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| Good morning. It’s Monday, May 11, and we are seriously considering buying this weird travel accessory to help us sleep soundly on our next flight. Now let’s get to the news. | |
 | President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s response to a U.S. plan to end the war. | - In a post on Truth Social: Trump called Iran’s response “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE” without providing details. Hours earlier, Iran sent its proposal via Pakistani mediators.
- Why it matters: This is the latest setback to efforts to resolve Trump’s war in Iran, which a recent poll showed is as unpopular among Americans as the Iraq War was at its peak.
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 | Trump is set to visit China this week for the first time since 2017. | - Why? The leaders of the world’s two biggest economies are looking to stabilize relations after tit-for-tat export controls and U.S. sanctions on Chinese shipping firms and vessels.
- A key issue to watch: Fears are growing among American allies in the region that President Xi Jinping may use the meeting to push for concessions from Trump on Taiwan.
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 | Many Americans think Trump assassination attempts were fake, a survey found. | | | Trump takes questions at a press briefing at the White House on April 25, after the shooting at the correspondents' dinner. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) | - For example: About one in four think the shooting at the correspondents’ dinner last month was staged. The poll found a clear partisan divide — see all the findings here.
- Across social media: A trend has twisted the idea of a presidential assassination into a morbid joke. In the past year, many wink-nudge posts about the idea have gone viral.
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 | Passengers on the hantavirus-hit cruise ship are returning to their home nations. | - What’s happening? The passengers are being repatriated on evacuation flights after the Hondius cruise ship docked yesterday in Tenerife, one of Spain’s Canary Islands.
- The list includes 17 Americans: They are headed to a federal quarantine facility in Nebraska. One has mild symptoms and another has tested positive, officials said.
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 | Record heat is expected to sizzle across 22 states this week. | | | More than 60 million people across the U.S. can expect temperatures to reach or exceed 90 degrees this week. (Ben Noll/The Washington Post/ECMWF) | |
 | This interactive tool reveals the hidden rules of AI chatbots. | - Each time you ask a chatbot a question: Companies add secret commands to steer the answers. Understanding those instructions can help you get more out of bots like ChatGPT.
- Try it for yourself: We set up a real AI system to rewrite the first three paragraphs of an article according to instructions chosen by you. Try out different commands using this tool.
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 | A new study found simple ways to reduce your exposure to plastic chemicals. | | | Researchers recommend avoiding plastic packaging, even on fresh foods like produce. (Washington Post illustration; iStock) | |