What we covered here
• President Donald Trump has left Malaysia, completing the first leg of his diplomacy tour in Asia, and is now on his way to Japan, where he will meet the country’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, on Tuesday.
• In Malaysia, Trump joined the signing of a peace declaration between Thailand and Cambodia. And US trade negotiators reached the framework of a trade deal with China, easing tensions before Trump’s high-stakes meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week.
• Back in Washington, the federal government shutdown drags on, and some lawmakers are expressing alarm about Trump’s expanding military campaign against alleged drug trafficking operations in the Caribbean.
Our live coverage has moved here.
Lula says he’s "convinced" Brazil will strike a trade deal with the US soon
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Monday that he was “convinced” his country would soon strike a trade deal with the United States, following a “very good” meeting with President Donald Trump.
The leaders met Sunday on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, which Trump attended as part of a diplomatic tour that includes stops to Japan and South Korea.
The current US tariffs on imports from Brazil are “baseless” and were made using “wrong information about Brazil,” Lula said in a news conference on Monday. He said the meeting was “friendly” and gave him a “very good impression that soon, we will not have any more issues between the US and Brazil.”
Lula added that he had handed Trump a written agenda of the issues he wanted to discuss, and that the two heads of state respect each other.
The meeting signaled a thaw in relations following a major rift between the US and Brazil earlier this year.
Trump imposed a whopping 50% tariff on Brazil on August 1 after threatening the tariffs if Brazil did not end its trial against its right-wing former president, and Trump ally, Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro was subsequently convicted of plotting a coup and sentenced to over 27 years in prison.
Trump, too, softened his tone during the bilateral meeting.
Trump congratulates Argentina's Milei on midterm elections triumph
President Donald Trump has offered his congratulations to his Argentine counterpart, Javier Milei, after his libertarian party claimed a strong victory in the country’s midterm elections.
This month, the US offered Argentina a $20 billion bailout, in the form of a currency swap, to help the country avoid financial collapse. But after announcing the deal, Trump made clear the offer was conditional and was based on Milei, a close Trump ally, remaining in power.
Trump departs Kuala Lumpur for Tokyo
President Donald Trump has departed Malaysia, the first stop of his three-country tour of Asia.
Trump bid goodbye to Malaysian officials as a crowd of supporters waved American and Malaysian flags on the tarmac Monday morning local time. Unlike the fanfare at his tarmac welcome ceremony, Trump avoided dance moves, and boarded Air Force One moments later.
While there he highlighted trade deals and oversaw the signing of a peace declaration between Thailand and Cambodia, attended a summit with Southeast Asian leaders, and met with his Brazilian counterpart.
Across town in Kuala Lumpur, his top trade negotiators met with their Chinese counterparts over the weekend, setting the stage for his meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping later this week.
Trump is on his way to Tokyo, where he is expected to meet the country’s new, conservative prime minister.
Trump boasts of trade deals and “peace treaty” before departing Malaysia for Japan
President Donald Trump took to social media before departing Malaysia to highlight what he called major diplomatic and economic achievements during his visit.
“NO WAR! Millions of lives saved. Such an honor to have gotten this done. Now, off to Japan!!!” the president wrote in his post.
The president again called what he signed a peace “treaty,” though the document called it a declaration.
Trump will soon head to Tokyo for the second leg of his six-day, three-country tour of Asia, where he is expected to meet with Japan’s emperor and prime minister.
Trump to depart Malaysia, head to Japan for second leg of Asia tour
President Donald Trump is scheduled to depart Malaysia shortly, continuing to Japan for the second stop of his six-day, three-nation tour of Asia.
Trump is expected to depart Kuala Lumpur around 10 a.m. local time Monday and arrive in Tokyo around 5 p.m. local time.
Upon landing, his only scheduled public engagement is a courtesy visit with Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace.
Trump will also hold talks with Japan’s newly elected conservative prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, while in the country.
As with his stop in Malaysia, Japan’s hosts are expected to flatter the American leader with some pomp and circumstance.
Stock futures rise after US and Chinese officials agree on trade deal framework
US stock futures rose Sunday after US and Chinese representatives agreed on a framework for a trade deal, potentially averting a tariff hike to 157% on Chinese goods and as investors expect another interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve.
