GoLocalProv | Shutdown Standoff and More Court Fights

Sunday, October 12, 2025

Mark Curtis, MINDSETTER™

President Donald Trump PHOTO: White House Feed

You might think it would be a slow news week, with most of the federal government shutdown. But it’s been quite busy with battles over the shutdown and additional court cases for the Trump White House, where the number of lawsuits now tops 400. Let’s “brunch” on all of that this week.

“Shutdown Latest” – As we approach the third week of the U.S. government shutdown, it would appear we are at an impasse. Republicans blame Democrats, and Democrats blame Republicans. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R), South Dakota, said, “This isn’t a political game. Democrats might feel that way, but I don’t know anybody else that does… “The longer this goes on, the more the American people realize that Democrats own this shutdown.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) New York said, “Every day that Republicans refuse to negotiate to end this shutdown, the worse it gets for Americans and the clearer it becomes who is fighting for them.” A big sticking point is whether to extend federal subsidies for people getting health coverage through Obamacare. President Donald Trump insists he remains open to discussing that, saying, he wants “great health care” for people. Settling this issue may be the key to reopening the government. The Senate won’t be back in until Tuesday and the House is out until at least October 19.

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“The Impact: Short Term and Long Term” – The most significant impact right now is on federal workers who are off the job. The hardest hit are those deemed essential workers, such as military, law enforcement, and air traffic controllers. All are working, but without pay. In past government shutdowns, workers received back pay, but President Trump says he may oppose that this time. He’s still threatening to fire thousands of workers for good., and by mid-Friday “substantial” numbers of workers had been laid off in the U.S. Departments of Health, Education and Internal Revenue Service. So far, there have been spotty delays and cancellations at airports due to staffing shortages. Twelve airports have taken the brunt of this, with the one in Burbank, California, briefly closing. Aviation experts predict it could get worse. Long-term, I think there is a potential political fallout. 2026 is a Congressional midterm election year. Right now, Republicans have razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate, and if too many voters blame them, Democrats could seize control of Congress.”

“When the Economy Tumbles” – The economy is, of course, the main issue in most campaigns. On Friday, the S&P 500 dropped 2.7 percent and the Dow Jones closed down 878 points, mostly on President Trump’s threat of more tariffs on China. Yes, November 2026 is a long way away, but this is something to keep an eye on.

“BUSY Supremes Docket” – The high court convened on the first Monday in October on the 5th, and this portends to be one of the busiest, most-watched sessions ever. There are more cases examining the scope and breadth of presidential power than ever before. President Trump has pushed the edges of the envelope more than any other chief executive in our nation’s history. According to JustSecurity.org, there are 437 legal cases in the federal court system prompted by the actions of a second Trump term. They include fights over: birthright citizenship, staffing and budgetary cuts (without Congressional approval); USAID foreign aid cuts; deportation and immigration policies; National Guard deployments; and “green rollbacks” on environmental policies, and the list goes on. We’ve never seen anything like this involving legal battles with the White House. Many of these cases, if not all, will be decided at the Supreme Court.

“Supreme Defeat” – The U.S. Supreme Court says it will not hear the appeal of Jeffrey Epstein’s partner in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell was convicted in New York of trafficking teenage girls for sex to Epstein and his high-powered friends. But Epstein was given immunity in that case by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida, presumably for pleading guilty to two state charges in Florida. Maxwell has argued that she, too, should be covered by Epstein’s blanket federal immunity. But a court brief from the Justice Department this year said Maxwell “was not a party to the relevant agreement… Only Epstein and the Florida USAO were parties.” Her attorney is not giving up. David Oscar Markus said, “But this fight isn’t over. Serious legal and factual issues remain, and we will continue to pursue every avenue available to ensure that justice is done.” I predict he will make a strong push for a Maxwell pardon as President Trump, a Maxwell friend, leaves office.

“Comey in Court” – Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty to two federal charges against him. Comey, who was fired by President Trump in his first term, is accused of lying under oath to Congress and obstructing an investigation. His attorneys say Comey is the victim of a political vendetta from Trump. Comey’s lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, said, “This prosecution was brought by President Trump.” He added that his team plans to file an “outrageous government conduct” motion in seeking a dismissal of charges. Trump called Comey “a bad person,” but says the decision to indict him was solely up to the Justice Department and not the White House. An interesting sidenote is that Maurene Comey accompanied her dad to court. Maurene was recently fired as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in New York, where she was the prosecutor on the Jeffrey Epstein-Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking cases, as well as the sex abuse convictions against rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs. My prediction is that the federal judge hearing Comey’s case will dismiss the charges.

“Another Trump Foe Indicted” – New York Attorney General Letitia James has been indicted by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, the same office that brought charges against James Comey. A grand jury has charged her with one count of mortgage fraud. It was James’s office that helped to win a civil suit judgement against Trump and his family members. A court of appeals upheld Trump’s liability but vacated his $400 million fine as excessive. Trump says the Biden Justce Department “weaponized” James and other prosecutors against him. Now we see Comey and James saying the Trump Justice Department is being “weaponized” against them. James said, “This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.” We’ll await what the judge and jury decide.

“National Guard Deployments” – 500 National Guard troops from Texas are now positioned at an ICE facility near Chicago. They were sent by President Trump, who said on Truth Social, “Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE Officers! Governor Pritzker also!” Gov. JB Pritzker (D) Illinois, said the Guard call-up was “Trump’s invasion.” The city and state are suing Trump in federal court, saying he doesn’t have the presidential authority to make such a move. For now, a federal judge has blocked the Chicago deployment for two weeks. A federal court of appeals in California is hearing a case about whether Trump can deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon. National Guard troops were scheduled to deploy in Memphis on Friday.

“Newsom Presidential Bid?” – While he’s not made any official announcement yet, it is widely expected that Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) California, is the leading possibility for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028. He has taken to social media to “troll” President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, and now he has a new target: Attorney General Pam Bondi. She was in a combative mood during a Senate hearing on Tuesday, where she was grilled about the status of the Epstein files but had little to say. Newsom has taken a page from the Trump playbook with online rants, saying, “Pedophile-protector Pam is still refusing to answer questions — and still hiding the Epstein files.”. He’s already called JD Vance, “Just Dance Vance” and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, “Kowgirl Kristi.” In a way, it’s Newsom’s backhanded compliment to Trump, who used such putdowns effectively since he first ran in 2016.

“Skewed Polling?” – Is someone “cooking the books?” The Daily Beast reported an interesting story this week, stating that President Trump sent a late-night post on social media claiming his approval rate from the American people was 57 percent. He even posted a slick graphic about it on X. The post cites Rasmussen Reports, which is considered one of the most reputable polling companies in the nation. Its daily tracker for that date shows Trump with a 47 percent approval rating. When asked about the wide discrepancy, a White House spokesperson simply said, “President Trump and his policies are wildly popular with the American people.”

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