Wertheimer Political Report, October 30, 2025
TRUMPWATCH 2.0
The Peril of a White House That Flaunts Its Indifference to the Law
“The White House has made no legal argument explaining its bald claim that the president has wartime power to summarily kill people suspected of smuggling drugs.” – New York Times
Pentagon readying thousands of Guard ‘reaction forces’ as U.S. mission widens
“Up to 23,500 service members are being readied and trained for civil unrest missions in U.S. cities.” – Washington Post
Inside The Trump Family’s Global Crypto Cash Machine
“The U.S. president’s family raked in more than $800 million from sales of crypto assets in the first half of 2025 alone, a Reuters examination found” – HuffPost
Judge rules LA’s top federal prosecutor was illegally appointed
“The ruling marks the third time in recent weeks that judges have disqualified top federal prosecutors in temporary positions.” – Politico
Judge extends block on government shutdown layoffs
” Says authorization of reductions-in-force intended to be ‘political retribution.'” – Roll Call
Details of DHS Agreement Reveal Risks of Trump Administration’s Use of Social Security Data for Voter Citizenship Checks
“A recently released agreement gives the Department of Homeland Security access to hundreds of millions of Americans’ Social Security data. It contains alarmingly few provisions to ensure accuracy and privacy, experts say.”
– ProPublica
Most Americans oppose East Wing demolition for Trump ballroom, poll finds
“Americans oppose President Donald Trump’s demolition of the White House’s East Wing to make way for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom building by a 2-to-1 margin, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll released Thursday.” – Washington Post
Trump calls Jack Smith a ‘criminal’ who should be in prison in latest attack on his perceived foes
“In a Truth Social post last week, Trump attacked Smith and other Biden administration officials, including former FBI Director Christopher Wray, whom Trump initially appointed, former U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and his deputy, Lisa Monaco. ‘These Radical Left Lunatics should be prosecuted for their illegal and highly unethical behavior!’ Trump wrote.” – NBC News
What You Should Know About Russ Vought, Trump’s Shadow President
“Vought is the architect of President Trump’s broader plan to fire civil servants, freeze government programs and dismantle entire agencies. Here are some key things to know about the D.C. insider who wants to take a hatchet to the federal government.” – ProPublica
Judge says she’ll likely order Trump administration to send SNAP funds to states
“A federal judge on Thursday indicated she would probably order the Trump administration to use reserves to partially fund food assistance for about 42 million Americans in November, potentially delaying a complete cutoff in benefits during the government shutdown.” – Washington Post
MEANWHILE, ON CAPITOL HILL
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday he expects to engage “pretty soon” with a group of rank-and-file Senate Democrats about ending the 29-day-and-counting government shutdown. – Politico
Senate Republicans and Democrats are trying to hammer out a proposal to end the 30-day government shutdown as soon as next week, as some centrist Democrats argue behind the scenes that their party has successfully highlighted rising health care costs and it’s time to end the stalemate. – The Hill
The senators, led by Josh Hawley, R-Mo., announced an as-yet unnumbered bill Tuesday that would create criminal penalties for companies allowing chatbots to engage in the prohibited conversations with kids, and would require companies that run AI chatbots to verify users’ ages. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Christopher S. Murphy, D-Conn., joined Hawley at a news conference to announce the bill’s introduction. – Roll Call
VOTER SUPPRESSION, MONEY, & OTHER ELECTION THREATS
Republicans appear to have all but abandoned their efforts to defeat a Democratic gerrymander of California’s House districts one week before it goes before voters. – Politico
Republicans on Ohio’s redistricting commission struck a deal with Democrats on a compromise congressional map after hours of late-night deliberations. – Punchbowl
The Democratic leader of the Maryland Senate on Tuesday sent a letter to dozens of state lawmakers rejecting the party’s effort to redistrict in the state, bucking Democrats’ national effort to redraw congressional lines. – Politico
The Virginia House of Delegates advanced a constitutional amendment Wednesday that would allow the state to redraw its congressional lines if another state does midcycle redistricting, moving one step closer toward entering a national redistricting fight that will have consequences for the 2026 midterms. – The Hill