Dow futures were up 0.65%, S&P 500 futures rose 0.74% and Nasdaq futures climbed 0.92%, as of 6:29 p.m. ET.
The Dow closed above 47,000 for the first time Friday after September’s Consumer Price Index data showed annual inflation had heated up but less than expected. The news boosted expectations that the central bankers will cut interest rates at the policy meetings this week.
It was a positive sign for the market, which underwent a massive sell-off after trade tensions revved up between the two global superpowers earlier this month.
Read more here.
Back in the US, the effects of the government shutdown are being felt in daily life
We continue to track the US federal government shutdown, which has no end in sight as President Donald Trump tours Asia to meet foreign leaders.
Here’s a look at some of the ways we’re seeing the shutdown impact daily life:
Trump administration won’t tap into funds to pay November food stamps, USDA announces
While President Donald Trump holds key diplomatic meetings this week in Asia, the government shutdown crisis is unfolding at home.
The US Department of Agriculture says it will not use its $6 billion contingency fund to cover food stamp benefits next month if the shutdown continues.
CNN reported on Friday on a memo stating that the USDA wouldn’t fund SNAP.
The decision means roughly 42 million Americans will not receive critical food assistance.
When asked Friday whether he would direct the USDA to fund food stamps next month, President Donald Trump told reporters: “Yeah, everybody is going to be in good shape, yep.”
The president did not provide further details, but his comments seem to conflict with the agency’s statement.
The agency told states earlier this month that there is not enough money to pay full food stamp benefits in November if the shutdown continued and asked them to hold off on next month’s payments until further notice.
CNN’s Tami Luhby contributed to this report.
"I have felt this pain, too," Bessent says of trade war's impact on farmers
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this morning that he has also been burdened by trade tensions with China as the owner of soybean and corn farms.
“I’m actually a soybean farmer, so I have felt this pain, too,” Bessent said on ABC’s “This Week,” in response to China’s boycott of US soybeans.
Bessent, who has an estimated net worth of at least $520 million, owns as much as $25 million in soybean and corn farmland in North Dakota, which generates between $100,000 and $1 million in rent income, according to Bessent’s public financial disclosure report, which was updated in August. The disclosure form shows rent payments are through a revenue-sharing agreement, which is tied to the price of corn and soybeans.
He called the burden on US soybean farmers “a perfect storm,” with China substantially dropping its purchases to almost zero during one of the biggest soybean crops in 20 or 30 years.
Bessent said earlier today that China would make “substantial” purchases of US soybeans under the framework of a deal forming this weekend in hopes of averting further tit-for-tat trade measures by the top global economies.
US soybean farmers recently blasted Trump’s $20 billion bailout of Argentina, which has been a major supplier of soybeans to China amid the boycott.
The US and China have the framework of a deal. But all eyes remain on Trump-Xi meeting
Negotiators from the US and China have signaled progress on trade talks between the global powers, with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent touting the “substantial framework” of a deal to avoid escalating tariffs.
But US officials have indicated that the future of a potential trade deal will ultimately hinge on this week’s meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Here’s a quick refresher on that relationship ahead of the meeting:
• Trump and Xi met face-to-face five times during the US president’s first term, including a Mar-a-Lago welcome for Xi and a Trump trip to Beijing.
• At their most recent in-person meeting, in June 2019 on the sidelines of a G20 summit, the US and China were seeking a trade deal amid major tariff escalations by both countries. Though Trump and Xi described that June meeting positively, both countries continued to lash out with further tariff threats and had on-and-off negotiations.
• Trump has long heralded Xi’s leadership and touted a warm relationship with his counterpart, whom he’s described both as a “friend” and “extremely hard to make a deal with.”
• Beijing is seeking some predictability from Trump, who notoriously conducts a capricious brand of diplomacy.
• Trump threatened to call off this week’s meeting earlier this month, as a period of relative calm was shattered by new trade tensions over rare earths, tech exports and tariffs. But the US president voiced optimism before leaving on his trip, indicating last Wednesday that he’s heading into talks in dealmaking mode.
