Live updates: No deal on averting a shutdown after White House meeting; Trump discusses Gaza peace plan with Netanyahu

The Justice Department today sued the state of Minnesota over so-called sanctuary policies that limit local officials' cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The lawsuit claims that because of Minnesota statutes, law enforcement agencies at the local and state levels are not cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The suit asks a federal court to declare such policies unlawful in Minneapolis, St. Paul and other counties in the state.

Minnesota was one of the states that received a letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi in August, threatening action if it did not adhere to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies. 

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz responded to that letter last month, blasting the administration for what he described as insisting Minnesota use its resources to “do the federal government’s job or help effectuate some kind of misguided political agenda.”

Senators appear to be mentally preparing themselves for a shutdown and grappling with what that would mean for both the government and the federal employees who could be fired as a result.

Some Senate Republicans expressed concerns about the kinds of job losses Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought threatened if there's a shutdown. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said, “I just don’t think it’s productive,” with Sen. Susan Collins of Maine saying, “It would be extremely unfair to lay off permanently federal workers who are displaced through no fault of their own.”

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., reiterated that he would vote with Republicans to keep the government open. “What’s our leverage? What’s our leverage? I don’t think we should become or [be] part of the kinds of chaos,” he said.

Democratic New York mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani said in an interview that he believes Trump is "clearing the way" for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a third-party candidate, to become the city's next mayor.

Mamdani was responding to a question on CNN about whether he thinks there's a deal between Trump and Mayor Eric Adams, who dropped his re-election bid over the weekend.

"I can’t speak to that. All I can tell you, though, is that, you know, Donald Trump is clearing the way for Andrew Cuomo, because Donald Trump knows that Andrew Cuomo will clear the way for Trump’s agenda," Mamdani said in an interview that aired tonight.

"New Yorkers are tired of that agenda. They want someone who’s actually beholden to the people of the city, not to the White House," he added.

Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill is launching a digital ad in which her campaign claims the Trump administration and her Republican opponent’s campaign violated the law by releasing her un-redacted military records.

The issue has taken over the New Jersey governor’s race in recent days, with Republicans advertising on a cheating scandal that took place at the U.S. Naval Academy when Sherrill was a student and with Sherrill focusing on the release of her personal information.

"It’s not just a scandal. It is illegal,” a narrator says in Sherrill’s ad, shared first with NBC News. “The Trump administration illegally releasing respected Navy helicopter pilot Mikie Sherrill’s private military records to Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign, records containing Mikie’s Social Security number, even her retired parents’ home address. Jack’s campaign distributed her records anyway — breaking the law.”

The narrator goes on to say the Ciattarelli campaign “refused to return” the records, adding: “They broke the law to attack a veteran. Just think what Jack Ciattarelli might do to you.”

Read the full story here.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, raised concerns about last week's federal indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, saying such actions could lead to harmful views of the U.S. judicial system that are "difficult to undo."

"The Department of Justice has long been insulated from presidential administrations to protect public trust in the rule of law. But that independence is called into question when overt political pressure from the White House leads to unusual personnel changes and criminal charges filed just days after the President calls for them," she wrote on X this evening.

"As the legal process moves forward, I expect the DOJ to act in accordance with the Constitution and federal law, and to demonstrate that this case is being handled free from political interference," she added. "The strength of our democracy rests on the public’s trust in equal justice under law. If Americans come to believe that federal prosecutions are driven by politics rather than facts and evidence, the damage will be difficult to undo."

Comey, a longtime critic of Trump, was indicted last week on counts of making a false statement and obstruction of a congressional proceeding following pressure from Trump, who had urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to go after him and two other perceived political foes. Comey has denied wrongdoing.

YouTube said today it would settle a lawsuit brought by Trump for more than $24 million, adding to a growing list of settlements with tech and media companies that have amassed millions of dollars for Trump’s projects.

Trump sued after his YouTube account was banned in 2021. After the Jan. 6 riot, YouTube said content posted to Trump’s channel raised “concerns about the ongoing potential for violence.” His account was reinstated in 2023.

