3 words in Letitia James' mortgage contract could doom the fraud case against her: James is charged with illegally collecting rental income on a second property. But her contract permits renting, according to POLITICO's review of her contract and legal experts.

The gang that couldn’t persecute straight.

3 words in Letitia James' mortgage contract could doom the fraud case against her: James is charged with illegally collecting rental income on a second property. But her contract permits renting, according to POLITICO's review of her contract and legal experts. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

3 words in Letitia James’ mortgage contract could doom the fraud case against her. Read more on our review of her contract and what legal and real estate experts have to say about it👇

New incredible detail here: ICE says a match in its facial recognition app Mobile Fortify is a "definitive" determination of a person's status, and that this overrides birth certificates. This is an app ICE is using in the field to scan people www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...

NEW: NY Attorney General Letitia James was indicted for bank fraud because she allegedly bought a 2nd home under an agreement that bars renting & then rented out the place anyway. One issue could prove crucial: the contract does not in fact ban renting. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

NEW COLUMN: Many Caribbean leaders are feeling sidelined & beaten up by the US military campaign in their backyard. But there's nothing they can do about it. President Trump is being blatant about something nations have long known: The strong will dominate the weak. www.politico.com/news/magazin...

NEW: Judge extends ban on Trump's shutdown-related mass firings/RIFs at federal agencies. Also DOJ lawyer argues Americans voted for broad culling of federal workers bc of Trump's signature line on The Apprentice: 'You're fired.' w/@carmenpaun @hassankanu www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

BREAKING: Major setback for Trump National Guard moves as 7th Circuit declines to disturb block on deployment in Illinois. Judges Rovner, Hamilton, St. Eve (GHWBush/Obama/Trump) see no rebellion permitting use of Guard by prez. Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

NEW: Fmr Trump Nat Sec Adviser John Bolton charged w/18 felonies for allegedly sharing/retaining classified info. Unlike Comey/James, this has backing of career prosecutors. Indictment turns Bolton's words re Hillary & Signalgate against him w/@kyledcheney www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Gavin Newsom calls for a congressional investigation into GOP groups after leaked messages exposed antisemitic and racist comments in a Young Republicans group chat.

NEW: Trump signed an EO today requiring agencies to form strategic hiring committees. The panels will include top political appointees and are supposed to ensure hiring is consistent with the Trump administration’s priorities. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...

EXCLUSIVE: Capitol Police are investigating a swastika found in GOP Rep. Dave Taylor’s office. “The content of that image does not reflect the values or standards of this office, my staff, or myself, and I condemn it in the strongest terms," Taylor said in a statement.

NEW: While Russ Vought was telling the world that 10K+ fed workers would be fired due to the shutdown, Trump's attorneys were telling a federal judge that the layoff plans aren't finalized, and many agencies "may well decide not to do RIFs at all."

Russ Vought estimates more than 10k federal workers would be fired as a result of the shutdown. His statement comes as a judge blocks the administration from laying off federal workers during the shutdown.

BREAKING: A federal judge blocks the Trump administration from laying off thousands of federal workers during the government shutdown..

EXCLUSIVE: Thousands of leaked messages show leaders of Young Republican groups joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape in a private Telegram chat. Inside rising GOP leaders’ racist chats — obtained by POLITICO and spanning more than 7 months👇

JUST IN: Judge Smith says the Trump administration is violating his order prohibiting FEMA from conditioning grants to states on their willingness to assist with immigration enforcement. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

JUST IN: Comey confirms plan to challenge legality of Trump's appointment of Lindsey Halligan as US Attorney for EDVA. Cites rulings in NJ/NV disqualifying US attorneys there. Motion coming Oct. 20. Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

JUST IN: ICE official testifies Eswatini hasn't agreed to take Kilmar Abrego Garcia and US didn't ask until last day or 2.

NEW: Trump demanded prosecutions of his enemies in a public message to “Pam.” His DOJ, which resisted similar entreaties in his first term, obeyed — shattering an already corroded guardrail against political prosecutions. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

“.. the first time a Republican governor has questioned the interstate deployment of National Guard troops over a governor’s objections.” @nytimes.com #OKgov www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...

