Blog Verité

Bill Maher reveals Trump was ‘gracious and measured’ at White House meeting, says he’s not the man seen on TV  Fox News

White House moves Obama portrait for painting of Trump after assassination attempt  NBC News

Trump ‘optimistic’ China will make tariff deal, White House says  Fox Business

Trump excludes smartphones from reciprocal tariffs  Financial Times Smartphones and computers are now exempt from Trump’s latest tariffs  CNN Trump exempts smartphones and computers from new tariffs  The Indian Express Trump exempts phones, computers, chips from new tariffs  CNBC Trump Exempts Phones, Computers, Chips

Iran says “indirect talks” over the country’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme are under way with US officials.

US and Iran begin critical nuclear talks as Trump threatens war  CNN Iran says its foreign minister, Witkoff only spoke directly for ‘a few minutes’  The Times of Israel Iran, US hold high-level talks in Oman under shadow of regional tensions  Reuters Opinion

US and Iran begin critical nuclear talks as Trump threatens war  CNN U.S. and Iran begin indirect nuclear talks in Oman  Axios Iran says it doesn’t expect current round of talks with US to last ‘very long’  The Times of Israel Opinion |

Bessent Takes Tricky Center Stage as Trade Wars Roil U.S. Economy  The New York Times Bessent Has a ‘Grand Encirclement’ Plan for China  Bloomberg.com Bessent moves to center of Trump World  The Hill Bessent doesn’t rule out delisting Chinese stocks  Axios Wall Street’s Best

NPR’s Scott Simon takes a moment to remember Alice Tan Ridley, who busked in the New York City subways and reached the semi-finals of “America’s Got Talent.” (Image credit: Charles Sykes/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

By casting doubt on the world order, Donald Trump risks dragging the globe back into an era where great powers impose their imperial will on the weak, analysts warn. Russia wants Ukraine, China demands Taiwan and now the US president