Madonna and Charli XCX are heading to “Danceteria Afterhours” on their first collaborative track, the latest in a string of addenda to the queen of pop’s Confessions II. The rework of that album’s “Danceteria” is co-produced by Andrew Watt, Cirkut, Stuart Price, and Madonna herself. Check it out below.
“Danceteria Afterhours,” dropping just days before Madonna’s return to the VMAs, is her second union in as many months, after she enlisted Kylie Minogue for August’s “Love Sensation (Afterhours Mix).” The collaboration follows an apparent side-eye from Madge to Charli, when she wrote on social media in May, “If your Dance floor feels dead, maybe you’re playing the wrong music.” On her Music, Fashion, Film single “Rock Music,” Charli XCX sings the much-quoted line, “I think the dancefloor is dead/So now we’re making rock music.”

Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, didn’t hold back in his new book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
In the controversial memoir, Spencer said King Charles told his sister he didn’t love her in the days leading up to their 1981 wedding. Spencer said that he learned from a friend of Diana’s that, the day before her wedding, Charles told her “that she needed to know that he was very happy to marry her, but he was not actually in love with her.”
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He added that the then-Prince Charles could be very cruel and claimed that shortly after Diana and Charles got engaged, he squeezed Diana’s waist and said, “Oh, a bit chubby here, aren’t we?” Then, later, when Spencer visited Kensington Palace, he heard Charles yell, “Get her to turn off that infernal racket!” when Diana was playing her disco music.
In Spencer’s memoir, he recalls Diana’s life, her childhood and how the British royal family handled her death. According to Page Six, he even said that Charles appeared to be “giddily elated” when Diana died.
The Daily Mail, which published a preview of the novel, said Spencer had a heated phone call with Charles before Diana’s funeral. Spencer alleged that he and Charles had different opinions on whether Prince William and Prince Harry, should walk behind Diana’s coffin in her funeral procession.
It was then that Charles allegedly said Diana will “soon” be forgotten after her death. In response, Buckingham Palace, issued a rare statement about the matter. According to NBC News, it said, “While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss.”
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Why Brooke picked the Packers: The Packers, lucky to eke out a victory in New York to avoid falling to 0-2, finally return to beloved Lambeau Field, where they have won each of their last 13 home openers. I have concerns about Jordan Love’s O-line, which just lost starting right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele for the season and has others banged up (OG Aaron Banks , OT Anthony Belton and backup OL Donovan Jennings). Love has already taken seven sacks (tied for third-most), faced the fifth-highest pressure rate in the NFL this season (42.3%) and is tied for the most unblocked pressures faced (12), per NFL Pro. How Matt LaFleur game plans for his shorthanded offense against a Falcons defense that ranks first against the run, ninth on third down and in the red zone and has generated pressure on 41.5 percent on dropbacks (seventh in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats) could tell part of Thursday night’s story. Not having CB A.J. Terrell hurts Atlanta’s chances of slowing Christian Watson and Matthew Golden, but having Michael Penix Jr. under center should be a boon for that team. Even if he’s still knocking off the rust, this should look like a more competent unit, one that’s better-suited to get Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts more involved. These are two flawed teams, and though I think we’ll see an improved Falcons outfit, Green Bay has a much-needed home-field edge and a defense that’s playing with confidence with budding star Lukas Van Ness at the forefront. Clean up the penalties and this could be a turning point for the Pack.
Why Bobby picked the Bills: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I will not be picking the Chargers for a third straight week — nor am I likely to throw my support behind them very much at all in the coming months, considering the juggernauts lined up to face them. First up on that list: the Bills, who look to be the cream of the AFC crop in the early goings of this season. Josh Allen is on fire, having already accounted for nine touchdowns (five passing, four rushing) while leading Buffalo to 36 or more points in each of the team’s first two games. While there are some pressing questions about the Bills’ defense, nothing has come easy to the Chargers in Mike McDaniel’s new scheme. Justin Herbert looks uncomfortable, his pass catchers have been affected by multiple big drops and injuries, and lead back Omarion Hampton has lost a fumble in both games. There’s nothing to suggest Los Angeles can string together enough scoring drives to keep up with Buffalo’s mighty offense. Look for the Bills to move to 3-0 in dominating fashion.
