House Democrat Warns Trump on Verge of
‘Largest Single Act of

 Grand Larceny in American History’

“Trump is considering stealing billions of dollars from the American people” with a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, said Rep. Don Beyer.

Stephen Prager
May 13, 2026
COMMON DREAMS

Democrats in Congress are warning that President Donald Trump is on the verge of “stealing” billions of dollars from American taxpayers in the coming days as his Department of Justice reportedly considers settling his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the DOJ, headed by the Trump loyalist acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, was holding internal discussions about whether to settle the suit that was brought by Trump and his sons, as well as the family’s business empire, in January.

The case centers on the IRS’s leak of Trump’s tax returns during his first term, which occurred after he broke decades of precedent by refusing to release them. The lawsuit alleges that the IRS failed to prevent former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn from unlawfully disclosing tax information to media outlets, for which he pleaded guilty in 2024.

The leaks, reported by The New York Times and ProPublica, revealed that Trump had engaged in what was described as “outright fraud” and other “dubious” schemes to avoid taxation, and that he paid no federal income taxes in many of the years leading up to his presidency.

The Trumps are seeking a payout of at least $10 billion from the IRS, which is currently being headed by Trump’s handpicked Social Security Administration head, Frank J. Bisignano, who reports to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.



This creates an extraordinary legal situation widely described as a blatant conflict of interest, since Trump is suing an IRS that he effectively controls, which is being represented by a DOJ he also effectively controls.

For a case to be valid, however, the parties must demonstrate that they are actually on opposite sides; otherwise, the case can be thrown out of court.

US District Judge Kathleen M. Williams of the Southern District of Florida, who is overseeing the case, questioned its constitutionality last month and required the parties to file briefs by May 20 demonstrating whether there is an actual conflict between them.

According to the Times, however, the DOJ is considering settling the case with Trump before that happens, and there’d be little Williams could do to stop it.

Not only could Trump walk away with a payout of several billion dollars—if not the full $10 billion he asked for—according to the Times, the White House and DOJ have also discussed a deal for the IRS to drop all audits into Trump, his family, and his businesses.

Presidents and vice presidents are required under IRS to undergo audits of their annual tax returns, and a 2024 Times report found that if Trump failed an audit, it could cost him more than $100 million.



Trump’s presidency has been defined by him and his family profiting from their positions of influence. According to a live tracker from the Center for American Progress, Trump and his family have used the White House to rake in more than $2.6 billion worth of cash and gifts.

In addition to about $1.5 billion from their cryptocurrency ventures, which they’ve used the White House to promote, they have received direct gifts—like a $400 million luxury jet from the government of Qatar—and legal cash settlements from media and tech companies worth over $90 million. On top of the IRS lawsuit, Trump has also demanded that the DOJ pay him $230 million over past criminal investigations into him.

But if Trump received even a fraction of what he demanded in a payout from the IRS, it could make the graft from the first year and a half of his presidency look like pocket change, potentially netting him several billion more dollars and possibly even doubling his net worth.

“Trump is considering stealing billions of dollars from the American people,” said Rep. Don Beyer (Va.), the ranking House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee. “He’s already the most corrupt president ever by a wide margin, but this would be fraud and theft on a scale even he has never attempted. The largest single act of grand larceny in American history.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the ranking member on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, added that for the DOJ to hand Trump a settlement “before a court rules” would be a “massive, unprecedented scandal.”

“Congress must stop him,” the senator added, noting that she had introduced a bill last month that would bar presidents, vice presidents, and their families from collecting settlement payments from the federal government while in office. If they file administrative claims, Warren’s bill would also require that the agencies be represented by independent counsels appointed by the court. However, her bill has gotten little traction in a Republican-controlled Congress.

Bharat Ramamurti, who served as the deputy director of the White House National Economic Council under former President Joe Biden, said the IRS lawsuit was a “massive scam” that was “much worse” than Trump’s proposal for Congress to provide $1 billion in taxpayer money to pay for his White House ballroom project.

Of the IRS lawsuit, he said, “Democrats should raise hell over it.”

Chris Hayes lays bare how Trump is about to pull off 'greatest heist in American history'

Matthew Chapman
May 13, 2026 
RAW STORY


Half of Republicans line up behind Trump in fight with FBI-Reuters/Ipsos

MS NOW's Chris Hayes kicked off Wednesday night's edition of "All In" by breaking down the details of President Donald Trump's highly controversial $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS for allowing his tax returns to be leaked — effectively, a demand to have his own administration pay him money.

This comes amid reports that President Donald Trump's own Justice Department is considering a possible settlement to the suit, although it is unclear whether that settlement would include a monetary payout and, if so, how much.

"It is hard, dear viewer, to keep track of the very, very long list of shady deals and no-bid contracts and outright corrupt crypto schemes that have been the hallmark of the presidency of Donald Trump, particularly this second version of it," said Hayes. "But I ask you tonight to pay attention to the one that he appears to be about to pull off, because it's got to be the greatest heist in American history, a direct transfer of billions of your taxpayer dollars directly into the bank account, and the pockets of Donald Trump, all dressed up as a settlement of a lawsuit in which Donald Trump is both the plaintiff and also the defendant. It would be a maneuver that could nearly triple his net worth."

"All of this happening as the Trump administration is literally making your life harder and more expensive with wars and tariffs," said Hayes. "None of that has stopped Trump from trying to get his hands on more of your money."

"The president, in effect, sued himself for more than $10 billion, or he sued the government he controls," said Hayes. "$10 billion, by the way, is nearly the entire annual IRS budget. And those dollars have paid out would come from the U.S. Treasury, which he also oversees. Now, this is so novel, I don't really know how you characterize it legally, like we're out past the frontier, whether legal or not. I am of the strong opinion, and I think many would be also that this is an attempt at the largest theft ever by an American politician, plainly, flagrantly. Blatantly, in plain daylight. It is a conflict of interest so enormous the term itself, conflict of interest hardly begins to capture what's happening."

"In fact, get this: last month, a federal judge in the case ... gave them until May 20th to come back and explain how the case isn't a scam to enrich Trump," said Hayes. "She's like, wait a second, wait a second. The constitution requires cases or controversies, but I don't see one here, she writes. 'Although President Trump avers he is bringing this lawsuit in his personal capacity, he is a sitting president and is named adversaries or entities whose decisions are subject to his direction,' she added ... What the judge is saying is, like, I don't think this is actually a real case. It can't be. You're on both sides."

