Wednesday morning news: May 13, 2026

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Trump in China » President Trump is in Beijing today to sit down with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Trade negotiations top the agenda, but of course, the Iran war also looms over the talks.

Republican Senator Dave McCormick says China, as Iran’s biggest oil customer, has the leverage to help put an end to the war.

MCCORMICK: They should want to find a resolution and add more pressure. They also are a supporter of Iran with a lot of military technology, and I would hope the president's gonna, uh, you know, make them stop, uh, assisting Iran with its, uh, with its buildup of ballistic missiles and so forth.

Trump says he will have a "long talk" with Xi Jinping about Iran, but trade is his main focus.

Top business executives including Elon Musk and Apple’s Tim Cook are along for the trip.

California mayor foreign agent » Today’s gathering in China comes after a Southern California mayor this week agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government.

Federal officials said Eileen Wang, the mayor of Arcadia, was charged with one count of acting in the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign government.

The 58-year-old's plea agreement states that she worked on behalf of Chinese officials to advance their interests by promoting pro-China propaganda.

Makary resigning » President Trump's FDA chief Marty Makary is resigning—just 13 months into the job.

The president told reporters:

TRUMP: Marty's a great guy. He's a friend of mine. He's a wonderful man, and he's going to be off, and the, uh, assistant, the deputy, is taking over temporarily until we find. Everybody wants that job.

Makary, who is a surgical oncologist, has drawn fire in recent months from a range of critics. Those include pharmaceutical companies and pro-life groups, frustrated that he slow-walked an FDA review of abortion drugs.

Kyle Diamantas—the FDA's food chief—steps in as acting commissioner. A permanent pick will need Senate confirmation.

Spain reports new hantavirus case » Authorities are working to contain a hantavirus outbreak that spread aboard the high seas after a new case was detected on Tuesday.

So far, three people are dead after the outbreak aboard a Dutch cruise ship that departed from Argentina. There are now 11 reported cases, nine of which are confirmed. 

A Spanish passenger is the latest to test positive after being evacuated from the ship. But World Health Organization chief Tedros Ghebreyesus told reporters:

GHUBREYESUS: At the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak. But, of course, the situation could change. And given the long incubation period of the virus, it's possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks.

The ship's complement of more than 120 passengers has already been sent home to their own countries. That includes more than a dozen Americans, only one of whom has since tested positive for the virus, but that individual is not showing symptoms.

Most of those American passengers were sent to the University of Nebraska Medical Center for quarantine. And as for other countries:

GHUBREYESUS: They have the sovereignty, so we can't force them to take our protocols, we can only advise and recommend. But I hope they will follow the advice and the recommendations which we're making.

Doctors said a French woman who was infected on the ship was critically ill.

Health officials characterize this particular strain of hantavirus as rare but severe...with more than 30 percent of cases resulting in death.

Charges filed in Baltimore bridge collapse » Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges related to the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024.

The indictment names two companies—operators of the container ship known as the Dali—as well as the firm's shore-based superintendent.

Six construction workers were killed when the Dali slammed into a bridge support.

Justice Department official Adam Gustafson:

GUSTAFSON: When the Dali crashed into the Key Bridge, massive pieces of the bridge fell into the Patapsco River, along with vehicles, cargo containers, and other debris. The crash also resulted in the discharge of oil into the water.

Prosecutors say the crew rigged up a makeshift pump instead of using the proper fuel supply system—and when it failed, the ship lost power and steering.

FBI special agent Jimmy Paul:

PAUL: As is laid out in this indictment, the collapse should never have happened. As alleged, the bridge was struck and collapsed because those who were responsible for the ship's operation deliberately cut corners at the expense of safety.

Replacing the bridge will cost up to $5.2 billion—and the new bridge won't be open to traffic until 2030.

Migrant smuggling deaths in Texas » Federal agents are investigating six deaths at a Texas rail yard as a potential human smuggling case. 

WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Workers opened a shipping container this week in Laredo, and found the bodies inside.

The medical examiner says heat stroke killed them slowly, over as long as eight hours in the metal box. Five men and one woman were among the dead. IDs and cellphones at the scene suggest the deceased were from Mexico and Honduras.

Laredo sits on the busy U.S.-Mexico border, a major land port and a frequent crossing point for human smuggling. The deadliest such case in U.S. history happened nearby in 2022, when 53 illegal immigrants were found dead in a sweltering tractor-trailer in Texas.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

And I'm Kent Covington.

Coming up, more on the president’s trip to China. And later, a Christian worldview program sending hundreds into schools, churches, medicine, and media.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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