MNI POLITICAL RISK- Blinken Touts Minor Breakthroughs In China

Executive Summary:

• Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping today in Beijing to wrap up a China trip which hasn’t delivered concrete progress on key points of tension in the bilateral relationship, but may contribute to a trend away from overt confrontation and promised progress on lower-level issues like artificial intelligence and fentanyl.
• Former President Donald Trump's allies are reportedly drafting proposals to exert greater influence over the Federal Reserve. The proposals floated were once considered beyond the authority of the executive but may be more likely considering the current conservative balance on the US Supreme Court.
• White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby outright rejected a potential Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, reported yesterday, which would implement a five-year truce in return for recognition of a Palestinian state.
• The SCOTUS appears poised to rule that former presidents have some level of immunity from prosecution, a decision which is likely to delay Trump's three pending criminal trials until after the presidential election in November.
• A bipartisan group of House Representatives are travelling to the US-Mexico border today. The rare bipartisan trip reflects an increasingly cordial environment in the House since House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) stared down his conservative flank this month.
• President Biden was in Syracuse, New York yesterday to announce another major allocation from the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act pot.
• Poll of the Day: Trump’s decision to stake out an ambiguous position on abortion may have reduced some of his political exposure to the issue.

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