Day 11 of posting a thread every day until Republicans gain a soul and restore healthcare to Americans.


Day 11 Updates:
- Marjorie Taylor Greene blames GOP leadership for shutdown https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/greene-blames-gop-leadership-shutdown
- Democrats win momentum over GOP in shutdown fight https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5545981-shutdown-momentum-democrats/
- MSNBC bursts out laughing as host cheers MAGA lawmaker for slamming GOP leadership https://www.rawstory.com/government-shutdown-2674175892/
- GOP 'dysfunction' blamed as millions of American families could soon go hungry https://www.rawstory.com/gop-shutdown-2674171331/
- Poll finds more Americans blame Trump, GOP for shutdown than Democrats https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/poll-finds-americans-blame-trump-gop-shutdown-democrats/story?id=126162507

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-ag-letitia-james-indicted-in-virginia-after-investigation-by-trumps-doj/

A grand jury indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday, according to the clerk of court in the Eastern District of Virginia, marking the second Trump foe to face federal prosecution in recent weeks.

The indictment came exactly two weeks after a grand jury in the same Virginia courthouse voted to indict former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying to Congress.

Last month, Mr. Trump publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to look into Comey, James and a third longtime Trump antagonist, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California.

James has drawn Mr. Trump's ire for years. Her office sued the president and the Trump Organization for fraud in 2022, leading a judge to issue a nine-figure judgment against the company. Mr. Trump has referred to James as "scum," "corrupt" and "racist."

CBS News has reached out to the Justice Department and James' office for comment.

The charges against James are unclear. In May, CBS News reported that the Justice Department had launched a criminal probe into James around alleged mortgage fraud. Three months later, the Justice Department expanded its investigation into James for her office's handling of its Trump Organization probe.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/luigi-mangiones-lawyers-push-dismissal-federal-charges-assassination-u-rcna237057
Lawyers for Luigi Mangione asked a New York federal judge Saturday to dismiss some criminal charges, including the only count for which he could face the death penalty, from a federal indictment brought against him in the December assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive.

In papers filed in Manhattan federal court, the lawyers said prosecutors should also be prevented from using at trial his statements to law enforcement officers and his backpack where a gun and ammunition were found.

They said Mangione was not read his rights before he was questioned by law enforcement officers, who arrested him after Brian Thompson was fatally shot as he arrived at a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference.

They added that officers did not obtain a warrant before searching Mangione’s backpack.

Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges in the fatal shooting of Brian Thompson on Dec. 4 as he arrived at a Manhattan hotel for his company’s annual investor conference.

The killing set off a multi-state search after the suspected shooter slipped away from the scene and rode a bike to Central Park, before taking a taxi to a bus depot that offers service to several nearby states.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/11/donald-trump-and-abdel-fattah-al-sisi-to-chair-gaza-peace-summit
Donald Trump and the Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, are due to chair a Gaza peace summit with several world leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday.

The meeting would take place on Monday afternoon in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh “with the participation of leaders from more than 20 countries”, the Egyptian presidency said.

It will aim “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability”.

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, said he would attend, as will Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, and Pedro Sánchez of Spain. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has also confirmed his attendance.

There was no immediate word about whether Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu would be in Sharm el-Sheikh. Hamas has said it will not take part.

On Saturday, three Qatari diplomats were killed in a car crash at the Red Sea resort, two security sources told Reuters. Two diplomats were also wounded, the security sources said.

The summit was arranged after Israel and Hamas agreed on a ceasefire and prisoner-swap deal after intense indirect negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh in recent days. More than 67,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza. The war began after a Hamas-led incursion into Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

The negotiations, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, and involving the US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, precipitated the truce and subsequent increase of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The announcement came as thousands of Palestinians journeyed along the north of Gaza on Saturday, trekking by foot, car and cart back to what was left of their homes.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/12/china-warns-us-of-retaliation-over-trump-100-tariffs-threat
Beijing has told the US it will retaliate if Donald Trump fails to back down on his threat to impose 100% tariffs on Chinese imports as investors brace for another bout of trade war turmoil.

China’s commerce ministry blamed Washington for raising trade tensions between the two countries after Trump announced on Friday that he would impose the additional tariffs on China’s exports to the US, along with new controls on critical software, by 1 November.

“Wilful threats of high tariffs are not the right way to get along with China,” a spokesperson for the commerce ministry said on Sunday, according to the state news agency Xinhua. “China’s position on the trade war is consistent. We do not want it, but we are not afraid of it.

“If the United States insists on going the wrong way, China will surely take resolute measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests.”

The US president shocked the financial markets on Friday when he accused China of “very hostile” moves to restrict exports of rare-earth materials needed by US industry.

It prompted heavy falls on Wall Street, where about $2tn (£1.5tn) was wiped off the value of the US stocks.

China insisted on Sunday that its latest export controls on rare earths such as holmium, erbium, thulium, europium and ytterbium were legitimate.

“China’s export controls are not export bans,” said the commerce ministry spokesperson. “All applications of compliant export for civil use can get approval, so that relevant businesses have no need to worry.”

