Plus: Gaza Ceasefire Talks & No End In Sight For Govt. Shutdown

Good evening,

We’re following two big stories this week: the ongoing government shutdown in the U.S. and the possibility of a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Before we get into our main story today, here’s the latest on those — and you can find continuing updates over on the Mo News Instagram page.

Let’s start abroad. Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas are underway today in Egypt, where mediators from the U.S., Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey are trying to hammer out President Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza.
- Both sides have already agreed on parts of the proposal — including the release of all remaining Israeli hostages within the first few days of the deal, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Around 50 Israeli hostages are still in Gaza, and about 20 are believed to be alive after nearly two years in captivity.
- The main sticking points: Hamas has rejected calls to fully disarm and is seeking guarantees of safe passage for its senior leaders if a deal is struck. President Trump posted that “the first phase should be completed this week,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a more cautious tone, saying some work “remains to be done.”
In Washington, the government shutdown has entered its sixth day, and no end is in sight. The House is out until next week as the Senate continues to push a temporary funding bill to keep the government open through November 21.
- The stalemate has become a political game of chicken between Democratic and Republican leaders — both sides betting they can win the messaging war. The White House is warning of mass layoffs as a consequence, framing it as a way for Trump to downsize the federal workforce, while Democrats are warning that notices of insurance premium spikes will start hitting Americans in the coming days to weeks.

Mo News Team

Love Mo News? Support our news coverage. Join Premium.

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Trump Escalates National Guard Deployments, Defying Judge And Blue-State Leaders

President Trump’s attempt to deploy the National Guard in Democratic-run cities escalated over the weekend as the White House ordered troops to Portland and Chicago — over objections from state leaders and in defiance of an Oregon judge’s orders.

U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, on Sunday night blocked the administration from sending hundreds of California National Guard troops to Oregon. It was her second decision in as many days that temporarily blocked the administration from federalizing and deploying state National Guard troops.
Meanwhile, Illinois filed a lawsuit Monday to block Trump from deploying hundreds of Texas National Guard troops to Chicago.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday dismissed concerns about Trump’s National Guard plans: “Why should they be concerned about the federal government offering help to make their cities a safer place?” She also pushed back on a federal judge’s ruling blocking troop deployments, saying the opinion was “untethered” from reality or law, citing U.S. Code 12406, which she said gives the president authority to call up the Guard if there is an invasion or rebellion.

SECOND TIME’S A CHARM
Judge Immergut noted Trump’s latest move appeared to directly defy her previous temporary order — issued a day earlier — which barred the federal government from deploying Oregon’s own National Guard to Portland.

“I am certainly troubled by now hearing that both California and Texas National Guard are being sent into Oregon, which does appear to be in direct contravention of my order,” Immergut said.

While Trump described Portland as “war-ravaged,” Oregon’s attorney general said protests there had been “small and sedate,” with just 25 arrests since mid-June. Over the weekend, however, protests reignited in response to Trump’s move to deploy the Guard and additional arrests were reported.

Judge Immergut said Trump’s claims that troops were needed were “simply untethered” to “the facts on the ground.”

Her Saturday order, which paused the National Guard deployment in Portland for two weeks, said the U.S. has “a longstanding and foundational tradition of resistance to government overreach, especially in the form of military intrusion into civil affairs.”
In her ruling, she noted that Portland’s 812 police officers are trained in crowd control and First Amendment law and have support from neighboring agencies and state police — indicating local authorities could manage.

Meanwhile, protests outside Portland’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility escalated over the weekend. Videos show tense clashes: officers deployed tear gas, smoke canisters, and pepper balls to disperse the protesters, which numbered in the hundreds.

Reality Check: The anti-ICE protests are far smaller than the city’s 2020 demonstrations after George Floyd’s murder, which were largely peaceful but at times turned violent. Trump sent 750 federal agents to Portland to quell protests at the time.

OVER TO CHICAGO
The president is also seeking to move Texas National Guard members into Chicago to help deal with confrontations around federal ICE raids. Late Sunday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) said his state’s Guard was informed that Trump had ordered 400 troops from Texas to be sent to Illinois, Oregon, and other locations. On Monday, Illinois and Chicago sued the Trump administration over its moves. Pritzker said, “We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s invasion.”

ICE agents used pepper spray, smoke grenades, and rubber bullets on demonstrators as tensions mounted over the weekend. Footage from Friday showed a masked officer throwing a smoke grenade from an unmarked vehicle outside an ICE facility in suburban Broadview.
- Rewind: Protests escalated after Tuesday’s military-style, middle-of-the-night immigration raid on a South Shore apartment building in Chicago. Agents reportedly used grenades and zip ties to detain dozens of residents — including U.S. citizens and children. The operation, which included nearly 300 federal agents, was aimed at targeting members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
- Protests intensified on Chicago’s Southwest Side Saturday after U.S. Border Patrol agents shot 30-year-old Marimar Martinez, a U.S. citizen, who was treated and released from a hospital. She and another driver, 21-year-old Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, were charged with using their cars to “assault, impede, and interfere with the work of federal agents.” The charges do not mention her having a firearm, which Homeland Security had earlier claimed.

