The Summit That Extends the Truce, Not the Trust

Good morning, and happy Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. Somewhere right now, someone on the internet is asking if you remember this night, and yes, you do, because Earth, Wind & Fire made sure of that back in 1978. (One of my favorite tunes, by the way.)

My calendar says it's the International Day of Peace, World Alzheimer's Day, Zero Emissions Day, Day of Gratitude, Pecan Cookie Day, and it’s Yom Kippur, The Day of Forgiveness, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, which among other things, started last night with Kol Nidre, which opens the traditional service. I offer Neil Diamond from 1980 in that link for those of you with no reference to the service. 

"Kol Nidre" means "all vows" in Aramaic, and the text is a formal annulment of vows — it asks that all personal vows, oaths, and promises made to God (not to other people) in the coming year, or in some versions the past year, that go unfulfilled be considered null and void in advance. It's recited three times, traditionally with increasing volume, before the sun fully sets, because Jewish law doesn't permit legal transactions once Yom Kippur itself begins.

Kol Nidre dates back at least to the early medieval period (there are references to it, and to rabbinic objections to it, from as early as the 8th and 9th centuries). It was actually controversial for a long stretch of Jewish history — several prominent rabbis over the centuries tried to abolish or rewrite it, precisely because of how easily it could be misread as license-to-lie by outsiders, and various communities altered its wording over time to clarify the scope. It survived those attempts and became one of the most enduring and emotionally resonant moments in the entire Jewish liturgical calendar, helped enormously by its haunting, ancient musical setting — the melody itself, more than the legal text, is often what people are responding to when they describe Kol Nidre as moving.

I have often written of how Martin Luther advocated for a personal relationship between ourselves and God, and how that one-on-one is crucial. It was a radical idea for his time because of how far away the organized Church had moved from that structure. But the origin of the idea came from the ancient Jews, a point we’re reminded of every year at this time.

And no, I’m not Jewish myself. But I offer this brief rundown out of respect.

So anyway, ring the peace bell, hug someone who might not remember you did, unplug something you don't need running, eat a pecan cookie while you're grateful for all of it, and if you're observing the fast, know that at least the cookie part of today's list isn't for you.

Today in History:
1780: American Gen. Benedict Arnold commits treason, handing British Maj. John André the plans to West Point.
1792: The French National Convention votes to abolish the monarchy.
1897: The New York Sun publishes its famous editorial declaring, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus."
1912: Magician Harry Houdini performs his Water Torture Cell escape publicly for the first time, in Berlin.
1931: Great Britain abandons the gold standard.
1937: George Allen & Unwin publishes J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit in London.
1938: A hurricane slams into New York and New England, causing widespread damage and killing roughly 700 people.
1949: Communist leaders proclaim the founding of the People's Republic of China.
1964: Malta gains independence from Britain.
1970: ABC debuts NFL Monday Night Football as the Cleveland Browns defeat the visiting New York Jets, 31-21.
1973: The Senate confirms Henry Kissinger as secretary of state.
1976: A car bomb in Washington kills Orlando Letelier, former foreign minister to Chilean President Salvador Allende.
1981: The Senate unanimously confirms Sandra Day O'Connor as the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
1989: Hurricane Hugo slams into Charleston, S.C., with winds up to 135 mph.
2013: Al-Shabaab militants storm Nairobi's Westgate shopping mall, killing 67 people over a four-day siege.

Birthdays Today include: Stephen King, author of horror classics like The Shining; H.G. Wells, writer of The War of the Worlds; Bill Murray, actor from Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day; Faith Hill, country singer known for "Breathe"; and Larry Hagman, actor best remembered for playing J.R. Ewing on Dallas — if today's your birthday too, happy birthday.

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I wrote a couple of days ago about Xi Jinping and his health issues, and speculated on how that might affect the Xi- Trump summit scheduled for Sept. 24. I’m still watching. Assuming it actually happens, it’ll be his first visit to the U.S. in a decade, and Trump's second meeting with him this year, following the Beijing summit in May. Trump plans to personally greet Xi at Joint Base Andrews, an unusual courtesy for a sitting president, followed by a formal White House arrival ceremony, a military review in the Rose Garden, the main bilateral meeting Thursday, and a state dinner that evening. The tech-executive guest list for that dinner reads like a Silicon Valley board meeting — Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman, Tim Cook, Elon Musk, and Nvidia's Jensen Huang are all expected to attend.

There’s actually quite a bit on the table for this, any one of which might cause Xi to pull out of the meeting under the guise of health concerns.

At the moment, observers who are closer to the topic than I suggest that AI is shaping up as the headline issue. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has confirmed it's on the formal agenda, and the administration has been explicit that it opposes new domestic AI regulation partly on the grounds that slowing down would hand China the advantage — so don't expect this summit to produce anything resembling an AI safety accord. As with everything to do with China, it's a competition framing, not a cooperation one.

Underneath that issue is a stronger one. Rare earths and critical minerals are the leverage point to watch. China's suspension of rare-earth export controls expires Nov. 10, which gives Beijing real negotiating weight heading into these talks, and both sides are reportedly discussing extending the broader trade truce. How far that goes, however, depends on recent rare earth discoveries here in the States.

According to a number of different sources, the U.S. is holding off on additional tariffs on China, at least until after the Summit. Discussions seem centered on Energy and Agriculture, specifically.

Two possible sticking points are Iran, with China's ties to Tehran in the context of the Trump administration's push for secondary sanctions on Iran's "enablers," and the fentanyl-trafficking cooperation that was part of the Busan framework from last October. Taiwan is also a sticking point, specifically as regards political prisoners. Sadly, given the rest of the agenda, I wonder how much will be made of that issue by either side.

I’m looking for this summit to extend the current stability and photo ops, rather than accomplishing anything structural. A look at the rather spotty record of China since last May’s meetings would seem to suggest that nothing major would be accomplished, even assuming both that the summit on 9/24 even happens, and they agree to anything substantial. I have my doubts on both.

The big thing about this is Xi’s health issues, I think, and what this visit reveals about them. As I’ve said, I’ll be watching.

Thought for the Day: In keeping with the day, I submit that atonement only works if you actually name what you're atoning for — a general sense of regret changes nothing, but a specific reckoning changes everything.

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Take care today, gang. I know it's Monday, but you've still got the rest of the week. No sense wasting it. I'll see you here tomorrow. 

Editor's Note: The Democrat Party has been infected by socialism, and it's spreading FAST. Democrats are claiming there's nothing to worry about, but we know the truth.

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