The Latest: Budget office says ‘substantial’ firings of federal workers have started
The White House budget office said Friday that mass firings of federal workers have started in an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.
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.
The White House previewed that it would pursue the aggressive layoff tactic shortly before the government shutdown began on Oct. 1, telling all federal agencies to submit their reduction-in-force plans to the budget office for its review. It said reduction-in-force could apply for federal programs whose funding would lapse in a government shutdown, is otherwise not funded and is “not consistent with the President’s priorities.”
The Latest:
Labor unions are asking a federal judge in California for an immediate order blocking the government from mass firings of federal workers
The unions cited Vought’s social-media post and said they’ve begun receiving credible information that the Office of Management and Budget has directed federal agencies government-wide to begin issuing layoff notices.
They argue that firing federal employees during a shutdown is an unlawful abuse of power designed to punish workers and pressure Congress and violates laws that govern how shutdowns are supposed to function.
The lawsuit was first filed in federal court in San Francisco last week by the group Democracy Forward. The plaintiffs are the American Federation of Government Employees and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
U.S. senators denied entrance to immigration facility outside of Chicago
Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth said they were denied access Friday to a federal immigration enforcement building outside Chicago, the site of confrontations between protesters and federal agents.
“It is appalling that two United States senators are not allowed to visit this facility,” Duckworth said. “What are you afraid of? What are you afraid of? You don’t hide, you don’t run away when you’re proud of what you’re doing.”
The two Democrats were at the building in Broadview where National Guard members had assembled Thursday. Hours later, a judge halted the Trump administration’s deployment of troops in northern Illinois for at least 14 days.
Durbin and Duckworth said they wanted to see the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility as part of their congressional oversight authority. ICE processes immigrants there before taking them elsewhere. Illinois lawmakers said they were denied access in the summer.
Federal workers’ labor union asks judge to halt mass firings
A labor union for federal employees is asking a federal judge for a restraining order to halt the White House’s plans to fire federal workers during the government shutdown.
The American Federation of Government Employees was already challenging the Trump administration for threatening to perform the mass firings during the shutdown, arguing that the layoffs violate the laws that govern how shutdowns are supposed to function and are an unlawful abuse of power designed to punish workers and put pressure on Congress
In a statement, the union president, Everett Kelley called it “disgraceful that the Trump administration has used the government shutdown as an excuse to illegally fire thousands of workers who provide critical services to communities across the country.”
California man charged with sending threatening letter to conservative podcaster Benny Johnson
Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a news conference Friday in Tampa that a California man has been charged with sending a threatening letter to conservative podcaster Benny Johnson, who lives in the Tampa area.
She identified the suspect as 69-year-old George Russell Isbell Jr.. An FBI criminal complaint filed in Tampa federal court contains a copy of the letter, which compares Johnson to slain activist Charlie Kirk and makes threats of violence.
Bondi would not say whether Isbell took any steps to carry out a threat, but said the Justice Department is extra vigilant about political violence.
“We are going to catch you if you do something like this,” Bondi said. “We cannot allow political violence to continue.” Johnson and his wife, Katelyn, attended the news conference and expressed gratitude that an arrest was made. “This has to stop,” Benny Johnson said.
Court documents show Isbell, who lives in the San Diego area, is charged with mailing threatening communications. His public defender in California did not immediately return an email seeking comment on the charge.
Trump is back from his Walter Reed visit
President Donald Trump departs Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The president returned to the White House from his “semiannual physical” around 2:15 p.m. Friday, slightly ahead of schedule.
He did not answer questions from reporters upon his arrival. The White House has not indicated when it would release results or more information about his exams from Friday.
Democratic governors say the federalization of the National Guard is a ‘preview’ of Trump’s plan
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and California’s Gavin Newsom warned in Newsom’s podcast Friday. The governors also condemned the deployment of military troops to Chicago and Portland.
They said they wouldn’t be surprised to see federal law enforcement officers at voting places next year during the midterm elections.
“This is a preview of things to come at voting booths and polling places all across the country,” Newsom said. “This is about something much insidious than just control in the short run.”
Kotek met with Secretary Kristi Noem when she was in Portland earlier this week, but said “it’s hard to have a rational conversation with irrational people.”
Education Department is among agencies hit by new layoffs
A spokesperson for the department has confirmed that it will lose even more staff, though details weren’t immediately provided.
The department — which Trump wants to eliminate — had about 4,100 employees when he took office in January but its workforce was nearly halved amid mass layoffs in the administration’s first months.