“To the extent that Defendants have offered any basis at all to deploy the military to Illinois, it is based on a flimsy pretext… But far from promoting public safety in the Chicago region, Defendants’ provocative and arbitrary actions have threatened to undermine public safety by inciting a public outcry,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul wrote in Monday’s lawsuit.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller defended the action Monday on X, saying, “The President has undisputed authority under both statute and the Constitution to deploy troops, stationed in any state,” to defend federal facilities.

Last week, in front of more than 800 top military officials, Trump declared a new “war from within.” He proposed using “dangerous” American cities as “training grounds“ for troops. Trump sent thousands of National Guard troops into Los Angeles in July to quell anti-ICE protests and into Washington, D.C. in August to crack down on crime. Troops remain in D.C.

Up next: The Trump administration now faces legal showdowns in multiple states over its use of the National Guard. Last month, a California judge ruled Trump’s deployment of the Guard to Los Angeles was illegal, though the administration is appealing the decision.

🎯 Want to launch a new podcast or fix a podcast that’s falling flat?

The team at tentwentytwo builds podcasts around real business goals, which means they deliver real results.

They launched Mo News back in 2022 - and 1,000+ episodes and 10 million downloads later, they’re still supporting our podcast. 💯

They also fix underperforming shows. For example, Culture Partners grew listeners by 176% after working with tentwentytwo for just 30 days. 💪

Whether you're starting fresh or course-correcting, tentwentytwo is offering Mo News readers a free Strategic Podcast Blueprint. 📋 This is the same system they use with their clients (including…well,us 🥹).

🎧 Get it for free at podcastresults.com

⏳ THE SPEED READ

🚨NATION

South Carolina judge’s house destroyed by fire; officials investigating cause (MO NEWS)
Supreme court rejects Ghislaine Maxwell appeal (MO NEWS)
Court to hear free-speech clash over Colorado “conversion therapy” ban Tuesday (CBS)
Treasury names Social Security head as CEO of IRS (CNN)
Nashville skydiving instructor dead after falling without parachute (FOX)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

Greta Thunberg, 170 other activists from Gaza-bound flotilla deported from Israel (TIMES OF ISRAEL)
France’s prime minister resigns, again, sparking call from the far-right for new national elections (CBS)
More than 200 hikers still stranded as blizzard hits Mount Everest (NBC)
ICC makes the first conviction over past atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur (AP)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

Bari Weiss named editor-in-chief of CBS News after The Free Press acquired by Paramount Skydance (MO NEWS)
AMD announces major partnership with OpenAI for AI computing infrastructure (FOX)
The Nobel Prize in medicine goes to 3 scientists for key immune system discoveries (AP)
CDC drops universal COVID vaccine recommendations, suggests separate MMRV shots (ABC)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Rush announce reunion tour five years after the death of drummer Neil Peart (AP)
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ rocks box office with $33M (THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
Bad Bunny responds to Super Bowl critics, urges them to learn Spanish in Saturday Night Live monologue (VARIETY)
Ex-quarterback Mark Sanchez now facing felony charge for altercation (ESPN)
Gilmore Girls Turns 25, drawing fans to small town Connecticut (NPR)

🎓 Mo News Premium Education Discount — Now for Students, Too

At Mo News, we believe fact-first, reliable news should be within reach for every learner and educator. 📚🍎

That’s why we offer an Education Discount — now available to teachers, faculty, staff, homeschool educators, and students at every level, from elementary school through grad school.

With Mo News Premium, you’ll get access to weekend coverage on our private Instagram account, members-only podcasts, our exclusive Slack community, monthly workshops, and more — all for just $4/month or $48/year.

To sign up for our Education Discount, just email ashley@mo.news from your school-issued email address and tell us your role (student, teacher, or staff) and where you study or teach.

Want to nominate a teacher or educator for a free year of Mo News Premium? → Submit a nomination.

Interested in sponsoring a scholarship to cover a free year for someone? → Make a donation.

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… Two of us from the Mo News team saw Taylor Swift’s new movie this weekend — and we may have just saved you 90 minutes and a good chunk of change.

Maybe our expectations were too high after The Eras Tour concert film, which was basically a front-row seat to her live show. This one? A behind-the-scenes look at the making of a single music video (“The Fate of Ophelia” above) — plus brief explanations about the songs. But mostly just lyric videos with a still image of Taylor and some kaleidoscope effects.
Our thoughts: Sorry, Taylor, but this one could’ve just been a Spotify listen. It felt more like karaoke — but with stadium-priced popcorn. (Please don’t come for us, Swifties.)

That said, Taylor’s probably too busy smiling all the way to the bank to care. The Life of a Showgirl album release weekend raked in $33 million domestically, giving Swift a No. 1 album and No. 1 movie at the same time.