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Trump leaves Beijing with few wins but warm words for Xi

(Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump left China on Friday with no major breakthroughs on trade or tangible help from Beijing to end the Iran war, despite two days spent heaping praise on his host, Xi Jinping. Trump's visit to America's main strategic and economic rival, the first by a U.S. president since his last ‌trip in 2017, had aimed for tangible results to beef up his sagging approval ratings before midterm elections. The summit was filled with pageantry, from goose-stepping soldiers to tours of a secret garden, but behind ‌closed doors Xi issued a stark warning to Trump that any mishandling of China's top concern, Taiwan, could spiral into conflict.

BumRushDaShow

'Significant blow': Senate rules referee blows up key piece of Trump's immigration plan

(Raw Story) Republicans were dealt a severe setback as the top Senate rule keeper called foul on an immigration enforcement funding package. Migrant Insider reported that Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough "delivered a significant blow" by stopping the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol reconciliation package, which Republican senators have been pushing as the second step to fully fund immigration enforcement after the months-long Department of Homeland Security shutdown ended.

Miles Archer

Trump expected to drop $10 billion lawsuit, then launch $1.7B 'weaponization' fund for allies

(ABC News) Trump is expected to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service in exchange for the creation of a $1.7 billion fund to compensate allies who claim they were wrongfully targeted by the Biden administration, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The commission overseeing the compensation fund would have the total authority to hand out approximately $1.7 billion in taxpayer funds to settle claims brought by anyone who alleges they were harmed by the Biden administration's "weaponization" of the legal system, including the nearly 1,600 individuals charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack as well as potentially entities associated with President Trump himself.

RandySF

Democrats eye "hidden" Latino battlegrounds in 2026

(Axios) The post-2024 narrative that Latino voters shifted right is facing its first real stress test — including in districts Republicans thought were safely red. The biggest immediate test is in Texas, where Republicans drew new maps assuming continued Latino gains. But GOP House seats are also at risk in California, New York, Colorado and Nevada. New modeling from Democratic group Oath finds several GOP-drawn "safe" districts could become competitive if recent Latino voting trends hold.

KS Toronado

Friday's Condensed News Cartoons

Dulcinea

The Supreme Court keeps abortion pill mifepristone available by telehealth

(NPR) The Supreme Court decided to keep the status quo in place for medication abortion access Thursday. The high court's order means the abortion pill mifepristone will remain available via telehealth as a case brought by Louisiana against the Food and Drug Administration proceeds through the lower courts. The Supreme Court stayed a May 1 ruling from the New Orleans-based, U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals which would have banned mifepristone from being mailed. The appeals court ruling would have applied to the whole country, not just states like Louisiana that have abortion bans.

BumRushDaShow

Watchdog groups urge Senate to investigate Samuel Alito over oil stock conflicts

(The Guardian) The supreme court justice Samuel Alito, who owns stock in oil companies, may be violating court ethics codes by participating in certain cases that could benefit big oil, government watchdog groups say. In a Thursday letter, a coalition of watchdog organizations called on the Senate judiciary committee to investigate Alito, the sole supreme court justice with holdings in energy companies.

RandySF

NJ-07: The Mystery of a Congressman's Absence Deepens

(NY Times) Where is Representative Thomas Kean Jr.? Lately, curious political watchers have noted where Mr. Kean is not. He seems to be absent on Capitol Hill, where he represents the people of New Jersey’s Seventh District but hasn’t cast a vote in more than two months. Mr. Kean, a Republican, has not been seen on the campaign trail as he runs for re-election in a competitive midterm race. He has not appeared in pixel form, either: No candid photos have emerged of the incumbent to allay the worries of donors and constituents.

BumRushDaShow

Trump-Appointed Judge Calls Administration's Behavior 'Appalling' In 24-Page Ruling

(Huff Post) A federal judge blasted the Trump administration for its “reckless” efforts to mislead and manipulate the courts, and target transgender youth by pressuring hospitals to disclose sensitive medical information, according to an order issued Wednesday night. Judge Mary S. McElroy, who was nominated to the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island by President Donald Trump in 2019, halted the Department of Justice’s subpoena into more than five years of records about transgender minor patients at Brown Health’s Rhode Island Hospital.

BumRushDaShow

U.S. moving to indict Cuba's Ral Castro, sources say

(CBS News) The U.S. is taking steps to indict Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former president of Cuba and brother of Fidel, in connection with the downing of planes 30 years ago, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The potential indictment — which would need to be approved by a grand jury — is expected to focus on Cuba's deadly 1996 shootdown of planes operated by humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.

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Russian Missiles Used in Deadly Kyiv Strike Contained Newly Made Western Components

5 min ago - Russian cruise missiles used in a deadly strike on Ukraine on Thursday were manufactured this year using Western-made components, according to Ukrainian presidential sanctions commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk. Speaking to journalists, Vlasiuk said frag ... (Kyiv Post)

Colorado's Democratic governor will let Trump ally Tina Peters out of prison early

14 min ago - May 15, 2026 4:45 PM ET DENVER -- Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis has reduced the state prison sentence of Tina Peters, a former county clerk convicted of tampering with election equipment, allowing her to be eligible for parole on June 1. The ... (NPR)

Trump announces plans for statue garden in Potomac River Park

40 min ago - 11h (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he would install his proposed sculpture garden of “American Heroes” in West Potomac Park, a stretch near the National Mall that includes the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. “Right now, it ... (msn/Bloomberg)

BRICS talks end without joint statement, exposing divisions over war in Iran

1 hr ago - May 15, 2026 5:04 AM EDT Updated 2 hours ago NEW DELHI, May 15 (Reuters) - Top diplomats from BRICS nations, including rivals Iran and the United Arab Emirates, failed to issue a joint statement on Friday after a two-day meeting in Delhi, leav ... (Reuters)

