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Browse major news stories and see what officials have said.

Sep 28, 2026· Updated

At the U.N., Trump Asks Whether to Make a Deal With Iran "or Do I Annihilate the Islamic Republic and Do It Quickly" and Says Tehran Is "Waiting to See How I Do in the Midterm" — Hours Later Witkoff and Kushner Sit Down With Iran's Foreign Minister for Three Hours, and Tim Kaine Asks "Who Talks Like That?"

President Trump used his September 22, 2026 address to the 81st U.N. General Assembly to defend the nearly seven-month war with Iran and to frame its end as a choice he alone would make: a deal that would let Iran "rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before," or to "annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly" and "drive them into hell with no chance of survival." He accused Tehran of stalling on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz until after the November midterms, predicted an agreement "right after the election," and insisted the election "doesn't even enter my mind." The same speech called Cuba a failed state, announced that U.S. documents would refer to AI as "superintelligence," and vowed to "encourage it, not rein it in." Within hours, Trump told reporters that U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had held "a very good meeting" lasting about three hours with an Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the General Assembly, with another meeting expected soon. Witkoff called the mediated talks "promising" and "constructive." Iranian state media said Tehran used the meeting to lay out its conditions for reopening the strait: lifting the U.S. naval blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets and ending the war on all "resistance fronts." Democrats had earlier called for Trump's removal after his April threat that "a whole civilization will die tonight." Sen. Tim Kaine, lead sponsor of the Senate's Iran war powers resolutions, answered the U.N. speech by asking "who talks like that?" The speech came as a CNN/SSRS poll found 71% of voters disapproving of Trump's handling of foreign affairs.

“This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING! Axios' story, like most others, is a HOAX, used only for purposes of satisfying their Trump Derangement Syndrome. They should withdraw this fake story, IMMEDIATELY! [Trump, responding to an Axios report that he had offered Iran sanctions relief and the release of frozen funds in exchange for nuclear concessions.]”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Sep 28, 2026

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

Five Days After Trump Signs the Russia Sanctions Bill, Rubio Announces That Putin Is Invited to the G20 at Trump's Doral Resort — "We Hope That's an Invitation He'll Accept" — and Republican Senators Answer That Putin Is "a Pariah" Who Should Be Treated "Like the Dictator He Is"

On Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at the U.N. General Assembly and after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States had invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Group of 20 summit it is hosting December 14-15 at Trump National Doral Miami, President Trump's golf resort. Rubio said engaging adversaries is how "to solve problems." He also said Russia and Ukraine had both shown interest in a limited ceasefire covering grain and energy. If Putin attends, it would be his first in-person G20 since before Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The International Criminal Court has an outstanding arrest warrant for him, but the United States is not a party to the court. On September 24 the Kremlin said no decision had been made on whether he would go. The invitation came five days after Trump signed the Graham Russia and Iran sanctions bill. Several Republican senators criticized it. Mike Rounds of South Dakota called it "a mistake" and called Putin "a pariah." Pete Ricketts of Nebraska said Putin "should not be invited," and Todd Young of Indiana said "elevating Vladimir Putin is not where we should be focused right now." Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee said Rubio had made clear the administration "has no intention of isolating Russia," and Richard Blumenthal called the invitation "absolutely disgraceful, despicable."

“[Bipartisan letter to President Trump from 14 senators, led by Jeanne Shaheen and Roger Wicker:] President Putin bears sole responsibility for launching Russia's full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. Allowing him to participate in a G20 Summit in the United States raises serious concerns about legitimizing and normalizing a government that continues to attack Ukrainian civilian targets every day. … As Russia continues its war against Ukraine and refuses to agree to a just and lasting peace agreement, its government should not be afforded a business-as-usual treatment alongside other nations at G20 events. … We urge you to reverse course and rescind the invitation to President Putin.”
Alan Armstrong (R-OK) · Sep 25, 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 23, 2026· Updated

Trump Announces He Will Meet Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodríguez in New York — the First Sit-Down Between a U.S. President and a Venezuelan Leader in Eleven Years — and Lifts Her Country's Drug Blacklisting Over "Positive Progress," While Rick Scott Calls Her "the Head of the Drug Cartels" and Maria Elvira Salazar Calls the Meeting a "Necessary Evil"

Eight months after a U.S. military operation captured Nicolás Maduro and installed his former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, as acting president, the White House announced Trump will meet her on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York — the first meeting between a sitting U.S. president and a Venezuelan head of state since 2015. Days before the announcement, Trump also removed Venezuela from the list of countries deemed to have failed their anti-drug-trafficking commitments, citing "positive progress" under Rodríguez. The planned meeting split Florida Republicans: Sen. Rick Scott called Rodríguez "the head of the drug cartels" and warned a photo with Trump would insult Venezuelans, while Rep. María Elvira Salazar — who has previously called Rodríguez the head of Venezuela's secret police and "one of the thieves" who destroyed the country — defended the meeting as part of Trump's strategy of engaging "bad actors" to open space for "good actors," calling her a "necessary evil for now."

