This Week in the World Affairs Brief

TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS: A MIX OF SUCCESSES AND MISSTEPS

It’s been a little over three months since president Trump took office, and it’s customary for pundits to comment on Trump’s first 100 days, either in praise or condemnation of his track record so far. The mainstream media doesn’t like anything Trump has done, and Trump’s biggest supporters in the alternative media like Breitbart, Epoch Times, and the Daily Signal seem to like everything Trump has done. I see both the positive and negative things Trump does. While I have applauded each of the Trump Exec Orders that have worked to dismantle and reverse discrimination in America, reduce non-essential workers in the federal government, and expose billions in secret slush fund spending, most of his best initiatives have been blocked by the courts—which isn’t his fault. However, despite trying to rein in the massive “unelected bureaucracy” Trump has not been able to penetrate and eliminate the Deep State very far, but at least he has not picked as many Deep State advisors this time around, relying instead on yesman for the most part. But Trump has made some serious missteps too, such as creating havoc in the domestic and world economy with his arbitrary tariff hikes (made worse by nearly daily changes), but his worst misstep—rooted in his naive desire to become the world’s greatest “peace” president—is repeatedly failing to recognize the major threat that NK, China and Russia pose as existential enemies to the US armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons. To receive a free one-time sample of the Brief, along with options on how to subscribe, click on Request a Sample on the left.

Also:
  • Trump Gets a Lesson in the Real Vladimir Putin
  • Preparing for War with China
  • China’s Collapsing Economy

Daily News

Real ID Is Not About Keeping You Safe

Mises Institute

As mentioned above, the Real ID Act was passed twenty years ago in 2005. It was one of the many measures rolled out in the wake of the 9/11 attacks that was presented to the public as being necessary to ensure that similar attacks would never happen again. The original bill specified that the federal government would refuse to accept any form of ID that did not meet the requirements Congress had passed by May of 2008. But as that date drew closer, few states had implemented the new provisions. Some governors had vocally refused to comply because they opposed what was, in effect, the implementation of a national identification database.

Trump Nominates Dr. Casey Means as Surgeon General

The Epoch Times

President Donald Trump announced on May 7 that Dr. Casey Means—a functional medicine physician aligned with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—would be his new nominee for surgeon general after he withdrew his initial pick for the role.

House Overwhelmingly Passes Bill to Counter CCP’s Forced Organ Harvesting

The Epoch Times

If enacted into law, the act would make it a U.S. policy to combat the illicit act; to promote the establishment of voluntary organ donation systems with effective enforcement mechanisms in bilateral talks and international health forums; and to promote the dignity and security of human life in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Smith said the bill will send a message to anyone who tries to get an organ without caring about its origin.

Pakistan Closes Airspace For 48 Hours, Authorizes Response To Indian Attack

ZeroHedge

What India has dubbed 'Operation Sindoor' is intended to be limited, Indian leaders have said, but it's highly questionable whether it was a 'success' - given that India lost at least one or possibly up to five fighter jets. "The conflict between India and Pakistan has begun. Israel encouraged India to do this, because it benefits strategically in various ways, that involve Turkey/Iran. It also may be the death nell for China's belt and road initiative if Syria wasn't already

China's spying in Cuba sparks alarm on Capitol Hill after fresh satellite images show surveillance buildup

Fox News

Republican leaders in the House are increasingly concerned about China’s presence in Cuba and its capacity to spy on the U.S. from the island. A new report analyzing open-source intelligence found the addition of what appears to be a circularly disposed antenna array (CDAA) at the Bejucal signals intelligence site near Havana, Cuba. The antenna could pinpoint radio signals from between 3,000 and 8,000 miles away, putting key U.S. military installations and even Washington, D.C., well within range.

China Ramped Up Fentanyl Precursor Production to Target US, Expert Says

The Epoch Times

China’s ruling regime began a secret project during President Donald Trump’s first term to weaken the United States through scaling up production of fentanyl precursors and shipping them to Mexico and Canada for manufacturing and distribution across the border, according to an insider who has sources in Beijing’s top political circle. The plan, which the Chinese regime dubbed Project Zero, aims to make Americans addicted, according to Yuan Hongbing, a dissident and jurist living in exile in Australia. His sources are close to the descendants of senior Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials who choose to remain anonymous due to security concerns.

Ukrainian Drones Target Moscow, Kursk, Russian Officials Confirm

The Epoch Times

Airports in Moscow briefly halted operations after a swarm of Ukrainian drones targeted the Russian capital in the early hours of May 6, according to Russian officials. In a social media post, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said at least 19 drones, which had converged on the capital from different directions, had been downed by Russian air defenses.

Chinese Space Program Copying Elon Musk's Starlink

ZeroHedge

Orbital Gateway Consulting and an expert on China's space industry, who identified SpaceSail—a Chinese space company backed by the Shanghai municipal government—as having unveiled its "commercial" version of Starlink satellites at China Space Day 2025.

Watch: China Hit By Worker Protests Over Unpaid Wages, Factory Shutdowns Amid Trump Tariffs

ZeroHedge

workers shared pictures of quiet production lines or factory suspension notices, highlighting how the tariffs are starting to bite. Now, according to Radio Free Asia, protests are erupting across China - from Hunan’s Dao County to Sichuan’s Suining City and Inner Mongolia’s Tongliao. Hundreds of enraged workers are storming the streets, blasting unpaid wages and wrongful firings as factories collapse under the crushing force of President Trump’s relentless U.S. tariffs, the news outlet said. One video shared to X showed angry workers shouting “Strike! Strike!” while protesting outside the Shangda Electronics’ factory in Suining city on Sunday.

Liberation Day 2.0: Trump Terminates Federal Funding for NPR and PBS

PJ Media

And so Trump wrote in his executive order that the joke was over: “Government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence. The CPB Board shall cease direct funding to NPR and PBS, consistent with my Administration’s policy to ensure that Federal funding does not support biased and partisan news coverage. The CPB Board shall cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law and shall decline to provide future funding.”

US Ends Trade Exemption That Enabled Flood of Cheap Chinese Goods

The Epoch Times

Starting on May 2, the United States will begin collecting a duty of either 30 percent of the value of packages at $800 or less shipped through the international postal network or $25 per item. On June 1, that rate will increase to $50 per package. Packages valued at $800 or less shipped through means other than the international postal network will be subject to “all applicable duties,” a White House fact sheet states.

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