Monday, September 21, 2026

The art of the meal

Trump to host Xi for dinner, and 4 more things to know this week ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌  ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ 
Monday, September 21

The Daily Briefing

 

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Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend. It's Sept. 21, and today you should know: Trump said he is considering escalating the U.S. war in Iran. An ICE officer shot and injured a man in Texas, officials say. Two tropical storms are growing in the Pacific and Atlantic. And Amazon might owe you cash.

I'm Mallorie Sullivan, and I need to issue my first correction: In Friday's send, I mistakenly referred to a Ponzi scheme as a form of insurance fraud. It is a form of investment fraud. Thank you to reader Elizabeth M. for the gentle nudge! Now, here are five things to know this week:

1. Goodbye summer, hello autumn!

It might not feel like it yet in some parts of the country, but fall officially begins tomorrow with the arrival of the autumnal equinox at precisely 8:05 p.m. ET, which NASA says is the exact moment when the center of the sun crosses the plane of Earth's equator. Science! This also means leaf-peeping season is upon us; see when the colors are expected to peak in your area.

2. Trump set to host China's Xi for dinner

After Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted President Donald Trump for a state dinner in May , Trump is set to reciprocate the gesture Thursday during Xi's visit to Washington – and the two will reportedly have some guests. Tech industry leaders from OpenAI, Nvidia and Qualcomm are expected to attend the event, according to multiple outlets, which comes amid tensions between the U.S. and China over AI development.

3. Disability hiring rule to be eliminated

The U.S. Department of Labor on Monday will end an Obama-era regulation that sought to improve job opportunities for Americans with disabilities by ensuring that at least 7% of contractors' workforces were made up of disabled workers. The change is aligned with Trump's pledge to eliminate DEI initiatives, which are making a surprising bipartisan comeback.

4. Fore! The Presidents Cup tees off

See what I did there? 😉 Top golfers from around the globe will descend on Chicago this week for the biennial Presidents Cup, which begins Thursday at Medinah Country Club. Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young and Wyndham Clark headline the U.S. roster, with rising golf phenom Jackson Koivun among the captain's picks. Check out the full lineup and schedule.

5. There's so much TV to watch

For the night owls: "Late Night With Seth Meyers" returns from hiatus tonight on NBC.
For the prestige TV crowd: You've got two new shows coming Wednesday: "Brothers," featuring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, debuts on Apple TV, and "The Love Hypothesis," featuring Lili Reinhart, drops on Prime Video.
For the competition show junkies: "The Voice" begins today on NBC. The new season of "Survivor" premieres Wednesday on CBS. And on Thursday, "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" begins on Fox, and the season finale of " America's Got Talent" airs on NBC.

Keep scrolling for the latest headlines. And do today's crossword here! See you tomorrow 👋

Have feedback for me? Shoot me a message at msullivan@usatoday.com, I'd love to hear from you! Was this email forwarded to you?  Sign up here to get it in your inbox daily.

 

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What you need to know today

President Donald Trump said in a Sept. 20 interview that he was "deciding" on escalating the war but was "open" to meeting his Iranian counterpart.

President Donald Trump looks on as he makes an announcement on healthcare at the White House on Sept. 18, 2026.

Patrick Clancy talked to "60 Minutes," appearing on the CBS show after a mistrial was declared in the murder case against his ex-wife, Lindsay Clancy.

Patrick Clancy and his wife Dr. Rachel Danis are pictured during a "60 Minutes" interview that aired on Sept. 20, 2026.

Sunday was a brutal for the top two picks of the 2024 draft, Chicago's Caleb Williams and Washington's Jayden Daniels both carted off. And it wasn't much better for their draftmates.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 20: Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders reacts after sustaining an injury against the Dallas Cowboys in the second quarter of a game at AT&T Stadium on September 20, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Travis Kelce was among the victims of a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme. Here's more to know about it.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) takes the field during the first half against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Sept. 14, 2026.

Historical data reveals which states have reported the most brain-eating amoeba cases in the U.S.

Historical CDC data highlights the states most impacted by brain-eating amoeba infections.

President Donald Trump said in a Sept. 20 interview that he was "deciding" on escalating the war but was "open" to meeting his Iranian counterpart.

President Donald Trump looks on as he makes an announcement on healthcare at the White House on Sept. 18, 2026.

Patrick Clancy talked to "60 Minutes," appearing on the CBS show after a mistrial was declared in the murder case against his ex-wife, Lindsay Clancy.

Patrick Clancy and his wife Dr. Rachel Danis are pictured during a "60 Minutes" interview that aired on Sept. 20, 2026.

Sunday was a brutal for the top two picks of the 2024 draft, Chicago's Caleb Williams and Washington's Jayden Daniels both carted off. And it wasn't much better for their draftmates.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 20: Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders reacts after sustaining an injury against the Dallas Cowboys in the second quarter of a game at AT&T Stadium on September 20, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Travis Kelce was among the victims of a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme. Here's more to know about it.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) takes the field during the first half against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Sept. 14, 2026.

Historical data reveals which states have reported the most brain-eating amoeba cases in the U.S.

Historical CDC data highlights the states most impacted by brain-eating amoeba infections.
 

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