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.

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,” …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

Nancy Mace berated airport police and TSA agents, incident report says  —  The report claims Mace called officers “incompetent” and accused them of mistreating her.  —  Just now  —  Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina), who is running for governor of her state, berated police officers …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

11/01/2025 📝 The Readback  —  Welcome to The Readback, our weekend digest featuring the best of Punchbowl News this week - a quick roundup of all our scoops, analysis and Capitol Hill insight you won't find anywhere else.  We've also included a few of our favorite outside reads from the week.

‘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.”

US judge permanently blocks Trump order requiring voters to prove citizenship  — March 25 order required passport or similar document for voting  — Other courts have temporarily blocked the executive order  — US Constitution gives states authority over elections

October 31, 2025  —  Yesterday a reporter asked Representative Joe Neguse, a Democrat of Colorado, about the administration's withholding of reserve funds Congress intended would fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  “If we come to November first, and these contingency funds …

New York Judge Dismisses Texas Challenge to the State's Abortion Shield Law  —  The lawsuit was filed against an Ulster County clerk who rebuffed an attempt to enforce a Texas judgment against a New York doctor for sending abortion pills to that state.  —  A judge in New York State …

China's pause on rare earth export controls extends to EU  —  Beijing agreed this week to suspend its latest round of rare earth export restrictions for one year, a delay that applies to the EU as well as the U.S.  —  China confirmed that its suspension of export controls on rare earths …