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On Politics

Wed Oct 8 2025

Sudiksha Kochi | Congress and Campaigns Reporter

@KochiSudiksha

Hi readers. Welcome to another edition of OnPolitics. It's news-packed hump day! You ready?

Lawmakers are no closer to solving the shutdown crisis. Nobel Peace Prizes will be announced this week. Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter is going viral. Let's dive right into today's headlines!

James Comey pleads not guilty

In a rare moment, Trump nemesis, former FBI Director James Comey, appeared before a federal judge on Oct. 8 in Alexandria, Virginia, as a criminal defendant. A lawyer for the 64-year-old Comey entered pleas of not guilty to a pair of federal charges that Comey had lied to Congress and obstructed a congressional proceeding in testimony he gave more than five years ago about his investigation into 2016 election interference.

Comey was released without bail pending a trial scheduled for Jan. 5, 2026.

President Donald Trump has pushed the bounds of the Justice Department's historic independence from the White House in publicly calling for Comey to be prosecuted. The case has raised concerns about a president using the justice system against his adversaries.

Will Trump win the Nobel Peace Prize?

The Nobel Prizes are being announced this week. Will Trump become a Peace Prize laureate?

Trump has long angled for the Peace Prize, mocking the fact that former President Barack Obama won it in his first year in office. Trump has said he is convinced he won't receive the prize no matter what, but many have made some fanfare about nominating him.

Trump was nominated previously for a Nobel Peace Prize, but didn't win. On June 20, leaders in Pakistan announced they would recommend Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize for his "decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis." India did not give the U.S. credit for the ceasefire.

•	The latest group supporting Trump's desire for a Nobel Peace Prize? Cambodian monks
•	Trump talks up Nobel Peace Prize as carnage mounts in Ukraine and Gaza

A general view of the U.S. Capitol from downtown Washington during the continuing partial federal government shutdown on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Jonathan Ernst, REUTERS

Federal shutdown continues

Will the shutdown ever end?

Senators on Wednesday rejected plans by Republicans and Democrats to reopen the government's doors . The vote marked the sixth time that the dueling agreements failed in the Senate. Democrats pushed for health care reforms in their package, while the GOP-backed legislation would have kept government funding at the same levels until Nov. 21.

Trump has warned he could block furloughed federal workers from receiving back pay once the shutdown is over, a major departure from previous shutdowns.

•	Why Republicans keep talking about health care for "illegal immigrants"? Here's what's behind the shutdown rhetoric.
•	Democrats want health care tax credits to end the shutdown. Why the GOP says not yet.

Politics pit stop

•	"Liar," "failed lawyer." Attorney General Pam Bondi insults Democrats in Senate hearing.
•	Ex-NFL star Herschel Walker confirmed as first U.S. Bahamas ambassador in nearly 15 years
•	Trump-backed GOP candidate Matt Van Epps wins primary for Tennessee special election
•	Trump threatens jail for Chicago mayor, Illinois gov. amid ICE, National Guard tension

Katie Porter goes viral again

Her viral videos highlighting points on whiteboards are gone. Her seat in Congress is gone, too. And apparently, former Rep. Katie Porter's brash reputation is intact as ever. The ex-Orange County congresswoman – who left the U.S. House to run for Senate and ultimately lost to Sen. Adam Schiff last year – is now the early frontrunner to become California's next governor in the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom.

But Republicans and Porter's Democratic primary opponents have seized on an interview from last month that widely surfaced the week of Oct. 6 in which she reprimanded CBS News California journalist Julie Watts multiple times.

Porter's primary opponents, including former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Biden-era U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and California state superintendent Tony Thurmond have chided Porter for her comments.

Got a burning question or comment for On Politics? You can submit them here or send me an email at SKochi@gannett.com.