Donald Trump is due to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening for his first visit to China as US president in nearly a decade, seeking to restore power and prestige weakened by the war in Iran. The Middle East conflict he started will cast a long shadow over two days of talks, amid fears he may be tempted to weaken US support for Taiwan in return for Xi's help.
US-China Relations and Trade
White House officials said Trump would travel with a delegation of more than a dozen US business leaders, including Elon Musk of Tesla and Tim Cook of Apple, signaling that both governments still seek economic cooperation despite strategic rivalry. The two countries remain locked in a fragile tariff truce reached last autumn after tensions threatened a full-scale trade war. Trump has long complained about China's trade surplus, while Beijing opposes American export controls and sanctions.
Iran War Overshadows Talks
The war with Iran has entered its third month, with Tehran tightening its grip over the Strait of Hormuz and Washington struggling to turn a fragile ceasefire into a lasting settlement. US officials have spent weeks urging China to pressure Iran to reopen the strait and accept US peace terms.
Kash Patel Denies Allegations
FBI Director Kash Patel denied under oath recent allegations of excessive drinking and unexplained absences, dismissing them as 'baseless' during a fiery congressional hearing. Democrats challenged him over the 'extremely alarming' allegations in The Atlantic last month, which they argued would amount to a 'gross dereliction' of duty. Patel has sued the magazine and reporter for defamation.
Nebraska Senate Race
Cindy Burbank, a Democratic challenger who intends to drop out of November's Senate race to clear the way for independent candidate Dan Osborn, won the state's Democratic primary. Burbank ran against William Forbes, whom Democrats contend is a Republican plant, with the intent to drop out if she won. The state Democratic party has backed Osborn for the general election, seeing him as the best hope to beat Republican Senator Pete Ricketts.
Other News
Russian forces launched attacks in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region on Tuesday, killing at least six people, after a three-day ceasefire expired. The WHO has told countries to prepare for more hantavirus cases after an outbreak on a cruise ship. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer withstood calls to resign after poor local election results. Over 110 Nobel laureates called for the release of imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi.
US Inflation Rises
US inflation jumped to 3.8% in April, the highest since 2023, driven by the war in the Middle East. The energy index increased 17.9% for the 12 months ending April.
Wellness and Culture
Carly Schwartz writes about her year trying San Francisco's experimental depression treatments, from ketamine to transcranial magnetic stimulation. The Guardian published a countdown of the 100 best novels of all time, with George Eliot's Middlemarch taking top spot.
Climate and Environment
Trump administration proposals to rescind 2024 regulations for toxic ethylene oxide pollution could increase release of the carcinogenic gas by 7.8 tons per year, according to a Harvard analysis.
In a rural road in Somerset, England, a truck got stuck in the sinkhole it was sent to fix, forcing workers to abandon the vehicle at a near 45-degree angle. The company name: Stabilised Pavements.
