Brent Falls To Pre-War Levels As Trump Contradicts Tehran On Hormuz Tolls, Nuclear Inspections

Xi Jinping Refocuses On Taiwan With Renewed Political Outreach China hosted a high-profile meeting between Xi Jinping and a senior Taiwanese opposition figure from the Kuomintang (KMT), marking a notable resumption of party-to-party engagement after years of limited direct contact, according to Nikkei Asia. The meeting was tightly choreographed, featuring an extended handshake, formal seating arrangements, and controlled media coverage. These elements were designed to convey parity and legitimacy, signaling that Beijing views engagement with Taiwan’s opposition as politically substantive. The KMT has historically supported closer economic and political ties with mainland...

CIA Director Pushed Trump-Putin-Zelensky Summit During Moscow Visit: Report Yet another take has been issued, and more alleged details, on CIA Director John Ratcliffe's Tuesday trip to Moscow, which took place amid great secrecy and still even days later has only been subject of immense speculation. Axios is reporting over the weekend that the CIA chief proposed a trilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky - when he met with top Kremlin intelligence officials but was not granted a direct meeting with Putin himself. NBC/Getty...

Consumers Face Fiscal-Cliff As Tax-Refund Sugar-High Fades Nearly two months of the national average gasoline price exceeding the politically sensitive $4-per-gallon level have left corporate America increasingly worried about consumer health this earnings season. Kraft Heinz's CEO warned that some households are "literally running out of money," while UBS analysts caution that even as the AI-linked chip and memory bubble inflates markets to new highs, there are growing "consumer cracks beneath the surface." The Financial Times reports that U.S. consumers may face a cash crunch this summer as Trump-era tax refund...