Meanwhile, here is some of the latest news from Washington
As President Donald Trump’s day in Asia drew to a close Sunday, Americans woke up to the same reality: The US federal government remains shut down.
Here is some of the latest news out of Washington:
GOP unease: Anxiety is rising among congressional Republicans that their party has no plan to address a critical health care deadline this fall that will result in spiking costs for millions of Americans — the issue at the heart of the deepening shutdown crisis.
Travel woes: Flight delays and cancellations will increase as shutdown-related staffing shortages worsen, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo,” blaming Democrats for Americans’ travel frustrations.
The Federal Aviation Administration is reporting delays today at airports from Los Angeles to Washington, capping the worst weekend for staffing shortages since the start of the shutdown.
Duffy feuds with Newsom: The transportation secretary also announced plans to strip $160 million in federal funding from the state of California in a continuing row over a deadly crash involving a foreign truck driver who had a commercial license from California. In a statement to CNN, Newsom’s office accused Duffy of exploiting a tragedy to score “cheap political points” and said the onus is on the federal government to regulate employment authorizations.
NASA’s future: GOP Sen. Tim Sheehy is advocating for Trump to re-nominate Jared Isaacman, after the president soured on the Elon Musk ally earlier this year due to his previous donations to Democrats. Sheehy opposes plans by Duffy, the current acting administrator, to fold the space agency into the Department of Transportation, the senator told Bartiromo on Fox News.
Despite deal, GOP lawmaker concerned about China's influence on US version of TikTok
The chairman of a House select committee on the Chinese Communist Party said he is “still concerned” about TikTok, despite the current deal minimizing Chinese ownership of the video app to no greater than 20%.
Moolenaar expressed concern over the fact that China’s ByteDance will still own a 20% stake of the app. He said he would recommend that control and updates of the algorithm be carried out by US engineers to avoid Chinese propaganda spreading on the app that is used by over 170 million Americans.
Where the deal stands: The congressman’s comments came during President Donald Trump’s diplomacy tour in Asia. Trump is set to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this week, and TikTok is among the items they’re expected to discuss.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier that a final deal has been reached on TikTok.
“I believe that, as of today, all the details are ironed out,” Bessent said in a separate interview on “Face the Nation.” The treasury secretary said the two leaders will “consummate that transaction on Thursday in Korea.”
Trump-Xi meeting "crucial" for pressuring China on Russia, US ambassador says
US officials are weighing in on the upcoming meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Earlier today, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said Trump’s meeting with Xi will be “crucial” in securing China’s cooperation on sanctions against Russia.
“The Chinese are buying way too much Russian oil and gas,” Whitaker said in an interview with Fox News.
Potential for new sanctions: The ambassador declined to confirm a Reuters report stating that the US is preparing new sanctions targeting key sectors of Russia’s economy if President Vladimir Putin does not return to negotiations.
But, he said, “there are many more things, many more steps and many more incremental turns of the screw that President Trump can do.”
Last week, the Trump administration unexpectedly announced “massive sanctions” on Russia’s two biggest oil producers.
These are the key components of a potential China trade deal that would affect life in the US
As trade negotiators from Washington and Beijing work toward securing a deal between the top global economies, let’s take a step back and look at individual components of the potential deal that could affect life in the US.
• Fentanyl: Li Chenggang, China’s top trade negotiator, indicated that the countries had reached a consensus on efforts to combat the production of fentanyl, a drug that in recent years has become a leading cause of death for American minors. The US could lift or reduce a 20% tariff that the Trump administration imposed on China in April to halt the export of fentanyl’s precursor chemicals.
• Soybeans: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says China will make “substantial” purchases of US soybeans. Soybean farmers in states like Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Indiana have been harvesting this fall without purchase orders from China, once the largest buyer of American soybeans ($12.5 billion).
• Rare earths: The framework could also delay export curbs on rare-earth minerals, which threaten to reduce US access to the materials used in military equipment, smartphones, televisions and batteries used in electric vehicles.
• TikTok: Trump and Xi are expected to finalize a deal to transfer ownership of TikTok, the popular short-form video app that was first slated to be banned on January 20 but received multiple extensions. The White House announced in September that a US investor group led by Oracle’s Larry Ellison would operate the app’s algorithm, allowing it to continue US operations for its more than 170 million users.
