Trump-Putin meeting 'on hold'; government shutdown hits Day 21
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Republican senators had lunch with President Donald Trump at the White House today in an apparent show of solidarity as the government shutdown shows no signs of being resolved.
What to know today
- SHUTDOWN DAY 21: Republican senators had lunch with President Donald Trump at the White House today in an apparent show of solidarity as the government shutdown enters its 21st day. The Senate rejected the House-passed short-term spending bill for the 11th time yesterday.
- TRUMP-PUTIN SUMMIT: Plans for a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, are "on hold" because Trump believes both sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict are not ready to seriously talk peace, a senior White House official said.
- VANCE IN ISRAEL: Vice President JD Vance traveled to Israel today as the Trump administration works to secure the fragile ceasefire it helped broker between Israel and Hamas after fighting broke out over the weekend.
- JAN 6. RIOTER ARRESTED: A Jan. 6 defendant who was among the hundreds Trump pardoned in January was arrested and charged with making a “credible death threat” against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
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Congressional Republicans complain after Trump says U.S. may buy beef from Argentina
Republicans on both sides of the Capitol are publicly and privately pushing back against Trump’s idea of importing beef from Argentina, with some making direct pleas to the White House to reverse course.
The issue came up during Senate Republicans’ visit to the White House today, according to Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Seb. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. Fischer said she met with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins earlier today to discuss her concerns.
“It came up,” Thune told reporters when he was asked whether the policy was discussed at the lunch at the White House. “I represent a beef-producing state. We have four times as many cattle as people.”
Fischer said, “I’m really concerned about the direction that the president’s comments have shown that he may take.”
Fischer posted on X today that she has “deep concerns” with the proposed policy, saying, “I strongly encourage the Trump administration to focus on trade deals that benefit our ag producers—not imports that will do more harm than good.”
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., runs a cow-calf operation in his home state and said he spoke to Trump today about how, while cattle prices are low, foreign-owned meat packing facilities are setting the price Americans pay at the table.
“I think the president has definitely identified a problem we have,” Mullin said. “But the conversation is, is, you know, much bigger, and the president and I had a great conversation about it today.”
Trump made comments Sunday about the U.S. buying beef from Argentina on Air Force One. “We would buy some beef from Argentina,” he said, “If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down.”
On the House side, a Republican who represents a ranch and cattle-heavy district raised concerns on a Republican conference call today about the idea of Trump’s importing beef from Argentina, according to a GOP source, saying they want more information about it.
Eight House Republicans also sent a letter asking the White House for more information about the policy, adding: “Any import policy must hold foreign suppliers to those same rigorous standards. Introducing beef from countries with inconsistent safety or inspection records could undermine the confidence that U.S. ranchers have worked decades to earn.”
“In recent days, we’ve heard concerns from producers regarding reports that the U.S. may import beef from Argentina,” Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., wrote about the letter sent to Trump. “My @HouseGOP colleagues joined me in asking for clarity on the admin’s plans.”
Democratic senator begins overnight speech protesting Trump
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., is in the middle of a long speech on the Senate floor, speaking out against Trump. Merkley started at 6:23 p.m., and he’s expected to go as long as he can, an aide said.
Earlier this year, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., spoke for 25 hours and 4 minutes in a speech that broke the record for the longest speech in Senate history.
The speech is already drawing criticism from Senate Republicans who say Merkley is forcing Senate staffers and Capitol Police officers to work overnight while not getting paid because of the government shutdown.
U.S. military may not have resources to continue paying troops during shutdown
U.S. troops have received their pay during the government shutdown for the Oct. 15 pay period, as Trump ordered on Oct.11, according to two defense officials. But as of now, there is nothing in place to ensure that troops are paid on their next pay date, Oct. 31.
Trump ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use $8 billion of unobligated funds from the Pentagon’s research and development account to pay troops for the mid-month October pay date, but that covered only one pay cycle, leaving nothing for the next pay day, which is just 10 days away, according to Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.
Basic pay and allowances for each pay cycle cost about $6.5 billion, according to Harrison. That means that one of those payment cycles — troops are paid twice each month — would be covered by the reallocation of funds. Another $1.5 billion is paid into trust funds, retirement pay and other such benefits, he said.
