Closing summary
This concludes our live coverage of the second Trump administration for the day, but we will be back on Wednesday to pick up where we left off. Here are some of the day’s developments:
A coalition of 20 states led by Democratic administrations filed two lawsuits aiming to stop the Trump administration from forcing them to cooperate with immigration enforcement in order to receive billions of dollars in transportation, counterterrorism and emergency preparedness grant funding. The lawsuits contend that the US Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security are unlawfully pressuring states to adopt the Republican president’s strict immigration policies by leveraging federal funding.
A federal grand jury indicted Wisconsin judge Hannah C Dugan of the Milwaukee county circuit court, who was arrested last month on allegations that she helped an undocumented immigrant avoid federal authorities. Dugan faces charges of concealing a person from arrest and obstructing official proceedings, The New York Times reports.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, said that he hopes Trump’s trip to the Middle East will prove fruitful for the ongoing, devastating war between Israel and Hamas. “We hope that President Trump’s visit to the region will allow to achieve such a ceasefire, and to build a political horizon of freedom for the Palestinian people, security for all and shared prosperity for our region,” Mansour said on Tuesday during a UN Security Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Trump announced that the US will lift all sanctions on Syria “to give them a chance at greatness”. He said the sanctions had served their purpose at the time, but now it was time for the country to move forward, a move welcomed by the UN and Syrian government.
Trump threatened Iran to take his “olive branch” and reach a nuclear deal or face “maximum pressure”. He called Iran the “most destructive country in the Middle East” and, reiterating that they can’t have a nuclear weapon, added:“The choice is theirs to make. This is not an offer that will last forever.”
US secretary of state Marco Rubio will be going to Turkey on Thursday to attend the Ukraine-Russia talks, Trump announced. He had suggested he wanted to go himself, but he is sending Rubio along with envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg.
Trump said his Middle East tour, which kicked off in Saudi Arabia today, will add $1tn in investment to the US. In addition to the Saudi purchase of $142bn of US weapons announced earlier, Trump said there will also be this week multibillion dollar commercial deals with Amazon, Oracle, AMD, Uber, Johnson & Johnson and others. A swath of US tech firms including Nvidia and Cisco also secured AI deals with Saudia Arabia and the UAE respectively.
US senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said he is placing a blanket hold on all justice department nominees in response to Donald Trump’s acceptance of a $400m luxury jet as a gift from Qatar’s royal family. It is the first time Schumer has ever placed a blanket hold on a set of presidential nominees, and he intends to keep the hold in place until the Trump administration answers his questions about the jet.
The Trump administration said eight federal agencies will terminate another $450m in grants to Harvard University, on top of $2.2bn in federal funding that it canceled last week.
Trump encouraged Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel — but added that “you’ll do it in your own time.”
Donald Trump said that the free Air Force One replacement offered by Qatar was a “beautiful gesture”.
“There are those that say we shouldn’t be accepting gifts,” he said during an interview on board the presidential air fleet. “And I would say only a stupid person would say that, why wouldn’t we do that? It helps us out, because we’ll have a relatively new plane.”
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Donald Trump told Sean Hannity during an interview that “for many years, we were taken advantage of by other countries and the drug companies”.
His remarks are aired a day after he used his executive powers to order sweeping cuts to the price of prescription drugs in the US, in an effort to bring them in line with other developed countries.
“I claimed the other countries, in a way, more the European Union … were very nasty, very tough to the drug companies, and they would give them a very low price for drug costs in European nations.”
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Sean Hannity interviewed President Donald Trump on board Air Force 1 en route to Saudi Arabia, and his interview is set to air in a few minutes.
We’ll be live blogging all the updates.
Trump must realise Putin is obstacle to peace, Zelenskyy says
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he hopes the current period of frantic diplomacy and high-stakes gambits between Russia and Ukraine will end with Donald Trump understanding that Vladimir Putin is the real obstacle to a peace deal.
“Trump needs to believe that Putin actually lies. And we should do our part. Sensibly approach this issue, to show that it’s not us that is slowing down the process,” said Zelenskyy, speaking to a small group of journalists, including the Guardian, in his office at the presidential administration in Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said he would travel to Turkey on Thursday whether or not Putin flew in for talks.
Zelenskyy said he had arranged to meet with the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in Ankara, but would be ready to fly to Istanbul at a moment’s notice if the Russian leader showed up. “If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war,” he said on Tuesday.
Previously, after Putin used an unexpected late-night Kremlin address to call for direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Istanbul, Zelenskyy responded by saying he would be waiting for Putin personally in Turkey on Thursday.
Trump, who is on a visit to Saudi Arabia, appeared to float the idea of a three-way meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy, saying on Monday: “I believe the two leaders are going to be there. I was thinking about flying over.”
Read the full story here:
Mexico’s security chief confirmed that 17 family members of cartel leaders crossed into the US last week as part of a deal between a son of the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Donald Trump administration, the AP reports.
Mexican security secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed a report by independent journalist Luis Chaparro that family members of Ovidio Guzman Lopez, who was extradited to the United States in 2023, had entered the US.
Guzmán Lopez is one of the brothers left running a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel after notorious capo Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was imprisoned in the US. Video showed the family members walking across the border from Tijuana with their suitcases to waiting US agents.
Here’s more context about the plea deal:
In just over an hour, Fox News will air an interview between host Sean Hannity and President Donald Trump on board Air Force One during his trip through the Middle East.
The interview is scheduled to air at 9pm ET/6pm PT.
We’ll have all the details.
Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. is slated to face lawmakers on Wednesday for the first time since his confirmation hearings, the Hill reports.
