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Live updates: Trump’s meeting with Syria’s new president could mark a turning point for the Mideast
Read the latest news on President Donald Trump and his administration | May 14, 2025
President Donald Trump arrived in Qatar on Wednesday, where he was
greeted by the country’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim Al Thani,
as he kicked off the second leg of his three-nation Middle East tour
this week.
President Donald Trump met with interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, the first encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years and one that could mark a turning point for the region as Syria struggles to emerge from decades of international isolation.
The meeting marks a major turn of events for a Syria still adjusting to life after the over 50-year, iron-gripped rule of the Assad family, and for its new leader, who once had a $10 million U.S. bounty for his arrest.
What to know:
- Trump praises Qatar’s ruling emir as an ‘outstanding man': Trump said Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim Al Thani reminded him of the Saudi crown prince. He called them both “tall, handsome guys that happen to be very smart” — the latest display of warm relations between the president and his Gulf Arab hosts.
- Iran is a major Trump talking point: Trump told Gulf leaders on Wednesday he urgently wants “to make a deal” with Iran to wind down its nuclear program but Tehran must end its support of proxy groups throughout the region as part of any potential agreement.
- Trump doubles down on plane gift: In an interview with Fox News aboard Air Force One, Trump defended his efforts to accept a donated replacement plane from Qatar, which is the second stop on his Middle East trip. Democrats say accepting the $400 million jet is a national security threat.
WATCH: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives in Turkey ahead of Russia-Ukraine talks
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Turkey Wednesday ahead of the ceasefire talks between Ukraine and Russia set to take place the next day. It remains unclear whether U.S. President Donald Trump or Russian President Vladimir Putin will be in attendance, although Trump said earlier on Wednesday he doesn’t think Putin will go to Turkey for the talks with Ukraine unless he also goes.
California judge issues protections for international students suing over visa revocations
U.S. Judge Jeffrey S. White in Oakland blocked the Trump administration from arresting, detaining or transferring about two dozen international students whose legal status was abruptly terminated as part of a national crackdown.
White said he is pondering a national injunction that would apply to all international students. Judges in other parts of the U.S. have ordered similar protections for individual plaintiffs.
At least 4,700 international students had their visa records terminated en masse in early April by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, often without notification to the students or to their schools.
ICE then reversed course and began reinstating students’ visa records in a government database that maintains their legal status.
World Cup goes from Qatar to the US
Following the state dinner, a brief ceremony was held for the World Cup soccer tournament. After being hosted by Qatar in 2022, the next one will be in the U.S. in 2026.
Trump held aloft a ball from the last tournament, which he signed along with Al Thani.
Smart politics or a publicity stunt? The man behind the latest effort to impeach Donald Trump
Second-term U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar of Michigan has introduced seven articles of impeachment against the Republican president, which are all but certain to fail.
Thanedar, who represents a safely Democratic Detroit-area district, is facing multiple primary challengers for a second time as some Democrats seek to shake up the party following the 2024 election.
Adrian Hemond, a Michigan-based political strategist, said the impeachment effort is likely to drive fundraising and mobilize support for Thanedar’s primary race, even as it is destined to fail. The move may also be an attempt to “box out” Thanedar’s primary challengers from media attention early in the race, he said.
“So it’s smart politics for him,” Hemond said.
▶ Read more about Thanedar and his effort to impeach Trump
Qatar seeks end to bloodshed in Gaza
Al Thani, the emir of Qatar, asked Trump to use American pressure to bring peace to Gaza, where Israel has renewed its military operations.
Qatar has been an important stage for negotiations, and it has served as an intermediary for Hamas.
Al Thani also told Trump that he worried about him during last year’s assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“I prayed for your recovery and your safety,” he said.
Trump says he doesn’t want ‘violent’ approach to Iran
While attending the state dinner, the president repeated his desire for a peaceful resolution to Iran’s nuclear program and suggested the ball is in Tehran’s court.
“The non-friendly is a violent course and I don’t want that.” He added that “it’s their decision.”
He urged Qatar to help reach an agreement.
“It’s a perilous situation, and we want to do the right thing,” he said. “We want to do something that’s going to save maybe millions of lives. Because things like that get started and they get out of control.”
