New York attorney general indicted; judge temporarily blocks Trump's deployment of National Guard troops in Illinois
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Trump held his eighth Cabinet meeting and met with the president of Finland at the White House.
What to know today
- NEW YORK AG INDICTMENT: A federal grand jury in Virginia indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat. James was charged with one count of bank fraud and one count of false statements to a financial institution after President Donald Trump publicly called on the Justice Department to prosecute some of his political foes.
- NATIONAL GUARD HEARINGS: A judge in Chicago issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops in Illinois. An appeals court in San Francisco heard a similar challenge to Trump's mobilization of troops in Portland, Oregon. Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act if the deployments are blocked.
- U.S. TROOPS AND ISRAEL: The U.S. military is preparing options to deploy as many as 200 troops to Israel to support stabilization in Gaza and the flow of humanitarian aid and security assistance into the enclave, two U.S. officials familiar with the planning said.
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House Democratic campaign arm launches new ad saying 'Marjorie Taylor Greene is right'
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is releasing a banner ad on conservative websites promoting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s comments criticizing Republican leaders on health care.
The ad, first reported by NBC News, will appear on Newsmax, Breitbart and Fox News. It features a recent social media post by Greene, R-Ga.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Democrats are seeking to capitalize on a political advantage on health care policy during the government shutdown.
“When Marjorie Taylor Greene is the voice of reason it’s safe to say Mike Johnson’s shutdown has gone off the rails,” DCCC spokesman Aidan Johnson said.
Senate adjourns for the night, with no votes scheduled until Tuesday
The Senate has adjourned for the night after it passed the National Defense Authorization Act.
There will be a pro forma session tomorrow, but no votes are scheduled until Tuesday.
That means the shutdown, which began Oct. 1, could last at least two weeks.
Senate passes annual National Defense Authorization Act
The Senate tonight passed the National Defense Authorization Act, a massive military funding and policy bill that authorizes appropriations for the Defense Department, nuclear weapons programs of the Energy Department and other defense-related activities.
It received bipartisan support in a 77-20 vote.
The House passed its version of the annual bill on Sept. 10. The two versions will have to be melded together and passed again in both chambers before Trump signs it into law.
Consideration of the bill, which started Sept. 2, was dogged by objections and holds by senators who wanted amendment votes and who objected to how the Trump administration has used the military, particularly in the United States.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., who opposed the bill for the first time, said in a statement that she couldn't back legislation that would authorize defense funding "that’s been misused to deploy our troops into American cities."
The bill was passed after the Senate voted on a number of amendments on some issues that have been particularly thorny related to the military.
Notably, Sen. Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana, was the only Republican to vote in favor of an amendment to block the president and governors from deploying the National Guard of one state to another state or the District of Columbia under the authority of Title 32, in the event of an objection from the state’s governor or, in the case of D.C., the mayor.
Abigail Spanberger and Winsome Earle-Sears clash over Jay Jones’ violent texts in lone Virginia governor’s debate
Democrat Abigail Spanberger and Republican Winsome Earle-Sears sparred frequently and bitterly tonight during their only debate of this fall’s Virginia governor’s race — and much of it wasn’t even about the two candidates onstage.
Rather, the hourlong showdown at Norfolk State University — in which the moderators repeatedly asked Earle-Sears to refrain from talking over her opponent — most prominently centered on Virginia’s Democratic nominee for attorney general, Jay Jones.
Last week, texts from 2022 surfaced in which the Jones suggested that one of the top legislative Republicans in the state be shot in the head, triggering bipartisan condemnation and calls from Republicans for Jones to exit the race.
Spanberger, a former congresswoman who has condemned the texts but stopped short of calling on Jones to drop out, repeatedly declined to say this evening whether she still endorsed him.
Mike Johnson sidesteps whether he supports Trump’s threat of mass layoffs during shutdown
House Speaker Mike Johnson declined today to say whether he supports Trump’s threat to fire furloughed federal workers if the government shutdown continues.
Johnson, R-La., sidestepped a question about his position on Trump’s bid to permanently reduce the government workforce in an interview with NBC News’ Tom Llamas for “Top Story.”
“I support — look, we’re limited government conservatives, and there is too much inefficiency in the federal government. It’s too large. It does too many things,” Johnson said, before he defended government workers.
“There are programs that probably should be eliminated, but we want federal employees to be protected,” he added.
