WASHINGTON — President Trump said that China has agreed not to send weapons to Iran amid reports it plans to give Tehran new air defense systems — and predicted Chinese leader Xi Jinping “will give me a big, fat, hug” when they meet next month.

Trump further claimed Wednesday that Xi is “very happy” about his efforts to open the Strait of Hormuz, a day after officials in China slammed his blockade as “dangerous and irresponsible.”

“China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz. I am doing it for them, also — And the World,” Trump crowed on Truth Social. “This situation will never happen again. They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran.

“President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks,” he added. “We are working together smartly, and very well! Doesn’t that beat fighting??? BUT REMEMBER, we are very good at fighting, if we have to – far better than anyone else!!!”

Trump and Xi are set to meet in Beijing on May 14-15.

That meeting was delayed due to the war in Iran.

China, notably gets roughly 45-50% of its crude imports through the Strait of Hormuz.

The president revealed on Fox News Business’ “Mornings with Maria” that Xi wrote him a letter about not sending weapons.

“Look, there’s never been anybody tougher in China than me. But I also have a good relationship with President XI and that’s a good thing,” Trump said.

Attendance at Ontario high schools has plummeted below 50 per cent, according to newly released data, as the province looks to reward students with marks for turning up to class.

As part of a new bill that includes an overhaul of school board governance, the Progressive Conservatives are planning to award students in grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 a portion of their final mark for attending class.

It’s a measure Minister Paul Calandra said was suggested to him by teachers who are struggling with truancy and classroom control.

“It is an idea that came exclusively from my engagement with teachers; it wasn’t on my radar at all,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

“I have to be honest with you, when I took over the position, I actually still thought attendance was part of the mark, and then I realized that for many, many years it had been taken out.”

Now, data from the government lays bare the extent of student absences, which have worsened substantially over the past decade.

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Ontario’s school boards consider students to be absent in some form if they miss 10 per cent or more of their classes. That’s a threshold where additional discipline is triggered.

Back in the 2017-18 school year, roughly 60 per cent of students in grades 9 to 12 were attending class at that level. That figure has fallen sharply to just 40 per cent in the 2024-25 year.

The decline worsened substantially when students returned to class after the pandemic. In 2021-22, 53 per cent of students in grades 9 to 12 were meeting the attendance requirements, which fell again to 36 per cent in 2022-23.

The following year saw a rate of 40.5 per cent, falling again to 40.2 per cent last year.

Attendance rates appear to worsen with age, a trend which remains broadly the same since the 2017-18 year. Figures for last year show that 46 per cent of students in Grade 9 met the threshold, 41 per cent in Grade 10 and 39 per cent in Grade 11.

Just 33 per cent of students in Grade 12 were in class 90 per cent of the time or more often.

Calandra said he was concerned the current assessment system allowed kids to skip class and still get high marks, while failing to acknowledge those who attend every lesson.

“One hundred per cent of their mark is based on coursework, so students can pop in and out as they like and their mark was not impacted at all,” he said on Tuesday.

“And at the same time, some kids were working really, really hard and there was no way to acknowledge their hard work as part of their marks.”

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation said the change was “low-hanging fruit” and said the government should make broader investments to encourage students to spend more time in school.

“I would rather that the government funded the system properly so that we wouldn’t be seeing these gaps in attendance at all,” Malin Leahy, vice president with the union, said.

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Jails in Ontario are mistakenly releasing dozens of inmates every year, Global News can reveal, an issue the government internally acknowledges is “unacceptable.”

Between the years 2021 and 2024, data compiled by the Ministry of the Solicitor General shows 118 inmates were released “improperly” through a system managed by the provincial government.

While the government claims the improper cases amount to 0.004 per cent of all releases in 2024, the ministry was concerned enough to appoint a central coordinator to oversee all inmate records.

Despite that appointment in 2023, and a new “easy-to-read” handbook to guide the release of inmates, records show 39 people were “improperly” released between January and September 2025.

The improper releases have raised concerns about staffing and overcrowding in Ontario’s prison system and come at a time when the Ford government is planning a dramatic increase in jail beds.

“This tells me that you have a government that is not in control of the situation; they can’t keep even the headcount clear,” Ontario NDP MPP Krysten Wong-Tam told Global News.

“They have no sense of what the crisis is that is before us in corrections. And clearly, they have no solutions; they have run out of ideas despite the fact that they’ve had eight years to solve the problem.”

The Ministry of the Solicitor General did not reply to questions from Global News on the record, but in a background call insisted the improper releases were a result of various factors that did not include either overcrowding or staffing shortages.

Documents obtained by Global News using freedom of information laws show the government tracks several metrics — including how many people have been improperly released, how many were released “in error” and the number of people unlawfully at large in Ontario.

“An improper release of an inmate from a correctional facility or court is unacceptable,” a briefing note prepared for Solicitor General Michael Kerzner, included in the documents, explains.

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“Improper releases are typically due to administrative or technical/data entry error by any one of the justice sector partners.”

The same document acknowledged that “human error” at Ontario’s over-capacity jails plays a part in improper releases.

