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How Trump rewrote the government shutdown playbook

President Donald Trump gestures from the stairs of Air Force One as he boards upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

By Jeff Mordock - The Washington Times

The current government shutdown is like no previous shutdown in that, this time, the president has labored to reduce the pain on everyday Americans, putting the suffering almost exclusively on federal workers and congressional Democrats’ pet projects.

New York GOP Reps. LaLota, Garbarino outraged over Trump freeing Santos from prison; others cheer

Former U.S. Rep. George Santos arrives at federal court for sentencing, April 25, 2025, in Central Islip, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) **FILE**

By Mallory Wilson - The Washington Times

Some New York Republicans are not happy with President Trump’s decision to commute the sentence of disgraced former New York Rep. George Santos.

Former U.S. Rep. George Santos arrives at federal court for sentencing, April 25, 2025, in Central Islip, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) **FILE**

New York GOP Reps. LaLota, Garbarino outraged over Trump freeing Santos from prison; others cheer

By Mallory Wilson - The Washington Times

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, sits before a meeting with President Donald Trump, from right, Vice President JD Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Zelenskyy returns to White House, this time with a proposition

By Mallory Wilson - The Washington Times

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins testifies during the House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing on Capitol Hill, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Yuri Gripas)

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WATCH: VA secretary demands apology after Sen. Blumenthal’s spinal cord research ‘lie’

By Alex Swoyer - The Washington Times

Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about her new book, "107 Days," during an event on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Kamala Harris says Democrats are right to fight for health care subsidies

By Mallory Wilson - The Washington Times

Dee Cahill of Margate, Fla., holds a "No Kings" sign as she participates in a pro-democracy, anti-Trump protest outside Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) **FILE**

‘No Kings’ protests embolden shutdown, Republican leaders say

By Lindsey McPherson - The Washington Times

Happening Now

Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about her new book, "107 Days," during an event on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Kamala Harris says Democrats are right to fight for health care subsidies

By Mallory Wilson - The Washington Times

Dee Cahill of Margate, Fla., holds a "No Kings" sign as she participates in a pro-democracy, anti-Trump protest outside Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) **FILE**

‘No Kings’ protests embolden shutdown, Republican leaders say

By Lindsey McPherson - The Washington Times

White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin tours members of the media in a replica of the Oval Office as is today, shown at The People's House exhibit, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

D.C. officials say more than 100 attractions remain open during the federal shutdown

By Sean Salai - The Washington Times

Former Trump administration National Security Adviser John R. Bolton, left, arrives for his arraignment at the Greenbelt Federal Courthouse in Greenbelt, Md., Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Bolton turns himself in on classified docs indictment, pleads ‘not guilty’

By Tom Howell Jr. - The Washington Times

Commentary

French President Emmanuel Macron waits for Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein at the presidential Elysee Palace, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

What is the government’s role in fighting crime? Don’t ask France

By Tim Constantine

Census Bureau Cannot Count Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

Botched census count ‘accidentally’ handed Democrats 6 extra House votes

By Editorial Board

Illustration on republicans options with Obamacare by Linas Garsys/The Washington Times

Expect Republicans to cave on Obamacare subsidy, again

By Kelly Sadler

Russia, Putin and the Ukraine Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

Show Putin his Ukraine strategy is failing

By Daniel N. Hoffman

Redistricting (gerrymandering) in Texas illustration by Linas Garsys / The Washington Times

Supreme Court takes second shot at ending Democrats’ rigging of modern elections

By Editorial Board

Culture View all

This undated photo provided by the Monterey Bay Aquarium shows a person wearing the re-released Monterey Bay Aquarium t-shirt on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, in Pacific Grove, Calif. (Monterey Bay Aquarium via AP)

A T-shirt worn by Taylor Swift sparks a $2M windfall for sea otters

By Olga R. Rodriguez - Associated Press

The app for Bluesky is shown on a mobile phone, left, and on a laptop screen on June 2, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

