Reading archive 2025-09-29

Is Trump keeping all his promises? This MAGA couple doesn’t think so.: Eight months into his second term, the president is facing some difficulties living up to the high expectations of his supporters.

Trump’s shutdown plans: Mass layoffs, deregulation, military deployments: The White House’s call for mass layoffs in a looming shutdown tracks with past administration efforts to defang much of the federal government.

Who is Lindsey Halligan, the interim U.S. attorney prosecuting James Comey?: Before she was sworn in Monday as an interim U.S. attorney, Halligan, a 36-year-old former White House aide, had no prosecutorial experience.

Elon Musk’s latest power grab points in a clear direction: His SpaceX deal could fundamentally alter the relationship between a state and its citizens. - "When citizens can communicate through networks that operate from international space, traditional regulatory tools become obsolete. Britain’s Online Safety Act, for example, requires platforms to remove harmful content and cooperate with regulators. But how do you enforce compliance when platforms can route traffic through orbital networks that bypass British infrastructure entirely?"

Surface-to-air missiles and deadly drones spread on Sudan’s battlefields: Fighters now possess antiaircraft weapons that could threaten civilian air traffic and what appears to be a Chinese surface-to-air missile system, experts said. - "'In 10 years, American and European leaders are going to regret their inaction on Sudan,' said Justin Lynch, the managing director of Conflict Insights Group. 'A failed state on the Red Sea that is awash with predatory Islamist militias, advanced weapons and genocidal leaders will imperil the region for generations.'"

FBI searches for motive after gunman kills 4 at Michigan church: Authorities said the suspect was killed after police exchanged gunfire with him. The FBI is investigating the incident as “an act of targeted violence.”

A government shutdown could start Wednesday. Here’s what to know.: The Trump administration and Democrats in Congress are at an impasse over how to pass new federal funding laws.

At 50, ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ still brings the misfits together: The campy cult classic has been the world’s favorite midnight movie for a half-century, and it’s not going anywhere. - "Ever since a particularly animated midnight screening of the movie at Greenwich Village’s Waverly Theater on Labor Day weekend in 1976, a night at the 'Picture Show' equals a visit to another reality. All because a viewer named Louis Farese yelled 'Buy an umbrella, you cheap bitch!' at Janet as she crooned 'Over at the Frankenstein place/ There’s a light' (in a rainstorm, with a newspaper draped over her head)."

Trump set to bail out Argentina, irking some in ‘America First’ camp: The Trump administration is set to provide a $20 billion financial lifeline to Argentina, a move that has sparked controversy among some of his supporters.

Anacostia Starbucks closure stings, even as some see a neighborhood ‘renaissance’: The Anacostia location, which generated excitement when it opened in 2020 in an underserved D.C. neighborhood, is one of hundreds of Starbucks closing nationwide.