President Donald Trump traveled through Asia this week, sitting down for a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which he described as “truly great,” while Americans at home bore the brunt of the ongoing government shutdown, which is entering its second month.
Democrats now find themselves in a bind as they have succeeded in framing health care as the issue at the heart of the stalemate but are grappling with the lapse of federal food assistance for millions of Americans set to begin Saturday.
The shutdown is also likely to lead to more flight delays as the Federal Aviation Administration grapples with staffing shortages. At the same time, federal employees are working without pay, and food banks are bracing for a surge in demand.
The president, though, seems to have his mind focused elsewhere as he instructed the Pentagon to immediately resume testing of nuclear weapons to ensure the U.S. keeps up with its rivals.
“With others doing testing, I think it’s appropriate that we do also,” he told reporters after departing South Korea to return to the U.S.
The Trump administration is continuing to add pressure on Venezuela, with the country’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, now accusing the U.S. of “fabricating a new eternal war.”
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George Clooney Calls Harris's Replacement Of Biden A 'Mistake'
Actor George Clooney weighed in on former Vice President Kamala Harris's 2024 candidacy on Sunday, calling it a 'mistake' for her to replace former President Joe Biden as Democrats' presidential nominee.
“I wanted there to be, as I wrote in the op-ed, a primary. Let’s battle-test this quickly and get it up and going. I think the mistake with it being Kamala is that she had to run against her own record. It’s very hard to do if the point of running is to say, ‘I’m not that person’. It’s hard to do and so she was given a very tough task," Clooney said during an appearance on CBS Sunday's "This Morning." "I think it was a mistake, quite honestly. But we are where we are. We were gonna lose more House seats, they say. So I don’t know."
Clooney stressed that he stood by his decision to publish a New York Times op-ed calling for Biden to drop out, however.
“To not do it would be to say, ‘I’m not gonna tell the truth’,” he said.
He also added that he'd seen Hunter Biden's fiery critiques of him and that he wasn't interested in litigating his claims.
“I have many personal opinions about it but I don’t find it to be helpful to have a public spat with him," Clooney noted.
Kash Patel Rants About Coverage Of Jet Usage
FBI Director Kash Patel took to social media on Sunday to rant against the media coverage of his alleged government jet usage.
“Let me be clear: we will not be distracted by baseless rumors or the noise from uninformed internet anarchists and the fake news,” Patel wrote on X in an apparent dig at the reports.
He went on: “I’ve always said — criticize me all you want. But going after the people doing great work, my personal life, or those around me is a total disgrace.”
Patel’s post comes after The Bulwark reported that he attended a performance that his girlfriend, country music singer Alexis Wilkins, did last weekend at Penn State.
The publication noted that a government jet took off from a northern Virginia airport and landed near Penn State roughly the same time as Patel’s visit.
That report also acknowledged that the FBI Director typically travels in a government jet for security purposes, but that its alleged usage in this instance was notable given Patel’s past critiques of how government officials utilized their jets.
On Friday, Patel reportedly forced Steven Palmer, a 27-year FBI veteran overseeing aviation, out of the agency, over the scrutiny of his flight logs, according to Bloomberg Law.
Patel also slammed the people who failed to speak up in his defense in his Sunday post.
"To our supposed allies staying silent — your silence is louder than the clickbait haters," he wrote.
Trump's Disapproval Rating Is Highest It's Been This Term: Poll
President Donald Trump is the most unpopular he’s been this term, according to a recent Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll.
In the poll, which was conducted between October 24 to 28, 59 percent of U.S. adults said they disapproved of Trump’s handling of the presidency, while 41 percent approved. His disapproval hasn’t hit this level in The Post’s survey since January 2021, the publication reports.
Similarly, an NBC News poll conducted between October 24 to 28 found that 55 percent of registered voters disapproved of Trump’s leadership, while 43 percent approved. And according to a polling tracker from The New York Times, which averages results from different surveys, Trump’s disapproval rating has steadily climbed since his inauguration and is at 55 percent, a high for his second term.
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Trump Officials Can't Decide Whether To Comply With Court Order To Fund SNAP
Some Trump administration officials gave conflicting responses on Sunday about whether the White House plans to comply with a court order requiring them to fund the country’s biggest food aid program, as the government shutdown enters its second month.
The Department of Agriculture planned to withhold $8 billion in payments that are meant to keep the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) running through this month, starting Saturday. The move threatens food access for the 42 million Americans who use the program.
