Schumer faces calls to resign as minority leader after some Democrats work with Republicans to end shutdown – live

8.52pm GMT

Despite the intra-party turmoil that has erupted after some Democratic lawmakers voted to advance a bill that would end the government shutdown, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) issued a memo to encourage members to “hold vulnerable Republicans” accountable when speaking to the media this week.
As I’ve mentioned in my previous posts, moderate and progressive Democratic lawmakers alike have taken umbrage with the eight members of the caucus who broke ranks with and provided the remaining votes needed to reach the 60-vote threshold in the Senate. Meanwhile, Chuck Schumer, the upper chamber’s top Democrat, has been under fire for failing to keep the party united.
“It’s critical that we continue to highlight the health care crisis that the Republicans refuse to come to the table to try and solve, and call out by name our Republican colleagues in swing seats refusing to extend health care subsidies on the insurance marketplace,” said DCCC chair Suzan DelBene, before listing several GOP representatives in competitive districts to call out – instead of suggesting that the call might be coming from inside the house.

Updated at 8.54pm GMT

8.31pm GMT
Jeffries remains resolute that Schumer is an effective party leader

The House’s top Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, said that Chuck Schumer should stay in place as leader of the party – despite calls from progressive members of the caucus for him to step down.
When asked by a reporter at a press conference today if the Jeffries viewed Schumer “as effective and should he keep his job”, the congressman from New York responded with “yes and yes”.
He added that the Senate’s top Democrat, along with his colleagues in the upper chamber, have “waged a valiant fight on behalf of the American people” for the duration of the government shutdown.

8.18pm GMT

Per my last post, another name to add to the list of progressives who are calling for Chuck Schumer to resign, is congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. The Michigan lawmaker said that the Senate minority leader “has failed to meet this moment and is out of touch with the American people”.
“The Democratic Party needs leaders who fight and deliver for working people. Schumer should step down,” she added.

7.52pm GMT
Schumer faces calls to step aside as minority leader, as Democrats break party ranks to end shutdown

The Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, is facing calls to resign as minority leader after a group of Democratic senators broke ranks with the party and voted to advance a bill to reopen the government, as the longest shutdown in US history continues.
Notably, Schumer did not vote in favor of the legislation, which omits the centerpiece of Democrats’ negotiations – an extension of Obamacare tax credits. Regardless, he’s facing steep pushback from lawmakers who ultimately blame him for the eight members of the caucus who defected.
“Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced,” said congressman Ro Khanna, who represents the Silicon Valley region of California. “If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?”
Meanwhile, Khanna’s colleague Mark Levin – another House member from California – joined in the chorus questioning the minority leader’s capabilities. “Chuck Schumer has not met this moment and Senate Democrats would be wise to move on from his leadership,” he wrote in a post on X.
The progressive non-profit Our Revolution, similarly called for Schumer to step aside. The organization’s executive director, Joseph Geevarghese, issued the following statement:

If he secretly backed this surrender and voted ‘no’ to save face, he’s a liar. If he couldn’t keep his caucus in line, he’s inept. Either way, he’s proven incapable of leading the fight to prevent health care premiums from skyrocketing for millions of Americans. The country can’t afford his failed leadership any longer.

In Maine, Graham Platner, who is running to unseat Republican senator Susan Collins, issued a call-to-action to voters in his state. “Call your senators and tell them that Chuck Schumer can no longer be leader,” the Bernie-Sanders backed candidate said in a direct-to-camera video posted on social media. “We need to fight back. But sadly until we elect more democrats that fighting is what we need to do, we’re going to find ourselves in this position over and over again.”
Similarly, Saikat Chakrabarti, the progressive-hopeful running to fill retiring speaker emerita Nancy’s Pelosi’s seat in Congress, reposted Khanna’s call for the veteran senator from New York to step down from his party leadership role.

