VOA Focus Today (October 9, 2026) President Trump’s “New Golden Age” Summit — Musk, Jensen Huang and Lisa Su Receive Medals
This episode focuses on President Trump hosting the "New Golden Age" Summit at the White House and awarding the National Medal of Science to six tech leaders, including Musk and Huang; US Secretary of State Rubio concluding his visit to three European nations and urging NATO to reduce its reliance on China; Chinese militia vessels spotted operating together in Taiwan's waters for the first time; Taiwan's representative to the US attending the Double Tenth National Day reception and discussing US-Taiwan relations; Canadian author Anne Carson winning the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature; the US State Department offering a reward for the arrest of Chinese hacker Zhang Yu; and the US Department of Homeland Security proposing a significant increase in fees for the international student OPT program.
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Welcome to VOA Today's Focus on October 9th. I am Fan Dongning, broadcasting live for you from the US capital, Washington. Every day, we spend fifteen minutes here to help you quickly grasp the latest developments in the US and around the world. Here is today's focus news. President Trump hosted the New Golden Age Summit at the White House, awarding the National Medal of Science to six tech leaders, including Musk, Huang, and Su.
President Trump hosted the New Golden Age Summit at the White House on Thursday and awarded the National Medal of Science to three tech executives, including Musk, Huang, and Su. Let's connect immediately with VOA reporter Huang Yaoyi at the White House to introduce the detailed situation to us.
President Trump awarded the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to six tech executives at the Science's New Golden Age Summit held at the White House on Thursday. These six individuals are SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, AMD CEO Lisa Su, Dell Computer founder Michael Dell, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin. President Trump said his administration attaches great importance to development in the scientific field, specifically pointing out areas including quantum science, nuclear energy, space technology, and more. Let's see what President Trump said.
I signed an executive order aimed at advancing quantum computing and set a goal to deliver a quantum computer for scientific exploration by 2028. We are removing unnecessary barriers to deploying next-generation nuclear technology, and this year alone, our country has launched cutting-edge small modular reactor projects. Driven by NASA's Artemis program, we have made significant progress, and American astronauts are about to return to the Moon and establish a permanent US presence on the Moon.
When discussing superintelligence, President Trump specifically praised Jensen Huang, stating that his chip designs are not only used in supercomputers but have also become the backbone of superintelligence, leading the world. Alright, I am very grateful to VOA reporter Huang Yaoyi for the report from the White House.
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio concluded his visit to three European countries on Thursday, urging NATO to strengthen the alliance and reduce dependence on China. Portugal was the final stop of Rubio's three-nation European tour. Prior to this, he visited two other NATO allies, Iceland and Greece, and delivered an important speech on how Western civilization can unite to address great power competition. Secretary of State Rubio held a joint press conference with the Portuguese Foreign Minister in Lisbon on Thursday, stating that every NATO member needs to be as strong as possible, because the stronger the members, the stronger NATO becomes, and the stronger the alliance, the stronger the deterrence.
NATO member states previously agreed to increase annual defense spending to 5% of their GDP by 2035. Secretary of State Rubio also emphasized economic cooperation between the United States and Portugal, including in fields such as superintelligence—commonly referred to as artificial intelligence (AI)—and aerospace. Secretary of State Rubio also called on Portugal and other European countries not to rely on any single country, such as China, for critical materials. The United States is seeking to limit Beijing's infiltration in strategic areas and hopes that the EU will also take measures to reduce its dependence on China.
According to a monitoring report reviewed by Reuters, a Chinese militia vessel and two ships it was towing were spotted in the waters east of Taiwan in August. This is the first time such vessels have been detected in this sensitive area. The report, written by Taiwan's AJ Aviation, points out that the Min Fu Yu 07902 is a vessel that functions as both a Chinese militia ship and a fishing boat. It was spotted in mid-August operating in coordination with a Chinese coast guard patrol ship and a scientific research vessel. In response to the report by AJ Aviation, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense stated in response to Reuters' inquiry that China is using law enforcement and scientific research as a cover for harassment, attempting to expand the scope of its operations in a non-conflict state to create the illusion of de facto jurisdiction.
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense stated that such behavior undermines the international order and challenges Taiwan's maritime rights and interests. It added that Taiwan is coordinating with other agencies, including the Coast Guard Administration, to use surveillance means to track Chinese military movements. VOA sought comment from the U.S. Department of Defense on this matter and received a response of no comment, while China's Taiwan Affairs Office and Ministry of National Defense did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
Taiwan's representative office in the U.S. held a Double Tenth National Day reception in Washington on Wednesday. Taiwan's Representative to the U.S. Alexander Yui stated that after the U.S.-China summit, U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed, and arms sales to Taiwan will continue. Let's look at the interview report from VOA reporter Li Yihua in Washington.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States held a reception at Twin Oaks in Washington on Wednesday to celebrate the 115th National Day of the Republic of China. The atmosphere was warm, and both U.S. and Taiwan representatives spoke about their bilateral relationship based on shared values such as democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. This year is a special year; the United States is celebrating its 250th anniversary of founding, and Taiwan is marking the 30th anniversary of its first direct presidential election. Coincidentally, both places will hold midterm elections this year, and this celebration of democracy is one of the important reasons why we have become like-minded partners. However, for some other totalitarian regimes, this may pose a threat to the legitimacy of their rule. The mutual commitment to democratic principles is another important pillar of the relationship between the two sides.
