  —  On Saturday night, I witnessed a ballroom full of stout Midwesterners—railroad men and laborers, college professors and students, retirees and young parents—stand and say, in unison, “While there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element …

California will dispatch observers to watch DOJ's election monitors … Bonta's comments come after Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday that the U.S. Department of Justice would monitor polling places during next week's off-year elections in California and New Jersey to uphold “the highest standards of election integrity.”