JUST IN: A federal judge has granted the New York Times’ demand for a list of Elon Musk’s security clearances. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

A federal judge in New Hampshire issued a nationwide block on Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship, just weeks after the Supreme Court lifted similar orders as too broad. www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

🚨 SCOTUS allows federal agencies to move forward with mass firings. This has huge implications, including for USDA. via @joshgerstein.bsky.social and @hassankanu.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

BREAKING: #SCOTUS lifts judge's order blocking mass firings at most major federal agencies. But 8-1 decision doesn't specifically bless any agency's downsizing plans. Another fiery Jackson dissent. w/@hassankanu www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

UPDATE: Judge Murphy denies the emergency motion — it appears the men will be South Sudan-bound within the hour. He lays it at the feet of the Supreme Court. www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

NEW: #SCOTUS takes another big foray into transgender issues, agreeing to hear cases on ID & WV state bans on trans women in women's sports. Cases likely argued in fall and decided by next June. w/@biancaquilan www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

Judge Bates says the rushed removal by HHS of 100s of websites containing gender-related data was an example of officials “acting first and thinking later.” It also violates the law, he ruled, ordering the sites restored. ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show...

BREAKING: Judge blocks Trump’s early termination of temporary protections for Haitian immigrants politi.co/4ldFsS4

Trump tried to fire them. But these Democratic appointees are still on the job.

NEW: A small handful of officials at independent fed agencies have managed to maintain their positions in defiance of Trump’s efforts to remove them. Their resistance could shape how courts view pending cases about the president's powers to hire & fire. www.politico.com/news/2025/06...

If the GOP reconciliation bill passes, ICE gets through FY2029: - $45 billion for detention, on top of the current annual budget of $3.4 billion - $14.4 billion for transportation and removal, on top of the current annual budget of $750 million - $8 billion for hiring/retention - Billions more.

Interesting info in this piece.

Trump’s big Supreme Court win has three significant loopholes.

GOOD MORNING from #SCOTUS, where it's a little cooler than yesterday, about 120% humidity AND the last opinion day of the term. POLITICO colleagues & I will be blogging live the play-by-play & analysis. Follow here: www.politico.com/live-updates...

Trump celebrated the SCOTUS ruling in birthright citizenship case as "GIANT WIN."

Supreme Court leaves open the question of nationwide injunctions when states sue.

NEW: The DOJ is going to investigate the University of California system for potential reverse discrimination. www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justi...

Trump revived an 85-year-old immigration law. It puts undocumented immigrants in a Catch-22.

Reuters photos capture Marines helping with a detention of some kind. www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

NEW: Trump's attempted termination of 3 members of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission was unlawful, fed judge in MD rules. Judge orders members reinstated to their roles. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

NEW: Judge Sooknanan won't revisit her previous order, which means that Susan Tsui Grundmann remains a member of the FLRA after Trump tried to fire her in Feb. The agency oversees labor and union/management relations for federal employees. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

NEW: A federal judge has blocked the key provisions of Trump’s executive order that sought to make it harder to register to vote, including a requirement to prove citizenship that also applied to military & other citizens living abroad. www.politico.com/news/2025/06...

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, clad in a red jumpsuit, has pleaded not guilty to the human trafficking charges he faces, per @joshgerstein.bsky.social , who is in the federal courthouse in Nashville. He's currently fighting for release pending trial. Details TK

BREAKING: A federal judge has blocked election officials from enforcing Trump’s executive order requiring states to apply citizenship requirements, saying it imposes significant burdens and would harm eligible voters. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…

BREAKING: Appeals court blocks judge's order that would force Trump to return control of National Guard to Newsom. Stay freezes order until at least Tuesday, unless a higher authority lifts it. Latest w/ @kyledcheney www.politico.com/news/2025/06...

BREAKING: Judge rules Trump's deployment of National Guard to L.A. is illegal & must be halted by noon PT Friday. Trump admin has already appealed. One potential weakness in Judge Charles Breyer's ruling: It's broader than what CA Gov Newsom was asking for www.politico.com/news/2025/06...

NEW: Trump administration takes another emergency appeal to #SCOTUS, asking it to block Boston fed judge's orders requiring advance notice before third-country deportations www.politico.com/news/2025/05...