Editor's Choice: Scroll below for Part 1 of our monthly blend of mainstream and alternative May 2026 news and views, with clips beginning at May 1 and extending through May 12 in reverse chronological order. See our home page for more recent coverage during this unusually heavy news period.
Note: Excerpts are from the authors' words except for subheads and occasional "Editor's notes" such as this. Nearly all excerpts are drawn from news sources for which the Justice Integrity Project pays a subscription. Readers here are encouraged also to subscribe to these outlets also to receive their full
May 16
Top Headlines
President Trump met with President Xi Jinping of China on Thursday, May 14, 2026, after a flurry of actions.
May 16 2026. Trump continues to bow to and appease global strongmen, doing enormous harm to America and freedom and democracy everywhereU.S. Crime, Courts, Insurrection, Law, Rights
Trump plans special $5 tax on every American via Justice Department "settlement" for special $1.6 billion slush fund to reward his Jan. 6 Capitol insurrectionists (some shown above).
May 15, 2026. Remember back in February, when Trump claimed he was going to donate to “very good charities” any money he got by settling his own lawsuit against the IRS because a contractor stole his tax records from the IRS during his own first term?
May 16, 2026. The corruption scandals widen: Publisher's Roundup. More Major Power Global News
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump attend ameeting on the sidelines of their visit to the Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing, China, May 15, 2026. (Pool photo by Evan Vucci of Reuters).
New York Times, Rubio, Once a China Hawk, Strikes Softer Tone to Align With Trump, Edward Wong and Michael Crowley, May 16, 2026. As a senator, Marco Rubio even hinted at the need for regime change in China. Now he talks about cooperation. Before he shook hands with President Xi Jinping of China in Beijing this past week, Marco Rubio was an official enemy of the Chinese state.News Roundups
May 16, 2026. Donald Trump is now escalating his attacks on Lauren Boebert as internal MAGA infighting intensifies.More On Iran War
More Global News
Cruise ship MV Hondius docks off Cape Verde port, as passengers were not allowed off the ship, while health authorities investigated suspected cases of hantavirus aboard the vessel, in Praia Port, Cape Verde, May 4, 2026. Hondius anchored off Tristan da Cunha from April 13 to 15, 2026.
More News Roundups
Morning News and Commentary: Trump to Control 'Truth' Commission to Pay Billions to Allies, Thousands March in Alabama, GOP Upset Over China Summit, Aaron Parnas, right,May 16, 2026. It has been a relatively slow start to the day, but things are expected to pick up quickly as a major mass mobilization unfolds in Alabama to protest the Supreme Court’s weakening of the Voting Rights Act.
May 16, 2026. President Donald J. Trump arrived back in the United States of America today after a three-day state visit to China.U.S. Elections, Politics, Governance
Commentary: Trump’s HEALTH CRASHES as HIS LAWYER BLOWS WHISTLE!!! Ben Meiselas, right, May 16, 2026. MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump’s health crashing in China as his former lawyer and current lawyer address his health with his former lawyer stating Trump is unfit and his current DOJ lawyer is informing a federal judge that a secret hospital is being developed underneath the White House.
t, The Best of the Rest of the News and Opinion: As Hantavirus Threat Grows, Trump Turns to a Penile Implant Expert to Reassure America, Thom Hartmann, right, May 16, 2026. Surprised?U.S. Media, Education
Presidential aide Natalie Harp, center, is shown in the White House helping President Trump draft a message for his Truth Social platform as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, far left, looks on along with others.
Stephen Colbert on the set of “The Late Show,” on May 5, 2026 (CBS Photo by Scott Kowalchyk).
Top Stories
President Trump met with President Xi Jinping of China on Thursday, May 14, 2026, after a flurry of actions fro
New York Times, News Analysis: Trump Makes a High Risk Move to Win Over Xi, Chris Buckley, May 16, 2026. The president said a potential arms deal for Taiwan was a “very good negotiating chip” in talks with Beijing. His words raise questions about the reliability of U.S. support.
President Trump has described a potential multibillion-dollar weapons sale to Taiwan as a “negotiating chip” with China, raising new doubts about the pace and scale of American military support for the island democracy.
Taiwan’s government has been waiting for months for Mr. Trump to sign off on a $14 billion package of missiles, anti-drone equipment and air-defense systems intended to fortify the island against Beijing’s military threats.
Mr. Trump himself had pressured Taiwan to spend more on its own defense. Now he is using the very arms his administration had pushed the island to buy as leverage with China, the United States’ main adversary.
Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One after leaving China on Friday that he had discussed the weapons package with China’s president, Xi Jinping, during their summit this past week in Beijing. He was asked in an interview with Fox News whether he would approve the Taiwan deal.
“No, I’m holding that in abeyance and it depends on China,” he said in the interview, which was recorded in Beijing but aired after he left. “It depends.”
“It’s a very good negotiating chip for us, frankly,” he said. “It’s a lot of weapons.”
He did not go into details about what he wanted in return, but Mr. Trump has pushed China to make major purchases of American airplanes, ethanol, soybeans, beef and sorghum.
Hopium Chronicles, Pro-Democracy Advocacy: Trump Is A Fool, A Coward, And A Traitor, Simon Rosenberg, right, May 16 2026. Trump continues to bow to and appease global strongmen, doing enormous harm to America and freedom and democracy everywhere.
I try to keep it light on the weekends but we are getting a clearer picture now of what happened in China, and where our addled, weakened, desperate leader is headed. In an interview with Fox’s Bret Baier yesterday Trump threw Taiwan under the bus, and gave it the “stop being so uppity” Ukraine treatment:
Whether through compromise, or a deep desire to be like them, Trump has a history of yielding to and appeasing strongmen. He has done it for years with Putin, giving him so much and getting nothing in return for the US. He did with Bibi in February, yielding 
to his ill-thought through total war with Iran.
He’s now doing that with Xi on Taiwan, again, yielding so much and getting nothing in return for the United States. He just gets played like a fool again and again, and accelerates our global geopolitical and economic decline. He gets admission to this club of autocrats, and as he walks in the door they pick his pockets, give him the table without a view of the stage, and howl with laughter for at their ridiculous good fortune.
In that interview when asked about the pain the war is bringing to our economy he repeated his magical thinking, [like] “COVID is just going to go away one day” line about short term pain, long term gain. We are way, way passed that now Mr. Trump:
From the article {in Axios]:
Farmers across the Midwest are entering planting season under mounting financial pressure, as the Iran conflict drives up diesel and fertilizer prices — deepening an agricultural downturn that some say is the worst since the crisis of the 1980s.
Why it matters: Rising fuel and fertilizer costs threaten to push more family farms out of business, drive up food prices and further strain rural economies already battered by trade disruptions, inflation and extreme weather.
The big picture: Mark Mueller — a northeast Iowa farmer and president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association — tells Axios that the current landscape is more challenging than at any time since the 1980s farm crisis, when interest rates soared and exports plunged, triggering agricultural bank failures.
The stresses are showing, with rising bankruptcies and lenders becoming more reluctant to provide farmers with operational loans.
“There’s going to be fewer farmers next year than there is this year,” Mueller says.
Zoom in: Farmers are grappling with a confluence of forces, including:
- Skyrocketing energy prices triggered by President Trump’s Iran war, which led to the shuttering of Strait of Hormuz, a vital passageway for fossil fuels.
- Spiking fertilizer prices and shortages after the Iranians blocked shipments through the strait.
- Disrupted export markets tied to Trump’s tariffs and Chinese import restrictions.
- Global drought and other weather pressures, including climate change.
What they’re saying: “What makes this moment particularly hard is that farmers can’t pivot quickly,” says Cornell University agricultural economist Wendong Zhang.
“Farmers have some tools, but none are quick fixes.”
This morning Iran announced the creation of a permanent toll system in the Strait of Hormuz, something that will strengthen Iran-China-Russia, and weaken the US, our European and Asian allies, and Trump’s Gulf Arab business partners:
We have to be clear eyed about what Trump is doing and who he is. He imagines himself to be like MBS, Bibi, Putin, and Xi. He envisions a world run by a handful of strongmen, with the US taking the Americas and leaving the rest to Putin, Xi, Bibi, and others.
As we discussed yesterday he is trying to help Putin win in Ukraine, and Xi now take Taiwan. He has floated the idea this week of taking full possession of Venezuela and making it the 51st state. He will soon seize Cuba, as he did Venezuela.
He is working furiously, with the help of the corrupt Roberts Court, Chief Justice John Roberts is shown at right, to install minority rule here in the US for the Republican Party. He is literally working to bring an end to the 2nd Reconstruction/VRA era, the 80 year era of Pax America and the Four Freedoms (and American dominance), and the end of American democracy itself.
He is the least American leader we have ever had, operating from a radical and ridiculous vision, one that is leaving America less prosperous, less safe, and less free; all while he builds his ballrooms, golf courses and golden statues, enriches himself, dances with dictators and let’s the rest of be grateful for the pain he has inflicted on us and for his surrendering the great idea of America itself, of freedom and democracy, to oligarchs, criminals, charlatans, and autocrats.
Despite his fantasies Trump is no strongman. He is a fool, a coward, and a traitor. The strongmen of the world laugh at him, and now at this once great country too.
And I am really fucking angry about it all this morning…….
It’s why…..It’s Time To Get To Work Everyone…….
U.S. Crime, Courts, Insurrection, Law, Rights
Trump plans special $5 tax on every American via Justice Department "settlement" for special $1.6 billion slush fund to reward his Jan. 6 Capitol insurrectionists (some shown above).
Emptywheel, Analysis: Trump’s Idea of Charity: Terrorists, Cop Assailants, and Child Sex Predators, Emptywheel (Marcy Wheeler), right, May 15, 2026. Remember back in February, when Trump claimed he was going to donate to “very good charities” any money he got by settling his own lawsuit against the IRS because a contractor stole his tax records from the IRS during his own first term?
Speaking with reporters Saturday aboard Air Force One, Trump said he is considering settling the case and giving the proceeds to “established and respected charities.”
“We’re thinking about doing something for charity where I’ll give money to charity,” he said. “We can make it a substantial amount. Nobody would care because it’s going to go to numerous very good charities.”
Trump added, “If I pay myself, that somehow will never look good.”
“A lot of outside people said, ‘What a great idea,’ because nobody cares how much if it goes to a good charity,” Trump said. “So you settle by giving charities a lot of money and I think we’re going to do something like that. We’re looking to do something like that.”
Yesterday, ABC reported that the settlement now envisions rewarding Trump $1.7 billion to award to Jan6ers (some shown above).
President Donald Trump is expected to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service in exchange for the creation of a $1.7 billion fund to compensate allies who claim they were wrongfully targeted by the Biden administration, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
The commission overseeing the compensation fund would have the total authority to hand out approximately $1.7 billion in taxpayer funds to settle claims brought by anyone who alleges they were harmed by the Biden administration’s “weaponization” of the legal system, including the nearly 1,600 individuals charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack as well as potentially entities associated with President Trump himself.
If the $1.7 billion were split evenly among the 1,600 criminals and those charged, it would work out to be over a million dollars a person. And that’s on top of the restitution payments for the damage the mob did to the Capitol, of which many convicted criminals were excused with Trump’s pardon. Taxpayers have been stuck cleaning up after Trump’s criminals.
And consider the kind of people who would benefit from this corrupt payoff.
Some number — around a dozen? — are seditionists and adjudged terrorists from the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers whom juries found to be attacking the country. Todd Blanche is already working to make their convictions go away, which will allow them to rearm Now, Trump wants to pay those guys a million dollars for their criminal ways.
Then there are the cop assailants. During police week, Trump is floating the idea of paying people who beat cops and in a few cases, nearly killed them — people like Danny Rodriguez who went to January 6 expecting there might be casualties and then responded directly to Rudy Giuliani’s call for trial by combat by making throat slicing gestures. Rodriguez went on to tase Michael Fanone, causing a heart attack.
That’s what Trump wants to reward with a million dollar payoff.
Several of these people have seriously threatened top government officials, too. Taylor Taranto (using an address that Trump made public on Truth Social) drove his armed van to Kalorama and started stalking Barack Obama. “Gotta get the shot, stop at nothing to get the shot. This is where other people come to get the shot,” the mentally ill Navy veteran was chanting. And Chris Moynihan sent text messages threatening to kill Hakeem Jeffries: “I cannot allow this terrorist to live … I will kill him for the future,” (which crime Trump’s DOJ chose to ignore, meaning Moynihan got off with just a misdemeanor offense).
Finally, there are the child sex predators. Andrew Paul Johnson, for example, started molesting two children, including a boy of the age of 11, after January 6.
Both of Johnson’s young victims — a young boy and a young girl — testified at his trial, where they described how Johnson used his role as a trusted “father figure” to subject them to physical sexual abuse and explicit messages.
Johnson first came into the picture in 2023, after the boy’s mother met Johnson at a political rally. The mother, who was raising two boys alone, let Johnson stay on the couch in her home.
She testified that she believed Johnson, who worked as a handyman, could help fix things around the house.
By that point, Johnson had already been charged for his role in the Capitol attack, but his case was still working its way through the courts. On the political right, riot defendants like Johnson were widely portrayed as victims, “hostages” and “political prisoners.”
One night, the boy was watching “a scary movie” with Johnson, when he fell asleep.
“I woke up in the morning and he was touching me — I felt him touching me in my private area,” the boy testified. He was 11 years old at the time.
“Did you say anything to him?” Assistant State Attorney Kasey Whitson asked.
“No ma’am,” the boy replied. “I was too nervous, like, I was scared.”
Later that year, the boy again woke up to Johnson touching him. This time, Johnson swore him to silence.
“He said not to tell anybody,” the boy said. His mother remained unaware of the abuse.
When the boy told him that fondling his genitalia was wrong, Johnson used his expectation of a payoff to try to silence the child.
Andrew also told [redacted] that since he was pardoned for storming the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, and he was being awarded $10,000,000 as a result of being a “jan 6’er”. Andrew did tell [redacted] that he would be putting him in his “will” to take any money he had left over. This tactic was believed to be used to keep [redacted] from exposing what Andrew had done to him.
It’s not just that these monsters are recidivist criminals. It’s that Trump’s coddling of them has led them to believe they have impunity for other crimes.
And Trump wants to steal $1.7 billion from taxpayers — basically a $5 tax on every American — and give it to these criminals.
That’s his idea of charity.
The Contrarian, Opinion:Trump to Redistricting Robbers: Hold My Beer, Norman Eisen, right, May 16, 2026. The corruption scandals widen.
Never in American history have we seen corruption remotely like what is going on with Donald Trump and his cronies in and outside of government. We have exposed that daily here at the Contrarian including in Top 10 lists as part of this column. On Sunday we will reveal our newest edition of the Top 10 list, and it is a doozy.
Leading off the list will be Trump’s personal lawsuit to brazenly pick $10 billion out of Americans’ pockets. It is a new low. And his machinations in recent days when it looked like a federal judge might stop him only highlight how depraved this whole scheme is. For this week’s publishers note we thought we would offer a deep dive on our new top scandal—with the full list to follow tomorrow.
This sordid story begins in January, when Trump, with his sons and the Trump Organization, sued the IRS and the Treasury Department. The plaintiffs argued that the agencies failed to take appropriate measures to protect Trump’s tax information, which leaked.
The lawsuit is riddled with flaws. For starters, it targets the wrong entity. No one in the IRS leaked his taxes; an outside contractor from Booz Allen Hamilton disclosed the information. For that and many other reasons, the lawsuit is entirely defensible by DOJ – indeed, a comparable one was settled for no payment at all.
Most outrageous of all is the amount originally sought: $10 billion. That is more than the entire annual appropriation for the IRS, an agency of 75,000 employees. (White House photo)
And it is an agency Trump ultimately oversees, as is the other defendant, the Treasury Department. Although Trump claims to be acting in his personal capacity as the plaintiff in this lawsuit, he is the chief executive of the federal government. He is in effect both the plaintiff and the defendant in this case! It is like a bank robbery committed by the CEO and board of directors of the bank.
In the annals of American law, it is hard to find an example of a president effectively suing himself. It’s not just wrong; it also raises profound constitutional issues. The President is prohibited by the Domestic Emoluments Clause of the Constitution from receiving any “profit, gain, or advantage“ from the United States other than his salary. This frivolous cash grab—whether paid to Trump directly or diverted at his direction to a fund that benefits his loyalists—is the exact type of corrupt self-dealing that the founders and framers were concerned with when they signed the Constitution.
And then there is Article III’s Case or Controversy requirement for a federal lawsuit. It provides that a legal action is only valid if the parties are actually adverse to one another. A case that is in effect Donald Trump v. Donald Trump hardly seems to fit.
Judge Kathleen Williams of the Southern District of Florida was rightly skeptical. She asked Trump’s personal lawyers and the government attorneys to submit briefs by May 20 explaining how the parties are genuinely adverse. She also asked six well-regarded lawyers to serve as amici, friends of the court, providing their view of the legitimacy of this lawsuit.
Needless to say, Trump is not keen on this kind of scrutiny and potential rejection of his legal complaint. Giving additional fuel to fears of collusion, on Tuesday, reports emerged that Justice is in settlement negotiations regarding this $10 billion lawsuit. Typically, when a plaintiff settles a case out of court, he is free to drop the case, and that is the end of the matter. If that kind of side deal were allowed to happen here, the settlement would escape judicial scrutiny.
Those concerns about a plot to dodge the court were only heightened by subsequent reports that emerged throughout the week. They suggest that Trump may now drop this and other lawsuits, including one seeking damages from DOJ relating to the seizure of classified documents he wrongly retained at his Florida home. In exchange, DOJ is said to be establishing a $1.7 billion fund to compensate those whom Trump claims were unfairly targeted by the Biden administration’s “weaponization” of the DOJ, including those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Jan. 6 insurrectionists who assaulted police officers should not be able to seek a financial reward for their actions. Nor should the rest of the rogues gallery of wrongdoers and Trump allies who are included in his bogus “weaponization” claims. Though Trump is said not to be able to directly apply for payment, it appears that people or entities linked to him will not be precluded.
Judge Williams should not fall for it. She has the power to investigate all this, and she should do so. This is a historically unprecedented effort to undermine her jurisdiction and purloin vast sums through self-dealing.Subscribed
The whole affair is even more sordid because Trump’s former defense lawyers are running the show at DOJ. That starts with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, whose bumbling performance when Trump was convicted of 34 felonies in connection with 2016 campaign wrongdoing did not seem to harm the lawyer’s career prospects. How can a DOJ headed by the likes of Blanche be expected to fairly resolve the president’s claims? It cannot, of course.
If you are thinking this whole depraved situation could not possibly get any worse, think again. Thursday brought revelations that former DOJ ethics counsel Joseph Tirrell counseled Blanche that under the ethics laws he should not be involved in anything involving the personal issues of his former client. As a former White House ethics czar, I certainly agree. Though the American people are not privy to who is doing the negotiations over this latest Trump settlement, Blanche should immediately disclose whether he has had any involvement in anything personally relating to Trump.
As you Contrarians are well-aware, corruption has been a hallmark of Trump’s second term, but this cascade of scandal after scandal is in a category of its own. It all amounts to the most extreme example of self-dealing we’ve seen yet. As Trump makes the lives of everyday Americans more expensive by continuing the war in Iran and with higher tariffs, he is trying to shake down the American taxpayer for vast sums. No wonder consumer sentiment is hitting an all-time low.
Talking Points Memo, Opinion: Yet More Thoughts (and a bit of love) for the Fancy Lawyers, Josh Marshall, May 16, 2026. A couple days ago I found myself in a brief online (social media) argument with a Court-reformer member of the legal academy insisting that, contrary to my claims, it’s totally false that there are no reformers in the academy.
Of course I never said there were no reformers in the academy. What I said, what I think is undeniable, is that the legal academy as a group or a community, and especially its most powerful voices, have been deep in the SCOTUS-reverencing camp. And for more clarity here, we’re talking really about the liberal+mainstream academic legal community. It goes without saying that this applies, on a contingent basis certainly, to the conservative legal movement which not only participates in the corruption of the Roberts Court, but is in effect its deep root structure, from which the Roberts Court is simply the degenerate, swaggering oak dominating the canopy and blocking out the sun which civic democracy needs to flourish.
In any case, I’ve been getting a lot of your emails from the legal academy, and please keep them coming. This isn’t surprising. Historically, our biggest TPM Reader community professions are higher education and lawyers. (We don’t have to break every stereotype.) So the legal academy is sort of an obvious ground zero for TPM Readership, and I guess makes my campaign of denigration somewhat paradoxical. In any case, as I noted a few days ago, every profession has pretensions beyond its area of true expertise. The late 19th-century professionalization movement very much affected the history profession. Indeed, it’s the only reason it’s even considered a profession. But historians can’t take away your right to an abortion or mutilate your constitutional order into an autocracy. At worst, they can rob the past of its mystery and fascination, and reduce it to a few stale or precious debates occluded with obscure and ornate jargon. So it’s really no comparison.
More seriously, I’m very interested in hearing from you because I’m very interested in what is happening right now within the legal academy. For all my potshots, the legal academy has a key role in all this. High profile legal academics, especially those in theYet More Thoughts (and a bit of love) for the Fancy Lawyersby Josh Marshall05.16.26 | 9:58 am Share
A couple days ago I found myself in a brief online (social media) argument with a Court-reformer member of the legal academy insisting that, contrary to my claims, it’s totally false that there are no reformers in the academy. Of course I never said there were no reformers in the academy. What I said, what I think is undeniable, is that the legal academy as a group or a community, and especially its most powerful voices, have been deep in the SCOTUS-reverencing camp. And for more clarity here we’re talking really about the liberal+mainstream academic legal community. It goes without saying that this applies, on a contingent basis certainly, to the conservative legal movement which not only participates in the corruption of the Roberts Court but is in effect its deep root structure, from which the Roberts Court is simply the degenerate, swaggering oak dominating the canopy and blocking out the sun which civic democracy needs to flourish.
In any case, I’ve been getting a lot of your emails from the legal academy and please keep them coming. This isn’t surprising. Historically, our biggest TPM Reader community professions are higher education and lawyers. (We don’t have to break every stereotype.) So the legal academy is sort of an obvious ground zero for TPM Readership and I guess makes my campaign of denigration somewhat paradoxical. In any case, as I noted a few days ago, every profession has pretensions beyond its area of true expertise. The late 19th professionalization movement very much affected the history profession. Indeed, it’s the only reason it’s even considered a profession. But historians can’t take away your right to an abortion or mutilate your constitutional order into an autocracy. At worst they can rob the past of its mystery and fascination and reduce it to a few stale or precious debates occluded with obscure and ornate jargon. So it’s really no comparison.
More seriously, I’m very interested in hearing from you because I’m very interested in what is happening right now within the legal academy. For all my potshots the legal academy has a key role in all this. High-profile legal academics, especially those in the towering heights of the profession and the clerkship networks, embracing the reform mantle would and will be huge. My sense from a distance is that we’re in the midst of or at the beginnings of a sea change on this front, for the simple reason that 2025 and the beginnings of 2026 have simply left no available space for a defense of the legitimacy of this Court. In a way, it is the mildest of silver linings of having the Biden presidency sandwiched between two Trump presidencies. It made it simple to deny that the Court’s corrupt majority is anything but a group of Republican functionaries attempting to rule through country and buttress Republican rule in the guise of constitutional interpretation – the case analogs are too tight, the time separating those analogs are too short.
In any case, ye righteous among the legal academics, lemme know what’s happening.
More Major Power Global News
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump attend ameeting on the sidelines of their visit to the Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing, China, May 15, 2026. (Pool photo by Evan Vucci of Reuters).
Meidas Touch Network, Saturday Afternoon News Updates: How Trump Surrendered in China, Ben Meiselas, May 16, 2026. Trump returned from Beijing humiliated, while Americans inch closer to $7-a-pound ground beef and can't afford to fill their tanks.Here are the top stories:
The more we learn about Trump’s China trip, the worse it gets
The reviews are in, and they are brutal — not just from Democrats, not just from the media, but from former ambassadors, foreign policy scholars, and even people inside China who watched this unfold in real time.
One Chinese citizen summed it up in a video that’s now going viral. She said Trump acts less like a world leader and more like an internet influencer. That he’s too focused on himself, doesn’t consider what others think, and gives off a desperate, attention-seeking energy.
And honestly, what she said tracks with everything we saw. Xi Jinping had Trump sit in a shorter chair so that Xi would appear taller when they were photographed side by side. And the handshake… Trump tried his usual weird dominance-grip thing, and Xi just stood there, expressionless, while Trump didn’t know what to do and ended up patting Xi’s hand like he was greeting a puppy. It was painful to watch.
Even Fox felt the need to do damage control on it in a segment on Laura Ingraham’s show my brother Brett called “possibly the most embarrassing segment ever to air on tv.”
Fox contributor Raymond Arroyo told Ingraham: “People were saying XI dominated Trump because of the handshake but look at what Trump does. He gives XI’s hand a little swat to diminish whatever that dominant move was at the top.”
Nicholas Burns, who served as U.S. Ambassador to China under Biden, noted that Trump did not get reciprocal praise from Xi. Not even close. Xi stuck to his agenda and his talking points, while Trump heaped on the compliments. Burns said it made America look weak.
Geopolitical analyst Ian Bremmer noted that Trump’s approach to Taiwan now mirrors exactly how he handled Ukraine. He finds the weaker party in a conflict and pressures them to capitulate, rather than standing with U.S. allies. And Philip O’Brien made the point that the press has been far too gentle in describing what actually happened in Beijing. The U.S. got nothing on Iran. It got scolded on Taiwan. It got a smaller-than-expected Boeing deal that China hasn’t even confirmed. Trump gave ground on Chinese students, microchips, and Chinese ownership of American farmland. And then Xi, to Trump’s face, said America is a nation in decline. And Trump agreed with him.
