Good evening, everyone. I just completed a 25-hour fast — and as I slowly rejoin the world, the first thing I want to do is update you. Today was another tidal wave of news, but let me be clear: the world I came back to is exactly as I left it — an Administration flooding the zone with chaos and disinformation, hoping you’ll grow exhausted and tune out.
I won’t. And I know you won’t either.
Taking even one day away reminded me why I do this work. Beyond water, there was nothing I craved more than to return to reporting — because journalism isn’t just my job; it’s my calling. And you — this community — are the reason I can answer that call.
At a time when this White House is trying to silence me, when threats arrive with disturbing regularity, your support is what keeps this work alive. It fuels the reporting they’re desperate to bury.
If you believe in independent journalism — if you believe in truth that refuses to be intimidated — then please subscribe today. Together, we’re not just covering the news. We’re fighting for the right to tell it.
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With that, here’s what you missed today:
Trump warned that if the government shutdown continues, federal workers could be fired and Democrats’ “favorite projects” could face permanent cuts, blaming Democrats in Congress for the situation.
The White House, with OMB’s coordination, has compiled a list of agencies for planned federal firings, expected to be announced as soon as Friday, though details are still being finalized.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) criticized the ongoing government shutdown as “stupid,” dismissed talks with Sen. Chuck Schumer as unproductive, and urged Democrats to back a short-term funding bill, while defending Trump administration plans for layoffs and spending cuts during the stalemate.
Furloughed Education Department employees said their out-of-office emails were secretly altered to blame Democrats for the shutdown, raising Hatch Act concerns as civil servants were forced into partisan messaging without consent.
The Trump administration formally notified Congress that President Trump has determined the U.S. is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, designating them as terrorist groups equivalent to Al Qaeda or ISIS. The notice cites recent hostile acts, including a Sept. 15 strike that killed three alleged unlawful combatants, and U.S. military actions against Venezuelan boats carrying drugs.
FBI Director Kash Patel fired a new agent trainee for displaying a gay pride flag at a California field office, labeling it an improper “political” display and citing Trump’s Article II authority, amid broader threats of mass federal firings during the shutdown and growing fears among LGBTQ employees of targeted retaliation.
The Trump administration is set to expand intelligence support to Ukraine, enabling more precise strikes on Russian oil and gas facilities—marking the first such move since Trump’s return to office. This follows his recent shift in tone, calling Russia a “paper tiger.” Ukraine, which has already escalated attacks on pipelines and refineries, hopes for approval of long-range U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles, though Russia warns their transfer would trigger major escalation.
Just before the government shutdown, the FDA quietly approved a second generic version of mifepristone—the widely used abortion pill—manufactured by Evita Solutions, deeming it therapeutically equivalent to the brand-name Mifeprex.
The Trump administration sent a memo to nine major U.S. universities proposing preferential access to federal funds if they adopt its “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” which includes freezing tuition for five years, banning race, sex, or gender identity from admissions and hiring, capping international enrollment at 15%, barring transgender students from restrooms and sports aligned with their gender identity, and sharing foreign student data with DHS and the State Department.
The DOJ fired Michael Ben’Ary, chief of the national security unit in the Eastern District of Virginia, after a pro-Trump commentator baselessly linked him to internal opposition against indicting former FBI Director James Comey. Sources say Ben’Ary had no role in the case, but his dismissal follows the firing of another prosecutor tied to former Deputy AG Lisa Monaco, whom Trump has attacked.
Sean “Diddy” Combs, facing sentencing after being convicted on two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution, wrote an emotional letter to Judge Arun Subramanian apologizing for his actions, admitting he “lost [his] way” in drugs and excess, and taking responsibility for abusing his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura. Prosecutors, who accused him of running a decade-long criminal enterprise involving coerced “freak-offs,” are seeking over 11 years in prison, while his defense requests 14 months.
OpenAI asked a judge to dismiss xAI’s trade secrets lawsuit, denying the claims as false and framing it as Musk’s harassment, while asserting employees are free to leave xAI and join OpenAI.
Robert Morris, 64, founder of Texas’s Gateway Church and once a high-profile evangelical pastor and adviser to Donald Trump, pleaded guilty in Oklahoma to five felony counts of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s. Under a plea deal, he received a 10-year sentence but will serve only six months in jail, must register as a sex offender, and pay $250,000 restitution.
At the Valdai forum, Vladimir Putin warned of swift retaliation to Europe’s “escalating militarisation” while dismissing fears of a Russian attack on NATO as “nonsense,” praised Donald Trump as a “comfortable interlocutor” who could restore US-Russia ties, but condemned European leaders for fueling hysteria and vowed Russia would keep pressing its maximalist goals in Ukraine despite heavy losses.
Caitlin Clark said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert hasn’t contacted her since reports surfaced about Engelbert’s controversial private remarks, supported Napheesa Collier’s criticism of league leadership, and stressed the need for accountability as players face injuries, frustrations with officiating, and looming labor tensions ahead of a new CBA.
Treasure hunters recovered over 1,000 silver and gold coins worth about $1 million from the 1715 Spanish shipwreck off Florida’s Treasure Coast, a rare find tied to the $400 million in treasure lost during a hurricane, with artifacts set for conservation and museum display.
See you in the morning.
— Aaron
