2026-05-14
Xi and Trump meet in Beijing. UK government fractures. Markets rally on AI.
Good afternoon. Trump landed in Beijing. Within hours, Xi pivoted to Taiwan. Back home, Starmer's cabinet is folding. Markets, unfazed, climbed on chip-stock optimism.
Lunch Brief
Colorado's universal preschool program cannot disqualify families or schools based on religion. Government benefit, secular gatekeeping, same outcome either way.
A Senate committee moved forward with major cryptocurrency legislation aimed at defining regulatory authority over digital assets. The federal framework push advances another step.
During their bilateral meeting Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Trump that "safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is the biggest common denominator for both sides." Translation: don't push it.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting quit Thursday and is expected to launch a leadership bid. Angela Rayner, former Deputy, cleared a path by announcing she won't run. Starmer's government is eating itself on schedule.
The second soldier who went missing during military exercises in Morocco has been found. The first already was.
Trump met Xi Jinping Thursday at a high-stakes summit in Beijing. Both sides emerged saying what they came to say.
Xi reached for ancient Greek history to warn Trump what happens when a rising power meets an incumbent one. Subtlety is not a Trump-era tool.
North Carolina undercover officers were cleared of excessive force charges in the fatal shooting of Derrick Manigault, who was brandishing a fake gun. Officials call it justified.
- Trump invites Xi to White House in September
- Honda posts first annual loss since 1957
- Nvidia's Huang attends Trump-Xi summit in Beijing
- AI spending drives market resilience
- Russia launches 1,560 drones at Ukraine, kills 3
- Rayner cleared in UK tax affairs inquiry
- Mobile Carriers Join Forces to Boost Coverage in Dead Zones
- Musk's lawyer asks Altman on stand: Are you trustworthy?
- US-China Tech Trade & Export Controls with Fabian Villalobos
- Rep. Burchett: more UFO videos coming
"Almost respectable. Use it cautiously."
"Below the radar. Statistically rare; enjoy it."
Trump and Xi talked strategy while Starmer's government collapsed and markets ignored both.
Back at 6:00 PM ET with the night owl brief.