Taiwan has achieved an extraordinary transformation from an authoritarian system to a vibrant democratic society, based on freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and free elections. This transformation has set a model not only for the region but for the whole world. One of the current focuses of attention is whether U.S. arms sales to Taiwan will change after the meeting between U.S. President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Taiwan's Representative to the U.S. Alexander Yui, in an interview with reporters after the meeting in response to a VOA question, stated that the U.S. fully understands the military threats Taiwan faces, and arms sales to Taiwan will continue to move forward. Yui also emphasized that it is clear from the recent U.S.-China leaders' summit that the U.S. position on Taiwan has not changed, the relationship between the two sides remains strong, and it continues to develop.
At the Wednesday reception, diplomatic personnel from multiple countries gathered together with over a thousand attendees. The venue prepared a variety of Taiwanese specialty foods, including shaved ice, braised pork rice, crispy fried Taiwan tilapia, and phalaenopsis orchid displays, showcasing Taiwan's diverse cultural characteristics. As the US midterm elections enter the final month of the sprint phase before the election, many members of congress have returned to their respective districts, and therefore expressed their congratulations through congratulatory letters or statements instead.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's Representative to the US, Alexander Yui, also specifically mentioned in an exclusive interview with Voice of America that during the US-China presidential summit, the two leaders discussed the history of the Flying Tigers during World War II, emphasizing that the government fighting shoulder to shoulder with the United States at that time was the Republic of China government. Ambassador Yui conducted this interview in English, and let us listen to what he had to say next. The American Volunteer Group, before the United States entered World War II and before the Pearl Harbor attack, flew for the Flying Tigers. So there was a group of very brave, young people led by Claire Lee Chennault guiding the American Volunteer Group and the Flying Tigers. They flew planes bearing our markings, with the 12-rayed sun symbol on the fuselage, using our national flag. That was the Republic of China, that was the Republic of China. The government fighting against the Japanese at that time was the Chinese government. The Chinese Communist Party at that time, they were a bunch of guerrillas. You know, they had almost none, if any at all, engaging in only some minor skirmishes on the periphery of the battlefield. The heavy burden of the war was borne by the Chinese government's military.
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature was announced on October 8, awarded to Canadian poet and writer Anne Carson. Let us look at the report by Voice of America reporter Xu Xiangyun.
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature winner, Anne Carson, is a writer who breaks traditional literary genre boundaries. She is 76 years old this year, born in Toronto, Canada, and is also a classical literature researcher and translator. Her work is characterized by frequently integrating poetry, prose, dialogue, and drama. She is widely known for translating ancient Greek literature and is particularly skilled at placing ancient materials like mythology back into the context of modern literature. The 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to Canadian writer Anne Carson in recognition of her bold and creative literary works, engaging in a dialogue with classical traditions in an interesting way and creating new forms for contemporary literature.
Classical literature has had a profound impact on Carson's creations, and her works span multiple forms from opera librettos and literary criticism to verse novels. Throughout her creative career, Carson has explored various possibilities of writing with a light touch, and literary sketch-like writing forms hold unique value for her. The Swedish Academy said that Carson did not expect to win at all when she received the notification of the award, and she even said that the whole thing was a bit crazy. Nobel laureates will receive 12 million Swedish kronor, which is approximately 1.2 million US dollars in prize money.
No, no, I haven't thought about these things; we are just thinking about how this money can be donated. We have a friend who needs a house, and we always donate a lot of money to Doctors Without Borders. We plan to take a walk in the woods, honestly just so we don't have to answer the phone, and then go experience that peace.
On Wednesday, the US Department of State's Rewards for Justice program announced a reward of up to 10 million dollars for information on the identity and whereabouts of a hacker from Shanghai, China, named Zhang Yu. According to the Rewards for Justice statement, Zhang Yu is a Chinese citizen and a director of Shanghai Oath Technology Co., Ltd., and he worked under the commission of the Ministry of State Security of the People's Republic of China and the Shanghai Municipal State Security Bureau. The Ministry of State Security and the Shanghai Municipal State Security Bureau are Chinese intelligence agencies responsible for matters related to domestic counterintelligence, non-military foreign intelligence, and Chinese political and domestic security.
The statement said that since early 2020, Zhang Yu has unauthorizedly obtained research materials on COVID-19 conducted by immunologists and virologists at a US university and an imprisoned scientist, stolen sensitive information, and exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft Corporation's email and calendar collaboration service system to launch indiscriminate intrusion operations against thousands of computers in the United States and worldwide. Victims include a university and a law firm located in the United States. He also had an accomplice named Xu Zewei, who was arrested by Italian law enforcement agencies last April and extradited to the United States to face nine charges. Zhang Yu remains at large and his whereabouts are unknown.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rule that would significantly increase the fee structure for a work authorization program targeting international students. If finalized and implemented, this rule will have a major impact on international students who plan to stay and work in the United States after graduation. According to the proposal, for students applying for Optional Practical Training (OPT), schools would need to pay a fee of $70,000 per person, and $30,000 if applying to extend the program. By contrast, current OPT costs only about $500 and is usually borne by the students themselves.