Top Items:
Alex Isenstadt / Axios:
Scoop: Trump pours millions into Virginia, New Jersey races — President Trump's political operation is digging into its massive war chest to bankroll a multimillion-dollar voter turnout effort in the final days of the New Jersey and Virginia governor races, Axios has learned.
Discussion:
New Republic, WKMG, The Guardian, RedState, NewsMax.com, KRDO, Joe.My.God., CBS News, Associated Press, twitchy.com, Fox News and New Jersey Online
RELATED:
Jonathan Martin / Politico:
Trump Is the Democrats' Best Campaigner … The mere fact of his election last year handed Democrats a powerful turnout lever in blue-leaning New Jersey and Virginia, but Trump has further undermined GOP hopes in the two states with his conduct and has seemingly abandoned California Republicans.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog
Zolan Kanno-Youngs / New York Times:
As the Shutdown Pain Grows, Trump Attends to Other Matters — The president attended a Halloween party Friday and called attention to the marble renovation of a White House bathroom. — American families are worried about losing food stamp benefits. Hundreds of thousands …
Politico:
Nearly 42 million Americans lose their food stamp benefits … For now, states, food banks and nonprofit organizations are scrambling to backfill the loss of critical federal dollars, however temporary it may be, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. — “It's going to get ugly fast,” …
Discussion:
Deseret News, Mediaite, Forbes, The Handbasket, Fox News, TheGrio, Raw Story, NBC News, Blaze Media, Washington Examiner, CT News Junkie, KRDO, masslive.com, Scripps News, Axios, Advocate, The Hill and CNBC
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Uncertainty over federal food aid deepens as the shutdown fight reaches a crisis point — Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share — The crises at the heart of the government shutdown fight in Washington were coming …
Discussion:
New York Times and Salon
Alexandra Marquez / NBC News:
Government shutdown effects bear down on millions more people after a crucial Nov. 1 deadline passes
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
October 31, 2025 — Yesterday a reporter asked Representative Joe Neguse, a Democrat of Colorado …
Punchbowl News:
11/01/2025 📝 The Readback — Welcome to The Readback, our weekend digest featuring …
11/01/2025 📝 The Readback — Welcome to The Readback, our weekend digest featuring …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal
Alicia Diaz / Bloomberg:
Shutdown Pain Spreads at One Month, Touching Tens of Millions
Shutdown Pain Spreads at One Month, Touching Tens of Millions
Discussion:
Raw Story, CBS News, Al Jazeera and Politico
Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:
Obama Calls Mamdani to Praise His Campaign and Offers to Be Sounding Board — Former President Barack Obama told Zohran Mamdani “your campaign has been impressive to watch,” and suggested that he was invested in Mr. Mamdani's success beyond the election. — Former President Barack Obama called …
Discussion:
RedState, The Hill, Teen Vogue and New Republic
RELATED:
Ethan Cotler / The Daily Beast:
Obama Is Now Not So Sure America Can Survive Under Trump — HOPE? — The former president is set to make a return to help Democratic gubernatorial candidates. — Barack Obama, 64, is “not so sure” that “America would survive Donald Trump,” according to CNN.
Brakkton Booker / Politico:
Jay Jones is back in the Democratic fold amid texting scandal … “Trump has endorsed Jason. ... He said ‘Jason will never let us down,’ and what that means is that he'll never let Donald Trump down,” Jones said, with the crowd at the Chartway Arena erupting in boos in response to the mention of the current president.
Ian Austen / New York Times:
Carney Says He Apologized to Trump Over Ad Reviving Reagan's Tariff Criticism — The Canadian prime minister also said that he had asked the province of Ontario not to air the ad that later prompted the president to end trade talks. — Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada said on Saturday …
Discussion:
Reuters, The Hill, UPI, Politico, NewsMax.com, CBS News, Los Angeles Times, CityNews Toronto, Washington Examiner and Bloomberg
Kenneth P. Vogel / New York Times:
Trump's Team Offers to Keep Some Ballroom Donors Incognito … President Trump's aides have promised transparency about the funding of a new ballroom, but the White House withheld the identities of several donors to the project, including some with business before the administration, The New York Times found.
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, Joe.My.God., Raw Story and The Independent
Washington Post:
ICE and Border Patrol's use of tear gas injures, sickens and tests the law — Federal immigration agents say chemical agents are needed to disperse violent protesters. But videos also show officers directly firing at people in aggressive and “unorthodox” ways.
Discussion:
One America News Network
Gabe Ortiz / Combating Nativist Narratives:
2025 Is ICE's Deadliest Year In 20 Years — 2025 has become the deadliest year for detained immigrants in federal immigration custody in two decades. EL PAÍS reported this month that at least 22 individuals have died while in ICE custody in the current fiscal year …
Sam Biddle / The Intercept:
ICE Plans Cash Rewards for Private Bounty Hunters to Locate and Track Immigrants — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is considering hiring private bounty hunters to locate immigrants across the country, according to a procurement document reviewed by The Intercept.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God. and Raw Story
Ross Douthat / New York Times:
It's Obvious Why Harris Lost in 2024. But Can Democrats Accept It? — The most obvious thing in politics is often the hardest to admit: If you lose an election, the best thing that you can do to make sure you win the next one is to find a message that puts you closer to the median voter than you were the last time around.
Maia Davies / BBC:
Andrew should answer Epstein questions in US, Democrats say — Members of a US congressional committee investigating the Jeffrey Epstein case have intensified their calls for Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to answer questions about his links to the late sex offender.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Daily Mail, Sky News, Politico, The Sun, GB News, Raw Story, TheJournal.ie, Reuters, Washington Examiner and Reason
Jamelle Bouie / New York Times:
A Third Trump Term Is Not the Charm — It does not come as a great surprise to see that less than a year into his second term in office, President Trump is already thinking about a third. — “I would love to do it,” he told reporters on Air Force One this week.
Discussion:
Roll Call, Zeteo and Public Notice
Gregory Svirnovskiy / Politico:
Trump tells Ilhan Omar to leave the country … Trump's MAGA allies, including Laura Loomer, were quick to amplify his post across their social media channels. — This isn't the first time in recent weeks that the president has suggested Omar should be removed from the country.
Alexander Willis / Raw Story:
Fury as Trump holds ‘tone deaf’ Gilded Age Halloween party as millions lose food aid — As 42 million Americans missed their first food assistance payment Saturday amid the ongoing government shutdown, President Trump attended a Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party at his Mar-a-Lago resort …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., The Independent and Mediaite
Madeleine Ngo / New York Times:
Under Trump, Becoming a U.S. Citizen Gets Harder … A harder civics test. Stricter social media vetting. Neighborhood investigations into people's “moral character.” — The Trump administration is erecting new hurdles for lawful permanent residents applying for U.S. citizenship …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God.
Chicago Tribune:
On Halloween, ‘state-sponsored terror’ in Chicago and the north suburbs — Chicago Tribune, RICHIE REQUENA, BRIAN CASSELLA | In Albany Park, they fired pepper-spray balls to disperse an angry crowd and arrested two U.S. citizens. In Evanston, one repeatedly pointed his weapon at protesters …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Chicago Sun Times and Block Club Chicago
Michael L. Gross / New York Times:
‘Kill, Kill, Kill’: How to Wrestle With Death in Gaza — In talks leading up to the cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel, President Trump said he told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “You're going to be remembered for this” — ending the war in Gaza — “far more than if you kept this thing going, going, going, kill, kill, kill.”

