Daniel Hampton

President Donald Trump found himself under fire from critics on Friday night after his administration begged the Supreme Court on Friday night to block a ruling forcing him to fully cover food stamp benefits for tens of millions of Americans in need.

Trump's team filed an emergency request hours after the administration said it would abide by a court ruling to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. That followed a ruling from Rhode Island District Judge John McConnell.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture told states it was working to comply with McConnell’s order.

Instead, on Friday night, Trump's team asked the Supreme Court to immediately step in and block the ruling by 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time, CNN reported.

“Such a funding lapse is a crisis,” the administration reportedly said in its emergency appeal. “But it is a crisis occasioned by congressional failure and one that can only be solved through congressional action.”

“The district court’s ruling is untenable at every turn,” U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the high court.

Trump's move predictably led to immediate outrage.

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) wrote on X, "Suing to starve people.. great job @POTUS."

Progressive influencer Brian Krassenstein noted on X, "And then moments after he headed to his resort in Mar-a-Lago with his billionaire friends."

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) wrote on X, "This psycho behavior. The money is there. Just feed the Americans you absolute maniacs."

X user Mike Holden wrote, "Trump fans voted to have their food withdrawn."

Fellow X user Paul Tencher, who has worked with multiple U.S. senators, including Ed Markey (D-MA ), chided, "The Republicans and their leader filed a lawsuit to stop hungry kids from being fed."

America has elected its first Muslim-American woman to a statewide elected office, if election projections hold.

CNN projected late Tuesday that Democrat Ghazala Hashmi won the election for Virginia's lieutenant governor race, securing a victory along with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger. Hashmi defeated Republican nominee John Reid, formerly the host of a morning show.

Hashmi previously became the first Indian American and first Muslim woman elected to the Virginia state Senate in 2019.

The Tuesday night election has been held up as a harbinger of what's to come during next year's midterm elections, providing an early sign of voter sentiment — particularly backlash to President Donald Trump's adminsitration.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) got a stern rebuke Tuesday from Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who expressed displeasure over the MAGA lawmaker invoking his name during her ongoing meltdown over airport law enforcement officers.

On a recent trip at Charleston International Airport, Mace melted down at Transportation Safety Administration agents and airport security, reportedly blasting them as "f---ing incompetent," saying their actions endangered her.

“She repeatedly stated we were ‘f--king incompetent,’ and ‘this is no way to treat a f--king US Representative,’” an officer said in his report, according to CNN. “She also said we would never treat Tim Scott like this.”

Mace's tirade has lasted days, complaining that security couldn't find her to protect her on her walk to her plane. In recent days, Mace has doubled down on her bizarre attacks.

"Did I drop an f-bomb? I hope I did. Did I call them incompetent? If I didn't, they absolutely earned it," Mace said in a meme with the official seal of the House of Representatives.

Scott wasn't happy that the firebrand conservative name-dropped him.

“For reasons that are unclear, Rep. Nancy Mace invoked my name during and in the aftermath of her situation at the Charleston International Airport. So let me be clear on a number of points. I have used that airport since long before I was ever in Congress and every interaction I have had – without exception – has been positive,” Scott wrote Tuesday on Facebook.

He lauded airport police as "professional" and "courteous," who "go beyond the call of duty."

"Because I have lived with death threats for longer than I can remember, the airport police do take extra security precautions, for which I am grateful. I follow their lead, do what they ask, and respect the many responsibilities these officers have to balance. I have gotten to know many of them personally and try to never miss a chance to express my gratitude," said Scott.

He also reamed Mace for her language and attacks.

"Those who know me know that I do not use profanity - in public or private. It is never acceptable to berate police officers, airport staff, and TSA agents who are simply doing their jobs, nor is it becoming of a Member of Congress to use such vulgar language when dealing with constituents. Not only are these officers sworn to protect us, but we also take an oath to represent them. We work for them, not vice versa. For those who want to invoke my name, please have the courtesy to note my actions and how I treat police officers, TSA agents, and fellow travelers with the respect they deserve," Scott said.

A "friendly pool" by officials in the Trump administration shows just how much they "miscalculated" how long Democrats would be able to dig in on their demands on shutting down the government, according to a new report.

