The briefing for Tuesday, May 12.

President Trump called the month-long U.S.-Iran ceasefire 'on massive life support' Monday after dismissing Iran's latest peace proposal as 'totally unacceptable.' Tehran's counteroffer, delivered through Pakistani mediators, demands an immediate end to hostilities, a halt to the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, guarantees against future attacks, and compensation for war damages. The proposal also emphasizes Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, where about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes.

Trump told reporters he 'didn't even finish reading' Iran's response, calling it 'a piece of garbage' and accusing Iranian leaders of being 'very dishonourable people' who 'change their mind.' According to unnamed U.S. officials cited by Axios, the original American proposal included a 14-point memorandum calling for suspension of Iranian nuclear enrichment, lifting of sanctions, and restoring free transit through Hormuz—with many terms contingent on a final agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added another complication, insisting Iran's enriched uranium stockpile must be 'taken out' and enrichment sites dismantled before the war can end.

As diplomatic efforts stall, the Treasury Department announced Monday it's mobilizing U.S. banks to monitor suspected Iranian money-laundering networks that smuggle sanctioned oil through shell companies and cryptocurrency channels. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network reported that oil firms linked to Iran conducted roughly $4 billion in transactions in 2024, while dozens of shipping companies processed about $707 million through U.S. accounts. The move effectively deputizes the global financial system to help disrupt Iran's sanctions-evasion infrastructure as the administration pursues an economic strategy to pressure Tehran alongside military operations that began February 28.

The Supreme Court cleared the way Monday for Alabama to eliminate one of two largely Black congressional districts before November's midterm elections, potentially handing Republicans an additional House seat in their battle to maintain control of the closely divided chamber. The decision follows an April ruling that struck down Louisiana's majority-Black district as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, significantly weakening the Voting Rights Act and providing momentum for Republican redistricting efforts across multiple Southern states.

Alabama lawmakers anticipated the ruling by recently passing legislation allowing them to void results from the May 19 primary in affected congressional districts and hold a new primary under revised boundaries. Governor Kay Ivey must now set a date for special primary elections, which must occur by August. Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, arguing that while the Voting Rights Act violation may be resolved, lower courts could still find Alabama intentionally discriminated against Black voters in violation of the 14th Amendment. The decision represents a setback for Black residents and advocacy groups who fought for years to secure a second district where Black voters could elect candidates of their choice.

The Alabama ruling is intensifying a nationwide redistricting battle that has created chaos across multiple states just weeks before primaries. In Louisiana, nearly 179,000 voters have already cast ballots that won't be counted after the governor suspended congressional primaries to allow map redrawing. Missouri's Supreme Court is hearing challenges Tuesday to new districts that opponents say violate state compactness requirements. South Carolina legislators are debating whether to eliminate their lone Democratic-held seat, while Mississippi prepares for a May 20 special session on redistricting. Republicans believe they could gain as many as 14 House seats from new maps across Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Tennessee, and now Alabama, while Democrats hope to pick up six seats from redistricting in California and Utah.

The Supreme Court issued an order Monday maintaining women's access to the widely used abortion pill mifepristone until at least Thursday while justices consider whether to allow restrictions on the drug to take effect. Justice Samuel Alito's order allows women to continue obtaining the pill at pharmacies or through the mail without an in-person doctor visit, temporarily blocking restrictions imposed by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that would have suspended telehealth and mail access.

The case stems from a lawsuit Louisiana filed to roll back FDA rules on how mifepristone can be prescribed, claiming the policy undermines the state's abortion ban and questioning the drug's safety despite repeated FDA determinations that it is safe and effective since its 2000 approval. Lower courts concluded Louisiana is likely to prevail in its challenge. The drug, most often used in combination with misoprostol, accounted for nearly two-thirds of all U.S. abortions in 2023. The dispute mirrors a 2023 case where the Supreme Court blocked similar 5th Circuit restrictions before ultimately dismissing the challenge on standing grounds.

The Trump administration has remained notably silent on the case, declining to file a written brief despite federal regulations being at issue. Mainstream medical groups, pharmaceutical companies, and Democratic lawmakers have warned the court that limiting mifepristone access would upend the drug approval process. The case puts Trump in a difficult political position between anti-abortion supporters and polling showing Americans generally support abortion rights. Both sides have interpreted the administration's silence as implicit endorsement of the appellate ruling that would restrict access to the medication.