Jails tracked 32 improper releases in 2021, 31 in 2022, 25 in 2023 and 30 in 2024 — a total of 118 over four years. The majority were as a result of “institutional issues” rather than mistakes made by the courts.

The government determined 77 were because of “errors or oversight at the institutional level,” 39 were court errors, one was another stakeholder, and one case was thought to be a mistake but actually “determined to be proper.”

The documents don’t reveal what the individuals were charged with and whether or not they had been found guilty by a court, but police are notified when the releases happen and, the government said, “all efforts are made to locate the individual and return them to custody.”

Data disclosed through the same freedom of information request also offered insights into where improper releases are taking place — and how many inmates are “unlawfully at large.”

A spreadsheet showing information from January to September 2025 said seven of 39 improper releases reported during that period were at Maplehurst Correctional Complex.

The first improper release last year recorded by the government came on Jan. 13 at the that facility.

Elsewhere, 69 people were considered to be unlawfully at large over the same period. Nineteen of them were attributed to the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre, 13 to the Central East Correctional Centre and another 12 to the Toronto South Detention Centre.

Howard Sapers, the executive director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, said mistakes were excusable — but regularly improper releases suggested a broader problem in the system.

“When you have systemic error based on people that aren’t prepared to do their job well because they haven’t had the training or they haven’t been mentored properly, or having policies that are outdated, using information systems that are cumbersome … it’s really fixable,” he said.

“We can do a better job of collecting and sharing information. We can invest more in our informatics and technology.”

The improper releases come as Ontario plans to build thousands of new jail beds in response to overcrowding inside its existing facilities.

Data from October 2025 shows jails are at an average of 130 per cent capacity across Ontario, with some reaching figures north of 160 per cent. At the same time, lockdowns as a result of staffing shortages are increasing.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters on Tuesday his government would continue building new jails, but did not address questions about the current capacity issues.

“My number one concern is making sure we protect the correctional service officers that are in there. I’m not building Four Seasons hotels for criminals that should be in jail,” he said.

“We’ll continue adding cells to keep the bad people in jail where they belong.”

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said the releases showed the government’s campaign to convince Ottawa to change bail laws was hollow.

“If we’re releasing the wrong people from jail and possibly putting criminals out on the street … that is wrong,” he said.

“I don’t understand why the premier always points the finger at other people instead of looking in the mirror and fixing the court delays that we have in Ontario.”

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The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Connecticut and its city of New Haven, arguing that their sanctuary policies interfere with federal enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws.

The lawsuit names Connecticut, its Gov. Ned Lamont and Attorney General William Tong, as well as New Haven and its Mayor Justin Elicker as defendants.

The complaint takes issue with the state’s “so-called Trust Act” and other state and local sanctuary policies that the DOJ argues are illegal under federal law.

The DOJ claims these policies have allowed “dangerous criminals” to be released into communities in the Nutmeg State. It also alleges that Connecticut and New Haven have made “intentional efforts” that the lawsuit argues obstruct federal law enforcement, put people at risk and are preempted under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

DOJ SUES NEW JERSEY OVER EXECUTIVE ORDER LIMITING ICE COOPERATION, EXPANDING SANCTUARY STATUS

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said that state laws “do not prevent federal authorities from enforcing immigration law.” (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

“For years, Connecticut communities have paid the price of these misguided sanctuary policies,” Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the DOJ’s Civil Division said in a statement. “This lawsuit seeks to end such open defiance of federal law.”

But Elicker contends that the lawsuit misrepresents the city’s immigration policies. He said the city will fight the lawsuit and that he is confident they did nothing wrong.

“The complaint that’s been submitted by the federal government has untruths in it and is misleading. There’s actually quotes from the executive order that have ‘dot dot dot’ where they don’t finish the sentence and the last part of the sentence of the executive order actually clarifies the beginning part,” Elicker told Fox 61.

After Elicker was elected mayor in 2020, he signed an executive order barring law enforcement from asking for the immigration status of anyone they are working with.

READ THE FULL COMPLAINT FILED BY THE DOJ BELOW

The mayor said his city and its employees have not taken any action to obstruct the federal government’s efforts to enforce immigration laws.

“Our employees are abiding by both city, state, and federal law with the executive order that we have, and we will continue to do that,” Elicker said.

HOCHUL ENDORSES LEGISLATION TO ALLOW NEW YORKERS TO SUE ICE AGENTS: ‘POWER DOES NOT JUSTIFY ABUSE’

Lamont said in a statement that state laws “do not prevent federal authorities from enforcing immigration law,” adding that they instead “reflect a longstanding principle: the federal government cannot require states to use their personnel or resources to carry out federal enforcement responsibilities.”

“We will defend Connecticut’s laws vigorously against the complaints outlined in the federal government’s lawsuit. Our Trust Act and related policies are consistent with the Constitution and reflect our responsibility to govern responsibly, protect public safety, and uphold the rights of all residents,” the governor said.

