Where things stand
• Trump’s meeting with Australian PM: President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a key rare minerals agreement at the White House today — a topic that has become a major sticking point between the US and China. Trump, meanwhile, praised his relationship with China’s leader and said he thinks the country “will come to the table” on trade.
• Shutdown standoff: Senators are back on Capitol Hill today, but there are few signs lawmakers are close to a compromise to reopen the government as the impasse hits day 20. The chamber is expected to vote this afternoon on a GOP funding bill, which failed to pass repeatedly last week, as the parties remain in a standoff over health care subsidies.
• Growing impacts: The ramifications of the impasse continue to be felt across the federal workforce, with Senate staffers being told they will no longer be paid for the rest of the shutdown and the federal agency overseeing the US nuclear stockpile furloughing most of its workforce starting today. Is the shutdown affecting you? Tell us about it.
Thune pulls back on Russia sanctions vote in Senate
Senate Republican Leader John Thune pulled back from his insistence on a vote on Russia sanctions within the next few weeks, citing President Donald Trump’s upcoming summit in Budapest.
Thune told reporters last week that he wants to see a vote on the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill within the next 30 days. However, today he backed off, citing the expected summit in Budapest with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Thune said that he had spoken to Sen. Lindsey Graham, the lead Republican sponsor of the bill, earlier today, and that Graham is “working with the White House with trying to determine whether or not that meeting that happens in a couple of weeks will be a fruitful one and will help move the process forward.”
“If it doesn’t, I still think that the sanctions bill is a tool in the president’s tool chest that he can use against the Russians to get them to the table,” he added.
GOP Leader Thune throws cold water on pay for furloughed federal workers, setting up Senate clash this week
Senate Majority Leader John Thune threw cold water on the idea of adding furloughed federal workers to a bill that would only pay “essential” employees during the shutdown, despite a Democratic push to ensure all federal workers continue to be paid.
As the shutdown drags on, Thune said he’s hoping to have the Senate vote on a bill, originally introduced by GOP Sen. Ron Johnson, that would pay federal workers that are being asked to continue working through the shutdown.
The GOP leader said federal workers are “all going to get paid eventually, but I think people who are working right now and not getting paid ought to get paid.” His dismissal of this idea signals there may not be enough Democratic support to pass the bill.
Pressed on whether it was time for the House to consider returning to Washington to vote on a new continuing resolution as the current House-passed bill only provides for funding through November 21, Thune replied: “Yes, for sure. I mean, every day that passes, we got less time to fund the government.”
In other news: Top Trump officials held talks on the Gaza ceasefire deal and Ukraine war today. Catch up here
President Donald Trump and top administration officials continue to move forward with key foreign policy negotiations while the government shutdown stretches on at home.
Here’s a recap of where things stand on the Gaza ceasefire deal, war in Ukraine and US relations with Colombia:
- Gaza ceasefire: Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner held lengthy meetings with senior Israel Defense Forces generals in Tel Aviv at the Kirya headquarters on Monday to discuss ceasefire arrangements in Gaza, an Israeli source told CNN. During a bilateral meeting at the White House with the Australian prime minister today, Trump threatened to “eradicate” Hamas if it doesn’t abide by its ceasefire agreement with Israel, saying that he could order a fresh offensive in the region.
- Ukraine War: Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday discussed “next steps” to follow up on the call between their two presidents. Rubio “emphasized the importance of upcoming engagements as an opportunity for Moscow and Washington to collaborate on advancing a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war, in line with President Trump’s vision,” according to a US State Department readout of the call. Earlier at the White House today, Trump said he still believes Ukraine can win the war with Russia, but that the outcome was unlikely.
- Clash with Colombia’s president: Colombia’s ambassador to the US has been recalled to Bogotá for “consultations,” the Embassy of Colombia in Washington said today. This comes as Trump said today that his administration plans to announce tariffs on Colombia today. Tensions between President Gustavo Petro and Trump have been growing following a deployment of US military assets in the Caribbean and attacks on vessels allegedly trafficking drugs.
CNN’s Tal Shalev, Adam Cancryn, Jennifer Hansler, Billy Stockwel and Kevin Liptak contributed reporting to this post.
A timeline of the Trump administration's efforts to lay off federal workers during the shutdown
A judge last week put a stop to the Trump administration’s efforts to layoff thousands of federal workers during the shutdown — for now.
