Trump plans aid package for hard-hit U.S. soybean farmers

President Trump is making plans for a significant aid package for U-S soybean farmers. The move aims to help farmers survive China’s boycott of American beans, which was sparked by the president’s trade war. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says substantial support for farmers is expected to be announced this week. The aid comes amid the ongoing tariff war that has prompted China to stop buying U.S. soybeans and order soybeans from Brazil and Argentina.

White House withholds money from states with Dem senators

Federal government shutdown to stretch into next week

Hamas agrees to parts of Trump’s Gaza peace plan

Hamas has partially accepted President Trump’s proposed peace plan for Gaza. After Donald Trump issued Hamas a Sunday evening deadline to agree to the plan or face stepped up military action, the terrorist organization agreed to give up power and release all remaining hostages. But other elements of the plan are still being discussed. In response, the president ordered Israel to stop bombing the Gaza Strip. The war has been raging nearly two years since the brutal October 7th Hamas attack against Israel.

Another Senate vote fails to fund government, end shutdown

Another vote to fund the government has failed in the Senate — extending the shutdown. Forty-four Democrats voted against a Republican bill that would have temporarily restored federal funding and reopened the government. The final tally was short of the 60 votes needed to end a filibuster and pass the legislation. While there have been some bipartisan discussions, there are few signs of any real progress toward ending the congressional standoff. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson has canceled legislative business in his chamber next week in a move aimed at forcing the Senate to work with the House-approved government funding bill. GC, Wash.

Bipartisan group of senators discussing possible shutdown compromises

Senators from both parties are discussing ways to end the government shutdown, but the impasse continues. While most Republicans and Democrats appear dug in for a prolonged fight, a bipartisan group of senators has been discussing possible health care compromises. The group includes moderate Democrats who have said they want to find a quick resolution and have been holding one-on-one talks over the last two days. One of their core concerns is extending health care benefits due to expire. But GOP leadership is insisting on a clean funding bill at current spending levels.

Trump sets Sunday deadline for Hamas to accept peace deal

President Trump has set a Sunday evening deadline for Hamas to agree to a deal ending the war in Gaza.
The president’s latest ultimatum came in a social media post, threatening more attacks if Hamas doesn’t agree to a proposed peace deal. He said this is the “last chance” for the militant group to accept. The president said an agreement must be reached by 6pm Eastern time on Sunday. Writing in all caps, he declared “there will be peace in the Middle East one way or the other.”

Trump considers more job cuts in the federal workforce

The Trump administration is using the government shutdown to potentially make more cuts in the federal workforce. The president met with his White House budget director on Thursday to discuss the possible firing of more federal workers. Referring to the shutdown, he wrote online that he can’t believe Democrats gave him “this unprecedented opportunity.” The president said that his focus is on cutting, what he called, “Democrat agencies” in the government. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said there could be “thousands” of layoffs.

Monthly jobs numbers delayed amidst gov’t shutdown

One of the casualties of the government shutdown is the monthly jobs report. The Labor Department typically releases its monthly job numbers on the first Friday of the month. But that report on economic data is being delayed amidst the ongoing shutdown. A short delay won’t be very disruptive. But a long absence of those numbers could pose challenges, particularly for the Federal Reserve. The Fed relies on jobs data as it grapples with interest rates amid a slowing labor market.

White House asks universities to support its policies for money access

The White House is asking nine major universities to support Trump priorities in exchange for priority access to federal money. This week’s letter to the universities asks them to sign an agreement committing them to accept the government’s definition of gender and apply it to campus bathrooms, locker rooms and women’s sports teams. It also asks colleges to stop considering race, gender, and other demographics in the admissions process. In return, schools would have priority access to funding and the White House. The schools are Vanderbilt, the Universities of Arizona, Pennsylvania, Southern California, Texas, and Virginia, Dartmouth College, MIT, and Brown University.

Trump administration considers thousands of layoffs in shutdown

It’s Day Two of a government shutdown that has both political parties blaming the other. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says President Trump hopes Senate Democrats will “do the right thing” and support a temporary funding bill. With the Senate out until Friday, the shutdown will be in effect until at least then. Meanwhile, Leavitt says the administration is looking at sizable layoffs in the federal workforce.

White House threatens mass federal layoffs amidst shutdown

The White House is threatening to carry out mass layoffs of federal workers with the government shutdown underway. A presidential spokesperson said government agencies are already preparing for cuts, even as Vice President JD Vance insisted no final decisions have been made. Typically during shutdowns, federal employees are furloughed and they receive back pay once the government reopens. But President Trump has directed the White House budget office and Cabinet secretaries to identify jobs to be cut. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “we believe that layoffs are imminent.”