“Connecticut respects the rule of law and the constitutional roles of both federal and state governments,” he added. “Connecticut law enforcement prioritizes serious criminal activity and works every day to keep our communities safe, while also respecting constitutional protections afforded to residents and maintaining trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”

The lawsuit was filed against Connecticut, its Gov. Ned Lamont and Attorney General William Tong, as well as New Haven and its Mayor Justin Elicker. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Tong, in a statement of his own, said the “sovereign people of Connecticut have exercised our right to pass state laws like the Trust Act that prioritize public safety and ensure that all people can trust and rely on law enforcement to keep us safe.” 

“It is a shame that the President and the Department of Justice are not focused on public safety but are wasting federal resources on attacking Connecticut with a baseless lawsuit that has no foundation in law or fact. Connecticut is not a ‘sanctuary’ state, whatever that means. This term is meaningless and has no basis in Connecticut law. We will defend Connecticut and Connecticut families and fight this lawless attack with every fiber of our being,” he said.

The DOJ has sued Connecticut and its city of New Haven over their sanctuary policies. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

This is the latest effort by the DOJ to target sanctuary policies in cities and states across the country.

Last month, a federal judge threw out a DOJ lawsuit accusing Colorado and Denver of interfering with the federal enforcement of immigration laws.

Donald Trump is nothing if not impulsive – and there’s often a method to his seeming madness.

At times that means going way over the line – consciously, deliberately – and at others it’s just rash.

Whether he’s dealing with Iran, the Epstein files, mass deportation or the leader of the Catholic Church, the president busts through the usual guardrails of decency and compassion.

I know this is often intentional, because the president has acknowledged it to me. Ripping others may bring him negative publicity, but Trump doesn’t mind that if it gets the pundits and the public chattering about the issue he wants driving the media agenda.

EX-TRUMP ALLY MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE JOINS LEFT-WING CALLS FOR THE 25TH AMENDMENT AS IRAN DEADLINE NEARS

Trump posting a user’s AI image of himself as Jesus Christ, healing a patient with glowing hands – and adding a demon in the background – was such a fiasco that he deleted it 12 hours later, which he almost never does. It was striking to hear him blaming it on “fake news” – which certainly covered it – when it was Catholic leaders, along with prominent conservative hosts and podcasters, who led the chorus of condemnation.

President Donald Trump irked Americans on both sides of the aisle on Sunday night by posting an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Isabel Brown, a Catholic podcaster with the Daily Wire and a Trump supporter: “This post is, frankly, disgusting and unacceptable, but also a profound misreading of the American people experiencing a true and beautiful revival of faith in Christ in the midst of our broken culture.” 

Riley Gaines, a conservative podcaster and anti-trans activist who has spoken at Trump rallies: “I cannot understand why he’d post this…Two things are true…”a little humility would serve him well” and “God shall not be mocked.”

HOUSE DEMS UNVEIL BILL TO EXAMINE REMOVING TRUMP USING 25TH AMENDMENT

Megan Basham, a conservative Protestant Christian writer: “He needs to take this down immediately and ask for forgiveness from the American people and then from God.”

Rev. James Martin, editor-at-large of the Catholic magazine America, told CNN: “I don’t know too many doctors that have glowing hands. That’s the most Jesus-looking picture I think I could imagine.”  

The posting came shortly after Trump got into a rhetorical battle with Pope Leo, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy.” The first American-born pontiff replied that “I have no fear of the Trump administration.”

LAWMAKERS PUT EXPULSION THREATS ATOP HOUSE AGENDA AS RETURN SETS UP HIGH-STAKES WEEK

But that was being covered as a straight he said/he said news story and probably would have faded after a day. By quickly following up with the fake image that so many found blasphemous, he created a furor that will dominate the news for days.

Nobody bought his attempt at an explanation: “I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker, which we support. It’s supposed to me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better. I make people a lot better.” Trump is pictured in the red and white robes commonly used to depict Christ.

JD Vance told Fox’s Bret Baier: “I think the president was posting a joke. And, of course, he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor in that case.”

TRUMP’S THREAT TO END IRANIAN ‘CIVILIZATION’ SPARKS UPROAR ON CAPITOL HILL

Just a joke. That’s their default defense. Except it wasn’t. 

Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 12, 2026. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

Nearly a year ago, the president took heat for posting an image of himself dressed as the Pope.

In February, Trump was widely denounced as racist, for an image at the end of a minute-long video of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. He claimed to have missed that part and did not apologize.

TRUMP IRAN THREAT SPARKS CALLS FOR HIS OUSTER, BUT ONE DEM SAYS EFFORT ‘NOT REALISTIC’

Sometimes it would be better if he said nothing at all. After Rob Reiner and his wife were brutally murdered in their home, Trump posted a message lambasting the famed director as having Trump Derangement Syndrome. 

On the war, the president took immense flak for saying a week ago Tuesday, his deadline for unleashing hell upon Iran’s energy facilities: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” 

Of course he gave the Iranians a two-week extension, which was hardly the first delay, and now says the U.S. will fire upon any vessel that tries to challenge his blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has used to choke off a fifth of the world’s oil supply.

