National Guard troops from Texas arrive near Chicago
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On Capitol Hill, Attorney General Pam Bondi faced questions about President Donald Trump's National Guard deployments in U.S. cities and files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
What to know today
- NATIONAL GUARD: Troops from the Texas National Guard arrived in Illinois this afternoon, outside Chicago, as part of the Trump administration's push to crack down on crime in Democrat-led cities. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, meanwhile, is visiting Portland, Oregon, days after a judge blocked the administration from deploying federalized National Guard troops to the city.
- BONDI HEARING: Attorney General Pam Bondi faced questions from senators about National Guard deployments and immigrant arrests in U.S. cities, the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey and files related to Jeffrey Epstein, among other issues.
- GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: The White House is facing heat over a draft memo arguing that furloughed federal workers are not entitled to back pay after the government shutdown lifts. The memo clashes with previous White House guidance on shutdowns and a 2019 law that requires back pay for federal workers.
- U.S.-CANADA TALKS: President Donald Trump met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss trade issues, including U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.
We’d like to hear from you about how you’re experiencing the government shutdown, whether you’re a federal employee who can’t work right now or someone who is feeling the effects of shuttered services in your everyday life. Please contact us at [email protected] or reach out to us here.
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Senate confirms Herschel Walker as U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas
The Senate today confirmed Herschel Walker as U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas.
Walker, a staunch ally of Trump who unsuccessfully ran for a Senate seat in Georgia three years ago, was confirmed along with more than 100 other nominees in a 51-47 vote that fell along party lines.
Walker will be the first U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas in nearly 15 years. The U.S. Embassy there has been led by a series of chargés d’affaires since 2011.
Walker is a former NFL player who played with Dallas, Minnesota, Philadelphia and the New York Giants. He won the Heisman Trophy at the University of Georgia.
Former Republican governors air concerns about Trump’s National Guard moves
As Trump clashes with Democratic governors over his push to deploy federalized National Guard troops to their cities, several former Republican governors are raising concerns about strong-arm tactics and constitutional crises — while also noting that the president has wide latitude to deploy the guard.
The three former governors, who have long histories of criticizing Trump, also expressed a sense of resignation, saying they believe he will charge ahead unless the courts rein him in.
“This is infuriating,” former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, who left the Republican Party in 2022 after years of opposing Trump and endorsing his opponents, said in an interview. “It is stoking resentment and fanning the flames. But as a governor there is nothing you can do to really stop the president from federalizing the guard.”
Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich expressed concern with the communication between the Trump administration and state and local officials.
Trump keeps threatening to use the Insurrection Act. What is it?
Trump suggested numerous times this week that he could invoke the sweeping presidential powers granted by the Insurrection Act “if necessary.”
“It’s been invoked before,” Trump told reporters today, adding, “We want safe cities.”
Using the Insurrection Act was something Trump repeatedly suggested he might do in his first term, although he never actually did.
A spokeswoman for the White House, Abigail Jackson, said in a statement today that Trump has “exercised his lawful authority to protect federal officers and assets. President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities.”
Here’s a look at what the Insurrection Act is and what it would enable Trump to do.
Kristi Noem says she gave Portland's mayor an ultimatum
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said tonight that she told Portland Mayor Keith Wilson that she would bring “four times” the number of federal officers to Portland if he did not comply with her demands on protecting government agents.
“I told him is that if he did not follow through on some of these security measures for our officers, we were going to cover him up with more federal resources and that we were going to send four times the amount of federal officers here so that the people of Portland could have some safety,” Noem said on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
Demonstrators have protested an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland since June.
Asked for comment on Noem’s remarks, a spokesperson for Wilson referred NBC News to a statement Wilson made after Noem’s visit, in which he confirmed that he had met with her and said he maintains that “the tactics used by federal agents at the ICE facility are troubling and likely unconstitutional.”
“As Mayor, it is my responsibility to protect our community from the federal government’s increasingly unpredictable and escalating actions that we continue to face. Portland will continue the hard work of protecting our community, keeping our streets safe, and defending the right to peaceful protest. I welcome federal partnership that is transparent, accountable, and aligned with Portland’s standards,” Wilson said.
