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What to know today
- TRUMP TRAVELS TO JAPAN: President Donald Trump has arrived in Japan, the second stop on his three-country Asia tour. He met with Emperor Naruhito and recently elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
- TRUMP-KIM MEETING? Trump said en route to Japan that he would be willing to extend his trip at his final stop, South Korea, to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
- U.S.-CHINA TRADE: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told NBC News that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who are due to meet in South Korea on Thursday, are expected to reach a deal to avert an additional 100% U.S. tariff on Chinese goods that Trump has threatened to impose in response to Beijing's curbs on rare-earth exports.
- FEDERAL WORKERS: The largest union of federal employees put pressure on Senate Democrats today by calling for an end to the government shutdown, now in its 27th day.
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Trump says U.S. and Japan will do 'tremendous' trade
Trump praised Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, saying the United States and Japan are allies “at the strongest level” as the two leaders signed agreements on trade and critical minerals.
"We’re going to do tremendous trade together, I think, more than ever before," he said before their bilateral meeting.
Trump also said he appreciated Japan’s efforts to increase its military capacity and buy more U.S. defense equipment. “Any favors you need, anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there,” he said.
Takaichi, who said last week that Japan would increase its defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product by March, two years ahead of schedule, said that together with Trump, Japan was “ready to contribute towards peace and stability.”
Takaichi's golf-themed gifts to Trump
Takaichi gave Trump a golf bag signed by Japanese major winner Hideki Matsuyama and a putter that belonged to assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a close ally of Trump who was also Takaichi’s mentor.
Trump’s assistant Margo Martin posted a video of the two leaders with the gifts on X.
Speaking before his meeting with Takaichi, Trump said Abe was “a great friend of mine.” His killing in 2022 was “so shocking,” Trump told Takaichi, “but he spoke so well of you even before we knew what was going to happen in your ascension.”
A man accused of fatally shooting Abe is set to go on trial today in the western Japanese city of Nara, where Abe was killed while he was giving a speech during an election campaign.
Trump and Takaichi meet with families of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea
In a final event at the Akasaka Palace, Trump and Takaichi posed for a photo with Japanese families whose loved ones were abducted by North Korea in the 1960s and ’70s.
Though some were later returned to Japan, the Japanese government continues to press North Korea to provide full details about everyone who was abducted and return any who are still alive.
“The U.S. is with them all the way,” Trump said of Japan’s efforts.
Asked whether he would speak with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un about the abductions, Trump said, “We’ll be discussing it.”
Japan's prime minister says she nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize
During today's bilateral meeting, Takaichi announced that she is nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. She then presented the papers to him.
Trump did not win this year's prize, but his supporters argue that the Gaza peace deal makes him the most deserving candidate for 2026.
California says it will monitor the Justice Department’s election watchers next week
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said today that the state will dispatch its own observers to monitor federal election watchers deployed by the Trump administration ahead of an election that will decide whether to move forward with redistricting plans.
Bonta’s announcement came in response to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s saying Friday that the Justice Department would monitor polls in six jurisdictions leading up to the Nov. 4 election, including five in California, following a request from the California Republican Party.
“The feigned worry by the Republican Party I don’t think is a good source of true raising of concerns and servicing of concerns about the elections,” Bonta, a Democrat, said during a virtual news conference.
While Bonta did not provide many details about what the state’s observers would do, he said the registrar of voters, the state secretary of state’s office and his office “would have some role potentially.”
Republicans work to make Zohran Mamdani the face of the Democratic Party
Top Republicans on Monday seized on House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ endorsement of Zohran Mamdani for mayor of New York, casting the self-described democratic socialist as the new face of the Democratic Party ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called Jeffries’ endorsement a “seismic shift in politics.”
“We saw our clearest sign yet that this radical insurgent movement in the Democrat Party is succeeding, and they are ending what has always been known as the Democrat Party in America,” Johnson told reporters in the Capitol. “After a monthslong pressure campaign from the far left, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries finally relented. He gave in, and he gave his endorsement to the socialist running to be mayor of New York City.”
The fresh comments are an attempt by GOP leaders to tie all congressional Democrats to Mamdani, hoping to paint the party as too far left heading into next year's House and Senate elections. The popular Muslim American state assemblyman has energized the progressive base, but his calls to raise taxes on the wealthy and support for Palestinians have drawn fire from Republicans and some moderate Democrats.
Minnesota man arrested after allegedly offering $45,000 for the killing of Pam Bondi
A Minnesota man was arrested and accused of offering $45,000 for the killing of Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to court documents.
Tyler Avalos, 29, published the threat on TikTok saying he wanted Bondi “dead or alive” but “preferably dead,” according to an affidavit by FBI Special Agent Caleb Jurchisin.
The investigation started Oct. 9 when a tipster from Detroit “submitted a report to the FBI National Threat Operations Center” and flagged the suspect’s TikTok feed, the FBI said.
The TikTok post included a picture of Bondi “with a sniper-scope red dot on” her forehead, according to the affidavit.
Trump and Takaichi sign agreements on critical minerals and trade
Trump and Takaichi signed two agreements today after their bilateral meeting, one on trade and one on critical minerals.
The first agreement, which was very brief, called for a “new golden age” in the U.S.-Japan alliance and referred to the trade deal Trump announced in July, which imposes a 15% tariff on Japanese goods in exchange for $550 billion in Japanese investment in the United States.
“The two leaders noted with satisfaction swift and continued efforts by both countries, and confirmed their strong commitment to implementing this GREAT DEAL,” the agreement said.
The second document they signed was a framework agreement for securing the supply of critical minerals and rare-earth minerals through mining and processing. During his Asia trip, Trump has signed similar agreements with Thailand and Malaysia amid concerns that Chinese export controls could disrupt the global supply of rare earths, which are essential for producing electronic devices and other advanced technologies.
More than 100 former senior DOJ officials file brief opposing Comey prosecution
More than 100 former high-ranking Justice Department officials today filed a brief opposing what they say is the retaliatory prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey. The signers included officials who served in Democratic and Republican administrations.
Among them are former Attorney General Eric Holder, former Assistant Attorney General Hampton Dellinger and former acting Attorney General Peter Keisler.
“One of the core tenets of the Department of Justice is that a prosecutor identifies cases that need to be prosecuted, not people that should be targeted,” Keisler said.
“What happened in this case should concern all Americans. I am grateful to so many of my fellow Department of Justice alumni — all of whom held senior positions in the department — for speaking out,” he added.
Senators introduce stand-alone bills to address shutdown pain points
With the Senate back in Washington, some senators are introducing stand-alone or “rifle shot” bills to address specific harmful effects of the shutdown.
The bills are tackling issues like reinstatement of SNAP benefits, pay for air traffic control and Transportation Security Administration workers, military pay and pay for non-furloughed federal employees.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., did not definitively say today whether he would bring the measures to the floor for votes, saying the easiest way for federal employees to get paid again is by “opening up the government.”
“You can start down that track and we’ll kind of see what the temperature is of our senators on some of those issues,” Thune said.
A measure introduced by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., was blocked last week by Senate Democrats who said the bill would have given Trump too much power to “pick his personal favorites” in deciding who gets paid during the shutdown.
Shortly after that vote, Johnson expressed optimism that he could pass a bipartisan bill that would pay workers, joining forces with Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Gary Peters of Michigan, who each introduced alternative pay measures last week.