Updated at 8.02pm GMT

7.21pm GMT

On the topic of the government inching towards reopening, a White House official told the Guardian that “the action in the Senate is a positive development” and that “we look forward to seeing it progress.”
“President Trump has wanted the government reopened since the first day Democrats shut it down,” the official said.
A reminder that the Senate is trying to fast-track the bill, by getting all 100 lawmakers to get it on the floor for a vote, then they’ll need it to pass the House before it lands on Trump’s desk for a signature.

7.04pm GMT

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the original and edited footage from the edition of Panorama that Donald Trump is threatening legal action over, which shows how the BBC selectively edited a speech, resulting in the organisation being accused of making it appear clearer that Trump encouraged the US Capitol attack.
Broadcast a week before the 2024 US election, the episode spliced together clips of a Trump speech made on 6 January 2021. The spliced clip suggested that Trump told the crowd: ‘We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell.’ The words were taken from sections of his speech almost an hour apart. (Here’s our explainer on what Trump actually said).
Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, and the head of BBC News have since resigned.

Updated at 7.06pm GMT

6.43pm GMT

House speaker Mike Johnson said he’s hoping to vote as soon as Wednesday on the Senate’s deal to reopen the government, four sources on a conference call with House Republicans this morning have told NBC News.
While the exact timing will depend on how quickly the Senate is able to move on the bill, as we’ve reported earlier Johnson has urged House members to begin traveling back to Washington as soon as possible.

Updated at 6.47pm GMT

6.34pm GMT
The day so far

In a speech on the Senate floor, majority leader John Thune called for the quick passage of legislation to reopen the government, which cleared a key hurdle in the chamber yesterday evening. “I’m grateful that the end is in sight,” he said. “The American people have suffered for long enough. Let’s not pointlessly drag this bill out.” Over in the House, speaker Mike Johnson this morning urged representatives to begin traveling back to Washington to vote on legislation to reopen the government. The compromise bill that emerged yesterday funds the government through January, but does not include an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that Democrats had demanded.
It was able to proceed thanks to the support of eight members of the Democratic caucus, all of whom are moderates or set to soon retire. Those Democratic and Independent senators who broke ranks with the party to advance the bill have this morning defended their decisions amid furor from their party and base. In a statement after the vote, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hammpshire stood by her decision. “This was the only deal on the table. It was our best chance to reopen the government and immediately begin negotiations to extend the ACA tax credits,” she said.
In a development that is sure to breathe new life into the saga of the Epstein files, a spokesman for Johnson said he plans to swear in newly elected Democratic representative Adelita Grijalva as soon as the chamber returns to session, likely later this week. Grijalva is expected to be the 218th signature on a petition that will force a vote in the House on a bill to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died six years ago while facing sex-trafficking charges. Johnson has refused to swear her in for over a month, in an effort to pressure the Democrats into reopening the government.
Donald Trump has threatened legal action against the BBC and welcomed the resignations of two of its most senior figures after a campaign against the broadcaster that reached fever pitch over criticism that its flagship documentary programme in 2024 used a misleading edit of a Trump speech. Here is our explainer on what Trump actually said, the BBC’s apology, and our main report.
The US supreme court announced it will hear a high stakes case about whether states can accept mail-in ballots that arrive after election day, even if they are filled out and mailed before then. The case, Watson v Republican National Committee, involves a challenge to a Mississippi law that allows ballots to count if they are received within five business days of election day.
Christine Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, has announced that she is running for a California state senate seat, ending speculation that she might run for the seat long held by her mother in the House.
Activists are calling for people not to shop at major retailers Target, Amazon or Home Depot during the Thanksgiving week sales to send a message to the companies that they need to stand up for democracy. Dubbed “We Ain’t Buying It”, the call to action announced today asks shoppers to not buy anything from those three stores from 27 November to 1 December, or Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, some of the biggest shopping days of the year.

