The Latest: Trump meets with Japan's newly elected, first female leader, Sanae Takaichi

U.S. President Donald Trump is meeting with Japan's newly elected, ultraconservative leader in Tokyo during one of the busiest days of his Asia trip, the itinerary of which includes speaking to U.S. troops aboard an aircraft carrier and mingling with business leaders.

Just days after taking office, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi may look to build a personal connection with Trump to ease trade tensions. One key to this strategy might be an idea floated by Japan’s government to buy a fleet of American Ford F-150trucks.

Trump spent Sunday in Malaysia as part of his ongoing trip through Asia to discuss mostly trade with world leaders, aiming to highlight America’s influence on the global economy.

The Latest:

Trump and Takaichi sign two agreements

Both leaders signed the implementation of an agreement for the “golden age” of their countries’ alliance.

Held up after the signing, the document ran to less than one-page.

Trump and Takaichi then signed a second agreement, this one laying out a U.S.-Japan framework for securing the supply of critical minerals and rare earths.

When the signing ceremony had concluded, a reporter called out a question to Trump but got no answer. Organizers asked in English that the press please move on to the next event.

Japan planning to give Washington 250 new cherry trees next year

Takaichi told Trump that her country would give Washington some 250 additional cherry trees next year, in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration — as well as fireworks from Akita Prefecture for July 4 celebrations in 2026.

Then-Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gifted 250 new cherry trees to Washington during a visit to the White House with President Joe Biden in 2024.

Last year’s gift was meant to replace trees removed for construction to repair the crumbling seawall around the nation’s capital’s Tidal Basin, while also commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. in 2026.

Trump says Takaichi as Japan’s first female prime minister is ‘a big deal’

The president offered especially effusive praise to Takaichi, telling her, “Anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there.”

“You’re going to do a fantastic job, and we’re going to have a fantastic relationship,” he said.

Trump also hailed Takaichi being the first woman to hold the post, saying, “That’s a big deal,” before adding, “You will be one of the great prime ministers.”

The president told Takaichi that his offer to support Japan in all situations extended to any “favors you need.”

Takaichi mentions her mentor’s bond with Trump

Takaichi used her early remarks to mention former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, her archconservative mentor who forged a strong bond with Trump during the U.S. president’s first term.

“As a matter of fact, Prime Minister Abe often told me about your dynamic diplomacy,” she said.

In his own comments, Trump said, “I want to thank you very much and I want to congratulate you.”

He continued: “Shinzo Abe was a great friend of mine,” and added, “he spoke so well of you.”

Trump said Abe “would be very happy to know that” Takaichi was now prime minister.

Abe was assassinated on July 8, 2022, during an election campaign speech. Trump recalled being saddened by Abe’s killing.

Takaichi starts meeting with Trump by talking about US World Series

Before meeting with Trump, the Japanese prime minister said she was watching the Los Angeles Dodgers play the Toronto Blue Jays in the U.S. World Series.

Takaichi said the Dodgers were up 1-0 and that she really enjoyed watching it.

Baseball is a shared pastime in the U.S. and Japan. Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is a near ubiquitous presence across Japan in ads and the Dodgers ballpark increasingly caters to tourists from Japan coming to the U.S. to watch him.

Trump praises Takaichi’s ‘strong handshake’

The president arrived for a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Akasaka palace in Tokyo.

Trump was surrounded by U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

While posing for photos, Trump shook hands with Takaichi and said, “That’s a very strong handshake.”

The U.S. delegation also included White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said to Takaichi, “Congratulations, we’re so excited for you.”

Trump and Takaichi are scheduled to hold upcoming meetings.

White House pulls the nomination for the top US diplomat for the Middle East

The White House has pulled the nomination of a retired Army colonel and former special envoy for Syria during the first Trump administration to become the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, according to a congressional aide and a State Department official familiar with the matter.

Joel Rayburn’s nomination had been held up for months in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky before it was finally cleared last week for a full Senate confirmation vote, according to the aide and the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the White House withdrawal has not yet been announced.

