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Sep 27, 2026· Updated

Xi Arrives in Washington Expecting Trump to Freeze Taiwan Arms Sales Under a 1982 Communiqué — the $14 Billion Package Congress Approved in January Is Still Unsigned, John Moolenaar Says Beijing’s Objections Should Be "Rejected Out of Hand," and Pete Ricketts Says China Is "Not Going to Be Allowed to Take Taiwan by Force"

Xi Jinping arrives in Washington on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, for the first Chinese state visit to the United States in eleven years, with formal talks on Thursday. Reuters reported on September 22 that Xi is expected to press President Trump to halt arms sales to Taiwan under the 1982 US–China joint communiqué, in which Washington said it intended to gradually reduce such sales — a commitment Ronald Reagan conditioned in an accompanying memo "absolutely upon the continued commitment of China to the peaceful solution" of its differences with Taipei. The immediate stake is a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan that Congress approved in January and that Trump has never formally notified. It covers F-16 upgrades, ground-based air defenses, anti-ship missiles, anti-drone systems and surveillance infrastructure. Trump put the package "in abeyance" after his own May visit to Beijing, telling Fox News it was "a very good negotiating chip for us," and Taipei Times reported on September 21 that there is a strong possibility he extends the delay to the end of the year. Beijing had already signaled it would cancel the summit outright if the sale were approved beforehand; Congress did not act, and a White House official said only that Trump would make a determination "in a fairly short time." Republicans who work on China policy have spent the week publicly warning Trump against trading Taiwan for a deal. House Select Committee on the CCP Chairman John Moolenaar said Chinese objections to US arms sales and security cooperation with Asian allies should be "rejected out of hand," calling China the United States' "foremost foreign adversary and greatest external threat." Sen. Pete Ricketts, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia, said the message to Beijing has to be that "they're not going to be allowed to take Taiwan by force." Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the Select Committee's ranking Democrat, had warned in May that consulting Beijing on Taiwan arms at all was "a troubling break" from four decades of bipartisan practice.

“President Trump continues to say, 'Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world.' … He actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some, at one point. … [Trump] is as strong on Taiwan as I've ever seen anybody.”
David Perdue (R-GA) · Sep 27, 2026

Trump Greets Xi Jinping With a 21-Gun Salute and a Bomber Flyover and Toasts Their "Truly Great Friendship" — the Same Week Senators Are Briefed That China Helped Iran Target U.S. Troops, Thom Tillis Calls It "a WTF Moment" and Lisa Murkowski Says It Was "a Little Bit Over the Top"

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, for his first visit to the United States in more than a decade. President Trump gave him a full state welcome: a 21-gun salute, a military flyover and an arrival ceremony at the White House on September 24, followed by a state dinner attended by tech executives. At the arrival ceremony Trump said the two men had "forged a friendship, a truly great friendship." The welcome drew open criticism from Senate Republicans. Earlier in September it was reported that Iran had used Chinese satellite imagery to target U.S. troops in Jordan, and on Thursday Republican senators got a closed-door national security briefing on deepening military cooperation between China and Iran. Thom Tillis of North Carolina told CBS News the red carpet was "a WTF moment" and contrasted it with how Trump has treated democratic allies. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska called the military honors "a little bit over the top," and John Cornyn of Texas said China, Russia, Iran and North Korea were "pretty clearly" an axis. Several Republicans said they hoped Trump would raise China's help to Iran with Xi. Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker said before the visit that he would have advised against the invitation (see the Taiwan arms-sale story). The summit itself produced little. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a two-month extension of the U.S.-China trade truce as Xi landed. Two pandas are going to the Atlanta zoo, and work continues on a U.S.-China "Board of Trade" for non-sensitive goods. There was no public movement on Taiwan arms sales, on China's support for Iran, or on AI.

“Such a great honor. In May, we had the great privilege of visiting you in Beijing. … From the time of my first election in 2016, President Xi and I have forged a friendship, a truly great friendship. … May all of our people know a future of harmony, peace and success.”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Sep 24, 2026

Sep 21, 2026· Updated

Eight Days Before Xi Comes to the White House, His Wife Testifies to Congress That an American Scholar Has Been Held in China Since June — Young Kim Says Beijing "Wanted to Send a Message," Ro Khanna Calls It "Appalling," and a Bipartisan Senate Resolution Demands His Release

Sylvia Zin told the House Foreign Affairs Committee's East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee on September 17 that her husband, Myanmar scholar and UC Berkeley-affiliated researcher Min Zin, has been held by Chinese state security since June 3 on unspecified national-security allegations after arriving in Kunming for an academic workshop. The State Department has formally designated him wrongfully detained. Her testimony, alongside the son of jailed Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai, came eight days before President Trump is scheduled to host Xi Jinping at the White House on September 24. Subcommittee Chairwoman Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) said Beijing "wanted to send a message to those whose research inconvenienced it" by detaining Min Zin ahead of the summit, while voicing confidence Trump would secure his release. The same week, Sens. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Ed Markey (D-MA) and Ted Budd (R-NC) introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning China's "repeated pattern" of wrongfully detaining American academics. On Face the Nation the following Sunday, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) said he stood with Secretary of State Rubio on the case and called the detention of Americans over what they say or research "appalling" and "unacceptable." The case adds another point of friction to a US-China relationship already strained ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting.