Trump, joined by first lady, plans to sign bill addressing nonconsensual deepfakes and ‘revenge porn’ on Monday
The president and his wife, Melania, are set to host a signing ceremony in the White House Rose Garden, a White House official said.
The first lady traveled to the Capitol in March to lobby Congress to pass the Take It Down Act.
The House sent the bill to the White House on April 28 for the president’s signature.
After Trump signs the measure into law, it will become a federal crime to knowingly publish or threaten to publish such imagery without a person’s consent. Websites and social media companies also would have 48 hours to remove such material after a victim requests it.
The White House official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss scheduling decisions not yet announced.
Kennedy says he is reversing layoffs of about 330 NIOSH employees
At a Congressional hearing on Wednesday, Kennedy said he is rescinding the terminations of about 330 employees of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
About 850 of the agency’s roughly 1,000 employees were laid off by the Trump administration, according to estimates from a union and affected employees.
Earlier this week, a judge in West Virginia ordered that jobs be restored within NIOSH’s respiratory health division in Morgantown, although her ruling didn’t specify a number.
Kennedy said that of the 330 people being reinstated, about a third work in Morgantown, a third work at a NIOSH site in Cincinnati and a third work in a World Trade Center Health Program that has staff in several locations.
Oxfam America urges Trump to make a deal that saves lives in Gaza
The Head of Oxfam America said that as Trump travels to the region, starvation is expanding across Gaza, with children hardest hit.
Abby Maxman said the humanitarian response is at a “virtual standstill” because of Israel’s over monthslong blockade of aid and essential goods.
She called on Trump to focus on securing a full and permanent ceasefire, ending the siege on Gaza, and securing safe access for humanitarian aid.
Judge temporarily blocks cancellation of $3.2M in grants for American Bar Association
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper’s ruling came after the legal group filed a lawsuit alleging the Justice Department had retaliated against it by canceling grants for its Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence.
The grants cancellation came shortly after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a memo barring department employees from participating in ABA-sponsored events during work time, noting that the legal group had recently sued the federal government. The department had said the grants no longer aligned with its priorities.
The judge said the ABA would likely succeed on the merits of its lawsuit, though he said his order does not bar the department from canceling the grants for “permissible and truly nonretalitatory reasons.”
Education coalition condemns Trump’s campaign against universities
Dozens of higher education organizations are taking a stand against the Trump administration’s attacks on prestigious universities, calling on the government to “reforge” its ties with academia.
In a Wednesday statement, more than 50 groups said the nation suffers when research grants are “held hostage for political reasons and without due process.” It said all Americans benefit from the technology and medical advances produced through the government’s partnership with colleges.
The groups implore the government to respect colleges’ autonomy over their campuses. The signers include the American Council on Education, which represents hundreds of university presidents.
The Trump administration has cut research funding at Harvard, Columbia and other universities, framing it as an effort to root out antisemitism.
That’s a wrap
After nearly an hour of shaking hands, the receiving line was over. Trump and Al Thani are now participating in a state dinner at the Lusail Palace.
The president seemed impressed by the building. “Nice house!” he exclaimed.
Reader question: Why is Trump’s meeting with Ahmad al-Sharaa a big deal?
Hey, Jose. Thanks for the question. The meeting between Trump and interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa was the first encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years and one that could mark a turning point for Syria as it struggles to emerge from decades of international isolation.
AP reporters Zeke Miller, Jon Gambrell and Aamer Madhani wrote about the meeting. Here’s some of their reporting:
The meeting, on the sidelines of Trump’s get-together with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, marks a major turn of events for a Syria still adjusting to life after the over 50-year, iron-gripped rule of the Assad family, and for its new leader, who once had a $10 million U.S. bounty for his arrest.People across Syria cheered in the streets and set off fireworks on Tuesday night to celebrate, hopeful their nation — locked out of credit cards and global finance — might rejoin the world’s economy when they need investments the most.
The Trump-al-Sharaa meeting took place behind closed doors. The White House later said it ran for just over 30 minutes, making al-Sharaa the first Syrian leader to meet an American president since Hafez Assad met Bill Clinton in Geneva in 2000.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined the meeting between Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and al-Sharaa via a phone call. Turkey was a main backer to al-Sharaa and his rebel faction.
Sanctions have touched every part of the Syrian economy
U.S. sanctions — along with similar measures by other countries — have led to shortages of goods from fuel to medicine, and made it difficult for humanitarian agencies to operate fully.
