May 15, 2026
Redistricting, China, and the Weekend
Good morning, everyone!
Over the weekend, be sure to stay up to date on my Notes page, where I will keep you apprised of the day’s historical snapshots and notable quotes.
And, if you are on Instagram, check out Everything Briefing’s page for more historical content.
Today, we will look at U.S. politics, President Donald Trump’s visit to China, and a series of historical snapshots.
Let’s get to it.
United States
-The average U.S. gas price stood at $4.53 yesterday amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to AAA.
-The Supreme Court said yesterday it would allow for mail orders of the abortion drug mifepristone while a case brought against the Food and Drug Administration proceeds in lower courts.
-The House of Representatives failed to pass a war powers resolution that would have reined in President Donald Trump’s ability to authorize further strikes against Iran for a third time yesterday.
-South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster is planning to call a special session of the legislature to redraw the state’s congressional map to eliminate the state’s sole Democratic-controlled district.
Congressman Jim Clyburn has held the seat since 1992.
Meanwhile, a federal judge rejected a challenge to Tennessee’s newly drawn congressional map that eliminates the state’s lone Democratic district.
In Mississippi, Governor Tate Reeves said he would postpone a planned special session of the legislature to redraw its districts and indicated one would be held at a later date.
Of the state’s four House seats, Congressman Benny Thompson is the lone Democrat.
All of the disparate redistricting efforts come the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision invalidating a pillar of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 last month.
-Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was reportedly told last year that he would have to recuse himself from any cases involving Trump, since he had served as his personal attorney.
-The State Department announced $1.8 billion in new humanitarian aid to the United Nations, saying that it would be in line with the Trump administration’s foreign policy interests.
-Transportation Secretary Scott Turner appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday.
View it here:
-In a new interview, former Vice President Kamala Harris said that Democrats should push for expanding the Supreme Court, implement a code of ethics for the high court, and grant statehood to Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
View it here:
-Household debt reached an all-time high of $18.8 trillion earlier this year, according to data published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
-Test scores in public schools across the country have continued on a downward trajectory, according to new test score data released this week.
-Louisiana will hold a statewide primary election tomorrow.
-On this day in 1937, Madeleine Albright, who would go on to become the 64th Secretary of State, was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
In 1969, Abe Fortas became the first U.S. Supreme Court justice to resign under threat of impeachment.
In 1972, Alabama Governor and presidential candidate George Wallace was shot while campaigning in Maryland.
In 1996, Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole announced his intention to resign from the Senate to focus his efforts on defeating President Bill Clinton in that year’s presidential election.
In his remarks, Dole said that he would “seek the presidency with nothing to fall back on but the judgment of the people and nowhere to go but the White House or home.”
On the same day, Clinton attended a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol honoring police officers killed in the line of duty, where he announced the release of grant money that would allow for the hiring of 9,000 additional officers.
In 2009, President Barack Obama hosted former Secretary of State Colin Powell in the Oval Office.
Other Links:
16 More People in the U.S. Are Being Monitored for Hantavirus, C.D.C. Says - The New York Times
‘Crush their souls’: Democrats ditch the niceties after GOP gains upper hand on redistricting - Politico
JD Vance praises Sen. Susan Collins, a GOP moderate and occasional Trump foe - The Washington Post
Justice Dept. Sues D.C. Bar Over Efforts to Discipline Government Lawyers - The New York Times
Border Patrol chief Michael Banks resigns his position - CNN
Trump urges House to pass Senate’s housing bill over conservative opposition - The Hill
Crypto industry scores win as Clarity Act regulation bill clears Senate hurdle - CNBC
Max Miller sues ex-wife and her legal team for domestic abuse allegations - Politico
House Ethics Committee investigating sexual harassment allegations against Rep. Chuck Edwards - NBC
Rep. Mike Lawler ‘accosted’ by Sen. Rand Paul’s son - Politico
Pennsylvania man charged with making terroristic threats allegedly had ‘hit list’ of elected officials - ABC
Bipartisan U.S.-Mexico congressional caucus launches amid diplomatic strain - CBS
Ghislaine Maxwell’s billionaire ex-boyfriend says he paid her $7.2M after their breakup - ABC
Africa
-Cabo Verde will hold legislative elections on Sunday. Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva and his ruling Movement for Democracy are seeking a third term in the vote.
