FRIDAY [PART ONE]
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New BLOG – Great ARTICLES
FRIDAY 5-[15]-26
PART ONE
SPIRITUAL:
New International Version
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 11 ►
How Ottawa’s EV Strategy Is Faring as Honda Pulls Back and Chinese EVs Come In
& Noé ChartierNews Analysis
The federal government’s road to a net-zero emissions transportation sector has not been without potholes and detours, as it seeks to nudge reluctant consumers and navigate a shifting global environment.
The electric vehicle (EV) sector has undergone dramatic shifts in recent years, marked by multibillion-dollar government investments, major manufacturing projects, and high-profile setbacks, as evolving policies in the United States and China continue to reshape global market dynamics.
One consequence of the turbulence in the sector came last week, as Japanese media Nikkei Asia reported on May 6 that Honda will cancel its $15 billion EV supply chain investment plan in Canada, consisting of four new manufacturing plants in Ontario.
èCAN-EV-1
The Japanese carmaker didn’t officially comment on the matter, a point Prime Minister Mark Carney highlighted when questioned by reporters. “We’re in discussions with them constantly, and look, there’s no announcement today, to be clear,” Carney said on May 6.
The federal and Ontario governments had hailed Honda’s 2024 announcement that it would build the new EV plants in Canada, a project backed by some $5 billion in combined federal and provincial support.
If the plan falls through, no taxpayer funds will be lost, given they would have come through tax credits or other incentives provided as the project advances.
Other failed EV ventures have come at a significant cost to taxpayers, including Quebec’s reported $270 million loss tied to the Northvolt battery plant project near Montreal. Meanwhile, Quebec and Ottawa stand to lose some $140 million and $50 million respectively in their failed investment in electric school bus manufacturer Lion Electric.
Things have changed since the days of major EV announcements, with a key reason being the return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House in 2025. Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles and rolled back federal support for EVs, citing the move as an effort to eliminate what he described as “unfair subsidies and other ill-conceived government-imposed market distortions that favor EVs over other technologies.”
This further reduced demand for EVs, adding pressure on Canadian EV manufacturers as their largest potential export market shows weakening appetite for their products.
Honda’s changing plans in Canada are reportedly linked to weak EV sales in the United States and a related plan to shift its North American strategy to focus on hybrid vehicles.
The move also comes as future tariff-free access to the United States is uncertain and as Chinese EVs are set to hit the Canadian market.
èCAN-EV-2
Chinese EVs
During his visit to Beijing in January, Carney reached an agreement with China to have the country temporarily reduce or suspend tariffs on certain Canadian agricultural and seafood exports. In exchange, an initial 49,000 Chinese EVs will be allowed to enter Canada at a discounted most-favoured-nation tariff rate of 6.1 percent instead of the 100 percent surtax that has applied to the vehicles since October 2024.
China expert Margaret McCuaig-Johnston says Ottawa’s new policy of allowing Chinese EVs into Canada played into Honda’s decision to pull back.
“It’s a terrible thing to lose Honda. So we lost a US$11 billion factory because of 49,000 Chinese EVs,” she told The Epoch Times in an interview.
Ottawa has defended the move, saying that the 49,000 Chinese EVs are a small chunk of the car market as a whole in Canada, whereas detractors say it’s a sizeable part of the specific EV segment. A total of 177,034 zero-emission vehicles, including battery EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs were sold in the country in the last calendar year of 2025, according to Statistics Canada.
“This is not worth it to lose a long-term investment for this short-term concession to China to get our canola farmers their market back,” McCuaig-Johnston said.
èCAN-EV-3
Chinese EVs and hybrid cars are parked at a lot in Toronto on May 4, 2026. Carlos Osorio/Reuters
Forced Labour
Beyond the risk of losing Honda, McCuaig-Johnston warned that concerns over the possible use of forced labour in China-made EVs destined for Canada could further strain Ottawa’s trade relations with Washington. The U.S. administration launched investigations into Canada and 59 other countries in March to determine whether they are effectively banning goods made through forced labour.
“We’re gonna fail this forced labour investigation,” she said, noting the repercussions could be a 25 percent tariff come July 1.
A primary concern about forced labour in the EV supply chain stems from the use of aluminum made through the exploitation of the minority Uyghurs from China’s Xinjiang region.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly was asked specifically about this issue when she testified before the House industry committee on May 4. She said the issue of forced labour would be addressed through legislation and that the public safety minister and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) “need to do their job.”
Canada has legislation to prevent the import of goods made from forced labour, but enforcement has been minimal, according to data from CBSA. From 2020 to late 2025, just 48 shipments were detained, and only two of them were ultimately prohibited.
Another six shipments detained containing auto parts were re-exported back to China in 2023 before a formal determination could be made in relation to their content. Over a similar timespan, the United States blocked entry to nearly 23,000 Chinese shipments.
Joly said her government’s approach to Chinese EVs is “very holistic” in protecting auto workers and supply chains “while bringing in really good technologies.”
“And at the same time, what we want is affordability,” she said.