Josh Simpson, citing author Peter Frankopan, wrote that Trump “acted like the humble number two” throughout the visit, exactly the image Xi wanted to project to the world. Poor preparation, no real expertise, and the belief that everything reduces to a business deal, that’s what Frankopan said, and that’s what we all watched play out.Taiwan pushes back
Before this trip, the U.S. maintained a policy of strategic ambiguity on Taiwan. It was deliberately vague, and that vagueness actually served a purpose. It kept China guessing. Within 24 hours of Trump meeting with Xi, that ambiguity evaporated.
Trump went on Fox News and argued that Taiwan is a small island 9,500 miles away, China is big and powerful, and we’re not going to war over that. He said he wasn’t looking for Taiwan to go independent. He raised the possibility of halting arms sales to the island. Phil Gordon, a former senior NSC official, noted that Trump’s language implied the 1982 assurances have expired, and that his willingness to openly discuss Taiwan’s arms situation with Beijing, in great detail, represents a significant shift regardless of what Secretary Rubio insists publicly about policy being “unchanged.”
Taiwan’s foreign ministry responded on Saturday with a direct statement: Taiwan is a sovereign and independent democratic nation, and it is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China. They also reaffirmed that U.S. arms sales remain a core part of Washington’s security commitment to the island.
Good for them for saying it. But this situation is genuinely alarming. Trump just came back from Beijing and handed Xi exactly the rhetorical wins he wanted on Taiwan, without getting anything of substance in return.Iran is exploiting Trump’s weakness
Right on the heels of the Beijing summit, Iran came out with additional statements asserting full control over the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian political figure Ebrahim Azizi announced that Iran is preparing a formal mechanism to manage all traffic through the strait — only vessels cooperating with Iran will be allowed through, fees will be collected, and anyone affiliated with what he called the “freedom project” will be blocked entirely.
This is not the behavior of a country that feels any pressure from Trump’s diplomacy. If anything, Iran appears emboldened. And from what we’ve been hearing, Xi’s government has effectively recognized this new security architecture. Chinese ships move through the strait, and no one else really can. Trump came home from China without a single concrete concession from Beijing on Iran, and now Iran is announcing new toll mechanisms on the world’s most critical oil shipping lane.Skyrocketing ground beef prices and a White House in a bind
Meanwhile, back home, the American people are getting crushed.
Ground beef is approaching $7 a pound, up about 12 percent from last summer and up 24 percent since Trump took office. The White House was apparently ready to sign an executive order earlier this week to temporarily ease tariffs on imported beef, which might have brought some price relief to consumers. Then the ranching lobby pushed back hard, Republican senators from farm states made clear they would not be happy, and the order got shelved.
So now the White House is stuck. They’re trying to water down the executive order, but even a watered-down version is drawing fire from ranchers who say imported beef will undercut domestic producers already struggling with drought, the parasitic New World screwworm, and spiking diesel costs tied to the Iran conflict. One beef industry lobbyist called the plan “half-baked” and said it wouldn’t address the root causes of high prices anyway.
A person close to the White House told Politico they worry that even if Trump eventually acts, relief won’t reach voters before the midterms. “You worry that people aren’t feeling it by the time election day rolls around,” this person said.
On top of that, we got a leaked internal memo from AutoZone, shared by a CEO in the lubricant industry, warning that the country is facing the largest supply shortage of lubricating fluids in modern American history, with estimates of available supply dropping 40 percent.
Even radio host Charlamagne tha God said what a lot of people are feeling right now: Trump ran on fixing the economy on day one, promised to lower grocery prices, and literally said this week that he doesn’t care about the financial situation of the American peopleTrump’s latest Truth Social tantrums
And through all of this, the humiliation in China, Iran asserting control of the strait, beef prices at record highs, Trump has been posting on Truth Social. Constantly.
He’s reposting accounts calling former CIA director John Brennan a traitor and demanding he be arrested for sedition. He’s posting random videos of people pretending to be blind in some social experiment. He’s sharing AI-generated images of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. He’s calling Senator Bill Cassidy a “sleazebag” and urging Louisiana voters to defeat him. He’s attacking New York Governor Kathy Hochul over the Long Island Rail Road strike, a strike he admits he knew nothing about until this morning, and calling her a “Dumacrat.” He’s pushing the conspiracy theory that Biden’s FBI secretly set him up to be arrested after his term ends.Don’t let the $1.776 billion slush fund story go away
Before I wrap up, I want to make sure we don’t let the “Truth and Justice Commission” story drop off the radar, because it deserves continued attention.
The DOJ is finalizing a deal to create a $1,776,000,000 compensation fund — yes, the number is intentional, to pay out claims from people who say they were victims of government “weaponization.” This arose from Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS, and sources told ABC News that DOJ lawyers internally argued they could simply ignore the conflict of interest involved, reasoning that Trump has the right to sue as a private citizen while simultaneously running the executive branch. Trump wants to take your money and give it to the people who tried to overthrow our democracy on January 6th. This is one of the single biggest scandals in American history. Yet, too many in the media just treat this as “Trump being Trump.”
Our own DC bureau chief Scott MacFarlane has been all over this story and got reactions from multiple members of Congress at the Capitol. Democrats are calling it exactly what it looks like: a slush fund for Trump’s political allies. Legal hurdles ahead or not, the fact that this is being seriously discussed inside the DOJ tells you everything you need to know about where things stand.
More Major Power Global News
New York Times, Rubio, Once a China Hawk, Strikes Softer Tone to Align With Trump, Edward Wong and Michael Crowley, May 16, 2026. As a senator, Marco Rubio even hinted at the need for regime change in China. Now he talks about cooperation. Before he shook hands with President Xi Jinping of China in Beijing this past week, Marco Rubio was an official enemy of the Chinese state.
As a senator representing Florida, Mr. Rubio, right, was among Mr. Xi’s harshest critics in Washington. He accused the Chinese leader of “crimes against humanity” and of plotting to weaken the United States. Fed up, Mr. Xi’s government placed sanctions on Mr. Rubio in 2020 and banned him from entering the country.
So Mr. Rubio, now President Trump’s secretary of state and national security adviser, posed a sticky problem ahead of Mr. Trump’s first visit to China in his second term. But China creatively fudged the issue, allowing Mr. Rubio to accompany his boss and even meet the Chinese leader.
As Mr. Xi worked his way down a line of U.S. officials outside the Great Hall of the People, Mr. Rubio greeted him cordially without a smile. But Mr. Rubio later appeared delighted by the grandeur of a government he denounced less than 18 months ago as “the most potent and dangerous near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted.”
Inside the hall, as he stood with fellow U.S. officials at a long wooden table awaiting the start of their meeting with Chinese counterparts, Mr. Rubio seemed to marvel at the grand building, smiling as he repeatedly gestured toward its high ceiling.
Mr. Rubio, who entered the Trump administration with a reputation as a leading China hawk, has become more accommodating toward Beijing. He has talked about looking for areas of cooperation, in contrast to his years of emphasizing the party’s human rights abuses.
The difference, he told NBC News, is that he has a different job. “I’m the chief diplomat of the country, and I execute on the president’s foreign policy,” he said.
And the American president, an admirer of Mr. Xi, has said the two nations must build strong relations.
Mr. Trump’s effusiveness over China was evident throughout his two-day trip. On Friday, at tea with Mr. Xi, he raved: “This has been an incredible visit.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and China's leader Xi Jinping on Sept. 15, 2022.
New York Times, China Will Host Putin, Days After Trump’s Visit, Ivan Nechepurenko, May 16, 2026. The Russian leader will go to Beijing on Tuesday for talks with President Xi Jinping. The Kremlin said he had watched President Trump’s visit closely.
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia will go to China next week for talks with its leader, Xi Jinping, just days after President Trump’s visit to Beijing, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
Mr. Putin watched Mr. Trump’s visit closely and is looking forward to discussing major issues with Mr. Xi during a two-day visit, which will begin on Tuesday, the Kremlin said. Russian officials had said for days that Mr. Putin would visit China, but the dates were not announced until Saturday. China confirmed that the trip would take place.
Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, told reporters on Friday that the trip would give Moscow “a good opportunity to share opinions on the contacts that the Chinese had with the Americans.”
The Kremlin said on Saturday that the two leaders would discuss bilateral issues, share thoughts on “the main international and regional problems” and sign several bilateral documents.
Russia has a lopsided economic relationship with China. China supplies more than a third of its imports and buys more than a quarter of its exports, but Russia accounts for only about 4 percent of China’s international trade — a smaller share than Vietnam’s.
But with Moscow engaged in a high-stakes conflict with the West in Ukraine, Beijing has been trying to preserve at least a semblance of equality. And Russia’s value to China as a reliable source of energy has increased since war in Iran put global supplies of oil and natural gas under strain.
For years, Russia has been pushing China to agree to build a gas pipeline that would link its Siberian extraction sites with China’s interior through Mongolia. But Beijing has been hesitant, fearing that the pipeline, which would complement one that already carries Russian gas and another that is nearing completion, would make it too dependent on one supplier.
Speaking after Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9, Mr. Putin said that Russia and China were “very close to agreement on taking a highly significant step forward in oil and gas cooperation.”
“If we are able to finalize them during the visit, I would be very pleased,” he said.
News Roundups
The Parnas Perspective, Saturday Evening News and Commentary: MAGA Infighting Erupts, Trump's Stock Trading Exposed, Large Protests Against SCOTUS Across the South, Aaron Parnas, right, May 16, 2026. Donald Trump is now escalating his attacks on Lauren Boebert as internal MAGA infighting intensifies.
Marjorie Taylor Greene appears increasingly isolated, and Boebert may be next. At the same time, massive marches swept through Alabama today in protest of recent Supreme Court decisions affecting voting rights. We also learned that Trump made more than 3,700 stock trades during the first quarter of 2026 alone, raising major new ethics questions about conflicts of interest and presidential financial activity.
Meanwhile, there still is not nearly enough coverage of the proposed $1.7 billion compensation fund tied to Trump’s lawsuit against the federal government, money critics say could ultimately benefit his political allies, including January 6 defendants. Legal experts and watchdogs are warning that the implications are enormous because it could normalize the idea of a president using the machinery of government and the courts to financially reward allies and supporters. This is not a minor story. It cuts directly to questions about presidential power, accountability, and the future boundaries of executive authority.
But like so many stories in today’s nonstop news cycle, it is already beginning to fade from public attention. That is exactly why independent media matters right now more than ever. Independent outlets are often the only ones willing to stay focused on stories long after the headlines move on.
If you are able to subscribe, I’m asking you to do so today. This is no longer just about content or commentary. It is part of a much larger fight over truth, accountability, and whether factual reporting can still break through. Help me do it.Subscribed
Here’s the news:
Donald Trump attacked Lauren Boebert in his latest attack on a MAGA politician who once supported him:
According to the Washington Post, a Honduran mother deported by ICE says she repeatedly asked to be reunited with her two-year-old son before being sent back to Honduras, but months later the child was allegedly murdered while in the care of a relative in Florida. Authorities say the boy suffered severe abuse, including broken bones, burns, and possible sexual assault, and his uncle has been charged with murder. ICE later accused the mother of “abandoning” her son, a claim she strongly denies, arguing she had no choice after being detained and deported. The case has drawn renewed scrutiny to U.S. immigration enforcement policies and the impact of deportations on families and children.
Many across the political and foreign policy spectrum described Donald Trump’s Beijing visit as a diplomatic embarrassment that strengthened Xi Jinping’s image on the world stage. A Chinese citizen in a viral video said Trump acted “less like a world leader and more like an internet influencer,” describing him as overly self-focused and giving off “an attention-seeking energy.”
Former diplomats and analysts argued that Trump appeared overly eager to praise Xi while receiving little in return on key issues such as Taiwan, trade, and Iran. Observers also pointed to awkward public moments, including the leaders’ handshake and staged photo opportunities, as symbolic of the imbalance between the two sides. Several analysts warned that the summit reinforced perceptions that China is gaining geopolitical influence while American leadership is weakening.
Critics further argued that Donald Trump undermined decades of U.S. “strategic ambiguity” toward Taiwan after suggesting the United States would not go to war with China over the island and raising the possibility of reducing arms sales to Taipei. Former national security officials warned that Trump’s comments signaled a major shift in American policy and handed Xi Jinping a significant rhetorical victory without securing meaningful concessions in return. Taiwan’s foreign ministry responded by reaffirming that Taiwan is a sovereign democratic nation and emphasizing that U.S. arms sales remain central to its security relationship with Washington.
At the same time, analysts said Iran appeared emboldened after the Beijing summit, announcing new plans to control shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and impose restrictions and fees on vessels passing through the critical oil route. Observers warned that both China and Iran seemed to emerge from the summit in stronger strategic positions while the United States appeared weakened diplomatically.
A New York Times investigation details growing scrutiny around FBI Director Kash Patel, left, over his use of government resources for leisure travel and personal accommodations involving his girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins. The investigation highlights a controversial Navy SEAL–escorted snorkeling excursion near the sunken USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor, which many service members described as disrespectful to the war grave.
It also describes Patel’s use of FBI jets for personal outings, including attending a high-end concert suite in Philadelphia and providing Wilkins with an extensive FBI security detail reportedly costing around $1 million annually. Current and former FBI officials cited concerns about ethics, morale, and the blending of official duties with personal privileges, while Patel and the FBI defended the arrangements as necessary and within policy. The report further notes internal tensions at the FBI, including staff departures, investigations into leaks, and criticism of Patel’s leadership style and public image management.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth under fire at a House hearing on Iran on April 29, 2026.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis, right, sharply criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over reports that the Pentagon plans to downgrade the military command overseeing Europe and Africa from a four-star to a three-star position. Tillis called the move “amateur hour at best and deadly at worst,” accusing Hegseth and his aides of sidelining experienced military leaders and weakening relationships with key allies concerned about Russia. The 
criticism follows additional controversy over plans to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops from Germany, a decision some Republicans fear could embolden Vladimir Putin. Tillis argued that the administration’s recent military decisions appear impulsive and poorly judged, marking a rare public rebuke from a Republican senator against Trump administration defense policy.
Thousands of activists, clergy members, and political leaders gathered in Selma and Montgomery for a major voting rights protest opposing redistricting efforts they say would weaken Black political representation. Speakers including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rev. Jamal Bryant, and Rev. Bernice King framed the demonstrations as a continuation of the Civil Rights Movement and called for renewed organizing, voting, and activism. Protesters marched across the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge, linking today’s battles over voting maps to the legacy of Bloody Sunday and the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Alabama Republicans defended the redistricting changes as lawful partisan efforts rather than racial discrimination, highlighting the deep national divide over voting rights and representation.
An internal memo from AutoZone warned of what it called the “largest supply shortage of lubricating fluids in the modern history of America,” projecting that available supplies could decline by roughly 40%. The statement reflects concerns about severe disruptions in the supply chain for motor oils and related lubricants, products essential for vehicle maintenance and industrial operations. Such shortages could lead to higher prices, limited inventory at retailers and repair shops, and delays for consumers and businesses dependent on automotive and machinery upkeep.
Canadian health officials announced that a passenger aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius tested positive for Andes hantavirus, a rare but potentially severe virus linked to rodent exposure. The infected passenger and their spouse, who is also experiencing mild symptoms, were hospitalized and placed in isolation while additional testing is conducted by Canada’s national laboratory. Authorities said they are monitoring dozens of contacts connected to the cruise and emphasized that the overall public risk remains low, though precautions are being taken because of the virus’s seriousness. As of the report, no known cases had been identified in the United States.
Trump claims he is aging in reverse.
Officials in Democratic Republic of the Congo, shown above, reported that deaths from a new Ebola outbreak in the eastern Ituri province have risen to at least 80, with hundreds of suspected cases under investigation. Health authorities confirmed the outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, and officials are intensifying screening, testing, and contact tracing efforts to contain the spread. The outbreak has already crossed into neighboring Uganda, where an imported case was confirmed after a patient died in Kampala. Residents described constant burials and growing fear, while officials warned that regional conflict, weak infrastructure, and difficult logistics could complicate the response.
New financial disclosures show that Donald Trump or his investment advisers carried out more than 3,700 trades in the first quarter alone, involving tens of millions of dollars and shares in major companies tied to industries affected by his administration. The sheer pace of the activity astonished many Wall Street insiders, who said it is highly unusual for a sitting president’s portfolio to generate more than 40 trades per day. Bloomberg reported that the filings submitted to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics span more than 100 pages and include purchases and sales across a wide range of companies, though exact values are difficult to determine because the disclosures use broad dollar ranges.
According to Politico, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s sponsored “Great American Road Trip” series is facing growing ethics scrutiny after reports that companies including Toyota and Boeing helped fund the production, while at least one potential sponsor reportedly declined because it 
appeared to offer corporate access to a cabinet official. Democratic lawmakers and watchdog groups questioned whether industry-funded travel, lodging, and promotional partnerships created conflicts of interest for the transportation secretary, though the Department of Transportation says ethics attorneys approved the arrangement and 
no taxpayer money funded the production.
Reports from the Daily Mail claim that Keir Starmer, left, has privately told allies he plans to step down as prime minister and organize an orderly transition from leadership. The report suggests discussions are happening behind the scenes about the timing and structure of a potential departure, though no official public announcement has been made. If true, the move would mark a major shift in British politics and could trigger a leadership contest within the Labour Party. As of now, the claims remain based on anonymous sourcing and have not been formally confirmed by Starmer’s office.
The White House is accelerating construction of Donald Trump’s proposed $400 million ballroom project by reframing it as a national security and medical facility. According to court filings from Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, left, the complex would reportedly include underground bunkers, 
military installations, bomb shelters, and a “state-of-the-art hospital” designed to protect the 79-year-old president and future administrations. The project has become the subject of a legal battle after preservation groups sued over demolition work tied to the White House East Wing, while critics question both the scale of the construction and growing requests for federal funding. Supporters of the project argue the added security measures are necessary following recent threats and attacks involving the president.
A Texas mother, Marlene Vidal, was charged with capital murder after her two young children, ages 5 and 7, were found dead inside a burning vehicle in a San Antonio warehouse parking lot. Police said a passerby discovered the fire and that surveillance footage and Vidal’s statements indicate she was responsible for the children’s deaths. Authorities are still investigating whether the children died before or after the vehicle was set on fire, and no motive has been confirmed. Officials noted there are indications that mental health issues may have played a role in the tragedy.
Straus Family Creamery has voluntarily recalled several organic ice cream products sold in 17 states after concerns that some containers may contain metal fragments. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the affected products include specific pint and quart flavors such as Vanilla Bean, Strawberry, Cookie Dough, Dutch Chocolate, and Mint Chip, all identified by particular “best by” dates in December 2026. The recalled ice cream was distributed beginning May 4 across states including California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Washington, though no injuries have been reported so far.
More On Iran War
New York Times, Fears Grow That Iran May Be Using Proxy Groups Beyond Mideast, Aaron Boxerman, Neil MacFarquhar and Falih Hassan, May 16, 2026. The charges against Mohammad al-Saadi in the United States have raised concerns that Iran could be working with its proxies to stage attacks outside the region.
A criminal complaint against an Iraqi man that was unsealed in a U.S. court on Friday, accusing him of plotting attacks in the United States, has raised fears that Iran is increasingly wielding its proxy forces to target Western interests far beyond the Middle East.
Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have tried to kill their opponents on American soil even before the war with the United States, according to U.S. officials. Their targets have ranged from President Trump to Masih Alinejad, an Iranian critic of the regime living in exile in New York.
The accusations against the Iraqi man, Mohammad al-Saadi, describe him as a high-ranking figure in Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia backed by Iran. The complaint has led to a heightened level of concern following a series of attacks in Europe that prosecutors said Mr. al-Saadi was involved in.
“They’ve expanded their scope into actual Western countries now beyond just the war zone,” said Aaron Y. Zelin, an expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, referring to Kataib Hezbollah.
“It is significant because it would suggest that more vectors of Iran’s broader ‘Axis of Resistance’ are involved in attacking in the West,” he added.
According to the complaint, Mr. al-Saadi was involved in planning at least 20 attacks in Europe and Canada since the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran began in late February, and was plotting attacks on U.S. soil, including against Jewish institutions.
Mr. al-Saadi was detained in Turkey recently and handed over to U.S. authorities, Mr. al-Saadi’s lawyer said in federal court in Manhattan on Friday. Mr. al-Saadi appeared in court on Friday, but did not enter a plea.
Sabereen News, an Iraqi outlet affiliated with Iranian-backed militias, said in a post on social media that Mr. al-Saadi had been traveling through Turkey to Moscow when he was detained by Turkish security forces. The outlet shared what it said was a video of Mr. al-Saadi reassuring his family after his detention.
Much remains unclear about the case, which has yet to make its way through the courts. Kataib Hezbollah has not commented publicly on Mr. al-Saadi’s arrest or the allegations that the group had supported attacks in Western countries.
Mr. al-Saadi has not commented publicly on his alleged involvement with Kataib Hezbollah, although his lawyer said in court on Friday that “he is a political prisoner and prisoner of war.”
Three people in Iraq who said they knew Mr. al-Saadi, including a senior Iraqi official, said that while he had ties to Iraqi militias and Iranian officials, they were not aware of his alleged membership in Kataib Hezbollah. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
More Global News
Chart showing the route of the cruise ship MV Hondius transporting tourists in the South Atlantic Ocean afflicated with a deadly hantavirus strain (New York Times chart).
Cruise ship MV Hondius docks off Cape Verde port, as passengers were not allowed off the ship, while health authorities investigated suspected cases of hantavirus aboard the vessel, in Praia Port, Cape Verde, May 4, 2026. Hondius anchored off Tristan da Cunha from April 13 to 15, 2026.
New York Times, How a Nature Cruise Turned Into a Nightmare, Jason Horowitz, Claire Moses and Amelia Nierenberg, Graphics by Samuel Granados, May 16, 2026. The hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius set off alarms for a world still traumatized by Covid. For those on board, the danger was much closer.
The grim-faced captain had bad news for the people gathered in the lounge of the MV Hondius. One of their fellow passengers had died.
“Tragic as it is, it was due to natural causes, we believe,” the captain, Jan Dobrogowski, told them on April 12. He added that the ship’s doctor had said the man was “not infectious, so the ship is safe.”
Less than two weeks earlier, the captain had convened the same group for a celebratory toast, as the Hondius left Argentina to sail the south Atlantic for bird watching and wildlife spotting on some of the world’s most remote islands.
Now, passengers consoled the dead man’s widow, Mirjam Schilperoord‑Huisman, 69, of the Netherlands. She and her husband, Leo Schilperoord, also 69, had crossed South America in pursuit of rare birds. Some asked if she would prefer that the trip be cut short.
“Everyone is here for a purpose,” she responded, according to Ruhi Cenet, a Turkish documentary filmmaker who was on the ship. She urged her fellow bird watchers to push on because her husband “would have wanted me to do the same.”
Within weeks, two more passengers, including Ms. Schilperoord‑Huisman, would be dead. The cause, health officials say, was almost certainly the Andes species of the hantavirus, a family of viruses carried by rodents that can spread between humans.
Over the following weeks, a world still traumatized by the coronavirus pandemic watched anxiously as the passengers and crew of the Hondius, hailing from at least 23 countries, lived the nautical nightmare of a potential outbreak in close quarters, far out at sea.
New York Times, News analysis: Trump Calls Xi a ‘Friend.’ But He Left China Without Any Breakthroughs, Anton Troianovski, May 16, 2026. The lack of concrete agreements with Beijing shows the risks of President Trump’s personality-driven foreign policy, which rests on the belief that he can defend U.S. interests through charm and force of will.
There was a vague agreement that China would purchase Boeing jets and more American soybeans. There was discussion about Iran and opening the Strait of Hormuz, and a nod to other issues, like cracking down on chemicals used to make fentanyl.
But President Trump departed Beijing on Friday with almost nothing concrete to show for his two-day summit with President Xi Jinping of China. After months of buildup and a delay necessitated by Mr. Trump’s difficulty in extricating the United States from the war with Iran, the summit ended with no major public progress on the Middle East, trade, Taiwan, nuclear proliferation, artificial intelligence or any of the other myriad issues that are sources of friction between the world’s two superpowers.
Instead, Mr. Trump seemed intent on a different kind of diplomacy, forging a personal bond with a Chinese leader who appeared far more focused on advancing his own nation’s strategic agenda.
Mr. Trump toasted Mr. Xi as “my friend” at their banquet in Beijing on Thursday and said he had “become really a friend” when they sat down before the cameras on Friday.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, asked at a briefing during the summit whether Mr. Xi considered Mr. Trump a friend, responded with boilerplate: “the two sides exchanged views on major issues.”
Mr. Trump has hailed the summit in Beijing as a major success, highlighting the personal bond he says he has built with China’s longtime leader. But the feeling is not necessarily mutual, as evidenced by Mr. Xi’s more measured tone and the lack of clarity about any major agreements.
Orville Schell, vice president of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society in New York, called the summit “quite insubstantial and aspirational.”
“We have Trump dreaming out loud,” he said.
The mismatch shows the risks in Mr. Trump’s personality-driven foreign policy, his bet that he can solve the world’s problems and defend American interests by his charm and force of will. In Mr. Xi, the U.S. president faced a counterpart this week well versed in Mr. Trump’s desire for praise and pomp, and with an apparent strategy for how to exploit it.
The result, analysts said, was a summit that illustrated the growing confidence of China on the world stage alongside a strategically muddled U.S. foreign policy under Mr. Trump.
