Morning Report is The Hill’s a.m. newsletter. Subscribe here.
In today’s issue:
▪ Inside the John Bolton indictment
▪ Zelensky returns to Washington
▪ Top admiral resigns amid US strikes
▪ ‘No Kings’ protests: What to watch
The indictment of John Bolton, a former national security adviser to President Trump during his first term who has since become a fierce critic, adds to a web of prosecutions targeting the president’s political foes.
Bolton’s indictment on 18 counts related to the alleged mishandling of classified documents in Maryland makes him the third key figure Trump has openly criticized whom his administration has brought criminal charges against, following former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D).
The indictment of Bolton comes less than two months after the FBI conducted a raid on his home. Trump responded to the raid at the time by saying he didn’t have advance notice of it, but he called the former adviser a “lowlife” and “very unpatriotic.”
The president made a similar statement in response to the indictment on Thursday.
“You’re telling me for the first time, but I think he’s a bad person. I think he’s a bad guy,” Trump said. “It’s too bad, but it’s the way it goes.”
The case against Bolton has some differences from those against Comey and James, both of whom were charged after career prosecutors raised doubts that they had enough evidence.
Comey was charged last month with two counts related to testimony he gave before a congressional committee in 2020 about the FBI’s probe into alleged ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia. He’s pleaded not guilty to the charges of making a false statement to Congress and obstruction of a congressional proceeding.
James was indicted last week, with federal prosecutors accusing her of committing mortgage fraud by listing a home that she ultimately rented out as her primary residence. James hasn’t yet entered a plea but has denied wrongdoing. Her arraignment is scheduled for next week.
While Trump-picked interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan brought the cases against Comey and James, the indictment against Bolton was signed by Kelly Hayes, a respected longtime prosecutor leading the U.S. attorney’s office in Maryland, The Washington Post reported.
Tom Sullivan, a career prosecutor, reportedly presented the case to the grand jury and signed the indictment as well. The case is related to an investigation stemming from former President Biden’s administration, and people familiar with the case told the Post that the evidence against Bolton is much stronger than that against Comey or James.
Bolton faces eight counts of transmitting and 10 counts of retaining national defense information. Prosecutors allege that the former official “abused his position” as national security adviser from April 2018 until at least August of this year to share more than a thousand pages of information about his daily activities in the role with two unauthorized individuals.
The two individuals were “related” to him and never held security clearances, according to the indictment.
Bolton said in a statement that he would “never” compromise the country’s foreign policy or national security goals and blamed the charges on Trump’s “retribution.”
“Then came Trump 2 who embodies what Joseph Stalin’s head of secret police once said, ‘You show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime,’” he said. “These charges are not just about his focus on me or my diaries, but his intensive effort to intimidate his opponents, to ensure that he alone determines what is said about his conduct.”
“Dissent and disagreement are foundational to America’s constitutional system, and vitally important to our freedom. I look forward to the fight to defend my lawful conduct and to expose [Trump’s] abuse of power,” Bolton said.
The cases against Bolton and other Trump foes have yielded significant scrutiny on the Department of Justice. Shortly before the indictments against Comey and James were handed up, Trump called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to bring cases against both individuals as well as Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
Trump has said he doesn’t have a “list” of people he wants to see face charges, but he hasn’t been shy about floating prosecution for various opponents. He suggested during a press conference at the White House on Wednesday that officials should bring charges against more people: former special counsel Jack Smith, former prosecutor Andrew Weissmann and former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
CNN reported that Bolton is expected to surrender himself to authorities as soon as Friday.
▪ The Hill: 5 takeaways from the Bolton indictment.
▪ NPR: “The targets of Trump’s DOJ are already paying a price.”
▪ CNN: Justice Department brings first terrorism case tied to antifa crackdown.
▪ CBS News: Jack Smith slams DOJ for Comey case.
Smart Take with Blake Burman
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be at the White House today to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war with Trump. On Thursday, a phone conversation between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin paved the way for a future meeting between the two in Hungary. “I actually believe that the Success in the Middle East will help in our negotiation in attaining an end to the War with Russia/Ukraine,” the president posted on social media.
I asked Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, about another leader. What might Chinese President Xi Jinping be thinking right now?
“We have to recognize Xi Jinping is rooting for Putin. They’re funding Putin’s war, and they talk about a No Limits partnership,” Moolenaar told me. “And I have to say that, you know, I hope that people recognize that we wouldn’t be having a war right now in Ukraine if it wasn’t for China funding and supplying dual-use technologies to help the Russians prosecute this war.”
