When Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington on Wednesday, he's expected to get a rare greeting from President Donald Trump, who'll be on the tarmac to welcome his counterpart's plane instead of waiting for him to drive up to the White House. Trump's decision to greet Xi shows how far the U.S. president is going to honor China's leader as he makes his first state visit in more than a decade.
Also, Trump's AI-fueled vision for a drone port he intends to install atop the new White House ballroom includes missile-bearing unmanned aerial vehicles and gun-toting troops. But what hasn't been previously reported is the presence of a drone port a few hundred feet away, run by the U.S. Secret Service and not the military, which is already quietly operational.
Here's the latest:
Iran’s president speaks at the United Nations in a rare wartime address
In a defiant speech, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said "peace will not come in the field of battle."
Pezeshkian held up photos of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the more than 150 school children killed in the first days of the war.
“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” Pezeshkian said at the General Assembly. “Our innocent people have been the targets of cowardly attacks and aggressions imposed upon our country. And we defended ourselves with utmost strength. America and Israel attacked us.”
He added of the United States: “Yes they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee.”
AP-KFF poll: Trump’s healthcare policies have gone unnoticed by rural voters
The new AP-KFF poll found that rural voters overall don't perceive much positive impact from the Trump administration's healthcare policies.
That comes as those policies have been a top priority for Republican leaders, who’ve promoted efforts to lower drug costs and touted a $50 billion rural health program.
Only 17% of rural voters said the Trump administration’s healthcare policies have had a “positive impact” on their healthcare costs. About 4 in 10 said they’ve had “no impact” and 41% said they’ve had a “negative impact.”
A year after the passage of the Rural Health Transformation Program, more than 8 in 10 rural voters said they’d heard either “a little” or “nothing at all” about the health fund, according to the survey.
AP-KFF poll: Most rural voters are worried about costs
About half of rural American voters believe the economy is worse off now than when President Trump returned to office, according to a new AP-KFF poll of more than 2,000 rural registered voters.
The costs of groceries, gas, healthcare and monthly utilities emerged as top pain points for rural voters in the survey. Majorities said they are “very” or “somewhat” worried about being able to afford each.
The findings suggest many rural voters haven’t turned on Trump, but that they also largely don’t think he’s delivered on the economic renaissance he promised.
About half of rural voters approve of how Trump is handling the presidency, while only about 4 in 10 approve of Trump’s performance on the economy.
Board of Peace proposes 6-month, $2.45B plan to begin Gaza reconstruction
The U.S.-backed Board of Peace’s plan to begin reconstruction and governance in Gaza comes as President Trump’s ceasefire struggles to stay afloat.
At a meeting of the group’s board, the governors unveiled a 66-project blueprint to get things started while acknowledging enormous hurdles that must still be overcome. The projects include ambitious infrastructure, education and health initiatives that are designed to support Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan.
“The need is immense,” the board said, noting that full reconstruction from the physical damage across Gaza will cost roughly $35.2 billion over the medium-term and another $71.4 billion in the next 10 years.
Gallup poll shows about 4 in 10 have a positive view of socialism
About 4 in 10 Americans, 43%, have a positive view of socialism, according to the new Gallup poll.
That’s largely unchanged from last year, when 39% of Americans had a favorable image of socialism. The polling shows about two-thirds of Democrats think positively about socialism, as do 45% of independents. Only about 1 in 10 Republicans feel the same way.
The polling found young adults — those 18 to 34 — are more likely to have a positive view of socialism than capitalism. About 6 in 10 young adults say they view socialism favorably, compared to 43% who say that about capitalism.
On the other hand, older adults see capitalism more positively. About two-thirds of those 55 and older have a positive view of capitalism, compared to about one-third who say that about socialism.
Melania Trump to ring NYSE opening bell to launch new woman-focused initiative
It’s called Imperia — and the first lady says it’s her new initiative focused on helping women become leaders and achieve economic power.