Venezuela requests urgent U.N. Security Council meeting over ‘serious escalation' by U.S. in the Caribbean
Venezuela requested an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council in response to increased U.S. military action off the country's coast, Venezuela’s ambassador to the U.N., Samuel Moncada, said in a letter today.
Moncada said that recent escalations endanger "regional and international peace, security and stability" and that an armed attack by the U.S. against Venezuela could occur "very soon."
Venezuela called on Russia’s ambassador to the U.N. and current president of the U.N. Security Council to convene the meeting urgently to formulate recommendations to halt the "ongoing U.S. aggression plans."
U.S. military action to target drug traffickers inside the country could begin in a matter of weeks, four sources told NBC News in late September.
Emboldened Democrats dig in on health care demands in shutdown fight
Eight days into the government shutdown, Senate Democratic communications directors received a private briefing and a memo from pollster Geoff Garin.
The crux of the message: Stay the course, because Democrats are winning the battle of public opinion.
“Voters continue to blame Trump and Republicans more than Democrats for the shutdown,” said the memo, which was obtained by NBC News and featured new polling data conducted by Hart Research, with findings that are backed by other public national surveys on the shutdown fight.
It added that voters are siding with Democrats’ health care funding demands, that Republicans are starting to “feel the heat” on the issue and that the GOP’s political pain will worsen “the longer and more aggressively” Democrats litigate it.
U.S. said to be prepping to send 200 troops to Israel for Gaza support
The U.S. military is preparing options to deploy as many as 200 U.S. troops to Israel to support stabilization in Gaza and the flow of humanitarian aid and security assistance into the enclave, two U.S. officials familiar with the planning said.
The U.S. troops will stay in Israel, where they will support logistics, transportation, engineering and planning, the officials said.
“They will not be in Gaza. No U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza,” one of the officials said.
The effort, known as the Civil-Military Coordination Cell, comes after the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that includes the release of hostages in Gaza and nearly 2,000 Palestinians who were detained after Oct. 7, 2023.
James says charges are 'baseless,' accuses Trump of seeking 'political retribution at any cost'
James said in a statement today that her indictment was "nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system."
“These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost. The president’s actions are a grave violation of our Constitutional order and have drawn sharp criticism from members of both parties," James said.
Trump has publicly pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute his critics, including James. Trump appointed Halligan after her predecessor, then-acting U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert, failed to bring fraud charges against James.
James said Trump's decision to replace Siebert with a "loyalist" after he didn't bring charges "is antithetical to the bedrock principles of our country."
James also defended her prosecution of Trump and his family's company.
“I stand strongly behind my office’s litigation against the Trump Organization. We conducted a two-year investigation based on the facts and evidence — not politics. Judges have upheld the trial court’s finding that Donald Trump, his company, and his two sons are liable for fraud," she said.
U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan says 'no one is above the law' after James indictment
Lindsey Halligan, the new acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in a statement today after James' indictment that "no one is above the law."
“The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust,” Halligan said. “The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.”
James faces two counts: one count of bank fraud and one of false statements to a financial institution.
Halligan, a former personal attorney to Trump, last month brought charges against another political foe of Trump's: former FBI Director James Comey.
N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul calls James' indictment a 'weaponization' of the Justice Department
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James "nothing less than the weaponization" of the Justice Department.
"New Yorkers know @NewYorkStateAG James for her integrity, her independence, and her relentless fight for justice," Hochul, a Democrat, said on X. "What we’re seeing today is nothing less than the weaponization of the Justice Department to punish those who hold the powerful accountable."
Grand jury indicts N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James on bank fraud charges
New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat who has clashed with Trump, was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Virginia.
James was charged with one count of bank fraud and one count of false statements to a financial institution after Trump publicly called for his Justice Department appointees to bring charges against her. The indictment alleges James falsely claimed that a home in Norfolk, Virginia, was her second residence, allowing her to obtain favorable loan terms, and that she rented the property to a family of three.
James could face up to 30 years in prison and up to a $1 million fine on each count if she’s convicted.
She vehemently denied the charges against her.
Finnish president leaves White House
Finnish President Alexander Stubb has left the White House following his meeting with Trump. The meeting lasted less than an hour.
Trump suggests Spain should be thrown out of NATO
Trump suggested kicking Spain out of NATO, saying that it had "no excuse" for not committing to his NATO defense spending target of 5% of gross domestic product.
