"The evidence shows that people will go hungry." A US judge ordered the Trump admin to fully cover the cost of food-aid benefits for more than 42 million eligible Americans this month, finding US officials' plan to partially fund the program failed to comply with his earlier order buff.ly/ZlyIjmB

BREAKING: A federal jury found a former DOJ employee not guilty of misdemeanor assault over a viral incident in which he allegedly threw a sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection officer.

Overnight: Trump admin said that based on “further calculations,” it can provide about 2/3 of food aid benefits this month, not the 50% it earlier pledged. A judge is holding a hearing later today on whether USDA must use other reserves to fully fund the program during the shutdown buff.ly/aputk8I

Arguments are about to begin in the US Supreme Court in the legal fight over Trump's global tariffs. Bloomberg reporters will be sharing updates here: buff.ly/B5vQGsn And a public feed is on the homepage of the court's website: buff.ly/tg0cEnX

ICYMI: Businesses are lining up in court in the hopes of being in the best position to get refunds if Trump loses the legal fight over his global tariffs -- new cases hit dockets in the week leading up to today's SCOTUS showdown buff.ly/YRYh0tB

New: Businesses are filing lawsuits on the eve of this week's big SCOTUS showdown over Trump's global tariffs in the hopes of making sure they're in the best position to get refunds if the justices rule against the administration www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

NEW: Nonprofits and cities are asking a judge to compel the Trump administration to cover food aid benefits for low income households this month after US officials announced they would make only 50% of the funds available; the challengers accuse admin of failing to fully comply buff.ly/AfsNFdS

Judge Aileen Cannon got called out by an appeals court for "undue delay" in ruling on requests to lift her block on public release of the second volume of ex-special counsel Jack Smith's report on the Trump cases (the part about the classified docs investigation) www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

SNAP status: Waiting to see what judges say/do after USDA said it would fund Nov. food aid benefits at 50% during the shutdown and not tap alt funding sources to get to 100% -- challengers expressed outrage but uncertainty about other options www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

New: A federal appeals court found "undue delay" by US District Judge Aileen Cannon in resolving months-old requests to lift her order blocking full disclosure of ex-special counsel Jack Smith's report on the criminal investigations into President Trump — and gave her 60 days to act buff.ly/V07o9OT

NEW: The Trump administration told a judge it will comply with an order to fund US food aid benefits for November during the government shutdown, but only at 50% of the amount eligible households would normally receive, and with a warning it could take weeks or months to implement buff.ly/nNJ5LJA

Tariffs, Trump, and furry unicorn yoga balls: Must-read from @gregstohr.bsky.social on this week's blockbuster action in the US Supreme Court buff.ly/gsBVs1a

NEW: Two federal judges ruled the Trump administration’s decision to suspend food aid benefits for tens of millions of Americans during the government shutdown is likely unlawful and that US officials must use contingency funding to at least partially keep the program operational bit.ly/3JqTEcQ

New: Dozens of legal fights over Trump's policies continue to move forward after US judges rebuffed DOJ requests for shutdown-related delays, even as courts now tighten belts. In one notable order, a judge said officials couldn't use the shutdown to avoid "meaningful judicial review" bit.ly/3LAGNoW

While we wait to see what a Boston federal judge does in the Dem AGs' challenge to the Trump admin suspending SNAP food aid during the shutdown, a RI judge handling a new case filed today by nonprofits + cities set a hearing for tomorrow

Order watch: A federal judge in Boston signaled she may rule that the Trump administration likely violated US law in suspending food-aid benefits to millions of low-income households during the government shutdown -- criticizing the “political game” being played with American lives buff.ly/cmR6Lm5

Here's the full preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from implementing shutdown-related layoffs (RIFs) at 39 agencies and issuing new notices to federal employees in programs/projects/activities that include members or bargaining units of the unions that sued buff.ly/FZk1OBj

New: The Trump administration is facing a new lawsuit from Democratic state officials over food aid benefits set to end soon for tens of millions of Americans, accusing US officials of unlawfully refusing to tap alternative sources of money during the government shutdown buff.ly/8jYuSJW

New: ‘Catastrophic’ Hack Underscores Public Defender Security Gaps A must-read deep dive from @jimmyjenkins.bsky.social and @jamietarabay.bsky.social: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Update on Kilmar Abrego Garcia: While the judge deliberates on whether to release him, DOJ says the US identified a country that will take him: Liberia. Abrego Garcia's lawyers prev had said he was willing to go to Costa Rica and that officials there were amenable; no mention of that buff.ly/sAR7n1Y

Mark your calendar: The South Carolina federal judge specially tapped to weigh James Comey's claim that the indictment against him should be tossed because Lindsey Halligan isn't validly serving as the US attorney in eastern Virginia set a hearing for Nov. 13. Prev: buff.ly/8ZWqLIl

Former Trump special counsel Jack Smith sent a letter to GOP lawmakers offering to testify in an open hearing, in response to House Judiciary request for a transcribed interview - "given the many mischaracterizations" (reported earlier by Fox) buff.ly/EApS7hp Prev: buff.ly/Kp0Oaq6

New: On Sept. 26, a federal judge approved a new grand jury in Fort Pierce, FL starting in January. In recent comments, a close Trump ally shared info on a grand jury connected to DOJ's probe into a Democratic anti-Trump conspiracy that appear to match that order www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

NEW: A Florida federal judge approved a January grand jury that a close Trump ally strongly suggested is part of the DOJ probe into an alleged Dem conspiracy against Trump -- 9/26 court order appears to match recent comments by Mike Davis (he declined to elaborate) www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The Return of Jack Smith, pt. II: The former Trump prosecutor's lawyers offered the latest rebuttal to escalating attacks -- this time re: a grand jury subpoena for lawmakers' phone activity records during the 2020 election probe buff.ly/Kp0Oaq6 Letter: buff.ly/hVUbwGl

