Germany Rejects Putin’s Proposal for Schroeder to Mediate Ukraine Peace Talks 
Trump Credits Belarus Prisoner Release in U.S.-Backed Swap 
Trump-Xi Beijing Summit to Focus on Trade, Taiwan, and Boeing Deal 
Malaysia Unveils Energy Security Plan Amid Iran Conflict and Rising Oil Costs 
Iran Military Readiness Intensifies After Meeting With Mojtaba Khamenei 
US Auto Industry Urges Trump to Block Chinese EV Market Access 
Trump Announces Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire for May 9-11 Amid Ongoing Peace Talks 
Senate Stablecoin Bill Sparks Clash Between Banks and Crypto Industry 
Trump Rejects Iran Proposal as Strait of Hormuz Crisis Pushes Oil Prices Higher 
Trump-Xi Summit Sparks Renewed Hope for Americans Detained in China 
Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records 
Qatar LNG Tanker Crosses Strait of Hormuz Amid Iran War Tensions 
Ukraine-Russia Ceasefire Confirmed as Prisoner Swap Deal Advances 
Keir Starmer Faces Leadership Pressure as Labour Turns Toward Europe 
Taiwan Confident in Strong U.S. Relations Ahead of Trump-Xi China Summit 
Israeli Strikes in Gaza Kill Three as Ceasefire Tensions Continue 
Continuing a tradition by most of President Joe Biden’s predecessors was to make public his tax returns for the previous year. The joint filing of Biden with first lady Dr. Jill Biden showed that the first couple had a significant drop in income in 2020.
The joint filing of the Bidens showed that they made a collective $607,336 in 2020 and paid $157,414 in income tax. This marks a significant drop from their income in 2019, where they made a collective $985,223 which came from paid speaking engagements and positions in educational institutions. The filing, which was made public Monday, showed that the first couple paid 25.9 percent of federal income tax.
The filing also showed that the Bidens donated $30,704 to various charities in 2020. $10,000 was donated to The Beau Biden Foundation which campaigns against child abuse and named after the president’s son, who died in 2015 of brain cancer.
From Biden’s predecessors in the White House, Donald Trump was the only president to refuse to make public his tax returns, the first president since the Watergate scandal. During the campaign, Biden released 22 years’ worth of tax filings in a swipe towards the now-former president. The White House also took a light jab at the former president following Monday’s release of Biden’s tax records.
Previous tax filings made by the Bidens showed that they have donated an overall amount of $70,000 to charity over 20 years up to 2017. The Bidens also have assets amounting to between $1.2 million to $2.88 million.
In other news, the US and the European Union have been at odds in terms of trade and now the EU has agreed to a partial truce with the US over the dispute surrounding metal tariffs. The tariffs were imposed by Trump. The EU has also agreed to discussions regarding global overcapacity and the trade policies of China.
The European Commission announced Monday that it would suspend a planned hike of retaliatory tariffs for six months. Brussels and Washington released a joint statement, saying that as allies and as market-based economies, they would seek to promote high standards as well as address their mutual concerns while holding China’s trade policies accountable.
