Trump-Xi summit live: US president preparing to meet China’s leader with trade, Taiwan and the Iran war set to dominate talks

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Ahead of the crucial talks, security has been heightened in Beijing, with the US president set to meet Xi at the Great Hall of the People Greetings from Beijing, where I awoke to CNN coverage of Chinese social media mocking Donald Trump and America as a fading superpower. CNN noted that China’s tough internet censors … Read more

Vance turns up heat on states with federal cash threat over Medicaid fraud crackdown

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Vice President JD Vance warned Wednesday that states could lose federal funding if they fail to aggressively pursue Medicaid fraud, escalating the Trump administration’s pressure campaign on governors and state Medicaid officials. “We are sending letters that will require them to show that they are effectively and aggressively prosecuting Medicaid fraud in their states. And … Read more

Howard Lutnick said he had three ‘meaningless and inconsequential’ meetings with Epstein

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In House committee transcript, commerce secretary denied any further contact with disgraced financier Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, told lawmakers in a closed-door interview earlier this month that he met Jeffrey Epstein only three times and had no “personal or professional relationship” with the disgraced … Read more

Republican redistricting effort is ‘evil incarnate’, Stacey Abrams tells new Guardian podcast

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In interview with Stateside with Kai and Carter, Abrams says Republicans have raised the stakes beyond party lines Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has slammed Republican-led states’ efforts to redraw their congressional maps to favor their party as “evil incarnate”. In an interview with the Guardian’s new podcast, Stateside with Kai and Carter, Abrams … Read more

Arrest of gang member convicted of murder puts Dem state’s sanctuary policies on blast

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Customs and Border Protection (CBP) worked with local authorities to foil California’s sanctuary city policies and took into custody a gang member from Mexico who concluded a 12-year prison sentence for second-degree murder. Local law enforcement in southern California handed over Valentin Galvez-Quintero, a member of the Sureños-13 gang, over to federal agents outside the … Read more

JD Vance threatens health funding to states that don’t comply with White House anti-fraud effort

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Medicare has already paused hospice and home healthcare agency signups as potential fraud is investigated US politics live – latest updates JD Vance has threatened to “turn off” federal funding for government health insurance programs in states that refuse to comply with the Trump administration’s crackdown on suspected fraud. States which fail to “get serious” … Read more