https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5541305-comer-comey-subpoena-epstein/
Coomer withdraws subpoena after Coomey claims no information on Epstein

Former FBI Director James Coomey will not testify as part of the Republican investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

Coomey was scheduled to be deposed Tuesday by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee as part of the panel’s ongoing probe into Epstein, the deceased child sex offender. Committee Chair James Coomer (R-Ky.) had subpoenaed Coomey in August for that testimony.

But in a letter to Coomer dated Oct. 1, Coomey said he simply has no “knowledge” or “information relevant to the Committee’s investigation.”

“I offer this letter in lieu of a deposition that would unproductively consume the Committee’s scarce time and resources,” Coomey wrote.

Coomey had served as deputy attorney general from 2003 to 2005 and then as FBI director for almost four years beginning in September 2013. Both periods are being scrutinized by the Oversight panel, which is seeking information on Epstein from 1990 until his death in prison in 2019.

“At no time during my service at the Department of Justice or the FBI do I recall any information or conversations that related to Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell,” Coomey wrote. Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend and long-time associate, is serving 20 years in prison for crimes related to the sex trafficking of minors.

The letter is subject to a provision of federal law that makes it a crime — punishable by prison time — to give false statements to agents of the government. With that in mind, Coomer accepted Coomey’s statement and withdrew the subpoena demanding his testimony.

Coomey’s message was similar to those delivered by former Attorneys General Eric Holder and Merrick Garland, who were also subpoenaed to appear before the Oversight panel. Coomer withdrew those subpoenas as well in recent days.

> Thread theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSVqj0izi2c

https://nypost.com/2025/10/04/us-news/us-border-patrol-agents-shoot-woman-in-chicago-after-they-were-boxed-in-by-cars/

> U.S. Border Patrol agents shot an armed woman in Chicago Saturday after an angry mob tried to attack the law enforcement officers.

> The group of agents were conducting their routine patrol near 39th Place and South Kedzie Avenue in the city’s South Side “when they were attacked and rammed by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars,” the Department of Homeland Security said.

> “The officers exited their trapped vehicle, when a suspect tried to run them over, forcing the officers to fire defensively,” according to DHS, which called the incident “an evolving situation” and noted FBI agents were currently on the scene.

> The suspect, who is a U.S. citizen, was armed with a semi-automatic weapon, department spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said.

> The gun-toting woman was already known to the federal agency for allegedly publicly identifying agents and encouraging people to attack them, according to McLaughlin.

> “The armed woman was named in a CBP intelligence bulletin last week for doxing agents and posting online ‘Hey to all my gang let’s f–k those mother f–kers up, don’t let them take anyone,’” McLaughlin wrote on X.

> More federal agents were set to be deployed because of the incident, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X.

> “Today in Chicago, members of our brave law enforcement were attacked—rammed and boxed in by ten vehicles, including an attacker with a semi-automatic weapon.I am deploying more special operations to control the scene. Reinforcements are on their way,” she wrote.

> “If you see a law enforcement officer today, thank them,” Noem added.

Day 3 of making a thread every day until Democrats allow the US government to re-open

Day 3 Updates:
- Trump is "trolling" Democrats with AI memes featuring Vought as a grim reaper to the sound of "Don't Fear The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult, with Trump on cowbell and Vance on the drums https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10/03/us/trump-news-government-shutdown also https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115307915499158903
- Majorities of every political identity support expanding health insurance subsidies https://www.newsweek.com/most-maga-voters-back-democrats-key-government-shutdown-demandpoll-10825592
- Trump cuts federal aid to Chicago for transportation projects, and is considering similar cuts against Portland https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/trump-admin-live-updates/?id=126029955
- Thune supports negotiating healthcare subsidies with Democrats but demand that it should be done without shutting down the government https://www.newsweek.com/senate-republican-leader-floats-bid-to-end-government-shutdown-10815315
- The Senate did not vote on Thursday in observance of the Yom Kippur holiday. https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/government-shutdown-latest-second-day-trump-johnson/


At the heart of the standoff is Democratic Party demands that Republicans agree to an additional $700bn in spending by restoring cuts to healthcare that were enacted over the summer and make permanent the expiring temporary COVID emergency health care credits enacted in 2023 that are due to expire Jan 1, 2026.

