Good morning. Happy Saturday, and happy Halloween! 🎃 I’m John Byrne. Before we get going, tap that ❤️ and restack this edition. Three days from the election, every share helps us get out the vote.
ICE paid nearly $500 million for a shuttered Minnesota prison that the owner offered to the state for $75 million last year, and the owner gave Trump’s inaugural committee half a million dollars. Trump tried to talk about his sisters at a Florida rally and couldn’t get the words out. Satellite imagery shows Iran damaged 274 buildings at two dozen U.S. installations, while Pete Hegseth was declaring the war won. And the husband whose money set off Alina Habba’s White House feud isn’t the 29-year-old billionaire he claims to be.
Quick note before the news. October is almost over and we’re well behind our paid subscriber goal for the month. That matters more than usual, because Facebook has essentially cut off our distribution and Elon Musk’s X is doing the same. That leaves your inbox as the only reliable way this reporting reaches you, because it’s the one channel they can’t touch. We’re also raising money to file suit against the White House to get our reporter back inside. Right now, a paid subscription runs about 17 cents a day, less than you’d spend on a single cup of coffee each week.
Trump’s ICE Paid Six Times the Asking Price for a Prison Owned by a Trump Donor
Here’s a deal only a government could make.