Friday, September 25 | By Colin Meyn and Steff Danielle Thomas
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It’s Friday. We rarely work just 9 to 5 in the media business — but we can still celebrate the late Dolly Parton today with more than one cup of ambition. ☕
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- White House TV pool makes comeback
- Trump, Xi wrap up state visit
- Borrowing costs are flashing red
- DOJ staffing cuts strain civil division
Programming note: Hello! We are Colin Meyn and Steff Danielle Thomas filling in for Cate. Please send your tips, comments and story ideas to cmeyn@thehill.com or sthomas@thehill.com.
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Things are back to normal(ish) for the last day of Xi’s visit: |
© The Associated Press | Alex Brandon
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The White House TV pool was back in action Friday as President Trump and first lady Melania Trump greeted Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for morning tea.
Friday was CBS’s turn in the pool rotation, meaning its crew will follow the president’s every move for the day. CNN carried the CBS feed of Xi’s arrival at the White House, a clear signal the standoff with the White House is resolved, at least for now.
Trump on Thursday complained that CNN and MS NOW, which he had banned from the White House, were not covering the “made for Television” state visit. Some reporters for the cable outlets were barred from covering the state dinner Thursday night.
The other four outlets in the TV pool — CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox News — had refused to take their turns this week in solidarity with CNN.
We’ll see how long this lasts: A judge’s injunction ordering the White House to let CNN, MS NOW and Politico back into the White House press corps lasts for two weeks.
As the legal fight continues, it’s unclear if the White House will seek to restrict access for the outlets to certain places, like the Oval Office, as it did for The Associated Press during a similar fight last year.
A key test will come tomorrow when CNN has its next rotation in the TV pool.
💬Follow today’s live blog.
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So, what’s been happening during Xi’s visit: |
Beyond the pomp and fanfare, we’re still waiting on any significant deliverables from the talks between Trump and Xi.
The two gave brief comments to reporters during their tea. Xi said “new substance” was added to the U.S.-China relationship. Trump said many “positive things” happened, adding that American farmers would be “very happy” with the results.
Expectations were low going into the visit. Our friends at the Morning Report had a good rundown of what to watch, while The Hill’s House guru Mike Lillis talked to lawmakers about their biggest priorities — for Insider subscribers only.
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🐼 There’s at least one adorable outcome from this visit. Xi announced on Thursday that China would be sending two giant pandas to the Atlanta zoo.
The news comes about two years after Zoo Atlanta sent its previous pandas back home.
📸 The Chinese Foreign Ministry has the deets (and photos) here. Meet incoming ambassadors Ping Ping and Fu Shuang.
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Another red flag for affordability: |
Borrowing money is getting more expensive — adding another wrinkle to the affordability debate heading into the midterms.
The latest: The average 30-year mortgage rate climbed above 7 percent this week for the first time since January 2025. At the same time, Treasury yields are reaching levels not seen in decades.
The 30-year Treasury yield briefly hit a 22-year high Thursday, while the 10-year yield — which mortgage rates closely track — is at a 19-year high.
What’s going on?: Investors are navigating stubborn inflation, rising federal debt and elevated energy prices tied to the ongoing Iran war. They're also bracing for more interest rate hikes after the Federal Reserve raised rates last week.
The effects are already hitting prospective homebuyers. Mortgage rates have risen for five straight weeks and are up from 5.98 percent just before the Middle East conflict began.
That’s unwelcome timing for Republicans, with affordability already weighing heavily on voters ahead of November.
Insiders can learn more from The Hill’s Niall Stanage in his latest Memo.
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The Pentagon is scrambling to build support for Trump’s record $1.5 trillion defense budget, but some GOP senators worry officials waited too long to make the case.
The push comes as an additional $87 billion funding request remains stalled — and lawmakers are staring down a narrowing window as the midterms inch closer.
🪖 Insiders can read more from The Hill’s Ellen Mitchell.
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DOJ is feeling the staffing squeeze: |
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has fewer lawyers and a whole lot more work — and newly obtained documents show just how stark the imbalance has become.
Charts obtained by The Hill and NewsNation show staffing across the DOJ’s civil division plunging under the Trump administration while caseloads steadily climb. The department overall has lost roughly 10,000 workers since Trump returned to the Oval Office, according to the data.
Eye-popping numbers: Commercial litigation attorneys are carrying 84 percent more cases per lawyer, while immigration attorneys have seen their workloads jump 63 percent. Appeals attorneys are up 54 percent, while lawyers defending executive orders and other administration priorities are carrying 44 percent more.
The immigration office was also hit particularly hard, shrinking from 320 attorneys to 243 as cases climbed from roughly 7,700 to nearly 9,500 amid the president’s immigration crackdown.
DOJ’s unusual recruiting sweetener: $25,000 signing bonus for new civil division attorneys.
📊 Rebecca Beitsch and Samuel Marks break down the data here.
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➤ FEDERAL WORKFORCE CUTS HIT HOME: |
Federal job cuts are hitting the Washington, D.C., area hard, with 55 percent of residents in a recent survey saying their household has been negatively affected. That rises to two-thirds in the district itself and 62 percent in Virginia’s Arlington and Alexandria.
Another 14 percent of residents across the region said they turned to social services for the first time over the past year.
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— 🏛️ Trump’s plan to turn his proposed triumphal arch into a “top grade military complex” is drawing skepticism from lawmakers and defense experts. The president has floated using the structure to store drones and ammunition, while also placing snipers on its roof and plaza areas.
— 👩⚖️ Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson urged her colleagues to intervene less often in emergency cases, warning the practice carries “institutional costs.” She has repeatedly criticized the high court’s emergency cases.
— 🚨 New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) is giving Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell (D) until Friday to resign after an ethics investigation found he repeatedly violated state workplace policies, including trying to get his girlfriend promoted.
— 🌏 Generation Z is less likely than older Americans to view China’s growing global presence as a “critical threat,” with 34 percent saying so compared with 62 percent of baby boomers, according to a new survey. 🖊️ Read more in The Feed here.
— 🕊️ Trump mourned Jim Copenhaver, 76, who died this week more than two years after he was wounded in the 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pa. The president in a post online called him a “true American patriot,” describing his death as a “tremendous loss.”
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The House and Senate are out. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EST)
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EARLIER: Trump and Xi visit the National Archives.
2 p.m.: The president holds a policy meeting.
4:30 p.m.: Trump participates in signing time.
5 p.m.: The president has another policy meeting.
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🫓 Celebrate: Today is National Quesadilla Day. Nothing says the fall weather is rolling in like a warm, cheesy quesadilla!
🎤 Fan fallout: Pop musician Ed Sheeran has lost nearly 500,000 social media followers amid backlash over dropping Macklemore from his tour following the rapper’s pro-Palestinian statements.
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