SWALWELL OUT AMID SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS AFTER 13 YEARS IN CONGRESS

This has basically destroyed the so-called ceasefire, but also plays into criticism that Trump, under pressure from Israel, launched the war without a clear exit strategy. He keeps saying America has already won and he can pull out at any time, but that would be far short of his original goal of getting Iran to stop enriching uranium that could be used for nuclear weapons. 

The president and his team say his threats and delays are a way of keeping the terror state’s leaders off balance.

President Donald Trump pretends to aim a sniper gun while speaking with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, April 6, 2026, in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)

The confluence of these events has prompted talk about removing the president through the 25th Amendment–despite the fact that this is a fantasy, requiring a majority vote in the Cabinet and a two-thirds majority of Congress.

HOUSE DEM LEADERS OPEN DOOR TO 25TH AMENDMENT AFTER RANK-AND-FILE PUSH FOR TRUMP’S REMOVAL

 In an obvious stunt, 50 Democrats filed legislation yesterday to create a commission to assess Trump’s mental health. The majority Republicans will obviously ignore it.   

But as the president approaches 80, more concerns, fairly or unfairly, are being openly raised about his stability, as in yesterday’s New York Times piece:

“President Trump’s erratic behavior and extreme comments in recent days and weeks have turbocharged the crazy-like-a-fox-or-just-plain-crazy debate that has followed him on the national political stage for a decade.

TRUMP’S THREAT TO END IRANIAN ‘CIVILIZATION’ SPARKS UPROAR ON CAPITOL HILL

“The White House rejected such assessments, saying that Mr. Trump is sharp and keeping his opponents on edge. But the president’s eruptions have raised questions about America’s leadership in a time of war. While the country has had presidents whose capacity came under question before, most recently the octogenarian Joseph R. Biden Jr. as he aged demonstrably before the public’s eyes, never in modern times has the stability of a president been so publicly and forensically debated — and with such profound consequences.”

First, I think the “dementia” arguments, mostly from people who have never met Trump, are BS. He handles reporters’ questions with ease and at length, whether you agree with the substance or not. 

WHY MELANIA TRUMP IS DENYING ALLEGED SMEARS RELATED TO JEFFREY EPSTEIN–AND WANTS VICTIMS TO TESTIFY

But he is clearly stepping up his inflammatory rhetoric and making big unforced errors like the Jesus image.

Second, the mental decline of Joe Biden was obvious to everyone, even as he was shielded from the press, o the point of declining two Super Bowl interviews. And there did come a point when the media were forced to cover it. But some prominent pundits said they had spoken to Biden privately and he was sharp as a tack.

Congressional Democrats want to oust President Donald Trump with the 25th amendment, but ignored calls from Republicans to do the same as concerns swirled about his cognitive ability.  (Photographer: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The talk about Trump is now coming from retired generals, diplomats, and onetime media allies on the right, who the president has lambasted as having “low IQs.” And it also includes such ex-appointees as Ty Cobb, a White House lawyer in the first term, who calls him “clearly insane.”

A Reuters/Ipsos poll in February found 61 percent believe he has become more erratic with age, and 45 percent saying “he is mentally sharp and able to deal with challenges.”

WHY ERIC SWALWELL WAS FORCED TO QUIT CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S RACE AFTER SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS

Liz Peek, a Hill columnist and Fox News contributor, defended him: “Trump knows exactly what he is doing,” adding “Trump will continue to use maximalist (and sometimes outrageous) military and diplomatic pressure in his campaign to rid the Middle East of Iran’s near 50-year campaign of terror.” 

The question now is whether Donald Trump can tone things down a bit or even whether he wants to, since that has not exactly been his style.

Footnote: Now that Eric Swalwell has resigned his House seat in the face of near-certain expulsion, after abandoning his campaign for California governor, a new accuser has emerged.

Lonna Drewes accused the California Democrat of rugging and raping her during a Los Angeles news conference yesterday.

Drewes said they met in 2018 when she was a Beverly Hills fashion model and owner of a fashion software company. told reporters she met Swalwell in 2018 while working as a model in Beverly Hills. Drewes said they met two times socially after Swalwell offered to help her with connections.

On the third occasion, Drewes said, “I believe he drugged my drink. “I only had one glass of wine. We were supposed to go to a political event and he said he needed to get paperwork from his hotel room. When I arrived at his hotel room I was already incapacitated and couldn’t move my arms or my body.”

She added: “He raped me and he choked me. And while he was choking me I lost consciousness and I thought I died.”

Now that Swalwell is no longer a congressman, two of his accusers, Ally Sammarco and Annika Albrecht, went on the record with CBS. “He thought he was untouchable,” Samjmammarco said. He acted with total impunity. He never thought that the consequences of his actions would follow him.”

CNN had earlier interviewed one of the accusers but shot her in shadow to conceal her identity.

Also yesterday, Democratic Rep. Tony Gonzales said he would resign his House seat, also in the face of virtually certain expulsion. “There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all,” he said.

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Sexual text messages made public in 2024 made clear that he had an affair with Regina Santos-Aviles while she was working for him.

