Karoline Leavitt rips CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in livid conflict over National Guard deploying in blue cities: Live updates

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt ripped into CNN’s Kaitlan Collins after she asked a question over the deployment of the National Guard to Portland, Oregon.

Collins told Leavitt that the Portland police chief told her the claims from the White House ‘don’t match up with what is happening on the ground.’

‘I would encourage you as a reporter to go on the ground and to take a look at for yourself. It’s on video,’ Leavitt replied.

‘You should play it on your show. You have a great opportunity in primetime on CNN to show your audience yeah, but you’re probably talking to partisan Democrat officials who are opposed to everything this president does. You should also ask the people who live in Portland.

‘We’ve actually heard from many members of the community who have said that this is complete civil disobedience. It’s a mess. It’s been loud. It’s been troubling for neighbors in the community who are just trying to live peacefully. And these people are not there to peacefully protest. They are there to cause mayhem and havoc.’

Donald Trump claimed ‘black women with MAGA hats’ in Chicago want the National Guard deployed in the city.

‘So you have black women with MAGA hats on in Chicago – all over the place – they want the guard to come in,’ he said.

‘They don’t care who comes in, they just want to be safe.

‘There was one woman, and she was great today, she said, “You know what, I don’t care if it’s the National Guard, the Army, the Marines, the Air Force, I don’t care who comes in as long as we’re safe.” And that’s the way most of the public feels.’

Speaking on the chamber floor, Senate Majority Leader John Thune pleaded with Democrats to pass the Republican-backed spending bill.

‘I’m wondering just what exactly Democrats think they’re gaining from all of this,’ he said.

‘Democrats own this. They own any lapse in funding for critical food aid programs just as they own every other negative effect of the shutdown.

‘For the sake of the American people, I hope at least a few more Democrats will join us to pass this clean, nonpartisan CR and let the Senate get back to work.’

Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, Donald Trump warned that a failed Senate vote to reopen the government could lead to layoffs.

‘It could, at some point, it will,’ he said. ‘And the Democrats are the ones that started this.’

He added, ‘I’m a Republican, but I want to see health care, much more so than the Democrats.’

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker told reporters that the Trump administration is to blame for making Chicago less safe.

‘Our people have been subjected to violence, intimidation and harassment,’ he said.

‘They have struck fear in our communities, including notably, fear in the hearts of US citizens. Trump and the thuggery his agents have brought have actively made us less safe.’

Donald Trump’s Vice President, JD Vance, has made his return to TikTok as the administration is making a deal to have a higher percentage of American ownership in the social media platform.

The VP pledged to provide updates via his account, along with the possibility of the occasional sombrero meme.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the White House is ‘working very hard to move the ball forward as quickly as we can’ to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

‘[Trump] wants to see a ceasefire. He wants to see the hostages released, and the technical teams are discussing that as we speak, to ensure that the environment is perfect to release those hostages,’ Leavitt said.

‘They’re going over the lists of both the Israeli hostages and also the political prisoners who will be released.’

She added that ‘technical talks’ are ongoing, but did not disclose any further details.

Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he will impose a 25 percent tariff on all medium and heavy duty trucks coming into the US.

‘Beginning November 1st, 2025, all Medium and Heavy Duty Trucks coming into the United States from other Countries will be Tariffed at the Rate of 25 percent. Thank you for your attention to this matter,’ he said.

The House Oversight committee has cancelled Former FBI Director James Comey deposition that was scheduled for tomorrow, NBC News reported.

His deposition was scheduled as part of the committee’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

Comey submitted a letter stating that he has no relevant ‘knowledge and information’ about the matter.

‘At no time during my service at the Department of Justice or the FBI do I recall any information or conversations that related to Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell,’ he wrote.

Last week, the committee also cancelled Former Attorney General Merrick Garland’s deposition.

The White House issued a statement in response to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s executive order banning federal agents from using city-owned property as staging areas.

‘Today, in a disgusting betrayal of every law-abiding citizen, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson declared city spaces as “ICE-free zones,”‘ the statement said.

‘Shielding the most depraved, violent criminal illegal aliens from justice is not only an insult to every Chicagoan, it’s also a dangerous intensification of Democrats’ lunatic “sanctuary” agenda where criminal illegals come before American citizens.

‘This sick policy coddles criminal illegal alien killers, rapists, and gangbangers who prey on innocent Americans.’

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that Donald Trump is trying to take over cities by deploying the National Guard.