New York Times, The Secretive Conglomerate That Controls Cuba’s Economy, Maria Abi-Habib and Lazaro Gamio, May 16, 2026. The most powerful entity in Cuba is not the Communist Party. It is a secretive military-run conglomerate known as GAESA, estimated to control between 40 percent and 70 percent of the Cuban economy.A diagram showing the Cuban military overseeing operations of the Cuban conglomerate GAESA.
Originally established by Raúl Castro to bolster Cuba’s defense sector, GAESA has evolved into a commercial empire and become a focal point of Washington’s pressure campaign against Cuba.A diagram showing Raúl Castro as the force behind the founding of GAESA, while he was also the defense minister of the Cuban armed forces. GAESA initially controlled defense-related industries and other businesses.
It spans from the island’s nicest hotels and high-end boutiques to recreational diving centers.A diagram showing GAESA’s control over various segments of Cuba’s tourism industry.
It controls hundreds of gas stations, money transfer businesses, the island's only internet operator, currency exchanges and supermarkets — all through a sprawling enterprise called CIMEX.A diagram showing GAESA’s control over CIMEX, another conglomerate, through which it controls various segments of Cuba’s economy.
GAESA also controls one of the country’s biggest commercial banks, Banco Financiero Internacional, likely giving the conglomerate a dominant grip on Cuba’s foreign currency reserves.A diagram showing GAESA’s control over Banco Financiero International through CIMEX, possibly giving it control over the country’s foreign currency reserves.
GAESA functions as a state within a state. It does not allow the Cuban government to audit its accounts. Any profits made, GAESA keeps, hoarding money away from Cuba's central bank and funneling it back to the military ruling class.
John Ratcliffe, the C.I.A. director, visited Cuba on Thursday to demand major economic and security changes from its government. His visit came just as the Cuban government admitted that its oil reserves have run dry and coincides with efforts by federal prosecutors to secure an indictment against Raúl Castro for drug trafficking and the 1996 downing of humanitarian planes.
Earlier this month, President Trump signed an executive order to expand Cuban sanctions to target GAESA. The order says the conglomerate’s revenues “are likely more than three times the state’s budget.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio ratcheted up the pressure, calling GAESA a tool of Cuba’s political elite to repress the population while enriching themselves.
GAESA “is this private company that has more money than the government does,” said Mr. Rubio during a trip to the Vatican last week. “None of this money goes to build a single road, a single bridge, provide a single grain of rice to a single Cuban other than the people that are part of GAESA.”
“It’s a sanction against this company that is stealing from the Cuban people to the benefit of a few,” he said, before adding “we’re going to be doing more.”
President Miguel Díaz-Canel of Cuba decried the executive order as “coercive.”
GAESA was born out of desperation following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, but its roots trace back to the 1980s. Raúl Castro, then the defense minister, convinced his older brother, President Fidel Castro, to allow him to make changes to the military’s business interests, according to Frank Mora, who served as a deputy assistant secretary of defense in the Obama administration.
When the U.S.S.R. fell, Cuba lost its largest trade partner and financial patron. The military was in shambles and struggled to pay its troops. Fidel allowed the military to take over state-run sectors of the economy, like tourism, in a bid to save the country.
At first, the experiment worked, analysts say, and the military proved to be a more efficient business manager than other arms of the state. The economy recovered by the late 1990s, with the military reinvesting its profits into the country to support hospitals, education and government food rations.Some of what GAESA controls in Cuba
GAESA’s control grew more dominant when Raúl took over the presidency from his brother Fidel in 2008. It now oversees many parts of the economy, big and small. GAESA also has companies in Angola, pulling in hundreds of millions of dollars in annual profits from education, health care, construction and more.
New York Times, Venezuela Extradites Billionaire Tycoon to the U.S., Simon Romero, May 16, 2026. The extradition of Alex Saab, who is tied to a huge graft scheme, is part of a purge of powerful figures who helped the deposed president, Nicolás Maduro, stay in power.
A scandal-plagued billionaire tycoon close to Venezuela’s deposed president, Nicolás Maduro, was extradited to the United States on Saturday, Venezuela’s government said.
The extradition of Alex Saab, a Colombian-born businessman whom U.S. prosecutors have accused of enriching himself through lucrative government contracts, marks an escalation of a purge by Venezuela’s new acting president, Delcy Rodríguez. She is targeting figures who helped keep Mr. Maduro in power for more than a decade.
Ms. Rodríguez, who was Mr. Maduro’s vice president and rose to power with the Trump administration’s blessing after U.S. forces captured Mr. Maduro in January, fired Mr. Saab from his post as industry minister shortly after Mr. Maduro was seized and taken to the United States.
Her government detained Mr. Saab in early February at the Trump administration’s request, underscoring Washington’s new sway over Venezuela.
U.S. prosecutors have claimed that Mr. Saab controls some of Mr. Maduro’s funds, raising speculation that they could use his extradition to strengthen their case against Mr. Maduro. The deposed leader is currently being held in New York, where he has been charged with conspiracies to commit narco-terrorism and import cocaine, along with other counts.
Lawyers representing Mr. Saab in Venezuela could not be reached immediately for comment.
This is the second time that Mr. Saab, 54, has landed in a U.S. prison. At the request of the Biden administration, he was detained in 2021 in the West African nation of Cape Verde while traveling on business to Iran, a close ally of Mr. Maduro’s government.
Mr. Saab was then extradited to the United States and spent nearly two years in prison on money-laundering charges. In 2023, Mr. Biden pardoned Mr. Saab, who received a hero’s welcome from Mr. Maduro on his return to Venezuela in a prisoner swap that included 10 Americans.
U.S. prosecutors have accused Mr. Saab of being involved in a scheme in which he and others used shell companies and no-bid contracts to siphon off government money intended to ease a starvation crisis, when the economy crashed a decade ago during Mr. Maduro’s rule.
Mr. Saab, born in Colombia, moved to Venezuela and became a citizen of both countries. That was thought to have complicated his extradition, since Venezuela’s constitution prohibits the extradition of citizens.
New York Times, Hamas’s Top Leader in Gaza Is Killed in Israeli Strike, Alan Yuhas, Jonathan Rosen and Iyad Abuheweila, Updated May 16, 2026. Izz al-Din al-Haddad took over the group’s military wing in Gaza last year. Hamas officials confirmed Mr. al-Haddad’s death in an Israeli attack.
An Israeli airstrike killed the leader of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza, the Israeli military said on Saturday. He was the most senior Hamas official to be killed by Israel since a cease-fire began last fall.
The Hamas commander, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, took over the group’s military wing in Gaza last year, after Israeli forces killed Muhammad Sinwar, the brother of Yahya Sinwar, an architect of Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Salama Maaroof, the director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, confirmed Mr. al-Haddad’s death in a post on social media. Hamas’s official broadcaster, Al-Aqsa TV, said hundreds of Gazans had borne Mr. al-Haddad’s body in a funeral procession in Gaza City on Saturday.
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Israeli military’s chief of staff, said in a statement on Saturday that the killing of Mr. al-Haddad was “a significant operational achievement.”ImageA large crowd holding a portrait of a bearded man in military fatigues.Hundreds of Palestinians at a funeral procession in Gaza City on Saturday for Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the leader of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza.Credit...Saher Alghorra for The New York Times
Israel’s prime minister and defense minister announced the strike against Mr. al-Haddad in a joint statement on Friday, describing him as another architect of the October 2023 attack. They said that he had “refused to implement the agreement” brokered by President Trump “to disarm Hamas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.”Want to stay updated on what’s happening in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip? Sign up for Your Places: Global Update, and we’ll send our latest coverage to your inbox.
The airstrike hit a building in Gaza, and the Israeli Air Force also struck around the structure in order to prevent an escape, according to two Israeli defense officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss operations in Gaza.
Mahmoud Basal, a spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defense, an emergency service under the Hamas-run interior ministry, said on Saturday that at least six people had been killed in the attacks, without specifying whether Mr. al-Haddad was among them.
Experts, as well as a senior official of Mr. Trump’s Board of Peace, say that Israel has repeatedly violated the October 2025 cease-fire with almost daily airstrikes in Gaza. Experts also say Israel has violated the agreement by taking control of territory beyond the truce lines and by hampering the delivery of humanitarian aid and rubble removal equipment.
More News Roundups
The Parnas Perspective, Morning News and Commentary: Trump to Control 'Truth' Commission to Pay Billions to Allies, Thousands March in Alabama, GOP Upset Over China Summit, Aaron Parnas, right, May 16, 2026. It has been a relatively slow start to the day, but things are expected to pick up quickly as a major mass mobilization unfolds in Alabama to protest the Supreme Court’s weakening of the Voting Rights Act.
I wish I could be there covering it live, but my newborn currently refuses to let me put her down for more than a few minutes at a time. I’ll still be following developments closely and bringing coverage throughout the day. We’re also tracking reports that Trump is creating a so-called “Truth and Justice Commission” to distribute more than $1.7 billion to allies, including January 6 participants, several of whom have since faced new criminal charges. Meanwhile, a historic Black cemetery in Florida has been vandalized with pro-Trump graffiti, raising outrage and concern in the community.
I’m also excited to share that I’m partnering with the Knight Center at the University of Texas to teach a class next Wednesday about using Substack to advance journalism. It’s genuinely encouraging to see institutions recognizing the work independent media creators are building. You can learn more here.
We’re also learning more today about major shakeups at CBS, including reports that Bari Weiss allowed Benjamin Netanyahu to help select his own interviewer at 60 Minutes. 
I’m deeply disturbed by the direction parts of the mainstream media are heading. Let’s build something better together.\
Here’s the news:
Civil rights groups and voting rights activists are gathering in Alabama this weekend for the “All Roads Lead to the South” march, a major mobilization aimed at protesting recent redistricting decisions and what organizers describe as growing attacks on Black political power. The demonstrations in Selma and Montgomery come after a Supreme Court ruling weakened parts of the Voting Rights Act and amid concerns over GOP-led redistricting efforts in several southern states. Organizers including Black Voters Matter Fund and leaders such as Bernice King say the movement is intended to pressure lawmakers, increase voter participation, and revive the spirit of the civil rights marches of the 1960s. Thousands of protesters from across the South are expected to participate.
Donald Trump claimed that during his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Xi told him “America is a nation in decline,” prompting Trump to respond, “You’re right.”
Trump wrapped up his Beijing summit with Xi Jinping after two days filled with elaborate pageantry, warm public praise between the two leaders, and vague promises of future cooperation. Despite the spectacle, there were few concrete outcomes on major issues like Taiwan, Iran, AI competition, trade, or nuclear arms control. Critics argued the trip produced more symbolism than substance, while Trump touted potential trade and aircraft deals that Chinese officials did not fully confirm. The visit also highlighted Trump’s unusually deferential tone toward Xi and his preference for leader-to-leader diplomacy and political theatrics.
According to reporting from Katherine Faulders, Donald Trump is expected to withdraw his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS as part of a deal to establish a $1.7 billion compensation fund. The fund would reportedly provide payouts to Trump allies who say they were unfairly targeted by the Biden administration. Additional reporting claims the initiative may be named “The President Donald J. Trump Truth and Justice Commission” and could ultimately control about $1.776 billion. The proposal has not been officially announced, and details about the commission and eligibility for payouts remain unclear.
Meanwhile, at least five people pardoned by Donald Trump for their roles in the January 6 Capitol attack have since been accused of new crimes, according to a new report. All of them would be eligible for funds from the Commission. The latest is Ryan Nichols, who was arrested in Texas after allegedly brandishing a handgun during a confrontation in a church parking lot. Nichols had previously served time for assaulting police during the Capitol riot before receiving a sweeping pardon from Trump in early 2025. Other pardoned January 6 participants have also faced charges ranging from threats against lawmakers to burglary convictions.
Authorities in Florida are investigating vandalism at a historic predominantly Black cemetery after several headstones were overturned and defaced with red spray paint. The graffiti included the names of Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis written across tombs. Officials are treating the incident seriously because of the cemetery’s historical and cultural significance. No suspects or motives have yet been publicly identified.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is set to appear before senators Tuesday for questioning by a Senate subcommittee primarily focused on the Justice Department’s budget. However, lawmakers are also expected to press him about the controversy surrounding the handling and release of documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein. Senator Chris Van Hollen, the top Democrat on the panel, is expected to play a leading role in the questioning. The hearing comes amid growing scrutiny over how federal officials managed and disclosed Epstein-related records.
Grocery prices in the U.S. surged in April at their fastest pace in nearly four years, with especially sharp increases for produce, seafood, dairy, coffee, and beef. Economists say the spike is being driven partly by soaring diesel costs tied to the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which disrupted global oil supplies and raised transportation costs across the food supply chain. Tariffs and weather-related crop shortages have also contributed, particularly for products like tomatoes imported from Mexico. Analysts warn that while overall grocery inflation remains below pandemic-era highs, consumers are still facing steep price increases on many everyday staples.
A new report accuses Kash Patel of repeatedly using FBI resources for lavish personal outings involving his girlfriend, including flying on a government jet to a country music concert and watching the show from a luxury suite reportedly worth up to $50,000. The report also alleges Patel arranged extensive taxpayer-funded security protection for his girlfriend, including SWAT agents and SUVs assigned to her personal travel in Nashville. Critics say the spending and use of federal resources resemble the kind of conduct Patel himself previously condemned when criticizing former FBI officials for using government aircraft for personal convenience. The allegations are adding to mounting scrutiny over Patel’s management of the bureau and possible abuse of public resources for private benefit.
New financial disclosures show Donald Trump personally traded millions of dollars in stocks tied to companies directly benefiting from decisions made by his own administration, raising major conflict-of-interest concerns. The records show Trump buying shares in firms like Nvidia, Palantir, and Axon shortly before or alongside favorable government actions involving AI exports, immigration enforcement contracts, and federal spending. Critics argue the trades create the appearance that a sitting president may have financially benefited from policy decisions and regulatory moves carried out under his administration. The White House and Trump Organization insist the investments are managed independently through outside trusts and deny any wrongdoing, but the scale and timing of the trades are already fueling accusations of extreme corruption and self-dealing.
A Russian cargo ship reportedly carrying two nuclear reactors sank off the coast of Spain while allegedly en route to North Korea, according to a report from CNN. The cause of the sinking remains unclear, but the incident has raised fears about possible radioactive contamination and renewed concerns over nuclear proliferation involving North Korea. Authorities are reportedly investigating the environmental risks and geopolitical implications surrounding the shipment. The report also notes the potential for market volatility in defense and nuclear energy stocks as the situation develops.
Sen. Bill Cassidy did not vote to impeach Donald Trump because impeachment is carried out by the House, not the Senate. Cassidy instead voted to convict Trump during his second Senate impeachment trial after the House charged Trump with inciting the January 6 Capitol attack. A conviction would also have opened the door to barring Trump from holding federal office again.
New York’s Long Island Rail Road shut down Saturday after five unions representing about half the system’s workforce went on strike following months of failed contract negotiations. The walkout, the first LIRR strike since 1994, threatens major commuting disruptions for roughly 250,000 daily riders and could worsen already severe traffic across the region. The dispute centers on wages and healthcare costs, with unions arguing workers need raises to keep pace with inflation while the MTA warns higher labor costs could lead to fare hikes. Gov. Kathy Hochul urged residents to work from home if possible as transit officials scrambled to provide limited alternative transportation.
At least 80 deaths have now been reported in a new Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo as health officials race to contain the spread through screening and contact tracing efforts. Authorities say the outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola and has already spread across multiple health zones in Ituri province, with a related case also confirmed in neighboring Uganda. Local residents described constant burials and growing fear as officials warned the region’s instability and limited infrastructure could complicate containment efforts. The World Health Organization and regional health agencies are assisting Congo as concerns grow about wider cross-border transmission.
According to the New York Times, the Department of Homeland Security has reportedly created a new “removal apparatus” dedicated to re-screening green card holders and seeking deportations of lawful permanent residents, marking a major expansion of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. According to internal data obtained by The New York Times, thousands of green card holders have already been reviewed and at least 50 are being targeted for deportation, even though most cases reportedly resulted in “no further action.” Critics, including former homeland security officials, say the effort is unusually aggressive, resource-intensive, and reflects a broader push to challenge the legal status of immigrants who were previously considered secure. The new initiative is part of a wider DHS strategy that also includes denaturalization and refugee “revetting” programs.
CBS News insiders reportedly fear major upheaval at 60 Minutes as Bari Weiss prepares to oversee the show’s first full season under new ownership. Staffers expect layoffs and editorial changes amid growing concerns about corporate interference, especially after Weiss reportedly shelved a segment critical of the Trump administration and correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi publicly accused network leadership of fostering “editorial fear.” Several high-profile departures and possible firings have fueled anxiety that the iconic program’s independence and editorial culture are under threat. Despite the turmoil, insiders say the show’s journalism has so far remained strong, though many fear that could soon change.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene after Virginia Democrats asked the justices to overturn a state Supreme Court ruling that invalidated a voter-approved redistricting measure. The Virginia Supreme Court had ruled that Democrats failed to follow proper constitutional procedures while placing the measure on the ballot ahead of the midterm elections. Legal experts had viewed the appeal as a long shot because the dispute centered on state constitutional law rather than a clear federal issue. The ruling preserves a major setback for Democrats, who had hoped new congressional maps could help them flip several House seats.
Letters from an American, Historical Commentary: May 15, 2026 [Chinese Trump Trap?], Heather Cox Richardson, right, May 16, 2026. President Donald J. Trump arrived back in the United States of America today after a three-day state visit to China.
Isaac Arnsdorf, Michael Birnbaum, and Michelle Ye Hee Lee of the Washington Post note that the summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping yielded “exactly what Xi aimed to achieve with the visit.” Its pageantry and Trump’s gestures of friendship and admiration showed the U.S. and China as peers, something previous U.S. leaders have rejected.
In an interview with Fox News Channel personality Sean Hannity that aired today, Trump said: “It’s the two great countries. I call it the G-2. This is the G-2. I think it’ll go down as a very important moment in history.”
Former China director on the National Security Council Julian Gewirtz, who served under President Joe Biden, told the Washington Post reporters: “Xi has done something Chinese leaders have been working toward for decades—bringing an American president to Beijing as an undisputed peer. Xi used the opulent optics of the visit to make clear to the world that China and the United States are the two dominant, equally matched superpowers. There is no going back.”
Xi has said before he thinks “the East is rising and the West declining.” Referring to that idea Thursday, before the two leaders met in Beijing, Xi made it clear he sees the U.S. as a declining power and pondered, “Can China and the United States overcome the ‘Thucydides Trap’ and create a new paradigm of major country relations?”
The Thucydides Trap is a theory, put forward by Harvard political scientist Graham Allison, that when a rising power threatens to replace an existing power, the conflict between the two tends to spark a war.
As if to illustrate that the U.S. is a declining power, the Chinese media downplayed the importance of a visit from a U.S. president. As James Palmer of Foreign Policy noted, on the day Trump arrived, the main story on the front page of the state-run English-language newspaper China Daily was the visit of the president of Tajikistan the day before. The Chinese Communist Party newspaper featured Trump’s visit on page 3.
Trump seemed to miss the larger context of the honors he so clearly enjoyed, telling the Fox News Channel’s Brett Baier that the summit was a success and that the most significant win for the United States was “relationship. It’s all about relationship. I have a very good relationship with President Xi and with China. And it sounds like something that doesn’t mean anything, but it’s everything in dealmaking and problems we’ve solved. The two of us have solved a lot of problems between— that somebody else would have maybe done very badly with. We’ve solved a lot of problems over the years.”
Tamara Keith and Jennifer Pak of NPR noted that Xi did not return Trump’s personal praise, speaking instead about relations between the U.S. and China.
Keith and Pak also reported that Trump boasted the visit had produced “some fantastic trade deals, good for both countries” and told Sean Hannity of the Fox News Channel that China had agreed to buy soybeans and Boeing aircraft, before adding: “I sort of, I think it was a commitment. I mean, you know, it was sort of like a statement, but I think it was a commitment. It’s a great thing. It’s a lot of jobs.”
China has not commented on any promised purchases. It did warn that if the U.S. mishandles the question of Taiwan, a self-governing island Beijing claims, it could put the “entire relationship” between the U.S. and China in jeopardy, and that “the most important issue in China-U.S. relations” is Taiwan. The U.S. did not mention Taiwan in its own readout of the meeting.
Trump had stayed quiet on social media while in China, but once he left the country he had things to say. Somebody must have explained the meaning of Xi’s Thucydides Trap comment, but rather than taking offense, Trump on May 14 said Xi “was referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, and on that score, he was 100% correct. Our Country suffered immeasurably with open borders, high taxes, transgender for everybody, men in women’s sports, DEI, horrible trade deals, rampant crime, and so much more!
“President Xi was not referring to the incredible rise that the United States has displayed to the world during the 16 spectacular months of the Trump Administration, which includes all-time high stock markets and 401K’s, military victory and thriving relationship in Venezuela, the military decimation of Iran (to be continued!)—Strongest military on earth by far, economic powerhouse again, with a record 18 trillion dollars being invested into the United States by others, best U.S. job market in history, with more people working in the United States right now than ever before, ending country destroying DEI, and so many other things that it would be impossible to readily list. In fact, President Xi congratulated me on so many tremendous successes in such a short period of time.
“Two years ago, we were, in fact, a Nation in decline. On that, I fully agree with President Xi! But now, the United States is the hottest Nation anywhere in the world, and hopefully our relationship with China will be stronger and better than ever before!”
At 4:52 this morning, Trump turned back to his plans for remodeling Washington, D.C. He announced that he intends to put his “NATIONAL GARDEN OF AMERICAN HEROES” in West Potomac Park, then after claiming that the people playing golf at his Doral club “are absolutely in love with” the 22-foot gold statue of him recently installed there, posted above a picture of himself walking with Xi:
“China has a Ballroom, and so should the U.S.A.! It’s under construction, ahead of schedule, and will be the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the U.S.A. Thank you for all the support I have been given in getting this project going. Scheduled opening will be around September of 2028. The man I am walking with is President Xi, of China, one of the World’s Great Leaders! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
Trump appears desperate to be included as an equal in the world of strongmen, apparently not understanding that America’s strength was always about its alliances.
Yesterday, members of Congress and Pentagon officials both were blindsided by the sudden decision by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to cancel the deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland after the troops were already on their way and much of the necessary equipment was already in Poland. Poland is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally. The U.S. troops were going there as part of a nine-month rotation in which they would have trained with NATO allies.
Congress has tried to beef up the U.S. presence in Europe, warning that reductions would invite Russian aggression. Last year it passed a law limiting the number of troops Trump could withdraw from Europe and the circumstances under which he could do so.
Former commander of the U.S. Army in Europe Lieutenant General Ben Hodges told Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch of Politico that the Army’s role in Europe “is all about deterring the Russians, protecting America’s strategic interests and assuring allies. And now a very important asset that was coming to be part of that deterrence is gone.”
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) posted: “Once again the President and Pete Hegseth show that they are not committed to security in Europe. Actions like this make us less safe and embolden [Russia’s president] Vladimir Putin. At every turn the two of them cower to Russia.”
European allies have worried for years now about Russian aggression. A signal that the U.S. is losing interest in NATO allies heightens that concern, especially coming, as it does, less than two weeks after Hegseth announced the U.S. will withdraw 5,000 troops from military bases in Germany following German chancellor Frederich Merz’s criticism of Trump’s handling of his war on Iran.
Today Connor O’Brien of Politico reported that the Republican chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services committees were surprised and angry at the news that Hegseth was recalling the troops from their deployment in Poland. At a hearing with Army officials—who said they had only been informed of the decision days ago—House Armed Services chair Mike Rogers (R-AL) said: “We don’t know what’s going on here, but I can just tell you we’re not happy with what’s being talked about, particularly since there’s been no statutory consultation with us.”
Committee member Don Bacon (R-NE) said the canceled deployment “is a slap in the face to Poland; it’s a slap in the face to our Baltic friends. It’s a slap to the face of this committee.”
But Trump seems more interested in acting like an autocrat than in consulting Congress, a body that his ally Steve Bannon has compared to the Duma, the Russian assembly that does what Putin tells it to. In addition to the extraordinary corruption already public, Bill Allison and Jess Menton of Bloomberg reported yesterday that a new financial filing shows that in the first quarter of 2026, Trump or his investment advisors made more than 3,700 trades—over 40 a day—“totaling tens of millions of dollars and involving major companies that have dealings with his administration.”
Allison and Menton note that Trump did not move his assets into a blind trust with an independent manager, as his predecessors did if they traded in stocks at all (former presidents Biden and Barack Obama did not). Instead, his sons Don Jr. and Eric manage the business as it operates in areas that are directly related to government policies decided by Trump himself. Trump invested in major companies with business affected by what he decided to do, including Nvidia, Intel Corp, Netflix, Paramount Skydance, Warner Bros Discovery, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon.
Wall Street executives told the journalists they were “baffled” by the high volume of trades and concerned about the appearance of conflicts of interest. “All of this raises questions that you’d rather not raise as a president,” wealth manager Matthew Tuttle told the reporters. “So now people are asking why is he buying Nvidia and other companies now? When you’re the president you know everything, so any stock you buy, there’s a huge question mark.”
White House spokesperson David Ingle told the reporters that Trump “only acts in the best interests of the American public” and that “[t]here are no conflicts of interest.”
U.S. Elections, Politics, Governance
New York Times, On Capitol Hill, a Sexual Harassment ‘Minefield’ Persists, Annie Karni, Michael Gold and Jill Cowan, Annie Karni and Michael Gold, May 16, 2026. Nearly 10 years after Congress instituted measures to make it easier for women to lodge harassment complaints, lawmakers and aides say the behavior is still rampant.
