President Donald Trump is bringing a slew of top business leaders with him to Beijing for his state visit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. “I am very much looking forward to my trip to China, an amazing Country, with a Leader, President Xi, respected by all,” Trump said Monday on Truth Social. Joining the president on Air Force One are top executives from American industries including technology and defense. From the tech industry, Trump invited Apple CEO Tim Cook; Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins; Coherent CEO Jim Anderson; Illumina CEO Jacob Thaysen; Meta board member Dina Powell McCormick; Micron Technology President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra; Qualcomm President and CEO Cristiano Amon; and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. From the fintech industry, Trump is bringing Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach and Visa CEO Ryan McInerney. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was not invited and will not participate in President Trump’s visit to China, according to Bloomberg. Official talks on the AI race could be on the docket for the president’s trip. The White House and the Chinese government are considering official discussions about AI amid concerns about the competition becoming the newest arms race, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. Also accompanying the president to China are BlackRock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink; Blackstone Chairman and CEO Stephen Schwarzman; Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser; Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO David Solomon; and Cargill President and CEO Brian Sikes. Trump is also bringing top advisors and Cabinet officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy Michael Kratsios, Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer, former deputy chief of staff James Blair, deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, communications director Steven Cheung, and speechwriter Ross Worthington. He is bringing two aerospace and defense industry executives, Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg and H. Lawrence Culp Jr., chairman and CEO of GE Aerospace. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Monday that he plans to discuss the economy, energy, religious freedom, and Taiwan with the Chinese leader. “I have a great relationship with President Xi,” he said. “We’re doing a lot of business, but it’s smart business. We used to be taken advantage of for years with our previous presidents. And now we’re doing great with China. We make a lot of money with China.”

A Southern California mayor has pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent for the People’s Republic of China, according to an announcement by the Department of Justice.   The 58-year-old Eileen Wang was elected to the five-person Arcadia city council in November 2022, where the mayor is selected on a rotating basis. She resigned Monday. During her time in office Wang communicated with multiple now-charged illegal agents such as Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, who is currently serving a four-year federal prison sentence and John Chen, a high-level member of the PRC intelligence apparatus, who was sentenced in November 2024 to 20 months in federal prison.  According to the Department of Justice, Wang and her then-fiancé Sun “worked together to operate the U.S. News Center, a website that purported to be a news source for the local Chinese American community. Wang and Sun received and executed directives from PRC government officials to post pro-PRC content on the website.” “By her own admission, Eileen Wang secretly served the interests of the Chinese government,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division in a Department of Justice press release. Rozhavsky gave a warning to anyone considering following in Wang’s footsteps.  “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. Protecting the rule of law and the transparency of our democratic process remains at the core of the FBI’s mission, and we will continue working alongside our partners to safeguard the integrity of our elections and keep hostile actors from undermining the voices of the American people.” Wang’s charges come with a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Her attorneys, Jason Liang and Brian Sun said in a statement that she recognizes the seriousness of the charge and accepts responsibility for “past personal mistakes.” Her attorneys continued, “She apologizes and is sorry for the mistakes she has made in her personal life. … Her love and devotion for the Arcadia community have not changed and did not waver.” A Warning: “This Isn’t Just Happening in Arcadia” Lance Christensen, vice president of government affairs & education policy at the California Policy Center, shared why the case with this Arcadia mayor is only a small part of what we should be concerned about as Americans.  “This isn’t just happening in places like Arcadia. There are credible threats to our infrastructure in different places, our water systems, our electrical grid, our fuel stations and refineries … that it wouldn’t take much for China to get a grip on that and basically paralyze the United States.” Christensen then shared a very chilling idea, that there are sleeper cells in the United States. “It’s very likely, highly likely that we have a number of sleeper cells within the country, not just from China, but many other countries, but China makes the most sense because they have probably, this time most to gain by subverting America’s economy, our government systems, our culture and our way of life. If they can do that, then they would have no or have very little difficulty taking away the country.” Christensen then shared what he says is part of the solution to dealing with foreign influence.  “We have to be aware of the influence of China in a lot of our public policies. So when something comes up that may have some ability for China to assert more influence, we should be aware of those things. It doesn’t mean that we can’t work with or partner with China or other communist countries when it works to our benefit or mutual benefit. But we should be more wary of those things.”

