… A federal judge overnight ordered the WH to immediately restore the press credentials of CNN, MS NOW, and Politico reporters after Trump banned them from the WH. US District Judge Timothy Kelly granted a 14-day restraining order, finding the news orgs are likely to succeed on their claim that their passes were revoked without due process.
… But when reporters from those agencies showed up this morning to cover Trump’s event with Chinese President Xi, they were denied access in defiance of the court order. Attorneys for the media companies then filed a motion requesting an emergency hearing, which was granted and set for 12:45.
… CNN’s Kaitlan Collins: “Despite the court order overnight, CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters are still being blocked from entering the WH grounds today. Yet for Xi’s visit, members of the Chinese state media are present.”
… Chinese media allowed at WH. American media banned in defiance of a court order. Donald Trump’s America.
… The event then began with other media companies joining the boycott and refusing to cover it. Finally, just before the emergency hearing was set to begin, the WH admitted reporters from all 3 outlets into the grounds.
… Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) was asked about Trump banning media outlets from the WH alleging they are biased: “I agree with the president’s diagnosis, but I don’t agree with the cure. I don’t believe in cancel culture.”
… Status: “After Trump banned Politico from the WH alongside CNN and MS NOW, the WH press office dispatched a letter to the news organization attempting to justify the president’s actions. In the letter, made public through a govt court filing, the WH accused Politico of publishing stories that ‘have threatened national security and/or spread falsehoods.’
… “The WH singled out 6 stories published by Politico, including a June 2026 article that cited a ‘senior admin official’ who put the odds of the US striking a deal with Iran to end the war at between 80-85%. That senior admin official, Status has learned, was none other than JD Vance speaking on a background call with reporters authorized by the WH.”
… I was told by a guy on Truth Social who wears orange makeup that leaking to the press was treason and people should be prosecuted for it.
… The Atlantic: “The 747 slowly wheeled to a stop last night on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews, just outside Washington. Portable stairs were put in position, while a red carpet was unfurled and lined by both American and Chinese soldiers in dress uniforms. After a few minutes, President Xi Jinping appeared at the aircraft door. He paused and waved. Waiting below, staring up expectantly, was Trump.”
… “It was a remarkable act of deference. By tradition, American presidents don’t make the 12-mile trip to the base to greet a foreign leader. They instead wait at the WH, backed by the grandeur and power of the executive mansion. But not this time. Xi did not display the same level of hospitality when Trump visited Beijing in May, and the US president’s gesture suggested that he will take a conciliatory role during the closely watched summit between the leaders of the world’s foremost superpowers.”
… “It was not that long ago when Trump, a self-styled international bully, could credibly claim to ‘run the country and the world.’ But he seems far smaller on the global stage now. His speech this week to the UN, usually a signature moment on any president’s foreign-policy calendar, generated few headlines other than those about his threat to ‘annihilate’ Iran. But even that bluster felt familiar and tired.”
… The images from Trump’s welcome were even more pathetic, with several going viral on social media. As Xi waited at the top of the steps of his aircraft to come down, US military personnel rolled out the red carpet and were down on their hands and knees to smooth it out and make sure it was perfect as Xi looked on.
… Laura Loomer, who has been very unhappy this week about Trump meeting with Zohran Mamdani, wasn’t thrilled with this situation from her hero either: “Wow. There was an actual red carpet waiting for Xi JinPing today at Joint Base Andrews. We use the term ‘red carpet treatment’ to explain the opulence of an event, but I didn’t think there would be a LITERAL red carpet. But there was.”
… “A red carpet for a communist dictator who is giving satellite imagery to Iran to target and kill American service members fighting in the war with Iran.”
… Then Trump had a military flyover during the US national anthem. Draft dodger Trump absurdly saluted. But then Trump flinched and winced as if in pain from the noise as the jet flew overhead while Xi looked bored.
