Trump set to meet with Xi in Beijing as war and inflation weigh on his presidency
BEIJING (AP) — President Donald Trump is set to land in Beijing on Wednesday for a highly-anticipated summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Trump told reporters that trade will be the main focus of their discussions. The Trump administration hopes to establish a “Board of Trade” with China to address differences and prevent further trade conflicts. The visit comes at a delicate moment for Trump, with his popularity affected by the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran and rising inflation. Trump also plans to discuss Taiwan and an $11 billion weapons package. He expressed optimism about future relations with China.
Hegseth gets bipartisan grilling on rising costs of the Iran war and Trump's end game
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has faced tough questions from Republican and Democratic lawmakers about the Trump administration’s end game for the Iran war, the rising cost of the conflict and its impact on diminishing U.S. weapons stockpiles. The Pentagon chief got pushback from members of his own Republican Party about munitions and President Donald Trump’s intense criticism of traditional allies for not taking part in the conflict. In hearings Tuesday, Hegseth insisted the military has plenty of missile defense systems and other weapons. Pentagon officials also said the cost of the Iran war has risen to about $29 billion, most of it to repair and replace munitions.
Trump and Hegseth claim 'control' over Iran and the Strait of Hormuz as ceasefire talks are stalled
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kuwait has accused Iran of launching a failed attack earlier this month on an island where China is helping build a port in the Gulf Arab nation. Tuesday's accusation came just before U.S. President Donald Trump was to depart for Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, a high-stakes visit over the war and other issues. Kuwait said a team of six armed members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard tried to infiltrate Bubiyan Island to carry out “hostile acts.” Kuwait said that it detained four of the men while two escaped. Iran didn’t immediately acknowledge the allegation by Kuwait. With ceasefire negotiations between Iran and the U.S. at a standstill, ongoing attacks threaten to reignite open warfare.
Trump's redistricting push fizzles in South Carolina Senate but wins in Missouri's top court
President Donald Trump's efforts to reshape U.S. House districts have seen mixed outcomes. South Carolina senators defied his push Tuesday, while Missouri's top court upheld a new map backed by Trump that could benefit Republicans in the midterm elections. The national redistricting battle has been raging for 10 months. But it became more intense after the U.S. Supreme Court recently weakened the federal Voting Rights Act. The ruling has led Republicans in states such as Louisiana, Tennessee and Alabama to push for new districts. South Carolina senators expressed concerns that redistricting could backfire, resulting in losses to Democrats.
French hantavirus patient is critically ill, on an artificial lung as total cases grow to 11
PARIS (AP) — A doctor says a French woman being treated for hantavirus after being infected on a cruise ship is critically ill and being treated with an artificial lung. A doctor at the Paris hospital treating the hantavirus patient said Tuesday the woman's blood is being pumped through an artificial lung to relieve pressure on her lungs and heart. The World Health Organization says the outbreak has now reached 11 total reported cases worldwide, nine of which have been confirmed. The overall tally includes three people from the cruise ship who died. Spanish officials said Tuesday the passenger with a newly confirmed infection is in quarantine at a military hospital.
Trump's FDA chief is out after angering pharma CEOs, vaping lobbyists and anti-abortion activists
WASHINGTON (AP) — Marty Makary is resigning as President Donald Trump's Food and Drug Administration chief. The surgeon and health researcher's tenure had drawn complaints from pharmaceutical executives, anti-abortion activists and other Trump allies. The President said Tuesday that Makary “was having some difficulty” but ”he’s going to go on and he’s going to do well.” Makary came to prominence as an outspoken critic of public health measures during the COVID pandemic, when he appeared on Fox News Channel. But at the FDA, Makary failed to win the staff's confidence after mass layoffs, leadership changes and a series of controversies involving vaccines, drugs and electronic cigarettes.
Wall Street's record-setting run halts as AI stocks slump and oil prices rise
A sudden halt for technology stocks put the brakes on Wall Street's record-setting run. The S&P 500 dipped 0.2% Tuesday from its all-time high set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.7% from its own record. Stocks that had roared higher in the artificial-intelligence boom were some of the market's heaviest weights. The pullback began in Asia, where South Korea’s Kospi index tumbled 2.3% on worries that the government may redistribute windfall AI profits to its citizens. Oil prices meanwhile rose more than 3% as the war with Iran threatens to drag on.
The Iran war is hitting home as gasoline prices fuel inflation surge of 3.8% in the US
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer prices climbed a sharply again last month as the 10-week war with Iran pushed energy prices higher. The Labor Department reported Tuesday that its consumer price index rose 3.8% from April 2025. On a month-to-month basis, April prices were up 0.6% from March as gasoline prices rose 5.4%. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called consumer core prices were up 0.4% last month from March and 2.8% from April 2025, relatively modest readings that suggest the energy price burst isn’t yet spilling over much into other prices.
Trump's proposed 'Golden Dome' estimated to cost $1.2 trillion, far more than he initially said
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's plan to put weapons in space, called the “Golden Dome for America” missile defense program, is estimated to cost much more than he originally said. A new Congressional Budget Office analysis, released Tuesday, suggests the cost could be $1.2 trillion over the next 20 years, significantly higher than the $175 billion Trump mentioned last year. The system, inspired by Israel’s “Iron Dome,” aims to detect and intercept missiles at all stages of an attack. Congress has already approved about $24 billion for the initiative. Trump ordered the system during his first week in office, expecting it to be operational before his term ends in January 2029.
Denver airport security missed trespasser who was killed by plane on runway
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Denver airport workers initially missed a security breach by a man who scaled an 8-foot perimeter fence and crossed a runway where he was hit and killed by a plane with 231 people on board. Authorities said Tuesday that the 41-year-old man entered the airport and crossed a runway as a Frontier Airlines plane attempted to take off. The medical examiner said he died by suicide, but no note was immediately recovered. The collision sparked an engine fire, and the plane was evacuated after the cabin filled with smoke. Twelve passengers suffered minor injuries during the evacuation and five were taken to hospitals.
