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On Politics

Fri Oct 10 2025

Sudiksha Kochi | Congress and Campaigns Reporter

@KochiSudiksha

Hello readers. Happy Friday. This busy, newsy week has gone by fast!

In case you lost track, we are now on day 10 of the federal government shutdown. It appears increasingly likely that the shutdown will continue into the weekend and next week, as neither Republicans nor Democrats are willing to meaningfully budge on striking a funding deal.

In other news, President Donald Trump told reporters he thinks he's in "great shape" as he heads into his second medical exam at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

What else has happened? Here's a quick look.

And the Nobel Peace Prize goes to….

The White House responded to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition activist María Corina Machado by saying the prize committee was playing politics by not Trump. "The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace," White House Communications Director Steven Cheung wrote on social media.

Machado, however, took a moment to thank Trump for supporting her cause.

Trump has publicly stated at least a half-dozen times that he deserves to win the prize. He and his allies have cited various peace efforts, including the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that went into effect on Oct. 10.

Former U.S. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama previously won the prestigious award.

Syndication Westchester County Journal News

New York Attorney General Letitia James listens to questions from attendees during a Protecting the People Community Impact Hearing at Westchester Community College in Valhalla on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

John Meore/The Journal News, John Meore/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Letitia James, another Trump nemesis, indicted

It's been a big week for the president in terms of securing criminal charges against public figures who've dogged him over his conduct.

A federal grand jury indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on Oct. 9 on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, less than three weeks after Trump publicly called for her to face charges. In her statement, James called the charges against her "baseless."

In 2022, James sued Trump, his business entities, and some of his family members in a civil case, alleging they fraudulently inflated the value of Trump assets for years to get better loan and insurance terms. After a months-long trial, a New York judge found Trump liable and ordered him to pay a penalty of about $454 million. A New York appeals court later tossed that financial penalty, but it kept in place certain business restrictions that the judge had imposed.

The indictment comes on the heels of charges against another Trump critic, former FBI Director James Comey.

Politics pit stop

•	With Adams out of the NYC mayoral race, Cuomo gains ground, but Mamdani still leads
•	Cindy McCain is recovering in Arizona after a mild stroke
•	Hegseth decried "fat troops." Then a photo of hefty National Guard soldiers went viral.
•	Health Secretary Kennedy and Trump link early circumcision to autism via Tylenol

Ceasefire takes hold in Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces announced a historic ceasefire is now in effect in Gaza after the Israeli government approved the first phase of Trump's peace plan.

An Oct. 10 statement from the IDF said Israeli forces have repositioned "along the updated deployment lines" and are preparing for the return of hostages held in Gaza. The statement warns that the troops "will continue to remove any immediate threat."

The first phase of Trump's plan called for the release of Israeli hostages within 72 hours of an agreement being reached in exchange for Palestinians jailed in Israel. U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff wrote on social media Oct. 10 that the 72-hour period had begun.

Got a burning question or comment for On Politics? You can submit them here or send me an email at SKochi@gannett.com.