Day 4 of making a thread every day until Democrats allow the US government to re-open

Day 4 Updates:
- Plans to End Government Shutdown Fail in Senate for 4th Time https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10/03/us/trump-news-government-shutdown
- Time is short for an ACA premium fix in the shutdown fight, says GOP insurance leader. Democratic lawmakers say extending enhanced premium tax credits is urgent, with open enrollment weeks away. Republican lawmakers say there's time to negotiate over a policy later, since the subsidies expire in December. https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/10/04/nx-s1-5562517/aca-obamacare-shutdown-trump-naic-health-insurance
- Republicans control the Senate but need at least eight Democratic caucus members to vote with them to overcome a filibuster and end the shutdown. So far, they have just three. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/three-key-democratic-senators-watch-government-shutdown-standoff-rcna235413
- Firings loom: Agencies and activities deemed essential are still open, but many employees will be working without a paycheck, and the Trump administration has signaled thousands of government layoffs could begin soon. https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/government-shutdown-news-10-04-25
- Agency shutdown messaging draws Hatch Act, Antideficiency Act challenges https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-shutdown/2025/10/agency-shutdown-messaging-draws-hatch-act-antideficiency-act-challenges/


At the heart of the standoff is Democratic Party demands that Republicans agree to an additional $700bn in spending by restoring cuts to healthcare that were enacted over the summer and make permanent the expiring temporary COVID emergency health care credits enacted in 2023 that are due to expire Jan 1, 2026.

Day 5 of making a thread every day until Democrats allow the US government to re-open

Day 5 Updates:
- Government shutdown enters fifth day as Democrats and Republicans remain at an impasse https://apnews.com/article/trump-democrat-schumer-shutdown-thune-jeffries-3891740009c19847590be2a0fd6d1fd4
- House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, where they addressed the current status of funding talks on Capitol Hill. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/05/government-shutdown-weekend-trump-democrats/86506071007/
- Trump Renews Layoff Threats as Shutdown Accusations Continue to Fly https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/05/us/politics/trump-democrats-shutdown.html (no paywall: https://archive.is/X03Pj)
- White House threatens mass layoffs amid deepening US government shutdown https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/10/5/white-house-threatens-mass-layoffs-amid-deepening-us-government-shutdown

At the heart of the standoff is Democratic Party demands that Republicans agree to an additional $700bn in spending by restoring cuts to healthcare that were enacted over the summer and make permanent the expiring temporary COVID emergency health care credits enacted in 2023 that are due to expire Jan 1, 2026.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/10/02/naked-bike-protest-portland-trump/86473549007/
In Portland, it's not odd to see throngs of naked bicyclists covered in bright body paint riding through the city. But this year, a familiar sight is striking a more political tone.

Organizers for the group World Naked Bike Ride Portland announced plans for an "Emergency" event to protest the Trump administration’s deployment of federalized National Guard troops to the liberal stronghold.

"Emergency World Naked Bike Ride coming up in response to the militarization of our city," a post on the group's Instagram said. "Plans are being worked on."

Organizers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A date for the protest has not yet been provided.

Portland has hosted annual naked bike rides since 2004 as a statement on cyclists' rights, body positivity and a protest against fossil fuel companies. The event draws thousands of cyclists to the streets where they bare it all. In Oregon, public nudity is legally considered a form of protest.

The planned anti-Trump cycling protest is not affiliated with Portland World Naked Bike Ride, the group that hosts the largely attended annual event. The offshoot, named World Naked Bike Ride Portland, has hosted protests in recent years including a nude ride against Zenith Energy, a fuel storage company that has faced scrutiny over its terminal along the Willamette River in northwest Portland.

Naked cycling culture has taken hold in cities across the United States, and the rides themselves often address local issues. Last month, a nude bike ride was held in Houston to advocate for better cycling infrastructure and protest the removal of a protected bike lane.

Many of the rides – including the one protesting National Guard troops in Portland – are unaffiliated with the organization World Naked Bike Ride, which has held rides in New Zealand, Mexico, Argentina, Japan, Canada and more than a dozen other countries.

