- Friday May 15th, 2026
- "It Is Not A Question of Who Is Right Or Wrong But What Is Right Or Wrong That Counts."
- --Geoff Metcalf
- Providing an on line Triage of the news since 1998
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World & Nation
Trump Weighs Taiwan Arms Deal After Xi Talks
President Donald Trump told reporters Friday that he will "make a
determination over the next fairly short period of time" on whether to
proceed with an arms deal with Taiwan, and refused to say whether the
U.S. would defend the island against China.
Speaking aboard Air Force One while returning from a summit in Beijing
with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump confirmed Taiwan was one of
the central topics discussed during the talks.
"President Xi and I talked a lot about Taiwan," Trump said. "He does
not want to see a fight for independence because that would be a very
strong confrontation."
Trump said Xi raised the issue of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan "in great
detail," but stressed that he made "no commitment either way."
Marco Rubio warns China of 'repercussions' as he reveals what really happened during meeting
Secretary of State Marco Rubio pulled back the curtain on private
discussions between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Donald
Trump.
Beijing cleared the way for Rubio to touch down on Chinese soil this
week, despite having the Secretary of State under strict sanctions for
nearly six years.
Rubio, a long-time China hawk who was blacklisted by the Communist
regime in 2020 for his scathing criticism of the regime's human rights
record, was widely expected to be a 'persona non grata' during
President Trump's visit.
However, Chinese officials signaled that the standing sanctions would
not bar Rubio from the visit, offering a technical loophole to avoid a
diplomatic disaster. They indicated that the restrictions were tied to
Rubio's previous actions as a US Senator, rather than his current role
as the nation's top diplomat.
Trump: US, China Agree Iran Cannot Have Nuclear Arms
President Donald Trump said his patience with Iran was running out and
that he had agreed in talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping that
Tehran could not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and must reopen
the Strait of Hormuz.
With official agreements from the U.S.-China summit yet to be released,
Trump's comments gave little indication of whether Beijing, the main
buyer of Iranian oil, might use its influence with Tehran to end a
conflict China said should not continue.
"We've settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn't
have been able to settle," Trump said on Friday after he met Xi in
Beijing on the second day of talks which included the Iran war, Taiwan,
trade and other issues.
Retired Navy admiral makes bombshell claim about UFOs and 'non-human intelligence' controlling them
Gallaudet's military background brings extra gravity to claims about unexplained sightings in the sky and ocean
Are UFOs controlled by non-human entities?
There are few topics in America that generate more attention and interest than UFOs/UAPs.
One of the big reasons why is that there's no clear answer for what is going on up in the sky or down in the ocean.
There are countless videos and stories about unexplainable sightings,
but very few concrete answers. Well, prepare for things to get amped up.
Retired Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet is a leading voice in America when
it comes to the UAP phenomenon, and he thinks whatever is going
on...might not have a human explanation!
Trump says Iran proposal began with 'unacceptable sentence,' included weak nuclear guarantees
President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran’s latest peace offer
didn’t have strong enough guarantees when it came to their nuclear
program.
“I looked at it, and if I don't like the first sentence, I just throw
it away,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One while traveling home
from China.
“What was the first sentence?” Trump was asked.
“An unacceptable sentence because they have fully agreed, no nuclear.
And if they have any nuclear of any form, I don't read the rest of it,”
Trump said.
Trump wraps widely-watched trip to China, departing on Air Force One after high-stakes Xi meeting
Air Force One lifted off after U.S. President Donald Trump wrapped up
his visit to China where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping this
week.
The president spoke to the press aboard Air Force One, calling Xi "an incredible guy."
Trump said Xi "feels very strongly" on the Taiwan issue, but noted, "I made no commitment either way."
Kamala Harris torched for progressive wishlist: ‘Language of civil war’
Former Vice President Kamala was dragged online for a laundry list of
progressive “bad ideas” she wants to bring to the table at what she’s
dubbed a “No Bad Idea Brainstorm” for Democrats.
Harris said during a Wednesday night livestream on the “Win with Black
Women” podcast that Democrats need “an expanded playbook” and need to
consider radical positions ahead of the 2026 midterm elections —
including abolishing the Electoral College and packing the Supreme
Court.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris was dragged online for a laundry
list of progressive “bad ideas” she wants to bring to the table at what
she’s called a “No Bad Idea Brainstorm” for Democrats.
