Schumer rejects Trump’s claim that bipartisan shutdown negotiations are under way
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer rejected President Donald Trump’s claim that negotiations with Democrats are underway.
“Trump’s claim isn’t true – but if he’s finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table,” Schumer said in a statement. “For months, Democrats have been calling on Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans to come to the table and work with us to deliver lower costs and better healthcare for the American people.”
He added: “If President Trump and Republicans are finally ready to sit down and get something done on healthcare for American families, Democrats will be there – ready to make it happen.”
Earlier today, Trump told reporters that “we are speaking with Democrats” regarding the ongoing government shutdown and that “some good things could happen with health care.”
“Just hang in there, because I think a lot of good things could happen, and that could also pertain to health care,” Trump said.
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Updated at 18.35 EDT
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Chris Stein and Lauren Gambino report on the US government shutdown entering its second week, which stands without a clear sign of a deal between Republicans and Democrats in the Senate:
The US government shutdown entered its second week as the Senate again rejected rival bills to restart funding and Donald Trump suggested he might be open to negotiating with Democrats over the healthcare subsidies they have put at the heart of the stalemate.
A fifth Senate vote to advance a Republican-written bill that would reopen the government failed on a 52-42 tally – well below the 60-vote threshold needed for advancement. The Democrats’ proposal was defeated in a 50-45 party-line vote. No lawmakers changed their votes from recent days.
Many agencies and departments closed their doors and told employees to stay home last Wednesday, after Congress failed to approve legislation to continue the government’s authority to spend money. The Trump administration warned it was prepared to move forward with plans to slash the federal workforce.
Democrats have refused to back any bill that does not include an array of healthcare-centered concessions, such as an extension of premium tax credits for people covered by Affordable Care Act health insurance. So far, Congress’s Republican leaders have refused to negotiate over their demands until government funding is restored.
But Trump, speaking from the Oval Office on Monday, said he might be willing to strike a deal with Democrats on the ACA subsidies, though he also echoed the conservative claim that “billions and billions” of dollars are being wasted.
“We have a negotiation going on right now with the Democrats that could lead to very good things,” Trump told reporters. “And I’m talking about good things with regard to health care.”
Read the full story here:
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Sam Levine
A career federal prosecutor in Virginia has told colleagues she does not believe there is probable cause to file criminal mortgage fraud charges against New York attorney general Letitia James, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The prosecutor, Elizabeth Yusi, oversees major criminal cases in the Norfolk office for the US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia and plans to soon present her conclusion to Lindsey Halligan, a Trump ally, who was installed as the US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia last month. Yusi’s thinking was first reported by MSNBC on Monday.
The justice department declined to comment. The US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia did not return a request for comment.
The case sets up another high-profile confrontation between the justice department and Trump, who has fired attorneys who have refused to punish his enemies. Halligan, who has no prosecutorial experience, was put in the role at the urging of Trump after her predecessor concluded there wasn’t probable cause to file criminal charges against James Comey, the former FBI director. Halligan personally presented the case against Comey to a grand jury after she was appointed and secured a two-count indictment.
Read the full story here:
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Updated at 19.22 EDT
The Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday that air traffic control staffing issues are impacting flights at several airports, including Newark, Phoenix and Denver, amid the aftershocks of the government shutdown.
The FAA said staffing issues have triggered issues at a number of centers handling traffic across the country.
At the Hollywood Burbank Airport, for example, there will be no air traffic controllers in their tower beginning at 4:15 pm Pacific Time on Monday, according to ABC News. The FAA said the airport is expected to be without air traffic controllers for nearly six hours.
Just before 7 pm Eastern Time, FlightAware said more than 4,200 inbound and outbound flights in the United States have been delayed today. More than 300 flights have been cancelled so far in the country. Weather issues are also impacting flights.
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President Donald Trump has ended efforts to reach a diplomatic agreement with Venezuela, according to the New York Times, opening the door to a possible military escalation against drug traffickers or the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Richard Grenell, a special presidential envoy and executive director of the Kennedy Center, had been leading talks with Maduro and other senior Venezuelan officials. But during a meeting with top military leaders on Thursday, Trump called Grenell and ordered him to halt all diplomatic outreach, including his discussions with the Maduro government, according to The Times, which cited officials.