"So the lawyers have one more week to file briefs that would convince the judge to let Trump's $10 billion lawsuit continue," said Hayes. And this, he said, is why the Justice Department is considering settlement talks now, before that deadline: to "shovel tons of cash over to him in return for him dropping the suit. The mob has a word for that: shakedown."

"Think of it again," Hayes continued. "Your taxes may come out of your paycheck every week. Or you wrote a check April 15th. Some part of that is going to end up in Donald Trump's bank account. No one has ever taken as much money in the history of the nation as Donald Trump is attempting to hoover up from the federal government right now, I don't think there's ever been a $10 billion theft, $10 billion. That's the same amount in child care subsidies that Trump froze last year. $10 billion is almost enough to fund federal disaster relief for a year. It is enough to fund the entire National Park Service, one of the great jewels of this nation, for five years. You could fund the Peace Corps for 20 years. It could all go straight into the Trump family coffers."

"I am telling you, there is no scale or precedent for corruption like this in the United States," he added. "It would put every other Trump grift to shame."

‘This Is War Profiteering’: Fertilizer Giants See Fortunes Boom as Trump Militarism, Tariffs Hurt Farmers

“While a few agrochemical giants shamelessly reap bumper profits, farmers are watching their livelihoods wither on the vine,” said one Greenpeace campaigner.


Farmer Russell Hedrick prepares a blend of minerals, biologicals, and fertilizers to be sprayed onto his fields while they are being seeded in Hickory, North Carolina, on April 10, 2026.
(Photo by Grant Baldwin/AFP via Getty Images)

Brett Wilkins
May 13, 2026
COMMON DREAMS

Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday underscored how the US-Israeli war on Iran and Trump administration trade policies are hurting farmers and consumers while Big Ag profits from fast-rising fertilizer and food prices.

President Donald Trump’s illegal war of choice has resulted in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 30% of the world’s fertilizer and 20% of its oil previously passed. In addition to increasing the risk of a global food crisis, the strait’s closure has sent fuel and fertilizer prices soaring, with US farm diesel costing nearly 50% more than it did on the war’s eve in February and nitrogen fertilizer rising by a similar percentage.

Trump Agriculture Chief Claims ‘Golden Age’ Is Coming. US Farmers Say They’re ‘Barely, Barely Getting By’


Meanwhile, Trump’s erratic tariff war has further squeezed farmers and consumers. Tariffs have increased short-term prices, market volatility, and farmer costs while temporarily reducing import flows.

Vermont farmers “are footing the bill for Trump’s reckless war in Iran,” Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) said Wednesday on social media. “Fuel and fertilizer costs are surging right amid planting season, hitting family farms that are already stretched thin. This needs to end.”

Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) said on X that “food prices are skyrocketing because 70% of farmers can’t afford fertilizer, due to Trump’s reckless Iran War,” adding that “perhaps Trump should help them out by lending some, given that he’s full of crap.”

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) noted Tuesday on Bluesky that “Minnesota’s farmers are dealing with tariffs, high fertilizer costs, expensive feed, and exorbitant fuel prices,” while Trump is “planning to lay off dozens” of US Department of Agriculture workers “who help farmers protect their land and water.”

The lawmakers’ posts followed Tuesday’s US Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on fertilizer market challenges, during which members of the Republican majority spoke vaguely of “trade disputes” and the “recent conflict in the Middle East” without naming names.

When it was her turn to speak, Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) noted the “direct link” between the soaring price of nitrogen fertilizer components and Trump’s actions.

“In the months since the president started the war, with no consultation or authorization from Congress... urea has spiked more than 40%, the cost of diesel has hit near record highs in Midwest states,” she said. “Now, why? Well, nearly half of the global urea goes through the Strait of Hormuz. Thirty percent of ammonia goes through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Yet, even before the war, farmers were walloped by the presence of across-the-board tariffs,” Klobuchar continued. “An analysis by North Dakota State University... found that [International Emergency Economic Powers Act] tariffs added nearly $1 billion in costs to critical inputs like fertilizer, seed, machinery, and chemicals from February through October of last year.”

“Acting now will ultimately help stabilize prices and give farmers the certainty they need,” the senator added. “But it is going to have to be a combination of things: ending the tariffs, or reducing them, or making them much more targeted; ending this war; finding a way to resolve it, so the Strait of Hormuz is open again; and then going at this long-term systemic problem about the lack of competition in this area.”

According to the advocacy group Farm Action, a handful of companies—primarily Nutrien, Mosaic, and CF Industries—dominate the North American fertilizer market, operating as an oligopoly that controls over 90% of nitrogen and potash production. Saskatchewan-based Nutrien, the world’s leading potash producer, last week reported net first-quarter earnings of $139 million, up from $19 million one year ago.

“Fertilizer companies raise their prices because they can, and that’s the market power that they have,” Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said during Tuesday’s hearing.

Noting record gains reaped amid the tumult of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Smith said that during 2021-22, “the nine largest fertilizer companies made an estimated $84 billion in profits.”

“In 2022, major fertilizer companies saw profits increase somewhere between 100 and 200%,” she continued. “Their input costs did not go up by that much... How much do you think the profits of the average farmer in South Dakota [went] up during that time period?”

Pointing to new reports of robust fertilizer industry profits, South Dakota Corn Farmers president Trent Kubik replied, “during these last 75 days, a lot of money was being made, but it wasn’t by farmers.”

Addressing the question of “what can we do to change the behavior of companies that are in a position where they can charge such high prices and get such exorbitant profits,” Smith suggested considering a “windfall profits tax” to “make the market more fair, particularly for folks that are doing the work.”

The Trump administration’s plan to counter high fertilizer prices includes reopening the Biden-era Fertilizer Production Expansion Program, which provides grants and financing to build or expand domestic manufacturing capacity. Some critics have slammed the program as a form of corporate welfare.

The administration is also considering further expanding a multibillion-dollar bailout program, which critics say has mainly benefited large-scale, export-oriented commodity farms.



Responding to recent reports of strong profits for nitrogen fertilizer producers, Greenpeace Aotearoa (New Zealand) Big Ag project lead Amanda Larsson said Tuesday that “the illegal US-Israeli attack on Iran has sent global fertilizer prices soaring, and while a few agrochemical giants shamelessly reap bumper profits, farmers are watching their livelihoods wither on the vine.”

“This is war profiteering facilitated by a broken, fossil fuel-dependent food system—with farmers and consumers paying the price,” she continued.

