eNewspaper | Crosswords | Horoscopes

On Politics

Mon Oct 20 2025

Kathryn Palmer | Politics Reporter

@KathrynPlmr

Happy Monday, readers! Kathryn Palmer here, starting off your week with some of the top political stories so far. The shutdown unfortunately disrupted my weekend plans to check out the FDR Presidential Library in upstate New York, but the gorgeous fall weather in the area was a welcome consolation.

Here's today's rundown:

Vance heads to Israel today amid a wavering ceasefire agreement

Vice President JD Vance is traveling to Israel today, tasked with taking up the so-called "second phase" of the president's Israel-Hamas peace plan aimed at ending the more than two-year war. The first part of the ceasefire was confined to the release of living hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the flowing in of aid.

It's no simple job in even the best of times, but the events of Oct. 19 have further pressurized the situation. In a major test to the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Israeli officials said they launched a wave of attacks in Gaza and halted aid after Hamas militants allegedly fired on Israeli soldiers, killing two, while at least 26 Palestinians were killed in the responding Israeli fire.

As the first part of the week-long ceasefire agreement wavers, Vance will face the biggest sticking point of the rest of the plan: Hamas' disarmament and Israel's full withdrawal of troops from the enclave.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks with reporters upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., October 19, 2025.

OLIVER CONTRERAS, via REUTERS

A politics pit stop

•	Trump jabs 'No Kings' protesters with AI videos of himself flying a jet and dropping what appears to be excrement on protesters.
•	Can pot smokers and other drug users legally own guns? Supreme Court to decide
•	Vance and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are at odds again, after a shrapnel incident at a Marine Corps event
•	George Santos is out of prison. Trump wants him to have a 'great life.'

A second President Trump? New book explores idea

The Trump family has its hands in a wide array of Republican politics for years now, with several of the president's children taking on leadership roles in the Republican Party and in his first administration. But could there be a second President Trump? When it comes to middle son Eric Trump, the answer isn't a straight no − but it's also not an enthusiastic yes.

At an Oct. 19 book talk for his recently released "Under Siege: My Family's Fight to Save the Nation," Eric Trump was asked about his future political ambitions.

"It's an awful job. It's an awful career. We've seen the best of it, we've seen the worst of it," he said. "Never say never, but hopefully I can avoid the nightmare...of politics for a little while longer."

Government shutdown on verge of tying for second-longest

The federal government shutdown rolled on to its 20th day on Monday.

If the shutdown reaches 21 days, it will tie the 1995-1996 standoff during the Bill Clinton presidency as the second longest in U.S. history. The longest shutdown, 35 days, occurred during President Donald Trump's first term in late 2018 and into 2019.

With Trump leaving Oct. 26 for a multi-country visit through Asia that could last five or six days, the shutdown is at risk of lasting much longer if a deal is not reached before the weekend, but a resolution remained elusive as of early Monday.

Questions? Feedback? Reach out at kapalmer@usatoday.com.