President Donald Trump’s crucial meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping will commence later tonight as the ongoing U.S. government shutdown impacts airport delays.
Trump and Xi will meet face-to-face in South Korea at 11 a.m. local time on Thursday amid an intense trade war.
Back home, Newark Liberty International Airport issued a ground delay Wednesday afternoon, with the Federal Aviation Administration citing staffing shortages.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been warning about shortages of air traffic controllers, who missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday due to the ongoing shutdown.
"I've made clear to our air traffic controllers: they need to show up for work. They do really important work for our country, and they need to show up,” Duffy said Tuesday.
Air traffic controllers calling out sick helped pressure politicians during the last shutdown, which lasted 35 days during Trump’s first term, to open the government.
Due to the shutdown, millions could soon lose access to food assistance come November; several tribal nations have declared states of emergency over the threats to SNAP benefits.
While the shutdown continues well into its fourth week, Trump is wrapping up his multi-day Asia trip.
Key Points
- Trump says US-South Korea trade deal ‘pretty much finalized’ after hours of talks
- Shutdown drags into 29th day as Democrats warn of 'health care disaster'
- Federal Reserve cuts interest rates for second time this year amid lagging job market
U.S. military plans operation in South China Sea: report
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Rachel Dobkin
The U.S. military has planned an operation in the South China Sea as a “show of force” against Chinese aggression in the region, according to a CBS News report.
Two unnamed U.S. officials said the operation would involve launching HIMARS, which fire rockets, towards the Scarborough Shoal.
It’s unclear when the operation would happen, and there’s a chance it won’t happen at all.
In pictures: Trump visits South Korea
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Rachel Dobkin
Virginia man who called for Trump's assassination is acquitted
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Rachel Dobkin
A Virginia man who called for President Donald Trump's assassination on social media dating to 2020 has been acquitted.
Peter A. Stinson, who served more than 30 years in the Coast Guard, wrote in one post, “I am willing to serve in a support capacity for someone else with the skills to take care of things,” The Washington Post reported, citing a government court filing.
Stinson’s attorneys argued the posts were protected under the First Amendment.
“Criminal solicitations excluded from First Amendment protection require proof of serious proposals involving ‘a hiring or partnership arrangement,’” his defense team said in a court filing, per The Washington Post.
Trump and China's Xi are meeting in South Korea to try to roll back months of trade tensions
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AP
President Donald Trump is set to meet face-to-face with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, a chance for the leaders of the world's two largest economies to stabilize relations after months of turmoil over trade issues.
Trump's aggressive use of tariffs since returning to the White House for a second term combined with China's retaliatory limits on exports of rare earth elements have given the meeting newfound urgency. There is a mutual recognition that neither side wants to risk blowing up the world economy in ways that could jeopardize their own country's fortunes.
In the days leading up to the meeting, U.S. officials have signaled that Trump does not intend to make good on a recent threat to impose an additional 100% import tax on Chinese goods — and China has shown signs it is willing to relax its export controls on rare earths and also buy soybeans from America.
Trump went further aboard Air Force One on his way to South Korea, telling reporters he may reduce tariffs that he placed on China earlier this year related to its role in making fentanyl.
Read on...
Trump says he's 'very much looking forward' to Xi meeting
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Rachel Dobkin
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 29, 2025
Watch: Fox News host says South Korea was 'trolling' when gifting Trump
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Rachel Dobkin
Fox News host Greg Gutfeld said Wednesday South Korea was “trolling” when gifting President Donald Trump a replica of a golden crown after an estimated 7 million Americans marched in “No Kings” demonstrations, protesting against what they viewed as an authoritarian administration, earlier this month.
Gutfeld: Even foreign countries are getting in on the trolling. You know, South Korea gives him the crown pic.twitter.com/5WZNBKsRQr
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 29, 2025
Read more about the crown from Kelly Rissman:
Trump gives South Korea permission to build a nuclear-powered submarine
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Rachel Dobkin
President Donald Trump has announced that he has permitted South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine after the country promised to invest billions into the U.S.
“South Korea has agreed to pay the USA 350 Billion Dollars for a lowering of the Tariff’s charged against them by the United States. Additionally, they have agreed to buy our Oil and Gas in vast quantities, and investments into our Country by wealthy South Korean Companies and Businessmen will exceed 600 Billion Dollars,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday evening.
