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 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.

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 …

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.

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.

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,” …

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun calls special session to consider new congressional map  —  Republicans in the state are the latest to pursue a redistricting effort at Trump's urging to shore up the party's narrow U.S. House majority.  —  Indiana's Republican Gov. Mike Braun called a special legislative session …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

Sources: Brad Lander is making plans to challenge Goldman  —  City Council Member Alexa Avilés is also planning to challenge Goldman, but redistricting could scramble everyone's plans.  —  New York City Comptroller Brad Lander speaks at a rally for Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani.

Economist Paul Krugman probably didn't have the Erie Canal in mind today when he wrote about the rise of renewable energy, but he could have.  The themes are similar.  —  In his newsletter, Krugman noted that renewables have grown explosively in the past decade, spurred by what he calls …

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.

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.

How Politics Is Changing the Way History Is Taught  —  History lessons are being wiped from the internet, and California is retreating from ethnic studies, as education swings away from curriculums that are seen as too progressive.  —  In the Trump era, history and civics education are under a microscope.

The economy is in uncharted territory  —  Data went dark this month.  The government shutdown is halting the collection and release of statistics tracking the job market, public health and crop production, as well as other economic indicators. … - Investors watch the numbers so closely that they can drive big stock reactions.

Speaker Johnson says GOP working on Republican health care plan amid shutdown  —  Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) is working with the chairs of three House committees to compile a Republican health care plan as the government shutdown nears …

A Michigan elected official is married to a neo-Nazi.  Some constituents have a problem with that.  —  Meghyn Booth says she didn't know she was married to a neo-Nazi influencer, not exactly.  —  Did she realize her husband, Chris, had become more extreme in his views in the last few months?