“Synthetic nitrogen fertilizer causes water and climate pollution, while propping up a system of industrial over-production, particularly to produce monoculture feed crops for livestock,” Larsson said. “We are sacrificing our rivers, our climate, and our financial security to prop up a system that serves billionaires, not communities.”

“We cannot buy food security on a volatile global chemical market,” she added. “The only path to true food sovereignty and resilience is through a transition to ecological farming. By moving away from synthetic fertilizers and toward diverse, nature-based practices, we can break the cycle of chemical dependence, protect our water, and ensure that the price of food is no longer dictated by the whims of war and corporate greed.”

Economic Pain ‘Just Beginning’ as Key Index Shows More Inflation From Trump’s Iran War

“The only thing Trump has made great again is inflation,” said Rep. Brendan Boyle.


Coffee prices are displayed at a supermarket in Alhambra, California on May 12, 2026.
(Photo by Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Brad Reed
May 13, 2026
COMMON DREAMS

Data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday showed continued upward pressure on prices, caused in large part by President Donald Trump’s war with Iran.

The Producer Price Index (PPI), which measures wholesale prices paid by businesses, posted a year-over-year gain of 6% in April, the largest yearly increase since December 2022.




‘Costs Are Out of Control’: Trump’s Iran War Pushes US Inflation to Highest Level in Three Years



‘Yeah, So What?’ Elites Shrug Off Working-Class Pain Caused by Trump Tariffs, Iran War

Energy prices, which have surged since Trump launched an unprovoked war with Iran in late February, played a large role in raising wholesale costs, as the report finds “more than three-quarters of the broad-based increase in April can be traced to a 7.8% jump in prices for final demand energy.”

However, energy prices aren’t solely responsible for rising wholesale prices, as the so-called “core” PPI, which excludes the costs of food and energy, posted a yearly increase of 4.4% in April, the largest since February 2023.

PPI is seen as an important gauge of future inflation for consumers, as companies typically pass the costs they pay for inputs onto consumers in the form of price increases.

As explained by Groundwork Collaborative in a social media post, the wholesale costs measured by PPI “are what companies pay before they jack up prices on the rest of us.”

“What’s in the pipeline now is headed straight for your grocery bill and gas tank,” Groundwork Collaborative added. “The pain isn’t over. It’s just beginning.”

CNN economics reporter Elisabeth Buchwald similarly predicted more hurt for US consumers in the coming months, arguing in a Wednesday article that a 6% increase in PPI shows “the pain will not be short-lived.”

“Even if the United States were to reach a deal with Iran today, it would still take months for shipments of oil held up by the blockade of the crucial Strait of Hormuz to reach American soil,” Buchwald explained. “And even then, it would likely be months—or potentially years—before Americans see gas prices return to levels before the war.”

Wednesday’s PPI report came one day after the Consumer Price Index showed that consumer prices in April rose by 3.8%, the largest yearly increase since May 2023.

Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) reacted to the latest inflation data by ripping into the president’s policy decisions, including the Iran war and the global trade war he started shortly after returning to office last year.

“The only thing Trump has made great again is inflation,” Boyle, the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, wrote in a social media post. “His disastrous policies—from his tariff taxes to his war in Iran—are making life even more expensive. We shouldn’t be surprised the guy who managed to bankrupt a casino isn’t an economic mastermind.”

Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.) linked the increased prices to Trump’s desire to have Congress spend $1 billion of taxpayer money on his proposed White House ballroom.

“Oregonians need real relief from these high costs at the store and the pump,” wrote Dexter. “We must stop the war in Iran and refuse to pay for presidential vanity projects. Oregon families want peace. They need a break, not a ballroom.”

The truth about the debt Trump won't say out loud

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a visit to Verst Logistics in Hebron, Kentucky, U.S., March 11, 2026. REUTERS Kevin Lamarque

Robert Reich

May 11, 2026 

ALTERNET


The U.S. national debt just crossed a once-unthinkable threshold on the way toward breaking the record set in the wake of World War II: It now exceeds 100 percent of America’s gross domestic product.

As of March 31, our publicly held debt was $31.27 trillion, while America’s GDP in 2025 was $31.22 trillion. This puts the ratio at 100.2 percent, compared with 99.5 percent when the last fiscal year ended September 30.

That 100.2 percent figure will likely climb, because the federal government is running historically large annual deficits of nearly 6 percent of GDP, which add to the debt. The final tally will depend on Iran war spending, tariff refunds, and the strength of the economy.


Should you worry? Well, it’s not as if we’re heading into a depression. Passing the 100 percent threshold won’t suddenly cause the world to lose confidence in the dollar.

The real problem is that an increasing portion of our nation’s budget — and your tax dollars — is dedicated to paying interest on this growing debt. That’s money we don’t spend on education, healthcare, roads and bridges, social safety nets, or (if we actually needed more spending on it) national defense.


As the debt continues to grow, interest payments continue to soar. We’ll soon be paying more in interest on the federal debt each year than we spend each year on Medicare.

So, who exactly receives these interest payments? This is an issue you hear very little discussion about, because the wealthy and powerful of this country would rather you didn’t know.

You probably do hear that a chunk of our debt is held by foreign governments and foreign investors. That’s true, but they hold only about 30 percent of our debt. The rest — roughly 70 percent — is held domestically. That is, we pay the interest to ourselves.


And who, exactly, is the “ourselves” who receive these interest payments? The Federal Reserve holds part of this debt, state and local governments hold part.

But the biggest chunk — nearly half — is held by mutual funds, pension funds, insurance companies, and banks. And who owns them? The Americans who invest in these funds — and who thereby, directly or indirectly, hold Treasury bills.

And who, exactly are these Americans — the Americans who are directly or indirectly collecting a large amount of the interest we’re paying on the national debt? It’s the people at the top.


The richest 1 percent of U.S. households hold about 35.6 percent of all financial assets — shares of stock, corporate bonds, and Treasury bills — so it’s safe to assume they hold at least a third of all Treasury bills.

What’s wrong with this picture?

Here’s where things get really interesting.

Decades ago, wealthy Americans financed the federal government mainly by paying taxes. Their tax rate was far, far higher than it is today. In the 1950s, under President Dwight Eisenhower, the richest Americans paid a marginal tax rate of 91 percent. (Tax deductions and tax credits meant that the top effective marginal rate was lower than this.)


Fast forward. Now, wealthy Americans finance the federal government mainly by lending it money and collecting interest payments on those loans.