Marjorie Taylor Greene doubles down on her unexpected break with Republicans over health care in shutdown fight
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene isn’t backing down from her very public break with fellow Republicans on health care that shook up Washington.
In an extensive interview today, Greene, R-Ga., accused her party of not having a plan on health care and made the case that it should be working to fix the problem now.
“When it comes to the point where families are spending anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000 a month and looking at hikes coming on their insurance premiums, I think that’s unforgivable,” she said.
GOP leaders in Congress are desperately working to keep their ranks unified amid Republican efforts to reopen the federal government without making any concessions to Democrats.
State Rep. Aftyn Behn captures Democratic nomination in deep-red Tennessee district
State Rep. Aftyn Behn, a community organizer and licensed social worker, won the Democratic primary in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District in a close contest against two other state lawmakers and a businessman. She represents a deep-blue seat including downtown and east Nashville.
She will face Republican Matt Van Epps, who was backed by Trump in the GOP primary, in the special general election for the House seat vacated by Rep. Mark Green.
Democrats hope to compete for the heavily Republican seat (Trump won more than 60% there in 2024) during the special general election on Dec. 2, which is likely to record lower voter turnout than a regular election.
Trump-endorsed Matt Van Epps wins GOP primary for vacant House seat in Tennessee
Matt Van Epps, a former state official who earned an endorsement from Trump last week, has won the Republican nomination in the special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, NBC News projects.
Van Epps bested 10 other Republican candidates after a primary in which all of them campaigned on their support for Trump. But Van Epps was the only one to get Trump’s backing, adding it to early endorsements from former Rep. Mark Green — the Republican who resigned from the 7th District this year — as well as Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
Van Epps now advances to the special general election for the district, which Trump carried with more than 60% of the vote in 2024. The 7th District ranges from the two of the richest counties in Tennessee to some of its poorest, including an Army base and part of Nashville. It has been solidly Republican for decades.
A key lifeline for rural communities, federal air travel funds, will expire Sunday if the shutdown continues
Federal funding for air travel in rural areas will run out Sunday if the government shutdown continues, threatening to isolate remote communities across the country.
The Essential Air Service (EAS), established in 1978, provides funds to airline carriers to operate out of rural airports for routes that would otherwise be unprofitable. The program is a lifeline for remote communities because it connects them to cities with larger airports, ensuring access to medical treatments, work opportunities and commercial goods that would otherwise be lengthy travels away.
“Money runs out this Sunday. So there’s many small communities across the country that will now no longer have the resources to make sure they have air service in their community,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a news conference yesterday. “Every state across the country will be impacted by the inability to provide the subsidies to airlines to service these communities.”
The EAS gives money to regional air carriers in 177 communities across all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico, according to the Transportation Department. The Regional Airline Association, an advocacy group for regional airlines that receive EAS funds, said that “commercial air service at EAS airports had an economic impact of $2.3 billion and supported more than 17,000 U.S. jobs” before the pandemic.
Polls close in Tennessee's special House primaries
Polls closed at 8 p.m. ET in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District, where voters are picking nominees in the race to succeed former GOP Rep. Mark Green, who resigned this year.
There are 11 Republicans on the ballot in the heavily Republican district, but Trump jumped into the race last week to endorse Matt Van Epps, a former member of Gov. Bill Lee's administration.
Four Democrats are competing for their party's nomination.
Thune says Senate will vote tomorrow on stopgap funding bills — for the sixth time
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said tonight that the Senate will vote again tomorrow on the House-passed GOP spending bill and the Democratic alternative measure, most likely in the “late morning.”
It will be the sixth time the Senate has taken up both short-term funding bills. The Senate has rejected each bill the previous five times.
Thune said there were no votes to reopen the government today because of procedural “sequencing and timing.”
He also confirmed to NBC News that he is aware of a bipartisan group of lawmakers getting dinner tonight to discuss the shutdown but would not share additional details.
Senate confirms Neil Jacobs as NOAA administrator
The Senate today confirmed Neil Jacobs to be the new head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
His confirmation came as part of a block package of Trump nominees, including more than a dozen ambassadors.
Jacobs got bipartisan support in a committee vote last month, with five Democrats voting with Republican colleagues to advance his nomination.
