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May 12, 2026 - World

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) pointed out to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the U.S. had "not won this war" with Iran despite the rhetoric coming from President Donald Trump's administration.During a Tuesday Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the war, Shaheen pointed to reports that Iran was receiving intelligence from Russia."Russia is making $4 billion from oil sanctions relief because we've loosened those sanctions," she explained. "As has been testified to. An Iranian Shahed drone costs about 35,000. That's enough money for hundreds of thousands of drones supporting Russia's war in Ukraine and billions for Iran to reconstitute its industrial base.""Senator, we know Russia is a nefarious actor on a lot of levels and account for that," Hegseth insisted. "All evidence to the contrary!" Shaheen interrupted. "We're not accounting for that if we're giving Russia the opportunity to earn $4 billion a month, $20 billion by the end of the year if we leave those sanctions lifted for that time during which they can continue to fund Iran.""The destruction of Iran's defense industrial base has been clear and overwhelming," the defense secretary argued. "What we see is Iran still producing drones," the senator observed. "They're still engaged in this conflict. We have not won this war despite the rhetoric.""If Iran still has almost 50% of their missile capacity and the ability to pull drones," she added, "and still injure our allies and U.S. service members, then we have not won the war."

May 12, 2026 - World

A relatively subdued Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth changed tactics and talked over a Democratic lawmaker on Tuesday morning as the two argued over Pentagon expenditures with the Donald Trump appointee snapping when one of his claims was called “ridiculous.”Hegseth faced off with Rep. Joe Morelle (R-NY) who asked, “There has been much reported about the president's trip to China and I appreciate again my colleagues raised PACOM [United States Indo-Pacific Command] and its defense. There are weapons on hold the president has not authorized to Taiwan and I wonder if you can give me an update, what’s the status of those weapons sales are at this point?”“I just want to say the primes will be paying for the factories out of their own pocket, not the taxpayers' money which is a sea change, which I think this budget —," Hegseth began.“They are going to get a return on their investment,” Morelle interrupted as Hegseth protested with the New York Democrat continuing, “Yes, I understand, but they are not paying for it out of their pocket and not getting compensated. But anyway, can you answer my question about Taiwan?”“Buildings cost money, and if giving them $2 billion to build a factory, that is taxpayer money. If they are using it out of their own hide, that is $2 billion saved for the American people that then we can appropriate to our munitions we pay for in the future” Hegseth argued before complaining, “I know it is difficult to grasp…”“It’s not difficult to grasp! It is a different way of getting to the same place,” the Democratic lawmaker replied. “You end up paying for it — look, we ought to, they are building things for us, but to suggest that they are making an investment and will not somehow get compensated through sales is just honestly ridiculous.”“We used to pay for the building too and then pay for the sales,” Hegseth shot back as Morelle looked down and shook his head. “Now we are paying for the sales and not the building which is, I think, is a good—.”“And they are not embedding that in the tax write-off in the things they are selling to us, the capitalization, CAPEX they are putting into it they will get back? I don't know why we are arguing about it,” Morelle asked.“They are paying for it,” Hegseth replied. - YouTube youtu.be

May 12, 2026 - World

Donald Trump's trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping comes as the leadership of China is buoyed by an internal report that their country has seen its profile in the world rise above the US in large part due to American president.With Reuters reporting that Trump needs some “wins” due to his horrific approval numbers at home, the New York Times is reporting that a “Beijing think tank affiliated with Renmin University published a triumphant report about Mr. Trump’s first year back in office. The report argued that his tariffs, attacks on allies, anti-immigration policies and assaults on the American political establishment had inadvertently strengthened China while weakening the United States. Its title: ‘Thank Trump.’”According to the Times the analysis argued that Trump's erratic decision-making across domestic and foreign policy has inadvertently unified China while fracturing American institutions with the authors characterizing Trump as an "accelerator of American political decay," and the United States teetering on "Latin American-style instability."Trump's hostility toward China, the report argued, functioned as a "reverse booster" that strengthened Beijing's strategic self-reliance. "At this turning point in history," the authors wrote, "what we hear is the heavy and haunting toll of an empire's evening bell."In light of the current state of affairs, the Times is reporting that use of the term "American decline" in official Chinese sources nearly doubled in 2025, citing a Brookings Institution study.Chinese scholars are openly discussing how to exploit Trump's desperation. "Only China can save Trump," said Huang Jing, a professor at Shanghai International Studies University during a late 2025 media event. With midterm elections approaching, Huang argued, Trump needs visible wins such as Chinese purchases of American soybeans, corn, and natural gas that could help Republicans in the red states the GOP relies upon."Since Trump, the United States has become increasingly prone to compromise," Huang reportedly advisedChinese scholars are also strategizing about the possibility of a Republican midterm collapse. According to Wu Xinbo, a leading American studies scholar at Fudan University, if Republicans lose control of the House in November, Trump, handcuffed domestically by a Democratic-controlled House would likely lean into foreign policy legacy-building — opening the door for China's leaders to use that to their advantage, with Wu remarking, "China should make good use of this opportunity."