Companies around the world struggle to export to Syria, and Syrians struggle to import goods of any kind because nearly all financial transactions with the country are banned. That has led to a blossoming black market of smuggled goods.
Experts say it will take time, and the process for lifting the sanctions is unclear. But Trump’s decision to ease sanctions could bring much-needed investment to the country.
▶ Read more about sanctions on Syria
Loud protesters interrupt RFK Jr. hearing, causing secretary to jump
Screams of “RFK kills people with AIDS” erupted during Kennedy’s opening statements to a Senate committee on Wednesday.
Dozens of federal health workers and offices dedicated to HIV/AIDS research have been shuttered under Kennedy’s watch.
Kennedy was delivering remarks about the agency’s proposed budget when several women began screaming, causing him to jump from his chair. U.S. Capitol Police escorted the disrupters out.
“That was a made for C-SPAN moment,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Republican chair of the committee.
The receiving line was continuing nearly an hour after it started
Top administration officials, including Pete Hegseth, Scott Bessent and Susie Wiles, were there. So was Chris Ruddy, the founder of Newsmax, and Kelly Ortberg, the Boeing chief executive who had earlier in the day signed a deal to sell planes to Qatar.
A long receiving line
Trump stood with Al Thani to greet a procession of guests at the dinner. The line stretched down a palace hallway. Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and a top adviser to the president, was one of the attendees.
US warns against helping Yemen’s Houthi rebels
The United States says it will pursue sanctions against any country, group or person that provides fuel, war material or other resources to Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Last week, Trump announced that the U.S. would halt its strikes on the Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group that agreed to stop its attacks on American vessels in the Red Sea.
Acting U.S. ambassador Dorothy Shea told a U.N. Security Council meeting on Wednesday that Iran has enabled Houthi attacks “with military, logistical, and intelligence support.”
“This council must not tolerate Iranian defiance of its resolutions and should impose consequences on sanctions violators using the tools at its disposal,” she said.
Trump arrives for Qatari state dinner
The presidential motorcade has pulled up at the Lusail Palace outside the capital of Doha. There were palm trees and flags for the U.S. and Qatar, plus about two dozen camels.
Judge says Georgetown student can be released from immigration detention as case proceeds
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered that a Georgetown scholar from India be released from immigration detention after he was detained in the Trump administration’s crackdown on foreign college students.
Khan Suri was arrested by masked, plainclothes officers on March 17 outside his apartment complex in Arlington, Virginia. Officials said his visa was revoked because of his social media posts and his wife’s connection to Gaza as a Palestinian American. They accused him of supporting Hamas, which the U.S. has designated as a terrorist organization.
By the time Khan Suri’s petition was filed, authorities had already put him on a plane to Louisiana without allowing him to update his family or lawyer, Khan Suri’s attorneys said. A few days later, he was moved to Texas.
JUST IN: A federal judge says Georgetown student Badar Khan Suri can be released from immigration detention as his case proceeds
Would RFK Jr. vaccinate his kids today?
Kennedy said he would “probably” vaccinate his children against measles today, if given the option.
Rep. Mark Pocan, a Democrat of Wisconsin, questioned Kennedy during the House hearing on his proposed budget for the nation’s health department, which would cut billions of dollars from infectious disease, medical research, maternal health and preschool programs.
After giving his answer, Kennedy demurred, saying he doesn’t want to seem like he’s dispensing advice. And he would not directly answer whether he’d vaccinate his kids against chickenpox or polio.
“My opinions about vaccines are irrelevant,” Kennedy said. The health department will eventually “lay out the pros and cons” of vaccines in guidance, he said.
Trump sees a lot to like in the Middle East
For a former real estate developer with flamboyant tastes, this week’s trip has been a tantalizing glimpse at the wealth of his oil-rich hosts.
Trump has marveled at the “perfecto” marble in Qatar and praised the “gleaming marvels” in Saudi Arabia. He’s also groused about the “much less impressive” plane that serves as Air Force One.
The president’s envy will likely fuel his plans to upgrade the White House, which he’s talked about renovating and expanding.
▶ Read more about Trump’s reactions to his Arab hosts’ wealth
RFK Jr.'s attends first Senate hearing as health secretary
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is making first appearances as health secretary before Congress — the House appropriations committee Wednesday morning and Senate health committee in the afternoon.