Updated at 6.49pm GMT

6.14pm GMT

Activists are calling for people not to shop at major retailers Target, Amazon or Home Depot during the Thanksgiving week sales to send a message to the companies that they need to stand up for democracy.
Dubbed “We Ain’t Buying It”, the call to action announced today asks shoppers to not buy anything from those three stores from 27 November to 1 December, or Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, some of the biggest shopping days of the year.
A website for the campaign explains how these three retailers were chosen:

This action is taking direct aim at Target, for caving to this administration’s biased attacks on DEI; Home Depot, for allowing and colluding with ICE to kidnap our neighbors on their properties; and Amazon, for funding this administration to secure their own corporate tax cuts.

Instead of shopping at these retailers, participants should support “Black, Immigrant and POC-owned businesses, small and local shops, retailers that have stood firm for democracy and inclusion” and “use the time and money to connect with those you love, and rediscover what matters”.
The plans come as millions have marched in the streets against the Trump administration and after boycotts of Target for its abandonment of diversity initiatives and of Disney after it temporarily took Jimmy Kimmel off the air in response to government pressure. Economic pressure campaigns are likely to increase this year as those opposed to Trump find ways to exert their power without Democratic party control in Washington.
Some of the groups behind the boycott are 50501, Black Voters Matter, Indivisible, Until Freedom and the Working Families Party.
“All year, companies like Target, Amazon, and Home Depot have quietly collaborated with Trump to entrench his power and to do his bidding. We won’t stand for it,” said Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of Indivisible.

We’ll send a clear message: stop complying with this lawless, vicious, bigoted agenda. Stand up for American democracy, civil rights, and our communities. Our dollars will go to people who share our values.

5.59pm GMT
Christine Pelosi announces she's not running for her mother Nancy Pelosi's seat

Christine Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, has announced that she is running for a California state senate seat, ending speculation that she might run for the seat long held by her mother in the House.
“I’m running to represent you, San Francisco, in Sacramento,” she said in an announcement video posted on X. “Fighting for consumer rights, women’s rights, gun violence survivors, immigrants and our most vulnerable communities against the threat we face.”
Nancy Pelosi announced last week that she would not seek re-election. Her daughter is an attorney and Democratic party organizer, and is running for the seat currently held by state senator Scott Wiener, who is one of those running for Pelosi’s congressional seat.

Updated at 6.05pm GMT

5.46pm GMT
Johnson to finally swear in Adelita Grijalva, over a month after her election win

In a development that is sure to breathe new life into the saga of the Epstein files, a spokesman for Republican House speaker Mike Johnson said he plans to swear in newly elected Democratic representative Adelita Grijalva as soon as the chamber returns to session, likely later this week.
Grijalva was elected in a September special election to a seat representing southern Arizona that her late father, Raúl Grijalva, held for more than two decades.
At the time, Johnson was keeping the House recessed in an effort to pressure Democrats to pass a government funding bill through the Senate, and said he would swear her in once he called the chamber back into session – which he would only do once Democrats renewed government funding.
They have now done so, and Johnson said he will call the House back as soon as the Senate votes on final passage of the bill.
Grijalva is expected to be the 218th signature on a petition that will force a vote in the House on a bill to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died six years ago while facing sex trafficking charges.
Epstein was a one-time associate of Donald Trump, and while campaigning last year, the president and his allies flirted with conspiracies that Epstein was at the center of a conspiracy to procure minors for abuse by global elites.
An uproar began in July when the justice department announced that it would not reveal further details about the Epstein case, leading to a push by congressional Democrats to release files related to his prosecution, which they believe will shed more light on his ties. While Trump has sought to release some documents related to the case, he opposes release of the files, calling them a “Democrat hoax”.
The expected House vote on the matter is expected to once again shine a light on the issue, which had faded into the background amid the larger struggle in Congress over funding the government.

