Huge call as 42 million Americans on the brink

Donald Trump’s administration has made a call on food payments to 42 million Americans as the US government shutdown drags on.

Welcome to our coverage of US politics from Tuesday, Australia time. For more recent events in the US please see our new blog.

In a combative 60 Minutes USA interview that aired on Sunday in the US, Donald Trump insisted China and Russia had tested nuclear weapons in secret – which would seem incredibly unlikely given monitoring equipment can pick detonations up.

On the government shutdown, which now rolls into its sixth week, Mr Trump dug in. He told CBS he “won’t be extorted” into a deal with Democrats to reopen government, signalling no immediate negotiations even as basic programs strain and public pressure mounts.

However, on Monday, US time, the government backtracked on its plans to cut welfare benefits to more than 40 million Americans because of the shutdown.

That came after federal judges said the administration could not suspend food benefits forcing agencies to find funds even as states and retailers warn of administrative chaos.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump has said he “doesn’t know” a crypto billionaire who he recently pardoned. That’s despite him suggesting Joe Biden had no idea who he was pardoning.

And the Supreme Court will begin to hear a case this week on whether Mr Trump’s tariffs are constitutional. Potentially, it could unravel many of the levies and force the US to pay billions back to American businesses who have had to pay the mark-ups.

Follow along for all Tuesday’s updates.

Originally published as Huge call as 42 million Americans on the brink