Politico reported Friday evening that several officials in the administration entered a friendly wager on the length of the shutdown.

"The White House, at the time, was confident Democrats would quickly fold. No one guessed more than 10 days," the report said.

The shutdown, which began Oct. 1, has since carried through Halloween — 31 days — making it the second-longest in U.S. history. The shutdown is quickly approaching the longest, which lasted 35 days from December 2018 to January 2019 during President Donald Trump's first term.

The report noted the wager highlights just how badly the administration "miscalculated" Democrats’ resolve to keep the government closed. And Trump has become "increasingly frustrated," urging his party to consider the "nuclear option" — ditching the Senate filibuster to reopen the government.

“Trump, he’s had it with these people, because he knows they’re playing politics,” a person close to the White House told Politico. “Nobody thought it was going to last this long.”

The report comes as a new poll this week found that Americans increasingly blame Republicans and Trump, whose low approval rating has taken a hit‚ for the crisis.

President Donald Trump's administration is reportedly considering airstrikes on Venezuelan military facilities, including naval facilities and airstrips that officials believe are used to smuggle drugs, according to a report.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday night that while no official decision has been made, such strikes would send a "clear message" that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro must step down.

The report warned the strikes would also represent a "significant escalation" of Trump's campaign on narcotics coming out of the country bound for the United States.

“President Trump has been clear in his message to Maduro: stop sending drugs and criminals to our country,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the outlet. “The President is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our homeland.”

However, Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuela analyst at the Atlantic Council, warned the land strikes could backfire on Trump — and help Maduro.

"This is the U.S. really putting to the test the claim that Maduro is weak and the military will flip with just a gentle push,” said Ramsey. "So far we haven’t seen any evidence of major defections in the country, but I think if the U.S. carries out the military strikes on the Venezuelan armed forces, that equation might change. However…there’s a chance that this leads to a rally-around-the-flag effect."

The Trump administration has killed more than 50 people who it has claimed, presenting little or no evidence, are narco-terrorists aboard boats smuggling drugs from Venezuela and Colombia.

Russia delivered an ominous response Thursday after President Donald Trump unloaded a startling announcement that the United States would resume testing nuclear weapons, ending a more than three-decade hiatus.

"The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country," Trump wrote late Wednesday. "This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term in office. Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but had no choice! Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years. Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

Experts brutally fact-checked Trump's claims, with one expert asserting "nothing" Trump wrote was true. He also faced intense criticism from lawmakers in Congress.

Russia also responded to Trump's announcement with a grim warning if the U.S. broke the decades-long moratorium on testing.

A Kremlin spokesman told media outlets, "If someone departs from the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly."

A retired professor at the U.S. Naval War College on Wednesday night immediately smacked down President Donald Trump's stunning explanation for why he has ordered the Defense Department to restart nuclear bomb testing after a nearly three-decade hiatus.

Trump took to his Truth Social platform to claim the United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country, warning that its adversaries are catching up.

He also claimed that other countries are testing their weapons, and insisted the U.S. must do so as well.

"The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country," said Trump. "This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term in office. Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but had no choice! Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years. Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

But expert Tom Nichols flattened multiple claims from Trump late Wednesday.

"Nothing in here is correct. Russia's stockpile is larger than ours, by a small margin. Trump did not create a larger stockpile by 'updating' in his first term. No nation except North Korea has tested nuclear weapons since the 1990s," he wrote on X.

Beth Sanner, former deputy director of national intelligence, called it a "bad idea" on CNN, telling anchor Kaitlan Collins that the move will allow adversaries to catch up faster because they'll be allowed to test more.

"Adversaries benefit more than we do," she told viewers on "The Source."

President Donald Trump uncorked another startling social media post on Wednesday night, alerting the globe that he has ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's department to ramp up testing of nuclear weapons.

Trump took to his Truth Social platform to note that the United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country, but warned that its adversaries are catching up.

"This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term in office," he wrote. "Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but had no choice! Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years."

Trump then offered an explanation for why he was ordering the Defense Department to ramp up testing of the weapons.

"Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump exclaimed.

