Oregon’s governor calls on federal appeals court to stop Trump from deploying troops to Portland – live

12.40am BST Portland's mayor promises to defend 'the right to peacefully protest' Portland’s mayor, Keith Wilson, responded to a federal appeals court ruling on Monday that could allow Donald Trump to deploy federalized national guard troops to the city by pledging to fight on in court and to defend the right of the city’s resident to protest. The mayor said in a statement posted on social media: Portland stands for democracy, dignity, and the right to peacefully protest. Our focus is simple and unchanging: we demand transparency, accountability, and community-led solutions, not troops on our streets. Our National Guard members are our neighbors, coworkers, and loved ones, and they deserve better than this unnecessary, unwanted deployment.We will not stand by while federal agencies sidestep local authority. Our legal team, working with the Oregon Department of Justice, will use every lawful tool to prevent this overreach. I call on federal decision-makers to stop these deployments, honor local governance, and partner with us on real public-safety solutions that respect civil rights and protect our community. 12.16am BST One of the longest government shutdowns in US history just got longer after the Senate again failed to pass a funding resolution after a majority of Democrats continued their pressure campaign after the No Kings nationwide weekend protests. The Senate vote fell for the 11th time with a vote of 50 to 43, with no new defectors from the Democratic side. Mike Johnson, the House speaker, has for weeks kept the House shuttered on an extended recess, and defended his strategy as necessary to push Senate Democrats into passing the House’s continuing resolution without policy additions. But Democrats have refused to support the measure without provisions addressing healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Read the full story here: Related: Senate vote fails again as shutdown becomes one of the longest in US history Updated at 12.18am BST 12.07am BST Portland city council says 'military intervention is not needed or wanted here' Portland city council said in a statement “military intervention is not needed or wanted here”, in response to the federal appeals court panel’s 2-1 decision to permit Donald Trump to deploy national guard troops to the city. The local officials also strongly endorsed the dissenting opinion in the case from Susan Graber, a Portland-based federal judge nominated by Bill Clinton. They added: This past weekend, close to 50,000 people marched on our streets and made their voices heard peacefully. Allowing the national guard to be deployed when the facts fail to match the Trump administration’s narrative sets a dangerous precedent that threatens every community in our country. As Judge Graber wrote in her dissent, today’s ruling “erodes core constitutional principles, including sovereign States’ control over their States’ militias and the people’s First Amendment rights to assemble and to object to the government’s policies and actions”. As your Portland City Council, last week we voted unanimously as a body to strengthen our sanctuary laws and protections. We are united in opposing federal overreach and remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting Portlanders by every means available. From policy to advocacy, we will continue to stand up for democracy, Portlanders’ rights, and our city’s values. We urge everyone to continue raising their voices peacefully and in the spirit of Portland. Updated at 12.12am BST 11.33pm BST Oregon's governor calls on federal appeals court to stop Trump from deploying troops to Portland Oregon’s governor, Tina Kotek, just called on a federal appeals court to review and overturn a decision made by a three-judge panel on Monday that would permit Donald Trump to deploy federalized national guard troops to the streets of Portland against the wishes of state and local officials. Speaking to reporters at a virtual news conference, Kotek said that she hopes the full ninth circuit court of appeals vacates the panel’s decision 2-1 decision, as the dissenting judge, Portland-based Susan Graber, urged her colleagues to do. For the moment, Kotek pointed out, a second temporary restraining order issued by a lower court judge, which blocks the deployment of national guard troops from Oregon, California or any other jurisdiction, remains in effect. Oregon’s governor, Tina Kotek, held a virtual news conference on Monday to discuss the legal battle to keep national guard troops out of Portland. “Oregon remains united in the fight against this unwanted, unneeded military intervention in Oregon,” Kotek said. “Over the weekend, people across Oregon gathered peacefully to send a message that the Trump Administration is being dishonest, and these actions to deploy troops are a gross, un-American abuse of power.” “I’m very troubled by the decision of the court,” Kotek told reporters, pointing out that on Saturday federal officers at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Portland’s South Waterfront neighborhood fired tear gas at people “playfully” dissenting. “I still urge the Trump Administration to send all the national guard members home,” she said. In a statement earlier on Monday, Oregon’s attorney general, Dan Rayfield, also called on the full appeals court to follow judge Garber’s dissent and reverse the decision made by the panel. “Oregon joins Judge Graber in urging the full Ninth Circuit to ‘act swiftly’ en banc ‘to vacate the majority’s order before the illegal deployment of troops under false pretenses can occur’”, Rayfield said. “And, like her, we ‘ask those who are watching this case unfold to retain faith in our judicial system for just a little while longer.’” The legal battle is complicated by the fact that a district judge in Portland issued two orders temporarily blocking the deployment of national guard troops to the