Trump In China, Hegseth Requests Wartime Budget, FDA Commissioner Resigns

May 13, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

President Trump has arrived in Beijing for a summit with China's Xi Jinping amid fragile trade relations, while the Pentagon updates costs for the ongoing war with Iran and requests a record defense budget, and the FDA's commissioner resigns after a contentious tenure. These developments highlight tensions in U.S.-China economic ties, military spending pressures, and regulatory upheaval.

Trump-Xi Summit Amid Trade Standoff

Air Force One landed in Beijing as Trump met Xi in the Great Hall of the People, a massive venue symbolizing China's emphasis on being treated as a peer power. Expectations for the brief summit are low, but much is at stake: Trump launched tariffs on Chinese exports and export controls on U.S. high-tech goods last year, prompting Chinese retaliation and stalling a "phase one" deal. Trump brought CEOs from Boeing, Cargill, and Nvidia—firms eager to resume sales to China.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:02) **Trump Arrives in Beijing** - President Trump lands for summit with Xi Jinping amid trade tensions
2 (02:16) **Trade Summit CEOs and Expectations** - Trump brings U.S. corporate leaders like Boeing, Cargill, Nvidia to boost sales to China
3 (03:23) **On-Site Bike Tour to Great Hall** - Reporters rent bikes near Forbidden City to approach summit venue
4 (04:34) **U.S. Demands and Chinese Leverage** - Trump seeks resumed purchases of U.S. goods to rebalance trade
5 (06:00) **Iran War Costs Rise to $29 Billion** - Pentagon updates Congress; excludes facility repairs estimated at $4B more by CSIS
6 (07:17) **Record $1.5T Wartime Defense Budget** - Hegseth pitches as reversal of underinvestment for warfighters
7 (07:56) **Democrats Grill Pentagon on Management** - Rep. Betty McCollum questions handling of prior $1T allocation

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Show Notes

President Trump is in Beijing today meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping, with American manufacturers hoping for tariff relief even as the war in Iran looms over the high-stakes summit.
The Pentagon told Congress they estimate the war in Iran has cost $29 billion dollars so far. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked for $1.5 trillion dollars for next year’s Pentagon budget.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary has resigned after thirteen months on the job, with the final straw being White House pressure to approve flavored vapes, something he refused to do.

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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Miguel Macias, Jason Breslow, Kris Husted, Mohamad El-Bardicy and John Stolnis.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas Our director is Christopher Thomas.

We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis.

And our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.

(0:00) Introduction
(01:57) Trump In China
(05:40) Hegseth Requests Wartime Budget
(09:26) FDA Commissioner Resigns

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