00:01President Trump meets with China's Xi Jinping, claiming major wins on trade, tech, and fentanyl, plus his new threat to resume nuclear testing.
00:10Also, Hurricane Melissa still tearing through the Caribbean.
00:13After Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba, the storm now takes aim at the Bahamas.
00:17And breaking this morning, new arrests in the Louvre heist.
00:20Why investigators say they're closer than ever to cracking the case.
00:26The stories that matter, clear and credible.
00:29From across the country to around the world, these are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:38Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
00:39This morning, President Trump is calling his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping amazing,
00:45saying the two reached several key agreements on trade, fentanyl, and tech.
00:49The president says the U.S. will cut tariffs on China from 20 percent to 10 percent.
00:54Those tariffs were originally imposed earlier this year to punish Beijing for supplying chemicals used to make fentanyl.
01:00That move brings the total tariff rate on Chinese goods down to 47 percent.
01:05But that was not the only headline from the president's high-stakes Asian tour.
01:10Just minutes before meeting Xi, Trump threatened on social media to resume nuclear testing for the first time in more than 30 years.
01:17He wrote on Truth Social that he's instructed the newly renamed Department of War to begin testing America's nuclear weapons on an equal basis with other countries.
01:27Language that analysts say could refer to non-detonation missile tests, though it remains vague and alarming given the timing.
01:35China has not tested a nuclear weapon since 1996, and Russia hasn't since 1990,
01:40though both have been rapidly expanding their nuclear arsenals.
01:44Even with the nuclear threat hanging in the air, the two leaders moved ahead with their trade discussions,
01:50starting with China's rare-earth minerals.
01:52But all of the rare-earth has been settled, and that's for the world.
01:58I mean, you know, worldwide.
02:00I guess you could really say this was a worldwide situation, not just the U.S. situation.
02:06China is, that whole situation, that roadblock has gotten there.
02:12There's no roadblock at all.
02:14Trump also said China has agreed to buy very large quantities of American soybeans,
02:19and that the two sides discussed allowing advanced U.S. computer chips to be exported to China,
02:25with NVIDIA expected to begin direct talks with Chinese officials soon.
02:29The president also announced he will travel to China in April,
02:33with Xi scheduled to visit the United States later this year.
02:36And he said a formal trade deal could be signed, quote, pretty soon.
02:40This morning, Hurricane Melissa continues its deadly march in the Caribbean,
02:45now zeroing in on the central Bahamas with 100-mile-an-hour winds,
02:49torrential rain, and a life-threatening storm surge.
02:52Residents there remain hunkered down as the massive storm moves north.
02:56There's lots to show you and tell you about this morning.
02:59Look, Melissa obliterated Jamaica, leaving at least four people dead
03:03and knocking out power to nearly 80 percent of the island.
03:07Entire communities are cut off, some under a total communications blackout.
03:11Thousands are packed into shelters after the storm ripped apart homes
03:15and flooded hospitals, police stations, and emergency vehicles.
03:19Even relief storage facilities were damaged.
03:21There is one glimmer of hope.
03:23The Jamaican government says it plans to reopen airports later today to allow relief flights to land.
03:30In Haiti, at least 23 people have died, and dozens more are missing after catastrophic flooding.
03:36And in Cuba, more than 15 inches of rain fell in some areas.
03:40Homes collapsed, debris litters the streets, and already crumbling infrastructure has been pushed to its limits.
03:46The country was already struggling with food and fuel shortages and frequent blackouts.
03:51Now those crises are expected to worsen.
03:54Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X that the U.S. is in close contact with regional governments
04:00and is sending rescue teams and emergency supplies to Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas.
04:07Melissa is expected to pass just west of Bermuda later tonight.
04:11Still a powerful Category 3 storm on a path of destruction through the Atlantic.
04:15New this morning, French investigators have arrested five more suspects in that brazen jewel heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
04:25Authorities say the stolen crown jewels, worth more than $100 million, still have not been found.
04:30But one of the newly arrested suspects could be a key figure after DNA evidence reportedly linked him to the crime scene.
04:37The two suspects arrested last weekend appeared in court on Wednesday and were placed under formal investigation for organized theft and criminal conspiracy.
04:46Prosecutors say both have admitted to taking part in the robbery.