She killed herself in September by setting herself on fire.

It may have been possible to bequeath this as “expulsion week.”

Instead, this might be “resignation week.”

The House has only expelled six Members in the history of the republic. But it was possible as recently as Monday that the House was primed to wrestle with a mind-boggling four expulsions.

It takes a two-thirds vote to expel a Member. The House last expelled one of its own in late 2023: former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.). Before that, you have to go back to 2002 when the House kicked out late Rep. Jim Traficant (D-Ohio).

5TH ACCUSER COMES FORWARD AGAINST REP ERIC SWALWELL AHEAD OF EXPECTED RESIGNATION

Here was the chopping block:

Calls to expel former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) piled up after reports surfaced that he sexually assaulted a former aide and several other women. Swalwell initially said he would fight the allegations. Then he dropped his bid to become governor of California after a host of once close allies abandoned their support. Swalwell has now resigned, avoiding the ignominious scene of an expulsion.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., appeared on MS NOW 26 times and on CNN 24 times in 2026 alone, according to the Media Research Center.  (Ronaldo Bolaños/Getty Images)

Then there was former Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas). At first, Gonzales denied an affair with an aide who committed suicide by setting herself on fire. Gonzales was locked in a tough primary runoff against Republican Congressional candidate Brandon Herrera. But after pressure, Gonzales finally dropped out of the runoff and isn’t standing for re-election. However, Gonzales intended to stay on until his term expired on January 3 next year. But now Gonzales is out the door, too.

TWO DEMOCRATIC REPS CALL FOR SWALWELL TO EXIT CONGRESS AS CONTROVERSY SWIRLS AROUND HIS BID FOR CA GOVERNOR

So two down, two to go.

This is where things grow complicated.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) could face expulsion soon. In late March, the House Ethics Committee held a rare “trial,” declaring she improperly obtained an astonishing $5 million in COVID relief funds. The Ethics panel will likely recommend a punishment for Cherfilus-McCormick next week. The full House doesn’t have to consider or adhere to the prescribed discipline. The congresswoman proclaims her innocence. She faces a criminal trial in Florida in February 2027.

WHY ERIC SWALWELL WAS FORCED TO QUIT CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S RACE AFTER SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS

“The facts are indisputable at this point and so I believe it will be the consensus of this body that she should be expelled,” forecast House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said lawmakers should expel Rep. Sheila Cherfilius-McCormick, D-Fla., after a House ethics panel found her guilty of more than 25 ethics violations. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images; Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Rep. Greg Stuebe (R-Fla.) filed a resolution to bounce Cherfilus-McCormick from the body a few months ago. 

And for the Republicans, there’s Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.). Mills is accused of “stolen valor” and exaggeration of his military record. But what triggered the current expulsion push is an allegation that the congressman struck his girlfriend in early 2025. A judge imposed a restraining order against Mills. However, police never charged the congressman. The Ethics Committee is also investigating whether he violated federal campaign rules. But the formal ethics probe of the Florida Republican isn’t as far along as the Cherfilus-McCormick inquiry.

SWALWELL RESIGNATION COLLIDES WITH CHINA-LINKED SCANDAL AS CRITICS DEMAND FILE RELEASE

Johnson is mindful of that fact.

“With regard to Mills, I’m not sure the status of the Ethics Committee investigation and that’s one of the things I’ll be looking into today,” said Johnson.

Four troubled Members. Two Democrats and two Republicans. It was that parity which may have primed the House to take the unprecedented step of expelling those four Members before Swalwell and Gonzales announced their resignations. But a push to expel Cherfiulus-McCormick and not Mills creates a host of problems in the House.

GONZALES HIT WITH EXPULSION VOTE THREAT AHEAD OF EXPECTED RESIGNATION

It’s about the math.

The House swore-in Rep. Clay Fuller (R-Ga.) on Monday night. Fuller won a special election last week to succeed former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) who resigned. That GOP gain is likely offset by an anticipated victory by Democratic Congressional candidate Analilia Mejia in a Thursday special election in New Jersey. This is a Democratic seat which has been vacant since New Jersey Gov. and former Congresswoman Mikie Sherill (D) resigned from the House last fall.

Republican congressional candidate Clay Fuller, left, speaks next to President Donald Trump, during a visit to the Coosa Steel Corporation in Rome, Georgia, Feb. 19, 2026.  (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

With Swalwell and Gonzales out and Fuller in, the current breakdown is 431 Members: 217 Republicans and 213 Democrats. Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-Calif.) dropped his affiliation with the GOP. The addition of Fuller and presumed win by Meija would make the breakdown 217 to 214 and one independent – with one vacancy, covering 432 Members. After the Swalwell and Gonzales resignations, the remaining open seat is a solidly Republican district in northern California, long held by late Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.). He died in January.

ERIC SWALWELL WAS CABLE NEWS STAR FOR YEARS BEFORE RAPID FALL FROM GRACE

But what happens if the House moves against Cherfilus-McCormick and not Mills? That creates an imbalance between the parties – something which was lost when the potential expulsion of four Members was on the table.