As the world watched a historic hostage swap and the start of a peace deal in the Middle East, I wondered at one point on Monday morning what Putin was thinking watching it all unfold. I think it’s also fair to ask what Xi is thinking at this moment as well, as the geopolitical landscape just shifted rapidly.
Burman hosts “The Hill” weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation.
3 Things to Know Today
1. Trump clarified a Truth Social post by saying he doesn’t plan to send U.S. troops into Gaza to fight Hamas if the militant group keeps killing civilians. He had posted the U.S. would have “no choice” but to use lethal force, but asked about it later by The Hill in the Oval Office, Trump said that someone else would go in “under our auspices.”
2. Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner disavowed now-deleted posts he made on Reddit years ago in which he called himself a “communist” and police officers “bastards,” among other comments. He said some of the posts are just “being an a–hole on the internet.”
3. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sued the Trump administration over its decision to raise the fee of H-1B work visa applications to $100,000, arguing the president exceeded his authority.
Leading the Day
ZELENSKY IN WASHINGTON: Trump is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House today on the heels of announcing plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for a second summit this year.
Central to today’s Oval Office meeting will be whether the U.S. agrees to send long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, which would allow Zelensky to strike military targets deep inside Russia. Moscow has warned such a move would escalate tensions.
This is Trump and Zelensky’s third meeting at the White House this year and comes as Zelensky has expressed optimism about bringing an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump said Thursday he plans to meet with Putin in the next two weeks in Hungary, a NATO member led by a Trump ally, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The president’s announcement came after a lengthy call with Putin, which he said ended in the two leaders agreeing to a meeting of their top advisers next week.
Trump previously met with Putin in Alaska in August to try to move negotiations forward, but the meeting didn’t yield any concrete progress toward ending the war. The president has increasingly expressed frustration with Putin since then.
But the Hungary meeting will mark another attempt to achieve an end to the war that began in early 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It comes as the administration seeks to keep in place a tentative ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
▪ The Guardian: Zelensky to make case for Tomahawk missiles to Trump.
▪ CNN: Trump changed his mind on supporting Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy targets after August summit with Putin.
TOP RETIREMENT: The head of U.S. Southern Command will retire at the end of the year, the Pentagon announced Thursday, less than a year after he took the role.
Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, a four-star admiral, became the leader of Southcom last November and will retire on Dec. 12. Why he’s leaving and who will replace him is unclear.
Southcom oversees operations in Central and South America, and Holsey in his role has overseen the U.S. military’s repeated strikes against boats accused of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean.
Holsey is the latest top military leader to step down in recent weeks, following Gen. Thomas Bussiere, who announced earlier this month that he would step down from his role as a top Air Force commander for “personal and family reasons.” The head of U.S. Special Operations Command also retired this month.
“Throughout his career—from commanding helicopter squadrons to leading Carrier Strike Group One and standing up the International Maritime Security Construct—Admiral Holsey has demonstrated unwavering commitment to mission, people, and nation,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. “His tenure as Military Deputy Commander and now Commander of United States Southern Command reflects a legacy of operational excellence and strategic vision.”
▪ The Washington Post: “U.S. Special Operations helicopters, B-52s near Venezuela expand Caribbean mission.”
NO KINGS PROTESTS: Organizers for Saturday’s “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration say they expect the demonstrations to be even larger than the ones held earlier this year.
Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert, one of the organizers, told USA Today that she believes the “anger level is way higher” than it was in June, a result not just of Trump’s policies but an “actual chipping away at democracy” and at “foundational rights.”
The protests mark the second “No Kings Day” after the first one took place on June 14, Trump’s birthday and Flag Day.
Organizers say that more than 2,600 No Kings events will take place in all 50 states on Saturday, with millions expected to participate. By comparison, about 1,800 events were scheduled in June.
“The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty,” the movement’s website states. “Our peaceful movement is only getting bigger and bigger. ‘NO KINGS’ is more than just a slogan; it is the foundation our nation was built upon.”
The protests will include major cities across the country, including Washington, D.C., one of a handful where Trump has deployed the National Guard over the objections of local officials.
Top Democrats have called on members of the public to participate. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged her followers on the social platform X to attend, saying it would be the “largest peaceful protest in modern American history.”
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) called on voters in Republican-leaning states to also take part and pressure Republican lawmakers to end the government shutdown.