“[In a letter to President Trump urging him to use Xi Jinping's state visit to secure the release of wrongfully detained people, including American citizen Min Zin:] Even a single mention of a detainee's name by a senior U.S. official, let alone by yourself, can significantly increase that individual's chances of clemency or improved treatment.”
Jeff Merkley (D-OR) · Sep 21, 2026

Sep 19, 2026· Updated

A Chatbot-Assisted Intelligence Report Sent Armed U.S. Troops to Board a Chinese Ship for Nuclear Weapons Parts That Were Never There — and the Top Democrats on Intelligence, Armed Services and Defense Appropriations Demand an Inspector General Investigation of AI Errors in Military Targeting

On September 18, 2026, CNN reported that earlier this year, during the Iran war, a U.S. Special Operations Command analyst used an AI chatbot to help produce an intelligence report claiming a Chinese ship in the Middle East was carrying components for a nuclear weapons program. The report circulated across the military; armed personnel suited up to board the vessel and military aircraft were already airborne before senior officials examined the underlying sourcing and concluded the report was "entirely false." One source told CNN the "hallucination" reflected a trend rather than an isolated incident, and another said it "almost started a war." On September 19, Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, Armed Services Ranking Member Jack Reed and Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Chris Coons wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton demanding an "immediate investigation by relevant Inspectors General." The letter also cited the February strike on a school in Minab, Iran, which killed nearly 200 people, after commanders bypassed warnings in AI-powered databases that the target intelligence was badly outdated. The Pentagon, which under Hegseth has pushed to accelerate AI adoption across operations, had not publicly responded as of September 19.

“[We ask that officials] promptly investigate this matter [and give inspectors general] unrestricted access to both instances this year in which media reports have suggested significant errors in AI-enabled targeting workflows, as well as any additional instances that may have so far not been publicly reported.”
Chris Coons (D-DE) · Sep 19, 2026

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The Administration Notifies Congress of a $24.3 Billion Sale of 48 F-35s to Saudi Arabia as a House Intelligence Democrat Warns It Could "Put the Crown Jewels of American Military Technology Within Reach of the Chinese Communist Party" and Ed Markey Moves to Block a Separate $5 Billion Saudi Bomb Sale

On September 17, 2026, the State Department formally notified Congress of a proposed $24.3 billion Foreign Military Sale to Saudi Arabia of 48 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighters, 49 Pratt & Whitney engines and associated equipment. If completed, Saudi Arabia would be the first Middle Eastern country other than Israel to fly the F-35. The State Department said the sale "will not alter the military balance in the region" and that "President Trump has made clear that Saudi Arabia is an anchor for regional security." Its notification certified that the sale does not erode Israel's legally protected qualitative military edge; reports said Saudi jets could be fitted with a less capable software suite than Israel's. U.S. intelligence analysts have repeatedly warned that the kingdom's ties to Beijing could expose F-35 technology to China through espionage or partnership. The notification lands in the middle of a Saudi-Iran proxy war in Yemen and the U.S. war with Iran, and weeks after Trump sent Congress a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Riyadh. Congress has 30 days to object. The same week, Sens. Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley and Bernie Sanders introduced a joint resolution of disapproval against a separate $5 billion sale — notified September 4 — of more than 10,000 JDAM guidance kits and 500- and 2,000-pound bombs.

“Further escalation in the Saudi-Iran proxy war will worsen an already dire humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen and risks setting off a nuclear arms race between Iran and Saudi Arabia.”
Ed Markey (D-MA) · Sep 17, 2026

Sep 16, 2026· Updated

The Heads of Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI Agree AI Is Moving Too Fast and Ask Governments to Help Them "Pace the Frontier" — Sanders Says "You Hit the Brakes," the Speaker Says "We Cannot Put a Moratorium on This Because China Will Overlap Us," and Trump Blames "Negative Forces"

On Saturday, September 12, 2026, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay titled "We Must Pace the Frontier," arguing that AI capabilities are advancing faster than anyone's ability to understand and control them and calling for a deliberate, coordinated slowdown in frontier development, third-party evaluations, and a role for governments in brokering coordination among AI companies — including antitrust waivers so the companies can agree on a pace. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk publicly agreed within hours. The call landed weeks after rogue AI agents broke out of test environments and hacked outside organizations, and eight weeks before the midterms. Democrats said the companies' own admission proves Congress must act: Sen. Bernie Sanders called for a pause and a ban on superintelligence, Rep. Ro Khanna said Amodei "doesn't go nearly far enough," and Govs. JB Pritzker and Josh Shapiro said the time for federal action is now. On the Sunday shows, House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected an emergency moratorium, warning that "China will overlap us," while proposing a White House meeting of AI leaders and lawmakers. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said the bigger risk was losing the race to adversaries, and President Trump, speaking at the Irish Open, said "negative forces" were raising "things that won't happen."

