Trump, Xi exchange praise at White House state dinner

Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-Calif., rallies on Aug. 24 with Asian American and tribal leaders and other community members in opposition to the planned closure of the National Archives facility in San Bruno, Calif.  The Office of Rep. Kevin Mullin

Democratic lawmakers and local activists are scrambling to stop the closure of a National Archives and Records Administration facility here, which houses more than 750,000 federal immigration, genealogical and Alcatraz penitentiary records.

They include culturally sensitive archival material treasured by the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community: records related to the Chinese Exclusion Act, Angel Island Immigration Station and Japanese American mass incarceration during World War II, as well as Native American census records.

Read the full story here.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. Joe Raedle / Getty Images file

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and Gov. Ron DeSantis announced today that 20 people in Florida have been charged with voter fraud.

Twelve of the 20 people charged had been arrested as of this afternoon in a statewide election integrity operation that is "targeting illegal voting in Florida elections, including the 2024 General Election."

Most of the 20 cases involve noncitizens who registered to vote and attested to be U.S. citizens, according to Uthmeier. Four of them are convicted felons who registered and voted while still on probation, he said.

His office said additional charges and arrests are expected.

Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images file

Former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene drew a stark contrast between herself and what she called the MAGA “cult” at an event at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, throwing fiery accusations at both Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

“So, is it fair to say that MAGA is not just a movement but that it’s also a cult?” asked Robert Draper, a New York Times author and moderator of the conversation.

“I would say yes,” Greene said. “When you vote for someone, not only are you supporting them, but you’re holding them accountable, and if they can’t be truthful and hold him accountable to his campaign promises that affect the entire country, then they’re liars and they’re hypocrites and they’re in a cult.”

Greene, who represented a Georgia district in the House, doubled down by saying the MAGA movement she once supported is "dead."

Julian Leshay Guadalupe / USA Today Network via Reuters file

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said tonight that she was giving Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell until tomorrow to resign after an internal investigation found he had violated state ethics and harassment policy.

"Today, I’m announcing the conclusion and findings of an independent investigation into allegations regarding Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell," Sherrill wrote on X. "The investigation found that the Lieutenant Governor engaged in serious, repeated violations of state policy and failed to uphold the responsibilities of his office. I’m calling for his resignation and giving him until tomorrow to do so."

The state of New Jersey said this month that it had hired a law firm to investigate allegations that Caldwell, who was elected on the ticket with Sherrill last year, had behaved inappropriately toward women.

Sherrill said Caldwell's "ethical lapses persisted despite multiple warnings and trainings."

He has accused China of hacking America’s elections and plundering its wealth, yet Trump has showered Xi with tributes and affection during their summit meeting this week at the White House.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Trump met his Chinese counterpart on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, outside Washington yesterday rather than wait back at the White House for an official greeting. It’s the first time he has ever shown a visiting world leader that courtesy.

Read the full story here.

Samuel Corum / Getty Images

The administration is airing a new TV ad touting Trump’s accomplishments — featuring Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White praising him as the “toughest, most resilient person,” with music proclaiming “love me” — which it says is a “public service announcement” funded “by the U.S. government.”

Read the full story here.

Xi wrapped up his remarks, concluding his speech by proposing a toast.

Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images

“Together, let us write a new chapter in our friendly relations. Now I would like to propose a toast to the health of President and Mrs. Trump, to the prosperity and progress of China and the United States and to the friendship between our two peoples. Cheers,” he said.

Xi tonight compared Trump's campaign to "Make America Great Again" to China's own quest for revitalization, calling for the two nations to "move forward side by side."

Alex Brandon / AP

"President Trump has pledged to make America great again and lead the American people in making significant strides. China is committed to achieving great national rejuvenation, and Chinese modernization has kept breaking new ground," Xi said. "These two goals are both ambitious and can surely be mutually reinforcing."

Xi added that "China and the United States must act as responsible major countries, meet the expectations of our peoples, keep pace with the trend of our times and explore a new approach for major countries to get along with each other."

Xi said in his remarks at the state dinner that he and Trump had “sincere and in-depth exchanges and reached common understanding on many issues today.”

He said the exchange “provided new strategic guidance for China-U.S. relations.”

Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images

Trump invited Xi and the Chinese delegation to take a look at the "nice and clean and sparkly" construction site of his incoming White House ballroom tonight in his remarks at the state dinner.