The plan was blocked on Friday by two federal judges who gave the USDA until Monday to decide how it would pay for food benefits, shutting down the administration’s claim that it would be illegal to use a $5 billion contingency fund to help pay for SNAP benefits under the shutdown.
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Bessent Says U.S. Food Aid Benefits 'Could' Flow By Wednesday
President Donald Trump wants to hear from the courts how to fund SNAP food aid benefits for needy Americans and payments could flow by Wednesday as ordered by a U.S. judge, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday.
Asked if that could be done to meet a federal judge’s order that partial payments begin Wednesday, Bessent said, “Could be.” Bessent also said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program that the Trump administration will not appeal the court ruling.
Report: FBI Forces Out Senior Official After Kash Patel Rages Over Attention To His Jet Use
A senior official with the FBI that oversees aviation within the agency was pushed out after FBI Director Kash Patel became upset about the release of publicly-available jet logs showing Patel flying to see his girlfriend, Bloomberg Law reports.
The exit of Steven Palmer, a 27-year veteran of the FBI, became official on Friday, the report said. Palmer was the head of the bureau's crisis management operations.
FBI jet logs reportedly showed Patel had flown to see his girlfriend, right-wing musician Alexis Wilkins, perform at Penn State University.
Trump Throws Lavish Halloween 'Great Gatsby' Party On Eve Of SNAP Running Dry
Hours before millions of Americans were set to lose federal food benefits amid the ongoing government shutdown, President Donald Trump hosted a glittering party at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.
The official theme of the Halloween night bash was “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody,” according to a pool report. The line is a title of a song featured on the soundtrack for the 2013 movie version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, “The Great Gatsby.”
Reporters at the event described a “smoky party scene” and noted guests were “dressed up in flapper costumes” and “seated at well decked-out tables while a band played.”
Canadian Prime Minister Says He Told Ontario's Premier Not To Run Anti-Tariff Ad That Upset Trump
TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he told Ontario’s premier not to run an anti-tariff advertisement that prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to end trade talks with Canada.
Carney also confirmed that he apologized to the president during a dinner at the the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit because Trump was “offended.”
Ontario’s television advertisement that aired in in the U.S. criticizes Trump’s tariffs by citing a speech from former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
The ad infuriated Trump, who ended trade talks with Canada and said he plans to hike tariffs on imports of Canadian goods by an extra 10%.
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Obama To Rally Democrats In Virginia, New Jersey In Weekend Campaign Push Before Election Day
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former President Barack Obama will headline rallies Saturday for Democrats running for governor in Virginia and New Jersey, corralling voters ahead of elections that may signal the national mood 10 months into Donald Trump’s second presidency and a year ahead of midterm elections that could reshape it.
Republicans in those states are stumping as well on the final weekend of campaigning before Tuesday’s elections, but without the national star power.
And on the west coast, California advocates are making a final push ahead of a statewide referendum over whether to redraw the state’s congressional map in Democrats’ favor. The effort backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom is part of a national redistricting battle that began when Trump urged GOP-run states to help him keep a friendly House majority in 2026.
Obama, the Democrat whom Trump succeeded when he first assumed the presidency, will appear first Saturday with Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger in Norfolk. Obama then travels to New Jersey for an evening rally with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mikie Sherrill in Newark. Both events put the nation’s first Black president in areas where Black voter turnout is key for Democratic victories.
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California Kick-Starts Counteroffensive In Trump’s Redistricting War
For months, Democrats, paralyzed by good-government reforms and self-interest, struggled to counteract a push led by President Donald Trump for red states to redraw their congressional lines and add more Republican seats in a desperate attempt to head off Democratic control of the House of Representatives after the midterm elections.
In the past week, however, the Democratic counteroffensive has begun in earnest. A California referendum to add Democratic seats looks certain to pass. Virginia Democrats called a surprise legislative session to start their own redrawing process. And national leaders are increasingly bullish about redrawing lines in both Maryland and Illinois despite ongoing resistance from state legislative leaders.
The first step is in California, where Republicans have openly given up on stopping Proposition 50, which would change the state’s constitution and set up the state legislature to eliminate five GOP-held seats in the state, counteracting Texas’ mid-decade redistricting that eliminated five Democratic-held seats.
