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| Good morning. It’s Thursday, May 14, and we were skeptical about the prospect of a World Cup final halftime show, but the lineup actually looks pretty good. Now let’s get to the news.  | Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a warning to President Donald Trump on Taiwan. | | | President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump visit the Temple of Heaven in Beijing today. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool/Reuters) | - A high-stakes summit: The leaders exchanged largely friendly words as two days of meetings began. But Xi told Trump that disagreements over Taiwan could lead to conflict.
- A Post exclusive: A confidential U.S. intelligence report detailed how China is exploiting the war in Iran to maximize its advantage over the U.S. in several key areas of competition.
- Name game: China has a new spelling for “Rubio” — here’s one possible reason.
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 | The Senate voted largely along party lines to confirm the next Federal Reserve chair. | - Yesterday: Republican senators (and one Democrat) confirmed Kevin Warsh. It was a long-sought victory for Trump, who has repeatedly clashed with the Fed over interest rates.
- Trump vowed to bring inflation down: Yet he keeps doing things to push prices up. The Iran war, tariffs and the AI buildout are working together to add to inflation pressures.
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 |  | The White House planned to start work on Trump’s arch using an unrelated contract. | | | Workers survey the Memorial Circle, where Trump has proposed building the arch, on Monday. (Alex Brandon/AP) | - Trump wants to build a huge arch in D.C.: Officials planned to begin by piggybacking on an existing contract for work more than a mile away, emails seen by The Post show.
- Meanwhile, Trump’s planned ballroom has risen above ground: Crews have started work on the ground floor of the controversial White House addition — take a look.
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 | A court overturned Alex Murdaugh’s murder convictions. | | | Alex Murdaugh arrives in court in Beaufort, South Carolina, on Sept. 14, 2023. (James Pollard/AP) | - In 2023: The disbarred lawyer was convicted of killing his wife and son in South Carolina. The case became a true-crime sensation, spawning documentaries and a Hulu drama.
- The latest: The South Carolina Supreme Court ordered a new trial, citing “improper external influences on the jury.” Murdaugh remains in prison for separate financial crimes.
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 | Researchers calculated which bachelor’s degrees pay off, and which don’t. | - In a study of nearly 1 million undergraduates: The researchers found that going to college works out financially for most. See which degrees have the biggest payoffs here.
- Expert advice: Personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary says college debt can be a tax on your future net worth. Some borrowers lose important years of compound growth.
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 | Being an optimist might help protect your heart. | - The mind-heart connection: Studies have linked a sunnier outlook to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke and premature death. If you’re not an optimist, here’s how to fake it.
- If that doesn’t work: Implement these eight other habits for a healthier heart, such as getting enough sleep and aiming for 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week.
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 | This 59,000-year-old tooth is evidence of Neanderthal dentistry. | | | An ancient tooth with a circular drill hole, discovered in a cave once inhabited by Neanderthals in southwestern Siberia. (PLOS One) | - In a cave in Siberia: An ancient tooth was discovered with a circular drill hole. It pushed back the known history of human dentistry by about 40,000 years, a new study found.
- It sounds painful: The ancient “dentist” likely ground against the tooth with a pointy rock. Nevertheless, the discovery reveals the sophistication of Neanderthal society.
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Hannah Jewell and 
