US-Iran Responses, Trump's Trip To China Amid Iran War, Congress To Do List

Summary

Up First from NPR (May 11, 2026)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode zeroes in on fast-moving global developments regarding the US-Iran war stalemate and diplomatic efforts, President Trump’s upcoming trip to China amid ongoing tensions, and Congress’s return with a controversial immigration funding bill and what it means for oversight. The hosts provide listeners with crucial updates, context, and expert analysis on the top three stories shaping US policy at home and abroad.

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1. US-Iran War: Diplomatic Stalemate and Regional Tension

Key Points:

• Iran Rejects US Proposal:
  President Trump dismissed Iran’s latest counteroffer to end the war as “totally unacceptable.” The stalemate continues despite a fragile ceasefire and ongoing behind-the-scenes diplomacy.
  • “Iran's president says the country, will, quote, never bow our heads to the US...” (A Martinez, 00:06)
• US-Iran Demands and Leverage:
  • The US wants Iran to halt nuclear enrichment and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping (01:51).
  • Iran refuses to stop nuclear activity; demands lifting US sanctions and unfreezing overseas assets.
  • Despite a US naval blockade squeezing Iran’s oil exports, Iranian leaders are defiant and see themselves as regional powerbrokers.
  • “They seem to believe that they have leverage now with their control of the Strait of Hormuz where they’ve been blocking ships..." (Eya Batarai, 01:51)
• Diplomatic Mediation and Regional Pressure:
  • Countries like Pakistan and Qatar are mediating, with Qatar’s Prime Minister meeting US and regional leaders (03:40).
  • Economic strain is mounting globally, especially on energy markets (China urged to intervene).
• Lack of Trust and War Weariness:
  • “There’s really no trust in negotiations ... it doesn’t seem either side is eager to return to war.” (Eya Batarai, 02:45)
• Iran’s Broader Demands:
  • Iran’s “red lines” include ending the Israeli war in Lebanon and other regional entanglements.

Notable Quote:

• “We will never bow our heads before the enemy.” (Iranian President Masoud Pizzaskian, paraphrased by Eya Batarai, 02:37)

Timestamps:

• US/Iran War Update: 00:02–04:47

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2. Trump’s Trip to China: High Stakes & New Leverage

Key Points:

• Rescheduled State Visit:
  President Trump departs for Beijing to meet President Xi Jinping, a trip postponed previously due to the Iran war.
  • “A state visit was rescheduled after Trump said it wouldn't be right to leave the US in the middle of the war with Iran.” (A Martinez, 04:57)
• Unusual Circumstances:
  It’s striking that both leaders proceed under current global stress, especially as China is closely allied with Iran.
  • “It is remarkable that President Trump is prepared to go to China under these circumstances.” (Kurt Campbell, 05:49)
• China’s Leverage:
  • China’s alliance with Iran and vital role in pushing for a ceasefire give Xi Jinping more bargaining power.
  • “The war in Iran has given President Xi sources of leverage that he would not have anticipated having at the beginning of this year.” (Ali Wine, 07:49)
• Summit Priorities:
  • The Iran war dominates the agenda, overshadowing trade truce issues.
  • Trump may appeal to Xi to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and secure a peace deal.
  • “Let’s face it, it will push a lot of other things off the agenda ... once resolved this political problem, Iran’s...” (Lyle Goldstein, 07:08)
• Mutual Interests:
  • “It suggests that both believe they have interests in meeting. ... a desire to keep a relationship ... with a degree, at least, of equilibrium.” (Kurt Campbell, 06:25)
• US Reliance on China:
  • US supply chains, especially for missile interceptor minerals, create new US dependence on Chinese cooperation (Tamara Keith, 07:56).
• Trump’s Perspective:
  • Trump continues to downplay Chinese assistance to Iran and emphasizes his relationship with Xi.

Timestamps:

• State Visit and Analysis: 04:52–08:18

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3. Congress’s To-Do List: Immigration Funding & Oversight at Stake

Key Points:

• Three-Year Funding Push:
  Congressional Republicans seek a rare, multi-year funding package for immigration enforcement, aiming to lock in key Trump policies.
  • “No, definitely not. Generally, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, ICE and Customs and Border Protection are funded on the same cycle as everything else...” (Eric McDaniel, 08:48)
• Reduced Oversight:
  • Long-term funding would dramatically reduce congressional leverage over immigration policy and enforcement practices.
  • “Congress has one fewer tool in their box of checks and balances ... that lever will be gone.” (Eric McDaniel, 09:30)
• Oversight in Decline:
  • Host and guest reflect on broader congressional tendencies to cede power—including war authorizations and spending control.
  • “Congress has also ... let go of a big piece of their leverage over the executive branch here.” (Eric McDaniel, 10:06)
• Odds and Legislative Hurdles:
  • Some Republicans want to broaden the bill further or add controversial election measures; narrow passage margins and “billion-dollar” line-items could imperil success.
  • “I just don’t see a world in which those provisions make it to the finish line.” (Eric McDaniel, 11:27)
• Presidential Deadlines:
  • Trump has set a June 1 deadline for congressional action, but has remained mostly on the sidelines, focusing on other priorities.

