“Trump returned to Washington with little to show for his visit: only two agreements on opening Chinese markets to U.S. products, and no political help in the Middle East. China did agree to buy 200 Boeing aircraft (fewer than expected), but it has failed to follow through on similar announcements in the past. The White House also claimed that China has agreed to purchase $17 billion of agricultural products, but China has not confirmed this. It did not prevent Trump from claiming that they ‘did great trade deals’ and that the meeting was ‘a great success.’ It was the optics of the meeting that demonstrated how far Trump has fallen in Chinese eyes.” (05/19/26)
“By virtue of his own actions, Trump is now left with a series of policy options that range from least bad to terrible. None of them are ideal, and all of them carry some risk. For starters, Trump could resume the war. … Yet there are no guarantees that doubling down on military force will work. … What about continuing the status quo? While this contingency would be less costly than another round of bombing or a U.S. ground invasion, it’s unclear whether it would help or hurt negotiations toward a settlement. … Striking an agreement to end the war, return the strait to open traffic and restrict Iran’s nuclear program would be the most beneficial policy for the United States with the least amount of cost attached — not quite undoing the harm from Trump’s first-term decision to scrap the nuclear deal and his second-term decision to start a war.” (05/20/26)
“A federal jury has acquitted two business executives of charges that they conspired to bribe a retired four-star U.S. Navy admiral, who is now serving a six-year prison sentence for his conviction on corruption charges. An earlier trial for Next Jump co-CEOs Yongchul ‘Charlie’ Kim and Meghan Messenger ended last year with a hung jury and a mistrial. Their retrial in Washington, D.C., ended Monday with a jury acquitting them of all charges, including conspiracy and bribery, court records show. Prosecutors accused Kim and Messenger of bribing retired Adm. Robert P. Burke for a military contract in exchange for a lucrative postretirement job.” (05/19/26)
Source: Jake Porter’s Analysis & Investigations
by Jake Porter
“In late 2023, a quiet operation was launched to neutralize a threat to Donald Trump’s reelection campaign. The target wasn’t a Democrat, but the Libertarian Party (LP). What followed was a masterclass in political co-optation. Through backroom deals, a highly unusual joint fundraising committee with Robert Kennedy Jr., and blatant internal sabotage, leadership within the Libertarian National Committee (LNC) effectively turned the party of ‘Principle’ into a subsidiary of the Trump campaign.” (05/19/26)
Source: Chris’s Substack
by Chris Matthew Sciabarra
“May is National Pet Month in the United States. It is a celebration of the bond between pets and people — a testament to the immense joy that pets bring to our lives. Through the years, the deep connection that I experienced with our family pets was a source of support, companionship, visibility, and love.” (05/19/26)