Interest payments on the national debt this year are expected to reach $1 trillion.

There are roughly 128 million households in the United States. Dividing $1 trillion in annual interest among U.S. households would amount to $650 per household per month. (This is a simplified average, of course; actual burdens vary based on tax status, income, and spending.)

The point is that a big chunk of the growing interest payments American taxpayers make on the federal debt is going to wealthy Americans.


Keep following the money. One of the biggest reasons the federal debt has exploded is that tax cuts — starting with the George W. Bush administration in 2001 and extending through Trump’s 2018 and 2024 tax cuts — have reduced government revenues by $10.6 trillion.

Most of the benefits from those tax cuts are going to the wealthy. Since 2000, 65 percent of the benefits from tax cuts have gone to the richest fifth of Americans — 22 percent to the top 1 percent.

So, you see what’s happened?

The wealthiest Americans used to pay higher taxes to finance the government. Now, the government pays wealthy Americans interest on a swelling debt, caused largely by lower taxes on wealthy Americans.


Which means a growing portion of everyone else’s taxes are now paying wealthy Americans interest on those loans, instead of paying for government services everyone needs.

So, from now on, whenever you hear someone say how huge, horrible, and out-of-control the national debt is, explain to them that it’s because of tax cuts to the wealthy — who are also the major recipients of interest on that debt.

America’s wealthy have never been wealthier. If they paid their fair share of taxes, we wouldn’t have such a huge federal debt. And we wouldn’t be paying them so much interest on that debt.

Know what’s happened, and pass it on.

Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/.

NYT rips GOP Congress as Trump poisons American democracy

Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso arrive for President Donald Trump's State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., February 24, 2026.

 REUTERS/Nathan Howard

Thomas Kika

May 13, 2026 

ALTERNET

In a piece published Wednesday morning, the New York Times editorial board reserved particular criticism for the GOP-led Congress as it tracked President Donald Trump's efforts to poison American democracy, ripping the lawmakers for backing off when they could be doing things to stop it.

In the new piece, the board explained that the war with Iran is "the most significant military action in American history that a president has undertaken without any form of congressional authorization," marking a significant acceleration of Trump's "erosion" of democracy and disregard for Congress.

"Mr. Trump has received no approval whatsoever from Congress, the only branch of government with the constitutional authority to declare war," the board explained.

The piece included a chart with 12 metrics measuring Trump's damage to Democracy, graded on a scale of zero to 10, and based on the current state of the Iran war, the board confirmed that it was increasing the grade for bypassing the legislative branch by one notch, up to five.

"When a democracy slides toward autocracy, the leader often finds ways to neuter the legislature," the board explained. "Mr. Trump has done so in many ways: by usurping Congress’s power of the purse and imposing widespread tariffs (which courts have often deemed illegal; gutting congressionally authorized agencies like the U.S. Agency for International Development; withholding approved funds for schools, libraries and scientific research; using private donations to pay for his White House ballroom during a government shutdown; attacking boats in the Caribbean and invading Venezuela; and more."

The board added: "Over the past two and half months, Mr. Trump has ordered thousands of strikes against another country and killed its leader. The war has roiled global energy markets and drained American munitions stockpiles. Yet despite its scope and stakes, the president continues to show disdain for members of Congress who ask questions about the war and has not even provided a coherent rationale for it."

In making this determination, the board added that Congress, which Trump's Republican Party controls both chambers of, bears considerable blame for the president's conduct, given its refusal to step up and rein him in.

"Congressional Republicans deserve significant responsibility for the situation," the board explained. "They could and should do much more to constrain him. Congress could pass a resolution expressing its disapproval of the war and hold hearings investigating it, raising the political pressure on the White House. It could refuse to confirm nominees or fund Mr. Trump’s military priorities until he adheres to his constitutional duty to work with the legislature. Otherwise, members of Congress are participating in America's slide from democracy."

Trump Isn’t Mentally Ill; He’s Evil

Repeating time and time again that Donald Trump is crazy not only negatively affects the mentally ill but also seriously misunderstands the man and his policies.


People participate in a “No Kings” national day of protest in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 18, 2025.
(Photo by Matthew Hatcher / AFP via Getty Images)

Thomas Meisenhelder
May 14, 2026

Common Dreams

Dear public figures, media folks, and journalists, please do not suggest that President Donald Trump is crazy. It is not helpful and, in fact, it is hurtful... not to him but the rest of us.

There are two main reasons for this request. First, calling Trump crazy is harmful to people who have a mental health condition or who have loved ones with a mental illness; second, it is inaccurate and leads to a serious misunderstanding of the man, his behavior, and it’s origins and consequences.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of unfair, hurtful, and false seterotypes of the mentally ill that are propagated and repeated over and over again in our society. For instance, media figures and journalists often describe perpetrators of violence as mentally ill. Generally speaking, this is not true. Study after study points out the the mentally ill, in fact, are not violent. Indeed, they are more likely to be the victims of violence than perpetrators of it. Most people with mental health diagnoses are law-abiding contributing members of society. Epidemiological research indicates that 97% of those with mental illness do not commit violent acts.

Nor are the mentally ill immoral. It is somewhat commonplace to find public figures, journalists, and other “experts” express that a person who commits a horribly immoral act must be mentally ill. This is a faulty presumption. Mental illness does not necessarily affect moral reasoning or understanding. It is pretty common to hear or read that those whose behaviors are irrational, unpredictable, or erratic must have a mental health condition. This, also, is a harmful and erroneous stereotype. After all, irrational thinking is pretty common. We are all irrational some of the time and in some situations. and also rational and predictable in others. Irrational thoughts are completely normal. Researchers sometimes point out that some kinds of mental illness may include a deficit in common sense or deviations from social norms but not a deficit in logical thought or “reason.”

Finally, the dictionary defines evil as actions and ideas characterized by impending future misfortune. There has never been a president of the United States more ominous than Donald Trump.

Another common misconception about those with mental illnesses is that they are dysfunctional and unable to live as honest and contributing members of their communities. This, too, is not true. The majority of those with a mental illness are simply ordinary folks. In any given year 20% or more of the population has a mental health diagnosis. Therefore, at any given time, there are millions of people with a mental health condition making positive contributions to their communities.

So, why do so many of us hold these false and damaging steretypes about those with a mental health condition? Perhaps the most common communicator of these misconceptions are the media of mass communication, both fictional (television, movies, internet sites, etc) and nonfiction (talk shows, news media, politicians, etc).

