President Donald Trump is threatening mass layoffs and could suspend billions of dollars in funding to Democratic-led cities as the United States enters a third day of a government shutdown.
“We could cut projects that they wanted, favorite projects, and then they'd be permanently cut,” Trump in an interview that aired on right-wing media network One America News Network Thursday.
Earlier, the president said he could target “Democrat agencies” as the government shutdown stretches on, though it is unclear what those are.
The president said he was meeting with White House budget director Russell Vought to “determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later added that “thousands” of people will likely be laid off.
Friday is day three of the government shutdown, and there’s still no sign of a deal that could end it. The shutdown began Wednesday at midnight after a Republican spending bill failed 55 to 45 in the Senate, five shy of the 60 votes needed.
The next Senate vote is scheduled for Friday afternoon. But Majority Leader John Thune has signalled that senators are unlikely to reach a breakthrough, as Democratic leader Chuck Schumer calls on GOP members to work with Democrats “to reach an agreement to reopen the government and lower healthcare costs.”
Key Points
- What agencies are impacted by the shutdown?
- 'Unlikely' that senators will reach a breakthrough this weekend
- Trump calls Democrats ‘the party of hate, evil, and Satan’ in late-night Truth Social rant
- Trump meets with budget director to decide which 'Democrat Agencies' to cut
- White House says 'thousands' of workers will be laid off
Another shutdown loss: The Friday jobs report
16:30
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Alex Woodward
Don’t expect the highly-anticipated, first-Friday-of-the-month jobs report to hit the streets today.
It’s another casualty of the federal shutdown.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics typically releases the previous month’s report at 8:30 a.m. ET while the agency is temporarily frozen.
But the data blackout comes at a perilous time in the U.S. economy and a chaotic period within the Trump administration’s volatile economic agenda.
Labor analysts got a glimpse of what would’ve been to come earlier this week, when new private-sector employment data released by payroll processing firm ADP showed a net loss of 32,000 jobs in September.
Economists had expected a gain of around 45,000 jobs.
Trump gets away from White House amid government shutdown — for a double date with Melania at the Vance’s
16:15
,
Andrew Feinberg
Rank-and-file employees have been forced to stay home on furlough or work without pay under threat of layoffs — but that isn’t stopping Trump from enjoying a couple’s night out.
The president, joined by First Lady Melania Trump, left the White House Thursday for the first time since government funding lapsed two days earlier for a six-minute motorcade along closed-off streets to a neighbor’s house — Vice President JD Vance’s official residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory.
Watch: Donald Trump stars in new grim-reaper themed AI generated music video
16:00
,
Alex Woodward
Trump posted an AI-generated music video covering Blue Öyster Cult’s “(Don't Fear) The Reaper” showing White House budget director Russell Vought as the titular scythe-wielding harbinger of death.
The video also shows Trump wearing a shroud and playing cowbell, with JD Vance on drums.
Stephen Colbert claps back with X-rated sombrero-sofa meme after JD Vance says Trump’s ‘racist’ AI videos are funny
15:30
,
Justin Baragona
Turning the tables on JD Vance, Stephen Colbert responded to the vice president’s defense of Donald Trump’s “racist and vulgar” AI-generated videos of Democratic leaders wearing sombreros by offering up his own deepfake clip of Vance.
What agencies are impacted by the shutdown?
15:20
,
Alex Woodward
Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security benefits should not be impacted by the shutdown.
But food assistance like the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) could be at risk if the shutdown drags on.
"A prolonged federal government shutdown of more than one week puts WIC families at risk," according to Georgia Machell, president and CEO of the National WIC Association.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, however, will continue to operate; law enforcement is considered an “essential” function that will continue during any lapse in appropriations, though some workers may not get paid until the shutdown is over.
Immigration courts are also listed as open and operational, with guidance from the Justice Department listing immigration cases and deportation orders as essential work.
Federal courts will also remain open and will continue paid operations through at least Oct. 17.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that roughly 750,000 federal employees would be furloughed each day of the shutdown.
