Good Monday morning. I'm Anna Palmer and welcome to your Politico Playbook Audio Briefing.

And I'm Jake Sherman, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Washington's most eager man, Stephen Mnuchin,

are likely to speak about COVID relief this afternoon, the 90th day since talks between the

administration and Pelosi began back in July. Two things are happening right now. Republicans

on Capitol Hill are worried

that Mnuchin and Donald Trump will throw their concerns aside and agree to a $2 trillion-plus deal.

Democrats are wondering if the White House even wants a deal, especially after Mnuchin went on

television last week and said he would accept the Democrats' testing plan, but later struck

50% of what Pelosi had drawn up. Also unsolved, the child tax credit, child care funding, census policies, unemployment benefits, state and local funding, and more.

Tomorrow's the deadline before negotiators start turning their focus to crafting a lame duck deal.

We are still skeptical they will reach a deal by Tuesday, although it's certainly not impossible.

And if they do, that would mean calling the

House back this week, Thursday, Friday, or yes, Saturday. The Senate will need at least a week

to process this if they decide to take it up at all. That pushes the schedule up against

election week, not to mention that Senate Republicans are not in favor of the outlines of this bill.

Trump seems to think that Republicans will come along if a deal is struck.

He said this in Reno Sunday.

We're talking about it.

I think Nancy Pelosi maybe is coming along.

We'll find out.

I want to do it at a bigger number than she wants.

That doesn't mean all the Republicans agree with me. But I think they will in the end if she would go along. I think they would, too, on stimulus. So we'll see what happens. The evidence seems to suggest, though, Republicans are moving in the opposite direction, fighting it advantageous to dump Trump and distance themselves from him. First was Ben Sasse. Now it's John Cornyn. He told the Fort Worth Star Telegram about how he broke with Trump on the deficit and border wall but kept his opposition private. He likened it to trying to change his spouse after marriage. The Wall Street Journal editorial board has its editorial this morning saying it's a mystery at the stage why Trump won't take no for an answer on a COVID

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