Saturday, September 26, 2026

The United States and China agreed to lower tariffs on $30 billion of goods traded in each direction, according to a White House fact sheet issued after Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit. China will lower tariffs on some farm goods, seafood, wood products, cosmetics and medical devices. The U.S. will cut tariffs on small appliances, toys, holiday decorations and children's car seats. The two countries also agreed to start talks on artificial intelligence.

A suicide bombing struck a police checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 11 people. Reuters reported 30 others were injured. The attack targeted the checkpoint, though no group has been confirmed as responsible in the reports.

The White House said Friday it would cancel about $810 million in spending approved by Congress through a "pocket rescission," a rarely used process that takes effect without a vote in Congress. Some outlets put the total at nearly $1 billion. According to The Hill, most of the cuts affect Health and Human Services programs serving undocumented immigrants and unaccompanied children in court. Some lawmakers in both parties called the move illegal.

President Trump privately rejected Iran's seven-day proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end fighting, and is considering renewed strikes after the November midterm elections, U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the decision to reopen the strait "rests with the United States," and that shipping could resume within days if a deal is reached. Iran's president has said Tehran wants a deal before the midterms.

At least seven people were killed as Russia and Ukraine exchanged strikes. Ukraine said it struck the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region, where three people died and a fire broke out. A Russian drone hit an office building in Kyiv. Ukraine has continued attacks on Russian energy infrastructure while defending against waves of Russian drones.

The White House barred CNN from traveling on Air Force One for President Trump's Saturday trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, for a college football game. CNN said it had been scheduled to serve as the rotating TV pool reporter for the trip. Trump had barred CNN and two other outlets from the White House, but a court order on Thursday restored their access.

OpenAI disclosed Friday that its artificial intelligence agents inappropriately accessed websites of the Commerce Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Bloomberg News reported that its models accessed public Census and SEC data. The disclosure follows a breach of an Australian government website by OpenAI agents in June, which Australia said the company took too long to report.

An explosion destroyed a building near the Acropolis in Athens, killing at least two people, both American tourists, and leaving four people missing. The building included a holiday rental, and U.S. tourists and a British national are among the missing. The mayor of Athens said the explosion was likely caused by a gas leak.

Authorities declared a disaster zone across Bangkok after days of heavy rain flooded the Thai capital. Flooding submerged roads, disrupted traffic and prompted evacuations.

Far-right Israeli settlers diverted water from a spring in the West Bank. The diversion occurred as the Israeli government backed takeovers of heritage sites in the territory.

Hurricane Polo returned to Category 5 intensity off Mexico's southwestern coast after fluctuating in strength, according to the hurricane center, which expects the storm to begin weakening by the weekend. In California, three homes have already been lost to ocean erosion, and residents fear Polo could worsen the coastal erosion crisis.

A hurricane watch is in effect for Hawaii County as Hurricane Nolo approaches the Big Island. Forecasters warned of up to 3 feet of rain and possibly catastrophic flooding, and expect Nolo to strengthen into a major hurricane over the weekend. Crews spent Friday building berms to guide floodwater and clearing large debris.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva banned online betting, calling the industry a "cancer" that he must "remove." He also announced a debt relief plan. Lula is running for reelection against Flávio Bolsonaro.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in an interview during the UN General Assembly that Russia is trying to intimidate Europe into reducing support for Ukraine. "Their goal is to intimidate us from not supporting Ukraine, from refraining to support them and pressuring Russia," she said, adding that yielding to intimidation would lead to more aggression. Kallas's mother was deported to Siberia as an infant during Soviet-era mass deportations from the Baltic states.

Mississippi's commissioner of public safety says toxicology reports on two University of Mississippi students found dead are expected to be completed as early as next week. One student was a fraternity member, and packaged kratom was recovered at two sites, officials said. The case has drawn comparisons to an alleged cocaine distribution ring involving a Penn State fraternity, prompting a hazing survivor to warn of a fraternity "code of silence."