U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in front of the American flag to the press as he departs the White House on May 12, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — A District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals panel is set to hear arguments Thursday over the Trump administration’s bid to reinstate executive orders that sought punishing sanctions against four elite law firms over their past representation or employment of perceived political foes of President Donald Trump.
Four separate district court judges had previously granted permanent restraining orders sought by the four law firms — Perkins Coie, Susman Godfrey, Wilmer Hale and Jenner & Block — after determining the EOs were unconstitutional.
Some of the judges derided the White House’s efforts to punish the firms in particularly blistering terms, likening the pressure campaign mounted last year by the Trump administration against ‘Big Law’ as akin to McCarthyism and the ‘Red Scare’ era in American history.
Staring down similar prospects of facing executive orders that sought to virtually eliminate their interactions with the government, at least nine other elite firms entered into controversial settlements with the Trump administration in exchange for providing pro bono legal services for causes supported by the White House.
Those settlements, which in sum totaled nearly $1 billion by the White House’s calculation, led to an exodus of high-profile attorneys at several of the firms who said the agreements amounted to capitulation in response to an unlawful intimidation campaign by the Trump administration.
In March, the Justice Department appeared inclined to drop their appeal of the injunctions and even notified attorneys and the circuit court that it was withdrawing the case.
Less than 24 hours later, however, the department abruptly reversed course and said it would continue arguing the appeal after multiple news articles described the move as a major victory for the firms that mounted the legal battle.
It’s unclear whether that back-and-forth will surface in oral arguments Thursday as the law firms seek to convince a three-judge panel to uphold the injunctions — which barred the Trump administration from implementing sanctions that included barring firm attorneys from accessing some federal properties and restricting their security clearances. Several of the firms described in detailed filings how the orders, if implemented, would effectively bankrupt them.
The administration, however, argued the orders were well within President Trump’s power to issue, and described the district courts’ orders as an impermissible intrusion on the executive branch.
“This appeal of those sweeping decisions is not about the sanctity of the American law firm; it is about lower courts encroaching on the constitutional power of the President to discuss and address invidious racial discrimination, national security risks, and other problems with certain law firms,” DOJ attorneys said in a court filing in March.
Chinese youth hold American and Chinese flags as they join officials to welcome U.S. President Donald Trump at Beijing Capital International Airport, May 13, 2026 in Beijing, China. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
(BEIJING, China) — Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a warning to President Donald Trump during their high-stakes summit in Beijing, saying that if the issue of Taiwan is handled “improperly,” the two nations could “come into conflict,” according to China’s official state broadcaster Xinhua.
The trip came at a crucial time for Trump as the war with Iran loomed and was leading to economic consequences for Americans at home. China is Iran’s principal oil consumer.
Particularly thorny for China is the issue of Taiwan and the U.S. position on the matter has long been delicate.
However, Xi did say that if the issue is handled “properly,” “bilateral relations can remain generally stable.”
After a dramatic welcoming ceremony, Trump sat down with Xi on the first day of a multi-day summit, during which Trump said he’d seek to deepen diplomatic and economic ties between the world’s two largest economic powers.
Trump and Xi had a “good meeting,” according to a White House official, but the official readout has no mention of Taiwan — which Xi earlier warned of a “conflict” if the issue was handled improperly.
Iran was also discussed between the leaders, with both sides agreeing that the Strait of Hormuz should remain open. This is a position China has already held.
“The two sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy. President Xi also made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use, and he expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait in the future. Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”
The meeting also covered investments, economic cooperation, fentanyl and increasing Chinese purchases of American farm products.
The bilateral meeting between the two leaders in the Great Hall of the People lasted about 2 hours and 15 minutes, according to pool reporters traveling with the president.
Ahead of the meeting, after Trump and a slate of other U.S. officials had gathered around the negotiating table, Trump called Xi a “great leader” and touted their relationship.