Trump will brief Congress soon on "potential military operations" in South America, GOP senator says
We’re hearing more now about President Donald Trump’s expanding military campaign against alleged foreign drug traffickers, which is raising alarm at home this weekend while he tours Asia.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, defended the president’s ability to potentially authorize more extensive military operations in South America as he ramps up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The campaign expanding to include land strikes is a “real possibility,” Graham told CBS’ “Face the Nation,” adding that the president told him Congress will be briefed on “future potential military operations against Venezuela and Colombia” when he returns from the trip.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
Graham said he would let the president speak to whether he would put US troops on the ground in Venezuela to facilitate regime change.
Graham, a former JAG prosecutor, repeatedly defended Trump’s legal authority to take military action in South America without congressional approval, saying it falls under Article Two constitutional powers to protect the country “from threats foreign and domestic.”
How Xi is pushing China's influence around the world — and what it means for relations with the US
As we look ahead to the consequential meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this week, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria spoke with expert Dan Wang about Beijing’s current posture under Xi.
Watch their discussion in the clip below.
Meanwhile: US lawmakers raise concerns over Trump’s Caribbean strikes
We’re also covering the latest on the Trump administration’s military strikes on alleged drug boats near South America.
Some US lawmakers are expressing their concern over the bold actions by President Donald Trump in the Caribbean — and are questioning their legality.
Here’s what they are saying:
- Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona told ABC’s “This Week” that White House and Pentagon officials who briefed the Senate Intelligence Committee couldn’t give a “logical explanation,” and that the administration’s legal justifications are “questionable.” He said the administration detailed a “secret list” of around 24 foreign organizations that the US military is authorized to strike without “normal” law enforcement involvement. Kelly said the officials shared evidence that there were drugs on “some of these boats,” but he would not go into further detail on the closed briefing.
- GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky told Fox News that “a briefing is not enough to overcome the Constitution.” Paul, one of two Republicans to back a resolution this month to limit the president’s war powers in the Caribbean, said, “The Constitution says that when you go to war, Congress has to vote on it.” He added, “We’ve had no evidence presented, so at this point, I would call them extrajudicial killings.”
- Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who introduced the resolution, told Fox News that he agrees with Paul that Trump shouldn’t be able to use military action to push for regime change in countries like Venezuela without Congress’ approval.
- Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, a former Marine, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Trump’s use of the military amounts to “sanctioned murder.”
CNN’s Brad Lendon contributed to this report.
Treasury secretary says soybean farmers will be happy with potential China trade deal
Soybean farmers are going to be “extremely happy” with the terms of a trade deal that US and Chinese negotiators are working on this weekend, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Bessent said earlier that the sides have agreed to a “substantial framework” for a deal averting President Donald Trump’s threat of an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods.
Why this matters: Soybean farmers have been at the forefront of US agricultural concerns since Trump launched his trade war in April.
China, once the largest buyer of American soybeans (Beijing bought $12.5 billion worth last year), has not purchased any US soybeans since May, according to US Department of Agriculture data in late September.
More from the administration: US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on “Fox News Sunday” that the Trump administration is “quite focused on making sure that China buys our agricultural products.”
“China has actually not covered up all their soybean needs for December and January … and we expect China will have to resume those purchases,” Greer said.
US has reached a "substantial framework" with China to avert tariffs, Bessent says
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said today that he believes the US has reached a framework agreement with China to avoid imposing an additional 100% tariff on Chinese imports.
Trump is expected to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea later this week.
Earlier, Chinese International Trade Representative Li Chenggang said the US and China had reached “preliminary consensus” on trade issues during discussions in Malaysia, according to Chinese media.
More on the preliminary agreement: Bessent did not provide details about the framework but said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he anticipates the US would get “some kind of deferral” on rare-earth export controls. The minerals have been central to trade tensions between the top global economies.
Bessent said the framework sets up Trump and Xi “to have a very productive meeting,” adding, “I think it will be fantastic for US citizens, for US farmers, and for our country in general.”
This post has been updated with additional comments from Bessent.