"We had one laggard. It was Spain," Trump said. "You have to call them and find why are they a laggard. And they're doing well, too. They have no excuse not to do this, but that's all right, maybe you should throw them out of NATO."
It isn't the first time Trump has reprimanded Spain. Speaking at NATO's annual summit in the Netherlands in June, he said it was "terrible" that Spain wouldn't commit to meeting NATO's spending goal by 2035.
The Spanish Consulate didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump says he would defend Finland 'vigorously' if Russia attacked it
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, "I would, yes, I would" defend Finland if it were attacked by Russia.
"I think the chances of that are very, very, very small," he added.
He was then asked how he would defend Finland, which he answered with one word: "vigorously."
It's a notable commitment given that Trump in the past has floated the idea that the United States could bypass its commitment to defend NATO allies under attack, depending on how much a NATO ally spends on national defense.
Finnish president is asked if Trump deserves the Nobel Prize
A reporter asked Finnish President Alexander Stubb during the bilateral meeting whether Trump deserves the Nobel Prize tomorrow.
"I think that's probably a decision that comes from the Nobel Committee. And my take is that there are two key pieces that have to be solved in the big picture. One is in the Middle East, and we're seeing the results of that. And then the other one is between Russia and Ukraine," Stubb said. "And once those are solved ... I don't see any impediments to Trump next year."
Stubb said he thinks that this year, the "best nomination would be coming from Zelenskyy and then the king of Jordan."
Trump was then asked what he thinks his chances are of winning the Nobel Prize tomorrow, and he touted peace deals he has helped negotiate during his second term.
Trump welcomes Finnish president to the White House
Trump just welcomed the president of Finland, Alexander Stubb, to the White House.
They are scheduled to have a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office, which is scheduled to be closed to the media.
Johnson says House won't pass a bill on military pay before next week
House Speaker Mike Johnson made it clear on a conference call with House Republicans today that he does not plan on passing a standalone bill to pay U.S. troops before Wednesday, when military personnel are set to miss their first paychecks, according to two GOP sources on the call.
Johnson, R-La., also dismissed the idea at a news conference today, even after a military spouse begged him to pay the troops during his rare appearance on C-SPAN this morning, warning her kids could die if Congress doesn’t act.
Johnson has argued that the House already did its job by passing a short-term spending bill last month, which would fund the entire government, including the military, through mid-November.
He said House members would be given 48 hours’ notice if he decides to bring them back into session.
During the call, Johnson got some slight pushback from GOP members over his strategy. Two Republicans spoke up to express their concerns over the House’s remaining out of session, the sources on the call said, but several others spoke up in support of the idea.
Separately, a House Republican told NBC News that they are “deeply concerned” with the idea of the House being out of session next week while military members miss their first paycheck. However, this lawmaker did not express those feelings on the call.
WIC offices in Nevada to close because of shutdown
As the possibility of disruptions to the WIC food assistance program looms large, some program offices in Nevada appear to be the first to feel the effects of the government shutdown.
WIC offices across the state are set to close starting either today or tomorrow because of a lack of federal funding; however, participants will still be able to use their preloaded cards to buy food and infant formula for the time being, a spokesperson for Gov. Joe Lombardo’s office told NBC News.
The WIC offices rely on federal dollars to provide participants — low-income pregnant women, new moms and young children — with cards enabling them to buy healthy food and infant formula. The offices also offer health screenings and breastfeeding support.
The spokesperson said local and administrative offices for Nevada WIC will close starting tomorrow, meaning some services will be paused, and added that without additional funding, all services will be affected.
The Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada WIC Program, which serves the state’s 27 Native tribes and is not affiliated with the state program, said on social media that it was temporarily closing its offices starting Thursday, as well. The program receives funding from Agriculture Department directly.
Initially, that program told participants it was halting food services “until Congress reaches an agreement that provides funding to the WIC Program” and advised them to contact local food banks, doctors’ offices or state WIC clinics for food assistance or infant formula. Shortly after that announcement, however, the Agriculture Department offered a cash infusion to keep the program’s food services running through the end of the month, according to the governor’s office.
The National WIC Association, a nonprofit advocacy group representing state and local WIC agencies, warned last week that funding could run out if the shutdown lasts more than a week or two. Because the shutdown began at the start of the 2026 fiscal year, it has prevented states from receiving their next allocation of WIC funds.
