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At Trump meeting, Xi Jinping lays out terms to avoid US-China military conflict
Chinese president’s proposals for lessening tensions come amid period of intense competition between the two countries over AI and tradeXi Jinping has called for extensive cooperation with Washington to avoid the “Thucydides trap” that could put the US and China on a military collision course amid rising tensions over artificial intelligence, trade and Taiwan.At the start of his summit meeting with Donald Trump in the White House, the Chinese president laid out terms for a mutual understanding that he said could steer the two competing superpowers away from future military conflict and on to a road of mutual gain. Continue reading...
Trump's war running out of steam as Republicans' 'willful ignorance is starting to fade'
Republicans in competitive races are increasingly breaking with President Donald Trump over the Iran war as soaring fuel prices squeeze voters.In a Thursday piece for The Bulwark, Joe Perticone argued that GOP lawmakers had spent months seemingly determined to ignore the spike in gas prices since the conflict began. "Their willful ignorance is starting to fade," he wrote.Perticone reported that a growing number of Republicans running in battleground House and Senate contests are distancing themselves from the president on the war, pointing to pain at the pump as a chief reason. Gasoline averaged $4.48 a gallon nationally as of Thursday, while diesel has topped $6.50 and hit $7 or $8 in some states.With fighting ongoing and the Strait of Hormuz still contested, the White House has leaned on what Perticone described as weak domestic fixes, including Trump-backed discount gas stations he dismissed as a public relations effort. Diesel, he argued, poses the far bigger economic and political problem.Politico reported Wednesday that the Trump administration is weighing a 90-day ban on U.S. diesel exports to prop up domestic supply through the end of the year. Perticone spoke with senators who were cool to the idea."Of the Republican senators who understood what such a proposal would mean, none I spoke with regarded it as viable," Perticone wrote.Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) warned the plan would hurt U.S. refiners."I think it would end up driving up costs," Cruz said. "It would have massive harm to the refining industry. We refine more diesel than we consume, and it would end up forcing refiners to reduce production. So it would backfire badly."Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) called the proposal "a gimmick" while Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) sounded unenthusiastic."The kind of analysis they should be making is, 'Is it a net benefit?'" Hoeven told reporters. "And that should determine what you do."
China is embarrassing Trump's Pentagon with 'devastating' move amid summit: analyst
The Trump administration is facing a "devastating" threat from China after a package containing F-35 fighter jet parts was diverted to Hong Kong.On Thursday, former Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh explained during an appearance on CNN that the Trump administration should be concerned about China's ability to reproduce and reverse-engineer the F-35 after the faux pas."This is incredibly damaging and embarrassing for the United States," Singh said. "This is our most sophisticated aircraft platform that our military uses, and the proprietary information and some of the parts that were rerouted can be devastating, not only to reverse-engineer, but these are the fighters that can evade detection."She said, "An investigation would certainly need to play out" to understand just how devastating the mistake can be and what kind of threat is in place. However, she stressed that the F-35 is "very sophisticated," especially when it comes to avoiding detection."You'll remember when [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin came to Alaska, the red slating that you saw on the fighter jets, that was to protect components of the F-35 from photographs," Singh explained. "So the fact that this has now fallen into the wrong hands, I would hope that the president is pushing President Xi on how to get these back."Singh was referring to the fact that Chinese leader Xi Jinping is in Washington, D.C., and visiting President Donald Trump in the White House. She said it was an opportunity to bring the matter up, "but it's almost a little too late at this point because I would assume Chinese intelligence has at least taken photographs of this."CNN anchor Jake Tapper was flabbergasted to learn that the F-35 parts arrived in Hong Kong via UPS, the popular package courier, despite their importance to national security."UPS?" Tapper asked. "It's not a Christmas sweater."