“I would love to mark it up this month, if we can get bipartisan agreement. We're making progress. The negotiations are ongoing. We're not there yet, but I think we're making meaningful progress.”
Ted Cruz (R-TX) · Sep 16, 2026

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anthropic

31 statements

Sep 15, 2026· Updated

The United States Admits for the First Time That It Has Weapons in Orbit — Air Force Secretary Troy Meink Says the Space Force "Now Has On-Orbit Space Control Weapons," and the Chief of Space Operations Says "It Was Time" to Say So Out Loud

On September 14, 2026, in his opening keynote at the Air & Space Forces Association's Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said that the Space Force "now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action." It was the first time any US government official has publicly acknowledged that the United States has deployed weapon systems into orbit. Meink later told reporters the acknowledgement was deliberate and the phrasing "very well thought out," while declining to say whether the systems are kinetic or non-kinetic, or whether they have been tested — arguing that specifics would undercut their deterrent value. A Space Force spokesperson subsequently said "space control" encompasses both kinetic and non-kinetic means, used to disrupt, degrade or destroy, offensively as well as defensively. The next day, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Douglas Schiess confirmed and expanded on the disclosure, framing it as an overdue act of transparency about capabilities the service already fields. China called on Washington to stop weaponizing space; Russia warned of potentially catastrophic consequences and renewed its call for "the complete demilitarization of space." As of this writing, congressional reaction has been notably muted — the House adjourned until after the midterms two days after Meink's remarks.

“Today, Guardians operate on-orbit weapons that can defend the joint force against space-enabled attacks.”
Douglas Schiess (I) · Sep 15, 2026

Two Weeks Before Xi Comes to Washington, Trump Calls a Senator's Warning About Chinese Cars "a Total Phony Rumor" — Then Says in the Same Interview That "If China Wanted to Come In and Open a Plant to Build Their Cars Here, I'd Be OK With That"

On September 9, 2026, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) posted that she was hearing "rumors that Trump is planning to allow Chinese cars to be sold in the U.S., as part of a larger deal he's putting together," calling it "a strategic mistake." She cited no source and paired the warning with a push for the Connected Vehicle Security Act, her bipartisan bill with Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) that would bar Chinese-linked connected vehicles, software and hardware from the U.S. market. A House version is led by Reps. John Moolenaar (R-MI), chairman of the Select Committee on China, and Debbie Dingell (D-MI), and the Senate Commerce Committee passed the bill in July. Asked about it on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle" on September 11, President Trump said "I hate this rumor. It's a total phony rumor," pointing to his tariffs on Chinese cars. But in the same interview he said "If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I'd be OK with that," comparing it to Japanese automakers: "The big thing is they hire our people." He said he did not want Chinese companies building cars in Mexico and shipping them north. The remarks came as Trump prepares to host Chinese President Xi Jinping in the United States, a meeting expected around September 24, and a week after the Alliance for Automotive Innovation — representing Ford, GM, Toyota, Stellantis, Honda and nearly every other major automaker — asked Congress to pass a permanent ban on Chinese vehicles by the end of December. A Biden-era Commerce Department rule already effectively bars Chinese automakers from selling or building connected passenger vehicles in the U.S.

“I hate this rumor. It's a total phony rumor. I'm the one that has a 150 percent tariff on any car from China. … If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I'd be OK with that. … Japan does it, but they hire our people. The big thing is they hire our people.”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Sep 11, 2026

The Transportation Secretary Tells Ford It Is "Actively Intertwining Its Future With Chinese State-Backed Enterprises" — Three Weeks After the Commerce Secretary Said "Ford Is Going to Rock Us" by Bringing Manufacturing Home — and Ford Calls the Letter "a Wrongheaded Attempt to Capture Headlines"

