Top Items:
Katherine Doyle / NBC News:
Trump orders Pentagon to begin testing nuclear weapons ‘immediately’ — The U.S. voluntarily halted nuclear explosive testing in 1992, though it has the ability to resume tests at a site in Nevada. — GYEONGJU, South Korea — President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he had instructed the Pentagon to …
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Reuters, Axios, New York Times, Washington Post, El País, Agence France-Presse, KRDO, Washington Examiner, Al Jazeera, UPI, Wall Street Journal, Sputnik News, NewsMax.com, CBS News, The Independent, Raw Story, Gizmodo, The Daily Caller, New York Post, Mediaite, Scripps News and Politico
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Trump directs Pentagon to test nuclear weapons for first time since 1992 — The president said he wanted testing to occur “on an equal basis” with Russia and China, just before he met his Chinese counterpart for high-stakes trade talks. — just now — GYEONGJU, South Korea …
The Hill:
Trump directs Pentagon to start testing nuclear weapons — President Trump said on Wednesday that he has instructed the Defense Department (DOD) to immediately begin testing U.S. nuclear weapons on an equal basis to China and Russia. — “The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country,” Trump wrote.
Discussion:
Fox News, Semafor, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Examiner and Mediaite
Axios:
Trump-Xi meeting wraps up in less than two hours
Trump-Xi meeting wraps up in less than two hours
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Guardian, Politico, KRDO, CBS News, Bloomberg, CNBC, The Korea Herald, NewsMax.com, France 24, The Week, Breitbart, Deseret News, Al Jazeera, Bangor Daily News, CFACT, Carolina Journal, Associated Press, New York Post, The Independent, The Hill, New York Times, Fox News and Los Angeles Times, more at Techmeme »
Brendan Ruberry / Semafor:
British newspaper spoke to the wrong de Blasio, not an ‘imposter’ — The Scoop — The man at the heart of a high-stakes mix-up that rippled through global political journalism in the final days of the New York mayoral campaign was neither “falsely claiming” to be former Mayor Bill de Blasio …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Daily Caller News Foundation, New York Times and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
New York Times:
Geert Wilders's Party for Freedom Loses Seats in Dutch Election — A center-left party was poised to become the country's largest political party, according to exit polls. The anti-immigrant Party for Freedom, led by Mr. Wilders, was expected to lose 12 seats.
RELATED:
Josephine Walker / Axios:
Trump purposefully halting SNAP benefits, “weaponizing hunger,” Democrats allege — When SNAP benefits run out on Nov. 1, 42 million Americans are going to struggle to put food on the table — and Democrats allege the Trump administration has specifically designed that outcome by “weaponizing hunger.”
RELATED:
Marc Caputo / Axios:
Exclusive: White House finds 11th-hour shutdown workaround to pay troops — for now
Discussion:
The Hill
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
Today is the twenty-ninth day of the government shutdown, and the House of Representatives …
Today is the twenty-ninth day of the government shutdown, and the House of Representatives …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, Punchbowl News, IJR, The Contrarian and PoliticusUSA
CNN:
National Guard orders in DC extended through February 2026 — National Guard troops deployed in Washington, DC, will remain mobilized in the city at least through February 2026, according to people familiar with the guard's orders. — The troops' orders had been expected to lapse at the end …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Raw Story and NewsMax.com
Washington Post:
Trump nominee at U.S. export bank withdraws amid scrutiny of Russia ties — Bryce McFerran is a former senior executive at a steel-trading business co-owned by one of Russia's richest oligarchs and is married to a member of a Russian family with extensive ties to the Kremlin. — Just now
Discussion:
Patterico's Pontifications
RELATED:
Aaron Glantz / The Guardian:
Revealed: Pentagon orders states' national guards to form ‘quick reaction forces’ for ‘crowd control’ — Pentagon memo details plan to train over 20,000 national guard members across the US to carry out Trump's order on subduing civil unrest — A top US military official has ordered …
Discussion:
The Hill, Task & Purpose and The Independent
RELATED:
Sam Meredith / CNBC:
Rare earth stocks rally as China delays export controls after Trump-Xi meeting … Shares of U.S.-listed rare earth miners rallied on Thursday after China agreed to delay the introduction of further export controls as part of an agreement reached between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, KRDO and Colorado Politics
RELATED:
Politico:
‘Amazing meeting’: Trump touts progress on multiple fronts with China after meeting Xi
‘Amazing meeting’: Trump touts progress on multiple fronts with China after meeting Xi
Discussion:
New York Times, The Hill, NPR, Associated Press, France 24, El País, The Korea Herald, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, RTÉ, Euractiv, New York Post, The Sun, Fox News, NBC News, Reuters, CBS News and Washington Post
Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling / New Republic:
It Sure Looks Like Kash Patel Used the FBI's Jet to Go on a Date … FBI Director Kash Patel met his girlfriend at Penn State this past weekend to watch a wrestling match—but his travel to the university stadium appears to have been on the American public's dime.
