(2026-05-13). Vance says US making progress in Iran talks. al-monitor.com (corrects title of JD Vance to Vice President)WASHINGTON, May 13 (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday he believes progress is being made in negotiations with Iran to end hostilities, after President Donald Trump rejected Tehran's latest proposal as unacceptable.
(2026-05-13). Iran looms large over Trump's China visit, but breakthrough unlikely. al-monitor.com Analysts say China is cautiously looking to de-escalate the US-Iran war while limiting its direct involvement.
(2026-05-13). Free Salah Sarsour: Muslim & Jewish Communities Demand ICE Release Milwaukee Mosque Leader. democracynow.org 
Salah Sarsour, a prominent Palestinian immigrant, green card holder and president of Wisconsin's largest mosque, the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, has been locked up in an ICE jail since late March. Despite his lawful permanent resident status, the government says he could be subject to deportation for failing to disclose a conviction by Israeli military authorities when he was a teenager in the occupied West Bank. Sarsour says he never understood the charges presented against him in Hebrew and that he was tortured in Israeli custody. Supporters view the case as an escalation of the Trump administrationR…
(2026-05-13). Alexander Zevin: Trump's Gulf War. newleftreview.org Asymmetries of the US-Israeli assault on Iran, as an uneasy balance holds between Tehran's tourniquet on the Strait of Hormuz—and the world economy—and the enormous firepower of the aggressors, at the end of the first round.
(2026-05-13). Trump's Iran U-turn won't solve Israel's insecurity Trap. juancole.com ( It's possible that this latest instance, the pausing of military action over the Strait of Hormuz, stems from a realisation among some of his advisers that this is a war the US cannot win. More likely, though, it i…
(2026-05-13). Trump says he does not need China's help to end Iran war. tribune.com.pk 
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he does not think he will need China's help to end the war with Iran, even as hopes for a lasting peace deal dwindled and Tehran tightened its grip over the Strait of Hormuz. | Ahead of a high-stakes summit in Beijing, Trump said he did not think he would need to enlist Chinese President Xi Jinping to resolve the conflict, which has continued to block maritime traffic that normally provides one-fifth of the world's oil supply. | "I don't think we need any help with Iran. We'll win it one way or the other, peacefully or otherwise," he told reporters. | More than one mon…
(2026-05-13). Agent Orange to visit China, hat in hand! indybay.org POTUS 47 Donald Trump will be arriving in Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, May 14. The Western "Corporate-bin-Laden" media is full of NeoLiberal/Imperialist spin on how Donald (aka "TACO") Trump will try to pressure China into a moderating voice in getting Tehran to accept the American "peace" plan for ending the illegal Zionist-US War on Iran. The reality is, for Mr. WHO(White House Occupier), that'll happen when Pigs Fly!
(2026-05-13). Picking up on the vibes in Beijing before major Trump-Xi visit. responsiblestatecraft.org President Trump's impending meeting with President Xi in Beijing will naturally be largely devoted to discussing the Iran War. That war and this meeting are also a good opportunity to discuss U.S. establishment attitudes to China, and one pernicious illusion in particular. Much Western analysis of the background to the summit has emphasized that Trump's disastrous decision to attack Iran has put Xi in a much
(2026-05-13). China-US trade talks kick off in Seoul ahead of high-profile leaders' summit. scmp.com Senior officials from China and the United States have started a new round of trade talks in Seoul, South Korea, hours ahead of US President Donald Trump's scheduled arrival in Beijing. | The delegations — led by Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — arrived at Terminal 1 of Incheon Airport around noon on Wednesday Seoul time. | The two officials had both paid courtesy calls to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the morning.
(2026-05-13). Analysis-Trump wants help on Iran. Beijing may have other ideas. al-monitor.com By Andrea Shalal, Michael Martina and Trevor HunnicuttWASHINGTON/BEIJING, May 13 (Reuters) – When U.S. President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping this week he is expected to ask for help resolving his costly and unpopular war with Iran.He is unlikely to get the support he wants.Analysts said that while Xi might agree to nudge Iran's leaders back to the negotiating table, China's leader will be reluctant to cut economic support for Beijing's most important partner in the Middle East or to stop supplying it with the dual-use goods its military needs.
(2026-05-13). U.S. President Donald Trump arrives in Beijing for state visit to China. ecns.cn U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday evening for a state visit to China. This is the first U.S. presidential visit to China in almost nine years and Trump's second since November 2017.
(2026-05-13). Trump threatens Iran will be "decimated" if it does not accept US dictated deal. wsws.org Speaking to reporters before departing for China on Tuesday, President Trump said the US would only accept a "good deal" to end the war against Iran or the country "would be decimated," adding, "one way or another, we win."
