Newsom’s Former Chief of Staff Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud Charges Related to Case Involving Democrat Gubernatorial Candidate Xavier Becerra

Political consultant Dana Williamson, 53, of Carmichael, was charged by a federal grand jury with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct justice, subscribing to false tax returns, and making false statements, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. The 23-count indictment was unsealed following Williamson’s arrest this morning.

“This is a crucial step in an ongoing political corruption investigation that began more than three years ago,” said U.S. Attorney Grant. “As it always has, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to protect the people of California from political corruption.”

“Today’s charges are the result of three years of relentless investigative work, in partnership with IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel. “The FBI will remain vigilant in its efforts to uncover fraud and corruption, ensuring our government systems are held to the highest standards.”

“Disguising personal luxuries as business expenses—especially to claim improper tax deductions or to willfully file fraudulent tax returns is a serious criminal offense with severe consequences,” said IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Oakland Field Office Special Agent in Charge Linda Nguyen. “IRS-CI will pursue charges against those who deliberately exploit their business for personal enrichment.”

According to court documents, between February 2022 and September 2024, Williamson conspired with others to divert approximately $225,000 in funds from a dormant political campaign to an associate’s personal use. Collectively, they funneled the money through various business entities and disguised it as pay for what was, in reality, a no-show job.

The indictment also alleges that Williamson conspired with a business associate to create false, backdated contracts after receiving a civil subpoena in January 2024 from the U.S. Attorney’s Office regarding Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans made to Williamson’s business.

Williamson also subscribed to false tax returns claiming more than $1 million in business deductions for what were actually personal and nondeductible expenditures, such as private jet travel, luxury hotel stays, home furnishings, and designer handbags, as well as deductions for no-show jobs for friends and family.

When questioned by FBI agents in connection with ongoing investigations into the diversion of campaign funds, the backdated contracts, and allegations of public corruption, Williamson made false statements to the agents regarding each of those topics.

Williamson is scheduled to make her initial appearance on the charges at 2:00 p.m. in the U.S. Courthouse in Sacramento.

The United States concurrently unsealed charging documents related to this case for two other individuals charged by information.

This case is the product of a multiyear investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Anderson, Rosanne Rust, and Katherine T. Lydon, and Public Integrity Section Trial Attorney Alexandre Dempsey are prosecuting the case.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/california-political-consultant-and-former-public-official-charged-conspiracy-commit

British Health Secretary Wes Streeting Resigns, Expected to Challenge Keir Starmer’s Leadership

https://x.com/wesstreeting/status/2054894239817830429

Romania’s Presidency on Trial: 400,000 Romanians Demand President Dan’s Suspension for Serious Violations

Romania’s political crisis is entering a new and volatile phase, as questions surrounding democratic legitimacy, institutional overreach, and the country’s political future continue to intensify.

Nearly a year into the presidency of Nicușor Dan, a formal suspension initiative—however symbolic—has been submitted to Parliament, according to reports from the Romanian press. While unlikely to advance procedurally, the motion has reignited deeper concerns about governance and the direction of the Romanian state.

The proposal, filed by the nationalist S.O.S. Romania invokes Article 95 of the Constitution, which allows for presidential suspension in cases of serious violations. Though the motion lacks sufficient parliamentary backing, its contents have forced a broader national conversation.

At the heart of the controversy are allegations that Dan has blurred the constitutional boundaries of his office. Critics argue that his actions reflect a pattern of institutional interference rather than the neutrality required of the presidency.

Among the accusations are claims that the president has inserted himself into judicial matters, including consultations with magistrates and the collection of legal materials. These steps, critics say, risk creating a parallel structure of influence outside established institutions.

Concerns have also been raised over public remarks directed at the Constitutional Court. Observers note that even indirect commentary from the presidency can be perceived as pressure in Romania’s fragile institutional ecosystem.

The suspension proposal further alleges that Dan has conditioned government formation on ideological criteria. Specifically, references to a “pro-Western” alignment have drawn scrutiny for introducing political filters not explicitly grounded in constitutional provisions.

