U.S. President is in Beijing for a crucial series of meetings with Chinese leader . on divisive issues such as the Iran war, .
On Iran, Trump said Xi told him that and a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. China is the largest buyer of Iranian oil ā and Trump has hoped to prod Iran into a deal on U.S. terms. Trump also said Xi assured him that China .
In a closed-door meeting, Xi warned Trump that differences over Taiwan, a self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own territory, could bring the U.S. and China into clashes or conflict. In December, Trump authorized , but has not yet moved forward with delivery. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later warned that it would be āa terrible mistakeā for China to take Taiwan by force.
Trump also hopes to focus talks on trade and for China to buy more agricultural products and passenger planes, setting up a board to address their differences and avoid a repeat of the trade war after Trumpās tariff hikes.
Meanwhile, Adm. Brad Cooper, a top U.S. military leader in the Middle East, is testifying before the Senate for the first time since the Iran war began.
Here’s the latest:
Trump says Xi wasnāt talking about him when he called the US a ādeclining nationā
Trump started his last day in Beijing with a defensive social media post, claiming that Chinese leader Xi Jinping was not talking about him when he āvery elegantly referred to the United States as perhaps being a declining nation.ā
The U.S. president, who did not explain the origin of those remarks, said they referred to former President Joe Biden.
The U.S. president said that Xi had only been complimentary about Trumpās own actions after returning to the White House last year.
āIn fact, President Xi congratulated me on so many tremendous successes in such a short period of time,ā Trump posted.
Trump administration uses X. Lawsuit plaintiffs use court
Interior Secretary Doug Burgumās X posting Thursday in which he released images of design plans for one of Washingtonās historic golf courses has begat a court filing by the lawyers in a civil case against those plans.
Lawyers representing the DC Preservation League filed a plaintiffās notice of factual development to alert the court that members of the Trump administration continue talking about design plans for one of the cityās most popular and historic golf courses even though the legality of its plans is tied up in court.
āAs with every other public development since Plaintiffs filed this case, this announcement further confirms that Defendants āwillā be converting East Potomac into championship-style course at the expense of numerous existing features of East Potomac Park,ā lawyers for the DC Preservation League wrote.
US Supreme Court preserves access to abortion pill mifepristone, while lawsuit plays out
on Thursday preserved access to , rejecting while a lawsuit continues.
The courtās order allows women seeking abortions to continue obtaining mifepristone at pharmacies or through the mail, without an in-person visit to a doctor. Access is likely to remain uninterrupted at least into next year as the case plays out, including a potential appeal to the high court.
The justices granted emergency requests from makers of mifepristone, who are appealing a federal appeals court ruling that would require women to see a doctor in person and halt delivery of mifepristone through the mail.
The federal Food and Drug Administration, which first approved mifepristone for use in abortion in 2000, stopped requiring in-person visits five years ago.
CIA director meets with officials in Havana, Cuban government says
The Cuban government says met Thursday with counterparts from the
ās Ministry of the Interior during a high-level visit to the island.
According to official reports, the meeting served as a platform for Cuba to present evidence asserting that the nation poses no threat to U.S. national security.
An official statement noted that the meeting took place āagainst a backdrop of complex bilateral relations.ā
Thursdayās meeting comes weeks after the Cuban government confirmed that it had recently met with U.S. officials on the island as tensions between the two countries remain high over the U.S. energy blockade of Cuba.
House Republicans barely defeat legislation to halt Iran war
A Democratic effort to pass legislation that would have put a check on Trumpās ability to launch further attacks against Iran barely failed to pass the House in a tie vote.
The war powers resolution failed on a 212-212 vote tally. Three Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Tom Barrett of Michigan, joined with Democrats to vote in favor of the resolution. Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine voted against it.
It was the first time the House has voted on the war since the close of a in which presidents must gain congressional approval for such a conflict.
The House vote ā and a the day before ā showed how a small but potentially crucial number of Republicans are now standing in opposition to Trump continuing the war without congressional approval.
Justice Department accuses Yale medical school of illegally using race in admissions
The Department of Justice is accusing of illegally considering race in its medical school admissions. This is the second such DOJ allegation against a medical school this month.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a letter to Yale dated Thursday that data show Black and Hispanic students have a higher chance of admission to the medical school than white or Asian students, despite slightly lower grades and test scores. Last week, the DOJ notified the University of California, Los Angeles, of similar allegations.
The DOJ seeks a voluntary resolution with Yale but says it may take legal action if compliance isnāt achieved voluntarily. Yale officials havenāt commented yet.
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Trump administration aims to relax limits on toxic wastewater from coal-fired power plants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to relax limits that require coal-fired power plants to prevent the release of toxic heavy metals into streams and rivers.
The EPA said Thursday that a 3-year-old rule was unduly costly for the energy industry at a time when energy demand is spiking, and that its new rule will lower the cost of power generation.
Itās the that President Donald Trumpās administration has taken to pull back regulations on coal mining and coal-fired power. Coal and power industry trade associations cheered the EPAās proposal.
Environmental groups slammed it as a public health danger and giveaway to the coal-power industry.
