| | | |  | | By Ali Bianco and Rachel Umansky-Castro | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | 
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House in Washington, DC, on Oct. 20, 2025. | Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images | THE ART OF THE DEAL: President Donald Trump hosted Australian PM Anthony Albanese at the White House this morning — and like many of Trump’s open press bilaterals with world leaders, much of the focus was on the president and his efforts to play dealmaker-in-chief. Flanked by Albanese, Trump spanned the gamut of global issues reverberating through the White House as he spoke to reporters. “I have one more to go,” Trump said of a possible deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, while touting the “peace in the Middle East” that he helped secure. “I don’t think they will, but they could still win it,” Trump said of Ukraine’s chances in the war. Trump’s assessment today comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy downplayed reports of a blowout during his White House visit with Trump on Friday. In comments to reporters yesterday that were initially off-the-record but later authorized for publication this morning, Zelenskyy said it was a “positive” meeting that led to progress on 25 new Patriot air defense systems, Reuters’ Max Hunder writes. The message from Trump was “that we stand where we stand on the front line,” Zelenskyy said. The wartime leader has been rallying support in Europe to avoid potentially massive concessions to Russia, planning meetings with leaders there this week, WaPo’s Ellen Francis and colleagues report from Brussels. Zelenskyy decried Budapest as the potential site for a Trump summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin — but still said he would consider attending if he was invited, per Bloomberg’s Kateryna Chursina and Aliaksandr Kudrytski. “I do not believe that a prime minister who blocks Ukraine everywhere can do anything positive for Ukrainians or even provide a balanced contribution,” Zelenskyy said of Hungarian PM Viktor Orban. But Trump’s strongest warning went to Hamas amid the tenuous ceasefire in Gaza, again threatening that if they don’t “behave” then “we’re going to eradicate them.” He clarified this would not include U.S. boots on the ground. On the ground in Israel: U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to hold together Trump’s latest deal after a “little situation” — as Trump called it today — threatened the peace this weekend. That situation was the ceasefire’s first big test as both Israel and Hamas claimed the other violated terms of the budding peace. The U.S. negotiators and Netanyahu discussed the developments as both sides recommitted to the terms of the ceasefire, WaPo’s Abbie Cheeseman and colleagues report. While Witkoff and Kushner have largely been doing damage control, VP JD Vance will take on the bigger task of hashing out the next phase of the deal with Netanyahu tomorrow. “We will discuss primarily two matters: the security challenges before us, and the diplomatic opportunities before us,” Netanyahu said today of Vance’s scheduled visit, per NYT. In Gaza, confusion abounds among Palestinians about the “yellow line” of demarcation of the Israeli military’s pullback, with three people killed today near the line of fire, Reuters’ Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Steven Scheer report. Hamas is due to release the body of another hostage. And Hamas leadership over the weekend said it has lost communication with some fighters in Rafah — raising the possibility that the ceasefire may not be unilaterally enforced, NYT’s David Halbfinger writes from Jerusalem. Back in Washington: None of this was the reason Albanese was at the White House, of course. Trump and the PM signed a critical “rare earths” minerals deal that has been in the making for months. “In about a year from now, we’ll have so much critical mineral and rare earths that you won’t know what to do with them,” Trump said, though the specifics of the deal are unclear, NYT’s Zolan Kanno-Youngs writes. It’s a major opportunity for Australia to position itself as a reliable minerals supplier and counter China’s control over the minerals access — all while strengthening ties to the U.S., NYT’s Victoria Kim writes. Access to rare minerals is among Trump’s top trade demands — along with fentanyl and soybean exports — that will come up during negotiations with China, per Bloomberg. With weeks to go before Trump is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, Trump told reporters that China has been “very respectful of us” — while also voicing support for equipping Australia with nuclear submarines through the AUKUS pact, POLITICO’s Joe Gould writes. “I think we’ll be just fine with China,” Trump said. Good Monday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Send us tips and thoughts to abianco@politico.com and rumansky-castro@politico.com.