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary plans to resign from his post Tuesday after widespread reports that he would be fired, Politico reported. Kyle Diamantas, FDA deputy commissioner for food, will reportedly serve as acting commissioner. Makary was slated to testify before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Wednesday about the agency’s 2027 budget request. The Wall Street Journal had reported that President Donald Trump was frustrated with Makary’s reluctance to approve the sale of  fruit- and menthol-flavored vaping products. Makary was also at odds with the pro-life movement over allegations he was slow walking the safety review of the abortion pill. A surgeon and researcher, Makary rose to public prominence as a critic of COVID-19 vaccine mandates under former President Joe Biden’s administration. The Senate later confirmed his nomination as commissioner in March 2025. Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, a strong advocate for safeguards on the abortion pill, celebrated Makary’s exit as an “opportunity for the FDA to reset.” “This is welcome news. Dr. Makary was uniquely destructive to the pro-life movement,” he said. ‘He attempted to place pro-abortion lawyers in key positions.” “He slow walked a vitally necessary review of the abortion drug mifepristone,” he added. “He used his discretion to approve a new abortion drug when the data shows it sends 1 in 10 women to the emergency room. He froze out pro-life leaders and repeatedly stonewalled Congress.” This is welcome news. Dr. Makary was uniquely destructive to the prolife movement. He attempted to place pro-abortion lawyers in key positions. He slow walked a vitally necessary review of the abortion drug mifepristone. He used his discretion to approve a new abortion drug when… https://t.co/ZHn5UsImeW— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) May 12, 2026 Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, an organization Speaker Mike Johnson described as the most effective pro-life advocacy group, had long called for Makary to be fired. “Enough is enough,” she said in December. “Dr. Makary should be fired immediately.” Some in the pro-life movement doubt that Makary’s exit will spur change on the abortion pill issue. “Doesn’t matter who the FDA Commissioner is if the Oval Office doesn’t support him or her taking quick action to protect mothers & babies from deadly Chemical Abortion Pills,” Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins said. “The buck stops with President Trump.” Here’s the truth: Doesn’t matter who the FDA Commissioner is if the Oval Office doesn’t support him or her taking quick action to protect mothers & babies from deadly Chemical Abortion Pills. The buck stops with President Trump.— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) May 12, 2026 This story is developing and will be updated.

Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) superintendent, Michelle Reid, refuses to let facts get in the way of her finely tuned narrative. Last Friday afternoon, as the public was growing increasingly aware that district leaders are shuffling resources from classrooms to administrative bloat, she sent an email to the district’s employees, assuring them that FCPS remains a “strong steward of taxpayer funds.” Earlier last week, however, Daily Signal reported that Virginia’s largest public school district’s leaders funded doctorates for non-school-based administrators who earn more than $200,000 per year—while also cutting teaching positions and increasing class sizes.  Another article published last week exposed that district leaders wasted $150 million on the new Skyview High School—scheduled to open this fall—despite long-term declines in FCPS student enrollment detailed in the table below. YearFCPS EnrollmentPrivate SchoolHomeschooledTotal Students% Not in FCPS2019187,52114,5003,247205,2688.6%2020188,35517,0005,912211,26710.8%2021179,74820,0004,504204,25212.0%2022178,42125,0003,795207,21613.9%2023180,52728,0003,727212,25414.9%2024181,15331,0003,749215,90216.1%2025177,00733,4353,968214,41017.4% Source: Virginia Department of Education and Private School Review  The University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service further projects that FCPS’ enrollment will decline an additional 6.6% from 2025 to 2030, down to 165,325 students.  