āThis is another example of the Trump administration endangering the health of Americans as a favor to corporate polluters,ā Thom Cmar, an attorney for environmental advocacy group Earthjustice, said in a statement.
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In new lawsuit, Justice Department challenges efforts to sanction Trump administration lawyers
The is challenging efforts to sanction attorneys from the first and second Trump administrations, asserting in a lawsuit that the District of Columbia Bar is unfairly playing politics with the legal disciplinary process.
The lawsuit represents a direct challenge to the authority of the office that enforces ethics standards for attorneys in the nationās capital where several high-profile investigations of Trump-allied lawyers are playing out.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in federal court in Washington. The D.C. Barās Board on Professional Responsibility did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
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House Democrats call for Lutnick to resign as commerce secretary
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are telling Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to resign following the release of his interview transcript in the Houseās investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Lutnick was neighbors with Epstein for years in New York City. The commerce secretary has insisted he barely knew Epstein, a wealthy financier who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges.
But discrepancies have emerged between an interview that Lutnick gave on a podcast in 2025 and his later admissions that he had actually met up with Epstein twice after a 2005 tour of Epsteinās townhouse that disturbed Lutnick and his wife.
Demanding his resignation, Democratic lawmakers told Lutnick in a letter, āYou lied to the American people and attempted to conceal your relationship with Jeffrey Epstein in your public statements.ā
Emails show FBI Director Kash Patelās Hawaii trip included āVIP snorkelā at a Pearl Harbor memorial
Government emails obtained by The Associated Press show that FBI Director went on a āVIP snorkelā session last summer at the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor.
The FBI didnāt publicize the excursion or Patelās return to Hawaii after official visits to Australia and New Zealand.
With few exceptions, snorkeling and diving are off-limits around the The sunken battleship is now a military cemetery reachable only by boat. It has stood as one of the nationās most hallowed sites since Japan bombed and sank the ship in 1941. It entombs more than 900 sailors and Marines at .
A Navy spokesperson confirms the outing but says the service wasnāt able to track down who initiated it.
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US Border Patrol chief announces his resignation in a Fox News interview
The head of the federal agency that patrols the borders of the United States says heās resigning.
Michael Banks of the U.S. Border Patrol told Fox News on Thursday that his resignation was effective immediately, saying, āItās just time.ā
In the interview, Banks said he believes heās improved border security significantly.
āI feel like I got the ship back on course from the least secure, disastrous, chaotic border to the most secure border this country has ever seen,ā he said.
The Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection had no immediate comment.
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US announces additional $1.8 billion in funding for UN humanitarian aid
By
Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, made the announcement at a press conference Thursday, saying the money will be earmarked for life-saving aid to victims of natural disasters, famine and āpeople who are truly in critical need.ā
The $1.8 billion, to be allocated over the coming year, is in addition to the $2 billion the Trump administration announced in December.
President Donald Trump shut down the international aid agency USAID, throwing global humanitarian efforts into turmoil.
U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher called his agency āoverstretched, under-resourced and literally under attackā and reiterated its 2026 plan to reach 87 million of the worldās most needy at a cost of $23 billion ā even though 300 million people need humanitarian help.
Before Waltzās announcement, he said, the U.N. had raised about $7.4 billion. He said the U.S. is now āthe single largest national donorā to the United Nations.
Top Democrat on Senate Foreign Relations Committee criticizes Trumpās China summit
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Trumpās visit to China has so far demonstrated a ālack of a coherent foreign policyā and that the U.S. is in a weakened position as a result of the war with Iran.
Shaheen told reporters that she had wished Trump had taken a stronger stance at his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, especially regarding Taiwan.
Trump in December authorized ā the largest weapons sale ever to the island ā but has not yet moved forward with delivery.
Shaheen, who led a bipartisan group of senators on a visit to Taiwan in March, said the American president has āmissed the fact that strong deterrence is the best way to have a stable relationship with China.ā
Interior Secretary releases plans for historic DC golf course
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the design plans for one of Washingtonās historic golf courses.
In a posting on the social platform X, Burgum promised local golfers in the National Capital Region would enjoy āchampionship-quality golf at affordable, highly discounted rates.ā
Commenters were overwhelmingly critical, suggesting better uses for taxpayer dollars.
The golf course is the subject of a lawsuit by the nonprofit DC Preservation League. It is challenging the Republican administrationās takeover of the golf course and its use as a dumping ground for debris from the demolition of the East Wing of the White House. Democracy Forward, a national legal organization that is co-representing the league, did not respond to a call for comment.
The suit is one of several legal battles challenging Trumpās efforts to remake public spaces in the city, including plans to build a 250-foot-tall (76-meter-tall) near the Lincoln Memorial. Preliminary site work began there this week.
Vance talks up Sen. Susan Collins during Maine appearance
Vice President JD Vance used part of a speech in Bangor, Maine, to promote the stateās Republican candidates.
Sen. Susan Collins is in a tough reelection fight this year with progressive activist Graham Platner as the likely Democratic opponent. Vance praised Collins for her independence and lack of partisanship.
