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It’s Thursday, October 30. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: The shutdown pain is here. The Biden autopen scandal is real. And a political romance blossoms in Japan.
But first: The Trump-Xi summit.
This morning in South Korea, President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in South Korea. How important is the summit? The stakes could not be higher, according to Matt Pottinger—Trump’s former top China adviser and deputy national security adviser in his first term.
Writing just before the leaders met, Pottinger laid out the Chinese Communist Party’s terrifying vision of the future, one in which the U.S. is nothing more than “an agrarian commune beholden to Beijing.” That may sound overblown, but it’s exactly what Xi’s then-deputy, Li Keqiang, told Pottinger when he accompanied Trump on a state visit to Beijing in 2017.
So does the dealmaker-in-chief have the ability to rein in Xi? Not if the agreement includes the sale of America’s most advanced microchips to Beijing—an idea Trump has toyed with in recent days, and which Pottinger calls “an outcome that would be tantamount to U.S. capitulation, not only on trade, but also on technological supremacy.” Don’t miss this urgent warning on the biggest foreign conundrum of our time.
David Feith, who helped run China policy out of the State Department in Trump’s first term, and Chris McGuire, who served on the National Security Council under President Joe Biden, also worry Trump is giving away too much. The president wants Chinese firms to invest in America and create jobs in the process—an echo of America’s policy toward Japan when it became a major trade competitor in the 1980s. But, as David and Chris explain, China is a different story. Read their essay to find out why.
Speaking of Japan, Trump just wrapped up his visit there, and it sure seemed like he had a great time. And he might have a new best friend in Sanae Takaichi, the nation’s new prime minister. Takaichi is the first woman to lead Japan, which raises an obvious historical parallel: Will she be the Margaret Thatcher to Trump’s Ronald Reagan? “Thatcher and Reagan had a common enemy in the Soviet Union, which helped cement their relationship and unite them in a common resolve,” writes Philip Patrick. “Similarly, the threat posed by China and North Korea could be the fortifying element and preservative in the Trump-Takaichi partnership.” Read his piece on their blossoming relationship—and the looming obstacles that could stand in their way.
—Will Rahn
Was Joe Biden fully functional during the last year of his presidency? A blistering new report from the House Oversight Committee says no. And while the report has gotten little attention outside of the conservative press, Eli Lake makes the case that its conclusions should be taken seriously, in part because of the damning testimony by numerous Biden White House aides. Read Eli’s piece on what may be one of the great political scandals of our time.
Does it feel like the government has shut down? Admittedly, for a lot of Americans, they might not notice it—TSA lines are long, and you might not be able to go to the Smithsonian museums, but these are not life altering. However, as Gabe Fleisher writes, things are about to get a whole lot worse. Food-stamp money will dry up, and thousands of federal workers, including air traffic controllers, will go unpaid. Will this new looming cut in services move the needle for Congress to strike a deal?
Gen Z has taken up a new trend—sending AI-generated pictures of a homeless man in their homes to their parents. It’s indicative of a broader problem in modern pranking culture, writes Sascha Seinfeld. The internet has transformed pranks into a dangerous new form of entertainment, where cruelty is disguised as comedy and virality grants moral immunity.
How to Save Men from Despair, with Shilo Brooks
Record numbers of young men are not dating and not working, and are struggling with mental health issues. And the majority of young people in general say they lack a sense of purpose. Shilo Brooks has a simple prescription—literature. He sits down with Bari in this week’s episode to discuss his project to rescue a lost generation, and his new show, Old School. Listen below, click here to watch their conversation, or catch it wherever you get your podcasts.
And if you haven’t already, watch episodes of Old School here or listen to them wherever you get your podcasts.
Can the Gaza Ceasefire Last?
Just two weeks ago, Trump said he hoped for an “everlasting peace” in the Middle East after successfully negotiating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, ending the war in Gaza and securing the release of both living and deceased Israeli hostages. Now, less than a month after, has the ceasefire plan completely unraveled? Join Haviv Rettig Gur, The Free Press’s Middle East analyst, with the dazzling Rafaela Siewert today at 10 a.m. ET as they assess the status of the peace deal.
Lee Jae Myung, the president of South Korea, gave President Trump a replica of a golden crown excavated from an ancient tomb. “I’d like to wear it right now,” Trump said. Trump was also awarded the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, South Korea’s highest honor.
At least 25 people are dead in Haiti from river floods brought by Hurricane Melissa. In Jamaica, more than 25,000 people packed into shelters yesterday, and 77 percent of the island is without power. In Cuba, 735,000 remained in shelters as the storm moved across the eastern part of the island.
The Trump Organization made $802 million from crypto ventures in the first half of 2025, Reuters reported. The bulk of it is from the sale of digital tokens and cryptocurrencies by a Trump family–controlled firm, World Liberty Financial. The figure is many times more than the $62 million the company made from its traditional businesses like real estate and licensing deals during the same period.
President Trump said he is prepared to send more National Guard troops into American cities, citing violent crime and attacks on federal immigration enforcement. “If we need more than the National Guard,” Trump told hundreds of U.S. troops based in Japan on Tuesday, “we’ll send more than the National Guard, because we’re going to have safe cities.”
U.S. House staffers were warned on Wednesday that they will not receive their October paycheck if the government shutdown persists into November. “Since appropriations legislation was not enacted, the October 31 paycheck will be delayed until after the date of enactment,” read a memo sent to staff.
Trump’s pick for ambassador to Kuwait faces an uncertain future after two Republicans, Senators Ted Cruz and David McCormick, indicated that they oppose his confirmation. Amer Ghalib, mayor of Arab-majority Hamtramck, Michigan, allegedly called Saddam Hussein a martyr and “liked” a social media post comparing Jews to monkeys.
Two Russian hitmen were convicted on Wednesday for their role in an international murder-for-hire operation targeting an Iranian American dissident, Masih Alinejad. The two men were sentenced to 25 years each for their role in the July 2022 attempted murder. (Read Alinejad’s piece highlighting why her would-be assassins’ conviction is proof of a uniquely American devotion to freedom and justice.)
25 years for attempted murder? That seems like a lot. People get a lower sentence for actual murder.
"Two Russian hitmen were convicted on Wednesday for their role in an international murder-for-hire operation targeting an Iranian American dissident, Masih Alinejad.
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Expect Vlad to be kidnapping, errrr, arresting some Americans any day now.