Wednesday, May 13 | By Cate Martel
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It’s Wednesday. Trivia time! How many times do you think President Trump has posted on Truth Social since the start of his second term? The Wall Street Journal actually added it all up. Email me your guess and I’ll let you know how close you got. Hint: Just on Monday night alone, he posted 55 times. 😅
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Trump lands in China How Trump’s China ambitions have shrunk President singles out GOP staffer: ‘FIRE THE BUM!’ IG probe of Kristi Noem’s $38 billion ICE project Trump changes story on Reflecting Pool contractor
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Rolling up with his squad: |
Associated Press, Mark Schiefelbein
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President Trump touched down in Beijing this morning for his first trip to China since 2017.
Trump walked off Air Force One joined by his son Eric Trump, daughter-in-law Lara Trump, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
^ Psst, Trump invited the Nvidia CEO after coverage of his snub, according to The Hill’s Julia Manchester and Miranda Nazzaro.
He was greeted with quite the show: China’s vice president and foreign minister were there for Trump’s arrival, along with U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue. Oh, and let’s not forget the 300 Chinese children, a military band and an honor guard that made for an impressive welcome ceremony. 🎥 The flashy welcome ceremony
🎥 Watch the plane taxi — I still can’t get over how large of a plane this is.
What’s on tap for the trip?: Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday and take part in a state banquet. He will have more meetings on Friday before flying back to Washington.
💻 Watch Xi welcome Trump at 10 p.m. EDT
💻 Watch Trump and Xi’s meeting at 10:15 p.m. EDT
Helpful primer for the trip: 5 things to watch during Trump’s high-stakes meeting with Xi
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➤ WHAT WILL LIKELY TAKE CENTER-STAGE: |
The war in Iran. Progress on a U.S.-Iran peace deal seems to be unraveling. The Hill’s Laura Kelly argues this may give China some leverage, leaving the U.S. at a disadvantage.
Issues that may come up: “Trump and Xi … are expected to discuss Beijing’s focus on continued access to U.S. technology and Trump’s pursuit of China’s purchase of American products, such as Boeing jets. China’s role in America’s fentanyl crisis, artificial intelligence and China’s claim to Taiwan are just some of the other major issues of the summit.”
Read more: ‘Iran war may give China, Xi, some leverage on Trump at Beijing summit’
💬 Follow today’s live blog
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Trump’s goals for China have shrunk: |
When President Trump took office in 2025, he vowed to be fierce toward China, threatening steep tariffs and trade negotiations it couldn’t refuse.
But as The New York Times points out today, the president has had to drastically scale back his expectations. The Supreme Court struck down his landmark tariffs — and economic woes in the U.S. have lowered his ambitions.
Now, the goal is simply to smooth over relations between the two dueling superpowers.
Specifically, Trump is hoping to restore or increase “U.S. sales of products like airplanes, ethanol, soybeans, beef and sorghum.”
Read more in the NYT: ‘Trump’s Shrinking Ambitions on China’
Related read in Foreign Affairs: ‘America Has Lost Its Leverage Over China: How Trump and Xi Could Cement Beijing’s Advantage for Years to Come’
Plus, in Foreign Policy: ‘What Happened to Trump the China Hawk?: The U.S. president heads to Beijing in detente and dealmaking mode.’
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➤ FOUR HOT-BUTTON ISSUES THE CHINESE EMBASSY DOESN’T WANT TO BE RAISED: |
Trump singled out a Senate staffer — ‘FIRE THE BUM!’: |
President Trump demanded today that a Republican Senate staffer be fired for making Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) look “out of it” during a recent Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing.
From Trump’s post: “The guy that came up to Mitch McConnell today when McConnell thought the hearing was over and started speaking in his ear for Mitch to belatedly introduce some other people, all Democrats and, by doing so, made Mitch look foolish and completely out of it, should be immediately fired!”
Who is the staffer?: “His name is Robert Karem, he is a Never Trumper, and was grandstanding — trying to show how ‘important’ he was.”