āSometimes I get frustrated with Susan Collins. I almost wish she was more partisan,ā Vance said. āIf she was as partisan as I wish she was she would not be a good fit for the people of Maine.ā
Vance also encouraged attendants to vote for former Gov. Paul LePage, who is seeking election to a congressional seat held by Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, who is leaving office.
Senate hearing on Middle East ends with thoughts on disarming Hezbollah
The Senate Armed Services Committee hearing with the top U.S. military leader in the Middle East ended with a focus on the challenge of disarming Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group.
Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, the committeeās Republican chair, noted how Hezbollah has continually fired rockets into Israel, while Israel had launched a ground offensive into southern Lebanon focused on Hezbollah, displacing a million people.
Wicker asked Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads U.S. Central Command, if the offensive was necessary.
āIt is an option among options, of which there are few to deal with the Hezbollah problem,ā Cooper said.
Wicker later said, āIt would be a tremendous achievementā for Israel, Lebanon and the United States āif Hezbollah could be eliminated.ā
Senators approve withholding their own pay during government shutdowns
Senators have unanimously approved a resolution to withhold their pay during government shutdowns. Lawmakers said the measure approved Thursday would discourage future funding standoffs after a series of record-breaking shutdowns.
The proposal requires the secretary of the Senate to hold senatorsā salaries during shutdowns and release the money once funding resumes. Itāll take effect the day after the Nov. 3 general election.
Republican Sen. John Kennedy, the billās sponsor, says the measure ensures lawmakers share the burden faced by unpaid federal workers.
āThis is about putting our money where our mouth is,ā said Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, in a floor speech Wednesday.
Two shutdowns in the past year created significant financial hardship for tens of thousands of federal workers, particularly at the Department of Homeland Security. The department reopened last month after a 76-day partial shutdown and a 43-day full government shutdown last year.
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Trump says Xi told him China would not give Iran āmilitary equipmentā
The U.S. president said that Chinese leader Xi Jinping assured him in their conversations that China would not provide weapons to Iran.
āHe said heās not going to give military equipment. Thatās a big statement,ā Trump said in an interview with Fox Newsā Sean Hannity. āHe said that today. Thatās a big statement.ā
Trump has previously said that Xi has offered him this same assurance on weapon sales.
But the statement sidestepped questions about China providing Iran with intelligence, electronic components or revenues from the purchase of oil.
Trump said that Xi said China would like to continue buying petroleum from Iran.
āBut at the same time, he said, you know, they buy a lot of their oil there and theyād like to keep doing that,ā the president said.
Trump says Xi offered to help broker peace with Iran
President Donald Trump said that Chinese leader Xi Jinping told him in meetings that his country āwould like to be of helpā in negotiating an end to the Iran war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz to oil shipments.
āBut he said, āI would love to be a help, if I can be of any help whatsoever,āā Trump said in an interview with Fox Newsā Sean Hannity. āHeād like to see the Hormuz strait open. He said, āIf I can be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help.āā
Before leaving for the state visit in Beijing, Trump said the U.S. did not need Chinaās assistance on resolving the conflict.
US commander says reducing civilian deaths is a passion, but admits to job cuts
Adm. Brad Cooper, the top U.S. military leader in the Middle East, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that reducing civilian casualties is a particular passion of his. But he admitted that an office in U.S. Central Command focused on civilian-harm reduction was cut from 10 employees to one.
Cooper said those people are still focused on reducing civilian casualties but are āintegrated into other capacities.ā The admiral added that dozens if not hundreds of people are focused on reducing civilian deaths.
Under questioning from Democratic lawmakers, he declined to estimate civilians casualties in the Iran war. He said the bombing of a school at the beginning of the war is still under investigation. He said thereās no evidence that corroborates reporting that several schools and hospitals were also bombed.
Elon Muskās young son accompanies him in Beijing
His 6-year-old son was spotted in a Chinese-style outfit as he walked with his father in the Great Hall of the People, where Trump and Xi met in a high-stakes summit.
Musk is part of the U.S. business delegation that met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday in the same venue.
In a video posted by Chinaās state media, the boy is seen wearing a blue Chinese-style vest with golden-colored knot buttons on the side, drawing praise on Chinese social media.
Musk posted on his social media site X that the boy is learning Mandarin Chinese.
US commander says Iran can still strike targets in the region
The top U.S. military commander in the Middle East conceded that Iran still maintains a āvery moderate if not small capability to continue strikesā in the region amid questions from lawmakers Thursday.
In response to questions from Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Cooper also said the U.S. has the military power to permanently reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
However, when Slotkin pressed on why Cooper hasnāt done so, especially amid rising gas prices rising for Americans, Cooper deferred to policymakers amid ongoing peace negotiations.
American forces battling Iran are adopting tactics from Ukrainians, US commander says
Adm. Brad Cooper told the Senate Armed Services Committee that American forces have learned a lot from the Ukrainian military, which is battle-hardened from its war with Russia.
āWe adopted a large number of tactics, techniques and procedures that the Ukrainians have passed us that have helped us defend Americans,ā Cooper said.
Ukraine has passed on expertise to the U.S. specifically regarding anti-drone warfare. Iran had launched swarms of drones against U.S. and allied forces, killing some Americans.
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