As the legal challenge brought against the administration by unions plays out, here’s a look back at how we got here.
- On October 1, lawmakers fail to fund the government.
- On October 2, the White House said the Office of Management and Budget was compiling a list of agencies it was targeting for federal layoffs.
- On October 10, Trump said he planned to fire “a lot” of federal workers in retaliation for the shutdown, vowing to target those deemed to be aligned with the Democratic Party. A few days later, Trump said he would release a list of Democratic-backed programs on the chopping block.
- Also on October 10, the Trump administration pulled the trigger on layoffs across seven federal agencies. This accounted for about 4,100 workers.
- On October 14, the White House Office of Management and Budget said it would continue to “ride out” the shutdown with more reductions in force. OMB Director Russ Vought later said that layoffs could reach “north of 10,000” if the shutdown continues.
- On October 15, a federal judge in San Francisco halted the Trump administration’s efforts, calling the layoffs during a shutdown unlawful and “politically motivated.”
20 days into the government shutdown: What happened and where things stand
The federal government shutdown has dragged on into a new week, with lawmakers still at an impasse over heath care subsidies.
The standoff has now lasted for 20 days, so here’s a recap of how we got here.
First, some history: This is the first time the federal government officially shut down since 2019. That last shutdown was overseen by President Donald Trump and was the longest in US history.
That brings us to the beginning of this month: On October 1, a deadlocked Congress failed to keep the government funded, commencing the shutdown.
Since then, Republicans and Democrats have been blaming each other. Democrats want to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies as part of any deal to reopen the government, while Republicans say the government must be reopened first before there is any negotiation over the issue.
Another vote today: The GOP funding bill, which failed to pass repeatedly last week, is expected to be up for another vote in the Senate later today.
Here are some of the most recent impacts:
- The federal agency overseeing the US nuclear stockpile will furlough most of its workforce starting today. Roughly 1.4 million federal employees are furloughed or working without pay.
- Air traffic control facilities reported more staffing shortages over the weekend, with controllers working without pay.
- Roughly 42 million Americans could lose food assistance in November, as the SNAP program is set to run out of money.
- The Supreme Court announced it will close its doors to the public because of a lack of funding, though it will continue to process cases and filings.
- Senate staffers were informed on Friday that they will no longer receive their paychecks today and will not be paid for the remainder of the shutdown, according to an email of the notice reviewed by CNN.
OMB says in talking points for Capitol Hill that Army Corps of Engineers funding freeze is to "reorient" federal funding
The Office of Management and Budget defended its decision to pause over $11 billion in projects with the Army Corps of Engineers by arguing that the Trump administration wants to “reorient” the federal funding, according to internal talking points circulating on Capitol Hill and obtained by CNN.
The talking points provide further insight into how the Trump administration is using the government shutdown to reallocate federal funding to reflect its priorities, while stifling funding to Democratic-strongholds.
“The Army Corps shouldn’t be funding bike lanes in Cape Cod, billion-dollar fish ladders, and municipal sewage systems,” the talking points read.
The OMB memo also said it was pausing projects in so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions.
“Taxpayer dollars should not be subsidizing infrastructure in states led by governors ignoring federal law,” the memo states.
Some of the projects OMB said it was reviewing include: replacing an existing San Francisco pier with a waterfront park; restoring aquatic habitat for salmon and steelhead trout; replacing bridges in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to expand bike lanes; and the design and construction of wastewater treatment and water supply systems in Queens, New York.
OMB said The Army Corps’ outstanding authorizations easily exceed $100 billion and there are many projects eligible for federal funding.
TSA staffing shortages at Atlanta causes passenger delays
Transportation Security Administration staffing shortages are causing “longer than usual” wait times at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the airport said Monday as the federal government’s shutdown heads into its 20th day.
As of noon ET, the main checkpoint at the airport had up to a 30-minute wait time, though some of the other checkpoints have shorter lines.
The cause of the staffing shortage was not immediately clear; however, TSA officers and air traffic controllers are essential employees and must work during the shutdown but are not being paid.
An increased number of controllers have called out sick to protest the shutdown or take part time jobs to earn money, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said.
The TSA did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment on the situation.
Trump and Australia's Albanese strike deal on rare earth minerals
President Donald Trump said Monday in his bilateral meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that the two countries have struck a deal on rare earth minerals — a topic that’s become a major sticking point between the United States and China.