North American EV Policy
The Trudeau government imposed a 100 percent surtax on Chinese-made EVs effective Oct. 1, 2024, following in the footsteps of the Biden administration. The Canadian government had expressed concerns at the time about “pervasive subsidization” and dumping of Chinese EVs, as well as “concerning labour practices” such as forced labour in Xinjiang.
Keeping Chinese EVs outside U.S. borders has been a rare point of agreement between Republicans and Democrats south of the border.
Two senators representing the states of Ohio and Michigan introduced a bipartisan bill in late April to ban Chinese EVs and their components from the U.S. market.
“Chinese cars are surveillance packages on wheels, with the ability to collect on American citizens and sensitive sites,” said Michigan Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin in a statement. Slotkin, a former CIA officer, said the Chinese Communist Party’s strategy of subsidizing the sector to undersell the competition also puts at risk her state’s auto industry.
Slotkin told CBC News in recent days that while Canada-U.S. ties have seen better days, getting closer to China is risky. “We don’t like watching a decision to let Chinese vehicles into Canada,” she said.
èCAN-EV-5
EV Mandate
Aside from geopolitical issues impacting the Canadian EV market, there have been some notable domestic developments on the file since Carney became prime minister in March last year.
His first move in office was to set the consumer carbon tax rate to zero, effective April 1, 2025, which led to gasoline prices falling nearly 20 cents in some areas. High fuel prices tend to make EVs more attractive for consumers.
After removing this flagship policy from the previous Liberal government, while maintaining the carbon tax on the industry sector, Carney announced in February this year that he would replace the EV mandate, another key Trudeau-era policy.
As part of that announcement, Carney also indicated federal subsidies for the purchase of EVs were coming back after the previous rebate program was paused due to running out of money.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives have said the government should remove the industrial carbon tax as well and have criticized the government for industrial policies that they say subsidize American-made vehicles.
Carney said the EV mandate would be replaced by emissions standards, which he said would have roughly the same effect, with the goal to reach 75 percent EV sales by 2035, and 90 percent by 2040. The Trudeau mandate aimed to reach 100 percent EV sales by 2035.
The status of the EV mandate has been debated in recent days, with industry leaders saying it’s still in place and with Minister Joly saying it’s not.
èCAN-EV-6
“The mandate is still in force today, and it continues to create financial and legal compliance burdens for companies,” Brian Kingston, president and CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, told MPs of the industry committee on May 4. Kingston represents Ford, GM, Stellantis, and other carmakers in Canada.
Meanwhile, at the same committee meeting, Minister Joly said “there’s no EV mandates.”
David Adams, head of Global Automakers of Canada, agreed with Kingston in saying that the EV mandate remains in place.
Adams, who represents several foreign automakers including Toyota and Volkswagen, said that in an ideal scenario the EV mandate would be repealed. He argued that Ottawa should take the time needed to properly develop its emissions targets rather than proceed with what he described as a “rush consultation process, which is what it’s going to be at this point.”
He said reaching the target of 75 percent EV sales by 2035 through emissions regulations is “still a bit of a stretch.”
“We’re going to need to ensure that we have ongoing dialogue and review of these targets to make sure that they’re realistic and are reflective of how Canadians are adopting the technology,” he told The Epoch Times in an interview.
Environment Canada told The Epoch Times that the EV mandate will be replaced after new greenhouse gas emissions standards for light-duty vehicles are adopted. A department spokesperson said proposed amendments will be published this summer in the Canada Gazette, with final amendments to be released later this year.
“In doing so, Canada will rationalize emission reduction policies, focusing on the outcomes that matter to Canadians without placing undue burden on the Canadian industry,” spokesperson Eleni Armenakis said in a statement.
The key thing for automakers in Canada going forward, however, is to maintain preferential access to the U.S. market, Adams said, while adding that the Chinese EV deal is an irritant for the White House. Top U.S. officials have criticized Ottawa’s plan to bring in Chinese autos and allowing “Beijing a foothold in the North American auto market.”
Adams and other industry stakeholders say the higher price of oil due to the Iran war combined with Canada’s new auto strategy with its rebates has pushed EV sales up in recent months. Quoting internal data, Adams said EV sales were up 30 percent year-over-year in April.
Joanna Kyriazis, director of policy and strategy at the think tank Clean Energy Canada, also noted how automakers have adjusted their prices to fall below the $50,000 threshold granting consumers access to the federal rebate. She said the car companies are also getting ready for the arrival of lower-cost Chinese EVs, saying “sticker prices have come down significantly.”
Cara Clairman, an EV advocate who heads the non-profit Plug’n Drive Canada, told The Epoch Times in an interview that increased EV adoption is “good news” while noting how prospects for increased manufacturing in Canada have decreased with carmakers scaling back.
“The market is kind of what it is and the car companies make independent decisions,” she said. “There’s very little policy that we can do on our side that I think will change what’s happening right now.”
