Good morning! Construction on Trump’s new White House ballroom continues unabated … but so does controversy over the project. One congressman is even demanding the next president tear the whole thing down on "DAY ONE." Anyway…

Today marks Day 27 of the government shutdown. Military troops have been paid so far with existing funds. Their next payday is coming in hot, though, and the government may not have enough cash in the bank to make payroll. Enter: a super-rich person.

The Pentagon just accepted a $130 million donation from an anonymous benefactor to help pay members of the military during the shutdown. Apparently, there’s rich and then there’s “help pay the military” rich.

TRADE

🍁 Ronald Reagan somehow causes new trade dispute with Canada

Just in time for Halloween, Zombie Reagan has entered the chat.

Republican politicians have been cruising on President Ronald Reagan’s popularity for decades. Now, Canada is getting in on the game with a TV ad that uses a 1987 Reagan speech to oppose Trump’s tariffs on America’s hat.

• In the ad, Reagan talks about how “high tariffs" lead to higher prices and job losses for Americans. He calls “fair and free competition” the “way to prosperity.”

President Trump wasn’t thrilled. He responded with this whopper: “Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.” On top of that, Trump promised to raise tariffs on Canada by 10%.

• Earlier in the week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney planned to double Canada’s non-U.S. exports. So it’s not as if things were going all that well before the ad ran.

Who created the ad? Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his government weren’t involved. This whole thing is the brainchild of Doug Ford, the premier (aka: governor) of Ontario, the most populous of Canada's ten provinces.

Accuracy: The Ronald Reagan Foundation blasted the ad for using "selective audio" to misrepresent the fuller picture of President Reagan's views on trade.

Future: The Reagan ad is being pulled off the air today, so trade talks can continue with less controversy. Carney said he’s ready to talk whenever Trump is.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and Canada will battle it out for baseball supremacy tonight in Game 3 of the World Series.

• Related: After decades of neglect, the Canadian government has big plans for its remote and resource-rich Arctic territory.

Elsewhere in American politics:

1. Next week’s spicy NYC mayoral race took a turn when the city’s incumbent (current) mayor, Eric Adams (D), endorsed ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) for the job, in a bid to help the normies defeat socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani.

2. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) admitted on Sunday that he's considering a bid for the White House in 2028 and described President Trump as an "invasive species."

3. Former Vice President Kamala Harris told the BBC that it's "possible" she'll run again, and acknowledged that she maaaaybe should've urged President Biden not to run for reelection last year.

GOVERNMENT

🌾 The government shutdown is about to kick it up a notch. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Saturday said "the well has run dry" and that monthly food benefits will not be issued on November 1. More than 40 million Americans (~12% of the country) rely on those payments to eat. The program in question is the artist formerly known as food stamps: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The USDA has a $5 billion contingency fund that could allow for partial payments in the $8 billion program. But the USDA says that cash is meant for natural disasters. Using it during a shutdown would be illegal. That view isn't universal, though, and an earlier USDA plan indicated the contingency funds could be used during a shutdown. Regardless, this could be a moot point soon. Congress is working on a bill to fund SNAP benefits ASAP.

🔱 A U.S. Navy warship on Sunday docked in Trinidad and Tobago, a small island nation just off the coast of Venezuela. The USS Gravely is officially there for five days of training exercises. In reality, it’s there as a show of force as the Trump administration continues to blow alleged drug trafficking boats out of the water, many of which come from Venezuela. The government of Trinidad and Tobago supports the U.S. strikes and believes the Caribbean region today is too violent. Venezuela called the Graveley’s presence nearby a “serious threat” and “hostile provocation.” For reference, Trinidad and Tobago is in the Caribbean, but its southern tip sits just nine miles off of Venezuela’s northern coast.

WORLD

🌏️ Donald Trump, dance icon, wheels and deals in Asia

Okay, maybe that was an overstatement. But the president did make a goofy YMCA dance a brief hit with pro athletes last year. And he did start dancing in Malaysia on Sunday, pretty much right after stepping off the plane.

• Trump is in Malaysia this week for the annual summit of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Another peace deal? Fresh off of brokering a deal to end the Israel-Hamas war — but failing to do the same in Ukraine — President Trump on Sunday attended a ceremony to formalize a peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia that he helped negotiate earlier this year.

• A century-old dispute over their border boiled over this year with a few dozen military deaths and billions in damage to areas near the border.

• The deal, which was co-mediated by Malaysia, includes the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the border and the removal of landmines.

ASEAN, meanwhile, welcomed its newest member on Sunday when itty bitty East Timor joined the club. Also known as Timor-Leste, East Timor has about 1.4 million people in a place about the size of Connecticut.

• Ever look at a map of Southeast Asia and notice a metric buttload of little islands? Most of that’s Indonesia. East Timor owns the eastern half of one of ‘em.

• Benefits of ASEAN membership include access to its free trade deals and related economic and educational opportunities.

Trade deals: Trump also finalized trade deals with two Asian countries, Cambodia and Malaysia, and made major progress with two others, Thailand and Vietnam. Under the deals, the U.S. will keep a 19% tariff on imports from the countries, but will knock that down to 0% for certain items. In turn, they will give preferential market access to many U.S. goods.

• U.S. Trade Representative Jameison Greer (a member of Trump's Cabinet) said the "landmark deals" will open new markets for American workers, farmers, and manufacturers.

What about China? Great question. President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet on Thursday in South Korea (during a different summit) to work out a deal. Potentially, Trump will axe his threatened 100% tariffs on Chinese goods, and China will export more of its rare earth minerals to the U.S.

TRIVIA

Despite the objections of many Americans who think not doing your job should mean you don’t get paid, members of Congress are still getting paid during the government shutdown. The Constitution says their pay can’t be changed between elections, so, unlike many other federal employees, their checks are still coming. That brings us to today’s question: As of 2025, what is the annual salary for members of Congress?

Hint: It’s roughly equal to the salary of your average foot weirdo podiatrist.

BRIEFS

● French police arrested two men in connection with last week's $100 million heist at the Louvre. They were caught while trying to flee to two African countries, Algeria and Mali, where they have dual citizenship. But the stolen jewels have not been found.

● The National Hurricane Center (NHC), a division of the Department of Commerce, expects Hurricane Melissa to strengthen into a rare Category 5 storm before making landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday. It will be the strongest storm to hit the island in 35 years.

● Hamas has expanded its search for the remains of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip. Part of the ceasefire deal says Hamas must return all hostages, living or dead, but that’s become a problem. Egyptians are in Gaza now, using construction equipment to help.

● Russia has successfully tested a big, new cruise missile, President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday. The Burevestnik missile is "invincible" to current defenses and can travel all around the world. It is nuclear-powered, but does not carry nuclear warheads.

● Much to the chagrin of American cattle ranchers, President Trump is planning to lower surging beef prices by quadrupling beef imports from Argentina. Critics say the move isn’t "America First” and only helps his ally, Argentinian President Javier Milei.

QUOTE

ANSWER

Members of both the House and the Senate earn the same salary. Since 2009, that’s been frozen at $174,000 per year. Party leaders in both chambers earn $193,400, while the House Speaker brings in $223,500. Taking inflation into account, they’ve effectively taken a 34% pay cut since their last raise. Our beloved congresscritters earn far more than the median American, but only about as much as a typical lawyer or marketing manager.

It’s an unpopular idea, but some policy nerds think members of Congress should earn dramatically more than they do now. After all, you get what you pay for. Perhaps raising the pay would entice more talented professionals to run for office. The arguments against that are, well…