city. Judge Karin Immergut, who was nominated by Trump during his first term, first blocked the president’s planned deployment of 200 Oregon national guard troops to the city. When Trump responded by attempting to evade the order by sending California national guard troops to Oregon, Immergut issued a second temporary restraining order blocking the deployment of national guard troops from any state or the District of Columbia. Because the Trump administration asked the appeals court to lift the first restraining order, but not the second, the panel’s decision on Monday still eaves the second order in place, for now. Updated at 12.11am BST 10.35pm BST Interior department discloses plans to fire another 2,050 federal workers In a court-ordered disclosure filed on Monday, the US interior department revealed that it plans “to abolish 2,050 positions”, including sweeping cuts to the Bureau of Land Management, and smaller numbers at the Fish and Wildlife Service, US Geological Survey and other agencies. Among the positions slated for elimination are Bureau of Reclamation workers who provide maintenance for the Hoover Dam. The declaration, with a detailed appendix of positions to be cut from Rachel Borra, the interior department’s chief human capital officer, was submitted to comply with an order issued by the US district court for the northern district of California in a lawsuit brought by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and four other national unions that represent federal workers at risk of losing their jobs. The planned layoffs are paused for now by a temporary restraining order that US District court judge Susan Illston expanded during an emergency hearing on Friday. Updated at 10.43pm BST 10.09pm BST As our colleague Anna Betts reports, construction crews started demolishing part of the East Wing of the White House to make way for Donald Trump’s planned ballroom on Monday. The Washington Post obtained and published a photo of the demolition activity, showing construction in progress and parts of the exterior ripped down. A Daily Mail reporter shared video of the demolition on social media. Read the full story here: Related: Construction appears to start on Trump’s $250m White House ballroom Updated at 11.30pm BST 9.48pm BST Hakeem Jeffries cites Marjorie Taylor Greene on spike in healthcare costs for Americans without extended subsidies Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the House Democratic minority, just called on Republicans to negotiate an end to the government shutdown by citing Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Maga Republican from Georgia. “The Republican healthcare crisis, as Marjorie Taylor Greene has repeatedly indicated, is real,” Jeffries told reporters. “And it’s having devastating impacts that are becoming increasingly apparent to the American people. In Idaho, 100,000 Americans are at risk of losing their health care if the Affordable Care Act tax credits expire, because it will become unaffordable for them.” He went on to cite examples in other states where some people are “finding out that their health insurance premiums are about to increase by more than $2,000 per month”. Updated at 11.31pm BST 9.34pm BST A growing share of Americans believe religion is gaining influence and society – and view its expanding role positively, a new report by the Pew research center has found. It comes as the Trump administration has sought to fuse conservative Christian values and governance, especially in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk. In just one year, the share of US adults who believe religion is gaining influence in American society has increased sharply. While still a minority view, 31% say religion is on the rise – up from just 18% a year earlier, in February 2024 – the highest figure recorded in 15 years.Meanwhile, the percentage who say religion is losing influence dropped from 80% to 68%.According to the Pew survey, these changing perceptions of religion suggest a broader shift in a country that was rapidly secularizing. Nearly six in 10 Americans (59%) now express a positive view of religion’s influence in public life, either because they see its rising power as a good thing, or view its decline as a bad thing. Only 20% express negative views, while the rest remain neutral or uncertain.Notably, the shift is not confined to one party or demographic. Both Republicans and Democrats, as well as nearly all major religious groups and age brackets, have become more likely to say religion is gaining ground – and more likely to feel their religious beliefs conflict with mainstream American culture. That sense of cultural conflict is now a majority view, with 58% of US adults reporting at least some tension between their beliefs and broader society.Finally, while views on religious truth vary, nearly half of Americans (48%) say many religions may be true – more than double the share (26%) who say only one religion is true.Pew’s findings suggest a significant cultural shift unfolding under an administration that has explicitly championed Christian conservatism as a governing ethos. Updated at 11.37pm BST 9.23pm BST Portland-based appeals court judge issues scathing dissent to ruling clearing the way for Trump to deploy troops to Portland It is perhaps significant that Susan Graber, the lone dissenting voice on the three-judge federal appeals court panel that just permitted Donald Trump to deploy federal troops to Portland, Oregon, in the only one of the three to be based in Portland. Graber, a former law school classmate of Bill and Hillary Clinton who was nominated to the federal bench by Clinton while serving on the Oregon supreme court, wrote a scathing dissent to the majority ruling, which lifts a lower-court order that had temporarily blocked Trump from sending in troops to what he falsely claims is a “war-ravaged” city. The other two judges on the panel, both nominated by Trump during his first term, are based in Arizona and Idaho. Graber