Since taking charge of Health and Human Services, Kennedy has led a sweeping overhaul of the department. Thousands of employees have been dismissed across its agencies, and some offices have been dismantled entirely.
The department has also canceled billions in federal grants previously awarded to universities and public health departments.
Kennedy will officially be testifying in support of the Trump administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026, which includes even steeper cuts, including slashing a quarter of HHS funding.
According to prepared remarks released by the House Appropriations Committee, Kennedy will defend the administration’s moves to “cut government bloat.” He will argue the restructuring allows the agency to “act more nimbly and focus on the core mission of improving the nation’s health,” while promising further reductions.
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Federal grand jury indicts Wisconsin judge on charges that she helped immigrant avoid agents
A federal grand jury indicted Wisconsin judge Hannah C Dugan of the Milwaukee county circuit court, who was arrested last month on allegations that she helped an undocumented immigrant avoid federal authorities.
Dugan faces charges of concealing a person from arrest and obstructing official proceedings, The New York Times reports.
“Judge Hannah C Dugan has committed herself to the rule of law and the principles of due process for her entire career as a lawyer and a judge,” reads a statement from Dugan’s attorney after she was arrested.
Read more here:
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RFK Jr and his grandchildren swam in DC creek contaminated by sewage
The US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has revealed that he went swimming with his children in a Washington DC creek that authorities have said is toxic due to contamination by an upstream, ageing sewer system.
The “Make America healthy again” crusader attracted attention for the Mother’s Day dip in Dumbarton Oaks Park with his grandchildren Bobcat and Cassius, which he posted about on X. He was also accompanied by relatives Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick and Jackson.
Rock Creek, which runs through the federal park, is described as unsafe for swimming or wading because it acts as a runoff for excess sewage and storm water during rain storms.
Studies of streams in the nation’s capital have revealed “chronic elevated levels of Escherichia coli (E coli) contamination that exceeded DC’s surface water quality standards”, according to one published in 2021.
Read the full story by The Guardian’s Edward Helmore here:
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Sharp debates are underway as House Republicans grind through marathon hearings on their “big, beautiful bill”, with sizable reductions in Medicaid health care, food stamps for older Americans and tax breaks tallying more than $5 trillion up for heated discussion.
Republicans are working to push President Donald Trump’s signature legislative package through a gauntlet of committees over mounting opposition from Democrats, advocacy groups and even some wary Republicans themselves.
One meeting was immediately disrupted by protesters shouting down what the panel’s top Democrat called “cruel” cuts to Medicaid.
Pete Buttigieg suggested he would “assess” a potential presidential campaign in 2028, Politico reports.
His remarks on Tuesday came as the former Biden Transportation secretary returned to Iowa for a live interview with a Substack author, marking an appearance that seemed like a campaign before the launch.
“What Pete is doing right now is exactly what he did in 2019 and 2020,” Lis Smith, the Democratic strategist who served as his senior adviser in 2020, told Politico. “The strategy then was simple: go everywhere, talk to everyone, meet voters where they are — even if it’s in red areas or on more conservative media. A lot of Democrats are finally waking up to the idea that you can’t just campaign in safe, liberal echo chambers and expect to win over swing voters, but Pete has always understood that.”
Here’s what Buttigieg had to say to the Substack journalist Anand Giridharadas:
“Right now, I live in a 50-50 county in Michigan,” Buttigieg said. “I’m literally, physically, co-located with people who represent a real breadth of ideological difference. And I know … that many of them or some of them are ready to entertain very different ideas or at least think twice when you talk to them on their terms, but you have to actually do it. Which is why I go on Fox News. Which is why I’m spending more time in podcasts and online spaces that have not been really progressive-oriented.”
Republicans continued to raise concerns about President Donald Trump’s desire to accept a $400 million airplane from Qatar. Here’s what some of them have to say:
“There will be plenty of scrutiny,” Republican senate majority leader John Thune of South Dakota told reporters. “There are lots and lots of issues around that, that I think will attract very serious questions.”
“The plane poses significant espionage and surveillance problems, so we’ll see how this issue plays out,” said senate commerce committee chair Ted Cruz of Texas on CNBC.
“I think it’s not worth the appearance of impropriety,” Republican senator Rand Paul of Kentucky told Fox News.
Palestinian UN ambassador welcomes Trump’s visit to region and hopes for ceasefire deal, AP reports
Riyad Mansour said that he hopes Trump’s trip to the Middle East will prove fruitful for the ongoing, devastating war between Israel and Hamas.
“We hope that President Trump’s visit to the region will allow to achieve such a ceasefire, and to build a political horizon of freedom for the Palestinian people, security for all and shared prosperity for our region,” Mansour said on Tuesday during a UN Security Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
A federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump is allowed to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport members of Tren de Aragua, but found that his administration failed to provide adequate notice before carrying out the removals.
US district judge Stephanie Haines’s decision contrasts from those of several other federal judges who have ruled that Trump’s use of the wartime law was unlawful.
Haines argued that the president has the authority to deport individuals affiliated with a foreign terrorist organization, a label Trump has applied to Tren de Aragua.
“Having done its job, the Court now leaves it to the Political Branches of the government, and ultimately to the people who elect those individuals, to decide whether the laws and those executing them continue to reflect their will,” Haines wrote in her 43-page ruling.
Robert De Niro attacks Trump in Cannes speech: ‘This isn’t just America’s problem’
The actor Robert De Niro has – after a brief period of abstention – returned to his robust public critique of Donald Trump, using his Palme d’Or acceptance speech at the Cannes film festival to newly attack the US president.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of the 78th film festival in France, De Niro said that the US’s re-elected commander-in-chief posed a global threat.
