President Trump is meeting on Monday at the White House with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the White House said.
Why it matters: This is the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to the White House and another key step in rebuilding U.S.-Syrian relations. It's particularly unusual given al-Sharaa is a former al-Qaeda commander who was until recently on the U.S. terrorism blacklist.
Two top BBC leaders resigned Sunday following criticism over the way a documentary edited a speech by President Trump on Jan. 6 and other matters raised in a leaked internal memo.
Why it matters: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and others accused the public service broadcaster of dishonesty following the leak to the Telegraph of the memo that raised concerns about impartiality and called the edited Trump clip in the BBC "Panorama" documentary "misleading."
President Trump on Sunday once again floated the idea of paying a $2,000 dividend to most Americans out of the billions raised in tariffs this year, an idea he's repeatedly touted but never executed.
Why it matters: Trump is doubling down on his tariff pitch even as those duties face their biggest legal test yet before the Supreme Court — and as Republicans reel from an election in which voters punished them for high prices those same tariffs helped fuel.
Dozens of white clergy are signing up to run as Democrats in 2026, as progressive faith leaders push back on the political dominance of the Christian right.
Why it matters: Democrats have a track record of Black clergy running for office, including Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.). But when white pastors have run, it's usually been as Republicans.
More than $5 billion worth of U.S. weapon exports to support NATO allies and Ukraine have been delayed by the government shutdown, according to a State Department estimate shared with Axios.
Why it matters: It's another example of the repercussions from furloughs, program pauses and slowed activity across federal branches as the shutdown drags into day 40.