… When I woke up this morning, I posted on social media that nobody kisses the asses of dictators and autocrats as eagerly and enthusiastically as Trump. One hour later, Trump made this post:
“I met President Xi at the plane (Airport!) yesterday and he looks strong, vibrant, and fit - Better than ever. Madam Xi, of course, BEAUTIFUL!”
… He also made this post:
“A big day with President Xi of China. Super Intelligence (SI) will be a big topic of discussion, but I want to leave it exactly where it is. That is China’s position also. Our guardrail is the DOJ!”
… So the guardrail on AI is Todd Blanche. I feel better.
… But a new CNN poll showed that 71% of Americans say the federal government is not doing enough to regulate AI.
… Brookings: “Financing the AI Buildout projects that AI investment in data center buildings, power systems, networking infrastructure, and specialized chips and other equipment will total an enormous $10.3 trillion from 2025 to 2032, or an average of 3.63% of US GDP per year.”
… Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh of Columbia University: “The projected buildout would be larger relative to the economy than the major US canal, railroad, electrification, highway, and telecommunications investment booms.”
… “The paper warns that the risks embodied in the AI investment race are migrating from transparent on-balance sheet financing by major corporations to opaque off-balance sheet financing through joint ventures, private credit, securitization, special-purpose vehicles, lease commitments, loan guarantees, and other structures.”
… A perfect storm is brewing as Wall Street is leveraged to the hilt with massive investments in the AI speculative bubble which have been driving the stock market up for months. Something I have been watching very closely. Stay tuned.
… Telegraph: “There is nothing accidental about Xi’s busy schedule before his Washington visit – it sends a message. While Trump is turning his back on the world, riding roughshod over allies in pursuit of an America first strategy, Xi is demonstrating the shift of global power towards Beijing.
… The US president likes the pageantry of such summits and the idea that, just as in the Cold War, the two most powerful men in the world can meet, superpower to superpower, to dictate the course of humanity. Forget the G20 or the G7: give Trump the G2 any day.
… Yet for Xi what happens outside his increasingly frequent meetings with the US leader is just as important, if not more so. As Washington retreats, there are gaps to fill and opportunities to seize in a world where affection for the US is plummeting.
… China remains convinced that history is bending its way and that Trump has given it a helping hand, accelerating American decline with a messy war in the Middle East and a chaotic foreign policy that has alienated many of Washington’s traditional allies.
… That gives Xi an opportunity to undercut one of America’s greatest strengths. The US has long been not just a superpower but the captain of a team of like-minded allies, most of them rich democracies, underpinning a predictable and rules-based international order. China, by contrast, was a brooding but lonely colossus.
… Now, to an extent, the roles have been reversed. The US no longer sees itself as first among equals, but increasingly as the core of a network of tributary states expected to do Washington’s bidding.”
… Republicans continue to lose ground on the generic ballot in the latest Emerson poll. A 7-point spread on the generic ballot is typically what you need for a “wave” election:
Generic congressional ballot 2026
🟦Democratic 53% (+2)
🟥Republican 42% (-1)
(Change from August 2026)
… The Hill: “RNC Chair Joe Gruters said he expects his party to hold on to its majorities in both chambers of Congress during Nov’s midterms, predicting the GOP will claim 220 seats in the House and 53 in the Senate.”
… Gruters: “We have our secret weapon and president, Donald J. Trump, and I say that because we’re going to barnstorm the country. We’re going to do lots of rallies, and we’re going to deliver for the American people.”
… “Gruters’s position comes just after polling numbers suggested Trump’s approval ratings have dipped to a career low - political baggage his party will have to grapple with come November.”
… This dude is delusional and is in way over his head.
… Newsmax and right-wing talk show host Todd Starnes:
“I’m not sure what’s going on inside the WH or at RNC headquarters - but it’s time for a ‘Come to Jesus Moment.’ The midterms are becoming one of the biggest excrement shows in modern political history. It’s either a result of sabotage or gross incompetence. Or Both.
