Recent Polls Show Narrowing Lead for Spanberger in Virginia– www.dailysignal.com Source Link Excerpt:
Despite Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears’ considerable deficit in campaign contributions (largely due to unending news reports of past polls showing the GOP candidate for Virginia governor trailing by double-digits), the race is now within the margin of error.
Acknowledging that polls are only as accurate as the pollsters’ guess on demographic enthusiasm and the honest responses from those people being called, the most recent Virginia poll shows the same thing as New Jersey’s gubernatorial poll that we reported on last week. In the Garden State, Democrat candidate Mikie Sherrill had lost her 20 percentage point lead and was tied with Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
The Virginia poll, conducted Sept. 26-28, has Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger still ahead, but by 3%, 48%-45%, against Earle-Sears—within the margin of polling error.
For comparison, in September 2021 during the last Virginia governor’s race, Nexstar/Emerson had former Democrat Gov. Terry McAuliffe ahead 49%-45% against the ultimate winner, Republican Glenn Youngkin. A Monmouth University poll that same month showed similar results, with McAuliffe leading 48%-43%.
Trump to meet with Project 2025 architect on cutting ‘Democrat agendas’ amid government shutdown – live | US federal government shutdown 2025– www.theguardian.com Source Link Excerpt:
Donald Trump is up and truthing as the White House presses on with seizing the opportunity provided by the shutdown to axe federal jobs and Democratic spending priorities. “I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity,” Trump writes this morning.
He said he has a meeting today with Russell Vought, “of Project 2025 fame” who is now the head of the office for management and budget, “to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will betemporary or permanent”.
Vought was central to the Project 2025 blueprint and has been on a years-long quest to dismantle the federal workforce and consolidate power for the president. Since Trump took office in January, he has worked alongside the so-called “department of government efficiency” to slash through the federal government.
As we reported yesterday – day one of the shutdown – he’s already started slashing blue state infrastructure spending, cancelling $8bn in climate-related funding to 16 blue states and freezing $18bn for two huge New York City construction projects.
Here’s the post:
I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent. I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DJT
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Trump tells Republicans to ‘clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud’
As congressional Democrats hold out for healthcare subsidies, the Trump administration has repeatedly stated that federal workers will face layoffs while the government is shut down.
Late last night, president Donald Trump posted on Truth Social:
Republicans must use this opportunity of Democrat forced closure to clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud. Billions of Dollars can be saved. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
Democrats hold firm on healthcare demands as US government remains shut
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. We will be bringing you all the latest news lines over the next few hours.
We start with news that a vote to end the government shutdown hours after it began failed on Wednesday, as Democrats in the Senate held firm to the party’s demands to fund healthcare subsidies that president Donald Trump and Republicans refuse to extend.
The tally showed cracks in the Democrats’ resolve, but the outcome also left no breakthrough, AP reported. Blame was being cast on all sides on the first day of the shutdown.
The White House and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep programs and services open, throwing the country into a new cycle of uncertainty.
At the heart of the issue are tax credits that have made health insurance through the Affordable Care Act more affordable for millions of people since the coronavirus pandemic.
The credits are set to expire at the end of the year if Congress doesn’t extend them, which would more than double what subsidized enrollees currently pay for health insurance premiums, according to analysis.
Meanwhile, as the Trump administration insists it is serious about negotiating an end to the government shutdown, a pair of racist deepfake videos mocking Democratic leaders played on a loop in the White House briefing room for hours on Wednesday.
The videos, posted by Trump on his social media platform on Monday, use fabricated audio to make it seem as if the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, called Democrats “woke pieces of shit”, and showed the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, with a fake mustache and sombrero.
JD Vance, the US vice-president, made light of the tactic during a rare appearance in the briefing room. “I think it’s funny. The president’s joking and we’re having a good time. You can negotiate in good faith while also making a little bit of fun at some of the absurdities of the Democrats’ positions, and even poking some fun at the absurdity of themselves.
“I’ll tell Hakeem Jeffries right now, I make the solemn promise to you that if you help us reopen the government, the sombrero memes will stop. I’ve talked to the president of the United States about that.”
Jeffries has denounced the memes as racist. Vance retorted: “I honestly don’t even know what that means. Like, is he a Mexican American that is offended by having a sombrero meme?”
