Plus, White House has few tools for gas-price relief as Iran war drags on.

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Daily Briefing

Daily Briefing

By Kate Turton

Hello. Xi warns Trump that mishandling of Taiwan could spark conflict, the White House has few tools for gas-price relief as the Iran war drags on, and a wanted Philippine politician makes his 'escape' after Senate chaos.

Plus, Meta and Google fund US kids' groups as critics warn of social media risk.

Today's Top News

 

The leaders tour the Temple of Heaven, May 14, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci

  • China's Xi Jinping told President Donald Trump that trade talks were making progress at the start of a two-day summit but warned that disagreement over Taiwan could send relations down a dangerous path and even lead to conflict. Follow our live updates.
  • Trump administration officials are scrambling to contain the economic and political fallout of the war with Iran. Correspondent Nandita Bose tells the Reuters World News podcast that the White House is running out of ideas for keeping fuel prices in check. 
  • Trump is expected to ask China to help end the costly and unpopular Iran war in discussions with President Xi Jinping in Beijing, with peace talks stalled and the global economic cost of the conflict increasing.
  • British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced the increasing prospect of a leadership challenge, with his health minister reported to be ready to resign and his former deputy calling on him to "reflect" on his position.
  • Iran's foreign minister urged BRICS nations to condemn what he called violations of ‌international law by the United States and Israel, including "their illegal aggression against Iran".
  • Russia unleashed the largest aerial attack on Ukraine over a two-day period since the war began, pounding the capital ‌Kyiv and other cities across the country with hundreds of drones, Ukrainian officials said.
  • A top Philippine politician wanted by the International Criminal Court was no longer taking refuge at the Senate after what his wife called an "escape", the Senate president said, a day after chaos erupted over his possible arrest.
  • Protests broke out across the Cuban capital of Havana as the city confronted its worst rolling blackouts in decades ‌amid a US blockade that has starved the island of fuel.
 

Business & Markets

 
  • European airlines, airports and tour operators are striking a bullish tone on jet fuel supply despite one of the worst crises in decades which has driven prices ‌to double from pre-Iran war levels as the conflict snarls oil flows via the Strait of Hormuz.
  • US cancer centers are scrambling to enroll patients in an early access program for a highly promising pancreatic cancer drug from Revolution Medicines while they await what they hope will be a speedy FDA approval.
  • Nearly three-quarters of US adults last year continued to rate their personal finances as being in reasonable shape, although they remained concerned about inflation and their worries about job security ticked up, an annual Federal ‌Reserve survey showed.
  • The Republican-led Senate Banking Committee is set to consider long-awaited legislation that would create regulations for ‌cryptocurrencies - a landmark step for the bill which has been bogged down by a dispute between crypto companies and banks.
  • India's $4 trillion consumer-led economy is already seeing a slowdown in hiring and firms like Oracle are laying off staff. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists explain why the country is so vulnerable to AI and how the situation may play out elsewhere.
 

Meta and Google fund US kids' groups, as critics warn of social media risk 

 

Teenagers pose for a picture while looking at their phones. February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch 

Meta and Google enlisted trusted children's brands such as Sesame Street, Girl Scouts and Highlights magazine to teach kids to use technology in moderation - even as the companies designed apps that made it difficult for those same young users to unplug, public statements and internal documents show.

Read more
 

And Finally...

Madonna performs during a concert at the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil May 4, 2024. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares

Madonna and Shakira will line up with K-pop supergroup BTS to headline the first-ever World Cup final halftime show at the ‌MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, FIFA said.

Coldplay singer Chris Martin will curate the extravaganza scheduled for July 19, the tournament's organiser added.