“Such respect for China, the job you’ve done. You’re a great leader. I say it to everybody. You’re a great leader,” Trump said. “Sometimes people don’t like me saying it, but I say it anyway, because it’s true. I always say the truth.”
“We’ve had a fantastic relationship. We’ve gotten along,” Trump said. “When there were difficulties, we worked it out. I would call you, and you would call me, and whenever we had a problem — people don’t know — whenever we had a problem, we worked it out very quickly, and we’re going to have a fantastic future together.”
In his opening remarks, Xi told Trump that China and the U.S. “both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.”
“We should be partners, not rivals, “he continued. “We should help each other succeed and prosper together and find the right way for major countries to get along well with each other in the new era.”
According to a bulletin from Xinhua, Xi emphasized that the issue of Taiwan is “the most important issue in China-U.S. relations,” saying if they are “if handled improperly, the two countries will clash or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-U.S. relationship into a very dangerous situation.”
Ahead of the visit, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News that the U.S. will urge China to take a more assertive role in resolving the U.S.’s war with Iran during Trump’s meeting with Xi.
“It’s in their interest to resolve this. We hope to convince them to play a more active role in getting Iran to walk away from what they’re doing now and trying to do now in the Persian Gulf,” Rubio said during an interview taped on Air Force One Tuesday while Rubio and Trump were on their way to Beijing.
“We’ve made clear to them, you know, that any support for Iran would obviously be detrimental for our relationship. That obviously is going to come up in this conversation,” Rubio said.
Ahead of the state dinner, Trump was asked whether the pair would discuss diplomatic ways to end the war with Iran, which is in its third month. China is a key buyer of Iranian oil, which could give it considerable diplomatic leverage over Tehran, experts told ABC News. Trump said the U.S. had Iran “very much under control,” adding that it would be among the topics discussed.
“We’re either going to make a deal or they’re going to be decimated, one way or the other. We win,” Trump said. “We’re going to be talking about, we’re going to be talking with President Xi.”
In remarks at the Great Hall this morning, President Trump delivered a history lesson of the “special” US-China relationship, while thanking his “friend” President Xi for a “magnificent welcome like none other.”
Trump called this a “historic visit” that resulted in “extremely positive and productive conversations,” even extending an invite for Xi to visit the U.S on Sept. 24.
The last time Xi visited the White House was in September 2015 when former President Obama hosted him for a State Visit. The visit will be one of four meetings that the leaders wanted to have this year as part of their agreement last fall that put a pause on the tit-for-tat tariff war last year.
Trump said on social media on Tuesday that he planned to ask Xi to “open up” the Chinese economy. The U.S. delegation includes Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. CEOs Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, Tim Cook of Apple and Jensen Huang of NVIDIA as well as the president’s son Eric Trump and daughter-in-law Lara Trump were also present.
Trump said the business leaders joined him to “pay respects” to Xi.
“We asked the top 30 in the world. Every single one of them said ‘yes,’ and I didn’t want the second or the third in the company. I wanted only the top. And they’re here today to pay respects to you and to China, and they look forward to trade and doing business, and it’s going to be totally reciprocal on our behalf,” Trump said.
The White House said one of Trump’s goals going into the summit with Xi is to secure purchasing agreements with China in the aerospace, agriculture and energy sectors and the CEOs traveled with the president to help push for that.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, said that the scheduled diplomatic meetings were expected to play “an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance for China-U.S. relations.”
“During the visit, the two heads of state will have an in-depth exchange of views on major issues concerning China-U.S. relations and world peace and development,” Guo added, according to a transcript published by the ministry. “China stands ready to work with the U.S. to expand cooperation and manage differences in the spirit of equality, respect and mutual benefit, and provide more stability and certainty for a transforming and volatile world.”
ABC News’ Mariam Khan and Fritz Farrow contributed to this report.