‘You guys are framing this like the president wants to take over the American cities with the military,’ Leavitt said.

‘The president wants to help these local leaders who have been completely ineffective in securing their own cities, and we have already seen there’s a positive formula for that.’

Referring to the deployment in Washington, DC, Leavitt added, ‘The murder rate has declined significantly.’

‘Our streets are safer. People who live here feel safer — all of you in this room, I know you do, you just won’t admit it,’ she said.

‘It’s a proven system that works, and the president wants to make America city safe again. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.’

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said an increased number of air traffic controllers have already called out of working during the government shutdown.

‘We’re tracking sick calls, sick leave and have we had a slight tick up in sick calls? Yes,’ Duffy said.

‘Some areas, there’s been a 50 percent reduction in some of the staffing.

‘Our priorities are safety, and so if we have additional calls, we will reduce the flow consistent with a rate that’s safe for the American people.’

Broadview, Illinois Mayor Katrina Thompson issued an executive order on Monday creating a protest curfew for demonstrators outside an ICE facility at the heart of intense protest.

The order requires protesters to demonstrate between 9am and 6pm CT daily.

Thompson said the order was an effort to ‘balance the constitutional rights of protesters with the needs and safety of Broadview’s residents and businesses.’

‘People have to go to work, they have to get their children ready for school, our businesses have to serve their customers,’ she said.

The Essential Air Service program, which provides funding to ensure rural communities have access to air travel, will run out of government funding on Sunday, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

‘The number one user of this air space is Alaska,’ Duffy said on Monday.

‘Again, you don’t have roads in Alaska. They travel by air, and a lot of these are small communities.

‘Alaska will be impacted, but every state across the country will be impacted by the inability to provide the subsidies to airlines to service these communities.’

Donald Trump dismissed any concerns about his health after it was revealed earlier this year that he is suffering from chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in older people which increases the risk of blood clots.

In a late night X post on Sunday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker revealed 400 members of the Texas National Guard will be deployed to Illinois and Oregon, among other locations, to deal with anti-ICE protesters and Trump’s so-called war on crime.

‘We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion,’ Pritzker said. ‘No officials from the federal government called me directly to discuss or coordinate.

‘It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops.’

FBI investigators, CIA officers, air traffic controllers and agents operating airport checkpoints keep working. So do members of the Armed Forces.

Those programs that rely on mandatory spending generally continue during a shutdown. Social Security payments still go out. Seniors relying on Medicare coverage can still see their doctors and health care providers can be reimbursed.

Veteran health care also continues during a shutdown. Veterans Affairs medical centers and outpatient clinics will be open, and VA benefits will continue to be processed and delivered. Burials will continue at VA national cemeteries.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker told CNN’s Jake Tapper that the Trump administration was creating chaos in Chicago.

‘They are the ones that are making it a war zone,’ Pritzker told Tapper of the Trump administration.

‘They need to get out of Chicago. If they’re not going to focus on the worst of the worst, which is what the president said they were going to do, they need to get the heck out.’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Donald Trump has not spoken with any Democrat senators during the government shutdown.

‘His position is very clear. There’s nothing to negotiate. Just reopen the government and then we can talk about all the important issues facing our country,’ she said.

She added that the president has been in touch with Republican leaders ‘who are in touch with, of course, moderate Democrats and Democrats across the board, who we understand, hopefully, want to do the right thing by their constituents to reopen the government.’

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt walked back Donald Trump’s Sunday claim that layoffs were ‘taking place right now.’

‘If this shutdown continues, layoffs are going to be an unfortunate consequence,’ she said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Donald Trump will host two world leaders this week.

He will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney tomorrow and the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, on Friday.

‘While President Trump continues to negotiate peace deals, meets with world leaders and celebrates the 250th birthday of our United States Navy, as you saw he and the first lady do just yesterday, Democrats, unfortunately, are continuing to play political games, and we are now in day six of the Democrat federal government shutdown,’ Leavitt said.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has not been holding back his thoughts about the Trump administration’s recent actions in his state.

During an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, Pritzker told anchor Jake Tapper that the Trump administration was creating chaos in Chicago.

‘They are the ones that are making it a war zone,’ Pritzker told Tapper of the Trump administration.

‘They need to get out of Chicago. If they’re not going to focus on the worst of the worst, which is what the president said they were going to do, they need to get the heck out,’ the Illinois Governor added.

