Good morning, everyone. Washington, D.C. is at a breaking point. The government shutdown has entered its third day—and it’s not ending anytime soon. For the first time, Trump’s own supporters are beginning to turn on him, as polls show the overwhelming majority of Americans now place the blame squarely on the White House. At the same time, the administration is openly violating the Hatch Act, weaponizing federal government websites to attack Democrats.
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With that, here’s what you missed:
The Senate will vote today on short-term Democratic and Republican spending bills, which have repeatedly failed. If blocked again, the Senate will adjourn until Monday, extending the government shutdown into a sixth day.
Those in President Trump’s own party are beginning to slightly turn against his position in the government shutdown. This morning, a KFF poll found over three-quarters of Americans want Congress to extend enhanced ACA subsidies, including 92% of Democrats, 82% of independents, 59% of Republicans, and 57% of MAGA supporters; the subsidies, set to expire at year’s end, drew 24 million enrollees in 2025 and if they lapse, premiums could more than double in 2026, with 2 in 5 saying they’d drop coverage—39% would blame Trump, 37% Republicans in Congress, and 22% Democrats.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics will not release its usual monthly jobs report due to the ongoing government shutdown.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, called for a Hatch Act investigation into the White House after agency websites posted shutdown messages blaming Democrats, which he argued amounted to illegal political activity.
The Trump administration froze $2.1 billion in federal funding for Chicago infrastructure projects, including the Red Line Extension and Red and Purple Modernization, with budget director Russell Vought saying the hold was to prevent “race-based contracting”; it follows a similar $18 billion freeze on New York City projects that drew sharp criticism from local lawmakers.
A provocative statue titled “Best Friends Forever” depicting Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands has been reinstalled on the National Mall after its earlier removal by the National Park Service; created by activist art group “The Secret Handshake,” the piece mocks Trump’s ties to Epstein and follows the group’s history of satirical installations targeting political figures. This is a picture I took of the statute this morning:
Four top prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia, the office handling the case against former FBI director James Comey, have been forced out amid President Trump’s push to charge political opponents, sparking concerns among lawyers that political loyalty is overriding competence and jeopardizing national security investigations.
Federal agents raided a 130-unit South Shore apartment building in Chicago, detaining at least 37 people in an operation targeting alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua; residents, including U.S. citizens, reported being zip-tied, homes ransacked, and belongings stolen, while the already neglected property—long plagued by code violations and ownership disputes—was left in chaos with broken doors, water damage, and abandoned units.
Venezuela’s defense minister said five U.S. F-35 fighter jets were detected 75 km off its Caribbean coast, calling the flights a “provocation” and national security threat amid rising tensions with Washington; the U.S. has recently deployed warships and aircraft to the region, moves Venezuela claims are aimed at regime change rather than drug trafficking operations.
Apple has removed the ICEBlock app, which alerted users to ICE agent sightings, after pressure from the Trump administration and law enforcement citing safety risks; the app had over 1 million downloads since its launch in April, with criticism that it endangered agents, though supporters saw it as a tool against immigration raids.
Republicans are pushing the Stop Illegal Entry Act, a bill that would impose mandatory five- to 10-year prison sentences on migrants who re-enter the U.S. illegally and commit other crimes, drawing criticism from justice groups as a costly “mass incarceration” measure that could overwhelm courts and prisons; it passed the House with limited Democratic support and now faces an uphill battle in the Senate under Ted Cruz’s lead.
Israeli forces intercepted the final boat of the 42-vessel Global Sumud Flotilla, the Marinette, about 42.5 nautical miles from Gaza—the closest such mission has come since the blockade began in 2009; around 450 activists, including Greta Thunberg and several European MPs, are being detained for deportation as organizers report lost contact with another vessel, the Mikeno.
A Global Witness investigation found that TikTok directed child accounts, even with “restricted mode” enabled, to pornographic content within a few clicks; researchers said the platform suggested explicit search terms and surfaced sexual material, prompting claims TikTok violated the UK’s Online Safety Act, though TikTok has since removed the flagged videos and updated its search recommendations.
A fire triggered by an explosion at Chevron’s El Segundo refinery in California—its second-largest U.S. facility and key supplier of jet fuel to LAX—was still burning Friday, though confined to one unit; no injuries were reported, but analysts warned California fuel prices could rise given the state’s isolated market.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed that during Thursday’s synagogue attack in north Manchester, one victim was accidentally killed by police gunfire while officers subdued the attacker, Jihad al-Shamie; another bystander was injured but is expected to recover.
The death toll from the collapse of the Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in East Java, Indonesia, has risen to nine, with rescuers still searching for more than 50 trapped teenage students; heavy equipment and ambulances are on standby as families brace for more casualties.
Good news:
Craig Campbell’s 10-year-old Doberman, Night, saved him from a grizzly bear attack in Cochrane, Alberta, by standing between him and the bear until it retreated; the heroic act earned Night induction into Purina’s Animal Hall of Fame 2025, Canada’s longest-running pet recognition award.
Two UK cousins and an American couple from Kansas City, all descended from Anthony Smith, met by chance at his grave in Raunds, England, on September 22, discovering they were fourth cousins in a 12-billion-to-one coincidence that left them “absolutely thrilled” and led to a new family bond.
One year after invasive black rats were eradicated from Bikar Atoll and Jemo Islet in the Marshall Islands, seabirds and native forests are thriving again, with 2,000 sooty terns feeding chicks and thousands of Pisonia seedlings returning—part of Island Conservation’s global efforts that have restored ecosystems on 65 islands to benefit both nature and local communities.
The Holgate Windmill in York, England — Britain’s oldest brick tower windmill and the only working 5-sailed, double-shuttered windmill in the country — is still grinding flour more than 250 years after it was built in 1770, thanks to restoration by volunteers who now sell its flour locally to keep the tradition alive.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
