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In today's issue:

▪ Trump hails 'truly great' Xi meeting

▪ Signs of life on ending shutdown

▪ MTG irks Republican colleagues

▪ Far-right gets setback in Dutch elections

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President Trump said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on a wide range of subjects during their much-anticipated meeting Thursday, including the key issues of tariffs and access to rare earth materials.

It was their first face-to-face meeting in six years, going back to Trump's first term. Their relationship has been rocky at times as they’ve been critical of one another, only to later cool tensions as leaders of the world's two biggest superpowers.

The conference in South Korea came at the end of Trump’s Asia tour, in which he also traveled to Malaysia and Japan.

Here's what to know from the meeting:

Trump hails 'truly great' Xi meeting

The president said in a post on Truth Social following the meeting that the "enormous respect" the two countries have for each other will only be enhanced based on what happened during his meeting.

He said Xi authorized China to purchase "massive amounts of Soybeans, Sorghum, and other Farm products" that will support U.S. farmers. China had been boycotting these products in protest of the tariffs Trump had placed on the country.

Trump said Beijing agreed to a one-year pause on new restrictions it enacted earlier this month on the export of rare earth materials and critical minerals, which has been the source of significant tension between Trump and China.

The pause is another win for Trump on this issue as he has prioritized it since China put the restrictions in place. He signed several deals earlier in the trip with Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Japan to gain U.S. access to these materials in response to China's earlier action.

Trump said on Truth Social that Xi also agreed for China to help stop the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.

The president said he would accordingly cut in half the 20 percent tariffs he had imposed to pressure China to take more action to address fentanyl trafficking. That will bring overall tariffs on Chinese goods down from 57 percent to about 47 percent.

Trump said China would also start "the process of purchasing American Energy," and a "large scale transaction" may happen on the purchase of oil and gas from Alaska. He said the countries' energy teams would be meeting to try to reach a deal.

The meeting with Xi concluded after less than two hours, with the two leaders having a cordial exchange before Xi got into a car and Trump made his way to Air Force One to return to the U.S.

The leaders seem likely to meet again, as a Chinese readout of the meeting stated that Trump would travel to China next year and Trump invited Xi to visit the U.S.

Shadow of Trump's nuclear announcement

The meeting began shortly after Trump made news by directing the Pentagon to resume testing nuclear weapons on an equal basis to Russia and China.

"Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately," he said on Truth Social.

The renewal of nuclear weapons testing would end a more than three-decade hiatus on tests that started in 1992, just one year after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.

Trump ignored a question from a reporter about the move while meeting with Xi.

A recent Russian test of a nuclear-capable cruise missile received international condemnation, including from Trump, who called it "inappropriate" as he's trying to reach a deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump touted the "complete update and renovation" of existing nuclear weapons that he conducted during his first term. He said he "hated" to do it but had no choice.

China has built up its nuclear arsenal in recent years, reaching about 600 warheads this year, but it conducted its last nuclear test in 1996. Russia's test of a nuclear-capable missile didn't include a detonation.

But the announcement could signal a return to an arms race and heightened tensions around nuclear weapons that hasn't been seen in years.

Other issues left alone

Trump and Xi did not announce any major breakthroughs on other issues that received heightened attention heading into the meeting.

That includes the finalization of the sale of TikTok, which Trump has prioritized and suggested was close. The status of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as Chinese territory but the U.S. considers to be ambiguous, was also viewed as a key topic potentially for the agenda.

Trump also didn't make any announcement regarding the issue of Americans being unjustly detained in China. As many as 200 U.S. citizens are thought to be unjustly held.

Ahead of the meeting, Republicans hawkish on China urged Trump to press Xi on releasing Americans unjustly detained and ending religious persecution of civil society activists, The Hill’s Laura Kelly reported.

Trump also left for Washington without meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the trip, as had been speculated. Trump expressed openness to meeting with Kim while in Asia, but nothing was ultimately scheduled.

The president commented on the conflict between North and South Korea, telling the South Korean prime minister that ending the standoff is “common sense.” But he said his and Kim’s schedules didn’t line up.

Despite the lack of developments on these issues, Trump declared the multi-country trip a success.

He also took a shot at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for calling Trump's Asia trip a "total dud." The president called Schumer's comments "almost treasonous" on Truth Social.

"Worked really hard, 24/7, took in Trillions of Dollars, and Chuck Schumer said trip........

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