9.25 | Culture Friday: The school she chose

Myrna Brown (0:05)

Good morning. Today on Culture Friday, a high-profile journalist puts the collective good ahead of a better school for her own child.

Nick Eicher (0:13)

We'll talk with John Stonestreet about that. Also, actress Meryl Streep as Aslan, and kids outsmarting the smart watches meant to keep them off social media. Also today, a film about two wounded companions with a long, punishing journey between them and safety.

SPEAKER_3 (0:31)

58 miles.

Mark Mellinger (0:32)

No one's coming for us.

SPEAKER_5 (0:34)

We're just going to have to do this the hard way.

Nick Eicher (0:36)

And the last word is yours. Listener feedback for September.

Myrna Brown (0:46)

It's Friday, September 25th. This is The World and Everything In It. From listeners supported World Radio, I'm Myrna Brown.

Nick Eicher (0:53)

And I'm Nick Iker. Good morning.

Myrna Brown (0:58)

Up next, Mark Millinger with today's news.

Mark Mellinger (1:02)

Two of the world's most powerful leaders spent Thursday tackling big topics at the White House. President Trump kicked things off by giving Chinese leader Xi Jinping a tour of the White House grounds, showing off the new Marine One helipad on the South Lawn.

Brad Pitt (1:17)

He's an expert on stone, aside from many other things, and he loves good credit.

Mark Mellinger (1:23)

Once they moved inside to the Oval Office, the two leaders talked about global conflicts, trade, and artificial intelligence. China is trying to catch up to the US on AI. Xi, through a translator, called for more cooperation between the two countries on that topic, while still allowing for competition.

Xi Jinping (1:42)

It should be a race of catching up with one another, not a wrestle in which one either wins or loses.

Mark Mellinger (1:50)

The talks come amid White House concerns. Chinese firms are maliciously copying AI technology developed by US companies, something China denies. President Trump says the two leaders made tremendous strides on key issues, but didn't give details. Later Thursday night, the president and first lady hosted Xi and his wife at a state dinner, also attended by several US tech titans.

Meantime, three news organizations banned the White House last week were back on the grounds. Thursday, a judge issued a temporary order restoring access for CNN, Politico and MSNOW. The judge says those outlets' legal filings, claiming their press passes were revoked without due process, were likely to succeed. Ted Butrus is the attorney representing the news organizations.

Ted Butrus (2:42)

This is all about trying to control independent journalism and the editorial viewpoint of journalists.

Mark Mellinger (2:50)

Trump initially cited what he considers negative coverage as his reason for kicking those media outlets out before later claiming their coverage could endanger national security. The judge didn't buy the national security argument and has now given each side two weeks to file arguments over whether he should consider a longer lasting order. As a show of solidarity with the three outlets involved in this dispute, the major TV networks did not air live coverage of Xi Jinping's state visit to the White House.

Moral cowards! That's how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described delegations from several countries who left the room before he started speaking to the UN General Assembly Thursday.

Benjamin Netanyahu (3:35)

Many of their leaders even thank us privately for taking out Iran's nukes. It's hard to imagine more mind-blowing hypocrisy, but that's exactly what it is.

Mark Mellinger (3:44)

Netanyahu also defended Israel's military campaigns against Hamas and its terror allies in response to the October 7th, 2023 attacks on Israel, and he defended the joint U.S.-Israeli operations this year to destroy Iran's nuclear capacity.

Benjamin Netanyahu (4:02)

It was one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make as Prime Minister, because if we hadn't done it, we'd all be dead.

Mark Mellinger (4:12)

Netanyahu also accused the leaders of several countries who've spoken out against Israel's actions of giving in to anti-Semites.

Iran's president claims his country does not want a nuclear weapon. During media interviews Thursday, President Mahmoud Pesachian claimed Iran's top leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has declared several times that pursuing a nuclear weapon would be unholy. Iran's perceived nuclear ambitions are a key rationale the US has given for going to war with the Middle Eastern nation. Pesachian, in the US to speak before the UN., also acknowledged the war has weakened Iran's economy. But in an interview on Fox News Channel's special report, speaking through a translator, he expressed resolve.

SPEAKER_5 (4:59)

We never started a war, but if they wish to keep fighting with us, we will respond strongly.

Mark Mellinger (5:06)

Pesachian also told reporters Iran would never try to kill Donald Trump despite the president accusing Iranian leaders of plotting to do just that.