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A federal appeals court lets Trump send troops to Portland. James Comey’s lawyers question a Trump-appointed prosecutor’s qualifications. And, a rundown of the familiar faces in new places before the NBA season begins tonight. Here's what to know today. Appeals court allows National Guard deployment in Portland A federal appeals court ruled that the Trump administration could send National Guard troops into Oregon against the state's wishes, pausing a lower court’s order that barred the deployment. in her order halting the deployment U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut, a Trump nominee, said it appeared the Trump administration was acting in bad faith with exaggerated claims of violence in the city of Portland, including that it was "war ravaged" with "ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa" and "crazy people" who "try to burn down buildings, including federal buildings" every night. This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. Two appeals court judges — also Trump nominees — said the president's position was entitled to more deference. "Even if the President may exaggerate the extent of the problem on social media, this does not change that other facts provide a colorable basis to support the statutory requirements," they wrote. Elsewhere, a federal judge in Chicago questioned immigration authorities about whether they violated a court order by continuing to use tear gas and violent tactics against protesters and journalists in the city. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis of the Northern District of Illinois previously ruled that immigration agents were not allowed to use tear gas on journalists and protesters who pose no threat — yet the incidents have continued, drawing a rebuke from Ellis, who also ordered that federal agents wear and use their body cameras. Read the full stories on Portland and Chicago. More politics news: Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed an agreement on rare-earth minerals, which could serve as a bargaining chip as the U.S. fights a trade war with China. Possible Democratic presidential hopefuls hit the campaign trail in New Jersey and Virginia as the party tries to chart a path to victory in 2028. Democrats have something important in common across the three highest-profile elections in November: an ad-spending edge. The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether a federal law that bars frequent users of illegal drugs from possessing firearms violates the Constitution's right to bear arms. The American cattle ranching industry is blasting Trump's proposal to purchase beef from Argentina in an effort to lower supermarket beef prices. James Comey wants case dropped and prosecutor disqualified Former FBI Director James Comey's legal team filed motions seeking the dismissal of the criminal charges against him, arguing that the case was politically motivated and that the lawyer Trump named to prosecute him, Lindsey Halligan, wasn’t properly appointed. Comey's attorneys referred to the president's September social media post in which he called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute his political foes. Halligan, a former insurance lawyer who is now interim head of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, was "defectively appointed" to her position, Comey's attorneys argued, adding that "because no properly appointed Executive Branch official sought and obtained the indictment, the indictment is equally a nullity." Comey's attorneys noted that Halligan, who previously worked as a personal lawyer for Trump, lacked prosecutorial experience, adding that "no other prosecutor from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia participated in the grand jury presentation." Read the full story. Hamas, diminished but not destroyed, reasserts itself in Gaza Hamas has violently sought to reassert its authority over the Gaza Strip in the wake of the Israeli military's partial withdrawal, but questions remain over the group’s future and efforts to rebuild. Since the ceasefire took effect a week ago, the militant group has deployed armed police officers on streets from where Israeli forces have withdrawn, clashed with rival clans, traded accusations with Israel that it had violated the truce and staged at least one public execution of suspected collaborators. Experts on Gaza agree Hamas has been badly diminished but not thoroughly destroyed and will grow with new recruits propelled to join after tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians were killed by Israeli fire. Assessments of Hamas' strength are crucial to the negotiations around the group’s disarmament — an important stipulation in the American-brokered ceasefire deal that halted the war. So far, the group has refused to give up its weapons. Read the full story. Demolition begins for Trump's White House ballroom project Construction crews started demolishing part of the East Wing of the White House yesterday as part of Trump's project to build a new ballroom, according to an administration official. Trump said in July that the project "won't interfere with the current building." The White House did not immediately respond to questions from NBC News about how much of the structure it plans to demolish and why it's happening after Trump's earlier insistence. The project could be the biggest physical change to the White House since the 1940s, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt expanded the East Wing in 1942, followed by President Harry Truman's adding an eponymous balcony on the South Portico in 1948. Read the full story. American chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky dies at 29 Daniel Naroditsky, a chess grandmaster who started as a child prodigy and quickly became one of the most influential American voices in the sport, died Monday. He was 29. The cause of death was not immediately known. Fellow grandmasters credited Naroditsky with introducing the sport to a wider audience by livestreaming many of his matches and sharing live commentary on others. Thousands of people regularly tuned in on YouTube and the interactive streaming platform Twitch to watch Naroditsky play. Read the full story on Naroditsky's impact on the world of chess. Read all about it Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an outspoken accuser of Jeffrey Epstein, alleged that her own father had abused her and suggested that he took hush money from Epstein in a posthumous memoir. A large chunk of suspected space debris has been found in a remote part of the Australian desert, the country’s space agency confirmed. The Toronto Blue Jays advanced to the World Series by defeating the Seattle Mariners and winning the American League pennant. Authorities in Atlanta said they averted a tragedy after a man's family told police that he was headed to the city's airport to "shoot it up." The trial of a former Illinois deputy who is accused of killing Sonya Massey got underway in Peoria, Illinois. OpenAI said it is cracking down on unauthorized content following outcry over Sora 2's ability to replicate likenesses and copyrighted material without permission. Lawmakers in Japan elected hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi as prime minister, making her the first woman in modern times to lead the key U.S. ally. But not all women are celebrating. Staff Pick: The NBA is back. Here's what you missed. The NFL is nearing its regular season's midway point. The World Series matchup has been finalized. But just in case you didn't have enough sports in your life, the new NBA season tips off tonight. In the event you have been too busy to pay much attention to the league since the Oklahoma City Thunder was last seen raising the championship trophy in June, NBC News has you covered, with a handy catch-up guide to everything you may have missed. – Andrew Greif, sports reporter NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified Tired of slouching? The NBC Select team tested top-rated posture correctors to find the ones worth trying — plus, the 100 best face moisturizers for every skin type, climate and budget. 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