By Simone McCarthy, John Liu, CNN

Beijing/Hong Kong (CNN) — When the wheels of Air Force One lifted up from Beijing on Friday, US President Trump was wrapping a three-day visit with many questions still outstanding about what exactly he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had agreed to.

Over the weekend, statements from both sides have started to demystify the outcomes of a meeting that was largely about resetting the tone between the world’s top economies after a fractious year that drove both to the edge of decoupling.

Now, the US and China are poised to set up two new institutions – a “board of trade” and a “board of investment” – to manage those economic ties, statements from the White House and China’s Ministry of Commerce confirmed Sunday.

The White House also said that China would purchase at least $17 billion per year of US agricultural products and make an initial purchase of 200 American-made Boeing aircraft.

Beijing’s readout did not directly confirm those deals, saying instead that both sides would “promote expanded two-way trade” in agricultural goods and had made arrangements on China procuring American planes.

Both announcements are short on specifics and fall short of a major breakthrough in rebalancing trade.

But they bolster signals set out by both Trump and Xi during their summit that they want to avoid volatility and increase cooperation – setting their countries’ rivalry on more predictable ground.

The two sides last year were locked in a tit-for-tat trade battle that upended supply chains, including of the strategically critical rare earths that Beijing holds a near monopoly on refining.

Xi and Trump agreed to a year-long truce during a meeting last October, and their latest summit has ushered in a new goal for their ties: achieving what both sides have dubbed a “constructive relationship of strategic stability.”

Outcomes announced so far also spotlight where daylight and frictions continue to exist. There’s little sign, too, of how they’ll work together on one of the thorniest issues: tech.

Beijing, for its part, also makes clear that there’s more to be hammered out by negotiators in the weeks and months to come, calling the current results “preliminary.”

A $17 billion win?

The main topline number from the White House following the talks is $17 billion – the minimum amount Washington says China has agreed to purchase of American farm goods annually through 2028.

The $17 billion will come on top of the soybean purchase commitments that Beijing made in October 2025, during the summit between the two leaders in South Korea, which led to their trade truce.

That level of purchases would be a big jump from last year, when US agricultural exports to China totalled only $8.4 billion, according to US government data. But it’s not far off from levels in 2024, the last year of the Biden administration and before Trump’s tariff war.

The $17 billion agreement to purchase US agricultural goods plus its existing commitment to buy 25 million metric tons of soybeans will amount to roughly $27 billion in value per year, according to a CNN calculation based on the prices of soybeans exported to China last year. That’s slightly higher than the $24.4 billion worth of US agricultural exports to China in 2024, data from the US Department of Agriculture showed.

The White House factsheet did not provide further details on what it called China’s agreement to an “initial purchase” of 200 Boeing aircraft, which the American aerospace giant has yet to publicly confirm.

China’s Commerce Ministry merely confirmed arran

By Sunlen Serfaty, Devan Cole, Dugald McConnell, CNN

(CNN) — Workers with boots dyed an “American Flag Blue” have painted over about two-thirds of the iconic Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, covering the dull gray with bright azure following a directive by President Donald Trump to expedite the pace of the project.

Trump earlier this month laid out a timeline that put the project on track to be done this week. However, workers on the ground told CNN recently that they need another month until they are finished, and Trump said Saturday it “should be completed” by July 4, ahead of the US’ 250th birthday.

Time has quickly become one of the most essential factors in this project — one of many in Washington, DC, where Trump is racing to put his stamp on the nation’s capital.

As Trump is charging forward with overhauling the Reflecting Pool, controversy and derision have intensified, bringing a lawsuit that threatens to stop the project mid-paint job, potentially leaving the 2,800-foot pool on the National Mall only partially painted in the blue color he chose.

That court fight is coming to a head this week, when a judge will decide whether to issue an injunction sought by a DC nonprofit.

Trump has disparaged the state of the Reflecting Pool, saying it is feces-infested and in disrepair. He has zeroed in on the color, which he claims no one likes. And he contends that previous administrations failed to repair leaks and other problems.