Pierre-Olivier Pineau, a management professor at HEC Montréal, said that scaling up domestic EV production to meet Ottawa’s targets would be a “very difficult” path given the size of the market. He added that it would likely require encouraging or mandating the adoption of specific vehicle models across Canada.
“That would mean a state-intervention that is beyond what we’ve used in recent history,” he told The Epoch Times in an email.
Pineau instead recommends capping the number of cars sold in Canada to increase the ratio of EVs sold, in addition to promoting public transportation.
Pineau said he doesn’t favour the current path of importing more EVs, including from China, noting its impact on the local car industry and on the relationship with the United States.
EPOCH Times
CANADIAN:
FULMER: Why we must unite the right
– or lose BC forever
Fulmer writes, “Under the Unite the Right Accord, OneBC will stand down in 88 of B.C.’s 93 ridings to support our Conservative team," Aaron Gunn joins Harrison to discuss the CBC entrapment scandal.
èBC
By: Yuri Fulmer
Yuri Fulmer is a prominent Vancouver-based entrepreneur and philanthropist who is currently a candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party of British Columbia.
Imagine this.
The morning after the next provincial election, British Columbians wake up to the news that David Eby and the NDP have been re-elected.
Not because voters wanted more taxes, more crime, more drug chaos, more inflation, more attacks on property rights, or more government control over their lives.
But because conservatives split the vote.
I am not a career politician. I’m a builder. For decades, I have built and run businesses that employ thousands of people across British Columbia. In the real world, you look at the math, face reality, and close deals that actually work.
And the math is brutally clear.
In the last election, Conservative candidates came within inches in riding after riding.
Kristina Loewen won Kelowna Centre by just 38 votes. Brennan Day won Courtenay-Comox by 92 votes. Lawrence Mok won Maple Ridge East by 96 votes. With even a small conservative vote split, those victories disappear.
The same is true in ridings we need to win next time. Surrey-Guildford was decided by 22 votes. Juan de Fuca-Malahat by 141 votes. Surrey City Centre by 236 votes. These seats will decide whether British Columbia gets a Conservative government or four more years of the NDP.
That is why I signed the historic Unite the Right Accord with Dallas Brodie and OneBC.
Under this public agreement, OneBC will stand down in 88 of B.C.’s 93 ridings to support our Conservative team. No Conservative MLA will be asked to step aside, and no Conservative MLA will face a OneBC opponent.
If necessary, a Confidence and Supply Agreement will ensure a conservative majority.
This is a real deal, in writing, to give British Columbia a one-on-one fight between conservatives and the NDP.
Dallas Brodie signed because she knows British Columbians are desperate for change, and because she knows the grassroots will fracture if the Conservative Party is handed over to the same BC Liberal insiders who spent years watering down conservative principles.
As she warned, handing the Conservative Party to the establishment BC Liberal insiders whose past support for radical legislation like DRIPA threatens our property rights will destroy our chances of making real change here in B.C.
She is right. We did not build this movement so it could become BC United 2.0. We built it to make British Columbia the freest province in Canada – period.
That is what my BC Freedom Charter is about: repealing radical legislation like DRIPA, protecting private property rights in law, defending parental rights, banning mandatory digital ID, protecting medical conscience rights, ending compelled speech, and restoring merit-based hiring.
But you cannot pass conservative legislation from the opposition benches.
That is why this leadership race is about who can actually build the coalition required to win.
I am the only candidate who has – already – done that.
Dallas Brodie has said plainly that I am the only candidate she trusts to unite this coalition. The other candidates have attacked the Unite the Right Accord. If anyone else wins, the deal falls apart, OneBC runs a slate of candidates, the right is split, the NDP wins, and B.C. pays the price.
We cannot afford that.
Not when property rights are under attack. Not when families are being squeezed by taxes, inflation, and unaffordable housing. Not when crime and disorder are spreading through our communities. Not when government grows more and more hostile to people who simply want to work, raise a family, build a life, and be left alone by the bureaucrats and politicians in Victoria.
Conservatives understand this. A recent survey of verified BC Conservatives conducted by my campaign found that 77 percent support the Unite the Right Accord. The grassroots get it – we cannot beat the NDP by shrinking our coalition, purging allies, or pretending a split vote will magically disappear.
That is the choice before us. We can elect a Liberal insider like Caroline Elliott, watch the coalition fracture, split the vote, and wake up after the next election to four more years of David Eby. Or we can choose a Builder who has already brought conservatives together and created a real path to victory.
Let’s seal the deal, unite the right, and build the freest province in Canada.
JUNO News
TRUMP:
Congressional Candidate endorsed by AOC and Van Hollen cosigned letter calling Cop-Killer Mumia Abu-Jamal a "Political Prisoner"
By
Five-term Pennsylvania state representative Chris Rabb, now running for an open U.S. House seat in Philadelphia, cosigned a letter from the Philadelphia Democratic Socialists of America urging Governor Josh Shapiro to release Mumia Abu-Jamal, the former Black Panther serving a life sentence for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner.
