SHUTDOWN TURNING POINT? Lawmakers are hoping that Election Day can mark a turning point in bringing an end to the shutdown as it's about to break the record for length.
Tuesday marks the 35th day of the shutdown, tying it with the shutdown of December 2018 to January 2019, during Trump's first term, as the longest shutdown in U.S. history. If it lasts until Wednesday, it will break the record.
That seems likely, as no major breakthroughs have happened yet after more than a monthlong funding gap. Both sides have kept to their sticking points.
But The Hill's Sudiksha Kochi reports that members of Congress are hoping Tuesday's elections give the jolt needed for Democrats to shift their strategy and that the government can potentially reopen soon.
Democrats have been adamant that any deal to reopen the government include an extension of subsidies for health care under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), while Republicans have been insistent on a "clean" continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded at current levels and addressing the subsidies later.
But as fatigue has set in with the government shuttered, The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports that a group of moderate Democrats are scrambling to find an end to the shutdown this week. Eight Democrats are central to the deal.
Still, any possible deal faces some headwinds as Trump declared during his interview on CBS News's "60 Minutes" that he will "not be extorted." A new poll showing Democrats leading the generic congressional ballot by 8 points could also give party leaders a boost in feeling that they're winning the shutdown.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) expressed optimism that a deal to end the shutdown could happen by the end of the week, with the election over.
"Seems like that matters," Thune told reporters. "I don't know why it should."
A bipartisan group of four moderate House members unveiled a set of principles on Monday to provide a possible path forward in lowering health care costs and extending ACA subsidies.
But a deal may also have to move the date proposed under the House-passed CR, which currently would have government funding set to expire on Nov. 21, a date that is rapidly approaching.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Monday that Republican leaders will meet to discuss extending the stopgap bill to reopen the government past mid-November. Multiple sources told The Hill that GOP leaders are discussing an extension lasting until late January.
"I hope the election tomorrow is a change, a sea change, in all this. … Maybe after tomorrow, they'll come to their common senses again and do the right thing. We certainly pray that is true," Johnson said at a press conference.
▪ The Hill: Trump admin will provide partial food stamps benefits.
▪ The Hill: Head Start programs in danger from funding lapse.
HILL EXCLUSIVE: A top staffer at the conservative Heritage Foundation has left the think tank after backlash over its president's comments defending Tucker Carlson for his interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
The Hill's Emily Brooks reports that Ryan Neuhaus, the chief of staff to Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts, left his position Friday following the uproar over Roberts's comments.
Roberts defended Carlson's decision to interview Fuentes, a political commentator known for making a wide range of white supremacist, misogynistic and antisemitic comments, arguing in a video posted last week that a "venomous coalition" attacking Carlson was "sowing division."
The Heritage leader said he abhors statements that Fuentes has made, but "canceling" him isn't the answer. After receiving pushback, he posted another statement more specifically condemning Fuentes's antisemitism and that of his followers.
Brooks reports that Neuhaus angered Heritage staff and other conservative allies after he reposted messages supporting Roberts, including one that said some Heritage employees were "virtue signaling" after the comments and should "resign if so outraged."
A Heritage spokesperson confirmed Neuhaus's departure.
"Ryan was not fired. He offered his resignation, which was accepted," a Heritage spokesperson told The Hill on Monday. "Ryan is a good man, we appreciate his service, and we have no doubt he will serve the movement in another capacity."
Roberts's comments caused a split within the conservative movement over whether to give Fuentes a platform as many on the right have sought to distance themselves from him and his views.
▪ Politico: Ben Shapiro slams Carlson as 'intellectual coward.'
DOJ DEFENDS HALLIGAN: The DOJ defended the appointment of Lindsey Halligan as interim U.S. attorney, giving her a new title designed to ensure she can continue prosecutions of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D).
Department attorneys said in court filings that Halligan, whom Trump appointed to oversee the Eastern District of Virginia in September, has been named a "special attorney" for the DOJ, The Washington Post reported. They argued this allows her to conduct grand jury proceedings and sign indictments regardless of her status as U.S. attorney.
Comey and James have filed for a judge to dismiss the cases against them on the grounds that Halligan was unlawfully appointed U.S. attorney. Trump appointed her after her predecessor, Erik Siebert, resigned after reportedly finding insufficient evidence to bring cases sought by Trump.
Comey and James, who have pleaded not guilty to the cases against them and rejected them as politically motivated, argue that Siebert already served the maximum 120-day interim period as U.S. attorney allowed under law, preventing Halligan from continuing to serve in that interim role.
The DOJ argued that appointing Halligan was within Attorney General Pam Bondi's purview, but naming her as a "special attorney" suggests the department is preparing for alternative measures if it loses.
▪ The New York Times: Prosecutors urge judge to reject Comey's motion to dismiss.
TRUMP'S NIGERIA THREATS: Trump has ramped up his threats to take military action against Nigeria over allegations of the country's leaders failing to address the killing of Christians.
Trump told reporters Sunday that sending troops into Nigeria or conducting airstrikes on the African country is possible after telling the Defense Department to "prepare for possible action."
He labeled Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, a "country of particular concern" because of religious violence, which compels the president to consult with the designated government, draft a foreign policy action plan and consult with Congress about implementation within 90 days.
Right-wing Christian advocates had been lobbying for Nigeria to receive this designation, making Trump's decision a victory for those advocates, The Hill's Laura Kelly reports.
But Kelly reports that Trump's threat of military action also has stirred some concern, as it's beyond what some advocates were pushing for.
Analysts have noted that Nigeria's majority-Muslim population has also dealt with violence and killing from Islamic extremists, but Christian communities have been hit particularly hard. A Dutch-based charity advocating for religious freedom in Africa found Christians were killed at a significantly higher rate between 2019 and 2024 than Muslims.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said his country is "committed" to working with the U.S. to improve cooperation on protecting members of all religions.
▪ Al Jazeera: Nigeria rejects claims of Christian genocide.
▪ The Washington Post: Trump threat prompts confusion and alarm.
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