The Venezuelan president has said that the United States is carrying out an “undeclared war” against his country following a series of deadly strikes on Venezuelan vessels in international waters. Trump claims – without evidence – that the targeted boats were transporting narcotics bound for the United States under Maduro’s direction. The White House has issued a $50 million bounty on Maduro.
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Updated at 18.51 EDT
Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat and daughter of the late congressman Raúl Grijalva, has yet to be sworn in nearly two weeks after her election. During an interview on CNN News Central, she suggested that the delay may be tied to a discharge petition that would force a House vote on releasing federal files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
The bipartisan petition needs 218 signatures to succeed and, once she is sworn in, Grijalva would be that 218th vote.
“I am going to be the 218th signer to the discharge petition,” Grijalva told anchor Sara Sidner. “So, that is the only thing that most people are pointing to. I mean, I am a woman of color, a Chicana, from Tucson. But none of those factors, I don’t think, are reasons why I wouldn’t be being sworn in, other than pointing to the Epstein files and the complete lack of transparency from this administration in releasing those files.”
“The other is Speaker Johnson has closed down votes in the recent past to avoid a vote on the Epstein files,” she added. “So, there does seem to be a connection.”
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Updated at 18.36 EDT
Donald Trump signed an executive order to allow construction of an access road to the Ambler mining district in Alaska and unlock domestic supplies of copper and other minerals, reversing an order from former President Joe Biden.
The Biden administration had rejected a 211-mile road intended to enable mine development in the north central Alaskan region. Biden’s interior department had cited risks to caribou and fish populations that dozens of native communities rely on for subsistence.
“This is something that should have been long operating and making billions of dollars for our country and supplying a lot of energy and minerals and everything else that we are talking about,” Trump said earlier today.
“On day one, he signed a very important executive order unleashing Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential,” the interior secretary, Doug Burgum, said on Monday. “And this is part of the continuation. There’s a number of things that have already happened with Alaska that are moving forward. There’s more to come. But big milestone today in reversing this Biden-era decision about the Ambler Road.”
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Updated at 18.34 EDT
Schumer rejects Trump’s claim that bipartisan shutdown negotiations are under way
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer rejected President Donald Trump’s claim that negotiations with Democrats are underway.
“Trump’s claim isn’t true – but if he’s finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table,” Schumer said in a statement. “For months, Democrats have been calling on Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans to come to the table and work with us to deliver lower costs and better healthcare for the American people.”
He added: “If President Trump and Republicans are finally ready to sit down and get something done on healthcare for American families, Democrats will be there – ready to make it happen.”
Earlier today, Trump told reporters that “we are speaking with Democrats” regarding the ongoing government shutdown and that “some good things could happen with health care.”
“Just hang in there, because I think a lot of good things could happen, and that could also pertain to health care,” Trump said.
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Updated at 18.35 EDT
While speaking to reporters on Monday, President Donald Trump said that “Puff Daddy” has contacted him about a pardon.
He’s referring to Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was sentenced on Friday to more than four years in prison on federal prostitution-related charges.
Trump made these remarks while answering questions about the possibility of pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted on sex trafficking charges, after the Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal.
“I have a lot of people who have asked me for pardons,” President Trump said. “Puff Daddy has asked me for a pardon.”
Regarding Maxwell’s appeal, Trump said: “I’m gonna have to take a look at it. I have to ask DOJ. I didn’t know they rejected it. I didn’t know she was even asking for it.”
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Lauren Gambino
Voting is officially underway in California, the final step of lightning speed campaign to temporarily redraw the state’s Congressional districts.
Proposition 50, known as the Election Rigging Response Act, was brought by Governor Gavin Newsom and California Democrats to offset Texas’s gerrymander, drawn at Donald Trump’s behest, that aims to safeguard Republicans’ fragile House majority next year.
Unlike Texas and Missouri, where the Republican legislature approved a new map carved up in their favor, the effort in California will be decided by voters.
