President Trump signed a handful of executive orders and presidential memorandums on Thursday afternoon, including one approving a deal to allow TikTok to continue operating in the U.S.
TikTok will be controlled by a group of American investors in a company valued about $14 billion, Vice President Vance said Thursday in the Oval Office.
He then signed a memo instituting the death penalty in the District of Columbia, as well as one against domestic terrorism and organized political violence. The latter follows an order earlier this week declaring antifa a domestic terrorist organization.
As a government shutdown looms, Trump also upped the stakes on Capitol Hill. The White House budget office directed federal agencies to plan for mass layoffs, rather than traditional workforce furloughs, if Democrats don’t agree to a short-term stopgap funding measure.
“This is all caused by the Democrats,” he said ahead of a midday huddle with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the White House. “They asked us to do something that’s totally unreasonable.”
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth summoned top generals to Virginia for a mystery meeting next week, creating confusion and alarm across the Pentagon. The White House later on Thursday downplayed the meeting amid the speculation.
Trump will meet with the Pakistani prime minister later on Thursday evening.
Grassley raises alarm about soybean farmers, Argentina ‘bail out’
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Thursday said American farmers have been overshadowed and outsold by Argentinian soybean production and slammed the Trump administration for agreeing to soften the South American country’s economic hardship.
Argentina recently suspended it 26 percent export tax on soybeans, an opportunity used by China to purchase more than 1 million tons of the crop, according to Reuters.
“Why would USA help bail out Argentina while they take American soybean producers’ biggest market???” Grassley wrote in a Thursday post on X.
“We shld use leverage at every turn to help hurting farm economy Family farmers shld be top of mind in negotiations by representatives of USA,” he added.
In past years, the U.S. has been the No. 1 supplier of soybeans to China, which purchased more than half of all American soybean exports last year.
Trump suggests Reed Hoffman could be connected to ‘radical left’ groups
Trump signed a memo that calls for a government-wide effort to dismantle groups committing acts of political violence, and speculated that LinkedIn co-founder Reed Hoffman could be a target for probing who is funding those groups.
“We’re looking at the funders of a lot of these groups,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
Asked who specifically he would be looking at, Trump named liberal megadonor George Soros and Hoffman.
“Soros is a name that I hear,” Trump said. “I hear names of some pretty rich people that are radical left people. Maybe I hear about a guy named Reed Hoffman. Could be him. Could be a lot of people.”
The Hill has reached out to Hoffman’s chief of staff.
Acting US attorney: Shooting at Dallas ICE facility ‘the very definition of terrorism’
The acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas called Wednesday’s shooting at a Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility the “very definition of terrorism” on Thursday.
In notes that investigators found at the shooter’s home, the gunman “hoped his actions would terrorize ICE employees and interfere with their work,” acting U.S. attorney Nancy Larson said at a press conference.
The shooter, whom officials identified as 29-year-old Joshua Jahns, opened fire at the facility and a van transporting detainees from a nearby rooftop. Jahns, from Collin County, Texas, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound before local law enforcement officers could apprehend him.
Read more on the investigation here.
Trump, Vance downplay Hegseth meeting with military leaders
The White House on Thursday downplayed plans for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to convene top military leaders next week amid speculation about the purpose for the meeting.
“It’s not particularly unusual that generals who report to the secretary of War and then to the president of the United States are coming to speak with the secretary of War,” Vice President JD Vance said in the Oval Office. “It’s actually not unusual at all and I think it’s odd that you’ve made it into such a big story.”
Trump signs memo implementing death penalty in DC
Trump signed a presidential memorandum that directs the attorney general and the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia to “fully implement the death penalty” in the nation’s capital when appropriate.
Trump indicated the death penalty could be used as punishment in cases where someone is convicted of murder or of killing a law enforcement officer.
The White House has for weeks imposed a federal crackdown on the nation’s capital, deploying National Guard troops and surging law enforcement around the city.
Trump says shutdown could happen, blames Democrats
Trump said that there could be a shutdown, just five days away from the deadline to fund the government.
“Could be because the Democrats are crazed, they don’t know what they’re doing. They want to have the border opened up, so criminals can pour in,” Trump said.