(2026-05-13). US Treasury's Bessent, China's He hold talks in South Korea ahead of Trump-Xi summit. geo.tv 
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, during their meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Seoul, South Korea, May 13, 2026. — ReutersBessent and He Lifeng hold talks at the airport.Each met South Korean president separately.Talks to…
(2026-05-13). Oil prices slip on teetering Iran ceasefire as Trump heads to China. tribune.com.pk 
Oil prices fell on Wednesday, snapping a three-day rally as investors awaited developments around the fragile Middle East ceasefire and braced for a high-stakes summit in China between United States President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping. | Brent crude futures dropped $1.22, or 1.1%, to $106.55 a barrel at 0410 GMT while US West Texas Intermediate futures fell $1.16, or 1.1%, to $101.02. | Both benchmarks have largely hovered around or above the $100 per barrel mark since the US and Israel began attacks on Iran at the end of February, and Tehran effectiv…
(2026-05-13). Trump vows to push Xi to 'open up' China at superpower summit. tribune.com.pk 
United States President Donald Trump said he would ask Xi Jinping to "open up" China to American firms as he headed to Beijing on Wednesday for a high-stakes summit that will also bring up the Iran war. | In a sign of Trump's focus on business, Nvidia chief Jensen Huang boarded Air Force One during a stopover in Alaska, with Tesla's Elon Musk also travelling on the presidential plane to China. | "I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to 'open up' China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People's Republic to an even higher level!" Trump wrote…
(2026-05-13). War On Iran: — Saudis blame Israel — Neocon Grandee concedes defeat. mronline.org 
Trump still hasn't recognized that, after he has lost the war, the sanctions game is also over. It is certainly not in Chinese, or anyone other's interest to help the U.S. to regain the hegemonic position it has now lost in the Gulf.
(2026-05-13). 'It's a failed nation': Trump pressures Cuba as fuel crisis deepens. aljazeera.com US President Donald Trump has called Cuba 'a failed nation', as his administration expands its pressure campaign.
(2026-05-13). Oz Says Don't Worry About Hantavirus — RFK Jr. Is "Involved" in Response. truthout.org Speaking to reporters in the White House on Tuesday, President Donald Trump was asked about the potential spread of hantavirus in the U.S., following the return of over a dozen Americans who were on a cruise liner where the virus had infected multiple people. The question specifically asked about infectious disease experts expressing concern regarding the lack of an adequate government… |
(2026-05-13). US Senate blocks latest bid to rein in Trump Iran war powers, support grows. al-monitor.com By Patricia ZengerleWASHINGTON, May 13 (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked the latest Democratic-led effort to end the Iran war until it is authorized by Congress, but the measure edged closer to passage as a third Republican voted to advance the bill.The Senate voted 50-49 not to advance the war powers resolution, nearly along party lines. Three Republicans joined every Democrat but one in backing the measure sponsored by Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon.
(2026-05-13). FDA Chief Pushed Out in Latest Sign of Public Health Chaos Under RFK Jr. democracynow.org 
Trump's commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Martin Makary, has resigned. During Makary's 13-month tenure, he attempted to split the difference between Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again agenda and a more traditional approach to regulation, ultimately angering both camps. "Nobody was happy with what he did," says Dr. Aaron Kesselheim, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. | Shortly before his resignation, Makary had drawn the ire of President Trump for attempting to block the approval of fruit-flavored…
(2026-05-13). Trump Appoints Former Private Prison Executive as New Director of ICE. truthout.org The Trump administration announced Tuesday that former private prison executive David Venturella will lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in an acting capacity after the agency's current director departs at the end of the month. Venturella has been a senior adviser to ICE since February 2025 and previously worked at the private prison giant GEO Group for more than a decade… |
(2026-05-13). WH Adviser Says Americans' Economic Anxiety Due to Fast Pace of "Good" Changes. truthout.org An economic adviser to President Donald Trump has dismissed Americans' worries over the state of the economy, claiming their concerns are a reaction to rapid movements by the administration rather than the rising consumer prices millions are having to deal with due to the president's policies. In comments to CNBC earlier this week, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett claimed that… |
(2026-05-13). The US Doesn't Give a Shit About Drug Traffic. orinocotribune.com By José Luis Granados Ceja — May 7, 2026 | For all their bluster about the dangers from "narcoterrorist" organizations, we need to be clear: the US doesn't give a shit about drug trafficking, especially the Donald Trump administration. If they did, the US president wouldn't have pardoned and released former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, a narco trafficker convicted in New York who, according to leaked audios, is returning the favor by conspiring against leftist governments in the region. If Washington gave a shit about organized crime, their closest regional ally would not be Ecuador's Daniel No…
(2026-05-13). Trump Accounts and the No Economist Left Behind Test. cepr.net