President Xi Jinping of China is buying time for Beijing and may see an opening with a U.S. president weakened by the war in Iran.
The relationship between the two leaders is marked just as much by mistrust and confrontation as it is by niceties.
Temporary truces have become a tool of performative diplomacy, an end in themselves rather than a prelude to a lasting settlement, analysts say.
Secret new assessments say Iran has operational access to 30 of its 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting that its military remains far stronger than President Trump has asserted.
Beijing has called Taiwan the “core of China’s core interests.” Xi Jinping is likely to focus on getting President Trump to slow approval of more weapons for the self-governing island.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has toned down his public criticism of vaccines, under orders from the White House. But inside his department, a sprawling research effort is a top priority.
The United States and Iran have been discussing a 30-day extension to their cease-fire and a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
A conversation involving House members from Virginia and the top House Democrat reflected the fury and desperation that has gripped the party after Friday’s ruling in the state.
Iran was already struggling economically before 2026 brought widespread instability. A government-imposed internet shutdown has crippled an entire sector.
The landlocked body of water has taken on new significance, with Russia shipping military and commercial goods to bolster Tehran’s ability to withstand the U.S. assault.