Updated at 5.55pm GMT

5.35pm GMT

Per an earlier post, House speaker Mike Johnson this morning urged representatives to begin traveling back to Washington to vote on legislation to reopen the government.
He told reporters on Capitol Hill that once the Senate passed its version of the bill to end the shutdown, he would issue a formal 36-hour notice for House members to return to Washington “so that we can vote as soon as possible” to pass the amended bill and get it to Trump’s desk.
“There’ll be long days and long nights here for the foreseeable future to make up for all this lost time that was imposed upon us,” Johnson said. (A reminder that Johnson could have kept the House in session during the shutdown, but he chose not to since 19 September to pressure Democrats into reopening the government).

Updated at 5.40pm GMT

5.29pm GMT
Trump threatens BBC with legal action over edit of speech in documentary

Donald Trump has threatened legal action against the BBC and welcomed the resignations of two of its most senior figures after a campaign against the broadcaster that reached fever pitch over criticism that its flagship documentary programme in 2024 used a misleading edit of a Trump speech.
Lawyers for Trump said that the BBC must retract the Panorama documentary by Friday or face a lawsuit for “no less” than $1bn (£760m), according to US media outlets who cited the letter. The BBC has confirmed it had received a letter and said it will respond in due course.
The resignations of the BBC director general, Tim Davie, and its News CEO, Deborah Turness, came after the rightwing Telegraph newspaper published a leaked internal report by a former BBC standards adviser alleging failings in the broadcaster’s coverage. The report criticised BBC coverage on transgender issues, Israel’s war in Gaza and an edit of a Trump speech from January 6 during the Capitol Hill insurrection.

Related: Why the BBC is apologising over a Trump documentary – and what happens next

“Thank you to The Telegraph for exposing these Corrupt ‘Journalists.’ These are very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election. On top of everything else, they are from a Foreign Country, one that many consider our Number One Ally. What a terrible thing for Democracy!,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
The leaked BBC report said the current affairs Panorama documentary had “completely misled” viewers by splicing two parts of Trump’s speech together. The Panorama edit cut together quotes from sections of the speech delivered up to an hour apart, combining a line about walking to the Capitol with the instruction to “fight like hell”.
The BBC chair, Samir Shah, later on Monday apologised for the editing of the Trump speech, calling it an “error of judgment”.
Trump in fact gave conflicting advice that day to supporters, who he had called on to gather in the capital as part of his efforts to discredit his election loss based on false claims of widespread fraud. The US president was later impeached for “incitement of insurrection” related to the storming of the Capitol by rioters, but he was acquitted by the Senate after Republicans rallied around him.

Related: Trump threatens BBC with legal action over edit of speech in documentary

Updated at 5.29pm GMT

5.13pm GMT

In a speech on the Senate floor, majority leader John Thune called for the quick passage of legislation to reopen the government, which cleared a key hurdle in the chamber yesterday evening. He said:

I’m grateful that the end is in sight, but I would encourage every member of this body, Democrat or Republican, pro bill or anti bill, not to stand in the way of our being able to deliver the coming relief quickly.
The American people have suffered for long enough. Let’s not pointlessly drag this bill out.

The compromise bill that emerged yesterday funds the government through January, but does not include an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that Democrats had demanded. It was able to proceed thanks to the support of eight members of the Democratic caucus, all of whom are moderates or set to soon retire.

Related: Senate Democrats who defected in shutdown vote: ‘This was the only deal’

The rest of the Democratic caucus opposes the measure, and any one lawmaker could stop Thune from moving to vote on final passage of the bill as soon as today.
Over in the House, speaker Mike Johnson has said that as soon as the bill passes, he will give the chamber’s lawmakers 36 hours’ notice to return to Washington DC. He has kept the chamber out of session since 19 September to pressure Democrats into reopening the government.

