POLITICO

President Donald Trump’s decision to halt production of the penny is rippling through the economy faster than expected, triggering widespread shortages of the one-cent coin and headaches for businesses. The move has also revealed how deeply embedded the penny is in everyday commerce. Trade groups are urging Congress to establish a national standard for rounding cash transactions to the nearest nickel to prevent potential consumer lawsuits. Read more about how the the wind down of penny production is reshaping retail and banking: politi.co/47TE2qA

EXCLUSIVE: Some Trump officials are deeply concerned that the Gaza peace deal could break down because of the difficulty implementing many of its core provisions. Private docs circulating among U.S. officials underscore the lack of a clear path forward. Read the full exclusive: https://politi.co/4qRuu7R

Trump railed against air traffic controllers who took time off from their high-stress jobs during the federal shutdown and threatened to replace them with “true Patriots.” Sporadic staffing shortages of controllers, whose workforce has long struggled with a national shortfall, have cropped up during the federal government shutdown, causing delays at major travel hubs. The FAA last week began to phase in a 10% reduction in domestic flights at 40 major airports, aiming to alleviate fatigue among controllers, who haven’t been paid during the lapse in appropriations. Read the lateset: https://politi.co/4qMyYg5   

Trump’s economic model Is borrowing a lot from Saudi Arabia. From billboards to sovereign wealth funds to family ties, investors think the U.S. looks more and more like a Gulf monarchy. Our Sam Sutton reports from the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh: https://lnkd.in/e7uv6i_b

Nancy Pelosi, the first female speaker of the House and one of the most powerful women in modern U.S. politics, will retire from Congress next year. Pelosi, now 85, had come under increasing pressure to step aside amid her party’s widening generational divide. She defied political observers in 2023 when she ran for a 20th congressional term. But next year, she faced a tougher-than-expected group of primary challengers. More on Pelosi's decision to retire: https://politi.co/43dnzfo

COLUMN: Democrats swept every closely-watched race of the 2025 election – winning the VA governor’s race by 15 points, the NJ governor’s race by 13 points and passing the referendum to California’s House lines by nearly 30 points. “If the message was in the margins, there was no mystery in the why. Voters are, again, unhappy with the political status quo and, again, fault a White House they see as unfocused on their priorities. And Trump isn’t just failing to address the cost of living — many voters see him as abusing his power,” writes our Jonathan Martin. Read the full column 👇 https://lnkd.in/evM3AUKv 📸Stephanie Scarbrough/AP

In mid-August, California Gov. Gavin Newsom began his rush to get a new map onto the Nov. 4 ballot. Newsom had braced for a formidable, bipartisan opposition campaign backed by national Republican money. But as Tuesday’s result shows, the Republican effort to defeat Proposition 50, on life support for the past month, was never up to the fight. Read more about the bumbling, dysfunctional tin-cup effort to defeat Prop 50: https://lnkd.in/exqwcR9x 🎨Jade Cuevas/POLITICO (source images via Getty Images)

COLUMN: After the failure of a Biden presidency built on restoring norms, Democrats are rejecting the past and betting on upheaval, writes our senior executive editor Alex Burns in his latest "Tomorrow" column. Burns writes: "The Democratic sweep on Tuesday night delivered a forceful signal that backlash is building against the Trump administration’s policies. Many voters also sent another message: They’re done with Bidenism." Read Burns' full column on how Tuesday's election results represent the emergence of a new Democratic politics: https://politi.co/3XdrHZ8  

BREAKING: Prop 50 passes in California.  Voters approved Newsom’s plan to oust GOP incumbents with a new congressional map that could give Dems up to five more seats in next year’s midterms, buoying their prospects of retaking the House. Read more: https://politi.co/43QRB8I

BREAKING: Zohran Mamdani capped a sharp-elbowed campaign for NYC mayor with a historic win, defeating Andrew Cuomo in a contest being closely watched by national Dems, Republicans and the White House. He'll become the first Muslim mayor elected in NYC — and Trump's new foil ahead of the midterms. Read more: https://politi.co/3LthNzY