President Trump departs Tuesday for Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in what could be the first of four meetings this year, bringing 17 top U.S. executives including Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, Tim Cook of Apple, and Larry Fink of BlackRock. The summit comes as both nations emphasize the importance of stability in their relationship, though few expect major breakthroughs on long-running frictions ranging from technology competition to Taiwan's status. The White House announced Sunday plans to discuss creating a new 'Board of Trade' to facilitate ongoing economic dialogue.

The most likely outcome is an extension of the trade truce reached last October in South Korea, when both sides halted punitive tariffs that had reached as high as 145%. China may announce plans to purchase American soybeans, beef, and Boeing airplanes as goodwill gestures. However, significant tensions remain unresolved. Trump authorized an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan in December—the largest weapons sale ever to the island—but has not moved forward with delivery and acknowledged discussing the sale with Xi. The president said Monday he expects Xi to ask him to hold back on arming Taiwan and indicated he's willing to 'have that discussion.'

Ending the Iran war will likely feature prominently, with Washington hoping Beijing will use its considerable leverage as the world's biggest buyer of Iranian oil to pressure Tehran toward agreement. China has joined Pakistan as a mediator and presented a five-point peace plan in March, though Trump has expressed frustration that Beijing hasn't done more. The administration recently sanctioned China-based firms for providing satellite imagery enabling Iranian military strikes and targeted Chinese refineries purchasing Iranian oil. Beijing responded by invoking a blocking statute prohibiting Chinese entities from complying with the sanctions. Despite these tensions, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi defended Iran's right to develop civilian nuclear energy during a meeting last week with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beijing.

Israeli lawmakers approved legislation Monday establishing a special tribunal with authority to sentence Palestinians convicted of participation in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack to death, with trials to be livestreamed from a Jerusalem courtroom. The measure passed 93-0 in the 120-seat Knesset, reflecting widespread support for punishing those responsible for the deadliest attack in Israeli history that killed some 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken to Gaza. The remaining 27 lawmakers were absent or abstained from voting.

The bill creates a special legal framework separate from regular criminal courts, with defendants able to appeal only to a separate special appeals court rather than standard appellate procedures. Judges can impose the death penalty by majority vote rather than requiring unanimity. Key moments including opening statements, verdicts, and sentencing will be filmed and broadcast on a dedicated website, drawing comparisons to the 1962 televised trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann—the last time Israel carried out a death sentence by hanging.

Human rights groups including Hamoked, Adalah, and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel criticized the law as making capital punishment too easy to impose while abandoning fair trial safeguards. They warned the livestreaming risks turning proceedings into spectacles before guilt is established and raised concerns about evidence reliability, saying confessions may have been extracted through harsh interrogation methods. According to the Public Committee Against Torture, Israel currently holds about 1,300 Palestinians from Gaza without charge, not including those suspected of October 7 involvement. The legislation is separate from a March law approving the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis in future cases, which the international community condemned as discriminatory.

The United States has been conducting regular high-level negotiations with Denmark to expand its military presence in Greenland, with talks progressing in recent months toward opening three new bases in the southern part of the territory, according to multiple officials familiar with the discussions. The bases would primarily focus on surveillance of Russian and Chinese maritime activity in the GIUK Gap—the strategic area between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom—as both sides work to resolve a diplomatic crisis sparked when President Trump threatened in January to seize Greenland by force.

U.S. officials have proposed an arrangement where the new military bases would be formally designated as U.S. sovereign territory, according to sources with knowledge of the negotiations. One base would likely be located in Narsarsuaq on the site of a former U.S. installation that housed a small airport, with other bases also expected on sites with existing infrastructure such as airfields or ports to reduce construction costs. The talks have been led by State Department official Michael Needham, who meets regularly with Denmark's ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen and Greenland's top diplomat Jacob Isbosethsen. The teams have met at least five times since mid-January.

A White House official told the BBC the administration is 'very optimistic' the talks are headed in the right direction, though no formal agreement has been reached and the final number of bases could change. Denmark's foreign ministry confirmed talks are ongoing but declined to provide details. Despite Trump's January rhetoric about the U.S. needing to 'own' Greenland and his suggestion it could happen 'the easy way or the hard way,' U.S. officials have not raised the possibility of seizing control during negotiations—something both Denmark and NATO have publicly rejected. The diplomatic effort has progressed quietly while the administration has been consumed by the Iran war, with Trump's Greenland envoy Ken Howery not directly involved in the detailed negotiations.