Ballots have been mailed and the “yes” and “no” campaigns are in full swing. Polling suggests the yes campaign has the edge in the blue state that has been tormented by Trump since his return to office.
Proponents have put the president at the center of their campaign, arguing that it is the best chance Democrats – and the country – has to put a check on Trump’s second term. Opponents argue that the new maps – designed to help elect five more Democrats to Congress – disenfranchise the millions of Republican voters in the state, while dismantling the work of the state’s independent commission, long considered a gold standard in fair map-drawing.
While surveys consistently find that voters prefer independent redistricting and do not trust politicians to control the process, Newsom and Democrats have argued that their plan is both temporary and necessary to respond to Trump’s “powergrabs” in red states.
The measure asks voters to amend the state constitution to adopt a new congressional map for 2026 through 2030. Election Day is 4 November.
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Michael Ellis, the deputy director of the CIA, unexpectedly removed a career lawyer who had been serving as the agency’s acting general counsel since January and appointed himself to the position, The New York Times reports.
Ellis, who was involved in a number of controversies during President Trump’s first term, is keeping his role as the agency’s second-highest official while assuming responsibility for the agency’s top legal decisions.
The reason behind his move remains unclear, but it has raised concern among current and former intelligence officials, according to the Times.
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President Donald Trump on Monday said that he would be open to striking a deal on Affordable Care Act subsidies that are at the heart of the government shutdown fight.
But he also noted that “billions and billions” of dollars are being wasted, nodding to arguments from conservatives who do not want the health subsidies extended.
“We are speaking with the Democrats,” Trump said, adding: “some very good things” could happen.
Trump, who had been teasing layoffs for the last several days, said that if a Senate vote later Monday to reopen the government fails, “it could” trigger mass firings.
“It could,” he said. “At some point it will.”
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A CBS News/YouGov survey shows that more Americans blame President Trump and congressional Republicans for the government shutdown than congressional Democrats.
According to the poll, 39% of US adults say Trump and the GOP deserve most of the blame, compared to 30% who fault Democrats and 31% who place equal blame on both sides.
A majority (52%) disapprove of how Trump and Republicans are handling the shutdown, while 49% disapprove of Democrats.
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Social Security Administration commissioner Frank Bisignano was named to the newly created position of CEO of the IRS today, making him the latest member of the Trump administration to be put in charge of multiple federal agencies.
As IRS CEO, Bisignano will report to Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, who currently serves as acting commissioner of the IRS, the Treasury Department says. It is unclear whether Bisignano’s newly created role at the IRS will require Senate confirmation.
The Treasury Department said in a statement that Bisignano will be responsible for overseeing all day-to-day IRS operations while also continuing to serve in his role as commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
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Administration’s plan is to ‘cause chaos’ to ‘consolidate Trump’s power’, Prtizker says
JB Pritzker, Illinois’ Democratic governor, said today that the federal immigration agents have “terrorized” people in his state in recent months.
“They aren’t receiving any orders from Trump to cease and desist their aggressive behavior. Remember, they answer only to Trump, not to the people of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “Their plan all along has been to cause chaos that and then they can use that chaos to consolidate Donald Trump’s power. They think they can fool us all into thinking that the way to get out of this crisis that they created is to give them free rein.”
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Updated at 15.59 EDT
Illinois governor says state will use ‘every lever’ to resist Trump administration’s ‘power grab’
Addressing reporters today, Illinois governor JB Pritzker said today that he plans to use “every lever” to resist the “power grab” from the Trump administration to quell protests in Chicago by deploying national guard troops.
The state has now filed a lawsuit to block the president’s move to federalize troops. Earlier, a federal judge did not block the deployment immediately, but has given the justice department two days to respond in writing to the state’s temporary restraining order motion. The next hearing is set for Thursday.
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Updated at 15.48 EDT
White House calls Chicago Mayor’s ‘Ice free’ zones a ‘disgusting betrayal’ of law-abiding citizens
Per my earlier post, noting that the Chicago mayor has signed an executive order which prevents federal immigration agents from using city property for immigration staging, the White House has responded, calling the move “a sick policy” that “coddles criminal illegal alien killers, rapists, and gangbangers who prey on innocent Americans”.