“What about this issue of parity,” yours truly asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

“The issue of parity hasn’t been something that we’ve had a conversation about. We’ve been working through what’s in front of us today and that’s what we’re going to continue to do,” replied Jeffries.

LAWMAKERS PUT EXPULSION THREATS ATOP HOUSE AGENDA AS RETURN SETS UP HIGH-STAKES WEEK

I followed up.

“But isn’t that a concern, though, if they take action against Cherfilus-McCormick? Her ethics process is further along than Mr. Mills,” I asked.

“The ethics process is still incomplete and we’ll see what the Ethics Committee has to recommend next week,” replied Jeffries.

‘SMART DECISION’: SWALWELL’S RESIGNATION SPURS PRAISE FROM BOTH PARTIES AFTER BOMBSHELL ALLEGATIONS EMERGE

That’s in reference to the upcoming ethics panel meeting, recommending punishment for the Florida Democrat.

It was one thing if the House may have bounced four Members, two Republicans and two Democrats, all at once. But it’s dicier now that Gonzales and Swalwell stepped aside. It’s further complicated considering the uneven status of the ethics inquiries regarding Cherfilus-McCormick and Mills.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., speaks after being sworn in during a ceremony in the Broward County Commission chambers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Jan. 27, 2025.  (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

It seems that Congress is now in a period of establishing new precedents on a regular basis. A record-breaking government shutdown – only superseded by another record-breaking government shutdown. In addition, the House is experiencing a dramatic increase in the raw number of “censures” which it doles out to Members. Censure is the second-highest mode of punishment in the House, just below expulsion.

JONATHAN TURLEY: ERIC SWALWELL’S ENABLERS KNEW THE TRUTH — AND PROTECTED HIM ANYWAY

The House censured late Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) in late 2010. Prior to that, the House last reprimanded late Reps. Gerry Studds (D-Mass.) and Daniel Crane (R-Ill.) in 1983. But since 2021, the House has censured five Members: Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) – when he served in the House – Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Al Green (D-Texas).

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) recently characterized the censure explosion as the “political” weaponization of the ethics process.

It’s possible the House might not take any immediate action regarding Cherfilus-McCormick and Mills. Lawmakers from both sides may be more willing to expel one of their own – and maybe take one for the team on their side – if a similar outcome is guaranteed across the aisle.

SWALWELL’S FALL FROM GRACE SPARKS DEMOCRAT RUSH TO RETURN CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS AMID SCRUTINY

With such a tight majority, Republicans may not want to cede power to Democrats if the House expels a GOP Member as they try to cling to the majority. By the same token, it’s doubtful Democrats are willing to absorb a hit when they are within sneezing distance of the majority – if they don’t see a political equilibrium and document consequences for the Republican majority.

Moreover, tracking where the votes lie for disciplinary action is nearly impossible. What further complicates this is whether any expulsion motion actually comes to a true, up/down vote. There are often motions “to table” or kill any resolution to impose discipline against a Member. The same with motions “to refer” or dispatch allegations against a Member to the Ethics Committee for additional scrutiny. For instance, the Ethics panel is all but done probing Cherfilus-McCormick and is investigating Mills. So it’s unclear what would happen with any possible motion “to refer.”

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And let’s be frank: some lawmakers either really want to be on the record voting to discipline one of their colleagues or want no part of it at all. Resolutions to sit in judgment of a colleague is one of the hardest votes lawmakers take. Right up with a vote to go to war. That’s why some prefer the political fig leaf of a “motion to refer” or “motion to table” to an actual up/down vote to punish one of their own.

So this could have been “expulsion week” on Capitol Hill. It’s certainly “resignation week.” And if there’s no other disciplinary action, some lawmakers will be resigned to that outcome.

Jessie Ravnsborg chose to end her life when she was just 36.

The Calgary woman didn’t want to die — but an aggressive, incurable illness made it impossible to continue living.

“The one control she had was when she’d had enough,” said her mother, Heather Lucier.

Ravnsborg had a promising future before getting sick. She’d just obtained her master’s degree and was off to Sierra Leone for a volunteering vacation, when she began developing weakness.

“She thought it was her hip flexors,” Lucier said. “Basically, I picked her up at the Calgary airport and drove her straight to Foothills (Hospital) emergency department and nine days later, she was diagnosed with ALS.”

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a neurodegenerative disease that destroys the motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, causing voluntary muscle control to fail — but leaving the mind intact.

Patients become prisoners trapped in a body that is shutting down. There is no cure.

Ravnsborg was diagnosed in March 2018. She was 35 years old.

“Within four months, she was not walking. Her diaphragm was weakening and she really didn’t think she was gonna make (it to) Christmas of 2018.”

But Ravnsborg knew her rights and what she wanted.

She’d worked in the intensive care unit at Rocky View Hospital, her mother’s entire career was in health care and she’d sat at her stepfather’s bedside as he was kept alive by a ventilator leading up to his death.

Ravnsborg didn’t want that kind of ending. Within hours of her devastating diagnosis, she had a sobering conversation with her mom.