Notable Quote:

• “To folks, during the DHS shutdown, the president moved money around on his own to write paychecks. Congress just kind of shrugged, even though that’s really their job to do.” (Eric McDaniel, 10:14)

Timestamps:

• Congressional Update: 08:28–11:59

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• “We will never bow our heads before the enemy.” — Iranian President Masoud Pizzaskian, via Eya Batarai (02:37)
• “It is remarkable that President Trump is prepared to go to China under these circumstances.” — Kurt Campbell (05:49)
• “The war in Iran has given President Xi sources of leverage that he would not have anticipated having at the beginning of this year.” — Ali Wine (07:49)
• “Congress has one fewer tool in their box of checks and balances to oversee how immigration enforcement is conducted...” — Eric McDaniel (09:30)

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Recap/Table of Contents

• US-Iran War Diplomacy: Ceasefire holds but impasse remains, with economic and regional pressures mounting (00:02–04:47)
• Trump in China: Diplomacy when both sides hold new leverage, with the Iran war dominating the agenda (04:52–08:18)
• Congress’s Immigration Bill: Attempts at long-term funding raise oversight concerns and partisan debates (08:28–11:59)

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Listeners come away with a clear understanding of the current diplomatic gridlock with Iran and its global ripple effects, the complicated dynamics of Trump's China visit, and how Congress's funding moves could set the tone for legislative checks on executive power moving forward.

Transcript

[Michelle Martin]

President Trump called Iran's counteroffer to end the war totally unacceptable.

[Enemy Martinez]

Iran's president says the country, will, quote, never bow our heads to the US Officials there are increasingly calling Iran a global superpower.

[Michelle Martin]

I'm Michelle Martin. That's a Martinez. And this is up first from NPR News.

[Enemy Martinez]

President Trump heads to Beijing tomorrow to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. The war in Iran is in its third month with no end in sight. So how will that affect the high stakes meeting?

[Michelle Martin]

And Congress is back in session after a week long break. Republicans are starting with a major push to lock in three years of funding for immigration enforcement. How much oversight are lawmakers giving up? Stay with us. We'll give you news you need to start your day.

[Eric Topol]

Doctor Eric Topol says health influencers make big claims about longevity, but he's offering us a reality check.

[Michelle Martin]

We can accept that we're going to age, but we don't have to accept

[Enemy Martinez]

heart disease and cancer, neurodegenerative diseases.

[Eric Topol]

Straight talk about how to grow old and stay healthy. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast. Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Michelle Martin]

Iran has responded to President Trump's latest terms for ending the war with its own set of demands. Trump called Iran's response totally unacceptable.

[Enemy Martinez]

There is a flurry of diplomacy now behind the scenes by countries in the region to break the impasse. But the gap between what Trump wants and what Iran is willing to agree to is still wide. For now, the ceasefire is still holding, but a shadow drone war could continued over the weekend with Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Iran each saying they intercepted hostile drones.

[Michelle Martin]

Joining us to tell us more about all this from Dubai is NPR international correspondent Eya Batarai. Aya, good morning.

[Eya Batarai]

Good morning, Michelle.

[Michelle Martin]

So what do we know so far about this stalemate?

[Eya Batarai]

Well, we don't know what was in that US Proposal that was sent to Iran last week. But we do know that Trump has made clear he wants Iran to halt nuclear enrichment and to open the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping again. You know, oil prices are still trading more than 40% higher than they were before the war. But we also know that Iran has consistently rejected halting its nuclear enrichment and it wants the US to not only lift sanctions, but to unfreeze billions of dollars in its own money and overseas banks. And Iran's leaders remain defiant, you know, despite a US Naval blockade that's now choking off its oil exports. They seem to believe that they have leverage now with their control of the Strait of Hormuz where they've been blocking ships from passing. Iranian officials have also increasingly been referring to Iran as a global superpower. Now, Iran's elected president, Masoud Pizzaskian said that, quote, we will never bow our heads before the enemy.

[Michelle Martin]

What about Iran's response to that U.S. proposal? Do we know anything about that?