Trump spares DOGE and Russ Vought’s OMB from shutdown pain as thousands of White House staff are sent home
15:15
,
Eric Garcia
The Trump administration has exempted personnel working in the White House budget office and the Department of Government Efficiency from government shutdown furloughs — even as many other federal workers and White House staff are sent home with no pay.
A contingency plan released online showed that one-third of White House staff will be furloughed during the government shutdown.
Trump threatens more than $2B for Chicago
15:00
,
Alex Woodward
The Trump administration is planning to suspend $2.1 billion in federal infrastructure funding for Chicago, another attempt by the White House to use the government shutdown as both leverage and a smokescreen to target Democratic-led states and cities.
The Chicago funds support two massive transit modernization projects
White House budget director Russell Vought said the funding had been “put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting.”
$2.1 billion in Chicago infrastructure projects--specifically the Red Line Extension and the Red and Purple Modernization Project--have been put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting. More info to come soon from @USDOT.
— Russ Vought (@russvought) October 3, 2025
Shutdown, day 3: The Senate is back — but can they reach a breakthrough?
14:32
,
Alex Woodward
Good morning in America. I’m senior U.S. reporter Alex Woodward on today’s edition of our rolling coverage of the federal government shutdown.
It is day three.
The Senate is returning to the Capitol this afternoon to try reach an agreement on a spending plan to bring the government back to life.
Don’t expect any miracles, however.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Thursday that it’s “unlikely” senators will be in the Capitol voting this weekend, effectively guaranteeing that the 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 said.
The stalemate is likely to continue. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would meet with Republican leaders but no breakthroughs are expected.
Schumer said in a statement Thursday that GOP members need to work with Democrats “to reach an agreement to reopen the government and lower healthcare costs.”
Schumer warned a shutdown would hand Project 2025’s architect ‘freedom’ to slash the government. So why did he do just that?
14:00
,
Alex Croft
The Independent’s Washington bureau chief Eric Garcia brings the analysis:
Senate Democrats continued to hold the line on their standoff with Republicans as the government shutdown went into its second day on Thursday.
Already, President Donald Trump has said he would meet with Russell Vought, the director of the Office of 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 be temporary or permanent.”
That should not come as a surprise to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who predicted as much as part of his reasoning for making the exact opposite decision in March, when faced with another continuing resolution that the House crafted without any Democratic input.
New poll shows more Americans blame Republicans for shutdown
13:30
,
Alex Croft
A new poll from The Washington Post indicates more Americans think Republicans, rather than Democrats, are responsible for the government shutdown.
In a poll of 1,010 Americans, about 47 percent said Trump and Republican lawmakers are mainly responsible. Meanwhile, 30 percent said Democratic lawmakers are mainly responsible, and 23 percent said they’re not sure.
It’s day two of the shutdown, and there’s still no sign of a deal between Senate Democrats and Republicans. The Senate is set to vote again on Friday.
Trump on Hakeem Jeffries Meeting: 'We got along very well'
13:02
,
Alex Croft
President Donald Trump told the One America News Network Thursday he and Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries “got along very well” during a meeting earlier this week to discuss a looming government shutdown, which took effect at midnight on Wednesday.
After the meeting, Trump posted a racist AI-generated video of Jeffries in a sombrero and handlebar mustache as Schumer’s digitally altered voice said, “nobody likes Democrats anymore” because of “all of our woke trans bulls***,” before baselessly claiming Democrats support giving undocumented immigrants free healthcare because the party needs “new voters.”
Democrats are demanding a reversal in Medicaid cuts from Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” and the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies in exchange for their support on a funding bill to keep the government open.
Democrats call for Trump to be removed under the 25th Amendment after military threats to U.S. cities. But can he be?
12:30
,
Alex Croft
Donald Trump’s administration is facing another round of calls to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office in the wake of his remarks to an unprecedented assembly of the nation’s military leaders.
