President Donald Trump claimed a key victory in a US appeals court Monday as a divided three-judge panel decided he is allowed to deploy federal troops to the city of Portland, Oregon.
Trump had claimed the right to send the national guard to the liberal stronghold for the purported purpose of protecting federal property and agents. The ruling marks an important legal victory for Trump as he continues to send military forces to Democratic-led cities.
Oregon attorney general Dan Rayfield spoke out against the ruling, saying that if it’s allowed to stand, Trump would have “unilateral power to put Oregon soldiers on our streets with almost no justification”.
“We are on a dangerous path in America,” he added.
Oregon governor urges appeal court review of national guard decision
Oregon governor Tina Kotek, has called on a federal appeals court to review and overturn a decision made by a three-judge panel on Monday that would permit Trump to deploy federalized national guard troops to the streets of Portland against the wishes of state and local officials. Kotek said she hoped the full ninth circuit court of appeals vacates the panel’s 2-1 decision, as the dissenting judge, Portland-based Susan Graber, urged her colleagues to do.
“I’m very troubled by the decision of the court,” Kotek told reporters.
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Comey asks judge to dismiss criminal charges
Former FBI director James Comey formally asked a federal judge to dismiss criminal charges against him, arguing he was the victim of a selective prosecution and that the US attorney who filed the charges was unlawfully appointed.
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The White House is a work zone now
Construction of the president’s $250m White House ballroom appears to be underway. Photos obtained and published by media outlets show part of the East Wing being demolished.
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Shutdown becomes one of the longest in US history
The US government shutdown extended into its 20th day on Monday with no resolution in sight, as a prominent Republican lawmaker publicly broke ranks with party leadership over the decision of Mike Johnson, the House speaker, to keep Congress shuttered for weeks.
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Trump reposts AI clip of plane dumping sludge on protesters
Donald Trump reposted an AI-generated video of him flying a fighter plane emblazoned with the words “King Trump” and dumping brown sludge onto protestors, in what appears to be a retort to the widespread No Kings protests that took place Saturday against his second presidency.
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Trump meets with Australian prime minister
Donald Trump welcomed PM Anthony Albanese to the White House, signing a rare earth minerals deal. It came amid rising trade tensions with China, which tightened its rare earth exports and is facing a 100% tariff threat from the US.
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What else happened today:
A Trump nominee who is scheduled for a confirmation hearing told other Republicans he “has a Nazi streak,” according to a report based on a private group chat.
In a Fox News interview, Trump said he has “unquestioned power” to deploy the national guard to San Francisco, claiming that residents want the military in their city.
Disgraced former US congressman George Santos said his prison sentence had been “disproportionate”, but that he had been served “a very large slice of humble pie”, while lashing out at his critics.
Catching up? Here’s what happened 19 October 2025.
Source: US Politics - theguardian.com