Senators have questions about the thousands of job he’s eliminated at the $1.7 trillion Department of Health and Human Services, the steep cuts he’s made to vaccination campaigns and his response to a measles outbreak that’s sickened 1,000 people.
His agency’s budget request includes a $500 million boost for his “Make America Healthy Again” initiative to promote nutrition and healthier lifestyles while deeply cutting infectious disease prevention, maternal health and preschool programs. Kennedy is sharing “his vision on how HHS’ transformation will improve health outcomes, eliminate redundancies to save the American taxpayer, and streamline operations to improve efficiency and service,” an agency statement says.
▶ Read more on Kennedy’s return to Capitol Hill
Syrian leader told visiting congressman he was open to negotiating normal relations with Israel
Al-Sharaa told a visiting Republican congressman last month in Damascus that he was “open” to negotiating a normalization of relations between Syria and Israel.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman, an Indiana Republican, also asked the interim Syrian leader about signing an Abraham accord, pushed by the United States to normalize relations between Arab nations and Israel.
Al-Sharaa responded that “after some negotiations, he would be open to the Abraham accords,” Stutzman recounted Wednesday by phone.
Al-Sharaa’s overriding goal was a free and unified Syria, with hopes of rebuilding its damaged economy through tourism, trade and commerce, Stutzman said.
“We have to watch day to day, and see what his actions are,” the congressman said.
House Democrats say Congress would have to approve Trump’s acceptance of free Air Force One
House Democratic lawmakers are urging Republicans to schedule a vote if Trump accepts a free Air Force One replacement from Qatar.
Rep. Ted Lieu, vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, argued that congressional approval is required.
“People need to ask: Why is a foreign country trying to give this massive gift to Donald Trump?” Lieu said. “Think about the precedent it would set.”
Trump has stressed that the plane would initially be donated to the Defense Department. After his term ends, he says it would be donated to a future presidential library.
US House Speaker: Trump’s plans for Qatar plane are ‘not my lane’
Mike Johnson declined to weigh in on Trump’s plans to accept a free plane from Qatar to replace Air Force One.
“It’s not my lane,” the Republican leader said at a Wednesday news conference, although he later said he believes the emoluments clause doesn’t apply because the gift would go to the country, not to Trump himself.
Johnson said that he’s “not following all of the twists and turns” of the process as he focuses on passing a budget reconciliation bill.
Some tech stocks rise amid Mideast dealmaking
Super Micro Computer surged 12.7% Wednesday after signing a partnership agreement with Saudi Arabian data center company DataVolt.
The benchmark S&P 500 index that sits at the center of many 401(k) accounts has erased all its losses since Trump escalated his global trade war and is back to within 4.2% of its all-time high set in February.
Trump has delayed his most severe tariffs against America’s trading partners, but some import taxes remain and uncertainty continues to hang over businesses and consumers. The on-again-off-again nature of Trump’s trade policy has left companies unable to plan ahead and consumers nervous about spending.
Ask AP a question
Trump administration rescinds curbs on AI chip exports
A Biden-era rule due to take effect Thursday would have limited the number of artificial intelligence chips that could be exported to certain international markets — including Middle Eastern countries Trump is visiting this week — without federal approval.
The rule sorted more than 100 countries into tiers of export restrictions. “These new requirements would have stifled American innovation and saddled companies with burdensome new regulatory requirements,” the Commerce Department stated in its guidance.
Other nations and U.S. chipmakers Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices were opposed. Microsoft President Brad Smith told the Senate this week that the rule sent “a message to 120 nations that they couldn’t necessarily count on us to provide the AI they want and need.”
White House reveals more details on Trump’s meeting with Syria’s new leader
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s statement says Trump urged al-Sharaa to:
- diplomatically recognize Israel
- “tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria”
- help the U.S. stop any resurgence of the Islamic State group
- assume responsibility for over a dozen detention centers holding some 9,000 suspected Islamic State members
These prisons are run by U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led forces who agreed last month that all border crossings with Iraq and Turkey, airports and oil fields in the Northeast would be brought under the central government’s control by the end of the year.
Trump’s desire for Syria to take over the prisons also signals the potential of a full American military withdrawal from Syria.