Neither could or would say why exactly the nomination was pulled, but Rayburn had been seen by some in the White House as not supportive enough of Trump administration priorities.

The State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs has not had a Senate-confirmed assistant secretary since January.

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— By Matthew Lee, AP Diplomatic Writer

Top US Senators are demanding NBA provide information over alleged gambling scheme

Sen. Ted Cruz, the Republican Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the panel, want information “about how the NBA investigated and handled these allegations as well as what steps the Association is taking to maintain the public’s trust.”

“Americans love basketball because it is fast-paced and unpredictable,” the senators wrote to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, in a letter obtained by The Associated Press.

“That volatility is the sport’s magic, and precisely why allegations that current and former National Basketball Association (NBA) players and coaches compromised the game’s integrity are so troubling,” they said.

The Commerce Committee, which has vast authority over sports and other matters, is seeking the information after last week’s arrests in relation to the alleged gambling scheme. The senators want a response by Nov. 10.

Who is Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s new prime minister?

Ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi is Japan’s first female prime minister and was tapped by parliament for her post mere days before Trump’s arrival.

A hawk on security issues and fan of heavy metal music, Takaichi replaced the outgoing Shigeru Ishiba after his long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party suffered big losses in July elections.

The 64-year-old Takaichi grew up near the ancient Japanese capital of Nara and is an admirer of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She has opposed efforts aimed at boosting women’s achievements in a country where men still largely hold sway.

Takaichi meets Tuesday with Trump and has called the Japan-U.S. alliance a “cornerstone” of Japanese diplomacy. She’s also stressed that Japan is an indispensable partner for America in its strategy to provide counterweights to China in the Indo-Pacific region.

Senators seek probe over the costs of National Guard deployments

Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, said Trump’s deployment of the National Guard into American cities for security “marks a significant departure from long-standing practice” and “carries substantial cost implications that have not been publicly disclosed or formally justified to Congress.”

Merkley and other Democrats on the panel are asking the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to provide an accounting of the deployments and operations.

“Congress must have a clear understanding of both the immediate and long-term budgetary consequences of this policy,” the senators wrote.

Senators ask Trump administration to let Americans preview next year’s Affordable Care Act options

In Monday’s letter to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the largely Democratic group of 28 lawmakers noted that this “window shopping” period has opened on Oct. 25 or 26 over the past eight years.

On Monday, Healthcare.gov appeared to show 2025 health insurance plans and estimated prices, instead of next year’s options. A banner on the website instructs enrollees to “come back November 1 for a more accurate estimate” of their 2026 health costs.

CMS on Monday was expected to temporarily bring back all its workers furloughed during the shutdown, in part to manage the ACA open enrollment period that starts Saturday.

Many states that operate their own health insurance marketplaces have already given enrollees a peek into 2026 prices. Premiums are expected to skyrocket next year in anticipation of rising health costs and expiring subsidies that have made the plans more affordable.

Senate GOP leader talks with Trump, but no easy fix to end shutdown or save SNAP

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he spoke with the president late Sunday but offered no new strategy for ending the government shutdown, now in its 27th day.

“He, like all of us, wants the government opened up,” Thune said.

Thune also signaled there’s no easy fix ahead to pay air traffic controllers and other federal workers, or to ensure food stamps are not turned off Saturday.

Republicans are pushing Democrats to drop their demands for health care funds, for now, and reopen government.

“The answer is very simple. Paying SNAP recipients, paying the military, paying all federal workers — ATC, TSA, Border Patrol — it’s all really simple,” he said

“We are where we are.”

Hegseth departs on southeast Asia trip

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has departed on his own, separate trip to southeast Asia early on Monday and he plans to visit four countries as part of his travel.

Hegseth will visit Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and South Korea, according to a statement released by the Pentagon late on Sunday. As part of this trip, Hegseth will attend a meeting of the region’s defense ministers and co-chair an annual security meeting with his South Korean counterpart.

It was not clear from the Pentagon’s announcement how much, if any, of Hegseth’s trip would overlap with Trump, who is travelling in the region largely to discuss trade. Trump is currently in Japan and he’s set to visit South Korea next. Hegseth was in Hawaii on Monday morning.