FBI Director Kash Patel’s girlfriend appears to be in a battle with a podcaster who seemingly accused her of being a ‘honeypot.’

Country singer Alexis Wilkins, who has reportedly been dating Patel since 2023, called out internet personality Elijah Schaffer over the weekend.

Schaffer, who is the CEO of The Rift TV, posted that he is ‘so eternally black pilled about almost everything’ and wants to make ‘massive changes’ in his life.

Wilkins shared his X post and slammed him for previously accusing her of ‘honeypotting’ Patel.

‘This you? Lost some monetization and all of the sudden you want to seek righteousness,’ she said.

‘Maybe don’t be a horrible person with unsubstantiated claims for clicks, and you won’t have this issue and might sleep at night.’

She shared a since-deleted post from Schaffer where he used a picture of Patel and Wilkins to reply to another account about Mossad female operatives sent to seduce government officials.

Government shutdowns occur when there is a lapse in federal funding because Congress fails to pass funding legislation.

Since 1981, there have been 10 shutdowns lasting three days or less, and four that have lasted 15 days or more.

The most recent shutdown, which started on December 21, 2018, under President Trump and lasted 35 days, is also the longest in history.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order on Monday banning federal agents from using city-owned property as staging areas.

Johnson said the federal government cannot ‘disregard our local authority.’

He says the city will also provide official signage to private property owners and leaseholders if they ‘wish to protect their spaces from being used for civil immigration enforcement.’

Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit Monday aiming to stop the Trump administration from sending hundreds of National Guard troops to the city.

The court filing comes after Gov. JB Pritzker said some 300 of the state’s guard troops were to be federalized and deployed to the nation´s third-largest city, along with 400 others from Texas.

The lawsuit alleges that ‘these advances in President Trump’s long-declared “War” on Chicago and Illinois are unlawful and dangerous.’

‘The American people, regardless of where they reside, should not live under the threat of occupation by the United States military, particularly not simply because their city or state leadership has fallen out of a president´s favor,’ the filing said.

The government shutdown has forced taxpayers to shell out $1.2 billion in wages for 750,000 federal employees who have been furloughed, according to an estimate by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

The CBO said the daily cost of compensating these workers, who were deemed non-essential, will be around $400 million. Now that the government has been shut down for three business days, that has swelled to $1.2 billion.

The estimate was commissioned by Senator Joni Ernst on September 30, days before Congress failed to pass a stopgap bill before the midnight deadline on October 1.

Bitcoin reached $125,000 per coin over the weekend as investors flock towards its perceived safety amid the government shutdown, experts say.

Chris Weston, head of research for Pepperstone Group, told Bloomberg, political uncertainty ‘give you a reason to buy gold and Bitcoin as debasement hedges.’

‘It’s become a big momentum trade. There’s nothing that breeds sentiment like a market that’s going up — you’ve got to be in it.’

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) has advised its members to continue working despite not receiving pay during the government shutdown.

The union told workers that ‘participating in a job action could result in removal from federal service’ and is illegal, Reuters reported.

‘It is more important than ever that we rise to the occasion and continue delivering the consistent, high-level of public service we provide every day,’ the union said.

‘We cannot stress enough that it is essential to avoid any actions that could reflect poorly on you, our union, or our professions.’

Union boss Nick Daniels and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy are holding a press conference later today to discuss the impacts of the shutdown.

Although air traffic controllers and TSA agents will continue to work, they will not be paid until the shutdown ends.

During the 35-day-long shutdown in 2019, many controllers had reached ‘the breaking point.’

The $8 billion Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, also known as WIC, will run out of federal money within two weeks unless the government shutdown ends, experts told the Associated Press.

WIC provides vouchers to buy infant formula as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat milk and other healthy staples that are often out of financial reach for low-income households.

Currently, the program is being kept afloat by an $150 million contingency fund, but experts say it could run dry quickly.

After that, states could step in to pay for the program and seek reimbursement when a budget finally passes, but not all states say they can afford to do so.

‘We feel good about one to two weeks,’ said Ali Hard, policy director for the National WIC Association. ‘After that, we are very worried.’

Donald Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, criticized the White House for continuing construction on the ballroom during the government shutdown.

‘Four days into the Republicans’ government shutdown, and I am so relieved construction is going forward on Donald’s $200 million ballroom,’ she said on X.

‘As always, he has his fingers on the pulse of what is most important to the American people.’