Jillian McLaughlin felt trapped.
“I feel like there’s no way out,” she wrote in her journal in 2024, after a year of working for former Representative Eric Swalwell, Democrat of California, as his driver and assistant.
Ms. McLaughlin, who was in her early 30s at the time, had landed in Mr. Swalwell’s orbit about a year earlier when she had been hired for a weekend to drive him to the Super Bowl. That led to a full-time job in Washington, where she became a fixture by the side of the powerful and charismatic congressman, in charge of getting him to votes on time and helping to keep his schedule running.
There were other aspects of the job that made her uncomfortable. Mr. Swalwell invited her to spend a weekend with him in Miami (she did not go). He would ask her to join in when he was out drinking with colleagues (she sometimes did, limiting herself to one drink). Late at night, the congressman would text her his feelings about his day.
Ms. McLaughlin never had a physical relationship with Mr. Swalwell, who resigned last month facing multiple accusations of sexual assault and harassment, charges he denies. But the experience soured her on Washington, prompting her to leave for good and to conclude that Capitol Hill was a toxic work environment for a young woman.
“These people are, in their personal and professional time, taking advantage of people,” she said of members of Congress. “There was no system, and no one cared.”
Mr. Swalwell may have been on the extreme end of boundary-blurring behavior fueled by alcohol, proximity to power and tribal loyalty, all of which are common on Capitol Hill. But what Ms. McLaughlin went through was not unusual.ImageRepresentative Eric Swalwell, Democrat of California, during a hearing in 2024. He resigned last month, facing accusations of sexual assault and harassment.Credit...Michael McCoy for The New York Times
Nearly 10 years after Congress instituted measures to crack down on sexual harassment by lawmakers and make it easier for women to lodge complaints about it, lawmakers and aides say the behavior is still rampant among Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill and often goes unaddressed.
In more than a dozen interviews over the past month, current and former lawmakers and congressional staff members — many of them women who discussed sensitive workplace conditions on the condition of anonymity — said the power structure on Capitol Hill created a culture where questionable behavior by lawmakers was common, and reporting harassment was difficult.
There is no public data available about the number of sexual harassment complaints in Congress, but confidential settlements and two recent resignations speak to what female staff members say is a broad issue with behavior ranging from lawmakers making suggestive or inappropriate comments to clear instances of misconduct.Have You Experienced Sexual Harassment on Capitol Hill? Share Your Story.May 16, 2026
They pointed to several factors that enable such behavior: a small workplace with a lopsided power dynamic in which the principals are highly influential and subordinates fear limiting their employment options; leaders who have political incentives to distance themselves from scandal; and a broken complaints process.
And they noted that the very nature of Congress — a place dominated by supremely confident men who are away from their families for weeks on end — lends itself to bad behavior.
“Let’s be really honest,” said Marjorie Taylor Greene, the former Republican representative from Georgia. “What happens in Congress is not at all anything like what regular Americans have to go through in their places of employment. The same standards just don’t apply.”
New York Times, Cassidy Loses His Primary in Louisiana, as Trump Vanquishes Another G.O.P. Foe, Michael Gold, May 16, 2026. Senator Bill Cassidy, a two-term Republican who voted to convict President Trump in his 2021 impeachment trial, could not muster enough votes to continue to a runoff next month.
Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana on Saturday lost his Republican primary and the chance to seek a third term, after President Trump targeted him for defeat in retaliation for voting to convict him in his impeachment trial five years ago.
In a result that underscored the durability of Mr. Trump’s grip on his party, Representative Julia Letlow, the president’s chosen candidate, finished well ahead, drawing more than 44 percent of the vote. John Fleming, the state treasurer and a former Trump administration official, edged out Mr. Cassidy to finish second, with about 28 percent of the vote.
Both Ms. Letlow and Mr. Fleming will advance to a runoff on June 27, according to The Associated Press.
Neither secured a majority of votes. But Mr. Cassidy, who voted to remove Mr. Trump in 2021 for inciting insurrection and has clashed with the Make America Healthy Again movement over vaccines, could not even secure enough support in his state to stay in the race, finishing with around 25 percent of the vote.
Even as a two-term incumbent with a powerful committee chairmanship and millions of dollars in his campaign war chest, Mr. Cassidy was not able to overcome what many in his party viewed as his disloyalty to Mr. Trump.
His impeachment vote opened what turned out to be an irreparable rupture between the president and Mr. Cassidy, which extended to many of his constituents back home. The state Republican Party censured him, and Mr. Trump has spent the years since blasting Mr. Cassidy and vowing to oust him.
Mr. Cassidy took steps to try and repair his relationship with the president, and his voting record during Mr. Trump’s second term has hewed largely to Mr. Trump’s priorities.
In a notable attempt at rapprochement, Mr. Cassidy, a gastroenterologist and strong proponent of vaccines who leads the Senate health committee, reluctantly backed Mr. Trump’s choice for health secretary, the vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
But the move failed to quell Mr. Trump’s anger, and the uneasy embrace did not create a lasting alliance between Mr. Cassidy and Mr. Kennedy, who enjoys backing from a powerful movement that has become a potent piece of Mr. Trump’s coalition and invested heavily in beating Mr. Cassidy.Even as voters headed to the polls on Saturday morning, Mr. Trump called Mr. Cassidy a “disloyal disaster” and a “sleazebag” as he urged Louisianans to back Ms. Letlow.
Mr. Cassidy’s decision on Mr. Kennedy also may have cost him crucial support with independent voters and centrists who might otherwise have crossed party lines to vote for him. Louisiana had also changed its election law to hold closed primaries, diminishing Mr. Cassidy’s potential base of support outside of solidly Republican voters.
The change was championed by Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican who endorsed Ms. Letlow. Mr. Cassidy’s campaign accused him of engineering it to benefit her.
New York Times, Voters in Louisiana Head to the Polls, Uncertain but Determined, Emily Cochrane, May 16, 2026. Votes cast for the House candidates on Saturday’s primary ballot won’t count after state officials moved the election to November to provide time to redraw congressional maps.
Jacob Russell, a chemistry student at Louisiana State University, arrived at his Baton Rouge polling place on Saturday and cast his votes as planned: picking candidates in the Senate and House primary elections and weighing in on a series of constitutional amendments.
But his choice of House candidate will not count. Instead, Mr. Russell and voters throughout Louisiana will have to return to the polls in November to cast their ballots again.
“Principle,” Mr. Russell, 20, said when asked why he still voted for his choice of House candidate. “It was there. They’re going somewhere, even if it’s not counted.”
The confusing ballot in Saturday’s election came after the Supreme Court rejected the state’s current map as an illegal racial gerrymander. Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, then delayed House elections so lawmakers could draw new district lines. But ballots were printed before the court’s decision, and voters could still make their choice for the House known, even though it wouldn’t count.
In the muddled aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling — which weakened the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and created a swell of partisan moves across the South — some voters said they were demonstrating how much they value their vote.
Louisiana, with its map thrown out by the court, has been at the center of that partisan scramble to redraw districts. Mr. Landry was the first to delay House primaries for a new map; at least one other state has followed suit.
In Republican-led Southern states, where significant constituencies of Black voters had elected Democrats under the current maps, the moves to carve up those districts have led to confusion and frustration in a year where control of Congress hinges on just a few seats.
Voters in Louisiana were the first to confront the ruling’s fallout, since early voting in Louisiana began just days after the Supreme Court decision. Signs at polling locations were displayed explaining Mr. Landry’s move to delay the House primaries, while officials pushed for voters to still turn out.
Meidas Touch Network, Commentary: Trump’s HEALTH CRASHES as HIS LAWYER BLOWS WHISTLE!!! Ben Meiselas, right, May 16, 2026. MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump’s health crashing in China as his former lawyer and current lawyer address his health with his former lawyer stating Trump is unfit and his current DOJ lawyer is informing a federal judge that a secret hospital is being developed underneath the White House.
Public Notice, Commentary: Josh Marshall on how US democracy can be saved, Aaron Rupar, right, and Thor Benson, May 16, 2026. "You simply can’t do it with the filibuster and this Supreme Court in place."
Josh Marshall, founder of Talking Points Memo and a longtime friend of this newsletter, has recently made the need for fundamental reform of the Senate and Supreme Court a focus of his writing.
We connected with Marshall to discuss why abolishing the filibuster and breaking the power of the Court’s right-wing majority is absolutely essential if democracy is to survive in the United States.
“The reforms I’m describing do not come naturally to me. It’s something I resisted for a long time,” Marshall told us. “I get the impulses of people who find this to be a step too far, but I do think if you look at what is necessary to reinforce democratic self-government in the United States, you simply can’t do that with the filibuster and this Supreme Court in place.”
White House Chronicle, Commentary: The Woman Behind Trump’s Overnight Truth Social Raging, Llewellyn King, May 16, 2026. President Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, likes to say that his administration is the most transparent in history. Possibly, she is right.
That is, if you think letting it all hang out is the kind of transparency Leavitt has in mind.
Certainly, it all hangs out in a way we have never seen in Washington. Trump has turned the Oval Office into a kind of television studio where he insults the press, talks to foreign leaders and, on occasion, berates them (Ukraine, South Africa and Canada) in front of the press.
Then there is the president’s late-night posting on Truth Social, when a meteor shower of invective, scorn, misinformation, disinformation, self-adulation, and allegations, interspersed with policy declarations, reveals him unedited. In those posts, he has urged colonizing Greenland, taking over Canada and, recently, adding Venezuela as the 51st state.
All of it set about with capital letters, exclamation points and AI-generated pictures — some of the most offensive ones have included Trump as Jesus, the Obamas as apes and, more recently, Illinois Gov. JD Pritzker gorging on an enormous hamburger.
The insults keep coming, accusing enemies and even his predecessors of being weak, having low IQs and, of course, being “losers.” In this scathing and self-aggrandizing stream, some are even traitors, including former President Barack Obama. Arrest him!
It is a bravura performance without equal. It is also hugely popular with diehard devotees of the president. His account on Truth Social has 12.5 million subscribers. One night recently, there were 55 posts — some clearly composed and some forwarded from right-wing sources, alleging conspiracies, malfeasance or trumpeting Trump.
Journalists assigned to read them have called them variously rampages, rants, wild sprees and storms. But read them, they must.
This is Trump in a stream of consciousness, unvarnished, and an essential source of news because what the president of the United States says is news.
Traces of varnishing have been appearing: The number of spelling mistakes, bizarre word formations and grammatical errors has gone down, even as the volume has accelerated.
The Wall Street Journal has revealed the unseen hand on the keyboard. It is the hand of Natalie Harp, the president’s personal assistant, an influential but unsung force in the White House.
Harp, according to the Journal, scours fringe news and social media for repostable comments and produces AI-generated illustrations. She then hands them to Trump. He selects and adds them to his own comments, and a post is born.
Sometimes the posting is feverish. The night the Iran War began, there were more than 90 posts.
Harp, 34, is the epitome of a Christian conservative, coming from a religious family in California and attending two Christian-right universities, Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. She came to Trump’s attention when she was reporting and hosting for the ultra-conservative television network One America News. He asked her to join his presidential campaign.
Don’t think that Trump and Harp’s overnight spewing is wasted. He has all those followers on Truth Social, but his real strength is that the mainstream media is obliged to quote some of his comments daily.
What Trump says on Truth Social is also heard around the world. It isn’t just journalists who follow it; nations have to pay attention. In capitals from Tehran to Moscow, London to Beijing, Trump-raging is essential reading.
The Trump Show, for that is what it is, is a radical departure from how presidents have traditionally communicated with the public. Trump posts directly, sometimes without regard for how his words will be received.
It used to be that speeches were the window through which the world could see how an American president was thinking. They were crafted, agonized over, passed around, redrafted and sometimes delivered with last-minute handwritten additions or subtractions by the president.
They were policy documents for the present and the future. With Trump, it is the improvisations that inform or confuse.
Presidential speeches through the years have given us history’s milestones, whether it was Washington’s Farewell Address, Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address or FDR’s First Inaugural Address.
Who can forget the speeches of JFK in Berlin, Reagan at the Berlin Wall or Obama in Cairo?
With Trump, it is the firehose delivery that is remembered, especially in overnight posts. Transparent?
Traces of varnishing have been appearing: The number of spelling mistakes, bizarre word formations and grammatical errors has gone down, even as the volume has accelerated.
The Wall Street Journal has revealed the unseen hand on the keyboard. It is the hand of Natalie Harp, the president’s personal assistant, an influential but unsung force in the White House.
Harp, according to the Journal, scours fringe news and social media for repostable comments and produces AI-generated illustrations. She then hands them to Trump. He selects and adds them to his own comments, and a post is born.
Sometimes the posting is feverish. The night the Iran War began, there were more than 90 posts.
Harp, 34, is the epitome of a Christian conservative, coming from a religious family in California and attending two Christian-right universities, Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. She came to Trump’s attention when she was reporting and hosting for the ultra-conservative television network One America News. He asked her to join his presidential campaign.
Don’t think that Trump and Harp’s overnight spewing is wasted. He has all those followers on Truth Social, but his real strength is that the mainstream media is obliged to quote some of his comments daily.
What Trump says on Truth Social is also heard around the world. It isn’t just journalists who follow it; nations have to pay attention. In capitals from Tehran to Moscow, London to Beijing, Trump-raging is essential reading.
The Trump Show, for that is what it is, is a radical departure from how presidents have traditionally communicated with the public. Trump posts directly, sometimes without regard for how his words will be received.
It used to be that speeches were the window through which the world could see how an American president was thinking. They were crafted, agonized over, passed around, redrafted and sometimes delivered with last-minute handwritten additions or subtractions by the president.
They were policy documents for the present and the future. With Trump, it is the improvisations that inform or confuse.
Lance's Substack, Opinion: Madness Is Not An Option, Lance F Rosen, right, 
May 16, 2026. A first assessment of what the Trump-Xi debacle of a summit means.
You’ve heard of “shuttle diplomacy?” This was “Shut The F__ Up” diplomacy.
He is completely disassociated and a physical wreck. The Chinese leadership already knew this when the summit was being organized, because their intelligence agencies have been watching him deteriorate. They knew he would be out of it, even more so after the grueling travel, and planned their public events accordingly.
Xi was strategic in his remarks, knowing that he was talking to the US political/military/financial establishment, as opposed to Trump, fully aware of his disordered mental state.
I’ll have more to say about it, but I think it is worthwhile for us to gain some perspective by considering the following strategic and historical realities.
China has emerged as the ascendent center of gravity for the world economy, likely for the next 100 years, given that the overwhelming majority of the world’s population is Asian and exists within their geopolitical sphere of influence.
Even more important for Americans to remember is that China is a 4000 year old plus culture, albeit multi-ethnic, experiencing cycles of evolution and regression, and which has endured continuously across dynastic changes, all of its various political incarnations notwithstanding. There is a “China culture,” one which was divided between the “Confucianists and the legalists” over the centurues. No serious analyst would ignore those factors of historical continuity, or their current state of relative national unity. The United States is 250 years old, and whether we even have a culture is debatable. The truth is that the two great powers are moving in opposite directions.
Trump and the people around him believe they can compete with China economically through projecting military power and extorting other nations to hand over their raw material wealth and food. (The likely thinking behind why Trump was coached to “come in hot” on the issue of Taiwan) This, while the Trump regime is simultaneously destroying the US physical economy and living standards.
Meanwhile China’s economic growth is beyond dynamic, driven by the development of their internal market through big infrastructure projects, education, and science, and it is directed primarily at raising China’s standard of living, not enriching a class of oligarchs. We know what their problems are, but they know what they are doing. They do not suffer a state supported national gambling addiction as do Americans, and take stringent regulatory actions to limit their involvement in speculative markets. They have a plan for their future, while the Trump regime is out to loot, steal, and grift the planet in order to make a quick buck.
I wouldn’t lump Xi in with the world's other dictators, though he maintains alliances with them and is certainly a strongman type. China’s leaders are not thugs, they are sophisticated in a way the others aren’t. Also China is not prone to want to “land grab.” The don’t have the impulse to want a world empire, their mindset has been one of a “Middle Kingdom.” They have done a good deal of predatory lending to various countries to get preferential deals on raw materials and other commodities, and they are on a global buying spree investmentwise to increase their equity ownership, but they are not conquerors. They have been invaded, surrounded many times in their history, and because of their culture they just absorbed them into their own.
There has been a lot of China bashing in the US media over the years, and Americans are so racist and uninformed they’ll swallow anything. Not just the MAGAts either. So I always try to give a balanced perspective, knowing what I know about the kind of system they have with it’s authoritarian elements. They have a huge techno-surveillance system in which everyone is tracked through their phones. It is our future under Palantir if we don’t beat them.
This is the actual context for Xi raising the subjects of America’s “decline” and “The Thucydides Trap” at the public dinner. Of course Xi is aware of Trump’s historical illiteracy. As far as Trump knows, Thucydides was some Greek guy who invented Feta cheese. That interchange alone should more or less confirm in our minds that the Chinese leadership directed their intervention toward the US establishment.
China’s relations to the West are still to this day informed by their experience with the racist British Empire, which imposed the opium trade on them, looted, exploited, and brutalized them, in an attempt to colonize them. China fought two 19th century wars against the British East India Company to expel them and their drug cartel. The Brits occupied Hong Kong in order to set it up as the commercial banking center of the opium traders, the reason the handover in ‘97 was such a big deal for the Chinese.
The billionaire’s group which accompanied him is also aware of Trump’s mental and physical condition. It is almost certain that their agenda was to come out of the meetings with deals where they would be big “winners,” with something to show for it.
It looks like they got bupkiss. Musk might have a little boost to expand his fiddle-faddle operations in an attempt to exploit Chinese labor, likewise some of the others may get some table scraps. Nevertheless the whole summit is a strategic humiliation for the United States, and not just because the Mental Patient-in-Chief couldn’t stay awake and looked like total crap.
If I were making a prediction, which I generally don’t, I would expect the machinery for removing Trump from office to be moving into a new and more urgent phase.
Trump’s handlers are having greater trouble by the day in maintaining the charade that he is mentally competent and physically able to function.
One indication that it might be happening, ie; that Vance is being prepped, is a cabinet shakeup, for example Patel, RFK, and Gabbard could all be sent packing any day. I would also look for Natalie Harp and Laura Loomer to be cut off of access to Trump because they are both consciously playing upon his paranoia and disorientation in truly Shakespearian fashion, which makes the Vance faction very nervous, since they see them both as being highly dangerous and unpredictable. This, for example, would be another sign that the removal process is speeding up.
The Hartmann Report, The Best of the Rest of the News and Opinion: As Hantavirus Threat Grows, Trump Turns to a Penile Implant Expert to Reassure America, Thom Hartmann, right, May 16, 2026. Surprised?
— So the bombs, the dead Iranians, the smashed cities, and the trillions in regional chaos were all just a PR campaign? Like something to redirect our attention? That’s essentially what Trump told Sean Hannity on Fox “News” Thursday night when he bragged in a senior moment that the entire push to seize Iran’s enriched uranium — the ostensible casus belli for the deadly bombing campaign that’s killed so many children and 15 Americans — is, in his own words, “more for public relations than it is for anything else.” Bloomberg captured the moment while Trump was conveniently in Beijing, far from any uncomfortable reporters who might ask why he started a war over nuclear material he now says he doesn’t really need. The estimated 400 kilograms of 60%-enriched uranium are buried under the rubble of the sites he bombed, and the U.S. has nine satellite cameras watching the rubble around the clock. So why did Americans bleed and pay for this war? Two unflattering possibilities: this is the Trump “get out of the Epstein jail free” card — wave a shiny mushroom cloud and pray the country forgets the stories from then-13-year-old girls accusing him of rape — or it’s Trump’s quiet capitulation that he never understood what Bibi Netanyahu and Marco Rubio talked him into. Most likely, of course, it’s both. Either way, somewhere Bibi is smiling and Vladimir Putin — Trump’s mentor in the art of bombing first and lying later — is taking notes for the next time he wants his orange toady to do something stupid.
— Pete Hegseth, the cable-news weekend host with drinking and infidelity problems and a Signal habit, has now blindsided his own Pentagon by canceling the deployment of 4,000 American troops to Poland, the country Trump himself just called a “model ally.” No notice to NATO, no notice to Congress, no notice apparently even to the building Hegseth supposedly runs but is now apparently being directed by Russia. As Politico reported, one stunned defense official said flatly, “We had no idea this was coming,” while Pentagon staff spent the next 24 hours frantically working phones across Europe trying to figure out which ally gets stabbed in the back next. This follows Hegseth yanking 5,000 troops out of Germany earlier this month after Chancellor Friedrich Merz had the temerity to suggest Trump’s ridiculous Iran adventure was making the United States look, well, ridiculous. The Poland-destined troops were already arriving — equipment unloaded, deployment underway — when the order to halt came down. So why is the United States humiliating one of its most loyal allies, at the exact moment Russia is rebuilding its army on Poland’s eastern border? Easy: Putin has wanted American troops out of Eastern Europe for 25 years, and his terrified lickspittle in the Oval Office is delivering. Coincidentally, this is exactly the kind of strategic gift that would appear on Putin’s birthday list, right between “destabilize NATO” and “humiliate Warsaw.” Hmmm, why indeed?
— The Trump administration is now openly preparing to indict 94-year-old Raul Castro, and if you’ve been watching the Putin Doctrine playbook, you already know how this movie ends, too. Reuters broke the news Thursday that Trump’s corrupt DOJ is preparing charges against Fidel’s brother over Cuba’s 1996 shootdown of the “Brothers to the Rescue” planes, with one official describing the indictment as “imminent.” The script should look familiar: in January, Trump indicted Maduro, then bombed Caracas, then kidnapped him, then handed Venezuela’s oil to American donors. Now the same playbook is apparently being dusted off for Havana. Trump warned back in March that Cuba “is next” after Venezuela, and Marco Rubio — whose parents left Cuba two full years before Castro came to power, but has nonetheless spent his entire career pretending to be a Cuban refugee child — appears to be driving the bus. CIA Director John Ratcliffe even slipped into Havana Thursday to deliver the diplomatic equivalent of a ransom note: engage on “economic security” by letting wealthy American businessmen to take over Cuban companies and resorts or get the Maduro treatment. So is Cuba about to become America’s newest Trump colony? Or, given that Trump keeps musing about Canada as the 51st state, Greenland as a U.S. possession, and Panama as our birthright, does Havana get the consolation prize of becoming the 52nd? Either way, the Castro family must be having the same conversation Maduro had right before the special forces showed up at the Miraflores Palace. Watch the Florida Straits.
— In what may be the most spectacular self-own of the week, Trump told Sean Hannity that America needs 500,000 Chinese student visas and that the Chinese Communist Party should be allowed to buy American farmland. This from the man whose entire 2024 campaign was built on the premise that China is eating our lunch, stealing our jobs, and grooming our children through TikTok because the Democrats are “weak.” As Mediaite documented, Hannity actually tried to throw him a lifeline, noting that Beijing would never let Americans buy land near a Chinese military installation. Trump shrugged it off and defended the farmland sales anyway, because the GOP donors who own massive factory farms matter more than the American people. The MAGA Twittersphere immediately had a collective aneurysm: influencer Mike Cernovich howled, “Has China defeated our country?” while Idaho state Rep. Heather Scott vowed her state’s laws would block any such purchases. These are, as one of his own ghostwriters whined, “95-5 issues” inside MAGA world. The most charitable interpretation: Trump, freshly humiliated and out-negotiated by Xi Jinping at this week’s Beijing summit, came home parroting his host’s talking points. The less charitable interpretation: 45 years of Reaganomics have produced a Republican Party so utterly captured by agribusiness, fossil fuel, and big banks that even the supposedly America-first president now reads from Wall Street’s China-friendly script. Either way, the body double theory is starting to look less crazy.
— JD Vance — Yale Law graduate, venture capitalist, couch-lover, and current Vice President of the United States — has officially rolled out the GOP’s 2026 update of Ronald Reagan’s Black “welfare queen”: she now drives a Lamborghini. Speaking to a MAGA crowd in Bangor, Maine — chosen because Gov. Janet Mills dared to stand up to Trump — Vance asked the audience, as Daily Kos recounted, why “people driving Lamborghinis” are pulling down low-income housing assistance and food stamps. He had no example. None. Not one Linda Taylor who, as Josh Levin demonstrated in his 2019 book The Queen, was the one-off serial fraudster Reagan turned into a national caricature to slander every Black welfare recipient in America. Vance also told the same audience that dead people are voting for Democrats and getting food stamps, a remark that drew laughter, though it shouldn’t have, because the federal SNAP eligibility rules cap household assets at $2,750. If you own a $250,000 Italian sports car, you do not, in fact, qualify for food stamps. But Vance isn’t trying to win an argument; he’s manufacturing resentment and hate so Trump’s billionaire Cabinet can finish gutting SNAP, Medicaid, and federal housing assistance to pay for the next round of tax cuts for people who actually do own Lamborghinis. The welfare queen rides again, this time inside JD Vance’s fevered Hillbilly Elegy imagination.