The confirmation puts a career atmospheric scientist with a deep understanding of NOAA at the helm of the agency, which is responsible for making weather predictions and keeping climate records, a point of contention during the Trump administration. However, critics have highlighted Jacobs’ role in the so-called Sharpiegate controversy of 2019 as an example of his bending to perceived political pressure.
Sharpiegate refers to the time when Trump incorrectly said Hurricane Dorian could strike Alabama. The National Weather Service’s Birmingham office denied the state was at risk, but Trump doubled down and later showed reporters a map of the hurricane’s potential path that had been altered with a black Sharpie. Later, top NOAA officials rebuked the local forecasters amid perceived political pressure. Jacobs was NOAA’s assistant secretary for environmental observation at the time.
The National Academy of Public Administration reviewed the events and found that Jacobs had violated NOAA’s ethics policies.
At his Senate hearing in July, Jacobs said he would not handle the situation the same way if it happened now.
NOAA has already undergone an incredible amount of change during Trump’s second term. It cut several hundred employees then later announced it would rehire for hundreds of positions.
The Trump administration has also proposed deep cuts to the agency’s budget. And it has shuttered reports on climate change that used to be an important part of the NOAA’s portfolio.
During his confirmation hearing in July, Jacobs said staffing should be a priority. He acknowledged that humans are playing a role in climate change, along with natural variability. The hearing took place just after the Texas flood disaster, so Jacobs said he would prioritize making sure people got proper warnings during such weather disasters.
“Modernizing the way to distribute these watches and warnings is something that’s going to be a top priority of mine,” he said.
Jacobs has also endorsed creating a natural disaster review board, modeled after the National Transportation Safety Board.
“We also need more data and doing post-storm assessments,” he said. “We need the data to understand what went right, what went wrong, whether people got the warnings.”
Texas National Guard troops arrive in Illinois
National Guard troops from Texas have arrived in Illinois, officials from both states said this afternoon.
“The elite Texas National Guard are on the ground and ready to go,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said on X. “They are putting America first by ensuring that the federal government can safely enforce federal law.”
Officials in Will County said they were made aware of the Texas National Guard’s presence by the state of Illinois and the Village of Elwood, adding that they did not receive any details about the deployment from the federal government.
“The arrival of the National Guard by the Trump Administration is an aggressive overreach. Our federal government moving armed troops into our community should be alarming to everyone,” Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, who has served in the state Legislature as a Democratic senator, said in a statement.
Will County is southwest of Chicago and includes Joliet.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem arrives in Portland and is met by governor
Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem arrived in Portland today amid the Trump administration's targeting of Democrat-run cities and was greeted by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek.
Kotek, who has opposed military intervention in her state, said in a statement that she again told Noem during their meeting that "there is no insurrection in Oregon."
"I was clear that I have confidence in local law enforcement to meet the moment," Kotek said.
"I reiterated that I continue to be focused on doing whatever I can to protect Oregonians from military intervention or harmful federal law enforcement tactics. Oregon is united against military policing in our communities,” she added.
Asked about Kotek's comments, the Department of Homeland Security referred NBC News to a news release that said Noem "is in Portland meeting with law enforcement amid a surge of federal resources to restore law and order.” It did not provide further detail about her meeting with Kotek.
A judge this week blocked the administration from deploying National Guard troops to Portland.
Supreme Court skeptical of state bans on conversion therapy aimed at LGBTQ kids
The Supreme Court appeared poised today to back a free speech challenge to a Colorado law that bans conversion therapy aimed at young people questioning their sexual orientations or gender identities in a case likely to have national implications.
If the court rules against the state, it could affect more than 20 states that have similar bans and raise new questions about other long-standing state health care regulations.
GOP leaders say Republicans are '100% united' on Day 7 of shutdown
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Republicans are “100% united” on Day 7 of the shutdown.
Asked repeatedly about the draft White House memo that says furloughed federal workers are not entitled to back pay, Thune said that he was not familiar with the specifics but that he believes furloughed workers will receive their pay.
“Open up the government and this is a nonissue. We don’t have to have this conversation. Everybody gets paid when the government is open,” Thune said.
