Friday, May 15, 2026
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping held two days of talks in Beijing, producing no sweeping trade agreement but plenty of pageantry. Trump told Fox News that China wants to buy US oil and farm products, while Xi warned of potential "clashes and even conflicts" over Taiwan. Secretary of State Rubio separately pressed for the release of jailed Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai.
Anthropic has agreed terms on a $30 billion funding deal that values the Claude-maker at $900 billion, cementing its position as one of the most valuable private companies on earth. Dragoneer, Greenoaks, Sequoia Capital, and Altimeter Capital are leading the round.
Andy Burnham has announced he will contest a parliamentary by-election to return to Westminster, setting up a direct challenge to Keir Starmer's leadership. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also resigned, saying he has lost confidence in Starmer — a significant blow coming from one of Labour's most prominent figures.
The Supreme Court has restored nationwide access to mifepristone via mail order, blocking a Louisiana lawsuit that sought to restrict the FDA's remote prescribing rules. Abortion pills are now the most common method of terminating pregnancies in the US, making the shadow-docket ruling broadly consequential.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe held talks with Cuban officials in Havana on Thursday, the first high-level US-Cuba contact since Washington imposed a fuel blockade on the island in January. Cuba framed the visit as aimed at improving political dialogue amid what it called "complex" bilateral relations, while President Díaz-Canel has separately signalled openness to US aid as fuel shortages and blackouts worsen.