Updated at 5.39pm GMT

5.07pm GMT

As Democratic senators who broke ranks from their party continue to face heat from most of their colleagues, senator Jeanne Shaheen, of New Hampshire, defended her decision in an interview with CNN today. “We need to get the government open because we have millions of Americans who are suffering, whether it’s because they’re not getting their food benefits or because travelers can’t get their flights,” she said.
The lawmaker, who is retiring in 2026, said she was confident that Republicans were “willing to come to the table” when it comes to a vote on the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that are notably missing from the bill Shaheen, and others, agreed to advance.
“We’ve heard the same thing from the White House. So, now we’ll see. We’ll see if they are really going to work with us to make sure that Americans can afford their health insurance,” she added.

Updated at 5.36pm GMT

5.00pm GMT
Syrian president al-Sharaa arrives at White House to meet with Trump

Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has arrived at the White House according to the press pool, who noted that he was due to enter through the West Wing, but ended up not getting eyes on his motorcade.
The Syrian leader’s meeting with Donald Trump has also started, per the pool reporters. A reminder, that the administration has began undoing US sanctions on Syria in May, ahead of Trump’s first meeting with al-Sharaa in Riyadh. They’re expected to discuss this further today.

4.42pm GMT
Health secretary announces removal of 'black box' of warnings on hormone replacement therapy

Today, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, announced the removal of a “black box” of warnings across hormone replacement therapy (HRT) – often estrogen and progesterone products that are prescribed to those contending with low levels of these hormones while experiencing menopause.
“Millions of women were told to fear the very therapy that could have given them strength, peace and dignity through one of life’s most difficult transitions,” Kennedy said. “We’re challenging outdated thinking and recommitting to evidence based medicine that empowers rather than restricts when prescribed response started early, hormone replacement therapy transforms the lives of women.”
The HHS noted ahead of today’s announcement that the use of HRT “plummeted in the early 2000s” when the Food and Drug Administration applied “boxed warnings following a Women’s Health Initiative study that found a statistically non-significant increase in the risk of breast cancer diagnosis”.

Updated at 4.44pm GMT

4.18pm GMT
Trump says leftover $2,000 payments will be used to pay down national debt

Per our earlier post about the $2,000 payments that Donald Trump said he would dole out to Americans as the country collects tariff revenue, he’s added that “all money left over” will be “used to SUBSTANTIALLY PAY DOWN NATIONAL DEBT” in a post on Truth Social.
This, along with the payments themselves, defies Congress’s control of government spending. While Trump can suggest how this money is spent, urging lawmakers to pass legislation that confers money to various groups and programs, federal law prohibits him from unilaterally deciding where funds go.

Updated at 4.40pm GMT

3.58pm GMT
Supreme court to hear pivotal case on whether mail-in ballots must arrive by election day

The US supreme court announced on Monday it will hear a high stakes case about whether states can accept mail-in ballots that arrive after election day, even if they are filled out and mailed before then.
The case, Watson v Republican National Committee, involves a challenge to a Mississippi law that allows ballots to count if they are received within 5 business days of election day. Sixteen states, as well as Washington DC, Guam, and Puerto Rico, allow a mail-in ballot from a domestic voter to count if it arrives in a certain timeframe after election day but is postmarked by the election. The policy is designed to ensure that voters who put their ballot in the mail ahead of election day are not punished if the mail is slow.
A federal judge in Mississippi upheld the state’s law, but it was reversed by the US court of appeals for the 5th circuit, one of the most conservative courts in the US. The majority in that court said that federal law sets one day as the day for federal elections and allowing ballots to arrive after that undermines the law.
Donald Trump and Republicans have railed against the practice of allowing ballots to arrive after election day. At least three states this year have ended the practice of allowing late-arriving ballots, and a March executive order by the president sought to punish states that allowed the practice. Lawsuits against portion of the executive order are still ongoing.