Johnson told reporters he is “certainly open” to an emergency measure to pay just members of the military and air traffic controllers.
“We’re monitoring that day by day. I’m certainly open to that. We’ve done it in the past. We want to make sure that our troops are paid,” Johnson said.
Thune then stepped in, adding: “Yeah, and honestly, I mean, you don’t need that. … The simplest way to end it is not to try to exempt this group or that group or that group. It’s to get the government open and then all, all the consequences, adverse consequences to this go by the wayside.”
GOP senator criticizes possible Trump plan not to pay furloughed federal workers
Speaking to reporters at the Capitol this afternoon, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., criticized plans the White House has floated to avoid paying federal workers after the government shutdown ends.
Tillis was asked to respond to a draft memo from the White House budget office that says the administration may not provide back pay.
"I just think I’ve worked a lot in the private sector. I think it’s a horrible message to send to people who are basically hostages right now to the Democrats shutting down the government, not agreeing to a clean CR, I just think it’s bad — I think it’s bad strategy," said Tillis, who isn't running for re-election next year.
Bondi hearing ends
The Senate Judiciary Committee ended its hearing with Bondi after more than 4½ hours.
Sen. Schiff lists questions Bondi refused to answer at the hearing
During his questioning time, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., went down a list of questions that Bondi has refused to answer during the hearing.
"You were asked whether you consulted with career ethics lawyers, as you promised you would do during your nomination hearing, when you approved the president receiving a $400 million gift from the Qataris," he told Bondi. "You refused to answer that question. You were asked who or what role you may have played or who played the role in asking that Trump’s name be flagged in any of the Epstein documents gathered by the FBI. You refused to answer that question."
Schiff said Bondi also refused to answer questions about whether Tom Homan paid taxes on $50,000 in bribe money, about career prosecutors' finding insufficient evidence to charge former FBI Director James Comey and about whether she approved the firing of antitrust lawyers who disagreed with the Justice Department's settlement of its case against Hewlett-Packard's merger with Juniper Networks.
"This is supposed to be an oversight hearing in which members of Congress can get serious answers to serious questions," Schiff said.
Sen. Tillis cautions National Guard deployments could be 'masking an underlying problem'
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., asked Bondi whether she believed deploying National Guard troops to cities across the country as a way to deter crime was "best practice."
He cautioned that deploying the troops may be "masking the abject failure of leaders at the state and local level."
"Are we masking an underlying problem that will come back the minute we leave?" he said. "That's what I'm talking about. Not the protection of federal buildings and federal law enforcement officers, but almost the sense of they become an arm of local law enforcement — I don't consider that a best practice."
Bondi agrees to working on a public report about 'left-wing political violence'
Responding to a question from Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Bondi said she would have the Justice Department and the FBI work on a public report about left-wing political violence.
"We need good data," Schmitt said, before he asked whether she would commission the report.
Recent violent attacks have targeted both liberal and conservative political figures. They include the assassinations of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last month and Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband this year.
Trump says the government shutdown is like a 'kamikaze attack' by the Democrats
Trump said during the media availability with Carney that the government shutdown is like a "kamikaze attack" by the Democrats.
"They're the ones that started it. They're the ones that have it, and it's almost like a kamikaze attack by them," Trump said. "You want to know the truth, this is like a kamikaze attack."
He continued: "They have nothing to lose. They've lost the elections. They've lost the presidential election in a landslide."
Bondi accuses Sen. Padilla of having 'stormed' up to Homeland Secretary Noem in incident in which he was handcuffed
Bondi accused Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., of having "stormed" up to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, referring to an incident in June when Padilla was forcibly removed from Noem's California news conference, pushed to the ground and handcuffed.
"You want order in here now, yet you stormed the director of homeland security, Kristi Noem," she said as Padilla asked for "order" when the two talked over each other. "You sure didn't have order that day, did you, senator?"
Padilla pushed back, saying he "did not storm the secretary." Video of the incident showed Padilla identifying himself and saying he had questions for Noem before he was pushed out of the room.
Trump says many federal jobs 'will never come back' if shutdown continues
Trump was asked in the Oval Office how many permanent jobs would be eliminated from the federal government as a result of the shutdown.