Why Bobby picked the Panthers: Cleveland’s upset victory over the Buccaneers felt more like Tampa Bay continuing to be the team that fell on its face throughout the end of last season than a sign the Browns will stick it to another NFC South opponent. Lest that be misconstrued as a “Browns is the Browns” take, Cleveland played well and fought hard for its win. Deshaun Watson was as precise as he’s been in years, rookie Denzel Boston looks like a stud, and the Browns defense was the far more composed side during the game’s final two minutes in the aftermath of a 132-minute weather delay. The Panthers just happen to be playing better ball than both the Bucs and the Browns. Bryce Young is off to the best start of his career, buoyed by the budding wide receiver duo of Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker. He’s averaged 324 passing yards through two games with three touchdown passes in each contest. It’s not out of the question he keeps it going against a Cleveland defense still navigating the early days of the post-Myles Garrett era. The wild card remains the Panthers’ defensive Jekyll-and-Hyde act to start the season. Are they the closer to the group that gave up 59 points to an explosive Bears team in the opener or the unit that dominated a woeful Falcons squad while allowing just 3 points? Even if it’s more the former, Dave Canales’ offense should be able to do enough for a victory.
Why Jeremy picked the Lions: Aaron Glenn’s return to Detroit, where he was Dan Campbell’s defensive coordinator for four seasons, will be the ultimate test for his Jets defense’s early turnaround. After games against the Titans and Packers offenses (asterisk needed), Gang Green’s defense, which received an influx of veteran talent in the offseason, ranks in the top three in yards per game (197.0, first), yards per play (4.0, third) and third-down conversion rate (23.8, second). New York will be without a few injured vets in the Motor City but should get back Joseph Ossai for Sunday’s game. Whether Glenn’s Jets feast depends on which Lions team shows up. Detroit has a talent advantage on offense but has yet to play a complete game this season (nearly blowing Week 1 against New Orleans, forgetting to show up until the second half of the Bills loss). The Lions defense is banged up, but so is New York’s receiving corps. Detroit’s best bet Sunday is getting to Geno Smith with Aidan Hutchinson and Co.; the QB hasn’t turned the ball over yet, but he’s faced a 43.4% pressure rate, second in the NFL only to the injured Jayden Daniels, and the veteran is due despite his claims otherwise. As Week 2 proved, the Jets still need to learn how to win. New York is close, but the lesson won’t come this week against a tested Lions team.
Why Gennaro picked the Texans: Is this an elimination game in September? As the only Week 3 matchup between winless teams, this AFC South showdown screams desperation. Since 1990, just 2.9 percent of squads that lost their first three games went on to make the playoffs. We’re talkin’ five out of 171, people. Of course, last year’s Texans were one of those five. And while Houston’s hyped defense looked shockingly porous against Josh Allen’s Bills in Week 1, the unit largely stifled Joe Burrow and the Bengals last Sunday. I anticipate continued success against a one-dimensional Colts offense. Jonathan Taylor’s a stud, no doubt, but he has to be a one-man army with Daniel Jones still seemingly working his way back from last December’s Achilles tear. Add in the fact that Indianapolis’ $114 million field stretcher just hit injured reserve, and Houston can commit additional resources to stopping the Colts’ bell-cow back. Meanwhile, Indy’s defense hasn’t been able to stop anyone, giving up the second-most yards EVER in the first two weeks of a season:
1) 2016 Raiders: 1,035 yards allowed
2) 2026 Colts: 1,029
T-3) 1967 Falcons: 1,025
T-3) 2017 Saints: 1,025
Oddly enough, the two bookends on that list — the 2016 Raiders and 2017 Saints — both made the playoffs with double-digit wins. Maybe the Colts have everyone right where they want them! … Or maybe they’re doomed to suffer a sixth straight loss to C.J. Stroud and Co.
Why Dan picked the Jaguars: There will be no sneaking up on anyone for this season’s Jaguars and Patriots, not after they both surprised in 2025. Sunday’s meeting is an opportunity to establish which squad has more staying power in the AFC’s upper ranks, and the trenches might dictate which team has the edge. Jacksonville needs better play from the offensive line, especially on the interior, if it’s going to bounce back from blowing a lead against Denver. New England has a duo that can exploit a team’s weakness up the middle, with Milton Williams and Christian Barmore at defensive tackle. One thing that could work in the Jags’ favor are hits to the league’s No. 1 scoring defense — Patriots edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones and safety Craig Woodson missed Wednesday’s practice with shoulder ailments — and the loss of RG Mike Onwenu to an ankle injury. I’m leaning ever so slightly toward the home team in what figures to be a highly entertaining battle.
Why Gennaro picked the Chiefs: Two weeks ago, we didn’t really know what to expect from Kansas City. The Chiefs were coming off their first losing campaign under Andy Reid, while Patrick Mahomes was returning from knee surgery. Two games into the season, it feels like the team and the quarterback are BACK.