Seething Kristen Holmes fact-checks Trump in real time: 'Fundamentally not true'
A Truth Social post by President Donald Trump taking aim at the media was quickly and angrily fact-checked by CNN White House correspondent Kristen Holmes.On Thursday, Trump shot off an irate post about how CNN and MS NOW didn't cover his White House welcome ceremony for Chinese leader Xi Jinping."CNN and MSDNC's Ratings have dropped considerably," Trump wrote, using his name for MS NOW, a jab at the network's progressive lean. "The primary reason is NO CREDIBILITY! They only write badly about a man who won the Election IN A GIANT LANDSLIDE."He continued, "CNN and MSDNC, to show you how fake they are, today refused to cover one of the Biggest and Most Beautiful Events to take place in many years, the arrival at the White House of the Highly Respected President of China, Xi Jinping...the event was magnificent — Actually made for Television."Holmes reacted to the post minutes after it came out."He is clearly very angry that there has been no coverage of his meeting," Holmes said, but she noted that claims in the post are "fundamentally not true." CNN would have covered the event, Holmes stressed, but its reporters were still not allowed into the White House when it took place.A judge temporarily blocked Trump's media ban earlier in the day and ordered the White House to restore access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico. However, the Trump administration initially tried to continue restricting their access, and the event with Xi took place before the White House finally relented. It seemed like no one told Trump about the series of events, Holmes said."Either somebody in President Trump's administration or the press office is lying to President Trump, or he does not have a fundamental understanding of what is happening today, or he himself is not telling the truth in this post," Holmes said, nearly yelling out of frustration. "And I do want to be very clear to the president of the United States that we would have covered this event had you not banned CNN and MS NOW and Politico."
Outrage as Trump flaunts 'autopen' portrait in front of world leader: 'Appalling'
President Donald Trump sparked outrage by joking about the "autopen" on a portrait to get a laugh out of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.On Thursday, the White House X account posted a video of Trump giving Xi a tour of the Presidential Walk of Fame, a West Colonnade display of gold-framed portraits of past presidents that Trump installed last September. Former President Joe Biden's portrait is notably swapped out with an autopen, reflecting Trump and his allies' claim that Biden's aides used the signature device on pardons and orders because he was mentally unfit. Biden denies the claim."Trump, Trump," the president said, pointing at the portraits on both sides of the autopen. "This is the autopen...It's Biden," Trump then explained to Xi with a pat on the arm.While people following Trump and Xi on the tour laughed at the joke, online reactions were harsher. Many were outraged that Trump would take a dig at a previous president for the sake of getting a laugh out of a foreign leader."As an American, I find this so embarrassing," former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul reacted. "He calls it the people's house, but he does not treat it as the people's house. Whatever your policy disagreements were with President Biden, 81 million Americans voted for him. To treat him with such disrespect is appalling. To force a foreign guest to participate in your ridicule of Biden is even worse.""I hate this," lamented Philip Klein, the editor of National Review Online, a conservative opinion outlet. "Xi is a commie b— who runs a key US adversary. Biden, warts and all, was a U.S. president.""He's a grotesque human being," blasted former GOP congressman Joe Walsh. "Taking a despicable cheap shot at an American president to make a communist dictator laugh.""How embarrassing for us," bemoaned Gregg Nunziata, a former GOP Senate Judiciary Committee counsel.As an American, I find this so embarrassing.He calls it the people's house, but he does not treat it as the people's house. Whatever your policy disagreements were with President Biden, 81 million Americans voted for him.To treat him with such disrespect is appalling. To… https://t.co/PTwtEpYn6M— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) September 24, 2026
'Order!' UN roiled by another mass walkout as right-wing Trump ally triggers storm-off