Another flashpoint has been the president’s visible presence at partisan political events. His public support for a candidate in Bucharest’s mayoral race has fueled accusations that he has abandoned the neutrality expected of his office.

Equally contentious is the continued absence of a permanent civilian director for the Romanian Intelligence Service. Critics warn that maintaining interim leadership while advocating expanded powers raises concerns about oversight and accountability.

The proposed expansion of intelligence services into areas such as anti-corruption and tax enforcement has further complicated the picture. Without clear civilian control, such moves risk reviving long-standing fears about the concentration of power.

While these issues alone have generated significant debate, they are unfolding against an even more sensitive backdrop: the disputed cancellation of Romania’s previous presidential election.

That decision—still fiercely contested in parts of the political landscape—remains a defining fault line in Romanian politics. For many voters, it raised fundamental questions about sovereignty, democratic process, and the role of external influence.

Supporters of Călin Georgescu, widely seen as a key beneficiary of that election, have continued to challenge the legitimacy of its annulment. They argue that the outcome reflected a broader public demand for change that was ultimately set aside.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/05/romanias-presidency-trial-400000-romanians-demand-president-dans/

Lavrov names overlooked agenda behind Iran war

The US is seeking to prevent normalization between Tehran and Arab states and erode support for Palestine, the Russian foreign minister has said

The US and Israel launched the war against Iran in order to prevent the normalization of Tehran’s relations with the Gulf states, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has told RT India. The campaign was intended to push Arab countries closer to Israel and pressure them into abandoning support for Palestine, he added.

Iran responded to the US-Israeli airstrikes launched on February 28 by targeting US bases in the Gulf states, along with energy and port infrastructure linked to US operations. In an interview published on Wednesday, Lavrov condemned the attack on Iran as “unprovoked” and described Tehran’s response as an act of self-defense.

“I have no doubt that when plans to stir up aggression against Iran were being hatched, one of the goals was to prevent the normalization of relations between Iran and the Arab states,” Lavrov said. “Now, everything is being done to ensure that reconciliation never happens.”

Lavrov argued that the US was pressuring Arab states to “force them to betray the Palestinian cause.” He also accused Washington of employing “neocolonial” tactics to “strong-arm everyone into buying expensive US oil and liquefied natural gas rather than cheap Russian oil.”

“They seek to rule the world through controlling global energy supplies,” Lavrov added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he secretly traveled to the UAE at the height of the war and described the trip as “a historic breakthrough.” The UAE has denied that the visit took place.

Media outlets reported this week that Saudi Arabia and the UAE conducted covert airstrikes against Iran during the conflict. The UAE denied the claims, though Saudi Arabia neither confirmed nor denied the reports. Iranian officials have accused the Gulf states of facilitating attacks on Iranian territory and called on the US to withdraw from the region.

https://www.rt.com/russia/639957-lavrov-agenda-us-war-iran/

US lawmaker issues ultimatum to CIA over JFK files

Anna Paulina Luna has expressed outrage after the agency allegedly seized 40 boxes of documents as they were being processed for declassification

The CIA has 24 hours to return dozens of files on the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy or face a congressional subpoena, Republican lawmaker Anna Paulina Luna has warned.

Luna lashed out at the CIA in a series of posts on X on Wednesday, hours after James Erdman III, a CIA whistleblower who served on joint duty at Tulsi Gabbard’s Office of the Director of National Intelligence from March 2025 to April 2026, told a Senate committee that the agency had “[taken] back 40 boxes of JFK files and MKUltra files being processed for declassification by DNI Gabbard.”

Erdman also described the seizure as part of “documented efforts to circumvent oversight.”

“The CIA has 24 hours to return the documents to Tulsi Gabbard’s office or else I will make a motion to issue a subpoena,” Luna wrote. “These documents have been requested by Congress.”

Given the nature of docs in question, we are sending a preservation notice. Docs need to be returned to ODNI given that ODNI was given direction and authority by the President to declass RFK, MLK, & JFK. Regarding MKULTRA, these were documents specifically requested by my Task Force and currently being used for our investigation.

https://x.com/RepLuna/status/2054693936120164756

Separate Peace? Saudi Arabia Floats Regional Non-Aggression Pact With Iran

Are regional Gulf countries seeking to forge there own separate peace deals with Iran, apart from the United States? That's what fresh Thursday reporting in the Financial Times suggests.