"I'd like to invite everyone in the room to visit through that beautiful curtain in the back. The door is all lit up and looks beautiful," Trump said, adding that the ballroom is "one year away from completion."

Stefani Reynolds / Bloomberg via Getty Images

He touted the size of the ballroom, comparing it to the size of the East Room.

"Presidents have been trying to get this built for 150 years, and I can tell you that tonight, if we had it, we would have had way more than 1,000 people with standing room only, and this room has about 145. That's about it," Trump said.

He told the Chinese delegation they would be the "first people to step foot" into the space.

Trump has begun speaking at tonight's state dinner.

"You are truly outstanding, amazing people," Trump said, addressing the Chinese delegation as he began his remarks, adding he hoped to show them the same hospitality China showed him during his visit to China this year.

Brendand Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images

An appeals court overturned a lower court's ruling yesterday that blocked an Ohio law requiring people to show proof of citizenship when they register to vote, handing a victory to Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.

On a vote of 2-1, a panel of three judges on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to lift a preliminary injunction against the law that a lower court had granted in August.

Voters in Kent cast their ballots for the Ohio primaries in May. Jeff Swensen / Getty Images

The two-judge majority ruled in favor of Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, finding that Red Wine & Blue and the Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans, the advocacy groups that filed suit, did not demonstrate that the new law would be likely to hinder voters from registering to vote.

The law, which Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed last year, will require Ohio voters to show proof of citizenship when they register to vote or if they update their voter profiles at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico today challenged his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, to a debate on Fox News.

“Ken Paxton has been dodging debates all year, and it’s why tonight I’m challenging Ken Paxton to a debate on Fox News,” Talarico said onstage at the Texas Tribune Festival.

James Talarico; Ken Paxton  Getty Images

Talarico said Paxton’s team had declined three invitations to debate from local TV stations.

“So let’s go to Ken Paxton’s safe space,” Talarico said. “I’ll go into the lion’s den, because I know what I believe. I am proud of my record, and I’m not afraid of hard questions.”

Paxton has repeatedly declined to commit to debate Talarico.

The lawyer representing media outlets banned from the White House said today that he is thinking ahead to a potential battle that could make its way to the Supreme Court.

Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg via Getty Images file

Ted Boutros, who represents MS NOW, CNN and Politico, said in an interview with MS NOW that his team is “ready for whatever comes.”

“We definitely think ahead, so we think ahead to the D.C. Circuit, which is the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court,” Boutros said, adding that the Supreme Court has been “very strong” on free speech issues, holding that the government could not “unbias speech that it thinks is biased.”

“It’s the market and it’s the people who make those determinations. So I think that looking ahead to the Supreme Court, we have by far the better arguments on basic, fundamental due process and First Amendment law,” he added.

Responding to Netanyahu's speech today at the U.N. condemning him for referring to the war in Gaza as a "genocide," New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani labeled the speech "baseless lies."

“As he has done time and again, Prime Minister Netanyahu used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians. Yet no lie can change the fact that he remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity," Mamdani said in a statement.

Ryan Murphy / Getty Images

The pair have often jabbed at each other, with Mamdani floating the idea in July of arresting Netanyahu while he was in New York City because of the arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.

Mamdani later reversed course, writing on X, "It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant."

Amid a knockdown, drag-out fight for control of Congress, one issue is dominating advertising and transcending partisan divides, pitting challengers against incumbents: Everyone is running against members of Congress trading stocks.

At least one TV or digital ad mentioning the issue has run in the last month in nearly every competitive race for Congress, according to an analysis of AdImpact data. They include 18 of the 21 House races rated as “toss-ups” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report and all but one Senate race rated as a “toss-up” or “leaning” slightly toward one party.

Pennsylvania Democrat Paige Cognetti, left, and Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans are part of a broad, bipartisan group of congressional candidates running ads about stock trading by officeholders.  Getty Images

Members of both parties are campaigning against congressional stock trading, attacking incumbents and alleging they have used their perches in Congress to get rich amid a broader affordability crisis in the U.S. And unlike some other political issues, it’s just as useful in a battleground district as it is in a deeper red or blue district, as independents and voters from both parties throw up their hands at allegations of government corruption.

In some places, members of Congress are airing ads promoting support for a ban on stock trading while an opponent or a super PAC runs ads tallying up trades the incumbent made, according to public financial disclosures.

