Although ABC affiliate stations owned by Sinclair and Nexstar Media Group refused to air the return of Jimmy Kimmel’s show last night, his monologue was viewed by more than 7 million people within hours on YouTube, Fast Company reports.
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SEC Dropped a Complaint Against Chairman’s Ex-Client
“In 2018, Paul Atkins was paid $1,450 an hour to be an expert witness by Devon Archer’s lawyers as they tried to undermine accusations that their client defrauded a Native American tribal entity and others out of $60 million,” the New York Times reports.
“While Mr. Archer was convicted anyway, he was pardoned by President Trump in March.”
“And last week, with Mr. Atkins serving as the Trump-appointed chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, his agency moved to dismiss a civil case against Mr. Archer related to the same fraud.”
Trump Races to Consolidate Power Before the Midterms
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Three People Shot at ICE Field Office in Dallas
Three people were shot at the Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office on Wednesday morning, ABC News reports.
U.S. Negotiating $20 Billion Swap Line With Argentina
“The U.S. is discussing a $20 billion swap line with Argentina and is ready to buy up the country’s dollar bonds, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, giving President Javier Milei ‘a bridge’ until key midterm elections next month,” Bloomberg reports.
“The move is a vote of confidence from President Donald Trump for libertarian ally Milei following a meeting between the two leaders and their teams Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.”
Sharice Davids Could Run for Senate in Kansas
Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS) may run for Senate next year if her district is redrawn by Republicans, Punchbowl News reports.
Trump Aides Responsible for Malfunctions at U.N.
“President Donald Trump broke from his prepared remarks at the United Nations on Tuesday to bemoan an inoperable escalator and a defective teleprompter, using the incidents to portray the global body as dysfunctional,” the AP reports.
“But it turns out the cause was closer to Trump.”
A U.N. spokesman “said a videographer from the U.S. delegation who ran ahead of him triggered the stop mechanism at the top of the escalator” and “may have inadvertently triggered the safety function.”
And it was the White House that “was operating the teleprompter for the president.”
Hundreds of Federal Employees Rehired
“Hundreds of federal employees who lost their jobs in Elon Musk’s cost-cutting blitz are being asked to return to work,” the AP reports.
“The General Services Administration has given the employees — who managed government workspaces — until the end of the week to accept or decline reinstatement… Those who accept must report to work on Oct. 6 after what amounts to a seven-month paid vacation.”
Does Trump Really Think Ukraine Can Win?
Tom Nichols: “President Donald Trump threw one of the most important tenets of his own foreign policy into a 180-degree turn, reversing course without even slowing down. Trump has always been overly deferential to Vladimir Putin, including enabling the Russian president’s war in Ukraine. Now Trump appears to be signaling that he’s fed up with the Kremlin. But is he?”
Dan Sabbagh: Trump’s change in tone is valuable to Ukraine – but more than words are needed.
Small Business Confidence Hits New High
“An index that measures the confidence of small-business owners surged to its highest level since 2017,” Axios reports.
“The index, published by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, is somewhat surprising given that other indicators are showing the labor market is deteriorating and inflation is worsening.”
Could Republicans Botch This Shutdown Showdown?
Punchbowl News: “A string of missteps has provided Democrats a boost in the back-and-forth battle over who would be responsible for a shutdown if federal agencies run out of money in seven days.”
“President Donald Trump Tuesday abruptly canceled a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, giving Democrats an opening to paint him as indifferent to finding the votes he needs to keep the government open.”
“House Democrats also are jumping on Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to keep the House on recess beyond the start of a shutdown as proof that the GOP isn’t taking the crisis seriously.”
Why We May Not Be Russia or Hungary
Paul Krugman: “It’s irrefutable now: Trump is nakedly following the playbook of autocrats like Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orban. As his poll numbers fall, he is rushing to lock in permanent power by punishing his opponents and intimidating everyone else into submission. Craven congressional Republicans and a complicit Supreme Court have abetted Trump’s destruction of our democratic safeguards and norms.”
“Yet Trump has a significant problem that neither Putin nor Orban faced. When Putin and Orban were consolidating their autocratics, they were genuinely popular. They were perceived by the public as effective and competent leaders. Just nine months into his presidency, Trump, by contrast, is deeply unpopular. He is increasingly seen as chaotic and inept.”
David Frum: “The president is gambling that he can consolidate authority before the public turns too sharply against him.”
For members: Trump’s Coalition Shows Signs of Cracking
Peter Thiel Wants Everyone to Think About the Antichrist
“Peter Thiel, the billionaire investor in data, AI, defense and weapons development technology companies, wants everyone to think more about the end of the world,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“For about a year now, Thiel has been publicly laying out his understanding of biblical prophecies and the potential for the rapid advance of technology to bring about an apocalyptic future.”
“In a lecture Monday, he encouraged an audience to continue working toward scientific progress, whether in AI or other forms of technology. Fearing or regulating it, or opposing technological progress, would hasten the coming of the Antichrist, Thiel said.”
Trump Slams Jimmy Kimmel’s Return
“President Trump claimed Tuesday night that ABC told White House officials that Jimmy Kimmel’s show had been canceled over his comments in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing,” Axios reports.
Said Trump: “I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million,”
He added: “This one sounds even more lucrative. A true bunch of losers!”
White House Sees Conspiracy in Stopped Escalator
Playbook: “Causing a far bigger ruckus than simple matters of war and peace is EscalatorGate — the White House-fueled conspiracy theory that supposed Trump-hating U.N. officials forced the president to walk up the stairs before his speech yesterday by sabotaging his escalator.”
“As evidence, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted a Times of London article from last weekend in which anonymous U.N. officials had joked about precisely such an act.”
Roles Are Reversed in Shutdown Fight
“On one side is the minority party, using what little leverage it has — a looming government funding deadline — to push for priorities it can’t enact otherwise. On the other is the majority, insisting a short-term funding punt is no place for negotiation,” Politico reports.
“If that sounds familiar, that’s because just such a scenario has played out dozens of times on Capitol Hill over the past decade and a half — usually with Republicans pushing for policy concessions and Democrats insisting on a ‘clean’ stopgap.”
“Not this time. The roles have been reversed between the two parties as Congress barrels toward a government shutdown Oct. 1 with no obvious off-ramp in sight.”
Schumer’s Leadership Is Increasingly Toxic
“Chuck Schumer is losing support among a key constituency: The Democrats who want to join his caucus,” Politico reports.
“Schumer is running into a wall of resistance from a crop of largely insurgent Senate candidates in key races — from safe seats, to top targets, to reach states — as he hustles to recruit a slate of strong contenders to compete across an unfavorable map.”
“Politico surveyed major Democratic candidates across open Senate races and seats the party is aiming to flip. Of the 18 who responded, none endorsed Schumer for leader.”
Sometimes Resistance Is the Point
Playbook: “Dems have been torn for weeks. They know — as we all do — the received wisdom: that the American public hates shutdowns and tends to blame whichever party failed to back a funding bill. And they know exactly how a shutdown is likely to play out. It’s hard to see Republicans buckling under pressure — meaning at some point, Dems would have to come back to the table, and likely with nothing to show for it.”
“But sometimes in politics, resistance is the point.”
“Think of it this way: Forcing a shutdown is the legislative equivalent of Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-N.J.) record-busting 25-hour filibuster earlier this year: futile, but also guaranteed to secure wall-to-wall media coverage, and to show Dem activists that at least some in the party are willing to use every tool at their disposal to fight back.”
