Voices, The Peoples News
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May 15, 2026, AM Issue
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 to Inform and Educate
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This daily Voices, The Peoples News is posted through the blog function of www.MPEN-Ohio.net
# Indigenous
# Animals / Pets / Alerts / Recalls
# Border / Immigration / ICE / Immigrants
Border Patrol chief Michael Banks resigns his position. “I feel like I got the ship back on course,” he said, referring to what he described as previous chaos at the southern border. Banks said it was “time to enjoy the family and life.”
https://apnews.com/article/border-patrol-chief-michael-banks-immigration-846fb883c40bb4643a81e73139249482
Ogles introduces Assimilation Act to crack down on immigration: End Chain Migration & Diversity Visa: Eliminates the diversity lottery and narrows family-based immigration, shifting toward a merit-based system. “This bill will end the H-1B scam, ensure migrants NEVER become a public charge, and make America look like America again. FYI, net immigration immediately decreases by 85% under this bill,” Ogles posted on X.
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/ogles-introduces-assimilation-act-crack-down-immigration
Lawmakers spar with Fairfax County leaders over sanctuary policies. Lawmakers held another hearing on sanctuary policies Thursday, one of a series coinciding with President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts and a nationwide crackdown by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr7Jq0IRuxw
This U.S. citizen has been detained by immigration agents three time. Why Have Immigration Agents Detained This American Citizen Three Times? Leonardo Garcia Venegas, a U.S. citizen whose prior detentions went viral and were detailed by ProPublica, was recently detained for a third time — and shackled. “I just want to live in peace,” he says.
https://www.propublica.org/article/immigration-leo-garcia-venegas-arrests-detentions-citizens-ice-dhs
At 17, He Was Tear-Gassed at Selma. Now 78, Mauldin watches the news and sees videos and pictures of children being tear-gassed again — not by local police in 1965, but by federal immigration officers in 2026.
https://www.propublica.org/article/charles-mauldin-selma-tear-gas
Texas immigration law partially blocked by federal judge: “Enforcement of this law would place plaintiffs at risk of arrest, prosecution, detention, and ultimately, removal,” Ezra wrote. “The court finds this threatened enforcement and the severity of the harm imposed to plaintiffs in the event the likely preempted law is enforced against them constitutes irreparable harm.”
https://www.courthousenews.com/texas-immigration-law-partially-blocked-by-federal-judge/
# Economy / Finance / Trade / Banking / Taxes / IRS / Cryptocurrencies
Nonprofit Crackdown: Feds target the liberal dark money infrastructure. From the Congress to the Department of Justice and the IRS, the Trump administration and allied lawmakers are examining the anonymity and tax-exempt status enjoyed by some of the most influential progressive organizations in the country. The initiatives, often linked to the administration’s goals, are aimed at foundations and groups accused of supporting activities deemed detrimental to the administration’s agenda.
https://justthenews.com/government/congress/nonprofit-crackdown-feds-target-liberal-dark-money-infrastructure
Advocates call on tax reform to reduce national debt. Advocates called on lawmakers to redesign the United States’ tax system on Thursday in order to address the rising national debt.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_abfcb8c7-6888-4315-a833-8a5acc1a0bef.html
Trump’s tariffs are now the largest U.S. tax increase since 1993 — the average household is paying $1,500 more in 2026. President Donald Trump’s tariffs cost the average American household $1,000 last year, according to new research from the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. The cost is set to go even higher this year to $1,300 per household, assuming the existing tariffs stay in place, the research said.
