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May 14, 2026 - World

Gautam Adani, richest man in Asia, was accused of conspiring to pay $250m in bribes to Indian government officialsThe US Department of Justice is dropping its fraud charges against the Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, the richest man in Asia, after he hired a new legal team led by Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, according to new reports.In an undisclosed April meeting at the justice department, Trump’s personal lawyer, Robert J Giuffra Jr, said that Adani would invest $10bn in the US economy and create 15,000 jobs if prosecutors dropped the charges against him, according to the New York Times and Bloomberg. Continue reading...

May 14, 2026 - World

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced backlash after he shared an animated video arguing that the Pentagon needed a massive $1.5 trillion for war preparations.In a social media post on Thursday, Hegseth called the funds a "GENERATIONAL DOWN PAYMENT on America's national defense.""We remain the strongest military power on Earth, but that power requires renewal," the defense secretary said in the video. "And with global threats that are constantly evolving, it's time to make a $1.5 trillion investment, a generational down payment. For far too long, Washington bureaucrats allowed America's defense industrial base to fall apart."The video featured a cartoon version of former President Joe Biden alongside a crumbling factory."The execution of operations Midnight Hammer, Southern Spear, Absolute Resolve, and Epic Fury are testaments to this restoration of strength," Hegseth crowed. "America's $1.5 trillion investment guarantees that the United States military will maintain this advantage against any adversary, anywhere, at any time."However, not all viewers of the cartoon were sold on Hegseth's pitch."How is this real?" author Jim Stewartson asked. "This is a pitch for $1.5 trillion and it looks like a bad Sora demo. The Pentagon is a clown show. What a tragedy.""Not for nothing, but the School House Rock vibe is bad," Lincoln Project strategist Reed Galen observed."More bullsh— from a bulls—er," Democratic author James Graham quipped."We've never seen a Secretary of a Cabinet position have to SELL the PRESIDENTS ideas with bad AI commercials," KRLL radio host Mark Bland commented.

May 14, 2026 - World

Former Ambassador Michael McFaul made a point of noting that President Donald Trump lavished extensive personal praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping, but Jinping did not return the favor.During an appearance on MS NOW Thursday, the former ambassador to Russia told anchor Erielle Reshef there was a striking difference between the two leaders' opening remarks that can only be interpreted as the fact that China has the upper hand in the historic meeting.“What is striking to me about the public remarks, just how effusive President Trump was in calling the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, a dictator and autocrat, a friend,” McFaul observed. “He just kept using the phrase ‘friend, friend, friend,’ ‘great leader, great leader, great leader.’”“Chairman Xi Jinping said nothing reciprocal to President Trump, to the best of my mind, unless I missed it,” he added. “I never heard him call the president his friend, or even called him a great leader. The asymmetry, I think, is striking — a position of weakness, frankly.” - YouTube youtu.be

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."