Key Events (10)
Trump met with budget chief Russell Vought to discuss using the government shutdown to pursue deep cuts to federal agencies, describing it as an 'unprecedented opportunity.' The White House is targeting what Trump called 'Democrat agencies' as the shutdown entered its second day.
Trump officials sent offers to nine top universities—including Brown and MIT—conditioning federal funding on adopting conservative priorities, including freezing tuition and adopting strict gender definitions. California Governor Gavin Newsom vowed to cut state funding to any schools accepting the agreement.
The Trump FCC chair is scheduled to testify before a Senate panel regarding his apparent pressure on broadcasters to suspend Jimmy Kimmel's show. The decision comes amid broader scrutiny of the agency's role in content moderation.
The White House displayed racist deepfake videos mocking Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries on loop during the shutdown. Vice President JD Vance called the content 'funny' and suggested the memes would stop once the government reopened.
Trump falsely claimed via social media that National Guard troops were deployed and 'in place' in Portland, despite no evidence of any Guard presence in the city.
Federal agencies are sending out-of-office messages and updating websites with partisan statements blaming Democrats for the shutdown, a practice that experts suggest may violate the Hatch Act restricting political activity by government employees.
Advocates reported that migrant families are being separated during recent deportation operations as a retaliatory measure, reviving a controversial practice from Trump's first administration.
The U.S. is reportedly providing Ukraine with intelligence on long-range energy targets in Russia, signaling a significant shift in White House support for Kyiv. The move comes as Trump grows frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Trump administration determined that the U.S. is at war with drug cartels, with a notice classifying people recently killed by U.S. military operations in the Caribbean Sea as 'unlawful combatants.' Congress was briefed on the determination.
The FDA approved a generic version of mifepristone (the abortion pill) produced by Evita Solutions, with abortion rights supporters hailing the approval as a win for evidence-backed medicine while anti-abortion groups expressed strong opposition.