This brings me to Donald Trump. Repeating time and time again that Donald Trump is crazy not only negatively affects the mentally ill but also seriously misunderstands the man and his policies.

Donald Trump is not crazy, he is evil. The America Heritage Dictionary definition of evil has three components. The first one is that evil means morally bad or wrong. The list of the immoral acts of our president is too long to be included listed completely here, but consider just a sampling: participating in Jeffrey Epstein’s abuses, illegally detaining and deporting veterans, children, and others; using charitable donations for personal desires; separating innocent children from their families; fomenting racism and racial hatred; ridiculing the disabled; daily misogyny; supporting white supremacy; inciting violence; lying for personal gain; harming the lives of LGBTQ+ people; taking food and medical care from children and their families; and the list goes on and on.

The dictionary also defines evil as harmful or causing injury and pain. Rather than repeating the cruel and hateful list above, please consider this sampling of the harmful consequences of decisions of President Trump: ordering the murder of hundreds of people who have been in boats attacked because they were supposedly carrying illegal drugs; murdering nearly a hundred people in Venezuela when the country was attacked and he ordered its president arrested; causing death and injury to tens of thousands of Iranians during his war against the government of that country; partnering with Israel’s raining of death and destruction on the people of Lebanon, Gaza, and Palestine; expanding the embargo against Cuba causing pain, injury, and death to ordinary Cubans; and his administration’s defunding of the medical aid and food assistance provided to less developed nations by the US Agency for International Development, which has damaged the lives of millions of people around the world.

And, of course, actions of this president also have caused harmful and deadly damages within the United States. Consider: the terrible harms, injuries, and deaths caused by his orders to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), resulting in the detention of over 50,000 adults and children in dangerous and deadly detention centers; he also has deported millions of individuals, some to dangerous countries or to the very life-threatening situations they fled. In addition, he has empowered his ICE agents to injure and even murder US citizens who were exercising their political and personal rights; Trump’s defunding of federal programs in the areas of healthcare and the environment has stripped men, women, and children of their access to food and medical care, causing pain, injury, and death to many people; and his administration’s reductions of environmental protections and general disregard of climate change threatens the health of all living beings,

Finally, the dictionary defines evil as actions and ideas characterized by impending future misfortune. There has never been a president of the United States more ominous than Donald Trump. Nearly every day he posts messages that threaten his critics and opponents. He says he will use the power of the government to bring them down. He tells his supporters, “I am your retribution.” Time and time again, he threatens to destroy Iran, razing it to the ground and killing millions of Iranians. He announces planes to annex Greenland, Canada, and Venezuela. He hints that he is going to use force to change the political-economic system in Cuba. He says he will prosecute his political opponents for treason and has threatened to shoot those protesting in the streets. And, of course, he regularly declares that he will imprison immigrants and deport them to dangerous places. In just one year he has threatened to punish, invade, or take control of Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Nigeria, and Iran.

So, dear news anchors and pundits, please stop suggesting that President Donald Trump is mentally ill. Doing so defames and insults those of us who have a mental illness and misunderstands the problem that is Donald Trump. He is not “crazy.” He is prejudiced, cruel, violent, hateful, uninformed, dangerous, and immoral. Our president is not mentally ill. Our president is evil.


Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.


Thomas Meisenhelder
Thomas Meisenhelder is a retired Professor of Sociology from California State University, San Bernardino. He lives in Huntington Beach, CA.
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 Trump and Republicans are suffering from 'extraordinary denial and magical thinking'

White House 'nut' encouraged Trump’s infamous 'Jesus meme': report

Sarah K. Burris

May 13, 2026

ALTERNET

The New Republic's Greg Sargent spoke with Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg on his morning podcast about the challenges President Donald Trump and the GOP face in ending the Iran war.

As the Iran war drags on past its 60-day limit and the Strait of Hormuz's closure sends fuel prices soaring, Trump appears to believe everything will suddenly end. Somehow, Iran will finally agree to the U.S.'s demands despite refusing over the past several years since Trump left the treaty.

"They also have said that they think the war is just going to end magically, right?" Rosenberg said. "Just the way that COVID ended. He kept saying COVID is just going to end one day. The war is just going to end, and things are going to snap back to the way they were. And I think that is the widespread belief in the Republican Party now, that this is a temporary blip."

The reality, he continued, is that inflation data now show it has surpassed Americans' wages. Inflation not only went up, U.S. wholesale inflation, known as the Producer Price Index, increased to 6 percent, April numbers show, according to the Associated Press. It makes it the highest increase since December 2022.

"Remember, energy inflation is different than food inflation or different than other inflation because it affects anything that is transported. That also goes up in price," Rosenberg explained. "So, it’s like a multiplier through the economy. It’s not just a singular pillar of inflation."

The impact will likely be on food prices, he added.

"Trump and the Republicans, I think, are in a place of extraordinary denial and magical thinking about the depth of the hole that he’s digging for them right now because of the war," said Rosenberg.

All of it will have a major impact on the 2026 midterm elections.

"You can win an election just on voters being sick of the party in power and have the election that you want to have. And we’ve been having test cases around the election in all these special elections and other elections over the last 16 months. And things have been going very well for Democrats," Rosenberg noted.

Trump is in China this week, and one military expert said that Trump's goal is to get Xi Jinping to help him end the war since China purchases so much oil from Iran.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Trump should "realize that the person you're talking to is propping up Russia and Iran." He claimed that if China wanted, it could have more influence than any other nation in ending the war.

Trump told reporters before leaving for China, "No, I don't think we need any help with Iran."

Xi’s ‘blunt’ warning to Trump on Taiwan exposes profound risks: analysts


ByAFP
May 14, 2026


Chinese leader Xi Jinping issued an unusually blunt message to US President Donald Trump over Taiwan that exposes potential pitfalls in the relationship, analysts said - Copyright AFP Brendan Smialowski

Peter CATTERALL

Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s unusually “blunt” warning to US President Donald Trump over Taiwan at Thursday’s summit in Beijing exposes potentially grave pitfalls in the relationship, although its immediate impact could be limited, analysts say.

US sales of military equipment to the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing have long enraged the Chinese government, threatening to derail already-fraught engagement on trade and other issues between the world’s top two economies.

China has vowed to bring Taiwan under its control, by force if necessary, while the United States — which diplomatically recognises only Beijing — is required under domestic law to provide weapons to the democratic island so that it can defend itself.

