Today's News with Larry Schweikart
TODAY'S NEWS, September 24-25, 2026
Episode Summary
Today’s news brings Trump’s meeting with Xi, continued battles over media and political influence, voter-registration enforcement, immigration crackdowns, and a growing sense of political and cultural change. AI is moving into space, while economic news shows strong manufacturing and housing despite 7% mortgage rates, rising energy concerns, and major corporate shifts. Internationally, Europe is reconsidering coal and energy policy, global debt has topped $365 trillion, China faces a deeper real-estate crisis, and migrant tensions are rising in Spain. Medical news brings more scrutiny of Fauci and vaccine research, and finally, teenagers set a world record by recycling 2,675 pounds of sports balls.
Episode Notes
IN POLITICAL NEWS
- 1. 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 NEWS
- 17. AI in space: Google is developing an AI-powered satellite/data-center concept designed to run AI computing in orbit.
IN ILLEGAL CRIMINAL ALIEN NEWS
- 18. 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 NEWS
- 22. 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 NEWS
- 24. 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 NEWS
- 27. 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: BofA backed Trump’s workforce push by hiring 1,000 new apprentices/interns.
- 30. Consumer sentiment: Economic data remains relatively strong while public sentiment about the economy continues to deteriorate.
- 31. California battery fire: A lithium-ion battery storage facility in La Verne could burn for several days, according to authorities.
- 32. Starbucks/McDonald’s: Starbucks is closing another 250 stores while McDonald’s plans billions in investment to strengthen its brand.
- 33. Huawei/EV buses/DoorDash: The DOJ’s Huawei case is advancing; fewer than 40% of federally funded electric school buses were reportedly delivered; and DoorDash agreed to pay roughly $130 million over worker underpayment claims.
- 34. New York Times: Major investors have sued the New York Times over alleged anti-Israel bias.
- 35. Diesel: Oil-market disruptions involving Russia and Iran have pushed diesel prices higher globally, encouraging U.S. producers to export more and prompting discussion of an export ban.
IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS
- 36. Spain/US: Spain will allow a U.S. extradition request involving Fergie Chambers to proceed in a money-laundering case.
- 37. Europe and coal: European officials are reportedly warning that coal plants may need to return as energy concerns and political pressure intensify.
- 38. Ceuta: Tensions are rising in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, with emergency reports reportedly up more than 530% amid migrant-related unrest.
- 39. AI literature: A French book that won a major literary award is facing questions over whether AI contributed to its creation.
- 40. Global debt: Worldwide debt has surpassed $365 trillion.
- 41. China: Manufacturing growth has masked a major Chinese real-estate crisis that remains unresolved.
- 42. Cambridge: Cambridge University will reportedly not investigate the hiring process surrounding academic Jason Arday.
- 43. Noah’s Ark: Researchers claim to have confirmed the location of Noah’s Ark at Turkey’s Durupınar site.
IN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
- 44. Bob Pettit: Basketball legend Bob Pettit, one of the NBA’s first dominant big men, died at 93.
- 45. TV: The source enjoyed Neagley but found Lanterns disappointing after a promising start.
- 46. NFL: Guardian Caps, padded helmet covers designed to reduce impact forces, are becoming more visible among NFL players.
IN MEDICAL NEWS
- 47. Fauci: Further allegations involving gain-of-function research, destroyed records, and Anthony Fauci continue to emerge.
- 48. Vaccine safety: A new CDC/NIH research center focused on vaccine harms is being established.
AND FINALLY . . .
- 49. Recycling record: Teenagers set a world record by recycling 2,675 pounds of sports balls in a single day.