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🇨🇳 Trump plots Beijing trip and red-carpet return for Xi. Trump said he will travel to Beijing in April after accepting an invitation from China’s leadership. He also pledged to host President Xi Jinping for a full state visit later next year in Washington. The meetings would be the most elaborate encounters between the rivals in years. Taiwan, tariffs and fentanyl are all expected to dominate the agenda. American officials say the goal is to cool tensions while preserving pressure on Chinese trade practices. Chinese state media framed the plan as a reset opportunity. For both leaders, the optics are nearly as valuable as any communiqué.

🇺🇦 Geneva talks inch toward a revamped Ukraine peace blueprint. American and Ukrainian negotiators in Geneva reported “real progress” on revising a proposed peace plan for Russia’s war, though they kept details deliberately vague. The framework seeks to blend Ukraine’s existing ten-point formula with proposals from European and Global South mediators. Officials say the draft still demands full Russian troop withdrawal as a non-negotiable pillar. Security guarantees, reconstruction financing and war-crimes accountability remain the hardest chapters. Diplomats are weighing phased steps to lock in any future ceasefire. Moscow was not at the table but is the absent addressee of every sentence. The main deliverable is a promise that serious drafting has begun.

🎖️ Pentagon reviews Mark Kelly video on ‘illegal orders’ for troops. The Pentagon confirmed it has opened an inquiry into Senator Mark Kelly after he appeared in a campaign video urging service members to defy “illegal orders.” The Arizona Democrat and former Navy pilot said troops swear loyalty to the Constitution, not any president. Critics argue sitting lawmakers should avoid even hypothetical talk that sounds like pre-screening commands. Defense officials stressed that only courts can definitively label an order unlawful. Kelly’s office said he welcomes the review and will keep emphasizing lawful civil-military relations. The episode exposes how easily campaign rhetoric can spill into barracks. It also shows how fragile trust remains between politics and the chain of command.

🚓 Memphis crime crackdown floods jails and clogs the courts. A Trump-backed crime-fighting task force in Memphis has made thousands of arrests in just months, overwhelming local detention facilities. Jail populations have surged beyond pre-pandemic levels, forcing officials to juggle beds, overtime and medical care. Public defenders report clients stuck in custody longer before even seeing a judge. Prosecutors warn that rushed charging decisions risk more dismissals later. Supporters say the operation is finally answering neighborhood demands for visible enforcement. Critics counter that the city is criminalizing poverty without matching investments in housing or treatment. In Memphis, the definition of “safer streets” now depends on which side of the bars you occupy.

⚖️ Judge tosses Comey and James cases over bad appointment. A federal judge dismissed criminal indictments against former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James after ruling the special prosecutor was illegally appointed. The court found the Justice Department had bypassed required procedures when granting his sweeping authority. Without a valid appointment, every charging decision he made was fatally tainted. Comey called the ruling proof that the process, not just the person, matters. James said voters can now refocus on her civil enforcement work. Legal scholars noted the opinion could chill future experiments with roaming prosecutors. For critics of politicized investigations, the case became a civics lesson wrapped in a court order.

📈 Alphabet’s surge puts a gloss on Wall Street’s week. Another rally for Alphabet Inc. ($GOOGL) helped pull American stock indexes higher after a choppy stretch of trading. The parent of Google climbed after investors cheered new artificial intelligence features and resilient ad demand. Its gains nudged the broader market into the green for the day. Rate expectations still shadow trading as dealers parse every central-bank hint. Smaller companies and rate-sensitive sectors lagged, but the technology complex again set the tone. Analysts say concentration risk is growing as a handful of giants drive index performance. For now, one search bar continues to do a lot of heavy lifting for retirement accounts.

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