• Trump and Xi meet: On Thursday, President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea. With geopolitical tensions high, due in large part to Trump’s tariffs to counter China’s globalist agenda, a trade deal to turn down the temperature was widely anticipated. Trump described the meeting as “amazing” and said that both sides had reached “an outstanding group of decisions.” The new trade deal includes China agreeing to immediately purchase U.S. soybeans and other farm goods, while China will work “very hard” to prevent fentanyl from getting to the U.S. Furthermore, Trump will roll back the tariff rate on China’s goods by roughly 45%. Trump also noted, “China has agreed to continue the flow of Rare Earth, Critical Minerals, Magnets, etc., openly and freely. … China also agreed that they will begin the process of purchasing American Energy.”

• Trump announces nuclear testing: On Wednesday night, President Trump announced that the U.S. will begin testing nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with Russia and China. Trump’s announcement comes decades after the last U.S. nuclear-weapons test in 1992. Trump has not explained exactly why he’s changing U.S. policy on nuclear tests, but he did say that other nations “seem to all be nuclear testing.” Indeed, on October 21, Russia conducted a test of an intercontinental ballistic missile that it says traveled 8,700 miles and stayed in the air for 15 hours. In response, Trump told reporters that the U.S. has a nuclear submarine, “the greatest in the world, right off their shores.” When asked if the world was at increased risk of nuclear action, Trump responded, “I don’t think so.”

• Schumer Shutdown, Day 30: The Democrats refused to pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government in 13 separate votes over the last month. As October comes to an end, senators on both sides of the aisle are beginning to worry about the 42 million Americans enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program who are currently set to go without for November. Sen. Josh Hawley introduced legislation with broad Republican support that would fund SNAP, and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says he would vote for it if it were brought to the floor. Majority Leader John Thune is holding firm, insisting that Democrats reopen the government to fund SNAP. Meanwhile, the Office of Management and Budget has scrambled funds from sources as wide-ranging as R&D budgets to a military housing fund to ensure that our troops receive their paychecks on Friday.

• Mamdani’s campaign under scrutiny over foreign donors: The Coolidge Reagan Foundation, a campaign finance watchdog, has accused the New York City mayoral campaign of Zohran Mamdani of violating U.S. law by accepting over $13,000 in donations from some 170 foreign nationals. The foundation has referred its complaint to both the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and to the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The foundation’s president, Dan Becker, charged that “Mamdani’s campaign was on notice for months that it was accepting illegal foreign contributions, and yet it did nothing meaningful to stop it.” Becker further observed that “Mamdani’s campaign repeatedly accepted donations from individuals abroad, some even tied to regions and individuals openly sympathetic to hostile actors.” The campaign denied any wrongdoing, claiming that 31 of the 170 foreign donors have citizenship or legal residency status, and the rest have had their donations refunded.

• Another rate cut: Yesterday, the Federal Reserve cut the benchmark interest rate by a quarter point, dropping the overall rate to between 3.75% and 4%, the lowest in three years. The move marks the Fed’s second consecutive rate cut; however, Chair Jerome Powell indicated that another rate cut this year is unlikely. The primary motive for this cut is to prevent a recent hiring slowdown from escalating. Adding to the difficulty of making its decision was a federal government data blackout, thanks to the Democrats’ now four-week-long shutdown. Former senior Fed adviser William English explained that the lack of labor market data means the Fed hasn’t “learned that much since September, and that leaves them presumably closer to where they were in September, but with wider uncertainty bands around it.”

• Trump fires all members of the Commission of Fine Arts: President Trump has fired the six Biden-appointed members of the Commission of Fine Arts. The congressionally created commission oversees the designs of memorials, coins, medals, and new or renovated buildings. Trump has now followed tradition, clearing out the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission just as Joe Biden did in 2021. The ability to appoint new members to these commissions comes at an important moment, as the nation’s 250th anniversary is just around the corner. New commissioners will work with Trump on the design of the ballroom set to replace the now-destroyed East Wing of the White House, as well as a possible triumphal arch to be placed across from the Lincoln Memorial to commemorate the semiquincentennial celebration.

• NAACP endorses white candidate over black one: Is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People really interested in advancing people of color? The NAACP’s recent endorsement of Abigail Spanberger, the Democrat candidate for Virginia governor, over Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears suggests otherwise. Spanberger is white, while Earle-Sears is black, which illustrates the unsurprising truth — the NAACP is really concerned with advancing Democrats over and against Republicans. Maybe the good news here is that the leftist NAACP is ditching DEI identity politics in favor of policy positions. You know, what politics in America should always be based upon.

• German activist seeks asylum in the U.S.: Naomi Seibt was branded the “Anti-Greta” by the German media in 2020 after she questioned the climate change orthodoxy and destructive mass migration policies in her homeland. In 2024, she publicly announced on X her support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party, which the Leftmedia breathlessly calls “far-right.” That same year, Naomi found herself under surveillance by the German government, which had cracked down hard on the AfD. Naomi now says she would like to become an American citizen and that if returned to Germany, she would be arrested for her free speech. Vice President JD Vance has weighed in on German anti-speech laws, calling them “Orwellian.”

• New report highlights Moderna vaccine risk: From the moment the COVID vaccines were released, the public was gaslighted about their safety and efficacy. The longer they are around, the more we learn about the risks they pose. This shouldn’t be surprising since mRNA technology was untried, and unlike traditional vaccines, it relies on hijacking our own cells to produce a toxin in unregulated quantities. A new study examines the effects of the Moderna COVID vaccine, and it shows that 90% of people who receive the shot experience cardiovascular side effects. The effects are often subtle, but they could affect the individual’s long-term health. Those who get the vaccine experience a measurable and significant reduction in arterial flexibility, or hardening of the arteries. This doesn’t mean no one should get the Moderna shot, but people should weigh the risks for themselves and make the decision on a case-by-case basis.

Headlines

• Illinois congressional candidate indicted for violent ICE protest (National Review)

• DHS warns of “unprecedented violence” as death threats against ICE officers soar 8,000% (Fox News)

• New College of Florida may be first to sign Trump’s university pledge (Tampa Bay Times)

• Ben & Jerry’s co-founder to launch own Palestine-themed ice cream (NY Post)

• Everything Israel said about Hamas faking the discovery of a body is true (Hot Air)

• Pakistan threatens to “obliterate” Taliban after peace talks fall apart (Fox News)

• Humor: AOC tells mom giving birth to get a real job (Babylon Bee)

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