The Latest: Hamas accepts some elements of Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, others require negotiation

Hamas responded Friday to President Donald Trump ’s proposed plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, agreeing to give up power and release all remaining hostages, but the group said that other elements require further consultations among Palestinians.

Trump’s peace plan has been accepted by Israel and was welcomed internationally after it was unveiled alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week.

Hamas reiterated its longstanding openness to handing power over to a politically independent Palestinian body. But it said aspects of the proposal touching on the future of the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rights should be decided on the basis of a “unanimous Palestinian stance” reached with other factions and based on international law.

The statement also made no mention of Hamas disarming, a key Israeli demand included in Trump’s proposal.

The latest:

Schumer says GOP “wasted a week” after more failed votes to reopen government

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said that Republicans have “wasted a week” after the Senate rejected for the fourth time on Friday two bills that would open up the government.

“Republicans thought they could scare us,” Schumer said. “It ain’t working.”

The government shut down at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday after the Senate was not able to pass legislation to keep it open. Democrats are demanding an extension in health care subsidies, among other asks, in exchange for their votes for a House-passed bill that would keep the government open until Nov. 21.

Republicans say they will not negotiate on the “clean” bill, which they argue should be non-controversial.

The Senate has also repeatedly rejected a Democratic bill that would extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of the year and reverse Republican cuts to Medicaid.

Schumer, D-N.Y., has blamed Republicans for the shutdown. “Republicans hold the House, the Senate and the White House,” he said. “They’re in charge.”

Supreme Court lets Trump strip protections from more than 300,000 Venezuelan migrants

The Supreme Court on Friday allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to strip legal protections from more than 300,000 Venezuelan migrants.

The justices issued an emergency order, which will last as long as the court case continues, putting on hold a lower-court ruling by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen in San Francisco that found the administration had wrongly ended temporary protected status for the Venezuelans.

Trump’s Republican administration has moved to withdraw various protections that have allowed immigrants to remain in the United States and work legally, including ending TPS for a total of 600,000 Venezuelans and 500,000 Haitians who were granted protection under President Joe Biden, a Democrat. TPS is granted in 18-month increments.

Military strikes raise stark war powers issues that split GOP

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Jim Risch said he was meeting with the president at the White House before the strikes on the boat in the Caribbean was announced.

The Republican from Idaho said Trump had authority to go after the cartels without further authorization from Congress under his powers as the commander in chief.

Risch said, “What could be a bigger defense of this country than keeping out this poison that’s killing thousands of Americans every year?”

But GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has consistently criticized the strikes, said only Congress, not the president, has the authority to wage war.

“Blowing them up without knowing who’s on the boat is a terrible policy, and it should end,” he told AP.

“If they want to declare war, come to Congress and say they want to declare war,” he said. “But you can’t just say it yourself and say, Oh, well, we sent them on note and now we’re at war with unnamed people who we won’t even identify before we kill.”

Hamas’ response says negotiations are needed over future of Palestinian rights

Hamas said it was willing to release hostages according to the plan’s “formula,” likely referring to the release of Palestinian prisoners. It also reiterated its longstanding openness to handing power over to a politically independent Palestinian body.

But it said aspects of the proposal touching on the future of the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rights should be decided on the basis of a “unanimous Palestinian stance” reached with other factions and based on international law.

The statement also made no mention of Hamas disarming, a key Israeli demand included in Trump’s proposal.

Hamas says it accepts some elements of Gaza peace plan after Trump issues ultimatum

Hamas said Friday that it has accepted some elements of U.S. President Trump’s plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, including giving up power and releasing all remaining hostages, but that others require further consultations among Palestinians.

The statement came hours after Trump said that Hamas must agree to the deal by Sunday evening, threatening an even greater military onslaught nearly two years into the war sparked by the Oct. 7 attack into Israel. It was unclear how the U.S. and Israel would respond to partial acceptance.

Trump appears keen to deliver on pledges to end the war and return dozens of hostages ahead of the second anniversary of the attack on Tuesday. His peace plan has been accepted by Israel and welcomed internationally, but key mediators Egypt and Qatar have said some elements need further negotiation, without elaborating.

House Speaker cancels legislative business next week

House Speaker Mike Johnsons announced that the chamber would close for legislative business next week, a move meant to force the Senate to work with the government funding bill that has been passed by House Republicans.

During the House’s pro-forma session Friday, the speaker moved to make next week a district work period.