White House joins Bluesky and immediately trolls Trump opponents

By Aamer Madhani - Associated Press

White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin tours members of the media in a replica of the Oval Office as is today, shown at The People's House exhibit, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

D.C. officials say more than 100 attractions remain open during the federal shutdown

By Sean Salai - The Washington Times

In this Thursday, April 4, 2019 file photo, Sir David Attenborough poses for photographers upon his arrival for the premiere of a new series of Our Planet, at the Natural History Museum in central London. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP, File)

David Attenborough, 99, breaks record as oldest Daytime Emmy winner. ‘General Hospital’ wins big

By Beth Harris - Associated Press

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The Pentagon and Potomac River. Are the Pentagon, defense companies leaving U.S. allies behind? File photo: xbrchx via Shutterstock.

LISTEN: Are the Pentagon, defense companies leaving U.S. allies behind?

Chinese President Xi Jinping is displayed on a screen as Type 99A2 Chinese battle tanks take part in a parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender during World War II held in front of Tiananmen Gate in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

Chinese Communist Party purges nine senior military leaders for corruption

By Bill Gertz - The Washington Times

In this photo released by Pakistan's Press Information Department, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pose for photograph after signing a mutual defense pact, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (Press Information Department via AP) ** FILE **

Saudi-Pakistan defense pact signals shift as Gulf states hedge bets on U.S. security guarantees

By Jacob Wirtschafter - Special to The Washington Times

National Security Editor Guy Taylor sits down with Sen. Todd Young, Indiana Republican, who has emerged in recent years as a leader on the most nuanced aspects of U.S.-China competition.

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WATCH: Understanding the future of the U.S.-China great power competition

Trump Central View all

Illinois State Police and Cooks County Sheriffs move in to detain protesters outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Ill., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Trump asks Supreme Court to allow him to deploy troops to Illinois

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, meets with representatives of military personnel stationed in Urumqi in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (Li Gang/Xinhua via AP) ** FILE **

Trump says his high tariff threat on China ‘not sustainable,’ will meet Xi

By Tom Howell Jr. - The Washington Times

A sign for The New York Times hangs above the entrance to its building, May 6, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Trump re-files more careful lawsuit against The New York Times

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times

After two years of ravaging war and global tension, a new era of peace may be on the horizon in the Middle East.

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WATCH: Susan Ferrechio answers questions about Trump’s role in Middle East peace

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New York GOP Reps. LaLota, Garbarino outraged over Trump freeing Santos from prison; others cheer

Trump's first three Cabinet meetings feature more press questions and answers than all of Biden's

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Politics View all

President Donald Trump gestures from the stairs of Air Force One as he boards upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

How Trump rewrote the government shutdown playbook

By Jeff Mordock - The Washington Times

Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about her new book, "107 Days," during an event on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Kamala Harris says Democrats are right to fight for health care subsidies

By Mallory Wilson - The Washington Times

Former U.S. Rep. George Santos arrives at federal court for sentencing, April 25, 2025, in Central Islip, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) **FILE**

New York GOP Reps. LaLota, Garbarino outraged over Trump freeing Santos from prison; others cheer

By Mallory Wilson - The Washington Times

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons announces that his agency took nearly 1,500 immigrants into custody in Massachusetts over the month of May during a news conference at the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham)

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ICE director hits back at ‘political rhetoric,’ media ‘spin’ for imperiling officers and Americans

By Stephen Dinan and Alex Swoyer - The Washington Times

Dive Deeper View all

Rep. Robyn Kelly, D-Ill., right, speaks with former federal workers who lost their jobs in President Donald Trump's DOGE layoffs, at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) **FILE**

White suburbanites bear brunt as unemployment surges from Trump-era federal job cuts in D.C. area

By Sean Salai - The Washington Times

Bottles of medicine ride on a belt at a mail-in pharmacy warehouse in Florence, N.J., on July 10, 2018. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) **FILE**

Trump tariff threat spurs domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing

By Jeff Mordock - The Washington Times

AI boom: Tech revolution or new bubble set to burst?

