Senate Confirms Social Security Change; Judge Rules on Trump Invoking 1798 Act

China’s Secret ProjectChina’s communist 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.

Top Chinese officials have continued to push fentanyl into the United States, Yuan told The Epoch Times in a recent interview. Fear of the plan leaking out and contradicting Beijing’s claim that it is being a responsible actor is one reason Beijing has chosen to go head to head with Washington during the current tariff war, Yuan said. (More)

Supreme Court Lets Military Ban Troops Who Identify as TransgenderThe Supreme Court allowed the U.S. military to ban troops who identify as transgender, while litigation challenging the prohibition plays out. A majority of justices agreed to enter a stay of a preliminary injunction that was entered by a U.S. district judge in March against the policy, pending the disposition of an appeal. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, the court said.

President Donald Trump, in a January executive order, said that people who express a gender identity that diverges from their sex “cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service” and directed military officials to update rules to that effect.

In a memorandum in February, Defense Department officials said that personnel “with gender dysphoria or who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria” would be discharged from the military unless they were given an exemption. Some affected personnel sued, alleging the ban violates their constitutional rights. (More)

Newark Air Traffic Controllers Lost Contact With Planes for 30 SecondsAir traffic controllers overseeing Newark Liberty International Airport lost contact with planes for 30 seconds last week, triggering widespread flight delays and cancellations as staffing shortages and outdated technology strained systems, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

“The primary communication line went down, the backup line didn’t fire, and so for 30 seconds we lost contact with air traffic, Duffy said. “Now, were planes going to crash? No. They have communication devices. … But it’s a sign that we have a frail system in place, and it has to be fixed.” Duffy plans to unveil a proposal Thursday seeking billions of dollars from Congress to overhaul air traffic control infrastructure and staffing.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association confirmed that controllers in Philadelphia, responsible for Newark’s airspace, temporarily lost radar contact and communications with aircraft on April 28. (More)