The White House has said it plans to preserve access to WIC through tariff revenue, but it’s unclear how that might happen.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai said that “the Administration remains committed to preserving this critical lifeline” but did not answer NBC News’ questions about when tariff revenue could become available to WIC programs and how long it might enable those programs to operate. An Agriculture Department spokesperson said the agency “will utilize tariff revenue to fund WIC for the foreseeable future” but did not offer specifics either.
The National WIC Association said in a statement that it welcomes efforts to keep the program operational but that “critical details remain unknown: how much funding will be provided, when it will be distributed, and how long it will last.”
Alex Jones asks Supreme Court to block massive defamation judgment
Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones today asked the Supreme Court to hit pause on an almost $1.5 billion defamation judgment that was imposed over his false claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax.
In a new filing, Jones said the court’s immediate involvement is needed because his website, InfoWars, is on the verge of being turned over to the satirical news site The Onion to help fund payments to family members of the Sandy Hook victims.
Trump says he wants to discuss soybeans with Chinese President Xi Jinping
Trump told reporters during his Cabinet meeting that he wants to discuss soybean sales with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"He's got things that he wants to discuss with me, and I have things that I want to discuss with him, and one of the things is soybeans," Trump said, referring to Xi.
Trump's comments came in response to a reporter's question about how he planned to help soybean farmers.
China has not bought any U.S. soybeans during the main harvest period this year. The drop-off in sales has hit American farmers hard, as China is typically the top overseas market for soybeans.
The administration has pledged financial assistance for U.S. soybean farmers. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last week that soybeans would be discussed between Trump and Xi during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit at the end of the month.
Trump criticizes vaccines, Tylenol
Trump said that something was "artificially" causing autism diagnoses, claiming that it could be related to vaccines, despite this false claim being repeatedly debunked.
"Obviously, there’s something, there’s something that’s artificially, I think, induced, something, whether it’s the vaccines, in terms of these massive vaccines," Trump said, going on to also point to Tylenol.
Vaccines are widely considered safe and effective.
Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also repeatedly criticized Tylenol and urged pregnant women not to take the medicine. NBC News has previously reported that claims about a link between Tylenol and autism are unsubstantiated.
Trump says the White House will cut 'very popular Democrat programs'
Trump said that the administration would make permanent cuts to "Democrat programs."
He did not specify which programs he would try to cut during the shutdown.
"We’ll be cutting some very popular Democrat programs that aren’t popular with Republicans, frankly, because that’s the way it works," he added.
Homeland security secretary says department will purchase buildings in Chicago and Portland to operate from
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at the Cabinet meeting that her department is buying buildings in Chicago and Portland out of which to base immigration enforcement operations.
"We're purchasing more buildings in Chicago to operate out of. We're going to not back off," Noem said. "In fact, we're doubling down, and we're going to be in more parts of Chicago in response to the people there.
"I was there a few days ago and looked at some facilities that we can deploy more law enforcement out of, because what they're trying to do with these riots and violence is distract us and keep us from going after those murderers and rapists that are out on the streets," she continued.
Noem added that they're purchasing facilities in Portland, as well.
The Democratic mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, said this week that immigration officials are not allowed to use city property.
Trump's Cabinet meeting begins
Trump's eighth Cabinet meeting has started. The gathering of his top officials comes as the president has faced challenges to the deployment of the National Guard in Portland and Chicago to support federal operations in those cities.
Trump and Republicans are also facing an impasse with congressional Democrats over federal spending, resulting in a government shutdown.
Democrats want to include an extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies in any short-term government funding bill, while Republicans are pushing for a "clean" spending measure that keeps funding at current levels.
The meeting comes on the heels of a breakthrough on Trump's proposal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with the two sides agreeing to the initial phase of the plan.
Israel and Hamas commit to peace plan: What happens next?
Trump announced last night that the first phase of the plan to end the war in Gaza had been agreed to by Israel and Hamas, but what happens next and how will Gaza rebuild? Jeremy Bash, NBC News analyst and former chief of staff at the CIA and the Defense Department, joins "TODAY" with analysis.
Tom Steyer says he'll give $12M to support California Democrats' redistricting plan
Billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer told the Los Angeles Times he would spend $12 million to support the fall ballot measure in California to temporarily sidestep the state congressional map drawn by an independent commission and instead use Democrat-drawn maps aimed at buttressing the party against the GOP’s attempts to redraw maps across multiple red states.
