12:30 REPORT

Tuesday, October 28 | By Cate Martel

Today in DC: ⛅ 56° View Online | Sign up

It's Tuesday. For anyone who stayed up to watch the end of last night's World Series game, I hope you got an extra cup of coffee today.

In today's issue:

Trump lavishes Japan's new leader with praise
14 killed in new US strikes on alleged drug boats
Catastrophic Hurricane Melissa nears landfall
Senators feel increased shutdown urgency
The talk of DC: KJP's New Yorker interview

🌸 IN JAPAN

Trump's new bestie:

President Trump met with new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday, just days after she took office.

It was a lovefest all around. Trump lavished her with praise, telling Takaichi, "Anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there. We are an ally at the strongest level."

The feeling must have been mutual. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says Takaichi will nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, a goal for Trump. Japan also gifted 250 cherry trees to the U.S. and 📹 Takaichi gave Trump a golf club that belonged to the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (Abe memorably presented Trump a gold-plated driver in 2016.)

Trump then went into campaign rally mode, speaking to U.S. service members aboard the USS George Washington, which is docked at a Navy base outside Tokyo. He touted the military as no longer being "politically correct" and ramped up his threats against blue cities in the U.S., adding a threat that "more than the National Guard" is needed.

The president even urged U.S. troops in Japan to purchase cars made by Toyota. (#ad? #sponsored?)

💬 Follow today's live blog

🌀 HAPPENING NOW

Hurricane Melissa is about to make landfall:

Hurricane Melissa is nearing landfall in Jamaica as a catastrophic Category 5 storm.

It's maximum winds have reached 185 miles per hour. It's only 5 mph short of breaking the record as the most intense hurricane in the Atlantic, per The New York Times.

The National Hurricane Center posted a final warning for Jamaica. "THIS IS THE LAST CHANCE TO PROTECT YOUR LIFE!"

📹 Check out this terrifying aerial footage of the storm

💻 Livestream in Jamaica

📹 Treasure Beach, Jamaica, this morning

💳 GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Not exactly a fun record to break:

It's Day 28 of the government shutdown and Congress is on track to break the record for the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Senate Chaplain Barry Black reminded Congress this week about a lack of bragging rights associated with the record.

"Lord, remind our lawmakers that no gold medals are given for breaking shutdown records, but a crown of righteousness is given to those who take care of the lost," Black said. 📹 Watch the clip

The effects of the shutdown are getting dire. Federal food assistance benefits won't be paid in November. The program could tap into reserve funds to keep the program afloat, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture decided not to do that as a strategy to ramp up pressure on lawmakers.

The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports that senators are feeling an increased sense of urgency to end the shutdown. Alarm is setting in over food assistance drying up, flight delays and no paychecks for federal workers.

Read Bolton's reporting: 'GOP, Democrats face rising pressure on multiple fronts to end shutdown'

Vice President Vance is on Capitol Hill today, joining Senate Republicans' weekly luncheon.

Senators are looking to ease some of the shutdown pain:

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has offered a proposal to pay all federal workers while the shutdown continues. He told The Hill that his proposal will be discussed at today's weekly luncheon. Senate GOP Leader John Thune (S.D.) says there's "strong support" among Republicans for this.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said on Monday that Republicans can't allow the ObamaCare subsidies to simply expire at the end of the year. So far, 10 Republican senators have co-sponsored Hawley's food assistance funding bill.

📰 THE TALK OF DC

We have to talk about the KJP situation:

If you've been on any social media platform in the past day or live in Washington, you've heard about Isaac Chotiner's interview with former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as part of her book tour.

The interview is wild. So wild that one journalist almost missed their metro stop this morning while reading it. (It wasn't me.)

Jean-Pierre tangled with Chotiner about her grievances with the Democratic Party. Essentially, she says she left the Democratic Party and became an independent because Democrats, in her view, were so mean to her former boss, former President Biden.

At one point, Chotiner even told Jean-Pierre: "I'm not sure what you're saying."

Excerpt — Chotiner: "You feel like you had to leave the Democratic Party because of the way it treated Joe Biden. How did it treat Joe Biden?"

Jean-Pierre: "I call it a betrayal. … And I was watching what Democratic leadership was doing. It was an all-out, full-on campaign to embarrass him, to push him out. And I just thought to myself, Wow, you don't have that much time left this election year. And I thought to myself, This man is one of the most decent people that I know. And objectively, objectively, it was a good Presidency."

Read The New Yorker interview: 'Why Biden's White House Press Secretary Is Leaving the Democratic Party'

It doesn't end there. The Washington Post published a devastating review of Jean-Pierre's new book.

Yikes, this excerpt: "It is incredible — and emblematic of the Democrats' total aesthetic and intellectual driftlessness — that someone who writes in such feel-good, thought-repelling clichés was hired to communicate with the nation from its highest podium."

Read the Post review: 'In her new book, Biden's former press secretary lets Democrats have it'

➤ QUICK HITS:

— The U.S. military conducted a flyover in Washington a little while go. 📸 Photo 📹 Watch the flyover

— Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the U.S. military killed 14 "narco-terrorists" in strikes against alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Eastern Pacific.

— A judge has allowed Charlie Kirk's alleged killer to choose his outfit during the trial.

— Billionaire Bill Gates downplayed climate change, arguing in a memo that it "will not lead to humanity's demise."

— "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart mocked Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for repeatedly saying he doesn't follow news about President Trump. 💻 Watch the clip

➤ MORE READS:

The Wall Street Journal: The Good Vibes Are Back on Wall Street

The Washington Post: Trump put allies on obscure board set to decide White House ballroom's fate

Variety: 'A House of Dynamite' Sparks Internal Pentagon Memo Disputing Accuracy of Netflix's Nuclear Doomsday Thriller

The Bulwark: The Civil War Over Charlie Kirk's Legacy Has Gotten Even Uglier

COMING UP

The House is out. The Senate is in. President Trump is in Japan, then is scheduled to fly to South Korea. (All times EDT)

2:20 p.m. Two Senate votes on judicial nominations. 📆 Today's agenda

10 p.m. Trump leaves Tokyo and flies to South Korea.

11:40 p.m. Trump arrives in Gyeongju, South Korea.

1:05 a.m. Wednesday: Trump speaks at the APEC CEOs luncheon.

2:20 a.m. Wednesday: Trump participates in High Honor Presentation.

7:30 a.m. Wednesday: Trump attends a dinner hosted by the president of South Korea.

🐝 INTERNET BUZZ

🍫 Celebrate: Today is National Chocolate Day.

📺 TBH, Ms. Rachel should be given sainthood: Glamour has named Ms. Rachel as one of its women of the year. Excerpt: "She redefined children's media—and built her empire—by centering empathy. Now she's channeling that same ethos into activism." Read more

❣️ Not a couple I had on my Bingo card: Singer Katy Perry and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have gone public as a couple.

👋 AND FINALLY…

If you've been following Oatmeal the golden retriever's journey in learning to use pool floaties, I have a great update.

Stay Engaged

📺 Miss yesterday's newsletter? Catch up with a 1-minute video.

I love hearing from you — send your feedback, tips and favorite cookie recipes 🍪 to cmartel@thehill.com. Check out more newsletters here. See you next time!