The aftermath of Russia’s large-scale combined strike on the morning of May 14, 2026 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Danylo Dubchak/Frontliner/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Russian drone and missiles strikes killed at least seven people and left around 20 people missing, possibly trapped under rubble, amid 24 hours of intense attacks on the Ukrainian capital and other areas around the country, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukraine’s air force said in a post to Telegram on Thursday that Russia launched 675 drones and 56 missiles into the country overnight, of which 652 drones and 41 missiles were intercepted or suppressed.
Fifteen missiles and 23 drones impacted across 24 locations, the air force said, while falling debris was reported in 18 locations. The Russian attack was still ongoing as of Thursday morning, the air force warned.
The overnight barrage followed an intense day of strikes on Wednesday, during which time the air force reported 892 Russian drones launched into the country, of which 821 failed to reach their targets.
In total, Ukraine’s air force reported at least 1,623 Russian munitions launched into the country through Wednesday and Thursday. Ukrainian officials said that at least 16 people had been killed and more than 100 injured across two days of Russian attacks.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said on Thursday that responders were digging through the rubble of a partially-collapsed nine-story apartment building in Kyiv’s southeastern Darnytsia district, searching for missing people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post to social media that at least 20 buildings were damaged in Kyiv, including a school. “There will be a just response to all these attacks. And we need to put pressure on Moscow so that they feel the consequences of their terror there,” he wrote.
“It’s important that there be worldwide sanctions against Russia. Russia’s responsibility for the war and our sanctions pressure should work at full capacity. And it’s also very important that the world not remain silent about this terror and stand with Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged foreign leaders — including President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping — to condemn the latest strikes.
“This barbaric attack during such an important summit shows that the Russian regime poses a global threat to international security. Instead of peace and development, Moscow pursues aggression and terror,” he wrote in a post to X, referring to Trump’s ongoing visit to Beijing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Sybiha wrote, “wants this war to continue in order to prolong his control and rule over Russia. There should be no illusions or wishful thinking: only pressure on Moscow can force him to stop.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported the interception of 36 Ukrainian drones overnight into Thursday. The ministry claimed to have downed 431 Ukrainian drones during the course of Wednesday.
Both Russia and Ukraine have expanded their long-range attacks exponentially over the past year, with the ongoing frontline combat grinding into a near-stalemate with little apparent hope for either side to achieve significant breakthroughs.
April saw Russia launch the most attacks of any month of the war to date, according to Ukrainian air force data. Kyiv reported facing 6,663 Russian drones and 141 missiles during the course of the month.
Ukraine’s long-range drone attacks reached a high point in March, according to data published by the Russian Defense Ministry. In that month, Moscow said its forces downed at least 7,347 Ukrainian drones.
ABC News cannot independently verify the data released by either Russia or Ukraine. It is possible that both sides may seek to exaggerate the effectiveness of their air defenses, or to amplify the attacks against them as proof that their enemies are not interested in pursuing a peace deal, experts have suggested.
Neither side provides detailed data on the scale of their own attacks or their targets, though often release statements describing the targets as military, energy or industrial sites. Both sides accuse the other of intentionally attacking civilian targets.
Ukraine’s air force publishes what it says is a daily tally of Russian drone and missile strikes, including information as to how many munitions were intercepted and how many penetrated air defenses.
Moscow, meanwhile, publishes only the number of Ukrainian drones and other projectiles it claims to have intercepted.
ABC News’ Patrick Reevell contributed to this report.