https://abcnews.com/Business/trumps-tariffs-cost-american-households-1000-year-research/story?id=130003484
# Education / Schools / Children / Youth / Libraries and Museums / Childcare
Roughly 76,000 fewer students enrolled in Texas public schools this academic year — the first non-pandemic decline in nearly four decades — with Hispanic students accounting for the overwhelming majority of the los
https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/education/texas-public-schools-enrollment-76000-students/
# Employment / Labor / Unions
As of early 2025, Donald Trump reportedly downplayed the necessity of the federal workforce, with comments suggesting “everybody’s replaceable” in the context of efforts to reduce the size of government, encourage a return to the office, and manage federal employee turnover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqDVvIFiK_o
Trump Called Them “Replaceable” $8B Mistake: 72 hours later, major U.S. infrastructure and energy projects began collapsing under pressure. In this video, we break down the $8 billion mistake that triggered supply chain chaos, delayed construction timelines, rising costs, and growing panic across multiple American industries. As global partners shift alliances and trade pressure intensifies, Washington faces consequences nobody expected this fast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcmQZzU-kGw
# Environment / Climate / Infrastructure / EPA / BLM / Public Lands / Water
Last Time an El Niño Was This Bad, It Killed 50 Million People. “It was arguably the worst environmental disaster to ever befall humanity.” The “super” El Niño of 1876–1878 is widely considered one of the deadliest environmental disasters in human history, triggering a global famine that killed an estimated 50 to 60 million people. This catastrophe accounted for approximately 3–4% of the global population at the time, a scale of mortality comparable to the World Wars or the 1918 influenza epidemic
https://futurism.com/science-energy/el-nino-killed-50-million
# Food / Farming / FDA / Agriculture / Ranching / SNAP [Food Stamps] / USDA
NY could ban common ingredient found in pizza and bagels over health concerns: This ban would forever change New York pizza and bagels — making them healthier. Potassium bromate is a flour additive that helps dough rise higher, strengthens the dough, and helps create a more uniform product. Unfortunately, it’s also been linked to thyroid and kidney cancers and declining kidney function.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ny-could-ban-common-ingredient-052223271.html
# General News / Epstein / Maxwell
Photographer stumbles on never-seen Epstein images he thought were destroyed:
https://www.9news.com.au/world/jeffrey-epstein-photographer-christopher-anderson-was-booked-to-capture-him-for-new-york-magazine-2015/2ffaf72d-1ea1-489c-bb71-ea43d97250af
# Gov / Politics
Trump melts down in China after Xi Jinping insulted the United States, and Trump was too stupid to realize it in the moment. Trump did not point to a specific comment made by Xi. But the post comes after his Chinese counterpart, in opening remarks at a U.S.-China bilateral meeting, questioned if the two nations could overcome the ‘Thucydides trap.’
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5879325-trump-blames-biden-decline-xi/
Thucydides trap: The concept originates from ancient Greece, where the historian Thucydides explained the Peloponnesian War by stating: “It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thucydides_Trap
YES! The NAACP files a massive lawsuit against Tennessee Republicans’ gerrymandered congressional map because it blatantly discriminates based on race. New federal action seeks to block unlawful dismantling of state’s only majority-Black congressional district in Memphis. This fight is far from over….
https://naacp.org/articles/naacp-files-federal-lawsuit-challenging-tennessees-racially-discriminatory-congressional
South Carolina redistricting: Governor forces lawmakers back to session to eliminate lone majority-Black district
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/south-carolina-redistricting-governor-forces-lawmakers-back-to-session-to-eliminate-lone-majority-black-district/
National Roundup: U.S. House to vote on bills targeting fraudulent, foreign election donations. The U.S. House committee that oversees election laws advanced multiple bills Thursday to stop fraudulent campaign donations and foreign influence in elections.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_64d9177b-7c6d-446f-a01a-e46d4fc4f823.html
Donald Trump’s Administration Faces Another Major Resignation. US Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks resigned Thursday during continuing leadership changes within President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies.
https://www.newsbreak.com/nl/general-politics-immigration-1BPfAu8r?utm_source=aigeon&utm_medium=nb_newsletter
Mark Kelly Says Trump’s “Odd Relationship With Putin” and Refusal to Use Sanctions Is a Barrier to Peace in Ukraine — “Nobody Wants This to End More Than the Ukrainian People.”