Steyer, who ran for president in 2020 and has been a key financial supporter of climate initiatives, called the ballot measure "the defining fight" to "stop Trump's election-rigging power grab."
Californians head to the polls to vote on whether to approve of the new state congressional maps, which could help Democrats gain up to five seats in Congress from the state if enacted. The Democrats have argued the move is necessary as other GOP-led states, such as Texas and Missouri, have redrawn their own maps for their party's gain.
But opponents in the state have decried the move, arguing the vote would strip power from the independent redistricting commission that voters approved in 2010.
Senate to vote again on partisan short-term spending bills
With the government shutdown in its ninth day, the Senate will vote at 11:30 a.m. for a seventh time on two partisan short-term funding bills, both of which are expected to fail again.
Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters this morning that after the vote, the Senate will likely convene tomorrow in a rare Friday session, when it will probably vote on the same measures, one from Democrats and the other from Republicans, for the eighth time.
The shutdown is now the eighth longest in history.
GOP leaders hammer Sen. Chuck Schumer over remark that the shutdown gets 'better' for Democrats each day
House Republican leaders hammered Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., over a comment he made yesterday in an interview with Punchbowl News about every day being "better" for Democrats as the shutdown goes on.
"I don't even know how to comment on that," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said at a news conference with other GOP leaders. "It's so stunning to me how callous he can be to play political games and use American citizens as the pawns in a political game."
Johnson noted that the government shutdown has entered the ninth day and said the consequences are "very real, and he can mock it, and he can pretend like it gets better for him. It doesn't. It doesn't get better for the country right now; half of our civilian federal employees are on furlough."
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said, "If you're Chuck Schumer and a good day for you is defined by how much suffering you can impose on other people, including our men and women in uniform, maybe you need to look in the mirror and check yourself at the door."
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had a poster made of Schumer's quote and said on the chamber floor this morning that the impasse on funding "isn't a political game. Democrats might feel that way, but I don't know anybody 1else that does."
Schumer's office pointed to remarks he made on the Senate floor this morning that appeared to clarify his comment.
“Every day that Republicans refuse to negotiate to end this shutdown, the worse it gets for Americans and the clearer it becomes who is fighting for them each day," Schumer said. "Our case to fix health care and end the shutdown gets better and better, stronger and stronger, because families are opening their letters showing how high their premiums will climb if Republicans get their way. They’re seeing why this fight matters. It’s about protecting their health care, their bank accounts, their futures.”
National Guard arrives in Chicago area as deployment battle intensifies
As the Texas National Guard moves into the Chicago area, demonstrators are protesting the federal deployment with local officials saying the presence of these forces is only inflaming tensions. Trump argues the National Guard is critical to protect federal agents and property. NBC’s Peter Alexander reports for "TODAY" from the White House.
U.S. will buy as many as four icebreakers from Finland, White House confirms
Trump and his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb, will sign an agreement for the U.S. Coast Guard to buy as many as four icebreaker ships from Finnish shipyards, Stubb said and the White House confirmed.
Trump has been vocal about his desire for the U.S. to acquire dozens of new icebreakers to enhance national security in the Arctic, which he says is critical to counter the growing influence of Russia and China.
C-SPAN viewer calls Johnson's claim 'everybody's smiling' in D.C. after National Guard deployment 'dystopian and insane'
A Democratic caller on C-SPAN reacted incredulously to House Speaker Mike Johnson's claim that people are "smiling" where National Guard troops have been deployed by the Trump administration to combat crime.
Taking questions from viewers, Johnson, R-La., defended the administration's ongoing efforts to fight crime in multiple American cities. Asked about Trump's suggestion that the cities be used as training grounds for the National Guard, Johnson said that it's a smart strategy.
"National Guard troops, they drill once a month so they can be trained," he said. "Put them in the cities, too, where it's a win, win, win. I've talked to the National Guard troops in D.C. They're enjoying what they're doing. They're walking around smiling. Everybody's smiling here — the sun is shining again. The greatest nation in the history of the world, the most beautiful capital city. It should be safe for visitors and tourists and school groups, and it is, and we're proud of that."
Afterward, another caller responded to him and said, "I just want to start by saying, hearing you say that everyone is smiling in the cities where troops, our National Guard, has been rolled into feels dystopian and insane to hear you say that."