Noah Wyle is letting fans know what they can expect in season 3 of The Pitt. Deadline reports that Wyle took to the stage at the Warner Bros. Upfront on Wednesday and revealed the time period when season 3 will take place. “It’s set in early November, just before the holidays, ushering in a whole new set of emergencies and confrontations and complications,” the outlet reports Wyle said. It seems there’s no place like the hospital for the holidays, according to Wyle, who also said the third season is about to start production …
The teaser trailer for The Hawk has arrived. Netflix has released the official teaser for its upcoming comedy series starring Will Ferrell as golfer Lonnie “The Hawk” Hawkins. Also starring in the show are Molly Shannon, Jimmy Tatro, Fortune Feimster and Luke Wilson. It follows 2004’s #1 golfer as he attempts to make the greatest comeback in the history of the sport …
In other Netflix news, the streaming service has renewed its shows Big Mistakes, My Life with the Walter Boys, Quarterback and Running Point for new seasons. It also announced that season 11 of Love is Blind will take place in Boston …
Bonrad is so back. We have our first official look at Christopher Briney and Lola Tung in character as Conrad and Belly in The Summer I Turned Pretty film. Prime Video released the photo as a way to mark cameras rolling on the upcoming movie, which will officially conclude the story that was told in the three-season romance series. “Did you miss them? The Summer I Turned Pretty movie is now in production,” the post’s caption reads …
ACM Group of the Year nominees (Academy of Country Music)
Music City relocates to Sin City for the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards this weekend.
While it’s about trophies and performances for some, for Rascal Flatts’ Joe Don Rooney, his mind immediately goes somewhere else — like the drive-thru.
“First off, they have In-N-Out Burger,” he says. “Just recently, I think one opened up somewhere north of Nashville, but I’ve yet to go to it. But In-N-Out Burger is so dang good. And anytime we get out that way out West, we always try to hit that.”
In addition to potentially picking up a Double-Double, Joe Don has dreams on par with lots of other duffers and part-time pros.
“The golf is just amazing in Vegas,” he adds. “And the ACMs used to have a golf event every year, and we used to take advantage of that for sure, because it was so much fun to play and meet new people, and of course, get to play with some other fellow artists.”
“[We’ve] got a picture somewhere, [of] me and Gary [LeVox] and Kix Brooks and Blake Shelton,” he continues. “And Blake has his blue jeans on, and they’re rolled up to his knees, almost like knickers that you’d wear playing golf. And I thought that was amazing. Like the guy just wears blue jeans everywhere.”
Rascal Flatts go into the 61st ACMs with their 14th nomination for group of the year.
Tune in to see who wins starting Sunday at 8 p.m. ET live from MGM Grand Garden Arena on Prime Video.
Blue October launches a U.S. tour in October celebrating the 20th anniversary of the band’s 2006 album, Foiled, and they’ve just announced a 2027 leg kicking off in January.
Foiled spawned Blue October’s signature hits, “Hate Me” and “Into the Ocean.” Frontman Justin Furstenfeld tells ABC Audio that he was surprised those songs became as popular as they did, especially since he felt out of place among the big rock bands at the time.
“I’m more of, like, a Cure guy or a Smiths guy,” Furstenfeld says. “I just remember writing ‘Hate Me,’ and when it took off, I just remember thinking this is crazy that this song’s taking off, and I guess this is what it feels like.”
Furstenfeld feels he “really didn’t really appreciate” the success of Foiled at the time, noting, “there was just so much going on.” He was also in the throes of alcohol and drug addiction, which affected his relationship to those songs and the way he performed them.
“Back then it was like, ‘We’re going through the depression right now, man. It’s so dark,'” Furstenfeld says.
Now 20 years later and over a decade sober, Furstenfeld feels “really appreciative of how far that [Foiled] has let us come.”
“It’s gonna be a lot of fun to be able to perform it with everybody out of that headspace of like, ‘Oh god, we gotta do this!'” Furstenfeld says. “It’s more like, ‘These are the songs.’ They’ve stood the test of time, and we’re really proud to play them.”
Presales for Blue October’s 2027 dates are ongoing, and tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit BlueOctober.com.
A vinyl reissue of Foiled will be released May 29.
JC Chasez and Joey Fatone pose at the opening night of the new musical ‘Titanique’ on Broadway on April 12, 2026 in New York City. (Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic)
In 2019, Ariana brought four members of *NSYNC onstage to sing with her at Coachella. Now two members of *NSYNC are co-producers of the Tony-nominated Broadway musical that Ariana recently called “the best show ever.”
