- Wednesday May 13th, 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
China Warns Trump on 'Red Lines' Before Xi Talks
The Chinese embassy is warning that there are "four red lines"
President Donald Trump must not challenge during his meetings this week
with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In one post on social media Tuesday, the embassy posted a graphic
stating that the United States, during Trump's meetings, must not
challenge the "Taiwan question," China's record of democracy and human
rights, the nation's path and political system, and "China's
developmental right."
In another X post, the embassy emphasized that "China and the US should
explore the building of a strategic, constructive, and stable China-US
relationship," adding that "mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and
win-win cooperation remain the right way for China and the US to get
along."
Report: Most Iran Missile Sites Active After US Strikes
Iran has restored operational access to 30 of the 33 missile sites it
maintains along the Strait of Hormuz and still retains about 70% of its
prewar missile arsenal, according to classified U.S. intelligence
assessments described by The New York Times.
The assessments contrast with public statements by President Donald
Trump, who said the Iranian military had been severely weakened during
the campaign.
The assessments, dated to early May, indicate that much of Iran's
missile infrastructure remains operational despite the U.S.-Israeli air
campaign, Operation Epic Fury, which began 10 weeks earlier.
Nvidia CEO Joins Trump's Mission to 'Open Up' China
President Donald Trump picked up Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in Alaska en
route to a high-stakes Beijing summit with China's Xi Jinping, while
his top trade negotiator Scott Bessent began preparatory talks with
Chinese officials in South Korea.
Alert: Massive Growth Predicted for AI Under Trump Admin... Get 3 Free Picks Here
With his public approval ratings bruised by the Iran war, Trump embarks
on his first visit to China in nearly a decade aiming to strike deals
on farm goods and airplanes and maintain a fragile trade war truce
between the world's top two economies.
Trump admin live updates: CIA whistleblower unmasked, claims spy agency ‘illegally monitored’ COVID investigators
The American president, accompanied by Tesla/SpaceX founder Elon Musk
and Nvidia boss Jensen Huang, is scheduled to hold two days of meetings
with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.
Trump said late Tuesday that he is “journeying to the Great Country of
China where I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary
distinction, to ‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work
their magic, and help bring the People’s Republic to an even higher
level!”
He will be joined by Elon Musk, Tim Cook and more than a dozen other tech titans on the trip.
House Oversight Chair Comer: China could face more tariffs if Trump-Xi summit falls short
China could face additional U.S. tariffs if President Donald Trump’s
two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping does not produce
results, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer warned
Wednesday.
“If I were President Xi, I would worry if this is an unsuccessful
summit after two days that China could be faced with even more tariffs
from the United States,” Comer told Fox Business' "Mornings With Maria."
“I think this is a very important trip," according to Comer.
"Obviously it’s historic, but we have a lot of problems with China,” he
continued. “We really need to have a trade agreement, a fair trade
agreement with China.”
Army Hit With $6 Billion Shortfall Amid Iran Conflict
The U.S. Army reportedly is facing a $4 billion to $6 billion budget
shortfall due largely to the Iran war and to securing the southern
border.
According to internal documents reviewed by ABC News, Army leaders are
scrambling to slash training costs and reduce operational spending as
the service struggles to absorb mounting expenses tied to President
Donald Trump's expanded national security missions at home and abroad.
The cuts reportedly have triggered abrupt cancellations of elite
military schools, reduced pilot flight hours, and heightened scrutiny
of spending across multiple Army commands months before the fiscal year
ends Sept. 30.
S.C. Supreme Court Overturns Murdaugh's Murder Convictions
The South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned the murder
convictions and life sentence of disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh in the
shooting deaths of his wife and younger son.
In a unanimous ruling, the justices said the conduct by the court clerk
“egregiously attacked Murdaugh’s credibility” by suggesting to jurors
his testimony could not be trusted. They also said the trial judge went
too far in allowing evidence of Murdaugh’s financial crimes into his
murder trial
But Murdaugh won’t be getting out of prison. The 57-year-old pleaded
guilty to stealing around $12 million from his clients and currently is
serving a 40-year federal sentence.
Republicans pivot to emergency gas tax holiday, affordability agenda as soaring prices anger voters
Soaring inflation, rising gasoline prices and crushing housing costs
have pressured Republicans in Congress to make an emergency pivot to
affordability measures as they face an increasingly dissatisfied
electorate that could boot them out of the majority after November.