The report says Saudi Arabia is supposedly considering a non-aggression pact between the Middle East states and Iran after the military conflict between the United States and Iran ends, the FT indicates.

Citing diplomatic sources, it describes that Riyadh is assessing a model of the Helsinki Process, which helped reduce tensions in Europe during the Cold War, and created an uneasy East-West peace in post-WW2 Europe.

The driving rationale behind the potential diplomatic framework is that while Iran is "weakened," the reality is that it still "poses a threat to its neighbors."

An Arab diplomat cited by FT said that a non-aggression pact modelled along the lines of the Helsinki process is something likely to be embraced by most Arab and Muslim states, as well as by Iranian leader.

"It all depends on who is in it - in the current climate, you are not going to be able to get Iran and Israel… Without Israel, it could be counterproductive because after Iran, they are seen as the biggest source of conflict. But Iran is not going anywhere, and this is why the Saudis are pushing it," the source stated.

The Abraham Accords have theoretically attempted to build a normalization and non-aggression foundation involving Arab states and Israel, but other countries and populations in the region are suspicious of it for the very fact that it is seen fundamentally as a pro-US and pro-Israeli axis of alignment.

As for for Tehran and Riyadh, they recently have experience with direct, good faith talks, given that it was only in 2023 that China made history when it brokered a landmark normalization deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia - after which mutual embassies opened and went into operation.

This week, Reuters and other sources revealed for the first time that at the height of Trump's Operation Epic Fury which began in late February and endured through March into early April, the UAE directly fired back on Iran as it was under attack by drones and missiles. Also interesting is the fresh revelation that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret visit to the UAE as the Iran war was in full swing - though UAE has officially denied it, perhaps not wanting to inflame Arab public sentiment.

Kuwait also reportedly directly attacked Iranian interests, and additionally the Saudis attacked Shia Iraqi militias seen as cooperating with Iran.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/separate-peace-track-saudi-arabia-floats-regional-non-aggression-pact-iran

Russia Sends Over 1500 Missiles, Drones On Ukraine In 48 Hours After V-Day Ceasefire

Soon on the heels of the successful 3-day and US-backed 'V-Day' ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, Russian forces have unleashed several days of drone and missile barrages on Ukrainian cities, especially the capital. It seems the Kremlin is bent on 'payback' for several weeks of effective Ukrainian long-range drone attacks which have badly damaged several Russian oil refineries and energy sites.

BBC reports Thursday that "At least seven people have been killed, including a 12-year-old girl, in Kyiv after Russia launched a massive wave of drone and missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital and other regions, officials have said."

The death toll is expected to rise given bodies are still being pulled from under the rubble of a destroyed apartment building in Kiev, while local emergency agencies say at least 20 people are feared missing. Dozens more were wounded in the attack, with at least 21 initially being transported to the hospital.

Thursday marks the third day in a row Ukraine has witnessed deaths from the now unrelenting drone attacks, which followed the last day of the ceasefire, which expired on Monday.

President Zelensky later announced that the military tallied that Russia sent more than 670 drones and 56 missiles targeting the country overnight. This ranks it as among the largest aerial assaults since the war started in 2022.

Zelensky stated that the strikes hit at least 180 sites across Ukraine, including over 50 residential buildings, but also claimed an "overall interception rate" of 93%.

He additionally added a 48-hour tally: "In total, since midnight yesterday, Russia has used more than 1,560 drones against our cities and communities," he said on X.

"These are definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to an end," he added, referring to Putin's Saturday speech wherein he hinted a the 'end' of the special military operation ending.

This week's strikes have been particularly devastating against large civilian neighborhoods. According to an Associated Press description:

As dawn broke on a clear day in Kyiv, a scene of devastation came into focus in the capital’s leafy Darnytsia neighborhood, located between a suburban forest and the Dnieper River. Wisps of smoke rose from the collapsed nine-story apartment block, where emergency workers dug under concrete slabs and took people away on stretchers. The building’s entrance was smashed in the strike, preventing residents from escaping.

