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Trump should press Xi to stop support for Iran, Democratic senator says
Confirmed
In Short: In Sunday's state election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) received its lowest result ever since World War II, with just 5% of the vote, according to exit polls by public broadcaster ARD.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's ruling coalition, which includes the CDU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), is under pressure following the election results.
Merz said at a press conference, 'We are determined to live up to the historic challenges our country is facing,' referring to the coalition's commitment to Germany's democratic future.
The election results highlight the growing challenges for the CDU, which has faced declining support in recent years.
Separately, in the United States, President Donald Trump met with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, for a closed-door meeting and joint press conference.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers are calling for the Trump administration to suspend a new surveillance program collecting personal health data from emergency room visitors.
The scope of data collection by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) exceeds the agency's mission and should be halted, according to a letter from Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and other Democrats.
In a separate development, President Trump dismissed concerns about AI safety as a politically motivated hoax, posting on Truth Social that criticism of the technology follows a pattern of alleged Democratic hoaxes.
What this adds
The Trump administration's actions on immigration and surveillance are drawing criticism from Democratic lawmakers.
What's confirmed
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's ruling coalition, which includes the CDU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), is under pressure following the election results.
- Merz said at a press conference, 'We are determined to live up to the historic challenges our country is facing,' referring to the coalition's commitment to Germany's democratic future.
- The election results highlight the growing challenges for the CDU, which has faced declining support in recent years.
- Separately, in the United States, President Donald Trump met with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, for a closed-door meeting and joint press conference.
- Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers are calling for the Trump administration to suspend a new surveillance program collecting personal health data from emergency room visitors.
- The scope of data collection by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) exceeds the agency's mission and should be halted, according to a letter from Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and other Democrats.
- In a separate development, President Trump dismissed concerns about AI safety as a politically motivated hoax, posting on Truth Social that criticism of the technology follows a pattern of alleged Democratic hoaxes.
What's still developing
- Exit polls by public broadcaster ARD on Sunday night indicated that Metz's center-right Christian Democratic Union came in with just 5% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania -- the lowest result ever since World War II for the party in any state.
- He argued that Germany's economic and political problems made difficult and potentially unpopular reforms more urgent, not less, and pledged to press ahead with "backbone, steadfastness and patience." In Berlin, the CDU was projected to come in second with 20%, behind the Left party at 24.5%, according to ARD's exit poll.
- Trump claimed opposition efforts had initially targeted data centers before shifting focus to AI itself, though he offered no evidence for the characterization, and both Republican and Democratic officials have raised concerns about data center development, with New York recently halting permits for large projects.
- David Morales is projected by the Associated Press to defeat Providence Mayor Brett Smiley in Wednesday’s Democratic primary.
- Morales, a young state representative who identifies as a Democratic socialist, frequently framed the race as a simple choice about housing: Smiley vetoed Providence’s first-ever rent stabilization ordinance, arguing it would slow much-needed construction of new housing, and Morales vowed to pass it.
- In the heavily Democratic city, the winner of Wednesday’s primary is the overwhelming favorite to win the general election.
- "The settlement is not a vote of support for this merger," said California Attorney General Rob Bonta at a press conference Monday, adding he didn't think the two companies should merge.
- The founder of the center-right views and news site The Free Press, Weiss has argued that the mainstream press is too reflexively critical of the president.
- Updated September 21, 2026 at 6:24 PM MDT LOS ANGELES — Paramount's owners have made a series of concessions to a coalition of 12 Democratic state attorneys general to resolve a lawsuit that endangered the media company's $111 billion takeover bid of its larger Hollywood rival, Warner Bros.
- "I've met many mayors here, some were great and some were not," Trump said at the news conference.
- Vance’s closed-door speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership summit Monday night went a long way in alleviating top pro-Israel donors’ concerns about his support for the U.S.-Israeli relationship, and it cemented their view that Vance would be a preferable choice to whomever the Democratic Party nominee is in 2028.
- In 2024, Carlson pushed for Trump to pick Vance as his running mate.