Putin visits Beijing, Musk fails in OpenAI lawsuit, Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda, Cuba warns US assault will trigger a "bloodbath", Trump's "Anti-Weaponization Fund", 5 killed in San Diego

Russian President Vladimir Putin is embarking on a two-day state visit to Beijing from May 19–20, 2026, to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. On May 18, 2026, a federal jury and judge in Oakland, California, ruled against Elon Musk in his high-profile lawsuit against OpenAI, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and Microsoft, clearing a massive hurdle for the AI firm's path toward a $1 Initial Public Offering (IPO). After less than two hours of deliberation, the nine-member jury found that Musk's 2024 lawsuit was filed past California's three-year statute of limitations. President Donald Trump’s stock trading surged during the first quarter, with linked accounts logging over 3,700 transactions. Pakistan deployed a combat-capable force to Saudi Arabia consisting of 8,000 troops, approximately 16 JF-17 fighter jets, drone squadrons, and a Chinese-made HQ-9 air defense system. Health officials are racing to contain a fast-spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring Uganda. The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared the situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel warned that any U.S. military assault on Cuba will trigger a "bloodbath" with incalculable consequences for regional peace. President Donald Trump dropped his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for a Department of Justice (DOJ)-created $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" to compensate individuals claiming they were politically targeted by the federal government. Three adult men were killed by two teenage attackers outside the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday, May 18, 2026, in a suspected anti-Muslim hate crime.