Xi warned Trump on Thursday that “the Taiwan question is the most important issue” in their bilateral relationship, according to remarks published by Chinese state media soon after the talks began.

“If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation,” he said.

Such “blunt” rhetoric is “out of the ordinary” coming from Xi in conversation with a US president, Adam Ni, editor of the China Neican newsletter, told AFP.

“Xi wants to make it very clear to Trump and to the public record that he thinks the Taiwan issue is the potential powder keg between the two superpowers,” Ni said.

Chong Ja Ian of the National University of Singapore said China “has been signalling a desire for US compromise on Taiwan in the lead-up to the summit”.

“Perhaps they see some opportunity to convince Trump,” Chong said.

“So far, the US side has not indicated any movement.”



– ‘No consensus yet’ –



Trump has not commented publicly on Taiwan since arriving in Beijing on Wednesday evening.

He ignored multiple questions on the subject from reporters during a visit to the Temple of Heaven on Thursday afternoon, where he and Xi posed for photographs after talks.

A readout of the meeting from a White House official also made no mention of Taiwan.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Trump would say more on Taiwan “in the coming days”, adding that the president “understands the sensitivities” about the island.

Trump said days before the trip that he would discuss US arms sales to Taiwan with Xi — something that would be a break with a decades-long policy of not consulting with Beijing on the issue.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also in Beijing and known for his firm line on China as a senator, suggested continuity in an interview with Fox News aboard Air Force One.

“It’s not in China’s interest or anyone’s interest for there to be any sort of forced change in the status quo. I think stability there is very important,” he said.

Tzeng Wei-feng of the National Chengchi University’s Institute of International Relations in Taipei told AFP that he thinks Xi and Trump “don’t have a consensus yet” on the issue of arms sales.

While a deal on that sensitive subject is unlikely, Tzeng said, it’s possible that Trump will make “some statement that weakens the United States’ promise on defending Taiwan”.



– ‘Non-negotiable’ –



Trump repeatedly touted his personal relationship with Xi in the run-up to the summit, praising him as “a Leader of extraordinary distinction” in a social media post on Tuesday.

Many observers say Trump is placing great stock in his ability to cash in on that rapport during the summit.

Casting a shadow over talks is the unresolved US-Israeli war with Iran, which previously delayed Trump’s visit to China — the top customer of Iranian oil.

Speculation has emerged that Trump would seek to use US arms sales to Taiwan as a bargaining chip to encourage Beijing to use its leverage with Tehran to accept a deal to end the war.

However, Ryan Hass, an expert on China and Taiwan at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, threw cold water on the proposition.

“Doing so would violate Beijing’s longstanding principle that Taiwan is ‘non-negotiable’. It isn’t how Beijing rolls,” he wrote on social media.

“More likely, both leaders will affirm their shared interest in stabilising relations and use (economic and) commercial deals to demonstrate progress.”

burs-pfc-ehl/dhw/pbt


Subdued Trump left waiting for ‘big hug’ from Xi


By AFP
May 14, 2026


President Donald Trump claimed before heading to China that Chinese leader Xi Jinping would give him a "big, fat hug", but appears to have been left waiting - Copyright POOL/AFP Brendan SMIALOWSKI

Danny KEMP

Donald Trump paid a visit to the Temple of Heaven in the Chinese capital on Thursday, but the US president had a face like thunder.

Standing stiff and unsmiling next to Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump appeared unmoved by the former imperial temple in Beijing where emperors once prayed for good harvests.

The 79-year-old American leader, who rarely misses a chance to talk to reporters, arrived in Beijing the night before after a lengthy 16-hour flight, and was uncharacteristically subdued as he was guided around the temple by Xi.

Asked by reporters including AFP how earlier talks with the Chinese leader had gone, a seemingly tired Trump replied: “Great.”

“Great place. Incredible. China’s beautiful,” he added.

But he ignored two questions on whether they had discussed Taiwan, after Xi warned that differences between the United States and China over the self-governing island claimed by Beijing could lead to conflict.

Trump had claimed before heading to China for the first time in nearly a decade that Xi would give him a “big, fat hug”.

But that did not happen.

The atmosphere had been less frosty when Trump arrived at the dominating Great Hall of the People for the talks.

The Chinese were careful to appeal to Trump’s love of pomp, greeting him with marching bands, soldiers in lockstep and a cannon salute that echoed through Tiananmen Square.

Trump beamed and applauded when hundreds of Chinese schoolchildren in brightly coloured outfits waved flags and flowers and chanted “welcome, welcome, warm welcome”.

The two leaders shook hands warmly, Trump patting Xi’s hand, and exchanged a few words on the red carpet before the cameras.

Trump — who has insisted that his personal relationship with Xi will win business deals — praised the Chinese president as a “great friend” and “great leader”.

– ‘Come into conflict’ –

But times have changed since he last visited Beijing in 2017, and he is now in a more assertive China — one that did not immediately call Trump a friend in return.

Behind the scenes, it appeared that Xi had set out an uncompromising stance on Taiwan, according to comments released by state media.

Trump had also come looking for China’s help to end the Iran war, and to extend a trade truce with Beijing, but there was no immediate sign of a breakthrough.

Instead, there was virtual silence from Trump, who refrained from commenting on his Truth Social platform that he normally posts on multiple times a day, and from the White House.

And as Xi warned that the world’s two largest economies could “come into conflict” if Washington mishandles the Taiwan issue, minor skirmishes broke out on the sidelines of their meeting.

At the Great Hall of the People, journalists from both sides jostled each other to get a place before the meeting as US and Chinese officials tried to keep order.

Then at the Temple of Heaven, US and Chinese officials held a tense discussion after local security blocked a US Secret Service agent accompanying travelling journalists from entering the complex with his weapon.

As temperatures in Beijing creeped to above 30C, Chinese officials refused to allow US reporters, including an AFP journalist, to leave a side room where they were being held and join Trump’s motorcade to his hotel.

Amid raised voices, White House officials and journalists eventually pushed past the Chinese officials to make it to their vans before the US president drove off without them.

Trump reportedly 'humiliated' after rival leader snubs president at airport: 'Rocky start'

Alexander Willis
May 13, 2026 
RAW STORY


U.S. President Donald Trump arrives aboard Air Force One at Beijing Capital International Airport during his visit to the country, in Beijing, China, May 13, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci

President Donald Trump landed in Beijing, China Wednesday ahead of his high-stakes summit with President Xi Jinping, but critics soon noticed a key figure was absent during Trump’s arrival.