Albanese said the deal signifies a $8.5 billion “pipeline that we have ready to go” and is an example of the two countries strengthening ties. The deal will kick off with both countries paying $1 billion over the next six months for new projects.
China earlier this month ramped up restrictions on its rare earth exports. That didn’t sit well with Trump, who threatened to call off an upcoming meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. China is a major producer of rare earth minerals, which are ubiquitous in everyday technology.
Australia, a key US ally, also has rich deposits of many rare earths, and it has ramped up production over the past half decade, according to a study from the Interior Department. Australia also mines about half of the world’s lithium, which is used for the production of electric vehicle batteries.
“We work together very much on rare earths, critical minerals and lots of other things, and we’ve had a very good relationship,” Trump said of Australia. “We’ve been working on that for quite a while. In about a year from now, we’ll have so much critical mineral and rare earths, and you won’t know what to do with them.”
Colombian ambassador to the US recalled to Bogotá for consultations amid Trump's back-and-forth with president
Colombia’s ambassador to the US has been recalled to Bogotá for “consultations,” the Embassy of Colombia in Washington said Monday, a move that comes as US President Donald Trump clashes with the nation’s leader.
“The Ambassador of Colombia to the United States, Daniel García-Peña, has been recalled to Bogotá for consultations by President Gustavo Petro Urrego,” Foreign Minister Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio Mapy said in a statement posted on X.
“The Government of Colombia will announce the corresponding decisions in due course,” the minister added.
Trump on Sunday accused Petro of being “an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs.” Trump also threatened to cease “large scale payments and subsidies” to the nation, which he sees as largely having failed to combat drug cartels producing and shipping narcotics to the US.
Tensions between Petro and Trump had been growing following a deployment of US military assets in the Caribbean and attacks on vessels allegedly trafficking drugs.
At least seven vessels have been attacked as part of these operations, leaving more than two dozen people dead. Petro claimed that some of them were Colombians and accused the United States of “murder.” Meanwhile, a Colombian citizen aboard the latest vessel attacked was returned to his country over the weekend.
Trump threatens to "eradicate" Hamas if it breaks ceasefire deal
President Donald Trump threatened to “eradicate” Hamas if it doesn’t abide by its ceasefire agreement with Israel, saying Monday that he could order a fresh offensive in the region.
US troops would not be involved in any renewed fighting, Trump added, insisting that other forces are in place and ready to carry out orders should he decide that Hamas has violated the ceasefire.
Two Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza over the weekend, prompting waves of airstrikes, which marked the first major test of the peace agreement.
Internal clashes in Gaza have also created a volatile security situation in the battered enclave with violence erupting between Hamas and rival groups.
“We’ve had countries calling me when they saw some of the killing with Hamas, saying we’d love to go in and take care of the situation ourselves,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We’re going to give it a little chance, and hopefully there will be a little less violence.”
Russia-Ukraine war: Trump on Monday separately said that he also urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop attacks on civilian areas in Ukraine that have made it more difficult to reach a peace deal between the two countries.
Trump says Ukraine could win war, but that it's unlikely
President Donald Trump said today he still believes Ukraine can win the war with Russia, but said such an outcome was unlikely.
“They could still win it. I don’t think they will, but they could still win it,” he told reporters at the White House.
Last month, Trump claimed Ukraine might be able to regain all its territory lost to Russia over the course of the yearslong war.
But after a phone call last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump is again insistent Kyiv must give up swaths of land for the conflict to end.
He has called for the war to freeze along current battle lines.
Trump made clear Monday he never claimed Ukraine “would win.”
“I said they could win. Anything could happen. You know, war is a very strange thing. A lot of bad things happen. A lot of good things happen,” he said.
Trump says prime minister invited him to visit Australia: "It’s a real possibility”
President Donald Trump told reporters that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has extended an invitation to visit his country.
Trump was asked about whether he visited Australia before, to which he said he has in the past.
“I actually have been to Australia, and I did play one of your great golf courses. They have great golf courses there, but I have been to Australia, actually,” he said at the White House.
Asked if he would visit again, Trump responded, “Oh I would. In fact, I’ve been invited to go and I’ll have to give it serious consideration. No, it’s a real possibility.”
He said that the prime minister invited him to visit Australia during their meeting today.
