Trump Welcomes Xi in High Stakes US Visit, Judge Weighs Media Ban, AOC Teases 2028: AM Update 9/24

0:00The wrongs we must right. The fights we must win. The future we must secure together for our nation. This is what's in front of us. This determines what's next for all of us. We are Marines. We were made for this.

0:32Good morning, everyone. I'm Emily Jashinski, host of After Party and the Megyn Kelly Wrap-Up Show on SiriusXM Channel 111. It's Thursday, September 24th, 2026, and this is your AM update. President Trump welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House for the first time in 11 years, with fighter jets overhead, tech titans at dinner, and plenty to settle behind closed doors. Donald Trump's legal position has shifted dramatically overnight. The Trump administration's position now is that the ban is because of national security concerns." President Trump's White House media ban landing before a judge who ruled against him once before as his administration offers a new reason for keeping three news outlets out.

1:13I have not decided if I'm gonna run again. I do sincerely believe 28 won't matter if we don't get through 26. The midterms still weeks away, but AOC, Kamala Harris, and J.B. Pritzker already publicly mulling their next moves for 2028. And a Massachusetts lesbian bar six years after COVID began, making masks optional one night a week and unleashing absolute chaos. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.

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2:23they don't pressure you at Bridge Gold. They just give you info. They can even help you convert an existing IRA or 401k into one in gold for no additional money out of pocket. And you could even just do part of it if you didn't, you know, you want to like hedge that bet even. Text the letters MK to the number 989898 and get started with free info, all right, and some solid information. The midterms are going to be here before you know it. We're already end of September. Text MK to the number 989898 now. Chinese President Xi Jinping arriving in Washington last night for his first White House state visit in more than a decade.

3:00President Trump greeting President Xi and his wife at Joint Base Andrews. Mr. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump meeting the couple at the foot of their plane as the U.S. service members lined a red carpet and two children waited with flowers. The two leaders walking the carpet to the sound of the U.S. national anthem, at least one B-1 bomber also roaring overhead, before Mr. Trump gave Xi a pat on the shoulder. Mr. Trump then escorting Xi to his car, the two speaking briefly as the Chinese leader nodded and smiled before departing for Washington. The airport welcomed just the opening act, this morning set to bring a White House arrival ceremony involving 479 service members, a military review in the Rose Garden, and a flyover by a B-2 bomber and four F-22 fighter jets.

3:44Then the two leaders sitting down for their second summit this year, after meeting in Beijing in May and pledging a steadier relationship. There's plenty to test that pledge. Mr. Trump has accused China of meddling in the 2020 election, while reports that Chinese entities supplied satellite imagery to Iran, adding another possible source of strain. At the negotiating table, trade rare earth minerals and artificial, or to use Mr. Trump's new term, superintelligence. The administration also hoping Beijing will move to stop chemicals used to make fentanyl from reaching the U.S. after China added two such chemicals to its export control list this week.

4:20Tonight turning from negotiations to a state dinner, with Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Jensen Wong, and Sam Altman among the tech figures expected at the White House. The visit continuing Friday with tea at the White House, followed by a trip to the National Archives before she heads home. A federal judge hearing arguments yesterday over President Trump's ban on CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from the White House, then leaving all three outlets waiting for an answer. The president announcing the ban last Friday on Truth Social, accusing the outlets of publishing, quote, fiction and lies. The reporters were denied entry the next day.

4:54The three news organizations suing Monday, arguing the president cannot bar them from the White House over coverage he dislikes, especially without warning or a chance to respond. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defending Mr. Trump's reasoning Tuesday on NBC's Today Show. The president feels very strongly that why should I have people working in my building and in my office that I believe are not honestly covering my administration? That's how he feels. We're not closing CNN. There aren't a bunch of police officers or soldiers kicking down the doors of MSNBC or MSNOW, whatever it's called, and arresting people and unplugging it from the grid.

5:27They're just not allowed to work from the workspace at the White House. The case landing before Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, but a judge who ordered the White House to restore CNN reporter Jim Acosta's press pass during a similar fight in 2018. Ahead of Wednesday's hearing, the DOJ filing its defense, arguing White House access as a privilege and accusing the three outlets of falling short of its standards, including reporting it says threatened national security. The administration also pointing to an earlier court ruling allowing restrictions on associated press access to certain spaces, including the Oval Office, to go into effect, and arguing the president should have similar discretion across the White House grounds.