Trump praises his Qatari host as an ‘outstanding man’
The U.S. president lavished compliments on Al Thani as they signed economic and defense agreements.
Trump said the Qatari leader reminds him of the Saudi crown prince, who he had just visited. He called them both “tall, handsome guys that happen to be very smart.”
Pen to paper
Trump and Al Thani sat next to each other for the signing of a number of agreements:
- The first had Qatar buying airplanes from Boeing, the American aerospace company whose chief executive attended the event.
- Next up was a defense deal and the purchase of military drones.
- The final cooperation agreement was signed by Trump and Al Thani themselves.
Trump said it was the largest order of jets in the company history, worth over $200 billion.
Trump denies knowledge of $2 billion crypto deal with his family company
Eric Trump attended a recent cryptocurrency conference in the United Arab Emirates with Zach Witkoff, a founder of the Trump family crypto company, World Liberty Financial, and son of Trump’s do-everything envoy to the Mideast, Steve Witkoff.
During the conference, a state-backed investment company in Abu Dhabi announced it had chosen USD, World Liberty Financial’s stablecoin, to back a $2 billion investment in Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Critics say that allows Trump family-aligned interests to essentially take a cut of each dollar invested.
“I don’t know anything about it,” Trump said when asked by reporters about the transaction on Wednesday.
Eric and Donald Jr. traveled the Mideast ahead of Trump’s tour
It’s not just the “gesture” of a $400 million luxury plane that President Donald Trump says he’s smart to accept from Qatar. It’s not even that the Trump family has fast-growing business ties in the Middle East that offer the potential of vast profits.
It’s the combination of these things and more — deals between a family whose patriarch oversees the U.S. government and a region whose leaders are fond of currying favor through money and lavish gifts — that’s raising concerns about their impact on U.S. policy.
Before Trump began his visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, his sons Eric and Donald Jr. traveled the Middle East extensively in recent weeks, drumming up business for The Trump Organization. Eric Trump announced plans for an 80-story Trump Tower Dubai in the UAE’s largest city.
White House bristled at conflict of interest concerns
Asked before this trip if Trump might meet with people tied to his family’s business, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it’s “ridiculous” to “suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit.”
“The president is abiding by all conflict of interest laws,” she said.
Administration officials have brushed off such concerns that Trump’s policy decisions could bleed into his family business interests, noting that Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children. A voluntary ethics agreement also bars The Trump Organization from striking deals directly with foreign governments, but unlike during his first term, allows deals with private companies abroad.
“The president is a successful businessman,” Leavitt said, “and I think, frankly, that it’s one of the many reasons that people reelected him back to this office.”
▶ Read more about Trump’s business connections in the Mideast
Israel’s PM slams French president’s criticism of blocking aid into Gaza
Benjamin Netanyahu said Emmanuel Macron is echoing “despicable propaganda” from Hamas. He accused Macron of “demanding that Israel surrender and reward terrorism.”
Macron had called Netanyahu’s decision to prevent all aid including food and medications from entering the Palestinian territory a “disgrace.”
Gaza’s 2.3 million people rely almost entirely on outside aid to survive and now face famine. Nearly half a million Palestinians could starve while 1 million others can barely get enough food, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises.
Netanyahu’s statement Wednesday said Macron had “once again chosen to stand with a murderous Islamist terrorist organization” while Israel fights “for its very existence” following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
Dealmaking while the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act is suspended
“It sounds good on paper but in practicality, it’s a disaster,” Trump said in February when he signed an executive order freezing enforcement of the law. “It’s going to mean a lot more business for America.”
Supporters see this law as an undeniable force for good in a corrupt world, a groundbreaking anti-bribery statute that has brought powerful businessmen to heel for secretly paying off foreign government officials to win contracts abroad.
Detractors say it unfairly hobbled American companies while foreign rivals, not so encumbered, swooped in.
▶ Read more on Trump’s suspension of this law
Trump to sign agreements with Qatar’s leader
Trump’s dealmaking in Qatar comes amid controversy over the country’s offer — which Trump said he’d accept — of a luxury Boeing 747-8 that the U.S. could use as Air Force One.
Qatar has also played a central role in pay-to-play-style scandals around the globe:
- Israeli authorities are investigating allegations that Qatar hired close advisers to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch PR campaigns to improve the Gulf nation’s image among Israelis.