All 18 apartments in the building were destroyed, officials said. Among the dead was a 12-year-old girl, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Zelenskyy said seven people were killed, with at least 20 people believed to be missing.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russia-sends-over-1500-missiles-drones-ukraine-48-hours-after-v-day-ceasefire

Man Convicted of Running Chinese Secret Police Station in NYC.

Lu Jianwang was convicted of acting as an illegal foreign agent for China by operating a secret Chinese “police station” in New York City

Lu Jianwang, a 64-year-old U.S. citizen, was convicted in federal court of acting as an illegal foreign agent for China and obstructing justice by deleting incriminating messages. Prosecutors revealed that Lu operated a secret Chinese police station in New York City’s Chinatown, which was used to target and intimidate pro-democracy dissidents. He was acquitted on a related conspiracy charge but still faces significant prison time.

The outpost, tied to the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, was part of a global network of secret police stations aimed at monitoring and suppressing dissidents abroad. Lu, who co-ran the office under the guise of a community organization, claimed it was a center for renewing Chinese drivers’ licenses and playing games like ping-pong. Prosecutors argued Lu helped Chinese officials locate a pro-democracy activist living in California and later deleted communications with Chinese authorities during an FBI investigation. His co-defendant, Chen Jinping, previously pleaded guilty in the case. The FBI said the verdict demonstrates its continued efforts to counter foreign government operations inside the United States.

“A police station operating in New York City at the direction of the Chinese government has been exposed, its sinister purpose disrupted, and its founder held accountable for blatantly disregarding the law and our country’s sovereignty.” – U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr.

🎯 IMPACT: Lu faces up to 10 years in prison for acting as an illegal foreign agent and an additional 20 years for obstruction of justice. His conviction underscores growing concerns about Chinese influence operations on U.S. soil. It also highlights the CCP’s global strategy to suppress dissent and exert its power far beyond its borders. On Tuesday, the National Pulse reported on Eileen Wang, the Democrat mayor of Arcadia, California, pleading guilty to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government.

https://thenationalpulse.com/2026/05/14/man-convicted-of-running-chinese-secret-police-station-in-nyc/

DATA: Number of Americans Who Consider Israel an Ally is Cratering.

A new survey shows a sharp decline in American voters’ perception of Israel, with increasingly negative attitudes cutting across party lines.

Only one-third of American voters consider Israel an ally to the United States, according to a new survey.

According to a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters, conducted from May 11-12, only 33 percent of U.S. voters now consider Israel an ally, a decline of 25 points since March, shortly after the start of the Iran war at the end of February. The share of U.S. voters who consider Israel an enemy has risen to 21 percent. Furthermore, 26 percent view Israel as neither an ally nor an enemy, with another 20 percent are unsure. While Democrats are more likely than Republicans to see Israel as an enemy, support for Israel among both parties has plummeted. Only 20 percent of Democrats view Israel as an ally, representing a 27-point drop since March, while 49 percent of Republicans view Israel as an ally, representing a decline of 21 points.

The survey confirms the widespread sense that Israel is rapidly losing the support of the American public. It comes alongside a broader shift in which countries Americans view as allies and enemies. Notably, while attitudes remain unfavorable towards Iran and Russia, fewer Americans now regard the countries as enemies. The share of American voters who regard Iran as an enemy dropped by 16 points since the start of the year. During the same period, the share of voters who view Russia as an enemy fell by 17 points. This shift in attitudes could have significant implications for U.S. foreign policy and domestic political discourse. The Iran war has proven divisive, with opposition cutting across party lines in unorthodox ways. Israel has routinely come under fire for viral social media posts of Israeli soldiers destroying Christian symbols and sites in Lebanon, as well as for attacks on Christians in Jerusalem. Israel is also seen as wanting to prolong the war in the Middle East, angering U.S. voters with non-interventionist views.

https://thenationalpulse.com/2026/05/14/data-number-of-americans-who-consider-israel-an-ally-is-cratering/

USC SOLD DEAD BODIES TO TRAIN IDF SOLDIERS: University Cashed In $860K+ on Cadavers for Israeli Military

A shocking investigation reveals the University of Southern California sold human remains to the U.S. Navy for Israeli military trauma training.

