US Political News and Trump’s China visit

What happened to Canada? I thought they were to become the 51st state?
Trolling. He knows Canada is full of weirdos and becoming a 51st state means dems never lose power. Now Greenland is where I think he's serious.
 
:ROFLMAO:😭
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

I know some folk want the Prez device taken away but not me. I think transparency even if it's cringy is a good thing especially if it drives the haters nuts.
 
:ROFLMAO:😭
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

I know some folk want the Prez device taken away but not me. I think transparency even if it's cringy is a good thing especially if it drives the haters nuts.

Cringy, yes.

I do like this one....

1778607798857.jpeg
 
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 
Since last year, CIA operatives inside Mexico have directly participated in deadly attacks on several, mostly mid-level cartel members, sources said. "The lethality of their operations has been seriously ramped up," said one of the people briefed on the operations. "It's a significant expansion of the kind of thing the CIA has been willing to do inside Mexico."

The level of CIA involvement with operations has varied, according to the sources, from more passive intelligence sharing and providing general support to direct participation in assassination operations. https://cnn.it/3PiPy9q
 
Since last year, CIA operatives inside Mexico have directly participated in deadly attacks on several, mostly mid-level cartel members, sources said. "The lethality of their operations has been seriously ramped up," said one of the people briefed on the operations. "It's a significant expansion of the kind of thing the CIA has been willing to do inside Mexico."

The level of CIA involvement with operations has varied, according to the sources, from more passive intelligence sharing and providing general support to direct participation in assassination operations. https://cnn.it/3PiPy9q
Makes me wonder what "arrangements" have been made with President Scheinbaum.
 

The Sheriffs, The Association, and The Collection Agency: Inside Oklahoma's Multi-Million Dollar Court Debt Machine​

An eight-year federal lawsuit alleges a statewide extortion scheme that jails the poor while generating profits for law enforcement

By EastOklahoma.com Investigative Team

The RICO Case Against Oklahoma's Sheriffs​

On November 2, 2017, seven plaintiffs filed what would become one of the most sweeping civil rights cases in Oklahoma history. Graff v. Aberdeen Enterprises II, Inc. charges the Oklahoma Sheriffs' Association, Aberdeen Enterprises II, county sheriffs, judges, and court officials with operating an extortion scheme that violates the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act—RICO—alongside constitutional protections against unlawful detention and denial of due process.


What Happens Next​

As of early 2026, the lawsuit continues to move through the federal court system. The question of class certification—whether the court will allow the case to proceed as a class action representing potentially tens of thousands of affected Oklahomans—remains undecided. If certified, the case could become one of the largest civil rights class actions in state history.
 
Last edited:

The Sheriffs, The Association, and The Collection Agency: Inside Oklahoma's Multi-Million Dollar Court Debt Machine​

An eight-year federal lawsuit alleges a statewide extortion scheme that jails the poor while generating profits for law enforcement

By EastOklahoma.com Investigative Team

What Happens Next​

As of early 2026, the lawsuit continues to move through the federal court system. The question of class certification—whether the court will allow the case to proceed as a class action representing potentially tens of thousands of affected Oklahomans—remains undecided. If certified, the case could become one of the largest civil rights class actions in state history.
Yes, the "justice" system and police in Oklahoma are indeed racketeers, and all should be in prison.

What started out as a $15 cracked side mirror I accidentally bumped into has ballooned up to over $4,000 in fees, fines, and more arrests - because the criminals running the courts in Oklahoma can get away with it.

And yes, I am not the only one, there are tens of thousands of others here in Oklahoma in the same situation.

Constitutional Questions: Criminalizing Poverty​

At the heart of the lawsuit are fundamental questions about the Constitution and poverty in America.

The U.S. Supreme Court established decades ago, in cases like Bearden v. Georgia (1983), that courts cannot jail people simply because they're too poor to pay fines. Before incarcerating someone for non-payment, courts must first determine whether the person has the ability to pay and whether their failure to pay was willful.