The district’s leadership has yet to offer a convincing defense of the purchase in light of declining enrollment trends, particularly when several existing high schools—including Lewis High School—remain underutilized. Instead, FCPS leaders insist the $150 million acquisition of Skyview High School was a “good deal” because it supposedly “saved” taxpayers approximately $280 million compared with purchasing land and constructing a new facility from the ground up. Unlike FCPS leaders, who manage a $4 billion budget, anyone else who has ever managed a budget understands that the question is not how much money was theoretically “saved”—it is whether the purchase was necessary in the first place. In this case, the answer appears to be a straightforward “no.” Reid, who earns an annual salary of $445,353 and is provided with round-the-clock personal security, whines that the district has suffered “years of chronic underfunding.” Meanwhile, FCPS funds about 20 of its highest-paid district administrators to attend a Ph.D. program at George Mason University. At the same time, teachers report buying their own classroom supplies and are forced to contend with increasing class sizes.  Adding insult to injury, in her email to staff last week, Reid also announced that to address the so-called $28 million “budget gap”—referring to the county’s Board of Supervisors not transferring FCPS’s full requested amount—she would be reducing school reserve staffing.  FCPS teachers, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the move is highly concerning. They warned that as some class sizes increase in fall 2026, certain grades may reasonably require additional teachers, but cuts to reserve staffing will reduce flexibility, resulting in significantly larger class sizes.  While FCPS leaders reduce school-level flexibility, Freedom of Information Act requests showed that in fiscal year 2026 the district is spending $272 million on salaries for 2,346 non-school-based administrators, along with $12.5 million in legal fees through March. Surely those are better places to begin cutting costs than money for reserve staff in schools.  In addition to emphasizing the role district staff members have as “stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Reid assured them in her email that leadership’s “commitment to providing students with an excellent world-class education remains unchanged.” This claim is hard to take seriously given FCPS’s standardized test results, which are detailed in the table below. Failure Rate of Standards of Learning Tests (SOLs) 2024-2025 SubjectFCPS Failure RateEnglish Reading21%English Writing84%Math22%Science25%History58% Source: Virginia Department of Education Not surprisingly, the cost of shifting resources away from classrooms to protect bureaucracy and administrative growth is declining student outcomes. Not only are students failing their SOLs at alarming rates, but the average SAT score for the district has decreased by 35 points from 2019 to 2025, from 1218 to 1183.   In light of these facts, the most comically tone-deaf part of Reid’s email to her staff is where she touted the district’s “performance excellence” award, the 2026 Gold Award for Achievement of Excellence by The Partnership for Excellence, which appears to be a participation trophy announced to distract critics from their mounting concerns over the district’s dysfunctional spending priorities.  An anonymous inside source said that the award “was a time drain for senior leaders,” calling it “a huge distraction from the mission” and saying it “misses the mark on our actual calling: student learning.” Indeed, while Reid continues to assure staff that FCPS is a “strong steward of taxpayer funds” and committed to delivering a “world-class education,” the district’s own financial choices, enrollment trends, and academic performance data tell a sharply different story. Expanding administrative spending, disputed capital decisions, and weakening student outcomes have only intensified scrutiny over how priorities are actually set within the system. At a time when families are voting with their feet and classroom demands are growing more urgent, FCPS leadership has yet to square its rhetoric with reality. At some point, no amount of messaging can outrun the math. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.