By Tom Howell Jr. - The Washington Times

After two years of ravaging war and global tension, a new era of peace may be on the horizon in the Middle East.

Video
WATCH: Susan Ferrechio answers questions about Trump’s role in Middle East peace

National View all

A Border Patrol agent directs men towards a van after they crossed the border illegally through a gap in two walls separating Mexico from the United States before turning themselves in, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Biden’s DHS let migrants on bogus documents claim asylum, audit shows

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times

AI boom: Tech revolution or new bubble set to burst?

By Tom Howell Jr. - The Washington Times

A plastic shopping bag liters the roadside in Sacramento, Calif, Friday, Oct. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, file)

California lawsuit says makers of plastic bags lied about products being recyclable

By Sophie Austin - Associated Press

In this photo provided by the Alaska Army National, Guard Sgt. Mary Miller, a helicopter crew chief, passes a bottle of water to a child while evacuating displaced people from Kwigillingok, Alaska, during recovery operations on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (Joseph Moon/Alaska National Guard via AP)

Alaska storm damage so bad many evacuees won’t go home for at least 18 months, governor says

By Mark Thiessen and Gene Johnson - Associated Press

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Chinese President Xi Jinping is displayed on a screen as Type 99A2 Chinese battle tanks take part in a parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender during World War II held in front of Tiananmen Gate in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

Chinese Communist Party purges nine senior military leaders for corruption

By Bill Gertz - The Washington Times

Cheng Li-wun react to medias after winning in the Kuomintang (KMT, Nationalist Party) chairman election in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Taiwan’s main opposition party elects new leader in a race clouded by claims of China meddling

Associated Press

Locals dig graves for people killed in a cross-border airstrike by the Pakistani army in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Shafiqullah Mashaal)

Afghan and Pakistani delegations in Doha for crisis talks over cross-border violence

By Riazat Butt - Associated Press

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, sits before a meeting with President Donald Trump, from right, Vice President JD Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Zelenskyy returns to White House, this time with a proposition

By Mallory Wilson - The Washington Times

Sports View all

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani celebrates their win against the Milwaukee Brewers in baseball's National League Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles.(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Shohei Ohtani’s 3 homers and 10 Ks lead Dodgers to World Series in a show for the ages

By Greg Beacham - Associated Press

Maryland quarterback Malik Washington (7 ) throws a pass against Nebraska during the first half of a NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in College Park, Md. (Jordan Sabillo/All-Pro Reels)

Maryland’s cross-country trip to UCLA requires adjustments, logistical quirks

By George Gerbo - The Washington Times

San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Drake Jackson tries to avoid a block by Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. during an NFL football game in Cleveland on Oct. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Kirk Irwin) **FILE**

Commanders send newly signed edge rusher Jackson to injured reserve

By Liam Griffin - The Washington Times

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh leaves the field following an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

A 1-5 team can rebound, make the playoffs, but Ravens have little room for error

By Noah Trister - Associated Press

Higher Ground View all

Lanterns are displayed for sale at roadside stalls as people shop ahead of Diwali festival in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is the most important festival of the year in India

By Deepa Bharath - Associated Press

Over the years, Hollywood decided being woke was more important than listening to their audiences, and their downfall is being seen in real time. Thankfully, alternatives are emerging. Cara Leopardo, founder of We The Studios, joins Washington Times commentary editor Kelly Sadler on Politically Unstable to discuss

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Politically Unstable: The downfall of Hollywood

Copies of the Bible are displayed Aug. 12, 2024, at the Bixby High School library in Bixby, Okla. (AP Photo/Joey Johnson, File)

New Oklahoma schools superintendent rescinds mandate for Bible instruction in schools

By Sean Murphy - Associated Press

A Christian woman prays during midnight Easter Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral Church, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