Read the full story here.

Darializa Avila Chevalier, the Democratic candidate for Congress in New York's 13th District, was arrested today at a protest outside U.N. headquarters, her campaign said on X.

"Darializa was just arrested while peacefully protesting [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations. Our government has unlimited funds to arm a genocide against Palestinians but tells us there's nothing left to feed and house our own people. Stop arming Israel!" the post said, including photos of Chevalier being detained by New York police.

In a statement, Chevalier’s campaign said she was arrested during a protest outside the U.N. alongside 100 protesters, including nine elected officials.

Chevalier pulled off a major upset this summer when she defeated longtime Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat in a primary. She is an outspoken supporter of Palestinians and a critic of Israel. She won her primary election with the backing of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, also an Israel critic.

In his speech today at the U.N., Netanyahu specifically addressed Mamdani, telling him: "You falsely, repeatedly accuse Israel of genocide. ... Here’s a simple truth: Israel didn’t commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide."

A Republican California sheriff must return more than a half-million ballots he seized for an investigation into unfounded allegations of voting improprieties in a special election last year, the state Supreme Court ruled today.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco in February seized about 650,000 ballots from a November 2025 special election on statewide congressional redistricting favorable to Democrats and pushed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The measure easily passed statewide and won in Riverside County by roughly 80,000 votes.

The court called the ballots’ seizure “unlawful,” saying California law requires voted ballots to remain in the custody and control of election officials, even during criminal investigations. Bianco must also “refrain from further handling of the ballots except as necessary to comply with our order,” the court said in a unanimous decision. Bianco did not immediately comment on the ruling.

Read the full story here.

The Senate rejected a symbolic resolution today calling for Trump to end the U.S. war with Iran, with most Republicans siding with Trump despite the war’s unpopularity.

Just a handful of Republicans joined Democrats in favor of the resolution: . Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

The majority of the GOP voted against the measure, including Jon Husted of Ohio and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, who are in some of the most competitive races. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to vote no.

The final vote was 49-50.

Read the full story here.

Netanyahu praised Trump in his U.N. General Assembly speech for his alliance with Israel in the war with Iran.

"In this battle against the barbarians, we’ve had no greater partner than President Trump. I thank him. I thank him for his bold leadership. He boldly confronted an enormous danger to America, Israel and the world," Netanyahu said.

He continued: "Decades ago, he understood that if left unchallenged, the fanatic ayatollahs who chant 'Death to America, death to Israel' would eventually carry out their mad fantasies. So Israel and America acted together, not only to protect ourselves, but to save civilization. Brave American pilots, alongside brave Israeli pilots, flew joint missions over the skies of Iran. America and Israel also worked together to bring back our remaining hostages. We brought back every last one of them."

Netanyahu at the U.N. today. Ryan Murphy / Getty Images

Netanyahu criticized what he described as "juvenile delinquents" in the West Bank when it comes to violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians but downplayed its magnitude.

In his speech before the U.N. General Assembly, Netanyahu said the international media covers "a handful of young juvenile delinquents, about 150 in number ... who throw stones, who chop down olive trees."

"Occasionally, they do, they fire up, they lit some fires. I can’t stand that. I won’t stand for vigilantism. We’re a country of law, so we put our Shin Bet on them," he said. "But that’s what they call settler violence, and the number of casualties a year, maybe two, three, in the total time that this is being discussed, maybe two or three dead, compared to the thousands of terrorist attacks against the peaceful settlers."

The Senate is voting now on an Iran war powers resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that U.S. troops should be removed from hostilities in Iran.

The House passed the resolution in late July, 214-208. It is a concurrent resolution, which means it simply states the sense of Congress. It would not have the force of law and would not require Trump's signature.

The FBI says an aggressive investigation is underway of what is believed to be a data breach at the bureau. A well-known group of hackers claim it got improper access to sensitive personal information about federal agents. Now, experts and lawmakers are expressing growing concern over potential vulnerabilities the alleged hack may have exposed. NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell reports for the "TODAY" show.

FBI data breach sparks major concerns over security risks

02:01

The government of Yemen is seeking U.S. military support in its fight against the Houthis, a senior Yemeni official said yesterday, as the Iranian-backed rebels rapidly expand their control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and threaten another critical Middle East waterway for global energy supplies.