https://www.newsbreak.com/combat-rated-361333999/4648984110315-mark-kelly-says-trump-s-odd-relationship-with-putin-and-refusal-to-use-sanctions-is-a-barrier-to-peace-in-ukraine-nobody-wants-this-to-end-more-than-the-ukrainian-people
Trump calls for Obama to be arrested for ‘treachery, treason.. President Donald Trump continued railing against former President Barack Obama in a series of Truth Social posts this week, making accusations of treason and calling for the former president to be prosecuted for crimes against Trump.
https://people.com/trump-again-calls-for-obama-arrest-in-post-accusing-him-of-treason-11974432
Overturning Citizens United Is Just the Start. Even if we restrict the money rich people can spend on politics — directly or through super PACs — they can still take control of the media.
https://summerlee.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/rep-summer-lee-colleagues-introduce-constitutional-amendment-to-overturn-citizens-united
Citizens United, Explained: The 2010 Supreme Court decision further tilted political influence toward wealthy donors and corporations.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained
Trump backs America into a corner as nations end ‘blank-check’ cooperation. “The Gulf states discovered that supporting American military operations carried potentially catastrophic costs for them, as their energy facilities and desalination plants became targets of Iranian reprisals,” Chellaney wrote.
https://www.alternet.org/trump-iran-2676895130/
Trump Counterterrorism Strategy Expands Administration’s War on Progressives. The administration is increasingly attempting to scare activists into silence, but progressives are preparing instead.
https://truthout.org/articles/trump-counterterrorism-strategy-expands-administrations-war-on-progressives/
‘Unlawful, Deeply Destabilizing, and Catastrophic’: Dems Warn Trump Against Cuba Attack. Dozens of House Democrats wrote that the US “must not respond to a crisis it is creating with policies that deepen suffering.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/house-democrats-cuba-invasion
Democratic Lawmaker, 83, Has Been Missing for a Month. The absence makes Wilson the second lawmaker to step away for weeks without explanation.
https://www.aol.com/articles/second-lawmaker-83-absent-month-203025000.html
Scrutiny ramps up over mystery of missing lawmakers. Scrutiny of lawmakers absent from Washington because of mysterious health issues is ramping up as two House members — Reps. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) — have missed weeks of votes.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5879055-kean-wilson-missing-votes/
Trump Called Accurate Reporting on Iran “Treason.” His Own Intelligence Services Wrote the Report
https://share.newsbreak.com/iffpggip
# Gov / Politics / Global
Xi warns Trump of possible ‘conflicts’ if Taiwan is mishandled, leaders agree on Strait of Hormuz
https://apnews.com/article/trump-xi-china-iran-trade-a1d63a711a037472f5c1c330c2120bd5
Cuba confirms CIA Director John Ratcliffe has met with officials in Havana. Visit comes after US-Cuba relations deteriorated significantly, and as the island nation declared it had ‘absolutely no fuel’ because of US blockade
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/14/cia-director-has-met-officials-in-havana-for-talks-cuba-claims
Chinese police clash with Secret Service during Trump-Xi summit: Chinese security officials and the Secret Service on Thursday experienced a brief standoff after the Chinese officials blocked an armed Secret Service agent from entering Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, according to news reports.
https://justthenews.com/government/diplomacy/chinese-police-clashes-secret-service-during-trump-xi-summit-report
A Darkness in the East: The Alternative for Germany party is a catastrophe for Germany, Europe and the world. And its growing base in eastern Germany is much scarier than its leadership.
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/a-darkness-in-the-east/
Gangs, Drones and US Warships Besiege Haiti. A U.S. company is involved in drone strikes that are killing Haitian civilians. Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse five years ago, Haiti’s security situation has seriously deteriorated, gangs have flourished and state institutions are paralyzed.
