Morning Report is The Hill’s a.m. newsletter. Subscribe here.
In today’s issue:
▪ Trump, Dems collide over National Guard
▪ Jay Jones controversy shakes up VA races
▪ Trump floats, walks back shutdown deal
▪ Hegseth speech stirs military exodus fears
President Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in an increasing number of U.S. cities is drawing intense backlash as Democrats turn to the courts to try to stop him.
National Guard troops from Texas are headed to Illinois after a federal judge on Monday declined to immediately issue a restraining order against the deployment. The judge, an appointee of former President Biden, set a hearing for Thursday.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) has vowed to fight the deployment, which he likens to an “invasion,” and the state of Illinois and city of Chicago ripped Trump’s move in their lawsuit filed Monday.
“The American people, regardless of where they reside, should not live under the threat of occupation by the United States military, particularly not simply because their city or state leadership has fallen out of a president’s favor,” the complaint reads.
While the administration is allowed to move ahead for now in Chicago, efforts to deploy 200 troops to Portland, Ore., were blocked by another federal judge over the weekend. That judge, a Trump appointee, called the U.S. a “nation of constitutional law, not martial law.”
“The President’s determination was simply untethered to the facts,” U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut wrote in her ruling Saturday.
Trump responded to the ruling by seeking to send the California National Guard into Portland, enraging California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). Immergut then granted California, Oregon and Portland’s request for a temporary restraining order to block that deployment.
Democratic officials have been adamant about pushing back against the president’s moves and using every lever at their disposal to resist.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) signed an executive order Monday barring federal immigration authorities from using city property in their operations, declaring the city an “ICE-free zone.”
“This isn’t about public safety, it’s about power,” Newsom said in a release. “The commander-in-chief is using the U.S. military as a political weapon against American citizens. We will take this fight to court, but the public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the President of the United States.”
Trump has also made clear he won’t back down.
The president has regularly lambasted Chicago as the “worst and most dangerous” city in the world and has signaled for months the city is a top target for his push to crack down on crime.
The president on Monday also argued the situation in Portland amounted to an “insurrection,” telling reporters he would consider invoking the Insurrection Act if necessary.
“Portland is on fire. Portland’s been on fire for years,” Trump said. “And not so much saving it. We have to save something else. Because I think that’s all insurrection. I really think that’s really criminal insurrection.”
Last week, the commander-in-chief told hundreds of generals and admirals at the Pentagon’s meeting at Quantico, Va., that “dangerous” U.S. cities should be used as “training grounds” for the military.
The flurry of deployments and lawsuits are expected to only increase and follow similar moves to deploy troops to Memphis and Washington, D.C., the latter of which also sparked a legal challenge from local leaders.
Trump has leaned into the battles with Democratic leaders as polls show combatting crime to be among his strongest areas for his approval rating.
The faceoffs have also given more attention to Pritzker and Newsom, both of whom are viewed as likely 2028 presidential candidates.
▪ Axios: MAGA calls for Trump to overrule judges on National Guard deployments.
▪ The Wall Street Journal: Trump’s immigration push diverts agents from drug, money and sex crime cases.
▪ The Associated Press: ICE airing ads to recruit for deportation raids in major cities.
Smart Take with Blake Burman
Democrats on a key Senate committee released an eye-popping report Monday on the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on jobs in America. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, where Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is the ranking member, predicted AI could replace nearly 100 million American jobs over the next decade. Sanders also laid out five points he believes will protect Americans in the AI age, including a “robot tax” for companies that replace jobs with that technology.
I asked Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-Fla.) who has been working on AI issues, about the report, and he had a different view. “One of the things that I am working with Democrats on is AI,” Haridopolos told me. “The biggest challenge right now is the issue of energy. If we’re going to beat the Chinese in AI, we need the energy necessary to fuel AI because as you know, it takes nine times more energy than conventional computing.”
As AI takes hold and grows by the day (just yesterday OpenAI took a 10 percent stake in Advanced Micro Devices) we are going to see all sorts of ideas of how to regulate the technology, and, yes, perhaps even find new taxes.
Burman hosts “The Hill” weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation.
3 Things to Know Today
1. Today marks the second anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and resulted in hundreds being taken hostage into Gaza. The anniversary comes as Trump pushes Israel and Hamas to the brink of a Gaza peace deal.
2. Paramount has hired Bari Weiss as the next editor-in-chief of CBS News. Weiss, a vocal critic of legacy media, founded The Free Press, which Paramount is acquiring, after leaving her role as a New York Times columnist.
3. The Maine state auditor is launching a primary challenge from the left against centrist Democratic Rep. Jared Golden (Maine). The battleground Maine 2nd District will be one of the most competitive House races of 2026.
Leading the Day
VIRGINIA’S OCTOBER SURPRISE: Republicans are ramping up pressure on Virginia Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones to drop out of the race following the revelation of texts he made in 2022 in which he openly discussed hoping for violence against a Republican state lawmaker.
Top Republicans including Trump, Vice President Vance and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin have called for Jones to exit the race. The controversy has also sparked an ad from Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the GOP nominee for governor, tying her Democratic opponent, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, to Jones.
