Today’s edition of quick hits.

* Those waiting for substantive policy breakthroughs should keep their expectations low: “President Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, met for roughly three hours at the White House at the start of a landmark summit that has been heavy on pomp and platitudes before a state dinner on Thursday night.”

* Closing the loop on a story from earlier: “Under a federal judge’s order, the Trump administration restored White House access Thursday to journalists from MS NOW, CNN and Politico who had their press passes revoked after President Donald Trump criticized the outlets’ coverage.”

* An intensifying Ebola outbreak: “Congo is running short of health workers to staff treatment centers for history’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak, particularly in the eastern province of North Kivu where cases have surged 73% over three weeks, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.”

* On Capitol Hill: “Just weeks before the midterms, a number of vulnerable Senate Republicans were presented with the choice Thursday to go with voters on the Iran war or stick with President Donald Trump. Most chose Trump. Senators voted 49-50 on a measure to direct Trump to cease hostilities with Iran, with the war powers resolution falling just short of the simple majority it needed.”

* Rates have climbed nearly a full percentage point during the war with Iran: “Mortgage rates jumped to 7 percent this week for the first time since January 2025, squeezing housing affordability when many Americans are grappling with higher energy costs and economic uncertainty brought on by the war with Iran.”

* The USS Abraham Lincoln story is far from over: “A new letter from the acting secretary of the U.S. Navy has revealed troubling details about conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln — including that there were eight reported suicide attempts from service members of the carrier strike group tied to the USS Lincoln.”

* A welcome reversal: “The White House has backed away from a plan to issue an executive order that would subject billions of dollars in federal health and biomedical research spending to heightened political scrutiny, according to four people familiar with the situation.”

* I saw a video of McConnell from Wednesday, and he didn’t appear to be doing well: “Mitch McConnell was mysteriously absent from an event where he was set to be honored as a featured guest. … McConnell, now in his second week back at work after a 92-day absence, was a no-show. A source tells the Daily Beast that McConnell’s chief of staff, Terry Carmack … attended in the senator’s place.”

See you tomorrow.

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