Trump’s Cabinet and then-Vice President Mike Pence faced similar demands in the aftermath of the January 6 attack, when a mob of the president’s supporters stormed the halls of Congress to derail the certification of an election he lost.
And it’s not the first time Trump has faced calls to step down since he returned to the White House in January. Liberal commentators and critics on social media routinely demand his Cabinet invoke the 25th Amendment.
Our senior reporter Alex Woodward writes:
Speaker Johnson on Trump AI memes: Just ignore it
12:01
,
Alex Croft
What is Project 2025 - and why has Trump hit a screeching U-turn?
11:30
,
Alex Croft
Project 2025, The Heritage Foundation's massive proposed overhaul of the federal government, was drafted by many of President Trump’s long-serving allies and administration officials.
Trump’s campaign leaders in 2024 were livid at The Heritage Foundation for publishing the book of policies that Democrats tried to pin on the campaign, to warn a second Trump term would be too extreme.
The 900-plus page book made several proposals, particularly on curbing immigration and dismantling certain federal agencies.
"I know nothing about Project 2025," Trump, who spent much of last year denouncing the project, insisted in July 2024.
"I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they're saying and some of the things they're saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them."
But in a post on his Truth Social site Thursday morning, Trump announced he would be meeting with his budget chief, "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.
Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget under Biden, said the administration had clearly been following the project's blueprint all along.
"I guess Democrats were right, but that doesn't make me feel better," she said. "I'm angry that this is happening after being told that this document was not going to be the centerpiece of this administration."
The government is shutting down. Immigration courts are wide open
10:59
,
Alex Croft
While a federal government shutdown imperils critical services for millions of Americans, courthouses that handle the fates of immigrants across the country will remain open for business for Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
Shutdown contingency plans for the Department of Justice deemed immigration court staff essential, suggesting that tens of thousands of deportation cases can proceed as normal. The American Immigration Lawyers Association told members that cases for clients who are not in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers “are proceeding as usual” despite the government-wide shutdown.
“I have no reason to believe that it will change, because they want to deport as many people as they can,” according to Ohio immigration attorney Margaret Wong.
Alex Woodward reports:
Trump calls Democrats ‘the party of hate, evil, and Satan’ in late-night Truth Social rant
10:07
,
Alex Croft
President Donald Trump has accused Democrats of being “the party of hate, evil, and Satan” on Truth Social in his latest broadside in response to the U.S. government shutdown.
As part of a short posting spree late on Thursday, the president posted an image of a frowning Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, surrounded by unflattering images of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Joe and Jill Biden, under the headline: “The Party of Hate, Evil, and Satan.”
Below that, the post declared: “The Democratic Party is Dead! They have no leadership! No message! No hope! Their only message for America is to hate Trump.”
Joe Sommerlad reports:
'Unlikely' that senators vote this weekend, meaning shutdown set to continue - Thune
10:06
,
Alex Croft
It is “unlikely” that senators will vote in the Capitol this weekend, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Thursday, which would effectively guarantee that the government shutdown will continue into the 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 according to Politico.
As the government enters the third day of shutdown, congressional leaders and the White House remain in stalemate.
While Thune hinted he could meet Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer this week, he was sceptical that a meeting would produce a breakthrough.
Schumer said Democrats and Republicans need to work together “to reach an agreement to reopen the government and lower healthcare costs” in a statement on Thursday.
Trump announces his 'big plans' for 2026: 'I want to survive'
10:02
,
Alex Croft
President Trump joked about the two assassination attempts against his life — and, seemingly, the murder of Charlie Kirk — in an interview that aired Thursday afternoon on OANN.
He was asked by OANN’s correspondent, Daniel Baldwin, whether he had any “big plans” for the upcoming year, as Republicans face midterm congressional elections that could endanger one or both of their House and Senate majorities.
Instead of getting into how he’d help his party retain seats in the midterms, a chuckling President Trump responded: “Yeah, I do have big plans. Yeah, I have big plans. I want to survive.”
