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Trump doesn’t care about the midterms? Why that misses the mark

Published

16 hours ago

May 29, 2026

It’s right up there with such presidential fibs as “Read my lips – no new taxes” and “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”

The latest declaration belongs to President Donald Trump: “I don’t care about the midterms.”

Right.

There is a mountain of evidence that the president very much cares about the midterms.

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So why claim otherwise?

It was his way of saying he’s above petty politics, which seems to be the only kind of politics we have these days.

It wasn’t as bad as “I don’t care about Americans’ financial problems.” But still.

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This was Trump’s way of saying that nothing is more important than stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Despite the two countries exchanging airstrikes, Axios reported yesterday that the administration and the Iranians had reached agreement on a 60-day memo that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the lifting of the U.S. blockade. Other news outlets later confirmed this.

The nuclear question – the very rationale for going to war – would be put off until the future.

The president said he wanted a couple of days to think about it.

As for the midterms:

Trump devoted enormous energy to defeating Republicans he views as disloyal, including Thomas Massie and Bill Cassidy, and can take credit for scandal-plagued Texas Republican Ken Paxton wiping out incumbent senator John Cornyn.

Trump is also the driving force behind the redistricting wars, an effort to pick up more GOP seats in the House that generally happens at the end of each decade.

The president pounced on Paxton’s Democratic opponent, James Talarico:

“A strong Open Borders advocate, he is WEAK ON CRIME, believes there are 6 genders, is insulting to Jesus Christ, will never support the Military…a Vegan who dislikes meat…” He also compared him to Alfred E. Neuman, the gap-toothed cover boy of Mad magazine.

And he doesn’t care about the midterms?

Talarico, who gained fame when CBS refused to air his interview with Stephen Colbert, is not a vegan. But he made the rookie mistake of saying he had ordered vegan meals for his campaign.

Paxton has been impeached (and acquitted), has settled federal charges of health care fraud and been accused by his soon-to-be ex-wife of adultery.

But after giving him a free ride, the media have suddenly turned on Talarico for what he called “cringey comments.”

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Under questioning by CBS’s Ed O’Keefe, the Democrat was asked to explain such past statements as “God is non-binary.”

Talarico said he was being intentionally provocative but what he meant was that “God can’t be defined by human categories.”

What about having said “there are six biological variations based on chromosomes?”

In each case, Talarico tried to minimize or back away from his controversial comments.

“There are some statements that I’ve made that I certainly regret. There are statements that I’ve made where I’ve missed the mark. I’ll be the first to admit that. But Ken Paxton is intentionally clipping my cringey comments to distract from his career of corruption.”

Trump has made a couple of economic speeches, but many Republicans are criticizing him for being fixated on such matters as the White House ballroom and the $1.8 billion fund that would go mainly to the Jan. 6 lawbreakers, who he calls patriots.

The latest example: Having his Justice Department investigate writer E. Jean Carroll, who won $88 million from him, as yet unpaid, in defamation suits related to sexual assault.

Many Americans, fed up with both parties, believe that lying is woven into the fabric of politics. And two belated confessions this week support that thesis.

First, Newt Gingrich said it was a “mistake” to impeach Bill Clinton over Monica Lewinsky, and that, as speaker, he knew that at the time because of negative feedback from his daughters. He still believes the former president committed perjury in the Paula Jones case, but admits that Clinton left office at the height of his popularity.

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Second, Jill Biden, after praising her husband’s confused and incoherent debate against Trump, now tells “CBS Sunday Morning” that the meltdown frightened her:

“I thought ‘Oh my God, he’s having a stroke.’ And it scared me to death.”

Look, Trump has said that a president’s party almost always loses seats in his sixth year, and he’s right. The combination of the Iran war and soaring prices at home clearly doesn’t help.

But not caring about the midterms? Oh, he cares, very deeply.

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Former Superintendent Arrested By ICE Reportedly Sentenced To 2 Years, May Face Deportation

Published

46 minutes ago

May 29, 2026

Addison Blake

‘I regret what I’ve done every day’

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Former California mayor admits secretly working for China, spreading Beijing propaganda in US

Published

46 minutes ago

May 29, 2026

Addison Blake

The former mayor of a Southern California city admitted in federal court Friday that she acted as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, formally pleading guilty in a case prosecutors have described as a brazen effort to spread Beijing-backed propaganda inside the United States.