Whole different story in Miami. We all knew the 2026 Dolphins would be bad. That’s what happens when the new regime takes the roster down to the studs and carries a whopping $183.7 million in dead money. But this feels like a dead team walking.
What does Miami do well? Without any established firepower beyond RB De’Von Achane, the offense can’t sustain drives. The defense had no answer for Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty in Week 1 and nearly allowed a perfect game from 49ers QB Brock Purdy in Week 2. So, the better question might be, what does Miami do? This is a rebuilding team without an identity. That doesn’t play well against a resurgent power with Hall of Fame leadership.
Yes, this is Miami’s home opener and Kansas City’s first road game. No, I don’t think that completely flips the script in the Fins’ favor.
Why Gennaro picked the Titans: Both teams are coming off a loss, but their vibes couldn’t be more different. Tennessee gave Philadelphia all it could handle in a 24-20 defeat, instilling confidence in the young Titans that they can compete with real Super Bowl contenders. A true moral victory! New York, on the other hand, suffered extreme agony in defeat. The Giants not only lost to the Rams by 22 points, but they lost Jaxson Dart to knee surgery. John Harbaugh had a thousand-yard stare after the second-year quarterback went down on Monday night, and now he has to steer the ship without his best defensive player, too, as Brian Burns is reportedly set to miss time with an ankle injury. Remember all that hope following New York’s season-opening win over Dallas? Consider it DASHED. The G-Men just experienced a devastating gut punch, and I think the effects carry over into Sunday’s game against a suddenly frisky foe. You know Tennessee OC Brian Daboll would love to knock off the team that fired him last November. And while head coach Robert Saleh failed to exact his revenge on the Jets in Week 1, he’d undoubtedly enjoy notching his first win as Titans head coach in his old home of MetLife Stadium.
Why Brooke picked the Bengals: Cincinnati is seeing the fruits of its offseason labor defensively, and perhaps no player has been more influential to his new team than DT Dexter Lawrence through two weeks. According to NGS, with Lawrence on the field, the defense has generated a 45.2% pressure rate, allowed 2.9 yards per carry and has contacted the ball-carrier at or behind the line of scrimmage on 58.3% of carries. Without him on the field, the Bengals has generated a 35.1% pressure rate, allowed 5.6 yards per carry and has contacted the ball-carrier at or behind the line of scrimmage on 21.4% of carries. His influence bodes well for a Bengals team heading into the hostile road environment and facing an offense in which the QB and play-caller don’t appear to be on the same page. Even if Pittsburgh gets Michael Pittman (foot) back, this unit doesn’t strike fear in anyone right now and won’t likely keep up with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals’ oh so explosive offense. There’s A LOT of pressure on the Steelers’ eighth-ranked overall and scoring defense to make plays. It’ll make its fair share, but ultimately, it won’t be enough.
One NFL Pro Insight matchup to watch: Bengals OT Orlando Brown vs. Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith. Brown has allowed a pressure on 13% of his pass blocks against the Steelers in 13 career games, including the postseason, the highest rate he has allowed against any opponent (min. 100 pass blocks), including 15.1% in six games with the Bengals. Meanwhile, Highsmith has generated 24 pressures against Brown, including 16 quick pressures, the fourth-most quick pressures by any pass rusher against a single blocker since 2018. Nick Herbig has added 13 pressures and three sacks on 78 matchups against Brown.
Why Dan picked the Seahawks: Just when it seemed like the Commanders were starting to cook on offense, they are forced once again to face life without Jayden Daniels, who has now had more dislocations of his left elbow than any person should ever have to experience. Unfortunately for backup QB Marcus Mariota, his return to a starting role coincides with a visit from arguably the league’s most ferocious defense. The 2026 Seahawks are one of just five defenses since 2010 to allow fewer than 20 points and fewer than four yards per play over their first two games of a season, per NFL Research. Each of the previous four teams to do so won 11 or more games that season. It’s true that Seattle might be trotting out its own backup QB for the second week in a row, but Drew Lock has proven a tremendous fill-in for Sam Darnold. There’s always the threat of a West Coast team being discombobulated by a cross-country trip, but I’m not paying it any mind in this case. The Seahawks are 7-0 in road games that kicked off at 1 p.m. ET under head coach Mike Macdonald.
