12:30 REPORT

Monday, May 11 | By Cate Martel

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PRESENTED BY

It’s Monday. The World Cup kicks off in exactly a month! Have you heard the teaser of Shakira’s new official song for the tournament?

In today's issue:

Iran lays out its demands
... and Trump flatly rejects them
Take 2 of Trump’s Xi summit
GOP gears up to fund immigration
Americans on hantavirus ship return to U.S.
Savannah Guthrie to host 'Wordle' game show

⛔ IN THE WHITE HOUSE

Starting out the week with a full-throated ‘NOPE’:

Khaled Elfiqi, Associated Press file

Iran laid out its demands to the U.S.’s latest peace proposal over the weekend, but President Trump has already rejected it, calling it “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.”

What are Iran’s demands?: Iran reportedly demanded war reparations, Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. sanctions ending and the return of frozen assets, according to The New York Times.

A major point of contention: Iran wants to separate nuclear talks from the negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz. However, the Trump administration wants nuclear commitments from Iran up front.

How the market reacted: Oil prices rose and the market sank.

💬 Follow today’s live blog

HAPPENING NOW:

The Hill’s editors are taking live questions from viewers about everything happening in the news. Submit your question to the live Q&A

Trump's Xi meeting take 2:

President Trump will travel to Beijing later this week for a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

If this is giving you deja vu, that’s because Trump was scheduled to go on this trip in early April, but it was postponed amid the war in Iran.

When was the last time Trump and Xi met?: In October in South Korea

➤ CHINA AND THE US TEAMED UP:

Authorities from the U.S. and China reportedly arrested five suspects in a drug smuggling and trafficking operation. Three Americans and two Chinese nationals were reportedly arrested.

➤ WHAT IS TRUMP UP TO TODAY?:

The president hosted an event to promote his actions to advance maternal health. This includes launching moms.gov to provide resources to expecting women. 💻 Watch

This afternoon, he will host the Indiana University football team at the White House to celebrate its 2026 national championship. 💻 4 p.m. livestream

➤ THE REFLECTING POOL PROJECT IS ADDING UP:

President Trump initially said the project to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and paint it blue would cost $1.8 million. But the actual cost is now more than seven times that, according to The New York Times.

➤ THIS IS A PRETTY EYE-CATCHING NUMBER:

Roughly 1 in 4 Americans think the Trump assassination attempts were fake, according to a new study.

🛝 ON CAPITOL HILL

The recess bell has rung. Back to your chambers!:

Congress is back in Washington this week after a weeklong recess.

What’s top of mind?: Republicans are seeking to use a special process to fund immigration enforcement without any help from Democrats. President Trump has set a June 1 deadline for lawmakers to deliver the bill to his desk.

Two Senate committees released text last week for this reconciliation package. It’s a $72 billion bill.

Also on tap this week — extending spy powers: Congress still has to extend the nation’s warrantless spy powers. It punted the deadline by 45 days to buy more time after conservatives opposed the plan. But that extension expires on June 15.

Read Sudiksha Kochi’s breakdown of everything happening on Capitol Hill this week

Related read, via The Hill’s Emily Brooks and Mike Lillis: ‘5 GOP battles that will drive the summer in Congress’

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🛳️ OTHER NEWS:

American passengers on the hantavirus cruise ship have returned:

The 17 Americans who were on the cruise ship that experienced a hantavirus outbreak have returned to the United States, NBC News reports, landing in Nebraska early this morning. They will be quarantined and monitored.

One passenger has tested positive for the virus and another is experiencing mild symptoms.

IF YOU NEED A REMINDER OF WHY NOT TO PANIC ABOUT THE HANTAVIRUS: Health officials say hantavirus *will not* be the next pandemic. Here’s their reasoning

The WHCA shooting suspect pleads not guilty:

The suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner attack has pleaded not guilty to four federal charges. Read more

➤ QUICK HITS:

— More than 350 earthquakes (!) have been recorded in southern California since Friday.

— AAA predicts that Memorial Day travel costs could set a record this year.

— Russian President Vladimir Putin says the war between Russia and Ukraine is “coming to an end.”

— USAID has $19 billion left to close out the agency. But it may not take that much money to shutter its programs, so what will happen to the leftover funds? That’s an open question. Critics want the funds to be used to save lives. Read more

➤ MORE READS:

The Atlantic: Stephen Miller in Retreat: The once-powerful aide’s influence has quietly diminished.

Politico: Trump’s Redistricting Push Could Cost Republicans More Than It Gains

Axios: FDA cliffhanger: Marty Makary's fate in limbo

The Wall Street Journal: The World’s Highest-Flying Repo Men Are Collecting Spirit Airlines’ Jets

The Hill: Democrats face flak for accepting contributions from donors funding Trump ballroom

NBC News: The cage match is on for tickets to Trump’s UFC fight at the White House

The Atlantic: What I Saw Inside the Kennedy Center: I spent 10 months working at the institution because I thought I could help protect it. What I observed there is far worse than the public knows.

🗓️ COMING UP

The House is out. The Senate is back in Washington. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EDT)

1:30 p.m. Trump holds an Oval Office policy meeting.

3 p.m. Trump signs executive orders.

4 p.m. Trump hosts the Indiana University football team at the White House to celebrate their 2026 National Football Championship win. 💻 Livestream

5:30 p.m. Trump holds another policy meeting.

5:30 p.m. The Senate holds its first vote of the session. 📆 Today’s agenda

7 p.m. Trump attends a Rose Garden Club Dinner.

🐝 INTERNET BUZZ

🍭 Celebrate: Today is National “Eat What You Want” Day.

🎙️ Wordle is becoming a TV game show: The popular “Wordle” game in The New York Times is being made into a TV show. NBC’s Savannah Guthrie will host the show.

🥁 The rooftop of Beatles fame: The London rooftop where the Beatles played for their final performance will open next year as a museum, according to The New York Times.

👋 AND FINALLY…

To leave you with some good vibes, enjoy watching Noodle let loose while listening to music.

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