| | | | A message from The Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance: This football season, Americans want to watch their favorite teams - not #BigPharma's ads. Despite regulators cracking down on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, industry spending on DTC ads surged this September. Instead of taking meaningful steps to slash prices for Americans, Big Pharma is spending millions to push their products. Read more about how Big Pharma is doubling down on ads nobody wants to see. | | | | | | 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | | 
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill on October 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. | Andrew Harnik/Getty Images | 1. SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: On day 20 of the shutdown, Republicans believe Democrats will change their mind on funding the government after the No Kings protests this weekend — but there’s no sign that will prove true in today’s vote, POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill notes. As the shutdown continues, NEC Director Kevin Hassett said the White House will have to consider looking at “stronger measures,” Bloomberg’s Lauren Dezenski and John Harney report. At the same time, billionaire Charles Koch and other influential conservative groups “are pushing Republicans to demand steep concessions from Democrats in exchange for extending health care subsidies,” Bloomberg’s Emily Birnbaum and Erik Wasson report. The long-term impact: With the Smithsonian system closed and 9,000 National Park employees’ temporary release, advocates and small businesses have concerns about the safety and tourism with a lack of rangers during the shutdown, CNN’s Piper Hundspeth Blackburn and Kaanita Iyer report. What to watch: Speaker Mike Johnson said he spoke with Trump this morning and will join him in the Oval Office during his 4 p.m. event, per Meredith. 2. SOUTH OF THE BORDER: “Officials, locals undercut Trump claims about Venezuela drug boats,” by WaPo’s Terrence McCoy and colleagues: “The Trump administration’s justification for blowing up suspected drug traffickers off the Venezuelan coast has been clear and consistent: These people aren’t just criminals; they’re ‘narco-terrorists’ smuggling a ‘deadly weapon poisoning Americans’ at the behest of terrorist organizations. … But records and interviews … contradict the administration’s claims. The passage, they said, is not ordinarily used to traffic synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, present in 69 percent of drug overdose deaths last year. Nor are the drugs typically headed for the United States.” The Trump-Petro standoff continues: Colombia has recalled its ambassador to Washington after Trump threatened to increase tariffs on the country and called Colombian President Gustavo Petro an “illegal drug leader,” per Reuters’ Luis Acosta and Julia Cobb. And a big day for Milei: Argentina’s central bank and the U.S. Treasury signed their currency swap line today, securing $20 billion for Argentina’s economy ahead of pivotal elections for President Javier Milei, Bloomberg’s Manuela Tobias and Patrick Gillespie report. It’s a key portion of the rescue package Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent devised to help bail out the Latin American country, though specific details and terms of the deal are still scarce. Trump also suggested aboard AF1 yesterday that the U.S. could buy more Argentine beef to bring prices down for U.S. consumers, per AP’s Christopher Megerian. 3. SCOTUS WATCH: The Supreme Court said today it will take up a case regarding whether a longstanding federal law that prohibits firearms for unlawful drug users goes against the Second Amendment, POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein reports. “It’s the same law that Hunter Biden was convicted of violating last year. … The case is another chance for the high court to clear up confusion and uncertainty created by the justices’ groundbreaking 2022 ruling striking down restrictive gun laws in New York.” Elsewhere in the judiciary square: The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals today is hearing arguments about whether Trump’s former lawyer, Alina Habba, is unlawfully serving as U.S. attorney for New Jersey, per AP’s Mike Catalini.
| | | | Washington is fixated on the shutdown fallout — and POLITICO is tracking every move.
Inside Congress breaks down how lawmakers are navigating the politics, policies, and power plays driving the debate.
➡️ Sign up for Inside Congress
West Wing Playbook follows how the administration and federal agencies are responding — and what it all means for the people running government day to day.
