Think More: Thursday, May 14, 2026
Rubio Presses Xi to Take an Active Role in Ending the Iran War
Kevin Killough • Just the News
Secretary of State Marco Rubio framed Chinese cooperation on ending the war with Iran as self-interest, not goodwill. Chinese tankers and bulk carriers remain stranded in the Persian Gulf, the blockade is destabilizing Asian energy markets, and Beijing’s export economy depends on open sea lanes. Trump and Xi reached an understanding on the Strait of Hormuz at the Beijing summit this week.
Mahoney on the Moral and Political Wisdom of C.S. Lewis
Daniel J. Mahoney • The American Mind
Mahoney, a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute, reads C.S. Lewis as an amateur moral and political philosopher of decisive importance. The Abolition of Man, “The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment,” “Willing Slaves to the Welfare State,” and “Screwtape Proposes a Toast” together describe the crisis of subjectivism, the corruption of mercy detached from justice, and the way a hyper-egalitarian democracy can perform the work of tyranny.
One Nation Under Fraud
Steven Richards • Just the News
Vice President JD Vance’s national anti-fraud task force halted $1.4 billion in federal funding for home health and hospice providers nationwide and issued an ultimatum to all fifty states: prove you are aggressively prosecuting Medicaid fraud or risk losing the funding. Dr. Mehmet Oz reported Russian government involvement in a Los Angeles ring and Chinese government involvement in a New York ring.
A CIA Whistleblower on Fauci’s Influence Over the COVID Origin Report
A CIA employee testified before the Senate that Dr. Anthony Fauci improperly influenced the intelligence community’s review of the COVID-19 origin question. The testimony alleges Fauci pressured analysts during the lab-leak probe. The hearing follows the Trump administration’s broader push for accountability on pandemic-origin decisions and the funding of gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
DOJ Settles the Biden Administration’s Twitter Coercion Suit
U.S. Department of Justice • Office of Public Affairs
The Justice Department settled a lawsuit alleging the Biden administration induced Twitter to suppress disfavored speech by an American citizen. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said the Biden administration engaged in blatant viewpoint discrimination, wielding power over social media to kick conservatives off Twitter completely. Civil Rights Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon called the settlement a milestone in the battle for free speech.
McKay on the California Race for Most Depressing Democrat
Scott McKay • The American Spectator
McKay, a contributing editor at The American Spectator, reads the California gubernatorial field as evidence the state’s Democratic Party has run out of serious people. Xavier Becerra is moving up because he is Hispanic and Hispanic Democrats believe it is their turn. Tom Steyer has poured over $132 million into a campaign whose biggest hit so far is calling to abolish ICE. Steve Hilton remains the only candidate who could fix the state.
Lehman on the New York Recidivist Pipeline
Charles Fain Lehman • New York Post
Lehman of the Manhattan Institute reports on the death of Ross Falzone, 76, shoved down a flight of stairs at a Chelsea subway station by Rhamell Burke, 32, hours after Burke walked out of Bellevue. The next morning, on a different charge, Burke was again released. New York is the only state where judges are barred from considering the danger a defendant poses when setting bail.
Thune Has Tried Nothing on the SAVE Act
Brianna Lyman • The Federalist
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he lacks the votes to nuke the filibuster on the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. Representative Chip Roy’s published memorandum shows Thune does not need to nuke the filibuster: a talking filibuster would force Senate Democrats to hold the floor or yield to a simple-majority vote.
Sununu Believes the New Hampshire Senate Seat Flips Red
Jon Levine • Washington Free Beacon
Former Senator John Sununu told the Washington Free Beacon he is “very confident” he can flip the New Hampshire Senate seat being vacated by retiring Jeanne Shaheen. An Emerson College poll places likely Democratic nominee Chris Pappas at 45 percent and Sununu at 44 percent, with eleven percent undecided. New Hampshire has not elected a federal Republican since Frank Guinta took the House in 2014.
Hebert on the Right Goal and the Wrong Tool
David Hebert • The American Spectator
Hebert argues that the Trump administration has identified the right goal, securing American access to the critical materials underpinning the economy and the military, but is reaching for the wrong tool. Tariffs and protectionism reduce supply chain security by restricting the number of suppliers. Real food security, he writes, comes from having several grocery stores within reach, not from growing a backyard garden.
