NTD Good Morning

The United States is planning to designate the Venezuelan ‘Cartel of the Suns’ a foreign terrorist organization. The move expands federal authority to target the group, which the Trump administration says is led by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. U.S. forces are continuing strikes on suspected narcotics-smuggling vessels, including one this weekend in which three suspected drug traffickers died.

President Donald Trump is considering ways to allow Americans to directly feel the benefits of his tariffs. The measures include a plan to send a $2,000 check to low- and middle-income Americans next year, to be paid for by revenue gained from tariffs. The plan would need approval from Congress to take effect. Some conservative Republicans have expressed openness, but others say tackling the national debt should come first.

With the federal government back in business, the Federal Aviation Administration says its order to reduce flights ended at 6 a.m. on Monday morning, allowing normal air traffic operations to resume. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the agency will now refocus on hiring more air traffic controllers and modernizing U.S. air traffic control systems. SNAP benefits are also now being paid again under updated federal rules. However, beneficiaries must meet new work and citizenship requirements to continue receiving food assistance.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has awarded checks to two-dozen TSA agents at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Noem said the payments recognized employees who went “above and beyond” while working without pay during the shutdown, and that the department will continue awarding bonuses to TSA employees who showed exemplary performance.

The White House announced new trade deals on Thursday with Argentina, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Ecuador. According to an official, the deals will lift reciprocal tariffs on some products the United States relies on, such as coffee, cocoa, and bananas. President Donald Trump is planning to ramp up his domestic travel ahead of the 2026 midterms, when he intends to talk with voters about the cost of living.

Millions of Americans are facing higher health insurance costs as COVID-era tax subsidies for Obamacare are set to expire. Democrats want a clean extension of the subsidies. Some Republicans support this, but many want major reforms—or to replace Obamacare altogether. Senators are expected to vote on an Obamacare extension in December, with bipartisan negotiations already underway. Trump is proposing “Trumpcare,” which would create health accounts for people to pay for medical issues.

After a record 43 days, the federal government shutdown is finally over, with President Donald Trump signing a stopgap bill on Wednesday night to restore funding. The bill will keep much of the federal government running through January and fund SNAP benefits through next September. Six House Democrats joined Republicans to vote in favor of the bill, while others still called it a bad deal. The health care debate at the heart of the shutdown remains unresolved.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Wednesday that flight reductions will remain frozen at 6 percent even after the government shutdown ends. However, the measure will also halt a planned increase in cuts to 8 and then 10 percent. Duffy said the freeze is meant to stabilize operations while the FAA works to restore normal service. Duffy also said air traffic controllers will receive 70 percent of their back pay within 48 hours of the shutdown ending.

A discharge petition has secured enough signatures to force a House vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The bill is supported by all Democrats and four Republicans. It would direct the Justice Department to release unclassified records related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) plans to bring the measure to the floor next week. It will still face approval in the Republican-controlled Senate before reaching the president.

House lawmakers are back in Washington on Wednesday after an absence of nearly two months. They will vote on a measure to reopen the government, which is expected to pass before it heads to the president's desk. The bill will contain the same spending levels as the one sent to the Senate two months ago, and will fund the government until the end of January.

Much of the country got its first taste of winter in recent days, with a wave of Arctic air sending temperatures plunging. Nearly 18 million people in the Southeast were under freeze warnings this week. Up north, heavy snow buried parts of Michigan and New York State, while out west, California is bracing for heavy rain later this week.

The Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to keep food stamp payments on hold—extending a pause on a judge’s order to restore funding during the shutdown. The administration argued that courts can't legally reallocate federal funds, and that only Congress can resolve the crisis by reopening the government. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, voting to resume payments.

The longest government shutdown in history is nearing an end after 41 days. Senators approved a bipartisan deal on Monday night that’s now headed to the House. With the bill expected to pass the House, it will then head to the president’s desk, which could happen as early as Wednesday. Meanwhile, flight delays are continuing at airports across the country. The FAA said that starting on Monday, flights across the country would be reduced by 6 percent with plans to increase that to 10 percent by the end of the week.

The Supreme Court heard several key cases on Monday and is continuing to review President Donald Trump's global tariffs case. Trump warned that the economy could face trillions in losses if the Supreme Court strikes down his emergency tariff powers, calling any unwind “devastating.” The administration is also asking the Supreme Court to approve National Guard deployment in Illinois, a move lower courts blocked. Trump is also taking his dispute with magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll to the Supreme Court. Trump asked the court on Monday to review a $5 million civil judgment against him after a federal appeals court upheld the jury's verdict last year.

An arctic blast is continuing its record-setting journey East on Tuesday. The freeze is impacting the area from New York to Florida, bringing inches of snow and, potentially, record-setting low temperatures. Forecasters are predicting snowfall in the Great Lakes area on Tuesday as residents in the Midwest dig their way out, with inches of snow accumulating into the double-digits in some areas on Monday.

