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September 25, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. President Trump rolled out a literal red carpet for China’s president, Xi Jinping, who made his first visit to the White House in more than a decade. Talks between the two leaders continue today. There’s more below, including the tale of a tradwife influencer who became an ex-tradwife influencer. But first, let’s talk about the best television of the 21st century. Peak TV What are the 100 best television shows of the 21st century? The Times polled hundreds of TV professionals and TV lovers and tabulated their answers. All week, we’ve been counting the list down. Today’s installment brings us the top 20, and if you think I’m going to tell you what tops the list, you’re out of your mind. No spoilers in The Morning! You need to see this list for yourself. (Not a subscriber? Not a problem. Just download the Times app and you’ll have free access to the list — and to all our journalism — for a month.) You’ll have thoughts about the choices. I know I do. American television culture has come a long way from rabbit ears and national conversations about what happened on “Dallas” last night. Among many other things, there’s so much more of it now: The number of original adult U.S. scripted series went from 182 in 2002, according to data from FX, to 600 in the peak production year of 2022. That’s a lot of TV. And we’re much more fragmented now than we were in the 20th century, culturally and politically. It can be hard to find common ground. Viewers find niches. Some of your co-workers may have gathered in the coffee room to talk about “Fleabag,” but there were probably others beside them who’d never heard of the show. Maybe they were “Borgen” people or addicted to “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The New York Times We’re all some kind of people, as my colleague Wesley Morris has said. My wife’s never seen “Succession,” which is a story about a world parallel to mine. I don’t believe I watched a single episode of “Gilmore Girls.” (I have watched all 380-something episodes of “Deadliest Catch.”) You’re going to see choices you agree with here, and ones you cannot fathom. (I’ll break the spoiler rule with one example: “Catch” did not make the list!) Here’s one thing a lot of people will ask: “How in the name of gabagool is ‘The Sopranos’ not on the list?” The answer may sound pedantic, but rules are rules: The series started last century, in 1999. (So did “The West Wing,” “Freaks and Geeks” and “Family Guy.”) We considered only series you could watch entirely in this one. James Poniewozik, our television critic, calls that the technical answer. “The aesthetic one,” he writes, “is that ‘The Sopranos’ is all over this list.” There are antiheroes everywhere in our ranking, alongside the textured human characters who replaced them when antiheroes went out of fashion. Go explore the list. Send us your own ballot. See videos of stars talking about their picks. Luxuriate in — and contribute to! — the reader comments. And, finally, watch the folks behind the series we put first talk about their show. The whole package is a joy. Now, let’s see what else is happening in the world. FREE TO READ Reporters waiting for Trump and Xi. Doug Mills/The New York Times Press freedom: Trump welcomed Chinese journalists to cover the visit of President Xi Jinping while several American journalists were blocked from entering the White House. Going dry: Why do the trade wars keep coming for your whiskey? Trending: Is it unprofessional to bring iced coffee to a job interview? The question has divided the internet. Turning point: What happens when a tradwife influencer leaves her husband, questions her beliefs, stops selling anti-feminism T-shirts — and still needs to make a living? Watch the video below, and then read about what happened to Bernadine Bluntly. The New York Times THE LATEST NEWS Trump-Xi Summit The presidents and first ladies of the United States and China at the White House yesterday. Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times During a day marked by lavish ceremonies, Trump appeared focused on nurturing a personal relationship with Xi while Xi was at times more pointed about the challenges facing them. Trump hosted a state dinner for Xi at the White House featuring American ingredients with a “subtle Chinese influence.” See the menu. Tech titans including Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, Sam Altman and Tim Cook were invited to the dinner. Here’s the full guest list. Before the meal, Trump presented Xi with a statue of a bald eagle. Xi did not offer a gift in return, but earlier in the day he announced that China would send two pandas to Zoo Atlanta. The major U.S. networks declined to air live footage of the meetings, since Trump blocked CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. (They have now been allowed back, following a judge’s order, but TV pool coverage remains suspended.) Late night hosts roasted Trump for pulling out all the stops for Xi. United Nations Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations. Dave Sanders for The New York Times In his speech at the United Nations, Benjamin Netanyahu described Israel’s wars in Gaza and Iran as a “battle against barbarians.” Protesters rallied against Netanyahu in the streets of New York City, and many diplomats in the hall walked out during his