Members include CEOs, founders, innovators, entrepreneurs and others, she said during an in-studio interview in New York on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends.”
Asked what the initiative will achieve, the first lady, who’s also a businesswoman, cited innovation and investment, strategic partnerships and economic prosperity for women.
Melania Trump also rang the opening bell for New York Stock Exchange in January before the release of her Amazon documentary, "Melania."
First lady Melania Trump says husband decided to greet Xi because ‘they have a great relationship’
“He’s coming on our soil, and we need to welcome them with the most respect,” she said of Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, during an interview Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s ”Fox & Friends.”
US futures inch higher and oil prices slip for 6th straight day after US and Iranian officials meet
U.S. futures are slightly higher and hovering near record highs while oil prices declined after President Trump said officials from the United States and Iran met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York this week.
Futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average both gained 0.1% on Wednesday. Nasdaq futures were basically flat.
Trump talked of the meeting with Iran after telling the assembly Tuesday that he would have to make a choice, including whether to "annihilate" the Islamic Republic, if the sides fail to reach an agreement.
Taiwan is watching closely as Xi and Trump meet and hopes US will keep up its arms sales
As China's Xi Jinping arrives in Washington to meet with President Trump, Taiwan expressed confidence that U.S. arms sales to the island that Beijing claims as its own will continue — despite China's pressure.
China has pressed Washington to halt the arms sales, most prominently during a summit in May between Trump and Xi in Beijing. After that meeting, the United States paused the sale of a record-breaking $14 billion package — and Trump described arms sales to Taiwan as a "very good negotiating chip" with China.
Still, the U.S. government and Congress have “repeatedly expressed support for Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities,” Taiwanese Defense Ministry spokesperson Maj. Gen. Chiao Fu-chun told reporters in the southern city of Tainan.
Trump says his ballroom will house a drone port. The Secret Service already has one next door
Trump's AI-fueled vision for a drone port he intends to install atop the new White House ballroom includes missile-bearing unmanned aerial vehicles and gun-toting troops, ostensibly to protect the 18-acre complex and the nation's capital.
A few hundred feet away, a drone port, run by the U.S. Secret Service and not the military, is already quietly operational. Equipped with cameras and sensors to scope out potential threats from a bird's-eye view, the small UAVs stand on alert in four gray weatherproof boxes until deployed at officers' commands.
The agency is using a model known as “drone as first responder,” deploying speedy unarmed drones from outdoor stations to serve as flying cameras. That model has been adopted by hundreds of police agencies across the U.S., often powered by AI software to help dodge obstacles or track targets.
The existence of the surveillance drones on a Treasury Department building adjacent to the White House complex has not been previously reported, and could undercut Trump’s legal claims that the ballroom construction is necessary “to protect the White House and surrounding region from aerial attacks.”
Xi is en route to Washington
Xi has departed Beijing on Wednesday afternoon local time for a state visit to the U.S., China’s official news agency Xinhua said. Accompanying him on the visit are Xi’s wife Peng Liyuan, China’s ruling Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee member Cai Qi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, it said.
China’s Xi to kick off state visit to Washington with rare planeside welcome from Trump
When Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington on Wednesday, he's expected to get a rare greeting from President Donald Trump, who will be on the tarmac to welcome his counterpart's plane instead of waiting for him to drive up to the White House.
Trump’s decision to greet Xi at Joint Base Andrews shows how far the U.S. president is going to honor China’s leader as he makes his first state visit in more than a decade.
The White House hasn't released many details about Wednesday’s greeting, but Trump is expected to participate in an arrival ceremony at the base with Xi and his wife. The salutation will kick off a three-day visit that’s expected to be saturated with pomp, even by White House standards. The state visit, complete with a formal state dinner at the White House on Thursday, is supposed to reciprocate for the ceremonial grandeur that marked Trump’s May visit to China.
But it's also a showy patina at a time when tensions between the two geopolitical rivals are high over trade, artificial intelligence, Trump's war with Iran and China's designs on Taiwan.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