Former FBI Director James Comey has moved to dismiss the indictment against him. From Chris Strohm: buff.ly/8ZWqLIl And more on the uptick in "vindictive" and "selective" prosecution claims under Trump II -- what Comey, Sandwich Guy, and Kilmar Abrego Garcia have in common: buff.ly/3MslYpr

A US appeals court allowed for now President Trump’s plan to deploy troops to Portland to counter protests against his immigration crackdown, a major boost for the administration’s effort to send the military into Democratic-led cities. From Erik Larson: buff.ly/lzqo8Dl Opinion: buff.ly/X6Zoesb

Jack is back

Shutdown firings status: A federal judge on Friday expanded/clarified her temporary restraining order pausing layoffs after US agencies said they'd interpreted the original TRO to exclude thousands of workers who already got RIF notices. Next hearing set for 10/28 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

New: The Treasury Department and several other federal agencies told a US judge that her order temporarily halting layoffs tied to the government shutdown doesn’t apply to more than 2,000 employees who have already received firing notices www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

President Donald Trump asked the US Supreme Court to let him immediately deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, escalating a high-stakes clash over his use of the military in American cities. From @gregstohr.bsky.social: buff.ly/zVq1M50

The federal judiciary hit the limit of reserve funding to keep up full operations and avoid furloughs during the shutdown -- but it'll be up to each judicial district to decide who to send home (if anyone) and what to wind down (if anything); judges will continue to be paid buff.ly/BMWV1nX

On current events and "vindictive" prosecutions buff.ly/3MslYpr

Happening now: DOJ has charged John Bolton, a former national security adviser to President Donald Trump who became one of his fiercest critics, for his mishandling classified material. Story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article... Indictment: assets.bwbx.io/documents/us...

Firehose day: - DOJ to Seek Bolton Indictment buff.ly/zSmrh0Y - Appeals Court Keeps Block on Trump’s Chicago Troop Deployment buff.ly/MYzULtX - Chamber of Commerce Sues Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee buff.ly/1b0ZX7E - 'Vindictive' Prosecution Claim in DC Sandwich Thrower Case buff.ly/3MslYpr

The DC man charged for throwing a sandwich at a federal agent is seeking to have the case dismissed as a “vindictive” and “selective” prosecution. On the historically hard-to-win defense strategy that's also surfaced in cases against James Comey and Kilmar Abrego Garcia: buff.ly/3MslYpr

A US judge ordered the Trump administration to pause plans to fire federal workers during the government shutdown, shortly after White House Budget Director Russell Vought said he expects 10K+ layoffs. “It’s a human cost that cannot be tolerated,” the judge said of the firings. buff.ly/YIqxiVD

A US judge in San Francisco will hear arguments today on whether to grant a temp. restraining order halting shutdown layoffs. Per filings last night, govt says ~4100 employees got RIF notices so far, confirms add'l 778 employees at HHS got notices in error buff.ly/v9aosKs Prev: buff.ly/atRVpau

Marathon hearing just ended on Kilmar Abrego Garcia's bid to be released -- lot of skeptical Qs from the MD judge about govt's args that it has legit grounds to keep detaining him, given recent unsuccessful outreach to African nations despite Abrego Garcia saying he'd go to Costa Rica. Ruling TBD

NEW: The White House says it is making good on threats to fire thousands of federal workers amid a government shutdown: buff.ly/wgQdZk1 Announcement comes hours before a judge's deadline for DOJ to submit info on the status of layoffs, previously: buff.ly/kDrhgP6

New: A US judge entered a 14-day order restricting when federal agents can use physical force and make arrests during Chicago-area protests against the Trump administration’s ramped up immigration enforcement, in response to claims of unlawful tactics and free speech violations buff.ly/N0Z0LLl

"The court is required to continue its constitutional functions" US judges so far have rejected the Justice Department’s requests to delay more than a dozen legal challenges to Trump administration policies as the government shutdown enters its second week: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

A federal judge in San Francisco set a hearing for 10/16 on whether to temporarily halt any Trump administration efforts to carry out mass layoffs during the government shutdown. She's also ordered DOJ to submit a report on Friday explaining what's going on. Prev: buff.ly/kDrhgP6

A Maryland federal judge denied DOJ's request to pause Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation fight during the government shutdown, citing “important fundamental questions” at stake. Next hearing Friday on his bid for release while he fights being sent to Eswatini: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Overnight: Unions representing hundreds of thousands of federal workers asked a US judge to immediately prevent the Trump administration from carrying out mass firings during the government shutdown while they press a legal challenge www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The largest federal employees union filed a lawsuit accusing the Department of Education of violating the First Amendment by inserting partisan language into the out-of-office emails sent from accounts of furloughed workers during the government shutdown www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

A global nurse-staffing agency and several unions sued over President Donald Trump’s plans to charge a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas that allow skilled immigrants to work in the US, saying the move is unlawful www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Day 3 of the government shutdown and judges continue to be mixed on DOJ's requests to pause legal fights. Notable recent denials in the DC National Guard deployment case (see: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...) and pre-shutdown federal worker layoff cases in RI and CA

Trump and White House budget office director Russell Vought have been floating the idea of federal layoffs during the shutdown: - what's happened so far - the laws and regulations at issue - the brewing court fight from opponents who argue there's no legal authority for it buff.ly/muCINpM

Shutdown fallout: Court fights over Trump policies are being paused amid the government funding impasse. DOJ is seeking delays across civil cases; in DC, the chief judge entered a blanket pause order, though cases involving requests for immediate judicial intervention are excluded buff.ly/rKraJve