Latest Headlines for Thursday, May 14th.

These are today’s top stories.

The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Alex Murdaugh’s murder convictions and life sentence for the deaths of his wife and son, ruling that the court clerk at his trial improperly tampered with the jury to push a guilty verdict. Prosecutors say they plan to retry Murdaugh, who will remain behind bars on a separate 40-year federal sentence for financial crimes. Read More

President Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday, kicking off a high-stakes two-day summit expected to cover trade, tariffs, Taiwan, AI, and Iran. Trump told Xi the relationship between the two countries is going to be “better than ever before.” Source

Kevin Warsh was confirmed Wednesday as the next Federal Reserve chair in a 54-45 vote — the closest confirmation margin in the modern era for a Fed chief — replacing Jerome Powell at a fraught moment for the global economy. Only Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania crossed party lines to vote for Warsh. Source

The Republican-led South Carolina state Senate blocked a Trump-backed effort to redraw the state’s congressional map before midterm elections, with five Republicans joining Democrats to defeat the measure. South Carolina’s governor is expected to call lawmakers back for a special session to continue the redistricting push. Read More

The Senate voted on a motion to discharge S.J. Res. 163, a measure to direct the removal of U.S. armed forces from hostilities with Iran that have not been authorized by Congress, as debate continues over the legal basis for the ongoing military conflict that the Pentagon says has cost $29 billion so far. Find out More

Longtime ICE official David Venturella has been chosen to lead the immigration agency after the departure of its former acting director was announced last month, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said, giving the agency its first permanent chief amid ongoing large-scale immigration enforcement operations. Source

The Illinois Department of Public Health is investigating a potential hantavirus case in a Winnebago County resident with no connection to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak, believed to have been acquired while cleaning a home where rodent droppings were present, with the CDC conducting additional testing. Source

The Trump administration waived visa bonds of up to $15,000 for foreign nationals holding FIFA World Cup tickets, reversing a controversial program that had raised major concerns about soaring costs for international fans planning to travel to the United States for the tournament. Find out More

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said prosecutors still believe Alex Murdaugh murdered his wife and son and intend to retry the case, with a new trial date not yet set but expected by the end of the calendar year. Legal analysts note that finding an unbiased jury will be the biggest challenge given the case’s massive national profile. Read More

U.S. stock futures edged higher Thursday as President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off their high-stakes summit, with Dow Futures up 287 points (+0.58%), S&P Futures up 0.28%, and Nasdaq Futures gaining 0.28%, with investors watching for signs of a tariff truce and potential Boeing aircraft purchases. See Details

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang joined President Trump’s China trip as part of the U.S. delegation, potentially paving the way for exports of more advanced chips to China, with NVIDIA’s stock gaining on speculation that the summit could ease semiconductor export restrictions that have limited sales to the world’s second-largest market. Find out More

Rising inflation could lead to Social Security recipients receiving a cost-of-living adjustment of nearly 4% in 2027. That increase would boost the average monthly check to $2,152. See Details

Russia test-fired a new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile as part of efforts to modernize its nuclear forces, with President Putin claiming the nuclear-armed missile’s range far exceeds Western estimates and that it would enter combat service by the end of the year. See Details

The Philippine Senate was engulfed in chaos as gunshots were fired inside the building during a standoff over the ICC arrest of Sen. dela Rosa, while impeachment articles against Vice President Sara Duterte also arrived at the Senate for trial, piling one constitutional crisis atop another in Manila. Read More

Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold another round of direct talks in Washington on Thursday as the Trump administration pushes for a breakthrough between the two neighboring countries, amid the broader regional upheaval caused by the ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran. Source

Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, and Meadow Walker — Paul Walker’s daughter — gathered on the red carpet at the 79th Cannes Film Festival to mark the 25th anniversary of “The Fast and the Furious,” drawing one of the festival’s most star-studded moments on its second day. Source

Netflix’s legal drama “The Lincoln Lawyer” has been confirmed to conclude with its upcoming fifth season, adding six new cast members, including Tricia Helfer and Nate Corddry, for its final run. See Details

Former child star Hillary Duff is the new Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover girl. Duff rose to fame in the early 2000s in the Disney Channel hit show Lizzie McGuire, which ran from 2001 to 2004. Source

The 2026 PGA Championship gets underway on Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia, with Masters champion Rory McIlroy seeking to become the first golfer since 1975 to win both the Masters and PGA Championship in the same year, and Jordan Spieth looking to complete the career Grand Slam. Read More

James Harden led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a dramatic overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons in Game 5, 117-113, handing Cleveland a 3-2 series lead despite the Pistons holding a nine-point advantage with less than three minutes remaining. Harden finished with 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Cade Cunningham had 39 points in a losing effort for Detroit. Source

The NFL ended a rule mandating all 32 teams to interview at least one minority candidate for assistant coaching positions. The state of Florida had threatened legal action, arguing the NFL’s “Rooney Rule” violated the state’s laws on racial discrimination. Find out More

Hayley McAuley of Wigan, England, successfully defended her title at the second-annual Flatpack World Championships, assembling an IKEA nightstand in just over eight minutes in front of a live audience at a home design expo — taking home the coveted golden Allen key medal, with all assembled furniture donated to a local charity. Source