6:05CNN legal analyst Eli Honig yesterday saying the national security defense is a sharp departure from the explanation the president has given publicly. Donald Trump's legal position has shifted dramatically overnight. The Trump administration's position now is that the ban is because of national security concerns. The problem with that is that the president himself has said repeatedly over the last five, six days that the reason for the ban is unfavorable coverage, negative coverage. In court yesterday, attorney Theodore Boutros arguing for all three outlets saying Mr. Trump has made their case for them by repeatedly criticizing their journalism while defending the ban.

6:43Boutros telling the judge, quote, he keeps proving our point. He's really our lead witness here. Boutros also arguing the White House gave reporters no warning, no clear rules they had broken, and no chance to respond before taking away their access. The administration offering two answers. Justice Department Attorney Michael Veltchik arguing the outlets reporting raised national security concerns and that the White House gave them a way to contest the ban in letters sent Tuesday. Those letters calling the ban preliminary and gave the organizations until Friday to challenge it. Judge Kelly zeroing in on the timing, questioning whether an appeal offered after reporters are barred addresses the lack of advance notice.

7:19The judge also pointing to a separate issue, whether reporters had been told what standards they were expected to follow in the first place. On rebuttal, Boutros arguing, the national security rationale surfaced only after the president announced the ban. Boutros also questioning whether an appeal to the same White House would offer the outlets a meaningful chance to get back in. Judge Kelly giving no indication of when he will decide, telling the lawyers he will try to deliver an answer as soon as he can. Coming up, the midterm's still weeks away, but the 2028 White House field already taking shape as AOC Kamala Harris, J.B.

7:52Pritzker, and Chris Christie weigh their next moves. And a Massachusetts lesbian bar deciding customers can go maskless one night a week. Finding out from customers that was one night too many.

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8:53Head to CozyEarth.com and use my code MEGANAM for up to 20 % off home and sleepwear. That's code MEGANAM for up to 20 % off on home and sleepwear. And if you see a post-purchase survey, please be sure to mention that you heard about Cozy Earth right here. The midterms still weeks away, but the scramble for 2028 already beginning. Democrat Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York reportedly planning to decide after the midterms whether to run for president in 2028. The 36-year-old telling the New York Times as part of a lengthy profile that some political openings come only once. AOC saying, quote, There's an argument that some make that this is a very unique political window, and oftentimes in politics, you do only get one shot.

9:40Life doesn't wait for you to be ready for things. Sometimes life just makes things ready for you. For Ocasio-Cortez, the timing is personal too. She has already spoken publicly about freezing her eggs and says she's thinking about what a presidential campaign would mean for her life as she approaches 37. AOC also weighing whether voters would elect a Latina woman president, after Hillary Clinton and former Vice President Kamala Harris both lost their White House bids. Democrat Governor J.B. Pritzker of Illinois also drawing 2028 attention, after reportedly visiting early primary states and launching a political group to help Democrats in the midterms, according to the New York Times.

10:15Now, the historically rotund Governor Pritzker is sharing something more personal. The governor telling CBS Mornings he has lost 80 pounds since doctors told him to take a GLP-1 medication two years ago, after being diagnosed with diabetes. My doctor said, oh no, you'll never come off of it. You're going to have to do this the rest of your life. And I recommend that you take a GLP-1. What did you think? Well, I was very encouraging of it, I have to say. And obviously I knew the history of his family. You know, it's such a sad story. And of course I want him to be around for a really long time.

10:49Every week, Pritzker injects himself with the GOP-1 medication. Pritzker says in his first week on the GOP-1, he lost weight. All of a sudden, on the third day, I was like, actually, I don't need to eat that thing. But it was the strangest feeling. The disclosure prompting CBS to ask whether Pritzker is changing his appearance ahead of a presidential campaign. Governor Pritzker is saying he has wanted to lose weight for most of his life and credits the medication with finally helping him do it. As for 2028, he says he hasn't made a decision. The governor is seeking a third term as Illinois governor this November and is widely considered the favorite to win.