Why Jeremy picked the 49ers: No team is having an easier start to the season than San Francisco. Blowout victories over the jet-lagged Rams and doe-eyed Dolphins have the 49ers playing out of this world, even when they’re on the other side of it. In come the Cardinals, who after a Week 1 upset over the potentially fraudulent Chargers, were who we thought they were against the cream of the NFC West crop in Seattle. The 49ers pose a similar problem to Arizona as the Seahawks did, and with Brock Purdy in the zone, the result should be similar. Expect San Francisco to control Sunday’s game from the jump, but just miss out on winning their straight game by at least 20 points, thanks to garbage time heroics by Trey McBride and Michael Wilson.
Why Brooke picked the Vikings: There’s early concern around Zac Robinson’s offense in Tampa. My colleague Nick Shook’s assessment of Baker Mayfield under his nth OC said it all: The veteran QB is uncomfortable in this scheme at this juncture. Having to right the ship against a blitz-happy Vikings defense feels like an uphill climb, despite Mayfield performing relatively well in such situations. When blitzed this season, he has a 68.8% success rate, the second-highest among qualified QBs, compared to a 39.3% mark in 2025, the third-lowest, per NGS. IF Baker can navigate Brian Flores’ ferocious front, deciphering when the no-nonsense DC is sending the house or dropping guys into coverage, the Bucs should stay competitive. I would have argued that Tampa had the upper hand if Carson Wentz was starting, but praise Jesus that we don’t have to watch that stuck-in-the-mud unit this week. With Kyler Murray set to return, we should (finally) get a better idea of what Kevin O’Connell’s offense looks like close to full strength. That’ll be especially true if Todd Bowles’ defense continues to underperform. Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson had his best outing in years against the Bucs last week, and to make matters worse, promising pass rusherRueben Bain Jr.’s status is uncertain. These teams are trending in opposite directions heading into this NFC clash.
Why Bobby picked the Saints: Raiders-Saints might be the most underrated matchup on the Week 3 docket. New Orleans, an overtime two-point conversion away from being 2-0, hosts a Las Vegas squad that remains unbeaten heading into late September. The Raiders have been playing winning football — and doing so without tight end Brock Bowers, who is expected to return from a knee injury Sunday — but it does come off as more of a mirage than what the Saints have been doing. While Kirk Cousins is tied for the NFL lead with six touchdown passes and the defense ranks fifth in points allowed with a league-best 45.6 pressure percentage, per Pro Football Reference, such success has so far come against the rebuilding Dolphins and a Chargers team in a tailspin. Even with the loss against the Lions, New Orleans boasts the more impressive résumé following its comeback victory over the Ravens. Tyler Shough has exhibited an excellent rapport with his top three pass catchers, Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele and Juwan Johnson. He also appears to have the clutch gene after storming back from 21 down to force Detroit to overtime and overcoming an 8-point fourth-quarter deficit in the win over Baltimore. If the Saints can keep Shough comfortable against Maxx Crosby and Co. — admittedly a big if with left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. (ankle) out indefinitely — the second-year quarterback can be trusted to deliver again in New Orleans’ 2026 home opener.
Why Jeremy picked the Cowboys: How do you say points in Portuguese? Two of the league’s most exciting offenses have the potential to produce a Clássico at the Maracanã on Sunday. In only its second international game, Dallas is looking to export its Week 2 bounce-back performance over the equator. With possession, Dak Prescott’s attack proved what it’s capable of against Washington after their SNF snoozer. Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and friends will hope to play keep away from Dallas as the Giants did in Week 1, but without the gimpy Zay Flowers, Baltimore’s aerial attack could be neutered again against a Cowboys defense that hasn’t found its footing yet under new coordinator Christian Parker. As long as both teams actually have proper footing on the Brazilian turf, they should tear up and down the field. But it’ll be Dak and Dallas with more in the end. If the Ravens had trouble with Chris Olave down the stretch in Week 2, just think of the problems they’ll encounter covering two Olaves in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in Week 3.
Why Gennaro picked the Rams: The Super Bowl LX matchup that wasn’t! Eight months ago, the Rams and Broncos suffered narrow defeats on Championship Sunday, leaving both painfully short of the Lombardi Trophy game. Then they opened this season by hitting the road and humiliating themselves on national television. Both returned to form at home in Week 2, though, setting up a compelling clash worthy of the Sunday night stage. Showcasing a pair of Super Bowl-winning head coaches and two of the league’s most well-rounded rosters, this game doesn’t lack for star power. And yet, I see its outcome hinging on the Rams’ meat and potatoes, Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. With eerily similar frames, games and jersey numbers (23 and 24), L.A.’s two backs are difficult to tell apart. And so is their robust ground production through two games:
Williams: 23 rushes for 126 yards (5.5 per attempt) and a touchdown.
Corum: 22 rushes for 133 yards (6.0 per attempt).
