President Donald Trump claimed a key victory in a US appeals court Monday as a divided three-judge panel decided he is allowed to deploy federal troops to the city of Portland, Oregon.

Trump had claimed the right to send the national guard to the liberal stronghold for the purported purpose of protecting federal property and agents. The ruling marks an important legal victory for Trump as he continues to send military forces to Democratic-led cities.

Oregon attorney general Dan Rayfield spoke out against the ruling, saying that if it’s allowed to stand, Trump would have “unilateral power to put Oregon soldiers on our streets with almost no justification”.

“We are on a dangerous path in America,” he added.

Catching up? Here’s what happened 19 October 2025.

Sam Rivers, bassist for rock band Limp Bizkit, has died. He was 48 years old.

Rivers’ death was confirmed by the band, who wrote online on Saturday: “today we lost our brother”.

“Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player — he was pure magic. The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound,” Limp Bizkit said in a social media post Saturday. “He was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of human. A true legend of legends. And his spirit will live forever in every groove, every stage, every memory.”

The band did not share any details about his death.

Rivers’ last post on social media was on Friday, in which he shared a “Save The Date” video for Limp Bizkit performing at the Rock for People festival in Hradec Králové, a city in the Czech Republic, in June 2026. Rivers and his bandmates last performed in August at the Leeds Festival in the United Kingdom.

In 2015, Rivers left the band after suffering from liver disease but rejoined the group in 2018.

“I got liver disease from excessive drinking … I had to leave Limp Bizkit in 2015 because I felt so horrible, and a few months after that I realized I had to change everything because I had really bad liver disease,” Rivers said during an interview with Variety. “I quit drinking and did everything the doctors told me. I got treatment for the alcohol and got a liver transplant, which was a perfect match.”

The nu-metal band skyrocketed in popularity in the ’90s, being nominated for three Grammys. Their hits, including “Rollin’” and “Nookie,” also landed on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Fred Durst, fellow bandmate and frontman for Limp Bizkit, remembered the first time he heard Rivers play at a Jacksonville, Florida bar while searching for bandmates to form the group. Rivers was playing in a band at the bar and Durst said he was “killing it on the bass.”

“I saw Sam play and I was blown away,” Durst recalled in a video posted on social media Sunday morning. “He’s playing a five-string bass too. I’d never really seen someone using a five-string bass… he was so smooth and good and he stood out. I could hear nothing else but Sam… everything disappeared besides his gift.”

When he approached Rivers after his performance and told him that he wanted to form a band, Durst said the bassist didn’t hesitate.

“He looked at me and he says ,’Killer. I’m in. Let’s do it’,” Durst recalled. “I’ve gone through gallons and gallons of tears since yesterday and… I’m thinking, ‘My God, Sam’s a legend….he did it. He lived it.’”

Limp Bizkit’s new single, “Making Love to Morgan Wallen,” topped several Billboard charts in September.

George Santos has said he has spoken to U.S. President Donald Trump after the president commuted his sentence for fraud.

Writing on X, the former New York Republican representative said he would “never forget” the conversation he had with Trump after the president released him less than three months into his sentence, having pleaded guilty in August 2024 to multiple counts of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, campaign finance violations, and other financial crimes.

Newsweek reached out to Santos and the White House by email to comment on this story outside of normal business hours.

Why It Matters

Trump’s use of pardons and commutations, granted to the president under the U.S. Constitution, has raised questions about the limits of executive power.

The president’s pardons thus far—including releasing around 1,500 people convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot—have raised eyebrows among his critics, while his supporters have said they are necessary to correct what they deem to be unjust sentences.

Santos is the sixth lawmaker in U.S. history to be expelled from the House of Representatives, so his case has drawn widespread attention and scrutiny from people of all political persuasions.

What To Know

Santos, who was expelled from Congress in December 2023, pleaded guilty to financial schemes linked to his 2022 campaign for office and personal finances. He had submitted false fundraising reports to the Federal Election Commission and false financial disclosures with the House of Representatives. He also stole donor identities, charging their cards without consent, and used donations to buy designer clothing, service debt payments and make cash withdrawals.

He was sentenced in April 2025 to 87 months in federal prison and began serving his term at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey, in July. Republicans like Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene had lobbied for his release and sent a letter in August asking the Justice Department to commute his sentence.

Writing on X, after Trump announced his release, Santos said he had been given “a true second chance at life” and an opportunity “to walk a better path.” He said he expressed his “deepest gratitude” to the president and said: “Earlier today, I had the honor of speaking with him personally, a conversation I will never forget. In that moment, I saw not only the strength of a great leader, but the heart of a man who believes in mercy, in redemption, and in the promise that America gives everyone the promise of a second chance.”

He added: “His kindness, his humanity, and his generosity toward my family and me touched me deeply. President Trump reminded me that in this country we love so much, no mistake, no hardship, and no fall from grace can take away the possibility of renewal. His faith in second chances reignited my own, and for that, I will be forever thankful.”

Trump commuting his sentence shortens Santos’ punishment for his crime. Unlike a pardon, it does not erase his conviction so Santos remains a convicted felon.

What People Are Saying

Former Representative George Santos’ attorney Joseph Murray posted on his client’s X account on Friday: “God bless President Donald J Trump the greatest President in U.S. history!”

President Donald Trump wrote in part in a Truth Social post Friday: “…at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN! George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated. Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!”

Republican Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X: “THANK YOU President Trump for releasing George Santos!! He was unfairly treated and put in solitary confinement, which is torture!!”

The minority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, in a post on X: “Donald Trump has time to free serial fraudster George Santos from prison.

“But he can’t be bothered to address the Republican health care crisis crushing working-class Americans.

“The extremists are insulting you every single day.”

What Happens Next

Santos remains a felon as his sentence was commuted and he was not given a pardon. He said he held “no anger” toward his critics and would “move forward with humility” without “revenge.”

“My goal now is to turn my past into something meaningful, to help create a justice system that truly believes in rehabilitation and second chances,” he said.