“You look at what’s going on, it’s crazy. The rhetoric that these crazy Democrats are using is very dangerous,” Trump insisted.
Trump repeatedly blames the president for government shutdowns in resurfaced clips
09:29
,
Alex Croft
Chuck Schumer calls cuts to energy projects 'illegal'
09:00
,
Rachel Dobkin
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has called nearly $8 billion in cuts to energy projects “illegal.”
“Trump’s Department of Energy is terminating ~$8B for 200+ energy projects,” Schumer wrote on X Thursday night. “Democrats are fighting this illegal action because we need to lower costs and produce more energy here in America.”
Trump’s Department of Energy is terminating ~$8B for 200+ energy projects. They think they’re punishing Democrats but what they’re really doing is taking a wrecking ball to working families by:
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) October 3, 2025
Raising electric bills
Putting local construction workers out of a job
Hurting the…
Politico reported earlier Thursday Senate Democrats claimed that unilaterally reducing spending approved by Congress is against the law.
Hours into the shutdown Wednesday, White House budget office director Russ Vought announced, “Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left's climate agenda is being cancelled” in 16 states.
Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left's climate agenda is being cancelled. More info to come from @ENERGY.
— Russ Vought (@russvought) October 1, 2025
The projects are in the following states: CA, CO, CT, DE, HI, IL, MD, MA, MN, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OR, VT, WA
All 16 states voted for the Democratic candidate, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, for president in 2024, instead of President Donald Trump, as noted by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.
Collins asked Energy Secretary Chris Wright Thursday, “Are you punishing only blue states?”
Wright responded: “Not at all. This is a partial list of an ongoing process. More project announcements will come.”
Trump posts video calling White House aide 'the reaper' ahead of federal cuts
08:30
,
Alex Croft
President Trump posted several videos and memes on Truth Social on which appeared to be trolling congressional Democrats.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought was the target of one which described him as the “grim reaper”.
"Russ Vought is the reaper / he wields the pen, the funds and the brain," is sung to the tune of Blue Öyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) The Reaper”, along with an animated video depicting Vought as the Grim Reaper itself with Trump on the cowbell and Vice President JD Vance on the drums.
Vought’s office is weighing up the federal cuts and layoffs which Trump has said could save the government “billions”.
Can I fly to and from the U.S. during the shutdown?
08:29
,
Alex Croft
The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder looks at whether airports are still functioning:
At the Department of Homeland Security, which looks after airport security as well as Customs and Border Protection, only nine per cent of staff – in back-office roles – will stop working. The remainder are classed as essential workers. Processing of international arrivals will continue as normal, as will screening of airline passengers boarding flights in the US.
But even though front-line staff continue to turn up, a technical failure that affected airport processing could cause problems for travellers. The trade body Airlines For America says: “The system may need to slow down, reducing efficiency.
“When federal employees who manage air traffic, inspect aircraft and secure our nation’s aviation system are furloughed or working without pay, the entire industry and millions of Americans feel the strain."
In previous shutdowns, some controllers have called in sick and the number of flights has been cut.
Given the number of cyberattacks on the travel industry recently, it is noteworthy that only one-third of the staff at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will keep working – at the start of what is officially Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
In July 1,000 staff at CISA were fired as part of the campaign for “government efficiency”.
Mike Johnson offers advice to ‘friend’ Hakeem Jeffries about racist Trump sombrero videos: ‘Just ignore it’
08:00
,
Rachel Dobkin
House Speaker Mike Johnson called on his “friend” Hakeem Jeffries to just shrug off the flurry of racist and vulgar AI-generated videos that President Donald Trump and other Republicans have posted featuring the House minority leader wearing a sombrero and sporting a cartoonish handlebar mustache.
“Just ignore it,” Johnson advised Jeffries on Thursday, adding that the memes are nothing more than “games” and “sideshows.”
Meanwhile, the speaker refused to offer any solution to the ongoing government shutdown, adding that it is up to Senate Democrats to pass the short-term stopgap spending bill that the House has already approved.