The letter, posted on the Philadelphia DSA's Facebook page, describes Abu-Jamal and others like him as "Black freedom fighters" and "elderly political prisoners." Rabb's name appears as a cosigner. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Free Beacon, which first reported the story.
Rabb is not some fringe figure shouting from the margins. He carries endorsements from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ro Khanna, and Sen. Chris Van Hollen. Ocasio-Cortez is scheduled to campaign with him in Philadelphia this Friday, days before the May 19 Democratic primary, a contest widely seen as all but certain to decide the general election winner in Pennsylvania's Third Congressional District.
What the DSA letter says, and what it threatens
The Philadelphia DSA letter does not merely ask for Abu-Jamal's release. It frames his continued incarceration as a political litmus test. Addressed to Shapiro and members of the Board of Pardons, the letter states:
"There are dozens of elderly political prisoners in the United States, predominantly Black freedom fighters who have been held for decades under similarly punitive conditions."
It goes further, warning the governor directly:
"Without decisive action, DSA will treat the continued incarceration of our elders and comrades as incompatible with the pursuit of future political ambitions."
That line reads less like an appeal for mercy and more like a threat aimed at any Democrat who might want DSA's support in a future campaign. The letter also asks Shapiro and the Board of Pardons to "listen to the community organizations representing Pennsylvanians in their call to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal."
Abu-Jamal, now 71, was convicted of murdering Officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981. His death sentence was commuted to life in prison in 2011. He was later nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, a fact that has long infuriated law enforcement organizations and the Faulkner family.
A pattern, not an accident
Rabb's decision to cosign the letter fits neatly into a broader pattern in his campaign. He has made opposition to Israel a focal point, boasting that he is the only candidate in his race to accuse Israel of "genocide" in Gaza. He has criticized his primary opponents for declining to make the same claim.
Weeks after the Philadelphia Inquirer endorsed Rabb over state senator Sharif Street, the son of former Philadelphia mayor John Street, the same paper reported that Rabb's campaign shared an Instagram post blaming "Zionists" for the December 14 attack on Australia's Bondi Beach, in which Islamic terrorists murdered 15 Jews at a Hanukkah celebration.
Rabb blamed the post on a campaign staffer. But his own public rhetoric has tracked in the same direction. He campaigned last month with left-wing social media influencer Hasan Piker, who has said "America deserved 9/11" and that "Hamas is a thousand times better" than Israel. Rabb himself told supporters, "If you can't name the demon, you can't kill it."
Ocasio-Cortez, who has faced repeated criticism for her positioning on Israel from both left and right, endorsed Rabb on social media.
"Chris Rabb is a real one. Let's work together to send this fighter for Medicare for All to Congress."
The endorsement raises a fair question: Does Ocasio-Cortez endorse Rabb despite his advocacy for a convicted cop-killer's release, or does she simply not care? Her upcoming Philadelphia campaign stop will test whether any reporter presses her on it.
Ocasio-Cortez has been notably selective about which media environments she enters, a pattern that may prove convenient if questions about Abu-Jamal come up on the trail.
The money behind Rabb
Rabb is not running on grassroots donations alone. A political action committee called American Priorities spent $200,000 on television ads supporting his candidacy last week. Federal filings show American Priorities received $1 million from Mohammad Waqas, CEO of Showcase Commerce, and another $1 million from Omer Hasan, a Silicon Valley executive.
That kind of outside spending in a House primary signals that well-funded interests see Rabb as a vehicle for something larger than a single district race. The Third District covers parts of West Philadelphia and surrounding areas, a heavily Democratic seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Dwight Evans.
Rabb was first elected to the Pennsylvania state legislature in 2016. His platform includes abolishing ICE, "free public colleges," a "transition to 100% renewable energy," and opposition to both the death penalty and what he calls "death by incarceration." The Abu-Jamal letter is the most specific application of that last position, applied to a man convicted of shooting a police officer.
Why this matters beyond Philadelphia
If Rabb wins the May 19 primary and the general election that follows, he would join what the Free Beacon described as a "small but vocal cohort of lawmakers" who have embraced figures convicted of killing law enforcement officers.
That cohort already has recent precedent. Last year, Reps. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Yvette Clarke of New York, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts paid homage to Assata Shakur after her death in Cuba. Shakur had been serving a life sentence for the 1973 murder of New Jersey state trooper Werner Foerster before escaping prison in 1979 and fleeing to Cuba.
The Abu-Jamal case has tested Democratic politics before. In 2014, seven Democratic senators voted to block President Obama's nominee to lead the Department of Justice's civil rights division, Debo Adegbile, specifically because Adegbile had represented Abu-Jamal in the legal effort to commute his death sentence. Even moderate Democrats in Washington considered the association toxic enough to sink a nomination.
That was a different era. Today, a candidate openly cosigning a letter that calls Abu-Jamal a "political prisoner" and a "Black freedom fighter" draws endorsements from sitting members of Congress and a sitting U.S. senator. Ocasio-Cortez's pattern of headline-making statements has rarely cost her politically, but attaching her name to Rabb's campaign puts the question in sharper relief.
