The briefing for Saturday, May 16.

President Trump said Friday he would accept a 20-year suspension of Iran's nuclear program, appearing to confirm a shift from his previous demand for a permanent halt. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, Trump said the suspension must be 'a real 20 years' but did not elaborate on what guarantees would be required. Previously, he had called on Iran to permanently cease uranium enrichment and be prevented from ever acquiring nuclear weapons.

The comments represent Trump's first public acknowledgment of the 20-year timeframe, though U.S. media reported in April that Vice President JD Vance had proposed this duration during talks in Islamabad. Trump also said his patience with Iran was 'running out,' with no breakthrough in negotiations despite an ongoing ceasefire that began last month. Iranian media said Tehran's latest proposal included an immediate end to hostilities on all fronts, a halt to the U.S. naval blockade, and guarantees against further attacks—conditions Trump dismissed as inadequate.

The shift marks a significant change from Trump's first-term opposition to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which he withdrew from partly because of 'sunset clauses' allowing restrictions to expire over time. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted Iran's enriched uranium stockpile must be 'taken out' before the war can end, and Israel has not yet responded to Trump's latest remarks. Pakistan continues mediating between the sides, though both remain far apart with Iran still blocking the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. maintaining its naval blockade of Iranian ports.

President Trump said Friday he has 'made no commitment either way' on defending Taiwan, revealing that Chinese President Xi Jinping asked him directly during their Beijing summit whether the U.S. would come to the island's defense. Trump told reporters he responded, 'I don't talk about that,' and added he would 'make a determination over a fairly short period' on whether to proceed with previously announced U.S. arms sales to Taiwan that China has condemned.

The exchange highlights the delicate balance Trump is navigating between maintaining ties with Taiwan—a longstanding U.S. ally—and improving relations with Beijing. According to Trump, Xi 'feels very strongly' about Taiwan and 'doesn't want to see a movement for independence,' which Xi warned could lead to 'confrontation.' Trump said he 'heard him out' but made no comment, adding that he had 'a lot of respect' for the Chinese leader. When asked if he foresaw a conflict with China over Taiwan, Trump said 'No, I don't think so.'

The U.S. is bound by law to provide Taiwan with defensive capabilities, but successive administrations have maintained strategic ambiguity about whether American forces would intervene in a conflict. Trump's comments suggest that ambiguity may be shifting as he weighs the arms package against his broader relationship with Xi. Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said his government had been monitoring the summit and maintaining good communication with Washington 'to ensure the stable deepening of Taiwan-U.S. relations and safeguard Taiwan's interests.'

Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee announced Friday he is ending his reelection bid after Republicans enacted a new congressional map that carves up his majority-Black Memphis district. Cohen, who has represented the area for nearly two decades, said 'these districts were drawn to beat me' and warned that Tennessee would likely shift to an entirely Republican congressional delegation after November's midterm elections. He is challenging the redistricting in court and said he would reenter the race if that lawsuit succeeds.

Tennessee became the first state to pass new congressional maps after last month's Supreme Court ruling significantly weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities. Republicans in Louisiana, Alabama, and South Carolina have also taken steps toward redistricting. Cohen, one of the last white Democrats representing the South, has been a longtime member of the House Judiciary Committee focusing on voting access and civil rights, and is known for his colorful outbursts during congressional debates.

Cohen's forced exit marks an escalation in the redistricting battles sweeping the country as President Trump seeks to maintain a slim Republican majority in the House. Cohen lamented that an all-Republican Tennessee delegation could leave the state 'out of the loop' once Democrats regain the White House. His departure represents the first sitting congressman forced out by the post-Supreme Court redistricting wave, signaling potential upheaval for other Democratic-held districts in the South.

The Justice Department on Thursday accused Yale University's medical school of illegally considering race in admissions, marking the second such action this month against an elite university. In a letter to Yale's lawyers, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said a DOJ investigation found that Black and Hispanic students have 'much higher' admission chances than white or Asian students despite having lower GPAs and MCAT scores. The agency is seeking a voluntary resolution agreement with the school.

According to the DOJ, Black students in Yale's most recent incoming class had a median GPA of 3.88 and MCAT scores in the 95th percentile, compared to Asian students with a 3.98 median GPA and white students with 3.97. Both Asian and white students had median MCAT scores in the 100th percentile. The department cited Yale's use of a 'holistic admissions process' as a means to consider race, and noted that Yale's diversity outcomes remained unchanged after the 2023 Supreme Court ruling banning affirmative action—which the DOJ characterized as 'a willful failure to comply with that decision.'

Yale responded that it is 'confident in the rigorous admissions process we follow' and will review the Justice Department's letter. The university emphasized that admitted students 'demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and personal commitment.' The action follows last week's similar notification to UCLA's medical school and reflects the Trump administration's intensified pressure on universities to eliminate race-based admissions. A coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general filed suit in March challenging a Trump policy requiring higher education institutions to collect data proving they aren't considering race in admissions.

Africa's top health agency confirmed Friday a new Ebola outbreak in Congo's remote Ituri province, with 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths reported mainly in the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara near the Ugandan border. Uganda confirmed one imported case Friday after a 59-year-old Congolese man who died Thursday tested positive. Preliminary tests detected the virus in 13 of 20 samples analyzed, with sequencing ongoing to identify the specific strain—early results suggest a non-Zaire strain, differing from the virus prominent in Congo's past outbreaks.

The Africa CDC expressed concern about the high risk of further spread due to the urban settings of affected areas, mining-related population movements, and proximity to Uganda and South Sudan. The agency is convening an urgent coordination meeting Friday with health authorities from Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan to address immediate response priorities including cross-border surveillance, infection control, and resource mobilization. Ituri province has been under military rule since 2021 as authorities battle armed groups including the Islamic State-affiliated ADF.

This marks Congo's 17th Ebola outbreak since the disease was first discovered there in 1976. The country's deadliest outbreak from 2018 to 2020 killed nearly 2,300 people in the eastern region. Last year's outbreak in Kasai province ended after 43 deaths. Dr. Gabriel Nsakala, a public health professor involved in past responses, said Congo has high levels of expertise and existing infrastructure like laboratories, adding 'Now, the expertise and equipment need to be delivered quickly.' Logistical challenges remain significant given Congo's vast size and poor road networks, particularly in remote areas.

Israel and Lebanon agreed Friday to extend their shaky ceasefire by 45 days following two days of negotiations in Washington, the State Department announced. The extension comes despite continued deadly exchanges, with Lebanon's health ministry reporting that Israeli airstrikes killed 22 people including eight children across the south on Wednesday. The State Department said it will 'reconvene the political track of negotiations' in June, with military delegations meeting at the Pentagon on May 29.

The ceasefire, announced by President Trump on April 16, has been marked by almost daily reports of exchanges between Hezbollah and Israeli forces. Israel has intensified airstrikes in recent days, particularly in southern Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure while creating a buffer zone to thwart future attacks. Human rights groups say some Israeli tactics—including the destruction of entire villages similar to methods used in Gaza—could amount to war crimes, which Israel denies.

More than one million Lebanese people, amounting to one in five of the population, have been displaced from their homes since the conflict began on March 2, two days after the U.S. and Israel launched their joint attack on Iran. Most displaced people come from southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley, and Beirut's southern suburbs where Hezbollah holds sway. At least 2,896 people have been killed in Lebanon according to the health ministry, while Israeli authorities report 18 soldiers and four civilians killed over the same period.