“Quality of life for me is meaningful engagement with people,” Lucier said, recalling that conversation from eight years ago.

“I will not go on a ventilator. I won’t be trached. And I will likely utilize medical assistance in dying when I deem appropriate,” she said her daughter stated.

The Calgary mother was left feeling a “paradox of pride and devastation,” but backed her daughter’s wish.

“Devastated and yet so proud that she would know what quality of life meant to her and could articulate it so succinctly — that she knew what her plan was going to be.”

Throughout her journey with ALS, her mother said Ravnsborg was determined to live life to the fullest and connect with those she loved.

“When you know what your choice is, the focus shifts from ‘how am I going to die?’ to ‘how do I want to live?’ And that’s so important when a disease is taking every bit of control — other than your attitude.”

Every ALS patient’s timeline is different: some decline over many years but for others, the disease claims their bodies in mere months.

That uncertain timeline now has the Parkinson Association of Alberta and the ALS Society of Alberta speaking out about the province’s proposed changes to MAID.

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Bill 18, tabled last month, would drastically restrict who’s eligible for medical assistance in dying, limiting MAID to those likely to die of natural causes within a year.

1:54
Alberta to impose MAID eligibility restrictions

The organizations fear the proposed legislation may unintentionally disadvantage people living with progressive neurological diseases by limiting MAID eligibility based on predictability of death, rather than severity of suffering.

“ALS isn’t a straight and predictable path… we really feel that policy needs to reflect that,” said Leslie Ring Adams, the executive director of the ALS Society of Alberta.

“Someone living with ALS starts grieving the moment they get the diagnosis – it’s a considerable amount of losses, one after the other,” Ring Adams said.

“They may feel like they have no other control in any other aspects of this disease, but this is such an important one.”

There’s also worries about Alberta restricting advance care planning options for people who may later lose decision-making capacity.

“For our community, the ability to plan ahead isn’t optional — it’s critical.”

Alberta’s bill aims to, essentially, return to how Canada’s MAID program began in 2016 and roll back expanded eligibility granted in 2021, which permit those suffering from a serious illness or disability that isn’t considered terminal and who are in an advanced state of unreversible decline to use MAID.

The Alberta government said it aims to ensure MAID is not used in place of care or support for mental illness or disabilities.

1:57
Majority of Canadians support MAID for mental illness patients, research says

The new rules would also prohibit doctors from initiating conversations about MAID with a patient or refer them to receive MAID outside of Alberta. There’d also be new professional sanctions for doctors and nurse practitioners that break the rules.

Lucier believes that is denying people their right to informed consent.

“I believe patients need to know all of the options that are on the table. To make the best decision for themselves. And that decision needs to be between the patient and their care team,” Lucier said.

“I don’t believe the government should be making decisions around health-care options that are nationally legal and have such tight guidelines.”

The ALS Society of Alberta said patients being able to have open convesations with health-care professionals is critical.

“When someone is trying to navigate their choices, they need be able to go to reliable, respectable professionals who can give them clear advice and suggestions around what their options may be,” Ring Adams said.

“We support safeguards, but they need to be balanced with respect and personal autonomy.”

Watching your child die, rapidly, is a parent’s worst nightmare and Lucier said the idea of future ALS patients potentially not having the same option her daughter had is anxiety inducing.

“The one relief I had was that I knew when she said enough’s enough — that she could say, ‘I’m ready for MAID.’”

Ravnsborg died on Nov. 2, 2019 — 20 months after her diagnosis.

As with Ottawa’s rules, Alberta’s bill would prohibit requests made by patients in advance.

That includes people recently diagnosed with diseases such as dementia or Alzheimer’s who may want to provide their consent for MAID before they lose capacity to make the decision. (Quebec currently permits such requests.)

Lucier questions Alberta’s intentions in drastically reducing MAID access.

“I know in this proposed Bill 18 that they feel they’re putting in some safeguards — but as I look at those safeguards, they’re already in our law already.

“So I have concerns around transparency.”

6:42
Alberta proposes new limits on Medical Assistance in Dying under Bill 18

A request for an interview with Justice Minister Mickey Amery was ignored and he was not made available to answer questions before question period at the legislature on Tuesday.

Instead, the ministry sent a statement. The province did not address the specific concerns of people with Parkinson’s or ALS but instead, responded to part of their letter that mentioned dementia and advanced requests.

“Advance requests raise significant ethical, legal, and practical concerns, and that’s why the Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act will ensure that they remain prohibited in Alberta,” said a statement by Amery.

“Under current federal legislation, advance requests for MAID are prohibited, and the Criminal Code requires a person have the capacity to provide express consent to receive MAID immediately before it is administered.”

Alberta Health Services says 1,242 people died through MAID in the province last year, though the statistics don’t break them down by eligibility factors.

The government says deaths in Alberta under Ottawa’s expanded eligibility rules increased by 136 per cent between 2021 and 2025.

The B.C. government tabled implementation legislation on Tuesday in another step toward a fully ratified treaty for the K’ómoks First Nation.