Speaker Johnson says he's willing to appear with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on C-SPAN
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., concluded his C-SPAN appearance by saying he would be willing to appear alongside House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on a new C-SPAN program called "Ceasefire."
The program, which premieres tomorrow, is marketed as a space for leaders who disagree with each other to talk.
Asked by C-SPAN host Mimi Geerges which Democrat he would be willing to appear alongside, Johnson said without missing a beat that he would sit down with Jeffries.
"Hakeem, let's sit down together," the speaker said.
Republican C-SPAN viewer tells Speaker Johnson she is 'disappointed' in him and the party over stalled military pay
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is taking questions from viewers on C-SPAN this morning about the government shutdown and its impact on military pay, as well as other issues, including an extension of Obamacare subsidies.
One woman who identified herself as a Republican said her husband had served two military tours in Afghanistan and noted that she has "two medically fragile children."
"If we see a lapse in pay come the 15th, my children do not get to get the medication that's needed for them to live their life, because we live paycheck to paycheck," she said, referring to the day when active duty troops had been scheduled to get paychecks.
She said she was "very disappointed in my party, and I'm very disappointed in you," noting that Johnson had the power to call the House back into session.
"I am begging you to pass this legislation," she said. "My kids could die."
Johnson responded that if the House held a vote on payments for troops, he believed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., "is going to hold that up in the Senate."
"He is demonstrating by voting now six times to keep the government closed that he does not want the troops to be paid," Johnson claimed.
Both Republican- and Democratic-led funding proposals have failed several times.
IRS to furlough nearly half its staff as shutdown enters Day 9
The IRS is announcing that it is furloughing nearly half of its workforce because of the government shutdown. It comes as another vote in the Senate to reopen the government failed, and Republicans won’t entertain talks on health care until Democrats agree to a short term spending plan. NBC’s Ryan Nobles reports for "TODAY."
One big swing-state race highlights how Democrats are figuring out their path forward
Democrats’ way back to the House majority could run through a swing district in the nation’s biggest swing state. The question is which path the party will choose to try to get there.
Since February, five Democrats have launched campaigns for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, a Lehigh Valley seat held by Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, which has flipped back and forth and seen some of the closest races in the country in recent years.
The primary field — which includes a firefighters union leader, a former federal prosecutor (and former Republican) who resigned, a community advocate and two local officeholders — has turned into a crowded microcosm of the different approaches Democrats are taking to appeal to voters, define their party and frame themselves as strong candidates in the age of Trump.
Trump’s Israel-Hamas ceasefire sparks cautious celebration but future remains unclear for Gaza
Trump’s announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire deal was widely welcomed today by world leaders, the families of hostages and Palestinians who have endured more than two years of war.
But huge questions remain about whether Trump’s 20-point plan can successfully resolve the long-term future of the Gaza Strip, with uncertainty over its directive for Hamas to disband as well as the governance of the shattered enclave.
The plan, which was mediated by Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, will also need formal agreement at 5 p.m. local time today (10 a.m. ET) by Israel’s government, an Israel official briefed on the matter told NBC News. That does not appear a sure thing, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich vowing to vote against it.
Chicago and Portland to fight Trump’s National Guard deployments in court hearings today
Trump’s efforts to deploy National Guard troops in states that don’t want them will be tested in two different courts today.
Lawyers for Chicago and Illinois will go before a federal judge to try to block troops from being deployed in the country’s third-most populous city, while attorneys for Portland and Oregon will urge a federal appeals court to leave in place a restraining order against troop deployments there.
The hearings — in Chicago and San Francisco — are set to begin at noon ET in courthouses about 2,000 miles apart.
Trump to hold a Cabinet meeting and meet with the Finnish president
Trump will hold a Cabinet meeting this morning amid tensions over the government funding impasse, deployments of National Guard to U.S. cities, and a tentative agreement between Israel and Hamas to the initial phase of his administration's peace plan.
Trump's Cabinet meetings can go on for a while. His last meeting, in August, lasted more than three hours.
Later, Trump will hold a meeting at the White House with the president of Finland, Alexander Stubb.
Stubb said in a post on X this morning that he would “sign a Memorandum of Understanding on icebreaker cooperation” with Trump. The memorandum, Stubb said, “lays the foundation for commercial agreements between the United States Coast Guard and Finnish companies.”