“Donald Trump has arrived in China to find that President Xi did NOT greet him at the airport,” reads a statement from the progressive advocacy platform Call To Activism, run by digital strategist and political influencer Joe Gallina.

“MAGA is in spin mode heralding the ‘red carpet treatment,’ but the visit is already at a rocky start. Instead of a presidential welcome, Trump was greeted by US Ambassador to China David Perdue; Xi’s vice president, Han Zheng; China’s Ambassador to Washington Xie Feng; and Executive Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu.”

Trump was, in fact, not greeted by Xi as he stepped off Air Force One Wednesday, and instead met by other Chinese officials. Trump’s own niece, Mary L. Trump, took notice of what she characterized as a snub as well.

“Xi couldn't be bothered to meet Donald at the airport because he understands as well as Donald does that humiliating your underlings is a great way to keep them in check,” she wrote in a social media post on X to her more than 1.6 million followers.

As argued by journalist Charbel Antoun, Trump walks into the U.S.-China summit with a “weakened” hand given his inability to secure a peace deal with Iran amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against the Middle East nation. And on Monday, Trump’s efforts to end the war on his own terms were undercut after Tehran agreed to a U.S.-Iran peace deal brokered by China.

Erin Burnett blown away as Trump 'mocked across China': 'America has lost its swagger'

Bennito L. Kelty
May 13, 2026 
RAW STORY


Erin Burnett read social media posts from China that mocked Trump as he met with Xi Jinping (CNN/Screenshot)

CNN anchor Erin Burnett was stunned to see the level of uninhibited mockery China has been hurling at Trump during his visit.

"Trump is about to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping tonight, a high-stakes meeting which is being mocked across China," Burnett explained. "Beijing's strict censors are letting the ridicule go viral, which is a statement in and of itself."

"America has lost its swagger. They're nothing but a paper tiger," one of those viral posts read. "The U.S. economy is in bad shape. Trump has been blustering Iran for so long."

"They will look up to us from now on," read another post that Burnett shared. "Trump came to China! We won the tariff war!" read another.

"Trump, you're welcome to visit China and learn from us," the mockery continued.

"The U.S. is no longer a country that we look up to. We can now compete with them with confidence and strength," a Chinese social media user wrote.

"In China, political content like this never goes viral, especially when you have a head of state coming," Burnett explained. "This is because government censors want this to go viral, and by the tone of the messages, the Chinese government feels they've got the upper hand."

CNN reporter taken aback as Chinese residents let Trump have it

Alexander Willis
May 13, 2026 

RAW STORY


Beijing, China resident Mr. Liu speaks to CNN on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. 

(Screengrab / CNN)

President Donald Trump landed in China on Wednesday ahead of his high-stakes summit with President Xi Jinping, reportedly hoping for help with his deeply unpopular war against Iran – but Beijing residents interviewed by CNN were quick to pour cold water on the idea.

“I don't have a good impression of President Donald Trump at all,” one Beijing resident, identified as Mr. Liu, told CNN. “The U.S.-Iran conflict was stirred up by him, too. Look at the trade and economic war before, wasn't that him too?”

CNN’s Boris Sanchez said, citing U.S. officials, Trump is “expected to encourage Xi to push Iran to re-open the Strait of Hormuz,” a critical shipping waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil trade historically flows. On the ground in Beijing, CNN’s Mike Valerio reiterated Sanchez’s claim and expressed shock at the pushback he personally heard from Beijing residents.

“What's important for everybody back home in America to know: deals and getting help with the war in Iran are far and away the two biggest topics the president is going to raise in his meeting with President Xi Jinping,” Valerio said.

“In terms of asking for help from China to re-open the Strait of Hormuz, we went up and down throughout town in Beijing most of the day yesterday, and I was so struck by so many who told us they do not want China getting involved at all in this U.S.-Israeli war.”

Beijing resident Mr. Li, for instance, told CNN it was not China’s "diplomatic principle” to get involved in such matters. Ms. Yuan, another Beijing resident, was more blunt in her opposition.

“I don't think China should interfere too much in those kinds of issues,” she told CNN.

Trump’s visit to China already got off to “a rocky start,” according to the progressive advocacy platform Call To Activism, after the president stepped off Air Force One to be greeted not by Xi, but by lower-ranking Chinese officials, the optics of which Mary L. Trump, Trump’s niece, described as “humiliating.”

What Trump’s unusual move on 20-hour Air Force One flight to China revealed

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives aboard Air Force One at Beijing Capital International Airport during his visit to the country, in Beijing, China, May 13, 2026.

 REUTERS/Evan Vucci TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Sarah K. Burris

May 13, 2026   

ALTERNET

CNN reported Wednesday morning (U.S. time) that during the 20-plus-hour flight President Donald Trump took from Washington D.C. to Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday, he never once spoke to the press, which is unusual.

As the president landed in China ahead of his summit with Xi Jinping, Senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes reported that a number of tech CEOs were on the plane with Trump while others took the overflow plane.

"So you see them now opening the door, John, and we'll wait and see how long President Trump takes to actually come out and greet everyone," continued Holmes. "He's been on a long flight and he didn't talk to the press at all, which is incredibly notable. A guy who loves talking to the press, particularly when he's on a 20-or-so-hour flight, he did not do that this time around."

Co-host Kate Bolduan keyed in on the comments and how unusual it was.

"That was actually going to be my question because I was — we of course, as we woke up to the news, you know, woke up to knowing that you guys were all flying over waiting and kind of expecting" Trump to speak to the press, Bolduan explained.

"Are we going to get some information or a gaggle, if nothing else, of the president?" the host asked.

Co-host John Berman returned to the matter in a later conversation, saying that Trump allowed his final remarks about Iran and America's economic situation to marinate in the political news.

Trump on Tuesday, before departing for China, told reporters he doesn't think "even a little bit" about Americans' financial situation when executing the war in Iran.


“The only thing that matters when I'm talking about Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon. I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon," Trump said Tuesday.

'Glaring': Speculation abounds as Melania noticeably absent from husband's China trip

Nicole Charky-Chami
May 13, 2026 

RAW STORY


President Donald Trump and First lady Melania Trump walk to attend an event to mark Military Mother's Day, in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 6, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

President Donald Trump's high-stakes three-day China visit has revealed one person conspicuously missing — his wife, First Lady Melania Trump.