said in an interview in 2012, that “it was kind of love at first sight with Portland” for her when she first moved to the city to work as a law clerk. In her dissent, she urged the full appeals court to reverse the decision by the panel, writing that there was “no legal or factual justification supported the order to federalize and deploy the Oregon National Guard”. She continued: “Given Portland protesters’ well-known penchant for wearing chicken suits, inflatable frog costumes, or nothing at all when expressing their disagreement with the methods employed by ICE, observers may be tempted to view the majority’s ruling, which accepts the government’s characterization of Portland as a war zone, as merely absurd. But today’s decision is not merely absurd. It erodes core constitutional principles, including sovereign States’ control over their States’ militias and the people’s First Amendment rights to assemble and to object to the government’s policies and actions.” The judge added: “The majority’s order abdicates our judicial responsibility, permitting the President to invoke emergency authority in a situation far divorced from an enumerated emergency.” Graber concluded: “We have come to expect a dose of political theater in the political branches, drama designed to rally the base or to rile or intimidate political opponents. We also may expect there a measure of bending – sometimes breaking – the truth. By design of the Founders, the judicial branch stands apart. We rule on facts, not on supposition or conjecture, and certainly not on fabrication or propaganda. I urge my colleagues on this court to act swiftly to vacate the majority’s order before the illegal deployment of troops under false pretenses can occur. Above all, I ask those who are watching this case unfold to retain faith in our judicial system for just a little longer.” Updated at 9.31pm BST 9.05pm BST Oregon attorney general says America is 'on a dangerous path' following appeals court ruling The Oregon attorney general, Dan Rayfield, has issued a statement following the ruling from the ninth circuit court of appeals, which lifted the temporary restraining order blocking the deployment of the state’s national guard. He said that if the ruling is allowed to stand, it would give Donald Trump “unilateral power to put Oregon soldiers on our streets with almost no justification”. “We are on a dangerous path in America,” he added. The three-judge panel was split in their decision, with Clinton-appointee Susan Graber dissenting from her colleagues. Rayfield added: Oregon joins Judge Graber in urging the full Ninth Circuit to ‘act swiftly’ en banc ‘to vacate the majority’s order before the illegal deployment of troops under false pretenses can occur.’ And, like her, we ‘ask those who are watching this case unfold to retain faith in our judicial system for just a little while longer’. 8.48pm BST Here's a recap of the day so far A three-judge panel on the ninth circuit court of appeals has ruled that the Trump administration can deploy the national guard to Portland, Oregon. They lifted a lower court judge’s decision that blocked the president from federalizing and sending roughly 200 troops to the city to guard federal buildings, as largely small and peaceful protests took place in recent weeks outside an immigration facility in the city. Donald Trump welcomed Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese to the White House, signing a rare earth minerals deal as trade tensions with China escalate. The pair just signed a rare earths agreement which opens up Australia’s vast mineral resources. Albanese added that the deal was an “eight and a half billion dollar pipeline” to supply critical rare earths to the US. Meanwhile, Trump doubled down on his threat of imposing a 157% tariff on Chinese imports if both nations can’t reach a trade deal. This, after Beijing announced they were tightening exports of rare earth minerals. “We have a tremendous power, and that’s the power of tariff, and I think that China will come to the table and make a very fair deal,” the president added. Donald Trump said he didn’t think Ukraine would win back land that was captured by Russia during the war. “They could still win it,” Trump remarked during his meeting with Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese. “I don’t think they will. They could still win it. I never said they would win it. Anything can happen. You know, war is a very strange thing.” Trump’s seeming skepticism of a Ukrainian victory came several days after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which he appeared more keen on negotiating a peace agreement than supplying the nation with Tomahawk cruise missiles. The president has said that Hamas is “going to behave” or will face severe repercussions. While taking questions from reporters today, Trump said that Hamas are “going to be nice, and if they’re not, we’re going to go and we’re going to eradicate them”. This comes after Israel launched waves of deadly airstrikes on Sunday and cut off all aid into Gaza “until further notice” after a reported attack by Hamas, in escalations that marked the most serious threat so far to the fragile ceasefire in the devastated territory. The government shutdown entered its 20th day, with little end in sight. The House remains out of session, as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle blame the other party for the impasse on Capitol Hill. Earlier, White House economic adviser said that shutdown would “likely” end this week after the No Kings protests took place across the country. The Senate will vote, for the 11th time, on a House-passed funding bill to reopen the government at 5:30pm ET. 8.26pm BST Federal appeals court allows deployment of national guard troops to Portland, Oregon A three-judge panel on the ninth circuit court of appeals has ruled that the Trump administration can deploy the national guard to Portland, Oregon. They lifted a lower court judge’s decision that