But critics fear the Reflecting Pool will look more like a swimming pool, with the shine of a country club, like the president’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. They also contend the administration is skipping required reviews that must be completed before work gets underway — and that the pool will actually be less reflective.

Trump posted images Saturday of a “sample test” at the Reflecting Pool, showing the painted pool with a small amount of water.

Critics: Trump is painting over history

For historians, the new blue paint is more than just a bold aesthetic choice they are simply not fond of — many view the move as Trump painting over history. They note the storied national landmark was the site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the Vietnam War protests.

“It’s not supposed to look like you’re going to dive in and swim; it is intended to reflect the great geometry of the classical temple that is the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument,” said Judy Scott Feldman, of the National Mall Coalition, a nonprofit that helps protect the area’s legacy.

“It wasn’t intended as a place that looks jolly like your local golf course,” she added. “The intention is to create both beauty but also to symbolically link the father of the country with the preserver of the country.”

Feldman, of course, is referring first to George Washington, whose monument stands at the other end of the Reflecting Pool, and then to Abraham Lincoln.

Trump has also been intentional about his color choice, a vibrant shade of dark blue that he calls “American Flag Blue.”

“It’s much more beautiful than it was new because it never had the color people wanted, but now it’s going to have the great color,” Trump said earlier this month, as he drove in his presidential motorcade across the drained pool to survey the work.

The Interior Department told CNN in a statement that the color choice will “enhance the visitor experience” and improve reflection over the existing gray concrete.

Charles Birnbaum, president of the Cultural Landscape Foundation, the nonprofit that’s challenging the project in court, couldn’t disagree more and insists visitors would miss out on seeing themselves in the water as “part of the commemorative landscape.”

By Sheena McKenzie, CNN

(CNN) — Like many of us, director Ron Howard had come across Richard Avedon’s photos all his life, without realizing it. There’s the iconic portrait of Marilyn Monroe looking off-camera, deflated. Charlie Chaplin mimicking devil horns. Brooke Shields in a provocative Calvin Klein ad. As Howard dug through the archives and interviewed subjects for his new documentary on the renowned American photographer, the bolt of recognition hit him more than once.

“It was stunning,” Howard said of going into the vault and seeing the range of subjects who had sat for him. Speaking via video call, trademark cap on, warm wood paneling all around, the actor and director of the Oscar-winning film, “A Beautiful Mind,” took inspiration from Avedon: “He’s braver,” he said, comparing himself. “He took more leaps, took more risks.”

In the second half of the 20th century, everyone who was anyone in American culture – from Hollywood icons to presidents and revolutionaries – had their portrait taken by Avedon. Against an often stark white backdrop, he expertly peeled away the veneer to reveal their truest selves.

Howard’s documentary — simply titled, “Avedon” — which premiered at Cannes Film Festival over the weekend, draws on both archive footage of the photographer (who died in 2004, aged 81), and revealing interviews with those closest to him. His son, John, recalls an intensively driven father who, though loving, was often away from home. While top art dealer Larry Gagosian remembers with a chuckle going to Avedon’s home for brunch and being served hardboiled eggs and champagne. “I thought it was super elegant,” he said.

We asked Howard to pick his four favorite Avedon photos. “That’s a challenge,” he said, of narrowing it down from many thousands of images. A challenge the director was game for.

Below are Howard’s top Avedon photos.

Charlie Chaplin’s devilish mischief

The year is 1952 and Charlie Chaplin, a global celebrity and political progressive, is feeling the heat from American authorities in the McCarthy era. The English film icon had by that time lived in the US for decades, though had never become a US citizen, and was now the target of hostile politicians and right-wing press.

Chaplin agrees to a portrait with Avedon. “Avedon was nervous and anxious,” said Howard. “He knew he didn’t have very much time with Charlie Chaplin.” They went through the sitting, it was rather formal. And while Avedon was “thrilled to have this opportunity,” said Howard, “I don’t think he felt like he was getting the essence of the man, which was always Avedon’s aim.”

In the documentary, Avedon in archive footage recalled what happened next: “When I was finished, (Chaplin) said, ‘now can I do one for you?’ And he put his head down and he came up frowning furiously with these horns. And then he said, ‘no, no, I want to do it again.’ And he came up smiling.”