Sen. John Fetterman is once again sounding the alarm about “rising antisemitism” in the Democratic Party, insisting the party must confront the growing problem. The Pennsylvania Democrat was responding to the announcement by state Supreme Court Justice David Wecht that he was leaving the party over the “disturbingly common” acceptance of “Jew-hatred” even by elected Democrat officials. Wecht in his statement had declared that “the Democratic Party has changed.” “Nazi tattoos, jihadist chants, intimidation and attacks at synagogues, and other hateful anti-Jewish invective and actions are minimized, ignored, and even coddled,” Wecht shared. “Acquiescence to Jew-hatred is now disturbingly common among activists, leaders and even many elected officials in the Democratic Party.” “I know David and his legendary father, Cyril,” Fetterman said on X. “As I’ve affirmed, I’m not changing my party—but I fully understand David’s personal choice. The Democratic Party must confront its own rising antisemitism problem.” I know David and his legendary father, Cyril. As I’ve affirmed, I’m not changing my party—but I fully understand David’s personal choice.The Democratic Party must confront its own rising antisemitism problem. pic.twitter.com/arxEUy5Ro9— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) May 11, 2026 Fetterman’s Almost Solitary Voice This is not the first time Fetterman has criticized his party over antisemitism. In an April interview with CNN, he said that while he is “proud to stand with Israel,” roughly 80% of his fellow Democrats “view Israel in a negative way.” Fetterman specifically cited Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner sporting a tattoo with a Nazi SS Totenkopf symbol and—as Jewish Insider recently reported—repeatedly praising Hamas’ tactics in a 2014 Reddit post about the terrorist group “beating and torturing” Israeli soldiers. “From a strictly professional standpoint,” Platner had written, “this was a damn fine looking and successful raid against a superior opponent. I dig it.” Platner announced in October 2025 that he had covered the tattoo which he had since 2007, saying he had not known it was a Nazi symbol. “I mean, the guy that’s going to win the primary in Maine has a Nazi tattoo on his chest and now that’s no problem for a lot of voters,” Fetterman said. “I don’t know why. That’s crazy. I mean, if you’re back over 12, 13 years, cheering about the death of Israeli soldiers, I mean, you clearly have a serious issue, and the Left has a serious issue with antisemitism.” Last December, after 15 people were massacred at a Hanukkah celebration at Australia’s Bondi Beach, Fetterman condemned what he called a “rot within the American Left” that has allowed antisemitism to fester. “Here in my own party, I’ve been incredibly disappointed. People are trying to pretend these kinds of words and terms like, from the river to the sea, or to globalize the Intifada, and all those other things,” Fetterman told journalist Greta Van Susteren, “we all know what this means. And I refuse to pander to that. And, for me, it’s been a rot within the American Left and within my party.” Democrat Senator John Fetterman admits there is antisemitism in his party.FETTERMAN: “These kinds of words and terms like you know 'from the river to the sea' or to 'globalize the intifada' … for me it’s been a rot within the American Left and my party." pic.twitter.com/2yuY9WbJsW— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 15, 2025 Fetterman’s latest warning came the same day a crowd of masked pro-Palestinian and Muslim protesters swarmed yet another synagogue in New York City, this time in a Flatbush Jewish neighborhood, to try and block an event promoting real estate in Israel. Brooklyn (May 11) — Clashes broke out in a Flatbush Jewish neighborhood as a crowd of masked pro-Palestine and radical Muslim protesters gathered to try to shut down an Israeli real estate event at a synagogue. pic.twitter.com/DCtdzKgBLB— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) May 12, 2026 Last week, a similar incident took place at a Manhattan synagogue. Fetterman “Increasingly Lonely” Fetterman’s stances on Israel, Iran, border security, violent rhetoric, and government shutdowns has left him at odds with the Democratic Party. The senator admitted on “Real Time with Bill Maher” that he feels “increasingly lonely” as a moderate Democrat. “I thought we were supposed to be a big tent party,” Fetterman told Maher. “I’m not really sure how I become an issue for any of the Democrats, just having some different views in these other issues.” He also blasted the party’s move toward socialism and communism, saying Democrats are moving down a “dangerous and slippery slope.” Fetterman said, “I’ve spoke to people that had to live under socialism and or communism, and they are like they are morons if they think that socialism is the answer.”