He continued: “Our Military Alliance is stronger than ever before and, based on that, I have given them approval to build a Nuclear Powered Submarine, rather than the old fashioned, and far less nimble, diesel powered Submarines that they have now. A great trip, with a great Prime Minister!”
Reuters reported Wednesday that South Korea’s chief policy advisor Kim Yong-beom said the U.S. agreed to lower tariffs on imports of Korean auto and auto parts to 15 percent from 25 percent.
Appeals court blocks order forcing Border Patrol chief to appear in court every day
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Rachel Dobkin
A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked an order by Illinois District Judge Sara Ellis, forcing Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino to appear in her courtroom every day.
Ellis ordered the meetings, which were set to take place over the next week until November 5, on Tuesday following allegations that Bovino and his officers violently detained protesters and indiscriminately fired tear gas into neighborhoods.
But on Wednesday, before Bovino’s first meeting with Ellis, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit granted the Trump administration’s request for an administrative stay on Ellis’ order, “only to the extent it required Gregory Bovino to appear in court, in person, each weekday at 5:45 PM,” the filing read.
Read more Ellis’ ruling from Alex Woodward:
Full story: Newark airport grounds planes as government shutdown staffing shortage leave FAA struggling
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Rachel Dobkin
Newark Liberty International Airport has grounded planes as staffing shortages from the ongoing government shutdown leave the Federal Aviation Administration struggling.
The ground delay went into effect at 3:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday and will last until 11 p.m.
Passengers can expect their planes to be delayed by an average of 40 minutes.
Air traffic controller shortages have been a major burden on Americans during the government shutdown, and it will only get worse with the busy Thanksgiving and winter holidays fast approaching.
Over the weekend, there were more than 50 staffing shortages at airports across the country, CNN reported.
There were more than 7,000 flight delays within, into or out of the U.S. on Monday, more than 4,000 Tuesday and nearly 3,000 so far on Wednesday, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.
ICE deported an Alabama man who claims US citizenship. DHS says it wasn’t a mistake and don’t want him back
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Kelly Rissman
A man living in Alabama who claims to have U.S. citizenship was deported to Laos despite a federal court order blocking his removal from the country.
But Homeland Security officials told The Independent “there was no mistake,” labeling him a “criminal illegal alien” who was stripped of his green card and merely sought a last-ditch “Hail Mary” attempt to claim citizenship after he had previously been ordered out of the country.
Chanthila Souvannarath, 44, was born in a Thai refugee camp but has lived in the United States since he was an infant. He gained citizenship as a child when his father was naturalized, making him eligible for derivative citizenship under immigration law at the time, according to his attorneys.
Alex Woodward has the story.
How many flights have been disrupted today?
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Kelly Rissman
As of Wednesday evening, more than 2,800 flights were delayed nationwide and 133 were cancelled, according to FlightAware.
As shutdown-linked staffing shortages disrupt air travel, thousands of flights were delayed Wednesday and Newark Liberty International Airport was forced to ground planes.
Air traffic controllers missed their first full paycheck Tuesday. Newark serves the New York City metropolitan area; the ground stop occurred days before the New York City marathon on Sunday.
After a 75-minute ground stop, the FAA issued a “ground delay.” Flights were averaging delays of 40 minutes.
Newark Liberty International Airport briefly issued ground stop amid staffing shortages as shutdown drags on
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Kelly Rissman
The New Jersey International Airport grounded all departing flights for 75 minutes on Wednesday afternoon, NBC New York reported.
Later on Wednesday, the FAA issued a “ground delay,” with flights delayed an average of 40 minutes as staffing shortages plague air travel.
Wednesday marks the 29th day of the shutdown; air traffic controllers missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday.
Speaking at LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned of the impacts of the shortages, noting many air traffic controllers have taken on second jobs.
"I've made clear to our air traffic controllers: they need to show up for work. They do really important work for our country, and they need to show up. But I'm not going to lie to anybody to not say that they're not feeling the stress," Duffy said.
Two prosecutors put on leave after describing Jan. 6 as 'mob of rioters' in legal filing: report
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Kelly Rissman
Two federal prosecutors were told they were being placed on leave after describing the January 6 Capitol riot as being executed by “thousands of people comprising a mob of rioters” in a legal filing, ABC News first reported.
Carlos Valdivia and Samuel White were informed they’d be placed on leave Wednesday, mere hours after submitting a sentencing memo for Taylor Taranto, who was pardoned by Trump earlier this year for his involvement in the Capitol attack.
