⚡ TODAY IN HISTORY

On September 25, 1789, the First Congress agreed on the amendments that became the Bill of Rights, including the right to a free press. On the same date in 2015, President Barack Obama hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for Xi’s first U.S. state visit. Today? Xi ends his return trip at the National Archives, home of the Bill of Rights, a day after a judge ordered the White House to readmit three banned news outlets.

TOP NEWS

Trump and Xi extend their trade truce to Jan. 10 +2 MONTHS

To keep tariffs that once topped 100% on hold, the U.S. and China agreed to extend their trade truce from Nov. 10 to Jan. 10, 2027. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at the White House on Thursday, but the talks produced no broader pact on trade, AI or Taiwan.

US and Iran weigh a step-by-step plan to reopen Hormuz 7-DAY OFFER

Iran wants the U.S. naval blockade lifted, and Washington wants ships moving again through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow Gulf passage for much of the world’s oil. Negotiators in New York are weighing a phased exit from the seven-month conflict, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran has offered a seven-day plan to reopen the strait if the U.S. meets its terms.

Rare September nor’easter threatens 40 million people 60 MPH GUSTS

Strong winds off the ocean have driven seawater into streets from North Carolina to New Jersey since midweek, flooding parts of Norfolk, Virginia. The storm’s worst wind and rain should hit New York and Boston late Friday into Saturday, with up to 6 inches of rain in Boston and gusts near 60 mph on the coast.

Judge orders White House to readmit CNN, Politico and MS NOW 14 DAYS

President Donald Trump barred the three outlets from the White House on Sept. 18, saying they publish false stories about him. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, ruled early Thursday that the ban likely broke their right to due process and restored their access for 14 days.

10-year Treasury yield hits its highest level since 2007 5.1%

Traders fear that oil-driven inflation will force more Federal Reserve rate hikes, and that fear sent the 10-year Treasury yield, which steers mortgage rates, above 5.1% this week. The 30-year yield rose Thursday to levels last seen in 2004, and markets now see about a 70% chance of another Fed hike in October.

WORLD

Diplomats walk out as Netanyahu takes the UN stage

Hundreds of diplomats walked out of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rose to speak, in protest of the war in Gaza. Netanyahu, who faces an election next month, called those who left “moral cowards” and defended Israel’s strikes on Iran.

Congo’s Ebola death toll passes 3,750 7,773 CASES

Cases are falling in Ituri, where the outbreak began in May, but they jumped 73% in three weeks in North Kivu, a province in eastern Congo, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. The outbreak has killed 3,759 people, and its Bundibugyo strain is not the one existing Ebola drugs were built to treat.

Ukraine hands two North Korean POWs to South Korea

Ukraine caught the two soldiers in January 2025 as they fought for Moscow in Russia’s Kursk region, and South Korean media say both asked to defect. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed the handover at the UN on Wednesday, and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called the public reveal deeply regrettable.

Saudi Arabia downs six Houthi missiles aimed at an oil port

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia this month as Yemen’s civil war flares again. Saudi forces said they shot down six missiles on Thursday aimed at the city of Taif and at Yanbu, the Red Sea port the kingdom uses to ship oil when Hormuz is shut.

Barred from the US, Abbas addresses the UN by video

The Trump administration denied Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas a visa to attend this year’s UN meeting. Abbas spoke instead by video from Ramallah, in the West Bank, and asked world leaders to hold Israel to account for settlements and the war in Gaza.

POLITICS

Senate rejects Iran war powers measure, 49–50 4 GOP YES

Democrats forced the vote to put Republicans on record about a conflict that has raised fuel and food prices, less than six weeks before the Nov. 3 midterms. Republicans Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul and Thom Tillis voted yes on Thursday, while Democrat John Fetterman voted no.

Democrats lead the generic ballot by 11 points 53%–42%

Emerson College polled 1,000 likely voters on Sept. 21-22 and found 53% prefer Democrats for Congress, compared with 42% for Republicans. Independents, who backed Trump in 2024, favor Democrats 60% to 31%, and a separate NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found a 12-point gap.