He continued, adding that Democrats want to raise taxes and have men in women’s sports, among other issues.
The Democratic stopgap measure includes a permanent extension of the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, overturning the GOP’s Medicaid cuts via the “big, beautiful bill” and a restoration of rescissions cuts.
Trump says he spoke to Netanyahu
Trump told reporters he spoke Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders from the Middle East about Gaza.
“We spoke with Bibi Netanyahu today, and we spoke to all the leaders in the Middle East, who are great people,” Trump said. “And we’re getting pretty close to having a deal on Gaza and maybe even peace.”
Trump signs order approving TikTok deal
President Trump signed an executive order Thursday that approves a deal to keep TikTok available in the U.S. after months of uncertainty about the future of the popular Chinese-owned social media platform.
TikTok is poised to be spun off into a separate U.S. entity to comply with a 2024 law requiring the app’s China-based parent company ByteDance to divest or face a U.S. ban.
DOJ official pushes US attorneys to probe Soros foundation
The Justice Department is pushing for investigations into the George Soros-funded Open Society Foundations, the first such case since White House leaders threatened criminal actions against non-profits in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death.
According to The New York Times, an attorney in Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s office sent a note to half a dozen U.S. attorney offices asking that they prepare for investigations into the group, even suggesting potential charges such as arson and material support of terrorism.
Barrett: ‘I don’t think of myself as a swing justice’
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Thursday said she doesn’t think of herself as a “swing justice,” distancing herself from a label that court watchers have sometimes ascribed to her.
“A swing justice — that makes it sound like you sort of are swinging back and forth, and you can’t make up your mind,” Barrett, the most junior conservative justice, said.
“And that is not how my approach to judging,” she told the crowd gathered at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center for the inaugural SCOTUSblog Summit: On The Merits.
AFL-CIO head on Trump mass firings plan: Federal workers ‘not pawns’
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler on Thursday decried the Trump administration’s plans to initiate a reduction in force if discretionary funding lapses next month as outlined in a new White House memo.
“America’s federal workers — the hardworking people across the country who keep our essential government services running — have already suffered immensely from the chaos and destruction inflicted by this administration’s Project 2025/DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] agenda,” Shuler said in a statement.
Watch live: Jeffries gives remarks amid government shutdown fight
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will speak with reporters Thursday afternoon with less than a week until government funding lapses.
The Sept. 30 deadline is inching closer after Senate Democrats blocked the House GOP-led continuing resolution that would have kept the lights on until Nov. 21.
Lawmakers and their aides are now bracing for a shutdown after President Trump canceled a planned meeting with Democratic leaders. Democrats said they could not approve any stopgap funding bill if they are not included in negotiations, especially as they push for an extension on Affordable Care Act subsidies.
The press conference also comes after Jeffries pushed back on the Trump administration’s threat of mass firings if the government shuts down.
The event is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. EDT. Watch live here.
Erdoğan departs White House
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan departed the White House Thursday afternoon after meeting with President Trump.
Trump told reporters it was a “great meeting.”
Hegseth calls military leaders to meet next week in sudden order
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will meet with top military leaders next week, the Pentagon confirmed Thursday, following a report that the rare gathering will include hundreds of generals and admirals.
“The Secretary of War will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to The Hill, offering no additional details.
Democratic leaders reject Trump’s threat on layoffs in shutdown
Happy Thursday. Wake me up when September ends, amirite?
In today’s issue:
• White House directs mass firings in shutdown
• NJ polling draws Trump’s attention
• President hosts Erdoğan
• Inside the White House’s Epstein strategy
⏱️ SHUTDOWN CLOCK
The White House wants mass firings if the government shuts down:
The White House budget office is preparing for mass firings in the event of a government shutdown. There has been a memo circulating that has been getting a lot of traction today.
Why now?: The memo advises federal departments and agencies to use a potential shutdown as an opportunity to reduce their workforce.
How this would work: “The memo essentially directs agencies to permanently fire some federal employees that otherwise would be furloughed during a shutdown but then return to work once Congress reopens the government.”
The Hill’s Alex Gangitano reviewed the memo.
