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CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Cuba on Thursday for meetings with senior Cuban officials, including the grandson of former communist leader Raúl Castro, as the Trump administration pursues renewed pressure and negotiations with the island’s government.

According to US and Cuban officials, Ratcliffe met with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, Cuban Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas, and Cuban intelligence leaders during the visit. Discussions reportedly focused on intelligence cooperation, economic conditions, and regional security issues.

A CIA official said Ratcliffe traveled to Havana “to personally deliver President Donald Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes.”

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It’s no surprise Republicans feel desperate to burnish Donald Trump’s reputation. His approval ratings are in the toilet, his unwanted and unnecessary war and tariffs are causing inflation and gas prices to soar, and while using his p***y-grabbing hands to pocket billions of taxpayer dollars and documents for himself, he has taken away health insurance and food benefits from Americans.

That’s not counting Dozy Don’s obvious mental decline.

Republicans in Congress could do a lot to rein in Trump’s wrongdoings and actually serve struggling Americans. Instead, Rep. Darrell Issa has introduced a resolution, cosponsored by more than 20 other Republicans, to rewrite history and expunge Trump’s two impeachments. Not only that, as Alternet reported, “it appears he wants to allege ‘misconduct’ on the part of those who were part of the process of impeaching him.”

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U.S. President Donald Trump entered his final talks with Xi Jinping on Friday touting economic wins that gave markets little to cheer, while Beijing warned Washington about mishandling Taiwan and said its war with Iran should never have started.

Trump is making the ‌first visit by a U.S. president to China, America’s main strategic and economic rival, since his last in 2017, and has been seeking tangible results to beef up his dented approval ratings ahead of crucial midterm elections.

“We’ve made some fantastic trade deals, great for both countries,” Trump said, seated beside Xi in a decorative red armchair at the opulent Zhongnanhai complex, a former imperial ‌garden that houses the offices of Chinese leaders.

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The US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Washington D.C. Bar, escalating the Trump administration’s fight against what it describes as politically motivated disciplinary actions targeting conservative government lawyers.

The lawsuit challenges the D.C. Bar’s recommendation to disbar Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official in President Donald Trump’s first administration. Clark had been accused of violating legal ethics rules over actions connected to efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results.

According to the complaint, the administration argues that state and local bar authorities are improperly interfering with executive branch functions by pursuing disciplinary action against federal attorneys over legal advice and internal deliberations.

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LONDON — Efforts to unseat British Prime Minister Keir Starmer broke out into open rebellion Thursday, with one potential rival resigning from the Cabinet and another clearing the way for her to enter any future leadership contest.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting became the first senior minister to quit Starmer ’s Cabinet on Thursday in what is expected to be a precursor to challenging his leadership.

Starmer is facing growing pressure to step down after his Labour Party’s disastrous results last week in local and regional elections.

“You have shown courage and statesmanship on the world stage — not least in keeping Britain out of the war in Iran,” Streeting wrote in a letter. “But where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift.”

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Older adults who cut back on dietary fat or reduced the amount of animal-based protein they consumed showed signs of becoming biologically younger, according to new research from the University of Sydney.

The study, published in Aging Cell, found that adults between the ages of 65 and 75 experienced reductions in their estimated ‘biological age’ after following specific diets for just four weeks. Researchers say the findings suggest dietary changes later in life may quickly improve markers linked to aging and overall health.

The research was led by Dr. Caitlin Andrews from the University of Sydney’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences. While the results are promising, the scientists emphasized that the study provides only an early indication rather than definitive proof that diet can reverse aging. They say larger and longer studies are needed to determine whether these biological changes lower disease risk over time and whether the same effects occur in other age groups.

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The United States, with “America First” President Donald Trump at the helm, along with his anti-Castro Cuban-American Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has been putting the pressure on the communist regime founded in 1959 by that infamous revolutionary, Fidel Castro. In an executive order issued in May, the president deemed the island country, which is only 90 miles off the Florida Keys, an “unusual and extraordinary threat,” and the administration has been busy since slamming them with sanctions and cutting off their oil supplies.

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A retired Baptist minister has been criminally convicted for preaching the Gospel near a Northern Ireland hospital that performs abortions.

Pastor Clive Johnston, 78, a former president of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, was found guilty on May 7 at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court on two charges under Northern Ireland’s Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act 2023 for preaching on John 3:16 near the abortion buffer zone located outside of Causeway Hospital.

Pastor Johnston must pay a fine of £450 (approximately $600) and now has an official criminal record, according to The Christian Institute, which has supported his legal defense.

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The Senate parliamentarian ruled Thursday that major pieces of the GOP’s party-line immigration enforcement package do not comply with the chamber’s rules — a setback to Republicans racing to clear the bill this month.

The parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, found that four parts of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s portion of the legislation will need to be reworked — or risk Democrats forcing a floor vote on each provision that would be subject to a 60-vote threshold, according to a statement from Budget Committee Democrats Thursday night.

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The Federal Judicial Center (FJC) casts itself as an ostensibly nonpartisan research agency that provides “objective information and education” to America’s judicial system. So, why did it permit major Democrat donors — several of whom openly espouse radical leftist views — to author part of an FJC manual advising judges on scientific matters before the bench?

The new discovery comes as part of The Federalist’s investigation into the taxpayer-funded FJC. The federal agency has come under fire in recent years following reports about left-wing climate activists’ growing bid to influence federal judges on environmental-related cases through the Federal Judicial Center.

Just last week, The Federalist revealed how the authors of a since-retracted “Reference Guide on Climate Science” contained in the FJC’s latest Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence are radical leftists. This reporting came months after it was discovered that the climate section of the manual — which advises federal judges in their assessment of science-related matters in cases — was littered with citations and footnotes to left-wing climate advocates.

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Somewhere between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, a giant metallic world drifts silently through deep space. Unlike ordinary rocky asteroids, 16 Psyche has captured global attention because scientists believe it may contain enormous quantities of valuable metals, including iron, nickel, platinum, and possibly more gold than has ever been mined on Earth. The asteroid’s estimated theoretical value has triggered headlines describing it as a “trillion-dollar asteroid” or even a “space treasure chest”. But for NASA, the real fascination is not simply wealth. Scientists believe Psyche could be the exposed core of an ancient lost planet, offering a rare glimpse into how worlds like Earth were formed billions of years ago.

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President Donald Trump said Thursday that China plans to pour “hundreds of billions of dollars” into American companies led by executives who joined him during high-level meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Speaking during an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Trump said the executives accompanying him to China were there to secure economic opportunities that could ultimately bring jobs back to the United States.

“Those business people are here to make deals and to bring back jobs,” Trump said. “China’s going to invest hundreds of billions of dollars with those people that were in that room today.”

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In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity Thursday from Beijing, President Trump said that during their summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him that China would not provide military equipment to Iran for its war in the Middle East.

Asked by Hannity how big of a discussion the two leaders had regarding China’s support for Iran, Mr. Trump responded, “We discussed it. When you say support, they’re [China] not fighting a war with us or anything.”

According to Mr. Trump, Xi told him that he’s “not going to give [Iran] military equipment. That’s a big statement. He said that today. That’s a big statement. He said that strongly.”

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JERUSALEM: Israeli authorities will take The New York Times to court over a piece it published denouncing alleged widespread sexual abuse against Palestinian detainees, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar have ordered the “initiation of a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times”, according to a joint statement issued by their offices.

It said the lawsuit was being pursued “following the publication by Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times of one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel in the modern press, which also received the backing of the newspaper”.

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Well, what do you know?

Yet another Democrat has just admitted to carrying out a major fraud scheme.

This time, it’s California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former Chief of Staff, Dana Williamson.

Last November, Williamson was charged alongside nearly two dozen other co-conspirators for partaking in a $225K plot to siphon funds from a dormant political campaign for Democrat Xavier Becerra.

On Thursday, she plead guilty to three felony charges in exchange for taking a plea deal.

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The United States is taking steps to pursue a federal indictment against Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former president of Cuba and brother of the late Fidel Castro, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the situation.

The potential charges center on his alleged role in ordering the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue, according to a report from CBS News.

The 1996 incident occurred on February 24, when Cuban MiG fighter jets shot down two unarmed Cessna aircraft flying in international airspace north of Cuba. The planes were part of Brothers to the Rescue, a nonprofit organization that conducted search-and-rescue missions for Cuban rafters attempting to reach the United States and dropped leaflets over Cuba.

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Erick and Don Jr promised their cell phones were to be made in the US, and you believed it.

Hahahahaha.

CNN:The Android-powered phone was first touted as being “Made in USA.” But that claim was quickly scrapped, and changed to “designed with American values in mind,” according to screenshots previously taken by CNN.”

“The revised language came after industry analysts expressed skepticism about the phone’s American origins, noting that its specifications resembled a phone made by a Chinese manufacturer.”

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Lebanon and Israel are set to hold a second day of direct talks on Friday in Washington following a round of discussions on Thursday, which a US State Department official described as “productive and positive”.

“We look forward to continuing this tomorrow [Friday] and hope to have more to share then,” the official added.

The third round of negotiations comes just days before the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is due to expire. Lebanese officials hope the two-day negotiations will lead to a renewed ceasefire.

