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President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing. (AP Photo / Mark Schiefelbein)
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An exchange of niceties and kicking the can down the road.
That’s how analysts are describing last week’s Beijing summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
While the two leaders reached some agreement on trade deals, questions still loom large over Taiwanese independence and which country will emerge as the dominant world power for decades to come.
Raymond Kuo, vice president of research for geostrategy and diplomacy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, joined “Chicago Tonight” to break down the key takeaways of Trump’s visit to China.
WTTW News: Which country accomplished more of its goals?
Raymond Kuo: Probably China, unfortunately. Starting with the United States, usually we coordinate these engagements through an interagency process where the State Department takes the lead, and then we’ll get the Commerce Department, Treasury, DOD all on board and say, ‘These are our priorities in x, y and z order.’ That really didn’t happen, and in advance of the summit, we didn’t have the mid-level bureaucrats hacking away at the easy, low-hanging fruit. So instead, it was kind of a free-for-all.
Where did the two countries land on Taiwanese independence?
Kuo: The summit itself didn’t seem to address that.
What came out of conversations focused on Iran?
Kuo: As far as I can tell, there was Chinese verbal support, saying, ‘Yes, we want to have the Strait of Hormuz reopened, we want to have peace in the Middle East.’ But, at the same time, generally speaking, I think the Chinese view this as, ‘Well, you broke it, you bought it, you have to fix this.’
Did the summit represent a step toward a stable relationship between the U.S. and China?
Kuo: I am hesitant to say this will lead to long-term stability. One issue is kind of the credibility deficit we have here on the U.S. side. When Trump, for example, talks about our trade deals with Canada and Mexico being the worst he’s ever seen, those were negotiated under his first term. So if you’re willing to stab your own trade agreements, how much can the Chinese trust that we’ll actually commit to this long term?
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A newly hatched piping plover chick snuggles up to its parent at Montrose Beach, June 30, 2024. Parents Imani and Searocket are on the nest again in 2025. (Courtesy Chicago Piping Plover Watch)
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Illinois’ piping plovers are on the nest.
Over the weekend, monitors with both Chicago Piping Plovers and Lake County Audubon Society reported eggs laid at Montrose Beach and the Waukegan shoreline, respectively.
For the third year running, Imani and Sea Rocket are expectant parents at Montrose, but there’s been a twist in Waukegan. Perennial third-wheel Pippin is no longer an also-ran. His persistence has paid off and this bachelor is now a father-to-be, having wooed Blaze away from her previous partner, Pepper.
While Chicago’s original plover pair, Monty and Rose, are forever linked in people’s hearts and minds, it’s not uncommon for plovers to switch mates, according to Lake County Audubon.
After two years of unsuccessful courtship attempts and the loss of a foot, Pippin’s success is “especially meaningful,” Lake County monitors said on social media.
Plovers generally lay up to four eggs and parents share incubation duties. Hatching is expected in 25 to 28 days.
This year’s nesting season got off to a slow start due to chilly temperatures, but across the Great Lakes, the number of breeding pairs is running on par with 2025’s record-setting year, according to Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort.
Once down to a dozen breeding pairs, the Great Lakes piping plover population has rebounded to roughly 170 mature adults, but that’s still well short of recovery targets for this endangered species.
Chicago Piping Plovers is asking people to give Imani and Sea Rocket space to feed and scan their environment, and to refrain from sharing photos or video of the nest location or the parents on the nest. (The Waukegan plovers nest on property with restricted access.)
“With fortune and care, we will again experience the bliss and magic of piping plover chicks at Montrose Beach,” monitors said.
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(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
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A key Chicago City Council panel agreed Monday to settle a lawsuit brought by disability advocacy organization Access Living that alleged the city failed to comply with federal laws and build affordable housing accessible to Chicagoans with disabilities by paying $2.25 million.