- Two European Union lawmakers were accused of taking money from Doha in a scandal dubbed “Qatar-gate.”
- U.S. prosecutors in 2020 accused Qatar of bribing FIFA executive committee members to secure the tournament in 2022.
- In 2024, RTX Corp., the defense contractor formerly known as Raytheon, agreed to pay more than $950 million to resolve allegations that it defrauded the U.S. government and paid bribes to secure business with Qatar. Doha always has denied wrongdoing.
▶ Read more about today’s developments during Trump’s Mideast tour
Trump admires “perfecto” marble
Trump sat down with Al Thani for a brief meeting at the beginning of his visit, and the U.S. president marveled at the government palace.
“As a construction person, I’m seeing perfect marble,” said the former real estate developer. Trump described it as “perfecto.”
Trump also thanked Qatar for the ceremonial greeting, including an escort of riders on camelback.
“I haven’t seen camels like that in a long time,” he said.
A hug for Witkoff
Trump and the Qatari emir walked down a receiving line of representatives from each country at the Amiri Diwan, the government palace.
While Al Thani shook hands with U.S. officials, he had a warmer greeting for Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy who has played a key role in Middle East negotiations. They clasped hands and pulled each other in for an embrace.
In Saudi footsteps...
Just like the Saudi crown prince greeted him yesterday on landing in Riyadh, Trump was greeted at the airport in Doha by Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim Al Thani.
Trump describes Syria’s new leader: ‘Pretty amazing’
Trump praised Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a onetime insurgent leader who spent years imprisoned after being captured in Iraq.
He’s a “young, attractive guy,” Trump said about his impressions after meeting al-Sharaa earlier today.
“Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter.”
Trump also said he thought al-Sharaa has “got a real shot at holding it together.”
He added: “I think he’s got the potential to do — he’s a real leader. He led a charge and he’s pretty amazing.”
Trump lands in Qatar
Trump has landed in Qatar, the second leg of his Middle East trip.
He is to attend a state dinner in the gas-rich, autocratic nation that is under scrutiny for potentially looking to gift Trump a luxury plane.
Political parties are banned and speech is tightly controlled in the country, which is run by its emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
The 44-year-old sheikh took power in June 2013 when his father stepped down.
Qatari jets escort Air Force One
Qatari F-15 fighter jets provided an honorary escort to Air Force One as Trump was flying into the country, according to video posted by the White House.
It was a repeat of Tuesday’s escort by Saudi Arabian fighter jets which was a high-profile move without recent precedent.
No clue on stablecoin, Trump says
Trump says he “doesn’t know” how an Emirati investment firm chose a stablecoin launched by one of his businesses for a $2 billion investment.
“I don’t know anything about it,” Trump says when asked by reporters about the transaction.
A state-backed investment company in Abu Dhabi announced it had chosen USD, World Liberty Financial’s stablecoin, to back a $2 billion investment in Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.
Critics say that allows Trump family-aligned interests to essentially take a cut of each dollar invested.
Trump says he told Netanyahu about plans on Syria sanctions ahead of time
Trump says that he informed Israel of his plans to ease sanctions on Syria — a move opposed by Netanyahu’s government — before he announced the move.
“We told them we’re doing it,” Trump tells reporters on Air Force One.
The move was pushed by the Saudi crown prince and Turkey’s Erdogan, Trump said, saying of Syria’s government, “it gives them a much better chance of survival as a country.”
Is Putin leading Trump on?
Trump says he’ll know more in a few days if Putin is just leading him on about Moscow’s openness to negotiations to end its war on Ukraine.
Trump was asked aboard Air Force One if he believed Putin was just “tapping” him, as he suggested earlier this month.
“I’ll let you know in a few days,” Trump said in response.
Trump says Putin may not go to Turkey without US president also there
Trump says he doesn’t think Russian President Vladimir Putin will go to Istanbul for ceasefire talks with Ukraine tomorrow unless he also goes.
Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One as he was flying from Saudi Arabia to Qatar.
“I don’t know if he would be there if I’m not there,” Trump said of Putin.
He noted his schedule for Thursday is “all booked out” with a state visit in Qatar, set to include an engagement with U.S. troops in the region.