I see Los Angeles’ blue-collar backfield playing a leading role in this prime-time tilt. Denver cleaned up its tackling last week after an embarrassing display against Kansas City’s Kenneth Walker III, but I still think this front’s susceptible to the run. Free-agent departure John Franklin-Myers got $63 million for a reason.
Why Dan picked the Eagles: Questions about the Bears’ quarterback situation linger over what had previously looked like a juicy matchup bathed in prime-time allure. Caleb Williams is dealing with the hamstring injury he suffered last week and his backup, Tyson Bagent, is in the concussion protocol, which means 38-year-old third-stringer Case Keenum is in line to start for Chicago on Monday night if Williams and Bagent can’t go. Keenum hasn’t played in a regular season game since 2023, when he threw one touchdown pass and three interceptions in two starts for the Texans. It’s not hard to envision Philadelphia defensive coordinator Vic Fangio rubbing his hands together in glee at his good fortune, potentially missing out on having to game plan against one of the league’s most dynamic young QBs and his capable backup. The Eagles have the lowest point differential (+6) of any 2-0 team, and struggled to put away the Titans, who haven’t been competitive in years. So, while they might not be firing on all cylinders, it will take an even larger letdown than the team’s performance on Black Friday last year — when the Bears ran wild over Philly — to open the door for Keenum to pull off the upset. It looks like we’re about to find out if Ben Johnson can perform miracles.

President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Oval Office with a pair of his favorite ceremonial flourishes: A performance by the US Marine Corps band and an aerial flyover.
In a roughly 15-minute military review held in the paved-over White House Rose Garden, Trump and Xi silently watched performances from a marching band dressed in American colonial outfits, the US Marine Corps silent drill platoon and the Marine Corps band.
A group of Chinese and US officials also attended the review, standing along the walkway outside the Oval Office. Those attendees included Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance, as well as Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and a handful of Cabinet secretaries.
The White House also arranged for a series of American and Chinese flags to fly over the entrance to the Oval Office, with the review culminating in a military flyover of the White House.
Trump, Xi and their respective contingents went into the Oval Office afterward to begin their bilateral meeting.
As the world worries about the possibility of unconstrained artificial intelligence wiping out humanity, the leaders of the United States and China have articulated visions for the era-defining technology that come from almost opposite sides of the spectrum.
Brushing aside the calls from AI scientists and executives from Anthropic, OpenAI and Google to slow the development, US President Donald Trump said earlier this month that what was most important was keeping the US in the lead against China in the intensifying AI superpower race.
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Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei calls for AI slowdown
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Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei calls for AI slowdown
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China’s leader Xi Jinping later made his own call for more international cooperation. Countries should “encourage open source, openness, collaboration and sharing,” he said in a speech in India to Global South leaders, in which he reiterated a proposal for a global AI governance pact – although he did not give details on what that framework would look like.
The juxtaposition of Trump and Xi’s messages underscores the lack of consensus and a deep trust deficit between the two superpowers in the high-stakes race to dominate AI.
The US appears to be increasingly weaponizing its dominance in the sector, seeing it as a strategic asset to be protected, and exported to friendly countries, while China, lagging in the race, is proposing a more open model.
AI will loom large at the Trump-Xi summit in Washington. At their May meeting in Beijing, the two discussed AI guardrails but produced limited results, and last week the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said the two leaders had agreed to set up an intergovernmental dialogue on AI. But with their broader geopolitical rivalry, experts have low expectations for any meaningful breakthrough.
Read the full analysis here.
During his remarks at the White House, Chinese leader Xi Jinping called the giant panda a historic “envoy of friendship” between China and the US and said that two will arrive at a zoo in Atlanta in the coming days.
Zoo Atlanta announced earlier this year that the pandas, named Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, would be coming to the city. Fu Shuang means “double blessing” and Ping Ping translates to “peace peace,” according to Chinese media.
More background: Beijing’s panda diplomacy with Washington kicked off in 1972, following President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China. Chairman Mao Zedong’s government gave two giant pandas to the United States in a sign of warming bilateral ties after decades of diplomatic deep freeze.
Agreements between China and the US zoos stipulate Beijing owns the pandas and any of their offspring, and they require payment “for the conservation of giant pandas in China.”
CNN’s Yong Xiong, Melissa Gray, David Culver and Bo Gu contributed to this report, which has been updated with additional background.
President Donald Trump and Chinese Leader Xi Jinping emerged briefly on the Truman balcony to watch a silent drill platoon review — which took place around the White House’s newly installed helipad.