Those costs could also be paid out of the reallocation but may not be initially. Harrison said he believes that those payments could be forgone temporarily and that the Pentagon could focus on simply paying the troops the $6.5 billion using the $8 billion.
Bottom line: Without further congressional action or some other intervention, U.S. troops — both active-duty and National Guard members on federal activation — will not be paid in 10 days.
No bipartisan discussions are happening regarding Congress' passing legislation that would provide for the military to be paid.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Embattled Trump nominee withdraws
Paul Ingrassia, Trump’s pick for a top watchdog position, announced today that he was withdrawing from consideration because he did not have enough Republican support to be confirmed.
“I will be withdrawing myself from Thursday’s HSGAC hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel because unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time,” he said, referring to the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, which would review his nomination.
Trump nominated Ingrassia to lead the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency that protects federal employees from prohibited personnel practices, such as retaliation for whistleblowing.
Ingrassia had come under scrutiny in recent weeks after Politico reported that a colleague had accused him of sexual harassment, citing three unnamed administration officials. In a new article yesterday, Politico reported on a text chat in which Ingrassia allegedly sent messages saying that he had a “Nazi streak” and that Martin Luther King Jr. Day should be “tossed in the seventh circle of hell.”
Ingrassia’s lawyer, Edward Paltzik, pointed last night to a previous statement denying Ingrassia had “harassed any coworkers — female or otherwise, sexually or otherwise — in connection with any employment.” Paltzik suggested the text messages reported yesterday may not be authentic and added that “even if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor.”
Trump says Putin summit now would have been 'waste of time'
Trump was asked about the Putin summit's being put on hold and said he didn't see the point of having one right now.
“I don’t want to have a wasted meeting. I don’t want to have a waste of time,” he said.
"We did all of these great deals, great peace deals. They’re all peace deals, agreements, solid agreements, every one of them, but this one, and I said go to the line. Go to the line of battle, the battlefield lines. And you pull back and you go home, and everybody takes some time off, because you got two countries that are killing each other,” Trump said.
"So we'll see what happens," he added.
White House considering pulling controversial nominee after GOP backlash
The White House is considering pulling its nomination of Paul Ingrassia to lead the Office of Special Counsel, and the possibility was discussed during Trump’s lunch with Republican senators in the Rose Garden today, according to two officials familiar with the discussion.
The development comes amid growing backlash to Ingrassia from Senate Republicans. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters yesterday that his nomination was “not going to pass” and that he thought the White House should pull it.
Asked by NBC News today whether he thinks the White House will pull the nomination, Thune said: “I think they’ll have something official to say about that, but you know, you know what we’ve said, and you’ll probably hear from them soon.”
Ingrassia would need to get support from a simple majority of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where Republicans hold an 8-7 advantage, to advance to the full Senate. Three Republican senators on the panel have said they will oppose Ingrassia, meaning his nomination would not advance to the full Senate.
Jeffries blasts Trump's Jan. 6 pardons after former defendant charged with making threats against him
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries blasted Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons after one of the pardoned rioters was arrested and charged with making credible threats against him.
Jeffries, D-N.Y., said there were consequences to the pardons “beyond me.”
“There are consequences when these extremists who are part of the Trump administration label the entirety of the Democratic Party as terrorists or criminals, there are consequences to that beyond us,” he said.
“We all know what we’ve signed up for, but this, this pain being visited upon the American people because of actions taken by Donald Trump supported by House Republicans and Senate Republicans on day one of his presidency,” he added.
WIC programs can stay afloat through month's end — but November could bring new hurdles
States have largely avoided disruptions to their WIC programs during the government shutdown so far, despite fears that some programs would have to suspend food assistance.
Many state health departments say they have the funding to maintain operations of the federal program, known in full as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, through the end of October. That’s thanks in large part to a $300 million infusion from the Agriculture Department.
But the National WIC Association, a nonprofit advocacy group representing state and local WIC agencies, warned this afternoon that “millions of families could lose access to their WIC benefits as early as November 1 unless the Trump Administration provides additional emergency funds next week.” The group called on the administration to allocate another $300 million to keep programs afloat through the first two weeks of November.
WIC provides free, healthy food to low-income pregnant women, new moms and children under 5.