An end to the 40-day government shutdown is now in sight after 8 Democratic Senators joined Republicans to advance a bill to reopen the government through January 30. Part of the deal will require Republican leadership to hold a December vote on extending Obamacare subsidies. Without a guaranteed outcome, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) did not support the deal to reopen the government. House lawmakers will return to Washington this week, with the measure expected to easily pass the lower chamber.

President Donald Trump has pardoned more than 70 prominent figures involved in challenging the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, including Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, John Eastman, and Mark Meadows. The document states that “this proclamation ends a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 Presidential Election and continues the process of national reconciliation.” The proclamation also states the pardon does not apply to Trump himself.

The United States is marking the 250th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps on Monday. At the Marine Corps Birthday Ball in Washington on Sunday, Vice President JD Vance, a Marine veteran himself, praised the Corps’ enduring strength. Across the country, communities are honoring 250 years of service with parades, flyovers, and special tributes to Marines past and present. There are currently more than 200,000 active duty and reserve Marines serving in the United States.

Senators are expected to meet on Friday for a 15th vote on reopening the government. Republicans made an offer to fully fund parts of the government while patching funds for the rest until January, plus a promised Obamacare vote. Until Thursday evening, the deal looked promising to secure the votes needed from Democrats. Now, however, key negotiators are casting doubts that a breakthrough is possible before the weekend. If Senators don't see any hope of a deal coming to fruition, they could leave Washington for the next week.

A Rhode Island judge has ordered the Trump administration to fully fund food stamps for November. The ruling affects about 42 million Americans in the SNAP program. Judge John McConnell said people have “gone without for too long.” Vice President JD Vance called the decision “absurd.” The Trump administration is appealing the ruling.

Following Supreme Court arguments on President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, the president is describing the case as the most important in U.S. history. Trump said his 100 percent tariff threat against Beijing was key in getting Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping to ease rare earth export controls. He said if the Supreme Court does not rule in his favor, he will need to come up with a new plan regarding his tariffs. Trump said such a ruling would be “devastating” and a life-or-death scenario for the United States.

The Federal Aviation Administration is preparing to cut 10 percent of flights at 40 major airports as early as Friday if the government shutdown continues. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the move will ease pressure on air traffic controllers, who haven’t been paid in weeks. The cancellations are expected to disrupt many Americans' travel plans, but Duffy said safety remains the top priority.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he's very optimistic about the Supreme Court case that is weighing the legality of President Donald Trump's global tariff case. Bessent attended oral arguments at the high court on Wednesday. He said that the Solicitor General presented strong and persuasive arguments, while, in his opinion, the plaintiff had fundamentally misunderstood and misrepresented Trump's tariff goals. The president has repeatedly emphasized that without the tariffs, the United States would have no national security.

Seven New York City firefighters are recovering after a car explosion in the Bronx sent a massive fireball into the sky. Officials say the blast happened on Wednesday night after a trash fire spread to several vehicles. Fire Chief John Esposito says five firefighters suffered burns to their hands and faces. Three remain hospitalized with serious injuries.

Democrats have swept the ballot box, winning several key races across the nation. Zohran Mamdani is projected to become the next mayor of New York City, beating out independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. In the New Jersey governor’s race, Democrat Mikie Sherrill is set to beat out Republican Jack Ciattarelli. In Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger is projected to win the governor’s seat over Republican Winsome Earle-Sears.

A cargo plane crash at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport has killed at least seven people. The UPS jet went down moments after take-off near an industrial area just outside the airport. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called the crash catastrophic. UPS has paused operations at its Worldport hub in Louisville as the investigation continues.

Wednesday marks the 36th day of the government shutdown, making it the longest in U.S. history. President Donald Trump is again calling on Republicans to end the filibuster in order to work around the Democrat votes needed to reopen the government. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is also warning of the possibility of having to close sections of U.S. airspace. Bipartisan talks are said to be underway with some predicting the shutdown could come to an end this week, although it's still uncertain if the talks will make a difference.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney has died at the age of 84, according to his family. The statement said his passing was “due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.” Cheney served alongside Republican President George W. Bush for two terms, from 2001 to 2009. He is considered one of America's most powerful modern vice presidents, and the primary architect of America’s ‘War on Terror.’

Voters are heading to the polls as President Donald Trump urges voters to back independent candidate Andrew Cuomo for New York City mayor over Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, who he called a “communist.” A new poll shows the race tightening, with Mamdani’s lead shrinking as Cuomo gains late momentum. Meanwhile, Trump also made a last-minute push for GOP candidates in New Jersey and Virginia ahead of today’s gubernatorial races, holding tele-rallies.

The Trump administration will partially fund food stamps for November as the shutdown enters its second month. The USDA says about half the usual benefits will be paid using limited contingency funds. Meanwhile, Head Start programs are closing nationwide, leaving thousands of families without child care as the shutdown ties the record for the longest in U.S. history.