Stories Speak Volumes: May 11-15
A Round-Up of National and International News
Compiled by
There are so many stories making up the mosaic of national/international news that we can’t cover them all every week. The biggest stories now seem to be: Israel and Iran, the Trump presidency (lawfare and judges), immigration (migrants and illegals), wars, weaponization of government (the deep state) against Trump and conservatives, our nation’s debt, massive inflation, climate change controversy and related expenses of government, industry attempting to address these issues, the Chinese threat, national security, abortion, taxpayer cuts, Ukraine peace, and hatred and violence against Christians. Here are just a few:
EPA Chief Lee Zeldin to Boost Reshoring, Manufacturing, AI Development By Streamlining Permitting
May 11: Breitbart by John Nolte
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on Monday issued a proposal that would clarify permitting requirements to make it far easier to begin construction and facilitate reshoring of manufacturing, Breitbart News has learned exclusively.
Zeldin issued a proposal that would clarify preconstruction permits and allow for more flexibility for building non-emitting components or structures, such as cement pads, wiring, piping, and associated support structures.
The EPA believes that, for years, the agency’s definition of “Begin Actual Construction,” has imposed onerous constraints on economic development by slowing down various aspects of construction projects that do not impact human health and the environment. If the proposal is finalized as presented, Americans would be able to start building non-emitting components or structures for essential power generation, data centers, and manufacturing prior to obtaining a major New Source Review (NSR).
The EPA’s proposal would bolster the development of AI infrastructure and power generation and serve as a major step forward in the Trump administration’s mission to provide affordable baseload power for Americans and advance the construction of data centers to ensure that America continues to lead in technological innovation.
Pete Hegseth Accuses Democrat Senator Mark Kelly of ‘Blabbing’ About ‘Classified’ Briefing
May 11: Breitbart by Amy Furr
U.S. Department of War (DOW) Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) may be in deep trouble for comments he made over a classified Pentagon brief. In a social media post on Sunday, Hegseth shared a post from Face the Nation’s Margaret Brennan in which she detailed Kelly’s comments regarding U.S. weapons stockpiles. In response, Hegseth criticized the senator, who is a retired U.S. Navy captain, and said officials were taking action.
The California System That Locked Out Republicans Is Suddenly ‘Unfair’ To Dems
May 11: Red State Opinion by Jennifer van Laar
A Democrat strategist who warned way back in April 2025 that his party could be frozen out of California’s 2026 gubernatorial general election, leaving voters to choose from two Republicans, has filed a ballot initiative to repeal the state’s “top 2” primary system. That strategist, Steven Maviglio, told the New York Times on Friday, “The fear of having to vote for Steve Hilton or Chad Bianco sent a shiver up my spine.”
Yeah, well, that’s how I felt when my choices for U.S. Senator were Dianne Feinstein and Kevin de Leon in 2018. And when my choices for the same office were Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez in 2016. And in 2018, when the choices for Lieutenant Governor, Insurance Commissioner, and Superintendent of Public Instruction were all Democrats. And let’s not forget 2014, when my choices for Superintendent for Public Instruction were both Democrats.
Since the implementation of “top 2” in 2012 there have been a handful of races in which two Republicans made it to the November ballot (including the first race I worked on in California, between now-state Sen. Tony Strickland and now-former Rep. Steve Knight), but the system has overwhelmingly benefited Democrats and contributed to the party’s stranglehold on the legislature: There have been 100 Democrat vs. Democrat state legislative races compared to 26 Republican vs. Republican.
Next L.A. Mayoral Debate Canceled After Karen Bass, Nithya Raman Pull Out
May 12: Breitbart by Paul Bois
The next Los Angeles mayoral debate has been canceled after Nithya Raman and Karen Bass pulled out, along with Spencer Pratt. The event had been scheduled for Wednesday, but debate organizers announced on Monday that the event will be canceled due to the absence of all three major candidates, per the New York Post. Reality star Spencer Pratt first pulled out due to a scheduling conflict before Bass announced that she would be traveling to Sacramento to seek funds for combatting the homeless crisis and for the wildfire rebuilding efforts. On Monday, Raman’s campaign revealed she would also not be attending. Only two candidates — businessman Adam Miller and activist Rae Huang — were still scheduled to attend.
Trump Announces His 2028 ‘Dream Team’ And ‘Perfect Ticket’
May 12: The Gateway Pundit by Cassandra MacDonald
President Donald Trump has announced his 2028 “dream team” and “perfect ticket” while speaking at a White House dinner in honor of National Police Week on Monday. Trump was speaking about a range of topics, including the future direction of the Republican Party and the 2028 presidential race, when he decided to test the waters in real time.
“Who likes J.D. Vance?” Trump asked the audience. “Who likes Marco Rubio?” Vance earned the strongest cheers. “Sounds like a good ticket,” Trump said. “That was a perfect ticket. By the way, I do believe that’s a dream team. I think it sounds like a presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate,” Trump added.