Trump’s FDA pick backs the MMR vaccine but dodges on the abortion pill

Heidi Overton, a White House health aide, would replace Marty Makary, who resigned as head of the Food and Drug Administration in May. At her Senate hearing Thursday, Overton called the measles vaccine safe and effective but would not say whether the FDA should change its rules for mifepristone.

Republicans in tight races break with Trump over Iran

Rising gas prices have led several Republican Senate candidates to call for an end to the fighting. Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa said this week that Iowans should not pay for the war at the pump, and Michigan nominee Mike Rogers said it must end to bring costs down.

Trump says an Iran peace pact may wait until after the midterms

President Donald Trump said this week that he faces a choice between a deal that lets Iran rebuild and a campaign to destroy the Islamic Republic. In his UN address, Trump also warned that peace may not come until after the Nov. 3 midterms, even as U.S. and Iranian officials talk through mediators.

MARKETS

Dow heads for a fourth straight weekly loss DOW 51,350

Investors expect the Federal Reserve, which raised rates on Sept. 16 for the first time since 2023, to hike again as oil and bond yields climb. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 162 points Thursday to 51,350, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended flat after reports of U.S.-Iran talks cut early losses.

Brent crude hovers near $107 on Hormuz hopes $107

Reports of U.S.-Iran talks on restoring tanker traffic through Hormuz pulled Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, back from above $108. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, closed around $95 a barrel, up about 46% from a year ago.

Oracle invokes force majeure on its New Mexico AI data center −29% YTD

Permit fights and a delayed gas pipeline have stalled Project Jupiter, a planned AI data center in New Mexico. Oracle sent the builder a force majeure notice, a legal claim that events beyond its control may delay payments, and its shares fell 3.5%, extending a 29% slide this year.

Tesla opens its Semi truck plant nine years after the reveal 50,000/YR

Tesla first showed its electric Semi in 2017 and promised it by 2019, but only small batches reached buyers such as PepsiCo, starting in 2022. On Thursday the company opened a Semi factory in Sparks, Nevada, near Reno, built to make 50,000 trucks a year and add more than 3,000 jobs.

Gold slides as rate-hike bets build $4,274

A stronger dollar and rising odds of another Fed hike have cut gold about 21% from its late-January peak of roughly $5,400 an ounce. Gold closed around $4,274 on Thursday, and bitcoin traded near $84,360, down from above $86,000 earlier in September.

ENTERTAINMENT

Taylor Swift releases four new ‘Showgirl’ songs 4 NEW SONGS

Swift says her 2025 album The Life of a Showgirl had the biggest first week in history, and a trip to Sweden to celebrate with her producers turned into more songs. The Encore edition hit streaming early Friday with four new tracks, led by the single “Patient Zero.”

VMAs Sunday: Swift set to pass Beyoncé with a 31st trophy 31 AWARDS

MTV created a new award for work behind the camera, and Swift will be its first winner at Sunday’s Video Music Awards in Los Angeles. The honor breaks her tie with Beyoncé at 30 awards, and the show airs Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

Madonna returns to the VMAs stage after 23 years 11 NOMS

Madonna leads this year’s field with 11 nominations and will open Sunday’s show, her first VMAs performance since 2003. Nirvana will receive the Video Vanguard Award, the show’s top career honor.

‘Avengers: Endgame’ returns and may win the weekend $25M–$28M

Disney is putting its 2019 hit, the second-biggest film ever at $2.8 billion worldwide, back in theaters ahead of Avengers: Doomsday in December. Avengers: Endgame Encore is tracking for $25 million to $28 million, enough to fight Resident Evil’s second weekend for first place.

Brad Pitt’s ‘Heart of the Beast’ opens against Pattinson’s ‘Primetime’

Pitt plays a Special Forces veteran stranded in Alaska with his retired combat dog in the $82 million Paramount film, which is tracking for $17 million to $20 million. A24’s Primetime stars Robert Pattinson as To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen and drew about $3 million in Thursday previews.