Van Hollen and Khanna have not publicly addressed the Abu-Jamal letter either. Their silence is its own kind of answer.
The question voters deserve to hear answered
Rabb's campaign did not respond to the Free Beacon's inquiry. That leaves the voters of Pennsylvania's Third Congressional District to weigh the facts on their own: their candidate cosigned a letter demanding freedom for a man convicted of murdering a Philadelphia police officer, framing that man as a hero of Black liberation.
Ocasio-Cortez will be in Philadelphia this Friday. She has not always handled tough questions smoothly in high-profile settings. Whether anyone asks her to defend her endorsement of a candidate who wants a convicted cop-killer freed will say as much about the state of political journalism as it does about the state of the Democratic Party.
Daniel Faulkner cannot speak for himself. He was 25 years old when he was killed. The people who want his killer released call themselves freedom fighters. The people who endorse those people want to run the country.
Voters in Philadelphia, and the rest of us, should take note of who lines up on which side.
Pop Culture News
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Newton-John's missing boyfriend is back in the news. Patrick McDermott vanished from a fishing trip in 2005. The mystery has new angles. Read more.
Kelly Ripa and Strahan's feud still hasn't thawed. Ten years after he bolted for GMA, the tabloid heat is back. Read more.
What I'm reading
· O'Donnell: strangle the IRGC, take the jugular. The leaked CIA report says Iran can hold out 3-4 months. He says any deal now would throw them a lifeline Read more.
· Grant: the press has Trump-Xi backward. She lays out the receipts: Hormuz, the trade deficit, the AI lead. Trump's hand is the strongest in a generation Read more
AMERICAN Almanac
GLOBAL:
Please Don’t Put Me in a Nursing Home…
One Powerful Story and a Warning for All Families.
Newsmax
Health
A Heartfelt Plea You Can’t Ignore
Few things strike more fear into the hearts of older adults and their families than those two dreaded words: “nursing home.”
According to a recent survey, aging adults fear the loss of independence most of all. Also among seniors’ top 10 fears is the inability to continue living at home, and being forced to have strangers caring for them.
Unfortunately, all these fears combine to become a disturbing reality when seniors are forced into nursing homes to live out the remainder of their lives. About 1.3 million Americans are housed in nursing homes in 2024, and that number will continue to rise as more baby boomers reach their “golden years.”
One man faced this situation personally when his mother pleaded with him to never put her in a nursing home. And while he didn’t know the first thing about nursing homes or caring for an aging parent, his sense of duty and diligence started him on a quest for answers to this troubling dilemma.
Because the answers he found were so powerful, he wanted to help others going through the same challenges. He partnered with Newsmax Health to create a special report revealing the 3 things that could jeopardize your ability to live independently — and quite literally push you into a nursing home.
In this special report, you’ll hear some good news. You will find out how you, your parent, or your spouse are not doomed to live out life’s remaining time in a cold and sterile institutional environment, being cared for by strangers.
You’ll be handed all the tools necessary to remain active, independent, and safe. You’ll discover how you can “age in place” in your own home, and significantly slash the odds you could end up in that dreaded nursing home.
As you’ll see, most of the solutions to this nursing home nightmare are simple to implement once you understand the unique problems faced by the aging population (and they are different for men and women, as you will also see).
And just to alert you: One of the shocking issues revealed in this special report is not only a major reason why older adults are forced into nursing homes; it is also a big risk factor for early death. That alone makes this compelling report well worth reading.
Editor’s Note: Go here immediately to see the 3 things that could push you or a loved one into a nursing home.
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BANGOR, Maine
— VP JD Vance on his fraud-fighting tour
BANGOR, Maine — VP JD Vance took his fraud-fighting tour to Maine today, attempting to cast President Donald Trump and Republicans as responsible stewards of Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars in a pivotal purple state swing district.
The speech provided an opportunity for Vance — one of the administration's top communicators — to throw out red meat to the MAGA base. He blasted Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, blaming a rise in fraud in the state on her and former President Joe Biden. He claimed Maine was “maybe the bronze medalist” for fraud in the U.S., trailing only Minnesota and California.
“Thankfully, one of them has already been kicked to the curb and one is on her way out the door,” Vance said, speaking in a hangar at the Bangor airport steps away from Air Force Two.
But hanging heavy over Vance’s remarks — and unsaid in them — was the growing discontent voters feel as Trump’s war with Iran propels inflation to a three-year high, and the White House pushes for an unprecedented $1.5 trillion in Pentagon funding from taxpayers.
Gontran Jean, who came to see Vance speak, told Playbook he’s “not happy about” rising prices stemming from the war — but added, “we don’t really have a choice.” He said he would back Vance if he runs for president in 2028.
Vance also used his visit to offer an olive branch to Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins — a frequent Trump critic who earlier this week voted with Democrats to try and rein in Trump’s war powers. Back in January, Trump thrashed Collins and other Republican senators who voted with Democrats to curtail his Venezuela incursion, saying they “should never be elected to office again.”