Thune expresses openness to ACA subsidy talks — but only after federal government reopens

Asked whether he was concerned that health insurance premiums may rise in his state should Affordable Care Act subsidies lapse, Thune replied: “I’m always worried about anything going on in my state. Inflation is always a big issue. But again, I don’t think it’s absolutely a bad policy.”

“That doesn’t mean it can’t be reformed or fixed, it can. But we can’t get to that conversation until we get the government back into place,” he added.

Asked about his whereabouts for the weekend, Thune said: “I’m flying back to South Dakota, but I’ll be available!”

GOP Senate Majority Leader says healthcare talks can’t continue without reopening government

“We had a brief chat on the floor and I’ve chatted with some other members on their side of the aisle,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said of conversations he’s had with Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other Senate Democrats.

“I think that the path forward on this is more likely to be achieved with rank and file members who actually want to have an appropriations process, want us to get back on track on the calendar legislatively,” said Thune as he left the Senate floor.

“I understand the predicament but we’ve got to get the government opened up or else we can’t get anything else done around here,” said Thune.

Trump reverses $187M funding cuts for New York counterterrorism after bipartisan criticism

President Trump says he has personally reversed $187 million in funding cuts made by his administration for New York’s law enforcement and counterterrorism operations.

The restoration, which the Republican announced on Truth Social Friday, follows a bipartisan outcry from New York officials who said the original decision by the Department of Homeland Security to cut the funds put New Yorkers and Americans in danger.

Trump said on social media it was his “honor” to reverse the cuts.

He had heard complaints about the reductions from both Democrats and Republicans representing New York. Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul said they represented an 86% of homeland security funding to the state, impacting the New York City police and fire departments, state police and other law enforcement agencies.

Republican U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, the only Republican representing New York City in Congress, said she had spoken with Trump about the cuts, which she called a “terrible idea.”

Fired prosecutor says wave of terminations puts national security at risk

A fired national security prosecutor has written colleagues a letter saying he’s “disappointed” to be leaving his job but even more distressed by what’s happened to the office where he works.

Michael Ben’Ary was fired on Wednesday from his job running the national security section in the prestigious Eastern District of Virginia. The termination came hours after Julie Kelly, a conservative writer and activist, shared online that he previously worked as senior counsel to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco during the Biden administration.

Kelly’s post speculated that Ben’Ary may have been part of the “internal resistance” in the office to the recently charged case against FBI Director James Comey. But Ben’Ary played no role in the Comey case.

In a letter to colleagues, Ben’Ary said the decision to fire career prosecutors and agents puts national security at risk and shows that the Justice Department’s leadership is more interested in punishing perceived enemies than it is in keeping the public safe.

He also noted that his firing will “hurt” the case against a suspected planner in the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan. Ben’Ary was helping prosecute that case in Virginia and preparing for it to go to trial.

The Senate fails to advance a Republican bill that would reopen the government

Democrats refused to budge in a Senate vote and President Trump readied plans to unleash layoffs and cuts across the federal government.

On the third day of the shutdown, a Senate vote to advance a Republican bill that would reopen the government fell well short of the 60 needed to end a filibuster and pass the legislation. Senators were expected to depart for the weekend, and there have been few signs of any real progress towards ending the congressional standoff.

Smithsonian museums will remain open through Oct. 11

The Smithsonian Institution including all its museums will remain open at least through Oct. 11 amid an ongoing federal government shutdown.

Museums, research centers and the National Zoo were originally projected to only be able to operate through Saturday using prior-year funding.

The extension was posted Friday on the Smithsonian website.

The Smithsonian, the National Museum of African American History & Culture, has been targeted by the Trump administration for programs that advance “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology.”

Senators head for the exits

The vote to advance a GOP bill to reopen the government isn’t over, but senators are already heading for the exits of the Capitol.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he will give Democrats the weekend to think over their stance, but there have been few signs of meaningful progress to ending the impasse.

The bill was poised to fail Friday afternoon as over 40 senators have already voted against it. The Senate’s filibuster rules require at least 60 senators to vote to advance the legislation to a final vote.

GOP Sen. Hawley says Congress must act ‘quickly’ to fix expiring ACA tax credits

“We’ve got to do something to make sure the premiums don’t essentially double, which they will in my state,” said the Missouri Republican, referencing ongoing discussions about extending the ACA tax credits. “We just can’t allow that to happen.”

“That’s a lot of Missourians that will not be able to afford healthcare. So we have to do something about it,” said Hawley.

Some Republicans have said they will address the expiring ACA tax credits once the government reopens. Hawley said they need to be addressed “as soon as possible.”