"I'll be able to tell you that in four or five days, if this keeps going on," Trump said.
"If this keeps going on, it'll be substantial, and a lot of those jobs will never come back," he added, claiming that it will result in the U.S. being "a lot closer to a balanced budget."
Trump says 'ask the Democrats' why some federal workers won't get back pay after the shutdown
During the press availability with Carney, Trump was asked about a draft White House memo arguing that some federal workers shouldn't receive backpay after the shutdown ends.
"You're gonna have to figure that out, OK? Ask the Democrats that question," Trump said.
A reporter noted that the law says that, when the government reopens, workers must receive back pay.
"I follow the law, and what the law says is correct, and I follow the law," Trump said.
Sen. Blackburn says she wants a special counsel to probe the 'Arctic Frost' investigation
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said she hoped the Justice Department would appoint a special counsel to investigate the so-called Arctic Frost investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
"My hope is that as we look at what happened with Arctic Frost, that there will be a special counsel, that we will do our due diligence, and that those who did this wrong, this illegal activity, absolutely they need to be prosecuted, and they need to face the full extent of accountability within the law," Blackburn said.
Her comments come after GOP senators said the FBI analyzed cellphone records of certain Republican lawmakers as part of the investigation.
Trump says he will talk about tariffs with Canadian PM Carney
Trump said the two leaders will be discussing tariff rates today.
Trump said "we don't like to compete" before adding there is a "natural business conflict" between the two countries. Trump also said Americans don't want vehicles made in Canada.
"We want Canada to do great, but there's a point at which we also want the same business."
Trump jokes again about Canada merging with the U.S.
During a meeting with Carney in the Oval Office, Trump again joked on camera about Canada joining the U.S.
Carney started to say, "and the most important thing..."
Trump interjected and said, "the merger of Canada and the United States," which prompted laughter in the room.
"That wasn't where I was going" with that, Carney responded.
Carney went on to note the two-year anniversary of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives at the White House
The two leaders greeted each other, neither responded to shouted questions. Trump said, “Thank you very much” before proceeding inside.
Trump greets Carney today at the White House. Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
Bondi gets into tense exchange with Sen. Richard Blumenthal
Bondi got into a tense exchange with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., as he asked her about what he said was Trump's weaponization of the justice system — one of several such instances during the hearing.
"I'm going to yell over you. I'm not going to get in the gutter with you," Bondi said at one point.
The Democratic senator then asked her about the Justice Department's settlement of its antitrust case against Hewlett Packard and artificial intelligence company Juniper Networks, saying it prompted criticism from the department's antitrust division.
Asked if she authorized the settlement, Bondi praised the head of the department's antitrust unit before attacking Blumenthal.
"I cannot believe that you would accuse me of impropriety when you lied about your military service," Bondi said, referring to the senator's past conflation of his time in the Marine Reserves in Washington, D.C., with the service of other Marines in Vietnam.
"How dare you?" Bondi said. "I’m a career prosecutor. Don’t you ever challenge my integrity. I have abided by every ethic standard. Do not question my ability to be fair and impartial as atorney general."
As Blumenthal interrupted Bondi, she said, "If I can finish answering the question ... if I could finish — no, I'm answering the question."
When the senator interrupted again, she told him "don't ask me a question" if he would not allow her to answer fully.
Bondi rejects questions about conversations she had with Trump about indicting Comey
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked Bondi what conversations she had with Trump about indicting former FBI Director James Comey.
"I am not going to discuss any conversations I have or have not had with the president of the United States," she said. "You're an attorney, you have a law degree, and you know that I'm not going to do that. I also find it fascinating, you know, because I'll keep fighting to ensure that law enforcement and the judicial process move forward without political interference."
Pressed again about whether she spoke to anyone in the White House about Comey, she said, "I am not going to discuss any conversations I have, nor any investigations."
Blumenthal showed a photo during the hearing that showed Bondi dining with Trump at an outdoor table together at the White House, with several other people, the night before Comey was indicted.
Blumenthal displays a photo of Bondi dining with Trump in the Rose Garden of the White House. Brendan Smialowski / AFP - Getty Images
Asked if she discussed Comey with the president at that dinner, Bondi said that she was sitting two seats down from him and repeated that she won't discuss any conversation she had with Trump.