California passes a bill which will require developers of any operating system to implement a kernel API which will require that users of the operating system verify their identity when using the system.
This is supposedly to protect children from the dangers of downloading apps from the app store provided by their computer or mobile device.
https://news.bgov.com/bloomberg-government-news/app-stores-face-age-verification-task-in-cleared-california-bill
https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1043/id/3268012
The state Assembly approved revisions to the measure (AB 1043) by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D) that would require app stores to check user ages to download apps and make purchases. The Senate earlier passed the measure 38-0 on Friday

This bill bill, beginning January 1, 2027, would require, among other things related to age verification on the internet, a covered manufacturer with respect to software applications, an operating system provider, as defined, to provide an accessible interface at account setup that requires an account holder, as defined, to indicate the birth date, age, or both, of the user of that device for the sole purpose of providing a signal regarding the user’s age bracket to applications available in a covered application store and to provide a developer, as defined, who has requested a signal with respect to a particular user with a digital signal via a reasonably consistent real-time application programming interface regarding whether a user is in any of several age brackets, as prescribed. The bill would define “covered manufacturer” to mean a person who is a manufacturer of a device, an operating system for a device, or a covered application store. The bill would require a developer to request a signal with respect to a particular user from a covered manufacturer an operating system provider or a covered application store when that user requests to download an application. the application is downloaded and launched.

https://apnews.com/article/vaccines-autism-study-da78aea6421a1fb568c9ee1490f5681e

Federal health officials intend to award a contract to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to investigate whether there is a link between vaccinations and autism, according to a government procurement notice.

The Troy, New York, engineering school is getting the no-bid contract because of its “unique ability” to link data on children and mothers, according to the notice posted this week.

Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to questions about the notice, including how much the contract is for or what exactly the researchers intend to do.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading voice in the antivaccine movement before President Donald Trump selected him to oversee federal health agencies, announced in April a “massive testing and research effort” to determine the cause of autism by this month. He has repeatedly tried to link vaccines to the condition.

An RPI biotech engineering professor, Juergen Hahn, has used artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to look for patterns in blood samples of children with autism. Hahn “is renowned for the quality and rigor of his research,” RPI officials said in a statement acknowledging the intended grant.

“If this project is awarded, he intends to publish the results of his work at the conclusion of the project,” the statement added.

The Associated Press left messages seeking comment from Hahn.

The notice raises many questions, said Alycia Halladay, who oversees research activities and grants for the Autism Science Foundation.

RPI is not known in the field as having any special access to data on this kind of question and “wouldn’t be the obvious choice,” Halladay said.

It’s also not clear how the contract fits into other autism research that the government may be planning, she said.

A gang of terrorists in Illinois boxed in CBP agents with vehicles while another terrorist attempted to ram them. CBP agents successfully refused the situation by shooting the driver trying to ram them, who has been released from medical and charged by the FBI along with her friends
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5539362-vehicle-ramming-federal-agents-broadview/
Armed woman shot after ramming law enforcement vehicle amid ICE protests: DHS

An armed woman was shot after driving her vehicle into federal agents in Broadview, Ill., on Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said.

According to a DHS statement obtained by NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network, the woman, Marimar Martinez, rammed agents from Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). Martinez was armed with a semi-automatic weapon, authorities said, adding that she was shot by CBP agents and has been discharged from the hospital.

DHS said that Martinez is in FBI custody and that another driver, Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, was apprehended by law enforcement. DHS added that two more individuals were arrested, one for allegedly assaulting CBP at the scene and another for allegedly ramming an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicle.

Several CBP officers were hospitalized, officials said.

In a Saturday post on social platform X, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that Martinez “was named in a CBP intelligence bulletin last week for doxing agents.”

The incident occurred amid protests regarding the presence of ICE agents in Broadview, Ill., located roughly 20 minutes from Chicago. DHS said in a release that 10 cars “boxed in” the Border Patrol agents. Martinez then allegedly attempted to run over the agents, who then fired at the woman.

ICE operates a facility in the village of just under 8,000 residents. Last month, ICE launched Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago, boosting its enforcement presence in the third-largest city in the U.S.