| Via Elizabeth Warren |
UNDERNEWS
Online report of the Progressive Review. Since 1964, the news while there's still time to do something about it.
May 19, 2026
Immigrants
Millions Urged To Stay Inside In 11 States Over Air Quality
NAACP calls for boycott of Southern college sports programs over voting rights
FBI reported ready to pay for system that will track drivers without a warrant
Bad fire in California hits 17,000 residents
The case for impeaching Trump
The defining characteristics of the Trump administration are corruption, criminality, and depravity. The breathtaking scope of Trump’s lawlessness far exceeds his feeble attention span and narrow windows of inter-nap activity. Still, for a man who is monumentally incompetent and lazy, he has managed to convert multiple federal departments and agencies into protection rackets for Trump, including (but not limited to) DOJ, FBI, Treasury, Defense, and Homeland Security. Like a mob boss sitting atop a corrupt pyramid, he couldn’t do it alone, and he hasn’t.
Which is why Democrats must initiate the process of impeaching Trump and every “civil officer of the United States” subject to impeachment under the Constitution who has assisted Trump in converting large swaths of the federal government into a criminal enterprise.
Trump has committed an impeachable act every day of his second term (by withholding appropriated funds in violation of the Antideficiency Act), but on Monday, he reached an unthinkable level of corruption: He ordered the DOJ, IRS, and Treasury to gift him a $1.8 billion slush fund. He—and he alone—will decide in secret which of his cronies and family members will receive tax free payouts from the federal government without going through the pesky bother of filing a lawsuit, stating a claim, proving that claim before a jury, establishing damages, and withstanding appeal.
Polls
Word
Trump EPA Rolls Back Key Drinking Water Protections
Trump Suggests Alliance of Dictators to Take Down ICC
$1.8 Billion Slush Fund
Jeffrey Epstein
Church and state
Fuel taxes
Trump's dubious stock trades
ICE
Middle East
Ice cream recalled in 17 states
Russia and China
Voting
Almost a year later, that same argument is picking up steam in the Capitol, where a growing chorus of GOP lawmakers are racing to defend the president from Democratic charges that he’s trying to “rig” the midterms to keep Republicans in control of Congress for the final two years of his presidency.
May 18, 2026
Weather
Bad stuff
According to the Justice Department, the fund will be administered by a five-member commission appointed by Blanche, with one member chosen in consultation with Congress.
Artificial intelligence
China
Jim Smith, Talking Turkey - In January, a university think tank in Beijing published a report with a title that should make Americans sit up straight: “Thank Trump.” According to The Economist, the scholars offered sarcastic but sincere gratitude for what they called Trump’s contributions to China’s rise: “driving away America’s traditional allies,” proving that China is “more trustworthy and stable,” and even pushing Chinese innovation through his tariff wars.
Chinese commentators now routinely describe Trump as an “accelerator of American political decay,” a phrase reported by the New York Times. In their telling, Trump hasn’t just weakened America — he has strengthened China....
How Chinese analysts are framing Trump’s second term:
“Accelerating American political decay.”
Chinese commentators quoted in The New York Times argue that Trump’s rhetoric and institutional attacks validate their long-held belief that the U.S. is in decline.
Driving allies away.
The report claims his confrontations with NATO partners and other allies “weaken America’s global coalition” and leave China looking more stable by comparison.
Supercharging Chinese innovation.
Tariffs and tech restrictions are framed not as setbacks but as pressure that “forces China to innovate faster,” according to summaries of the report.
Strengthening China’s global image.
Chinese state-linked analysts argue that Trump’s unpredictability makes China appear “more trustworthy and stable,” a contrast they are eager to highlight.
Reinforcing China’s narrative of inevitability.
The NYT notes that Chinese media now pair Trump-era U.S. dysfunction with imagery of China’s technological prowess — drones, EVs, robotics — to underscore a message: China is rising; America is faltering.
Russia famously supported Trump’s 2016 and subsequent campaigns, knowing that Trump’s rise would contribute to America’s downfall. Will we see China contributing to MAGA campaigns for the same reason — to “polish us off”?
Workers
Jeffrey Epstein
Best and worst states for military retirees
WalletHub evaluated all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 28 key indicators of veteran retirement-friendliness. The data set ranges from job opportunities for veterans to housing affordability to the quality of VA hospitals.
| Best States for Military Retirees | Worst States for Military Retirees | ||
| 1. South Carolina | 42. New Mexico | ||
| 2. North Dakota | 43. Colorado | ||
| 3. Wyoming | 44. Nevada | ||
| 4. New Hampshire | 45. Montana | ||
| 5. Maryland | 46. Mississippi | ||
| 6. Alaska | 47. New Jersey | ||
| 7. Florida | 48. Washington | ||
| 8. Massachusetts | 49. District of Columbia | ||
| 9. Minnesota | 50. Vermont | ||
| 10. South Dakota | 51. Oregon | ||
Memorial Day Facts
- 100M+ – Households worldwide will watch the National Memorial Day parade broadcast on TV.
- 3.7M – People are expected to travel by plane over Memorial Day weekend (up 0.3% over 2025).
- 818 – Number of hot dogs consumed every second from Memorial Day to Labor Day (seven billion total).