Senate begins voting on GOP funding bill

The Senate is now voting on whether to advance legislation known as a continuing resolution that would reopen the government. The bill has already passed the House, but Senate Democrats have almost all held out against voting for it.

The Senate’s filibuster rules make it necessary for the government funding legislation to gain support from at least 60 of the 100 senators. That’s given Democrats a rare opportunity to use their 47 Senate seats to hold out in exchange for policy concessions.

Jeffries calls Trump, Republican congressional leaders ‘unserious’ in shutdown talks

“These aren’t serious individuals. They want to keep the government shut down,” the Democratic leader said during a Friday press conference.

Jeffries leveled a litany of critiques of President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans. He added that President Trump “has behaved in a deeply unserious and deeply unhinged manner, and it’s evidence of the fact that Republican have a weak argument.”

Jeffries reiterated Democrats’ position that an extension of Affordable Care Act healthcare subsidies would be necessary for any budget to reopen the government.

“Everyone is about to experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles because of the Republican health care crisis. Everyone,” he warned.

Jeffries said that he had not spoken with House Speaker Mike Johnson about a potential delay in the House returning next week but said he “expects” the current schedule for lawmakers to hold.

“I’m ready to talk to Mike Johnson, John Thune, the President, the Vice President, or any member of the Trump administration with any authority, anytime, anyplace, anywhere,” Jeffries told reporters.

Across the aisle chats on the Senate floor

As senators vote for a fourth time on legislation to fund the government, plenty of chats between Republicans and Democrats are unfolding on the Senate floor.

The more moderate senators have become a key part of the effort to unlock the impasse in the Senate and conversations have unfolded between Sens. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, and Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat.

During previous government funding votes earlier this week, senators engaged in long, intense talks. So far today, there’s more of a casual atmosphere in the Senate chamber as the lawmakers settle in for what’s likely to be at least several more days of a government shutdown.

Leavitt repeats false claim about free health care for ‘illegal aliens’

After opening the briefing by claiming that “the Democrats continue to recklessly hold the American people hostage over their demands to give illegal aliens free health care,” Leavitt was asked to explain the disconnect between this claim and the existing law that prevents people in the U.S. illegally from receiving federally-funded health care.

Leavitt responded that “Democrats’ proposal would require Medicaid to pay more for emergency care provided to illegal aliens than Medicaid does for American patients who are disabled, elderly, or children.”

Hospitals receive Medicaid reimbursements — which would be reduced under Trump’s bill — for emergency care that they are obligated by federal law to provide to people who meet other Medicaid eligibility requirements but do not have an eligible immigration status. These payments do not go directly to patients and such spending accounted for less than 1% of total Medicaid spending between fiscal years 2017 and 2023.

Senate begins voting to advance Democrats’ government funding bill

The Senate is voting on whether to advance to a vote on a government funding bill that is being put forward by Democrats. It is expected to fail.

Senate Democrats are using the legislation as an alternative to Republicans’ bill. Besides reopening the government, it would undo many of the changes to Medicaid that were enacted this summer by President Donald Trump’s tax cut and spending law.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has repeatedly pointed to the Democratic bill as proof that Democrats are injecting unreasonable partisan priorities into the government funding fight, but Democrats are not seriously demanding that the bill be passed. Instead, they want Congress to take up an extension of tax credits for Affordable Care Act health plans.

Leavitt sidesteps Bad Bunny question, but hints that Trump has more to say

The Puerto Rican superstar is slated to perform at the next Super Bowl.

The announcement angered some conservatives, who dislike Bad Bunny’s criticism of Trump’s deportation policies.

Asked for the White House’s opinion, Leavitt said Trump may have more to say at some point.

“I won’t get ahead of him,” she said. “I won’t reveal what he feels about this.”

Nearly 70% of White House aides showing up to work in shutdown

The White House says almost 70 percent of their employees are still reporting for duty as the government shutdown continues.

Of the 1,733 people employed by the Executive Office of the President, 554 are being furloughed, according to the White House’s shutdown contingency plans. That means 1,179 are coming to work, which is about 68 percent of the total staff.

The 1,179 coming to work are either designated as essential during a shutdown, are in positions that are funded through other avenues, or for other reasons.

Of the 1,179 still working during a shutdown, 863 are considered “necessary to perform activities necessarily implied by law,” and another 183 are deemed “necessary to the discharge of the president’s constitutional duties and powers.”

Noem, Bovino spotted on roof of Chicago ICE facility amid protests

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino were filmed Friday watching from the roof of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in Broadview, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) west of Chicago, as protesters gathered below, according to footage shared online by conservative media personality Benny Johnson.