Some context from Punchbowl’s Andrew Desiderio: “Not only is Robert Karem one of the most respected Capitol Hill NatSec staffers (both parties), but he was also a DoD appointee of… Donald Trump,” Desiderio posted.
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Google AI: Leading a new era of government innovation |
Google AI is helping government employees accelerate workflows, streamline operations and deliver on your organization’s mission.
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The controversy surrounding the Reflecting Pool renovation: |
President Trump said on Tuesday that he does not know the contractor who is renovating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and painting it bright blue.
This wouldn’t be so newsy if Trump hadn’t previously said he brought in a man he knew to complete the project.
Remember, the project has been widely criticized. The New York Times reports that federal records estimate it will cost $13.1 million, when the initial estimate was $1.8 million. The project has also been criticized for being a no-bid contract.
What Trump said last month: He said he had a “guy who’s unbelievable at doing swimming pools.” “He looked at it. He called me up. He said, ‘Sir, we can do something on it,’” Trump said about the renovation project.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum was asked about the contractor situation during a House hearing on Wednesday. He said the guy Trump talked about wasn’t officially part of the project.
“He’s just a citizen that cared about it and offered some free advice. There’s nothing there there, in terms of any dollars flowing to anybody that worked for President Trump,” Burgum said
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Tell us more about this $38 billion project: |
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) inspector general is investigating former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s $38 billion project to turn warehouses into immigration detention centers, according to a new Wall Street Journal report.
Eleven empty warehouses were purchased over the winter, and the DHS overpaid for most of them. “The purchases raised eyebrows among officials across the administration and in both parties on Capitol Hill, according to people familiar with the matter.”
Read the full report: ‘Watchdog Probes Kristi Noem’s Warehouse Purchases for ICE Detention Centers’
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➤ THE RACE TO CREATE A PCR TEST FOR THE ANDES VIRUS:
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— The Trump administration is hosting a nine-hour prayer festival on the National Mall on Sunday to honor the nation’s Christian roots. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will speak.
— Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) got a long-overdue rebrand. It has been renamed to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS). That’s because the disease is broader and not all patients have cysts.
— Plans to build a Trump Tower in Australia have been scrapped just three months after they were announced, per CNN, because the developer says the brand has become “toxic.”
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Politico: 10,000 rulings: The courts’ overwhelming rebuke of Trump’s ICE policies
The Wall Street Journal: Wall Street Is Getting More Anxious About Long-Term Inflation
CNN: Democrats are going there on attacking the Supreme Court. Here’s what it could mean
The Washington Post: Why the U.S. job market is so hard, especially for recent college graduates
The Atlantic: The Democrats Can’t Let Go of Racial Preferences
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The House and Senate are in. President Trump is in Beijing.
(All times EDT)
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1:30 p.m. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin delivers remarks for Police Week. 💻 Livestream
2 p.m. Vice President Vance holds a news conference on anti-fraud initiatives. 💻 Livestream
2 p.m. The Senate votes on Kevin Warsh’s nomination to become the next Federal Reserve chair.
2:45 p.m. First House votes of the day. 📆 Today’s agenda
3:45 p.m. Three more Senate votes. Other voice votes are expected. 📆 Today’s agenda
5:30 p.m. Last House votes of the day.
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🥧 Celebrate: Today is National Apple Pie Day!
🏈 Talk of my social media feed: The Washington Commanders will play the Indianapolis Colts in London on Oct. 4.
🐻 Did you say Polo Bear stamps??: The U.S. Postal Service collaborated with Ralph Lauren for a collection of stamps to commemorate the U.S.’s 250th anniversary. The stamps are adorable, if I do say so myself. 📸 See the stamps
🤖 This is kinda terrifying: New York Magazine published an article titled, “Help! My Kindergarten Is All In on AI.” Excerpt: “Parents are worried AI use in the classroom is parasitic, siphoning their children’s intellectual curiosity, capacity for boredom, and data — all in order to make money.” Read more
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