Today’s settlement makes YouTube the last major tech platform to settle a lawsuit with Trump, who similarly sued Meta and Twitter for banning his accounts in the aftermath of Jan. 6. Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, settled for $25 million, while Twitter, since renamed X, settled for about $10 million.

A notice of settlement for Trump’s lawsuit against YouTube details that $22 million of it will go toward building a new White House ballroom. Trump has touted that the addition will have room for 900 people, and the White House has said it could cost $200 million to build.

Read the full story here.

Trump today unveiled a comprehensive peace proposal to end the war in Gaza, nearly two years after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

During his visit with Trump at the White House, Netanyahu publicly backed the 20-point plan, but Trump acknowledged that Hamas had not agreed to it.

The key components of the proposal include the release of all living and dead hostages in Gaza, a requirement for Hamas to lay down its arms, a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the territory, the delivery of humanitarian aid and the installation of a civilian governing authority for Palestinians.

Trump said that if Hamas rejects the deal, he would back Netanyahu in dismantling and destroying Hamas.

Read the full text of the plan here.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said this afternoon that "there are still large differences between us" as Democrats and Republicans remain at odds over a funding bill to avoid a government shutdown this week.

"It’s up to the Republicans whether they want to shut down or not," Schumer told reporters after Democratic and Republican congressional leaders met with Trump at the White House.

"We’ve made to the president some proposals our Republican leaders will have to talk to them about them, but ultimately he’s the decision-maker. And if he will accept some of the things we ask to rethink — the American people are for our health care and our decisions — he can avoid a shutdown, but there are still large differences between us," Schumer added.

Trump met with congressional leaders after he canceled a previously scheduled meeting with them Thursday, calling their objections to the Republican funding bill “unserious and ridiculous.”

Vice President JD Vance said this afternoon that he thinks the government will shut down and sought to blame congressional Democrats.

“I think we’re headed to a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing. I hope they change their mind, but we’re going to see,” Vance told reporters minutes after Trump met with congressional leaders at the White House ahead of tomorrow night's funding deadline.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair called Trump’s proposal to end the Gaza war “a bold and intelligent plan,” particularly praising a proposed transitional oversight board that Trump said Blair would serve on.

Blair said in a statement that the plan “offers us the best chance of ending two years of war, misery and suffering, and I thank President Trump for his leadership, determination and commitment.”

“In particular, his willingness to chair the Board of Peace to oversee the new Gaza is a huge signal of support and confidence in the future of Gaza, of the possibility of Israelis and Palestinians finding a path to peace, and of the potential for a broader regional and global alliance to counter the forces of extremism and promote peace and prosperity between nations,” added Blair, the former leader of the U.K.’s center-left Labour Party.

Trump would chair the board alongside Blair and other high-profile participants.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., spoke separately to reporters on their way to the White House, and neither sounded optimistic about reaching a quick deal to avert a government shutdown.

"We’ve finally gotten our meeting," Schumer said, referring to an earlier meeting that Trump scrapped. "We hope they’re serious about getting something real done on health care.”

Thune said he believes "there will be multiple opportunities to vote on keeping the government open" if they can't do so tomorrow.

“I would expect additional opportunities,” he said.

The group that represents the families of people held hostage in Gaza, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, praised Trump and Netanyahu in a lengthy statement on X for the peace proposal.

"After almost two years of unimaginable anguish, we stand at a historic turning point," they wrote. "President Trump has accomplished what many said was impossible. His determination never wavered, even when others lost hope. The time he personally invested in pursuing peace in the Middle East and resolving this conflict that has destabilized the entire region, along with the personal guarantee he has placed on this agreement, deserves our deepest appreciation."

They added that they commended Netanyahu for accepting the plan and called on him "to immediately order a cessation of fighting in Gaza."

Congressional leaders are on their way to the White House for a meeting with Trump ahead of tomorrow night’s shutdown deadline.

Trump is scheduled to meet with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., along with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

Trump mentioned the meeting at the end of his remarks alongside Netanyahu this afternoon.

"I'm meeting with, as you know, a couple of Democrats in a little while about the country, keeping our country open," he said. "They’re going to have to do some things, because their ideas are not very good ones, they’re very bad for our country, so we’ll see how that works out.”