Joey Fatone and JC Chasez are producers of the musical spoof Titanique, which has received four Tony nods, including best musical. It currently features Ariana’s brother, Frankie J. Grande, who was also in the off Broadway version.
As for how they got involved, Joey has starred in multiple Broadway shows, from Little Shop of Horrors to Rent to & Juliet. He tells ABC Audio, “I love the arts and I saw Titanique off Broadway. And [the show’s producer] Eva Price is one of the producers of & Juliet. And obviously I was on & Juliet and I said, ‘Hey, does any opportunity come along to be a producer, to be something or anything, I’d love to be part of it.'”
He then brought JC, who’s currently developing his own musical, on board: “I literally said to JC, I’m like, ‘C … dude, you want to do musicals, right? … Get in this so you can see what’s going on on this side of it.'”
“I mean, we know about business, but we don’t really know as far as [the] Broadway side,” Joey says. “It’s been great as far as just learning this side of it … and being proud of something from the outside, not onstage.”
“I’ve always been a theater kid anyway … so for me to be able to give back and to be to able to help productions, I’m all for it.”
Titanique imagines the movie Titanic as told by Céline Dion. Joey says, “It is wacky. It is so much fun.”
: Drummer Keith Moon performs with The Who at the Omni Coliseum on November 24, 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Tom Hill/Getty Images)
The Grammy Museum has teamed with the Songwriters Hall of Fame for a new exhibit highlighting both inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and recordings that have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
According to the description, Tower of Song: Iconic Songwriters & Recordings, opening May 28, “explores the art and craft of songwriting and recording to deepen visitors’ knowledge and appreciation for the songwriters, artists and albums that have shaped the sound of popular music over the past 50 years.”
Highlights of the exhibit include: The Who drummer Keith Moon’s gold drum kit that he played with the band and in the movie Tommy; a personal notebook belonging to The Doors’ Jim Morrison, along with a microphone used during live shows; and Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain’s Mosrite Gospel electric guitar, used to write songs for 1991’s Nevermind, which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2018.
There are also SHOF inductee Neil Diamond’s handwritten lyrics to “Song Sung Blue” and the gold-rimmed glasses SHOF inductee Prince wore in Purple Rain, along with a lace shirt and blue cuff links worn on the Purple Rain tour.
“The Grammy Museum is where people can engage more deeply with the music of yesterday and today, discovering influences, uncovering context, and connecting with artists and songs in a meaningful way,” said Jasen Emmons, chief curator and vice president of curatorial affairs. “By exploring songwriters and recordings that have shaped music history, the Tower of Song exhibit invites music fans to hear and think about iconic songwriters and recordings in new ways.”
More information on the exhibit and tickets can be found at grammymuseum.org.
Colman Domingo attends the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2026, in New York City. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Colman Domingo is opening up about the making of the biopic Michael.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Wednesday, Domingo talked about what it was like to portray Joe Jackson, Michael Jackson’s father, in the biopic about the King of Pop.
“This was not an easy shoot, I will not shy away from that,” Domingo said. To transform into his character, Domingo wore heavy prosthetics and colored contact lenses, and shaved his mustache into a thin line.
Additionally, Michael underwent heavy script rewrites and many reshoots. As part of the changes, Domingo’s role became more integral to the film. The story evolved to center on the friction between Joe and Michael.
“Every time the film was changing in some way, shape or form, there were discussions with me just to make sure that we’re clear about the story we’re telling,” Domingo said.
Even though its production was different than any other project he had been a part of previously, Domingo said he is proud of the film.
“[The movie] has become an examination of how Michael became Michael, before we deal with anything else. Everyone thinks there’s one way to tell his story, and there isn’t. One can’t deny Michael’s genius and his extraordinary legacy in the music industry,” Domingo said.
Michael earned $217 million worldwide during its opening weekend. The film didn’t tell all of the pop star’s life story, however, leaving the door open for more to come.
When asked about making a sequel to Michael, Domingo said, “I will want to know what story we will be telling in part two.”