— Speaking of billionaires hunting the social safety net, they just notched their biggest scalp yet. On May 11, former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin — a Yale-educated corporate lawyer backed by Wall Street — won the Connecticut Democratic Party’s endorsement against 14-term Rep. John Larson, the ranking Democrat on the House Social Security Subcommittee and author of the Social Security 2100 Act. That bill — co-sponsored by nearly 90% of House Democrats — would expand benefits for the first time in over 50 years by lifting the FICA cap on income above $400,000, so that Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Larry Ellison would finally pay into Social Security like the rest of us instead of finishing their annual contributions by 12:15 a.m. on January 1st. Naturally, billionaires loathe the bill, and they’ve poured shadowy outside money into Bronin’s challenge, as Social Security Works’ Alex Lawson detailed in Common Dreams. Larson, who grew up in the Mayberry Village housing project in East Hartford, called the August 11 primary “Mayberry against Greenwich,” the perfect frame for what is in fact a referendum on whether ordinary Americans get to keep the one program that lifts 22 million people out of poverty, or whether Wall Street finally cracks Social Security’s $2.7 trillion trust fund open and starts feeding it to BlackRock and Citadel. Pay attention to Connecticut’s First District this summer because if the billionaires can pick off Larson, they can pick off any Democrat standing between Goldman Sachs and your retirement check.
— You Just Can’t Make This Up Alert: As Hantavirus Threat Grows, Trump Turns to a Penile Implant Expert to Reassure America. The Trump official Bob Kennedy trotted out this week to calm Americans fears about the growing hantavirus scare is a urologist whose medical specialty is penile implants and who hosted a YouTube show called Erection Connection. That is not a typo. CNN’s KFile revealed Friday that Admiral Brian Christine, MD, the Assistant Secretary for Health and now the public face of America’s infectious disease response, came directly from a private penis-assistance practice in Alabama with no public health background, but plenty of COVID vaccine skepticism, plenty of election-denial commentary, and plenty of conspiracy theories tying George Soros and the World Economic Forum to the pandemic lockdowns. He stood at a podium in Omaha this week and promised a response “grounded in science.” From the man whose previous claim to fame was a media brand built on erectile dysfunction. So when your loved ones ask why the country is staring down its third major infectious-disease scare in a decade with a phallic-surgery enthusiast at the helm of HHS’ pandemic response, just tell them what Kennedy’s boss tells his cabinet officers when reality intrudes: “It’s going to be better than you could ever believe.” Or, as my late mother might have said: G-d help us.
U.S. Media, Education
Stephen Colbert on the set of “The Late Show,” on May 5, 2026 (CBS Photo by Scott Kowalchyk).
New York Times, Guest Essay: CBS Cancels Itself, Not Just Colbert, Bill Carter (author of “The Late Shift” and “The War for Late Night” and editor at large for LateNighter.com), May 16, 2026. From the start of his career as a late-night television star on CBS, Stephen Colbert shattered the long-established broadcast network mold for who and what makes a late-night host.
His previous experience, “The Colbert Report” (pronounced as though on TV Français) on Comedy Central was a never-ending sketch, which had Mr. Colbert playing a caricature of a self-obsessed, blowhard conservative commentator.
He even conducted interviews on the show as the character, compelling him to tell his guests to be prepared for “a jerk.”
Before CBS, Mr. Colbert had almost never appeared as himself on television, nor most anywhere else. For years he gave interviews about the show completely in character, a guy who could not have been more opposite to the real Mr. Colbert in personality or political views.
Everyone had to be in on the fake news joke. It was a masterful, one-of-a-kind performance, one of the sharpest, most astute political satires ever produced for a mainstream audience — and a hit. It lasted for nine years. His recruitment by CBS to succeed the legendary David Letterman as host of “The Late Show” in 2014 made complete sense to me; he was a major comic star and he wanted the job. At the time, I was convinced it was a perfect match, and one sure to be easier than what Mr. Colbert had just pulled off. All he had to do this time was be the real Stephen Colbert.
What I didn’t anticipate was that the foundation of Mr. Colbert’s success was something new to late night: hard-core, point-of-view political comedy. He had developed it while contributing to “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central. A broadcast network, steeped in the traditional “both sides” style of Johnny Carson, was going to expect him to drop that as well as the character.Sign up for the Opinion Today newsletter Get expert analysis of the news and a guide to the big ideas shaping the world every weekday morning. Get it sent to your inbox.
CBS did; Mr. Colbert tried. It didn’t work.
His outspoken, pointedly satirical voice was muted in his early “Late Show” performances. He looked a bit lost, as though in trying to be the real Stephen Colbert whom CBS anticipated, he was actually becoming another character — and not a terribly funny one.
At risk of losing the gig, Mr. Colbert agreed to CBS’s push for a new executive producer, Chris Licht, with only TV news credits: “Morning Joe” and “CBS This Morning.”
Mr. Colbert later praised Mr. Licht and conceded he had been crucial in transforming the show into “what we really want to do,” which was build the comedy around the news of the day (even if Mr. Colbert had given up pretending to be a fake news anchor.)Editors’ PicksIn Italy, Princess Catherine Puts Her Wardrobe to WorkMatt Haig on ‘The Midnight Library,’ Mental Illness and Winnie-the-PoohTired of Hacked Passwords? Help Is on the Way.
Mr. Licht’s arrival in 2016 coincided with the political rise of Donald Trump — and a grudge match made in media heaven was born.
Mr. Colbert started finishing first in late-night about a year later and stayed in the position for most of the time since.
Mr. Colbert is leaving the Ed Sullivan Theater this Thursday, after around 1,800 shows. CBS has said, definitely and defensively, that this is purely a business decision. Nobody really believes that, but even the No. 1 late-night show is not the moneymaker it once was. It’s expensive to produce. The broadcast ratings are not what they used to be. Those viewers who are left are disproportionately older, and of less interest to advertisers.
The network says it decided to end “The Late Show” because it was losing at least $40 million a year. Sounds credible, doesn’t it? Maybe not. Many insiders — including Mr. Colbert’s friend and direct competitor, Jimmy Kimmel — have noted that CBS’s calculation left out some key factors. It did not include the effect of Mr. Colbert’s star presence on the fees CBS is able to command from local affiliate stations. It shrugged off the value the network has gained from sending stars of its series onto the show for promotion. It ignored Mr. Colbert’s role in bringing viewers to those affiliates’ 11 p.m. news shows, in anticipation of the new “Late Show” episode that would air right after.
Mr. Colbert says the network never raised its financial concerns, and did not push for any of the ways such a show could cut costs. (When NBC saw declining revenues from its own late-night offerings, it eliminated the band on Seth Meyers’s show and cut Jimmy Fallon’s back to four days a week.) In fact, Mr. Colbert said CBS was “feverish” to lock him into a new contract only three years ago.
Stephen Colbert on the set of “The Late Show,” on May 5.Credit...Scott Kowalchyk/CBS
Mr. Colbert, as gentlemanly a star as there is on television, has thrown no on-air tantrums. He’s mostly left the open disparagement of the bosses to his predecessor, David Letterman.
But it’s no secret what transpired in between that eager pitch to extend his run and that sudden closing notice: CBS’s parent company, Paramount, was on the verge of a merger. President Trump, who had been wounded by Mr. Colbert’s political satire, and who on many occasions had publicly called for him to be canceled (or “put to sleep” in one memorable social media message), had returned to office and in a position to interfere with any deal.
Paramount had already taken steps widely seen as currying favor with the administration, most notably when it signed off on a $16 million payment to settle a lawsuit Mr. Trump brought against CBS News’s “60 Minutes,” even though legal experts said Mr. Trump had very little chance of prevailing in court.
In a monologue, Mr. Colbert called the settlement a “big fat bribe.” He got word he’d been canceled just days later. A week or so after that, the deal was approved.
However CBS attempts to characterize the Colbert decision from now on, that’s what people will remember.
Having a late-night star on the air most weeknights has been a powerful statement, affirming that the broadcasters were still in the game, still offering original programming taped before a live audience that viewers showed up for, year round. Successful hosts became their networks’ signature stars.
In forcing Mr. Colbert out and shutting down a 33-year late-night franchise — while selling that post-local-news hour of airtime to a syndicated show instead of replacing him with an original program of its own creation — CBS is assenting to its own diminishment.
Status, Opinion: Subsidizing MAGA Mouthpieces, Jon Passantino, May 16, 2026. Billionaire media owners are pouring money into little-watched MAGA-friendly podcasts and video ventures in hopes of currying favor with the administration.
Last month, Katie Miller, the wife of Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, sat down with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, for a friendly chat on her podcast. Sitting inside the federal agency between a pair of flags and a Trump meme mug, Miller offered Carr a warm platform to assail the “woke” media, threaten Disney’s broadcast licenses, and play a game of would-you-rather.
“Would you rather explain net neutrality to fifth graders, or have fifth graders teach you a viral TikTok dance?” she asked Carr, who responded with a chuckle and a “6-7” juggle with his hands, playing along with the supportive atmosphere.
The episode—which has drawn fewer than 5,000 views on YouTube—was emblematic of how Miller has used her platform to offer cozy, consequence-free safe spaces for Trump administration officials and some of MAGA’s biggest stars, including J.D. Vance, her former boss Elon Musk, Pete Hegseth, and a rotating cast of Trump loyalists.Upgrade to Premium
Yet, despite Miller’s extraordinary access to the people now steering the federal government, her show has attracted fewer than 60,000 subscribers, a striking sign of how little organic interest there is in these carefully stage-managed sit-downs designed to launder the image of officials carrying out Trump’s deeply unpopular agenda.
But Miller’s program has apparently become popular with one person, David Ellison, the billionaire Oracle scion who has used his father’s fortune to take control of Paramount and is now attempting to add Warner Bros. Discovery—and CNN—to his moguldom. On Thursday, Axios reported, in a piece so sanitized of context it initially failed to mention Katie Miller is married to one of Trump’s most influential lieutenants, that Ellison’s Paramount was in talks to distribute her podcast. The Atlantic later revealed that Miller has been in talks with Paramount brass for months to sell her show, even courting administration officials for Ellison’s dinner last month “honoring the Trump White House.”
A Paramount spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment when I reached out Friday. A Miller spokesperson declined to comment.Upgrade to Premium
Across the media landscape, billionaire owners are plowing cash into low-wattage right-wing media personalities that often attract tiny audiences but serve a much more valuable purpose: flattering Trump by platforming his allies, and signaling loyalty to an administration that has made clear it rewards friendly coverage and punishes dissent.
As Status reported earlier this week, Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos has been investing heavily in a new video-focused opinion operation at The Washington Post under editor Adam O’Neal, an effort designed to transform the paper’s opinion section into a more personality-driven digital media machine. But despite posting dozens of videos to YouTube, the flagship “Make It Make Sense” series has amassed fewer than 600 subscribers, with episodes routinely struggling to pull in even a few hundred views. Under ordinary business logic, those numbers would trigger alarm. Instead, Bezos appears to be fine continuing to bankroll the project.Upgrade to Premium
But with Bezos eager to accelerate his space ambitions in the second Trump-era, audience size increasingly appears to be beside the point. Ellison understands this especially well. In addition to eyeing Miller’s podcast, he spent some $150 million to acquire Bari Weiss’ Free Press and elevate her into a position of extraordinary influence over CBS News despite her lack of television management experience. The result has been nothing short of disastrous, with plunging ratings, logistical embarrassments, and an increasingly overt effort to reposition the network toward Trump-friendly coverage.
Of course, for billionaires with enormous business before the federal government, the dozens of viewers of The Post’s new opinion videos or the 4,600 others who tuned into Miller’s chummy chat with Carr are almost beside the point. The audience that matters is the one person whose goodwill Ellison and Bezos need to approve their deals. Under the current administration, that’s the only metric that seems to count.
New York Times, Navy Aircraft Carrier Completes Longest Deployment Since Vietnam, John Ismay, Updated May 16, 2026. After being diverted for combat with Venezuela and Iran, the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford returned to Norfolk, Va., on Saturday after nearly a year at sea.
The aircraft carrier U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford returned home to Norfolk, Va., on Saturday, completing the longest deployment by a U.S. warship since the Vietnam War.
What began on June 24 as a peacetime cruise with scheduled port calls in the Mediterranean and the North Sea changed drastically in October when the ship was in Split, Croatia.
While the Ford was in port, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered it to the Caribbean in the run-up to the U.S. commando raid in January that seized President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela. Then, Mr. Hegseth sent the ship to the Middle East in preparation for the war against Iran.
Along the way, the crew endured a major fire that destroyed the sleeping area for hundreds of sailors, complaints about food shortages, delays in receiving mail and mechanical problems with the gear that launches and recovers warplanes on the ship’s flight deck.
About 4,500 sailors serve on carriers like the Ford when all of the aircraft and aviators are aboard.
Warship deployments are typically scheduled to last six months, but those for aircraft carriers can sometimes stretch into eight months. Pushing beyond that, as the Navy has done with the Ford, can strain both the crew as well as the mechanical well-being of the ship itself.
May 15
Editor's Note: Today's daily news update was delayed because Justice Integrity Project Editor Andrew Kreig is among the speakers on the topic of human rights, justice and the news media at a conference held in the U.S. Senate's Kennedy Caucus Room organized by members of the Ethiopian-American diaspora in Washington, DC. The keynote speaker was Dr. Gregory Stanton, the founding president of Genocide Watch, and a former State department official who has lived and worked in Ethiopia among a number of other nations. He described why Ethiopia urgently needs a new constitution to replace one devised by a Marxist-Leninist government in 1995 the provides too much power to warring ethnic-dominated locales to the detriment of the central government.
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May 15, 2026. I look forward to the day I no longer have to report on the Trump administration. I mean that sincerely. Not because of politics, but because of the constant flood of chaos, the exhaustion, and the relentless speed of the news cycle. But until things change, I am not stopping. Not now. Not ever.Top Stories
The Parnas Perspective, Evening News and Commentary: Important Friday Night News Update! Aaron Parnas, right, May 15, 2026. I look forward to the day I no longer have to report on the Trump administration. I mean that sincerely. Not because of politics, but because of the constant flood of chaos, the exhaustion, and the relentless speed of the news cycle. But until things change, I am not stopping. Not now. Not ever.
Before I get into tonight’s news, I want to talk honestly about where this platform is headed and address something many of you have shared with me. This week alone, more than a dozen people unsubscribed because they said they felt overwhelmed. I understand that feeling completely. I feel it too.
So let me say this clearly: it is okay if you cannot read every email. It is okay if you cannot open every report. But please do not disconnect entirely. Because exhaustion and apathy are not accidental. They are how people stop paying attention. They are how truth gets buried.
That is why I built this platform the way I did. The stories I post are real. They are not manipulated for outrage or clicks. They are not designed to entertain you into submission. They are simply the news, presented as honestly and directly as I can give it. In today’s media environment, that alone is becoming rare.
And we have major things ahead. Early next week, I’ll announce a major new initiative in the fight against AI-driven misinformation. The following week, we launch our exclusive show with Jessica Tarlov. And next Thursday, another Paid Subscriber Q&A goes live. This platform is growing fast, and we are only getting started.
Here’s the news:
Donald Trump described his summit with Xi Jinping as a success, emphasizing their personal relationship as the meeting’s biggest achievement rather than pointing to a concrete policy or economic outcome. When asked by Fox News host Bret Baier for the summit’s most significant win for the U.S., Trump replied that “the most important thing is relationship” and said he has “a very good relationship” with Xi. Critics interpreted the exchange as evidence that the summit produced few tangible results despite extensive diplomatic attention.
Republicans are reportedly “furious” after Donald Trump defended his earlier comment about not thinking about Americans’ financial struggles, telling reporters: “It’s a perfect statement. I’ll make it again. Everybody agrees.”
Governor Jared Polis will grant clemency to former Colorado election clerk Tina Peters, cutting her prison sentence in half after she admitted she “made a mistake” and misled election officials. Peters was convicted for helping election deniers access Mesa County voting systems in an effort to support false claims about the 2020 election. Polis said the decision was influenced by concerns about free speech and a recent appeals court ruling that found parts of Peters’ sentencing improperly considered her political speech. The move is seen as a political victory for Donald Trump and election denial activists, though Polis emphasized the clemency is not a pardon and that Peters’ felony conviction will remain.
CNN reports that U.S. officials suspect Iranian hackers breached fuel tank monitoring systems at gas stations across multiple states by exploiting unprotected automatic tank gauge systems connected to the internet. While the attacks did not alter actual fuel supplies or cause physical damage, officials warned the intrusions could create serious safety risks if hackers manipulated systems to hide leaks or malfunctions. Investigators say the activity fits a broader pattern of increasingly aggressive Iranian cyber operations targeting U.S. critical infrastructure during the ongoing Iran conflict. Cybersecurity experts also warned that Iran’s recent tactics show faster, more adaptable operations, including disinformation campaigns and attacks aimed at influencing future U.S. elections.
Admiral Brian Christine, a urologist known for specializing in penile implants, is leading the federal response to the ongoing hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius. The article highlights Christine’s background in men’s sexual health, including hosting a YouTube show called “Erection Connection,” and notes past comments in which he promoted COVID-era conspiracy theories and rejected claims of systemic racism in healthcare. Critics have questioned his qualifications and public health views given his prominent role in managing an infectious disease outbreak. Despite the controversy, Christine has described the government’s hantavirus response as “grounded in science.”
A large bee swarm hit the White House today:
Republican lawmakers sharply criticized the Pentagon after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth canceled a planned deployment of 4,000 U.S. troops to Poland, calling the move a “slap in the face” to both NATO allies and Congress. Members of the House Armed Services Committee said they were not consulted and expressed frustration that Army leaders appeared to have little explanation for the abrupt reversal. Army officials testified that the decision was made only recently and acknowledged some troops and equipment were already en route to Europe when the deployment was halted. The controversy adds to growing tensions between the Trump administration and defense-focused Republicans over reductions in the U.S. military presence across Europe.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green signed a new law aimed at limiting corporate and “dark money” influence in elections by redefining corporations in a way that bars them from spending on political campaigns. The law directly challenges the impact of the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling, which allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts independently in elections. Supporters say the measure is a bold attempt to reduce corporate influence in politics, while critics, including Hawaii’s attorney general office, argue it will likely face costly legal battles and constitutional challenges. A similar effort is underway in Montana, where activists are trying to place a related proposal before voters later this year.
Critics are questioning the design and marketing of the Trump Mobile “T1 Phone” after promotional materials appeared to show incorrect versions of the American flag on the device. Some images and videos display only 11 or even 9 stripes instead of the correct 13, raising speculation that generative AI may have been used to create parts of the marketing campaign. There are also inconsistencies in the phone’s appearance across promotional videos, including changing textures, packaging, and boot screens, fueling doubts about whether the product is actually ready to ship. Despite company claims that the phones are shipping, there is still little public evidence that customers have received devices or shipping confirmations.
A still from The Verge’s video interview with Trump Mobile staff showing the T1 Phone with 13 stripes on the US flag logo.
The Guardian reports that a Pentagon inspector general review found the U.S. military has effectively dismantled key civilian harm prevention programs that were legally required to reduce and track civilian deaths during military operations. The report says staffing, oversight meetings, funding, and operational infrastructure tied to the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence sharply declined under the Trump administration and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Critics argue the cuts weakened safeguards meant to limit civilian casualties, especially as U.S. strikes in Iran have caused significant civilian deaths, including children. The Pentagon has not officially ended the program, but watchdog findings suggest it may no longer comply with federal law requiring civilian casualty mitigation policies.
From Iran’s Foreign Minister today:
Leon Botstein’s 51-year tenure at Bard College was effectively ended after the school’s board reviewed his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. An independent investigation found Botstein was not fully transparent about his relationship with Epstein and failed to recognize reputational risks tied to accepting donations and consulting payments connected to him. Internal emails obtained by the Guardian suggest the board voted against renewing Botstein’s contract shortly before he publicly announced his retirement, creating divisions among trustees and prompting several resignations. The controversy has also led to calls for a New York state investigation into whether Bard’s board failed in its fiduciary responsibilities to the college community.
Federal authorities have requested an additional 1,500 National Guard troops for a “summer surge” deployment in Washington, D.C. ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations. If approved, the move would raise the total Guard presence in the capital to 5,000 troops as part of the Trump administration’s expanded crackdown on crime, drug trafficking, illegal firearms, and large youth gatherings known as “teen takeovers.” Officials say the effort has already contributed to declines in robberies, carjackings, and violent crime, though critics note crime rates had already been falling before the troop deployments began. The operation follows President Donald Trump’s controversial decision to temporarily federalize D.C. law enforcement under a public safety emergency declaration.
Tensions between the U.S. and Cuba are escalating amid reports that former Cuban leader Raúl Castro could face a U.S. indictment tied to the 1996 shooting down of planes operated by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue. The move would increase 
pressure on Cuba’s leadership as the island struggles with severe fuel shortages, rolling blackouts, and economic collapse worsened by U.S. sanctions and an oil blockade. The report also describes recent high-level talks between CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Cuban officials, alongside growing speculation that the Trump administration is seeking major political or economic changes in Cuba. Meanwhile, ordinary Cubans continue to face worsening living conditions, with widespread power outages and shortages fueling public frustration and protests.
NBC News reports that authorities charged alleged terrorist commander Mohammad Al-Saadi with plotting attacks on Jewish and civilian targets in New York City, Los Angeles, and Scottsdale. Prosecutors say Al-Saadi, described as a commander in the Iran-linked militant group Kata’ib Hizballah, attempted to hire an undercover law enforcement officer to carry out arson and bombing attacks against synagogues and Jewish centers. Authorities allege he also encouraged violence against Americans and Israelis online and was connected to numerous attacks in Europe since the start of the Iran war earlier this year. Federal prosecutors charged him with multiple terrorism-related offenses, while law enforcement officials said the alleged New York synagogue attack was successfully disrupted before it could be carried out.
The town of Social Circle is suing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over plans to convert a warehouse into a massive immigration detention center capable of holding 10,000 people. Local officials argue the facility would overwhelm the town’s infrastructure, potentially causing water shortages and sewage problems, and allege ICE violated state and federal laws during the project. The proposed detention center is part of a broader nationwide expansion of immigration detention facilities under the Trump administration, estimated to cost $38.3 billion. The plan has sparked opposition in several communities, while DHS says it aims to work with local leaders and ensure humane detention conditions.
A judge declared a mistrial in Harvey Weinstein’s third Manhattan sex crimes trial after jurors deadlocked over a rape charge involving former aspiring actor Jessica Mann. The jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict after about nine hours of deliberation, marking the second time a panel failed to decide on this specific allegation. Prosecutors said they are considering whether to retry the case, while Weinstein’s defense argued the split favored acquittal and urged authorities not to pursue another trial. Weinstein remains incarcerated due to other sex crime convictions in New York and California, despite some earlier convictions being overturned on appeal.
Mike Johnson, right, responded cautiously to domestic abuse allegations against Ohio Republican Congressman Max Miller, saying Miller “has got to work that out.”
Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno, the daughter of Senator Bernie Moreno, has accused him of abuse during an ongoing and contentious divorce and custody dispute, allegations Miller strongly denies. Miller has filed a defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife and her attorney, claiming they spread false accusations to damage his reputation and political career. Despite the controversy, Donald Trump recently endorsed Miller for re-election, while related child welfare investigations remain ongoing.
OpenAI has announced plans to integrate ChatGPT with users’ bank accounts through Plaid, a financial data network that securely connects apps to banking information. The goal is to allow ChatGPT to analyze users’ financial data and deliver more personalized, curated financial advice. By accessing transaction history, balances, and spending patterns, the assistant could potentially help with budgeting, savings strategies, and broader financial planning. OpenAI says the connection would be secure, though the announcement raises ongoing questions about privacy, data protection, and how sensitive financial information would be handled.
Health officials confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths recorded so far. Neighboring Uganda also confirmed an imported Ebola-related death involving a Congolese patient who died in Kampala after traveling from Congo. Health authorities are still determining the exact virus strain behind the outbreak, while concerns are growing about cross-border spread due to population movement and weak infrastructure in affected areas. International health agencies, including the World Health Organization, are deploying support teams and emergency funding as Congo confronts its 17th Ebola outbreak since 1976.
California is experiencing the largest recorded mushroom poisoning outbreak in U.S. history, with 47 known cases, four deaths, and four liver transplants linked mainly to invasive death cap mushrooms. Health officials are puzzled because new poisonings are continuing well beyond the mushrooms’ normal growing season, with recent cases reported in Napa County. Experts believe some victims may have mistaken toxic mushrooms for edible varieties familiar from their home countries, prompting multilingual public health warnings across the state. Researchers say the outbreak also highlights gaps in public health reporting and a broader lack of scientific understanding and funding related to toxic mushrooms.
May 14
Top Headlines
President Trump met with President Xi Jinping of China on Thursday, May 14, 2026, after a flurry of actions from his administration in recent weeks against China ( New York Times photo by Kenny Holston).
President Xi Jinping of China is buying time for Beijing and may see an opening with a U.S. president weakened by the war in Iran.News Roundups
U.S. President Donald Trump reaches to shake hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, May 14, 2026 (Reuters photo by Evan Vucci)
May 14, 2026. There is a huge amount to cover today after Trump’s summit with Xi Jinping in China, where Trump appeared visibly rattled and politically outmatched following a tense two-hour meeting that ended with China issuing a direct warning to the United States over Taiwan.U.S. Law, Rights, Crime, Justice
May 14, 2026. MS-NOW did back-to-back interviews with John Brennan and Jim Comey the other day. Overnight that night (and so probably at least partly in response to seeing Brennan and Comey, on TV, unbowed), Trump had a meltdown so severe that it elicited a number of analyses of his Truth Social habit. Among the first was this list of Trump’s tweets from Harry Sisson, who commonly tracks Trump’s meltdowns. More On Iran War
More On Trump, Trump Administration
May 14, 2026. In 1859, President James Buchanan sent an ambassador, John Ward, to the court of the Emperor of China. No American ambassador had ever met with a Chinese Emperor, and Ward was invited to do so.More On U.S. Elections, Politics, Governance
May 14, 2026. Two weeks ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Louisiana v. Callais, gutting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Voting Rights Act provided that no state or local government could impose any conditions or procedures on voting that would result “in a denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.”
