Government agencies are blaming the shutdown on Democrats. Ethics experts say it could be against the law.

by

Handfuls of agencies posted statements to their websites Wednesday, alerting Americans that the government has officially shut down and that the “radical left” is responsibl Agencies across the federal government are explicitly blaming Democrats for the government shutdown — from banners on top of public websites to suggested out-of-office messages for federal employees — in … Read more

Israel intercepts Gaza-bound aid flotilla carrying Greta Thunberg and MEPs

by

The flotilla set sail in August and has pro-Palestine activists from around the world on board. Israel intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza on Wednesday evening as it approached Palestinian territory, triggering a wave of street protests in Italy. “Here you can see the interception to one of our boats,” French … Read more

White House pulls Brian Quintenz nomination to lead CFTC

by

He faced opposition from major crypto investors. The White House withdrew Brian Quintenz’s nomination to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission late Tuesday, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss the decision ahead of a public announcement. A small but powerful agency, the CFTC oversees a broad swath of financial markets including those tied … Read more

by

After Jeffries accused Trump of “bigotry” for an AI-generated video, Trump posted a similar video belittling his response. President Donald Trump posted another deepfake AI-generated video of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday hours before the federal government is expected to shut down, further signaling the significant divide between the two parties. On Monday, … Read more

Judge says Nevada US attorney’s involvement in criminal cases ‘would be unlawful’

by

A judge disqualified Sigal Chattah from handling a set of cases after the defendants challenged her legal authority. A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the top federal prosecutor in Nevada is disqualified from handling cases, a rebuke to the Trump administration’s effort to sidestep the traditional methods of installing U.S. attorneys. U.S. District Judge David … Read more

‘They have a completely different playbook’: California leaders acknowledge Trump’s success

by

Trump has moved more quickly to dismantle California’s climate and air pollution policies than in his first term. SACRAMENTO, California — Gov. Gavin Newsom’s top climate adviser acknowledged Wednesday that President Donald Trump has been more effective than she anticipated at attacking California’s core climate policies. “We thought it would look more like Trump 1.0, … Read more

Gavin Newsom: ‘I don’t think Donald Trump wants another election’

by

The California governor painted a bleak picture of the state of American democracy under President Trump. SACRAMENTO, California — Gavin Newsom warned the country is on the precipice of tipping into authoritarianism, predicting that President Donald Trump does not want to leave office after his term ends and accusing federal immigration officials of acting as … Read more

Padilla’s options, Porter’s brushback and Newsom’s crusade: 7 takeaways from POLITICO’s California summit

by

Alex Padilla played it cool. Xavier Becerra and Katie Porter played nice. Steve Hilton played his Trump card. And Gavin Newsom just went off on Donald Trump. Many of California’s leading political figures joined POLITICO’s “The California Agenda: Sacramento Summit” on Wednesday to share their thoughts on this year’s redistricting fight, the 2026 election and … Read more