The agency had about 2,500 employees when the government shut down on Oct. 1.
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Layoffs of furloughed workers happening at federal health agencies, officials confirm
Trump administration officials said furloughed federal health workers are being fired “as a direct consequence” of the government shutdown, but they did not say how many or which agencies were being hit hardest.
A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesman confirmed the terminations in an email Friday, saying everyone receiving a notice was designated as non-essential.
“HHS continues to close wasteful and duplicative entities, including those that are at odds with the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda,” said the spokesman, Andrew Nixon.
Some employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of the HHS agencies, on early Friday afternoon said they had not heard of anyone receiving a notice yet.
Federal prosecutors obtain indictment against 2 Chicago residents who boxed in border control agent
Federal prosecutors have obtained a grand jury indictment against a woman and man accused of using their vehicles to strike and then box in a Border Patrol agent’s vehicle last Saturday in Chicago.
The agent exited his car and fired five shots at Marimar Martinez, 30, who was treated and released. The indictment filed Thursday formalizes the initial charges of assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon – a vehicle — that were filed Sunday against Martinez and Anthony Ruiz, 21.
Because of the indictment, probable cause hearings for Martinez and Ruiz that were scheduled for Friday were canceled. Future court dates were not immediately set.The two were released Monday pending trial. Martinez’s lawyer claimed then that body camera footage contradicts the government’s narrative of her actions.
S&P 500 drops 2% after Trump shatters Wall Street’s calm by threatening more tariffs on China
The S&P 500 dropped 2% after President Donald Trump shattered a monthslong calm on Wall Street by threatening to crank tariffs higher on China.
The main measure of Wall Street’s health is heading toward its worst loss since April. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 622 points, and the Nasdaq composite sank 2.7%.
Stocks had been on track for a slight gain in the morning until Trump took to his social media platform and said he’s considering a massive increase of tariffs on Chinese imports. He’s upset at the restrictions China has placed on exports of its rare earths.
Judge orders removal of fence outside Chicago-area ICE facility amid protests
A federal judge late Thursday ordered ICE to temporarily remove a fence outside an ICE facility in the western Chicago suburb of Broadview.
The Village of Broadview sued DHS, accusing the agency of erecting an 8-foot-tall fence to illegally block the public street outside the facility, creating problems for local emergency services trying to access the area. The ICE facility has been the site of intense protests over the last few weeks.
Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson said the decision was a “validation of local law and, most importantly, a decisive win for public safety.” She said it “remains to be seen if ICE will respect the judge’s order and dismantle this hazard immediately, or if they will continue their pattern of defiance.”
Budget office says ‘substantial’ firings of federal workers have started
The White House budget office said Friday that mass firings of federal workers have started in an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.
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.
The White House previewed that it would pursue the aggressive layoff tactic shortly before the government shutdown began on Oct. 1, telling all federal agencies to submit their reduction-in-force plans to the budget office for its review. It said reduction-in-force could apply for federal programs whose funding would lapse in a government shutdown.
Senate Majority Leader digs in on government funding fight
Sen. John Thune is showing no sign of backing away from his current tactic of pressing Democrats to vote for a stopgap government funding bill.
Thune, a South Dakota Republican, has tried to peel away Democratic senators to vote to advance the bill. So far, it hasn’t worked. Despite repeated votes on the bill since the government shutdown, the voting pattern has not changed, leaving Republicans five votes short of advancing the legislation.
Yet Thune at a news conference laid down a challenge to any Democrat who may be thinking about crossing party lines: “All it takes is a little backbone, a little courage on behalf of five Democrats.”
MIT’s president voices skepticism of proposed White House compact
MIT President Sally Kornbluth said she “cannot support” the proposal that calls for universities to adopt President Donald Trump’s political agenda in exchange for favorable access to federal funding.
MIT was one of nine universities invited last week to sign a compact the White House billed as providing benefits including “substantial and meaningful federal grants.” Leaders of the University of Texas system said they were honored its flagship university in Austin was invited, but most other campuses have remained silent as they review the document.
Trump heads to Walter Reed for check-up
President Donald Trump is getting a check-up at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The White House announced the visit earlier this week. Trump is preparing to travel to the Middle East shortly after his medical exam.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the visit earlier this week as a “routine yearly checkup,” although the Republican president had his annual physical in April.
White House aides have declined to explain why Trump is getting another checkup Friday. Trump told reporters Thursday he thinks he’s in great shape. Trump plans to return to the White House after the visit.