Democrat California Mayor Resigns After DOJ Nails Her as Secret CCP Agent
May 12: Red State by Rusty Weiss
Eileen Wang, the Democrat mayor of Arcadia, California, resigned Monday and agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, federal prosecutors announced.
Wang, who became mayor earlier this year after serving on the city council since 2022, faces up to 10 years in federal prison. She stands accused of working at the direction of Chinese officials to promote propaganda about the People’s Republic of China in the United States. Wang, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California, worked with a Chinese national, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, to operate a website called U.S. News Center. The site posed as a local news outlet for Chinese Americans in Arcadia.
At the direction of Chinese government officials, she received pre-written propaganda articles via WeChat—a super-app developed by the Chinese tech giant Tencent—and promptly posted them. Some of the propaganda posts included pieces denying forced labor and human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region. These activities occurred between late 2020 and the end of 2022, including after she was elected to the Arcadia City Council, without her registering as a foreign agent as required by U.S. law.
It’s Official: We Have a New Fed Chair as Jerome Powell’s Long Farewell Finally Comes to an End
May 13: Red State by Bob Hoge
One person sure to be happy by Wednesday’s news: Donald Trump. The president is no fan of outgoing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who has been reluctant to lower interest rates and has overseen massive cost overruns with his renovation project. Putting a smile on Trump’s face: the last day of “Too Late” Powell’s term is Friday, and the president’s pick to take over, Kevin Warsh, was confirmed by the Senate Wednesday afternoon.
Kevin Warsh has been confirmed as the 17th leader of the Federal Reserve, becoming America’s economist-in-chief at a moment of resurgent inflation, public discontent with the economy and unprecedented attacks on the Fed’s independence.
Driving the news: Warsh was confirmed to a four-year term as Fed chair Wednesday by a 54-to-45 Senate vote. He received unanimous support from Republicans but only one “aye” vote from a Democrat, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
RNC Chairman Announces Election Integrity Surge Across the US Ahead Of 2026 Midterms
May 13: Red State by Jennifer Oliver O’Connell
Under former co-chairs Lara Trump and Michael Whatley, the Republican National Committee (RNC) did yeoman’s work in 2024 to build an election integrity operation which combatted election interference, ensured the polling places were not compromised, and that any irregularities and attempts to erode or block the people’s vote were immediately challenged and addressed. Ahead of the 2026 midterms, RNC Chair Joe Gruters has plans to build even further on this with a multi-million dollar election integrity initiative across the U.S.
The plan revolves around smart data and even artificial intelligence to feed actual, actionable intelligence in the midterm battlegrounds. And the spending and swath of the operation will expand as the conditions on the ground warrant, according to officials.
The RNC plans to utilize election integrity experts who already reside and work in those 17 states, such as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina, who know the local laws more intimately than a phalanx of outside attorneys. But attorneys will be on the ground, ready to deploy when necessary. RNC officials also plan to have these operations cover the entire state, rather than select congressional districts.
Trump Flies With 30 CEOs To Beijing for Meetings
Mary 13: Fox News by Lee Harvey Carter
When Donald Trump boards Air Force One bound for Beijing with a plane full of American CEOs — Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg, Citigroup’s Jane Fraser and others — don’t be fooled into thinking that’s just a meeting. That’s a statement. That’s the president of the United States walking into the most consequential economic relationship in the world and saying American business is in the room. We came to compete. We came to win.
The U.S. and China are working toward a managed trade framework, a so-called “Board of Trade” for nonsensitive goods, with both sides potentially identifying around $30 billion in imports where tariffs could be reduced. That’s not small ball. But the number almost doesn’t matter. What matters is the optics. What matters is the message.
Donald Trump is also the head of central casting. He knows how to fill a room to send a message. When Trump visited China during his first term in 2017, nearly 30 CEOs accompanied him, signing 37 major deals worth more than $250 billion. The imagery of that trip — and the deals that followed — is seared in the memory of anyone who watched it. He’s trying to recreate that energy now.
Gavin Newsom’s Former Chief of Staff Pleads Guilty in Federal Corruption Case Linked to Xavier Becerra
May 14: Red State by Jennifer Van Laar
Dana Williamson, former chief of staff to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, pleaded guilty Thursday morning in federal court to three felony charges: conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, subscribing to a false tax return, and making false statements to a federal agent. As part of the plea bargain, the remaining 20 counts against her will be dismissed without prejudice at the time of sentencing, and can be reinstated if the agreement is voided or if Williamson violates/withdraws the plea agreement.
Court documents reveal that between February 2022 and September 2024, Williamson and multiple co-conspirators, including then-HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra’s chief of staff, Sean McCluskie, stole approximately $225,000 from Becerra’s dormant state political campaign account and “funnel[ed] it through various business entities and disguised it as pay to McCluskie’s spouse for what was, in reality, a no-show job.”