Notably, the United States has abided by a voluntary moratorium on nuclear explosive testing since 1992, though it has maintained the ability to resume these tests. It has, however, used a program to maintain confidence in the "safety, security, and effectiveness" of its nuclear arsenal. In 2020, Trump administration officials reportedly discussed whether to conduct an explosive test of a nuclear weapon, but both the first Trump administration and subsequent Biden administration abided by the moratorium.

In 2024, the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administrator said the U.S. has "no technical reasons" to conduct nuclear tests.

The U.S. conducted more than 1,000 explosive nuclear tests between 1945 and 1992, with federal lawmakers creating a program to compensate some people whose health may have been affected by nuclear testing.

Vice President JD Vance raised a few eyebrows on Wednesday with remarks in a new podcast interview proclaiming himself a big believer in UFOs and unexplained phenomena.

The comments were made during an interview with New York Post columnist Miranda Devine on a Pod Force One podcast.

"One last question about UFOs," said Devine, as she and Vance both chuckled. "I'm a mad UFO looney toon as well."

"Me too," Vance replied with a laugh.

Devine brought up that Vance previously said he would "figure out" what's going on with UFOs. As she began to ask about his progress on the topic that has fascinated Americans for decades, Vance admitted he hadn't.

"It was a little tongue-in-cheek. I have not figured it out yet. I haven't had the time to figure it out yet," he said.

Vance said he's not alone in his fascination with the topic —Secretary of State Marco Rubio apparently feels similarly.

"There's certainly an interest there, certainly an intrigue, but I haven't yet had the time to dig in. Things have been so busy," he added.

Vance said there's a "crazy person" inside him who will "put the tinfoil hat on from time to time," and pledged not to let himself get too busy not to get to the bottom of the UFO phenomenon.

When Devine asked if Vance agrees with President Donald Trump's top spy chief, Tulsi Gabbard, that aliens are real, Vance refused to go that far, but acknowledged, "I’m a big believer that there are things out there that we can't explain.

"If one person sees an alien, maybe I see an angel or a demon," he said. "I’m a big believer that there are like spiritual forces working on the physical world that a lot of us don’t see and a lot of us don’t understand.”

He said what could be viewed as an alien could actually be a guardian angel — or a more sinister entity that "actively wishes us harm."

A deputy faces up to 20 years in prison after he was convicted Wednesday of murdering a Black woman who called 911 seeking help.

Sean Grayson, 31, is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 29 after being convicted of second-degree murder.

Grayson and another deputy were called to Massey’s home in Springfield, Illinois, in the early morning hours of July 6, 2024, after she reported a prowler, CNN reported. Grayson shot Massey after confronting her about how she was handling a pot of hot water she had taken off the stove. Grayson has said he feared she would scald him with the water.

The case hinged on body camera footage taken by the other deputy, which appeared to show Massey was struggling with a mental health episode, at one point telling deputies, “Don’t hurt me,” and repeating, “Please God.”

The Trump administration saw a court loss on Tuesday night as a federal appeals court agreed to reconsider a major case that previously "paved the way" for the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, while the case against it plays out.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday agreed to rehear the case en banc, with a new slate of judges present.

CNN reported that the court previously "paved the way" for Trump to deploy troops to Portland while the state's case proceeded through the courts.

It initially froze a decision issued earlier this month by a lower court that blocked Trump from deploying Oregon’s National Guard in Portland.

Editor's note: This story has been updated.

A conservative former federal judge warned MSNBC viewers on Tuesday that Republicans appear to have wrongly bought into the idea that President Donald Trump can run for a third term.

J. Michael Luttig joined host Alicia Menendez on "Deadline: White House" to discuss Republicans' thoughts on Trump possibly seeking a third term.

"This is the question that's on the minds of many, if not most, Americans a mere 10 months into Donald Trump's second term as president," he began, noting the president put that question in their minds.

Luttig said that within two months of regaining the Oval Office, Trump and his allies began talking about running for a third term, notwithstanding the Constitution's 22nd Amendment barring people from being elected more than twice to the office.

"He cannot be elected again to the presidency," Luttig declared.