Discussion:
The Independent, Raw Story and The Bulwark
Camille Mumford / Emerson Polling:
New York City Mayor and New Jersey Governor 2025 — Home Polls New York City Mayor and New Jersey Governor 2025 — New Jersey Voters Give Sherrill Slight Edge; Mamdani Holds 25-Point Lead over Cuomo in NYC — The final Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill surveys of the New Jersey election …
Discussion:
The Hill, New York Post, Washington Examiner and New York Daily News
RELATED:
Politico:
Bloomberg officially endorses Cuomo after spending millions to back his mayoral campaign … Bloomberg met with Mamdani over the summer following the state lawmaker's stunning June primary victory over Cuomo, though the ex-mayor and media impresario has remained largely on the sidelines during the general election.
Discussion:
Fox News and New York Post
RELATED:
Mariana Alfaro / Washington Post:
Food banks brace as people face federal aid stoppage: ‘We cannot meet the gap’ — Already hit by federal funding cuts earlier in the year and a surge in demand from furloughed federal workers, food banks face a fresh wave of need as people are poised to lose SNAP benefits Saturday because of the shutdown.
Matthew Cooper / Washington Monthly:
Mikie Sherrill Braces for Landing in New Jersey Governor's Race — During the Trump years, the Navy helicopter pilot soared. Next stop, Trenton? — Almost a year ago, I wrote “A Very Rough Day in Jersey” in these pages about Donald Trump's surprisingly strong showing in the Garden State in the 2024 presidential race.
Discussion:
New York Times
CNN:
Exclusive: Three-star general pushed out amid tensions with Hegseth — A three-star general serving on the Pentagon's Joint Staff has been pushed out of his position following months of sustained tensions with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, according to people familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
The Independent
Ben Penn / Bloomberg Law:
Jury Acquits Man Accused of Soliciting Trump's Murder on Bluesky — A jury took about two hours Tuesday to acquit a man accused of soliciting President Donald Trump's assassination on social media, a setback for the Justice Department office led by Trump's newly-installed loyalist Lindsey Halligan.
Discussion:
Washington Post, NewsMax.com and Law & Crime
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
Farm-state Republicans finally reach their breaking point … So far, the burst of objections has not generated a U-turn from the administration, which is going ahead with a beef import plan that Trump officials argue will both lower steak and hamburger prices for American consumers …
Discussion:
Semafor
Wall Street Journal:
Binance Boosted Trump Family's Crypto Company Ahead of Pardon for Its Billionaire Founder — Giant crypto exchange facilitated $2 billion purchase of World Liberty's stablecoin and built its technology; clemency for Changpeng Zhao surprised some in administration
Discussion:
Popular Information, New York Post and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Noah Keate / Politico:
UK's top finance minister broke housing rules — LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stood by his chief finance minister after she admitted breaking housing rules when renting out her family home. — Chancellor Rachel Reeves issued an apology late Wednesday night after an investigation …
Discussion:
Daily Mail, The Guardian, HuffPost, Metro.co.uk and LabourList
Malcolm Ferguson / New Republic:
Trump DOJ Indicts Congressional Candidate for Protesting ICE … Progressive Democratic congressional candidate and former journalist Kat Abughazaleh was indicted by the Justice Department Wednesday for allegedly preventing a federal officer from “discharging the duties of his office” at the Broadview ICE detention center near Chicago.