The plaintiffs argue that Oklahoma's system, as operated by Aberdeen and the sheriffs, violated these protections systematically. Warrants were issued with no hearing, no determination of ability to pay, and no inquiry into whether the defendant was indigent. People were jailed solely based on non-payment.

This, the lawsuit argues, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which prohibits the government from treating people differently based solely on their wealth. It also violates due process protections—the constitutional requirement that the government follow fair procedures before depriving someone of liberty.

The Fourth Amendment claims center on unlawful seizure: arresting and jailing people without probable cause that they committed a crime, when their only "offense" was poverty.

Perhaps most dramatically, the lawsuit invokes RICO—arguing that Aberdeen, the Sheriffs' Association, and individual sheriffs operated what amounts to an organized criminal enterprise. The elements are there, plaintiffs argue: a pattern of racketeering activity (extortion through threats of arrest), conducted through an ongoing organization (the Association and its contractor), for financial gain.

Under RICO's civil provisions, victims can sue for triple damages plus attorney's fees—potentially a massive liability if the plaintiffs prevail and the class is certified to include the tens of thousands of Oklahomans who may have been affected.
 
Last edited:

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is demanding the Southern Poverty Law Center hand over donor information, fundraising solicitations, and other internal documents after a federal grand jury indicted the SPLC for allegedly funding members of the very hate groups the SPLC claims it exists to “dismantle.”

Marshall’s office issued a formal subpoena to the Montgomery-based nonprofit on Monday, launching an investigation under Alabama’s law against deceptive trade practices.

“We have always suspected that they were monetizing hate and trading on race-baiting, it was just a matter of proving it,” Marshall said in a statement on the subpoena. “Thanks to the U.S. Justice Department’s action to deal with the SPLC, the state’s efforts have now received a shot in the arm. We look forward to learning more about the inner workings of an organization that we have long believed was rotten, but until recently, has been impervious.”

~

Exchanged emails with this Tyler O'Neil six years ago and dropped him immediately. He did not leave me with a good impression.

Unfortunately, he may be the only reporter covering the SPLC court cases and investigations.
 
The USA is a lawless country that is out of control, with no real checks or balances or adherence to democratic values. That is why the US President can post something crazy like this.
The rot in America is all across the country, even at the local and county level:


Contacted the lead attorney this morning to add my name to the pending class action against EVERY county judge and sheriff in Oklahoma.

Certain there are at least a dozen others signing up in my county of only 4,000, fed up being terrorized by the police and court system for being working poor. The above news article is being posted on local Facebook pages this week.
 
The rot in America is all across the country, even at the local and county level:


Contacted the lead attorney this morning to add my name to the pending class action against EVERY county judge and sheriff in Oklahoma.

Certain there are at least a dozen others signing up in my county of only 4,000, fed up being terrorized by the police and court system for being working poor. The above news article is being posted on local Facebook pages this week.

As of February 2024, the case remains active in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, currently in the written argument stage following a 2023 Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that reversed an earlier dismissal and sent the case back to district court for further proceedings.

The allegations described remain allegations; the defendants deny wrongdoing and the case has not been tried.

Case Citation: Graff, et al v. Aberdeen Enterprises II, Inc. et al, Case No. 4:17-cv-00606-TCK-JFJ, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma
 
ANALYSIS
News|US-Israel war on Iran

Trump-Xi summit: China’s help in Iran may require US concessions​

Analysts say China may seek changes in US policy towards Taiwan if it were to pressure Iran reopen Hormuz.

Listen (9 mins)
Save
1778694513237.png

Click here to share on social media
Share

Add Al Jazeera on Google
US and Chinese flags

US and Chinese national flags next to the portrait of late Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong, before US President Donald Trump's visit to China, Beijing, May 13, 2026 [Go Nakamura/Reuters]

By Ali Harb
Published On 13 May 202613 May 2026
When President Donald Trump meets with his counterpart, Xi Jinping, a new item will be added to the long list of issues of mutual interest and potential disagreement between the United States and China: the war in Iran.

