Over the past hour, the Trump administration rescinded layoffs of hundreds of CDC scientists who were mistakenly terminated on Friday, October 10th, 2025, according to CBS. These scientists were involved in federal responses to outbreaks like measles and Ebola. Senator JD Vance attributed the chaos to the government shutdown initiated by Schumer, while CBS confirmed it was a White House decision, as reported by BBKogan on X. In parallel, China's Ministry of Commerce stated that its export control measures on rare earths are not prohibitions and are a sovereign right, according to remarks shared on X by Rush Doshi at 5:02 PM UTC on October 12th, 2025. The ministry indicated it has not announced a response to President Trump's threats, focusing on boilerplate language suggesting a reluctance to escalate. China's Ministry of Commerce emphasized its export controls are in accordance with laws and regulations and aims to improve its export control system. Separately, a suspected Antifa professor was arrested in Chicago for bringing a loaded gun to an anti-ICE protest, as reported by the New York Post. Meanwhile, Senator Richard Blumenthal shared a link to a Saturday Night Live segment featuring Attorney General Pam Bondi, noting her refusal to answer questions, and invited the comedian to join the Judiciary Committee, as stated on X. In other developments, Penn State fired head football coach James Franklin on October 12th, 2025, concluding his tenure, according to ESPN. The decision follows speculation regarding the team's performance. Elias Cepeda reported on X that he was released from a black site without charges after approximately twelve hours, having been denied an attorney on September 27th. He was then secretly transferred to a second location by DHS, taken into Illinois state custody, and subsequently released without charges by the state. James Woods posted on X, making a derogatory remark about a Muslim individual and a transgender person.
