Good morning. I am really looking forward to introducing you to the last full-time museum taxidermist in the United States. But first, a few things.
At the summit“This is not how President Trump wanted to arrive in China,” my colleague David Sanger writes. Six weeks ago, Trump pushed off his summit meeting with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, because of the war in Iran. He’d thought the conflict would be over by now, showing Beijing that reports of America’s demise as a superpower were premature. Instead, David writes, Trump starts the meeting today “bogged down by a far lesser power in a war he started.” But Xi’s in a tough spot, too. China gets more than 30 percent of its oil from the Persian Gulf, which is now cut off. Economic growth there is falling as energy prices rise. “The result is that this is a summit like few others,” David writes. It features the world’s two dominant superpowers looking hobbled. Experts aren’t optimistic the sides will announce a major economic deal or resolve their differences. Smaller nations across Asia are worried about that, my colleague Damien Cave reports. As the summit looms, they’re “behaving as if they are stuck in ‘Godzilla’ or ‘Dune’ — moving quietly in small groups, trying not to provoke the wrath of petulant giants.” Here’s some of what Trump and Xi may discuss: Trade: Trump hopes China will buy lots of American soybeans, beef and Boeing airplanes. Xi is likely to push for an extension of last year’s trade truce between the U.S. and China, and for the right to import more A.I. computer chips. Taiwan: Currently, the U.S. says it “does not support” Taiwanese independence. China wants Trump to actively oppose it — and to stop selling Taiwan weapons. (That’s unlikely. But it’s Trump. He could always go off script.) Iran: Trump will ask Xi to persuade Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Xi’s administration has prodded Iranian officials to negotiate with the U.S., but Beijing sees the war as Washington’s problem. Ask The TimesHow badly has China been hit by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz? — Cameron Tran, United States China correspondent David Pierson replies: Despite being the largest importer of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz, China has weathered the crisis relatively well. It has been stockpiling oil since last year. China is estimated to have about four months of imports saved up. The country has also aggressively invested in renewable energy and boasts the largest fleet of electric vehicles in the world. China’s demand for fossil fuels fell over the past two years. Still, China has felt some of the war’s effects. Restaurants and hotels report fewer guests. Car sales plunged in April.
American education is in crisis. Almost everywhere in the country, students’ academic performance is worse than their peers’ was a decade ago, according to district-level test score data that came out this morning. The numbers are startling. Reading scores were down last year in 83 percent of school districts for which we have data. Math scores were down in 70 percent. The drops happened in rich districts as well as poor ones — in urban, suburban and rural ones. They crossed racial divides. And the biggest losses of all were among the lowest-achieving kids. In one in three school districts in the U.S., my colleagues report, students are reading a full grade level lower than they were in 2015. Education experts told The Times that there’s no single reason for this learning recession. But federal school accountability has relaxed since the No Child Left Behind Act was replaced in 2015. There was also the rise of iPhones, social media and school-issued laptops. And of course the pandemic didn’t help. Student absenteeism spiked and remains high in its wake.
“This is an enormous problem that’s not getting enough attention,” one researcher told my colleagues. Look up how schools fared in your district.
War in Iran
Health
Politics
The Economy
By waging war in Iran without the support of Congress, Trump pushes the U.S. one notch closer to autocracy, the editorial board writes. Here are columns by Jamelle Bouie on the Voting Rights Act and Thomas Friedman on NATO and the Strait of Hormuz. The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more.
Missing: Before Border Patrol agents left Nurul Amin Shah Alam to freeze outside in Buffalo one night, he was a grandfather trying to adjust to a new life far from his native Myanmar. “Trimester Zero”: Women are stressed about preparing for pregnancy. It’s a bonanza for influencers. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was The Times’s list of the 100 best restaurants in New York City. Trending: The newest thing on TikTok? Breaking into Scientology buildings. Warrior against hate: Abraham Foxman marshaled the nation’s fight against antisemitism for decades as the longtime leader of the Anti-Defamation League. He died at 86.
25— That is the percentage increase in the “length of the jet” of urine produced by a 19th-century physiologist, Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard, after he injected himself with substances he made from crushed dog or guinea pig testicles. Read more about the origin story of testosterone as a wonder drug to enhance and restore manhood.
A trail-breaking athlete: Jason Collins, who in 2013 became the first active N.B.A. player to come out as gay, died at 47. He had brain cancer. Tennis: The sport’s biggest drama may come during the handshake.
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