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Trump says he’s spoken to China’s Xi Jinping about imprisoned businessman Jimmy Lai

Published

2 months ago

7 minute read

From LifeSiteNews

By Michael Haynes, Snr. Vatican Correspondent

‘I didn’t say 100% I’ll save him,’ Trump claimed on a Fox News interview last week about imprisoned Jimmy Lai. ‘I said 100% I’m going to be bringing it up, and I’ve already brought it up.’

As the trial for imprisoned businessman Jimmy Lai draws to a close, President Donald Trump stated he has “already” discussed the plight of Lai with China’s President Xi Jinping.

“I didn’t say 100% I’ll save him,” Trump claimed on a Fox News interview last week, referencing prior comments. “I said 100% I’m going to be bringing it up, and I’ve already brought it up [with President Xi Jinping], and I’m going to do everything I can to save him.”

The pro-democracy activist, businessman, and former newspaper owner Jimmy Lai remains behind bars still as his trial under Hong Kong’s draconian National Security Law (NSL) hears closing arguments.

Lai – a 77-year-old British national – was sentenced to a six-year jail term in December 2022 on the charge of “fraud.” According to news outlet Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP), at Lai’s 2022 sentencing, the judge also imposed “an eight-year disqualification order to Lai and ordered the media tycoon to pay HK$2 million in fines.”

But his current trial is for separate charges of “collusion with foreign forces” in violation of the draconian NSL that Beijing imposed on the island to suppress dissent against the Chinese authorities, under which he could face a life sentence. The trial has faced numerous delays by the Chinese authorities, but now – after being further pushed back last week due to a typhoon and over concerns about Lai’s health – closing arguments are being heard after proceedings commenced in December 2023.

The trial has been widely labelled as a show trial, including by his lawyers, with Human Rights Watch calling the charges “fabricated.”

An open letter from Doughty Street Chambers in 2023 described the “fraud” charges against Lai as “spurious,” and added that his arrest under the NSL was simply for “peaceful pro-democracy campaigning and his work at Apple Daily.”

Lai himself has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. If the court – which comprises hand-picked judges rather than a jury in a notable break from precedent – finds him guilty, he could face life in prison.

A guilty verdict is seen by many as highly likely.

He founded the pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily in 1995, which published criticism of the CCP that earned it the ire of the communist authorities. The newspaper became one of the leading outlets in Hong Kong prior to its forced closure by the authorities.

Prosecutor Anthony Chau has previously said that “this case is about a radical political figure … who conspired with others to bring into hatred and stir up opposition to the government and the central authorities.”

“He’s a respected guy, he’s a good guy. You can also understand, President Xi would not be exactly thrilled by doing it,” added Trump to Fox News about Lai, regarding his championing Lai’s cause to the Chinese.

Continuing, the president stated:

It was a very nasty period of time in the history of China. With all of that being said, his name has already entered the circle of things that we’re talking about, and we’ll see what we can do.

Trump made much stronger promises last year prior to his election victory when he stated that, should he win the U.S. presidential election, he would speak to China’s Xi Jinping about brining Lai out of the country. “One hundred percent, yes. I’ll get him out. He’ll be easy to get out. But we don’t have people that even talk about it.”

His latest remarks appear to downplay the certainty of his actions regarding Lai’s future.

The condition’s of Lai’s time in prison have led to international concerns about his health. Even three months prior to the start of this trial, Lai already marked 1,000 days behind bars. Now, he is approaching nearly 1,700 days.

Since his August 2020 arrest, Lai has been spending around 23 hours of every day in solitary confinement, in conditions which violate those laid out by the United Nations for the treatment of prisoners. On his brief 50 minutes allowed out of the cell, Lai is accompanied by guards in a separate pen, in contrast to other prisoners who are allowed to mix with each other or play sports.

Despite the extreme humidity and heat of Hong Kong in the summer, Lai’s cell is not fitted with any air conditioning.

Now Lai is described as having to wear a heart monitor in court following heart palpitations in recent days.

China experts and Hong Kong activists have vocally championed the cause of Lai on the international stage, as have a number of prominent Catholic clergy such as New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Shortly prior to the NSL trial starting, a number of prominent prelates called for Lai’s immediate release.

Human Rights Watch stated last Friday that the authorities should “drop the baseless charges against Jimmy Lai.”

“Holding the 77-year-old Lai in prolonged solitary detention while his health fails has been outrageously cruel,” wrote the group. “Concerned governments should press for Lai’s immediate release both for his sake and for the sake of media freedom in Hong Kong and China.”

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International

Trump-brokered Gaza peace agreement enters first phase

Published on October 10, 2025

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MXM logo MxM News

Quick Hit:

The Trump-brokered Gaza ceasefire officially took effect Friday, with the Israel Defense Forces confirming they’ve withdrawn troops to the agreed boundary. During this first phase, Israel will release 11 Hamas prisoners while Hamas has 72 hours to hand over all remaining hostages, living or dead.