04:50Investigators are also looking into whether the thieves had help from inside the museum.
04:55Officials say it took the crew less than eight minutes to break through a window,
04:59use power tools to cut into display cases, and disappear with the jewels,
05:02one of the boldest art thefts in Paris in decades.
05:07Now to the White House.
05:09Several Maryland-based firms involved in the demolition of the East Wing and construction of the new 90,000-square-foot ballroom
05:16have taken their websites, and in some cases their social media accounts, offline.
05:21That includes Aseco, the demolition company, whose excavators were seen leveling the East Wing.
05:27As CBS News first reported, the firm's website now reads simply,
05:30This site is under construction.
05:32Yelp even froze reviews about hostile posts targeting the company.
05:38Another contractor, EAI Roloff, which hauled debris from the site, replaced its homepage with a simple note,
05:45Undergoing routine maintenance.
05:47Evan McCrary Architects, the design firm named by President Trump,
05:50has stripped its website down to a single page, just photos and a generic email address.
05:56Larger companies like Clark Construction continue to highlight their role,
06:00but the smaller local firms appear to be lowering their profiles amid growing public backlash over the renovation.
06:07The project, privately financed and valued at roughly $300 million,
06:12replaces the former East Wing with what the president calls a world-class ballroom.
06:17A former senior Homeland Security official under President Trump is now leading a new online campaign
06:24aimed at organizing peaceful protests against the administration.
06:29Miles Taylor, the former DHS chief of staff, has launched Defiance.org,
06:34a self-described clearinghouse for Americans who want to, quote,
06:37push back peacefully, lawfully and defiantly against what the group calls presidential abuses of power.
06:44The bipartisan project includes former national security officials, whistleblowers, and ex-lawmakers from both parties.
06:51The site's launch video features actor Robert De Niro urging Americans to stand up and fight.
06:57Taylor first gained attention in 2018 after admitting he authored the anonymous New York Times op-ed
07:03describing a quiet resistance inside the Trump administration.
07:07In April, President Trump ordered agencies to investigate Taylor,
07:11accusing him of spreading false stories and leaking classified materials, allegations that Taylor denies.
07:17The group behind Defiance.org says it's creating a nationwide mutual aid pact
07:23to support those targeted by the administration, from protesters to public officials.
07:28Finally this morning, remember the name, Trey Yusavage.
07:32The Toronto Blue Jays rookie pitcher turned in a jaw-dropping performance last night in the World Series.
07:38I hope you saw some of it. It was incredible.
07:40Yusavage, who started the season in single A ball and was only promoted to AAA in August,
07:47struck out 12 Dodgers over seven innings, shutting down stars like Shohei Otani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman.
07:54At the plate, the Blue Jays wasted no time.
07:57Their first two batters hit back-to-back home runs off Dodgers starter Blake Snell.
08:01Toronto went on to win 6-1, taking a 3-2 lead in the World Series,
08:06with a chance to clinch the championship on Friday back home in Toronto.
08:10By the way, when I lived in Buffalo, New York, we would frequently cross the border into Canada,
08:15take the 90-minute drive up the QEW, and watch the Blue Jays.
08:19It was that close.
08:20And they had this really catchy and somewhat hokey cheer, but it was fun.
08:23It went like this, OK, OK, Blue Jays, Blue Jays, let's, let's, play, play, ball.
08:31And the crowd would go crazy. It was a lot of fun.
08:34And hey, look, now they're on the cusp of winning another World Series. Wow.
08:38All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
08:41In Boston, a coalition of Democratic-led states heads to court at 11 to try to block the Trump administration's
08:47planned food aid freeze set to take effect November 1st.
08:50At noon, Freddie Mac releases this week's mortgage rates, a snapshot of where borrowing costs are headed.
08:57Also at noon, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy
09:02team up with ICE leaders for a joint press conference.
09:06And later this afternoon, a lighter moment at the White House
09:09as President Trump and First Lady Melania welcome trick-or-treaters at 4 p.m.
09:13No caps, no clickbait, no problem. Just the news you actually need.
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09:23That was your Unbiased Updates for this Thursday. We'll see you back here tomorrow, Friday. We love that.
09:28For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DiGrelli. Have a great day.
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