Discussion:
Axios, The Intercept, Associated Press, NBC News, UPI, The Western Journal, Washington Post, Capitol News Illinois, The Verge, HuffPost, MSNBC, NOTUS, Blaze Media, Daily Mail, The Post Millennial, Mother Jones, Raw Story, Advocate, The Daily Northwestern, Washington Examiner, IJR, The Hill, The Independent, Rolling Stone, Lawyers, Guns & Money, RedState, ABC News, Block Club Chicago, Politico and Breitbart
New York Times:
F.B.I. Opposes Push for Gabbard to Take Lead on Counterintelligence — The F.B.I. made the disclosure in a pointed letter that underscored broader concern over a House bill that would give more authority to Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence.
Discussion:
NewsMax.com and Political Wire
John O'Connor / Associated Press:
Jurors convict Illinois deputy of killing Sonya Massey but can't agree on first-degree murder charge — Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share — A jury on Wednesday convicted an Illinois sheriff's deputy of second-degree murder …
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, TMZ.com, Raw Story, The TRiiBE, The 19th, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, CBS News and abc7NY
Washington Post:
Most Americans oppose East Wing demolition for Trump ballroom, poll finds — Fifty-six percent say they oppose President Donald Trump's decision to tear down part of the White House to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom building. — Just now — Americans oppose President Donald Trump's demolition …
Discussion:
ABC News
Teo Armus / Washington Post:
He's gay, Republican and running for statewide office. It's complicated. — John Reid, a former conservative talk-radio host, is running to represent a party that has been openly hostile to him — and betting that Virginia voters won't care. — Just now
Paul Kane / Washington Post:
A decade of dramatic GOP change since Paul Ryan became speaker — Ten years after Ryan's ascension, there's little of the former speaker's traditional conservatism remaining in today's House Republican caucus. — Just now — The fall of 2015 was a very different time.
Aaron Pellish / Politico:
Crockett inches toward Senate run … Crockett has raised her profile since first entering Congress in 2023 through memorable and divisive attacks on Republican opponents like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott and President Donald Trump — becoming a frequent target of Trump's attacks in the process.
Discussion:
NBC News
Steven Rattner / New York Times:
The Fed Resisted Trump. Good. — Another Federal Reserve meeting, another loss for President Trump. And we should all be grateful for that. — A few hours ago, the Federal Open Market Committee voted 10 to 2 to reduce interest rates by just .25 percent, disregarding Mr. Trump's regular exhortations …
Discussion:
Reuters, Bloomberg, NewsNation, NewsMax.com and Washington Examiner
Ryan Grenoble / HuffPost:
Shock Video Shows ICE Agent Assaulting Woman Who Asked If He's A Good Christian — Hundreds protested Tuesday at an ICE facility in southwest Colorado after agents detained two children on their way to school. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers forcibly detained a father …
Discussion:
The Colorado Sun and Denver Post
Maeve Reston / Washington Post:
How Newsom has capitalized on anger with Trump in California ballot fight — The strategy has fueled a stark fundraising advantage and polling lead that Democrats hope will help deliver a concrete rebuttal to the president's redistricting agenda. — Just now
Discussion:
ABC News
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
John Thune says he will engage ‘pretty soon’ with Democrats about ending shutdown — Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday he expects to engage “pretty soon” with a group of rank-and-file Senate Democrats about ending the 29-day-and-counting government shutdown.
Discussion:
HotAir, Axios, PoliticusUSA, 24sight News, RedState, Washington Examiner, Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Times and UPI

