Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have missed their full paycheques for the first time since the beginning of the government shutdown three weeks ago, with Democrats and Republicans still blaming each other for the lapse in federal funding. We hear from a US federal employee at the Department of Defence on the East Coast. And this week the fight moved to the courts over another politically contentious area – the massive charges the Trump administration wishes to impose on H1B visas – the work visas issued to up to 65,000 foreign workers each year, looking for jobs that US employers say they are unable to fill otherwise. Also, Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, says he's ready to resume trade negotiations with the United States when Washington is ready. This comes after President Trump announced he was abruptly ending talks because of an anti-tariff advertising campaign by the province of Ontario. (Picture: A sign outside the National Gallery of Art alerts visitors the museum is closed in Washington and remains closed due to the government shutdown on 23 October 2025. Credit: photo by JIM LO SCALZO/EPA/Shutterstock).

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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