McCluskie arranged for Williamson’s firm to be paid $10,000 a month by the campaign to purportedly oversee its required filings while Becerra served in the Biden administration, even though a campaign treasurer was already under contract to handle that. That money eventually found its way to McCluskie’s spouse, who Williamson had set up as an employee with a no-show job. Becerra, who’s been in elected office since 1990, filing campaign committee reports that entire time, and also served as California’s Attorney General, claims he had no knowledge of the scheme.
Williamson also underreported her income by a total of $1,718,277 between 2021 and 2023 by claiming personal expenses, such as a lavish 50th birthday vacation to Mexico, designer handbags, home renovation costs, and family law attorneys, as business expenses. In addition, she was alleged to have fraudulently obtained a $300,000 PPP loan for her lobbying business; under the CARES Act, PPP loans could not be used for lobbying expenditures.
Senators Agree to Go Without Pay During Shutdowns After Historic Closures Left Workers Unpaid
May 14: Fox News by Alex Miller
Senators will now go without pay during future shutdowns in a bid to instill the same pain on lawmakers that federal workers have felt several times in recent months. The upper chamber unanimously passed a resolution to prevent senators from being paid in the event of a shutdown in a move that could thwart future closures by making the consequences real for lawmakers. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., who pushed the measure, argued that preventing lawmakers from collecting a paycheck was a “shared sacrifice” after tens of thousands of federal employees went without pay during the two shutdowns that have happened since last year.
Supreme Court Revives Suit Against Major Truck Logistics Company with Potentially Big Effects on Industry
May 15: Associated Press News by Lindsay Whitehurst
The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a man to sue a major logistics company after he lost part of his leg in a semi tractor-trailer crash, a decision that could have big ripple effects across the trucking industry. The justices ruled unanimously in favor of Shawn Montgomery, whose parked vehicle was hit by a speeding truck driver on an Illinois highway in 2017. He wants to sue C.H. Robinson, the country’s largest freight broker by size, over its role in putting the driver on the road despite what he called “serious red flags.”
The decision does not mean Montgomery will necessarily win the lawsuit, which the company is contesting. But the ruling opens the door to increased liability for freight brokers, a key part of the industry. The Trump administration and companies such as Amazon had argued that letting the suit go forward would expose logistics companies to liability under a “patchwork” of state laws.
Montgomery’s lawyers say the trucker had been cited for careless driving in another crash months earlier and that the carrier he worked for had been involved with at least three crashes in a span of about five months. Montgomery’s lawsuit said C.H. Robinson should share liability because it hired the carrier despite those problems. Montgomery’s appeal was backed by more than two dozen states. They said a win for him would help bolster safety in an industry that moves billions of tons of goods across billions of miles every year.
Brokers will now have to focus more on the safety records of the truckers they contract with to haul all kinds of goods, including hazardous materials, instead of just looking for the cheapest and fastest option. More than 28,000 federally licensed brokers currently operate in the United States with virtually no meaningful federal safety oversight regarding how they select carriers. The Transportation Department has been cracking down on the trucking industry over the past year by trying to force unqualified drivers, trucking companies and schools out of the industry.
Trump Delivers 12 Straight Months of Zero Southwest Border Migrant Releases as Illegal Crossings Collapse By 94 Percent
May 15: Breitbart by Bob Price and Randy Clark
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced this week that April marked twelve consecutive months of zero releases of illegal aliens apprehended by Border Patrol at the southwest border with Mexico into the United States — a milestone officials say reflects the most secure border in American history under President Donald Trump. DHS reports a 94 percent drop in illegal border apprehensions compared to the Biden era, with daily crossings now lower than what agents encountered in a single hour at the height of the 2023 crisis.
Two years ago, Border Patrol agents, under orders from President Joe Biden and then-DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, released more than 68,000 illegal aliens who were apprehended at the border into the U.S. interior, according to CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott.
DHS officials provided Breitbart Texas with the following statistics regarding border security and illegal immigration for the past 12 months:
- Southwest border apprehensions were 94% lower than under Biden
- Border crossings this entire fiscal year to date were lower than the monthly average the last 30 years
- Daily average apprehensions in April were 94% lower than under Biden alone
- CBP’s total encounters this fiscal year to date are lower than April 2024 alone
Mike Hernandez is co-founder of the Citizens Journal–Ventura County’s online news service and writes for CitizensJournal.net and MountainTopMedia.com. He is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor, writer of “Prayer Over News Daily” and edits the weekly “Stories Speak Volumes” and other columns. Mr. Hernandez mentors citizen journalists with trainings held every other month (on Saturdays at Shasta Bible College and online) and can be contacted at MikeHernandezMedia.com.