Yemen’s president, Rashad al-Alimi, conveyed the request for U.S. assistance to Trump in a call this week, Abdullah Al-Alimi Bawazir, vice president of the Yemeni Leadership Council, told reporters on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

Read the full story here.

AP file

Overton told Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., that she supports the FDA’s safety review of mifepristone, one of two pills involved in a medication abortion.

“That is, if confirmed, the most urgent thing that I would go and get briefed on and updated on,” she said.

The FDA launched a safety study of the medication in June at the behest of anti-abortion groups and some Republican senators, including Hawley. The previous FDA commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, faced pressure to expedite that review amid reports that the FDA was slow-walking it until after the midterm elections.

Overton said today that she agreed with the FDA’s position that a review was warranted in light of a 2021 provision that allowed mifepristone to be dispensed via telehealth. Reproductive rights activists see the review as an attempt to restrict abortion access nationwide. Studies have shown that mifepristone, even when taken at home, is safe and effective.

Could Trump, who is meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week, open the United States to Chinese cars? The prospect is alarming for U.S. automakers, who warn that the consequences can already be seen in Europe.

China dominates the global electric vehicle industry, with ultra-low-cost offerings packed with cutting-edge features that have forced legacy automakers into survival mode. The damage is especially acute in Europe, where the meteoric rise of Chinese brands such as BYD, Geely and Chery poses an unprecedented challenge to German industrial icons such as Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen.

On Monday, Volkswagen said it was ramping up the largest restructuring in its 89-year history after slashing its profit outlook. It includes an additional 50,000 job cuts, bringing the total to 100,000 worldwide by the end of the decade, and the closure of as many as four plants, setting off nationwide protests by German autoworkers.

Read the full story here.

A BYD electric vehicle at an auto show in Munich earlier this month. Johannes Simon / Getty Images file

Several senators pressed Overton about her stance on flavored vapes, an issue that contributed to the resignation of the previous FDA commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary.

Makary opposed the Trump administration’s efforts in May to make flavored e-cigarettes and vapes more widely available, believing that the products contribute to the youth vaping epidemic.

The Trump administration has argued that flavored vapes help Americans quit smoking. However, a consortium of pediatric societies said last year that e-cigarettes weren’t significantly effective for smoking cessation.

Francis Chung / POLITICO via AP

Overton reiterated the administration’s position at today’s hearing, arguing that flavored vapes should be kept away from children but that people who quit smoking use flavored vapes to do so.

“I agree that it is critical and a core priority for us to protect kids from these products,” she said.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., asked Overton whether she believed the abortion pill mifepristone was safe and effective, noting that Overton once referred to medication abortion as “dangerous to women.”

Overton did not answer directly, but instead said that mifepristone had met the FDA’s safety and efficacy standards and that her job as FDA commissioner would be to abide by those standards. In June, the FDA said it launched a new safety study on mifepristone.

Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images

She also did not say directly whether an intrauterine device (IUD) was an abortifacient.

“If I’m confirmed as FDA commissioner, I’ll be fully briefed on all their prior decisions and make determinations according to the standards of safety and efficacy,” Overton told Murray.

The Trump administration last year referred to birth control as abortifacients when commenting on the distribution of birth control pills, IUDs and hormonal implants to low-income countries.

The Senate scheduled a vote at 1:45 p.m. on a House-passed war powers resolution that would direct Trump to remove U.S. forces from Iran but has no force of law.

The House passed the resolution in July in a largely party line vote, and it does not require Trump's signature.

While it has no legal force, Senate passage of the resolution would be a notable rebuke of the president's military efforts while he is hosting Xi at the White House.

As Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping meet in Washington this week, families of Americans detained in China hope they will speak their loved ones’ names: Youlin Chen. Min Zin. Dawn Michelle Hunt. Nelson Wells Jr.

The build-up to the summit has focused on what the leaders might discuss on high-profile subjects like artificial intelligence and Taiwan, but the families hope Trump can make a breakthrough on their cases, which often fly under the radar of the superpower rivalry.

Chen and Min Zin are both U.S. scholars that Beijing accuses of espionage, while Hunt and Wells have been imprisoned in China since being arrested in separate cases in 2014.

Read the full story here.

Dawn Michelle Hunt and Nelson Wells Jr. have both been imprisoned in China since 2014. Supplied to NBC News

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration was still reviewing potential arms sales to Taiwan, saying the U.S. also has to take its own weapons needs into account.