Noem was surrounded by armed agents and a camera crew while standing beside a sniper set-up. Noem was also present at a Friday morning raid at a Chicago Walmart, according to Johnson’s videos.

Some protesters have aimed to block vehicles from going in or out of the area in recent weeks, part of growing pushback to a surge of immigration enforcement that began in early September. Federal agents have repeatedly fired tear gas, pepper balls and other projectiles toward crowds and at least five people have faced federal charges after being arrested in those clashes.

Bovino, who led the recent immigration crackdown in Los Angeles, could be seen driving in the passenger seat of a Border Patrol vehicle leaving the facility amid protests Friday morning. He announced in September that he had arrived in Chicago, on the same day Noem confirmed she was in the nation’s third-largest city and posted videos of armed agents making multiple arrests.

Pritzker bashes Homeland Security’s ‘inhumane’ treatment of protesters

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday lashed out at the treatment President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security is meting out to protestors at a suburban Chicago immigration station.

Through a spokesperson, the Democrat said that federal authorities “are acting with impunity” at the president’s direction outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview. He said the “inhumane” tactics of the masked officials include rough treatment of protesters, arresting a reporter and firing chemical agents into the crowds.

Pritzker said the newly established “unified command” of the Illinois State Police, Cook County Sheriff’s Department and others which is staffing Broadview will control crowds while ensuring protesters their First Amendment right to free speech.

“They show their faces, they have proper identification, and they are accountable to the people of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “It is clear federal agents cannot be trusted to act to protect the safety and constitutional rights of the public.”

White House: FDA approval of abortion pill not an endorsement

The White House said Friday that the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of a generic form of mifepristone was just following the law and not a sign of support for the abortion pill.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that the FDA and Health and Human Services was merely following the law.

The decision is “not an endorsement of this drug by any means,” Leavitt said.

The approval has drawn fire from conservatives. Mike Pence, Trump’s vice president from his first term, said the approval was a “complete betrayal of the pro-life movement that elected President Trump.”

White House criticizes arrest of conservative influencer Nick Sortor

Leavitt said Sortor was “defending himself” from left-wing protestors in Portland, and she criticized police for arresting “a journalist who was there to document the chaos.”

She said there would be a “full investigation” by the Department of Justice, and Trump asked advisers to review wants to cut federal funding for the Democratic-run city.

White House details impact of shutdown

The White House began its press briefing on Friday by rattling off the various consequences of the shutdown that were already hitting Americans.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt discussed a report that said military families are already seeking food aid as troops go without a paycheck.

Leavitt said Trump supports the idea of making sure they’re cared for, and “if Democrats believe in this very simple premise too, they should end this shutdown immediately.”

Other impacts Leavitt discussed were the halting of nutrition assistance for women, infants and children, air traffic controllers working without pay, and a lapsing federal flood insurance program.

“This madness must end,” Leavitt said.

Trump’s face could be featured on commemorative coin

Drafts of the design were confirmed by the U.S. Treasury.

The $1 coin would be minted to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary.

The design shows the side of Trump’s face on the front and another image of him raising his fist with an American flag on the back.

Chicago mayor vows to fight Trump’s transit cuts

“Argentina gets $20 billion and the South Side gets nothing. What happened to America First?” Brandon Johnson said in a statement.

He was responding to what he called a “politically motivated decision” by Trump’s budget office to withhold $2.1 billion in federal funding for transit improvements in Chicago.

Johnson said the Red Line extension of the city’s famous elevated train line had promised 25,000 jobs, and that it was something residents in disadvantaged and predominantly Black communities had been awaiting for more than 50 years.

“We are calling for these cuts to be immediately reversed, and we will use every tool at our disposal to restore this funding,” Johnson said. “Chicagoans have waited far too long to turn back now.”

Trump administration orders new boat strike

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday he ordered a fourth strike on a small boat in the waters off Venezuela, according to a social media post.

In his post, Hegseth said “our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route.”

The strike comes less than a day after it was revealed that President Trump declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and declared that the United States is now in an “armed conflict” with them, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press.

Senate majority leader says he won’t make commitments on health care subsidies

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says that he’s open to talking with Democrats about their demand to extend tax credits for Affordable Care Act health plans, but he’s not making commitments until they vote to open the government back up.

“That’s not something that we can guarantee that there are the votes there to do,” Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said during a news conference at the Capitol.

The Senate is headed towards another vote on funding the government Friday, but Thune did not sound optimistic that there would be a breakthrough with Democrats.