This week’s guide to government and politics in under 10 minutes

I FORMER TRUMP ADVISOR JOHN BOLTON INDICTED

John Bolton, a former aide-turned critic of President Trump, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday. Prosecutors have alleged that Bolton “abused his position” as national security adviser to share over 1,000 pages of documents about his day-to-day activities as national security adviser and other top secret information. The information sharing allegedly took place from 2018 to this August, and the two recipients were two “unauthorized individuals” who were “related” to Bolton, per the Justice Department. Bolton has been charged with eight counts of transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of unlawfully retaining national defense information.

I GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ENTERS THIRD WEEK

Today marks Day 20 of the government shutdown. On Thursday, Senators failed to advance a Republican-backed funding bill for a 10th time in a 51-45 vote. The Trump administration confirmed that at least 4,000 federal workers have been laid off so far. However, on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ordered the Trump administration to temporarily halt its so-called “reductions-in-force,” deeming them unlawful and politically motivated. Lawmakers have reached a standstill in negotiations, as Democrats argue that the GOP bill doesn’t include provisions to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, which expire at the end of this year. With no end in sight, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) said that the U.S. could be “barreling” toward one of the longest shutdowns in history.

>> U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer shares the latest state of play on shutdown negotiations here, while U.S. Rep. Don Bacon talks about the impact of a shutdown on military readiness here.

I CHICAGO JUDGE ORDERS IMMIGRATION AGENTS TO WEAR BODY CAMERAS

A federal judge in Chicago issued an order requiring immigration enforcement agents in the area to use body-worn cameras. U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis’ decision on Thursday came after reports that immigration agents had used non-lethal weapons on civilians amid clashes between federal law enforcement and Chicagoans. Homeland Security officials criticized Ellis's order as "not constitutional" and said some agents were already using body-worn cameras. Over 1,500 people have been detained since Trump’s Operation Midway Blitz began in September. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated in a press release that the operation is designed to apprehend criminals who are “the worst of the worst.”

>> Explore the debate about how ICE agents conduct operations here.

I TRUMP SAYS CIA IS AUTHORIZED TO ENTER VENEZUELA AMID FIFTH DRUG BOAT STRIKE

On Thursday, the U.S. military killed six individuals in a strike against an alleged Venezuelan drug cartel boat in the Caribbean. This was at least the fifth strike against boats in international waters as part of the operation, and three people reportedly survived after the previous attacks left no survivors. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said “The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was traveling along a known narco-trafficking route, and was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics.” Donald Trump told the press on Wednesday that he authorized the CIA to enter Venezuela due to “drugs” and the fact that the country “emptied their prisons” into the U.S. Families of two Trinidadian men believed to have died in the strike have criticized both governments, saying the attacks target poor people without due process.

>> Coming up on ASP today, U.S. Rep. Dina Titus speaks about what these strikes mean for U.S.-Venezuela relations. Stay tuned to watch.

I LOCATION SET FOR TRUMP-PUTIN SUMMIT

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest, Hungary, to discuss how to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, following a lengthy phone call on Thursday. In a Truth Social post, Trump described the call as “cordial,” adding that both Russia and Ukraine should “stop where they are.” Just one day later, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. Sources present at the meeting described it as “tense” after Trump refused to provide Zelensky with Tomahawk missiles. Experts believe that Trump is now aiming for a diplomatic solution to the conflict, which has seen an estimated 13,000 civilians killed and more than 31,000 injured. Trump’s meeting with Putin is expected to take place sometime in the next two weeks.

>> Hear a conversation about the U.S.’s involvement in brokering peace between Ukraine and Russia here.

Stay ahead of the stories driving national conversations