The Latest: Trump hopes to finalize TikTok deal during call with Xi

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to talk with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday in a push to finalize a deal to allow the popular social media app TikTok to continue operating in the United States.

It would be the second call with Xi since Trump returned to the White House and launched sky-high tariffs on China, triggering back-and-forth trade restrictions that strained ties between the two nations. But Trump has expressed willingness to negotiate trade deals with Beijing, notably for TikTok, which faces a U.S. ban unless its Chinese parent company sells its controlling stake.

Trump, who has credited the app with helping him win another term, has extended a deadline several times for the app to be spun off from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.

The Latest:

Republicans sour on the country’s direction

According to a new AP-NORC poll that was conducted shortly after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, only about half in the GOP see the nation on the right course, down from 70% in June.

RFK Jr.’s CDC advisory panel recommends new restrictions on vaccines

It advised Thursday that children under 4 get separate vaccines for MMR and chickenpox, instead of the combination shot MMRV vaccine.

The panel, whose members were replaced by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. earlier this year to include anti-vaccine voices, is expected to vote Friday on hepatitis B shots for infants and COVID-19 shots.

The House will vote on funding patch as (another) shutdown looms

The House will take up a bill on Friday to avert a partial government shutdown in less than two weeks. The bill would generally continue existing funding levels through Nov. 21.

Democratic leaders say the GOP won’t get their votes if they don’t agree to prevent millions of Americans from losing their health care, by extending the tax credits needed to keep insurance affordable. Some Democratic support will be needed to pass the bill.