A USDA spokesperson said Tuesday that the agency “will utilize tariff revenue to fund WIC for the foreseeable future.”
Before it stepped in to offer temporary funding, a few states had been forced to furlough staff members, out new members on waitlists or cut administrative funding to local agencies, according to the National WIC Association.
Georgia Machell, the group’s president, said some states may have to start making contingency plans as early as next week.
The Pennsylvania Health Department, for example, said it had $13.8 million in federal contingency funds to continue providing WIC benefits through the end of the month. But a spokesperson said that without action to end the shutdown, “we cannot predict an exact date of when funding will run out.” The Georgia Public Health Department similarly said its WIC benefits could be disrupted if the shutdown lasts beyond October.
GOP Sen. Thom Tillis calls White House ballroom construction 'bad optics'
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told NBC News he considers the ongoing demolition and construction at the White House "bad optics" because of the government shutdown.
"It's a function room," he said of the ballroom construction.
“We’ve got staff here that are taking out loans, no-interest loans, to pay their bills while they’re not getting paid, that sort of stuff,” Tillis said. “I just think it’s bad optics.”
Chuck Schumer endorses Janet Mills for Senate in Maine
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer officially backed Maine Gov. Janet Mills for the Senate, expanding on tacit signs of support for her. Mills said when she launched her campaign that Schumer encouraged her to run.
“We think that Janet Mills is the best candidate to retire Susan Collins,” the Republican incumbent, Schumer said. “She’s a tested two-term governor, and the people of Maine have an enormous amount of affection and respect for her.”
Mills joined the race for Collins' seat last week, and she faces a contested Democratic primary that includes Bernie Sanders-endorsed Graham Platner, who recently apologized for past internet posts about police, rural Americans and others that have come to light since he became a political candidate.
Schumer declined to say whether he considered Platner’s comments to be disqualifying, saying he’ll “let the people of Maine decide” that.
Johnson dodges question about Jan. 6 rioter charged with threatening Jeffries
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., blamed “the left” for rising political violence following the arrest of a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter who was charged with threatening Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
NBC News asked Johnson whether it was a mistake for Trump to offer a blanket pardon for every person who was convicted in connection with the Capitol riot in light of news that the man arrested in connection with the threat against Jeffries was one of the rioters that Trump pardoned.
Johnson said he was “not going to address it” because he wasn’t familiar with the details of the threat, but he denounced political violence while blaming the left.
“I will say that anybody, anybody who threatens political violence against elected officials or anyone else should have the full weight and measure of the Department of Justice on their head,” he said. “I trust that’ll happen. I hope it will. We are intellectually consistent about that, obviously. I will tell you this: The violence on the left is far more prevalent than the violence on the right. Don’t make me go through the list. You all know it.”
Though instances of left-wing violence ticked up this year, right-wing violence is historically much more prevalent, according to a recent study on terrorism and political violence from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan research group.
The study found that from 2011 through 2024, an average of 20 right-wing terrorist incidents took place each year, compared with an average of nearly three left-wing incidents annually.
Food banks brace for spike in demand as shutdown continues
As the government shutdown barrels along, the impact on everyday people is growing.
It’s creating additional stress on social service programs, which are bracing for an increased need, including from people who don’t normally rely on their support.
White House defends demolition of East Wing for new ballroom
The White House pushed back today against what it called "manufactured outrage" over the demolition of the East Wing facade as part of Trump's push to build a ballroom addition.
"In the latest instance of manufactured outrage, unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies are clutching their pearls over President Donald J. Trump’s visionary addition of a grand, privately funded ballroom to the White House," the White House said in a news release.
The release called the planned ballroom "a bold, necessary addition that echoes the storied history of improvements and renovations from commanders-in-chief to keep the executive residence as a beacon of American excellence."
It also noted that numerous other presidents have had renovations and construction work done at the site. "FACT: For more than a century, U.S. Presidents have been renovating, expanding, and modernizing the White House to meet the needs of the present day," it said, pointing to specific examples.
Trump said in July that the $250 million project “won’t interfere with the current building.” “It’ll be near it, but not touching it, and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of,” he said then.
Heavy machinery tears down a section of the facade of East Wing of the White House today. Drew Angerer / AFP - Getty Images
Zelenskyy calls long-range missiles 'key' to Russian capitulation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today his country had come to an agreement with allies on its defense capabilities, without elaborating on the details, and added that long-range missiles are "key" to ending the war with Russia.