The sentencing memo deals with a separate case. Taranto was found guilty in May of illegally carrying two firearms without a license and other charges after he livestreamed near former President Barack Obama’s home in June 2023.
The sentencing memo in question states:
“On January 6, 2021, thousands of people comprising a mob of rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol while a joint session of Congress met to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election Taranto was accused of participating in the riot in Washington, D.C., by entering the U.S. Capitol Building. After the riot, Taranto returned to his home in the State of Washington, where he promoted conspiracy theories about the events of January 6, 2021.”
The prosecutors asked that he serve a 27-month prison sentence.
Before they were put on leave, the pair of prosecutors had been furloughed due to the government shutdown, ABC News reported.
CBP searched more phones at border than ever this year as tourists are turned away for Vance memes and anti-Trump messages
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Kelly Rissman
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents searched more phones at the border than ever this year, with some officers turning tourists away for liking or sharing memes about Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, according to reports.
The number of phones probed by border agents jumped by 17 percent during the last year, with the CBP digging into more than 55,424 devices, according to statistics seen by Wired. Just a year earlier, the CBP had conducted 47,000 searches.
The aggressive increase in inspections has coincided with a collapse in the number of tourists visiting the U.S., as people from Canada and Europe seek alternative vacation destinations.
Owen Scott has more.
WATCH: James Comer says Trump family enriching themselves with crypto is fine because they're admitting to it
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Kelly Rissman
In photos: President Donald Trump attends dinner hosted by South Korea President Lee Jae Myung
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Kelly Rissman
Hot mic catches Trump discussing his upcoming talks with China's President Xi: report
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Kelly Rissman
President Donald Trump was caught on a hot mic predicting that his meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping would span “three to four hours,” despite White House guidance budgeting less than two hours for the bilateral summit, according to the New York Post.
Trump is set to meet with Xi on Thursday in South Korea.
“We’re going to have something that’s going to be very, very satisfactory to China and to us,” Trump reportedly said at a Wednesday dinner. “I think it’s going to be a very good meeting. I look forward to it tomorrow morning when we meet.”
The U.S. president also allegedly discussed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
“You have a neighbor that hasn’t been as nice as they could be, and I think they will be,” Trump reportedly said to Lee. “I know Kim Jong Un very well, and I think things will work out very well.”
Several tribal nations have declared states of emergency over 'SNAP crisis'
18:45
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Kelly Rissman
The Blackfeet Nation in Montana declared a state of emergency in response to the potential loss of food assistance benefits due to the ongoing shutdown.
The Spirit Lake Nation in North Dakota similarly issued an emergency declaration.
Chairwoman Lonna Jackson-Street told the Associated Press that children make up the majority of those in the Spirit Lake Nation who rely on SNAP benefits.
“If our kids can’t eat, then we’re all in crisis,” Street said.
Journalist turned Democratic candidate faces federal charges over anti-ICE protests in Chicago
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Kelly Rissman
A progressive Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives and several other Chicago officials are facing federal charges stemming from protests outside an Immigration Customs and Enforcement facilitythat has emerged as a flashpoint for demonstrations against Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
Kat Abughazaleh, a former journalist now running for a House seat in Illinois, is charged with conspiracy to impede or injure an ICE office and assault.
The grand jury indictment unsealed Wednesday accuses Abughazaleh and five other defendants, some of whom are involved in Chicago politics, of banging “aggressively” on a federal agent’s car, forcing the officer to drive at an “extremely slow rate of speed,” and etching the word “PIG” on the vehicle.
Alex Woodward has the story.
Democratic Congressman lambasts recent strikes against suspected drug-carrying boats:
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Kelly Rissman
Connecticut Democratic Rep. Jim Himes criticized the recent barrage of U.S. strikes against suspected drug-carrying vessels.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. carried out another three lethal strikes on four vessels in the Pacific Ocean on Monday, killing 14 people. One person survived the strikes.
There have been at least 13 strikes on 14 vessels since early September, raising the death toll to 50.
“There is no legal authorization for these strikes,” Himes told MSNBC Wednesday. “There is a purported memo inside the White House articulating the legal basis for these strikes, which has not been shared with the Congress.”
“If Lindsey Graham and other Republicans want to go the route of saying it's okay to kill people legally just so long as the American public supports it, the American public really needs to think that through,” he continued.