May 14, 2026. Democrats’ prospects are actually improving with time. Not even Donald Trump, his MAGA toadies on the Supreme Court, or White supremacist state legislators can figure out how to gerrymander states.May 14, 2026. MS-NOW did back-to-back interviews with John Brennan and Jim Comey the other day.More Global News
U.S. Inflation, Federal Reserve Bank, Economy, Jobs
Top Stories
President Trump met with President Xi Jinping of China on Thursday, May 14, 2026, after a flurry of actions from his administration in recent weeks against China ( New York Times photo by Kenny Holston).
New York Times, Live Updates: Xi Warns Trump on Taiwan at Beijing Summit, David E. Sanger, Ana Swanson and Luke Broadwater, May 14, 2026. Here’s the latest. Xi Jinping, China’s leader, told President Trump that if the Taiwan issue were handled poorly, it could lead to a clash with the United States. It was a reminder of longstanding tensions on a day laden with pageantry.
China’s leader, Xi Jinping, delivered a warning on Taiwan to President Trump as they met for a summit in Beijing on Thursday, saying that the issue, if handled poorly, could lead to conflict and “an extremely dangerous situation.”
The summit, the first U.S. presidential visit to China in nearly a decade, could determine whether a détente between the two countries will continue — and what concessions, if any, either side is willing to make.
The leaders met in the Chinese capital in a ceremony laden with pageantry and pleasantries. Mr. Xi greeted Mr. Trump outside the Great Hall of the People, before the two men walked together past an honor guard and rows of cheering children. As “The Star-Spangled Banner” played, a 21-gun salute echoed across Tiananmen Square.
The talks that followed lasted more than two hours. Mr. Xi called for the two countries to “be partners, not adversaries.” Mr. Trump said that he and Mr. Xi spoke on the phone to work out problems and called him “a great leader.”
Later, at an ornate state banquet in the Great Hall, Mr. Xi said in a toast: “The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand.” Mr. Trump thanked Mr. Xi for a “magnificent welcome like none other,” and formally invited Mr. Xi to visit the White House on Sept. 24.
Beneath the warm words, Mr. Xi’s warning on Taiwan was a stark reminder of longstanding tensions. “If handled poorly, the two countries will collide or even clash, putting the entire U.S.-China relationship in an extremely dangerous situation,” Mr. Xi said while referring to Taiwan, according to a readout from Xinhua, China’s official news agency.
Aside from Taiwan, Mr. Xi and Mr. Trump discussed trade, the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula, Xinhua said, without providing details.
The White House said that both sides agreed in the talks on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open. The waterway, crucial for global energy supplies, has been effectively blocked since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began in late February. “Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,” according to the U.S. readout of the meeting.
The Chinese state media summary of the meeting did not mention Iran’s nuclear program or the Strait of Hormuz, saying only that the Middle East was discussed.
The talks also covered fentanyl, securing market access for American companies in China, and increasing Chinese investments in American industries and purchases of U.S. agricultural products, according to the White House.
The two men last met in October in South Korea, where they agreed to pause a trade war in which Beijing had threatened sweeping new export restrictions on rare earths in response to heavy U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods. Mr. Xi decided at the time to postpone those measures for a year. A question looming over the summit is whether China will agree to an extension.
Here’s what else we’re covering:
New York Times, Why Xi Doesn’t Need a Deal With Trump, Lily Kuo, May 14, 2026 (print ed.). President Xi Jinping of China is buying time for Beijing and may see an opening with a U.S. president weakened by the war in Iran.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Donad Trump ❤️ Xi Jinping, Bill Kristol, Andrew Egger and Jim Swift, May 14, 2026. Donald Trump’s abrupt drawdown of troops in Europe—the result of his irritation at European countries declining to throw themselves enthusiastically into his 
war with Iran—continues:
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Pentagon this week abruptly canceled the deployment of an armored brigade to Poland. Some of the brigade’s equipment and troops, the Journal reported, were already en route when the cancellation order came through.
Happy Thursday.
News Roundups
U.S. President Donald Trump reaches to shake hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, May 14, 2026 (Reuters photo by Evan Vucci).
Meidas Touch Network, Thursday Afternoon News Update: Trump Gushes Over Xi and Folds on Everything, Ben Meiselas, right, May 14, 2026. Here’s everything you need to know today.
Now let’s dive in: Trump’s Humiliation Tour in China
Let’s start in Beijing, where Donald Trump is currently wrapping up a state visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The whole thing has been about as cringe-inducing as you’d expect.
Trump brought his family. Eric Trump and Lara Trump, Eric’s wife and Fox host, joined for a photo op with Xi. Nothing says serious geopolitics like treating a summit with the world’s second most powerful authoritarian like a family vacation. He also brought along a bunch of American CEOs. No China experts, though. We reported on this in greater detail yesterday.
When reporters tried to get something substantive out of Trump after his meetings, here’s what they got: “Great. Great place. Incredible.” When pressed specifically on whether he and Xi discussed Taiwan, Trump responded, “China is beautiful.” Often it’s what Trump doesn’t say that is the most revealing.
Let me be direct: Trump completely sold out Taiwan. He won’t say it in those words, of course. He never does. But when you dodge every question about the island democracy that China has explicitly threatened, when your Treasury Secretary Bessent goes on CNBC and gives non-answers about whether Trump will make concessions to Xi on arms sales, when Marco Rubio floats the idea of a “referendum” in Taiwan as though that would be freely conducted under Chinese pressure, the message is clear. Under Trump, America is no longer a reliable ally to anyone who actually needs one.
The contrast between Trump and Xi at this summit was genuinely embarrassing. Xi spoke about global turbulence, the Thucydides Trap, the future of humanity, and the structural questions that define the international order. He framed China as a stabilizing power and posed the question of whether the U.S. and China could rise to meet global challenges together. By invoking the Thucydides Trap — the structural tension that emerges when a rising power (in his analogy, China) threatens to displace a declining one (in his analogy, the U.S.) — Xi was essentially announcing to the world that China sees itself as the ascendant power. What’s remarkable is that China has pursued that status without dropping bombs on sovereign nations, spending a trillion dollars a year on its military, or starting endless wars. Essentially, China’s strategy has been: “Never interrupt your opponent while he is in the middle of making a mistake.”
Meanwhile, Trump told Xi he was a “great leader.” He said he always tells the truth. He talked about how many Chinese restaurants there are in America. I’m not making that up. He actually told Xi: “Chinese restaurants in America today outnumber the five largest fast food chains in the United States all combined. That’s a pretty big statement.”
Do you feel the same secondhand embarrassment that I feel?
It was the inverse of those cabinet meetings where all of Trump’s underlings gather around a table to tell him how great he is. This time, Trump was the one sitting across from the powerful man he admires, Xi, volunteering compliments nobody asked for. Sean Hannity had to try to get something useful out of Trump by asking whether he discussed China’s support for Iran with Xi. Trump said Xi claimed he wasn’t going to give military equipment to Iran — “that’s a big statement,” Trump said — but acknowledged that China buys a lot of Iranian oil and wants to keep doing it. So Xi essentially told Trump: we won’t arm them, but we’ll keep funding them. And Trump nodded along.
And on the subject of Jimmy Lai — the Hong Kong democracy activist Trump promised during the 2024 campaign would be “easy” to get released because of his “great relationship” with Xi — our editor Ron Filipkowski asks the obvious question (below): Any updates? Because nobody in the Trump administration seems to be asking.
Meanwhile, reporting from Reuters indicates the U.S. is clearing H200 chip sales to ten Chinese firms, with Nvidia’s CEO present on this trip. Analysts say this move would triple the amount of AI computing power China adds next year, before accounting for illegal smuggling, and would divert critical AI resources away from American firms. Even Senator Rick Scott called it out directly, noting that China has never honored a 
contract it signed, and Senator Lindsey Graham made clear that China is currently propping up both the Iranian and Russian war machines by buying their oil cheap. Graham’s point was that if China stopped buying that oil, those wars could end. Trump’s response was to say Xi would “like to see a deal.”Iran opens the Strait…for China
Speaking of Iran: while Trump was in Beijing sweet-talking Xi, Iran announced it was allowing Chinese vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, citing their “deep relations” and “strategic partnership” with Beijing. About 30 ships have already transited since Wednesday evening. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking at a BRICS meeting in Delhi, delivered a blistering speech calling out what he described as U.S. “bullying” and calling on BRICS member states to condemn American and Israeli violations of international law. He declared that “empires in decline will stop at nothing to arrest their inevitable fates,” and called for a united front against what he characterized as impunity in the international order.
Make of that framing what you will (and I will note here that it echoes Xi’s analogy I reported on earlier), but the practical reality is this: Iran is now selectively opening a globally critical waterway based on bilateral relationships, and the United States — which just bombed Iran two months ago — is boxed out.
Russia’s attacks on Ukraine
Overnight, Russia launched one of its largest combined missile and drone attacks on Ukraine in four years. Kyiv was hit hard. President Zelenskyy reported five people killed in Kyiv, around 40 injured in the capital, 28 more injured in Kharkiv, and over 180 damaged sites across the country including more than 50 residential buildings. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing. Russia also attacked a UN humanitarian mission vehicle in Kherson — twice, with FPV drones — while eight UN staff members were inside. They knew exactly what they were targeting.
French President Macron condemned the attack immediately, calling it proof of Russian hypocrisy after the fragile truce of recent days. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney issued a strong statement of solidarity and condemnation. I have not seen a statement from the United States.
Read that again. Russia launches its largest assault in four years against a civilian population, attacks a UN humanitarian convoy, kills five people in Kyiv — and the United States has nothing to say. That’s not a coincidence. That’s a policy.
Hearings on Capitol Hill
Congress held hearings today with Trump administration officials. In typical fashion, the Trump officials spent the time constantly evading questions. HUD Secretary Scott Turner, asked about his record by Senator Gillibrand, responded by talking about the Biden administration over and over again. Gillibrand called him out and told him to state his record. Enough about Biden. Turner whined about Biden some more.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, confronted about a rule that worsens the nursing shortage, only said nurses are “an incredibly respected profession.” When asked by Rep. Casar whether a billion dollars should go toward Trump’s ballroom or 217 million school lunches and 15,000 teachers, McMahon called the comparison “incredibly weird.”
The most disturbing (and revealing) moment came in the Senate hearing with Admiral Cooper, Commander of U.S. Central Command, who was asked about 22 schools and multiple hospitals that publicly available data suggests were struck in Iran. He said there was no way to corroborate those claims. When Senator Gillibrand asked if those claims had even been investigated, Cooper said they had not. That’s a stunning admission. We bombed a country, and the commanding general hasn’t investigated whether we hit 22 schools. Senator Tim Kaine also noted that the administration is blocking members of the Armed Services Committee from seeing the legal opinion justifying the war (the OLC opinion). They’re being asked to fund a $1.5 trillion (!!) budget while being denied the legal rationale for the military action that budget funds.JD Vance in Maine
Finally, JD Vance was in Maine today in front of a tiny crowd, giving a speech about fraud in the federal government. This from the administration that has pardoned and commuted sentences for convicted fraudsters, screwing over their victims who can no longer collect restitution. This from the party whose voters watched their guy run a fake charity, a fake university, and fake election claims. Donald Trump was found liable for financial fraud in a court of law. JD Vance’s speech about fraud is projection dressed up as populism.
Vance also commented about Senator Susan Collins, saying he sometimes wishes she were “more partisan.” The truth is, in every vote where it actually mattered — where Collins’ vote would have changed an outcome — she voted with Trump. The few dissenting votes she casts come when the math already ensures Trump wins anyway. It’s theater designed to give her the appearance of independence. Don’t be fooled, Maine.
The Parnas Perspective, Morning News and Commentary: Trump "Rattled" and "Shaken" as Xi Jinping Issues Stark Warning to United States and GOP Fractures Over Iran Emerge, Aaron Parnas, right, May 14, 2026. There is a huge amount to cover today after Trump’s summit with Xi Jinping in China, where Trump appeared visibly rattled and politically outmatched following a tense two-hour meeting that ended with China issuing a direct warning to the United States over Taiwan.
The contrast between the two leaders was striking. Xi looked disciplined and firmly in control while Trump appeared restrained, reactive, and increasingly isolated on the world stage. At the same time, Republican fractures over Iran are growing rapidly on Capitol Hill as new cracks emerge inside Trump’s coalition.
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Here’s the news:
Trump is overmatched in China: Xi Jinping entered the summit with a clear strategic agenda focused on Taiwan, trade, AI coordination, and long term regional stability, while Trump emphasized personal rapport, business deals, and ceremonial diplomacy. Chinese officials repeatedly framed Taiwan as the central issue in the relationship and warned that mishandling it could lead to conflict. The White House readout notably avoided mentioning Taiwan at all, highlighting instead trade and Middle East issues.
Xi projected confidence and consistency throughout the summit, repeatedly describing China and the United States as partners that should avoid rivalry and conflict. Trump responded with praise for Xi and optimistic language about business opportunities, but offered few concrete strategic positions publicly. China used the summit to reinforce its message that it sees itself as a coequal global power shaping the future international order. The contrast made Xi appear more disciplined and strategically focused. Reporters noted that Trump was visibly rattled at a point, refusing to answer questions thrown at him by American journalists:
Taiwan emerged as the sharpest divide between the two governments and underscored the imbalance in leverage during the talks. Xi explicitly warned that Taiwan tensions could place the entire relationship in “great jeopardy,” while Trump declined to answer reporters when asked whether Taiwan had been discussed. Taiwan’s government responded by calling China the main source of instability in the region and said it was preparing for possible surprises from the summit. The episode highlighted how Beijing drove the agenda on the most sensitive geopolitical issue. Image
Even Trump’s rhetoric reflected a tendency to exaggerate China’s cultural and economic influence without grounding it in fact. He claimed that Chinese restaurants in America outnumber the five largest U.S. fast food chains combined, using the remark to emphasize China’s reach and presence in American life.
Trump arrived with a large delegation of American CEOs including Elon Musk, Tim Cook, and Jensen Huang, signaling that economic access and corporate relationships were central to the visit. Chinese officials welcomed the executives and floated expanded cooperation, investment mechanisms, and possible Boeing purchases. At the same time, Beijing positioned itself as calm and pragmatic while Washington appeared focused on transactional outcomes and optics.
Trump lavished personal praise on Xi Jinping during the summit, calling him “a great leader” and insisting “I always say the truth” even when critics object to the compliment. The remark reinforced Trump’s long-running tendency to frame major geopolitical relationships through personal admiration and flattery rather than ideological or strategic competition.
The Trump administration effectively acknowledged China’s growing influence over the Strait of Hormuz crisis, with Marco Rubio 
emphasizing that both Washington and Beijing agreed the waterway should not be “militarized” or turned into a toll route. Even while insisting the U.S. did not need China’s help, administration officials conceded that disruptions in the strait were already driving up global energy costs and putting economic pressure on the United States. The episode highlighted how dependent global markets remain on stability in Hormuz and how much leverage regional powers and China now hold over a conflict the Trump administration appeared unable to fully control.
CNN’s observation that Trump became “uncharacteristically restrained” when asked about Taiwan highlighted the unusual dynamic of the summit and the sensitivity of the issue for Beijing. Trump, who typically improvises freely and dominates press exchanges, declined to engage publicly on Taiwan while standing alongside Xi Jinping, suggesting an awareness that he was operating on Xi’s turf and under China’s diplomatic terms. The moment reinforced perceptions that Beijing controlled the tone and boundaries of the summit, especially on the issue China considers its most important red line.
Trump capped the Beijing summit by inviting Xi Jinping to the White House in September, underscoring how central the personal relationship between the two leaders has become to U.S.-China diplomacy. Publicly, both leaders exchanged praise and described the talks as “historic” and productive, but the contrast between the two governments’ official readouts revealed underlying tension, especially over Taiwan. Chinese officials emphasized that Taiwan was the “most important issue” in the relationship, while the White House notably avoided mentioning it, reinforcing the impression that Beijing succeeded in setting the summit’s strategic terms.
According to MS Now, FBI insiders are accusing Director Kash Patel of manipulating arrest statistics and the bureau’s “Ten Most Wanted” program to create the appearance of dramatic law enforcement success under his leadership. Current and former officials say the FBI began counting arrests made primarily by immigration agents or local police whenever FBI personnel were merely present, while also adding fugitives to the Most Wanted list shortly before planned captures to inflate Patel’s record. The allegations come amid growing internal turmoil at the bureau, including mass agent departures, complaints about politicized leadership, and Senate scrutiny over Patel’s conduct and management style.
Congresswoman Ansari argued that Trump’s late-night posting habits and fixation on AI-generated social media content are fueling broader concerns about his fitness for office, including renewed discussion of the 25th Amendment. Ansari portrayed Trump’s behavior as increasingly erratic and disconnected from the responsibilities of the presidency, reflecting a growing willingness among critics to frame his online conduct not just as political spectacle but as evidence of instability.
Republicans are beginning to fracture over Trump’s Iran war as economic pressure, intelligence leaks, and public skepticism intensify. Several GOP senators sided with Democrats to try to curb the war under the War Powers Act, while administration officials reportedly leaked damaging assessments showing Iran retains most of its missile capabilities and still controls the strategic balance in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump responded by attacking the media as “traitors” and insisting criticism of the war was unpatriotic, reinforcing the impression that he is more focused on managing political optics than confronting the strategic failures of the conflict.
Democrats are abandoning years of institutional restraint on redistricting as they confront a wave of Republican-backed court rulings and map changes that threaten to lock in GOP House advantages for the next decade. Hakeem Jeffries vowed Democrats would “crush” Republican efforts politically, while party leaders openly discussed aggressive redraws in Democratic-controlled states and even potential structural changes to the Supreme Court after decisions weakening the Voting Rights Act. The shift marks a major strategic and rhetorical transformation for a party that previously emphasized independent commissions and anti-gerrymandering reforms, reflecting growing belief among Democrats that unilateral disarmament on election rules is no longer sustainable.
Cuba says it has effectively run out of oil and diesel after intensified U.S. sanctions and blocked fuel shipments triggered a severe energy crisis marked by massive blackouts and street protests in Havana. Cuban officials described the national grid as being in a “critical state,” while the Trump administration simultaneously offered humanitarian aid tied to demands for political reform, underscoring the administration’s strategy of using economic pressure to force concessions from adversarial governments. The crisis also reflects how broader regional instability, including U.S. action against Venezuela and conflict-driven disruptions in global energy markets, is reverberating across Latin America.
Ukraine appears to have halted Russia’s battlefield momentum for the first time in years, with Ukrainian forces recently reclaiming more territory than Russia captured and increasingly disrupting Russian logistics through expanded drone warfare. Analysts and Ukrainian commanders say Russia’s grinding offensive strategy is faltering under exhaustion, mounting casualties, and constant mid-range drone strikes that make troop movement and supply coordination far more difficult. While Russia still controls roughly 20% of Ukraine and continues devastating missile attacks on civilians, the recent shift has weakened Vladimir Putin’s narrative that Russian victory is inevitable and complicated efforts to pressure Ukraine into territorial concessions.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing a potential internal revolt after Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigned from the government and openly questioned Starmer’s leadership. Streeting’s departure could trigger a Labour Party leadership contest if he secures enough support from fellow lawmakers, reflecting deep frustration inside the party after months of political scandals, economic stagnation, and electoral setbacks. The resignation dramatically escalates tensions within Labour and raises the possibility that Starmer’s premiership could unravel less than two years after taking office.
Brazil’s Atlantic forest recorded its lowest level of deforestation in four decades, a milestone environmental groups say shows that aggressive enforcement and conservation policies can reverse ecological destruction. But activists warned the gains could quickly unravel because Congress weakened environmental protections and far-right politicians aligned with Jair Bolsonaro are positioned for a potential political comeback. The debate has become a broader referendum on whether Brazil will continue trying to lead globally on climate and conservation or return to the anti-environment policies that accelerated deforestation during Bolsonaro’s presidency.
Rand Paul’s son William Paul apologized after allegedly delivering a drunken antisemitic and anti-gay tirade to Republican Congressman Mike Lawler at a Washington bar, exposing another ugly strain of extremism circulating around parts of the MAGA coalition. The incident reportedly included attacks on Jews, gay people, Israel, and billionaire GOP donor Paul Singer, while also invoking Tucker Carlson-style rhetoric and conspiratorial language about U.S. foreign policy.
A federal judge struck down Trump administration sanctions against U.N. official Francesca Albanese, ruling that punishing her for advocating war crimes investigations into Israel’s actions in Gaza likely violated the First Amendment. Judge Richard Leon said Albanese had done “nothing more than speak,” rejecting the administration’s argument that her calls for ICC prosecutions justified sanctions and criticizing the government’s attempts to restrict her family’s financial and travel access. The ruling represents a significant legal setback for the administration’s effort to target international critics of Israel’s conduct in Gaza and raises broader constitutional questions about using sanctions to suppress political speech.
A ship near the Strait of Hormuz was seized by unauthorized personnel and another Indian-flagged cargo ship was attacked and sunk near Oman, escalating tensions in a vital global oil transit route. The incidents come amid the ongoing Iran conflict, rising fuel prices, and President Trump’s summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing, where discussions were expected to include the crisis. Iranian media reported that Chinese vessels were allowed safe passage through Hormuz under new agreements with Tehran, highlighting China’s growing influence in the region. Meanwhile, Iran defended its right to seize ships linked to the U.S., further increasing fears of instability in global energy markets.
The United Nations is pressuring Equatorial Guinea to stop deporting migrants sent there by the Trump administration back to countries where they could face torture, imprisonment, or death, highlighting mounting international alarm over the administration’s expanding deportation strategy. Human rights groups described detainees being held in “prison-like” hotel confinement after the U.S. paid Equatorial Guinea millions to accept third-country deportees, including asylum seekers who had already won legal protections in American immigration courts. Critics say the policy reflects a broader effort to outsource migration enforcement to authoritarian governments with weak human rights safeguards, while eroding longstanding international protections against forced return to persecution.
FIFA announced that Shakira, Madonna, and BTS will headline the first-ever World Cup final halftime show in 2026, turning the tournament’s championship match into an entertainment spectacle modeled after the Super Bowl. The performance, curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin at MetLife Stadium, reflects FIFA’s broader push to transform the expanded 48-team World Cup into a global cultural mega-event that extends beyond soccer itself. The move has already sparked questions about commercialization and whether an extended halftime production could disrupt the rhythm and traditions of the sport’s biggest match.
U.S. Law, Rights, Crime, Justice
New York Times, Supreme Court Allows Abortion Pill Access by Mail to Continue, Ann E. Marimow, May 14, 2026. A federal appeals court ruling against the Food and Drug Administration would have restricted access by mail to mifepristone.
The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that a widely used abortion medication could continue to be prescribed by telehealth and sent to patients by mail.
Two manufacturers of mifepristone had asked the Supreme Court to intervene after the conservative U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit restricted access to the medication.
The Supreme Court’s brief order means that the Fifth Circuit’s decision will remain blocked, perhaps for months, while litigation continues in the lower courts. The issue could eventually return to the high court.
Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr., the two most conservative justices, dissented.
The Fifth Circuit ruled on May 1, in response to a lawsuit filed by the State of Louisiana seeking to reimpose a requirement that patients obtain the medication only after seeing a provider in person. The F.D.A. first lifted that regulation in 2021, making it possible for people in Louisiana and other states with strict abortion bans to receive the pills through the mail.
Nearly two-thirds of abortions in the United States are now carried out with abortion pills, and about one-quarter involve telehealth, a virtual visit with a health care provider.
The Supreme Court eliminated the nationwide right to abortion in 2022, but legal battles over the issue have continued. In its lawsuit, Louisiana has asserted that the F.D.A.’s decision to remove the in-person dispensing requirement was based on inadequate or flawed data — a claim medical organizations dispute, citing more than 100 studies that have found that mifepristone is safe, and that serious complications from taking it are rare.
Liz Murrill, the state’s attorney general, said the regulations had resulted in about 1,000 illegal abortions in the state each month, and thousands of dollars in Medicaid costs to treat women harmed by mifepristone.
The manufacturers, Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, told the justices that a ruling in Louisiana’s favor could cause broad disruptions to the pharmaceutical industry and lead to state-by-state second-guessing of all sorts of drug regulations. The companies pointed to the Supreme Court’s decision two years ago rejecting a similar challenge from anti-abortion doctors. In that case, the court unanimously held that the F.D.A.’s loosening of regulations had not caused the type of direct harm to the doctors that would give them standing to sue.
The clash over access to mifepristone has put the Trump administration in a difficult political position ahead of the midterm elections. Many of the president’s supporters oppose abortion, but restricting access is not considered a broadly winning position in many critical contests.Editors’ PicksDid the Pope Really Wear Nikes?At Netflix Is a Joke, the Attention Economy Rules the Festival17 Food Items You Should Buy When They’re on Sale
While Justice Department lawyers defended the F.D.A. in the lower courts, they have not said whether the administration ultimately supports allowing the pills to be mailed. Rather, administration lawyers have said that the F.D.A. is conducting a review of mifepristone’s safety and have asked the lower courts to delay Louisiana’s lawsuit until that review is complete.
But after losing in the appeals court, the administration made the unusual decision to forgo any filing at the Supreme Court, taking no position on how the justices should rule.
Medication abortion usually involves a two-drug regimen. Mifepristone blocks a hormone necessary for pregnancy to continue, followed 24 to 48 hours later by a second medication, misoprostol, which causes contractions similar to a miscarriage. The Louisiana case targets mifepristone, which the F.D.A. approved for abortion in 2000. Misoprostol, which is also used for other medical conditions, is not affected by the Fifth Circuit ruling.