➡️ Sign up for West Wing Playbook | | | | | 4. 2025 WATCH: With only 15 days to go before Election Day, abortion is once again on the ballot in the Virginia gubernatorial race between Abigail Spanberger and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. Whoever ascends to the governor’s mansion will wield considerable power over abortion access in Virginia — the only Southern state that’s largely maintained access since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, AP’s Olivia Diaz and Bill Barrow write. And though it’s not the top issue for either candidate, advocates on both sides are watching to see how much the abortion message resonates for voters ahead of 2026. Coming attractions in the Garden State: The race for governor of New Jersey is getting tighter just two weeks out. In the final sprint, GOP candidate Jack Ciattarelli is getting more MAGA firepower behind him as polls appear to be tightening: Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla), a Trump ally also running for governor in Florida next year, will join Ciattarelli at his rally on Wednesday — and Trump himself will campaign for Ciattarelli in a tele-rally before Election Day to energize MAGA supporters, Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser reports. 5. IMMIGRATION FILES: The Trump administration will be hiring more health care providers in immigration detention centers as deaths in custody mount and federal oversight is weakened by layoffs, POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein and Ruth Reader report. “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has reported 20 detainee deaths in custody since President Donald Trump took office — the most in a single year in decades — compared to 24 deaths in the Biden administration.” 6. SCHOOL TIES: The deadline for U.S. colleges and universities to sign a deal with the Trump administration — the “compact” devised by the Department of Education in exchange for priority treatment on federal grants — is today, NPR’s Elissa Nadworny reports. Washington University in St. Louis is the latest to decline the White House proposal, per NYT’s Alan Blinder, though it will “keep talking with the government about higher education.” Nine schools originally received the “compact,” which would force schools to prevent transgender individuals from certain restrooms and sports, limit international student enrollment and adjust admission criteria. Six of those schools have already rejected the proposal. 7. IN THE DOGE HOUSE: “He accused DOGE of risking Social Security data. It cost him his career,” by WaPo’s Meryl Kornfield and Hannah Natanson: “Charles Borges, then chief data officer for the vast Social Security Administration, was alarmed last summer when he learned that members of Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service had copied a mainframe database containing the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans … Social Security officials insist there has been no breach or security risk, but Borges and other current and former employees say they have concerns about the access that DOGE personnel had to the data and their efforts to move and manipulate it in ways the agency has never seen before.”
| | | | A message from The Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance:  
| | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | John Kirby will be UChicago’s next director of the Institute of Politics starting mid-November. THE CASE MAGA IS WATCHING — U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro, along with Marshals Service Commander Don Snider and MPD Chief Pamela Smith, are briefing at 3 p.m. with an update on the attack on former DOGE staffer Edward Coristine. Stay tuned. MEDIA MOVES — Darren Botelho has joined Fox Business Network as a Washington correspondent. He previously worked at NBC Boston. … J.J. McCorvey is joining Bloomberg News as a financial regulation reporter. He previously worked at NBC News. TRANSITIONS — Bridget Fitzpatrick is joining Munger, Tolles & Olson as a partner. She previously was acting U.S. attorney for D.C. … Max Raymond has joined Chamber of Progress as director of financial policy. He previously worked in Rep. Josh Gottheimer’s (D-N.J.) office. … Katie Workman has joined Ground Truth AI as an associate. She previously worked on the Kamala Harris campaign. ENGAGED — Byron Tau, an investigative reporter at the AP, and Alicia Rose, a litigation and investigations associate at A&O Shearman, got engaged on Friday night. Byron popped the question on a walk to dinner in Georgetown. Pic BONUS BIRTHDAY: Treasury’s Townes Holland Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn’t happen without our deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
| | | | Global Security is POLITICO’s new weekly briefing on the policies and industrial forces reshaping transatlantic defense. From Washington to Brussels and beyond, we track how decisions ripple across borders — redefining the future of security and industry. Sign up for the free preview edition. | | | | | | | | | Follow us on X | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | |
