Federal Judge Restores Press Access, Xi Jinping Visits White House, and Global Conflicts Discussed at UN

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A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore access to CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. President Trump last week banned the networks from covering White House events. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order after the three outlets had their press credentials revoked. The networks have filed a joint lawsuit against Trump, alleging their constitutional rights were violated, and sought a restraining order to continue reporting from the White House as the case proceeds.

🎧 NPR's David Folkenflik tells Up First that the court was skeptical of the Trump administration's assertion that it revoked the networks' White House access over national security concerns. Judge Kelly said the defendants hadn't offered evidence to explain how "any of the reporting they identified in their letters to Plaintiffs damaged national security." This morning, Theodore J. Boutrous, a lawyer representing the news outlets, issued a statement to NPR saying, "This is a strong ruling vindicating freedom of the press, due process, and the rule of law. We greatly appreciate the court's swift action."

China's leader Xi Jinping and Trump have important talks ahead when they meet at the White House today. The meeting will be Xi's first U.S. state visit in 11 years. It comes at a pivotal time for both men. The U.S. midterm elections are just over a month away, and Xi will start preparing for a Party Congress upon his return.

🎧 NPR's Emily Feng says tonight's state dinner is "all about symbolism," and she's is eager to see how Xi reacts to the pageantry he'll be honored with this morning. When Trump greeted Xi on the tarmac, a welcoming delegation rolled out a long red carpet for him and his wife, Peng Liyuan. A band played both nations' anthems and a military flyby took place during the Star Spangled Banner. This is the first time a U.S. president has welcomed a Chinese head of state on the tarmac, highlighting the personal significance Trump places on this visit. It sends a strong message to China, signaling that it is an equal partner to the U.S., Feng says. Experts believe Xi's priority is for stability with the U.S., even if it means overlooking current tensions. China actively supports Iran, and the competition for artificial intelligence development is intensifying.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned the United Nations General Assembly that Russia's war against Ukraine poses a global threat, describing it as a "crazy war" led by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also addressed the world body, criticizing the U.S. He said that the U.S. describes Iran as terrorists, but they are actually victims of terrorism. He showed photos of children he said were victims of a U.S. bombing of an Iranian school and a portrait of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the war's first day. The Trump administration says it wants to promote peace negotiations in these conflicts.

🎧 Zelenskyy has proposed an energy ceasefire because Trump has been unhappy with Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil and gas infrastructure, NPR's Michele Kelemen says. Ukraine wants Russia to stop attacks on its energy grids before winter and allow grain exports to resume. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says both sides have expressed interest in a limited ceasefire involving grain and energy. Kelemen says there's a lot of concern that the conflict is intensifying as Russia violates NATO airspace. As for Iran, despite public stances, mediators have held talks on the sidelines between the country and the Trump administration. Rubio didn't indicate the progress of these discussions, which also raises worries about an expanding conflict.

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Tucker Carlson has experienced various phases in his career. He's the founder of the Daily Caller website and became an internet personality with a massive following after he was fired from his job at Fox News. Carlson has shown strong support for Trump and even spoke on his behalf at the 2024 Republican convention. But he has since distanced himself from the president over the war in Iran. Carlson suggests that Israel influenced Trump to initiate the war, and outside forces control both American political parties. In a wide-ranging conversation with Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep, Carlson also discusses the possibility of a third political party, his faith, Trump's profit-making activities while in office, and what he thinks he should have done differently during his time as a cable-TV partisan.

Watch or listen to the interview or read the article about their discussion.

From our hosts

by Michel Martin, Morning Edition and Up First host

Note to reader: This essay includes mentions of suicide.

Memory is a tricky thing. Until we started preparing our coverage of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I did not remember that six years after 9/11, I had interviewed my brother about his memories of that day. My brother was an officer with the New York Fire Patrol, a now-defunct, business-funded group that responded to fires in business-heavy areas. He was a firefighter through and through, and a second-generation one at that ( our father was FDNY). My brother took it so seriously that he studied fire science in college. He was also a "rescuer;" it was hard to get somewhere on time with him because if he saw somebody who needed help — lifting groceries, pushing a wheelchair, changing a tire — he just had to stop.

I probably didn't remember that I had interviewed him because what came next was too painful. Because it turns out that somebody who really needed help was him.

My brother took his own life on May 10, 2010. Rarely a day goes by that I don't think of him. But just because I thought about him doesn't mean I could talk about him; for a long time, I couldn't. Sometimes when the subject of suicide came up, I would want to — or literally have to — leave wherever I was. Not helpful if you're in the news business.

I've come to realize I have to talk about it — we have to talk about it. Suicide is a public health crisis, and that crisis is becoming acute in the Black community. Black suicide rates are climbing, increasing about 50% over the past 10 years. And the suicide rates among black youth are increasing particularly dramatically. In fact, the rate of black youth suicides by firearms exceeded that of white youth in 2022.

So, Thursday night at our NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., we're going to have an important conversation about this epidemic with a panel of experts, decision makers and people who have lived with this pain. We're going to try to find out why this is happening, how this is affecting us, and most importantly, what we can do about it. We're not going to livestream this, but we will be sharing it across multiple platforms in the days ahead.

Working on this project has helped me find my voice again on this critically important issue. I hope it will help someone else find the words they need, when they need them most.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or be in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

3 things to know before you go

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