blocked the president from federalizing and sending roughly 200 troops to the city to guard federal buildings, as largely small and peaceful protests took place in recent weeks outside an immigration facility in the city. 8.08pm BST Per that last post, it’s worth putting that in the context of Greene’s decision to buck the Republican party line in recent months. My colleagues David Smith and George Chidi, have been reporting on the Georgia’s congresswoman’s “streak of independence” on issues ranging from healthcare to Gaza to the Jeffrey Epstein files. They report that Greene has broken ranks with Republicans and won unlikely fans among Democrats, stirring speculation about her motives – and future ambitions. David and George write that the lawmaker, who was once “one of Donald Trump’s most loyal foot soldiers” has stopped short of directly criticising the president himself and has so far avoided incurring his wrath. “But her willingness to dissent is all the more remarkable under a president who notoriously prizes loyalty and punishes critics,” they note. You can read more of their reporting below. Related: What’s happening with Marjorie Taylor Greene? Why the Maga loyalist has won some Democratic fans 8.02pm BST Marjorie Taylor Greene, a representative of Georgia, on Monday morning criticized Mike Johnson’s strategy to keep the House shuttered for weeks, calling on the lower chamber to return to session immediately. “The House should be in session working,” Greene wrote on X. “We should be finishing appropriations. Our committees should be working. We should be passing bills that make President Trump’s executive orders permanent. I have no respect for the decision to refuse to work.” The callout from Greene, who is aligned with the right flank of her party, is a noticeable crack in support for Johnson’s hardline approach from the GOP over an extended congressional recess. Since 19 September, when members last cast votes, the chamber has not been conducting legislative business, although members have staged press conferences. Related: Republican pressures Johnson to reconvene House as shutdown becomes one of the longest in US history 7.24pm BST According to Politico, House speaker Mike Johnson spoke with the president earlier, and will be at the White House at 4pm as Donald Trump welcomes the Louisiana State University (LSU) baseball champions. Also present will be the athletes from LSU Shreveport, the city where Johnson was born and raised. Part of his congressional district also includes the city. 7.17pm BST Colombia recalls US ambassador amid spat with Trump over strikes on alleged drug boats in Bogotá Colombia has recalled its ambassador to Washington amid a furious war of words between the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, and Donald Trump over deadly US strikes on boats in the Caribbean. The row took a sharp turn this weekend when Petro accused the US of “murdering” a Colombian fisher in an attack on a vessel in its territorial waters. Petro and his administration said the mid-September strike was a “direct threat to national sovereignty” and that the victim was a “lifelong fisherman” and a “humble human being”. In response, Trump, who has claimed such attacks are designed to stop drug-smuggling to the US, called Petro an “illegal drug dealer” and vowed to end aid payments to Colombia, one of the largest recipients of US counter-narcotics assistance. He also ordered Petro to “close up” drug cultivation sites, saying if not “the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely”. Speaking onboard Air Force One, Trump added that he would announce new tariffs on Colombian goods. Colombia’s interior minister, Armando Benedetti, said the remarks were a “threat of invasion or military action against Colombia”. Petro said that Colombia’s five-decade conflict stemmed from “cocaine consumption in the United States” and claimed American contributions had been “meagre and null in recent years”. Related: Colombia recalls US ambassador amid spat with Trump over strikes on alleged drug boats 6.48pm BST Texas Republican congressman Chip Roy suggested using the “nuclear option” to end the shutdown that would avoid Senate filibuster requirements which mandate a 60-vote majority to reopen the US government, The Hill reports. “We need to be taking a look at the 60-vote threshold. We really do,” Roy said on Monday. Top Republican senators used this tactic to avoid needing Democrats’ support to confirm a host of Trump nominees in September. South Dakota Republican Senator John Thune, the Senate majority leader, said he would not do this to achieve a continuing resolution that would reopen the government, per the Hill. “At a minimum, why don’t we take a look at it for [continuing resolutions]?” Roy reportedly said. “Why don’t we just say, look, I mean, we have a 50-vote threshold for the budget, we have a 50-vote threshold for reconciliation, why shouldn’t we have a 50-vote threshold to be able to fund the government?” Republicans have supported this 60-vote benchmark when Democrats hold the majority. Thune has said that maintaining the filibuster is among his leading priorities, the Hill reported. “I think Republicans ought to take a long, hard look at the 60-vote threshold, because I think we’re just being beholden to a broken system right now,” Roy also said. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has expressed concern about eliminating this threshold. ”I would be deeply concerned if the Democrats had a bare majority in the Senate right now, Marxist ideology taking over the Democrat party,” Johnson reportedly said earlier this month. “Do I want them to have no safegaurds and no stumbling blocks or hurdles at all in the way of turning us into a communist country? I don’t think that’s a great idea.” Updated at 7.29pm BST 6.31pm BST While the US Senate is poised to vote – for the 11th time – on a House-approved bill that would reopen the government this afternoon, Americans could face still more shutdown-related travel delays if funding efforts fail. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Monday that travelers might see more disruptions because air traffic controllers are not getting paid during the shutdown. Air traffic controllers are deemed “excepted” staffers, meaning they still work during shutdowns, but receive back pay when the government reopens and funding resumes, CBS News explains. “They got a partial paycheck a week ago Tuesday. Their next paycheck comes a week from Tuesday, and in that paycheck there will be no dollars. They don’t get paid,” Duffy said in a Fox and Friends interview. “I think what you might see is more disruptions in travel as more of them look to say, how do I bridge the gap between the check that’s not coming and putting food on my table?” CBS noted him saying. “And we have heard they are taking Uber jobs. They are doing DoorDash, they are figuring out ways to keep their families afloat … And, again, a lot of them are paycheck to paycheck.” Updated at 6.37pm BST 5.59pm BST Donald Trump on Monday doubled down on his threat of imposing a 157% tariff on Chinese imports if both nations can’t reach a trade deal. “We have a tremendous power, and that’s the power of tariff, and I think that China will come to the table and make a very fair deal, because if they don’t, they’re going to be paying us 157% in tariffs,” Trump told reporters during his sit-down with Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese. Trump, who claimed that “China has treated us with great respect” not afforded to prior administrations, said that if a deal weren’t brokered, “I’m putting on an additional 100%” on 1 November. Trump and China’s president, Xi Jinping, are expected to meet in several weeks to discuss trade. Trump’s reiteration of this tariff threat comes just several days after he admitted that a 157% tax is unfeasible. “It’s not sustainable, but that’s what the number is,” Trump said in an interview with Fox Business’s Maria Bartiromo. “It’s probably not, you know, it could stand. But they forced me to do that.” Updated at 6.14pm BST 5.39pm BST Trump says he doesn’t think Ukraine will win back land taken by Russia during war Donald Trump said he didn’t think Ukraine would win back land that was captured by Russia during the war. “They could still win it,” Trump remarked during his meeting with Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese. “I don’t think they will. They could still win it. I never said they would win it. Anything can happen. You know, war is a very strange thing.” Trump’s seeming skepticism of a Ukrainian victory came several days after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which he appeared more keen on negotiating a peace agreement than supplying the nation with Tomahawk cruise missiles. Trump told Ukraine and Russia to “stop the war immediately”. The comments mark yet another shift in Trump’s position on Ukraine’s chances in the years-long conflict. Trump said in September that he believed Ukraine could regain all territory seized by Russia. During Trump’s presidential campaign in 2024, and early this year, Trump said that Ukraine would have to give up territories seized by Russia to stop the war, The Associated Press notes. Updated at 6.15pm BST 5.09pm BST Trump says Hamas will be ‘eradicated’ if needed The president has said that Hamas is “going to behave” or will face severe repercussions. “They’re going to be nice, and if they’re not, we’re going to go and we’re going to eradicate them,” Trump added. This comes after Israel launched waves of deadly airstrikes on Sunday and cut off all aid into Gaza “until further notice” after a reported attack by Hamas, in escalations that marked the most serious threat so far to the fragile ceasefire in the devastated territory. “Hamas has been very violent, but they don’t have the backing of Iran any more. They don’t have the backing of really anybody any more. They have to be good, and if they’re not good, they’ll be eradicated,” Trump said in the Cabinet Room at the White House. 5.03pm BST Trump seemed unwavering in the 10% tariff on Australian exports. “Australia pays among the lowest tariffs,” Trump said. “The one thing is, you [Australia] buy a lot of airplanes, so that helps, because you buy a lot of the beautiful Boeings.” 4.59pm BST Trump meeting with Australian PM Albanese begins, as both nations sign rare earth mineral deal Donald Trump’s meeting with Anthony Albanese has started. “We’re here to talk about trade, submarines, lots of other military equipment,” Trump said, welcoming the Australian prime minister. The pair just signed a rare earths agreement which opens up Australia’s vast mineral resources. The deal has been in the works for “four or five months”, according to Trump. Albanese added that the deal was an “eight and a half billion dollar pipeline” to supply critical rare earths to the US. This, amid an re-escalating trade war with China, who have tightened their rare earth exports and are facing a 100% tariff threat from the US. Updated at 5.15pm BST 4.47pm BST For some background ahead of the bilateral meeting between Trump and Albanese, one of the main topics of conversation will be Aukus – which stands for Australia, United Kingdom, United States. This was the trilateral defense agreement signed by the former leaders of the respective countries in 2021 – Scott Morrison, Boris Johnson and Joe Biden. This treaty guarantees that nuclear-powered submarines to Australia by the US in the 2030s, and the construction of a new generation of nuclear-powered submarines by Australia and the UK in the 2040s. This is now being reviewed by the Pentagon to see if it meets the administration’s “America First” policy. Updated at 4.58pm BST 4.29pm BST Trump welcomes Australian PM to the White House Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has arrived at the White House. Donald Trump said that he “loves” the Australian people and that the pair will achieve “a lot” today, when