All 72 seats of the National Assembly are at stake.
Democracy tracker Freedom House rates the country high for its respect for “political rights” and “civil liberties,” although it notes that “access to justice is impaired by an overburdened court system, and crime remains a concern.”
The country, which boasts a population of just over 500,000, gained independence from Portugal in 1975. Multi-party democracy was introduced in 1991 and has thrived since then.
-Parts of southern Somalia are facing a risk of famine due to multiple failed rainy seasons and insecurity caused by terrorist group al-Shabab, according to two monitoring groups.
-On this day in 2005, former President Jimmy Carter was in Ethiopia to observe the country’s third national general election.
Other Links:
A surge in violence followed Trump’s cuts to USAID programs in Africa, a study finds - AP
South Africa's Ramaphosa gets party backing over 'Farmgate' scandal, SABC reports - Reuters
Mali’s army carries out overnight strikes on rebel-held city of Kidal - Africa News
Former Nigerian minister sentenced to 75 years in rare corruption verdict - BBC
Africa’s energy producers race to boost output - Semafor
Americas and the Caribbean
-Protests broke out across Cuba this week as rolling blackouts struck the Caribbean island nation amid an ongoing oil blockade imposed by the United States.
The heightened U.S. pressure campaign, first imposed in January, has brought daily life to a halt on the island as the Trump administration seeks to topple the Communist-run government.
The country’s energy minister is now saying the island’s stock of oil and gas has been depleted.
In March, President Trump said that “Cuba is next” and that Washington could soon initiate a “friendly takeover” of the country.
Yesterday, the Cuban government said that CIA Director John Ratcliffe led a U.S. delegation to the island for talks amid the mounting tensions.
A Cuban official said Havana presented the U.S. officials with information to demonstrate that the island “does not constitute a threat to U.S. national security.”
The meeting came just days after Trump said his administration was preparing for talks with Havana at its request.
Meanwhile, a Justice Department official said yesterday that the U.S. would soon indict Cuba’s 94-year-old former leader, Raúl Castro.
-Civilians in Colombia experienced the worst impact from the country’s armed conflict with rebel groups in 2025 in more than a decade, according to the Red Cross Committee.
-Monthly inflation in Argentina slowed in April, the first decline in 11 months.
-Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to announce a deal with Alberta today on industrial carbon pricing.
-On this day in 2002, former President Carter delivered remarks in Havana, where he urged the Cuban government to adopt democratic reforms and the United States to drop its embargo on the island.
View his remarks here:
Other Links:
Argentina Races To Find Origin of Hantavirus Outbreak - The New York Times
Brazil presidential hopeful Flávio Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing after asking banker for millions - AP
Brazil to Subsidize Gasoline as Lula Ramps Up Election Stimulus - Bloomberg
China restores US beef trade amid Trump-Xi summit, alarming Brazilian exporters - South China Morning Post
Uruguay, Argentina seek compromise on hydrogen plant - Buenos Aires Times
Asia/Indo-Pacific
-Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Trump that Beijing and Washington could “come into conflict” if the issue of Taiwan is handled “improperly,” according to Chinese state media.
The remark came as Xi hosted Trump in Beijing for two days of talks, marking Trump’s first visit to the country since 2017.
In an interview with NBC News, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that U.S. policy toward Taiwan had not changed.
View his full remarks here:
China regards the self-governing island as a renegade province and has pledged to bring it under its control by force if necessary.
Trump will conclude his visit to China today with a meeting with Xi at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing before departing to the United States.
