First Thing: Trump due in China for high-stakes summit with Xi Jinping | US news

Good morning.

Donald Trump will arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening, the first visit to China by a US president since his last visit to China nearly a decade ago to restore his power and prestige weakened by the war in Iran.

But the Middle East conflict that he started and seems unlikely to end will cast a long shadow over the two days of talks amid fears that in exchange for Xi’s aid, the United States might be tempted to weaken its support for China’s claimed self-governing democracy, Taiwan.

White House officials said Trump will travel with a delegation of more than a dozen U.S. business leaders, including Tesla’s Elon Musk and Apple’s Tim Cook. This is a sign that both governments are still seeking economic cooperation despite strategic rivalry.

• What is the status of US-China relations? The two countries remain committed to a fragile tariff truce reached last fall after tensions threatened to escalate into a full-scale trade war. Trump has long complained about China’s trade surplus with the United States, while Beijing opposes American export controls and sanctions.

• What is the latest situation in the US-Iran ceasefire? The war has entered its third month as Tehran tightens its grip on the Strait of Hormuz and Washington seeks to turn a fragile ceasefire into a permanent solution. Behind the scenes, US officials have been urging China for weeks to pressure Iran to reopen the strait and accept US peace terms.

Kash Patel dismisses binge drinking claims as ‘complete nonsense’ in heated Senate hearing

FBI director Kash Patel denied under oath the latest allegations of excessive drinking and unexplained absences at work, calling them “baseless” during a heated congressional hearing.

Democrats opposed him over the “deeply concerning” allegations in the Atlantic last month, arguing it would amount to a “gross dereliction of duty”. The FBI director sued the magazine and the article’s reporter, Sarah Fitzpatrick, for defamation.

• What did the Atlantic do? claim? Citing interviews with more than two dozen people, including current and former FBI officials, it reported that Patel’s alcohol consumption had become a “repeated source of concern across the government,” making him a “national security vulnerability.” Patel denies all the allegations and calls them “outrageous” and “malicious”.

The winner of the Nebraska Democratic Senate primary says he’s the winner will leave to support independence in general elections

Democratic candidate Cindy Burbank, who said she planned to drop out of the Senate race in Nebraska in November to make way for an independent candidate, won the state’s Democratic primary.

Burbank ran against William Forbes, who Democrats claimed was the Republican favorite, and intended to drop out of the race if he won. Forbes, a pastor who voted for Trump and opposes access to abortion, is registered as a Democrat.

• what’s going on? The state’s Democratic party supported Burbank in the primary and supported independent candidate Dan Osborn in the general election. He is seen as the best hope to defeat Republican senator Pete Ricketts in November.

In other news…

• Russian forces launched an attack on Ukraine Dnipropetrovsk At least six people died in the area on Tuesday, regional officials said after the end of a three-day ceasefire on Monday.

• World Health Organization chief tells countries to prepare for more hantavirus casesFollowing the outbreak on board the MV Hondius and given the virus’ “long incubation period” of six to eight weeks.

• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer resisted calls to resign on Tuesday. Starmer’s position is in jeopardy after a series of devastating local election results for Labor last week led to the resignation of several ministers.

• More than 110 Nobel laureates call for the immediate and unconditional release of Narges MuhammadiDetained Iranian human rights activist and Nobel peace prize winner after being hospitalized.

Status of the day: Inflation in the USA jumped to 3.8% in April In the middle of war with Iran

U.S. inflation jumped to 3.8% in April as the war in the Middle East continued to raise energy prices and daily costs for Americans, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The inflation figure is at the highest level since 2023. The Bureau’s energy index increased 17.9% For the 12 months until April.

Wellness Wednesday: My year trying San Francisco’s most experimental depression treatments

From ketamine to transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy to stool analysis, “by the mid-2010s the Bay Area was a petri dish for the wellness industry,” writes author Carly Schwartz. Schwartz wanted a solution to mental health problems. “I proceeded earnestly by sampling every avant-garde mental health treatment on the table,” he writes.

Don’t miss this: The 100 best novels of all time. How many have you read?

This week the Guardian publishes a countdown of the best novels ever published in English, as voted on by writers, critics and academics around the world. Spoiler alert: top spot goes to George Eliot’s Middlemarch. “No one who reads this novel comes away from it unchanged,” said one panelist. Don’t agree with the list? Tell us your favorites.

Climate control: Analysis says Trump rollback of toxic gas rules limits EPA’s authority to protect public health

According to Harvard, the Trump administration’s proposals to repeal 2024 regulations on toxic ethylene oxide (EtO) pollution (part of a broader goal to limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) authority over hazardous emissions) could result in an increase of 7.8 tons of the carcinogenic gas released each year. analysis.

Last Thing: Truck stuck in the hole it was sent to be repaired

On a rural road in Somerset, England, a truck became stuck in the ditch it had been sent to repair. The workers had to abandon the vehicle when it got stuck at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. Company name? Stabilized Pavements.

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