Live Updates: China's Xi Warns Trump on Taiwan at Beijing Summit  —  Xi Jinping, China's leader, told President Trump that Taiwan, if handled poorly, could lead to a clash with the United States.  The two leaders are also expected to discuss trade and the Iran war at the two-day summit.  —  Beijing

South Carolina Governor Plans Special Session to Redraw House Maps  —  Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, appears prepared to thrust the state into the nation's redistricting wars.  —  Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina, a Republican, plans to call the state legislature back for a special session …

Rand Paul's Son William Hurled Antisemitic Insults at Rep. Mike Lawler  —  The younger Paul interrupted Lawler at a Capitol Hill bar to say “Jews” would be to blame if Rep. Thomas Massie loses his primary.  — Copy  —  William Paul, the son of Sen. Rand Paul, drunkenly hurled antisemitic insults …

White House planned to start Triumphal Arch work under unrelated contract  —  The unusual move would allow the administration to bypass a public bidding process, relying on a deal for engineering services already underway at the White House.  —  Summary  —  The Trump administration planned …

Trump's killer quote exposes his bind on Iran and inflation … - That nuance is certain to be lost in the campaign ads Democrats cut highlighting the quote.  — “The president could have chosen different words, but this is what he thinks,” a Trump adviser told Axios.

The Right's Worst New Star Just Shot Someone  —  Meet “Chud the Builder.”  —  There's a truly villainous new livestreamer who's become a cause célèbre on the right—a guy so bad he makes Clavicular's videos about drug overdoses and the Israeli mafia look like an episode of Bluey.

Midsize Cities Held Steady as U.S. Population Growth Declined  —  New census estimates show that the nation's largest cities saw the sharpest slowdowns in population growth over the past year amid declines in immigration and plunging birthrates.  —  Midsize U.S. cities held steady in population …

Pentagon Abruptly Cancels Deployment to Europe as Part of Trump's Drawdown  —  Equipment, some troops from armored brigade already en route when its deployment was halted  —  The Pentagon abruptly canceled the deployment of an armored brigade to Poland, a major step toward President Trump's plan …

Democratic Lawmaker, 83, Has Been Missing for a Month  —  Representative Frederica Wilson has yet to explain why she hasn't voted on a single issue since April 17.  —  The Florida Democrat has been missing in action for weeks, according to her documented voting record.

Vance announces suspension of $1.3 billion Medicaid payments to California  —  The Trump administration is also warning all 50 states it could freeze funding for their Medicaid fraud unite unless they investigate and prosecute fraud by providers.  —  Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday …

A Failing, Flailing President Supplicates Xi  —  Why China has contempt for Donald Trump  —  One of Donald Trump's signature claims is that Joe Biden made America a “laughing stock”, and that he has made us great again and respected around the world.  —  Yet this is the opposite of the truth.

The assault on higher ed goes deeper than you think  —  PN is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  👨‍🎓 Subscribe to PN 👩‍🎓  —  President Donald Trump went after Ivy League schools with a vengeance straight out the gate during …

The Men Who Want Women to Be Quiet … douglas wilson has a modest proposal to improve American life: He wants to repeal the Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the vote.  In his ideal system, “we would do it in our politics the same way we do it in our church structure,” he told me recently.

Supreme Court ruling on campaign spending could give GOP a boost  —  Republicans hope the justices will rule their way and magnify their party committees' cash advantage for the midterms.  —  Summary  —  Republicans have stockpiled well over $100 million more than Democrats …

FBI sought to interview top Milwaukee County election official  —  An FBI agent tried to interview the elections official last week amid reports that the agency is investigating Wisconsin's handling of the 2020 election.  —  The FBI tried to interview one of the top elections officials in Milwaukee County …

Elon Musk says Christopher Nolan just ‘wants the awards’ for casting Black actor as Helen of Troy  —  Elon Musk is once again criticizing the casting of Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy in the upcoming blockbuster “The Odyssey,” suggesting that casting a Black actress as “the face that launched …

Why Is John Roberts in a Rush All of a Sudden?  —  Sign up for Executive Dysfunction, a newsletter that highlights one under-the-radar story each week about how Trump is changing the law—or how the law is pushing back.  You'll also receive updates on the latest from Slate's Jurisprudence team.

Here's What I Told the DNC Autopsy  —  YOU MAY HAVE HEARD about the Democratic National Committee “autopsy”—the post-election report commissioned by the DNC in 2025 to examine what went wrong in the 2024 campaign.  —  And you may have heard that it was never released to the public.

N.Y.U. Students Object to Speaker Who Calls Their Generation ‘Coddled’  —  Jonathan Haidt, a professor, says that colleges shield students from challenging ideas.  But student leaders said he does not represent their values.  —  Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist and author …

Immigrants Detained in Chicago Military-Style Raid Seek Millions in Damages  —  On the night of the military-style raid at a Chicago apartment complex, a loud boom woke the Nigerian man who lived in Unit 215.  Tolulope Akinsulie stood up from his bed and saw heavily armed federal agents rushing into his apartment.

With a Friend in Trump, the Tobacco Industry Secures a Lucrative Win  —  In a dispute over vapes, the president sided with tobacco companies that filled his groups' coffers over his own F.D.A. commissioner, who resigned in protest.  —  Over lunch at his golf club in Jupiter, Fla. …

Conservative Influencers Tap a Nonprofit to Pay for Their Security  —  A charity is raising money to provide security, arguing that protecting some of right-wing media's biggest stars is a public good.  —  When the online influencer Nick Shirley greeted throngs of fans at the Conservative …

Pope Warns Europe's Rearmament Risks Undermining Social Spending  —  Pope Leo XIV has criticized a European rush to rearm, warning it is diverting resources from education and health, as he reiterated his message of peace.  —  “Over the past year, the increase in military spending worldwide …

Profiting From Inflated Hospital Prices  —  This week's CPI report shows hospital prices continue to race ahead of price increases in other health care sectors.  In the past year, so have hospital profits.  —  Never miss an article!  —  Email (required) *

'I'm afraid he won't make it': How Thomas Massie is handling the toughest election of his career  —  Joni Pugh feels like she's stuck in the middle of a bitter family feud between her president and her congressman.  —  As a loyal Republican, she likes them both - and that is where her predicament begins.