“It's a very dangerous path for this country to go down,” the Democrat warned.
Last week, President Donald Trump addressed the recent strikes at a roundtable.
“I don’t think we're going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK? We’re going to kill them,” the president said.
Graham defended the strikes over the weekend, saying Trump has “all the authority he needs” to conduct the attacks.
Federal Reserve cuts interest rates for second time this year amid lagging job market
18:19
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Kelly Rissman
The Federal Reserve announced that it slashed interest rates for the second time this year amid rising unemployment and increasing inflation.
The Federal Open Market Committee released its statement on Wednesday saying that it would slash interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point.
“Uncertainty about the economic outlook remains elevated,” a statement said. “The Committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate and judges that downside risks to employment rose in recent months.”
Eric Garcia has the story.
Federal Reserve lowered interest rates again as shutdown clouds economic outlook
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Kelly Rissman
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter of a point on Wednesday, due to a slow job market.
“Available indicators suggest that economic activity has been expanding at a moderate pace. Job gains have slowed this year, and the unemployment rate has edged up but remained low through August; more recent indicators are consistent with these developments. Inflation has moved up since earlier in the year and remains somewhat elevated,” the Fed said in a statement.
South Park to mock Trump’s White House demolition as new date announced for Halloween episode
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Kelly Rissman
South Park will return Friday — not Wednesday — with a new Halloween-themed episode addressing Donald Trump’s recent White House demolition.
A teaser image of the long-running Comedy Central series shows Trump and Satan wearing hard hats and surveying the wreckage of the East Wing, referencing last week’s real-life moment when crews started to destroy the historic building to make room for Trump’s planned $300 million ballroom.
The East Wing, which previously stood for 123 years, is being torn down after Trump, 79, initially vowed that his new venue wouldn’t “interfere” with the original landmark. The president reportedly plans to name the ballroom after himself.
Carsen Holaday has the story.
Trump has 'strengthened China's hand' in trade war, report by Senate Democrats says
17:45
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Kelly Rissman
President Donald Trump is “losing a self-inflicted trade war” with China, a report by Democrats on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs states.
The details of the report, obtained by CNBC, were published one day before Trump is set to meet China’s President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
The president “has strengthened China’s hand while weakening America’s leverage,” the report says, adding that “Trump’s trade wars have imposed significant costs” on U.S. consumers and businesses.
“Trump needs to change course on his trade war with China now and stop hurting American families, farmers, and businesses,” Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the committee, told the outlet.
Senate Dems demand 'complete accounting' of donations to Trump's ballroom
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Kelly Rissman
Senate Democrats demand the “complete accounting” of all donations to the White House ballroom project in a letter sent to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
President Donald Trump’s ballroom project is expected to cost $300 million and is entirely privately funded, he’s said. The president has personally vowed to chip in “millions” to the project.
The East Wing of the White House was torn down last week to make way for the 90,000 square-foot ballroom.
“We write to express serious concerns regarding President Trump’s financing of the new White House ballroom construction project through private donations from individuals and corporations whose business interests are deeply impacted by the Administration and its decisions,” the letter, obtained by the Washington Post, states.
The letter was signed by 12 Senate Democrats, including Adam Schiff, Tammy Duckworth, and Bernie Sanders.
“To assess possible conflicts of interest and violations of law and ethicsobligations, Congress and the American public deserve meaningful transparency. We, therefore, request a complete accounting of all donations to the White House ballroom construction project, including the conditions under which contributions were made.”
VOICES: Peace in the Middle East, Mr Trump? You’re not even close ...
17:15
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Kelly Rissman
There’s no shortage of comforting euphemisms to describe the events of the past day and night, which culminated in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza estimated to have killed 104 Palestinians by this morning.
For US Vice President JD Vance, no one should be deceived by “little skirmishes” into thinking the ceasefire will not hold. For the Israel Defence Forces, the strikes were merely “enforcing the ceasefire.” If this is all compatible with the end of hostilities, it’s tempting to ask what a full return to war would look like.
That said, the detail, as ever in the Middle East, matters. Two separate incidents were the reason – or pretext, depending on how you look at it – for the “powerful strikes” which were ordered on Monday by Benjamin Netanyahu. One was Hamas’s return to Israel of some remains of a man killed in its attack of October 7 2023, whose body, it turned out, had been largely recovered by Israeli troops much earlier in the war. (The Israeli military says that the remains were deliberately placed by militants at an excavation site and then dug up again to present to the Red Cross as a new discovery.)
