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, RedState, KRDO, Joe.My.God., CBS News, Associated Press, twitchy.com, Fox News and New Jersey Online
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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 …
Discussion:
Hopium Chronicles, HuffPost, NPR, Straight Arrow News, Raw Story, Wake Up To Politics, Washington Examiner and OutsideTheBeltway
Alexandra Marquez / NBC News:
Government shutdown effects bear down on millions more people after a crucial Nov. 1 deadline passes — Despite a judge's ruling ordering the administration to fund SNAP benefits, President Donald Trump said that November's payments were likely to be delayed.
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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:
Salon
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:
The Hill, CBS News, Scripps News, Washington Examiner, Reuters, Politico, CityNews Toronto and Bloomberg
Washington Post:
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 …
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Jake Lahut / Wired:
Nancy Mace Curses, Berates Confused Cops in Airport Meltdown: Police Report
Discussion:
CBS News, HuffPost, FITSNews, New York Post, The Independent, Raw Story, Mediaite and Newsweek
Dietrich Knauth / Reuters:
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
Discussion:
Votebeat
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Associated Press:
US judge blocks Trump order requiring proof of citizenship to vote
Discussion:
Raw Story, WTTG-TV, Democracy Docket and The Guardian
Julianna Bragg / Axios:
Trump can't require proof of citizenship for voter registration, judge says
Trump can't require proof of citizenship for voter registration, judge says
Discussion:
Straight Arrow News, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, Townhall, Newsweek and Forbes
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.
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
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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:
Raw Story
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
The Hill:
Live updates: SNAP benefits on the line amid shutdown; Obama to stump for Dems in VA, NJ — Federal food aid is on the line as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is poised to run out of money on Saturday amid the ongoing government shutdown.
Discussion:
WTTG-TV, New Jersey Online, NewsNation and The Gateway Pundit
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.
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.
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:
Sky News, Politico, Washington Examiner, TheJournal.ie, GB News, The Sun, Raw Story, Reuters and Reason
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Shutdowns, Obamacare and the Risks of Bargaining for Policy Wins in a Crisis — A 2013 attempt to leverage minority power in a health care fight blew up on Republicans. Can today be different for Democrats? — The last time Obamacare was at the center of a federal shutdown …
Discussion:
Salon, Reuters, WIBC 93.1 FM, Politico and NOTUS
Punchbowl News:
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.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal
New York Times:
How to Shop for Obamacare When Subsidies Are in Limbo — Enrollment for A.C.A. health coverage begins Nov. 1, with some staggering price increases. Here is a guide to help you choose a plan while Congress is at an impasse over tax credits. — On Saturday, Americans who don't get health insurance through …
Discussion:
Scripps News, WTTG-TV, NPR, Signal Ohio and The Portland Press Herald
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
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 …
Ben Ryder Howe / New York Times:
Whole Foods, MAHA and the Battle Over Healthy Eating in America … The Whole Foods flagship in Austin is a shrine. — With its acres of organic and regenerative produce, a craft beer bar with cheese pairings, and seemingly endless shelves of specialty groceries sculpted to perfection …
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.”
Pam Belluck / New York Times:
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 …
Jakob Weizman / Politico:
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 …
Discussion:
Agence France-Presse, EUobserver, USAPP and Bloomberg