11:27Former Vice President Kamala Harris also keeping her options open. Ms. Harris campaigning Tuesday in Michigan for Democrat Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, unveiling a new accent at a Detroit NAACP event for a campaign pitch that sounds less than enthusiastic. Shirley Chisholm talked about it. If you're not at the table, bring a folding chair, otherwise you might be on the menu. I'm conflating two people's sentence. It's okay to not be in love with a candidate. It's okay to vote and ask everybody else to vote, because this choice is better than that one. Axios, recently reporting many former aides and advisors it surveyed, believe Ms.

12:10Harris is unlikely to run in 2028. Pressed about those plans at the same Detroit event, Ms. Harris declining to settle the question. I have not decided if I'm going to run again. But I'm going to, and I thank you, but let me just say this. I do sincerely believe 28 won't matter if we don't get through 26. And I'd leave you just with the message, too big to rig. Too big to rig. Let's be too big to rig. Let's get out, show our powers. We are powerful. We don't let anybody take our power from us. On the Republican side, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also looking to the midterms for clues about 2028.

12:51Christie saying during a New Hampshire appearance Tuesday that he is considering a third White House run. After losing his bids in 2016 and 2024, Christie acknowledging he would need a convincing reason to believe this time could end differently. The former Trump ally becoming one of the president's most outspoken Republican critics after the 2020 election. For now, Christie's name absent from RealClearPolling's average of potential Republican nominees. Vice President J.D. Vance drawing nearly 40%. Secretary of State Marco Rubio just over 24%. A lesbian bar in Massachusetts trying to bring in more customers, setting off a furious backlash by making masks optional one night a week.

13:30The Boston Globe reporting that Last Ditch opened last year in Greenfield as a gathering place for lesbians and their friends. its founders welcoming patrons who could not afford the cover charge, while barring police from the space. They also required everyone inside to wear at least a KN95 mask, but customers reportedly began thinning out. The bar fell behind on its bills, consulting with the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce before announcing a plan to make Saturday night's mask optional, hoping to bring in enough customers to keep the doors open. Last Ditch announcing the decision in an August 31st, 2026 Instagram post addressed to its, quote, immunocompromised disabled divas.

14:10The response? Anything but affectionate. One commenter accusing the bar of being, quote, complicit in a mass disabling event. Another writing, quote, I hope your venue gets firebombed. Again, this is a current story, not something from the 2020 archives. The post drawing more than 400 comments, including some in support of the change, management apologizing two days later, than facing fresh accusations because its apology graphic reportedly lacked descriptive text for visually impaired readers. By the time the bar held a community meeting September 11th, only one founder remained involved in its daily operation.

14:45The other two had stepped back months earlier. One had enrolled in clown school, reports the Globe, about 10 people sitting in a masked circle on the dance floor, joined by another group on Zoom and two mediators. The meeting opening with a calming, breathing exercise before the criticism began. One mediator, a licensed therapist, urging participants to move beyond the hostility on social media. Among the critics on Zoom, performer So Noir, who reportedly identifies as a gender-expansive lesbian using he-him pronouns. Noir accusing the therapist, who was white, of focusing on the feelings of the largely white bar staff instead of acknowledging the harm Noir believed the mask change had caused.

15:27The owner then, breaking down, as she described trying to save a business she had never expected to run alone. She told the meeting she had lived in her truck for six months while putting money into the bar and working four jobs and faced responsibility for a$50 ,000 startup loan. The Globe reporting the landlord also wanted nearly$4 ,000 in overdue rent. The following night, the Globe finding little evidence that the new Saturday policy had solved the bar's problem. A DJ playing to a nearly empty dance floor as the owner, still wearing her KN95, danced alone on the bar's stripper pole. One business having no trouble attracting customers, the Boston Globe.

16:06Some before media reporter Max Tanney reporting that, according to a note sent to Globe staff, the story brought in 1 ,000 new subscriptions Tuesday. The paper's managing editor reportedly calling it, quote, by far our best performing story of the year, and predicting it could break more Globe records. That'll do it for your AM update. I'm Emily Drushinsky, host of After Party. Go and check out more at afterpartyemily.com. Catch The Megyn Kelly Show later today, live on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Channel, 111 at noon east, on youtube.com slash megynkelly and all podcast platforms.

16:44To realize the future America needs, we understand what's needed from us. To face each threat head on. We've earned our place in the fight for our nation's future. We are Marines. We were made for this.