Last week, a White House official told ABC News that construction of the White House ballroom will continue through the government shutdown.

‘There will not be a stoppage of ballroom work when the shutdown occurs,’ the official said.

‘Work will continue to be performed as the funds currently supporting are not tied to a FY26 enacted appropriation.’

The White House has previously stated that construction of the ballroom is funded by private donations.

The White House Office of Management and Budget noted in a memo that projects not funded by the government will continue amid the shutdown.

Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that the House will not return until the government shutdown is over.

‘I want to bring the House back into session and get back to work. But we can’t do it till they turn the lights back on,’ he said.

‘We need Chuck Schumer to reopen the government and as soon as he does that, we’ll bring everybody back here.’

Donald Trump posted his first TikTok since taking office for the second time on Monday.

‘To all of those young people of TikTok, I saved TikTok, so you owe me big, and now you’re looking at me in the Oval Office,’ he said.

‘Some day, one of you are going to be sitting right at this desk and you’re going to be doing a great job also.’

House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have blamed each other and their respective parties for the debate over healthcare that has caused the government shutdown.

‘We’re working to bring the cost down. We did that, we demonstrated it in the working families tax cut, the One Big Beautiful Bill, where we didn’t cut Medicaid, we shored it up, we supported it,’ Johnson told MSNBC on Sunday.

‘We need the time to [negotiate], and we have the time, but you have to have the government open.’

On Monday, Jeffries told the Today Show that ‘the time is now’ to address healthcare.

‘The enrollment period opens on November 1. Notices have already started to go out indicating that premiums, copays and deductibles for millions of Americans all across the country are going to dramatically increase,’ Jeffries said.

Two unions representing federal workers have asked a California federal court to halt the Trump administration’s mass layoffs during the government shutdown, according to CNN.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees filed temporary restraining orders on Saturday, saying it was needed to prevent ‘significant harm.’

AFGE National President Everett Kelley said the Trump administration’s threats to potentially fire tens of thousands of federal employees are not only illegal — it’s just plain wrong.’

‘Mass illegal firings will not only harm federal workers and their families, but will devastate vital services that the American people depend on,’ he said.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced today that Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano will serve as the CEO of the Internal Revenue Service.

Bessent will continue to serve as the acting commissioner of the IRS, while Bisignano assumes the new role.

‘In this newly created position, Mr. Bisignano will report directly to Acting Commissioner Bessent, managing the organization and overseeing all day-to-day IRS operations,’ the Treasury Department said.

While the federal government is shut down, the Supreme Court kicked off a new term on Monday.

One of their first decisions was to reject Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal after she claimed she was wrongly prosecuted for sex trafficking.

Maxwell claims that a deal Epstein struck with federal prosecutors in Florida should have stopped her from being charged in New York.

The decision by the high court avoids a highly sensitive political case amid claims that Donald Trump has failed to release the so-called ‘Epstein files’ because he will be incriminated.

House Speaker Mike Johnson brushed off Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries debate challenge.

‘When the poll says that about 13 percent of the people approve of your messaging, then you make desperate pleas for attention, and that’s what Hakeem Jeffries has done,’ Johnson said.

‘My friend Hakeem had his shot. We debated all this on the House floor, as you know, before we passed our bill. He spoke for seven or eight minutes. He had all of his colleagues lined up, they gave it their best shot. They argued and they stomped their feet and screamed at us and all that, and still we passed the bill in bipartisan fashion and sent it over to the Senate. The House has done its job.

‘I’m not going to let Hakeem try to pretend for these theatrics… We all know what he’s trying to do there.’

The shutdown began on October 1, the start of the 2026 federal fiscal year, after the Senate failed to pass a stopgap funding bill that would have kept the government open until November 21.

Democrats thus far have refused the Republican-approved spending bill because they are demanding a permanent extension of tax credits that are set to expire and currently help Americans purchase private health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.

Democrats also want assurances that the White House will not try to cancel spending agreed to in any deal unilaterally.

Republicans say they need to open the government before making decisions on healthcare policy.

They also said that the conversation should take place in December, the month when the tax credits will expire, not during a government shutdown.

The White House continued to troll Democrats online Monday as the government shutdown entered its sixth day.

The official White House X account posted another AI-generated video of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, wearing a sombrero and mustache, standing next to Sen. Chuck Schumer.

‘Starting another week of the DEMOCRAT SHUTDOWN,’ the post said.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is scheduled to host a briefing at 1pm ET on Monday.