During the roughly two-minute review, Trump at one point turned to Xi and appeared to point toward the helipad, which he had prioritized in recent months as one of several construction projects around the White House.
Xi responded with a thumbs up, prompting a smile from Trump.
The two leaders, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump and Madame Peng Liyuan, spent most of the rest of the review in silence. Trump briefly saluted before the group turned and went back inside.
Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed that both China and the US are leading nations in artificial intelligence, and have the responsibility to ensure it is a force for good, as he spoke alongside President Donald Trump.
“Both China and the United States are leading nations in artificial intelligence,” Xi said in comments made in the White House Grand Foyer.
“We have both the capability and responsibility to develop and manage AI for good, and ensure that the development of AI is always under human control and serves the wellbeing of the people.”
Xi also spoke of China and the US both shouldering a “historic responsibility” of advancing human development and progress.
Trump and Xi are expected to discuss AI as part of their talks, with Trump writing on social media earlier today that AI “will be a big topic of discussion, but I want to leave it exactly where it is.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping said his first trip to the US in over a decade is aimed at promoting friendship and expanding cooperation between the two nations.
“Facing the changes in our world, in our times, and of historical significance today, China and United States, as two major countries, shoulder a historic responsibility of advancing human development and progress,” he continued.
Xi added that he stands ready to work with US President Donald Trump to “steer the giant ship of China-US relationship on a steady course toward the future.”
“The interests of China and the United States are deeply intertwined, and there is plenty of room for us to work together. China-US cooperation may not solve every problem in the world, but without our cooperation, it would be hard to solve many of the world’s problems,” the Chinese leader said.
Peng Liyuan — the wife of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who sat alongside US first lady Melania Trump during introductory remarks this morning — is a famous soprano with the People’s Liberation Army and a Chinese folk music singer.
A native of China’s eastern Shandong province, Peng started receiving professional vocal training at the age of 16 and joined a military performing art troupe when she was 20.
Peng, 63, has been married to Xi since 1987. They knew on their first date that they were meant for each other, according to an interview Peng did with Chinese state media.
Peng has regularly joined Xi for his overseas tours since he assumed the office over a decade ago. Her often bold fashion choices contrast starkly with the more subdued clothing of her predecessors while her active role in health and welfare has become part of package of the soft power Beijing wants to project abroad.
Xi and Peng last made trip to the US together in 2015 during the Barack Obama administration. She joined Xi in hosting Donald Trump and his wife Melania at the Forbidden City in November 2017 when Trump visited China for the first time.
President Donald Trump on Thursday, standing at a podium in the Grand Foyer of the White House with Chinese leader Xi Jinping flanking him, said the two will discuss the future of artificial intelligence during Xi’s state visit, portraying AI as a way to promote peace “for decades to come.”
“During this visit, we will also discuss pressing issues concerning security, technology, and superintelligence— SI,” Trump declared, referencing a term for AI that he argues is less threatening. “The decisions we make in these areas today can promote peace and prosperity for decades and decades to come.”
Trump also touted new trade progress between the US and China, saying that he and Xi “have made tremendous strides on the issues facing our two countries.”
Trump referenced his trip to Beijing in May and the creation of a new “Board of Trade,” calling it “a brand new mechanism and something that’s been unbelievably successful.”
The so-called Board of Trade was introduced earlier this year as a way to advance trade of nonsensitive goods between the US and China.
“Our teams have been working to encourage a more balanced trading relationship, including the new market access for American farmers and ranchers,” Trump said.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will accompany him to the National Archives on Friday, where they will view historical documents including the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.
“President Xi and Madam Peng arrive at an important moment for America: the 250th anniversary of our founding,” he said in a speech at the White House. “Tomorrow, we will visit the National Archives to see some of the greatest treasures of that proud history.”
Trump added that the group will also see artifacts of past cultural exchanges between China and the US, calling them a testimony to “the long and cherished relationship of really something that’s so incredible.”
“Just as our ancestors reached across the ocean centuries ago to trade, to learn and to build a better world, our two countries do really the same thing, and we’re very proud of it and the relationship,” he said.
US President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are set for their second summit of the year as they try to manage the most consequential bilateral relationship on the world stage. In their respective countries, however, each leader is operating on a very different political timetable.
For Trump, as he shakes hands and sits down with Xi, November’s mid-term elections are likely at the top on his mind. If the Democrats do well, they could hamper his ability to pass legislation for the remainder of his second term.
Xi — who has consolidated more power than any Chinese leader since Mao Zedong — has no midterms, or indeed an electorate, to worry about.
But he does have his own domestic headaches: a stagnant domestic economy, an moribund real estate market, high youth unemployment, and a sweeping AI drive that hasn’t yet turned into real production power.
