AoSHQ The Morning Report
May 22, 2026
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has lost his primary race after making himself unpopular in the GOP for blocking Trump administration policies and obsessively condemning Israel and Operation Epic Fury.In Other News
President Donald Trump, who has responded to Massie’s constant critiques by fervently campaigning against him, celebrated the Tuesday win for Massie’s primary opponent, Ed Gallrein. Massie has been one of Trump's most consistent GOP critics.
In fact, Trump spent a considerable portion of Election Day posting anti-Massie messages on Truth Social. Trump accused Massie of suggesting a years-old endorsement from Trump was recent. “Can you imagine ‘Congressman’ Thomas Massie putting out a many years ago Endorsement of him, by me, when he knows that he wasn’t endorsed, but that I proudly endorsed Ed Gallrein? The reason is that Massie has turned out to be the Worst Congressman in the Republican Party. This shows what a totally dishonest and desperate guy Massie is, and I hope the Voters aren’t fooled by his deception!” Trump exclaimed.
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President Donald Trump's trip to China places Taiwan back where Beijing always wants it: under pressure, under scrutiny, and under threat.In Other News
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te isn't watching this meeting like a man checking diplomatic weather; he's watching it like the leader of a free island that China keeps trying to isolate, intimidate, and eventually absorb.
China's leaders understand ceremony, leverage, and timing. They also smell weakness when there's blood in the water, which is why I vividly remember the 2021 Alaska meeting and how it hangs around this story like smoke in a conference room.
You remember that Anchorage meeting, right? When Antony Blinken, then secretary of state, and Jake Sullivan, then national security advisor, sat across from Yang Jiechi, then China's top foreign policy official, and Wang Yi, then China's foreign minister and state councilor. China's opening remarks turned into a public scolding, and the Biden team looked stunned as Beijing delivered a lecture in front of the cameras. Reading the archives is downright infuriating.
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