Jones has apologized for the texts but has not given an indication that he might end his bid against incumbent Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R).
The National Review first reported on the messages that Jones sent to House Delegate Carrie Coyner (R) about then-state House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R).
“Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot,” Jones said. “Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.”
“Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time,” Jones told Coyner.
The National Review also reported that Jones told Coyner in another conversation that he wished for Gilbert’s wife to see her children die to potentially get her husband to reconsider his views about gun violence.
Jones said he wished he hadn’t made the remarks and would take them back if he could, but that hasn’t calmed down the backlash calling for him to end his campaign, The Hill’s Julia Manchester reports.
“They have got to call on this guy to resign, step down, get out of this race in disgrace because this is beyond disqualifying. I mean, they’re asking people to vote for this guy to be the attorney general of the commonwealth of Virginia?” Youngkin said during an interview with Fox News.
While the report could shake up the attorney general race, which already appeared to be potentially the closest contest in Virginia this year, it could also have implications for the marquee gubernatorial battle next month.
Spanberger has said she reached out to Jones to express “disgust” with the comments and called on him to “take responsibility” for his words but didn’t expressly call for him to drop out. The GOP has amped up the pressure, with the Republican National Committee calling Spanberger a “coward” in a post on X for continuing to support Jones.
The revelation doesn’t come at an ideal time for Jones or Democrats in the state as they’re hitting the home stretch before November’s elections. It also comes after another report that Jones was convicted of reckless driving years ago after he was caught speeding at 116 miles per hour.
Polls have shown Spanberger, Democratic lieutenant governor nominee Ghazala Hashmi and Jones leading their respective races. But one Republican strategist told Manchester that Jones’s texts could cause some voters to rethink their decisions and increase turnout among those who don’t regularly vote.
“This is going to motivate a whole lot of infrequent voters,” GOP strategist Zack Roday said. “And it absolutely will persuade people to second-guess, like actual people, their priors. They very well may consider split ticket or changing where they’re going to vote.”
▪ Axios: Miyares launching seven-figure ad campaign on Jones texts.
SHUTDOWN WALKBACK: Trump briefly floated working with Democrats to end the government shutdown Monday for the first time since it began before walking it back later in the day.
Trump hinted at a possible deal with Democrats on health care at the Oval Office, saying a negotiation is happening that could “lead to very good things.”
“If we made the right deal, I’d make a deal. Sure,” Trump said. “You have subsidies, that’s the problem with ObamaCare. The subsidies are so much, it’s billions and billions of dollars is being wasted. And we could have a much better health care than we have right now. And we’re talking to them. I’m not saying that’s going to happen.”
Trump declined to say if he was meeting with Democratic leaders.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in response that Democrats would meet with Trump if he’s serious.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters he doesn’t know of any Democrat who has spoken with Trump or a member of the administration about reopening the government and reaching a deal on health care.
Trump later said in a Truth Social post that he would work with Democrats on health care but only after they vote to reopen the government — reaffirming the position Republicans have held for weeks.
Republicans in a series of votes have pushed Democrats to back a “clean” stopgap measure to fund the government at current levels through Nov. 21 before considering issues like health care.
The shutdown is entering day 7 after another round of voting Monday failed to reopen the government, with the GOP’s funding bill and a competing measure from Democrats both being rejected.
The Hill’s Al Weaver reports how senators from both sides are getting frustrated with the lack of progress as the Senate repeatedly engages in votes on the stopgap that seem certain to fail.
Meanwhile, the effects of the shutdown are set to amplify with each passing day without a deal. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett warned the shutdown could cost the U.S. economy $15 billion per week.
Hassett told CNN’s “State of the Union” that federal layoffs, as the administration had promised, would take place if Trump feels talks aren’t going anywhere.
Furloughed federal workers may also not be entitled to back pay for their time they’re forced not to work, unlike in past shutdowns, Axios reported Tuesday, citing a White House draft memo described by multiple sources.
Transportation Security Administration employees are still working as they are considered essential, but lines at airports are expected to grow as the shutdown continues. The Federal Aviation Administration signaled that it’s already experiencing staffing issues at airports and air traffic control facilities, NBC News reported.
The Smithsonian Institution indicated it could stay open through the end of the week, but it will have to close for the shutdown’s duration if it lasts beyond that.
COMEY SUBPOENA WITHDRAWN: A congressional subpoena that would have had former FBI Director James Comey testify before a committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein has been withdrawn.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) withdrew the subpoena after Comey sent the committee a letter saying he has no “knowledge” or “information relevant to the Committee’s investigation.” The letter is subject to federal law that prohibits making false statements to agents of the government.
The subpoena’s withdrawal comes as Comey is set to be arraigned on Thursday in the criminal case filed against him on charges of making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
The case was filed after significant scrutiny within the Justice Department and outside it as to whether enough evidence exists to pursue it. Comey has affirmed his innocence and argued the charges are politically motivated as he’s been a top opponent of the president.