answering questions from reporters as the pair stood for pictures. A reminder that Albanese leads the country’s Labor party, which is the main centre-left party in Australia. He was elected in 2022, and this will be his first formal meeting with Donald Trump since he returned to office in January. Updated at 4.41pm BST 4.11pm BST Russia says call with Rubio was 'constructive', ahead of Trump's Budapest meeting with Putin The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has said his call with secretary of state Marco Rubio was “constructive” ahead of Donald Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Budapest. The date is yet to be determined, but it will be the second bilateral with the Kremlin leader this year. 3.48pm BST Speaker: representative-elect should 'serve her constituents' instead of 'making TikTok videos' House speaker Mike Johnson, once again addressed questions from reporters about the decision to stave off swearing in representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election in Arizona at the end of September. Johnson maintains that he will carry out the formal proceedings when the Senate advances a bill to reopen the government and the House is back in session. “In the meantime, instead of doing TikTok videos, she should be serving her constituents,” Johnson said. “She could be taking their calls. She can be directing them, trying to help them through the crisis that the Democrats have created by shutting down the government.” Updated at 3.51pm BST 3.23pm BST Johnson says shutdown is exclusively about top Democrat's 'political survival' House Republicans are holding a press conference on day 20 of the government shutdown. Republican speaker, Mike Johnson, said the shutdown was about “one thing and one thing only, Chuck Schumer’s political survival”. GOP lawmakers have maintained that the Senate’s top Democrat is being squeezed by progressive members to stall passing a House-passed stopgap funding bill. Johnson has claimed that that Democrats wanted to wait for the No Kings protests across the country to take place before passing a funding extension. Updated at 3.34pm BST 3.05pm BST Supreme court agrees to hear case over law that bans drug users from possessing guns The supreme court has agreed to hear a case to review the federal law which prohibits illegal drug users having a gun – to determine whether this violates the second amendment. The US fifth circuit court of appeals said the law was unconstitutional, but the Trump justice department is challenging the ruling, arguing that drug users pose a unique threat when they have access to firearms. The government will have to clear a hurdle used in a 2022 gun rights at the supreme court, which said that any firearm regulation must satisfy a “history and tradition” test. A reminder, Hunter Biden, the former president’s son, was convicted on felony charges under the very law in question, when a jury determined that he lied about his drug use in order to obtain a gun. 2.40pm BST White House economic adviser says shutdown likely to end this week Kevin Hassett, the White House’s economic adviser, said that the ongoing government shutdown – which entered its 20th day – is likely to end this week. “There’s a shot that this week, things will come together, and very quickly,” Hassett said in an interview with CNBC today. “The moderate Democrats will move forward and get us an open government, at which point we could negotiate whatever policies they want to negotiate with regular order.” Hassett added that it would have been “bad optics” for Democrats to pass a funding bill to reopen the government before the No Kings protests that swept the country over the weekend. Updated at 2.44pm BST 1.55pm BST Vance to travel to Israel as top Trump envoys return to preserve ceasefire deal A reminder, that my colleagues are bringing you the latest developments out of the Middle East, as the US brokered ceasefire deal faced one of its first major tests over the weekend. Israeli forces launched a wave of airstrikes on Gaza and an Israeli security official said the transfer of aid into the territory was halted “until further notice”. The strikes across the territory killed at least 45 people, Gaza’s civil defence agency and hospitals said. The Israeli military claimed it struck after Hamas were said to have attacked Israeli troops operating “to dismantle terrorist infrastructure” in the southern city of Rafah. My colleague, Tom Ambrose, reports that Vice-President JD Vance is to visit Israel on Tuesday, the country’s airport authority said in a statement on Monday announcing preparations for his arrival at Tel Aviv’s airport. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner have returned to Israel, a US embassy spokesperson has said. They are overseeing, and helped broker, the ceasefire agreement, and are expected to meet members of prime ministers Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Read more below. Related: Gaza ceasefire live: Trump’s envoys arrive in Israel amid scramble to shore up fragile truce – Middle East crisis live Updated at 2.02pm BST 1.42pm BST Senate attempts 11th vote to reopen federal government, as shutdown enters day 20 The Senate will vote, for the 11th time, on a House-passed funding bill that would reopen the government at 5.30pm today. As the government shutdown enters its 20th day, there is little end in sight. The lower chamber is still out of session, as both parties continue to trade barbs over the lapse in funding. “I refuse to allow us to come back and engage in anything until the government’s reopened, when the Democrats do the right thing for the people,” House speaker Mike Johnson said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday. “They’re playing politics, and we have to use every ounce of leverage we have to make sure they do the right thing.” For Democrats’ part, they blame Republicans for being unwilling to negotiate and include several health care provisions in an alternative