Trump-Xi Friendship, Two Powerful Hurricanes & Macklemore's Next Move - Friday, September 25, 2026

Lacey Evans (0:00)

Today is Friday, September 25th. We'll tell you what President Trump's summit with China's leader actually accomplished and where the two leaders still disagree. Also, how Republicans are using their huge fundraising advantage ahead of the midterms and what the FDA nominee said when senators pressed her on vaccines and abortion. Plus, why Google is about to send AI chips into space, what's next for Macklemore after the fallout with Ed Sheeran, and how thousands of people are starting every day with one woman's morning message. Those stories and even more news coming up.

Welcome to The NewsWorthy, all the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Lacey Evans, filling in for Erica Mandy today. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.

President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping just wrapped up a high-profile summit at the White House. And despite all the ceremony and friendly talk, there weren't many major breakthroughs. Trump said the US and China have made tremendous strides on trade, pointing to China's commitment to buy more American farm products. But those commitments were made before this summit, and China is already behind on some of them. The main new trade agreement this week was an extension of the current tariff truce, for another two months. When it comes to AI, Trump has said he wants to keep things the way they are, with both countries fighting for supremacy. Xi also said the two countries should compete, but that competition should be healthy and kept within bounds. To be clear, the leaders still have major disagreements. Chinese news outlets say Xi pressed Trump on Taiwan, saying the US should oppose Taiwan's independence. Trump didn't say publicly how he responded to that request. The two countries also have differences when it comes to Iran. Trump wants China to press Iran to end the war and help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But China has been hesitant to get involved, and it's currently Iran's largest trading partner. Through it all, both leaders ended this week's summit focused on the positive, and Trump said he and Xi have a truly great friendship.

The war in Gaza and the deepening divide over Israel's actions took center stage at the UN yesterday with Israeli and Palestinian leaders making very different cases to the world. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel's wars in Gaza and Iran. He called accusations Israel has committed genocide in Gaza the biggest lie of the century. Netanyahu also defended Israel's decision to attack Iran, saying it was one of the easiest decisions he's ever made. And he took aim at dozens of delegates who walked out in protest, calling them moral cowards. Also yesterday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the UN by video. Abbas said the Palestinian people are facing one of the most dangerous times in their history and called for more international pressure on Israel. He also called for a two state solution.

By the way, the protests weren't just inside the UN. Dozens of people were arrested during one anti Netanyahu protest, including actresses Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder. Police say they were taken into custody for blocking an intersection and refusing to leave. Today, the UN General Assembly continues.

Taxpayer dollars are now paying for a TV ad featuring President Trump, and it's drawing some criticisms on both sides of the aisle. The 30-second ad features Trump talking about defeating communism, socialism and Marxism, along with rapid fire images of the president and messages touting his policies. It ends with UFC CEO Dana White praising Trump. At the bottom of the screen, it says, paid for by the US government. The ad has aired on Fox News and Newsmax stations across several media markets. Critics say the ad looks like political messaging, very similar to the ones previously released by Trump's super PAC. And they have questioned whether taxpayer money can legally be used this way. Federal funding laws have included a ban on using taxpayer money for publicity or propaganda since the 1950s. But the White House says that's not what this is. It calls the ad a public service announcement that's meant to remind Americans to love their country and says it's educational and patriotic. And the exact cost isn't clear yet because the networks carrying the ad are not classifying it as a political commercial.

By the way, there are also a lot more clearly political commercials making the airwaves mostly from Republicans. That's because Republican Party committees and super PACs have a huge financial advantage over Democrats right now and they're starting to spend it on ads. In fact, last month, the National Republican Senatorial Committee spent nearly 46 times more on coordinated ads with its candidates than the Democratic Senate Committee did. The National Republican Congressional Committee also spent twice as much as its Democratic counterpart on coordinated house ads. There's a big reason this money is flowing so freely now. The Supreme Court ruled over the summer that political parties could spend unlimited amounts in coordination with their candidates. That opened the door for National Party committees to pour many more millions of dollars into campaign advertising, especially in battleground states. That money is expected to keep flowing over the next five and a half weeks before the general election on November 3rd.