Trump says he doesn’t know if Comey will be indicted
President Trump said Thursday he didn’t know if former FBI Director James Comey would be indicted after issuing a direct call for Attorney General Pam Bondi to do so over the weekend.
“I can’t tell you what’s going to happen because I don’t know yet. Very professional people, headed up by the attorney general, [Deputy Attorney General] Todd Blanche and [Interim attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia] Lindsey Halligan, who’s very smart. Good lawyer, very good lawyer. They’re going to make a determination,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Former Fed, Treasury chiefs urge Supreme Court to shield Cook from Trump firing
More than a dozen of the most influential U.S. economic officials of the past three decades are urging the Supreme Court to allow Fed Governor Lisa Cook to stay on the board of the central bank.
In a brief filed Thursday, a group of former Fed chairs, Treasury secretaries and top White House economists spanning both Democratic and Republican administrations urged the court to block President Trump’s attempt to immediately remove Cook from the Fed.
The officials argued that allowing Trump to fire Cook would threaten the Fed’s independence, damage the public’s trust in the bank and weaken its ability to keep the U.S. economy stable.
They urged the court not to force Cook off of the Fed board until the court decides whether Trump’s effort was legally valid, warning that not doing so “would expose the Federal Reserve to political influences, thereby eroding public confidence in the Fed’s independence and jeopardizing the credibility and efficacy of U.S. monetary policy.”
Senate Republican backs Vought warning to layoff federal workers in shutdown
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) on Thursday gave backup to Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought’s warning that the administration is prepared to lay off scores of federal workers if a government shutdown takes place next week, saying that “changes” to the federal budget will be needed in that case.
“We want a clean CR. That’s all we want,” Moreno said. “But obviously if the Democrats continue to hold us hostage for an obscene amount of spending, then we’re going to have to make changes to how the federal budget is structured, and I think Director Vought is ready to do that. That’s the question Democrats have to ask themselves. … The Democrats are being completely crazy.”
When pressed on furloughs and why they wouldn’t be sufficient, as they’ve been in shutdowns dating back decades, Moreno said the length of a potential shutdown may play a role.
“What we don’t know is how long this is going to last. So if it starts to last too long, we’re going to have to make permanent cuts,” he added.
Trump warns ‘radical left’ violence ‘going to go back on them’
Trump warned what he described as “radical left Democrats” against continued heightened rhetoric and political violence, suggesting those on the right may respond in kind at a certain point.
“The radical left is causing this problem. Not the right, the radical left. And it’s going to get worse, and ultimately it’s going to go back on them,” Trump said. “I mean, bad things happen when they play these games. I’ll give you a little clue, the right is a lot tougher than the left. But the right’s not doing this. And they better not get them energized because it won’t be good for the left. And I don’t want to see that happen either. I’m the president of all the people.
“Radical left Democrats are causing this problem. And it gets worse,” Trump added. “And it will be a point where other people won’t take it anymore. And that will not be good for the radical left. And we don’t want that.”
NATO chief echoes Trump’s call for member countries to shoot down Russian planes
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday backed President Trump’s call for member countries to shoot down Russian planes that enter their airspace but suggested they should only do so once they’ve exhausted other options.
In an interview on Fox News’s “Fox & Friends,” Brian Kilmeade asked Rutte whether he agrees with Trump, who told a reporter, “Yes, I do,” when asked whether NATO countries should shoot down Russian jets that violate their airspace.
“Do you think that he’s right? Because Germany pushed back and said, ‘Well, we don’t think we’ll do that,” Kilmeade said. “Should they be prepared to knock down Russian drones and planes?”
“If so necessary,” Rutte said. “So, I totally agree here with President Trump, if so necessary. But our military, Brian, have trained and prepared for this. We know how to do this.”
Trump says he doesn’t know if Comey will be indicted
Trump told reporters that he didn’t know if former FBI director James Comey will be indicted, after issuing a direct call for Attorney General Pam Bondi to do so over the weekend.
“I can’t tell you what’s going to happen because I don’t know yet. Very professional people, headed up by the attorney general… they’re going to make a determination,” Trump said.