“I quite literally have nothing to negotiate,” Johnson declared in a press conference, blaming Democrats for “inflicting pain” on the American public and causing the shutdown in the first place.
Read more from Justin Baragona:
Education Department employees out-of-office emails changed to blame Democrats: report
07:00
,
Rachel Dobkin
Several workers inside the Education Department had their out-of-office emails changed to messages that blame the Democrats for the government shutdown, according to a new report.
“None of us consented to this. And it’s written in the first-person, as if I’m the one conveying this message, and I’m not. I don’t agree with it. I don’t think it’s ethical or legal. I think it violates the Hatch Act,” one employee told NBC News.
Madi Biedermann, the deputy assistant secretary for communications at the Education Department, told the outlet, “The email reminds those who reach out to Department of Education employees that we cannot respond because Senate Democrats are refusing to vote for a clean CR and fund the government. Where’s the lie?”
Alex Woodward does a deep dive into the legality of the Trump administration using federal resources to blame Democrats for the shutdown:
Hakeem Jeffries quotes Jay-Z in rebuke of GOP
06:00
,
Rachel Dobkin
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has quoted rapper Jay-Z in a rebuke of Republicans on the ‘high cost of living.”
“This year they've done nothing, ‘zip, zero, stingy with dinero’ to lower the high cost of living for every day Americans,” Jefferies told reporters Thursday, per Washington Post reporter Kadia Goba.
This was an apparent reference to Jay-Z’s 2000 hit song “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me).”
Watch: Tim Walz calls out GOP for posting 'memes' while federal workers are being furloughed
05:00
,
Rachel Dobkin
Tim Walz, Minnesota governor and former Democratic vice presidential candidate, called out Republicans Thursday for posting “memes” while federal workers are being furloughed.
Walz: It is outrageous for me to think that we are sending out memes and laughing at people and we have people being furloughed and programs being cut and these people are still receiving a paycheck pic.twitter.com/wIKhExXhtJ
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 2, 2025
President Donald Trump had posted AI-generated videos of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero and handlebar mustache, and GOP Senator Ted Cruz has followed suit:
The memes come amid Republicans’ baseless claims that Democrats are trying to give undocumented immigrants free healthcare in Congress’s federal funding fight.
Fox News host questions if Trump knew about Project 2025 'all long'
04:40
,
Rachel Dobkin
Fox News host John Roberts has read a recent social media post from Donald Trump, in which he referenced Project 2025, and asked if the president knew about the conservative plan “all along.”
Thursday morning, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was meeting with White House budget office director 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,” amid the government shutdown.
Later Thursday, Roberts, who was filling in for host Bret Baier on Special Report, also referenced a post from Trump in July 2024, in which he said, “I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who’s behind it,” per Mediaite.
“Did he just learn about Project 2025 in the last year, or did he know about it all along?” Robert asked.
In 2023, the Heritage Foundation released Project 2025 as a plan for “a White House more friendly to the right,” according to the conservative think tank.
Statue of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands mysteriously reappears on National Mall
04:20
,
Rachel Dobkin
A 12-foot-tall statue depicting President Donald Trump and late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein holding hands has reappeared on the National Mall, just days after its removal drew national attention.
The statue, titled “Best Friends Forever,” first appeared on September 23 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., accompanied by a plaque that read: “We celebrate the long-lasting bond between President Donald J. Trump and his ‘closest friend,’ Jeffrey Epstein.”
The statue had a permit to remain on the property until September 28, but it was hauled off only one day after it was installed. The Interior Department told The Washington Post that park officials removed the statue because it was “not compliant with the permit issued,” but did not elaborate on why it was out of compliance.
The Secret Handshake, a small anonymous group that claims to be behind the statue, previously told The Independent that the statue was broken as it was removed.
Read more from Katie Hawkinson:
Watch: Trump continues to baselessly claim Democrats want to give free healthcare to undocumented immigrants
04:01
,
Rachel Dobkin
President Donald Trump has continued to baselessly claim Democrats want to give free healthcare to undocumented immigrants.