The measures were introduced after Washington added a number of Chinese firms to its export control list in a crackdown on the use of foreign affiliates to circumvent export curbs on chipmaking equipment and other goods and technology.

https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-federal-worker-firings-0439e8d0979d9a32e021c5c851fea1cf
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House budget office said Friday that mass firings of federal workers have started, an attempt by President Donald Trump’s administration to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown dragged into a 10th day.

Russ Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said on the social media site X that the “RIFs have begun,” referring to reduction-in-force plans aimed at reducing the size of the federal government.

In a court filing, the budget office said well over 4,000 employees would be fired, though it noted that the funding situation was “fluid and rapidly evolving.”

The firings would hit the hardest at the departments of the Treasury, which would lose over 1,400 employees, and Health and Human Services, with a loss of over 1,100. The Education Department and Housing and Urban Development each would lose over 400 staffers. The departments of Commerce, Energy and Homeland Security and the Environmental Protection Agency were all set to fire hundreds of more employees. It was not clear which particular programs would be affected.

The aggressive move by Trump’s budget office goes far beyond what usually happens in a government shutdown and escalates an already politically toxic dynamic between the White House and Congress. Talks to end the shutdown are almost nonexistent.

Typically, federal workers are furloughed but restored to their jobs once the shutdown ends, traditionally with back pay. Some 750,000 employees are expected to be furloughed during the shutdown, officials have said.

In comments to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday night, Trump said many people would be losing their jobs, and that the firings would be focused on Democrat-oriented areas, though he didn’t explain exactly what that meant.

https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-afghanistan-border-6089d7b9cf33d2dcac365808ad3dad53
Afghanistan said Sunday it killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border operations, in response to what it called repeated violations of its territory and airspace.

Earlier, Taliban authorities accused Pakistan of bombing the capital, Kabul, and a market in the country’s east. Pakistan did not claim responsibility for the assault.

The Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Afghan forces have captured 25 Pakistani army posts, 58 soldiers have been killed, and 30 others wounded.

“The situation on all official borders and de facto lines of Afghanistan is under complete control, and illegal activities have been largely prevented,” Mujahid told a press conference in Kabul. There was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan about casualties.

Pakistan has previously struck locations inside Afghanistan, targeting what it alleges are militant hideouts, but these have been in remote and mountainous areas. The two sides have also skirmished along the border in the past. Saturday night’s heavy clashes underscore the deepening tensions.

The Taliban government’s Defense Ministry said early Sunday morning its forces had conducted “retaliatory and successful operations” along the border.

“If the opposing side again violates Afghanistan’s territorial integrity, our armed forces are fully prepared to defend the nation’s borders and will deliver a strong response,” the ministry added.

The Torkham border crossing, one of two main trade routes between the two countries, did not open on Sunday at its usual time of 8 am.

The crossing at Chaman, southwest Pakistan, was also closed. People, including Afghan refugees leaving Pakistan, were turned away due to the worsening security situation.

An Associated Press reporter in Chaman heard jets over Spin Boldak, a city in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province, and saw smoke rising after an explosion.

https://t.me/nickjfuentes

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62lp7yd1jeo
Afghanistan's Taliban government has accused Pakistan of violating Kabul's "sovereign territory", describing it as an "unprecedented, violent, and provocative act".
The allegation comes after two loud blasts were heard in the city late on Thursday.

Pakistan had also bombed a civilian market in the border province of Patika, in Afghanistan's south-east, the Taliban Defence Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

Pakistan has neither confirmed nor denied that they launched an attack inside Afghanistan.
However, during a press conference held in the city of Peshawar on Friday, a top general alleged Afghanistan was being used as a "base of operation for terrorism against Pakistan".
"To safeguard Pakistani lives and properties, what measures need to be taken will be taken," General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry added.

Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban of permitting the Pakistan Taliban, also known as the TTP, to operate from their land. The Taliban government have always denied this.

Rumours had circulated that the blasts in Kabul were part of a targeted attack on the TTP's leader, Noor Wali Mehsud.
In response, the TTP released an unverified voice note from Mehsud saying he was still alive.

Exactly what happened is unclear; BBC Afghan's correspondent saw no signs of an explosion in the suspected location of the blasts on Friday, but did report a heavy Taliban presence and mobile checkpoints.
The Taliban Defence Ministry warned in its statement that, should the situation become worse, "the consequences will be attributable to the Pakistani army".
However, the Taliban's foreign minister - who is currently in the Indian capital Delhi - said they wanted to maintain good relations with Pakistan.
"Pakistan should not repeat this mistake," Amir Khan Muttaqi told a select group of 16 male journalists from Indian media. "Our issues can be solved by negotiation not by war."

Day 10 of making a thread every day until Democrats allow the US government to re-open

Day 10 Updates:
- Vought begins layoffs, workers receive 60 day notice https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/government-shutdown-live-updates-as-military-poised-to-miss-first-paychecks-next-week/
- Agencies impacted by layoffs include dept. of education, health and human services, cisa, and the treasury https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/oct/10/letitia-james-donald-trump-us-politics-live-news-updates
- Congress will not vote on new issues until the Democrats re-open the government https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-johnson-house-gop-leadership-hold-news-briefing-on-shutdown-as-deadlock-continues

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.