Collins wasn’t present for Vance’s trip, with a spokesperson citing her perfect attendance for Senate votes. But Vance wasn’t bothered — and even heaped praise on the moderate senator.
“Here’s the thing I’ll say about Susan Collins, is sometimes I get frustrated with Susan Collins, I almost wish that she was more partisan,” Vance said. “But the thing I love about Susan is she is independent, because Maine is an independent state. And frankly, if she was as partisan as I sometimes wish that she was, she would not be a good fit for the people of Maine.”
It’s the latest example of a needle Vance attempts to thread between Trump’s impulses and the political realities on the ground. Collins faces a tight-looking general election contest with populist Democratic candidate Graham Platner that could partly decide the balance of the Senate.
Vance's speech was also the latest in a series of recent visits the presumed MAGA heir made to key states ahead of a potential 2028 presidential bid, including Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina and Arizona. Vance maintains he’s thinking only about the present and not future political ambitions.
Bangor sits in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, which broke for Trump by more than 9 points in 2024 but has been held by Democratic Rep. Jared Golden since 2019. Last year, Golden announced he would not run for reelection, opening up a crowded primary for Democrats and a seat Republicans tabbed as a high chance to flip despite mounting headwinds for the party.
Vance in his remarks shouted out Paul LePage, Maine’s former Republican governor and the frontrunner in the district, and used the opportunity to hammer home his fraud-busting message. The VP called LePage “the biggest advocate for your tax dollars and the biggest threat to fraudsters that ever existed in the state of Maine.” Vance said “fraud has festered in Maine because this guy is no longer the governor.” In his speech before Vance took the stage, LePage vowed a renewed push to end fraud, which received raving enthusiasm from the audience.
“Let’s kick Janet Mills to the curb, and let’s send Paul LePage to Washington,” Vance said.
Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop us a line at isentner@politico.com and mgray@politico.com.
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7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. POTUS ABROAD: Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that Chinese President Xi Jinping during their summit agreed to purchase 200 Boeing jets as a “commitment” to the U.S. The full interview is set to air at 9 p.m. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier today on CNBC that the U.S. and China are discussing standing up a “Board of Trade” and “Board of Investment.”
More on Trump’s China trip: POLITICO’s China watcher Phelim Kine and White House ace Alex Gangitano — who’s with Trump in China — joined Jack Blanchard for today’s Playbook Podcast to discuss the stakes of the trip and what else to expect. The timing of Trump’s visit makes for tricky optics amid the swirl of headwinds voters face back home, Alex notes. “I think voters are taking that in and thinking, ‘Is this kind of the isolationist front that I was looking for? Because, you know, he’s taking the time to go there while I’m trying to, you know, figure out my bills here at home.’”
As for what’s left, Phelim anticipates Trump will try to “package” the trip as a win for the American people. “He doesn't really like the split-screen optics of $5 dollar gas and him toasting champagne in the Great Hall of People with Xi Jinping. So he needs to show that statesman like, ‘I've fixed something for the American people on this trip.’” Listen on Apple or Spotify
èNEWS
2. IRAN LATEST: A top Pentagon official told lawmakers today that Iran remains an active threat to the Strait of Hormuz, POLITICO’s Leo Shane III reports. “Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads the operations in the region, told lawmakers that Iran’s warnings continue to scare off commercial ships — despite U.S. military dominance in the region. The dichotomy underscores the biggest White House challenge to resolving the conflict: Tehran can use the stranglehold over the strait as leverage in peace negotiations with the United States.”
Bessent told CNBC today he expects China will “be working behind the scenes to the extent anyone has any say over the Iranian leadership” to help reopen the strait. “China has a much bigger interest in reopening the strait than the U.S. does,” he said.
Tensions escalate: “A ship anchored off the United Arab Emirates was seized and taken toward Iran and another — a cargo ship near Oman — sank after being attacked, authorities said Thursday, as tensions escalated near the Strait of Hormuz,” per AP’s Adam Schreck and Melanie Lidman. “It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind these incidents, but they happened as a senior Iranian official reiterated his country’s claim of control over the waterway and another said it had a right to seize oil tankers connected to the U.S.”
3. FOR YOUR RADAR: “Max Miller sues ex-wife and her legal team for domestic abuse allegations,” by POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs: “Rep. Max Miller, who has been accused of abusing his ex-wife, is now suing her for defamation — a major escalation in an ongoing public dispute between the two-term Ohio Republican and the daughter of Ohio GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno. In a copy of the complaint filed Wednesday evening in Cuyahoga County, Ohio and reviewed by POLITICO, Miller claims that his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, and her legal team made ‘false, malicious, and defamatory statements wrongly accusing [him] of being a violent and abusive husband and father.’”
The response: An attorney for Emily Moreno declined to comment and referred the matter to his own lawyer. That lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment. A spokesperson for the senator also had no comment.