3.49pm GMT
Johnson says he will call House members back to Washington as soon as Senate holds final vote

At his daily press conference, the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, said that he welcomed the news that “some senate democrats finally have stepped forward to end the pain” of the government shutdown.
Johnson added that he would call all House members to return to Washington as soon as the Senate has its final vote. As of now, it’s not clear how long that might take and if the lawmakers will be able to expedite the process using unanimous consent.
“We have to do this as quickly as possible. We look forward to the government reopening this week so Congress can get back, can get back to our regular legislative session,” he said.
Despite the seismic shift on Capitol Hill over the, Johnson took no questions from reporter.

3.17pm GMT
'It's the opening of an opportunity,' say Senate Democrats who broke ranks to end government shutdown

The eight Democratic and Independent senators who broke ranks with the party to advance a bill that would end the government shutdown – the longest in US history – have defended their decisions amid furor from their party and base.
“What happened tonight is not the closing of a chapter. It’s the opening of an opportunity. What the chapter does close is the damaging shutdown that is only getting worse, that is only going to impact more and more people,” said Angus King, the Independent lawmaker from Maine who caucuses with Democrats.
Maggie Hassan, the Democratic senator from New Hampshire, who was part of the bipartisan talks to strike a deal with Republicans, addressed the fact that the revised bill forgoes the Obamacare subsidies that Democrats made a central part of their negotiations.
“Congress has one month to engage in serious, bipartisan negotiations to extend the Affordable Care Act’s expiring tax cuts for health insurance,” Hassan wrote in a statement, referring to the vote that GOP lawmakers promised Democrats. “My Democratic colleagues and I have been ready to work on this for months. With the government reopening shortly, Senate Republicans must finally come to the table – or, make no mistake, Americans will remember who stood in the way.”
Meanwhile, senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who was part of the small faction of Democrats in the upper chamber who voted in favor of the original House-passed funding bill on several occasions, said that “it should’ve never come to this,” referring to the ongoing 40-day shutdown. ““I’m sorry to our military, SNAP recipients, gov workers, and Capitol Police who haven’t been paid in weeks,” he added.
An important note. None of the Democratic senators who voted yes on Sunday’s procedural motion are up for re-election in 2026. Two of them, Dick Durbin of Illinois, and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, are retiring next year, while the earliest that any of the others would face a challenge would be in 2028.

Updated at 3.25pm GMT

3.03pm GMT
Supreme court denies hearing for challenge to same-sex marriage

The supreme court has rejected hearing a case that challenges the constitutional right for same-sex couples to marry.
The court denied a long-shot effort from Kim Davis, a former Kentucky county clerk, who refused to issue marriage licenses on religious grounds. As a result, Davis was jailed and ordered to pay thousands of dollars in damages. As part of her appeal to the supreme court, she asked the court to overturn their landmark 2015 decision.

Updated at 3.13pm GMT

2.43pm GMT

Donald Trump on Sunday mused about giving most Americans $2,000 funded by tariff revenues collected by the president’s administration – an evident bid to rally public support on the issue.
“A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.
The post also made it a point to call people against tariffs “FOOLS!”
For such a plan to take effect, congressional approval would likely be required. Earlier this year, Republican senator Josh Hawley of Missouri introduced a bill proposing $600 in tariff rebates for nearly all Americans and their dependent children.
“Americans deserve a tax rebate after four years of [Joe] Biden [White House] policies that have devastated families’ savings and livelihoods,” Hawley said at the time. He said the legislation would “allow hard-working Americans to benefit from the wealth that Trump’s tariffs are returning to this country”.
However, US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said in August that the administration’s main focus remains reducing the national debt, which stands at $38.12tn, using funds from tariff collections. He said the money would be used first to start paying down the federal debt – not to give rebate checks to Americans.