The University of Southern California (USC) has been exposed in a scandal. USC sold human cadavers to the U.S. Navy, which then used these bodies to train Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) medical personnel.

This macabre arrangement netted USC nearly $1.1 million over seven years.

The Navy Trauma Training Center (NTTC) facilitated these courses at Los Angeles General Medical Center.

"Fresh cadaver bodies" were specifically used for IDF training, simulating battlefield injuries.

One contract alone allowed for an additional $225,000 worth of cadavers to be purchased at the Navy’s discretion.

This raises profound ethical questions about informed consent.

Many bodies came from the L.A. County Office of Decedent Affairs, meaning they were unclaimed bodies with no possibility of consent.

Even for bodies donated to Keck’s Anatomical Gift Program, families were not explicitly informed their loved ones would be used for foreign military training.

"Even though they’re deceased, they still deserve a level of respect and dignity and proper treatment that we would normally give to the living," stated Thomas Champney, an anatomy professor at the University of Miami.

A Keck physician, speaking anonymously, revealed the Navy facility "wasn’t designed or developed to save lives. It was just to desensitize people to the trauma."

This chilling admission exposes a moral vacuum at the heart of a prestigious American institution.

USC stands alone among U.S. universities with such specific contracts involving the IDF.

This is not about medical advancement; it is about profiting from the dead to train foreign military personnel.

https://www.nationalfile.com/article/usc-sold-dead-bodies-to-train-idf-soldiers-university-cashed-in-860k-on-cadavers-for-israeli-military

Report: Spain Detects 600+ Illicit Drug-Boats Plying the Strait of Gibraltar

COVAM, the Spanish Navy’s main maritime surveillance body, has identified over 600 speedboats suspected of actively engaging in drug trafficking operations around the Strait of Gibraltar.

The staggering revelation was reportedly disclosed by Spain’s Department of National Security to the nation’s Congress in a new annual report — and comes at a time when Spanish politicians are demanding tougher actions to fight against organized crime and drug trafficking around the Andalusian strait.

The Spanish newspaper El País detailed that the report ascertains that organized crime — particularly, drug-related crime — is a central threat to the national security of Spain due to tis “flexible and opaque nature” and its destabilizing potential. Most alarmingly, the Spanish National Security Department warned that traffickers have greatly expensed their offensive capabilities and have begun using military-grade weapons to retaliate against law enforcement’s counter-narcotics efforts.

“Drug traffickers do not hesitate to ram land vehicles and boats when they perceive a risk of interception or loss of the drugs, demonstrating greater aggression toward law enforcement officers,” the document reportedly read.

El País pointed out that the report has a cutoff date of mid-April. As such, it does not contain information on the recent death of two officials of Spain’s Civil Guard. On May 8, two Civil Guard boats collided with one another while in pursuit of a drug trafficking speedboat, an accident that also left two officers injured in addition to the two casualties. The incident echoes another similar event that took place in 2024, when drug traffickers rammed a Civil Guard boat at the port of Barbate, Cádiz, killing two officers.

The report notes that a significant portion of violent incidents in Spain are directly linked to drug trafficking. These violent drug incidents can manifest in several ways, such as armed confrontation, kidnappings, threats, settling of scores, or attacks against law enforcement that, in some instances, directly affect the general population.

Highly concerning, the report also expresses a dire warning on the recruitment of minors by criminal organizations operating in Spain to commit crimes that can range from simple minor offences to murder for money.

Over the past years, drug trafficking networks, most notably, those dealing in cocaine, have notably grown and become much more complex in its operations around Andalusia in southern Spain — effectively turning it into an entryway for drugs all over Europe. According to Spanish outlets, cocaine trafficking in the area has also become much more violent after gangs and traffickers began arming themselves with more powerful rifles and submachine guns.