Diplomats from dozens of countries walked out of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approached the podium, emptying rows of the chamber in protest before he could say a word.Cheers and chants in support of Palestine broke out Thursday afternoon as dozens of diplomats stormed out. The protest led to a gaveling and a call for "order in the hall!"Netanyahu answered the exodus from the stage with a firm retort."If there are any other moral cowards who have not left this hall, please do so now," he said to a visibly thinned-out room. The walkout comes amid protests against Israel's brutality in Gaza, where the war has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, and against Netanyahu personally. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him last year over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity tied to the siege of Gaza, a warrant he rejects.Netanyahu arrived in New York at odds with the city's leaders. He spent the run-up to the trip attacking Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who previously warned he would seek to enforce the ICC warrant if Netanyahu set foot in the city. In a video before the speech, Netanyahu declared, "Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani!" and accused him of "supporting the Hamas terrorist monsters" and inciting violence against Jewish New Yorkers.That claim landed flat even on Fox News, where correspondent Trey Yingst flatly rebutted it, noting that Netanyahu's video said Mamdani "strongly supported Hamas, which... isn't true."The mass exit was not the first of the week's UN drama. A day earlier, President Donald Trump used his own General Assembly address to threaten to "annihilate" Iran, remarks one New York Times reporter characterized as a threat to commit a war crime.Netanyahu after the UNGA emptied out ahead of his speech: "If there any other moral cowards who have not left the hall, please do so now." pic.twitter.com/5I3ceI0bSM— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 24, 2026 ????Dozens of delegates from member states walk out of the UN general assembly in protest of Netanyahu's speech pic.twitter.com/afxM14UN8u— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) September 24, 2026
Navy admits self-harm attempts secretly skyrocketed in USS Lincoln deployment: report
Suicide attempts in the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group climbed to eight during its combat deployment, far above what carriers usually see, an official said.Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao disclosed the figure in a letter dated Tuesday to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), according to CNN, which obtained the letter.The outlet said the number had not been previously reported. No sailor died by suicide during the deployment, Cao insisted."Since the beginning of Lincoln's deployment, there have been a total of eight suicide attempts across the strike group," Cao wrote to Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "This number includes the Lincoln crew and sailors from the carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers and all embarked aviation squadrons.""Eight attempted suicides is incredibly high," a U.S. military official told CNN. "The strain of combat ops is much higher than normal deployments. No port calls, constant alerts, etc."The official said recent carrier strike group deployments have seen one or two attempts a year.CNN reported that between 6,000 and 7,000 sailors served in the strike group across about a half dozen ships. The carrier stayed out of port for more than six months while carrying out combat operations against Iran.The strike group's rate of attempts was roughly in line with the rate for the entire active-duty Navy in 2024, when the service recorded 356 attempts among about 337,000 sailors, according to CNN. The official was comparing the Lincoln with other carrier deployments, not the Navy as a whole."We have not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship," the Navy said in an earlier statement to CNN."A small number of mental health cases were treated with no loss of life," Cao said in an August statement, according to the Washington Examiner.CNN had previously reported that two sailors from the strike group jumped overboard in recent months. Both were rescued, U.S. officials said. Cao's count of eight is higher than the two incidents reported earlier in the summer.Cao confirmed in the letter that an air wing sailor went overboard in early August. The CNN report said that the sailor was recovered and treated aboard the carrier."Additionally, one sailor attempted to go overboard in March and was stopped by his shipmates," Cao wrote.At Joint Base Andrews on Aug. 14, a reporter told President Donald Trump that families of Lincoln sailors were concerned about conditions aboard the ship."No, they're not," Trump said. Asked whether the deployment had gone on too long, he answered, "No, no, not nearly long enough.""The Fake News media should STOP exploiting military families!" Pentagon deputy press secretary Jacob Bliss wrote on X that day."It was fake news reporting from CNN," Trump later said of the reports of distress by the families.Gillibrand responded to Cao's letter in a statement to Newsweek."What Trump and Secretary [of Defense Pete] Hegseth dismissed as 'fake news' turned out to be serious and deteriorating conditions for our service members," Gillibrand said.The Lincoln left the Middle East in August and is expected back in San Diego in the coming weeks.
