President Donald Trump traveled through Asia this week, sitting down for a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which he described as “truly great,” while Americans at home bore the brunt of the ongoing government shutdown, which is entering its second month.Democrats now find themselves in a bind as they have succeeded in framing health care as the issue at the heart of the stalemate but are grappling with the lapse of federal food assistance for millions of Americans set to begin Saturday.The shutdown is also likely to lead to more flight delays as the Federal Aviation Administration grapples with staffing shortages. At the same time, federal employees are working without pay, and food banks are bracing for a surge in demand.The president, though, seems to have his mind focused elsewhere as he instructed the Pentagon to immediately resume testing of nuclear weapons to ensure the U.S. keeps up with its rivals.“With others doing testing, I think it’s appropriate that we do also,” he told reporters after departing South Korea to return to the U.S.The Trump administration is continuing to add pressure on Venezuela, with the country’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, now accusing the U.S. of “fabricating a new eternal war.”See previous updates here, and read the latest below:Attorney General Pam Bondi Goes Before CongressAlthough the government is shut down, Attorney General Pam Bondi is appearing before Congress for an oversight hearing of the Justice Department hosted by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.Bondi is expected to face questioning from Senate Democrats about the weaponization of the Justice Department, including the indictment of former FBI director James Comey and reports that the president is pressuring a federal prosecutor to charge New York Attorney General Letitia James.Bondi will likely also face questions about the department's handling of files tied to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Trump's deployment of National Guard to cities that have specifically told the administration they don't want them. Republicans are likely to question the attorney general about the administration's targeting of alleged drug boats off the coast of Venezuela.See All UpdatesClose