Trump and Netanyahu decided not to take questions from reporters at what was billed as a news conference, saying they're waiting for the deal to be finalized.

"I think while we wait for these documents to be signed and get everybody in line, I think maybe it's not really appropriate to take questions," Trump said.

He then asked Netanyahu what he thought and whether he'd like to take questions from "friendly" Israeli reporters. Netanyahu said: "That's a very, very tough proposition, but I would think, Mr. President, that I would go by your instinct."

Netanyahu said in his remarks that if the peace proposal moves forward, it will permanently end the war in Gaza.

He said Israel's military forces would conduct further withdrawals "linked to the extent of disarmament and demilitarization" in Gaza. He also said, however, that Israel "will remain in the security perimeter for the foreseeable future."

"I think we should understand that we’re giving everybody a chance to have this done peacefully, something that will achieve all our war objectives without any further bloodshed," he said.

He said that if Hamas rejects the plan, Israel would "finish the job by itself."

"This can be done the easy way, or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done," he said. "We prefer the easy way, but it has to be done. All these goals must be achieved, because we didn’t fight this horrible fight, sacrifice the finest of our young men, to have Hamas stay in Gaza and threaten us again and again and again with these horrific massacres."

Trump said in his remarks that with the 20-point proposal, he was challenging "the Palestinians to take responsibility for their destiny, because that’s what we’re giving them."

"We’re giving them responsibility for their destiny," but they must "prohibit terrorism and earn their way to a brighter future," the president said. 

"They don’t want the life that they’ve had. They’ve had a rough life with Hamas," he said. "If the Palestinian Authority does not complete the reforms that I laid out and my vision for peace in 2020, they’ll have only themselves to blame."

Dan Shapiro, who served as U.S. ambassador to Israel in the Obama administration, said in a post on X that the ball is now in Qatar's court to convince Hamas to agree to the peace proposal.

Shapiro said that with Netanyahu's apology to Qatar for the death of a serviceman, "the pressure actually shifts to Qatar to reciprocate by delivering a yes from Hamas on release of all hostages and disarmament."

"Trump pressuring Bibi is necessary, but no less needed is his pressure on Qatar," Shapiro wrote.

Trump said during the news conference that he would support Netanyahu and Israel in destroying Hamas if the terrorist group rejects the peace proposal.

"If Hamas rejects the deal, which is always possible — they're the only one left, everyone else has accepted it, but I have a feeling that we're going to have a positive answer," Trump said. "But if not, as you know, Bibi, you'd have our full backing to do what you would have to do."

The White House officially released its 20-point peace plan ahead of the news conference, which says, "If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end."

Under the terms of the deal, "Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed upon line to prepare for a hostage release," and all hostages would be released within 72 hours, the White House release said.

"During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal,” it said.

“Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty," the release continued. "Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries."

The plan backed away from an earlier proposal to relocate residents of the Gaza Strip, saying that "Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough."

Trump and Netanyahu have emerged from their meeting to address reporters following their meeting on a proposed ceasefire plan for Gaza.

“So this is a big, big day a beautiful day, potentially, one of the great days ever in civilization,” Trump said, kicking off their remarks.

The president went on to outline some of the main points in the 20-point peace plan that the White House released right before he started speaking.

During a call with Trump and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani today, Netanyahu "expressed his deep regret that Israel’s missile strike against Hamas targets in Qatar unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman," the White House said.

"He further expressed regret that, in targeting Hamas leadership during hostage negotiations, Israel violated Qatari sovereignty and affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future," the White House said in a readout.

The White House also said that the leaders accepted Trump's proposal "to establish a trilateral mechanism to enhance coordination, improve communication, resolve mutual grievances, and strengthen collective efforts to prevent threats.”

Israel targeted members of Hamas' leadership in Doha earlier this month. Qatar has served as a key mediator in negotiations with Hamas, Israel and the U.S. to resolve the conflict in Gaza.

In a last-ditch effort to avoid a government shutdown, Trump is set to meet with Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress and help negotiate a spending deal. The White House is raising the stakes, issuing guidance to federal agencies that the administration will immediately begin mass layoffs if the government shuts down. Democrats believe it is nothing more than an intimidation tactic. NBC’s Ryan Nobles reports for "TODAY."

