U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly dialing down his rhetoric in order to secure direct talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and a possible trade deal. Bloomberg quoted unnamed White House sources saying Trump is increasingly pursuing purchase agreements that resemble deals he made in his first term and pushing for quick wins, rather than addressing the root causes of the trade imbalance. Meanwhile, Trump said on Wednesday that he expects China to impose the death penalty on producers of precursor chemicals to make fentanyl. “I believe that’s going to happen soon,” he said. (BLOOMBERG)

Mike Waltz, the Trump administration’s nominee for ambassador to the United Nations, called for U.S. aid to countries to be contingent on their UN votes aligning with the U.S. “By the figures I’ve seen, over $100 billion has gone through UN entities into Africa, and we’re looking at a 29 to 32 percent voting coincidence rate,” Waltz complained. Speaking at his confirmation hearing, Waltz also said the U.S. would review its contributions to the body and that he will focus on the need “to block and tackle Chinese influence” in the UN. (PASSBLUE)