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Gaza: A peace agreement isn’t really a peace agreement if all parties don’t agree to the terms, and Hamas has not agreed to the US’s plan to end the war. As Al Jazeera laid out, several things about this plan are unclear, including how Gaza will be governed under a “transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian authority,” when Israel will withdraw, and whether Palestinian statehood is possible under the agreement (Trump’s comments indicate he is not interested.)
Even if This Ends: The suffering does not. The Gaza strip has been destroyed. Israel has murdered more than 68,000 people. The survivors: the amputees, the grieving families, the people who’ve lost everything—they are not yet safe from illegal settlement, or from Israel’s extremist government.
Pete Hegseth’s Big Announcement: After creating a massive security risk by summoning top generals to Quantico, Virginia, America’s Top War Boy (Defense Secretary) took to a stage to say the “woke” military was over. He’s introducing new “gender-neutral,” or “male-level,” physical fitness standards. He declared war on “fat” generals, admirals, and troops. Trump stood with him and bragged about the US’s nuclear capabilities. “We must be so strong that no nation will dare challenge us, so powerful that no enemy will dare threaten us,” Trump said. “And so capable that no adversary can even think about beating us.”
A War From Within: At the meeting, President Trump told the Generals that he’s going to “straighten out” LA, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. “That’s going to be a major part for some people in this room. That’s a war too. It’s a war from within.” Trump said he told Hegseth “we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military—National Guard, but our military, because we’re going into Chicago very soon.” Trump added: “That’s a big city with an incompetent governor.”
Trump: “The ones that are run by radical left Democrats — what they’ve done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles. They’re very unsafe places & we’re gonna straighten them out one by one. This is gonna be a major part for some people in this room. That’s a war too. It’s war from within”
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) September 30, 2025 at 7:13 AM
The Peace Train Is Experiencing Signal Issues: Yusuf, also known as beloved British folks singer Cat Stevens whose whole vibe is opening your heart with song, cancelled his US book tour, citing unspecified visa issues. Yusuf wrote on social media that “hopefully, fans will be able to hop on the Peace Train route at some time in the future.”
More Normalcy: The Oregonian/OregonLive published texts between Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek’s and President Donald Trump’s administration from the day after he announced he’d send the National Guard to Portland. The whole exchange was through Natalie Harp, Trump’s assistant and former Fox News personality who is known as a “human printer” because follows Trump around all day, showing him flattering articles about him that she finds on the internet.
Thank you for your attention to this matter!: “Governor: The ICE facility in Portland was attacked again last night,” wrote Harp, Trump’s assistant, quoting a message from the president. “In fact, it, and other Federal Buildings, are being attacked on a nightly basis. We can’t have this. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP.” When the Pentagon announced that they were activating 200 Oregon National Guard Troops, the Governor texted that he had broken his promise to consult her first. Trump replied: “I notified you to get things in order and you didn’t. They attacked our ICE Patriots last night, and at other times. If you get your state in order, we don’t come in, but everyone knows that Portland has been an unmitigated disaster for years. I won’t let that happen in America! President DJT”.
Swiper No Swiping: Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, Attorney General Nick Brown, Police Chief Shon Barnes, Fire Chief Harold Scoggins, City Council President Sara Nelson and City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck held a news conference Monday to tell Trump to keep federal troops out of Seattle, the Washington State Standard reports. “Our message today is very clear: Stay out of Seattle,” Harrell said. (Both Harrell and Brown made clear that they haven’t heard anything from the federal government about sending troops to Seattle.) Trump has always been such a good listener, so problem solved.
Shutdown, Baby: President Donald Trump did not strike an agreement with Democrats to avoid an imminent government shutdown on Monday. For answers, he should consult the Good Book. The Art of the Deal.
What’s On Trump’s Mind: Monday night, Trump spoke with Politico “shortly after he posted to social media a vulgar AI-generated deepfake video that mocked Democratic leaders and depicted House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wearing a sombrero while mariachi music plays in the background.” He said he wouldn’t acquiesce to the Democrats pushing for the tax credits to help people afford their Affordable Care Act insurance plans. Trump told Politico that the Democrats wanted to destroy healthcare in America by “giving it to millions and millions of illegal aliens.”
There Are Two Possibilities Inside US: The credits could be extended, increasing the number of insured Americans by 3.6 million in the next five years and costing the government $350 billion over the next 10 years. Or they’re cut and millions of people lose health insurance. Bloomberg wrote that a family of four making $130,000 a year could see their monthly $921 premium nearly double to $1,716. To find that number, Bloomberg used this calculator from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Anyway, a Shutdown Is Likely: Money is to government services as gas is to a car. The Seattle Times wrote about what the local impact could look like, including delays for the 920,000 people in Washington who use SNAP benefits.
A Murder Case Without a Body: The Grays Harbor County Prosecutor is exploring a “no body homicide prosecution” for the death of Oakley Carlson, a 5-year-old Oakville girl who went missing in 2010. Investigators suspect her parents. The announcement comes just after the girl’s biological mother was released from prison on an unrelated charge. No arrests have been made.
Federal Way Walmart Closure: The company plans to close the store and its pharmacy on Halloween. About 250 people could use their jobs if they don’t accept transfers to other stores. Two of the locations are within five miles of the store, according to King 5. That might seem reasonable, but not everyone has access to reliable transportation.
Happy New Tax Day to All Tim Eymans Who Celebrate: New taxes on temporary staffing, live presentations (lectures, seminars, workshops, etc.), and information technology, among others, take effect tomorrow. Comcast is suing the state over a tax on advertising.
It’s in the Game Historically Significant Acquisition: A private investor group that includes Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund and a firm managed by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is buying EA, or Electronic Arts, for $55 billion. It’s the largest private-equity buyout in history, the AP reports. EA makes Madden NFL, The Sims and Battlefield. The deal needs government approval, but it’s expected to sail on through.