Some divisions arose among House Republicans during a call with their leadership today to preview their shutdown strategy, two GOP sources on the call said.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said at the start of the call that if the government shuts down Wednesday, leaders will hold a news conference that day and a call with the Office of Management and Budget later in the week.

Johnson advised members not to hold political events or fundraisers if there's a shutdown, which could make for poor optics, and encouraged everyone to stay unified, the sources said. Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., then discussed polling that indicated the economics of a shutdown, as opposed to a discussion of the impact on health care, would be a winning message for Republicans.

Johnson made clear, however, that he does not plan to bring the House back into session until next week, prompting pushback from several rank-and-file members.

The families of the 48 hostages believed to be in Gaza sent a letter to Trump today ahead of his meeting with Netanyahu expressing support for the president’s plan to secure the remaining hostages' release and end the war.

The appeal comes as Trump revealed a 21-point plan to finally bring the hostages home. At least 48 hostages thought to be in Gaza, but just 20 of them believed to be alive.

“We learned, from you, on Friday, of the possibility of a deal to finally end this war," the letter said. "We pray that deal comes to fruition and that this ordeal will soon be coming to an end.”

“Your dual focus on ending the war and bringing all 48 hostages home stands in stark contrast to the expanded war that Israel is currently conducting," the families wrote. "We want to thank you for boldly sticking to your conviction despite this contrast.”

“You and you alone have the strength to push this deal to the finish line, and we are so grateful to have you in our corner,” they wrote.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., spoke to reporters this morning ahead of the White House meeting with congressional leaders on government funding. 

Asked if he would be open to passing a continuing resolution, which would to keep government spending at current levels, if he gets assurances that Obamacare subsidies will be extended, Jeffries said “no one can trust” the Republicans' promises on health care. 

“Our position in the spending bill that has been introduced by House and Senate Democrats is a permanent extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits," Jeffries said. "Enough with the games that Republicans have been playing connected to the health care of the American people, and no one can trust their word on health care.”

Jeffries also addressed Trump’s claims that Democrats want to provide health care for undocumented immigrants, saying his party has no interest in changing the federal law that prevents such benefits. 

The 22-year-old man charged with killing Charlie Kirk will have a court hearing today, where he and his newly appointed legal counsel will decide whether they want a preliminary hearing where the judge will determine if there is enough evidence against him to go forward with a trial.

Prosecutors have charged Tyler Robinson with aggravated murder and plan to seek the death penalty.

Read the full story here.

The Israeli prime minister just arrived at the White House for his meeting with Trump. The two leaders shook hands and spoke briefly with each other and then Trump answered a reporter's shouted question before going inside.

Asked if he was confident a peace deal could be reached soon in Gaza, the president said, "I am. I'm very confident."

Trump confirmed that he plans to attend a meeting organized by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that will gather hundreds of senior military officers near Washington, D.C. NBC News’ Monica Alba reports on the finer details from Trump and Hegseth’s upcoming show of force.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a "Fox & Friends" interview that Israel and Hamas would "have to give up a little bit" to come to a ceasefire deal.

"Nobody knows better than President Trump, to reach a good deal, a reasonable deal for both sides, both sides have to give up a little bit, and might leave the table a little bit unhappy," Leavitt said. "But that’s ultimately how we are going to end this conflict. It must end at the negotiating table."

Leavitt's comments come just hours before Trump and Netanyahu are set to meet. Leavitt said during the interview that she believed the sides were "very close" to a deal.

The Trump administration’s plan to end the war in Gaza proposes an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and would require that Hamas release all of the hostages within 48 hours, three sources familiar with the plan told NBC News.

In exchange, there would be a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, with the aim of a permanent ceasefire, the sources said.

Netanyahu told Fox News yesterday that the plan has not been finalized, but said Israel is “working with President Trump’s team as we speak, and I hope we can make it a go.”

White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Netanyahu yesterday to discuss some unresolved points in the plan, one of the sources familiar with the discussions said.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social today that he would impose "substantial" tariffs on furniture that is not made in the U.S.