The indictment came just days after Trump posted a message on Truth Social addressed to Bondi in which he questioned what the Justice Department was doing about Comey and other critics of the president.
Bondi says she asked Kash Patel to look into FBI's analysis of GOP lawmakers' phone records
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., slammed the FBI's reported analysis of GOP lawmakers' phone records during the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
"Gee, it sure looks like targeting political opponents to me," Hawley said.
Republican senators announced the cellphone analysis yesterday.
Asked who ordered the cell data analysis, Bondi said she could not discuss details.
“We will be looking at all aspects of this,” Bondi said when asked about whether she would conduct a thorough investigation. "And I have talked to Director Patel at length about it."
Bondi declines to discuss strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats
Sen. Chris Coon, D-Del., asked Bondi how the DOJ concluded that the U.S. military strikes on ships or boats in the open ocean are legal.
"I'm not going to discuss any legal advice that my department may or may not have given or issued the direction of the president on this matter regarding Venezuela," Bondi said.
She continued, alleging, "What I can tell you is Maduro is a narco-terrorist, and we announced a historic, I announced $50 million reward for his capture to bring him to this country to face charges."
Bondi said drugs originating in Venezuela are "killing our children at record levels."
The U.S. carried out the fourth known strike on a boat carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela on Friday.
Hundreds of 'sponsors' who allegedly exploited unaccompanied migrant children have been arrested, Bondi says
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, asked Bondi about efforts the Trump administration is taking to "rescue" unaccompanied children "abandoned by the Biden administration."
Bondi said that law enforcement has arrested 458 sponsors of unaccompanied children, some of whom she alleged have been found to have exploited and abused these children.
"They're not parents, they're not guardians. They're coming into this country. They were coming into this country without any ramification across the Mexican border until Donald Trump became president again, and that's when it stopped," Bondi said. "We are doing everything in our power to find and arrest these people who are exploiting these children and find these children throughout our country."
Bondi added, "Donald Trump will not rest until all of these sponsors are found and these children are found and protected."
Bondi defends commitment to keep White House out of DOJ investigations
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., asked Bondi about her commitment during her nomination hearing that the White House would not play a role in cases investigated by the Justice Department, raising Trump's public pressure on her to probe his opponents.
Asked whether she believes she upheld the commitment, Bondi said, "I absolutely have upheld that commitment."
Klobuchar noted Trump's post on Truth Social targeting those who have investigated him, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, in which he told Bondi, "we can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility."
Asked whether she considered that a directive to the Justice Department, Bondi said that Trump was simply being "transparent."
"President Trump is the most transparent president in American history," Bondi said. "I don't think he said anything that he hasn't said for years."
Pressed on the steps that led to the indictment of Comey, Bondi said she would not discuss pending cases.
Sen. Whitehouse presses Bondi on report over investigation into Tom Homan
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI, pressed Bondi on a report from MSNBC that alleged that border czar Tom Homan was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents, before the Trump administration's Justice Department shut it down. NBC News has not independently confirmed that report.
Pressed repeatedly about what happened to the $50,000 allegedly accepted by Homan, Bondi said that FBI agents and DOJ prosecutors "found no credible evidence of any wrongdoing."
"What became of the $50,000? Did the FBI get it back?" Whitehouse asked again.
"Sen. Whitehouse, you're welcome to talk to the FBI," she said.
After reiterating his question multiple times, Whitehouse said that he was "not going to get a straight answer from you."
Bondi argued that Whitehouse was "very concerned about money and people taking money," going on to argue that he works with "dark money groups all the time."
She did not ultimately say whether Homan kept the cash described in the MSNBC report.
Durbin and Bondi clash over Epstein files
Asked about her previous comments that an Epstein client list was "sitting on my desk right now," Bondi accused Sen. Dick Durbin of not listening to her entire remarks.
Durbin pressed Bondi on Senate Democrats' previous claims that FBI personnel were directed to "flag" mentions of Trump in files related to Epstein. Bondi pushed back, accusing Durbin of accepting campaign donations from a friend of Epstein and pushing against GOP requests to release flight logs from Epstein's jet.