But that's not what his supporters have said, including Steve Bannon, who has said Trump is mulling another run.

"And then of course yesterday, Steve Bannon said that he believes that Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States, succeeding himself unconstitutionally," said Luttig.

Menendez then played audio of Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) teasing "different circumstances" that the administration has found that could open the door for them to "go around the constitution."

When asked his thoughts on Republicans' responses, Luttig compared it to the GOP's response to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

"I've asked myself whether they're doing this out of fear of Donald Trump, or whether they're doing it because they favor Donald Trump," he said. "At this point, five years on from Jan. 6, Alicia, I have to conclude, and I think all Americans ought to conclude, that the Republican elected officials, they believe in everything that Donald Trump is doing, including his apparent intention to think quite seriously about running for an unconstitutional third term."

He ripped Tuberville for what he called "irresponsible talk" that Republicans have espoused for five years.

The Trump administration's bid to lay off thousands of workers during the lengthy government shutdown was dealt a blow Tuesday afternoon when it was hit with a temporary block from a federal judge in California.

Judge Susan Illston extended her own temporary block that was ordered earlier this month and said she'd issue a written order shortly, The New York Times reported.

Unions for federal workers had said the firings were unlawful. President Donald Trump has used the mass purge as leverage over Democrats, hoping they'll give in to his fiscal demands. Illston expanded her own temporary restraining order out of concerns the Trump administration may have been trying to bypass the order.

Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, told Raw Story in a statement that the ruling was "another victory for federal workers and our ongoing efforts to protect their jobs from an administration hellbent on illegally firing them."

“Unlike the billionaires in this administration, public service workers dedicate themselves to serving their communities. These attempted mass firings would devastate both the workers and the people they serve. We will keep fighting to protect public service jobs against this administration’s unlawful efforts to eliminate them," he said.

California is hitting back at President Donald Trump's plan to flood the blue state with election monitors — by having those monitors watched.

The Trump administration last week said it would send federal election monitors to California and New Jersey for the upcoming Nov. 4 elections. The move was to be carried out by the Justice Department, which said it would deploy observers to several counties in the states following requests from Republican officials who reported irregularities.

The move comes after the president has repeatedly pushed baseless claims of rampant voter fraud. In California, affected counties include Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside, and Fresno.

On Monday, California officials vowed to deploy their own monitors as voters hit the polls to weigh in on a measure that would allow the state to use Democratic-backed congressional maps that they hope will add up to five blue seats to Congress in an effort to counteract a similar move from Texas.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) told reporters Monday, “They’re not going to be allowed to interfere in ways that the law prohibits. We cannot be naive. The Republican Party asked for the U.S. DOJ to come in."

MAGA allies melted down over the news.

Harmeet Dhillon, Trump's U.S. assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, wrote on X, "I thought this was a joke, so I didn’t comment…. But apparently irony is dead …"

Eric Daugherty, assistant news director at Florida’s Voice, wrote on X, "BREAKING: A furious Gavin Newsom will be deploying his OWN 'observers' to monitor the DOJ and Harmeet Dhillon's election monitors during California's November 4th election. He's that concerned about not being able to cheat. Absolutely pathetic."

The X account CA - No on 50! wrote on X, "This is almost comical. @CAgovernor is such a paid shill."

A self-described anarchist tried to pay $45,000 to have a hit man kill Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to authorities.

Tyler Avalos, 29, of Minnesota, shared the threat on TikTok and said he wanted Bondi "dead or alive," but "preferably dead," NBC News reported, citing an FBI affidavit.

A tip came in from Detroit on Oct. 9, according to the report, which led investigators to Avalos' TikTok feed. One post featured Bondi's photo with what appeared to be a sniper's red dot on her forehead."

The suspect wrote a comment saying, "'Cough cough'/'when you don't serve us then what?'" the affidavit said.

Avalos has a criminal history that includes convictions for stalking and domestic battery. Furthermore, he was involved in another misdemeanor battery case that stemmed from a felony domestic assault by strangulation, according to the report.

This year has featured numerous high-profile acts of politically motivated violence, most notably the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the killing of Minnesota Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her spouse, along with shootings targeting other Democratic officials, and an arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home.