And the internal politics of the ruling Communist Party — and even a potential succession plan — will also likely weigh on Xi ahead of the party’s plenum next month, and the next party congress in 2027 that will likely see a major leadership reshuffle.
That congress is widely-tipped to hand Xi, 73, an unprecedented fourth term in power.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Wednesday that the United States and China have extended their trade truce once again, resolving to keep negotiating on key economic issues following a damaging trade war that spiraled out of control last year.
Bessent told Fox News that both sides met for 12 hours on Wednesday and agreed to an extension “to give us more time to see what we can do on the economic front.” He said the meeting was “productive.”
The truce has been extended multiple times since May 2025, when the two countries met in Geneva to resolve their trade war. At their peak, US tariffs on Chinese goods were set at a historic 145% – effectively blockading all Chinese goods from entering the United States. China responded with tariffs of more than 100% on US goods.
Despite continued negotiations over the past year, China and the United States have continued to withhold exports that both countries believe are valuable to national security, including high-end chips used for AI and rare-earth materials.
As US President Donald Trump meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week, Taiwan will be closely watching whether critical arms purchases come up in discussions between the two leaders.
The US is Taiwan’s most important arms supplier and security guarantor. China’s government has consistently opposed arms sales to the island democracy, which Beijing claims as part of its territory, despite having never ruled over it.
Trump has yet to approve an ongoing arms sale package to Taiwan worth around $14 billion, which he has described as a “very good negotiating chip” following his summit with Xi in May.
That has alarmed Taipei. A senior national security official told reporters that Beijing sees delays in US arms sales to Taiwan as way to stall the island’s military buildup.
That in turn gives China more room to exert pressure on Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines, in a part of the world seen by both Beijing and Washington as a critical line of control in the western Pacific.
With the US preoccupied with its Iran war, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the upcoming midterm election, China could issue “blank checks” — such as procurements of US goods or promises to ease Middle East tensions — in exchange for downsized US security commitments in the region, the official said
“China wants to buy time to extend its ability to threaten and exert pressure on the region. It wants to preserve the certain degree of advantage in the region it currently has, and to ensure that this advantage is not eroded,” the official said.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he plans to discuss artificial intelligence with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during his state visit in Washington.
“A big day with President Xi of China. Super Intelligence (SI) will be a big topic of discussion, but I want to leave it exactly where it is,” Trump posted Thursday on Truth Social, using a term he’s recently used to refer to artificial intelligence. “That is China’s position also. Our guardrail is the DOJ!”
Trump frequently stresses the importance of staying ahead of China on AI, saying recently that the US is “leading China in AI … and frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI wins.”
The visit, although just beginning, has been warm between the two leaders so far. Trump greeted Xi and his wife when he landed at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday evening.
“I met President Xi at the plane (Airport!) yesterday and he looks strong, vibrant, and fit – Better than ever,” Trump posted Thursday morning. “Madam Xi, of course, BEAUTIFUL!”
Face-to-face talks are “absolutely necessary” for managing China’s ties with the Trump administration, an advisor to China’s Foreign Ministry told CNN.
“Frankly speaking, Trump is not necessarily a very stable person,” Wu Xinbo, a Foreign Policy Advisory Committee member of the Chinese Foreign Ministry told CNN.
“So for Xi, what he needs to do is through sustained personal engagement with Trump [then] you can help stabilize relations between two countries,” Wu said.
Sun Chenghao, a senior fellow at Tsinghua University’s center for International Security and Strategy in Beijing told CNN that the task now was to “manage a relationship in which competition is deeper, but interdependence and mutual vulnerability have not disappeared.”
US President Donald Trump last hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping on American soil at his Mar-a-Lago estate in April 2017.
Over dessert, Trump said he informed Xi that he authorized air strikes in Syria while they were having the “most beautiful piece of chocolate cake you’ve ever seen.”
“I was sitting at the table. We had finished dinner. We’re now having dessert. And we had the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you’ve ever seen, and President Xi was enjoying it,” Trump said in an interview with Fox Business in 2017.
Trump added that he told Xi that the US had “just fired 59 missiles … heading to Iraq,” incorrectly identifying the country he was striking when relaying the story. Of Xi, Trump said, “And he was eating his cake. And he was silent.”
The US had launched a military strike on a Syrian government airbase in response to a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians. The strike took place during Xi’s visit to the US.
According to Trump’s account, Xi paused for 10 seconds before telling him via an interpreter that “anybody that was so brutal and uses gases to do that young children and babies, it is “okay” to respond with force.