The province introduced the K’ómoks Treaty Act, 2026, after negotiations began in 1994 with the federal government and the province.

“Together with K’ómoks, this treaty will create opportunity, jobs, prosperity and certainty for our beautiful province,” said Premier David Eby in a statement.

“This is a historic day for the K’ómoks people, for those who have worked long and hard to reach this moment. People are experiencing real benefits from treaties, based in mutual trust and shared goals, like healthy communities, new investments and prosperity, services that make life easier, and sustainable land, water and resource stewardship.”

The K’ómoks Treaty Act establishes the legal status of the K’ómoks Treaty, in which the First Nation will receive ownership of about 3,442 hectares of land scattered around Vancouver Island, with an additional 1,592 hectares available for purchase from the province over time.

K’ómoks territory spans north to Quadra Island up to the southern reaches of the Johnstone Strait, with the heart being in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island.

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K’ómoks Reserves, including their administration and territory, primarily surround the city of Courtenay.

K’ómoks has 351 registered members, of whom 102 reside on reserve, according to the province.

All of the land covered in the treaty is already owned by either the First Nation or the B.C. government.

1:59
Esquimalt First Nation sues Canadian government

“Introducing this legislation alongside K’ómoks First Nation marks a major milestone in our government-to-government relationship, and in the B.C. treaty negotiations process,” said Spencer Chandra Herbert, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, in a statement.

“If fully ratified, the K’ómoks Treaty will bring stability and certainty through positive changes, a path to self-governance, recognition of rights, social and economic opportunities, all leading toward a prosperous and bright future for the K’ómoks people, and for everyone in the surrounding communities.”

Once the legislation is debated and passed in the legislature, more steps must be taken by the B.C. and Canadian governments.

The bill is one of two steps, with the second being the signing of the treaty by the K’ómoks First Nation, and both levels of government.

The federal parliament will then review the treaty and if fully ratified, the K’ómoks Treaty will be one of the first comprehensive treaties to come into effect since the Tla’amin Treaty in 2016, according to the B.C. government.

“This is an important milestone for K’ómoks First Nation,” said K’ómoks First Nation Elected Chief Councillor Nicole Rempel. “Our members have already shown strong support for this treaty, and we are confident in both the agreement and the process that has brought us here.

“The introduction of this legislation moves us closer to implementation — strengthening our governance, recognizing our rights, and creating long-term opportunities for our Nation and the region. We remain committed to moving forward with respect, collaboration and continued engagement.”

Following the introduction of provincial treaty implementation legislation, Canada and B.C. will be continuing consultations with neighbouring First Nations on overlapping land claims, a news release from the B.C. government states.

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Before he was an accused rapist, Eric Swalwell was a Democratic golden boy who rose to some of the most influential roles in Washington over his 13 year career in Congress.

With the help of Rep. Nancy Pelosi and other powerful allies, Swalwell won key appointments at congressional committees and made a name for himself as a leading Democrat fighting against the Trump administration.

Swalwell now stands accused by five women of sexual misconduct, such as sending nudes and non-consensual touching. Two of them alleged rape, including revelations made Tuesday that Swalwell allegedly drugged and raped a model in a hotel room in 2018.

He vowed to fight the “false” allegations. However, Swalwell suspended his campaign for governor Sunday and officially resigned from Congress Tuesday as allies abandoned him.

One of those crucial allies was former House Speaker Pelosi, who was one of the first political figures to tell Swalwell to drop out, saying the handling of accusations was “best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”

Questions are swirling, however, over whether the disgraced congressman’s friends and allies were unaware of Swalwell’s alleged actions despite knowing him for so long.

Pelosi, a powerhouse in California politics, plucked out Swalwell for many plum spots when she was speaker.

In 2014, Pelosi put a relatively new Swalwell on the House Democratic Steering & Policy Committee, which shapes key policies for House Democrats and are de facto members of senior leadership. She then described him as “an energetic and forward-looking leader who will bring fresh ideas and perspectives.”

Then in 2016, as minority leader, she elevated him further on the steering committee, making him vice-chair.

Pelosi was warned about potential concerns around Swalwell. In 2020, a briefing by the FBI flagged connections between Swalwell and a suspected Chinese spy. Still, Pelosi said then that “I don’t have any concern about Mr. Swalwell.”

Then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) urged Pelosi to remove Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee after the briefing. Pelosi didn’t heed those warnings, and in 2021, she re-appointed Swalwell to the House Committee on Homeland Security.

He was also serving on the intelligence committee and House Judiciary Committee under Pelosi’s leadership.

One of her more prominent decisions involving Swalwell was making him the manager in President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021. That allowed him to burnish an anti-Trump reputation, which later buoyed his gubernatorial campaign this year.

Despite all those connections, Pelosi at a Monday event denied knowing any of Swalwell’s alleged pursuits of women.

“I had none whatsoever,” Pelosi said.

She called the resignation “a smart decision” but didn’t directly answer if she told Swalwell to also resign from Congress.

“I think that was his decision,” she responded. “That’s the right thing to do, yes, not to subject members to have to take a vote on something like that, and not to subject your family.”