They also hope to tackle key sticking points, such as the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah.

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LA PAZ, Bolivia — Clashes erupted Thursday in Bolivia’s capital as police used tear gas to disperse a crowd of miners trying to breach the government palace and setting off small dynamite charges, a tactic that has become increasingly common during this second week of nationwide unrest.

It was the latest incident in growing social unrest challenging the administration of President Rodrigo Paz, who was sworn in as president late last year, ushering a new era for the Andean nation after nearly 20 years of one-party rule.

Thousands of miners descended on downtown La Paz to demand labor refo

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Protesters in The Netherlands allegedly set fire to an asylum center Tuesday and attacked firefighters amid waves of ongoing anti-asylum protests across the country, prompting arrests on suspicion of arson and other charges from authorities.

The 300–400 protesters allegedly threw torches and fireworks at the disused town hall in the town of Loosdrecht in North Holland, setting fire to the shrubs and trees against the wall of the building Tuesday evening just as more asylum seekers arrived to join the 15 asylum seekers and staff already in the building, DutchNews.nl reported.

The protesters also allegedly pelted officers and momentarily prevented firefighters, according to the outlet.

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As Donald Trump and Xi Jinping came face to face outside China’s Great Hall of the People, the pair exchanged a historic handshake, with this opening moment laying bare the nature of their relationship — a body language expert asserting that Xi holds the upper hand.

The two leaders sat down for two hours of talks on Thursday, May 14, with the entire world looking on as Xi hailed US-China relations as the world’s “most important” and Trump declared the discussions “extremely positive”.

From the very beginning of the visit, the power dynamic between the two men has been unmistakable, according to body language expert Louise Mahler, who argued “if life is a competition, for me, Xi won.”

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President Donald Trump claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping was “impressed” by the U.S.’s performance in its war with Iran and that it may soon resume imports of oil from the United States.

Speaking with Fox News’s Sean Hannity after his meeting with the Chinese leader, Trump expressed his belief that a good relationship with the other superpower was a good thing and that positive relationships with “very powerful” countries are desirable. He then suggested the view was mutual vis-a-vis China and that Beijing gained further respect for the U.S. during the war with Iran.

After boasting of successes in Venezuela and Iran, Trump said he and Xi spoke about the matter at their meeting.

Federal Judge Shuts Down TN Dems Over New Congressional Map townhall.com
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Tennessee drew its new congressional map, with state Democrats filing a challenge to block its implementation. That’s likely to be the usual move as Republicans push to redraw their maps across the South following the Callais decision. The map debate caused a commotion at the state Capitol. Tennessee Democrats tried to block the map, and a federal judge put the kibosh on it (via Channel 5 Nashville):

A federal judge denied a request Thursday to temporarily block Tennessee’s newly approved congressional map from taking effect ahead of the 2026 elections.

Chief U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell Jr. denied plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order and canceled a hearing that had been scheduled for May 20, according to a court order filed Thursday.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed last week by the Tennessee Democratic Party and several plaintiffs challenging the state’s newly redrawn congressional districts approved during a special legislative session. The lawsuit argues the map unlawfully dismantles a majority-Black district and creates election confusion ahead of the August primary.

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Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito had some choice words for their Supreme Court colleagues on Thursday over their “remarkable” decision “undermin[ing]” the court’s historic Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

The stinging rebukes came in an order the high court handed down to temporarily pause an appellate court ruling that halted a Biden-era FDA rule allowing the mailing of mifepristone to women without an in-person doctor visit. In agreeing to halt the policy, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals found that the FDA’s “progressive relaxation of mifepristone’s guardrails likely lacked a basis in data and scientific literature,” and noted how the “FDA itself now concedes the regulations were marred by ‘procedural deficits’ and a ‘lack of adequate consideration.’”

While seven justices agreed to temporarily pause the 5th Circuit’s order while litigation in the case continues, Thomas and Alito authored brutal dissents underscoring the illogical nature of their colleagues’ decision.

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Pastor Mark Burns, a longtime spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump, wants to make something very clear: The massive golden statue of the president unveiled last week at Trump’s golf resort in Doral, Florida, is not a golden calf.

“It is not even a gold statue,” Burns explained when reached by phone. “It’s a bronze statue that has gold leaf.”

Don’t tell Trump that. “The Real Deal – GOLD – At Doral in Miami,” Trump boasted of the statue in a post on Truth Social. But Burns is right. Don Colossus, capturing a slimmed-down version of Trump raising his fist in the air, was cast in bronze and then painted—a cheaper option than crafting the entire sculpture from gold.