The next day, Chaplin and his family set sail for London, never to live in the US again. Avedon was evidently tickled by newspaper speculation Chaplin had “hid out in my studio… and it turns out this photograph was his last message to the US.”

Beyond the image’s cheeky two fingers up at authorities, there’s also Avedon’s “discipline and professionalism,” said Howard. “He only had one crack at this. And look, it’s sharp, his eyes are perfect. Of course, Chaplin probably knew to stay right on his mark also. But those two nailed it in this moment.”

Marilyn Monroe’s mask slips

In 1957 Marilyn Monroe was at a crossroads. The previous year she had married the playwright Arthur Miller, and was increasingly pushing against her blonde bombshell image. She hired Avedon to photograph her for a new film, “The Prince and the Showgirl.”

In some ways, Monroe was the ultimate challenge to Avedon’s methodology of capturing th

Matthew Chance

Al caer la noche sobre la extensa capital de Irán, y mientras los picos nevados de las montañas Alborz se desvanecen en la oscuridad, miles de iraníes han salido habitualmente a las calles para participar en manifestaciones patrocinadas por el Estado, destinadas a movilizar a sus partidarios contra Estados Unidos.

Cerca de la plaza Tajrish, un barrio elegante de Teherán, el inevitable cántico de “Muerte a Estados Unidos” resuena entre un mar de banderas iraníes, mientras los vendedores ambulantes ofrecen té y recuerdos, como gorras de béisbol y parches patrióticos, a la multitud entusiasta.

“Estoy dispuesta a sacrificar mi vida por mi país y por mi gente”, me dijo una joven llamada Tiana, que llevaba gafas con los colores de la bandera iraní, por encima de los ensordecedores cánticos.

“Toda la gente, todo el Ejército, todos los comandantes que tenemos, están listos para sacrificar sus vidas también, y listos para luchar con todo su corazón y alma”, agregó, desestimando la última amenaza del presidente estadounidense Donald Trump en las redes sociales de reanudar la acción militar.

“Para Irán, el tiempo se acaba y más les vale darse prisa, o no quedará nada de ellos”, publicó Trump el domingo en su plataforma Truth Social , aumentando aún más las tensiones a medida que las estancadas conversaciones de paz socavan un frágil alto el fuego.

Un anciano que portaba un cartel improvisado se ofreció a traducir su letrero, escrito a mano en persa. “La tecnología nuclear y de misiles es tan importante como nuestras fronteras, por lo que las protegeremos”, decía.

“Necesitamos energía nuclear, energía limpia, no una bomba”, me dijo, en referencia a la negativa de Irán a poner fin a su controvertido programa nuclear, que Trump ha puesto como condición para terminar la guerra.

“Trump sabe que no tenemos una bomba, pero aun así nos ataca”, añadió.

A medida que aumentan los rumores y los temores sobre inminentes ataques estadounidenses-israelíes, crece entre muchos iraníes la sensación de que la reanudación de las hostilidades es inevitable.

“Sabemos que esta guerra no ha terminado. Sabemos que Trump no va a negociar realmente”, dijo Fátima, quien afirmó haber crecido en Londres y Dubái.

“Él simplemente nos dirá: ‘Haz lo que te digo o te mato’. Y luego nos atacará aunque hagamos lo que él diga”, añadió.

Las concentraciones, o “reuniones nocturnas”, se han estado celebrando en todo el país todas las noches durante casi tres meses, prácticamente desde el comienzo de la guerra.

Pero en los últimos días se ha observado la inquietante aparición de puestos públicos de venta de armas, donde se ofrecen a los civiles lecciones básicas sobre el uso de armas, una señal de cómo las autoridades iraníes, cada vez más intransigentes, están preparando a la población para un mayor conflicto.

En un quiosco de la plaza Vanak, vimos a una mujer vestida con un chador negro aprendiendo a manejar un fusil de asalto AK-47, mientras un hombre enmascarado con uniforme militar le mostraba cómo desmontar y ensamblar el arma.

