Court Blocks Trump's Layoffs; Hamas: All Accessible Remains Returned | NTD Good Morning

A federal judge in California halted President Donald Trump's federal layoffs on Wednesday, with the government shutdown now entering day 16. Amid the gridlock between the two parties, a high-profile debate is set to take place between Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). Meanwhile, Senate leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is expected to hold a procedural vote on Thursday to fund the Pentagon for the full 2026 fiscal year. The move is in line with Trump's emergency measures to ensure U.S. troops are paid. Democrats have not yet said how they plan to vote on the bill.

Israel says it has identified two more hostages among the bodies returned from Gaza so far, namely 27-year-old Inbar Hayman and 39-year-old Sgt. Muhammad al-Ataresh. In a phone call to CNN, Trump said he would consider allowing Netanyahu to resume military operations in Gaza if the Hamas terrorist group failed to meet the terms of the cease-fire agreement. Hamas said it has handed over all hostage remains it can access, claiming it needs special equipment to recover the rest of the bodies.

Trump has confirmed that he authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela, and said U.S. land strikes there are now under consideration. Venezuela is calling the actions a violation of international law. Some members of Congress from both parties say the president’s actions, including strikes on drug boats, effectively amount to acts of war without congressional authorization. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard says it has seized over 100,000 pounds of cocaine since August as part of Operation Pacific Viper.