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Thursday, Sep. 24, 2026

Today, we take a look at Trump rolling out the red carpet for Xi Jinping, the White House being ordered to restore access to MS NOW, CNN and Politico, JD Vance and Dr. Oz chasing ACA ‘phantoms’ and more. Plus, Michael Steele reacts to the idea of Trump adding his name to Ford’s Theatre.

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Trump pulls out all the stops for China’s Xi

President Donald Trump is treating Chinese President Xi Jinping to a three-day White House extravaganza featuring blaring trumpets, stealth bomber and fighter jet flyovers, and the U.S. Marine Band playing both the American and Chinese national anthems.

Also planned to honor the Chinese leader: an opulent state dinner, a private tea meeting and hundreds of U.S. military personnel from all branches marching and carrying flags from both countries

“This is basically two geopolitical strongmen circling each other on the playground, trying to determine what their next move is,” Kurt Campbell, now the chairman and co-founder of The Asia Group, said.

The pageantry is the point.

This is a preview of Felicia Schwartz and Emily Hung’s latest article. Read the full article here.

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Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

Judge orders White House to restore press access to MS NOW, CNN and Politico

The ruling is a victory for news organizations fighting to cover a president who has repeatedly lashed out at the media, writes Fallon Gallagher. Read more.

Rural voters backed Trump. But new polling shows they’re getting fed up with him.

A key part of the GOP base looks like it might just stay at home in November, argues Zeeshan Aleem. Read more.

Trump’s FDA pick is so extreme even GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy seems worried

There’s no reason to believe Dr. Overton, who previously worked for America First Policy Institute, will make science-based decisions regarding medical abortion, argues Julie F. Kay. Read more. 

Navy discloses 8 suicide attempts tied to USS Lincoln’s strike group

In a letter, the acting secretary of the Navy disclosed new details about the conditions onboard during the ship’s record deployment in the Iran war, insisting the “Lincoln’s crew is resilient.” Read more from Priya Sridhar and Kevin Frey. 

MS NOW; Andrew Harnik / Getty Images

The crucial flaw in the logic of Dr. Oz and JD Vance’s ACA ‘phantoms’

The vice president's anti-fraud task force may strip health coverage from people who did nothing wrong, argues Miranda Yaver. Read more. 

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THE WEEKNIGHT

Steele torches possibility of slapping Trump’s name on Ford’s Theatre