Senator, Mississippi; Republican, longtime defense and judiciary committee member
The Senate has advanced the Lindsey Graham sanctions bill, with bipartisan support and a high-profile backdrop including Zelenskyy’s Washington visit. The package targets Russia’s energy sector and its so-called “shadow fleet,” while expanding sanctions to Iran. House passage remains uncertain as August recess looms.
The backlog at USCIS has surged to over 12.1 million people, with 5.6 million waiting six months or more for decisions on citizenship, residency, and work permits. A growing number of military families are being detained or deported as protections for service members’ relatives are rolled back across this period.
Ukraine has handed proposals to US negotiators for a plan to end the war with Russia. Zelenskyy states the US can strengthen Ukraine’s defences, especially air defences, to press Moscow toward peace. Kremlin leaders indicate willingness to negotiate only if Russia’s four claimed regions are fully ceded and root causes addressed. Separately, Washington reports a freed American detainee after a Russian decision to release on humanitarian grounds.
Xi Jinping’s state visit to the United States is underway, with a White House arrival ceremony and a state dinner planned. Leaders will discuss tariffs, AI, and rare earths, while business leaders attend the dinner. Upcoming talks will focus on trade, strategy, and diplomacy as the two powers navigate tensions.
President Donald Trump has hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a ceremonial state visit in Washington that has focused on pageantry rather than major agreements. The two leaders have extended a trade truce to January 10, held private talks, attended a state dinner with US tech executives and staged a rare tarmac greeting and military flyovers.
The White House has released a fact sheet from the Trump-Xi summit, announcing a U.S.-China Super Intelligence dialogue and a bilateral channel for SI incidents. The leaders plan a meeting by November, but sources say progress on AI breakthroughs remains limited and specifics are sparse.