Minutes earlier, he said that he would also impose a 100% tariff on movies made outside the U.S.

He didn't provide further details on his plans. Trump has previously floated both tariff ideas. He suggested implementing a tariff on movies produced outside the U.S. in May, and threatened to impose tariffs on imported furniture in August.

New York Mayor Eric Adams announced yesterday that he is dropping his third-party bid for re-election, narrowing the field for November’s election.

“Despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my re-election campaign,” Adams said in a video on X. “The constant media speculation about my future and the campaign finance board’s decision to withhold millions of dollars have undermined my ability to raise the funds needed for a serious campaign.”

In thea nearly nine-minute video, Adams — who enjoyed strong ratings from New Yorkers early in his term but whose standing plummeted after he was indicted on federal corruption charges, which were then dropped by the Trump administration — said he hoped New Yorkers “will see that despite the headlines and the innuendo, I always put you before me.”

Read the full story here.

The state of Oregon and the city of Portland have sued the Trump administration to stop it from deploying National Guard troops to Portland.

The suit names Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Defense Department, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the Department of Homeland Security as defendants. It asks a federal court in Portland to stop the Trump administration from deploying troops and declare the deployment unlawful.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said that Trump’s actions were “lawful” and that they would “make Portland safer.”

Read the full story here.

The Supreme Court justices are scheduled to meet in private today to discuss hundreds of appeals that piled up during their summer recess, including Ghislaine Maxwell’s challenge to her criminal convictions for recruiting and grooming teenage girls for Jeffrey Epstein.

The court only takes up a tiny percentage of appeals and will likely announce a list of those it has agreed to hear later in the week. Four of the nine justices have to vote in favor of hearing a case for it to be taken up.

A wide array of other cases are also scheduled to be discussed by the justices at what is known as the “long conference.” They include such issues as gun rights, social media company immunity and Covid-19 era vaccine disputes.

The new nine-month Supreme Court term, when the court will begin hearing cases, officially starts on Oct. 6.

Read the full story here.

Democratic leader Schumer said yesterday that Congress can prevent a government shutdown when money expires this week, but only if Republicans engage in a “serious negotiation.”

In an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Schumer told moderator Kristen Welker that he called Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Friday to encourage a meeting, which the White House accepted on Saturday evening.

Schumer said reaching a deal “depends on the Republicans.”

“We need the meeting. It’s a first step, but only a first step. We need a serious negotiation,” Schumer said. “Now, if the president at this meeting is going to rant and just yell at Democrats and talk about all his alleged grievances and say this, that and the other thing, we won’t get anything done.”

Read the full story here.

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy is donating $100,000 from his political fund to the progressive organizing group Indivisible — the latest in a series of donations he says total nearly $1 million to grassroots groups across the country taking on the Trump administration.

Murphy, of Connecticut, declared in an interview that the usual way politicians raise money — stockpiling assets in the years before they’re on the ballot again — doesn’t meet the moment for the Democratic Party, which is trying to mobilize against Trump and Republicans. And he claimed that the stakes of this political moment are about democracy itself.

“We may not have another election, at least a free and fair election, if we don’t stop this slide away from free speech and democracy quickly. And what we know from history is that the only way to stop a, you know, would-be tyrant from cratering, from destroying a democracy is mass mobilization,” Murphy said.

Read the full story here.

Trump is scheduled to meet with the top four congressional leaders this afternoon in a high-stakes sit-down at the White House that could determine whether the federal government shuts down this week.

Funding is set to run out at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday unless Trump and leaders on Capitol Hill can reach an eleventh-hour agreement.

The Democratic leaders of the House and the Senate, Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, both of New York, as well as their Republican counterparts, House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana and Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, are expected to attend.

Read the full story here.

Trump will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House today to try to turn rising hopes into a deal to end to Israel’s offensive in Gaza and free hostages still held in the devastated Palestinian enclave.

Trump sounded optimistic in an exclusive interview with NBC News on Sunday ahead of the crucial talks.

“We’re doing very well. It looks like there is a really good chance for peace in the Middle East,” Trump said. “Everybody is on board. Everybody.”

Read the full story here.