A pocos metros de distancia, una niña pequeña jugaba con un Kalashnikov descargado, apuntando el arma al aire antes de apretar el gatillo y devolverle el arma a su instructor sonriente.

El llamamiento general a las armas también se está reiterando en la televisión estatal, y varios canales emiten imágenes de sus presentadores blandiendo fusiles de asalto.

Un presentador, Hossein Hosseini, del canal estatal Ofogh, disparó su rifle, en directo por televisión, contra el techo del estudio tras recibir una lección de un miembro enmascarado del Cuerpo de la Guardia Revolucionaria Islámica (CGRI).

“Me enviaron un arma desde la pl

Análisis por Stephen Collinson, CNN

El presidente Donald Trump intensifica su campaña de represalias tras derribar a otro crítico republicano en una campaña que le resulta profundamente satisfactoria, pero que conlleva crecientes riesgos políticos para su partido.

Trump destruyó las esperanzas de reelección del senador de Louisiana Bill Cassidy en las primarias republicanas del estado el sábado, y este lunes enviará a Pete Hegseth a Kentucky como parte de un esfuerzo para hacer caer al representante Thomas Massie, una incursión rara y controvertida para un secretario de Defensa en tiempos de guerra.

Massie, quien coescribió una ley que exige la publicación de los archivos de Jeffrey Epstein y que se opone a la guerra con Irán, se enfrentará a los votantes eSTE martes. Pero dijo el domingo que no le preocupan los ataques de Trump. “Se nota que voy adelante en las encuestas y están desesperados”, dijo a “This Week” de ABC News.

Trump también amenazó eL fin de semana con retirar su respaldo a la representante republicana Lauren Boebert de Colorado después de que ella hiciera campaña a favor de Massie.

La derrota de Cassidy, cinco años después de que votara a favor de condenar a Trump en un juicio político en el Senado por el asalto al Capitolio del 6 de enero, amplía la lista de grandes figuras del Partido Republicano, incluyendo a Liz Cheney y Mitt Romney, que ya han sido apartados de los principales puestos del partido por enfrentarse a un presidente autoritario.

La jugada dura de Trump en Louisiana fue otra impresionante demostración de su poder sobre su propio partido y de su capacidad para aprovechar el apoyo de sus seguidores más comprometidos, incluso como presidente de segundo mandato que nunca ha sido tan impopular a nivel nacional. Este superpoder político explica por qué el presidente no ha emulado a anteriores mandatarios impopulares al perder la capacidad de moldear la política interna. A principios de este mes, Trump descalificó a varios legisladores estatales en Indiana que se resistieron a sus demandas de redibujar los mapas electorales del Congreso.

Pero la persecución de Trump de sus vendettas políticas en una presidencia que gira cada vez más en torno a objetivos personales, proyectos de legado costosos y mensajes económicos sordos va a causar un dolor de cabeza para el Partido Republicano.

Trump siempre ha sido una figura política única. Construyó un movimiento que lo hizo presidente dos veces al convertir sus propias obsesiones —como la inmigración, los aranceles o el gasto en la OTAN— en objetivos políticos. Pero sus últimas payasadas llegan mientras los republicanos lidian con las primeras consecuencias de su turbulento segundo mandato antes de unas difíciles elecciones de mitad de período.

Mientras actúa en función de sus propios objetivos, Trump no se está enfocando en temas que son, posiblemente, mucho más vitales para el país; como poner fin a su guerra contra Irán y las consecuencias económicas del conflicto, que están agravando aún más una crisis de asequibilidad ya de por sí grave.

Las intervenciones de Trump están profundizando el dilema central de los candidatos republicanos a las elecciones de mitad de mandato: ¿Cómo pueden atraer a un electorado más amplio que desprecia al presidente sin incurrir en su ira? Romper públicamente con Trump, por otro lado, podría alienar a los votantes de la base, que no son suficientes para lograr victorias en distritos indecisos, pero cuya presencia masiva es necesaria para mantener viables a los candidatos del partido.

El afán de venganza de Trump y su enfoque en proyectos personales, como el nuevo salón de baile de la Casa Blanca y