World Central Kitchen provides food to federal workers in Washington, DC

The food charity, known for opening public kitchens and distributing meals in war zones and in the aftermath of natural disasters, was providing food to federal workers furloughed by the government shutdown. It was distributing fresh food, ranging from vegetarian to meat options, and fruit and water to dozens of people on Monday.

Elizabeth Anderson, a furloughed NASA employee, said it’s tough being a federal worker during this moment. She said the food provided “a little extra cushion for the furlough.”

Humberto Lopez, a furloughed federal worker with the Department of Defense, said he is starting to feel the financial squeeze of the shutdown.

“It’s starting to get real,” he said, waiting in line for food. “You know you can’t sustain this for much longer.”

Ontario premier brags about anti-tariff Reagan ad that prompted Trump cancel trade talks

The leader of Canada’s most populous province is bragging about the impact of his anti-tariff ad that prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to end trade talks with Canada.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the ad had over a “billion impressions around the world” and “generated a conversation that wasn’t happening in the U.S.”

The populist Conservative premier says it was the “best ad I ever ran” and says he’s achieved his goals.

Ontario’s television advertisement criticizes Trump’s tariffs by citing a speech from former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

The ad upset Trump who said he plans to hike tariffs on imports of Canadian goods by an extra 10%.

“You know why President Trump is so upset right now? It was because it was effective,” Ford says.

Democrats see GOP’s Indiana remap effort as a desperate manipulation

Republicans outnumber Democrats in Indiana’s congressional delegation 7-2, limiting possibilities of squeezing out another seat. But many in the party see this mid-cycle redistricting effort as a chance for the GOP to represent all nine seats.

Among the targets is the 1st District, a Democratic stronghold near Chicago in the state’s northwest corner held by third-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan. He’s won reelection twice despite previous GOP efforts to redraw the borders to help Republicans.

“I believe that representation should be earned through ideas and service, not political manipulation,” Mrvan said in a statement Monday.

Indiana Senate Democratic Leader Shelli Yoder threatened legal action if the Republicans pass any new maps: “This is not democracy. This is desperation,” she said in a statement.

The scramble is on to get groceries for millions when SNAP shuts off

The countdown is on to figure out how to keep food on the table for the nearly 42 million Americans who receive SNAP grocery assistance.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that the debit cards that beneficiaries use to buy food won’t be replenished in November due to the government shutdown.

About 1 in 8 people in the U.S. receive the aid.

It’s not clear whether the pause in the program will shift anything in the negotiations to reopen the government.

It is leaving beneficiaries, states and food banks scrambling for ways to fill the gaps.

Indiana Senate leader’s spokesperson says the GOP lacks the votes to redistrict

Indiana’s Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray was among the state lawmakers who met privately with Trump as the White House pressured them to redraw the state’s House districts to give the GOP more of an advantage. But his spokesperson said Monday that the votes are still lacking, casting doubt on whether a special session called by Gov. Braun will be successful.

With only 10 Democrats in the 50-member Senate, that means more than a dozen of the 40 Republicans oppose the idea. Some state Republican lawmakers have warned that midcycle redistricting can be costly and could backfire politically.

Gov. Braun a staunch ally of Trump in a state the president won handily. He previously said he did not want to try mid-decade redistricting unless he was sure lawmakers would back a new map.

But on Monday, he said it was the right thing to do: “I am calling a special legislative session to protect Hoosiers from efforts in other states that seek to diminish their voice in Washington and ensure their representation in Congress is fair,” Braun said.

Louisiana state rep, Gov. Landry ally, Emerson enters GOP race against Cassidy

Julie Emerson, a Republican Louisiana state representative, is running to unseat fellow Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who is seeking a third term in 2026.

Emerson, 37, chairs the Louisiana House ways and means committee and is an ally of Republican Gov. Jeff Landry. She announced her candidacy in a video posted Monday morning.

