Today’s Top Stories from NBC News

FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2026

In today's newsletter: President Trump touts trade deals with China but did not share details. Full-time caregivers who rely on Medicaid face difficult choices as budget cuts loom. And homes affected by L.A.-area wildfires have been cleared of debris — but many residents haven't moved back

Here's what to know today.

▼ The Lead

Trump touts ‘fantastic’ trade deals but offers no details

(AFP via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump is headed back to the U.S. after a historic two-day visit to meet with President Xi Jinping in Beijing. While Trump touted “fantastic trade deals” made with his Chinese counterpart, the two did not offer any details about the agreements.

The second day of events in Beijing included a tea ceremony at Zhongnanhai Garden, a sweeping government compound dating to the imperial age, followed by a working lunch. A talk between Trump and Xi lasted about 10 minutes out of sight from reporters.

In closing remarks, Trump said the two sides made “fantastic trade deals” and that he and Xi settled “a lot of different problems.” Trump said Iran was discussed and that they “don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon” and “want the straits open.” He also mentioned China potentially buying oil from the U.S. and purchasing Boeing planes but offered no confirmation of a deal or any details.

Trump then arrived at Beijing’s international airport, greeted with a red carpet and an honor guard. As he boarded Air Force One, a group of children chanted “farewell, farewell, a warm farewell.”

See more highlights from the second day of the summit.

More coverage from Beijing:

China and the U.S. agree that the Strait of Hormuz should not be “militarized,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a wide-ranging interview with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas. Read the full transcript of the interview.

Families of Americans detained in China appealed to Trump to bring their loved ones home.

They’ve never met, but pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shang are getting ready to leave China and move in together — at a zoo in Atlanta.

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The reason behind Marty Makary’s exit from the FDA

After Dr. Marty Makary resigned as FDA chief this week, the White House suggested that his departure had been inevitable. But sources say Trump’s push to lift a ban on fruit-flavored e-cigarettes may have been Makary’s last straw.

That push started this month when Trump heard from tobacco executives and lobbyists during a lunch in Florida that the FDA was blocking them from selling vaping products. It led to an angry call from the president to his top health officials — and shortly after, the FDA’s reversal on the ban. And Makary, who believes fruit-flavored e-cigarettes contribute to the youth vaping epidemic, didn’t want to publicly defend a decision he did not support.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials yesterday in Havana to discuss “intelligence cooperation, economic stability and security issues,” a CIA official said, “all against the backdrop that Cuba can no longer be a safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere.”

The meeting comes as Cuba faces an energy crisis after the U.S. military in January arrested the president of Venezuela, a country that was a key Cuban ally and a source of oil. According to a State Department statement, the U.S. has offered “support for free and fast satellite internet and $100 million in direct humanitarian assistance.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas that Cuba’s government has been the problem when it comes to aid.

The Trump administration has deployed a full-court press on the Cuban government, but Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the regime's ability to maintain power, officials said.

More about the U.S. and Cuba’s relationship.

More politics news:

Spencer Pratt's bid for Los Angeles mayor gained viral traction after AI-generated videos, which he said were “fan-made,” circulated across social media. In the videos, the reality TV alum is portrayed as a superhero and L.A.'s lone savior.

The Supreme Court will allow the abortion pill mifepristone to continue to be available by mail and without an in-person appointment with a clinician.

Michael Banks, the head of the U.S. Border Patrol, is leaving the agency in the latest shake-up of immigration enforcement leadership in the Trump administration.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster called a special session to tackle redistricting, with a new map expected to eliminate the district held by Democratic Rep. James Clyburn.

The House Ethics Committee announced it is investigating Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards over allegations that he “may have created or fostered a hostile work environment and engaged in sexual harassment.”

A Democratic think tank wants the party to shake up their approach to health care. Its proposal: Free primary care for all.

Families caring for disabled relatives face unthinkable choices as Medicaid cuts loom

A Medicaid-funded program for families to be paid as caregivers allows Melissa Gonce, of Parkville, Maryland, to earn about $67,000 a year to look after her son Jason full time. Jason, 28, is nonverbal and profoundly disabled, with significant cognitive limitations and little awareness of dangers — vulnerabilities that require constant, watchful care.

But Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” is expected to slash Medicaid funding by about $1 trillion over the coming decade, with reductions set to start hitting state budgets next year. Some states, including Maryland, are already making deep reductions to caregiving programs. For Gonce, that translates to a roughly $18,000 annual loss in income. Others in the state said their household incomes may be cut by more than $80,000.

Until recently, paying family members to care for disabled and elderly relatives had broad bipartisan support. But as such programs have expanded, they have also drawn new scrutiny, squeezed state budgets and garnered backlash from conservatives who cast the program as wasteful and vulnerable to abuse. Senior enterprise reporter Mike Hixenbaugh spoke to families nationwide about the difficult decisions that await if funding cuts impact their income.

Read the full story here.

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▼ Read All About It

At least 96 people were killed in northern India after dust storms, heavy rain and lightning swept across the region.

The resignation of a Southern California mayor who pleaded guilty to acting as a foreign agent for China has sparked backlash and fears of anti-Asian discrimination.

A lawyer for Elon Musk apologized to jurors for his client’s absence as closing statements began in the billionaire's lawsuit against OpenAI.

Scientists dig up Southeast Asia’s largest dinosaur — a plant-eating behemoth almost 90 feet long.

▼ Staff Pick

The toxic aftermath of the L.A.-area fires

Walking down the neighborhood streets of Altadena, California, in perfect, bluebird weather can feel surreal. The Eaton Fire roared through here about 16 months ago. Some lots are empty, covered in waist-high weeds and bits of concrete. Others are alive with the sound of hammers and saws, as workers frame new construction.

And then there are the standing homes, which often sit empty because residents fear contamination after smoke poured inside. Testing companies have turned up high levels of arsenic, asbestos and more rare heavy metals inside Altadena properties. In soil cleared by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and others, researchers are finding concerning levels of lead.

There are few clear standards for testing and remediation and few clear-cut answers about what's considered safe. The uncertainty has left many residents at war with their insurance companies while they remain stuck in temporary homes and time runs out on their insurance-provided housing assistance.

Signs around town say “Altadena strong.” It’s true — the community has banded together. But some residents thought they’d have more support in getting back on their feet.

— Evan Bush, science reporter

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