But eyes will also be on how the Trump administration responds to the protests.
Multiple top Republicans have denounced the protests as a left-wing-backed “hate America” rally and tied them to antifa, the grassroots anti-fascist movement that Trump declared a domestic terrorist organization last month.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy alleged the protests were organized by antifa in an interview on Fox News.
“It begs the question, who’s funding it?” he said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) separately tied them to antifa in a different interview.
“The theory we have right now [is] they have a ‘Hate America’ rally that’s scheduled for Oct. 18 on the National Mall,” Johnson said. “It’s all the pro-Hamas wing and the antifa people, they’re all coming out.”
▪ The Hill: What to know about the weekend protests.
▪ The Texas Tribune: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to send National Guard to Austin protest.
TRUMP REFILES LAWSUIT: Trump has refiled a lawsuit accusing The New York Times and several of their reporters of defamation, seeking $15 billion in damages.
A federal judge tossed the lawsuit out last month after the president’s initial filing, ruling the complaint was too long and shouldn’t be a way for Trump to “rail against an adversary.” He gave the president’s lawyers 28 days to refile an amended complaint.
The revised complaint is much shorter, accusing the outlet of running articles that were intended to harm Trump’s reputation as a successful businessman and television star.
A spokesperson for the Times maintained that the lawsuit is without merit and is “merely an attempt to stifle independent reporting and generate P.R. Attention.”
DEBATE TAKEAWAYS: Candidates faced off Thursday in two lively debates for a downballot Virginia race and the contest to lead the country’s largest city.
First up was the Virginia attorney general debate, between incumbent Jason Miyares (R) and former state Del. Jay Jones (D), who is trying to keep his campaign running after the revelation of texts he sent in 2022 in which he wished for violence against a Republican state lawmaker.
The messages overshadowed much of the night, and Jones used his opening remarks to immediately apologize.
“Let me be very clear: I am ashamed, I am embarrassed and I am sorry. I am sorry to Speaker Gilbert, I am sorry to his family, and I am sorry to every single Virginian,” Jones said.
Miyares attacked Jones over his stance on fighting crime, trans issues and his texts. But the debate remained relatively civil.
▪ The Hill: Five takeaways from the Virginia attorney general debate.
The three New York City mayoral rivals also faced off Thursday in an intense debate, with Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo in particular going after each other.
Cuomo attacked Mamdani over his lack of experience, his past comments on the police and on the phrase “globalize the intifada.” Mamdani criticized Cuomo’s time as New York governor and argued he didn’t have the integrity to become mayor.
Republican Curtis Sliwa also took part in the debate but struggled to stand out as the Mamdani-Cuomo battle took central focus.
The candidates will meet again for a final debate next week.
▪ The Hill: Five takeaways from the first New York City mayoral debate.
Where & When
The president will greet Zelensky at 1 p.m. ahead of a bilateral lunch with him. He will depart the White House at 3 p.m. to travel to Palm Beach, Fla.
The House willconvene at 2 p.m. for a pro forma session.
The Senate will notmeet today.
Zoom In
TRUMP IVF PLAN: Trump sought to deliver on a campaign promise on Thursday when he announced efforts meant to expand access to in vitro fertilization (IVF).
He said in the Oval Office that his administration was issuing guidance to allow employers to offer IVF coverage as part of company insurance plans. Officials said the new guidance would make opting in to fertility benefits similar to opting in for dental or vision benefits.
The guidance doesn’t require employers to offer fertility benefits.
Trump also announced that his administration reached an agreement with EMD Serono to offer fertility drugs as part of a “most favored nation” plan to lower costs. It requires that certain medications can’t be sold to Americans for higher prices than they’re sold abroad.
The announcements come months after Trump signed an executive order in February directing federal agencies to find ways to lower the cost of IVF.
The subject received national focus last year after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos could be considered children. The ruling caused a quick stop to fertility services in the state as clinics worried they could be sued for disposing of unused embryos.
The Alabama Legislature eventually passed legislation protecting IVF providers.
Democrats blamed Trump for this, arguing it was an outgrowth of his efforts to get Roe v. Wade overturned.
Trump credited Alabama Sen. Katie Britt (R) with drawing his attention to the IVF issue.
“This is the most pro-IVF thing that any president in the history of the United States of America has done,” Britt said Thursday.
▪ USA Today: Trump wants more U.S. babies. This is his plan to lower costs.