“Perhaps we could time it, must be said, with the President’s Cup that Australia hosts as well,” Albanese quipped.
Trump says he has good relationship with Xi, doesn't foresee China invading Taiwan
President Donald Trump said Monday he enjoys a “very good relationship” with China’s Xi Jinping ahead of their highly anticipated meeting at the end of October.
“I’m meeting with President Xi; we have a very good relationship,” Trump said alongside his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, at the White House.
He acknowledged some tension, saying Beijing tries to “take advantage” of the US, but said he was hopeful for a trade deal.
Trump said he believed the AUKUS pact, which aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific, could act as a deterrent to Beijing. However, he said he didn’t believe military force would be necessary.
“I think we’ll be just fine with China,” he said. “China doesn’t want to do that.”
“I think we’re going to get along very well as it pertains to Taiwan and others,” he went on. “Now that doesn’t mean it’s not the apple of his eye, because probably it is, but I don’t see anything happening.”
China views Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to “reunify” with the democratic and separately governed island, by force if necessary. Taiwan strongly objects to China’s sovereignty claims.
The president also said that he’s been invited to visit China. “I’ll be doing that sometime, fairly early next year. We have it sort of set, but I think we’re going to have a very good relationship with China,” Trump said.
This post has been updated with additional remarks from Trump.
GOP lawmaker: Republicans “need to be taking a look” at eliminating Senate filibuster amid shutdown
House Republican Chip Roy thinks his party should consider eliminating the Senate’s 60-vote threshold to break the government funding logjam.
He justified the move, which would involve Senate Republicans exercising the “nuclear option,” by noting Democrats have in the past called for the elimination of the Senate’s filibuster.
“And look, I like being able to block bad things with 60 votes, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like it’s a one-way ratchet, because but for basically (former Senatorss) Sinema and Manchin, they would have blown up the 60-vote threshold to advance their agenda,” Roy said. “I think Republicans ought to take a long, hard look at the 60-vote threshold, which I think we’re just being beholden to a broken system right now.”
Roy also said Monday that he is open to negotiating with Democrats on an extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies but said a clean extension would be a non-starter.
Speaker Johnson defends Trump AI video of president with crown dumping apparent waste on protesters
House Speaker Mike Johnson defended President Donald Trump’s sharing of an apparent artificial intelligence-generated video on social media that depicted him dropping waste on protesters.
The Louisiana Republican claimed protesters who participated in “No Kings” rallies over the weekend were trying to incite violence against the president.
“He is not calling for the murder of his political opponents, and that’s what these people are doing,” he said.
For context: Trump shared the apparently AI-generated video of himself wearing a crown and flying a fighter jet dumping what appears to be waste onto “No Kings” protesters after the nationwide demonstrations Saturday.
The video, posted on Trump’s Truth Social account, shows the president in a fighter jet with “KING TRUMP” on the side dumping what appears to be waste on protesters in New York City.
CNN’s Aileen Graef contributed to this post.
House speaker says Grijalva's staff "need to be helping their constituents," despite delay in swearing in
House Speaker Johnson insisted Monday that Arizona Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva should be serving her constituents even as he defended the delay in swearing her in.
The speaker told reporters that when representatives win special selections, their party’s leaders typically give them guidance and direction, including coordinating with the House’s top administrative officer to set up their computers and login information. He faulted Grijalva and Democrats for not doing that.
“That call was apparently never made by Rep. Grijalva,” Johnson said, “and I don’t know if the Democrat leader’s office didn’t inform her of that, but I found out this morning that the person who runs that office in the chief administrative office is on furlough because (Democrats) voted to shut the government down.”
He said the matter has now been “sorted out” and that Grijalva and the 16 staffers she hired “need to be taking calls, and they need to be helping their constituents” amid the shutdown.
Johnson also criticized Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, who is expected to file a lawsuit related to the delay. “Yet another Democrat politician from Arizona is trying to get national publicity,” he said.
The speaker has argued he’s following a precedent of not swearing in representatives who have won special elections until the House is in full legislative session, even though he previously swore in two Florida Republicans during a pro forma session.
NOW: Trump greets Australian prime minister at White House
President Donald Trump welcomed Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to the White House just moments ago.
Asked by reporters what his message to Australia is, Trump said, “We love them.” In a follow-up question the president was asked about what the two leaders hope to accomplish during their meeting, he responded, “A lot, a lot. Great things. Thank you very much,” before heading inside the White House.
