Desi Weekly News Digest 

NATIONAL

No Kings!!: Millions of people rallied around the country and in many cities around the world against the fascist, totalitarian, and corrupt actions of the Trump administration, singing, dancing, and celebrating American democracy. TSB members joined rallies in their respective cities. The mass protests were overwhelmingly peaceful, despite being billed as “Hate America” rallies by the Republicans. TIME

Government shutdown becomes third-longest in history with no end in sight: Senators failed for the 10th time to resolve the impasse in votes on Thursday. The shutdown is now the third-longest funding lapse in modern history, eclipsed only by the shutdowns of 1995 and 2018-19. Shutdowns are a relatively recent phenomenon, having only begun in their current form in 1980. CBS

INTERNATIONAL

Trump's boat strikes are killing potentially innocent civilians: On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. military had killed six people in a strike on a boat that, Trump said, was “trafficking narcotics.” It was the fifth such strike in international waters since Sept. 2, with a combined death toll of 27 people.  MSNBC

Tensions Rise Between US and Colombia: Following a deadly US military strike on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean, President Trump publicly called Colombia's president an "illegal drug leader" and announced an end to US aid to the country. INDIAN EXPRESS

Gaza Ceasefire Under Strain: The US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been severely tested, with both sides reporting violations. Media reports indicated Israeli airstrikes in Gaza following alleged attacks by Hamas, with the Rafah border crossing remaining closed. CBS

DEPARTMENT OF INCOMPETENCE

Trump Administration Is Bringing Back Scores of C.D.C. Experts Fired in Error: Hundreds of staff fired from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Friday have been reinstated, according to the American Federation of Government Employees. After a new round of layoff notices was sent late Friday night to around 1,300 workers at the CDC, about 700 were reinstated. CNN

The U.S. Is Tiptoeing Away From Many of Trump’s Signature Tariffs: President Trump, in recent weeks, has exempted dozens of products from his so-called reciprocal tariffs and offered to carve out hundreds more goods from farm products to airplane parts when countries strike trade deals with the U.S. WSJ (paywall)

DEMOCRACY IN DANGER

Trump Team Plans IRS Overhaul to Enable Pursuit of Left-Leaning Groups: The Trump administration is preparing to make changes to the IRS that would allow the agency to launch criminal investigations of left-leaning groups, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

Trump diverts anti-terror funds from Democratic strongholds to Republican states: The Trump administration plans to shift terrorism prevention funding from Democratic-led states toward those led by Republicans, government records show, as it overhauls a $1 billion program created after the 9/11 attacks. Twelve Democratic-led states are suing to block the cuts, alleging that the Trump administration is trying to punish them for not cooperating with federal immigration agents. REUTERS

Trump halted nearly $28B in funding amid the shutdown. Most was going to Democratic strongholds: White House uses the cover of the shutdown to pull billions of dollars from congressional districts represented by its critics. THE INDEPENDENT

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat: Leaders of Young Republican groups throughout the country referred to Black people as monkeys and “the watermelon people” and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies and driving them to suicide, and lauded Republicans who they believed supported slavery. POLITICO

IMMIGRATION

More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents.: Americans have been dragged, tackled, beaten, tased, and shot by immigration agents. They’ve had their necks kneeled on. They’ve been held outside in the rain while in their underwear. At least three citizens were pregnant when agents detained them. PRO PUBLICA

ICE bought vehicles equipped with fake cell towers to spy on phones: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) paid $825,000 earlier this year to a company that manufactures vehicles equipped with various technologies for law enforcement, including fake cellphone towers known as “cell-site simulators,” which can be used to spy on nearby phones. TECH CRUNCH

Outrage as legal US resident fined for not having 'papers' proving residency: Before Trump’s administration, the federal requirement for carrying documents was rarely enforced, but under his new quota of 3,000 daily arrests, enforcement has intensified. RAW STORY

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND SAFETY

Before Alaska flooding, EPA canceled $20 million flood protection grant: The Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump on Thursday defended its decision earlier this year to rescind a $20 million grant meant to prevent coastal erosion in Kipnuk. Kipnuk was one of the hardest-hit villages from the remnants of Typhoon Halong, which hit Western Alaska over the weekend. ADN 

SNAP officials warn benefits will run out in November as government shutdown rages on: SNAP officials in several states are issuing dire warnings that food assistance benefits could run out next month as the partial government shutdown continues. With the shutdown in its sixteenth day, roughly 42 million Americans are at risk of missing out on their much-needed food stamps in November. THE SUN

DESI NEWS

Ashley Tellis, architect of 2008 US-India nuclear deal, arrested over information sharing: The U.S. government arrested Ashley Tellis, a prominent international relations scholar and senior policy adviser, accusing him of unlawfully retaining classified “national defense information.” In court filings, FBI officer Jeffrey Scott alleged that 64-year-old Tellis may have shared sensitive documents with officials from the People’s Republic of China on at least one occasion. AMERICAN BAZAAR

Pennsylvania man wrongfully imprisoned for more than 40 years faces deportation after ICE arrest: Earlier this month, Centre County’s district attorney dismissed murder charges against 64-year-old Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam. However, shortly after his exoneration, Vedam was detained by ICE based on a 1988 deportation order tied to his now-vacated convictions. More than 40 years ago, Vedam was convicted of the murder of Tom Kinser, a 19-year-old college student who went missing from State College in 1980. GUARDIAN

Diwali Dispatches Back on Track as India Restarts Postal Shipments to America: In a timely Diwali gift for exporters and Indian families abroad, the Department of Posts has announced the resumption of all international postal services to the United States starting October 15, 2025, ending a suspension that had disrupted shipments for nearly two months. SOUTH ASIAN HERALD

CORRUPTION ALERT

Homeland Security buying two private jets for Kristi Noem's use: The Department of Homeland Security is buying a pair of private jets for Secretary Kristi Noem's travels as she represents President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts across the country, according to media reports. The two Gulfstream jets are being purchased through the Coast Guard. USA TODAY

GOOD NEWS FOR AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

Airports Are Pushing Back Against Kristi Noem’s Shutdown Propaganda: Last week, the White House bragged that a video of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blaming the ongoing government shutdown on Democrats is “currently playing at every public airport in America.” But according to local reports, airports across the country—from Washington state to New York—have announced their refusal to subject travelers to the propaganda. THE NEW REPUBLIC

THE EPSTEIN FILES STILL HAVE NOT BEEN RELEASED

TAKE ACTION

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