Trump was accompanied to Beijing with his cabinet, his son Eric, and daughter-in-law Lara, and 16 corporate CEOs, The Daily Beast reported. And hours before taking off to leave the United States, the first lady's office dropped a cryptic confirmation in a statement to the South China Morning Post, without any explanation for why she would miss out on the trip.

"First Lady Melania Trump is not travelling this time," Melania's spokesperson said.

When pressed for additional details, her team went silent.

The snub marks the latest chapter in what insiders describe as a widening rift between the first couple.

"The move comes amid speculation about the first lady increasingly breaking with her husband as she seems to be trying to charter her own course," The Beast reported. "Trump and his White House aides were reportedly blindsided last month when she called a surprise press conference to read a statement declaring she had no ties to the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The move appeared only to revive the scandal that Trump himself had been eager to put to rest."

Melania has been noticeably absent at the White House throughout the second Trump administration and often does not travel with the president. And although first ladies don't always attend trips, the questions around her attendance have raised eyebrows.

"Her absence is all the more glaring because it follows a trend that has stood out in Trump’s second term: She’s been appearing alongside him less and less on state visits," according to The Beast.

Jen Psaki mocks Vance as Trump jets off without him: 'Doing his homework while Dad's away'

Matthew Chapman
May 13, 2026

RAW STORY





(Screengrab via MS NOW)

Vice President JD Vance drew sharp ridicule from MS NOW host Jen Psaki on Tuesday after he gleefully announced the suspension of more than $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments to California — a move Psaki framed as a naked bid for attention while his political rivals grabbed the spotlight.

"JD Vance is desperately trying to remind dad he's still his most special boy," Psaki quipped on her show, mocking the announcement as political theater designed to keep Vance relevant while Secretary of State Marco Rubio accompanied President Donald Trump to China. "He's still doing his homework, even though dad's away on his big work trip."

Vance himself joked about the seeming disconnect, comparing himself to Macaulay Culkin's character in "Home Alone."

ALSO READ: Xi knows something about Trump most Americans don't — and he smells blood in the water

The Trump administration's Medicaid cuts, which California's attorney general said will gut programs that help seniors and people with disabilities remain in their homes, were unveiled with what Psaki described as unusual fanfare — "tons of pomp and circumstance."

The timing was no accident, she argued. Vance made the announcement the day before California Gov. Gavin Newsom was scheduled to unveil the state's annual budget, delivering a one-two punch intended to dominate news cycles and put Newsom on defense.

"Politically speaking, today was kind of a twofer," Psaki said. "He got some headlines to stay relevant while Marco got to ride on the big plane to go do big boy stuff in China. And he got to attack Gavin Newsom."

Newsom is widely considered one of Vance's most formidable potential rivals in the 2028 presidential race, making California a particularly attractive target for the vice president's political maneuvering.

'Amateur hour': CBS News' MAGA-friendly anchor's Taiwan broadcast ends in shambles

Travis Gettys
May 14, 2026 

RAW STORY

Tony Dokoupil/CBS News-YouTube

"CBS Evening News" anchor Tony Dokoupil’s first broadcast from Taiwan ended in shambles after his cameraman suffered an on-air medical emergency.

The MAGA-coded anchorman was introducing the summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping when the camera shot tilted and producers abruptly cut to B-roll footage, reported The Daily Beast.

“Is he okay?” Dokoupil asked after a thud could be heard off camera. “We’re gonna take a quick break, we have an — a medical emergency here. We’re calling a doctor."

Producers showed more B-roll footage of Chinese landscapes played before cutting to a studio shot of CBS News chief correspondent Matt Gutman.

“So I’m going to sign off for Tony Dokoupil, who’s been reporting in Taiwan,” Gutman told viewers. “We’re going to go to break, we’ll be right back.”

CBS News later confirmed on its X account that the camera operator had suffered a medical emergency during the broadcast and made clear that he was expected to recover.

Dokoupil was broadcasting from Taipei instead of Beijing because the network failed to secure a Chinese visa for the anchor, although it's not clear whether the lapse was due to a late application or another issue.

Prior to the emergency, the broadcast had been bedeviled by awkward pauses and technical difficulties.

Dokoupil repeatedly fiddled with his earpiece, which led to lengthy pauses during a handoff from White House correspondent Weijia Jiang reporting live from Beijing and after foreign correspondent Anna Coren finished her report.

“Amateur, amateur, amateur hour," an Emmy-winning network TV executive told the Daily Beast.

The evening news program has seen its rating tumble to just 3.7 million, with only 473,000 average viewers in the closely watched advertising demo of 25-54-year-olds, since conservative pundit Bari Weiss took over as editor-in-chief.

That's far behind "ABC World News Tonight," which averaged 8.2 million total viewers and 976,000 in the key demo, and "NBC Nightly News," which averaged 6.1 million and 903,000, respectively.

'Appalling' director's surprise appearance during Trump's China trip incenses analyst

Robert Davis
May 13, 2026 

RAW STORY


President Xi Jinping shaking hands with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The scene as U.S. President Donald Trump participates in events at the Great Hall of the People and does a greeting with the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping May 14, 2026, in Beijing China during a trip focused on trade, regional security, and strengthening bilateral ties between the world’s two largest economies. Kenny Holston/Pool via REUTERS


The full breadth of President Donald Trump's entourage of American business leaders and dignitaries was unveiled during a welcoming ceremony in China early Thursday morning, which included an appearance of one individual who incensed a political analyst.

Ana Navarro, a CNN commentator, noted that Brett Ratner, who directed Melania Trump's eponymous documentary on Amazon, was among those selected by Trump to travel with his delegation. Ratner's travel to China on the U.S. taxpayers' dime incensed Navarro because of his sordid history in Hollywood and the harm he's caused to some women.

"There is also another person who is in this official delegation, and that was on Air Force One, and that's Brett Ratner, who was the director and producer of the 'Melania' movie," Navarro said on CNN's "NewsNight." "But let us remember, Brett Ratner had been basically banished from Hollywood in 2017 because there were very serious sexual predatory allegations against him."

"His name is all over the Epstein file because of his association with Epstein," she continued. And so, because he volunteered to do that documentary on Melania, that Amazon allegedly paid $40 million for, he is now being brought back and rehabilitated by Donald Trump."

"I find it appalling, appalling, and I urge people to go look up the women," she added. "Some of the biggest names in Hollywood who spoke up against the sexual harassment and sexual acts of Brett Ratner, which included things like masturbating in front of them. And there he is as part of the official U.S. delegation flying on Air Force One on our dime. I find that appalling."