speech. The Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas called for a two-state solution and accused Israel of prosecuting “a genocidal war” against Palestinians. He addressed the assembly virtually, as the Trump administration had refused to grant him a visa. Politics Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said in a speech that the Supreme Court should reconsider its use of the emergency docket. New Jersey’s governor, Mikie Sherrill, called on her lieutenant governor to resign, saying that investigators had concluded that his behavior constituted sexual harassment. An ex-bodyguard — and erstwhile boyfriend — of former Senator Kyrsten Sinema was arrested on charges of ransacking her home, where he threw nearly two dozen paintings into her pool, the authorities said. Artificial Intelligence Google is launching a tiny experimental data center into space. Scientists at an Anthropic lab said they had used A.I. to discover how enzymes might point to a new gene editing system. Outside experts said such claims jumped ahead of the evidence. Hospitals’ use of A.I. is pushing medical costs higher while patient care remains the same, a report by insurers said. Middle East France said it would send troops to Saudi Arabia to help protect critical energy sites that have come under fire from the Houthis. Iran’s foreign minister said that his country had proposed a seven-day plan to cease hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Other Big Stories In 2023, federal agents deported a man for stealing more than a thousand unpublished manuscripts. Either he’s back or he has a copycat. Mortgage rates jumped to 7 percent. The Iran war has unsettled the government bond market, which underpins mortgage rates. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, known as “America’s bishop,” was beatified, bringing him one step closer to sainthood. OPINIONS A new Met exhibit will feature the work of Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, his wife, as equals. That’s unusual. A doctor believes that A.I. is making her a better physician. But she worries that it’s making medical students worse. The Anniversary Sale ends soon: Morning readers, enjoy our best offer. Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your interests with expert coverage of news, culture, business and more. Save now: $1/week for your first year. TODAY’S NUMBER Tom Moore Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press 87 — That is the age of Tom Moore, an adviser to the University of Iowa football team’s offensive squad. “I can’t sit and not do anything,” Moore told The Athletic. “I did it for about three months, and there’s absolutely nothing about retirement that interests me. Nothing.” The video’s great. SPORTS Track and field: Sam Blaskowski, one of the United States’ most prominent up-and-coming sprinters, was dropped from his club after he shared social media posts that contained racial slurs. M.L.B.: The threat of a strong storm in the northeast prompted the postponement of Saturday’s game between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees. The outlook for the regular-season finale Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium isn’t much better. RECIPE OF THE DAY Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne. Make Genevieve Ko’s recipe for caramelized garlic fish this weekend and it’ll reward you with a technique you can use midweek whenever you need a fast, flavorful meal. The sauce is bonkers: a funky, fish-sauced Vietnamese caramel that brings flaky white fish into a deep umami embrace. But not only flaky white fish (catfish, say, or cod). You can use it to great effect on cubed tofu, on nuggets of chicken thigh, on seared pork chops, probably a bedroom slipper. Five stars! OUTWIT, OUTPLAY, OUTLAST Jeff Probst David Billet for The New York Times Jeff Probst has been the host of “Survivor” for 26 years — 51 seasons! He’s not done yet. Watch his interview with Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli on our “Popcast” pop-culture show. More on culture “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” stars Mahershala Ali as a Houston hit man driven by his Muslim faith and love of his children. Alissa Wilkinson, reviewing the movie for The Times, says he is “haunted by a question familiar to anyone who believes in something bigger than themselves. Can we be forgiven for the worst things we have done? Does grace extend to our darkest hour?” Muslim John Wick? I’m in. Space opera — a subgenre of science fiction that features grand, melodramatic action set on the galactic stage — could be your next big reading thrill. Our Book Review put together a nice collection of novels to get you started. (If you’re asking me, begin with James S.A. Corey’s “Leviathan Wakes.”) THE MORNING RECOMMENDS In the French Quarter of New Orleans. Cedric Angeles for The New York Times Spend 36 hours in New Orleans. (Careful, you might end up staying 10 years!) Add some delight to your day. Read Melissa Kirsch’s The Good List newsletter immediately. Upgrade your pepper mill, or acquire one to replace your container of ground black pepper that really should be used only at slice shops and greasy spoons. The sneezy spice merchants at Wirecutter have some fabulous picks. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was plowable. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren Deputy Editorial Director: Lauren Jackson

THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 25 1957 Little Rock Nine begin first full day of classes Nine Black students enter all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, after a federal court ordered racial integration at the school. The teens first tried to attend class there three weeks earlier but were blocked by National Guard troops. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1867 Cattle pioneer Oliver Loving dies of gangrene 1970s 1978 Mid-air collision kills 144 American Revolution 1775 Ethan Allen is captured Arts & Entertainment 1970 “The Partridge Family” premieres on ABC Cold War 1959 Eisenhower and Khrushchev meet for talks Crime 1959 New York mobster Little Augie Pisano is murdered Inventions & Science 1928 First company to mass-produce car radios is incorporated Religion 1890 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially renounces polygamy Sports 1965 59-year-old Satchel Paige pitches three innings U.S. Constitution 1789 Bill of Rights passes Congress U.S. Presidents 1894 Grover Cleveland pardons bigamists, adulterers, polygamists and unlawful cohabitants

🎃 1 for the road: Retail zombies Data: Axios analysis of Spirit Halloween store locator. Chart: Brad Jennings/Axios Spirit Halloween is haunting the shells of dead big-box stores again this fall as it opens 1,500+ locations across North America, Axios' Brad Jennings writes. 👻 The Halloween retailer relies on temporary leases to transform vacant storefronts into seasonal shops, an arrangement that gives property owners exposure and a few months of rent while they hunt for long-term tenants. 🧵 Of the locations analyzed by Axios, 153 — just over 1 in 10 — were labeled "Former Joann" stores in Spirit's locator. The bankrupt arts-and-crafts retailer closed last year. Former Big Lots stores ranked second with 103 locations, followed by Party City with 100. Go deeper.

🇨🇳 Chummy with China Chinese President Xi Jinping and the first lady of China, Peng Liyuan, walk with President Trump and first lady Melania Trump yesterday. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Americans' feelings toward China have warmed over the past five years, according to a Pew Research Center survey released this week: The share of U.S. adults with a warm view of China has jumped from 11% in 2021 to 19% today. The slice with a cold view has fallen from 68% to 54%. Data: Pew Research Center. Chart: Avery Lotz/Axios 🥊 Below that lukewarm feel, tensions over trade, Taiwan, China's ties with Iran and a high-stakes AI race threaten to freeze over a precarious economic thaw between Beijing and Washington. 🐼 Return of panda diplomacy: Xi said China will send two pandas to Zoo Atlanta, calling them an "envoy of friendship." Keep reading.

💸 AI capital vacuum Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images A new analysis shows the AI buildout's staggering scale: $10.3 trillion in estimated AI infrastructure investment through 2032, Axios Macro co-author Courtenay Brown writes. 🤯 That amounts to 3.6% of GDP a year, dwarfing the investment booms that built America's railroads, highways, electric grid and telecom networks. Why it matters: The AI boom has become far too big and costly for even the largest tech companies to finance alone, triggering trillions in demand for outside capital, according to new research being presented today at the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity. Financing the buildout will mean tapping bond markets, banks and private credit on a massive scale, adding to the flood of debt competing for investors' money at a time when borrowing costs are already surging. 💰 The more capital the buildout absorbs, the greater the potential pressure on borrowing costs elsewhere in the economy. In effect, any entity that needs capital, from the U.S. government to an Axios reader seeking a home mortgage, is in competition with hyperscalers. Go deeper ...

You have to be odd to be number one. - Dr. Seuss James

Report shows steady improvement in Long Island Sound water quality Billions of dollars spent on wastewater treatment and other infrastructure upgrades in Connecticut and New York have resulted in apparent improvements in Long Island Sound’s water quality, according to a report from the ecological nonprofit Save the Sound. Read More.

California Supreme Court orders Riverside County sheriff to return 650,000 seized ballots A Republican California sheriff must return more than a half-million ballots he seized for an investigation into unfounded voting improprieties in a special election last year, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday. Read More.

Cities often squabble over homelessness. A new law forces one community to try something different The Legislature is forcing the city and county of Sacramento to try something unusual in their fight against homelessness, and both critics and supporters of the controversial plan say it could have broad implications for the rest of the state. Read More.

Trump's state dinner for Xi to feature sea bass and a long list of tech titans A tech-heavy guest list, the fashion choices of those on it, who sits where, their body language throughout the night and what’s on the menu: these are the softer — often and glitzier — details of diplomacy. Read More. 🏛️ Scoop: Tech summit next week Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Kevin Dietsch and Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images President Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and tech CEOs will hold an AI meeting next Tuesday, Axios' Maria Curi scooped. The meeting comes as pressure mounts on Washington to regulate the frontier AI companies.

Delegates walk out as Netanyahu addresses UN, and other Mideast developments Israel's increasingly isolated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took center stage at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, defending his decision to attack Iran as an easy one. Read More. An isolated Netanyahu takes UN stage as he seeks reelection at home Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began the year declaring that he stood “shoulder to shoulder” with U.S. President Donald Trump as the two countries launched a war against Iran. But this week, as world leaders gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, there are no plans for the two men to be in the same room, or even in the same city. Read More. Small bites from the UN: Defiance, fiery language and a cold building Competing speeches from Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas commanded attention at the United Nations on Thursday, even though the Palestinian leader wasn't there in person: The United States denied him a visa. Read More.

