By ERIN HOOLEY and CHRISTINE FERNANDO, Associated Press

ELWOOD, Ill. (AP) — National Guard troops are positioned outside Chicago and could be in Memphis by Friday, as President Donald Trump’s administration pushes ahead with an aggressive policy toward big-city crime — whether local leaders support it or not.

National Guard members from Texas had settled in at an Illinois Army Reserve center by early Wednesday, despite a lawsuit and vigorous opposition from Democratic elected leaders. Their exact mission was not clear. However, the Trump administration has an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city, and protesters have frequently rallied at an immigration building in nearby Broadview.

The president has called Chicago a “hellhole” of crime, although police statistics show significant drops in most crimes, including homicides.

In Memphis, Tennessee, police Chief Cerelyn Davis said a small group of commanders was already in the city, planning for the arrival of Guard troops.

Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee has said troops will be deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service to “play a critical support role” for law enforcement, though that hasn’t been defined yet.

Trump’s bid to deploy the military on U.S. soil over local opposition has triggered a conflict with blue state governors.

Illinois and Chicago are urging a federal judge to stop “Trump’s long-declared ‘War’” on the state. A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday. In Oregon, a judge over the weekend blocked the Guard’s deployment to Portland.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has predicted that National Guard troops from the state would be activated, along with 400 from Texas. He has accused Trump of using troops as “political props” and “pawns,” and said he didn’t get a heads-up from Washington about their deployment.

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The Associated Press saw military personnel in uniforms with the Texas National Guard patch at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood, 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. Trucks marked Emergency Disaster Services dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra fencing was spread across the perimeter.

The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military’s role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the Army Reserve Center for security reasons until Dec. 6.

Armed Border Patrol agents making arrests near famous landmarks in Chicago has amplified concerns after an immigration crackdown that began last month. Agents have targeted immigrant-heavy and largely Latino areas.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Monday barring federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement operations.

Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed sending troops to 10 cities, including Baltimore, the District of Columbia, New Orleans, and the California cities of Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Most violent crime around the U.S. has declined in recent years. In Chicago, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, police data shows. Portland’s homicides from January through June decreased by 51% to 17 this year compared with the same period in 2024.

In Portland, months of nightly protests at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility continued on Tuesday night. In June, police declared a riot, and there have been smaller clashes since then.

An appeals court has scheduled arguments for Thursday in the government’s bid to deploy the Guard in Portland.

Oregon Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek said Tuesday she told Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem there’s “no insurrection” in the state.

Portland police Chief Bob Day said Tuesday that the department needs to work more closely with federal agents as it looks to put more officers at the ICE facility.

Noem said on Fox News Tuesday that she told Portland Mayor Keith Wilson that DHS would “send four times the amount of federal officers” if the city did not boost security at the ICE building, get backup from local law enforcement and take other safety measures.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, center, stands on the roof of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A federal judge in September said the administration “willfully” broke federal law by putting Guard troops in Los Angeles over protests about immigration raids.

Fernando reported from Chicago. Associated Press reporters Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, Ed White in Detroit, and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this story.

By LISA MASCARO, MARY CLARE JALONICK and JOEY CAPPELLETTI, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tours at the Capitol have come to a standstill. The House is keeping its doors closed, while the Senate is stuck in a loop of failed votes on a rejected plan to reopen the government. President Donald Trump is threatening to mass fire federal workers and refuse back pay for the rest.

As the government shutdown enters a second week, there’s no discernible endgame in sight.

“You have to negotiate,” Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont, argued late into the evening on the Senate floor. “That’s the way it works.”

But no negotiations, at least publicly, are underway.

Shutdown grinds on, but signs of quiet talks

The Republicans who have majority control in Congress believe they have the upper hand politically, as they fend off Democratic demands to quickly fund health insurance subsidies as part of any plan to end the shutdown.

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But so have Democrats dug in, convinced that Americans are on their side in the fight to prevent the looming health care price spikes and blaming Trump for the shutdown.

Behind the scenes, though, signs of discomfort are apparent.

A loosely formed collection of senators, Republicans and Democrats, have bantered about options for addressing the health insurance problem. One, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, has offered her own plans.

Two prominent Republicans, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, have said something must be done to stop the health insurance rate hikes.

And Trump himself signaled he was open to negotiating with Democrats over their demands to save health care subsidies. Earlier this week, the president said that talks were already underway as he wants “great health care” for the people, only to shift his tone hours later to say the government must reopen first.