US officials have suggested that China should play a greater role in pushing Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but analysts say Beijing will require concessions from the US, likely over Taiwan, if it were to aid in resolving the crisis.

Recommended Stories​

list of 3 items
end of list
And Iran is unlikely to be at the top of the agenda in the Trump-Xi meeting.

“The Iran issue is not really the central issue for either party in this summit,” said Christopher Heurlin, an associate professor of government and Asian studies at Bowdoin College.

Heurlin said that, although the meeting was delayed earlier this year due to the war, Taiwan will remain China’s top issue, while Trump will likely push Beijing to buy more US soya beans.

China is a major importer of Iranian and Middle East oil, so its economy could come under strain from the disruption caused by Tehran’s Hormuz blockade and the US naval siege on Iran.

Still, Heurlin said Beijing has been reluctant to get involved in the crisis.

“In terms of Iran, the Chinese have sort of been positioning themselves as someone who might possibly be helpful in this regard,” he said.

“They hosted the Iranian foreign minister recently, but it seems like they’ve been holding off on putting any pressure on Iran to end the conflict, just waiting for this visit.”



image.jpg



Play Video
0:43
  • Now Playing
    00:43

    Trump arrives in China for two-day summit with Xi​

  • Next
    05:06

    China can be 'catalyst and mediator' to end war on Iran, analyst says​

  • 00:43

    12 killed by a series of Israeli strikes on cars in Lebanon​

  • 01:46

    What Trump and Xi want from China visit​

  • 03:01

    Lebanon's hospitals struggle as Israeli strikes kill paramedics, wound thousands​



Trump ‘chastened’​

While Beijing has amassed oil reserves that have helped it weather global energy shortfalls, such resources are finite, so China has an interest in opening the strait.

Advertisement


At the same time, if Washington – Beijing’s chief strategic competitor – is weakened globally from the Iran conflict, which is increasingly looking like an unwinnable war for many observers.

Get instant alerts and updates based on your interests. Be the first to know when big stories happen.
Yes, keep me updated
The Economist magazine summed up that dynamic on its front cover last month, featuring a photo of Xi looking at Trump with a quote attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte: “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”

Inderjeet Parmar, professor of international politics at City St George’s, University of London, said Trump heads to China “chastened” by the shortcomings of the Iran war.

“So Trump is going there in a bit of a situation,” Parmar told Al Jazeera.

“He needs Chinese support for opening the Strait of Hormuz. China needs the Strait of Hormuz to open for its own reasons – of oil and energy from Iran and so on. At the same time, they can use this as leverage regarding Taiwan.”

Trump said before departing for China on Tuesday that he does not need Xi’s help on Iran, saying that the conflict is “very much under control”.

However, with petrol prices in the US skyrocketing and fuelling inflation, diplomacy stalled, and Trump’s popularity plummeting, the war appears to be hampering the Republican president’s domestic and global standing.

Last week, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on China to intervene in the crisis.

“The attacks from Iran have closed the strait. We are reopening it. So I would urge the Chinese to join us in supporting this international operation,” Bessent said.

He also underscored that China is the top importer of Iranian oil, accusing Beijing of “funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism”, referring to Tehran.

“Let’s see them step up with some diplomacy and get the Iranians to open the strait,” he said.



image.jpg



Play Video
7:15
Oil supply to lag demand until 2027 as Iran war hits global growth, analyst says


China’s plan​

William Yang, senior analyst for Northeast Asia at the International Crisis Group, said China and the US both want Hormuz to open, but “their preferred approach to achieve this goal don’t align.”

While China has been calling for restraint from all sides, Trump has been threatening Iran with enormous military attacks almost daily.

Iran has refused to hold direct talks with the US before Washington lifts its naval blockade.

A US military initiative to reopen Hormuz by force, while maintaining the siege on Iranian ports, earlier this month was short-lived, ending in less than 48 hours without significantly increasing traffic in the strait.

“Washington understands that it may need Beijing’s help to nudge Iran back to the negotiating table, but it is also aware of the implications of directly seeking support from Beijing to end the blockade, as it would likely mean giving China the upper hand in the bilateral relations,” Yang told Al Jazeera.