Economist sounds the alarm as Trump's 'bonkers' threats come home to roost
An economist warned that President Donald Trump is aiming the same weapon the U.S. used against Iran at America's own economy.University of Michigan economist Justin Wolfers, founder of the Platypus Economics newsletter and podcast, sounded the alarm during a Wednesday episode of "The Trump Report" with host Maddie Hale. The pair were discussing Trump's claim that he is open to banning diesel exports as U.S. diesel prices hit record highs.Wolfers pointed out that the Trump administration had waged what he called an "economic D-Day" against Tehran by choking off its energy sales."The U.S. hates Iran. So, in order to destroy the Iranian economy, they had economic D-Day in which they've tried to prevent Iran from exporting energy to get money," Wolfers explained. "The president has just voluntarily said he wants to get the U.S. to stop exporting energy to get money. He's applying the same economic policy to the United States as to Iran. That's kind of bonkers, right?"Hale admitted she "didn't actually think of it like that."Wolfers said the idea runs "upside down" and "back to front" from Trump's own trade agenda."The president came to power, and he's imposed tariffs on imports because he's worried about the balance of payments or he's worried about the trade deficit," Wolfers said. "So he wants America to be exporting more and importing less. What is he suggesting? There's not even a word in my textbook for a tariff on exports."Wolfers added, "It's the opposite of what the president thinks and what the president thinks was mixed up to start with."He said a ban "would solve a narrow problem and be an absolutely absurd economic solution." Consumers would get cheaper diesel, Wolfers said, but "anyone whose 401(k) owns stock in an energy company, that energy company's now losing a lot of revenue."The refining and drilling regions in Texas "are going to be somewhat depressed," Wolfers warned.Wolfers also noted there is little to stop such a move because "it's so widely understood it's a dumb move that no one ever bothered signing anything to say don't do it."He also questioned the timing. High gas prices angered "moms and dads and regular voters," he said, yet "the president never once thought about restricting exports of gasoline." Diesel, by contrast, is used by "farmers and truckers" and by "corporations, big agriculture, transportation companies."Wolfers said the proposal signals to allies that the U.S. can't be trusted on basic commerce."The point is we are so unreliable we're not even pursuing our self-interest," he said.
'My goodness': CNN anchor catches 'remarkable' contrast as Trump welcomes global leader
A CNN analyst pointed out a startling contrast ahead of the meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.On Thursday, CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter mentioned that Xi will be arriving in Washington, D.C., amid Trump's media ban. The conversation came up as a panel discussed a hearing that took place on Wednesday to decide on a temporary restraining order to block Trump's media ban."In the next couple of hours, the Chinese leader lands in the United States, and there will not be a TV pool camera there," Stelter explained. "Normally, NBC would be the pool crew today. They'd be set up already at [Joint Base] Andrews waiting for the arrival ceremony."However, "NBC is not there because none of the major TV networks are providing pool coverage in solidarity with CNN," Stelter explained. "So that is going to be remarkable. Well, we're not going to see it, but it's a contrast."Networks like ABC, CBS and even Fox News joined NBC in withdrawing pool coverage in solidarity with the banned media outlets, CNN, MS NOW and Politico. That means none of them will cover Xi's arrival as Trump is there to greet him."You're going to have Chinese state-run media there, but you're not going to have the free democratic media because we are trying to send a message, trying to make a statement about making sure that our rights are protected," Stelter explained. "And my goodness, the contrast could not be more stark."CNN White House correspondent Kristen Holmes said the contrast will create a "fascinating moment" because Trump has been planning his meeting with Xi for months and has a special welcome in mind."He is going to Joint Base Andrews; this is not done. He has not done this with any other leader," Holmes explained. "He wants the pictures of this out there. He wants the photos. He wants the video of this elaborate welcome of President Xi that they have been planning now for months, and instead, he is not going to get that."
