Thursday morning news: May 14, 2026

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SOUND: [China band]

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: » Trump in China » A military band in Beijing … part of a red carpet welcome for President Trump last night—or this morning, local time. That marked the start of Trump’s two-day visit to China …

XI: [Speaking Mandarin]

… where leader Xi Jinping welcomed Trump inside the Great Hall of the People.

President Trump called Xi a friend … and had kind words for the Chinese leader.

TRUMP:  And we're going to have a fantastic future together. I have such respect for China, the job you've done. Uh, you're a great leader, I say it to everybody, you're a great leader.

Their high-profile summit is expected to focus on trade but will almost certainly also cover the Iran war, technology, and Taiwan.

Trump hopes to iron out differences and increase China's import of American agricultural products and passenger planes. Though, most analysts are not expecting major breakthroughs.

Gaza Board of Peace latest » The chief diplomat for President Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza says people are still dying in the war-ravaged territory. And progress has not come as quickly as hoped...seven months after Israel signed a ceasefire with the Hamas terror group.

Nickolay Mladenov says the blame lies squarely with Hamas.

MLADENOV: We have a ceasefire. It is holding. It is not perfect, it is far from perfect. There are violations every day, and some of them are very serious.

He says Hamas still refuses to disarm … and in areas it still controls, it’s consolidating its grip on power.

MLADENOV: It is taxing people in the street who have nothing left to give. It is blocking Palestinian workers and contractors approved by the Board of Peace from building temporary communities intended to build shelter. To what end? To squeeze better terms of a negotiation?

But Mladenov says there may be a future for Hamas...if it is willing to lay down its arms and become a part of the political process.

But Israel's government believes lasting peace will only be possible after the terror group is completely destroyed.

Warsh confirmed » Kevin Warsh is the next Chairman of the Federal Reserve after a Senate confirmation vote on Wednesday.

AUDIO:  The ayes are 54, the nays are 45. The nomination is confirmed.

President Trump wants Warsh to cut interest rates faster than the outgoing chair, Jerome Powell, did.

Democrats criticized Warsh as a "sock puppet" for the president—warning that he will surrender the Fed's independence. Republicans rejected that claim and called him highly qualified … noting that he served on the Fed board from 2006 to 2011.

Powell will stay on the Fed board as a governor—the first chair to do so since 1948. That denies Trump a chance to name another appointee.

Inflation numbers » And Warsh will chair his first policy meeting next month … on the heels of a new inflation bump. Wholesale prices surged last month. The Labor Department just reported the biggest jump in more than three years.

The Iran war is the main driver—pushing energy and fuel costs higher. But House Speaker Mike Johnson says it’s only temporary.

JOHNSON: The Strait of Hormuz is the big wild card here, and as soon as we get that done, I agree with the president, I think the prices come right back down to where they were.

Democrats say Americans are paying the price for what they call a "war of choice." But the White House says preventing a nuclear-armed Iran was the only choice.

The Federal Reserve was set to cut interest rates this year—but the war put those plans on hold.

Redistricting latest » Republican-led states continue to redraw their congressional district lines—potentially with big implications for November elections. 

WORLD’s Harrison Watters has more.

HARRISON WATTERS: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that states cannot draw district lines primarily based on race.

And that has many red states scurrying to redraw the lines in hopes of picking up more Republican seats in Congress.

Missouri’s State Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that the state’s new election map passes constitutional muster and can be used in this year’s midterms. Republicans could pick up one more seat there.

Meanwhile in South Carolina, a plan to redraw the congressional map has stalled. The Senate Majority Leader joined Democrats Tuesday to block a vote. Governor Henry McMaster called a special session after the Supreme Court tossed Louisiana's gerrymandered map. Primaries are June 9th, and a new map would mean another election in August. Lawmakers have until tonight to act.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Harrison Watters.

And I'm Kent Covington.

Coming up: fertilizer choices leave farmers with tough choices. Plus, why religious liberty matters, no matter who is in office.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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