[Eya Batarai]

So Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman today said that the US Demands were unreasonable. And Iranian state media says Iran's response emphasized its rights as a nation, but it didn't really elaborate more on that. But they do also say Tehran's response included red lines. And they said that includes ending the Israeli war in Lebanon with the Iran backed Hezbollah. And that's where Israeli troops still occupy a large part of the territory in the south. But the big picture here, Michelle, that there's really no trust in negotiations. You know, President Trump did pull the US out of that first deal with Iran in his first term as president. And then he ordered, you know, attacks on Iran during the last two rounds of talks in June and February. So Iran says any deal has to be reciprocal with both sides taking steps. Still, it doesn't seem either side is eager to return to war. And Arab Gulf states are still reeling from Iran's attacks on their energy infrastructure in this war.

[Michelle Martin]

Well, what about that? The diplomatic efforts in the region to end the war are those ongoing?

[Eya Batarai]

So Pakistan is still working as a mediator to bridge gaps between the US And Iran. And Qatar's Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani this weekend met with top Trump officials in the US and he spoke by phone with the foreign minister of Iran as well as foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other countries. It's important to remember Qatar has had to halt its gas production because of this war. But you know, Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, he says this war is not yet over. However, his tone has shifted. At the start of this war, he was calling for regime change. And Israel's airstrikes actually took out Iran's supreme leader at the start of the war. But in an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes that aired Sunday, Netanyahu was pressed about how to deal with Iran's enriched uranium. And he said it should be removed if you have an agreement. And when he was pressed on whether he'd planned for Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors. When going into this war, he said he didn't have, quote, perfect foresight. But I will say here there is economic pressure building for this war to end, including by China. And that is where Trump is heading this week for a major summit with Xi Jinping.

[Michelle Martin]

That is NPR International Correspondent E.H. bertrawi in Dubai. Thanks.

[Eya Batarai]

Thanks, Michelle.

[Michelle Martin]

Okay. President Trump leaves for Beijing tomorrow to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

[Enemy Martinez]

A state visit was rescheduled after Trump said it wouldn't be right to leave the US in the middle of the war with Iran.

[Michelle Martin]

It's very simple.

[Eric McDaniel]

We got a war going on.

[Eya Batarai]

I think it's important that I be here.

[Enemy Martinez]

That was two months ago. The trip is back on, but the war is not over.

[Michelle Martin]

NPR senior political correspondent Tamara Keith will be traveling with the president to China. She's here to tell us more about this. Good morning.

[Tamara Keith]

Good morning.

[Michelle Martin]

So is it surprising that the president is going ahead with this trip now?

[Tamara Keith]

You know, in some ways it is. The war hasn't ended quickly and conclusively as Trump had expected. He called the latest offer from Iran totally unacceptable. A senior U.S. official not authorized to speak speak publicly told me a better way to think about this is why would he not continue with this trip and all the other duties that he has as president? Kurt Campbell, chairman of the Asia Group, says the timing is awkward.

[Lyle Goldstein]

It is remarkable that President Trump is prepared to go to China under these circumstances. But may I also say that it's also deeply unusual that China is prepared

[Tamara Keith]

to host him and with a celebratory state visit at that. So think about this. China and Iran are close allies and trading partners, and the US has just spent weeks bombing Iran and is now blockading all ships connected to Iran. Campbell, who served in foreign policy roles in Democratic administrations, says the US And China both have reasons to move forward.

[Lyle Goldstein]

It suggests that both believe they have interests in meeting. And I think part of that is, is a desire to keep a relationship that is fraught and challenging with a degree, at least, of equilibrium.

[Michelle Martin]

Okay, so, Tam, you've been covering this administration for a long time. So how do you expect the ongoing Iran conflict to affect the agenda for this meeting between Trump and Xi?

[Tamara Keith]

Yeah, when this visit was first put on the books last fall, the focus was on keeping the trade truce between these two powers going. And that is still on the agenda. But now there's this pressing new global challenge, says Lyle Goldstein. He's director of the China Initiative at Brown University.

[Lyle Goldstein]

I do think that this war will dominate the summit. I mean, let's face it, it will push a lot of other things off the agenda. I mean, if for no other reason, Trump is focused on it because he wants it, you know, off his desk. You know, as it were, I think. And once resolved this political problem, Iran's

[Tamara Keith]

foreign minister just recently went to China and met with his counterpart there. And China is credited with helping to push Iran to accept that initial ceasefire. Goldstein says he could imagine Trump asking Xi to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and make a deal to end the war.

[Michelle Martin]

Does that change the dynamic between Trump and Xi?

[Tamara Keith]

Inevitably. Ali Wine with the International Crisis Group says it favors Xi.

[Enemy Martinez]

The war in Iran has given President Xi sources of leverage that he would not have anticipated having at the beginning of this year.

[Tamara Keith]

For instance, he says the US Will need rare earth minerals from China to rebuild its supply of missile interceptors that have been depleted by the war. To hear Trump tell it, though, the war with Iran hasn't affected his friendly relationship with Xi. And when there have been questions about China possibly assisting Iran with the war, Trump has downplayed those concerns.