May 11, 2026 - World

Former America First Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) revealed that she was starting her "next chapter" in what was reported to be Costa Rica.Soon after her fiancé, Brian Glenn, resigned as a White House correspondent, Greene shared a photo from a tropical location."I'm so thankful to start the next chapter with @brianglenntv ❤️," she wrote on Instagram.MAGA activist Laura Loomer alleged that Greene "fled the country to Costa Rica, where she is now living in a $5 million mansion after selling her home in Rome, Georgia, for $1.1 million in March of 2026." "Does this mean that Marjorie Traitor Greene has applied for dual citizenship or has already obtained citizenship in Costa Rica?" the activist asked. "And if so, how long has she been planning to flee the country to become a citizen of a foreign country as a now *former* member of Congress?"Loomer added, "The purchase of the property proves she began this process as a member of Congress, all while she pretends to be 'America First' and 'America Only'."Greene later posted that she still lives in Georgia, but plans to travel the world.Greene left Congress after breaking ranks with President Donald Trump over his handling of Jeffrey Epstein-related matters, marking a rare moment of public daylight between the MAGA firebrand and the political figure she has typically championed. Greene has expressed frustration with Trump's approach to Epstein allegations and what she views as insufficient accountability regarding Trump's past associations with the disgraced financier, who died in prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

May 11, 2026 - World

The panel on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” had a good laugh at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s expense on Monday morning after he lost an online battle over the weekend with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ).Kelly has been a major target of Hegseth’s after he joined with other lawmakers who served in the military to advise current service members to remember their oath to the Constitution.Over the weekend, the fighting between the two flared up again after the Arizona Democrat took a new shot at Hegseth’s prosecution of Donald Trump’s war on Iran.Responding to a post on X from “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan, who wrote, “After hearing the Pentagon classified brief on Iran war impact on US weapons stockpiles, Senator Mark Kelly says it is 'shocking how deep we have gone into these magazines.' He said the Tomahawks, ATACMS, SM-3, THAAD rounds, Patriot rounds, so those interceptor rounds to defend ourselves have been hit hard. He says it'll take years to replenish those stockpiles, which could affect a hypothetical US conflict with China,” Hegseth linked to it and complained about Kelly.“’Captain’ Mark Kelly strikes again. Now he’s blabbing on TV (falsely & dumbly) about a *CLASSIFIED* Pentagon briefing he received. Did he violate his oath…again? @DeptofWar legal counsel will review,” Hegseth threatened.As MS NOW host Jonathan Lemire noted, Kelly was armed and ready for Hegseth’s attack.“We had this conversation in a public hearing a week ago and you said it would take ‘years’ to replenish some of these stockpiles. That’s not classified, it’s a quote from you. This war is coming at a serious cost and you and the president still haven’t explained to the American people what the goal is,” Kelly fired back on X while including a clip of their interaction.The led the entire “Morning Joe” panel to start laughing, with co-host Joe Scarborough pointing out, “He’s such a joke.”He then added, “And instead of focusing on the war at hand, he's doing Donald Trump's bidding, trying to go after political enemies. Really, that's how he's spending his time.” - YouTube youtu.be