Related: Trump weighs giving Americans $2,000 from tariff revenues in bid for support

1.44pm GMT
Hegseth announces new strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats, killing six

US forces struck two more alleged drug trafficking boats off the coast of South America, killing six people, the Trump administration’s defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has said.
The US began carrying out such strikes – which some experts say amount to extrajudicial killings even if they target known traffickers – in early September, taking aim at vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
“Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, two lethal kinetic strikes were conducted on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,” Hegseth said.
He added in a social media post on X: “Both strikes were conducted in international waters and 3 male narco-terrorists were aboard each vessel. All 6 were killed. No US forces were harmed. Under President Trump, we are protecting the homeland and killing these cartel terrorists who wish to harm our country and its people.”
Hegseth said: “These vessels were known by our intelligence to be associated with illicit narcotics smuggling, were carrying narcotics, and were transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route in the Eastern Pacific.”

Updated at 2.31pm GMT

1.16pm GMT

Donald Trump is in Washington today. At 11am ET, he’ll welcome Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa to the White House. This will be the first visit by a Syrian head of state since the country gained independence in 1946.
Trump has already listed several sanctions on Syria, and the leaders are set to discuss more about this in al-Sharaa’s meeting today. Currently the meeting is closed to the press, but we’ll let you know if that changes.
Later Trump will take part in the swearing-in of the US ambassador to India, Sergio Gor. As of now, the press can’t attend, but we’ll bring you the latest as we learn more.

12.44pm GMT
Short-term bill to resume government funding until end of January

Here’s some more detail on the bill that could resume government funding, although only until the end of January.
A handful of Democrats departed from the party line, to crank out a deal with the Republicans which would:

Reverse firings of federal workers that the White House carried out after the shutdown began.
Provide back pay for all federal employees including military personnel, border patrol agents and air-traffic controllers.

It’s believed that the Senate will try to circumvent usual procedural rules in the chamber today when they reconvene to get the bill passed quickly. Because it’s been amended, it will also need to go back to the lower house for passage before signoff by Trump.

Updated at 1.06pm GMT

12.17pm GMT
Flight cancellations on the rise due to shutdown

There’s been massive disruption to air travel in and out of the US due to the shutdown, where staff like air traffic controllers have been working without pay.
According to trackers, thousands of flights were cancelled on the weekend, with more than 10,000 delayed.
The Federal Aviation Administration last week warned it was reducing capacity by up to 10% at the nation’s 40 busiest airports because of the lack of workers. Some airports have seen controllers calling in sick or taking on second jobs to make ends meet.
Meanwhile Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said yesterday that if the shutdown continues, people might not even be able to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of the month.

12.01pm GMT
Trump pardons Giuliani and allies linked to efforts to overturn 2020 vote

The president has also on the weekend granted full pardons to dozens of allies accused of attempting to subvert the 2020 election won by Joe Biden.
The four-page list released from his administration runs to more than 70 people – including his former lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell and former chief of staff Mark Meadows. They’ve all been granted “full, complete and unconditional” pardons for their actions in relation to the 2020 vote.
They were accused of being involved in a scheme to alter slates of electors in battleground states like Arizona, Georgia and Michigan, which Biden won in 2020.
None of those on the list was ever charged on a federal level, but this directive could prevent future administrations from prosecuting.
Trump, in a proclamation dated on Friday, said the move would end “a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 presidential election and continue the process of national reconciliation”.

Updated at 1.25pm GMT

11.55am GMT
Trump says shutdown end 'very close'

President Trump last night also acknowledged the progress to reporters after arriving at the White House after a weekend at Mar-a-Lago.

“It looks like we’re getting very close to the shutdown ending.”

11.47am GMT
Senators take major step towards ending shutdown

Good morning. We may be closer to the end of the longest government shutdown in US history, after Democratic senators agreed to a deal with their counterparts across the aisle that cleared the way for a formal debate to resume funding to federal agencies.
The shutdown has gone on for more than 40 days now – affecting hundreds of thousands of federal workers and people who rely on programs like food aid.
Senators have agreed to a stopgap deal to fund the government through to January – more on that later – but on the process, it still needs to be passed in the Senate over the next two days, and then requires approval in the House of Representatives before landing on Donald Trump’s desk.
That may take a week or even longer. Still, it’s a step closer to relief.