NTD News Today

The Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping concluded its first day on May 14 with a notable flashpoint: Taiwan and U.S. arms sales to the island.
According to a statement released by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Xi warned Trump that the two countries risked “clashes and even conflicts” if the Taiwan issue was not handled carefully.
The White House released a brief readout of the meeting between Trump and Xi. It made no mention of Taiwan, instead focusing extensively on the Iran war, the Strait of Hormuz, and economic cooperation between the two countries.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, testified on Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Cooper said that "Iranian-supported terror groups attacked U.S. troops and diplomats more than 350 times" in the 30 months prior to Operation Epic Fury.

U.S. President Donald Trump has arrived in Beijing for a two-day visit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. China rolled out the red carpet for the U.S. president, with tech giants and business chiefs eyeing deals under Xi’s communist regime.
The South Carolina Supreme Court on May 13 overturned lawyer Alex Murdaugh’s murder convictions and life sentence over the fatal shootings of his wife and younger son. The justices unanimously ruled the conduct by the court clerk “egregiously attacked Murdaugh’s credibility.”
Murdaugh will remain in prison. He pleaded guilty to 22 counts of federal financial crimes for stealing about $12 million from his clients and is serving 40 years.

The U.S. annual inflation rate rose to 3.8 percent in April, according to new Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Economists had forecast a reading of 3.7 percent. Core inflation, which strips out the volatile energy and food prices, edged up to 2.8 percent, above the consensus estimate of 2.7 percent.
President Donald Trump is set to depart for Beijing on Tuesday for a two-day summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Talks will focus on trade, technology, and security. Trump also plans to raise other issues, including Taiwan, Iran, and Russia. He also said he'll bring up the cases of imprisoned Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai and Chinese pastor Ezra Jin during discussions with Xi.

The White House is expecting a response proposal on Friday from the Iranian regime about ending the war. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that a ceasefire was still holding despite a flare-up in the conflict after three U.S. Navy destroyers were attacked as they moved through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Virginia Supreme Court has struck down a new congressional redistricting map, approved by voters in a referendum last month, that favors Democrats. The court ruled that the Democratic-controlled Legislature failed to follow constitutional procedures when advancing the ballot measure.
The Department of War released its first batch of UFO-related documents that had been slated for public release. The records include high-profile incident accounts, photographic evidence, eyewitness testimonies, and public reports dating back 80 years.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is heading to the White House on Thursday for talks with President Donald Trump. Brazil's finance minister says tariffs and organized crime will be key topics. The visit follows tensions last year after the Trump administration imposed steep tariffs on Brazilian imports, which Trump linked to the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro—a case Trump called a "witch hunt." The talks are also expected to touch on Brazil's rare earth mineral reserves.
Dutch officials say that dozens of passengers left the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius cruise ship on April 24. That was nearly two weeks after the first passenger died on board. Oceanwide Expeditions said 29 passengers disembarked, while Dutch officials put the number closer to 40. The passengers, from at least 12 countries, returned home before authorities began tracing potential contacts.