President Trump threw dismissed the idea of meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin anytime soon on the war in Ukraine, reiterating to reporters en route to Malaysia that “I’m not going to be wasting my time,” Reuters reports.
The Shutdown’s Looming Health Care Cliff
Playbook: “It is the 26th day of the government shutdown. There are six days until the open enrollment period for health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act opens. There are nine days until this standoff sets a new record. With both sides dug in, the messaging this week is only expected to pitch up with no concrete ending in sight and cliffs looming on the horizon.”
“Across the country, Americans will be faced headfirst with annual premiums spiking by an average of 30 percent next year and that sticker shock is set to hit as soon as tomorrow when window-shopping on Healthcare.gov begins ahead of open enrollment. All told, combined with no extension of the Covid-era ACA tax credits, many will see their premiums double or triple in price.”
The Los Angeles Times notes the “average cost for family coverage is now about the same as a new Toyota Corolla hybrid.”
MAGA Lobbying Firms Are Booming
Washington Post: “It’s common for firms with ties to the party occupying the White House to experience surges in business when the governing party changes, and established firms with bipartisan practices also reported strong revenue this year. But the six firms that have seen the highest revenue growth mostly have strong ties to Trump.”
Bannon Says Trump Will Run Again in 2028
Steve Bannon told The Economist that there was “a plan” to circumvent the 22nd Amendment, which states that “no person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice,” regardless of whether the terms are consecutive.
He also suggested that he was part of a team developing that plan.
Said Bannon: “Trump is going to be president in ’28, and people ought to just get accommodated with that. At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is.”
‘You’ll Go Down as a Wimp’
Donald Trump berated Mike Pence, calling his then-vice president a “wimp” during their final phone call on Jan. 6, 2021, hours before Congress certified the 2020 election of Joe Biden, according to Pence’s previously unpublished notes included in a new book by Jonathan Karl, ABC News reports.
Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Karl, Jonathan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 448 Pages - 10/28/2025 (Publication Date) - Dutton (Publisher)
Newsom to Decide on Presidential Bid After Midterms
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has become one of President Trump’s most high-profile adversaries, told CBS News that he will consider whether to run for president after the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump Policies Hit Iowa Hard
New York Times: “For Iowans, losing China’s soybean market in the president’s trade war was only one of many economic shocks that have hit the state since the start of Mr. Trump’s second term. The cost of tractors and fertilizers have shot up with his tariffs.”
“Labor has grown scarcer in agribusinesses. Major manufacturers have laid off workers. Even the ubiquitous wind turbines that provide income for some Iowa farmers are in the president’s sights.”
Chinese and U.S. Reach Framework of Trade Deal
“Chinese and American trade negotiators said on Sunday that they had agreed to a framework of a deal ahead of an expected meeting of the countries’ top leaders this week,” the New York Times reports.
“The negotiators were in Kuala Lumpur for a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, where President Trump began a nearly weeklong trip to Asia. He is expected to meet on Thursday with Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, at a separate economic meeting in South Korea.”
Wall Street Journal: U.S. and China sound confident note after trade talks.
Milei’s Free-Market Experiment Hangs in the Balance
“The future of Argentina’s free-market experiment hinges on its midterm congressional elections Sunday,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Rarely are Washington and Wall Street watching a local foreign election this closely, but rarely has so much been riding on the outcome, including a $40 billion U.S. rescue plan.”
“If President Javier Milei’s Freedom Advances party effectively loses the election, the brash libertarian leader’s radical overhaul of Argentina’s economy will come crashing to a halt. If Milei’s party scratches out a narrow win, he will have a fighting chance to carry out phase two of his remake of Argentina.”
Mills Takes Lead from Platner in Maine Primary
Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) has taken the lead over Democratic primary challenger Graham Platner in the 2026 Senate race, 41% to 36%, according to a SoCal Strategies Maine Poll.
How Trump Barreled Through D.C.’s Bureaucracy
“Anybody who has remodeled a home knows that building regulations can slow down even the most minor projects, especially when a property has historic significance,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Yet President Trump managed to tear down the East Wing of the White House with little notice in just a few days to make way for a new ballroom he has long coveted. How did he do it?”
Trump Hikes Tariffs on Canada
The U.S. will impose an additional 10% tariff on Canada, President Trump said, a punitive measure in response to an ad campaign that he said misrepresented comments by former President Ronald Reagan, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Quote of the Day
“I’m the speaker and the president.”
— President Trump, quoted by the New York Times, noting how he’s marginalized Speaker Mike Johnson.
Harris Says She May Run Again
Kamala Harris told the BBC she may run again for the White House.
Said Harris: “I am not done. I have lived my entire career as a life of service and it’s in my bones.”
She added: “If I listened to polls, I would have not run for my first office, or my second office — and I certainly wouldn’t be sitting here.”
Reclusive Mellon Heir Gave Money to Pay Military
“Timothy Mellon, a reclusive billionaire and a major financial backer of President Trump, is the anonymous private donor who gave $130 million to the U.S. government to help pay troops during the shutdown,” the New York Times reports.
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Trump Leaves Behind a Reeling Washington
“President Trump is heading to Asia on Friday evening at a moment of turmoil at home: He has deployed an aircraft carrier to Latin America, cut off trade talks with Canada, razed the East Wing of the White House, cheered on the closure of the federal government and sent the National Guard to several American cities,” the New York Times reports.
“But for the next six days, Mr. Trump is putting down his sledgehammer and embarking on a diplomatic tour, testing his role as a statesman and negotiator as he pursues a trade deal with China to end a dispute that has harmed both economies.”
Mike Johnson Marginalizes Congress and Himself
New York Times: “Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to put the House on an indefinite hiatus that is now stretching into its second month while the government is shut down is the latest in a series of moves he has made that have diminished the role of Congress and shrunken the speakership at a critical moment.”
“It’s an approach born of political expedience that could have far-reaching consequences for an institution that has already ceded much of its power to President Trump. And Mr. Johnson, who without the president’s backing wields little influence over his own members, has chosen to make himself subservient to Mr. Trump, a break with many speakers of the past who sought in their own ways to act more as a governing partner with the president than as his underling.”
Axios: House lawmakers flirt with COVID-era work levels.
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