Key Details:

  • The IDF announced Friday that troops have redeployed to the “yellow line” agreed upon in the Trump-brokered deal, confirming that the ceasefire began at 12:00 p.m. local time.
  • Gaza residents have been allowed to travel north on the Rashid coastal road and Salah a-Din highway, though the IDF warned civilians not to approach Israeli positions or the border buffer zone.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu credited President Trump and his team for their “exceptional assistance,” saying their combined diplomatic and military efforts “isolated Hamas” and made the ceasefire possible.

Diving Deeper:

The Israel Defense Forces announced Friday that a Trump-brokered ceasefire in Gaza has officially taken effect, marking a critical moment in the conflict. The truce, which began at noon local time, follows an agreement under which Israel agreed to withdraw its forces to an initial line of control in exchange for the release of hostages and prisoners.

According to the IDF, troops have now repositioned along the designated “yellow line,” signaling full compliance with the first phase of the agreement. The ceasefire permits the movement of Gaza residents toward the northern part of the Strip via two key routes — the Rashid coastal road and the Salah a-Din highway. However, the military cautioned that specific security zones remain off-limits.

“According to the agreement, IDF troops will remain deployed in specific areas of the Gaza Strip,” IDF spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee said. “Do not approach IDF troops in the area until further notice. Approaching the forces exposes you to danger… It is forbidden to approach Israeli territory and the buffer zone. Approaching the buffer zone is extremely dangerous.”

The IDF also issued public warnings against swimming or fishing in the Mediterranean in the coming days, citing potential hazards. Meanwhile, The Times of Israel reported that Gazans began returning north immediately after the ceasefire was confirmed.

Under the terms of the first phase of the agreement, Israel will release 11 Hamas prisoners, while Hamas has 72 hours — until midday Monday — to deliver all remaining hostages, whether alive or deceased. The deal, brokered by President Donald Trump, has been hailed as a breakthrough in restoring regional calm after years of fighting.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting ahead of the truce, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire represented “a decisive development.” He praised President Trump’s leadership and his administration’s role in finalizing the deal.

“We are in the midst of a decisive development… and we are about to do it,” Netanyahu said. “We could not have reached this without the exceptional assistance of President Trump and his team. These efforts, along with the courage of our soldiers who entered Gaza, have created combined military and diplomatic pressure that has isolated Hamas. I believe this has brought us to this point.”

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Crime

Florida teens credited for averting school shooting plot in Washington state

Published on October 10, 2025

By

From The Center Square

By 

Two teenage boys in Florida are being called heroes for their response to a five-second TikTok video last month that may well have averted disaster all the way across the country.

The video, which has since been taken down, reportedly showed plans for a mass school shooting at Kamiakin High School in Kennewick, Wash.

“The contents of the TikTok were a map of a high school, and it had classrooms that were identified and labeled as targets,” said Kennewick School Board member Brittany Gledhill in a Thursday interview with The Center Square. “It had other classrooms that were labeled as potential targets. It had labeled exits, and it had the security department of the school listed as a potential threat.”

The map in the video did not indicate the location or name of the school.

“But this young man who lives in Florida decided to show it to a brother, and then together they decided that they needed to tell the authorities,” Gledhill said.

She explained that local authorities in Florida contacted the FBI, and within hours, the investigation was underway to determine the TikTok poster’s location.

That was September 19, a Friday.

“We got involved on Sunday, so that we were able to sweep the campus and provide a secure and safe environment for our students and staff, and that was in conjunction with KPD, or Kennewick police department,” said Kennewick School District Superintendent Lance Hansen.

At that point, the suspect, a 14-year-old Kamiakin High School freshman, was already in custody.

According to the Tri-City Herald, the FBI was able to match the layout and room numbers shown in the TikTok video to Kamiakin High School, and at that point, the FBI contacted the internet provider about the IP address linked to the account.

Officials were able to narrow down the location to a few dozen potential residences in Kennewick, and according to the Herald, law enforcement further narrowed the list based on the times the TikTok account was active.

The address was further narrowed to the boy’s home, where he reportedly lived with his grandparents, and more than two dozen firearms were located.

Hansen told The Center Square that officials believe the young man was most likely to carry out his plan had the boys in Florida not done the right thing.

“It was smart and courageous at the same time, and I think that they can be an example or model for others who may see something and think it’s not a big deal. Just the thought that they would recognize this isn’t right and have the courage to speak up … that’s really where I believe the story is,” Hansen said.

Gledhill said the school board, administration and staff members from Kamiakin High School are putting together a gift basket and thank-you notes for the boys in Florida who reported the TikTok post to authorities.

“We averted a terrible tragedy because of these two young men,” she said. “This is my home high school, and I have two of my own children [who] go to that school.”

Hansen said the school community is still reeling from what could have happened, but is also trying to find a lesson in it.

“In times where information can flow so quickly and there’s some level of anonymity that is created in ways that we communicate, like with social media, it sometimes creates some boldness in youth, which I think is a false positive,” he said. “I mean, there are benefits to the way that we communicate, and there [are] some unintended consequences of that. Having said that, as I reminded our parents, every person who’s on a campus is responsible for the safety of the campus. That’s students, staff, whoever is there. So that model … needs to be applied for everything.”

Given that the accused is 14, he is being charged as a juvenile. Assuming he pleads guilty or is convicted, he could only be confined until he turns 21.

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