4. WHERE ARE THE AMBASSADORS?: More than 100 U.S. ambassador posts around the world are vacant, an unprecedented amount of holes that Trump has left unfilled, WSJ’s Robbie Gramer reports. “In total, 115 ambassador posts out of 195 total positions are vacant nearly 18 months into the second Trump administration, according to the American Foreign Service Association, the union that represents foreign service officers. The vacant posts are due to a combination of factors: Trump has been slow to nominate ambassadors, and those he nominates can often be held up in an increasingly slow and logjammed Senate confirmation process.”
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5. CARTE BLANCHE: Last year, when he was deputy AG, Todd Blanche was presented with a message from the top ethics lawyer at DOJ: He should recuse himself from any cases involving Trump in his personal capacity, CNN’s Katelyn Polantz and colleagues scoop. The meeting was the first time Blanche was given the directive and around the same time DOJ’s “top career lawyer advised that Bove potentially had a conflict of interest by being involved in firings of DOJ lawyers.” Now as acting AG, “Blanche’s choice is either to oversee investigations the president cares deeply about but risk damaging their viability in court or to recuse himself and risk incurring the president’s wrath.”
6. FRAUD FILES: The Justice Department is expected to announce it will drop the fraud charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani as soon as this week, Bloomberg’s Sanjai P R and colleagues report. “The Securities and Exchange Commission is also moving to settle a parallel civil fraud case it brought against Adani and others in November 2024, some of the people said. … A broad settlement with multiple US agencies would be a significant boon to the Adani Group, one of India’s most powerful companies … Although a deal could involve the payment of financial or other penalties, it also could clear the decks for the conglomerate to return to international capital markets and resume its aggressive expansion strategy.”
7. ANOTHER IMMIGRATION SHAKEUP: “US Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks abruptly resigns,” by Fox News’ Bill Melugin and colleagues: “Banks told Fox News on Thursday he is resigning, effective immediately. ‘It's just time,’ Banks told Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin. ‘I feel like I got the ship back on course from the least secure, disastrous, chaotic border to the most secure border this country has ever seen,’ he said. ‘Time to pass the [reins], 37 years, it's time to enjoy the family and life.’”
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TALK OF THE TOWN
ON THE FAST TRACK — The Trump administration is planning to bypass a potentially lengthy process to begin construction on the Triumphal Arch by citing already existing but unrelated contracts for White House redevelopment services, WaPo’s Sarah Blaskey and Jonathan O’Connell report.
FORE! SIGHT — “Trump administration unveils new design for East Potomac golf course,” by WaPo’s Rick Maese: “East Potomac Golf Links, the century-old municipal golf property that has offered 36 holes across three courses accessible to generations of Washington golfers, could soon see a drastic overhaul, transformed under a planned redesign into a par-72, 7,660-yard, 18-hole course with a short pitch-and-putt course and expanded practice area. … The image did not detail what … rates would be, nor did it include a timeline for construction or completion. It also remains unclear what public access to the broader Hains Point area would look like under the redesign.”
BACK IN BUSINESS — “Smithsonian Castle reopens with iconic artifacts and lobster rolls,” by Axios’ Anna Spiegel: As part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, “the Smithsonian Castle is temporarily reopening on the National Mall next week after a years-long closure, complete with historic treasures and New England eats. … The Castle will be open to the public from May 22 to Sept. 7.”
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN — “Ad wars ramp up in D.C. mayoral race as primary enters final month,” by WaPo’s Meagan Flynn: “A pro-business group backing [Kenyan] McDuffie is hammering [Janeese] Lewis George with attacks on public safety. Meanwhile, a coalition of unions is going after McDuffie, blaming him for rising utility costs, which have soared for complex reasons. The two groups — Opportunity DC and Safe & Affordable DC, respectively — are among the top ad spenders in the mayoral primary, having each dropped roughly $300,000 so far, according to AdImpact, which tracks campaign ad spending.”
OUT AND ABOUT — Democracy Defenders Action held an event last night honoring Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) with its first Democracy Defender Award. SPOTTED: Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Al Green (D-Texas), Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Alma Adams (D-N.C.), Norm Eisen, Susan Corke and Randi Weingarten.
— The Jewish Democratic Council of America hosted its annual Leadership Summit at The Watergate Hotel, where CEO Halie Soifer spoke about the group’s 120-plus endorsements and seven-figure campaign to mobilize Jewish voters across the country. SPOTTED: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Ron Klein, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Susie Stern, Sam Crystal, Robert Saperstein, Jake Sullivan, Jon Finer, Dennis Ross, Dana Stroul, Jeremy Bash, Matt Dorf, Charlotte Clymer, Jim Gerstein, Marc Elias and Simon Rosenberg.