"I did not refuse," Durbin said, referring to the flight logs. "One of the senators here wished to produce those logs, and I asked her to put it in writing, and she never did."
The senator, Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., then pushed back on Durbin's assertion, saying she had submitted her request in writing and would be willing to do so again.
Durbin continued, pressing Bondi again on FBI personnel reportedly asked to flag any instances of Trump's name appearing in the Epstein files.
"I'm not going to discuss anything about that with you, Senator," Bondi said.
"Eventually you’re going to have to answer for your conduct in this, and you won’t do it today, but eventually you will," Durbin responded.
Bondi refuses to say whether White House consulted her before deploying National Guard to U.S. cities
During an exchange with Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Bondi refused to say whether the White House consulted her about the plan to deploy National Guard troops to various U.S. cities.
"I'm not going to discuss any internal conversations with the White House," she said.
Durbin said, "You won't even say whether you talk to the White House about this." Bondi repeated her initial remark, prompting Durbin to ask if she was keeping a "secret" from the public.
"Why do you want to keep this secret?" Durbin said. "The American people don't know the rationale behind the deployment of National Guard troops in my state. The word is, and I think it's been confirmed by the White House, they're going to transfer Texas National Guard units to the state of Illinois. What's the rationale for that?"
Bondi responded by accusing Durbin of voting to shut down the government. "Our law enforcement officers aren't being paid. They're out there working to protect you. I wish you loved Chicago as much as you hate President Trump and currently the National Guard are on the way to Chicago," she said.
The Trump administration said Sunday it was sending 300 National Guard troops to Illinois, which sued the administration yesterday over the move.
Bondi says DOJ has 'made a process to correct' grants that were 'mistakenly terminated'
Asked for further information about grants that have been reassessed by the Justice Department, Bondi referred to a previous appearance before Congress during which, she said, she "acknowledged that some grants were mistakenly terminated."
"We have made a process to correct that," she continued. "All grant termination appeals will be individually considered for alignment with our current policies, which are strengthening law enforcement and protecting victims."
Bondi said that about 5,800 discretionary grants were reviewed, and approximately 7% of those were terminated. Eighteen awards have been "turned back on," 17 appeals were denied and decisions have yet to be made on the remaining reviews.
Grassley forgets to turn on microphone
In a light-hearted moment at the beginning of Bondi's Judiciary Committee hearing, Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, forgot to turn on his microphone after Bondi finished her opening remarks.
Durbin says Bondi 'systematically weaponized our nation’s leading law enforcement agency to protect President Trump'
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., painted the Justice Department as bound to the president, despite the long-standing norm that it operates independently.
"Our nation's top law enforcement agency has become a shield for the president and his political allies when they engage in misconduct," Durbin said.
He accused Bondi of working to weaponize the department she leads.
“The attorney general has systematically weaponized our nation’s leading law enforcement agency to protect President Trump and his allies and attack his opponents and sadly, the American people," he said.
Durbin accused the administration of deploying troops to U.S. cities for "political theater" rather than in a genuine effort to increase public safety.
"What has taken place since January 20, 2025, would make even President Nixon recoil," Durbin said in concluding his remarks. "This is your legacy, Attorney General Bondi. In eight short months, you have fundamentally transformed the Justice Department and left an enormous stain in American history. It will take decades to recover."
White House looks for a loophole in the law ensuring federal workers get paid after a shutdown
WASHINGTON — A draft White House memo argues that furloughed federal workers are not entitled to back pay after the government shutdown lifts, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told NBC News.
The memo, first reported by Axios, comes despite the Office of Personnel Management’s own September guidance, which said federal workers will receive retroactive pay after the shutdown lifts.
The memo also clashes with a 2019 law that requires back pay for federal workers. The law, called the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, says all federal employees, whether furloughed or deemed essential and working without pay, must receive back pay after a shutdown ends.
Hearing featuring Attorney General Pam Bondi kicks off
The congressional hearing featuring the testimony of Attorney General Pam Bondi has begun.