“People think ... we view arm sales through the limited vacuum of one particular place. A lot of this also involves balancing our industrial capacity and our military industrial base,” he told reporters yesterday in New York.

Luis Acosta / AFP via Getty Images

“When we sell something, that means we don’t have it anymore. We can get it in the future, but we don’t have it now,” he continued. “Anytime we do any sales — not to Taiwan, to anybody — it is always balanced against what are our own needs in different parts of the world and whether we can afford to sell something, because we may need it for ourselves.”

Rubio was responding to questions about the issue after four Republican senators — Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, John Cornyn of Texas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — called on the Trump administration yesterday to move ahead with a proposed $14 billion arms package and other security assistance for Taiwan. Trump has said the arms deal could be a good “negotiating chip” with China, which claims Taiwan as its territory and opposes such sales.

When asked by Sen. Cassidy whether the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine was lethal, Overton responded: “The MMR vaccine is not lethal. It is safe and effective.”

“So you disagree with the president on that,” Cassidy replied.

During an executive order signing at the White House to reduce the number of universally recommended childhood vaccines, Trump said that he had heard the combined MMR shot could be “quite lethal.” He also called for the combined vaccine to be separated into three shots. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has falsely claimed the measles vaccine hasn’t been “safety tested” and that its protection is short-lived.

Decades of evidence show that the MMR is safe and there is no benefit to breaking it up. Individual measles, mumps and rubella shots are not currently available or approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

In her opening remarks, Overton promised to accelerate clinical trials and drug development, noting that China is outpacing the U.S. in producing cutting-edge therapies.

“President Trump’s direction for me in this role, should I be confirmed, is to ‘go fast,’” she said.

Overton also pledged to improve food safety, tackle the opioid crisis and address the dangers of illicit foreign vapes.

However, she did not mention childhood vaccines or abortion pills — subjects that will play a key role in her confirmation push.

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to respond in writing after journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were turned away Thursday from the White House grounds despite a court order requiring the administration to temporarily restore their access.

Journalists from the three outlets were denied access hours after U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly granted a 14-day temporary restraining order reinstating the outlets’ access while their legal challenge proceeds.

Read the full story here.

Trump and Xi delivered short remarks inside the White House, touting the strength of the U.S.-China relationship and referring to what they planned to discuss.

Trump said that the two leaders would delve into "pressing issues concerning security, technology and super intelligence — S.I." (The latter is Trump's preferred term for artificial intelligence.)

"The decisions we make in these areas today can promote peace and prosperity for decades and decades to come," he added.

Xi briefly discussed artificial intelligence during his remarks, noting that both countries are "leading nations" in the industry.

Trump and Xi reviewed a drill platoon from a balcony at the White House. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Trump often touts his strong relationship with his “good friend” Xi, and observers have noted the chemistry between them. But analysts say the Chinese leader is not just looking for a friend.

“I think President Trump puts more weight on the personal relationship than Xi does,” said Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “Xi values access and predictability, but he is much less sentimental about rapport.”

For Beijing, Singleton said, “a warm relationship with Trump is useful if it produces space, it delays pressure, it keeps the bilateral relationship manageable and predictable. And so I think President Trump sees personal chemistry as an asset and Xi sees access as a form of leverage.”

Singleton said that’s why “the relationship can look warm at the top while the systems underneath remain intensely competitive. Xi does not need friendship from Trump. He needs room to maneuver. And so that’s what the summit’s going to produce for him.”

Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan arrived at the White House, where Trump and Melania Trump greeted them on a red carpet.

Members of the military held Chinese and American flags, and a band played in the balcony above the leaders.

The two leaders and their wives shook hands, and Trump patted Xi on the arm as the Chinese president took his place next to Trump. The group stared straight ahead for a few moments as music played, then they proceeded inside. The group did not address the media.

Later today, Trump and Xi are expected to have a bilateral meeting. Xi and his wife will be honored at a state dinner in the evening.

Yuri Gripas / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Kansas' two senators, Republicans Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran, are calling on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to coordinate with local police in their state.

"When ICE operates in Kansas, it needs to coordinate with our local law enforcement. Our sheriffs and police know these communities better than anyone, and working together keeps officers and residents safe," said Marshall in a post on X.