A new Ebola outbreak is confirmed in a remote Congo province, with 65 deaths recorded

1 hr ago - KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Africa’s top public health body on Friday confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in Congo’s remote Ituri province, with 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths recorded so far. Uganda later reported one death in an Ebola case ... (AP)

EXCLUSIVE: Hackers have breached tank readers at US gas stations; officials suspect Iran is responsible

1 hr ago - Updated May 15, 2026, 2:41 PM ET PUBLISHED May 15, 2026, 2:40 PM ET US officials suspect Iranian hackers are behind a series of breaches of systems that monitor the amount of fuel in storage tanks serving gas stations in multiple states, according to ... (CNN Politics)

Powerful GOP Congressman Dismisses Rising Gas Prices from Iran War: 'That's Life'

2 hrs ago - Published on May 15, 2026 02:09PM EDT Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, a key ally to President Donald Trump in the House, struggled to downplay rising gas prices amid the war with Iran as CNN’s Kaitlan Collins pressed him on the topic on Thursday, May 14. ... (People)

Minnesota Democratic lawmakers stage sit-in over gun violence protection bill

2 hrs ago - Fri 15 May 2026 10.16 EDT First published on Thu 14 May 2026 22.31 EDT Democratic state representatives in Minnesota staged an overnight sit-in in their house chamber on Thursday after the Republican speaker failed to put a gun violence prevention bi ... (The Guardian)

Trump leaves China without breakthroughs on Iran, Taiwan or AI

3 hrs ago - The US president had gone into the two-day talks with China’s Xi Jinping weakened by his prolonged war in Iran, and did little to change the perception that he and his nation are diminished on the global stage. Instead it was Xi who delivered th ... (The Guardian)

Justice Department to seek death penalty for man charged with killing 2 Israeli Embassy staffers

3 hrs ago - Justice Department to seek death penalty for man charged with killing 2 Israeli Embassy staffers The Associated Press May 15, 2026, 1:07 PM This undated handout photo provided by the embassy of Israel in the U.S. shows staff members of the Israeli Em ... (Associated Press, via WTOP)

Free primary care for all: Democratic think tank pushes the party on new health policy

3 hrs ago - May 15, 2026, 5:00 AM EDT As Democrats look for a viable healthcare message ahead of the midterm elections, one well-connected think tank is pushing the party to embrace a new idea: free primary care for all Americans. Searchlight Institute senior fe ... (NBC News)

Judge declares a mistrial in Harvey Weinstein's rape retrial after jury says it is deadlocked

3 hrs ago - Judge declares a mistrial in Harvey Weinstein's rape retrial after jury says it is deadlocked The Associated Press May 15, 2026, 1:30 PM Harvey Weinstein appears with attorneys Marc Agnifilo, left, and Jacob Kaplan in Manhattan criminal court, Thursd ... (Associated Press, via WTOP)

OpenAI now wants ChatGPT to access your bank accounts

4 hrs ago - Your trust in AI is about to be put to the test: OpenAI will soon let you give the chatbot direct access to your bank accounts. The new feature announced in preview today will allow users to “securely connect” ChatGPT with Plaid — the ... (The Verge)

Joe Sedelmaier, Auteur Behind 'Where's the Beef?' Ad, Dies at 92

4 hrs ago - {video clip} Quality Is Our Recipe, LLC / The Wendy's Company Joe Sedelmaier, Auteur Behind 'Where's the Beef?' Ad, Dies at 92 He directed nearly 1,000 comedic commercials, including a much-quoted spot for Wendy's and one for FedEx featuring a manic ... (New York Times)

Rep. Steve Cohen ending campaign in Tennessee after redraw of his Memphis district

4 hrs ago - May 15, 2026, 11:33 AM WASHINGTON -- Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee on Friday announced that he is ending his bid for reelection, his career upended by the redistricting battles that are sweeping the country after last month's Supreme Court ... (ABC News/AP)

Cuba accepts $100 million US aid offer as country says it has run out of oil

5 hrs ago - Cuba’s leader, Miguel Díaz-Canel, said Thursday that his government will accept a U.S. offer to provide $100 million in humanitarian aid, as the country runs out of fuel and Washington signals its impatience with stalled diplomatic talks ... (Tampa Bay Times)

Stock trade disclosure reveals Trump made massive gains on Big Tech bets

5 hrs ago - Donald Trump's latest financial disclosure has opened an unusually detailed window into the scale and pace of trading activity tied to the US president's investment portfolio. The filing, submitted on Thursday to the US Office of Government Ethics th ... (Yahoo News)

Texas high court rejects removal of Democratic lawmakers who led quorum break over redistricting

5 hrs ago - Updated 12:22 PM EDT, May 15, 2026 AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The Texas Supreme Court on Friday refused to declare that Democratic lawmakers who briefly fled the state in 2025 to block a vote on new congressional maps pushed by President Donald Trump had ... (AP)

Green Card Holders Targeted for Deportation by New 'Removal Apparatus'

5 hrs ago - The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to deport at least 50 green card holders through a new unit dedicated to revetting thousands of immigrants with permanent residency across the country, according to internal data obtained by The New York ... (NYT)

UAE fast tracks second West-East oil pipeline to bypass Strait of Hormuz

6 hrs ago - Published Fri, May 15 2026 5:19 AM EDT Abu Dhabi is accelerating construction of the new West-East pipeline to Fujairah as it looks to expand its oil export capacity and bypass the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint. The project, expected to come online in ... (CNBC)