“There's a lot that needs to be fixed in order for Venezuela to be successful. Debt restructuring is key to that. … [Venezuela has] probably the world's largest sovereign debt that has to be restructured, [and] it has to be done in the right way. [Rubio called the meeting "short but important."]”
Marco Rubio (R-FL) · Sep 23, 2026

Sep 23, 2026· Updated

Trump Sends Witkoff and Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv With "a Proposal to End the War" — Putin Halts Strikes on Kyiv for 72 Hours, and a Republican Senator Answers That "You Don't Get Any Credit for Kissing His Ass"

Special envoy Steve Witkoff and White House adviser Jared Kushner met Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Saturday, September 5, 2026, for more than three hours followed by dinner — the first substantive US-Russia meeting since direct talks broke down roughly six months earlier. Announcing the trip from the Oval Office the day before, President Trump called the two men "great negotiators" and said "they're bringing with them a proposal to end the war." Putin ordered a 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv so the envoys could travel on, and on Sunday, September 6, they met President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv — the first visit by either man to the Ukrainian capital — touring the bomb-damaged St. Sophia's Cathedral before talks. Kushner said afterward that he and Witkoff wanted to "go back to the trilateral format" with Russia and Ukraine at the same table; Witkoff said he was "confident that there'll be a good resolution here." The White House said the delegation also thanked Putin for releasing former US Marine Robert Gilman from Russian custody. The substance of the American proposal was not released. The sharpest on-record American criticism came from within the president's own party: Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), on NBC's "Meet the Press" the same Sunday, called Putin "a pirate" with "blood under his fingernails," said "you don't get any credit for kissing his ass," and argued the United States has Putin cornered and should press the advantage rather than trade concessions.

“I think both sides have expressed an interest in some limited ceasefire that involve grain and energy. Obviously, you know, that won't be easy either. [Rubio spoke after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the U.N.]”
Marco Rubio (R-FL) · Sep 23, 2026

Sep 22, 2026· Updated

Eight Months After Threatening to Take It by Force, Trump Announces a Deal With Denmark That He Says Gives the U.S. "Permanent Control Over Security, and All Other Needs, in Greenland" — Rubio Says It "Permanently and Completely Addresses Our National Security Concerns," While Greenland Stays Danish

On the evening of Friday, September 18, 2026, President Trump announced on Truth Social that the United States "has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns." He said the U.S. would "immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland," at no cost to the United States. According to a State Department official, the agreement bars any non-NATO base or troop presence in Greenland, bars adversaries from making investments on the island that could threaten the United States, and remains in force "forever" — even if Greenland becomes fully independent. Greenland remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark, a significant retreat from Trump's January demand for U.S. ownership, when he said "We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force." Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called it "an agreement that strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area," and Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said it respected "the Kingdom's red lines." The deal still requires parliamentary action in Denmark and Greenland, and the official text had not been released as of September 19. For the January confrontation that preceded the deal, see the earlier story on Trump's claimed NATO deal for Greenland control.

“I look forward to working with the wonderful people of Denmark and Greenland. It's been a great experience, amazing experience, and we've really formed a bond.”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Sep 22, 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 18, 2026· Updated

The Senate Passes the Russia and Iran Sanctions Bill 86-11 and Names It for Lindsey Graham a Month After He Died — "This Is a Big Effing Deal," Blumenthal Says, Quoting Graham's Last Words to Him