In April, a district court judge in Louisiana said the state was likely to win its challenge to the regulation, but declined to pause the availability of pills by mail while the lawsuit proceeded. Instead, the judge gave the F.D.A. time to complete the safety review of mifepristone.
In its ruling earlier this month, the Fifth Circuit sided with Louisiana, echoing the state’s arguments that the F.D.A.’s regulations were “undermining its laws protecting unborn human life” and also “causing it to spend Medicaid funds on emergency care for women harmed by mifepristone,” according to the order written by Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan, a Trump appointee. He was joined by Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt, another Trump appointee, and Judge Leslie Southwick, who was appointed by President George W. Bush.
New York Times, U.S. Set to Drop Charges Against Indian Billionaire Accused of Fraud, Nicole Hong, Ben Protess, William K. Rashbaum and Devlin Barrett, May 14, 2026. The decision came after a meeting in which a lawyer for the billionaire, Gautam Adani, made an unusual offer, according to people familiar with the matter.
When the Justice Department indicted India’s richest man in the final weeks of the Biden administration, prosecutors described an “elaborate” bribery scheme involving “corruption and fraud at the expense of U.S. investors.”
Now, according to several people with knowledge of the case, the Justice Department is planning to drop the charges altogether.
The reversal came after the Indian billionaire, Gautam Adani, hired a new legal team led by Robert J. Giuffra Jr., one of President Trump’s personal lawyers and the co-chairman of the prominent firm Sullivan & Cromwell.
Mr. Giuffra’s efforts on Mr. Adani’s behalf culminated in a previously unreported meeting last month at the Justice Department’s headquarters in Washington, according to people familiar with the meeting. Mr. Giuffra ticked through about 100 slides outlining why prosecutors lacked basic evidence, as well as the jurisdiction even to bring the case, one of the people said.
Another slide also made an unusual offer: If prosecutors dropped the charges, Mr. Adani would be willing to invest $10 billion in the American economy and create 15,000 jobs, echoing a pledge he had made in the wake of Mr. Trump’s election.
As part of the same meeting, Mr. Giuffra sought to resolve a parallel civil case against Mr. Adani brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as a separate investigation by the Treasury Department. Both of those agencies are now preparing to strike settlements with Mr. Adani and impose financial penalties, according to people familiar with the deals.
Although prosecutors later told Mr. Giuffra that the $10 billion investment would play no role in the resolution of the criminal case, his offer received a favorable response from at least one senior Justice Department official at the meeting, according to the people familiar with the meeting.
The proposal — which Mr. Trump could have touted as a political and economic win — underscores the highly transactional approach to justice in Mr. Trump’s second term.
Over the past year, he has awarded pardons to his donors and even a business partner, while prosecutors in his Justice Department have dropped charges and investigations against other political allies. Those results, a striking break from prosecutorial norms, have fueled the perception that freedom is up for sale in Mr. Trump’s Washington, emboldening defendants to offer economic settlement terms that were once unthinkable.
The people with knowledge of Mr. Adani’s case said that prosecutors were not pulling back as a political favor to Mr. Adani, who has a close relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India. Instead, one of them said, a dismissal would reflect the Trump administration’s broader retreat from foreign bribery cases and its reluctance to act as a global corporate police force.
Emptywheel, Analysis and Opinion: Gatekeeper to Narcissistic Meltdown, Emptywheel (Marcy Wheeler), right, May 14, 2026. MS-NOW did back-to-back interviews with John Brennan and Jim Comey the other day.
Overnight that night (and so probably at least partly in response to seeing Brennan and Comey, on TV, unbowed), Trump had a meltdown so severe that it elicited a number of analyses of his Truth Social habit. Among the first was this list of Trump’s tweets from Harry Sisson, who commonly tracks Trump’s meltdowns. More details below.
More On Iran War
New York Times, Gen. Caine’s Silence on Iran War Leaves Questions About Military Strategy, Greg Jaffe, May 14, 2026 (print ed.). The president’s top military adviser is walking a tightrope as he leads the military through a divisive and unpopular war.
In nearly 14 hours of congressional testimony in recent weeks, Gen. Dan Caine, left, was repeatedly asked versions of the same two questions: How had the world’s most powerful military allowed the Iranians to cut off the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, and what could it do to get ships moving again?
The answers General Caine delivered highlighted the tightrope he walks. As the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he is obliged to stay out of the political fray inflamed by the war in Iran. But he works for a president who demands absolute loyalty.
In public, General Caine has defined the military’s mission in narrow terms, an approach he took on Tuesday as frustrated Democratic and Republican lawmakers pressed him and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to explain their plans to open the strait and end the war.
“Our military objectives have been clear the whole time,” General Caine said. He talked about “targeting Iran’s ballistic missile systems,” destroying its Navy and defense industrial base and stopping Iranian forces from threatening the U.S. military and allies in the region. He repeatedly praised the dedication of U.S. troops over the course of the war.
But he avoided any discussions of the broader U.S. military strategy.
“Did you anticipate the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the resulting impact on oil supplies for many countries, including here in the United States?” asked Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine.
“We have an incredible staff over at the Pentagon,” he said, “and we always look at the range of military branches and sequels. I won’t comment on any particular one because that gets to whatever advice I may or may not have given to the president.”
Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, tried again a few minutes later. “Have you been surprised by the resistance of the Iranians?” he asked.
Popular Information, Accountability Journalism: Media parrots Pentagon’s low-ball cost estimate for Iran War, Judd Legum, right, May 14, 2026. This week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Acting Undersecretary Jules Hurst, the Pentagon’s Chief Financial Officer, answered questions about the cost of the Iran War while testifying before House and Senate Committees.
“Now we think it’s closer to 29 [billion],” Hurst said. “That’s because of updated repair and replacement of equipment costs and also just general operational costs.” There was no explanation of how this figure was calculated or documentation of any kind. The only thing Hurst provided was his brief verbal statement.
Two weeks ago, CBS News reported that the Pentagon’s internal estimate was “closer to $50 billion.” Writing for Popular Information, analyst Stephen Semler estimated the Iran War cost $72 billion in the first 60 days. Semler provided a detailed methodology of his calculations. Other independent estimates are even higher.
Congressman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) asked Hegseth when a “formal accounting on the cost” would be available. Hegseth was non-committal, saying only he would share more information “when it’s relevant and required.”
It was an odd thing for Hegseth to say, since it is explicitly Congress’ job to approve and oversee federal spending. All departments are required to share information about how they spend allocated funds with Congress.
According to a report in the Washington Post, “Iranian airstrikes have damaged or destroyed at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at U.S. military sites across the Middle East since the war began, hitting hangars, barracks, fuel depots, aircraft and key radar, communications and air defense equipment.” Under questioning from Congressman Ed Case (D-HI), Hurst acknowledged that none of the damage to military sites was included in his estimate.
“We have a lot of unknowns there,” Hurst said. “We don’t know what our future posture is going to be. We don’t know how to construct those bases.” Semler estimates the cost of military assets damaged or destroyed during the Iran War to be at least $11.9 billion. Hurst also said he would need to “double check” if arms transfers to other countries were included in his cost estimate. According to Semler, arms transfers to Israel, which is waging the war in concert with the U.S., cost about $2.9 billion in the first 60 days.
The biggest flaw with the Pentagon’s estimate is the way it calculates spending for munitions. (Hurst testified that spending on munitions accounted for $24 billion of its $29 billion estimate.) Semler explains:
The cost to fire one SM-2 interceptor is approximately $1.2 million. If 50 are withdrawn from the stockpile and fired, the Pentagon’s ledger would show $60 million in expenses from consuming those munitions… The Pentagon no longer buys SM-2s; the interceptor is being replaced by the more advanced and expensive SM-6. So each time an SM-2 is fired in the ongoing war, the Pentagon’s accounting system registers a cost closer to the SM-2’s $1.2 million unit cost from 2010 than the $6.3 million unit cost budgeted in 2027 for the SM-6 that will replace it. For US taxpayers, the cost of firing 50 SM-2s isn’t $60 million; it’s $315 million.
There are many more examples of expended munitions (or destroyed equipment) that are budgeted to be replaced by much more expensive variants.
Nevertheless, most major media outlets simply repeated the $29 billion estimate as if it was credible. Popular Information reviewed articles or updates about the new estimate in the New York Times, USA Today, NPR, the Wall Street Journal, NOTUS, Stars and Stripes, New York Post, CNN, Politico, and Reuters. All of these publications put the $29 billion estimate in the headline.
The CNN article notes that a “source previously told CNN that a more accurate estimate is closer to $40-50 billion.” The Politico piece said the $29 billion estimate is “still significantly lower than outside projections.” None of the other publications mentioned that other estimates put the cost of the war much higher than $29 billion. Four of the articles did not even mention that the estimate excluded damage at U.S. bases.
I’ve been doing campaign finance research since 1997. The bad news is that the influence of big money on our political system has not waned. The good news is that, with the right training, it is easier than ever to access public information about who is trying to buy influence.
With the midterm elections approaching, I’m pulling back the curtain on the research methods I’ve developed over nearly 30 years. I am hosting a webinar that will cover:
Exactly how money will flow into the 2026 midterm elections.
How to efficiently and accurately identify what corporations and individuals are donating to any candidate or cause.
When and where new information will become available as election day approaches.
The tactics that powerful people and corporations use to try to hide their spending.
More On Trump, Trump Administration
New York Times, Analysis: Is Trump Tuned Out to Americans’ Financial Needs? A Remark Suggests Yes, Katie Glueck, May 14, 2026 (print ed.). Asked if he was motivated by Americans’ financial woes to make a deal to end the war with Iran, President Trump responded, “Not even a little bit.”
President Trump has never been a fuzzy, feel-your-pain kind of politician.
That came through in an especially striking way yesterday, when he answered a question about whether he was motivated by the financial situation of Americans to make a deal to end the war with Iran.
“Not even a little bit,” he replied, as my colleague Erica Green reported. (You can watch the video here.)
“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation,” Trump added. “I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.”
It was a response that flouted fundamental rules of American politics — that voters are motivated above all by economic concerns, that they want to support politicians who “care about people like me” — and it was a risky one, given Trump’s dire political standing:
His disapproval rating is consistently hovering around 60 percent or worse
A new CNN poll found that 77 percent of Americans — including a majority of Republicans — thought his policies had increased the cost of living in their own community
Inflation rose a startling 3.8 percent in April, the fastest rate since May 2023, sending a flashing warning about how the war in the Middle East is raising prices for Americans
Republican pushback to the conflict is growing in Congress
And Trump has not exactly given the impression that he is single-mindedly focused on bringing down the cost of living. He spent one recent night unleashing a barrage of Truth Social posts about various grievances and topics, including conspiracy theories about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
“President Trump was re-elected for four reasons,” Whit Ayres, a veteran Republican pollster, told me. “To improve the economy, to bring down inflation, to control illegal immigration and to get away from woke culture. Anything that works against any of those four goals is not helpful.”
Republicans have had some good news, however, on the redistricting front. Two favorable court rulings for them have spurred a rapid escalation of Republican-led redrawing of maps across the South.
New York Times, Trump Administration Will Withhold $1.3 Billion in Medicaid Payments to California, Sarah Kliff, May 14, 2026 (print ed.). Vice President JD Vance said the state had not done enough to fight fraud in the public health insurance program.
The Trump administration will withhold $1.3 billion in federal Medicaid payments from California, Vice President JD Vance announced on Wednesday, saying the state had failed to combat fraud in the public health insurance program.
“The state of California has not taken fraud very seriously,” Mr. Vance said at a White House news conference.
The vice president also announced an audit of state-level watchdog agencies called Medicaid fraud control units, which are meant to ferret out inappropriate spending. The administration sent letters to the offices on Wednesday, asking them to prove that they were “effectively and aggressively” combating Medicaid fraud, Mr. Vance said. He added that they could also lose funds.
The announcements were part of the administration’s growing focus on fraud in public health insurance programs. In March, President Trump established a task force to crack down on the misuse of public funds in federal programs, appointing Mr. Vance as the leader of the group.
So far, the actions have focused on Democratic states. In February, the administration halted $259 million in payments to Minnesota, after a major welfare scandal. Minnesota has challenged that decision in court.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and another task force member, has frequently pointed to California’s hospice industry as a prime example of fraud, noting that a third of all hospice providers were in one city: Los Angeles.
“There is something clearly wrong,” Dr. Oz said at a recent event hosted by the Paragon Institute, a conservative health policy think tank.
On Wednesday, Medicare announced it was enacting a six-month moratorium on approving new hospice providers, as the agency aims to investigate and identify possible cases of fraud.
New York Times, Duffy’s ‘Great American Road Trip’ Prompts Ethical Concerns, Karoun Demirjian, May 14, 2026 (print ed.). A YouTube series starring Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and his family is part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations, but it doubled as a family excursion for them. Mr. Duffy has insisted that the department’s career ethics and budget officials reviewed and approved his participation in the YouTube series.
On May 1, Sean P. Duffy was in New Orleans, touring its container terminals in his official capacity as the secretary of transportation.
Then, he climbed behind the wheel of a car with his family on the final, all-expenses paid stop for “The Great American Road Trip,” a slickly produced YouTube series that has raised questions about self-promotion and gifts his family may have accepted as he conducted official business as a prominent member of the Trump administration.
The series, filmed across 10 states and Washington, D.C., over the course of seven months, is part of the department’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States this year. But it doubled as a set of family excursions for Mr. Duffy, his wife and his children, who traveled to national parks and major landmarks paid for by Great American Road Trip Inc., a nonprofit that names among its sponsors Toyota, United Airlines and Boeing.
Mr. Duffy has said that ethics and budget officials in the department cleared the project. But the corporate ties — and the show’s timing, with gas prices rising — drew immediate blowback on social media when the trailer was released, announcing that it will air beginning in June. The average price of gas has gone up more than 40 percent since the war with Iran started in February.
“Accepting travel from companies with business before D.O.T. potentially implicates even more significant corruption and misconduct concerns,” Donald K. Sherman, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, a left-leaning government watchdog group, wrote in a letter this week to Mitch Behm, the acting inspector general for the Transportation Department. In it, Mr. Sherman asked Mr. Behm to investigate “whether the secretary violated the standards of ethical conduct or other federal ethics laws by his participation in the privately sponsored promotional road trip with his family.”
The concept of a great American road trip is a throwback to the U.S. bicentennial, when families were encouraged to pack up their cars and tour the country.
Mr. Duffy and his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a Fox News anchor, are no strangers to the format of a filmed road trip, having met as cast members of the reality television show “Road Rules: All Stars.” But despite the branding, the Duffys’ “Great American Road Trip” isn’t a classic cross-country journey.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Our Kowtower-in-Chief, William Kristol, right, May 14, 2026. In 1859, President James Buchanan sent an ambassador, John Ward, to the court of the Emperor of China. No American ambassador had ever met with a Chinese Emperor, and Ward was invited to do so.
A foreign representative meeting the emperor was expected to “kowtow” to him (“kou” = to knock, “tou” = head), to bow and touch his head on the floor. Ward refused, writing that “I will not kneel or knock my head on the ground before him.” The Emperor in turn refused to see him. The meeting was never held.
China no longer has an emperor—at least, it doesn’t use the title. Its president, Xi Jinping, does not require guests to kneel and touch their heads on the floor. And so President Trump was welcomed today outside the Great Hall of the People with an honor guard and rows of cheering children and a twenty-one-gun salute.
Still, the spirit of the kowtow was alive and well. In the Great Hall, Xi greeted the American president politely but professionally, calling on the United States and China to be “partners, not adversaries.”
Trump responded much more personally. “I have such respect for China, the job you’ve done. You’re a great leader. I say it to everybody, you’re a great leader. Sometimes people don’t like me saying it, but I say it anyway because it’s true.” Trump also liked the ranks of Chinese children the state assembled to greet him with forced enthusiasm, telling Xi: “I was particularly impressed by those children. They were happy, they were beautiful. Those children were amazing.”
It’s a kowtow, twenty-first century style.
The fawning was, in a Trumpian manner, combined with grandiosity. “There are those that say this is maybe the biggest summit ever. They can never remember anything like it. I can say in the United States people aren’t talking about anything else.”
Well, I’ve been out and about a bit in the last couple of days. I can report that people in the United States are talking about everything else but this summit. And I know of no foreign policy analyst who expects this to be “the biggest summit ever.”
Quite the contrary. As Politico put it, the Trump–Xi meeting has become “the shrinking summit”: “President Donald Trump’s ambitions for his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping have shrunk from ‘grand bargain’ to a plea for help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a push for small trade deals.”
I’ll probably have more to say about Trump’s pilgrimage to China tomorrow, after the summit ends and we can begin to judge its practical results, if any. But the sad truth already is this: With Trump backing down last fall after starting a trade war with China, and with our ongoing humiliation in the Gulf, if this summit is remembered at all, it’s likely to be recalled as a signpost in American decline. Trump did not quarrel in public, nor, so far as we know in private, with Xi’s claim to equal global status (“partners”) with the United States. How could he? Given Trump’s success in reducing the standing of the United States in the world, he had no grounds to do so.
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Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported that a confidential U.S. government intelligence analysis produced this week for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff “details how China is exploiting the war in Iran to maximize its advantage over the United States across military, economic, diplomatic and other fields.”
The report points out that during the Iran war, “China has sold weapons to Persian Gulf allies of the U.S. as they struggled to defend their military bases and oil infrastructure from Iranian missile and drone attacks.” China “has also assisted countries around the world struggling to meet their energy needs after the U.S.-Israeli attacks prompted Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz.”
And the analysis notes that the war has drained the U.S. military of stocks of weapons that would be critical in the defense of Taiwan against China. In fact the Chinese news agency Xinhua reports that in their private meeting, Xi warned Trump about the possibility of conflict over U.S. support for Taiwan. Trump had already raised doubts about U.S. backing for Taiwan before leaving for the summit. We have no reports of Trump pushing back in the meeting.
But not to worry. The Trump administration assures us that all is well. When asked about the intelligence report, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, said that “Assertions claiming the global balance of power have shifted towards any nation other than the United States of America are fundamentally false.” White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales claimed that the United States joining Iran in blockading the strait was “one of the most successful naval blockades in history.” And in Beijing, Elon Musk, one of Trump’s fellow supplicants at the summit, shouted “Wonderful!” to reporters as he left the Great Hall.
All’s well, according to the Trumpists, as the American democracy declines and the Chinese dictatorship rises.
But I suppose we should be grateful that the president of the United States didn’t kneel down and tap his head on the ground. At least not in public.
AROUND THE BULWARK
There’s Something Wrong with the President… TOM NICHOLS joins TIM MILLER for a special live pod to break down the bad Orange President’s insomnia-induced, Obama-obsessed posting spree, one that should raise real concern about his mental health.Quick Hits
ABUNDANCE AROUND THE CORNER: It was surprising back in March when the Senate got its act together enough to pass a good bill to address America’s housing crunch. It was perhaps even more surprising last night when House lawmakers announced they’d reached a bipartisan deal on their own, even better version of the bill.
As we wrote at the time, the Senate’s ROAD to Housing Act had one big flaw: a ban on large companies (defined as any company that manages more than 350 housing units) from building new single-family homes to rent out. Housing advocates had warned that this provision cut against the rest of the bill by choking off one pathway to new housing development. Now, per Politico, House negotiators have agreed to strip that provision from the bill—and to nibble at the corners of the bill’s other controls on institutional investment in single-family homes as well by narrowing its definition of a “single-family home.”
The House’s improvements have complicated the bill’s road to passage: The White House and the Senate had both hoped the House would swallow its objections, pass the Senate bill, and get it straight to the president’s desk.
GERRYMANDERING AWAY: Will South Carolina redistrict? After the Supreme Court gutted the remaining sections of the Voting Rights Act last month, Donald Trump has been demanding that Southern red states rush to eliminate their last blue-stronghold majority-minority districts ahead of November’s midterms.
At first, South Carolina’s Gov. Henry McMaster promised to leave the question of whether his GOP-controlled legislature would reconvene to consider redistricting up to the legislature itself. But after the state Senate unexpectedly shot down the idea Tuesday, McMaster changed his mind: Lawmakers announced last night that McMaster now intends to call a special session after all. Should they succeed, the likely effect would be to eliminate the district of Rep. James Clyburn, who has served in Congress since 1993.
ARGH DE TRIOMPHE: The White House ballroom may be unpopular, but Trump is still surging ahead both with it and with another of his eyesore vanity projects: his proposed jumbo-sized triumphal arch across the river at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. Today, the Washington Post reports that the administration has been trying to hustle its arch construction along “by piggybacking on an existing, unrelated contract for engineering services at the White House grounds more than a mile away”:
The move would allow the administration to bypass a potentially lengthy public bidding process, and experts said it was unusual because the arch site is on National Park Service land across the Potomac River and is not part of the White House complex.
Park Service acting director Jessica Bowron wrote to White House officials last month asking whether the agency could extend a contract between the White House and engineering firm AECOM Services for an environmental assessment for the proposed 250-foot arch. . . .
An hour later, the White House gave NPS a green light. “Yes of course,” wrote Heather Martin, an official in the Executive Office of the President.
It’s not clear from the emails whether the Park Service ultimately followed through with the plan to use the White House contract. But site testing was to begin this week, according to a timeline laid out by the Trump administration in federal court last week. Heavy machinery was at the site Monday.
More On U.S. Elections, Politics, Governance
New York Times, South Carolina Governor Plans Special Session to Redraw House Maps, Eduardo Medina, May 14, 2026 (print ed.). Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, appears prepared to thrust the state into the nation’s redistricting wars.
Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina, a Republican, plans to call the state legislature back for a special session that will be focused on redrawing the state’s congressional maps, lawmakers said on Wednesday evening. The effort could eliminate the state’s sole Democratic district, held by Representative James E. Clyburn.
Mr. McMaster’s decision came one day after five Republican state senators voted with Democrats to block a resolution that would have brought the legislature back to the State Capitol to consider redistricting.
That vote had seemed to close the door on the matter. Republican lawmakers had considered an agreement to extend their session only when it became clear that Mr. McMaster would not immediately call a special session himself.
But Mr. McMaster, who cannot seek re-election because of term limits, now appears willing to thrust South Carolina into the redistricting battles that have reached fever intensity, particularly in the South, ever since the Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Voting Rights Act last month.
President Trump has been clear about his wish for a G.O.P. sweep of all seven of South Carolina’s congressional districts, pressing Republican officials to draw new district maps before the midterm elections.
Mr. McMaster’s office declined to comment on Wednesday. Recently, he had said that he would let the Republican-controlled General Assembly decide the matter.
If Mr. McMaster calls the special session, lawmakers would face a time crunch. South Carolina’s primaries are on June 9, but early voting begins in two weeks, so Republicans would have to pass new maps before May 26.
The South Carolina House has proposed moving the congressional primaries to August to accommodate new maps.
There are also legal hurdles to consider. Hundreds of overseas voters have already cast ballots, which could prompt lawsuits if their votes are discarded to account for a change of date in congressional elections.
It is still unclear if new maps would pass in a special session, although Republicans control the legislature and would need only a simple majority to approve them.
Davey Hiott, the Republican leader of the South Carolina House, told reporters that his chamber was ready to get things rolling on Friday morning and vote on a map as quickly as possible, ideally next week.
Shane Massey, the Republican leader of the State Senate, who drew national attention for his impassioned speech against redistricting, was much more apprehensive about moving fast. He said public input was important and continued to voice opposition to the redistricting effort.
“I haven’t heard anything that alleviates the concerns, not just for me but for other people that I’ve been talking to,” Mr. Massey said. “The concerns are there. If anything, they’re only heightened."
He also noted that there were other pressing matters for the legislature to consider in the special session, such as finishing the budget.
Unlike their counterparts in states like Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana, some South Carolina Republicans have been much more lukewarm about the idea of mid-decade redistricting, mostly because they are skeptical that a new map would guarantee one more Republican-leaning congressional district. Instead, they fear that Democrats could be competitive in the newly created districts as Republican strength in some current districts is diluted.
Letters from an American, Historical Commentary: May 13, 2026 [Historic Sabotage Of Black Voting Rights, Civil War Union Victory], Heather Cox Richardson, right, May 14, 2026. Two weeks ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Louisiana v. Callais, gutting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Voting Rights Act provided that no state or local government could impose any conditions or procedures on voting that would result “in a denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.”
In the past, the Supreme Court has recognized that the right to vote alone does not necessarily fulfill the aims of the law. It’s possible—even easy—to dilute the votes of Black Americans to make it impossible for them to elect a candidate they support. Sometimes, then, in order to guarantee Black representation in government, states have had to create districts that are made up primarily of Black Americans. The court has condoned this practice, upholding the idea that in such a case, the state has a compelling reason to draw districts according to race. In the past, the court saw the creation of majority-minority districts as a way to comply with the Voting Rights Act, guaranteeing that Black voters can elect the lawmakers they prefer.
But in 2024, a “non-Black” voter in Louisiana challenged a new majority-minority district drawn so that the state’s congressional delegation might include two Black legislators out of the six allocated to the state. Those districts were designed to remedy the fact that although one third of the people who live in Louisiana are Black, the state has never had a Black senator, and no congressional district other than the majority-Black district has elected a Black representative. The state hasn’t had a Black governor since Reconstruction.
On April 29, by a vote of 6–3, with the right-wing justices in the majority, the Supreme Court declared Louisiana’s construction of a majority-minority district unconstitutional under the Fifteenth Amendment. It was, they said, an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. And, as the court ruled in Rucho v. Common Cause in 2019, the federal courts have no business addressing partisan gerrymandering.