Senate fails again to approve funding; Shutdown continues

The government shutdown continues after the Senate failed to pass a bill to extend funding for seven weeks. In a repeat performance of Tuesday night’s votes, the Senate on Wednesday rejected measures aimed at temporarily funding the government to allow more time for negotiations. The next opportunity for a vote is Friday, when the Senate returns from a break for the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Both parties are blaming each other for the impasse, which has furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal workers and closed many government services.

Poll: Most Americans have little confidence in Congress

Most Americans have little confidence in the way Congress is being run. Recent AP-NORC polling finds that 44 percent of Americans have hardly any confidence in the way lawmakers on Capitol Hill are handling their jobs. About half of those surveyed had “only some” confidence. And only 6 percent said they had a high level of confidence in the people running Congress. And the findings could be worse now, since the poll was taken before the government shutdown.

Hundreds of laid-off federal employees called back to work

Hundreds of laid-off federal employees are being called back to their jobs. Workers in the General Services Administration were given the chance to return to work after being laid-off during the Trump administration’s DOGE cuts earlier this year. The GSA manages government buildings and its workforce has been understaffed for months. Furthermore, the administration has walked back plans to slash its real estate portfolio. An official said because of understaffing and internal turmoil, 131 leases expired without the government actually vacating the properties.

In speech to U.N., Trump blasts climate change as “con job”

At the United Nations this past week, President Trump unleashed a blistering tirade against climate change. Donald Trump has long been a critic of climate science and green energy policies and he let loose during his address to the U-N General Assembly. He sharply criticized the European Union for reducing its carbon footprint, which he claimed has taken a toll on its economy, and warned countries that have invested heavily in renewable energy that their economies will suffer.

Trump to divert some tariff revenues to U.S. farmers

President Trump says he’ll divert some tariff revenues to U-S farmers. The president’s tariff policies have financially hurt some American farmers and he plans to give them help. During his first term, U-S farmers also endured a drop in demand and the Trump administration helped to rescue them financially.

Trump signs order that puts TikTok in American control

President Trump has signed an executive order that puts TikTok in American control. The executive order allows TikTok to continue operating in the U-S by shifting China-based control of the video-sharing app to American investors. President Trump said he discussed the deal with Chinese President Xi, who gave the go-ahead. Vice President Vance said there was some resistance from China, but that Americans can use TikTok with confidence that their data will be secure.

Federal agencies told to prepare massive firings if govt shutdown

The Trump administration is telling agencies to prepare large-scale firings of federal workers if the government shuts down. With a government shutdown looming next week, the White House budget office said agencies should consider eliminating positions, instead of furloughs. That would be an aggressive departure from past shutdowns when federal workers returned to their jobs. Asked about that plan, President Trump focused on politics instead.

Trump: It’s time for Russia’s Putin to stop the war with Ukraine

President Trump is calling on Russia to end its war against Ukraine. Two days after meeting with Ukraine’s leader at the United Nations, the president said it’s time for Russia’s Vladimir Putin to end the conflict and the bloodshed. At the start of an Oval Office meeting with the visiting Turkish president, Donald Trump urged Turkey to stop buying Russian oil while the war is raging.

Justice Dept to ask grand jury to indict former FBI Director Comey

The Justice Department is preparing to ask a grand jury to indict former FBI Director James Comey. Prosecutors have been evaluating whether Comey lied to lawmakers during his 2020 testimony related to the investigation into ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The five-year statute of limitations would be next Tuesday, but an indictment is expected before then. Last weekend, the president directed the DOJ to investigate Comey and other perceived political enemies.

Judge refuses to reinstate 8 former IGs who sued after Trump fired them

A federal judge has refused to reinstate eight former inspectors general who sued after the Trump administration fired them with no warning and little explanation. The eight plaintiffs were among 17 inspectors general fired by President Trump on January 24th. Each received identical two-sentence emails from the White House attributing their removal to unspecified “changing priorities.” The judge said that while the president likely violated federal law governing the process for removing the non-partisan watchdogs from office, the firings didn’t cause enough irreparable harm to justify reinstating them before the lawsuit is resolved.

Trump claims he was sabotaged at the U.N. this week

President Trump claims that he was sabotaged at the United Nations this week, and he has the Secret Service investigating. The president complained that he was the victim of “three very sinister events” at the U-N on Tuesday. First, the escalator he used suddenly stopped. He wrote online that those responsible should be arrested. Second, his teleprompter didn’t work for several minutes, and third, he said the sound was off during his speech. The president said the Secret Service would be involved in an investigation.

Trump vows more crackdowns after ICE facility shooting

President Trump is promising more crackdowns after the ICE facility shooting in Texas. Reacting to the shooting in Dallas, the president said “the deranged shooter wrote “Anti-ICE” on his shell casings. This is despicable,” he said on his social media site. He called on Democrats “to stop this rhetoric against ICE and America’s law enforcement.” And the president promised more crackdowns, saying he would sign an executive order in coming days to dismantle, what he called, “domestic terrorism networks.”