stopgap bill. This would roll back several of the cuts made to Medicaid enacted by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), and extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that are set to expire this year. Updated at 1.49pm BST 1.17pm BST As we reported earlier, Donald Trump will welcome Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to the White House today. He’s due to arrive at 11am ET for a bilateral meeting. We’ll bring you the latest lines as that gets under way. Trump will stay in Washington for the rest of the day as he hosts the Louisiana State University (LSU) baseball champions at the White House for a visit at 4pm ET. 12.52pm BST The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Monday it has opened a preliminary investigation into about 2,000 Waymo self-driving vehicles after reports that the company’s robotaxis may have failed to follow traffic safety laws around stopped school buses. The investigation is the latest federal review of self-driving systems as regulators scrutinize how driverless technologies interact with pedestrians, cyclists and other road users, reports AP. NHTSA said the Office of Defects Investigation opened the review after flagging a media report describing an incident in which a Waymo autonomous vehicle did not remain stationary when approaching a school bus with its red lights flashing, stop arm deployed and crossing control arm extended. The report said the Waymo vehicle initially stopped beside the bus then maneuvered around its front, passing the extended stop arm and crossing control arm while students were disembarking. A Waymo spokesperson said the company has “already developed and implemented improvements related to stopping for school buses and will land additional software updates in our next software release”.NHTSA said the vehicle involved was equipped with Waymo’s fifth-generation Automated Driving System (ADS) and was operating without a human safety driver at the time of the incident. Waymo has said its robotaxi fleet numbers more than 1,500 vehicles operating across major US cities, including Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Austin. The Alphabet-owned company also plans to expand internationally, with launches in cities including Tokyo and London in coming years. 12.39pm BST A city council member in Florida is facing backlash from national Indian American organizations, members of Congress, and local residents after posting a series of social media messages that insulted Indian people living in the US and called for them to be deported en masse. Chandler Langevin, a Palm Bay council member elected last year, made derogatory comments about Indian people across several posts on the social media platform X over roughly three weeks this fall. He claimed that Indians come to America to “drain our pockets” before returning to India, “or worse … to stay”. His remarks have sparked widespread anger. Since 29 September, residents along with regional and national Indian American groups have crowded Palm Bay city council meetings and demanded that he step down. On Thursday night, the council voted 3-2 to formally censure Langevin. During the meeting, Rob Medina, the mayor who also serves on the council, said: “We’re all overwhelmed by everything. This nation was founded on immigrants … We are all part of the very fabric of the flag, our banner, the United States of America.” Hindus for Human Rights, a national advocacy organization, released a letter calling the remarks “overtly bigoted, dehumanizing, and dangerous” and urged Republican governor Ron DeSantis to suspend Langevin from his role. Related: Florida politician faces backlash over calls for mass deportation of Indians 12.23pm BST Donald Trump due to meet Anthony Albanese, prime minister of Australia, at White House Donald Trump is due to meet Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of Australia, today for a working lunch at the White House, says the White House schedule. Updated at 12.32pm BST 12.19pm BST Disgraced former US congressman George Santos said on Sunday that his prison sentence had been “disproportionate”, but that he had been served “a very large slice of humble pie”, while lashing out at his critics in his first interview since Donald Trump commuted his sentence. Speaking to Dana Bash on CNN’s State of the Union, Santos said he was “all politicked out”, and called for his former campaign staffer, Sam Miele, to also receive a commutation. “This isn’t about ... glitter, stars and glam or going back to Congress,” he said. “This is a very personal journey and road for me ahead.” Trump announced on Friday that he had commuted the sentence for Santos, who was meant to serve more than seven years in federal prison in New Jersey after a whirlwind political career tainted by serial fabrications and fraudulent scheming. “I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump said in a lengthy Truth Social post. “Good luck George, have a great life!” Santos, who pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, was less than three months into serving time before he was released. He said Trump’s decision to commute his sentence came as a surprise. Related: George Santos says prison sentence was ‘disproportionate’ but ‘large slice of humble pie’ 11.58am BST Donald Trump on Sunday accused Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, of being an “illegal drug dealer” and threatened to immediately cut US funding to the country, as a Republican senator said the US would soon announce “major tariffs” on the country. It comes after the US defense secretary confirmed in a social media post an attack on a vessel associated with a Colombian leftist rebel group. Pete Hegseth said “three terrorists were killed” in the operation, which was “conducted in international waters”. “These cartels are the Al Qaeda of the western hemisphere,” Hegseth said. “The United States military will treat these organizations like the terrorists they are – they will