Odds and Ends — 2 October 2025

The Trump administration is planning to withhold billions of dollars from one of the nation’s largest public works projects in direct retaliation for the government shutdown, which Republicans are [falsely] blaming on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and fellow Democrats.

https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1973395399177097499
https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1973464229257814109

Furloughed Workers Told to Blame Democrats

After the government shutdown began Wednesday morning, furloughed employees at an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services were told to set an out-of-office message in their email accounts blaming Democrats for the situation.

https://twitter.com/JordanOnRecord/status/1973441370569449730

https://twitter.com/timotjb/status/1973414576986243307

https://twitter.com/acnewsitics/status/1973471777608310789

White House Uses Shutdown to Maximize Pain on Foes

The Trump administration took steps on Wednesday to maximize the pain of the government shutdown, halting billions of dollars in funds for Democratic-led states while readying a plan to lay off potentially droves of civil servants imminently.
The moves by the White House appeared both unprecedented and punitive, underscoring the risks of a fiscal stalemate that had no end in sight. It also evinced how President Trump might try to leverage the governmentwide closure to achieve his agenda, slash the budget and exact revenge on his political enemies.

———— The Epstein Coverup ————

https://twitter.com/TheRealThelmaJ1/status/1973429277413822585

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1973452250950271406

———— Autocracy R Us ————

Trump’s Speech to Generals Was Incitement to Violence Against Americans

I’m sure it sounds better in the original German: White House Asks Colleges to Sign Sweeping Agreement

The Trump administration is laying out a set of operating principles that it wants universities to agree to in exchange for preferential access to federal funds.
The memo demands that schools ban the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions, freeze tuition for five years, cap international undergrad enrollment at 15%, require that applicants take the SAT or a similar test, and quell grade inflation.

WTF: ICE Agents Rappel From Black Hawk Helicopters Into Chicago for Major Raid

https://twitter.com/NancyAFrench/status/1973476916104667634

———— Blatant In-Your-Face Corruption ————

https://twitter.com/TheMaineWonk/status/1973354287578357781

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1973467768432501199

———— Putin&Krasnov vs. Ukraine ————

https://twitter.com/b_nishanov/status/1973106024706895965

https://twitter.com/Daractenus/status/1973293201344831937

https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1973390911783448921

https://twitter.com/shashj/status/1973362071451340974

I’ll believe it when I see it: U.S. to Provide Ukraine With Intelligence

The U.S. will provide Ukraine with intelligence for long-range missile strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure, American officials said, as the Trump administration weighs sending Kyiv powerful weapons that could put in range more targets within Russia.
President Trump recently signed off on allowing intelligence agencies and the Pentagon to aid Kyiv with the strikes. U.S. officials are asking North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies to provide similar support, these people said. The expanded intelligence-sharing with Kyiv is the latest sign that Trump is deepening support for Ukraine as his efforts to advance peace talks have stalled.

https://twitter.com/CliveWismayer/status/1973274755361886240

https://twitter.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1973341597073801608

https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1973464255539323113

https://twitter.com/BohuslavskaKate/status/1973386576173338982

———— Hegseth on the Rocks ————

https://twitter.com/stengel/status/1973136471654596911

https://twitter.com/TNOQuoProQuid/status/1973031637576495110

A Novice Defense Secretary Lectures the Brass

The military officers assembled in the room listened silently. It is likely, though, that at least some of them were seething at his suggestion that their collective failure to enforce basic standards had caused, or even contributed to, the military’s failings in Afghanistan and Iraq.

https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/1973382474559324493

https://twitter.com/TheMaineWonk/status/1973416452976755127