▪ The 19th: “Trump plans could lower IVF costs for some — but fall short of his campaign promise.”
DEMS KEEP EYE ON THE BALL: Senate Democrats voted to block the annual full-year Defense Department appropriations bill, keeping their focus on health care costs as the government shutdown continues into its third week.
The measure passed out of committee earlier this year in a strong bipartisan vote, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters that passing the defense bill without others to address issues like health care and housing has “always been unacceptable” for Democrats.
Schumer objected to voting on the defense bill without also voting on the annual Labor and Health and Human Services appropriations bills.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) threw a curveball when he scheduled the defense vote on Thursday, challenging Democrats to vote against the measure that would allow military members to be paid. Wednesday was the first day when service members were due paychecks during the shutdown, as federal employees continue working without pay.
A few centrist Democrats were on the fence about the legislation and considered voting for it, particularly if it was paired with nondefense appropriations bills. But ultimately only three did so.
An earlier vote to try to pass the House-approved continuing resolution to reopen the government through Nov. 21 failed for the 10th time in the Senate.
▪ The Hill: “GOP senators worry about Trump, Hegseth shutdown moves.”
▪ The Associated Press: Who’s winning the blame game over the shutdown.
Elsewhere
ARGENTINA AID: The Trump administration is seeking to step up its financial aid for Argentina as it tries to help Argentine President Javier Milei stabilize his country’s economy.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that the U.S. is seeking to provide an additional $20 billion to Argentina through partnerships with sovereign funds and private banks. It comes after the U.S. finalized a $20 billion currency swap line with Argentina’s central bank to boost the country’s economy.
“We are working on a $20 billion facility that would complement our swap line, with private banks and sovereign funds that, I believe, would be more focused on the debt market,” Bessent told reporters, calling it a “private-sector solution.”
Milei, a right-wing populist, has been a close ally of Trump and attended his inauguration in January.
But Trump indicated when Milei visited the White House earlier this week that the aid the U.S. is providing Argentina may be conditional on whether Milei stays in power and on the results of the South American nation’s legislative elections this month.
“If he does win, we’re going to be very helpful,” Trump said. “And if he doesn’t win, we’re not going to waste our time. Because you have somebody whose philosophy has no chance of making Argentina great again.”
Milei won’t be up for reelection until 2027, but the results of the midterms could have significant implications for his party’s power.
The comments from Trump could backfire as many Argentinians viewed it as an attempt to interfere in the country’s elections.
Trump’s plan has also gotten some pushback from those in the U.S. as he’s largely cut foreign aid to most other places.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who is a close ally of Trump but has broken with her party a few times in recent weeks, denounced the plan to bail out Argentina’s economy.
“Tell me how it’s America First to bailout a foreign country with $20 [billion] or even $40 BILLION taxpayer dollars,” she said in a post on X.
▪ CNN: What Argentina’s bailout has to do with the likely U.S. farmer bailout.
▪ The Washington Post: Bessent says Argentina bailout will boost U.S. influence in the region.
Opinion
In Virginia, it’s fundamentals versus vibes, writes The Hill’s Chris Stirewalt.
Will Speaker Johnson ever call the House back? 800,000 Arizonans are without a voice, writes Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) in The Hill.
The Closer
And finally … 👏👏👏 Congrats to this week’s Morning Report quiz winners! They’re up to speed on government shutdowns!
🧩 Here’s who went 4/4: Richard Baznik, Harry Strulovici, Rick Schmidtke, Stan Wasser, Chuck Schoenenberger, Joe Atchue, Linda Field, Stanton Kirk, Jenessa Wagner, Mark Williamson, William Moore, Ned Sauthoff, Steve Comer, Carmine Petracca, John Trombetti, Luther Berg, Terry Pflaumer and Savannah Petracca.
The first shutdown occurred in 1980, though it was narrow, as it only affected the Federal Trade Commission. The shutdown lasted one day before a new bill extending the agency’s funding was passed. As readers Jenessa Wagner and William Moore noted, the first shutdown affecting a wide range of agencies took place the next year in 1981.
The longest shutdown lasted 35 days, from December 2018 to January 2019. A new session of Congress began amid the shutdown, giving Democrats the House majority and more leverage in their standoff with Trump, then in his first term.
There have been 11 shutdowns since the first one in 1980, counting the current one. Most of them lasted less than a week, but this one is poised to become one of the longest in history.
The shutdown could cost the U.S. economy up to $15 billion per week, Bessent said.
