Author: Ryan Mancini

More than 4,000 federal employees across several departments were laid off on Friday as the government shutdown stretched into the weekend, with no new deal between Democrats and Republicans in sight. Details found in a Department of Justice (DOJ) court filing list the number of layoffs per department or agency. The most significant number of layoffs were at the Treasury Department, with 1,446 employees receiving reduction in force (RIF) notices on Friday.  Additionally, military servicemembers could go without their first paycheck on Oct. 15 as the government shutdown carries into another week. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) again told Republican…

Demonstrators will once again take to the streets for “No Kings Day,” a nationwide series of protests against the Trump administration, on Oct. 18. While protests against President Trump have not been uncommon since his first term, “No Kings Day” kicked off on June 14. These gatherings were organized in response to the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary military parade in Washington, D.C., which coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday. Across the country, 2,000 “No Kings” protests are scheduled for next Saturday, according to a post from the Indivisible project. There are plans in major cities like Los Angeles; Boston; Washington; Chicago; Atlanta;…

President Trump on Saturday directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use move all of the department’s “available funds” to go toward paying military servicemembers during the government shutdown. Throwing blame toward congressional Democrats and naming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Trump said that troops will not receive their upcoming paychecks. Servicemembers are scheduled to receive their next checks on Oct. 15. “That is why I am using my authority, as Commander in Chief, to direct our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th,” Trump wrote in a post…

President Trump’s doctor said the commander-in-chief is in “exceptional health” following his “semiannual physical” at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland on Friday. During his physical, the president received “preventive health screenings and immunizations,” including a flu shot and COVID-19 booster vaccination, according to a memorandum from Trump’s physician Sean Barbabella. These screenings and immunizations were in preparation for his “upcoming international travel,” Barbabella said. Trump plans to fly to Egypt and Israel early next week as part of the implementation of his peace plan between Israel and Hamas, which both parties have agreed to, following two years…

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said the Trump administration will buy more buildings in Chicago for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. During a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Noem said more buildings were purchased “to operate out of.” “We’re purchasing more buildings in Chicago to operate out of,” Noem said to President Trump during the meeting. “We’re going to not back off. In fact, we’re doubling down and we’re going to be in more parts of Chicago in response to the people there.” “I was there a few days ago and looked at…

Former Vice President Harris said on Thursday that any checks and balances to hold back President Trump have not worked. On tour to promote her new book about her campaign, “107 Days,” Harris spoke with journalist and podcaster Kara Swisher at the Warner Theatre to a sold-out audience. “The point is that the guardrails have failed, for the most part,” Harris said. “Except one, which is the people and the power of God.” “So right now, in this moment, if the Supreme Court isn’t a guardrail … what is, from a legal point of view, the guardrail that you see?”…

Former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Steele on Friday called President Trump “so juvenile” over the recent federal indictment against former FBI Director James Comey. “James Comey is no different than any other citizen,” he said on MSNBC’s “The Weeknight.” “He’s a private citizen who’s being hauled in front of a judicial process for what? For what? That’s where you have to ask yourself, ‘Why is this happening?’ “It’s happening because one man is so insecure, he’s so juvenile in his thinking that this is the only way he can,” Steele said. “He can’t move on from it. And we…

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating the Portland Police Department in Oregon, days after a conservative influencer was arrested amid a federal crime crackdown in the city. Harmeet Dhillon, the DOJ’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, “signed, sealed [and] delivered!” a letter to Portland police about the investigation on Friday, according to a post from her X account. In a separate post, Dhillon said she spoke with Nick Sortor, the influencer who was arrested outside an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on Thursday. She also said she talked to Attorney General Pam Bondi “about what is happened…

Nearly three-quarters of Americans surveyed say economic conditions are poor or fair, according to a poll from the Pew Research Center. The number of respondents who said they feel this way, at 76 percent, is a few points higher than what the center found in January 2024. At that time, 72 percent held the view that conditions were fair or poor. Conversely, Friday’s poll shows that 24 percent of respondents viewed economic conditions as being good or excellent. Americans point to rising costs and personal expenses, at 42 percent, as why they view the economy poorly. This was followed by…