“We have already finalized preparations for meetings with European partners," Zelenskyy said, teasing "important events" coming up next week.
"First, there will be a good and in many ways completely new agreement on our defense capabilities, an agreement that we will implement, in fact, as part of security guarantees for our state, for all our people in the long term," he said. "It is too early to name the details now. Everything will be in a week."
Zelenskyy said his administration was "on the same page with our partners on diplomacy" and referred to his meeting with Trump at the White House on Friday, when the two leaders discussed Zelenskyy's request for Tomahawk missiles, which would allow strikes deep into Russia.
After the meeting, Trump said he thought the way for Russia and Ukraine to begin ceasefire negotiations would be to freeze the current front lines and allow each country to keep the territory it controls as a starting point in talks — a proposal backed by Ukraine and its allies.
"We held a meeting with the president of the United States of America, and we agreed that this is how we will try to organize a dialogue, on the line that exists now," Zelenskyy said. "This was President Trump’s signal to his team. It was also public. The front line can be the beginning of diplomacy.
"Instead, Russia is once again doing everything to jump off diplomacy," he continued. "And as soon as the issue of long-range missiles became a little further for us, for Ukraine, then almost automatically Russia became less interested in diplomacy. This is a signal that this very issue, the issue of long-range missiles, provides, perhaps, an irreplaceable key to peace.
"The discussion about the Tomahawks turned out to be a strong investment in diplomacy," he said. "We forced Russia to show that the Tomahawks are exactly the strong card they are reacting to. We will talk to the Europeans, to the Americans about long-range missiles."
Vance expresses optimism and preaches patience in Israel as ceasefire worries grow
Vance expressed cautious optimism today that peace will hold between Israel and Hamas despite recent violence that threatened the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
“What we’ve seen the past week gives me great optimism the ceasefire is going to hold, and if we get from where we were a week ago to a long-term, durable peace between Israel and Gaza, there are going to be hills and valleys,” Vance said at a news conference to announce the opening of a civilian military cooperation center in southern Israel.
“There are going to be moments where it looks like things aren’t going particularly well,” he added. “Can I say with 100% certainty that it’s going to work? No, but you don’t do difficult things by only doing what’s 100% certain. You do difficult things by trying. And that’s what the president of the United States has asked us to do.”
Trump says funding paused in Democratic states won't be renewed
Trump told Republican senators at the White House luncheon this afternoon that funding for projects in Democratic-controlled states that the administration has paused during the government shutdown won't be disbursed at all.
"Many of the things that they’re cutting, like the New York project, $20 billion worth, cutting it, but they’re not going to get it back," he said. "I mean, they’re not going to get a lot of things back. They may not get it back."
Trump praised White House budget director, Russell Vought, for his work in cutting those and other funds during the shutdown and blamed Democrats for the spending impasse, saying their refusal to advance a simple short-term spending bill was “a craven and pointless act of partisan spite.”
“We’ve got to get the government open, and the Democrats are keeping it closed,” he said.
Trump speaks at a Rose Garden luncheon today. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images
Gov. Josh Shapiro to publish a book on his career in January
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a 2028 Democratic presidential contender, is publishing a book on his career in public service in January, his publisher announced today.
The book is titled "Where We Keep The Light: Stories From a Life of Service" and will be published by HarperCollins. The publisher said in a release that Shapiro will share "powerful stories about his family, his faith, and his career in public service."
"In his book, Shapiro opens up about the toughest and most pivotal times of his life including: when an arsonist set fire to the Governor’s residence while he and his family slept inside, when he was under consideration to be Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 election, and how experiences in his childhood shaped him to be the empathetic leader and pragmatic problem-solver that he is today," the publisher wrote.
The book will be released on Jan. 27, the publisher said.
White House leaves Rand Paul off Rose Garden lunch invitations
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told reporters he was not invited to Trump’s lunch with Republican senators at the White House this afternoon.
Paul, the only Republican to repeatedly vote against the House-passed short-term spending bill to reopen the government, said that the White House excluding him is not “a real smart strategy, but it is their prerogative.”
