President Donald Trump stated on October 7th that decisions on back pay for furloughed federal workers "depends on who we're talking about," adding that while "for the most part we're going to take care of our people," there are "some people that really don't deserve to be taken care of." The President also expressed a commitment to ensuring adherence to a Gaza ceasefire deal, stating, "We have a lot of power and we're gonna do everything possible to make sure everybody adheres to the deal." His remarks came amidst a contentious hearing involving Attorney General Pam Bondi and continuing federal shutdown debates. During the reporting window, Attorney General Pam Bondi faced sharp criticism from Senator Richard Blumenthal, who described her testimony before Congress as "possibly a new low for attorneys general testifying before the United States Congress" due to "combativeness, evasiveness, and sometimes deceptiveness." Bondi herself commented on the secrecy of grand jury identities and mentioned a "great picture" of herself with Trump and others at dinner. Separately, Hamas insisted on a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza simultaneous with the last captive release, according to PTVBreaking1. President Trump also commented on US-Canada relations, appearing to suggest a "merger of Canada and the US" as a solution to business competition, an idea which White House Press Secretary Andrew Carney noted was not what he was intending to discuss. Trump also criticized Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for suggesting negotiation talks with his office, questioning her authority. He further elaborated on his platform, stating that without his election victory, the country would be endangered by "open borders and men playing in women's sports and transgender from everybody and windmills all over the place." In military news, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved moving forward with contractor selection for the F/A-XX, the US Navy's 6th generation stealth fighter program, with competition between Boeing and Northrop Grumman. This program, which the Trump administration had previously attempted to cancel, has seen increased funding and congressional support due to competition with China, as reported by ColbyBadhwar. Separately, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem was confirmed to be visiting Portland on October 7th, according to city officials. The previous report indicated President Trump's optimism about a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release, with a U.S. delegation en route to Egypt for negotiations.