FIRE INVESTIGATION: Officials say they’ve found no immediate evidence that a fire that consumed a South Carolina judge’s home was intentional, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The video of the blaze caught much attention online as it shows the house surrounded by fire and smoke. It burned the home of Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein and Arnold Samuel Goodstein, a Democratic former state lawmaker.
The judge recently ruled against the Trump administration on a case over the release of voter files to the Department of Justice before the state Supreme Court overturned her ruling.
An official said they’re conducting an investigation into the cause of the fire but haven’t found anything so far to suggest it was deliberately set.
When & Where
The president will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at 11:30 a.m., followed by a bilateral meeting and lunch. At 3 p.m., Trump will meet in the Oval Office with Edan Alexander, the Israeli-American who was held hostage by Hamas for 19 months.
The Senate will meet at 10 a.m.
The House will not convene on Tuesday.
Zoom In
FEARS OF MILITARY EXODUS: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s speech last week to a rare gathering of top military leaders has triggered some fears that the departure of top military leaders could follow.
The Hill’s Ellen Mitchell reports that the retirement of two top generals last week further stoked these fears, though the Pentagon says they weren’t related to Hegseth’s vision for the department.
Hundreds of generals and admirals were gathered on short notice last week for the address, during which Hegseth called for an overhaul of much of the military’s standards. That includes the establishment of “male standards” for all combat troops, an increase in fitness standards to eliminate “fat” troops and officers and the end of so-called “woke” initiatives and programs.
“The sooner we have the right people, the sooner we can advance the right policies … but if the words I’m speaking today are making your heart sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign,” Hegseth said.
A retired Air Force colonel told Mitchell that Hegseth’s speech “directly attacked” the values of many top officers and he expects many to “demonstrate their disgust” by retiring.
But some Democrats are calling on the military leaders who disagree with Hegseth to stay in their roles rather than resign.
“If the challenge was ‘get out,’ then I would say to those generals, stay put,” Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), an Air Force veteran, said on CNN last week. “Because we need you. We need you and your experience to counter the message of Mr. Hegseth and frankly the president himself.”
▪ The Hill: Hegseth defends new media restrictions at Pentagon.
▪ The Wall Street Journal: “Hegseth focuses on fitness, even as Pentagon goes high-tech.”
Hegseth has also been the subject of controversy over new media rules the Pentagon rolled out that threatened to curtail reporters’ abilities to work in the building.
But The New York Times reported the department has relaxed its rules for press access, clarifying that journalists won’t need Pentagon approval before publishing information not specifically authorized for release.
The outlet reported that a new draft of the rules came after two weeks of negotiations with major news outlets.
The memo from last month said credentialed reporters must agree that information for public release must receive approval from an authorized official, even if the information is unclassified. It also declared certain areas of the Pentagon building off-limits to reporters without an escort from an authorized official.
Hegseth previously defended the policy, telling Fox News on Sunday that the press corps can “squeal all they want.”
The Times reported news outlets that want access to the Pentagon will have a week to review the new policy and decide whether to sign off. Not signing it could leave them without press credentials, the outlet reported.
Elsewhere
FRANCE IN POLITICAL CRISIS: The turmoil that has surrounded French President Emmanuel Macron’s government for months continued Monday when another prime minister resigned after less than a month in the role.
The resignation of Prime Minister Sébastian Lecornu makes him the fourth in the role to step down in just more than a year. He’s now the shortest-serving prime minister in the history of the French Fifth Republic, dating back to 1958.
Macron’s picks for prime minister have struggled to form an effective and cohesive government since the French president called for early legislative elections last year. That election created a fractured National Assembly in which the right-wing and left-wing lawmakers make up more than 320 seats in the lower house, compared with 210 for the governing centrists and allied conservatives, The Associated Press reported.
No party holds a majority.
Lecornu formed his cabinet on Sunday, but conservatives objected to his choice for defense minister and pulled their support of him. Lecornu’s government will continue day-to-day operations until a new prime minister is chosen.
Macron has been under increasing pressure as his favorability rating has dropped amid the chaos. His office said he asked Lecornu to take part in “final negotiations” to try to save the government, to which Lecornu agreed.
If Lecornu is unsuccessful, Macron must name a new prime minister or dissolve the National Assembly early and call for legislative elections.
▪ Reuters: How we got to France’s political crisis.
Opinion
Trump, a favorite of right-wing conspiracy kooks, stokes left-wing paranoia, writes The Hill’s Chris Stirewalt
How Trump’s remarkably consistent polling could last or fade, writes pollsters Douglas E. Schoen and Carly Cooperman in The Hill
The Closer
And finally … Let’s do the time warp again!
Actor Tim Curry made a surprise appearance at a 50th anniversary screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, CNN reported.
Curry’s public appearances have been limited since he suffered a stroke in 2012, and he addressed the audience in a wheelchair. Curry played the iconic role of Frank-N-Furter in the 1975 cult classic.
His co-star Barry Bostwick, who played Brad Majors, introduced him ahead of the several standing ovations that Curry received.
The movie initially performed poorly financially and received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics, but it soon became a hit as many flocked to theaters for midnight shows dressed in costumes of the characters from the movie. It’s now the longest-running release in film history.