Bondi will face questions from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The hearing comes as the administration has pushed to send National Guard troops to more American cities and after GOP senators said that the FBI analyzed Republican lawmakers' phone records during the investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Bondi takes notes as she testifies today. Brendan Smialowski / AFP - Getty Images
Transportation secretary responds to staffing issues at airports and air traffic control facilities
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy this morning addressed the air traffic control staffing shortage that caused a delay yesterday at Hollywood Burbank Airport in the Los Angeles area.
Duffy said in an interview on CNBC that the U.S. is 2,000 air traffic controllers short, and said that the government shutdown is also having a "ripple effect" even as the administration is working to make up that deficit.
"We don’t have the staff in place to actually make sure these young people are getting trained," he said.
Despite the problems last night, however, Duffy said the country hasn't had "significant outages" and said that airports can "manage these issues."
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says review of NYC funding will take around two weeks
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy weighed in this morning on the timeline of the administration's review into infrastructure projects for which the Trump administration recently paused funding.
“I would say 10 days to two weeks, we can review the contracts so they can happen. We’re not trying to stop the projects in New York or the projects in Chicago, but it is my job to make sure that we’re following the law when we give federal taxpayer money to communities. You can’t use that for race and sex-based purposes," Duffy said in an interview on CNBC.
The administration put federal funding for the projects in both Democratic-run cities on hold last week, claiming that officials need to review them to ensure race and gender aren't factors in their contracting.
Trump to meet with Canadian prime minister today
Trump will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney today at the White House.
The president is scheduled to welcome Carney around 11:30 a.m. and will hold a bilateral meeting with him in the Oval Office shortly after, followed by a lunch together.
Trump floats invoking the Insurrection Act
Trump said yesterday that he would consider invoking the Insurrection Act “if it was necessary,” particularly if the courts or state and local officials delay his plans to deploy the National Guard.
“I’d do it if it was necessary. So far it hasn’t been necessary. But we have an Insurrection Act for a reason,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when he was asked under what conditions he would consider the rarely used 19th century law.
What to expect from Pam Bondi's hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hear testimony from Attorney General Pam Bondi at 9 a.m. ET today.
A number of key issues are expected to come up, including National Guard deployments in cities trying to reject them, a newly released document showing Republicans senators were probed in an investigation that led to former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into false electors, and files tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's case. (FBI Director Kash Patel was asked by the panel on the Epstein files during a hearing last month.)
Bondi, Senate Judiciary Committee chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and ranking member Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., are each expected to give opening statements, followed by a round of questions.
Durbin's opening statement and questioning, in particular, is likely to press Bondi on Trump's deployment of the National Guard as part of a crime crackdown. Durbin last month called for a hearing over Trump's threats to send troops to American cities, and yesterday said Trump should rescind efforts to deploy troops to Chicago.
Supreme Court weighs challenge to bans on 'conversion therapy' aimed at LGBTQ kids
The Supreme Court today considers a free speech challenge to a Colorado law that bans so-called conversion therapy aimed at young people questioning their sexual orientations or gender identities in a case likely to have national implications.
The ruling could affect more than 20 states that have similar bans and raise new questions about other long-standing state health care regulations.
The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority that often backs conservative free speech claims, will hear oral argument in a case brought by Kaley Chiles, a Christian therapist, who says the 2019 law violates her free speech rights under the Constitution’s First Amendment.
Conversion therapy, favored by some religious conservatives, seeks to encourage gay or lesbian minors to identify as heterosexual and transgender children to identify as the gender identities assigned to them at birth. Colorado bans the practice for licensed therapists, not for religious entities or family members.
Governors tap state funds to keep some national parks open during the government shutdown
With the government shutdown about to extend into a second week, some governors are drawing on state funds to ensure popular national parks remain open for visitors.
Utah and West Virginia said they already have funding streams to keep places such as the Zion and New River Gorge parks operational. Tennessee is playing a role in helping keep the Great Smoky Mountains National Park open, while Colorado is eying similar steps for some of the National Park Service attractions in its state.
The Interior Department issued guidance last week allowing open-air sites at parks to remain open during the shutdown, but indoor structures like visitor centers would be closed to the public. Nearly 64% of the National Park Service’s 14,500 employees are expected to be furloughed amid the funding lapse.
Here’s how some states are handling the situation a week into the shutdown.
