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May 14, 2026 - World

A tense exchange was caught on a hot mic Thursday as the summit between the U.S. and China began, according to The Daily Beast.Inside the Great Hall of the People, Washington and Beijing's top officials were sitting down face-to-face for high-stakes bilateral talks. As they entered the room, a press pool camera that was broadcasting for PBS News was rolling live when someone with an American accent unloaded on the operator, The Beast reported."No, no, get the f--- out of here," the unknown person said. "No. Move. Got to move."The camera started spinning towards the ceiling during the exchange as several people were speaking near the camera and the sound of shoes squeaking was captured.The showdown was preceded by escalating tensions stemming from the Iran war, China's maneuvering around Taiwan, and years of economic conflict.The leaders reportedly left the talks with "positive sentiments," according to The Beast. Chinese President Xi Jinping told reporters that relations between the two countries were "generally stable."???? HOT MIC IN CHINA: "Get the F*CK out of here!" unknown voice says as the press and cameras struggle when President Trump and Xi walk inYikes! ???? pic.twitter.com/LqDtVr75Zi— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 14, 2026

May 14, 2026 - World

Rep Mark Alford (R-MO) seemed to shock CNN host John Berman by insisting President Donald Trump had "control over the Strait of Hormuz" — despite it being closed.During a Thursday interview, Berman asked Alford to explain why Trump said he didn't think about Americans' financial situation, "not even a little bit," when it came to the war in Iran."If I could just kind of give a little clarity to what I think President Trump was saying is, look, he does care about the American people," Alford replied. "He does care about the price of the pump."The congressman suggested the alternative to the current conflict was Iran growing stronger until it struck U.S. forces in the Middle East."Gas prices would be $10 a gallon," he remarked. "This is the time to put an end to it... I know that it is a hardship on filling up. It just cost me $100 to fill up my Ford Expedition last week when I was home in the district, and I travel a lot. I know it's a hardship, but we've got to do this now.""How much longer is it going to cost you 100 bucks to fill up your Ford Expedition?" the CNN host wondered."Look, I don't have a crystal ball in this," Alford explained. "I do know that we do have control over the Straits of Hormuz right now. Things have improved somewhat."A surprised Berman interrupted: "If we have control, how come there aren't vessels going in and out of the Strait of Hormuz right now?"For his part, Alford blamed "safety issues" for the inability to use the Strait."Saudi Arabia and other countries did not want us to provide those services where we're escorting tankers through," he claimed. "This has become very complicated because other Middle Eastern countries, Saudi Arabia and others, want Iran to be dealt with, but they also know that this is a delicate situation."

May 14, 2026 - World

Donald Trump's chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is facing mounting scrutiny over his evasive testimony before Congress regarding the Iran war strategy — raising questions about whether his silence reflects genuine military uncertainty, or fear of contradicting an unpredictable president.According to the New York Times, in nearly 14 hours of recent congressional testimony, Gen. Dan Caine was repeatedly asked the same fundamental questions: How had the world's most powerful military allowed Iran to cut off oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz, and what was the plan to reopen it and end the war?As the Times' Greg Jaffe wrote, the general's answers revealed a man walking an increasingly precarious tightrope. As chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Caine is obliged to remain apolitical. Yet he works for Trump, who demands absolute loyalty — a tension that appears to be paralyzing Caine's willingness to articulate a coherent strategy, according to the report.In public testimony, Caine has narrowly defined the military's mission. On Tuesday, when frustrated Democratic and Republican lawmakers pressed him and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for concrete plans, Caine offered only tactical descriptions."Our military objectives have been clear the whole time," Caine said, citing "targeting Iran's ballistic missile systems," destroying its Navy and defense industrial base, and stopping Iranian forces from threatening U.S. troops and regional allies. He repeatedly praised American troops' dedication.The report noted that he continually and cautiously avoided any discussion of broader U.S. military strategy or an endgame scenario.Caine has been similarly evasive on damage assessments of Iran's missile and drone capabilities — a critical indicator of bombing campaign effectiveness and overall war progress. The reticence, analysts suggest, stems from working under Trump's "mercurial" leadership, Jaffe reported.Trump has sought to preserve negotiating flexibility by avoiding binding war aims beyond preventing Iranian nuclear weapons development. His unpredictable nature — his willingness to reverse course almost daily — puts military leaders in an impossible position. Speaking publicly about war strategy risks immediate contradiction from the commander in chief.The cost of Caine's silence extends beyond politics, according to one military expert. "When military leaders only talk about tactics, it reinforces this fallacy within the ranks that they don't need to worry about strategy, that other people will take care of that stuff," said Heidi Urben, a retired Army colonel and associate director of Georgetown University's security studies program.

May 14, 2026 - World

The Trump administration's effort to silence a United Nations expert hit a major snag, with a judge ruling it violated her right to free speech. A federal judge temporarily blocked sanctions against Italian lawyer Francesca Albanese, a UN expert on the Palestinian territories, according to reporting by the Guardian on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon wrote in his opinion that "Albanese has done nothing more than speak!"Albanese recommended that the International Criminal Court prosecute United States and Israeli nationals for war crimes in Gaza, The Guardian reported. Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded by sanctioning Albanese last year and barred her from entering the U.S. or banking there, according to the Guardian.Family members of Albanese with U.S. citizenship sued the Trump administration in February and alleged that the sanctions were "effectively debanking her and making it nearly impossible to meet the needs of her daily life," according to reporting by the Guardian.Leon wrote that the Trump administration wanted to regulate her speech because of the "idea or message expressed," which is protected by the First Amendment, the Guardian wrote. "It is undisputed that her recommendations have no binding effect on the ICC's actions - they are nothing more than her opinion."

May 8, 2026 - World

Stone being paid $50,000 a month to ‘rebuild’ relations between Washington and Myanmar’s military-backed governmentThe US lobbyist Roger Stone, a longtime friend and ally of Donald Trump, has been condemned for accepting $50,000 a month to “rebuild” relations between Washington and Myanmar’s military-backed government.Myanmar’s leaders have been internationally isolated since seizing power in a coup in 2021, and have repeatedly been accused of atrocities that may amount to war crimes. Activists say the military rulers, which recently held widely condemned “sham” elections, are now trying to reassert themselves abroad. Continue reading...