Read the full story here:
In other developments:
JD Vance, the vice-president, used false claims to blame Democrats for the government shutdown as the White House warned that worker layoffs were imminent.
Donald Trump quietly signed an executive order on Monday in which he promised that the United States will defend the nation of Qatar by treating “any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure” of the energy-rich Persian Gulf monarchy “as a threat to the peace and security of the United States”.
Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, the top Democrats in the House of Representatives and Senate, respectively, and both New Yorkers, accused the Trump administration of retaliating against their constituents by putting billions of dollars to revamp transportation infrastructure on hold.
Oregon’s governor, Tina Kotek, said in a statement on Wednesday that “Donald Trump’s unlawful federalization of members of the Oregon National Guard could cost taxpayers up to $10m”.
The Trump administration said that it was putting a hold on roughly $18bn to fund a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey and the city’s expanded Second Avenue subway project – because of the government shutdown.
Donald Trump once again shared misinformation about Portland, Oregon, on social media on Wednesday, when he announced that the national guard troops he called up in response to a small protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) office in the otherwise tranquil city are “now in place”.
Lisa Cook, the US Federal Reserve governor, will keep her job for now, despite Donald Trump’s extraordinary bid to remove her from the central bank’s board with immediate effect.
Trump says he’s open to talks with Kim Jong Un ‘without any preconditions’– www.foxnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
President Donald Trump is open to talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “without any preconditions,” a White House official said, as South Korea’s unification minister warned Pyongyang’s missiles could reach the U.S. mainland.
“President Trump in his first term held three historic summits with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un that stabilized the Korean Peninsula. U.S. policy on North Korea has not changed,” a White House official told Fox News Digital. “President Trump remains open to talking with Kim Jong Un, without any preconditions.”
South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young used blunt language in Berlin this week, telling reporters, “North Korea has become one of the three countries capable of attacking the U.S. mainland,” according to the Yonhap News Agency. “What needs to be acknowledged should be acknowledged rationally.”
The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Chung’s claim.
Situation ‘Critical’ As Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant Runs On Emergency Generators– www.rferl.org Source Link Excerpt:
Power lines supplying the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant in a Russian-occupied part of Ukraine have been cut off for over a week. That means that the plant, which is not currently generating its own power, is relying on diesel generators to keep its nuclear reactors cool. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned that the plant was not designed to operate in emergency mode, while Russian officials say they are doing everything necessary to ensure the plant’s safety.
Gov. Shapiro signs order to protect vaccine access, coverage in Pa. and combat misinformation – PennLive.com Source Link Excerpt:
Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday signed an executive order aimed at protecting access to recommended childhood and adult vaccines, maintaining insurance coverage and aligning state health policies with the guidance of respected experts.
“As the federal government continues to create chaos and confusion, my Administration is stepping up to preserve access to vaccines, provide Pennsylvanians with clear, evidence-based guidance, and protect the freedom to make decisions over your own health care,” said Shapiro at a press event at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
Palestine recognition must come with action: to save lives, States must stop Israel’s crimes and ensure Palestinian agency – Statement by independent NGOs and civil society organizations – ReliefWeb Source Link
3 Antifa terrorists arrested outside Portland ICE facility as federal agents crack down | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com Source Link Excerpt:
Federal law enforcement agents were seen hopping out of a unmarked white van in a surprise tactical operation reminiscent of a “Trojan horse.”
Federal law enforcement agents staged a dramatic show of force outside the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in South Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday night, deploying an unmarked van in a surprise tactical operation reminiscent of a “Trojan horse.”
At least three Antifa-affiliated agitators were arrested and taken into custody for a variety of offenses. This comes amid a promised federal crackdown from President Trump targeting the unlawful, ongoing occupation outside the ICE facility as part of the administration’s effort to end ongoing left-wing violence against ICE agents.
Judge Permanently Blocks Biden ATF Rule on Firearms Sales from Being Used Against NRA Members– conservativeroof.com Source Link Excerpt:
On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Corey L. Maze “permanently [blocked] federal authorities from enforcing multiple provisions of the ATF’s [‘engaged in the business’ rule],” according to Rocket City Now.
Maze’s ruling applies to two plaintiffs — “Don Butler of Talladega and David Glidewell of Ragland” — and to members of the NRA.
ATF’s engaged in the business rule became final on April 10, 2024. The rule is designed to expand the occurrences of point-of-sale background checks by counting certain private sales as business sales, thereby requiring the transfer to be handled via a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) background check.