The agreement also calls for the city to build or rehabilitate 2,000 new affordable units accessible to those with limited mobility as well as an additional 840 new affordable units accessible for Chicagoans with limited hearing and sight during the next 12 years, according Managing Deputy Corporation Counsel John Hendricks.
The city will also have to create a system to inspect, monitor and maintain a list of affordable and accessible units as part of the resolution of the lawsuit, which accused the city of violating the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and the Fair Housing Act, Hendricks said.
The settlement is set for a final vote on Wednesday by the full City Council. Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward) cast the lone vote against the settlement.
A spokesperson for Access Living declined to comment on the proposed settlement until after Wednesday’s City Council meeting.
U.S. District Court Judge Edmond Chang refused the city’s request to toss the lawsuit in 2024, and urged both sides to negotiate a settlement agreement.
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Back in the Day: May 19, 1930 - Lorraine Hansberry Born in Chicago
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On this day 96 years ago, the pioneering author, playwright and activist Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago at Provident Hospital. When she was eight years old, her father Carl Hansberry purchased a three-flat in Woodlawn, a white neighborhood, to “challenge the restrictive housing covenant that kept blacks from renting, leasing, or buying property in the community.” Their neighbors sued to keep them out, and the case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court where justices ruled in favor of the Hansberrys. After her father died in 1946, Hansberry attended the University of Wisconsin and became interested in writing and theater. Her 1959 play “A Raisin In the Sun” became
the first production penned by a Black woman to have a run on Broadway. Hansberry died in 1965 of cancer at 34, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. eulogized her with “Her creative ability and her profound grasp of the deep social issues confronting the world today will remain an inspiration to generations yet unborn.”
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This Week’s Staff Recommendations
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Every Tuesday, WTTW News staffers highlight their favorite things in Chicago. This week, it’s WTTW News digital reporter Eunice Alpasan on her favorite record store finds in the city.
Eunice Alpasan: In a world dominated by music streaming, sitting with no distractions and listening to a record — as simple as it sounds — is a ritual in my life that feels like an antidote to the brain-numbing effects of doomscrolling. I’ve been expanding my record collection this past year, and nothing beats going to a local record store and coming across a long-admired album, or discovering something cool or unexpected. Here are some of my favorite finds:
Makaya McCraven’s “Universal Beings (IA11 Edition)” and Wednesday's “Twin Plagues” found at Reckless Records (1379 N. Milwaukee Ave.)
This special reissue of jazz drummer Makaya McCraven’s “Universal Beings,” to my surprise, included a booklet of interviews in which I learned way too late that the album is actually recordings of improvised live performances that took place in four different cities, including Chicago. Separately, Wednesday's “Twin Plagues” is easily my most spun record thus far. Frontwoman Karly Hartzman’s artistic, lyrical and alt-country sensibilities these past few years have filled a void in my soul I didn’t even realize I had.
Throbbing Gristle’s “The Taste Of TG (A Beginner’s Guide To The Music Of Throbbing Gristle)” found at Laurie's Planet of Sound (4639 N. Lincoln Ave.)
If an album cover is any indication of what the music will sound like, I think this compilation album by the English industrial pioneers offers a more than fair warning. Transgressive in subject matter, accompanied by anti-melodic beats and off-putting vocals. My heart nearly stopped when I saw this at the store, and to be honest, I still haven’t spun it because I don’t wanna freak out my roommate or my upstairs neighbors.
Portishead’s “Dummy” and Dystopia’s “Dystopia” found at Bucket O' Blood Books and Records (3182 N. Elston Ave.)
Long on my wishlist, this essential ‘90s trip-hop, god-tier album from Portishead was a no-brainer to pick up at Bucket O’ Blood. On the other hand, my partner and I were on the fence that same day about picking up the sludge metal/crust punk band Dystopia’s self-titled album. We passed it up, took a listen to “Now and Forever,” the brutally misanthropic first song off the album, realized the horrible mistake we made, and ended up coming back to the store to snag it the next day.
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What's your favorite sandwich shop in the city? Tell us what to order.
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