October 20, 2025

Good Monday evening. In this edition: U.S. and Australia ink critical-minerals framework in effort to counter China.

• Plus, shutdown, "satire," Portland, sanctions, baseball and ballroom.

U.S.-Australia Relations

President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a framework to increase cooperation between the two countries on rare earth and critical minerals, seeking to counter China's dominance in the space.

• The announcement of the agreement, which had been in the works for several months, comes on the heels of China imposing steep export controls on its own rare earths.

China has a near monopoly on rare earths, making the U.S. and other nations dependent on its exports of the key materials that are used in a wide range of modern products.

• Australia, a close U.S. ally, is one of the few other countries in the world that processes rare earths, and the new agreement could serve as a bargaining chip during the U.S.'s upcoming negotiations with China.

President Trump said the U.S. was working with other nations to build a supply chain that's not dependent on China, which controls about 70% of rare earths mining and 90% of the processing of the materials.

• "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," he told reporters.

Under the deal, the U.S. and Australia will each invest $1 billion over the next six months into mining and processing projects.

• The governments will also cut permitting for mines, processing facilities and related operations to boost production.

After Beijing announced the strict export controls on its rare earths earlier this month, the White House threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Chinese goods starting Nov. 1.

• The moves risk reigniting the trade war between the world's two largest economies that had largely gone dormant.

President Trump is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month in South Korea where the two leaders are expected to discuss trade terms.

• "I think we're going to end up having a fantastic deal with China," the president told reporters. "It's going to be fantastic for both countries, and it's going to be fantastic for the entire world."

The president also affirmed his support for the Australia–United Kingdom– United States (AUKUS) nuclear-powered submarine pact that came together under the Biden administration.

• "We're just going now full steam ahead," he told reporters, saying there were "just minor details" left to work out.
  
  
• "They're building magnificent holding pads for the submarines. It's going to be expensive. You wouldn't believe the level of complexity and how expensive it is."

Canberra and London were fearful the pact might be scrapped after the Pentagon announced this summer it was reviewing the deal.

• The Australian government has committed billions of dollars to develop submarine and shipbuilding facilities in western Australia, which will host and maintain American and British submarines while boosting production of more.

Watch the bilateral meeting.

In other news…

• The Senate rejected the House-passed continuing resolution for an 11th time as the government shutdown was in its 20th day. The 50–43 tally fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance, and there was no new movement on either side of the aisle. Senators are expected to vote on a Republican bill later in the week to ensure some federal workers, including active-duty troops, are paid during the shutdown.
  
  

• Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) defended President Trump's social media post over the weekend depicting the president flying a "King Trump" warplane and dropping human excrement on Americans taking part in the "No Kings" protests. "The president uses social media to make the point. You can argue he's probably the most effective person who's ever used social media for that," the speaker told reporters. "He is using satire to make a point."
  
  

• A federal appeals court ruled the Trump administration may deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon. The 2–1 ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals lifts a lower court's temporary order halting the deployment while the appeals process plays out. "After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority," the appeals court wrote. Attorneys for the city and state quickly filed a motion to have the ruling considered the entirety of the 9th Circuit.
  
  

• Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill is on "pause" until at least after the upcoming meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest. Last week, the majority leader said he hoped to get Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) bill to the floor in the "next 30 days," declaring the "time has come."

   

• President Trump hosted the LSU and LSU-Shreveport baseball teams at the White House to celebrate the teams' recent national championships. The LSU Tigers defeated Coastal Carolina in the 2025 College World Series to secure the team's eighth national title. The LSU-Shreveport Pilots had a 59–0 season en route to their first NAIA national title, becoming the first-ever college baseball team to complete a perfect season.
  
  

• Demolition crews began tearing down part of the White House's East Wing as construction begins on President Trump's 90,000-square-foot ballroom. The president previously said the construction of the ballroom, which is expected to cost around $250 million, would not interfere with the existing historic building.

For your radar…

• Witnesses testify Tuesday on the link between terrorism and drug trafficking before the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control as the panel examines Hezbollah's Latin American drug trafficking operations. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN at 2pm ET.

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