'Square that circle': Analyst pinpoints Trump's glaring contradiction over Chinese AI
A technology analyst highlighted a potentially dangerous contradiction in President Donald Trump’s strategy for defeating China in the artificial intelligence race.New York Times technology columnist Kevin Roose told CNN’s Brianna Keilar on Wednesday that Trump wants the United States to remain the global AI leader, while some Republicans and administration allies push to loosen restrictions on selling advanced American chips to China.“It's kind of confusing because on one hand, he is saying that he wants America to win on China,” Roose said. “At the same time, there are some Republicans and people in his orbit who have been pushing for a loosening of the trade restrictions on advanced AI chips to China from companies like Nvidia.”“To me, I don't quite understand how you can want America to win, but also want to sell China the ingredients to make powerful AI systems,” he added. “But maybe someone else knows how to square that circle.”Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to discuss a proposed fast-track communication channel that would allow their governments to alert each other about serious AI-related security threats, CNN reported.Roose called that prospect “better than nothing” but also delivered a stark warning.“It’s not enough to just know that an incident is ongoing,” he said. “You also have to have the infrastructure in place to be able to prevent the incident from happening in the first place.”Roose’s thoughts on a lasting AI treaty between the two countries were likewise dim: “I wouldn’t hold my breath under this administration.”
US delegation storms out as Iranian president holds up images of slain children
The United States delegation to the United Nations was seen storming out of the General Assembly Hall in New York Wednesday as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held up images of children who are widely believed to have been killed by U.S. strikes.On the same day President Donald Trump launched his deeply unpopular war against Iran, the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school was reportedly hit with a “double tap” strike by U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles, killing at least 156 people, including 120 children. Trump initially blamed Iran for the strike before subsequent reporting made clear the United States was likely responsible. A U.S. strike on a sports hall also reportedly killed 22 civilians and damaged a nearby school.Pezeshkian, addressing the international body behind the same podium where Trump threatened to “annihilate” Iran just a day earlier, did not mince words in his condemnation of the Trump administration.“Yesterday, the United States president described us as terrorists. We have been the victims of terrorism,” Pezeshkian said, according to the U.N.’s live translator. “I come from an Iran in which our esteemed supreme leader was assassinated without any legal framework or reason; I come from an Iran where in truth, they bombed a school.”Pezeshkian then began to hold up images of children he said were victims of U.S. strikes.“You see these children? These children perished under bombs with weapons used by the United States and Israel,” Pezeshkian said. “They were innocent, had committed no crimes. A sports hall where children were busy playing, the United States, by using weapons with multiple warheads, targeted that sports hall. They martyred, assassinated our scientists, our men, women and children. Innocent children who in truth had committed no crimes, no sins!”As Pezeshkian continued, the U.S. delegation to the U.N. could be seen exiting the General Assembly Hall, leaving the Iranian president to deliver his remarks to an empty U.S. section.“Those who are terrorists and train and protect terrorists describe us as such,” Pezeshkian continued. “We have only defended ourselves — we are not terrorists.”
Murdoch's WSJ sticks a knife in Trump's credibility after latest Iran threat
The Wall Street Journal's editorial board wasn't buying President Donald Trump's latest saber-rattling at the United Nations.Hours after Trump warned he could "annihilate" Iran's regime during his Tuesday address to the General Assembly, the Rupert Murdoch-owned paper's editors argued the threat would land harder if Trump hadn't already worn it out. The warning would be more credible "if we and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hadn't heard it several times by now," the board wrote, noting this year's speech was comparatively subdued — "no escalator sabotage" — with the drama confined to the annihilation threat itself.The editors doubted Iran's regime would suddenly surrender its nuclear stockpile or drop its claim to the Strait of Hormuz, warning Trump could be "blindsided again" the way he was when Tehran blew off an earlier cease-fire. They also noted Iran may be "banking on the midterms" to force Trump's hand — but argued that bet could backfire, since a second-term president freed of election pressure "will have two years left in office, with no political threat hanging over his head" and might prosecute the war "with less restraint."Adding to the whiplash: later Tuesday, Trump said a three-hour meeting with Iranian representatives had gone "very well," raising fresh hope for a diplomatic off-ramp. The board argued Trump's constant swings between annihilation and peace talks have left "exhausted Americans" unsure what to believe."Iran is going to heed what the President does, not what he threatens to do," the editors predicted. "When the annihilation talk rings false, it hurts U.S. deterrence around the world. It also hurts Mr. Trump at home because it doesn’t look like the U.S. is winning. He’s better off explaining his strategy to win the war and for seeing it through—before and after the midterms."