be hunted, and killed.” In a post on his Truth Social platform just hours earlier, Trump had blamed Petro for encouraging the mass production of illegal drugs, saying the leftwing leader “does nothing to stop it, despite large-scale payments and subsidies from the US”. “Petro, a low rated and very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America, better close up these killing fields immediately,” Trump wrote, “or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely”. The remarks come after Petro said the US committed “murder” following a strike on an alleged drug boat in Colombian territorial waters in September, adding “we await explanations from the US government.” Related: Trump calls Colombia president ‘illegal drug dealer’ as US says it hit another ship 11.54am BST Zelenskyy calls for more US Patriot air defences after Trump again sides with Putin Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for the delivery of an additional 25 US Patriot anti-missile batteries amid the rapidly escalating air war with Russia, as it became clear that Donald Trump had once again tacked sharply towards Moscow. The Ukrainian president added that he would be ready to join Vladimir Putin and Trump at their summit in Hungary if he was invited. Reports over the weekend said Trump had privately urged Zelenskyy to accept Russia’s terms for ending the war in Ukraine during a fractious White House meeting on Friday, warning that Putin had said he would “destroy” Ukraine if it did not agree. According to the Financial Times, the meeting descended at times into a “shouting match”, with Trump “cursing all the time”. Related: Zelenskyy calls for more US Patriot air defences after Trump again sides with Putin 11.32am BST President Donald Trump reiterated on Sunday that Indian prime minister Narendra Modi told him India will stop buying Russian oil, while warning that New Delhi would continue paying “massive” tariffs if it did not do so. “I spoke with prime minister Modi of India, and he said he’s not going to be doing the Russian oil thing,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. Asked about India’s assertion that it was not aware of any conversation between Modi and Trump, Trump replied: “But if they want to say that, then they’ll just continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don’t want to do that.” Russian oil has been one of the main irritants for Trump in prolonged trade talks with India - half of his 50% tariffs on Indian goods are in retaliation for those purchases. The US government has said petroleum revenue funds Russia’s war in Ukraine, Reuters reports. 11.23am BST Comey faces deadline to file legal motions to dismiss indictment against him Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. I’m Tom Ambrose and I will be bringing you the latest news lines over the next hour or so. We start with the news that former FBI director James Comey today faces a deadline to file legal motions to dismiss an indictment accusing him of making false statements to Congress. Expected challenges that are scheduled to be filed today include claims that the prosecution was vindictive and that the US attorney supervising it was unlawfully appointed by president Donald Trump. The brief indictment handed down by a federal grand jury on 25 September accused Comey of making a false statement and obstructing a congressional investigation in connection with his September 2020 testimony to Congress. While the details of the charge remain unclear, they appear to be related to his claim that he never authorized anyone in the FBI to be an anonymous source in news stories. “I have great confidence in the federal judicial system and I’m innocent. So let’s have a trial. And keep the faith,” Comey said in a video statement the night the charges were filed. In other developments: Donald Trump has escalated tensions between Washington and one of its closest Latin American allies, declaring the US will slash assistance to Colombia and enact tariffs on its exports because its president, Gustavo Petro, “does nothing to stop” drug production. Trump referred to Petro as “an illegal drug leader” in a post on the Truth Social platform and warned that Petro “better close up” drug operations “or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely”. Disgraced former US congressman George Santos said on Sunday that his prison sentence had been “disproportionate” but that he had been served “a very large slice of humble pie”, while lashing out at his critics in his first interview since Donald Trump commuted his sentence. Speaking to CNN, Santos said he was “all politicked out” and called for his former campaign staffer, Sam Miele, to also receive a commutation. Trump said yesterday that he would send the national guard into San Francisco to make it “great again”. The comment came during an interview with Fox News, with Trump saying: “We’re going to go to San Francisco, and we’re going to make it great.” Major US soft-drink and snack-food corporations are waging a coordinated campaign that aims to pit Donald Trump’s Maga faithful against Robert F Kennedy Jr’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement, a Guardian investigation in partnership with the environmental watchdog Fieldnotes has found. Their goal is to stymie the Maha-led effort to curb Americans’ consumption of soda and ultra-processed foods. The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has arrived in the US for a meeting with president Donald Trump, where they are expected to discuss the Aukus pact – an agreement a respected Republican has called a “crucial deterrent” in the Indo-Pacific that “keeps [the Chinese president, Xi Jinping] up at night”. A city council member in Florida is facing a backlash from national Indian American organizations, members of Congress and residents after posting a series of social media messages that insulted Indian people living in the US and called for them to be deported en masse. Updated at 11.27am BST