Morning Briefing: Sept. 26, 2026

Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Saturday, including US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping concluding "very productive" White House talks and agreeing to meet twice more this year; OpenAI notifying dozens of governments and universities after finding some of its AI models may have breached security controls; and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian saying Tehran wants peace with Washington but "distrust" of the US remains.

TOP STORIES

- Trump, Xi hold 'very productive' White House talks, agree to meet twice more this year

US President Donald Trump said he had a "very productive" meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and that "tremendous things will be happening" as Xi wrapped up a three-day state visit to Washington.

Trump and Xi held a private tea session and toured the National Archives, with Xi saying he expects to meet Trump twice more this year, at November's APEC summit in China and December's G20 summit in the US.

US Ambassador to China David Perdue said Trump told Xi that any Chinese assistance to Iran, direct or indirect, would be "totally unacceptable," adding that Trump and Xi agreed Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon, and that the Strait of Hormuz should remain open.

Trump said the two leaders discussed trade, rare earth minerals, artificial intelligence, security, Taiwan and the war in Iran, with details of agreements expected to be made public.

- OpenAI notifies governments, universities after AI models breach security controls

OpenAI said it has begun notifying dozens of third parties, including government bodies and universities, after finding some of its AI models may have interfered with their websites or online services during company testing.

The notifications are part of a wider internal review examining how OpenAI's models behaved on the internet during training and evaluation, working backward month by month from the Hugging Face incident.

The company said the breaches occurred because its models turned to "misaligned" methods when faced with difficult tasks, rather than through deliberate attacks, and flagged a separate "agent spam" pattern in which models altered content on external websites, including public wiki pages.

- Pezeshkian says Iran wants peace, but 'distrust' of US remains

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran remains open to resolving its dispute with Washington, but stressed that trust must first be rebuilt, as he arrived in New York for the UN General Assembly.

Speaking to CBS News, Pezeshkian said the US "needs to show that it does not intend to overthrow our government," questioning whether Washington was genuinely seeking a settlement given continued strikes and sanctions during negotiations.

"As long as they don't cease doing what they're imposing on us every day, it's difficult to trust them," he said, citing daily sanctions, threats and strikes against Iran.

NEWS IN BRIEF

- Iraq's Najaf International Airport suspended all flights to and from Iran until further notice, citing directives from authorities.

- Bulgaria's presidential election campaign officially began, with 27 presidential and vice-presidential tickets registered ahead of the Oct. 25 vote.

- The World Bank approved $750 million in financing for Türkiye's Agrifood Sector project, aimed at boosting the competitiveness and productivity of the country's agricultural food value chains.

- EU member states agreed on terms to release €6.6 billion ($7.5 billion) in European Peace Facility funds for Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

- Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan's foreign ministers strongly condemned attacks on Mecca and Saudi economic facilities, and discussed joint military support under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, according to a statement.

- Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said Baghdad hopes to become a global hub for energy production, telling the UN General Assembly that Iraq aims to use its energy capabilities to boost regional and international security.

- The UN Human Rights Office added 61 companies to its database of businesses linked to illegal Israeli settlement activities, bringing the total to 214 companies from 11 countries, according to a report.

- Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the framework agreement with Israel must be translated into practical steps under a clear timetable, including a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

- Russia's ruling United Russia party secured 349 of 450 seats in the State Duma, said Russia's electoral chief Ella Pamfilova, with voter turnout at 59.8% in the Sept. 18-20 election.

- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the UN General Assembly that the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab Strait must remain open, calling them vital arteries of the global economy.

- Iran rejected Colombia's accusations and accused Bogota of severing diplomatic ties under Israeli and US influence, while alleging links between the Colombian government and drug trafficking networks.

- A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off New Caledonia's Loyalty Islands, with no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage, the US Geological Survey said.

- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz could reopen within seven days if the US accepts a plan Tehran conveyed through Qatar, with a final agreement to follow.

- Ed Sheeran's two weekend concerts at Gillette Stadium have been canceled due to severe weather, TMZ reported, amid controversy about Macklemore's removal from the tour lineup.

- President Donald Trump has rejected Iran's seven-day truce offer and plans renewed strikes after November's midterm elections, betting on continued economic pressure, the Wall Street Journal reported.

- Saudi air defenses intercepted two Houthi drones targeting the Riyadh region, according to Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki, who said the kingdom continues monitoring missile and drone threats.

- President Donald Trump denied reports that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would become the administration's AI "czar," saying that Bessent will remain in his current post.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

- Argentina's poverty rate reaches 32.3% in first half of 2026

Argentina's poverty rate hit 32.3% and extreme poverty reached 7.5% in the first half of 2026, affecting 9.7 million people in 2.5 million households, as incomes failed to keep pace with rising costs, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Census.

Extreme poverty left 2.25 million people in 575,000 households unable to cover basic food needs, marking a 4.1 percentage point rise in overall poverty from the second half of 2025.

The data showed 44.5% of children aged 14 and under lived in poverty, with 10.8% facing extreme poverty.

- Germany's housing benefit claimants, state spending hit record highs

The number of Germans receiving housing benefits rose 7.2% year-on-year to 1.3 million, the highest in two decades, while Berlin spent a record €4.992 billion ($5.7 billion) on housing assistance amid soaring rent prices, according to the German statistical bureau, Destatis.

Retirees living alone made up 51% of households receiving housing benefits, while households with individuals under 25 accounted for 39%, with 82% of recipients being renters.

SPORTS

- Russell takes Azerbaijan GP pole as championship leader Antonelli crashes out

George Russell took pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as championship leader and Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli crashed out in Q1, opening a major opportunity for Russell in the Formula 1 title race.

Russell finished 0.837 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, the biggest qualifying margin of the season, while Antonelli will start the race from 16th after hitting the wall at Turn 1.

Antonelli leads the championship with 292 points to Russell's 211, with the gap open to close after Antonelli's crash.

- Manchester City found guilty of almost all Premier League financial breach charges: report

Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one of 115 charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations, The Athletic reported, more than three years after being charged in February 2023.

Sanctions have not yet been decided, and City are expected to appeal the ruling, having consistently denied any wrongdoing.

- 'As long as they don't cease doing what they're imposing on us every day, it's difficult to trust them,' says Iranian president