“In my country, we are fighting like hell for the democracy we once took for granted,” he said. “That affects all of us here, because art is the crucible that brings people together, like tonight. Art looks for truth. Art embraces diversity. That’s why art is a threat.”
As applause broke out in the Grand Lumiére, Cannes’ largest cinema, De Niro continued:
“That’s why we are a threat to autocrats and fascists. America’s philistine president ha[s] had himself appointed head of one of our premier cultural institutions [the Kennedy Center]. He has cut funding and support to the arts, humanities and education.”
Read the full story here:
Here are some images of Syrians in Damascus celebrating the announcement by President Trump of plans to ease sanctions, taking a step toward normalizing relations between the US and the country’s new government:
Senator Lindsey Graham traveled to Turkey to hold talks with officials and assess the current situation in Syria.
“I am very inclined to support sanctions relief for Syria under the right conditions,” Graham said in a statement. “However, we must remember that the current leadership in Syria achieved its position through force of arms, not through the will of its people.”
President Trump announced plans to ease sanctions on Syria and pursue normalization of ties with its new government. He is slated to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
Democratic-led states sue over Trump’s attempt to tie grants to immigration policies
A coalition of 20 states led by Democratic administrations filed two lawsuits aiming to stop the Trump administration from forcing them to cooperate with immigration enforcement in order to receive billions of dollars in transportation, counterterrorism and emergency preparedness grant funding.
Filed in federal court in Rhode Island, the lawsuits contend that the US Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security are unlawfully pressuring states to adopt the Republican president’s strict immigration policies by leveraging federal funding.
“He’s treating these funds, which have nothing to do with immigration enforcement and everything to do with the safety of our communities, as a bargaining chip. But this is not a game,” said California attorney general Rob Bonta. “I’ll continue taking the President to court each time he breaks the law and puts Californians’ interests on the line.”
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The White House has confirmed that Donald Trump will meet with Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former rebel commander whose forces helped overthrow Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The informal meeting will be the first face-to-face meeting between a US president and a Syrian leader since 2000, when Bill Clinton met with the late leader Hafez al-Assad in Geneva.
Speaking at an investment forum on Tuesday, Trump said that he planned to lift sanctions on Syria after holding talks with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “to give them a chance at greatness”.
Sharaa’s pitch to woo the US president offered access to Syrian oil, reconstruction contracts and to build a Trump Tower in Damascus in exchange for the lifting of US sanctions on Syria.
Though the details of the sanctions relief were still unclear, Sharaa’s team in Damascus was celebrating.
“This is amazing, it worked,” said Radwan Ziadeh, a Syrian writer and activist who is close to the Syrian president. He shared a picture of an initial mockup of Trump Tower Damascus. “This is how you win his heart and mind,” he said, noting that Sharaa would probably show Trump the design during their meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday.
Trump’s negotiations in the Middle East have been characterised by big-ticket investment deals, and those appeared to play a role in his reversal of US policy on Syria as well.
Sharaa, who is keen to normalise relations with the US, has reportedly offered Trump a number of sweeteners including the Trump tower in Damascus, a demilitarised zone by the Golan Heights that would strengthen Israel’s claim to the territory it has occupied since 1967, diplomatic recognition of Israel, and a profit-sharing deal on resources similar to the Ukraine minerals deal.
The idea to offer Trump a piece of real estate with his name on it in the heart of Damascus was thought up by a US Republican senator, who passed on the idea to Sharaa’s team.
“Sanctions in Syria are very complicated, but with Trump, he can [get] most of them lifted. It is a great opportunity,” Ziadeh said.
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The day so far
In a major policy shift, Trump announced that the US will lift all sanctions on Syria “to give them a chance at greatness”. He said the sanctions had served their purpose at the time, but now it was time for the country to move forward, a move welcomed by the UN and Syrian government. He said: “I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness. It’s their time to shine. We’re taking them all off. Good luck Syria, show us something very special.” US sanctions had been weighing heavily on the new Syrian regime, threatening its ability to rebuild from the Assad era. It has also been reported that Trump will “say hello” to Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh tomorrow, which would be the first meeting between US and Syrian leaders in 25 years. His secretary of state Marco Rubio will also meet with the Syrian foreign minister in Turkey on Thursday.
Trump threatened Iran to take his “olive branch” and reach a nuclear deal or face “maximum pressure”. He called Iran the “most destructive country in the Middle East” and, reiterating that they can’t have a nuclear weapon, added:“The choice is theirs to make. This is not an offer that will last forever.”
US secretary of state Marco Rubio will be going to Turkey on Thursday to attend the Ukraine-Russia talks, Trump announced. He had suggested he wanted to go himself, but he is sending Rubio along with envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, as was reported earlier today.
Trump said his Middle East tour, which kicked off in Saudi Arabia today, will add $1tn in investment to the US. In addition to the Saudi purchase of $142bn of US weapons announced earlier, Trump said there will also be this week multibillion dollar commercial deals with Amazon, Oracle, AMD, Uber, Johnson & Johnson and others. A swath of US tech firms including Nvidia and Cisco also secured AI deals with Saudia Arabia and the UAE respectively. MBS also pledged to invest $600bn in the US during a lunch with Trump, including $20bn in artificial intelligence data centres, purchases of gas turbines and other energy equipment worth $14.2bn, nearly $5bn in Boeing 737-8 jets, and other deals. But details of the specific commitments remained vague, the numbers put out by the White House did not total $600bn, and some of the programs began under Joe Biden’s administration.
US senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said he is placing a blanket hold on all justice department nominees in response to Donald Trump’s acceptance of a $400m luxury jet as a gift from Qatar’s royal family. It is the first time Schumer has ever placed a blanket hold on a set of presidential nominees, and he intends to keep the hold in place until the Trump administration answers his questions about the jet. On the Senate floor this morning, Schumer described it as “not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat”. Trump faces a rare backlash from the likes of Maga faithfuls Ben Shapiro and Laura Loomer over the “palace in the sky”.
The Trump administration said eight federal agencies will terminate another $450m in grants to Harvard University, on top of $2.2bn in federal funding that it canceled last week.
Trump encouraged Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel — but added that “you’ll do it in your own time.”
Politico notes the ideological shift for US foreign policy in Trump’s keynote address earlier at the US-Saudi investment forum: “More realpolitik, less values-based intervention.”
As Trump laid out in his speech, this Middle East trip epitomizes a sharply new isolationist and transactional direction for the US.
‘Far too many American presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it’s our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use US policy to dispense justice for their sins,’ Trump said. It was a striking comment coming in front of MBS, who the CIA has concluded ordered the assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
‘The so-called nation builders wrecked far more nations than they built,’ Trump added, saying he would focus instead on promoting American interests.
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Malcolm Kenyatta, one of two Democratic National Committee vice-chairs who could be forced to run again for his seat, said the credentialing committee’s recommendation that the February contest did not follow the party’s gender-parity rules was a “slap in the face”, but insisted the decision was based on procedure and not politics.
On Monday, after a three-hour meeting, the DNC’s credentials committee voted to void the results of a February contest that elevated Kenyatta and activist David Hogg as vice-chairs. The decision puts the issue before the full voting body of the DNC. If adopted, it would force Kenyatta and Hogg to run again for their roles due to the party not following proper parliamentary procedures.
“I’m pissed that this challenge was successful, especially when I won in such a resounding way,” Kenyatta wrote on X. But he took issue with the “nonsense” framing that the vote was a way to push out Hogg, who has clashed with DNC officials over his pledge to spend money challenging “asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats through a separate organization he heads, Leaders We Deserve.
Ken Martin, the DNC chair, has endorsed a plan to force DNC officials to remain neutral in party primaries, saying: “We can’t be both the referee and also the player at the same time.” A vote to adopt that proposal – effectively forcing Hogg to choose between his role at Leaders We Deserve and his vice-chair position at the DNC – is set to take place during a DNC meeting in August.
The challenge over the vice-chair election results was brought by one of the losing candidates in the vice-chair contest, Kalyn Free, who said the February contest failed to abide by the party’s gender-parity rules and as a result disadvantaged the female candidates.
Touting the work he has done since his election, Kenyatta wrote: “I worked my ass off to get this role and have done the job every day since I’ve held it.”
This story is complex and I’m frustrated— but it’s not about @davidhogg111 . Even though he clearly wants it to be.
— Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (@malcolmkenyatta) May 13, 2025
In a statement on Monday, Hogg acknowledged that the credentialing challenge was brought on procedural grounds, but said it was “also impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote”.
The DNC has pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fast-track that effort.
At the end of this clip is the moment Donald Trump was asked by a reporter after he left a conference hall in Riyadh this afternoon whether he’d meet with Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Trump’s voice couldn’t be made out be made out in the clip but he clearly nodded and appeared to say: “I think so.”
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Syria welcomes lifting of US sanctions as a 'new start' for reconstruction
Syria has welcomed Donald Trump’s remarks regarding the lifting of US sanctions imposed on Damascus as a “new start” in the country’s reconstruction path, according to a post from foreign minister Asaad Shibani on X.
Shibani thanked Saudi Arabia for facilitating the removal of the US sanctions.
UN welcomes lifting of US sanctions on Syria
The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has welcomed the lifting of US sanctions on the new government in Damascus in a social media post.
Pedersen said the move was “crucial to enabling the delivery of essential services, including health & education, reviving the Syrian economy, unlocking meaningful support from the region, & enabling many Syrians to contribute actively to a national effort to rebuild their country”.
Trump calls on Fed to cut rates, saying prices of 'practically everything' are down
Donald Trump has repeated his call for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, saying prices for gas, groceries and “practically everything else” are down, while also repeating his criticism of Fed chair Jerome Powell.
He wrote on Truth Social:
No Inflation, and Prices of Gasoline, Energy, Groceries, and practically everything else, are DOWN!!! THE FED must lower the RATE, like Europe and China have done.
What is wrong with Too Late Powell? Not fair to America, which is ready to blossom? Just let it all happen, it will be a beautiful thing!
As my colleague Lauren Aratani reported earlier, officials at the Fed feel that while the pace of inflation has slowed, they expect Trump’s tariffs to have an impact on prices, even if only temporary. Economists also expect price increases to get worse this year. Many companies have not had to increase prices yet, as many of the goods being sold now were imported before the new tariffs were implemented.
“Certainly the risks to higher inflation [and] higher unemployment have increased,” Powell said at a press conference last week, adding that tariffs could delay inflation from reaching the Fed’s target rate of 2% by at least a year. “We would, at least for the next, say, year, not be making progress toward those goals if that’s the way tariffs shake out.”
This is contrary to what Trump has been saying about tariffs and the impact they have had on prices. Trump insists that any inflation is a holdover from the Biden administration, though Trump has been in the White House for over three months.
Trump to 'say hello' to Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday - Axios
Donald Trump is expected to greet with Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday, Axios is reporting, citing two sources familiar with the plan.
