NEW: A federal judge slammed DHS Secretary Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi for publicly attacking Kilmar Abrego Garcia in “exaggerated” and “inaccurate” ways — violating rules meant to protect the integrity of criminal proceedings. w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

NEW: High-profile Congressional hearings are typically festivals of grandstanding and missed opportunities. If Jack Smith testifies about his investigations, here are the 5 questions we hope members of Congress ask him to avoid that fate.. www.politico.com/newsletters/...

1) Did it the simultaneous prosecutions by Fani Willis and Alvin Bragg hurt the case, particularly as SCOTUS weighed immunity? 2) Why not charge Trump's alleged co-conspirators in the DC case? 3) Did a relatively slow start to the case doom it? www.politico.com/newsletters/...

4) How did your team view the Jan. 6 committee's work -- how heavily did you rely on its evidence and did you look, at all, at its legal conclusions? 5) Do you think the American legal system is capable of handling the prosceution of a former president?www.politico.com/newsletters/...

NEW: ICE says it no longer has to provide Congress access to detention facilities — thanks to the shutdown. That requirement was part of the appropriations law that expired last month — and now operations are funded by Trump’s megabill. w/ @myahward.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

NEW: The Trump administration is racing to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia as soon as Friday, conceding it does not intend to follow through on his criminal case despite earlier assurances. w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

The change in posture comes just before a hearing on Abrego’s motion to dismiss the charges for selective/vindictive prosecution. He has subpoenaed Deputy AG Blanche to testify. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

JUST IN: Letitia James is scheduled go to trial on Jan. 26 after pleading not guilty to both felony counts she faces. She then exited the courthouse and decried “a justice system that has been weaponized.” www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

HAPPENING SOON: Attorney General Letitia James is slated to appear in a federal courtroom here in Norfolk, Va. for her arraignment on mortgage fraud charges. Courtroom is not full and atmosphere much more subdued than for Comey.

JUST IN: Rep. Ronny Jackson's lawsuit against Gov. Gavin Newsom over California's redistricting effort was thrown out today by Judge Matt Kacsmaryk. Jackson failed to show he faced a cognizable injury from CA's redistricting plan, Kacsmaryk says. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Trump says he’s making military decisions based on what random “friends of mine” tell him about crime.

A man was arrested for playing Darth Vader's theme music, "The Imperial March," behind National Guard troops walking through Logan Circle. Now the ACLU is suing on his behalf. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

JUST IN: Arizona's lawsuit to force the swearing-in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva goes to ... Judge Trevor McFadden, an appointee of Donald Trump.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia has subpoenaed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and other senior DOJ officials to testify at the hearing on his mostion to dismiss the indictment for vindictive prosecution. www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

JUST IN: Once again, Lindsey Halligan has to turn to out-of-state prosecutors, this time for the Letitia James case. Roger Keller is a Missouri-based prosecutor. Two NC-based prosecutors are handling the Comey case for her as well. No one from EDVA in either case.

JUST IN: Judge Cameron Currie, a Clinton appointee, will decide whether Lindsey Halligan is disqualified as interim U.S. attorney, following a motion brought by James Comey. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

NEW: A Jan. 6 rioter who breached the Senate floor — and was subsequently pardoned by Trump — was arrested Sunday for threatening to assassinate Leader Hakeem Jeffries. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Moynihan was sentenced to 21 months in prison for his role in the Capitol attack, though he was released after a year once the Supreme Court began to consider whether obstruction charges had been misused against the rioters. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Here are the factual allegations against Moynihan, which describe text messages in which he says of Jeffries: "I cannot allow this terrorist to live." "He must be eliminated." "I will kill him for the future." www.politico.com/news/2025/10...