Trump didn’t categorically rule out visiting Turkey, but said he planned to send Secretary of State Marco Rubio in his stead.
Gaza’s death toll from Israeli strikes rises to at least 60
The Gaza Health Ministry says that over 60 people were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza overnight and early on Wednesday morning.
In addition to strikes in Jabaliya, northern Gaza, that killed more than 50 people, including 22 children, additional strikes killed at least 10 people in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to the European Hospital.
Overnight in Jabaliya, rescue workers smashed through collapsed concrete slabs using hand tools, lit only by the light of cellphone cameras, to remove bodies of some of the children who were killed.
PHOTOS: Saudi Arabia, Syria’s al-Sharaa and meeting the Gulf Cooperation Council
PHOTOS: Saudi Arabia, Syria’s al-Sharaa and meeting the Gulf Cooperation Council
A fist shake before leaving for Qatar
The Saudi crown prince rode with Trump in his armored limo known as “The Beast” to King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
There, Trump got out and said goodbye to the prince and others before climbing the steps to Air Force One.
Trump turned, did a fist shake and pointed to the prince, who covered his heart, smiled and nodded at the bottom of the stairs.
Trump will now fly to Qatar.
WATCH: Trump meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa
U.S. President Donald Trump met Wednesday with Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the first such encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years. The meeting, on the sidelines of Trump get-together with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, marks a major turn of events for a Syria still adjusting to life after the over 50-year, iron-gripped rule of the Assad family.
Why not lift sanctions on Iran?
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed displeasure at Trump’s announcement about the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria.
Araghchi, who is Iran’s nuclear negotiator, slammed Trump as having a “very deceitful viewpoint.”
“What he stated about the hope of regional nations for a progressive, flourishing path, is the same path that people of Iran decided through their revolution,” Araghchi said.
“It was the U.S. that blocked progress of Iranian nation through sanctions for more than 40 years as well as its pressures, military and nonmilitary threats,” he added.
Trump dives into Mideast crises in speech to Gulf Arab leaders
Trump told the Gulf Arab leaders meeting in Riyadh today that he wanted to secure a deal that would prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
He also said he hoped for a “future of safety and dignity of the Palestinian people” but not with Gaza’s current leaders, Hamas, who he said “delight in raping, torturing and murdering innocent people.”
U.S. sanctions relief for Syria would “give them a fresh start” Trump said.
Trump also touched on U.S. politics, making sure to mention his victory in the 2024 election, which he called historic. He said the Biden administration “created havoc and bedlam.”
Will Syria’s new leader recognize Israel?
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later says that Trump urged Syria’s al-Sharaa to “do a great job for the Syrian people.”
The U.S. president also asked him to diplomatically recognize Israel, “tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria” and help the U.S. stop any resurgence of the Islamic State group.
Trump also asked for the Syrian government to “assume responsibility” for detention centers holding militants from the Islamic State group.
For his part, al-Sharaa expressed hope that Syria would serve as a critical link in facilitating trade between East and West, and “invited American companies to invest in Syrian oil and gas,” Leavitt wrote.
Photos show Trump meeting with Syrian leader
Photos have surfaced of Trump’s meeting with Syria’s leader even after U.S. journalists were locked out of the venue.
The source of the photos wasn’t immediately known — though Syrian activists and others shared them and local Saudi-owned media publishing some.
The photos show Syria’s Ahmad al-Sharaa shaking hands with the Saudi crown prince, with Trump standing behind them.
The three leaders later posed for a photo, with Trump smiling broadly.
Trump poses for photos with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council
President Donald Trump, fifth left, attends a group photo session with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, fourth right, with United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, second right, Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, left, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, third left, Kuwait’s Crown Prince Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, second left, Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, right, during the GCC Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Trump is meeting with leaders from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council. The group which includes Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Trump stood beside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, ignored a reporter’s question shouted at him about his meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa just an hour earlier.
The U.S. flag and flags of the GCC nations fluttered nearby as guards carried golden jambiyas — the curved ceremonial dagger common in the Arabian Peninsula.
Netanyahu had asked Trump not to remove sanctions on Syria, Israeli official says
Netanyahu had made the request during his visit to Washington last month, according to and Israeli official.
The official says the request was made out of concern that a cross-border attack similar to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault, could come from Syria.
Trump said yesterday that he would ease sanctions on Syria and move to restore ties with its new leader, a former insurgent.
Israel fears that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and his Islamist past could pose a threat on its northern border.
A stunning meeting for Syria’s new leader
Trump has just met Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. It’s the first such encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years.
The meeting took place behind closed doors and reporters were not allowed in.
The White House did not immediately say who else was in the meeting or provide any other details on the conversation.
The U.S. has been weighing how to handle al-Sharaa since he took power in December.
JUST IN: Hospitals say Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 48 people, including 22 children
Can Qatar out-lavish Trump’s royal Saudi welcome?
Donald Trump received a lavish royal welcome from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he arrived in the kingdom Tuesday on the first stop of his Mideast trip.
It won’t be easy.
The kingdom didn’t even wait for Trump to land before Air Force One received a ceremonial escort from six Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s as it approached the kingdom’s capital — an exceptionally rare sight.
Then came the pomp at the royal court, and at an investment forum, claps, cheers and whistles for both Trump and the Saudi crown prince
Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American” played as Trump joined the crown prince on stage.
Trump swayed to the music and Saudis in traditional red-and-white checkered headscarves and robes recorded the moment on their phones.
Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 48 people, including 22 kids
At least 22 children were killed in Gaza overnight and early today in a punishing series of Israeli airstrikes on homes in northern Gaza.
The strikes killed at least 48 people in total, the Indonesian Hospital in Jabaliya reported.
The strikes came a day after Hamas released an Israeli-American hostage in a deal brokered by the United States, and as Trump is visiting Saudi Arabia.
New Zealand warns travelers to the US to expect more ‘scrutiny’ at America’s border
New Zealanders visiting the United States are being cautioned about their travel, the first such update since Trump took office. The travel advice hadn’t been fully updated since 2023.
Language added to the guidance for U.S.-bound travelers included an alert that visitors “may encounter scrutiny from U.S. border authorities,” including inspection of their travel documents, reason for travel and personal belongings.
It also warned travelers to “expect strict enforcement” of entry conditions and caution of “detention, deportation and ban from re-entry” if travelers don’t comply.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels likely fired another missile at Israel
A missile fired from Yemen set off sirens in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the Israeli military said Tuesday. The military said it intercepted the missile.
The Israeli military says there was missile fire from Yemen after sirens sounded in the country.
“A missile launched from Yemen was intercepted,” the Israeli military said. “Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.”
The Houthis had launched another missile just after Trump addressed an investment summit in Riyadh yesterday. Trump had earlier announced a ceasefire between America and the rebel group.
The Iranian-backed Houthis did not immediately claim the attack. It can take hours or even days for them to acknowledge an assault.
Syrian’s interim government hails US sanction decision
Syria’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday night called Trump’s statement about the sanctions a pivotal turning point for the Syrian people as they “seek to emerge from a long and painful chapter of war.”
It was careful to describe the sanctions as something that came “in response to the war crimes committed by the Assad regime against the Syrian people,” rather than the war-torn nation’s new interim government.
“The removal of these sanctions offers a vital opportunity for Syria to pursue stability, self-sufficiency and meaningful national reconstruction, led by and for the Syrian people,” the statement added.
From a former insurgent who led Assad’s overthrow to a meeting with Trump
The U.S. once offered $10 million for information about the whereabouts of the insurgent then known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani.
He had joined the ranks of al-Qaida insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 and still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq.
Syria’s new president came back to his home country after the conflict began in 2011, and led al-Qaida’s branch that used to be known as the Nusra Front.
He later changed the name of his group and cut links with al-Qaida before they finally succeeded in overthrowing President Bashar Assad in December.
▶Read more about sanctions on Syria
Syrians cheer ahead of Trump’s meeting with their new president
Syrians cheered Trump’s announcement that America will move to lift sanctions on their beleaguered country. People in the capital, Damascus, whistled and cheered the news as fireworks lit the night sky.
The state-run SANA news agency published video and photographs of Syrians cheering in Umayyad Square. Others honked their car horns or waved the new Syrian flag.
Trump’s planned meeting with the country’s rebel-turned-leader Ahmad al-Sharaa represents a remarkable political turnaround for Syria, which has been locked in a bitter war since the 2011 Arab Spring. In December, rebels led by al-Sharaa toppled Syrian autocrat Bashar Assad’s government.
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