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/gangs-drones-and-us-warships-besiege-haiti/
# Legal / DOJ / ICJ / International Criminal Court [ICC] / Supreme Court / United Nations (UN)
Justice Dept. Considering Paying Trump To Settle His $10 Billion IRS Lawsuit, Raising Conflict Of Interest Questions. The DOJ—led by Trump’s former personal defense attorney—is reportedly negotiating a $10 billion payout for Trump from the IRS.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/05/the-president-may-settle-his-own-lawsuit-with-your-money/
# Medicare / Medicaid / Disability Benefits / Health and Human Services [HHS]
DOJ targets healthcare fraud in California, Arizona, Nevada. The U.S. Department of Justice has created a new task force to fight healthcare fraud in three Western states.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/arizona/article_817e91b6-4aed-4e73-99d1-eb743b8aebb4.html
Trump Administration Finalizes 2.48% Medicare Advantage Payment Hike For 2027. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a 2.48% average payment increase to insurers, a sharp jump from the near-flat 0.09% proposal earlier this year. In total, that translates to more than $13 billion in additional payments to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.
https://www.aol.com/articles/trump-administration-finalizes-2-48-113600031.html
Trump administration freezes Medicare enrollments for new home healthcare, hospice providers
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/05/13/jd-vance-antifraud-task-force-halts-medicare-enrollments-home-healthcare-hospice-providers
# MiIlitary / Department of Defense [DOD] / NATO / Boat Strikes
‘No idea it was coming’: Pentagon officials stunned by Hegseth decision on troops in Poland. It wasn’t clear why the Defense secretary issued the order not to send troops on a routine mission to a country the administration refers to as a “model ally.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/14/poland-pentagon-hegseth-troop-withdrawl-surprise-00922169
# Military / Global
Iran’s fast-attack boats have struck 26 ships since the war began — and the Navy calls them the hardest targets in the strait. U.S. Navy officers involved in escort operations have described the boats as among the hardest targets they face in the waterway, a characterization echoed in multiple defense press briefings
https://www.newsbreak.com/morningoverview-358954986/4649050845073-iran-s-fast-attack-boats-have-struck-26-ships-since-the-war-began-and-the-navy-calls-them-the-hardest-targets-in-the-strait
# NASA / NORAD / Space
Another Scientist Found Dead as FBI Investigates “Sinister Pattern” of Disappearances in U.S. Defense and Aerospace Sectors. These incidents, which have occurred since 2022, have triggered a multi-agency federal probe, including the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense, due to the high-profile nature of the work conducted by the individuals, which includes classified aerospace and space technology
https://www.firstpost.com/world/mystery-deepens-nasa-engineers-body-found-in-charred-tesla-leads-fbi-to-probe-sinister-pattern-in-scientist-deaths-14003450.html
# Other Interestimg Stuff
Scientists Just Found Human Remains That Rewrite America’s History. The remains are believed to date back thousands of years, suggesting that human presence in America might be older than previously thought. The implications of this discovery are immense, challenging long-held theories about the first inhabitants of the continent. Archaeologists are now examining the site meticulously, hoping to uncover more clues about these ancient people.
https://www.newsbreak.com/everyday-states-316335350/4346403733231-scientists-just-found-human-remains-that-rewrite-america-s-history
# Technology / AI / Data Centers / Robotics
Houston neighborhood may soon hear nonstop hum of a massive data center. A former industrial property in southeast Houston is being marketed as a major AI and hyperscale data center site, highlighting how Houston’s energy infrastructure is becoming a selling point in the AI boom.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/houston-neighborhood-may-soon-hear-123001186.html
A Massive AI Data Center Transforms Rural Utah Into a National Flash Point. A growing movement in Utah is challenging the Stratos Project, a city-sized AI data center backed by TV personality Kevin O’Leary.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2026/05/09/a-massive-ai-data-center-transforms-rural-utah-into-a-national-flashpoint/
# Veterans / VA
The House of Representatives passed amendments to allow military veterans to get medical cannabis recommendations from their Department of Veterans Affairs doctors and to raise awareness about the benefits of psychedelic therapies.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/house-votes-to-let-military-veterans-get-medical-marijuana-recommendations-from-va-doctors/
VA security personnel aren’t detecting knives or booze, according to a watchdog report assessing medical facility security. The Government Accountability Office highlighted that there are staffing shortages among VA police, but department officials say they have taken steps to address the issue.
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-109020
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