“They rule the roost over there, and they can make decisions on who they want to invite. I think in the end, it’s not a great tactic for them,” he said.
In June, Paul and his family initially were not invited to a White House picnic on the South Lawn, but after publicly discussing it, Trump extended an invitation to the senator in a Truth Social post.
This afternoon, Trump joked about Paul not being invited to the event in the Rose Garden.
“Everybody showed up," Trump told the lawmakers in attendance. "I figured you’d have like, I’d say 40 would have been a good number, right?”
"We're just missing one person, and you’ll never guess who that is," he added. "Let me give you — he automatically votes 'no' on everything. He thinks it’s good politics. ... It’s really not good politics. He’s an automatic 'no,' but I don’t know. Look, if he wanted to come, I’d probably let him come, right?”
Trump-endorsed veteran announces run against Rep. Massie
Ed Gallrein, a Navy veteran who was urged by Trump to run against Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., announced today that he'll challenge the frequent Trump critic.
"While Trump is fighting to restore America, Thomas Massie is standing in the way. I served over 30 yrs as a Navy SEAL & military advisor — I’m ready to answer the call again," Gallrein wrote in a post on X announcing his candidacy in the Republican primary for next year's midterm election.
"I’m proud to have Trump’s endorsement, and I’ll stand with him to deliver America First results for KY," Gallrein wrote.
Trump had called on Gallrein to run in a post on social media last week.
“Third Rate Congressman Thomas Massie, a Weak and Pathetic RINO from the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, a place I love, and won big SIX TIMES, must be thrown out of office, ASAP!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “Should he decide to challenge Massie, Captain Ed Gallrein has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, ED, RUN — MAGA!”
Massie, a seven-term congressman, issued a statement Friday ripping Gallrein. “Trump’s consultants clearly pushed the panic button with their choice of failed candidate and establishment hack Ed Gallrein,” it said.
Massie has opposed a number of items on Trump's agenda, including the GOP's sweeping domestic policy bill, which he criticized for its projected increase to the deficit.
Gallrein previously campaigned for state Senate in Kentucky in 2024, and was defeated by 118 votes in the primary last year.
Trump-Putin summit in doubt as Kremlin sticks to hard line
Trump’s proposed summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Budapest appears farther off than initially hoped, with talks toward planning such a sit-down now “on hold,” a senior White House official told NBC News.
After Trump was briefed on what the senior official described as a “productive” call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov yesterday, the president essentially pressed pause — believing that both sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict were not ready to seriously talk peace.
North Carolina state Senate passes new GOP congressional map
The Republican-controlled state Senate in North Carolina passed a new congressional map in a 26-20 vote, teeing up an expected vote for final passage in the state House as the GOP looks to pad its control of the U.S. House of Representatives in next year's midterm elections.
The map would add more Republican voters to a Democratic-held battleground seat in the state, putting the GOP in position to gain an additional seat in 2026. Republicans currently have a three-seat majority in the House and have embarked on redistricting plans in numerous states to try to give themselves more breathing room in the midterms.
Vance doesn't put a deadline on the return of hostages' bodies
Asked whether he would put a deadline on the return of deceased hostages to Israel or the disarming of Hamas, Vance emphasized that both processes would take time.
"It is a focus of everybody here to get those bodies back home to their families so they can have a proper burial," Vance said. "Now, that said, this is difficult. This is not going to happen overnight."
He continued, noting that some of those hostages are "buried under thousands of pounds of rubble" or their locations are unknown.
"That doesn't mean we shouldn't work to get them, and that doesn't mean we don't have confidence that we will," he added. "It's just a reason to counsel in favor of a little bit of patience. This is going to take a little bit of time."
A 72-hour deadline for Hamas to release all hostages in its captivity ended last Monday. All living hostages were released, but several bodies remain in Gaza.
Asked about a timeline for disarming Hamas, Vance said, "I’m not going to do what the president of the United States has thus far refused to do, which is to put an explicit deadline on it, because a lot of this stuff is difficult, a lot of this stuff is unpredictable."
In response to a separate question about incentivizing the group to turn in its weapons, the vice president said: "Unless Hamas disarms in accordance with the agreement, very bad things are going to happen, right? And also the incentive is that if they disarm, there is a better future for everybody on the other side of it."