“Look, this is a moment where there are no bad ideas, a ‘No Bad Idea
Brainstorm’ is what I’d like to call it,” Harris said in the video,
which quickly went viral on social media.
“And in that No Bad Ideas Brainstorm, we talk about what we need to do
and think about doing around the Electoral College. We talk about the
idea of Supreme Court reform, which includes expanding the Supreme
Court. We invite a conversation about multi-member districts,” she said.
White House Ballroom to Open in 2028
President Donald Trump on Friday said the new White House ballroom is scheduled to open "around September of 2028."
Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post while returning from
China, highlighting what he described as America's need for a grand
ceremonial venue comparable to those used by other world powers.
"China has a Ballroom, and so should the U.S.A.!" Trump wrote. "It's
under construction, ahead of schedule, and will be the finest facility
of its kind anywhere in the U.S.A."
Trump thanked supporters for backing the project, adding that the
ballroom's "scheduled opening will be around September of 2028."
CIA Director Visits Cuba as Island Runs Out of Oil
CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials in Havana on
Thursday, the communist government said, as the island endures record
energy shortages.
The visit comes at a low moment in U.S.-Cuba relations, after
Washington imposed a fuel blockade on its neighbor in January and
President Donald Trump slapped sanctions on the island and mused about
taking it over.
The meeting with Ratcliffe took place "in a context marked by the
complexity of bilateral relations, with the aim of contributing to the
political dialogue between both nations," a government statement read.
Powell ends term as Fed chair: Takeaways from his tenure
A global
pandemic that put millions of Americans out of work within days. The
highest inflation in four decades. An unprecedented federal criminal
investigation.
Fed Chair
Jerome Powell faced a succession of crises over his 8-year tenure atop
the central bank, which ends on Friday. Powell’s decisions along the
way held stakes as concrete as the budgets of everyday Americans and as
heady as the political independence of a pillar institution.
President
Donald Trump’s Fed Chair nominee Kevin Warsh is set to take the helm,
inheriting a resilient economy by some measures, though one suffering
from a renewed bout of inflation.
Powell said
last month that he would take the unusual step of staying on at the
central bank's 12-person board of governors after his term expires. The
move grants Powell a role in interest-rate policy that could last until
2028, though he says he will step down once a Fed inspector general's
investigation into a renovation of the central bank headquarters is
closed.
Why would the NY Times make such horrific claims about Israel? The reasons are several-fold
By Douglas Murray
Nicholas Kristof raped my dog. At least that is what I have heard, from
an anonymous source. A source who is intensely hostile to the New York
Times columnist. And that’s good enough for me. Now I come to think of
it, my pet pug has had a strange look on his face lately.
As it happens, the rumor that I have just attempted to spread is far
less lurid and fanciful than the one that the New York Times chose to
spread around the world this week.
In a piece that has already been widely debunked, Kristof claimed that
Israeli prison guards routinely use rape as a method of torture on
Palestinian prisoners. The piece portrayed Israeli prison guards and
soldiers as rapists, sadists and akin to Nazi prison camp guards.
Perhaps even worse.
Kristof’s most grotesque claim is based on an anonymous source who is
described as a “journalist” from Gaza. According to this source, while
being held in an Israeli prison in 2024, the Gazan man was stripped
naked, blindfolded and handcuffed. Then “a dog was summoned.” The dog’s
handler — who we are helpfully told was speaking Hebrew — then
encouraged the dog to “mount him.”
The CCP controls the most intimate elements of our life. Most Americans have no idea
We must work alongside our most trusted allies and friends to build strong, resilient supply chains away from China.
Rep. Young Kim By Rep. Young Kim
Critical minerals quietly power every aspect of modern American life.
As you pour your morning coffee, you are relying on copper wiring and
silicon chips working behind the scenes inside your coffee maker. When
you grab milk from the refrigerator, you are depending on metal
components, copper wiring, and electronic controls to keep everything
cold. Turn on the TV to another round of bickering politicians on cable
news, and you are looking at a screen built with indium, lithium, and
rare earth phosphors.
Flip off the lights, hop in your car, connect your phone to Bluetooth,
and turn on your favorite podcast for the drive to work. That everyday
routine depends on copper, lithium, and a whole host of other critical
minerals that power batteries, speakers, navigation systems, electric
motors, and modern communications technology.
These materials are so deeply embedded into our daily lives that most
Americans would never think twice about them. But they should.
