It’s Monday, September 29. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: A workable peace plan for Gaza. How America’s man in Qatar wound up working for Qatar. Paul Thomas Anderson’s higher calling. And much more.

But first: The battles within the parties.

Progressives have long pushed the federal government to use antitrust laws against corporate behemoths and quasi-monopolies. And in a break with his Republican predecessors, President Donald Trump has appointed a number of antitrust hawks to senior positions. He’s also allowed the government to continue antitrust cases that began under previous administrations against Live Nation, Google, Apple, and Meta.

However, influential MAGA voices like Steve Bannon are questioning whether the administration is truly committed to getting tough on corporate America. Bannon says it is a top MAGA priority, but he and his allies are getting tons of pushback from other influential Trump World figures, including some who work for the very companies the administration has targeted.

As Gabe Kaminsky reports, these disagreements have led to a battle royale, pitting some of Trump’s most influential allies against each other. Read Gabe’s inside account to learn how power really works in Trump’s Washington.

But it’s not only the Republicans dealing with an intra-party spat. Over in the Senate, Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer is taking a tough stance over a stopgap spending bill to prevent a government shutdown this week.

That’s not what we’ve come to expect from Schumer, a consummate D.C. dealmaker, but he’s facing plenty of pressure from his left to object to any deal with Republicans, writes Matthew Continetti. Progressives want to reverse some GOP spending cuts, and they have the whip hand at the moment—not least because Democratic Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez might mount a substantial primary challenge against Schumer in 2028.

“[W]hen the history of this spending fight is written, it will be seen less as a substantive policy dispute than another stage in the Democrats’ evolution into a socialist party,” Continetti writes. Read the whole piece below.

—Will Rahn

Protesters stand outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on September 27 in Portland, Oregon. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland via Getty Images)

• Incumbent New York City mayor Eric Adams announced Sunday that he will drop out of the hotly contested mayoral race. Adams, who was polling last among the major candidates, has been facing widespread calls to end his candidacy to give Andrew Cuomo a better shot at defeating Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.

• Political attacks by far-left extremists outpace right-wing extremist attacks this year for the first time in 30 years, according to a study conducted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies. The assassination of Charlie Kirk was one of five left-wing attacks this year documented in the study.

• After announcing Saturday on Truth Social he would authorize sending troops to “War ravaged Portland” to protect ICE facilities, President Donald Trump seemed to backtrack after speaking with Oregon governor Tina Kotek. “There is no insurrection. There is no threat to national security,” Kotek said she told the president.

• Chinese leader Xi Jinping has requested that President Trump formally state that U.S. policy oppose Taiwanese independence amid negotiations over a trade deal, The Wall Street Journal reported. In February, the State Department removed a Biden-era statement from its website stating “we do not support Taiwan independence,” a move that drew ire from Beijing.

• President Donald Trump said on Truth Social yesterday that “ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL” on ending the war in Gaza. Trump will meet with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu today in the Oval Office to discuss the White House’s 21-point peace plan, which Netanyahu says has not been finalized.

• Russia attacked Kyiv with nearly 600 drones and 48 missiles in a 12-hour assault yesterday, killing at least four and injuring over 70. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to respond and urged allies to continue pressuring Russia to agree to a ceasefire. Read Niall Ferguson’s piece on the future of drone warfare: “I’ve Seen the Future of War. Europe Isn’t Ready for It.”

• Trump’s plan to bail out Argentina’s slumping markets and currency with a $20 billion rescue package is irritating some powerful Republicans, particularly those with large agricultural industries that compete with companies in the South American nation. Referencing Argentina’s recent deal to ship soybeans to China, Senator Chuck Grassley wrote on X, “Why would USA help bail out Argentina while they take American soybean producers’ biggest market???”

• The White House is considering giving funding preference to colleges and universities that align with the Trump administration’s policies, The Washington Post reported. Potential factors include an affirmation that hiring and admissions decisions are entirely merit-based, that colleges consider specific factors for foreign students’ applications, and that college costs are kept in check.

We have a packed season of conversations, debates, and live events. Join us in person or catch the videos later as a benefit for paid subscribers. Here’s what’s coming up:

• Mark Halperin on Comey, Government Shutdown, and More
  Livestream • September 29, 12:30 p.m. • 📅 Add to Calendar

• Staying Human in the Digital Age with Paul Kingsnorth and Bari Weiss

  New York, NY • September 29, 6:30 p.m. • ❌ Sold Out

• Inside the Free Birth Society with Kara Kennedy and Suzy Weiss
  Livestream • September 30, 2:30 p.m. • 📅 Add to Calendar

• Anduril Founder Palmer Luckey Live with Bari Weiss
  Washington, D.C. • October 8, 7 p.m. • 🎟️ Tickets on sale here

• Reclaiming Childhood in an Online World with Jonathan Haidt

  New York, NY • October 22, 7 p.m. • 🕦 Tickets on sale at 11 a.m. today

Full Schedule