Earlier in a pivotal announcement, Trump said he was lifting all sanctions on Syria to “give them a chance at greatness”, less than six months after the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad was rapidly toppled.
Axios reports that, asked by journalists earlier if he expects to meet with al-Sharaa during his visit to Saudi Arabia, Trump replied: “Yes, I think so.” A White House official later told Axios:
The president agreed to say hello to the Syrian president while in Saudi Arabia tomorrow.
But this makes it no less significant. Per Politico:
It’s nonetheless a striking encounter with a man who’s still on the US terrorist list — and the first meeting between US and Syrian leaders since 2000. The US sanctions have weighed heavily on the Syrian economy, threatening al-Sharaa’s ability to rebuild the country since the rebel leader ousted the Assad regime five months ago.
Trump said during his speech at the US-Saudi investment forum that he had decided to lift sanctions on Syria following conversations with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as well as with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. “Oh, what I do for the crown prince,” Trump said in reference to MBS before making the announcement.
The “brutal and crippling” sanctions had served their purpose at the time but were no longer needed, said Trump, adding:
Now it is their time to shine. We are taking them all off. Good luck Syria. Show us something very special.
In a further sign of normalizing US-Syria relations, Trump said his secretary of state Marco Rubio will meet with the Syrian foreign minister on Thursday in Turkey.
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Key takeaways from Trump's keynote address in Riyadh
Trump pledged to remove all sanctions against Syria, saying they had served an important function, but it was now time for the country to move forward. He said: “I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness. It’s their time to shine. We’re taking them all off. Good luck Syria, show us something very special.” His secretary of state Marco Rubio will meet with the Syrian foreign minister in Turkey on Thursday, Trump said.
Syria has welcomed Trump’s remarks regarding the lifting of US sanctions imposed on Damascus as a “new start” in the country’s reconstruction path, according to a post from foreign minister Asaad Shibani on X. Shibani thanked Saudi Arabia for facilitating the removal of the US sanctions.
Rubio will be going to Turkey on Thursday to attend the Ukraine-Russia talks, Trump said, adding: “The talks could produce some good results.”
Trump called Iran the “most destructive force” in the Middle East and threatened that if the US’s “olive branch” to reach a nuclear deal is rejected “and [Iran] continues to attack their neighbors then we’ll have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure”. He reiterated that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. “The choice is theirs to make,” Trump said, adding: “This is not an offer that will last forever.”
Trump announced that his Middle East tour will add $1tn in investment to the US. In addition to the Saudi purchase of $142bn of US military equipment announced earlier, Trump said there will also be this week multibillion dollar commercial deals with Amazon, Oracle, AMD, Uber, Johnson & Johnson and others.
Trump said he hopes Saudi Arabia will “soon” join the Abraham Accords, a series of normalization agreements between Israel and Arab countries, but said they would do it in their own time.
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US tech firms secure AI deals as Trump tours Gulf states
A swath of US technology firms announced artificial intelligence deals in the Middle East as Donald Trump announced $600bn in commitments from Saudi Arabia to American companies during a tour of Gulf states.
Reuters reports that among the biggest deals was a set signed by Nvidia, which said it will sell hundreds of thousands of AI chips in Saudi Arabia, with a first tranche of 18,000 of its newest “Blackwell” chips going to Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund-owned AI startup Humain. Cisco on Tuesday said it had signed a deal with G42, the AI firm based in the UAE, to help the company develop that country’s AI sector. The deals will flow both ways.
The White House said Saudi Arabian firm DataVolt will invest $20bn in AI data centers and energy infrastructure in the US. Alphabet’s Google, DataVolt, Oracle, Salesforce, Advanced Micro Devices and Uber will invest $80bn in cutting-edge transformative technologies in both countries, the White House said, without giving further details. Cisco said it had reached an agreement with UAE’s G42 “to assess the potential” to work together on cybersecurity technologies that use US AI as well as AI data centre technologies.
Trump plans to visit the UAE on Thursday. The New York Times on Monday reported that the Trump administration is nearing a deal to allow UAE to buy large volumes of Nvidia’s AI chips.
Saudi Arabia, which is seeking to make its economy less dependent on oil revenue, aims to position itself as a hub for AI and a leading centre for AI activity outside the United States. Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday launched Humain, a company to develop and manage AI technologies in Saudi Arabia.
The two companies said they will leverage Nvidia’s platforms to establish Saudi Arabia as a global leader in AI, GPU cloud computing and digital transformation.
Rubio to meet Syrian foreign minister in Turkey
Marco Rubio will be meeting Syria’s foreign minister in Turkey on Thursday, Trump says.
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'Good luck Syria': Trump to remove all US sanctions on Syria
Trump says he will remove all sanctions against Syria, saying they had served an important function, but it was now time for the country to move forward.
I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness. It’s their time to shine. We’re taking them all off. Good luck Syria, show us something very special.
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Marco Rubio to attend Ukraine-Russia talks in Turkey
US secretary of state Marco Rubio will be going to Turkey on Thursday to attend the Ukraine-Russia talks, Trump says.
The talks could produce some good results, he says.
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Trump calls Iran the 'most destructive' force in the Middle East but says he wants to make a deal
“The biggest and most destructive force [in the Middle East] is Iran which has caused unthinkable suffering in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Yemen and beyond,” he says.
I want to make a deal with Iran. But if Iran’s leadership rejects this olive branch and continues to attack their neighbors then we’ll have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure,” he says.
He adds he’ll drive Iranian oil exports to zero.
“Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” Trump goes on.
“The choice is theirs to make,” he says, adding: “This is not an offer that will last forever.”
