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September 30, 2025
Bombshell Report Says Tom Homan Investigation Began After ICE Colleague Bragged He Was For Sale
(Mediaite) A bombshell new report says border czar Tom Homan became the object of an FBI sting last year after an associate suggested to FBI agents that his former boss was ripe for a bribe. According to MSNBC’s Carol Leonnig and Ken Dilanian, the Homan associate — Julian “Jace” Calderas— bragged to undercover agents that Homan “could facilitate future government contracts in exchange for big money.” Calderas is a former U.S. immigration official who worked under Homan in the Obama administration, noted the Monday report.
Go to discussionMilitary leaders voice concern over Hegseth's new Pentagon strategy
(Washington Post) Military leaders have raised serious concerns with the Trump administration’s forthcoming defense strategy, exposing a divide between the Pentagon’s political and uniformed leadership as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth summons top brass to a highly unusual summit in Virginia on Tuesday, according to eight current and former officials. The critiques from multiple top officers, including Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, come as Hegseth reorders U.S. military priorities — centering the Pentagon on perceived threats to the homeland, narrowing U.S. competition with China, and downplaying America’s role in Europe and Africa.
Go to discussionPentagon Pete's 'Manic' Meltdowns Exposed by Aides
(Daily Beast) The defense secretary—who prefers the moniker “Secretary of War”—is being described by staffers as “manic,” erupting into fits of rage and tumultuous tirades, the Daily Mail reported on Monday. They said Hegseth is becoming increasingly “obsessed” with his own security and exhibits frantic behavior, such as fidgeting and pacing during meetings. “There’s a manic quality about him. Or let me rephrase, an even more manic quality, which is really saying something,” an insider told the outlet. “Dude is crawling out of his skin,” another source said.
Go to discussionConsumer confidence is lower than expected as Wall Street braces for shutdown data blackout
(CNBC) Consumer confidence edged lower in September ahead of an expected data blackout caused by the looming federal government shutdown, the Conference Board reported Tuesday. The board’s headline confidence index registered a 94.2 reading, off 3.6 points from the August reading and below the Dow Jones estimate for 96.0. The reading was the lowest since April and comes with nonessential government operations slated to close at midnight.
Go to discussion'We're headed to a shutdown,' Vance says after Trump meeting with leaders ends
(CNBC) A looming federal government shutdown appeared even more likely after top Democrats and Republicans met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. “I think we’re headed to a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing,” Vice President JD Vance told reporters after the meeting, which came less than two days before the shutdown will begin in the absence of a funding deal.
Go to discussion'Idiocracy': Trump Aide Mocked For Sharing Graph on Far-Left Versus Far-Right Violence
(Mediaite) White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson sparked a bevy of mockery over the weekend when she shared a graph from Axios highlighting the increase of left-wing violence this year, but that also showed the long-running trend of right-wing violence far outpacing all other types.
Go to discussionRepublican-Nominated Judge Blocks Trump Admin, Kari Lake in New Order
(Newsweek) A longtime federal judge in Washington, D.C., has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's plan to eliminate the jobs of more than 500 people at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), a government-funded news network that oversees Voice of America (VOA). Newsweek reached out to the White House via email Monday night for comment.
Go to discussionProgressive Democrats plot path forward with 'Persuasion 2025' event
(Politico) A group of progressive politicians and strategists will call on Democrats to take a more leftward path out of the political wilderness at a private confab Tuesday — underscoring ongoing rifts within the party. The event, Persuasion 2025, is hosted by liberal donor group Way To Win and ad-testing platform Swayable. They’re bringing together top progressive leaders to diagnose Democrats’ failings in 2024 and propose fixes ahead of the upcoming midterms and 2028 presidential election.
Go to discussionFBI boss Kash Patel gifted New Zealand officials 3D-printed guns illegal to possess under local laws
(CNN) On a visit to New Zealand, FBI Director Kash Patel gave the country’s police and spy bosses gifts of inoperable pistols that were illegal to possess under local gun laws and had to be destroyed, New Zealand law enforcement agencies told The Associated Press. The plastic 3D-printed replica pistols formed part of display stands Patel presented to at least three senior New Zealand security officials in July. Patel, the most senior Trump administration official to visit the country so far, was in Wellington to open the FBI’s first standalone office in New Zealand.
Go to discussionLouisiana's governor asks for National Guard deployment to New Orleans and other cities
(AP) Louisiana’s Republican governor asked for National Guard deployments to New Orleans and other cities, saying Monday that his state needs help fighting crime and praising President Donald Trump’s decision to send troops to Washington and Memphis. Gov. Jeff Landry, a Trump ally, asked for up to 1,000 troops through fiscal year 2026 in a letter sent to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It comes weeks after Trump suggested New Orleans could be one of his next targets for deploying the National Guard to fight crime.
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