Alfredo Flores, Chief Prosecutor of the Provincial Court of Huelva, told El País this week that he has never seen such a “quantum leap” in the growth of organized crime and drug trafficking throughout his 35 years in service.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/05/14/report-spain-detects-more-than-600-drug-boats-operating-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/

https://www.antiwar.com/

We Analyzed Thousands of News Articles: Here’s the Proof of Pro-Israel Bias in Mainstream Media

U.S. media outlets were crucial in helping Israel sell the Gaza genocide to the American public.

Ask anyone who has followed news about Gaza with even a smidgen of critical thinking, and they will tell you: Media organizations are biased against Palestinians — and systematically favor Israel.

It’s easy to say but harder to prove. Doing empirical analysis that shows these biases is time-consuming and complex, full of pitfalls and nuances that can muddy the picture. Yet the double standards are everywhere — and there are ways to do sober, qualitative work that elucidates not only the differences in how Israeli and Palestinian life are covered, but also also in how other recent conflicts are covered.

For my new book “How to Sell a Genocide: The Media’s Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza,” I attempt to demonstrate, beyond a reasonable doubt, that U.S. media coverage of the war on Gaza was one-sided, racist, dehumanizing, and often veered into outright incitement.

I examined over 12,000 articles from the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN.com, Politico, Axios, USA Today, and The Associated Press, along with 5,000 TV segments that aired on CNN and MSNBC. The focus is on center-left media outlets influential with the Biden administration during the first year of the conflict — with an emphasis on the first few months, when Israel firmly established its narrative justifying the genocide, rendering mass death inevitable.

Here are seven statistical findings that prove the U.S. media’s bias against Palestinians.

Israel’s “Right to Defend Itself”

The media’s penchant for invoking a nation’s “right to defend itself,” typically followed by the rationalization of mass civilian killing, was reserved almost exclusively for Israel. On CNN and MSNBC, guests, anchors, and reporters mentioned the right to self-defense for Israel 94 times more than they did for Palestinians. In print media, Israel was afforded this right over 100 times more frequently than Palestinians in Gaza.

“Human Shields” to Justify Killing Palestinians

News outlets frequently apply the term “human shields” to any instance where a guerrilla force operates near civilian infrastructure — a definition rejected by human rights groups, but used by partisans to explain away civilian deaths. That didn’t stop media outlets from invoking the term hundreds of times about civilians near Palestinian fighters, implicitly justifying their deaths in Israeli attacks. On the other hand, my analysis of TV news showed no mention at all of the Israeli military’s use of “human shields” — despite documented cases where Israel’s tactics meet the legal definition.

More

https://theintercept.com/2026/05/12/gaza-media-coverage-israel-bias/

Lebanon says over 10,000 homes destroyed or damaged since Israel truce

BEIRUT: More than 10,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed in Lebanon since a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hezbollah, the head of the country’s National Council for Scientific Research said on Wednesday.

“Since the current ceasefire… we have witnessed 5,386 housing units that were completely destroyed, and 5,246 housing units damaged,” CRNS chief Chadi Abdallah told a news conference broadcast by local media.

Israel has kept up heavy airstrikes despite the April 17 ceasefire, and Israeli soldiers are operating inside an Israeli-declared “yellow line,” which runs around 10 kilometers (six miles) north of the Israel-Lebanon border where troops have been carrying out broad demolition operations.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2643470/middle-east

US Army abruptly cancels deployment of 4,000 soldiers to Poland

The U.S. Army has canceled the deployment of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division — more than 4,000 soldiers and associated equipment — to Poland.

An Army official confirmed the decision Wednesday but did not provide details and referred all questions to the Defense Department, which did not respond to a request for information.

During a congressional hearing Tuesday on the Army’s budget posture, neither Army Secretary Dan Driscoll nor Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army vice chief of staff, mentioned the deployment cancellation.

But word already had started spreading early Tuesday morning among those affected, with soldiers texting friends and loved ones about the change.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said during his opening statement in the hearing that the Army faces a budget shortfall of at least $2 billion as a result of extended operations that include deployments of the Army National Guard to Washington, D.C., and units to participate in U.S. border control.

Reed wondered what the impact was on training and operations but the topic was not addressed.

According to ABC News, the Army budget shortfall is significantly larger than Reed’s estimate. In the report, Army officials told the outlet the amount actually is between $4 billion and $6 billion.