"They want illegal aliens to get taken care of with healthcare,” Trump said on a One America News Network interview released Thursday. “Everybody in the world is going to enter our country and say, ‘Give us free healthcare.”’
Democrats are demanding things that "most people that are sane wouldn't want — and Patriots wouldn't want," says @POTUS.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 2, 2025
"They want us to take care of illegals. They want us to take care of people who could absolutely get a job... This is not what this was all about." pic.twitter.com/QPtJSxb5EN
The government shut down at midnight Wednesday after the Senate failed to pass a GOP short-term funding bill.
Democrats have demanded the reversal of Medicaid cuts from Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” and the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies in exchange for their support of a spending plan.
Republicans have claimed Democrats want to give undocumented immigrants free healthcare, despite the group not being eligible for federal healthcare programs aside from emergency services.
Energy secretary says cuts to climate-related projects not tied to government shutdown
03:40
,
Rachel Dobkin
Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said the nearly $8 billion in cuts to climate-related projects was not tied to the government shutdown.
Hours into the shutdown Wednesday, White House budget office director Russ Vought announced, “Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left's climate agenda is being cancelled” in 16 states.
Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left's climate agenda is being cancelled. More info to come from @ENERGY.
— Russ Vought (@russvought) October 1, 2025
The projects are in the following states: CA, CO, CT, DE, HI, IL, MD, MA, MN, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OR, VT, WA
When asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Thursday if the cuts had anything to do with the shutdown, Wright said, “No, our decisions have been made over the last few months.”
Collins: You're saying that should they reopen the government tomorrow, for example, that the department of energy is not going to restore these contracts?
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 3, 2025
Wright: No. These decisions are made, business decisions, whether it's a good use of taxpayer money or not. So, no, these… pic.twitter.com/z8FcCDXpZY
The government is shutting down. Immigration courts are wide open
03:20
,
Rachel Dobkin
While a federal government shutdown imperils critical services for millions of Americans, courthouses that handle the fates of immigrants across the country will remain open for business for Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
Shutdown contingency plans for the Department of Justice deemed immigration court staff essential, suggesting that tens of thousands of deportation cases can proceed as normal. The American Immigration Lawyers Association told members that cases for clients who are not in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers “are proceeding as usual” despite the government-wide shutdown.
“I have no reason to believe that it will change, because they want to deport as many people as they can,” according to Ohio immigration attorney Margaret Wong.
But Justice Department attorneys are also making dozens of requests to federal judges to pause high-profile immigration cases with the fates of tens of thousands of people at stake, citing a “lapse of appropriations” during the congressional budget fight that has prohibited lawyers from working on most cases “except in very limited circumstances.”
Read more from Alex Woodward:
White House has list of agencies soon to be hit with federal firings: report
03:00
,
Rachel Dobkin
The White House has created a list of agencies soon to be hit with federal firings, two Trump administration officials told CNN.
The list is expected to be announced “as early as Friday,” CNN’s Alayna Treene wrote on X Thursday.
The White House has already compiled a list of agencies it’s planning on targeting with impending federal firings, which it’s expecting to announce as early as Friday, two WH officials tell me
— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) October 2, 2025
The administration is still ironing out some of the specifics, but the list was…
Trump announced earlier Thursday he was meeting with White House budget office director Russ Vought “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.”
'Any time. Any place': Hakeem Jeffries agrees to meet with Trump and Vance in front of the press
02:40
,
Rachel Dobkin
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has agreed to meet with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in front of the press, telling MeidasTouch, “Any time. Any place.”
When asked by MeidasTouch co-founder Ben Meiselas on Thursday if he’s willing to meet with Trump, Vance and Senate Majority Leader John Thune in public at the U.S. Capitol building Friday Jeffries said, “Absolutely. Any time. Any place.”
“And we’ll even let [House Speaker] Mike Johnson into the meeting as well,” Jeffries added.
