Afternoon audio brief for Friday, September 25, 2026 — tap play above to listen with slides and subtitles. Here's what happened: President Trump hosted Xi Jinping's first White House visit in over a decade, a nor'easter took aim at the East Coast, the Supreme Court handed down an election ruling, and Treasury yields hit levels not seen in two decades.
President Trump rolled out the red carpet for Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, hosting a state dinner that marked Xi's first visit to the White House in over a decade. Trump hailed what he called a "truly great friendship" between the two leaders and presented Xi with an ornate bald eagle statue. The guest list underscored the business stakes: more than 30 CEOs scored invites, with the White House describing a three-course menu showcasing "American ingredients with subtle Chinese influence." Trade and AI policy dominated the agenda as both governments test a thaw in U.S.-China relations.
A strengthening nor'easter is taking aim at the Northeast this weekend, with New York and Boston squarely in the forecast cone. Forecasters warn of heavy rain, coastal flooding, and gusty, potentially damaging winds along a stretch from New Jersey to Massachusetts, with significant coastal impacts expected to begin Friday night. Airlines have already waived flight-change fees for affected airports, and the storm even claimed Ed Sheeran's weekend concerts at Gillette Stadium. If you're anywhere on the East Coast, build in extra travel time and stay weather-aware through Sunday.
The Supreme Court on Friday allowed the Trump administration to resume using its mass voter verification system — a federal citizenship database that flags potential non-citizens on state voter rolls — ahead of the November midterms, over liberal justices' dissents. The order also lets the Department of Homeland Security overhaul an immigration database used for the same purpose. The practical effect: election officials now face a compressed timeline to process flagged records just as early voting windows open across several states. Expect quick legal follow-on fights in the states that use the tool.
The global bond selloff is the story on Wall Street this week: the 10-year Treasury yield climbed above 5.2%, and the 30-year yield surged to its highest level since 2004 as bond prices tumbled. U.S. stocks steadied Friday — the Dow edged higher at the open while the Dow still heads for a fourth straight losing week — helped by a retreat in oil prices. For households, the knock-on effect is straightforward: mortgages, car loans, and credit costs stay elevated, and Wall Street is openly debating what breaks first under the new rate regime.
A man who was shot during the July 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump at his Butler, Pennsylvania, campaign rally has died. President Trump mourned the death as a "tremendous loss." The gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was killed by the Secret Service after he opened fire on the rally. The news closes a grim final chapter on the attempt that shocked the country and reshaped the Secret Service's leadership and protocols.
A government watchdog report finds ICE wasted tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on what it calls "uninformed" detention planning. Earlier this year the agency purchased 11 large warehouses across the country for $1.07 billion as part of a rapid detention expansion; the GAO's review cites unused tents and uneaten food among the waste. The findings land as Congress weighs further immigration funding and give oversight Democrats — and some cost-minded Republicans — fresh ammunition.
The Stateside Beat Audio · 2026-09-25 · afternoon · Narrated edition, compiled from CBS News, The New York Times, Reuters, Barron's, BBC, and PBS NewsHour.