U.S. Military Continues mRNA Vaccine Research after RFK, Jr., Cuts Funding– www.scientificamerican.com Source Link Excerpt:
The abrupt termination last month of nearly half a billion dollars in US government contracts for mRNA vaccine research rattled scientists working inside and outside industry. The cuts raised alarm about the country’s commitment to the Nobel-prizewinning technology, which is credited with saving millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and is regarded as essential for fighting viruses in the future.
Yet not all large-scale research into mRNA vaccines in the United States is being dismantled. Nature has learnt that, even as the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — led by vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr — pulls back, the country’s military continues to bankroll parts of the same research.
World awaits Hamas response as isolated terrorists run out of options– www.washingtonexaminer.com Source Link Excerpt:
Hamas has a matter of days to decide whether it will agree to President Donald Trump‘s latest effort to end the war in Gaza, a plan that has some support from several Arab nations that want to see the conflict end permanently.
Trump revealed the content of his 20-point peace plan on Monday alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Trump said on Wednesday that his administration stands by his demand that Hamas respond to the peace plan in 3-4 days.
Ohio GOP misses deadline for new maps, task now moves to panel– www.washingtonexaminer.com Source Link Excerpt:
Ohio lawmakers missed their first deadline to redistrict their congressional maps mid-decade.
Ohio lawmakers needed to pass a map with at least 60% support in each chamber and at least 50% support from Democrats by Sept. 30. This deadline was not met, as Democrats who would lose seats have not been on board with the push to give Republicans more seats.
Republicans did not introduce a proposal by this deadline either.
Embattled Fed Governor Lisa Cook faces plagiarism claims, cancel culture ties– www.thecollegefix.com Source Link Excerpt:
Controversies from Cook’s past in academia resurface as she battles President Trump to keep her job
As Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook does battle against President Donald Trump to keep her job, controversial experiences from her time as a professor have resurfaced, such as plagiarism claims and her involvement in a high-profile cancel culture incident.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled that Cook — who was fired by Trump in August over allegations of mortgage fraud — can keep her job as her lawsuit challenging the president’s authority winds its way through the courts.
U. Delaware Student-Run TV Network Gives Special Thanks to ‘Charlie Kirk’s Killer’– legalinsurrection.com Source Link Excerpt:
The University of Delaware’s student-run television network (STN49), recently ran a credit at the end of a supposed ‘comedy’ show which gave a special thank you to “Charlie Kirk’s Killer.”
Not only is this outrageous, it is coming from the same progressive types of college students who claim that the mere presence of conservatives on a college campus makes them ‘feel unsafe.’
People should be expelled over this. For the simple sake of decency.
“China Declares A Manufacturing Revolution”: New AI-Driven Rocket Strategy Sparks Fierce Clash With US As Space Race Escalates Beyond 158 Launches – Rude Baguette Source Link
France detains Russian ‘shadow’ tanker to disrupt war in Ukraine | Russia-Ukraine war News– www.aljazeera.com Source Link Excerpt:
France has said it is increasing pressure on Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine by detaining an oil tanker suspected of operating as part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” and putting its captain on trial.
France’s detention of the tanker is part of a new European strategy to block revenue funding Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said at an EU event in Copenhagen on Thursday.
Germany’s “DeutschlandTrend” opinion poll shows that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party would tie with the conservative CDU/CSU, if federal elections were held this Sunday. – facebook.com Source Link
House Republican on mass firings: ‘We have a bloated government’– thehill.com Source Link Excerpt:
Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.) argued the mass firing of federal workers during the government shutdown could make sense, arguing Thursday that the United Staes has “a bloated government.”
Flood argued that it “makes sense” to have “some cuts,” but until he sees the detailed plan, it will be hard to know how it will affect the country and his home state.
ADL deletes Glossary of Extremism to please MAGA, which then stabs it in the front– boingboing.net Source Link Excerpt:
Earlier today, the Anti-Defamation League, America’s oldest organization dedicated to combating antisemitism, deleted its online Glossary of Extremism after complaints from MAGA figures angry at its inclusion of the far-right Christian Identity movement and Turning Point USA, founded by activist Charlie Kirk. — Read the rest
Judge Rules USPS Gun Bans Unconstitutional At “Ordinary” Post Offices– www.usacarry.com Source Link Excerpt:
FORT WORTH, TX — A federal judge in the Northern District of Texas has ruled that the long-standing federal ban on firearms inside United States Post Offices and on surrounding postal property is unconstitutional as applied to members of the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), and two named Texas plaintiffs.