Marshall, who's in a tight re-election race, added that he's "closely following what’s happening in SW Kansas and have been in direct contact with Secretary Mullin and local law enforcement as ICE executes warrants in order to keep Kansans safe."

Despite warnings from artificial intelligence leaders in the U.S. that the technology could pose an existential threat, experts in both the U.S. and China say Trump and Xi are unlikely to reach any major agreement on containing its potential dangers at their summit, citing the high level of distrust between the world’s two leading AI powers.

AI’s importance in U.S.-China relations is “beyond doubt — it might even be the most important topic,” said Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at China’s Tsinghua University.

“However, due to the intense competition and sensitivity surrounding AI — especially given that the U.S. still holds a fairly strong zero-sum mindset toward it — making progress is extremely difficult,” he told reporters last week at a defense forum in Beijing.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that the U.S. had proposed setting up a mechanism for the two countries to alert each other to AI-related incidents that could affect national security. He said the U.S. and China would meet again to discuss AI in November, when China is hosting a summit of Asia-Pacific economies.

Rights groups and lawmakers have urged Trump to use his talks with Xi this week to raise China’s record of human rights abuses, an issue that is increasingly taking a backseat in U.S.-China relations.

While the White House says Trump is likely to raise the cases of Americans considered wrongfully detained in China, it has not said whether Trump will directly press Xi about China’s treatment of Tibetans, Uyghur Muslims and pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, or the country’s new “ethnic unity” law.

“China’s record is beyond debate and it is atrocious. People tortured, masses detained, religion regulated, speech penalized, citizens surveilled,” Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said yesterday. “Notably concerning is the new ethnic unity law, which seeks to assimilate millions of non-ethnically Chinese people by stripping away their distinctive cultural and linguistic identities.”

Writing yesterday in the Chinese Communist Party’s official People’s Daily newspaper, Xie Feng, the Chinese ambassador to the U.S., said human rights was among China’s “red lines” in discussions with the U.S., along with the Beijing-claimed island of Taiwan. China denies committing rights abuses.

Dr. Heidi Overton, a fierce opponent of abortion rights, is set to appear before senators today for her confirmation hearing to lead the Food and Drug Administration.

The hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee comes as the FDA faces pressure from Republicans, including the committee’s chair, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., to tighten access to the abortion pill mifepristone.

Cassidy, who is a key vote in Overton’s confirmation, has been pushing the administration to reverse a Biden-era rule that allows mifepristone to be prescribed via telemedicine and sent through the mail.

Dr. Heidi Overton. Annabelle Gordon / CNP / Bloomberg via Getty Images file

Read the full story here.

Taiwan said it was maintaining communications with the U.S. ahead of the Trump-Xi summit, thanking Washington for its support in the face of Beijing’s territorial claims on the island.

The issue of Taiwan, a self-ruling democracy that China has vowed to gain control of by force if necessary, is expected to be high on the agenda for Trump and Xi, who would like to see a $14 billion U.S. arms sale to Taiwan further delayed. Trump said after his Beijing visit in May that it could be a “negotiating chip” with Xi in comments that alarmed Taiwan supporters.

A senior administration official told NBC News that Trump would make a determination about the new Taiwan arms package “in a fairly short time,” noting that Trump had already approved an $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan in December that is believed to be the largest the island has ever received.

Speaking to reporters in Taipei today, Taiwan cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee said the U.S. had “repeatedly reaffirmed its firm and unequivocal support for Taiwan” and that Taiwan appreciated “Washington’s longstanding support across a range of areas.”

This is the second of as many as four meetings Trump and Xi could have before 2026 is over, an unusually high number for the U.S. and Chinese leaders.

The two leaders already met once in May, when Xi hosted Trump for a state visit in Beijing. Trump is now reciprocating by hosting Xi at the White House in his first U.S. state visit since 2015.

Trump and Xi could meet again in November when China hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, and then again in December when the Group of 20 summit is held in Miami.

American views of China are becoming more positive, though they remain largely negative, according to two polls released this week ahead of the Trump-Xi summit.

On a “feeling thermometer” from 0 to 100, with 51 and up representing “warm,” Americans give China an average rating of 37, up from 28 in 2021, the Pew Research Center said yesterday after conducting a poll from Sept. 14 to 20. While “cold” views of 49 and below still predominate, the share of U.S. adults with a warm view of China has increased from 11% in 2021 to 19% today, while the share with a cold view has fallen from 68% to 54%, Pew said.