Trump wants to make a health care deal

“I spoke to the president at length yesterday about that very thing,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said about his Monday conversation with Trump. “And yes, he wants to solve problems.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks to reporters following the weekly Senate policy luncheon that he attended on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

At its core, the debate is over the health care issue that has tangled Congress for years, and in particular, the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, that Trump tried, and failed, to repeal and replace during his first term at the White House.

Congress increased the federal subsidies that help people purchase private insurance policies on the Affordable Care Act exchanges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal aid was popular, and it boosted ACA enrollment to a record 24 million people. Those enhanced subsidies are set to expire at year’s end.

Republicans say Congress can deal with the health insurance issue in the months ahead. Democrats are fighting to resolve the problem now, as people are receiving notices of higher policy rates for the new year.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the Republican from South Dakota, has said there may be a path forward — once the government reopens.

“We were always planning to have those discussions,” said Johnson, R-La.

Doubts are high and trust is low

But Democrats argue that Republicans failed to address the expiring health care subsidies this summer when they approved Trump’s signature bill into law, commonly referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Democrats doubt that with Johnson keeping the House out of legislative session, and sending lawmakers home to work in their districts, the Republicans will quickly come back to work on resolving the health care problem.

“Tens of millions of people are about to experience dramatically increased health insurance costs — how is that acceptable in the wealthiest country in the history of the world?” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

“A health care crisis is unfolding before the eyes of the American people because of the actions taken by the GOP — they’re on vacation,” he said.

Missed paychecks for workers, and more failed votes

While federal employees have often missed paychecks during shutdowns, and the first pay period is coming in the next week, Trump is now threatening to do away with guaranteed back pay. It would be a stark departure from what is normal. The White House budget office, under Russ Vought, argues the law says back pay is not automatic, and Congress would need to approve it.

At the same time, Thune’s strategy of trying to peel off more Democratic senators to join Republicans to advance the House-passed bill that would fund the government without a health care fix has not worked.

In fact, the parties are pulling further apart. Sen. Angus King, the independent from Maine who has voted several times with Republicans to fund the government, has said he may change his vote, joining most Democratic senators who are holding out for a better deal.

The Senate is expected to try again Wednesday to advance the House GOP’s bill, but it is expected to fail again.

Each side has dug in, convinced they’re on the right side of the shutdown fight, in part because that’s what their internal data shows.

Over the weekend, Senate Democrats were briefed on information suggesting their health care messaging was resonating with voters. The memo from Senate Majority PAC was circulated to House Democrats and campaigns nationwide on Tuesday, with a clear directive: hold the line.

“It would be a mistake to take the pressure off Republicans,” the memo says.

Republicans, meanwhile, are sticking to their own playbook. A memo from the House GOP’s campaign arm urged candidates to focus on the shutdown’s economic impact, including a district-level breakdown of who would be affected by a government shutdown.

Each side has framed the shutdown fight as a precursor to the 2026 midterm elections.

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Stephen Groves contributed to this report.

Gophers men’s basketball coach Niko Medved’s first team at his alma mater will have low expectations.

Minnesota was picked to finish 16th in the 18-team Big Ten Conference this season, according to the Columbus Dispatch and Indianapolis Star’s annual Big Ten men’s basketball preseason poll released Wednesday morning.

The U received 95 total votes, which was fewer than No. 15 Northwestern (119) and ahead of only No. 17 Rutgers (54) and No. 18 Penn State (43).

Purdue was picked to win the conference with 501 total votes and 25 first-place votes, followed by Michigan 472 and three.

In Ben Johnson’s fourth and final season at the helm, the Gophers finished 13th in the Big Ten las with a 7-13 record in league play and 15-17 overall. He was replaced by Medved last spring.

The Gophers new roster has 13 of new players, returning only reserve point guard Isaac Asuma and redshirted forward Grayson Grove.

With only Asuma seeing the floor in maroon and gold last season, Minnesota retains 13.7% of its assists, 9.4% of its rebounds and 8.2% of its scoring.

Medved, Asuma and forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson will be the Gophers’ three representatives at Big Ten media day on Wednesday in Rosemont, Ill.