Eileen Li Wang, the former mayor of Arcadia, California, pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of a foreign government without notifying U.S. authorities, a felony offense carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and a $100 special assessment fee.

Federal prosecutors allege Wang acted “at the direction and control” of Chinese government officials between 2020 and 2022, coordinating with individuals in the United States to distribute pro-Beijing messaging without registering with the U.S. attorney general as required by law. The conduct described in the case occurred before Wang was elected to the Arcadia City Council in 2022 and later became mayor through the city’s rotating system.

Wang appeared in court Friday wearing a navy suit with gold buttons and was accompanied by her attorneys. Although the court provided a Mandarin interpreter, Wang chose to proceed in English throughout the hearing.

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Before accepting the plea, the judge placed Wang under oath and questioned her extensively about her state of mind and understanding of the proceedings. Wang then waived her right to a grand jury indictment and her right to a jury trial.

A Justice Department attorney reviewed the charge against Wang, knowingly acting as an agent of a foreign government without notifying U.S. authorities, and outlined the maximum penalties she faces. Wang told the court she understood she was pleading guilty to a felony offense and understood the potential consequences, including the conditions of supervised release.

Prosecutors also reviewed the constitutional rights Wang would be giving up by entering the plea, including certain appeal rights. The judge then asked Wang a series of questions to verify she understood those waivers.

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At one point, defense attorneys attempted to waive the government’s reading of the factual basis supporting the charge, but prosecutors insisted the facts be read aloud in open court.

When the judge asked how she pleaded, Wang responded: “Yes, guilty.”

The judge accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for Oct. 6, 2026, at 9 a.m. local time. Wang was released on bond pending sentencing and will have an opportunity to address the court before her sentence is imposed.

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The guilty plea marks the latest development in a case federal officials have pointed to as a warning about Chinese government efforts to influence American institutions and public discourse through covert operations inside the United States.

According to court documents, Wang worked alongside Yaoning “Mike” Sun, a convicted Chinese agent already serving a four-year federal prison sentence, to operate a website posing as a local Chinese-American news outlet.

Prosecutors described the website as a propaganda arm for the Chinese Communist Party that published content supplied directly by Chinese government officials.

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In one exchange detailed in court filings, a Chinese government official sent Wang a pre-written article denying allegations of forced labor and genocide in China’s Xinjiang region. Prosecutors said Wang posted the article online within minutes and sent the official a link to the published piece. The official allegedly responded: “So fast, thank you everyone.”

In another instance, prosecutors said Wang made edits to content at Beijing’s request and later responded, “Thank you leader.”

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Authorities also allege Wang communicated with convicted Chinese operative John Chen, a figure prosecutors say has ties to China’s intelligence apparatus and connections to Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to court documents, Wang asked Chen to distribute messaging and wrote, “This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to send.”

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“Individuals elected to public office in the United States should act only for the people of the United States that they represent,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said when the charges were announced.

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“It is deeply concerning that someone who previously received and executed directives from PRC government officials is now in a position of public trust at all.”

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli called the case part of an ongoing effort to counter Chinese influence operations in the United States.

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“Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy,” Essayli said. “This plea agreement is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China’s efforts to corrupt our institutions.”

FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky said Wang’s conduct should serve as a warning to others who seek to influence American politics on behalf of foreign governments.

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“By her own admission, Eileen Wang secretly served the interests of the Chinese government,” Rozhavsky said. “Let this serve as a clear warning individuals who act on behalf of foreign governments to influence our democracy will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice.”

Wang resigned from the Arcadia City Council and mayor’s office after federal charges were announced. City officials have maintained that the conduct described by prosecutors occurred before Wang took office and said an internal review found no city finances, staff or decision-making processes were involved.

“The allegations at the center of this case, that a foreign government sought to exert influence over a local elected official, are deeply troubling,” the city previously said in a statement. “We take them seriously.”

Fox News’ Alex Rego and Matt Finn contributed to this report.