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Unmasked: The true horror of Christian persecution

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White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin tours members of the media in a replica of the Oval Office as is today, shown at The People's House exhibit, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

D.C. officials say more than 100 attractions remain open during the federal shutdown

By Sean Salai - The Washington Times

Former Trump administration National Security Adviser John R. Bolton, left, arrives for his arraignment at the Greenbelt Federal Courthouse in Greenbelt, Md., Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Bolton turns himself in on classified docs indictment, pleads ‘not guilty’

By Tom Howell Jr. - The Washington Times

Illinois State Police and Cooks County Sheriffs move in to detain protesters outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Ill., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Trump asks Supreme Court to allow him to deploy troops to Illinois

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times

Chinese President Xi Jinping is displayed on a screen as Type 99A2 Chinese battle tanks take part in a parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender during World War II held in front of Tiananmen Gate in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

Chinese Communist Party purges nine senior military leaders for corruption

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Prince Andrew looks around as he leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, on April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) **FILE**

Prince Andrew says he’s giving up his Duke of York title as Epstein allegations refuse to fade

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A plastic shopping bag liters the roadside in Sacramento, Calif, Friday, Oct. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, file)

California lawsuit says makers of plastic bags lied about products being recyclable

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In this photo provided by the Alaska Army National, Guard Sgt. Mary Miller, a helicopter crew chief, passes a bottle of water to a child while evacuating displaced people from Kwigillingok, Alaska, during recovery operations on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (Joseph Moon/Alaska National Guard via AP)

Alaska storm damage so bad many evacuees won’t go home for at least 18 months, governor says

By Mark Thiessen and Gene Johnson - Associated Press

Former U.S. Rep. George Santos arrives at federal court for sentencing, April 25, 2025, in Central Islip, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) **FILE**

‘Good luck George, have a great life!’ Trump commutes George Santos’ prison sentence

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference as the government shutdown enters its third week, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Jeffries calls White House press secretary ‘sick’ for saying Dems made up of criminals, illegals

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President Donald Trump listens as Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump’s tariffs helped tame deficit in 2025, brought in $118 billion in new money

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More than 800 FPV drones from the city volunteers are seen in central Lviv, western Ukraine, Friday, May 10, 2024. Lviv volunteers have handed over nearly 7 300 drones to the Ukrainian army over the year in the frame of project "Birds of Victory." (AP Photo/Mykola Tys) ** FILE **

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Army develops drones that can be printed in-house, assembled on the battlefield

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A poster showing K-pop band BTS members is displayed to celebrate its 10th debut anniversary at a bus station in Seoul, South Korea on June 14, 2023. Four more members of the K-pop supergroup BTS are to begin their mandatory South Korean military duties soon, their management agency said. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

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Chat GPT's landing page is seen on a computer screen, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

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With the government shutdown now in its third week, a sign turns away tourists at the entrance to the Capitol Visitor Center, in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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From left, Mayoral candidates Independent candidate former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani participate in a mayoral debate, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, Pool)

Andrew Cuomo tries to knock down ‘first-timer’ Zohran Mamdani in NYC mayor’s debate

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Brayan Santos, left, and Theodore Tanczuk, right, of solar installer YellowLite, put solar panels on the roof of a home in Lakewood, Ohio, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

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Hamas gunmen on pickup trucks escort buses carrying freed Palestinian prisoners as they are greeted following their release from Israeli jails under a cease-fire agreement between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

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A Border Patrol agent directs men towards a van after they crossed the border illegally through a gap in two walls separating Mexico from the United States before turning themselves in, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

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Bottles of medicine ride on a belt at a mail-in pharmacy warehouse in Florence, N.J., on July 10, 2018. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) **FILE**

Trump tariff threat spurs domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing

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Democrat Jay Jones, left, and Republican incumbent Jason Miyares shake hands at the start of the Virginia attorney general debate in Richmond, Va., Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP, Pool)

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