Vance says his visit to Israel is not related to ceasefire violations
Vance said in his remarks to reporters that he did not come to Israel because of the violations of the ceasefire over the weekend.
"My visit had nothing to do with events in the past 48 hours," Vance said. "We had actually tried to plan this visit, frankly, months ago. We thought this would be a good time to do it. ... I wanted to come, I wanted to check in on things, I wanted to talk to the troops who are working very hard to coordinate this massive relief effort."
Israel launched airstrikes on southern Gaza on Sunday after officials said Hamas carried out “a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement” with deadly attacks on Israeli troops in the Rafah area.
Vance speaks in Israel today. Francisco Seco / AP
Vance announces opening of aid command center in Gaza
In remarks from Israel, Vice President JD Vance announced the opening of what he called a Civilian Military Cooperation Center in Israel in which Israelis and Americans will work together to try to provide aid and rebuild the Gaza Strip.
"You have Israelis and Americans working hand in hand to try to begin the plan to rebuild Gaza, to implement a long-term peace, and to actually ensure that you have security forces on the ground in Gaza not composed of Americans who can keep the peace over the long term," he said.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who played key roles in negotiating the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, joined Vance in announcing the collaborative effort.
Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Trump charged with threats against Hakeem Jeffries
A Jan. 6 defendant who was among the hundreds who Trump pardoned in January was arrested for making a “credible death threat” against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the congressman said in a statement.
Christopher Moynihan, a 34-year-old from Clinton, New York, was charged with a felony count of making a terroristic threat, according to the New York State Police.
Vance arrives in Israel as Gaza deal hangs in the balance
The Trump administration is taking new steps to ensure the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East holds, with top U.S. officials returning to the region, including Vice President Vance. NBC’s Matt Bradley reports for "Today."
Hamas, diminished but not destroyed, reasserts itself in Gaza
Hamas has violently sought to reassert its authority over the Gaza Strip in the wake of the Israel military’s partial withdrawal, but questions remain over the group’s future and efforts to rebuild.
Since the ceasefire came into effect a week ago, the militant group has deployed armed police officers on streets from where Israeli forces have withdrawn, clashed with rival clans, directly fired upon and killed Israeli troops in multiple incidents, and staged at least one public execution of suspected collaborators.
As Hamas continues to demonstrate its presence, Israeli security officials and experts on Gaza agree it has been badly diminished but not thoroughly destroyed, and will count on new recruits propelled to join after tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians were killed by Israeli fire.
Demolition begins at White House for Trump’s new ballroom
Construction crews have begun demolishing part of the historic East Wing facade of the White House to make room for Trump’s new $250 million ballroom. In July, Trump pledged that the project wouldn’t “interfere with the current building.” NBC’s Garrett Haake reports for "TODAY."
GOP senators seek to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize for Covid vaccine development
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., are introducing a resolution to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his first administration's development of Covid vaccines during the global pandemic.
“President Trump’s decisive action in Operation Warp Speed not only saved millions of lives but brought the American economy back to life," Cassidy said in a statement shared with NBC News. "When Americans needed a vaccine in record time to stop a once-in-a-generation pandemic, President Trump delivered.”
“The Nobel Prize has been given for a lot less. He should receive the next one!,” Cassidy added.
Cassidy, who is up for re-election next year, and Barrasso said their effort “echoes” the desires of other Trump administration officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with whom both Cassidy and Barrasso had heated exchanges with during a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee last month.
Trump says allies in the Middle East region are willing to 'straighten' out Hamas
Trump said in a Truth Social post this morning that allies in and around the Middle East are willing to enter Gaza to crush Hamas if the militant group flouts the terms of its negotiated ceasefire with Israel.
"Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and 'straighten our Hamas' if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us," Trump wrote.
Trump's post comes as Hamas is resorting to violence as it tries to reassert its power in Gaza.
"There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right," Trump wrote. "If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL!"
Trump singled out Indonesia, thanking the country's leaders "for all of the help they have shown and given to the Middle East."
Obama to join rallies for Democratic nominees for governor in New Jersey and Virginia
Former President Barack Obama is set to headline get-out-the-vote rallies Nov. 1 for the Democratic nominees for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, Rep. Mikie Sherrill and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, respectively, according to their campaigns.