-On this day in 1988, the Soviet Union began to withdraw from Afghanistan, eight years after its abrupt invasion to support the Communist government in Kabul.
Other Links:
BRICS foreign ministers meet in India as Iran war, oil prices and divisions test the bloc’s unity - AP
A Philippine senator wanted by the International Criminal Court flees from Senate - NPR
Japan fires first-ever missiles from Philippine soil - Defense News
Over 100 People Killed in India as Storms Wreak Destruction - The New York Times
Scientists dig up Southeast Asia’s largest dinosaur in Thailand - Reuters
Europe
-British Health Minister Wes Streeting resigned yesterday and called for a leadership change in the ruling Labour Party.
The resignation comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces increased pressure to step down after Labour suffered major losses in municipal elections held last week.
Starmer has said that he will not resign as a growing number of his fellow party members call on him to do so.
-Russia has unleashed the largest wave of drone attacks on Ukraine since it launched a full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
-In remarks in Rome yesterday, Pope Leo scorned rising military spending in Europe, calling it a “betrayal” of diplomacy.
The uptick has come amid pressure from President Trump, who has suggested that Washington may not come to the defense of its European allies if they did not ramp up spending.
In his remarks, delivered to university students, Leo said that the spending “increases tensions and insecurity, impoverishes investments in education and health, betrays trust in diplomacy, and enriches elites who care nothing for the common good.”
-On this day in 1991, Edith Cresson became the first woman to serve as premier of France.
Other Links:
Pentagon abruptly cancels troop deployment to Europe amid frustrations with NATO - The Washington Post
Zelenskyy’s ex-top aide arrested as Ukraine graft probe widens - NBC
Latvian PM Evika Silina resigns over response to drone incursions - BBC
Germany news: Merkel urges patience for Merz’s coalition - DW
European markets finish higher as politics dominates the news agenda - CNBC
Middle East
-President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping discussed the war in the Middle East and agreed that the Strait of Hormuz should be opened and demilitarized during bilateral talks in Beijing yesterday, according to a White House spokesperson.
The two leaders also agreed that Iran should never obtain nuclear weapons.
China, which has expressed support for Iran during its standoff with the U.S. and Israel, is Tehran’s largest trading partner and maintains a “comprehensive strategic partnership” with Tehran.
Before the war in the region commenced on February 28, China accounted for 90% of Iran’s oil exports.
In 2021, the countries inked a 25-year, $400 billion cooperation agreement.
-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that he had instructed his legal team to “consider the harshest legal action” against The New York Times and Nicholas Kristof for Kristof’s reporting that alleges the Israeli military used dogs for the sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners.
The Israeli government has vehemently denied the report.
Meanwhile, The Times defended Kristof, saying it was properly sourced and “extensively fact-checked.”
View the full statement here:
-On this day in 1975, President Gerald Ford hosted Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi at the White House for bilateral talks.
According to a Times report, the two leaders expressed worry over a possible “stalemate” in the efforts to bring about a settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict, but committed that “close consultation and cooperation would be continued and intensified” between Washington and Tehran.
Other Links:
A Top U.S. Commander Dismisses Reports of Civilian Deaths in Iran - The New York Times
Tensions flare near Strait of Hormuz as a ship is seized and another is sunk - AP
Iran urges BRICS nations to condemn war, Indian-flagged vessel sunk - Reuters
Israel, Lebanon conclude third round of peace talks, two seriously wounded by Hezbollah drone - The Jerusalem Post
Gaza aid flotilla sets sail again after Israeli interceptions - Reuters
That’s all for today. See you next week.
Some country leaders seem to forget that there are people out there that will tell the truth regardless.
In addition to informing me about small democracies becoming robust and other items I would never know, thank you, Jacob for reminding us, as always, of what a good leader has been in the past and what a not-good leader is in the present. Have a blessèd w / e with your better half, ¿okay?