Landry had spoken to Trump in May about U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow as a potential primary challenger to Cassidy, who is unpopular with a segment of Louisiana’s GOP base. Cassidy voted in January 2021 to convict Trump after his second impeachment. Emerson said in August that she would run if Letlow didn’t. She now joins a crowded primary field, which includes state Treasurer John Fleming, state Sen. Blake Miguez and others.

Largest federal worker union weighs in on shutdown

The president of the union that represents more than 800,000 government workers says that both political parties have made their point and it’s time to end the shutdown.

Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said every worker should be back on the job with full pay. His statement comes as more workers miss their first full paycheck.

“It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today,” Kelley said. “No half measures, and no gamesmanship.”

The AFGE carries considerable political weight in Washington, particularly on the Democratic side. Kelley said there is no winning a government shutdown.

“It’s time for our leaders to start focusing on how to solve problems for the American people, rather than on who is going to get the blame for a shutdown that Americans dislike,” Kelley said in a statement posted on the union’s website.

Voting has begun for New York City mayor and New Jersey governor

New Yorkers are choosing between Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat on the ballot as an independent. The incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, is also on the ballot despite dropping out and supporting Cuomo.

The New Jersey governor’s race features Republican state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli against Democratic U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill.

Mamdani appeared with Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday, telling a raucous crowd that his campaign is a “movement of the masses” against billionaires and “oligarchs.” As the crowd chanted his name, Mamdani reiterated plans to hire thousands of new teachers, renegotiate city contracts, freeze rent increases for the city’s 1 million rent-regulated apartments, build more affordable housing and provide universal child care.

Cuomo argued that he’s the real Democrat and that Mamdani’s democratic socialism would send residents and businesses fleeing: “He wins, book airline tickets for Florida now.”

▶ See where Americans are already voting across the U.S.

USS Nimitz heads home after losing a fighter jet and a helicopter in the South China Sea

The Navy’s Pacific Fleet said three people went down in the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, quickly followed by the ejection of both aviators in the F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet. All five were rescued.

The causes are under investigation, but Trump speculated while en route to Tokyo that “bad fuel” could be to blame for both crashes. The president ruled out foul play and said there was “nothing to hide.”

The Nimitz is returning to Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state after being deployed to Middle East in response to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial shipping. The aircraft carrier is on its final deployment before decommissioning.

Chinese diplomat praises Trump-Xi relations in call with Rubio

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call Monday that they both have “world-class leaders.”

Wang said the “long-standing exchange and mutual respect” of presidents Xi and Trump have become the most valuable strategic asset” of the bilateral ties, according to a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry.

U.S. and Chinese trade negotiators said they made progress toward a possible trade deal during talks in Malaysia, ahead of the expected meeting between Trump and Xi on Thursday in South Korea.

Ford thanks Trump as Japan floats buying a fleet of F-150 trucks

The streets in Japan are famously narrow and congested, but no matter: Japan’s government said it may import Ford F-150 trucks for its transport ministry to use while inspecting roads and infrastructure. That would be a win for the Trump administration, which has long complained of American vehicles being shut out of the market that’s home to Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Isuzu, Mitsubishi and Subaru.

“We appreciate President Trump’s advocating for American made products,” Ford spokesperson Dave Tovar said. “We would be excited to introduce America’s best-selling truck to work and government customers in Japan.”

Trump bought into the idea while flying to Asia, saying “That’s a hot truck.”

Indiana governor bows to Trump pressure, calls a redistricting session

Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Braun called Monday for state lawmakers to return to Indianapolis for a special session on Nov. 3 to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries, escalating a national fight over midcycle redistricting.

Trump has ramped up pressure on Republican governors to give the party an easier path to maintain control of the House. Republicans in Texas and Missouri moved quickly, and California Democrats responded with their own redistricting plan. But Indiana lawmakers have been far more hesitant.

A spokesperson for a state senate leader said last week that the Indiana Senate lacked the votes to pass a new congressional map, but the White House has held multiple meetings with holdout lawmakers, including a return trip to Indianapolis on Oct. 10 by Vice President JD Vance.