Read Donald McIntyre’s take:
WATCH: Trump gifted a gold crown while in Korea
17:00
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Kelly Rissman
Another blow for Trump as judge disqualifies ‘unlawfully serving’ top prosecutor in Los Angeles
16:45
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Kelly Rissman
The top U.S. attorney in one of the largest districts in the country has been serving illegally since July, according to a federal judge.
The ruling marks the third time that a court has disqualified one of Donald Trump’s loyalists for a top prosecutor role, as the Department of Justice faces intense legal scrutiny over a series of maneuvers to keep the president’s allies in office to get around legal limits on how long they can stay there.
In his Tuesday order, District Judge J. Michael Seabright determined that Bill Essayli was unlawfully serving beyond a 120-day expiration date for a temporary position leading the U.S. attorney’s office in the Central District of California. He should have left his post as acting U.S. attorney for the district July 31, according to the judge.
Alex Woodward has the story.
Booker warns of 'worst health care disaster' in history
16:30
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Kelly Rissman
“Donald Trump has promised to bring prices down but he’s done the exact opposite. He should come to the table and negotiate with us to help people through this healthcare nightmare,” Senator Cory Booker said at a Wednesday press conference.
He warned this could be the “worst health care disaster our nation has ever seen” as health care costs are poised to rise if the ACA tax credits expire — a major sticking point of the government shutdown.
For 2026, the amount health insurers charge for coverage on the ACA Marketplaces is rising 26 percent, a KFF analysis found.
What's happening to SNAP benefits?
16:15
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Kelly Rissman
Nearly 42 million Americans could soon lose access to food assistance as the government shutdown drags into the fourth week.
The USDA has said that it doesn’t have the $8 billion necessary to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program next month. The program provides roughly $187 per person per month in food aid.
“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” a banner reads on the department’s official website.
Missouri GOP Senator Josh Hawley introduced a bipartisan bill last week that would provide appropriations for the USDA to give “uninterrupted benefits” for SNAP.
“This is Congress’ fault. So, when it comes to SNAP, the only solution here is we need to appropriate the money. I mean, that, even if he could put a Band-Aid on it, it would not, he couldn’t pay all of it. So we need to appropriate the money,” he told CNN.
New Mexico Democratic Senator Ben Ray Luján is preparing to put forward a competing bill to fund SNAP and another food assistance program, Politico reported.
Meanwhile, Democratic leaders from 25 have also sued the Trump administration over its funding freeze.
WATCH: Trump admits he can't run for a third term
16:00
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Kelly Rissman
DHS is using old videos of chaos to push the Trump-Noem takeover of cities: report
15:45
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Kelly Rissman
The Department of Homeland Security has been posting “misleading” videos on social media from years ago to push its deportation narrative and to justify federal law enforcement in Democrat-run cities, a new report finds.
Under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the agency has been prolific on social media, posting hundreds of videos of raids and operations across the country.
But at least six of the viral videos posted in the last three months have been misleading and claim to be depicting events in cities targeted by President Donald Trump, when in reality, they were filmed in completely different states, the Washington Post reports.
Rhian Lubin has the story.
Trump looks forward to 'great' meeting with China's leader Xi Jinping
15:30
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Kelly Rissman
President Donald Trump said he looked forward to meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping on Thursday in Korea.
“Bringing back Trillions of Dollars to USA! A great trip. Dealing with very smart, talented, and wonderful Leaders. Tomorrow, President Xi of China. It will be a great meeting for both!!!” he wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.
The U.S. president said earlier this week he hopes to “come away” from the meeting with a trade deal.
ICYMI: States sue Trump’s USDA to unleash SNAP funding as shutdown continues
15:15
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Kelly Rissman
Nearly 42 million Americans and their families could imminently lose access to federal food assistance if Donald Trump’s administration does not tap into billions of dollars in emergency funding to keep the critical program afloat during the government shutdown.
Democratic leaders from 25 states are now suing the administration to keep those dollars flowing, arguing that the Department of Agriculture is legally required to continue providing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as long as there is money to support it.
“Millions of Americans are about to go hungry because the federal government has chosen to withhold food assistance it is legally obligated to provide,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is among 25 attorneys general suing the Trump administration to keep SNAP running.
Alex Woodward has the story.
