Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🇨🇳🇺🇸 Xi Jinping visits Washington
• 🧠 Alzheimer's no longer “untreatable”
• 🍿 2026’s weirdest rom-com

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.53-minute read (938 words).

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“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.”

–Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington, D.C., today for his first US state visit in over a decade, with Xi’s three-day agenda including official meetings with President Trump at the White House tomorrow.

How we got here: This time last year, the US and China were locked in a trade war that saw both countries impose sky-high tariffs, with Beijing also restricting exports of critical minerals used in key electronic components from EVs to fighter jets. Both countries have since backed away from those sweeping measures, while continuing to target individual companies and technologies.

So, what’s on the table?

A top priority for the US is keeping last year’s trade truce on track, under which the US has held off on new tariffs in exchange for China keeping critical minerals flowing. President Trump is expected to push Xi on those exports after a senior White House official said China’s performance has been “not up to par.”

• America is also looking to build on investment talks from May, when Trump and Xi agreed to create a US-China Board of Investment.
• The countries have discussed steering Chinese investment toward nonsensitive American industries, while President Trump has floated potentially building Chinese manufacturing plants in the US.

On China’s agenda: Like Trump, analysts say Xi will likely pursue an extension of the current US-China trade truce, which would give the Chinese leader time to focus on a sluggish domestic economy.

• Xi is also expected to press the US on Taiwan, where Beijing wants Washington to take a stronger stance against Taiwanese independence.
• China could seek further delays in US arms sales to Taiwan, after Trump previously postponed a planned weapons package following a May meeting with Xi.

The ongoing Iran war could complicate economic talks between both countries. China remains Iran’s largest oil buyer, even as the US has imposed sweeping secondary sanctions on nations who purchase oil from Iran.

AI is also a discussion point: US officials say they’ve proposed a system where Washington and Beijing would notify each other about AI incidents that rise to the level of a national security threat, though restrictions on advanced chips and chipmaking equipment wouldn’t be part of these talks.

Looking ahead…The next deadline in US-China trade talks comes November 10, when the current trade truce is set to expire, though a possible extension is on the table during this week’s talks.

📊 Flash poll: How should the US approach its economic relationship with China?

• Pursue significantly closer trade and investment ties
• Pursue closer ties, but only in non-sensitive industries
• Keep the relationship about where it is today
• Reduce ties with China
• Unsure/other

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🛢️ President Trump says he’s considering a ban on diesel exports in an effort to curb rising fuel prices; average diesel costs hit a record-high $6.53/gallon yesterday, up nearly a dollar from one month ago.
• ⚖️ FTC expands $2.5 billion settlement with Amazon over claims that it enrolled millions of customers in Prime without their consent and made it difficult to cancel; it now includes more Prime customers from 2019-2025, with payouts up to $200 instead of $51.
• 🏖️ Royal Caribbean is reportedly nearing a deal to take a 50% equity stake in Sandals valuing the resort chain at $6 billion.

SPORTS, MEDIA, & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🎶 Ella Langley’s “Choosin Texas” officially claims record for longest-running No. 1 pop single. | Taylor Swift announces new single, called “Patient Zero,” to be released on Friday.
• 🏈 NY Giants QB Jaxson Dart’s knee injury is reportedly more severe than initially expected, and could force him to miss the rest of the season.
• 🙏 Actress Hayden Panettiere’s cause of death revealed as accidental overdose. | 🚨 Clavicular, popular “looksmaxxing” influencer, charged with rape and drugging in Massachusetts.

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SCIENCE, SPACE, & EMERGING TECH

• 🧠 Alzheimer's disease is no longer considered “untreatable,” but rather “a condition for which earlier diagnosis, better understanding of disease biology, and a wider range of interventions may collectively improve outcomes,” per this year's World Alzheimer Report.
• 🪐 Astronomers confirm existence of a planet 450 light-years from Earth that’s less than 1 million years old, marking the youngest planet ever recorded.
• 🔥🦠 Fire amoeba, formally named Incendiamoeba cascadensis, can reproduce at temperatures over 145°F and is still mobile at 147°F, breaking the known tolerance record for eukaryotes when it comes to heat.

US, WORLD, & POLITICS

• 🏛️ President Trump delivers ~35-minute speech to UN General Assembly, in which he defended his foreign-policy interventions, promoted his global vision, and warned he could "annihilate the Islamic Republic" if no deal is reached over Iran’s nuclear program.
• 🎓 Andreessen Horowitz launches new school, called the Horowitz Andreessen Academy, that’s aimed at aspiring founders who’ve just graduated high school and not yet attended college.
• 🏥 VP JD Vance’s task force is removing ~760,000 enrollments from Affordable Care Act exchanges, saying they don’t meet eligibility requirements or don’t exist at all.

☝️ Fat Bear Week kicked off yesterday, marking the start of the annual competition in Katmai National Park, Alaska. Fans can choose their favorites in a March Madness-style tournament, which drew 1.7+ million votes from 100+ countries last year.

🤔 Did you know? Starbucks once let customers burn their own mix CDs while sipping coffee. In 2004, the company began rolling out touchscreen Hear Music stations where customers could browse a digital song library, choose their favorite tracks, and have a personalized CD burned on the spot. The idea never really caught on, with Starbucks removing most of the machines by 2006.

📰 Worth a read: Squishies, brainrot and an 'emotional support Eleven': Gen Alpha backpacks offer a peek into their world

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• Taco Bell to release menu item we’ve waited all year for
• 2026’s weirdest rom-com
• Cryptid tourism: The best US museums, destinations, & festivals

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(keep scrolling for the answer)

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