The Jackpod: Plutonomy On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on a concept that explains an anomaly in today’s economic news: retail sales are up while other key economic indicators are down.
Fired feds, Trump lovers, and veterans: Meet the people applying for ICE jobs At a recent DHS career expo in Provo, Utah, many attendees hoped to get hired to help with the Trump administration's deportation efforts. Ximena Bustillo
What schools stand to lose in the battle over the next federal education budget Education researchers warn budget proposals from the White House and House Republicans would impose steep cuts on some of the nation's most vulnerable students and disadvantaged school communities. Cory Turner
Trump's TikTok deal payment criticized as 'shakedown scheme' by experts The U.S. government will collect a multibillion-dollar fee from the American investors who will take over TikTok. Some experts call the fee and other deals like it "extortion." David Folkenflik
Trump administration threatens large-scale layoffs if government shuts down The government is just days away from shutting down if Congress can't reach a deal. President Trump upped the stakes, threatening large-scale layoffs if Democrats don't provide the necessary votes. Barbara Sprunt
Former FBI Director Comey indicted on criminal charges stemming from 2020 testimony Former FBI Director James Comey faces one count of making false statements and one count of obstruction of justice in connection. Carrie Johnson
Hollywood now has dueling open letters over the Israel film boycott Over 1,200 Hollywood figures, among them Liev Schreiber, Mayim Bialik and Sharon Osbourne, signed a letter on Thursday rejecting a previous call to boycott Israeli film groups. Chloe Veltman
TV on the radio This week, we're talking TV. What we see on our screens and what goes on behind the scenes -- and how that shapes the political landscape. Scott Greenstone
New threats from the White House as a government shutdown looms If the government shuts down next week, the White House said it will look for ways to permanently eliminate some federal workers, rather than just temporarily send them home on unpaid leave. Barbara Sprunt
Trump is accusing the U.N. of 'sabotage.' The U.N. says Trump's team is to blame Trump says three "sinister events" disrupted his speech: a frozen escalator, a broken teleprompter and a too-quiet sound system. The U.N. says Trump's team is at fault, but opened an investigation. Rachel Treisman