Chief District Judge Reed O’Connor granted summary judgment to the plaintiffs, striking down 18 U.S.C. § 930(a) and 39 C.F.R. § 232.1(l) as applied to the prohibition on carrying firearms for self-defense at what the court defined as ‘ordinary’ post offices.” These are stand-alone post offices not located on military bases or inside multi-use federal facilities that house other government functions where firearms would otherwise be prohibited.
Conservative Journalist Arrested at Portland ICE Protest, Police Show Their True Colors – RedState– redstate.com Source Link Excerpt:
Conservative journalist and influencer Nick Sortor was arrested in Portland on Thursday night for what appears to be the great crime of being jumped by left-wing anti-ICE rioters. Sortor had been attending the “protest” for the last few days, documenting the anarchy.
Portland has been ground zero for Antifa violence stretching back years, with parts of the city being effectively safe zones for left-wing agitators. In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has stated his intent to deploy troops in defense of the city’s federal property, including the besieged ICE facility in question.
So what happened to Sortor? There’s still a bit of dot-connecting happening, but one video appears to show him being surrounded by left-wing rioters. Later, he can be seen being put in handcuffs.
WATCH: Nick Sortor gets arrested but we see ANTIFA attacking him.
A journalist said, “Looked like Nick Sortor got jumped… Portland liaison officers stand nearby and watch.”
BREAKING: Portland PD arrested @nicksortor tonight. Unclear why, as he wasn’t doing anything criminal. This comes after Portland police refused to arrest the lady who assaulted @KatieDaviscourtpic.twitter.com/Jvaql19Cxl
In Every Government Shutdown, The Media Are Eager Democrat Helpers– www.newsbusters.org Source Link Excerpt:
If the national media can be counted on to spin anything dramatically toward the Democrats, it’s a government shutdown. They feel passionately that the Democrats are the Party of Government, and the Republicans are the Haters of Government, so who naturally favors shutting it all down?
Even before the shutdown occurred, NPR and PBS issued their poll warning Republicans would get more of the blame than Democrats. That’s why those partisan hacks deserved defunding. A substantial minority would blame both parties, because the independents told NPR “They’re just fighting like two little kids.”
Dems Want Free Health Care For Aliens Biden Refused To Deport– thefederalist.com Source Link Excerpt:
Democrats forced a government shutdown this week to preserve health care for illegal aliens who should have been deported by the Biden administration but were instead “paroled” en masse in one of the greatest abuses of executive power in modern times.
Under federal immigration law, foreign nationals who illegally enter the United States must be detained and deported. However, the law also grants the Department of Homeland Security secretary the authority to parole certain illegal aliens on a case-by-case basis, based on “urgent humanitarian reasons or a significant public benefit,” according to the United States Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS). As explained by the USCIS, parole “is not intended to be used solely to avoid normal visa processing procedures and timelines, to bypass inadmissibility waiver processing, or to replace established refugee processing channels.”
2 dead, several injured after Manchester, U.K. synagogue attack – National– globalnews.ca Source Link Excerpt:
An assailant drove a car at people outside a synagogue in northern England on Thursday and then began stabbing people, killing two and wounding three in an attack on the holiest day of the Jewish year, police said.
The suspect was also believed to be dead after being shot by officers, but that couldn’t immediately be confirmed because of concerns he had an explosive on him, Greater Manchester Police said. A bomb disposal team was at the scene.
The incident took place as people gathered at an Orthodox synagogue on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement and most solemn day in the Jewish calendar.
Weekend votes ‘unlikely,’ Thune says, meaning shutdown could push into next week– www.politico.com Source Link Excerpt:
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Thursday that it’s “unlikely” senators will be in the Capitol voting this weekend, all but guaranteeing the government shutdown goes into next week.
“They’ll have a fourth chance tomorrow to vote to open up the government, and if that fails, we’ll give them the weekend to think about it, and then we’ll come back and vote on Monday,” Thune told reporters.
Thune’s comments come as congressional leaders and the White House remain in a stalemate on the second day of the shutdown. Thune left the door open to meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer this week but seemed skeptical that a sitdown would produce a breakthrough.