Democrats are hopeful California’s success will create momentum, both by showing other states that changing congressional lines to combat Trump is politically popular and by forcing the ambitious governors of other blue states to keep up with the successes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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DHS Said 'Happy Halloween' When Asked About Federal Agents Wearing Horror Masks
The Trump administration can't seem to help itself when it comes to giving snarky, two-word responses to serious reporter inquiries.
Local news outlet L.A. Taco and NBC News said a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson replied "Happy Halloween!" when they reached out about federal agents wearing Halloween masks in the Los Angeles area this week.
The request for more information was made after a community member sent photos of the alleged agents in Chucky, Momo and Mr. Potato Head masks.
Trump Says Courts Need To Give Him More 'Legal Direction' On Funding SNAP
Despite two separate courts ruling Friday that the Trump administration must fund SNAP amid the government shutdown, the president said his lawyers don't think the orders are legal and will need to look into it more.
"Our Government lawyers do not think we have the legal authority to pay SNAP with certain monies we have available," he wrote on Truth Social, adding he's instructed them to ask the courts for clarity on how they can "legally fund SNAP," which is set to expire tomorrow.
"If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay," Trump continued.
Trump Marks Full Month Of Government Shutdown With $3.4 Million Golf Trip To Florida
Trump marked the first full month of the ongoing government shutdown Friday by blaming it all on Democrats and taking a $3.4 million golf trip to Florida, bringing the total that taxpayers have spent on his hobby to $60.7 million since he retook the presidency in January.
This is his 13th trip to Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach country club, which is across the Intracoastal Waterway from his golf course in West Palm Beach, adjacent to the county jail.
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Trump Kicks Press Out Of White House Area Containing Press Aides’ Offices
After previously kicking out all the real reporters covering the Pentagon, President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday ended access to the area of the West Wing housing the White House’s top press aides.
The warren of offices known as “Upper Press” is where White House Communications Director Steven Cheung and press secretary Karoline Leavitt both work, among others. It has been accessible to reporters with White House press credentials for decades, including Trump’s first term.That access ended Friday late afternoon with a memo ostensibly sent to Cheung and Leavitt by the National Security Council, which was then forwarded to the White House press corps.
“This memorandum directs the prohibition of press passholders from accessing Room 140 in the West Wing, also known as ‘Upper Press,’ which is situated adjacent to the Oval Office, without an appointment," the memo reads. "This policy will ensure adherence to best practices pertaining to access to sensitive material.”
The National Security Council is now led by national security adviser and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but the memo was unsigned.
Effective immediately, journalists wanting to visit Cheung or Leavitt and others in Upper Press will be required to get an appointment first.
Earlier this autumn, the Defense Department imposed a requirement on reporters holding or seeking press badges allowing Pentagon access to agree not to disclose any information that was not specifically authorized for release by DoD officials, including unclassified material.
Every legitimate news organization that covered the Pentagon refused to accept that requirement. Pentagon political staff then announced the “new” Pentagon press corps, which is a who’s-who of openly pro-Trump outlets and influencers.
Cruz, McConnell At Odds With Heritage Foundation's Tucker Carlson Defense
Some of the GOP’s most powerful leaders firmly denounced Tucker Carlson and the Heritage Foundation after the right-wing think tank behind Project 2025 gave a full-throated endorsement of the ousted Fox News host platforming white supremacist Nick Fuentes.
Both Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the former majority leader, and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) spoke out shortly after Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts affirmed that his right-wing think tank was not distancing itself from Carlson, who did little to challenge Fuentes when he bemoaned “organized Jewry in America” and praised Joseph Stalin during his interview.
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GOP Rep. Slams SNAP Recipients For 'Smoking Crack' In Unhinged Post About Cuts
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) on Thursday acknowledged that federal food benefits are set to expire as a result of the ongoing government shutdown, but he didn’t sympathize with the millions of impacted Americans — and advised them to “stop smoking crack.”
The Louisiana Republican suggested as much on X, formerly Twitter, to furious reactions.
Trump Is Sitting Down With ’60 Minutes’ Again After Lawsuit Debacle: Report
CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell is interviewing Trump this afternoon for “60 Minutes,” according to a report from Semafor, marking the first time he will appear on the long-running news program since settling a lawsuit with the network’s parent company over allegations of bias.
Paramount agreed to pay Trump $16 million this summer. Trump had alleged that “60 Minutes” deceptively edited an interview last year with Vice President Kamala Harris when she was running for president against him.