“President Donald Trump asked the US Supreme Court to uphold his planned rollback of automatic birthright citizenship, setting up a high-stakes showdown as he seeks to topple what for more than a century has been widely understood to be a constitutional right,” Bloomberg reports.
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Justices Allow Trump to Freeze Foreign Aid
“The Supreme Court on Friday cleared the way for the Trump administration to freeze more than $4 billion in foreign aid for now, a victory for the president’s push to exert greater control over federal spending,” the Washington Post reports.
“The justices lifted a preliminary injunction from a federal judge who found the president had usurped Congress’s power of the purse by refusing to spend billions it had budgeted for food, medicine and development around the world.”
New York Times: “In its brief order, the court’s conservative majority said the president’s ability to conduct foreign affairs appeared ‘to outweigh the potential harm’ faced by foreign aid recipients.”
Des Moines School Superintendent Arrested by ICE
“Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts has been arrested by U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement for allegedly being in the United States illegally,” the Des Moines Register reports.
Nextar Brings Back Jimmy Kimmel
“Nexstar Media Group joined Sinclair Broadcast Group in bringing Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show back to its local TV stations on Friday night, ending a dayslong TV blackout for dozens of cities across the U.S.,” the AP reports.
“The move means ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ will return to local TV on Nexstar’s ABC affiliates in 28 cities, along with the 38 stations where Sinclair agreed to restore the show.”
Schumer’s Shutdown War Room
“Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and his staff are closely coordinating their government shutdown strategy with outside liberal groups,” Axios reports.
“The same groups slammed Schumer earlier this year for caving on government funding. This time, the Democratic leader is playing to his base.”
Trump Expands Tariffs Beyond Supreme Court’s Reach
“The fate of many of President Trump’s tariffs hangs in the balance at the Supreme Court, but he is rapidly building out a backup plan,” the New York Times reports.
“The Supreme Court is set to begin considering whether the tariffs that Mr. Trump has placed on countries including Switzerland and India earlier this year are unconstitutional. But the Trump administration has been erecting another system of tariffs that is impervious to the legal challenge.”
Hegseth Puts Us All at Risk
Timothy Snyder: “My historian colleagues might correct me, but I do not think anyone at least in recent history has done what Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is about to do: put all of the American generals and admirals from around the world into a single room (next week, in Virginia) just to say something to them.”
“There is no practical reason to do this: he has easier and more secure ways to communicate with the commanders. And there are obvious risks: the entire armed forces of the United States, spread around the world, will be without its leaders. Given that the government could well shut down the next day, the separation of commanders from their command might be indefinite.”
“And if Hegseth has his way, those generals and admirals will all be in one site, announced in advance, which means that the entirety of the American command structure will be more vulnerable, physically, than in any conceivable military scenario, including nuclear war. There is no scenario other than this one in which they would all be in the same place at the same time.”
Senate Republicans to Exert More Pressure on Democrats
Senate Republicans will hold a second vote on a short term funding resolution on Tuesday — just hours before the deadline for shutting down the government, Politico reports.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“If I were a Democrat and Russ Vought was in charge of OMB, I would have nightmares about what Russ could do that you couldn’t undo when government reopens. Russ has waited for this moment his whole life.”
— Erick Erickson, quoted by the Boston Globe.
Democratic Favorability Hits New Low
A new Quinnipiac poll finds only 30% of voters have a favorable view of Democrats, the lowest favorability rating for the Democratic party since the asking voters this question beginning in 2008.
Hegseth to Address Generals on the ‘Warrior Ethos’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered hundreds of generals to travel on short notice from around the world to hear him make a short speech on military standards and the “warrior ethos,” the Washington Post reports.
Sinclair Ends Jimmy Kimmel Boycott
Sinclair, one of two large local TV owners that dropped “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after the late-night comedian’s remarks on the Trump administration’s reaction to Charlie Kirk’s assassination, said on Friday that it would resume showing the program, the New York Times reports.
Brendan Carr Is Suddenly Silent
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Quote of the Day
“Even though we are still being preempted in 60 American cities, on Tuesday, we had our second-highest rated show in almost 23 years on the air. Our monologue from Tuesday night has more than 21 million views just on YouTube alone. And I want to say, we couldn’t have done it without you, Mr. President. Thank you very much. We got the Trump bump, and we appreciate it.”
— Jimmy Kimmel, on his show last night.
Trump Bets the Midterms on His Base
Financial Times: “Even in the face of relatively lackluster approval ratings and a vulnerable economy, and with midterm elections little more than a year away, Trump is willing to risk the perception that he is exceeding his powers and overplaying his hand — almost on a daily basis — in order to galvanize his devoted base of rightwing and conservative voters.”
“In an era where social media and vibes are driving so much of public life, Trump seems to be betting that if he can keep dominating the nation’s attention, this will allow him to defy conventional political gravity.”
Biden’s Pardons Look Prescient After Comey Indictment
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Iran’s President Says Trump Could ‘Set Fire’ to Middle East
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Friday that president Donald Trump’s actions could “set fire” to the region, NBC News reports.
Epstein Papers Mention Possible Meeting with Elon Musk
“Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released partial records from a third batch of documents they received from the Jeffrey Epstein estate earlier this week that includes notes that contain the names of current and former Trump allies Elon Musk and Steve Bannon, as well as Peter Thiel and Prince Andrew,” NOTUS reports.