Trump walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during an arrival ceremony yesterday. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Younger Americans rate China more warmly than older ones do, with adults under 50 giving China an average rating of 42 on the feeling thermometer, compared with an average of 31 for older Americans.

In another survey released Monday, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs said Americans gave China an average rating of 39 out of 100, up from 26 in 2024. According to the survey, which was conducted from July 10 to 21, 57% of Americans favor a policy of cooperation and engagement with China, while 40% favor actively limiting the growth of China’s power.

Trump, Xi and their wives will dine on a three course meal and hear several musical performances during tonight's state dinner, according to details released by Melania Trump's office.

The first course features a yellow squash velouté, which is a sauce, and wild mushroom fricassée, which is a stew. The dish also includes pancetta and scallion oil.

The main course will be sesame crusted sea bass with braised baby bok choy and roasted eggplant.

The dessert will be "a smooth vanilla crémeux with a vibrant sour cherry confit center, set a top a rich walnut frangipane," the menu said. It will also include ice cream that is made with White House honey.

During the dinner, guests will hear musical performances from military musicians as well as Christopher Macchio, a classical tenor who previously performed at Trump's second inauguration. The military musician performances will feature groups like the U.S. Marine Band, the U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, the U.S. Army Chorus and the U.S. Army Strings.

Even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleads his country’s case to the world at the United Nations General Assembly today, his target audience will likely be closer to home: Israeli voters ahead of next month’s crucial elections.

Netanyahu arrived in New York for what appears to be a whirlwind trip that will highlight the growing isolation of the U.S. ally over its assault on the Gaza Strip.

Read the full story here.

Most of the Trump-Xi summit programming takes place today, including an arrival ceremony, a bilateral meeting and a state dinner.

Xi and his wife will be greeted at the White House this morning with 479 military personnel and military flyovers, Melania Trump's office announced earlier this week. The U.S. Marine Band will play both countries' national anthems, and Trump will conduct a military review, the first lady's office said.

Later, Trump and Xi will have a bilateral meeting, where they're expected to discuss topics like artificial intelligence and trade. Melania Trump and Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan will visit the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, Melania Trump's office said.

In the evening, the Trumps will host Xi and Peng for a state dinner. NBC News previously reported that tech leaders including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Apple’s Tim Cook and OpenAI’s Sam Altman will attend the dinner. Former White House AI czar David Sacks will also attend.

This is Xi's first state visit to the U.S. in more than a decade. His prior state visit was in 2015, during the Obama administration. While Xi has visited the U.S. since then, they were not considered state visits. Xi and Peng arrived yesterday and are expected to depart tomorrow.

GOP candidates locked in crucial midterm races in Michigan are breaking with Trump over the war in Iran, AI and data centers — part of a broader trend as more Republicans across the country have started putting some distance between themselves and Trump.

But Michigan is particularly notable given that its Senate race is one of the best pickup opportunities on the map for Republicans, and the state remains a critical presidential battleground and a national bellwether looking ahead to 2028.

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Voter concerns about capitalism are rising amid the populist streak gripping American politics, according to a new national NBC News survey. But voters remain wary of socialism and the Democratic Socialists of America, even as some DSA-aligned candidates have notched high-profile primary wins this year.

Positive views of capitalism have dropped since 2018. And for the first time in nearly a decade of NBC News polling, registered voters under 30 years old have more positive views of socialism than capitalism.

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Trump's strong rapport with Xi Jinping is set to be on display in Washington this week as the Chinese leader makes his first U.S. state visit in more than a decade. But below the surface-level pageantry at the White House, little is likely to be resolved as the world’s two biggest economies continue to spar over trade, Taiwan, AI and more.

Since a trade war shook the global economy last year, U.S.-China relations have been at an effective standstill, experts say, buying both sides time to reinforce their strengths and address their vulnerabilities.

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Trump hosts Chinese President Xi Jinping for state visit

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A federal judge early this morning ordered the White House immediately restore access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, saying that Trump’s directive barring the three news outlets was most likely unconstitutional.

In granting a 14-day temporary restraining order reinstating the outlets’ access while their legal challenge proceeds, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly wrote that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in their lawsuit against the Trump administration, at least on the grounds that their credentials were revoked last week without due process.

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