The Pentagon announced in April that it planned to withdraw roughly 5,000 troops from Germany. Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell said that Secretary Pete Hegseth made the decision after reviewing “theater requirements and conditions on the ground.”

The move would bring U.S. troops levels in Europe to pre-2022 levels, before Russia invaded Ukraine and started a war that has killed more than 43,000 Ukrainian troops and at least 100,000 Russian service members, according to Every Casualty Counts, a British-based non-governmental organization that tracks conflict deaths.

More than 10,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Poland on rotation. The “Black Jack” brigade was expected to deploy for nine months. The Stars and Stripes reported that the Fort Hood, Texas-based tank brigade cased its colors May 1 in preparation for the deployment.

Portions of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team advanced echelon are already in Poland and equipment is in transit, according to the deployment plan.

Army officials from Fort Hood and U.S. Army Headquarters referred all questions to DoD, which declined to comment.

“We have no comment on this at this time,” the Pentagon press office wrote in an email to Army Times.

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2026/05/13/us-army-abruptly-cancels-deployment-of-4000-soldiers-to-poland/

🚨 Crowd Turns on Ed Gallrein (Thomas Massie's Opponent) at Campaign Event 🚨

Ed Gallrein has been sending out text messages inviting the public to events in a desperate bid to rehab his image as a candidate willing to engage with voters. It's not working. We now have a second video from one of these events and several members of the crowd turn on him. No wonder he no-showed so many early events and refuses to share a stage with Thomas Massie. The more people actually see him, the more they wonder if he was ever meant to win this race.

In the video, a voter directly asks why he won't debate Massie. Gallrein's response? He holds up a Norman Rockwell painting and insists he's "debating Thomas Massie right now" — even though Massie isn't in the room. More audience members pile on with remarks like: "I didn't come here to see your Letterman jacket."

When a campaign staffer tries to defuse the situation by claiming Gallrein had answered the question, several people fire back that he hasn't said anything substantive — just waved around props while dodging policy questions.

Normally at campaign events, if someone challenges a candidate, parts of the crowd rush to defend them. Here? Multiple people joined in the pushback. That's a massive red flag.

I've been told by multiple sources that the campaign is now turning away anyone who looks under 60 at the door — terrified they might actually ask Ed a tough question.

https://x.com/i/status/2054900959147360654

New York Times article details brutal rape of Palestinians. Israel calls it 'blood libel'

Columnist Nicholas Kristof recounted harrowing torture described to him on a trip to the occupied West Bank

Mounted by dogs, penetrated by carrots, and rectums torn by batons.

These are just some of the harrowing testimonies of the rape of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers, detailed by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof in a landmark piece published on Monday.

None of it is new.

Middle East Eye revealed similar testimonies last month, from a report titled “Sexual violence and forcible transfer in the West Bank: How the exploitation of gender dynamics drives displacement,” by the West Bank Protection Consortium.

The group documented at least 16 cases involving sexual crimes perpetrated by Israeli settlers and soldiers.

And in March, Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, said in her report to the UN Human Rights Council that "the Israeli prison system has degenerated into a laboratory of calculated cruelty" with acts that include rape of Palestinians with bottles, metal rods and knives.

But for a corporate media giant like the NYT, which has often overlooked and doubted Palestinian narratives, such storytelling is novel, and the Israeli government immediately slammed the decision to run it.

"Today, the @nytimes chose to publish one of the worst blood libels ever to appear in the modern press," the Israeli foreign ministry wrote on X.

"In an unfathomable inversion of reality, and through an endless stream of baseless lies, propagandist Nicholas Kristof turns the victim into the accused. Israel - whose citizens were the victims of the most horrific sexual crimes committed by Hamas on October 7, and whose hostages were later subjected to further sexual abuse - is portrayed as the guilty party."

Kristof, in fact, mentions accusations of rape by Hamas during the 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel right at the top of the piece.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/new-york-times-details-brutal-rape-of-palestinians-israel-called-it-blood-libel

Israel Accuses the New York Times of Antisemitic Journalism

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2026/05/no_author/israel-accuses-the-new-york-times-of-antisemitic-journalism/