Kuwait accused Iran of launching a failed attack earlier this month on an island where China is helping build a port in the Middle East nation. The accusation brought Tuesday came just before U.S. President Donald Trump was to depart for Beijing where he'll meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a high-stakes visit over the war and other issues. Kuwait said a team of six armed members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard tried to infiltrate Bubiyan Island to carry out "hostile acts." Kuwait said that it detained four of the men while two escaped. Iran didn't immediately acknowledge the allegation by Kuwait. With ceasefire negotiations between Iran and the U.S. at a standstill, ongoing attacks threaten to reignite open warfare.

Republicans returning to Washington on Monday are facing questions about a $1 billion Senate security proposal that could help pay for President Donald Trump's ballroom. Democrats say they will try to defeat it. Senate Republicans added the money for White House security to a spending bill that would restore funding for immigration enforcement agencies that Democrats have blocked since February. The steep security proposal was put forward after a man was charged with trying to assassinate Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner last month. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats will try to strip the security proposal from the bill.

President Donald Trump has demonstrated greater ambivalence toward Taiwan in his second term. That's raising questions about the Republican president's commitment to maintaining American support for the self-ruled island ahead of this week's summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. In December, Trump authorized an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan but delayed its delivery and discussed the sale with Xi. Trump said Monday he expects Xi will ask him to hold back on arming Taiwan. Trump has accused Taiwan of "stealing" America's semiconductor business and pressured it to invest in U.S. tech sectors. Analysts say Xi might urge Trump to loosen ties with Taiwan, which Beijing views as its breakaway province.

Democrats have filed an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to halt a redistricting rule by Virginia's top court. The state court had invalidated a ballot measure that would have given Virginia Democrats an additional four winnable U.S. House seats. Virginia voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment last month that let Democrats redraw political lines in time for the November elections. That move was in response to mid-decade redistricting in Republican states pressured by President Donald Trump. The appeal is a long shot because the Supreme Court tries to avoid second-guessing how state courts interpret their state constitutions.

President Donald Trump says the leaders of Russia and Ukraine have agreed to his request for a three-day ceasefire and an exchange of prisoners. Trump said Friday that such a halt to hostilities could be the "beginning of the end" of the long war between them. Trump announced on social media that the ceasefire would run Saturday through Monday. Saturday is Victory Day in Russia, a holiday that commemorates its victory over Nazi Germany 81 years ago in World War II. Trump says he's "pleased to announce that there will be a THREE DAY CEASEFIRE." The Republican president says the ceasefire includes a suspension of all kinetic activity and the exchange of 1,000 prisoners by each country.

Alabama lawmakers have approved a plan for new U.S. House primaries if courts allow the state to use different congressional districts in this year's elections. Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed the measure into law Friday shortly after the legislature approved it. The action came on the same day that the Virginia Supreme Court dealt a major setback to Democrats by overturning a redistricting plan that could have helped Democrats win as many as four additional House seats. The Alabama bill could set aside the results of the May 19 primaries, if courts lift an injunction requiring it to use a map with two districts that have large Black populations.