Trump says he hopes Saudi Arabia will “soon” join the Abraham Accords, a series of normalization agreements between Israel and Arab countries.
“It would be a special day in the Middle East with the whole world watching when Saudi Arabia joins us, and you’ll be greatly honoring me and you’ll be greatly honoring all of those people that have fought so hard for the Middle East,” he says.
He says it’s his “fervent hope” that Saudi Arabia would “soon” sign its own normalization agreement with Israel, adding:
But you’ll do it in your own time.
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In addition to purchases of $142bn of US-made military equipment, Trump says there will also be this week multibillion dollar commercial deals with Amazon, Oracle, AMD, Uber, Johnson & Johnson and more.
“With this trip, we’re adding over $1tn more in terms of investment into our country and buying our products,” he says.
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Back to this trip, Trump says the US is adding $1tn in investments from his Middle East tour.
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On domestic US politics, Trump says that the newly unveiled tax legislation is well-positioned to pass, following the release of the House Republicans’ tax plan details yesterday.
“I’m pleased to report that the United States Congress is on the verge of passing the largest tax cut and regulation cut in American history ... that will be like a rocket ship for our country,” Trump says.
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Trump says they are celebrating 80 years of partnership with Saudi Arabia and says they are taking steps to make the relationship “stronger than ever before”.
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Trump thanks MBS for his “incredible introduction”, adding: “He’s an incredible man … there’s nobody like him.”
Donald Trump addresses Saudi-US investment forum in Riyadh
Donald Trump is speaking at a Saudi-US investment forum, which is being attended by some of America’s top bankers, tech executives, Saudi officials and business leaders, in Riyadh. I’ll bring you all the key lines.
It follows the signing of an almost $142bn defense sales agreement that provides Riyadh with state of the art equipment and services from US firms.
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Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman is delivering remarks at the Saudi-US investment forum in Riyadh ahead of Donald Trump’s speech.
The White House said Trump’s speech will “outline an optimistic vision for the future of the Middle East, and his approach to achieving a more stable region and peaceful world.”
He will contrast the path of economic self-development taken by many Gulf Nations with the self-destructive path of exporting terror and mayhem taken by the Iranian regime and its proxies.
He will offer Iran a path to a brighter future, while opening the door to new chapters in America’s relations with Lebanon and Syria.
Donald Trump has arrived at the Saudi-US investment forum in Riyadh, where he is expected to deliver an address.
Trump was greeted by the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
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Schumer to place hold on Trump DOJ nominees over Qatari jet
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said he is placing a blanket hold on all justice department nominees in response to Donald Trump’s acceptance of a $400m luxury jet as a gift from Qatar’s royal family.
It is the first time Schumer has ever placed a blanket hold on a set of presidential nominees, and he intends to keep the hold in place until the Trump administration answers his questions about the jet.
Schumer, on the Senate floor this morning, described the gift as “not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat.”
Until the American people learn the truth about this deal, I will do my part to block the galling and truly breathtaking politicization at the Department of Justice.
Trump’s business deals in the Middle East “reek of crooked self-enrichment,” Schumer went on.
He isn’t just blurring the line between public service and personal profit — he’s erasing it.
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As we await Donald Trump’s address at the Saudi-US investment forum in Riyadh, there are reports that the US president will meet with Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, tomorrow.
Trump is expected to meet with Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday, Axios is reporting.
US and Saudi Arabia sign $142bn defense sales agreement
The US and Saudi Arabia have signed an almost $142bn defense sales agreement that provides Riyadh with state of the art equipment and services from US firms, the White House said.
The defense deal is part of a $600bn Saudi investment commitment for the US, the White House said in a factsheet.
The agreement also includes exports of GE gas turbines and energy solutions totaling $14.2bn, and Boeing 737-8 passenger aircraft totaling $4.8bn.
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Donald Trump to speak at Saudi-US investment forum in Riyadh
Donald Trump is due to speak at Saudi-US investment forum, which is being attended by some of America’s top bankers, tech executives, Saudi officials and business leaders, in Riyadh shortly. I’ll bring you all the key lines from that when it eventually starts.
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Trump administration terminates another $450m in grants to Harvard
Donald Trump’s administration said on Tuesday that eight federal agencies will terminate another $450m in grants to Harvard University, on top of $2.2bn in federal funding that it canceled last week.
The main reason for the crackdown on Harvard is the school’s rejection of a long list of demands from the Trump administration’s antisemitism taskforce, prompted by campus protests against Israel’s brutal military campaign in Gaza over the last 18 months.
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Trump and MBS sign strategic economic agreement in Riyadh covering energy, mining and defense
Donald Trump and Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman have signed a strategic economic partnership agreement between the two countries in a ceremony at the Royal Palace in Riyadh.
Reuters reports that the partnership includes agreements for energy, mining, and defense.
During the exchange of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries, it was announced that the energy aspect relates to “cooperation in the field of energy”, and the mining aspect relates to “cooperation in the field of mining and mineral resources”.
The defense aspect relates to “the modernization and development of the capabilities of the Saudi armed forces through future defense capabilities”.
A letter of intent was also announced “to complete work and enhance joint cooperation on ammunition, training, support services, maintenance, system upgrades, spare parts and education for land and air systems of the National Guard”. And one regarding “the development of the health capabilities of the Saudi armed forces”. There was also reference to working with the FBI and the Ministry of the Interior.
It also included an agreement between the Saudi space agency and Nasa related to a space weathering project, mutual assistance between the customs authorities of the two countries, amending the air transport agreement, cooperation on health research and infectious diseases, and cooperation on conservation.