🍗 1 for the road: KFC's new concept Photo: Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi/Axios Patio seating, a booth for special celebrations, lobby hosts and expanded menu options are part of a new concept that KFC is testing in McKinney, Texas, Axios Dallas' Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi reports. A host greets visitors as they enter. Customers can order at a kiosk or with an employee. Dine-in orders are brought to the table. Photo: Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi/Axios 🐓 There's also a display case with KFC merch, including socks, sweatshirts, phone cases and water bottles. KFC U.S. president Catherine Tan-Gillespie tells Axios: "We basically imagined, 'If the Colonel was building this restaurant today, what would it look like?'" Dig in ... KFC opens a Texas restaurant to test ideas for reclaiming its fried chicken crown KFC has been taking a licking from fried chicken rivals like Raising Cane's, but the global fast-food chain has a plan to return to the top of the U.S. pecking order. Read More.

🐼 China is sending two pandas to Zoo Atlanta after Beijing reclaimed four of them in 2024 amid diplomatic tensions, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced during his state visit today. Go deeper.

🛰️ Google and SpaceX are set to launch an experimental satellite to test the idea of AI data centers in space, the N.Y. Times reports. Gift link.

🎤 Macklemore announces "Free Palestine" tour Screenshot: @macklemore/X Rapper Macklemore announced a "Free Palestine" tour today, with stops in Dublin, Paris and London. That's after he was dropped from Ed Sheeran's "Loop Tour" after making pro-Palestinian comments during a performance. 🤳 Macklemore wrote on X: "What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage. When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention." "So we're going on tour. All proceeds will benefit organizations supporting the Palestinian people and movement." What's next: Artists and U.S. dates are TBD, the rapper said on Instagram. Go deeper.

Meet Meta's AI handheld Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reveals the Muse Charm at Meta Connect in Menlo Park, Calif., yesterday. Photo: Minh Connors/Bloomberg via Getty Images Meta's new Muse Charm is a keychain-sized AI handheld device to bring the viral Muse assistant to the masses, Axios' Ina Fried reports. The Tamagotchi-like gadget has a screen and a digital avatar representing Muse. Meta says the Muse Charm will be available by December. 🎤 CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during yesterday's Meta Connect keynote: "We've packed a lot of technology in this little guy." "So if you're not wearing [smart] glasses, this is going to be by far the fastest way to talk to your Muse and to show them what's going on around you." 🤖 Meta also announced new Muse capabilities, including live video chat, real-time voice conversations with custom voice options and an email address for each person's agent. Zuckerberg said: "I expect that Muse is going to grow into the personal superintelligence that billions of people around the world are going to use to accomplish their goals and improve their lives." The big picture: Other AI companies, including OpenAI, are also working on hardware based around their digital agents. 🤔 Reality check: Muse is also available through a smartphone app. It's unclear what advantages a dedicated gadget might offer. Go deeper ... Meta's next VR headset.

Excellent article!!

To me the issue is that the GC voted on it 3 times in 3 sessions and it was no. If the Union can do what ever it wants, what was the point of voting on it? And this is clearly a "what ever they wanted". The Union statement is so broad it could cover LGBT, even Trans people. There were no boundaries. It appears to me, that some people don't understand the limits of the Union. Maybe that is how they justify the disobedience. Thank you for your insight Gregory.

What is SSPX?

The General Conference appears to have something similar to SSPX going on - only in this case it's the liberal branch of the SDA Church that is seeking to normalize its agenda.

Stendahl was definitely an interesting man who could argue theology. Many in the Lutheran Church are still trying to sort out how he was able to argue that there were no theological or pastoral reasons standing in the way of practicing homosexuals (either in or outside of committed relationships) being ordained as clergy as the ordinations stood before God in faith be they married heterosexual couples or single practicing homosexuals that churned through same-sex partners. Back in the day this was a big deal and picked up by secular media. Here is one account of Dr. Stendahl's really putting his back into ordination for LGBT folks. Reading that article from the early 90's it's amazing to see how things worked themselves out. It's also amazing to see how the seeds of one particular theological slant can germinate and grow in fertile soil. Church Defied as Three Gays Are Ordained - Los Angeles Times

Gentlekpeopole, You can rant and rave all that you want to. Butl, You do nto ulnderstand that actual issue. Ordilnaltion of women in the North American Division is due to thae fact that in the NAD, lthe legal aulthority to ordain any person rests, it is clailmed, withl the Union Conference and not wiltlh any other SDA organization, including the General Conference.