First lady says Ukrainian children have been reunited with families after her outreach to Putin
First lady Melania Trump says eight Ukrainian children have been reunited with their families after ongoing talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Melania Trump in August wrote a letter to Putin and had her husband hand-deliver it during his meeting with the Russian president in Alaska.
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in Russia taking Ukrainian children out of their country so that they can be raised as Russian.
Trump to make announcement on lowering prescription drugs
The White House says the president’s Friday afternoon announcement in the Oval Office is aimed at reducing drug prices, but has provided few details.
It follows Trump announcing late last month that his administration had reached an agreement with Pfizer aiming to reduce the prices of its U.S. prescription drugs to be similar to the lowest prices paid by other developed nations.
Advocates saw Trump’s Pfizer announcement as positive, but said they worried it put the onus too heavily on the drug company to cut prices, rather than attempting to spell the move out as part of larger U.S. policy.
White House: Nobel committee placed ‘politics over peace’
White House says Nobel Committee “proved they place politics over peace,” Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, wrote on X as he reacted to Trump being passed over for the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday despite jockeying from his fellow Republicans, various world leaders and — most vocally — himself.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado received the award.
Cheung did not comment on Machado’s recognition but said Trump “has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will.”
The Venezuelan opposition leader said in a statement that she wanted to dedicate the award to the U.S. president for support of her cause, along with dedicating it to the people of her country.
“We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy,” Machado said in a statement on X.
Johnson says House won’t hold votes until Senate Democrats ‘turn the lights back on.’
Speaker Mike Johnson is making clear he won’t be bringing House lawmakers back to Washington until the Senate passes a government funding bill.
The House has not held votes for about three weeks. It could take up other issues besides a government funding bill, and Democrats have described the situation as House Republicans going on vacation.
But Johnson said members are working diligently in their districts to help constituents.
“We will come back here and get back to legislative session as soon as the Senate Democrats turn the lights back on,” Johnson said.
Republicans highlight the toll of a shutdown for federal workforce
Speaker Mike Johnson is highlighting the prospect of 1.3 million military service members missing a paycheck next week as the federal government shutdown continued Friday.
Also, the next paycheck for civilian workers will be a partial one.
He’s blaming Democratic lawmakers for that scenario during a press conference and emphasizing that Republicans have voted multiple times to keep the government funded temporarily.
“You’ve got millions of American families who will now have to figure out how to make their mortgage, how to cover the rent, pay the car note, keep food on the table because Democrats, Chuck Schumer and his colleagues in the Senate are here playing games,” Johnson said.
Additionally, the nation’s third shutdown in 12 years is once again raising anxiety levels among service members and their families because those in uniform are working without pay.
While they would receive back pay once the impasse ends, many military families live paycheck to paycheck. During previous shutdowns, Congress passed legislation to ensure that troops kept earning their salaries, but time is running out before they miss their first paycheck in less than a week.
National Guard troops seen patrolling in Memphis
National Guard troops have been seen patrolling in Memphis for the first time, as part of Trump’s federal task force.
The deployment comes a day after a federal judge in Illinois blocked the deployment of troops in the Chicago area for at least two weeks.
It was unclear Friday how many Guard members were on the ground in Memphis or were expected to arrive later.
Trump is pushing to deploy the National Guard to several U.S. cities. His administration claims crime in those cities is rampant, despite statistics not always supporting that. Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee supports the deployment.
Absence of Congress members creates dilemma for House speaker
House members’ absence during the government shutdown is creating a political dilemma for Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and is testing his leadership. ‘
The Louisiana congressman sent members home three weeks ago, and they haven’t been back in working session since.
In the intervening weeks, the government has shut down. Trump threatened a mass firing of federal workers. And Democrat Adelita Grijalva won a special congressional election in Arizona but has not been sworn in.
Johnson says the House already did its job, passing a bill to fund the government. Johnson blames Democrats in the Senate, which is also controlled by Republicans. Democrats want health care funds for insurance subsidies that are set to expire.
White House responds after Trump is passed over for Nobel Prize
The White House is responding bitterly to President Donald Trump being passed over for the Nobel Peace Prize despite efforts from Republicans and world leaders.
A White House spokesman said Friday members of “the Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace” because they didn’t recognize Trump. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado received the award for her work promoting democratic rights.
Trump has long desired the prize, claiming credit for ending global conflicts. Although the Republican president received nominations, many came after the deadline. The Nobel Peace Prize aims to encourage peace efforts, with past winners including three sitting U.S. presidents. Critics argue Trump’s nominations are more about manipulation than merit.