Chinese state media did not cover this reported exchange between Trump and Xi.
China condemned the use of chemical weapons in any form and said the country is opposed to the use of force in international affairs. “We always hold that the Syrian issue should be resolved through political means,” then-Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
CNN’s Dan Merica and Joshua Berlinger contributed reporting.
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What Xi Jinping was like as a young official visiting America
2:55 • Source: CNN
What Xi Jinping was like as a young official visiting America
2:55
Xi Jinping’s personal experiences of the United States goes back decades, long before he was China’s most powerful leader in a generation.
In 1985, Xi, then a provincial official in the hog-farming Hebei region, led a delegation to “sister state” Iowa to learn about agricultural practices.
He stayed a few nights in an ordinary American home in Muscatine, a small town known for farming, for the largest Heinz plant outside of Pittsburgh and factories that used to produce mother-of-pearl buttons made from the shells of mussels in the Mississippi River.
His hosts put him up in their son’s Star Trek-themed bedroom, who was then away for university. Xi’s itinerary in Muscatine included tours to farms and food processing plants, media interviews, a luncheon and a boat excursion on the Mississippi River, Xinhua reported previously.
Doyle Tubandt, then-president of Muscatine Foods Corp., said in 2016 he escorted Xi on a tour of a corn processing plant. To overcome the language barrier, Tubandt gestured heavily and scrawled drawings in the sand to explain things. Xi also dined on Iowa beef and corn.
In February 2012, Xi made a nostalgic stop in Muscatine during his visit to the US as China’s vice president. While in Iowa, he and other Chinese officials signed a five-year cooperation deal with the US on food security, food safety and sustainable agriculture. He also returned to the Victorian home of Roger and Sarah Lande, where he had dined during his first trip.
Xi has stayed in touch with his “old friends” in Iowa — earlier this year, he replied to a message from them and sent a Chinese New Year card, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in February.
CNN’s Moni Basu contributed reporting.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has had a packed diplomatic calendar.
Since the beginning of the year, leaders of foreign governments have been lining up to visit Beijing. According to a CNN tally, Xi has hosted leaders from 23 countries in the Chinese capital so far this year, including those from Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Xi has been presenting himself as a power broker with direct lines to a diverse cast of counterparts — and someone who can offer up an alternative to a US-led world order.
In May, Xi hosted separate back-to-back meetings with US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Just several weeks after, he made a rare visit to North Korea and met Kim Jong Un in his first overseas trip this year.
September is Xi’s month of travel amid Trump’s tariff row and as conflict in the Middle East shows little signs of ending.
Xi went to Bishkek to attend the Shanghai Cooperation at the end of August and met with leaders from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Russia. Their conversations covered areas in regional security, connectivity, energy and digital cooperation. Then Xi headed to Egypt for a state visit to seek closer cooperation.
Last week, Xi traveled to India for the BRICS summit and called for unity and cooperation within the bloc.

The music video for Taylor Swift’s new song “Patient Zero” will make its world premiere during the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday on CBS and MTV (streaming on Paramount+ Premium in the U.S.).
A teaser clip of the video dropped Thursday, when news of Sunday’s full video debut was announced by CBS and MTV in a statement. “The exclusive premiere builds on the longstanding VMAs tradition of bringing artists and audiences together for major live music moments while giving artists a global stage to introduce new work and shape the cultural conversation in real time.”
The premiere, they continued, “also reflects the unpredictability that has long defined the show – where unexpected pairings, performances and premieres can become the moments everyone is talking about.”
This time around, the “unexpected pairings” include the appearance of guest stars Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson in the video directed by Swift with cinematography by Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant, Birdman, Gravity).
“Patient Zero” is Swift’s new song from The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, the expanded Showgirl album that includes four previously unreleased song and will be available to stream beginning Friday.
CBS Mornings unveiled a brief (13 second) sneak peek at the video today just before Swift posted the teaser on her social accounts. In the clip, Farrell and Johnson appear in blink-and-miss-it fashion, and we see a cemetery, lots of water, Swift crying, and some other cryptic images.
Watch the teaser below.
On Wednesday, Swift announced that the expanded version of last year’s The Life of a Showgirl album will be released Friday with four previously unreleased songs including the first single “Patient Zero.” (The other new songs are “Cleveland!,” “Pink Clouding” and “Babylon.”)
Hosted by Snoop Dogg, the VMAs air Sunday (7:30-9:30 p.m. ET/4:30-6:30 p.m. PT) on CBS, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ (Premium) in the U.S. The show will also be available globally the next day on Paramount+ and MTV.