Sherrill, whose rally will take place that Saturday in Newark, said in a statement that Obama "reminds us what we can accomplish when we leaders are unafraid to take on big challenges to deliver."
“He led historic efforts to insure millions of Americans and lower healthcare costs. The contrast couldn’t be clearer," she said. "Jack Ciattarelli is supporting Trump’s attacks on New Jersey, from terminating the Gateway Tunnel Project to kicking hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans off their healthcare. I am so grateful to have President Obama’s support and endorsement in this race as we harness our momentum to mobilize New Jerseyans to vote on or before November 4.”
Spanberger will hold her rally with Obama that day in Norfolk.
Treasury Department tells staff not to share pictures of the White House's East Wing demolition
The Treasury Department told its staff not to share photos of the demolition of the White House’s East Wing to make room for Trump's planned ballroom, a department spokesperson confirmed to NBC News.
The directive, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, comes after the circulation of viral pictures depicting construction crews starting to rip down parts of the East Wing to build the ballroom.
Reached for comment on the department's instructions, a Treasury Department spokesperson pointed to potential security issues.
"Carelessly shared photographs of the White House complex could reveal sensitive items, potentially including security features or confidential structural details," the spokesperson said. "Out of an abundance of caution, we have urged our employees to avoid sharing these images."
The demolition contradicts the president's remarks from July, when he said that the ballroom would be "near" the White House "but not touching it, and pays total respect to the existing building, which I'm the biggest fan of."
Former FBI Director James Comey files motion to dismiss case against him
Former FBI Director James Comey filed motions seeking the dismissal of the criminal charges brought against him, arguing that the lawyer Trump named to prosecute him, Lindsey Halligan, wasn’t properly appointed and that the case was politically motivated.
George Santos won't be required to pay restitution under Trump's commutation of his sentence
Former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., won't be required to pay restitution under Trump's clemency grant, according to the document, which was published by the Justice Department.
Santos faces "no further fines, restitution, probation, supervised release, or other condition," the document says.
Santos told CNN over the weekend that he would only pay the $374,000 in restitution to his victims if it was "required of me by the law."
The ex-congressman was originally ordered to pay restitution as part of his sentence, in addition to facing seven years in prison. He ultimately served less than three months before Trump commuted his sentence late last week.
Santos pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in what prosecutors said was a scheme that allowed him to personally profit from his campaign fundraising.
Federal appeals judge requests rehearing on National Guard deployment in Portland
A judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late last night requested the full court rehear whether Trump can deploy National Guard troops in Oregon.
A panel of the federal appeals court ruled 2-1 yesterday that the administration can send the soldiers into the streets of Portland after a U.S. district judge temporarily blocked the deployment.
“After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority,” the panel of 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges wrote in a 2-1 ruling.
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump nominee, wrote in her order that Trump appeared to be acting in bad faith with exaggerated claims of violence in the city.
After the appeals court's ruling, the Trump administration asked Immergut to rescind a second temporary restraining order she had issued that had blocked the Trump administration from deploying other state National Guard troops into Oregon.
Vance joins special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Israel in effort to shore up peace
Vance will be in Israel today as the Trump administration works to secure the fragile ceasefire it helped broker between Israel and Hamas after deadly fighting broke out between the two sides over the weekend.
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, a senior White House official told NBC News.
Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance arrive in Tel Aviv today. Nathan Howard / Pool via Getty Images
Israel said it had begun the “renewed enforcement of the ceasefire” yesterday after it launched strikes in Gaza over what it said was Hamas’ violation of the truce with attacks on Israeli soldiers that killed two.
GOP lawmakers head to White House as shutdown heads into fourth week
Republican lawmakers will head to the White House today in an apparent show of solidarity as the government shutdown enters its 21st day with no end to the impasse in sight.
The Senate rejected the House-passed short-term spending bill for the 11th time yesterday.
Asked by NBC News what he hopes to see out of the meeting today, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said last evening that while the agenda is unclear, Trump "is doing real good about reaching out and making sure that the Republicans are working all on the same page."
"That should attest to his leadership, making sure he’s leading from the front, sharing his vision, making sure we’re staying in line with where the White House and the Congress wants to go with policies," Mullin told NBC News.