Lawmakers are weighing a suspension of the federal gas tax and a
sweeping housing reform bill after arriving Tuesday on Capitol Hill
amid alarming economic news: Consumer prices rose 3.8% from a year
earlier in April, the highest annual rate since May 2023.
“Clearly, this is an issue that every American is dealing with. And
some of it, the circumstances are beyond their control,” Senate
Majority Leader John Thune, South Dakota Republican, told The
Washington Times.
Republicans huddled during a closed-door Senate luncheon to pivot
toward an affordability agenda amid mounting blame for the rapidly
rising cost of living. A CNN poll showed 77% of Americans, including a
majority of Republicans, said President Trump’s policies have increased
the cost of living in their communities.
Iran blames foreign tanker for massive oil slick near Kharg Island
Iran said Tuesday a suspected oil spill near its main export hub at
Kharg Island was likely caused by a foreign tanker dumping contaminated
ballast water, not a leak from its own facilities.
Satellite images from May 6–8 showed a grey-and-white slick stretching
across dozens of square kilometers west of the island, a key oil hub in
the Gulf.
Vice President and environmental chief Shina Ansari said monitoring
found “no oil leaks… from pipelines or oil facilities,” and blamed a
“non-Iranian tanker” for the discharge, according to state media.
Iran’s Oil Terminals Company also said inspections found no signs of leaks from storage tanks, pipelines or nearby tankers.
Spencer Pratt’s mayoral run backed by Paris Hilton, Kristin Cavallari as celebrity divide deepens
Pratt's widely praised debate performance and viral campaign ads have boosted his standing against Karen Bass
Spencer Pratt's run for Mayor of Los Angeles has divided Hollywood with
celebrities like Paris Hilton, Kristin Cavallari, Billy Bush and more
choosing sides as the reality star’s campaign continues to gain
traction.
"The Hills" alum, 42, who has been an outspoken critic of incumbent
Mayor Karen Bass over her response to the devastating LA fires after
losing his own home in the disaster, announced his surprise bid for
City Hall in January.
Throughout his campaign, Pratt has emphasized issues such as
homelessness, public safety, wildfire response and government spending,
positioning himself as a political outsider challenging the status quo
in Los Angeles and drawing support from voters dissatisfied with
current leadership.
New York Times’ libelous campaign against Israel continues apace
By Andrea Peyser
It’s a banner month for Jew-hating propaganda at The New York Times,
where libel against the state of Israel is normalized and celebrated.
Last week, jaws dropped everywhere when the so-called Newspaper of
Record won a Pulitzer Prize for the 2025 work of a Gaza-based
contributing photographer best known for a picture so misleading,
fraudulent, so useful in the quest to ramp-up antisemitism, the paper
was forced to issue a correction.
This was followed by a disgusting and false opinion piece penned by
two-time Pulitzer-winning Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, 67, who has
a long pattern of getting suckered into promoting hoaxes. In it, he
accuses Israelis — even their dogs —of frequently and cruelly sexually
assaulting mass numbers of Arabs.
Texas paid for Biden’s border crisis. Republicans must make sure it never happens again
We know exactly what we can expect from future Democrat administrations
Rep. Jodey Arrington By Rep. Jodey Arrington
Under President Trump’s leadership, illegal border crossings have
plummeted to historic lows and the rule of law has been restored to
communities across the country. This is much-needed relief from the
open-border chaos and lawlessness we endured under the Biden
administration, but Congress would be foolish to think this problem is
solved for good.
We’ve seen the consequences of a federal government that abdicates its
first and most important responsibility – providing for the common
defense – and, if the past is prologue, we know exactly what we can
expect from future Democrat administrations that want to take us back.
For four years under Biden, millions of illegal aliens flooded our
borders, drug and human trafficking surged, and our communities were
overwhelmed. And when Texas stepped up to protect its citizens, the
federal government didn’t just fail to help – it actively obstructed.
When Texas deployed buoy barriers, the administration sued. When the
state installed razor wire, federal agents cut it. When Texas passed
laws to enforce immigration policy and restore order, the Department of
Justice challenged those efforts in court. The Biden White House used
every tool at its disposal to keep the border open and leave states
defenseless.