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Trump announces tariffs on heavy duty trucks coming to the US
Donald Trump has announced that all “Medium and Heavy Duty Trucks” coming to the US from other countries will be subject to a 25% tariff starting 1 November.
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Here’s a recap of the day so far
The White House criticized a Trump-appointed judge’s ruling, which temporarily blocked the deployment of national guard troops from Oregon and California. At a press briefing today, Karoline Leavitt said Judge Karin Immergut’s decision was “untethered in reality”, and said the administration was hopeful that the ninth US circuit court of appeals would rule in the president’s favor. Immergut said there was no evidence that persistent protests outside the immigration facility in Portland constituted an “invasion” – which could allow Trump to federalize guardsmen. The White House said that the facility is “under siege” by “anarchists”.
In the midwest, Illinois has sued the Trump administration to block the deployment of hundreds of national guard troops to the streets of Chicago. In the lawsuit, leaders in the state say that Trump is using a “flimsy pretext”, which alleges an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) facility in a Chicago suburb needs protecting as protests outside the building over Trump’s immigration crackdown continue. A reminder that over the weekend, the president sought to federalize up to 300 members of the Illinois national guard, despite the objections of the Democratic governor JB Pritzker. Trump sent another 400 from Texas, which Republican governor Greg Abbott has said he authorized.
It is the sixth day of the government shutdown, and both parties continue to trade barbs over who is to blame. Congressional republicans say and the White House say that the ball is in the Democrats’ court, to pass a “clean” funding bill, and tackle healthcare negotiations once the government reopens. Meanwhile, Democrats say that their colleagues across the aisle have stonewalled any attempts at compromise. Earlier today, Karoline Leavitt said that any layoffs would be an “unfortunate consequence” of the shutdown, again laying blame at Democrats’ feet.
The Senate will hold votes later today on the dueling stopgap funding bills, which are set to fail … yet again. The House of Representatives remains out of session, after Republican speaker Mike Johnson said that he wouldn’t be calling lawmakers back to Capitol Hill until the Senate advances the House-passed extension, known as a continuing resolution.
The supreme court rejected Ghislaine Maxwell’s challenge of her criminal conviction for recruiting and grooming minors who were sexually abused by her former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking crimes. Two lower federal courts have ruled that a plea deal Epstein struck in 2007, which protected his co-conspirators, didn’t extend to Maxwell’s federal conviction.
Beyond the beltway, delegations from Israel, Hamas and the US began negotiations in Egypt today. The White House said that it hopes for a swift release of all remaining Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners so that a lasting peace deal can be reached in the region.
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Updated at 15.07 EDT
Fire destroys home of South Carolina judge who had received death threats
Edward Helmore
The cause of a huge fire at the beachfront home of a South Carolina judge who had reportedly been subjected to death threats is being investigated by state law enforcement investigators.
The blaze at the home of Diane Goodstein – a Democrat-appointed circuit court judge – erupted on Saturday, sending three members of her family to the hospital, including her husband, a former state senator.
However, Goodstein, 69, was walking her dogs at the time the blaze erupted at the three-story home in the luxury gated community on Edisto Beach in Colleton county.
A spokesperson for the South Carolina state law enforcement division (Sled) confirmed it was investigating a fire in the county. “The investigation is active and ongoing. More information may be available as the investigation continues,” a Sled spokesperson told FITSNews.
For his part, John Kittredge, the South Carolina chief justice, told the outlet: “At this time, we do not know whether the fire was accidental or arson. Until that determination is made, Sled chief Mark Keel has alerted local law enforcement to provide extra patrols and security.”
Goodstein, who has served on the state judicial bench since 1989, in September issued a temporary injunction on the release of the state’s voter files to the Trump administration-led US justice department.
Goodstein’s ruling was later publicly criticized by an assistant attorney general for the justice department’s civil rights division, Harmeet Dhillon. The division has been at the forefront of efforts to acquire information, including names, addresses, driver’s license numbers and social security numbers, of more than 3 million registered voters under an executive order targeting “non-citizen voter registration”.
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