On September 8, 2026, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent Ford CEO Jim Farley a letter expressing "the profound concern of the U.S. Department of Transportation" about "the strategic trajectory of Ford Motor Company," and released it to the press. The letter cited Ford's licensing of battery technology from China's CATL — a company on the Pentagon's list of Chinese military-linked firms — at its BlueOval Battery Park in Marshall, Michigan; its arrangement letting Chinese automaker Geely build vehicles at Ford's plant in Valencia, Spain; reported talks with BYD over hybrid components; and Ford's decision to keep building the Lincoln Nautilus in China until 2030. Ford's choices, Duffy wrote, "paint a troubling picture of a foundational American brand actively intertwining its future with Chinese state-backed enterprises," and a company that "intentionally chooses to deepen operational dependencies on strategic competitors" fails "to act as the reliable partner the American public and this DOT require." Ford answered the same day with unusual bluntness for a company dealing with its regulator. It called the letter "a wrongheaded attempt to capture headlines at the expense of a company that has done more for American manufacturing than virtually any other in the nation's history," said it contained "factual errors," described the CATL deal as "a limited technology-licensing and services agreement, not a joint venture or foreign-owned manufacturing operation" under which "Ford owns the plant, controls the operation and employs the workforce," and noted that "Had Secretary Duffy reached out before issuing his letter to the press, we would have been happy to share more details." Ford also pointed out that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had praised the Nautilus decision on August 13, telling Fox Business after a joint interview with Farley that "Ford is going to rock us with bringing manufacturing back to America." On September 9, congressional Republicans lined up behind Duffy. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) thanked him for "sounding the alarm about Ford's risky ties to CCP companies," and Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), chairman of the House Select Committee on China — who in July had said Ford was "actively helping the Chinese Communist Party" by hosting Geely in Spain — said "Ford should work with our nation's allies, not our adversaries." Michigan's Democratic delegation had not weighed in as of the evening of September 9.

“… sounding the alarm about Ford's risky ties to CCP companies.”
Rick Scott (R-FL) · Sep 9, 2026

Three Four-Star Combatant Commanders and the Chief of Naval Operations Formally Tell Hegseth "Non-Concur" on Extending the Iran War — and When It Leaks, the Pentagon's Answer Is That Publishing It "Is a Crime"

The August 14, 2026 edition of the Secretary of Defense Orders Book — the classified internal document that allocates which forces go where — asked the services and the combatant commands to sign off on extending the units committed to the Iran war. According to reporting published by The Washington Post on August 30, they did not. The commanders of U.S. European Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Southern Command, along with Adm. Daryl Caudle, the chief of naval operations, entered a formal "non-concur" — the military's institutional way of putting disagreement on the record. The chiefs of the Army and Air Force concurred but attached warnings that doing so carried significant risk. The substance of the objection was readiness. With so many aircraft, ships and air-defense systems pulled into the Iran campaign, the commanders responsible for Europe, the Pacific and Latin America told Hegseth they could not execute their own war plans if a crisis opened in their theaters — or, in one framing, defend the homeland. Caudle told Hegseth the Navy cannot sustain its current contribution when the campaign has no anticipated end date, and reported that barely a quarter of the destroyer fleet was ready to deploy. The Pentagon's public response was not to engage the readiness argument but to attack the disclosure. Chief spokesman Sean Parnell wrote that publishing the orders book is "a crime" and "a betrayal of the force," while simultaneously arguing that non-concurs are routine and that the secretary "sees them constantly." A Washington Post spokesperson said the paper was confident in its reporting and sourcing. In Congress — still in recess until mid-September, which sharply limited on-record reaction over the holiday weekend — the first responses came from House Democrats. Rep. Gil Cisneros, a Navy veteran on Armed Services, said the episode was "another example of mismanagement by Pete Hegseth" and that his decisions "will have a negative impact on readiness for years to come." Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a senior Intelligence Committee member, tied it directly to China: with the carrier USS George Washington moved out of the Pacific and munitions stockpiles depleted, he told Bloomberg the United States is inviting Beijing to test it over Taiwan.

“The Department does not comment on internal personnel or investigative matters but takes all leaks of classified national security information extremely seriously and investigates accordingly. Securing classified information is critical to ensuring the security of the United States and of our troops deployed around the world.”
Sean Parnell (R) · Sep 5, 2026

Trump and Xi Hold High-Stakes Beijing Summit; China Warns Over Taiwan

President Trump traveled to Beijing on May 13-14, 2026 for a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping — the first U.S. presidential state visit to China in years. Xi placed Taiwan at the center of talks, calling it "the most important issue" and warning that if it is "mishandled," the two countries "will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy." The two leaders agreed on a framework for "constructive strategic stability," that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open, and that Iran should not acquire nuclear weapons. Trade, tariffs, AI, and rare earths were also on the agenda. A major pre-summit flashpoint: Trump had not formally notified Congress of a $14 billion in arms sales to Taiwan that Congress pre-approved in January 2025. A bipartisan group of eight senators — led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) — sent Trump a letter urging him to proceed with the sale. A second bipartisan letter, led by Sens. Bennet (D-CO) and Curtis (R-UT), urged Secretary Rubio to reaffirm U.S. commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act.

“The way you respond to a China flex is with a flex. China needs to stop being a personal trainer for our adversaries.”
Thom Tillis (R-NC) · May 11, 2026