He added, “I can only say that Comey’s a bad person, he’s a sick person. I think he’s a sick guy actually, he did terrible things at the FBI. But I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Comey is expected to be indicted soon, MSNBC first reported, after a Trump staffer Lindsey Halligan took over the case when Erik Seibert, the former attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, stepped down rather than bring charges against Comey.
Trump to give aid to farmers amid tariff uncertainty
Trump said his administration will use money brought in from tariffs to provide assistance to farmers, many of whom are facing financial strain in part because of the president’s trade policies.
“What we’re going to be doing is we’re going to be taking some money from all of the tariff money we’ve taken. and we’re going to distribute it to our farmers until the tariffs kick in to their benefit,” Trump said.
Trump: Turkey responsible for Syrian revolution
President Trump on Thursday said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was responsible for the rebel ousting of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in December.
“This man is responsible, he doesn’t take responsibility but its actually a great achievement. They’ve been trying to do it for 2,000 years – for 2,000 years they’ve been trying to take over Syria, and he doesn’t want to take credit,” Trump said.
Turkey is a main backer of Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the militant group he headed, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which carried out Assad’s ousting.
“He was responsible for that victory, it was a victory for Turkey, they’ve been fighting for you know, 1,000 years, it never went, it was back and forth, he was responsible for that,” Trump said, sitting next to the Turkish leader in the Oval Office.
Trump suggests Gaza deal could be close
Trump indicated parties were close to reaching an agreement to end the war in Gaza, citing progress during a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations.
“I had a great meeting with the leaders of that area, of that region,” Trump said. “We had a great meeting the other day at UNGA. I think we’re close to getting some kind of a deal done. We want to get the hostages back. Have to get the hostages back…but it looks like there are 20 living hostages and probably 38 or so dead hostages.”
Asked later if a deal was possible “today,” Trump noted he still has to talk with Israel and that timing is iffy.
“I have to do that also,” Trump said. “I think we can get that one done.”
Trump says Turkey should stop buying Russian oil and gas
President Trump on Thursday said Turkey should stop buying Russian oil and gas if he wanted to have influence on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“Best thing he could is not buy oil and gas from Russia,” Trump said. The president had earlier issued a demand for NATO countries to end purchases of Russian oil, but the president’s allies suggested that Turkey, a NATO member was not included in that demand.
Trump says he will decide on F-35s for Turkey by ‘end of the day’
Trump said that he will discuss with Erdoğan whether to include Turkey in the F-35 fighter jet program, saying a decision will be made by the end of the day.
“I know he wants the F-35s, he’s wanted that. And we’re going to be talking about that very seriously,” Trump said. “He needs certain things, we need certain things. And we’re going to come to a conclusion, you’ll know by the end of the day.”
He also added that he will discuss Patriot missiles with the Turkish president.
“We’re going to be discussing the Patriot, which is the best system,” Trump said.
Trump: Putin ‘ought to stop’
Trump expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the top of his meeting with the Turkish president.
“It’s such a waste of human life. And so he ought to stop. Putin ought to stop,” Trump said.
Trump and Erdoğan are expected to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. Trump said he hoped to see Turkey stop any purchases of Russian energy.
Palestinian president says Hamas will have no role in governing postwar Gaza
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday said Hamas will have no role in governing a post-war Gaza Strip, virtually addressing the United Nations General Assembly IUNGA) after the Trump administration blocked visas for the Palestinian delegation.
Abbas’s further rejected Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023, terrorist attack against Israel, while condemning Israel’s continued war in Gaza and policies in the West Bank as a “war of genocide, destruction, starvation, and displacement.”
Erdoğan arrives for meeting with Trump
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan arrived at the White House around 11:30 a.m. and was greeted by President Trump.
The two shook hands and then walked into the West Wing. Trump is hosting Erdoğan for a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office, followed by a lunch in the Cabinet room.
Fighter jets scrambled to intercept Russian warplanes near Alaska
U.S. fighter jets scrambled on Wednesday to intercept four Russian warplanes off the coast of Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said on Thursday.
NORAD said in a statement it detected and tracked four Russian military jets — two Tu-95s and two Su-35s — on Wednesday operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), a defined stretch of international airspace that begins where sovereign airspace ends. Identification of all aircraft in the zone is required.