5 things to know for May 13: Price of war, drug cartels, hantavirus worries, Trump-Xi meeting, ICE rebrand

 President Donald Trump is not giving up on his idea to add a 51st state. First, he floated annexing Canada. Now, he’s targeting a country in South America.

Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.

An F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft on the flight deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford prepares for a mission supporting US operations in the war with Iran. 

U.S. Navy/Reuters

1️⃣ Price of war

The Iran war has cost the US $29 billion so far — an estimate that’s higher than the $25 billion figure the Pentagon provided to Congress just two weeks ago. However, one war budgeting expert told CNN that the conflict will ultimately cost US taxpayers at least $1 trillion. Read more.

WATCH: Trump: “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation”

2️⃣ Drug cartels

The CIA is escalating a secret war on drug cartels with deadly operations inside Mexico, CNN reported Tuesday. The agency’s involvement has varied, according to sources, from more passive intelligence sharing and providing general support to direct participation in assassination operations. After the story was published, the CIA called the reporting “false” but did not specify which details it was disputing. Read more.

3️⃣ Hantavirus worries

With grim memories of the Covid-19 pandemic still fresh, federal and state officials have repeatedly assured the public that hantavirus is not a comparable threat. It is true that it’s no Covid, but some health experts say the messaging has at times been overly confident and too quick to dismiss the possibility of a threat. Read more.

4️⃣ Trump-Xi meeting
President Trump has arrived in China to begin a multi-day state visit that carries global consequences, as the world’s two largest economies frame their trade relationship — and the tone of their rivalry. Trade, Taiwan and the war in Iran will all be items on the agenda when the president meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Read more.

5️⃣ ICE rebrand

President Trump thinks Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, needs a rebrand — starting with a new name: National Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or NICE. He’s teased the idea repeatedly on social media and in interviews, leaning into a softer acronym for one of the administration’s hardest-edged agencies. Read more.

ICE agents in Minneapolis in February. 

John Moore/Getty Images