Big Ten’s predicted finish

1. Purdue, 501 (25)
2. Michigan, 472 (3)
3. UCLA, 417
4. Illinois, 411
5. Oregon, 338
6. Michigan State, 360
7. Wisconsin, 328
8. Iowa, 278
9. Ohio State, 272
10. Indiana, 245
11. Washington, 239
12. USC, 227
13. Maryland, 210
14. Nebraska, 149
15. Northwestern, 119
16. Gophers, 95
17. Rutgers, 54
18. Penn State, 43

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By SAMY MAGDY, Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — Israel and Hamas entered a third day of peace talks at an Egyptian resort Wednesday, with more senior officials from the United States, Israel and mediating countries expected to join — a sign that negotiators aim to tackle the toughest issues of an American plan to end the war in Gaza.

Hamas says it is seeking firm guarantees from U.S. President Donald Trump and mediators that Israel will not resume its military campaign in the Palestinian territory after the militant group releases all the remaining hostages.

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US has given at least $21.7 billion in military aid to Israel since war in Gaza began, report says

All sides have expressed optimism for a deal to end the two-year war, with tens of thousands of Palestinians killed and most of the Gaza Strip destroyed. But key parts of the peace plan have still not been pinned down — including requirements that Hamas disarm, the timing and extent of an Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza and the creation of an international body to run Gaza after Hamas steps down from power.

Qatar’s prime minister and top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, was heading to the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh to join the talks.

Also expected Wednesday were Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to talk to reporters because the trip has not yet been formally announced.

From Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top adviser, Ron Dermer, was also to join, an Israeli official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

As Qatari, Egyptian and U.S. mediators met with both sides in preliminary talks on Wednesday morning, a senior Hamas official, Taher Nounou, said the group has exchanged a list of Palestinian prisoners it seeks to release in return for Israeli hostages under the deal’s terms.

Trump’s peace plan

The plan calls for an immediate ceasefire and release of the 48 hostages being held from Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel that started the war and triggered Israel’s devastating retaliation. Around 20 of the hostages are believed to still be alive.

It envisages Israel withdrawing its troops from Gaza after Hamas disarms, and an international security force being put in place. The territory would be placed under international governance, with Trump and former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair overseeing it.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said Wednesday in televised comments that the negotiations so far “were very encouraging.”

Netanyahu has accepted Trump’s plan. His office said Tuesday that Israel was “cautiously optimistic,” framing the talks as technical negotiations over a plan that both sides already had approved.

In a statement Tuesday, Hamas reiterated its longstanding demands for a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza but said nothing about disarmament, a step it has long resisted. Hamas has also spoken against the idea of international rule, though it has agreed it will have no role in governing post-war Gaza.

Speaking in Sharm el-Sheikh, Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’ top negotiator, told Egypt’s Qahera TV that the group wanted solid guarantees from Trump and mediators that the war “will not return.” It appeared to be his first public appearance since an Israeli strike targeting him and other top Hamas leaders in Qatar last month killed six people, including his son and office manager.

In January, the two sides had a ceasefire that brought the release of some Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Under the agreement — which Trump and Witkoff played a major role in brokering — the two sides were then supposed to enter negotiations over a long-term truce, an Israeli withdrawal and a full hostage release.

But Israel broke the ceasefire in March, resuming its campaign of bombardment and offensives, saying it aimed to pressure Hamas for the remaining hostage releases.

Past rounds of negotiations have frequently fallen apart over the same obstacle, with Hamas demanding assurances of the war’s end and Netanyahu vowing to keep fighting until the group is destroyed. The Trump plan attempts to resolve all the issues at once, by laying out Hamas disarmament and a post-war scenario for governing the territory with provisions for a massive reconstruction campaign.

Praying for a deal

In the Hamas-led attack two years ago, militants stormed into southern Israel and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. Most hostages have since been released in ceasefires or other deals.

A growing number of experts, including those commissioned by a U.N. body, have said Israel’s offensive in Gaza amounts to genocide — an accusation Israel denies. More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half of the deaths were women and children, is part of the Hamas-run government. The United Nations and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

In the Gaza Strip, where much of the territory lies in ruins, Palestinians are desperate for a breakthrough. Thousands fleeing Israel’s latest ground offensive in northern Gaza and Gaza City have set up makeshift tents along the beach in the central part of the territory, sometimes using blankets for shelter.

“There is no food, nor good water, and blockage of crossings,” said Um Sulaiman Abu Afash, a displaced woman from Gaza City. “Our kids sleep in the streets. We buy drinking water. Where do we go? There’s no mercy.”

Sara Rihan, a displaced woman from Jabaliya, said she was praying for an end to the war. “I hope we return to our places and homes even if there are no homes,” she said. “Our existence in our land is the biggest happiness for us.”