Advertisement


“As a result, Trump has been trying to push Iran to accept the conditions that the US had put forward through coercion, threatening to resume bombing if Tehran doesn’t agree to its terms.”

In April, Xi proposed a “four-point plan to safeguard and promote Middle East peace and stability”:

  • Commitment to peaceful coexistence
  • Respect for national sovereignty
  • Commitment to international law
  • Backing a “balanced approach to development and security”
While vague, the proposal reflected a preference for multilateralism and diplomacy in contrast with Trump’s reliance on military power to advance his goals in the region.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, last week.

“China believes that a comprehensive ceasefire is of utmost urgency, that resuming hostilities is even less acceptable, and that adhering to negotiations is particularly important,” Beijing’s Foreign Ministry said after the meeting.

“China supports Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security, and appreciates Iran’s willingness to seek a political solution through diplomatic channels.”

At the same time, China called for restoring “normal and safe passage” through Hormuz, which appears to be at odds with Iran’s claim of sovereignty over the strategic waterway, which emerged after the war.



image.jpg



Play Video
1:46
What Trump and Xi want from China visit


US-China ties​

China buys oil from Iran despite US sanctions, and Washington has voiced concern about Beijing’s sale of products that could be repurposed for military use by Tehran.

However, before the war, the Iran file was an afterthought in the competition between the US and China.

Over the past two decades, Washington has come to see Beijing as its top global challenger as the Chinese economy and regional and global influence have grown.

During his first term, Trump formally recognised China as a strategic competitor of the US.

“Although the United States seeks to continue to cooperate with China, China is using economic inducements and penalties, influence operations, and implied military threats to persuade other states to heed its political and security agenda,” the 2017 US National Security Strategy read.

“China’s infrastructure investments and trade strategies reinforce its geopolitical aspirations.”

Former President Joe Biden picked up where Trump left off with his administration declaring Beijing a “pacing challenge” for Washington.

The US has pushed to deepen its alliances in the Asia Pacific region to counter China’s rise.

As the competition intensified, the relationship between the two countries soured in recent years over several points of tension: trade practices, sanctions, Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the status of Taiwan.

Ties particularly worsened in 2022 when then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.

Months later, there was another crisis – Washington accused Beijing of sending a “spy balloon” into US airspace. China insisted that the aircraft was a weather balloon that drifted over the US.



image.jpg



Play Video
4:19
Iran downplays Trump's visit to China, hails ‘strategic’ partnership with Beijing


But since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump and his administration have put less emphasis on the great power competition.

Advertisement

Trump’s most recent National Security Strategy said the US aims to shift its focus to the Western Hemisphere, rather than the rivalry in the Asia Pacific region.

Still, tariffs and trade remain a major irritant in the relationship. Iran and Taiwan could also exacerbate tensions.

What might China want?​

While Iran considers itself a regional power and stresses its independence from allies and foes alike, China does have levers of leverage that it can crank up against Tehran – namely, trade ties.

But if Xi were to help Trump in his push to reopen Hormuz, the assistance would not come for free, analysts say.

A major priority for Beijing is Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as its own.

While the US nominally has a “one China policy”, it has armed and forged trade ties with Taiwan, while stopping short of officially recognising the island as a state.

Trump is yet to sign off on the latest arms package to Taiwan – worth $14bn – which has been approved by Congress.

Parmar, the professor, said China may demand opposition to Taiwanese independence in exchange for putting pressure on Iran to reopen Hormuz.

Heurlin also said China is mostly interested in talking about Taiwan.

“They see the Trump administration as potentially vulnerable or perhaps more persuadable on their position on Taiwan, and specifically, it sounds like the Chinese are going to be trying to convince Trump not to go forward with this weapon sale agreement that’s been essentially sitting on his desk,” Heurlin told Al Jazeera.

Brian Osgood contributed to the reporting.

 

Users who are viewing this thread

Pakistan Defence Latest

Country Watch Latest

Back
Top