For the RNC chair to go on national television and suggest the message for voters is that the GOP just needs more time is laughable. They’ve had 2 years. But instead of delivering the president’s agenda, the Republican Party has squandered their time and our goodwill.
Congressional Republicans need to get their heads out of their hindquarters and realize that the voters are enraged. It’s clear that Trump’s advisors don’t have a clue what middle class and working class Americans are dealing with right now. And it’s almost as if the admin has decided to completely write off Gen-Z voters. There’s a complete and utter disconnect between the WH and America First voters.
I actually interviewed a Republican congressional candidate who said the answer to higher beef prices was to eat more turkey. Completely clueless. The GOP sycophants are more interested in lining their own pockets and getting exclusive invitations to Mar-a-Lago than they are doing what’s best for the country.
If the RNC needs some help understanding exactly what our message should be to voters, I’ll be more than happy to send them a free copy of my new book. While the Communists are storming the gates of Mayberry, Republicans are sipping Chardonnay at Mar-a-Lago. The GOP has let down voters.”
… Fox host Stuart Varney: “$4 gas, $6 diesel, 7% mortgages, the ongoing war, and Trump is less popular than at any time in his second term. If this trend continues, Republicans will lose the House and maybe the Senate. If that happens, say goodbye to the Trump agenda.”
… NYT: “40 days before the midterm elections, a growing number of Republican candidates across the country are openly seeking to distance themselves from Trump, breaking with a leader who has long held an iron grip on his party.”
… “On Monday, the Republicans running for Senate in both MI and IA called on the president to end the war in Iran as a way to reverse the escalating price of gas. On Tuesday, GOP candidates for governor in WI and MI, along with an embattled Republican senator in OH, followed.”
… “On Capitol Hill, 3 other Republican senators called for an investigation into the president’s son over his lavish wedding after-party paid for by a Russian businessman with ties to Vladimir Putin. And in FL, one of Trump’s close allies, Rep. Byron Donalds, the Republican nominee for governor, recently overhauled his website to make Trump’s endorsement far less prominent.”
… “The dissent reflects growing unease about the party’s prospects in Nov, as Republicans struggle to overcome the unpopularity of the president and his signature policies. Trump’s approval rating is languishing near record lows. On issues where he once was strong - like the economy, national security and immigration - he is now underwater. His approval rating on the economy hit an all-time low of 27% on Tues.”
… Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) then actually posted a criticism of ICE! His polls must be tanking:
“When ICE operates in KS, it needs to coordinate with our local law enforcement. Our sheriffs and police know these communities better than anyone, and working together keeps officers and residents safe.”
“I’m closely following what’s happening in SW Kansas and have been in direct contact with Secretary Mullin and local law enforcement as ICE executes warrants in order to keep Kansans safe.”
… Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) was asked on CNN about Republicans in tough races suddenly opposing Trump: “I just don’t think anybody is fooled at this point. They have bowed down to Trump over this war over and over and over and over. They own it.”
… The NYT conducted a focus group of a dozen Trump 2024 voters from Texas to ask their opinion of Republican senate nominee Ken Paxton:
On this week’s Uncovered, we talked about the Republicans who are now suddenly against the war, a midterms update, the RNC Chair’s delusions, Trump’s insane UN speech, Susan Collins’ scandal, how the diesel crisis is impacting the midterms, how Mamdani played Trump in their recent meeting, Trump’s fake Potash deal, snipers on the Arch, Tuberville’s furry obsession, the media boycott of Trump, and lots more! Link to the show is here.
Thank you to all who watch, read, share and subscribe.
… Eric Michael Garcia with The Independent asked Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) about John Paxton trailing James Talarico in the polls despite the fact that Republicans are spending a massive amount of money in that race: “Well, I haven’t seen him leading in any public poll, and I think it’s hard to change people’s minds once they’ve reached a conclusion about a candidate, and I think that’s the
