By Tessa Gervasini Published May 12, 2026 at 4:41 PM ET Daughter of imprisoned Catholic activist Jimmy Lai said she is feeling “hopeful” ahead of President Donald Trumpʼs visit to China where he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “My father, his fight, the rights and values that he stands for, and the urgency of his case is one that speaks to a lot of people,” Claire Lai said in an interview with EWTN News. “And we’re just extremely grateful for the people who have taken his case to he... Read more

By Eva Fu and Frank Fang Published May 11, 2026 The House of Representatives is set to vote on a resolution urging President Donald Trump to make the freedom of political prisoners in China a priority in talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, including during this week’s summit in Beijing. H.Res.1259, introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, names five individuals that he said were “unfairly punished” by Beijing for exercising freedom o... Read more

By Frank Fang & Eva Fu Published May 11, 2026 Ahead of President Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing this week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging him to confront Chinese leader Xi Jinping about political prisoners in China. The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), a bipartisan and bicameral panel, sent a letter to Trump urging him to raise the unjust detentions of Americans, U.S. lawful permanent residents, and their families. Raising individual cases helps protect American cit... Read more

By Dewey Sim in Beijing Published 10:00pm, 11 May 2026 A US congressional commission is pressing President Donald Trump to confront his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping over detained Americans when the leaders meet this week, warning that silence would leave Beijing free to “use human beings as bargaining chips”. The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), in a letter to Trump dated May 7, aired concerns over the growing threat arising from the Communist Party’s use of “hostage diploma... Read more

By Keoni Everington Published May 11, 2026 at 16:23 TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — US Representatives Tom Tiffany and Chris Smith on Friday urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to give President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) the same opportunity to visit the US as KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文). Cheng said on April 20 that members of Congress, think tanks, and overseas Taiwanese groups have invited her to visit the US in early June. Tiffany and Smith responded by sending a letter to Rubio supporting her trip, but “i... Read more

On Thursday, May 14th, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), will chair a congressional hearing on the systematic, widespread, and nonconsensual removal of human organs for transplantation—often described as forced organ harvesting or illegal organ trafficking—occurring within the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Reports by researchers, human rights advocates, and medical ethics experts have raised serious concerns that prisoners of consci... Read more

By Tessa Gervasini Published May 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET More than 100 U.S. lawmakers sent President Donald Trump a letter asking him to address Jimmy Lai’s case when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14–15. Lai, founder and publisher of the pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Feb. 9 over what Chinese officials claim were national security violations. The sentencing followed Lai’s conviction, which ended what Lai’s defenders describ... Read more

By Karen Wall, Patch Staff Published Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 5:32 am ET MANCHESTER, NJ — Manchester Township has 10 new police vehicles thanks to a federal grant. The new vehicles — nine Chevy Tahoes and the van — were unveiled Tuesday at police headquarters at the Manchester Township municipal complex. The vehicles were purchased with a $1,148,000 federal Byrne Discretionary Grant secured in 2024 by Rep. Chris Smith, whose 4th Congressional District includes Manchester. The Byrne Discretionary... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus; Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP); and more than 110 Republican lawmakers filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, urging the Justices to uphold the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling in The State of Louisiana v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which halted the Biden Administration’s dangerous mail-order abortion pill policy while litigatio... Read more

By Rena Rowe Published May 8, 2026 at 3:02 PM ET More than 100 Republican lawmakers filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court urging the justices to reinstate restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone, arguing the Biden administration unlawfully loosened safety requirements for the drug. The brief, signed by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), among 113 GOP lawmakers, asked the high court to u... Read more