TODAY'S NEWS, September 24-25, 2026

IN POLITICAL NEWS1. Trump-Xi meeting: Trump hosted Xi at a state dinner, with Chinese journalists briefly allowed in while CNN and Politico were initially excluded. The Senate also rejected a war-powers resolution concerning Iran.2. Cultural shift: The source points to changing entertainment and cultural preferences alongside some institutions quietly reversing pediatric transgender policies.3. Polls and 2028: Susan Collins is reportedly leading in Maine, while Gavin Newsom is positioning himself for California’s Democratic presidential nomination.4. Political influencers: The New York Times reports networks of low-paid influencers receiving scripted Democratic messaging for midterm advertising.5. Trump at the UN: Trump’s UN speech is presented as evidence of a changed international landscape under his policies.6. FBI breach: The FBI is investigating a possible cyberattack on its employment website, with hackers claiming access to agents’ personal data.7. Strait of Hormuz: The U.S. Navy is reportedly using laser systems to destroy drones in the Strait of Hormuz.8. Los Angeles: Mayor Karen Bass is reportedly trailing her more progressive opponent in the mayoral race.9. Teacher convictions: Two fifth-grade teachers at the same school were convicted of child sex crimes.10. Xi’s gifts: Xi brought two pandas and offered 100,000 student visas for Americans to study in China.11. Pardon allegations: A 60 Minutes report examined allegations of a “pardon economy” involving brokers selling access to presidential pardons.12. COVID restrictions: A lesbian bar owner’s decision to introduce “maskless Saturdays” triggered criticism from activists who described it as a mass-disabling event.13. New Jersey: The state’s lieutenant governor resigned amid sexual-misconduct and harassment allegations.14. Minnesota fraud: The SBA is expanding investigations into an alleged Somali-linked fraud network in Minnesota.15. Cocaine seizure: Operation Pacific Viper reportedly seized 260,000 pounds of cocaine.16. Trump rally victim: Jim Copenhaver, wounded during the 2024 Butler assassination attempt, died from complications related to his injuries.IN AI NEWS17. AI in space: Google is developing an AI-powered satellite/data-center concept designed to run AI computing in orbit.IN ILLEGAL CRIMINAL ALIEN NEWS18. Voter verification: The Supreme Court allowed Trump’s voter-registration citizenship-verification program to continue, while the Sixth Circuit allowed Ohio’s proof-of-citizenship voting law to take effect for the midterms.19. Noncitizen voter rolls: Reuters reports that states mistakenly added roughly 30,000 noncitizens to voter rolls, while the source argues the true scale of the problem could be larger.20. Immigration enforcement: The State Department reportedly removed another 25,000 migrants, while federal and state authorities increase prosecutions involving alleged noncitizen voting.21. Migration and wages: Brookings reportedly acknowledged that mass migration reduced wages and contributed to higher rents.IN CULTURAL NEWS22. Physics: A new experiment suggests atoms may fundamentally be forms of light, a finding that would have major implications if confirmed.23. Religion: Ryan Burge’s research finds private religious and spiritual activity is substantially more common than public religious participation, while young people report less private spiritual activity.IN TRANSOID NEWS24. University of Maryland: An LGBTQ research lab faces a racial-discrimination complaint and a $700,000 claim involving federal funding.25. Military pilots: Sen. Tommy Tuberville presented evidence supporting claims about unusual sexual/fetish-related conduct involving some pilots.26. Women’s sports: A report claims 2,293 female athletes have lost medals to male competitors competing in women’s categories.IN ECONOMIC NEWS27. Housing/manufacturing: Mortgage rates reached 7%, yet new-home sales exceeded expectations and core manufacturing orders surged 14–16%.28. Energy: The Navajo Nation is supporting new power plants as Trump rolls back Biden-era regulations affecting power generation on reservations.29. Bank of America:<