D (2:49)

This meeting was a really important step in stabilizing what really was a relationship that had looked like it was going to go off the rails again.

B (2:58)

My colleague David Pearson was in South Korea for the meeting between the world leaders, which only came together after months of escalating trade threats.

D (3:06)

I think the thing that really changed was the realization on the US side that this leverage that China has over rare earths is a really big deal. By taking away these minerals, these magnets that are the cornerstone for modern life, I think President Trump realized, okay, we need to come up with some sort of solution here. And so I think we can expect things to stabilize for the near future. But, you know, the reality is this is a very, very fragile relationship. And I don't think that has fundamentally changed. There's still reservoirs of mistrust between these two countries that can't be resolved. So what we have is a Band Aid.

B (3:53)

Meanwhile.

D (3:55)

Well, it just continues to go higher. It is opening at a $5 trillion market cap.

B (4:02)

Nvidia, the tech giant that makes almost all of the chips used for artificial intelligence, smashed a record yesterday, becoming the first publicly traded company to be valued at $5 trillion. Five trillion is extraordinary considering it was only four months ago it hit $4 trillion. Part of what tipped the stock price into record breaking territory was signs of a potential thaw on trade between China, us. The US currently prohibits Nvidia from selling its most advanced chips to the country. But a change on that front would be a multi billion dollar opportunity for the company. Since Trump returned to office, he's repeatedly used Nvidia's chips as leverage in foreign policy discussions, striking deals to sell the chips everywhere from the UAE to Japan. At the same time, as Nvidia's stock continues to boom, its growing role in the American economy has set off alarm bells for many on Wall Street. They're concerned that potentially too much of the US economy is riding on the success of AI. Nvidia now makes up almost 10% of the value of the S&P 500. And according to one economist, almost all of the growth of the US's GDP in the first half of this year came from spending on data centers. Now, one last update related to the Trump administration. In D.C. officials are continuing the president's retribution campaign against those involved in prosecuting cases related to January 6th. Here's what happened this week. Two federal prosecutors filed sentencing paperwork for a man who'd been found guilty of showing up near President Obama's house with firearms and ammunition back in 2023. In their memo, they requested a stiff sentence, writing that the man had previously been part of the, quote, mob of rioters on January 6, something he'd also faced charges for before Trump granted blanket clemency to those accused of being involved. The memo also noted that the man had apparently found Obama's address from one of Trump's social media posts. Then yesterday, in an extraordinary move, the Justice Department withdrew the sentencing papers, saying they'd been entered in error. When they were resubmitted hours later, all references to January 6th were gone. So was any mention of Trump's message, and the prosecutors who originally filed them were placed on leave. Since Trump returned to office, many prosecutors who've worked on January 6th related cases have been demoted or fired by the administration as part of Trump's broader effort to root out people he believes to be disloyal.

D (6:48)

Foreign Melissa absolutely decimated this portion of the island. Only places that have four concrete walls are still standing and usually their roofs are gone.

B (7:04)

In Jamaica, the Times has been speaking with people on the ground after Hurricane Melissa slammed into the island this week.

D (7:10)

There are some things that are just completely level where there's nothing there.

B (7:17)

The Category 5 storm knocked out power and a lot of communications, and that's complicated search and rescue efforts. Officials say they're still looking for victims after finding at least five bodies in St Elizabeth parish on the southwestern coast.

E (7:31)

Tell me, how are, how are things looking in St. Elizabeth? It's not looking good at all. We were hit very hard. Total devastation. Conditions are really bad.

B (7:43)

In one town there, Black river, the mayor told the Times his community was, quote, totally destroyed with the courthouse, the libraries, churches and other buildings gone.

E (7:53)

The hospital was badly damaged. And they are making this use of the conditions that they have there currently.

B (8:01)

He estimated that the surge of seawater rose to 16ft. A UN official said the devastation in Jamaica was unprecedented and recovery will be a challenge as many roads are still blocked. The UN Also said it's moving to help other countries in Melissa's path, including Cuba and Haiti, where at least 20 people were killed. The storm has weakened to a Category 1 at this point, but is still wreaking havoc in the Caribbean, causing damage in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos overnight. It's expected to approach Bermuda later today. And finally, something may have changed about your favorite chocolate bar in recent years without you noticing. Chewy chunks of caramel, each covered in real milk chocolate candies like Rolos. Almond Joy's got real milk chocolate, coconut and munchy nuts, too.

D (8:56)

Almond Joy, good peanuts and good chocolate make a very good bar.

B (9:01)

And Mr. Good Bar used to say milk chocolate on the wrapper. Now the wrappers say chocolate candy. The difference is that milk chocolate is an FDA regulated term. To use it, you got to have a certain amount of cocoa butter in the product. But as climate change and droughts have driven up cocoa prices, some candy companies have pivoted, replacing cocoa butter with other fats. The Hershey Company, which makes Mr. Goodbars, Almond Joys and Rolos, declined to comment. But the Times compared product labels and checked an ingredient database run by the Department of Agriculture to find that the labels have changed in the last few years. An expert in the world of candy science, the woman who developed flavored peeps, told the Times there's lots of techniques to subtly cut cocoa costs, like replacing chocolate coating with compound coating, which uses vegetable fats instead of Butterfinger and Baby Ruth have been made that way for years. Another method Add more sugar. One analyst told the Times that candy companies had been cutting back on added sugar for the last decade or so in response to health trends, but they've been quietly putting it back in to replace the ever more expensive cocoa. There's also been another, more dramatic strategy. Drop the chocolate altogether. You may see that in the Halloween bag of treats. This year, the Hershey's Halloween assortment includes light green Kit Kats and cookies and Cream Fangs, neither of which contains any chocolate at all. Those are the headlines today on the Daily Palestinians in Gaza share their experiences of trying to return home after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. You can listen to that in the New York Times app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Traci Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow with the latest and the Friday news quiz.