More signings of agreements and memoranda of understanding will continue later at the US-Saudi Investment Forum, it was said.
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Trump faces backlash of Maga faithful over plan to accept plane gift from Qatar
Donald Trump is all too comfortable brushing aside criticism from Democrats and the “fake news media”, but when the flak over his decision to accept a $400m luxury jet from the Qatari government comes from his most devoted supporters it might behoove the US president to listen.
Stars of Trump’s Make America great again (Maga) firmament are speaking out in unambiguous terms against the plan for him to be donated a jet described as a “palace in the sky” and convert it into Air Force One. They are damning the idea in Trump’s own language – telling him this is not “draining the swamp” as he promised to do during his first presidency, and nor does it conform to the theme of his second Oval Office term: “America First.”
Ben Shapiro, the prominent rightwing commentator, led the charge on his daily podcast. He said: “President Trump promised to drain the swamp – this is not, in fact, draining the swamp.”
Linking Qatar to the militant Palestinian group Hamas and Al Jazeera, the media network that is widely detested on the right and is partly funded by the Qatari government, he added:
Taking sacks of goodies from people who support Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood, Al Jazeera, all the rest, that’s not America First … If you want President Trump to succeed this kind of skeezy stuff would be stopped.
Yesterday we brought you comments from Laura Loomer, the far-right Maga activist, who warned that the proposed gift would put “such a stain on the administration”.
The conservative New York Post, meanwhile, published an editorial headlined: “Qatar’s ‘Palace in the Sky’ jet is NOT a ‘free gift’ – and Trump shouldn’t accept it as one.”
Republicans in the US Senate have also begun to pipe up, speaking ominously about interrogating the gift under the emoluments clause of the US constitution. That clause prevents federal officials, including the president, from accepting high-value gifts and payments from foreign governments without the say-so of Congress.
Rand Paul, the Republican senator from Kentucky, told Fox News that in his opinion “it’s not worth the appearance of impropriety”.
Whether it’s improper or not – I don’t think it’s worth it … It’s not like a ride on the plane. We are talking about the entire $400m plane.
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US monthly inflation rate slows amid Trump tariffs
The pace of inflation slowed in April, the month that Donald Trump announced his sweeping “liberation day” tariffs on the US’s largest trading partners.
The annual inflation rate was 2.3% in April, down from an annual rate of 2.4% March, according to a new inflation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, hit an annual rate of 2.3% in April, compared to an annual 2.4% increase in March.
While the inflation report covers April, after Trump’s announcement, it comes as businesses are still trying to figure out the impact of the tariffs. Officials at the Federal Reserve said they expect tariffs to have an impact on prices, even if only temporary.
“Certainly the risk to higher inflation [and] higher unemployment have increased,” the Fed chair, Jerome Powell, said at a press conference last week, adding that tariffs could delay inflation from reaching the Fed’s target rate of 2% by at least a year.
We would, at least for the next, say, year, not be making progress toward those goals if that’s the way tariffs shake out.
Economists also expect price increases to get worse this year. Many companies have not had to increase prices yet, as many of the goods being sold now were imported before the new tariffs were implemented.
As Trump touched down in Riyadh this morning for the first overseas tour of his second presidency, let’s recap because “already the pomp and circumstance are dialed up to the max”, writes Politico.
Having been escorted through the skies by six Saudi F-15s, Trump has now begun his formal state visit with a grand ceremony in the opulent surroundings of the Saudi Royal Court, with its 30-foot ceilings and polished marble floors.
Trump was greeted off Air Force One by crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the two men will spend much of the day together — just as they did on Trump’s first overseas visit in 2017, when the president again eschewed America’s closest neighbors and oldest allies in favor of the Middle Eastern monarchs.
Trump loves this stuff — really loves it. White House aides say these grand regal ceremonies are a key part of the appeal of Middle Eastern trips, along with the chance to unveil some big-ticket investment deals. Trump loves the red carpet welcomes. He loves the state dinner toasts. He loves being with royalty. For him, it’s part of the point.
Don’t forget, this is a president who, rather than rejecting accusations that he wants to rule America as an all-powerful king, chose to lean right into them instead. And it’s not just about ignoring constitutional norms, but the trappings of regal power. Trump has installed gilded edging throughout his Oval Office. His next confirmed state visit is to Britain in September, following a handwritten invite from King Charles III — with all the royal baubles that implies. Trump will hope to fly there in his “palace in the sky.”
The day so far
Here is a summary of events so far and what’s coming up:
Donald Trump is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as he begins his four-day tour of the Middle East focusing on economic deals.
He was greeted at the airport by the de facto ruler Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Trump is expected to focus on economic deals. Trump has said he will ask for $1tn investment in the US.
During the Riyadh stop, Trump is expected to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth well over $100bn, sources told Reuters.
Tesla CEO and Trump adviser Elon Musk is also in Riyadh, where he is expected to speak at the Saudi-US Investment Forum.
Secretary of state and national security adviser Marco Rubio and defence secretary Pete Hegseth are also on the trip.
Trump is expected to address the Saudi-US Investment Forum later today – we’ll bring you all the key lines from that.
He will later attend a state banquet in Riyadh.
The tour will also see Trump visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Trump has said he will not be travelling to Israel but suggested he may travel to Turkey on Thursday for potential face-to-face talks between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trump has pushed back on criticism for accepting the gift of a $400m (£303m) plane from Qatar’s royal family to replace Air Force One. He claimed it would be “stupid” not to accept the gift. He has said it is “a very public and transparent transaction”.
Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the president has spoken with the released US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, who was released yesterday after 19 months in captivity in Gaza.
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Trump envoys to travel to Turkey for Russia-Ukraine talks - report
Reuters is reporting that Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg will travel to Istanbul to join potential Russia-Ukraine talks taking place on Thursday, citing three sources familiar with the plan. I’ll bring more detail on that as soon as we get it.
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Taking a brief step away from Trump’s Middle East visit, here is some other US news.
The US has announced it is cutting the tariff on small parcels sent from China and Hong Kong to the US from 120% to 54%, hours after Washington and Beijing agreed a 90-day pause in their trade war.
Donald Trump signed an executive order more than halving the levy, which was brought in at the start of this month to close the “de minimis” loophole allowing low-value goods to be sent to the US without paying any import fees.
The exemption – taken from the Latin phrase for “of little importance” – had meant items sent from abroad via post valued at up to $800 were able to enter the US duty-free and with minimal inspections. It fuelled the rise of fast fashion companies sending goods from China such as Shein and Temu.
Read the full report here:
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Trump has spoken to released US-Israeli hostage, US Middle East envoy says
In other US news, Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the president has spoken to the released US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander.
In a post on X, Witkoff wrote:
I was honored to meet Edan Alexander today and welcome him home. After months in captivity, the world is inspired by his courage and resilience. His return gives hope to so many. We also had the opportunity to speak with @POTUS, whose leadership made this possible. We remain committed to bringing every last hostage home.
Sam Altman and Elon Musk accompany Trump in Saudi Arabia
We have more images coming to us from the Royal Court’s ceremonial blue room, where business leaders, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, were in attendance.
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Here is a quick look at Trump’s schedule today.
He is expected to have lunch with CEOs. There will then be bilateral meetings and agreement signings, the BBC reports.
Trump is also scheduled to give an address at the Saudi-US Investment Forum.
Later, he will attend a state dinner in Riyadh.
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Here are some images coming to us over the wires.
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Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Elon Musk were seen chatting briefly during the reception in Riyadh, Reuters reports.
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Footage shows Trump speaking with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the ceremonial blue room, where he is meeting and greeting officials.
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Trump has just arrived at the Royal Court in Riyadh.
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US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE expected to announce major investments
More on what we could expect from Trump’s tour of the Middle East.
The US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE are expected to announce investments that could run into the trillions, Reuters reports.
Saudi Arabia already committed in January to $600bn in investments in the US over the next four years, but Trump has said he will ask for a full trillion.
Trump is expected to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth more than $100bn, sources told Reuters.
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Reuters has been reporting from the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh.
It said the event began with a video showing soaring eagles and falcons, celebrating the long history between the United States and the kingdom.
Larry Fink, the CEO of Blackrock, Stephen A Schwartzman, CEO of Blackstone, treasury secretary Scott Bessent, and Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan and Khalid were all present.
Speaking at a forum panel, Fink said he had visited Saudi Arabia more than 65 times over 20 years. He said the kingdom had been a follower when he first started visiting but was now “taking control” and broadening its economy out of its oil base.
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‘Just wildly illegal’: top Democrats push to censure Trump’s plan to accept Qatar jet
Top Democrats in the US Senate are pushing for a vote on the floor of the chamber censuring Donald Trump’s reported plan to accept a $400m luxury jet from the royal family of Qatar for use as Air Force One and later as a fixture in the Trump’s personal presidential library.
Four Democratic members of the Senate foreign relations committee said on Monday that they would press for a vote later this week. They said that elected officials, including the president, were not allowed to accept large gifts from foreign governments unless authorised to do so by Congress.
Cory Booker from New Jersey, Brian Schatz from Hawaii, Chris Coons from Delaware and Chris Murphy from Connecticut cast the reported gift of the Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a clear conflict of interest and a serious threat to national security.
“Air Force Once is more than just a plane – it’s a symbol of the presidency and of the United States itself,” the senators said in a joint statement. “No one should use public service for personal gain through foreign gifts.”
News of a possible gift of the luxury jet prompted immediate scathing criticism from senior Democrats. Though the Qatari government has stressed that no final decision has yet been made, Trump appeared to confirm it on Sunday when he commented on social media that the transfer was being made “in a very public and transparent transaction”.
Read the full report here:
Rubio joins Trump in meeting Saudi crown prince
President Trump was joined by US secretary of state Marco Rubio at the meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
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US President Donald Trump is also expected to be feted by Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with a formal dinner and a gathering of members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, later on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.
President Trump spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a coffee ceremony at the Royal Terminal of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Trump arrives in Riyadh for four-day Gulf tour focused on economic deals
US President Donald Trump has arrived in Saudi Arabia to kick off a four-day tour through the Gulf region, focusing on economic deals rather than the security crises ranging from war in Gaza to the threat of escalation over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Tesla CEO and Trump adviser Elon Musk, as well as business leaders including BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser are travelling with the president.
Secretary of state and national security adviser Marco Rubio and defence secretary Pete Hegseth are also among those on the trip.
Trump will first visit Riyadh, site of a Saudi-US Investment Forum, heading to Qatar on Wednesday and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
During the Riyadh stop, Trump is expected to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth well over $100 billion, sources told Reuters, which could include a range of advanced weapons, including C-130 transport aircraft.
In other developments:
Trump has said he will not be travelling to Israel but said he may travel to Turkey on Thursday for potential face-to-face talks between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trump has pushed back on criticism for accepting the gift of a $400m (£303m) plane from Qatar’s royal family to replace Air Force One. He claimed it would be “stupid” not to accept the gift. He has said it is “a very public and transparent transaction”.
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