— The Ingram Group’s Tennessee Business Forum and A.O. Smith Corp. hosted a “Southern Hospitality on the Hill” evening at La Collina in Eastern Market last night featuring Reps. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.) and John Rose (R-Tenn.), with live music from Jackson Perkins. SPOTTED: Josh Greene, Richard Vaughn, Ben Deeter, Tom Ingram, Matthew Eggers, Kate Wall, Margo Ingram Edwards, Bill Cooper, Makenzie Horrigan, Riley Poole, Kandace Stewart, Luke Mackenzie, Gigi Powers, Ace Burch, Mackensie McKenna, David Visi, Heather Bloemhard, Sydney Molaver, Tessa Berner, Chris Ternet, Tyler Schwartz, Jeremy Boshwit, Jack Kinney, Bridget O’Keefe, Will Garrett, Jennifer Lingenfelter, John Stout, Kelsey Greenwald, Myanne James, Preston Moore, Julia Block, Brandon Newell, Sam Nienow, Eric Kim, Nathan Royce and James Seaver.
TRANSITION — Jim O’Leary is now CEO of Penta. He previously worked for Weber Shandwick. WEDDING — Quinn Slaven, press secretary at the VA, and Emma Carlson, senior consultant at Deloitte, got married May 2 in Leesburg, Virginia. They met in Iowa six years ago at a mutual friend’s backyard BBQ. Pic … Another pic Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. |
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Patrick Bestall’s INPUT:
#1.
This is a real course offered at Concordia University in Montreal, CANADA:
èCANADA
This is not a meme
Course for educators pushes communist indoctrination on Concordia campus
The course by a Concordia University student union examines Cuba, the Soviet Union, Tanzania, and Iran using public education to spur a communist revolution.
A Concordia University-affiliated student union is hosting a course for educators that praises communist the “revolutionary pedagogy” of communist dictatorships like Cuba and the Soviet Union.
The course, run by Remaking Education as Care, Emancipation, Struggle, and Solidarity (RECESS) in partnership with Socialist Unity, explores education models from Cuba, the Soviet Union, Iran and Tanzania. According to the promotional material, participants will examine how education can be used to sustain “revolutionary social transformation.”
One section of the course focuses on Fidel Castro’s national literacy campaign in Cuba.
èCANADA-1
The course description states that “literacy instructors,” including individuals with only a sixth-grade education, were relocated into rural family homes to address illiteracy. It also states that children as young as eight were expected to “work the family’s land” during the day and teach literacy lessons to illiterate farmers at night.
JUNO News
.PB
#2.
More on the CIA vs. DNI Gabbard
èPAT-2-FAUCI
Might this have something to do with it?
The US has launched a probe into more than 120 American-funded biological labs abroad, including in Ukraine, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told the New York Post on Monday.
èPAT-2
---- Forwarded Message -----
From: Patrick <tradingpost777@aol.com>
To: Don Brooks <don.brooks777@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 11:50:25 p.m. EDT
Subject: More on the CIA vs. DNI Gabbard
This week, an active-duty CIA officer, James Erdman III, appeared before a Senate committee led by Senator Rand Paul, alleging that officials inside the intelligence community interfered with COVID origin investigations and hid key information from both Congress and the public.
About 20 minutes into the hearing, Erdman took a detour that most were not expecting.
He stated, "The CIA also took back 40 boxes of JFK files and MKULTRA files being processed for declassification by DNI Gabbard. The legislative and executive branches will continue to be misinformed if this type of behavior is not addressed."
This reignited attention surrounding MKULTRA, the CIA's infamous Cold War mind-control program.
According to Luna, these files were not supposed to even exist: "The CIA famously said that all [MKULTRA] documents had been released and others were destroyed, so these are allegedly those documents that apparently never existed."
A little background on this... In 1953, MKULTRA was a top-secret CIA project described as a behavioral engineering program where tactics, LSD, and other substances were used in truth serum mind-control experiments. These experiments were often used on their own men, without their knowledge.
The goal was to weaken individuals and induce confessions with the use of psychological torture, brainwashing, and other techniques. This program is said to have been dismantled in 1973, but it may still be in existence and running under a different name.
Representative Anna Paulina Luna publicly demanded that these MKULTRA and JFK files be returned within 24 hours and threatened subpoenas if the agency refused.
.PB
#3.
Liberals paid $12K for budget speech writer?
èPAT-3
.PB
#4.
Health Canada?
In November 1998, the federal government mandated the inclusion of a synthetic vitamin to every loaf of commercial Canadian bread. The regulation is a single line in Section B.13.001(1)(d) of the Food and Drug Regulations: every 100 grams of white flour sold in Canada must contain 0.15 mg of folic acid. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirms the prohibition is universal: the sale of unenriched white flour, or of any food containing unenriched white flour, is illegal in this country. There is no opt-out. There has been no public review of the policy in twenty-seven years.
To what extent is folic acid fortification a contributing factor? The literature also names obesity, dietary changes, microbiome shifts, microplastic exposure, sedentary lifestyle, and ultra-processed food consumption as plausible contributors, all of which have moved in the wrong direction across the same timeframe.
.PB
#5.
Trump described in 5 min., not by AI
èPAT-5
Donald Trump is dismantling the Global Agenda, that's why he's such a threat. He is the only thing standing between US and Them. USAID was their ATM.
Now READ PART TWO
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