[Michelle Martin]

That is NPR's Tamara Keith Tam, thank you.

[Tamara Keith]

You're welcome.

[Michelle Martin]

Congress is back after a week long break.

[Enemy Martinez]

The focus on passing three years of funding for immigration enforcement. The goal is to take care of the most controversial piece of President Trump's agenda for the rest of his NPR

[Michelle Martin]

Congress reporter Eric McDaniel is here to tell us more about this. Good morning.

[Eric McDaniel]

Good morning. Good morning.

[Michelle Martin]

Is it normal to pass three years of funding in one go?

[Eric McDaniel]

No, definitely not. Generally, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, ICE and Customs and Border Protection are funded on the same cycle as everything else, October through September. But because of the fight over how ICE and Border Patrol have conducted Trump's mass deportation agenda, federal agents killed two citizens in Minnesota earlier this year. Democrats blocked their annual funding as they pushed for reforms. These agencies weren't hurting for cash. Trump's one big beautiful bill dedicated more than 100 billion toward the teams last year. But they have been without their usual appropriated money since February. So Republicans have decided, let's just put this issue to rest. We have the votes to end this fight through Trump's term in the White House.

[Michelle Martin]

So what impact would having this long term funding stream have?

[Eric McDaniel]

Well, think of it this way. If all the funding is already in the bank, Congress has one fewer tool in their box of checks and balances to oversee how immigration enforcement is conducted in the US Democrats have blocked money in hopes of making ICE CBP agents wear body cameras and limit their use of face coverings. But with money paid out for three years of operations, that lever will be gone. Congress, of course, has other oversight tools, like calling in Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen and Other officials in to testify before Congress. But make no mistake, Congressional Republicans are choosing to let go of a big piece of their leverage over the executive branch here.

[Michelle Martin]

Does it, Eric, does it seem as though this is becoming a kind of an ongoing theme in this Congress, stepping back from oversight?

[Eric McDaniel]

I'd say so. Think about the power of the purse. The Constitution says Congress, you folks get to decide how we spend taxpayer dollars. But to folks, during the DHS shutdown, the president moved money around on his own to write paychecks. Congress just kind of shrugged, even though that's really their job to do. Congress also has the power to declare war and regulate the use of the military. Trump's war on Iran has lasted more than 60 days at this point. That's a key legal threshold. And Congress hasn't passed a bill to either authorize or rebuke the conflic. But in the case of long term funding, you could also make the case that Republicans are helping to stabilize the government a bit. Most of our peer countries just don't do big shutdowns like the US Does. So giving these teams at the heart of the president's agenda, the issue he was elected on, funding for the rest of his term, is also a big step toward consistency, if not accountability.

[Michelle Martin]

So what has to happen to get this over the finish line, this funding over the finish line?

[Eric McDaniel]

Well, this week, eyes are on the Senate Republican leadership wants to keep this bill really focused. Just ice, just cbp. But there's already a billion dollars security money for the White House ballroom in there that could make this hard to pass if it stays in. And some House Republicans want to make it even broader than that to add some affordability measures to add Trump's election security proof of citizenship bill. But I think with what is a one or two vote margin to pass things through the House, I just don't see a world in which those provisions make it to the finish line.

[Michelle Martin]

And before we let you go, where is the president on all of this?

[Eric McDaniel]

Well, he's mostly stayed out of it lately, letting Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune lead the process. He's been focused on gas prices and Iran, as well as some of the state House Republican primaries. Trump did set a deadline of June 1 for them to have this funding bill on his desk, though. And I think so far so good on that front. But when it comes to Congress, things always do find a way to get stuck.

[Michelle Martin]

That is NPR congressional reporter Eric McDaniel. Eric, thank you.

[Eric McDaniel]

Thanks, Michelle.

[Michelle Martin]

And that's up first for Monday. May 11th. I'm Michelle Martin.

[Enemy Martinez]

Enemy Martinez. Today's episode of up first was edited by Tina Kraja, Rebecca Metzler, Dana Farrington, Mohamed Elvardisi, Adam Birn and John Stolnas. It was produced by Ziad Buch and Nia Dumas. Our director is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Maggie Luther. Our technical director is Carly Strange. Join us again tomorrow.

[Eric Topol]

Doctor Eric Topol says health influencers make big claims about longevity, but he's offering us a reality check.

[Michelle Martin]

We can accept that we're going to

[Enemy Martinez]

age, but we don't have to accept heart disease and cancer or neurodegenerative diseases.

[Eric Topol]

Straight talk about how to grow old and stay healthy. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast. Listen on the NPR app or wherever you you get your podcasts.