On August 7, 2026, the Senate passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 by a vote of 86-11, breaking a stalemate that had lasted more than a year and handing the late South Carolina Republican a posthumous version of the bill he had spent years failing to move. The measure imposes primary and secondary sanctions on Russia and the financial network sustaining its war in Ukraine, targeting the "shadow fleet" of shell corporations and repurposed maritime infrastructure along with Russian officials, oligarchs, their family members and financial institutions. It authorizes tariffs of up to 100 percent on the five largest importers of Russian crude and natural gas by volume — in practice China and India — and extends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, renewing sanctions on Iran's energy and weapons sectors that were set to lapse at the end of the year. The bill had been blocked for months by the White House's unwillingness to accept binding sanctions authority. It moved only after a bipartisan group — Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Darline Graham Nordone (R-S.C.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) — announced an agreement on July 28, seventeen days after Graham died at 71 at his Capitol Hill home. They said there was "no greater way to honor" his legacy. Blumenthal, a co-author, told the floor: "I'm not even going to try to channel my inner Lindsey Graham, except to say, as he said to me in some of his last words, 'This is a big effing deal.'" Graham's sister Darline Graham Nordone — appointed to his seat on Trump's recommendation — said he "believed that this was the most consequential piece of legislation that he had ever led." Not everyone was satisfied. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) forced a vote on an amendment limiting Trump's tariff authority under the bill; it failed 32-64. On the House side, Foreign Affairs ranking member Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) warned that the final text "still contain[s] the broadest possible waiver authority for President Trump, who already has the power to impose these sanctions on Russia under U.S. law but has refused to do so," and Meeks said he opposed "handing President Trump a Trojan horse for tariff authorities he has repeatedly abused." The House is expected to take the bill up when members return from summer break on August 31.

“I wish Lindsey were here to celebrate this historic day. I know he would be so proud.”
Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC) · Sep 18, 2026

The Pentagon’s Europe Review Puts Its First Numbers on Paper — 25,000 to 40,000 of the 80,000 U.S. Troops in Europe, Below the Floor Congress Set in Law — and Eight Senate Democrats Tell Rubio That American Ambassadors Have Been "Excluded From Consultations"

The Europe Force Posture Review, launched in June 2026 and run out of the office of Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, is due to deliver a final recommendation to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on November 6, 2026. On September 17 and 18, Reuters and NBC News reported the first numbers the review has put on paper: options to withdraw between 25,000 and 40,000 of the roughly 80,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Europe, along with aircraft and ships, with Germany, Italy and Spain among the countries hosting the largest affected deployments. Either figure would take the U.S. presence below the 76,000-troop floor Congress wrote into the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which bars a reduction below that level without a prior security assessment and certification to lawmakers. On September 17, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led seven Senate Democrats in a letter to Marco Rubio — who holds the dual role of Secretary of State and National Security Advisor — objecting that the review is being conducted without meaningful State Department participation, and that U.S. ambassadors in the countries that would be affected have been kept out of it. The senators wrote that the Pentagon had sent allied governments a questionnaire covering diplomatic priorities that properly sit with the State Department. The same week, Trump posted that "major progress" was being made toward a U.S. Army base in Poland — the administration’s answer to the drawdown reporting being that forces are being repositioned toward NATO’s eastern flank rather than pulled off the continent. A final recommendation is not due until November 6, three days after the midterm elections.

“Thanks to the bold leadership of my friend, Karol Nawrocki, President of Poland, major progress is being made toward establishing a U.S. Army base in Poland.”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Sep 17, 2026

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.

“The United States must not send thousands of conventional weapons to Saudi Arabia or allow it to develop a nuclear program. I am deeply concerned by the Kingdom's human rights abuses, the security of the region as the war in Iran rages on, and the proxy war that is escalating between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Yemen.”
Ed Markey (D-MA) · Sep 17, 2026

The Same Day the House Clears the Russia Sanctions Bill, Shaheen and Wicker Introduce a Bipartisan Resolution for Russia's Democracy Advocates — "For Nemtsov, for Navalny, and for the Courageous Russians Who Carry Their Torch Today"

On September 16, 2026 — the same day the House passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act 262-159 — Senate Foreign Relations Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced a bipartisan resolution recognizing the US national interest in supporting Russian democracy advocates. The resolution honors Russians imprisoned, exiled or killed for opposing Vladimir Putin's government — Wicker named Boris Nemtsov and Alexei Navalny explicitly — and ties Putin's repression at home to his war abroad. Shaheen argued the invasion of Ukraine was itself rooted in Putin's fear that Russians would want what Ukrainians were building. It is a narrow, symbolic measure, but a notable one: the top Democrat on Foreign Relations and the top Republican on Armed Services jointly rebuking Russia's internal repression, with Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) signing on as co-sponsors.

“My colleague Senator Shaheen and I introduce this resolution for Nemtsov, for Navalny, and for the courageous Russians who carry their torch today. Putin casts a repressive shadow over Russia, but these heroes work toward a bright future they cannot yet see. The U.S. Senate honors their efforts and looks forward to the day when Russia is led by and for its people.”
Roger Wicker (R-MS) · Sep 16, 2026

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