It is the first summit between the security allies since Trump’s second election.
The two leaders are expected to discuss tariffs, security and minerals, as well as geopolitical tensions during a bilateral meeting that’s happening soon.
We’ll bring you the latest from the meeting as we know more of the details.
This post has been updated with Trump’s remarks.
Speaker Johnson says he'd bring House back to DC if Senate passes bill to pay federal workers
Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday that he would bring the House back into session as soon as this week if the Senate passes a bill to pay federal workers during the shutdown, though he cast doubt that 60 senators would vote to advance that legislation.
“Well, yeah, then the ball would be back in our court, and we’d probably have to do that,” he said when asked by CNN if he would bring the House back after canceling four consecutive weeks of legislative session.
“I don’t have any faith that they’re going to pass it, though. I think they’re going to continue to play games,” he said.
CNN reported last week that Senate GOP leaders are considering taking up a bill to pay federal workers affected by the shutdown. It would bipartisan support to clear the 60-vote threshold to advance.
“We’re on a 48-hour notice to return everybody to work as soon as they’ll turn the lights on or do something meaningful,” Johnson said.
He also told reporters that he planned to meet with Trump Monday afternoon and denied that Republicans were shifting strategy amid the 20-day stalemate.
“We’re trying to be the responsible party,” he said, again placing blame on Democrats.
What to know about the huge "No Kings" protests over the weekend
You likely saw some news of the nationwide “No Kings” protests on Saturday — and you may have had demonstrations in your own community — but if you need to catch up on the big picture, here’s a quick rundown:
The turnout: More than 7 million people took part in 2,700 rallies across the country, according to organizers. Along with larger events in major cities, small pockets of “No Kings” protesters cropped up along busy thoroughfares, in small town squares and at municipal parks in red and blue states alike.
The causes: Attendees were broadly protesting against what they described as President Donald Trump’s “authoritarian” agenda, and we saw signs and chants about a range of the administration’s policies.
But some key themes took center stage, including perceived threats to democracy, the administration’s ICE raids and troop deployments in US cities, and cuts to federal programs, especially health care.
Here’s more of what we heard from protesters.
What it was like on the ground: The protests were largely peaceful and there were not widespread clashes with law enforcement. Authorities in Portland and New York City reported that the protests concluded without a single arrest.
Some demonstrators wore yellow — a symbol of unity and a reference to other nonviolent resistance movements, according to organizers. Other protesters wore costumes, including inflatable chickens, frogs and dinosaurs, which they said emphasized the peaceful and even jovial nature of the demonstrations.
There were some sporadic reports of trouble involving people who targeted protesters: A woman in South Carolina was arrested for brandishing a firearm while driving near a demonstration, and a man in Georgia was seen on video taking a protester’s flag and pushing another demonstrator to the ground.
What Trump said: Trump responded with mockery — embracing the narrative in a way that explains his growing hubris and belief that he has unchecked power.
Trump shared an AI meme of himself in a crown, flying a fighter jet emblazoned with “KING TRUMP,” appearing to dump raw sewage on protesters.
He also said people who attended the rallies “are not representative of the people of our country.”
Meanwhile, US negotiators meet Netanyahu in effort to sustain Gaza agreement
Donald Trump’s Gaza negotiators — envoy Steve Witkoff and the US president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner — are back in the Middle East in an effort to push forward the next phase of the agreement that has brought a ceasefire in return for the release of hostages.
The office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (PMO) said he met with them Monday, on the eve of a visit by US Vice President JD Vance.
The visit by Witkoff and Kushner follows a flare-up of violence Sunday in which two Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Gaza, and Israeli airstrikes subsequently killed 45 Palestinians, according to hospitals and Gaza’s Civil Defense.
The PMO said Monday that Hamas has violated the ceasefire terms and that there have been “dozens of incidents” documented by the IDF of “terrorists crossing the yellow line.”
In an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” before leaving the US, Kushner said that “the biggest message that we’ve tried to convey to the Israeli leadership now is that, now that the war is over, if you want to integrate Israel with the broader Middle East, you have to find a way to help the Palestinian people thrive and do better.”
Still, there are plenty of outstanding issues in the next phase of the Gaza agreement, including the mechanism for Hamas’ disarmament, the establishment of an International Stabilization Force and governance for the devastated territory.