Donald Trump has no public events scheduled during the sixth day of the government shutdown.

White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CNBC that the government shutdown will cost the US GDP approximately $15 billion per week.

‘You know, my friends over at the Council of Economic Advisors gave me a report at the end of the week that said that it costs the U.S. GDP about $15 billion a week for a shutdown, or about a 10th of a percent of GDP. And so, if the shutdown continues for a long time, then there’s going to be a lot of things that don’t happen, and it will show up at the GDP number,’ he said.

The Senate will reconvene today and is expected to vote around 5.30pm on legislation to reopen the government.

The Senate last voted Friday on a government funding bill before adjourning for the weekend.

Two Democrats and an independent voted for a GOP measure to end the shutdown, but the 54-44 vote left Republicans short of the 60 votes needed. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky also voted against it.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries dared Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to debate him.

‘Any day this week in primetime, broadcast live to the American people,’ Jeffries said in letter to Johnson.

‘Given the urgency of the moment and the Republican refusal to negotiate a bipartisan agreement, a debate on the House Floor will provide the American people with the transparency they deserve.’

Speaking from the USS Harry S. Truman stationed in Norfolk, Virginia President Donald Trump said Sunday that he would call for pay raises for sailors after blaming Democrats for the government shutdown.

‘Do not worry about it,’ Trump said as he promised to get sailors their money back when the government reopens. Sailors in attendance cheered and clapped.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told the Today Show on Monday that the White House and Republican leaders have not communicated with him since their oval office meeting last week.

‘Unfortunately the White House and Republican leaders have gone radio silent ever since then,’ he said.

‘We’ve said from the very beginning, we’ll sit down with anyone, anytime, any place in order to reopen the government, find a bipartisan agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people.’

White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CNBC the president is prepared to take ‘sharp measures’ if the government shutdown does not end.

‘Today, the Senate opens its gavel, I think around three o’clock, I expect there will be a team of people in the oval with the president hoping that we’re going to get the government to stop being shut down, but if not, then I would guess that that team in the oval is going to start taking sharp measures,’ he said.

‘This is the third time since President Trump is in office that they’ve decided to shut the government down. So, they’ve got Trump derangement syndrome. They don’t really know how to govern when he’s in the White House, and they’re just flailing about.’

He also estimated that the shutdown will cost the US GDP a whopping $15 billion per week.

‘So, if the shutdown continues for a long time, then there’s going to be a lot of things that don’t happen, and it will show up at the GDP number,’ he said.

The 74 million Social Security recipients across the US will continue to receive their funds during the shutdown on their usual schedule.

Benefits for retirees and disabled Americans are covered by mandatory spending, which means Congress approves the program, and it remains in effect without an expiration date.

However, experts are warning that customer service at the Social Security Administration (SSA) may be disrupted due to furloughs, making it more difficult for beneficiaries to contact the agency about specific queries.

CNN’s Jake Tapper is receiving flak online for touting an interview with Donald Trump as ‘exclusive’.

The Sunday Q&A was noticeably curt, contained virtually no detail, and was administered entirely via text, which Tapper still showed off on-screen.

Several State of the Union viewers looking to hear the latest on the status of the president’s stalled ceasefire deal surrounding Hamas and the ongoing government shutdown were left frustrated.

White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CNN: ‘President Trump and Russ Vought are lining things up and getting ready to act if they have to, but hoping that they don’t.’

‘If the president decides that the negotiations are absolutely going nowhere, then there will start to be layoffs. But I think that everybody is still hopeful that when we get a fresh start at the beginning of the week, that we can get the Democrats to see that it’s just common sense to avoid layoffs like that.’

If Democrats back down as Hassett and the president hope, it would avoid an expensive shutdown and the federal layoffs that have been threatened by White House budget director Russell Vought.

Trump described the potential job cuts as ‘Democrat layoffs,’ saying: ‘Anybody laid off that’s because of the Democrats.’

Donald Trump touted making America an ‘economic power again’ as the government shutdown entered its sixth day on Monday.

‘Good news for the Holiday Season. Early prices are down, while tariffs are making our country an economic power again,’ he said on Truth Social.

‘Also, virtually no inflation as stock markets continually hit record highs. The best of all worlds for the USA.’

On Sunday, he warned that federal staff will be laid off if government shutdown talks are ‘absolutely going nowhere.’