Immediately, Louisiana governor Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency to stop the state’s congressional primary election, which was already underway. His declaration has thrown the election into chaos as 45,000 ballots already cast won’t be counted, and the ballots already sent out will still include the race that Landry has now postponed.
Since then, other Republican-dominated states have rushed to pass mid-decade gerrymanders that will shut Democrats out of power.
Tennessee governor Bill Lee, a Republican, immediately called the Tennessee legislature into emergency special session to get rid of the state’s only Democratic member of Congress, the one representing Memphis. Sixty percent of the people who live in Memphis are Black. Once back in session, the Tennessee lawmakers repealed their own law that prohibited mid-decade redistricting. Then, on May 7, they cracked Memphis into three districts, diluting Black votes by swamping them with voters in white suburbs. The state had similarly cracked Nashville in 2022, flipping that seat, as well, from Democratic to Republican.
“Tennessee is a conservative state, and this map ensures that our congressional delegation reflects that,” Republican state senator John Stevens said. “This is about allowing Tennessee to maximize its partisan advantage.”
On May 8 the Virginia state supreme court voted along partisan lines to strike down a plan Virginia voters had approved to redraw the state’s congressional districts temporarily to favor Democrats as a way to counteract the Republicans’ partisan gerrymanders in Texas, Florida, Ohio, and other states.
The court majority argued that the redistricting measure was invalid because, as Amna Nawaz and Ali Schmitz of PBS explained, the Virginia constitution requires the General Assembly to pass a constitutional amendment twice: once before a legislative election and once after. This should guarantee two different sets of eyes on any such amendment by letting the people elect new lawmakers between the votes. But when the General Assembly passed the measure the first time, early voting was already underway. Thus, the court said, it was not “before” a scheduled election.
On May 11, a week before elections are due to start there, the Supreme Court cleared the way for Alabama to use a 2023 district map that lower courts ruled unconstitutional because it diluted Black voting by spreading Black voters across three districts, thus violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. In an unsigned one-paragraph order, the Supreme Court sent the case back to the lower courts to reevaluate in light of the Callais decision.
On May 12, Tennessee House speaker Cameron Sexton removed all the House Democrats from standing committees, saying they had behaved in a way “aimed at disrupting the democratic and legislative processes” as they protested the mid-decade redistricting that broke up Tennessee’s only majority-Black, Democratic district. As Tennessee state representative Justin J. Pearson notes, this decree removed “every Black elected official in the state legislature from any committee we served on” and stripped “nearly 2 million Tennesseans from the representation they deserve” in the Tennessee state legislature.
On May 13—today—Georgia governor Brian Kemp called a special session of the Georgia General Assembly for June 17 to redraw Georgia’s congressional maps before the 2028 election. He said it was too late to change Georgia’s maps for 2026, but that the Callais decision requires Georgia to change its electoral maps.
Also today, Louisiana legislators advanced a congressional map eliminating one of the state’s two Black-majority districts. South Carolina governor Henry McMaster is expected to call for a special session to eliminate the state’s only Black-majority district and only Democratic seat, and Mississippi governor Tate Reeves said Mississippi lawmakers would eliminate the state’s only majority-Black district before 2028.
Jim Saksa of Democracy Docket assesses that redistricting could net Republicans between 16 and 18 seats in Congress in 2026, while the Democrats will likely pick up six, at least so far: five in California and one in Utah where a court demanded a redrawing of districts. Many of these redistricting plans are being challenged in the courts, and it remains possible that not all of them will flip, but G. Elliott Morris of Strength in Numbers assesses that the Democrats will have to win congressional elections by 3–4 points in order to win a majority.
We are watching, in real time, the creation of a one-party state in the American South.
We have been here before.
The actual name of what we know as the Voting Rights Act is “AN ACT To enforce the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and for other purposes.”
In the wake of the Civil War, Americans tried to create a new nation in which the law treated Black men and white men as equals. In 1865 they ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, outlawing enslavement except as punishment for crimes. In 1868 they adjusted the Constitution again, guaranteeing that anyone born or naturalized in the United States—except certain Indigenous Americans—was a citizen, opening up suffrage to Black men. In 1870, after Georgia legislators expelled their newly seated Black colleagues, Americans defended the right of Black men to vote by recognizing that right in the Constitution.
All three of those amendments—the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth—gave Congress the power to enforce them. In 1870, Congress established the Department of Justice to do just that. Reactionary white southerners had been using state laws, and the unwillingness of state judges and juries to protect Black Americans from white gangs and unscrupulous employers, to keep Black people subservient. White men organized as the Ku Klux Klan to terrorize Black men and to keep them and their white allies from voting to change that system. In 1870 the federal government stepped in to protect Black rights and prosecute members of the Ku Klux Klan.
With federal power now behind the Constitutional protection of equality, threatening jail for those who violated the law, white opponents of Black voting changed their argument against it.
In 1871 they began to say that they had no problem with Black men voting on racial grounds; their objection to Black voting was that Black men, just out of enslavement, were poor and uneducated. They were voting for lawmakers who promised them public services, like roads and schools, that could only be paid for with tax levies. Black voters, they said, were ushering in socialism.
Former Confederates declared it their duty to “redeem” the South from “Black rule,” by which they meant the Republicans and third parties in which white men and Black men worked together for policies that benefited workingmen, policies like education and workers’ protections. White Democrats argued that because such parties, even if overwhelmingly white, could win only with Black votes, they represented “Black rule.”
By 1880 the South was solidly Democratic, and it would remain so until the mid-1960s as white southern Democrats worked to silence the voices of Black Americans in the South to cement their own control over the region. In 1890, fourteen southern congressmen wrote a book to explain to their northern colleagues why Democrats had to control the South. Why the Solid South? or Reconstruction and Its Results insisted that Black voters who had supported the Republicans after the Civil War had perverted the government by using it to give themselves services paid for with white tax dollars.
Later that year, a new constitution in Mississippi started the process of making sure Black people could not vote by requiring educational tests, poll taxes, or a grandfather who had voted.
Eight years later, there was still enough Black voting in North Carolina and enough class solidarity with poor whites that voters in Wilmington elected a coalition government of Black Republicans and white Populists. White Democrats agreed that the coalition had won fairly, but about 2,000 of them nonetheless armed themselves to “reform” the city government. They issued a “White Declaration of Independence” and said they would “never again be ruled, by men of African origin.” It was time, they said, “for the intelligent citizens of this community owning 95% of the property and paying taxes in proportion, to end the rule by” Black men.
As they forced the elected officials out of office and took their places, the new Democratic mayor claimed “there was no intimidation used,” but as many as 300 African Americans died in the Wilmington coup. In the years to come, white Americans would continue to maintain control of politics through violence. They considered it a public duty to purge society of Black Americans, taking photographs of themselves at lynchings.
The region white Democrats ruled at the beginning of the twentieth century enforced white supremacy with extralegal violence. That racial domination helped white Americans swallow the South’s dramatic inequality. A few wealthy men dominated the region, while most people were poor: southerners had about half the average per capita income of the rest of the nation.
It was this world Congress addressed when, after more than 80 years in which state legislatures refused to acknowledge the Fifteenth Amendment, it passed the 1965 Voting Rights Act, finally taking seriously the amendment’s charge to “enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
In their 2018 book How Democracies Die, political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt noted that democracies depend on members of each party recognizing the legitimacy of their partisan rivals. Even if they disagree with each other, each recognizes the others’ members as loyal to the nation and accepts their legitimacy as lawmakers if voters elect them. Democracy also depends on parties refusing to use the tools of government to destroy the ability of their partisan opponents to win elections.
A day after a Pennsylvania man was arrested for making a “hit list” of twenty Democratic legislators he called “communist infiltrators” and threatened to shoot, as President Trump calls Democrats “traitors” and as southern states destroy the ability of Black Democrats to elect representatives, the echoes of the past are deafening.
Although the parties have switched sides, the story is the same. Now, as then, a minority is disfranchising voters because it knows its ideas are unpopular and it cannot win on the merits of its policies. What it can do, though, is to deliver white supremacy to its followers in hopes that it will be enough to make them ignore the economic system that is leading them to ruin.
As Joyce White Vance noted tonight in Civil Discourse, Georgia Senate minority leader Harold Jones II reacted to the news of Georgia’s special session for redistricting by saying: “If Republicans ever used their power to help Georgians, they wouldn’t have to waste time and money redrawing the maps every few years to keep their majorities.
“June will be our third redistricting since 2021. Republicans need to undo their last gerrymander because it wasn’t good enough to keep their waffling political party in power. Most parties would try out some new ideas. Republicans choose to strip political power from Black people and undo the progress the South made in the last 60 years.
“Let’s sum it up for everybody. The biggest bloc of middle and working class voters are Black people. When Republicans strip Black people’s political power away, it doesn’t just strip one community of power. It strips political power from every single middle and working class person and hands it over to billionaires and big corporations. That’s what redistricting means for you.”You’re currently a paid subscriber to Letters from an American. If you need help receiving Letters, changing your email address, or unsubscribing, please visit our Support FAQ. You can also submit a help request directly.
The Contrarian, Opinion: Republicans Cannot Gerrymander Senate Races, Jennifer Rubin, right, May 14, 2026. Democrats’ prospects are actually improving with time. Not even Donald Trump, his MAGA toadies on the Supreme Court, or White supremacist state legislators can figure out how to gerrymander states.
Lacking the favored Jim Crow mechanism (e.g., radical redistricting) to rig the election, Republicans’ Senate prospects are looking worse by the week. United States Senate chamber.
Months ago, we suggested that Democrats had a good shot at winning the Senate majority thanks to Trump’s horrific polling numbers, widespread economic angst, and Republican incumbents’ inability to deliver anything but tax cuts for the rich, paid for by draconian cuts to healthcare and food assistance. Since then, we have learned that one in five people have lost coverage under the Affordable Health Care Act, scores of rural hospitals are being forced to close, and 3.5 million have lost SNAP benefits, raising the ranks of hungry children, seniors, and families.
So it’s no surprise that, as USA Today recently reported, Democrats’ chances of winning the majority are looking even brighter. With “strong candidate recruitment effort, coupled with significant fundraising and Trump’s declining popularity and his base’s infighting,” Republicans face a strong choice of losing majorities in both houses. Put differently, Trump’s sinking poll numbers and failed agenda are dragging Senate Republicans under.
Rather than trying to appeal to ordinary voters, Republicans have doubled down on Trump idolatry. To make matters worse for themselves, Republicans are banking on unappealing candidates — MAGA extremists, Trump’s rubber stamps, and do-nothing phony moderates. Meanwhile, Democrats have found star candidates well-suited to their states (e.g., Roy Cooper in North Carolina, Mary Peltola in Alaska, James Tallarico in Texas). As a result, recent polling shows Democratic candidates statistically tied or ahead in a batch of GOP-held states (Alaska, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas). States like Iowa, ordinarily not remotely competitive, are clearly in play.
Meanwhile, the Democratic-held Senate seats that were considered most vulnerable now look a whole lot more secure (e.g., New Hampshire, Georgia). Even Michigan, which Republicans identified as their most likely pick-up, sent a signal in the recent special elections that Republicans are in trouble. “Surging gas prices, an unpopular war in Iran, and tariffs that have hit the state’s auto industry hard have all contributed to concerns about a worsening political environment for Michigan Republicans,” the Associated Press reported. “[A] Democrat won a special election by almost 20 points in a state Senate district that Kamala Harris won by less than 1 point in 2024.”Subscribed
Looking at the Senate map, a single Democratic Senate seat, Michigan, is rated a toss-up by analysts such as Charlie Cook. Democrats have no seats leaning or likely to go Republican. By contrast, Republicans have 3 seats in immediate peril, toss-up, or leaning Democratic (Ohio, Maine, North Carolina), plus a historically safe seat that merely leans Republican (Alaska). That still leaves Democrats with pick-up opportunities in Iowa, Texas, and even Nebraska (where the official Democratic candidate will drop out, aiding independent Dan Osborn, who would caucus with Democrats and is a viable candidate against incumbent Republican Senator Pete Ricketts).
Which party would you favor — the one with at most one truly vulnerable seat and scads of pickup opportunities, or the one with three candidates already in trouble and more at risk?
Nearly 5 months until Election Day is a lifetime in politics, but matters may get worse for Republicans for several reasons. For starters, contrary to Trump’s lies, inflation and gas prices in particular are soaring. The public rightfully blames Trump and his Republican doormats. In April, inflation soared to 3.8 percent, the highest in three years. There is no guarantee — and no indication — that it won’t go even higher before election day.
Second, a revived civil rights movement with massive organizing in response to Callais can certainly lift Black and Hispanic turnout not only in the South but throughout the country. We already saw a massive Hispanic turnout in Texas’s Democratic primary. If Black and Hispanic voters, many of whom have not consistently turned out in midterms, flock to the polls in November, they can boost Democrats in critical states (e.g., Michigan, Florida, Texas). The Callais backlash could well hand control of the Senate to Democrats.
Third, Senate Republicans refuse to change tactics, separate themselves from Trump (even on dreadful votes such as the $1B ballroom), or present an agenda that might appeal to working and middle-class voters. Democrats are chomping at the bit to hit incumbents like Dan Sullivan and Susan Collins, who like to pose as moderates, for passively allowing grotesque corruption and doing nothing to halt a radical, hugely unpopular agenda that ignores the key issue most important to voters: affordability.
Finally, Republicans’ negative attacks this cycle are particularly ineffective and downright moldy. They seem to assume the electorate cares about things Republicans have brushed aside, such as old social media posts. (Maine’s Graham Platner’s posts, written in the throes of his PTSD struggles, don’t hold a candle to Trump and other MAGA figures’ daily insane rantings). Republicans’ grab-bag of absurd smears fail to pass the straight-face test (e.g., painting Presbyterian seminarian Talarico as an anti-Christian lefty).
This is not to say that Democrats will have clear sailing. Republicans’ unceasing efforts to disrupt elections (e.g., purging voting rolls, requiring ballots to be returned and not just mailed on election day, redistricting in the midst of primary voting, or moving polling places with scant notification) will require Democrats to conduct massive voter education and deploy an aggressive litigation strategy. In addition, Democrats likely won’t be able to match Republicans’ massive haul of dark money (although all you need is enough money to wage effective races). The risk of either overconfidence or loss of interest is always a concern.
However, on balance, Senate Democrats will enjoy an ideal political environment (perhaps the best since 2006, when they picked up 6 seats) and the best recruits in years. They’re organizing, engaging, motivating, and turning out voters — reminding them that if they allow Trump and his MAGA white nationalists two more years of free rein, the country will be unrecognizable and perhaps unsalvageable.
And if voters needed any more motivation, they should remember that a Democratic Senate majority would bring (in addition to investigative and budget powers) an end to confirmation of atrocious judicial and executive nominees and give them the power to conduct effective, eye-opening impeachment trials (for either Trump or his cronies). That should be worth every dollar spent and hour devoted to ending Senate Republicans’ majority.
U.S. Law, Rights, Crime, Justice
Emptywheel, Analysis and Opinion: Gatekeeper to Narcissistic Meltdown, Emptywheel (Marcy Wheeler), right, May 14, 2026. MS-NOW did back-to-back interviews with John Brennan and Jim Comey the other day.
Overnight that night (and so probably at least partly in response to seeing Brennan and Comey, on TV, unbowed), Trump had a meltdown so severe that it elicited a number of analyses of his Truth Social habit.
Among the first was this list of Trump’s tweets from Harry Sisson, who commonly tracks Trump’s meltdowns.
The pink and green rectangles are mine.
I chose to mark the things that most directly fed Trump’s grand conspiracy theory, and so likely were a response to those interviews. I did that, in part, to highlight these two tweets, in which the President of the United States RTed others calling out Todd Blanche for not charging the grand conspiracy yet. (The timestamp on these is Irish time, but the RTed timestamp is the time of the post, with the YouWish account located in Central Time Zone.)
Both these were responses to this low-virality tweet from a fake news website that has Telegram and Rumble feeds, bearing a name mirroring US News’ home company and located in Romania. (MeidasTouch also examined this Romanian post.)
“Trump” had RTed that tweet just a minute earlier.
The original tweet got seven QTs (all by marginal accounts), 431 RTs, and 612 likes — by Xitter standards, a nothingburner. On the President’s own failing social media platform, however, it got over 3,000 RTs and 8,000 likes.
Truth Social is failing, I guess I should say, from a financial perspective, not from an influence one.
So in the middle of a longer rant about his unbowed enemies, “Trump” RTed the Romanian propaganda, then two responses from low-follower accounts (3,511 and 1,538 followers, respectively), which were comments about DOJ’s failure to charge a grand conspiracy. In response to one, the most powerful man in the world whimpered, “They are working hard!”
This was a moment not dissimilar from the one where Trump accidentally publicly posted a Truth Social DM meant for Pam Bondi, which he started by complaining, “I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, “same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done.” Like that attempted DM, Trump made it clear he tracked these unbelievably obscure MAGAts wailing about “justice,” but this one built off tiny Xitter accounts responding to foreign propaganda.
For all we know there were Truth Social DMs to Todd Blanche, successfully sent privately, accompanying the public screed. In Nicole Wallace’s follow-up incorporating Trump’s rant, she noted that Trump publicly called out Blanche the other day as the Acting AG, not the permanent one.
Whether or not Trump was sending a message to Blanche directly at the time, his rant transported a foreign propaganda conspiracy theory and two incredibly obscure responses to it from Xitter over to Truth Social in a way that called out Todd Blanche for failing to charge treason, yet, and did so within a half hour of the obscure responses being posted.
At the end of the day after this rant, WSJ did its own analysis of that rant and all the other rants Trump’s account engages in late night hours concluding, “the president uses the social-media platform to spread conspiracy theories and attack his adversaries.”
Ya think? It all seems so obvious but then you have people like Michael Scherer who treat this as a both-sides problem.
In reality, WSJ pulls its punches on some matters. Even as it documents that,
Roughly 1 in 10 of the account’s text-based posts call a person or group a name, such as “crooked,” “sleazebag,” “loser” or “low IQ.” The phrase “Fake News” appears nearly 140 times.
It calls the systematic, gutter racist dehumanization of his adversaries merely portraying them as “cartoonish.” It characterizes posts like this (this is the post I’ve edited for accuracy, but WSJ posted the unedited post he reposted overnight during his rant) as “Foreign-policy announcements,” rather than propaganda.
And even while noting the manic nature of all this, it treats these manic episodes as merely, “amplif[ying] his frustrations about immigration, crime, culture and the 2020 election,” as if there’s a rational thought process somewhere.
Compare that treatment to Daniel Dale’s treatment of it, which foregrounded the conspiracy theories (I’ve bolded Dale’s treatment of the Romanian post).
False conspiracy theories about Obama have long been a staple of Trump’s reposts on social media. This posting spree featured a bunch more.
Trump shared a post – from an account using the name and image of the late John F. Kennedy Jr. – that said, “Barack Hussein Obama wiretapping Trump Tower during the 2016 election was a million times worse than anything Nixon did during Watergate. It is time to arrest the Renegade.” (“Renegade” is Obama’s Secret Service codename.)
But there is no evidence anybody wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 election, let alone that Obama himself did so. In 2017, during the first Trump presidency, the Justice Department said in a court filing that it had no records to support Trump’s claim earlier that year of Trump Tower having been wiretapped in 2016.
During this posting spree, Trump also shared another false conspiracy post that included a link to a web page filled with lies about the Obama administration. These included false claims that former secretary of state Hillary Clinton had used her private email server to sell top-secret information to foreign entities, that Obama had ordered a coverup, and that nine of 13 New York police officers trying to expose the truth “committed suicide or died in suspicious circumstances.” For good measure, the page added a lie that Obama had a “Birth Certificate Scandal” proving he was never eligible to be president.
In addition, Trump shared a video in which Tulsi Gabbard, now his director of national intelligence, baselessly claimed in 2024 that Obama and Clinton, among others, made decisions for former President Joe Biden’s administration. Trump shared another post that baselessly alleged Obama had “commissioned the Intelligence Community to falsify intelligence” and baselessly suggested he is guilty of treason. And Trump shared a video in which a conservative commentator baselessly claimed Obama was a “Trojan horse for the Marxists” and has made a deliberate attempt “to destroy America from within.”
Extensive lying about the 2020 election
No Trump conspiracy blitz would be complete without copious lying about the 2020 presidential election that he lost.
Among other falsehood-filled posts this time, Trump shared one from his former national security adviser Michael Flynn in which Flynn falsely claimed “The 2020 Election was Stolen.” (Trump lost fair and square to Biden.) Trump shared a post that – citing a shoddy news report from right-wing network One America News – falsely claimed Dominion voting technology had “DELETED 2.7 MILLION TRUMP VOTES NATIONWIDE. INCLUDING OVER 1 MILLION PENNSYLVANIA VOTES SWITCHED FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP TO BIDEN.” (None of this happened.) And he shared a post that based its false claim of a “stolen 2020 election” on pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell’s false claims about Dominion and other entities.
And while it wasn’t a response to this latest batshittery from Trump — it preceded it by a few days — NPR put Trump’s routine repetition of his conspiracy theories about 2020 in context in a piece (with a really neat graphic) showing what Trump has ranted about when this year.
[snip]
To the degree that his posts measure what he’s thinking about, the president’s social media feed suggests he is as preoccupied – or even more so – with his personal projects and vendettas than he is with pressing policy matters.
President Trump posted about the 2020 election 71 times in the first four months of 2026, more than he posted even about tariffs (57 times – all of which we coded as a subset of posts about the economy). Those 2020 election posts all promoted the lie that via massive voter fraud or other malfeasance, Joe Biden stole that election.
Trump posted 68 times about his various Washington, D.C., building projects, including his White House ballroom and a proposed massive arch across the Potomac near Arlington National Cemetery. That’s slightly more than he posted about Venezuela, more than he posted about the SAVE Act he’s promoting, and more than he posted about protesters and federal agents in Minneapolis, including federal agents killing two U.S. citizens.
He posted more than six times as often (105) about his various legal grievances than he did about healthcare policy (17).
Viewed via NPR’s nifty graphic, a larger pattern emerges. Aside from SCOTUS’ election interference, the single thing that has gone “right” for Trump this year (if you consider coopting the corrupt leader of a kleptocratic petrostate a success, as Trump does) is his snatching of Nicolás Maduro.
In periods where things were going wrong, he copes in familiar ways: treating himself as a god, dreaming about tacky gold monuments, dehumanizing others and promising vengeance, relitigating his attempt to steal the 2020 election.
It’s a familiar expression of malignant narcissism, responding to injuries by lashing out violently.
In its retrospective analysis, NPR noted how many of Trump’s posts are — like the Romanian one and two responses — transported over from other social media sites.
As for the top types of posts, the largest category – at just under one-quarter of his posts – are social media reshares. These take several formats – some are screenshots of posts from X, and others are videos reposted from other social media sites, such as TikTok.
This emphasizes the technological differences between now and Trump’s first term.
Near the end of his first term, the videos Trump posted were largely from Fox News or other right-leaning news outlets, or they were videos produced by the White House.
Now, there’s an endless array of TikTok and Instagram videos and memes the president can repost, many of them from amateurs or generated by AI. Some have been outright offensive, as when he posted a racist video that depicted former President Obama and Michelle Obama as apes. The White House initially defended the video, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters, “Please stop the fake outrage.” Trump later said he hadn’t seen the full video, telling reporters, “I looked at the beginning of it. It was fine.” He did not apologize, and the post was later deleted.
[snip]
This posting-then-reposting pattern is one of the more notable oddities of the president’s Truth Social posts. It appears to be a makeshift way of reposting things from X. The president regularly grabs, for example, a video someone else has posted on X, posts it without attribution on Truth Social, then immediately quote-posts his own post along with a screenshot of the original X post.
But NPR doesn’t get too deep into how this happens; it simply notes Karoline Leavitt attributing some posts, including the most inflammatory, to unnamed staffers.
One restriction has kept Trump from simply posting on X when he wants a bigger audience – according to details about a licensing agreement in a 2023 SEC filing, he is “generally obligated to make any social media post on TruthSocial and may not make the same post on another social media site for 6 hours.” This gives the site “limited time to benefit from” his postings.
NPR emailed Truth Social’s press team to check if this agreement is still in effect, but the email bounced back.
It’s not entirely clear how many of the posts on the president’s Truth Social account come directly from him. Leavitt also told NPR that some posts are made by staffers.
That’s something WSJ did pay close attention to.
The staffer in question is the woman they call the Human Printer, Natalie Harp. She’s the one who posted both the Obamas-as-ape meme and the Trump-as-Christ one, posts that really did elicit backlash.
Natalie Harp, Trump’s executive assistant, plays an integral role in Trump’s Truth Social activity. She brings the president stacks of printed-out draft social-media posts for his approval. The proposed posts often recycle content from other accounts that Harp or advisers think would appeal to Trump, according to people familiar with the matter.
Harp then logs onto the president’s account—at times outside of normal work hours—and posts batches of Trump-approved messages, the people said. Trump personally signs off on all of the content posted to his account. While Harp often posts content on Trump’s behalf, the president posts some messages himself, White House officials said.
Earlier this year, at Trump’s direction, Harp posted a video that included racist imagery depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, and an AI-generated image of Trump as a Christ-like figure, people familiar with the matter said.
WSJ notes that Harp has no gatekeeper. It’s just her — claiming that Trump saved her from dying from cancer — and Trump, acting out his narcissistic rage together, late at night.
Harp has frustrated some White House officials because she typically doesn’t share draft posts with the chief of staff’s office, communications aides or national-security officials. Harp has told others she works for Trump and only listens to him.
“Truth Social has never been hotter, and it’s because President Trump offers his unfiltered and direct thoughts to the American people, without the biased media taking him out of context,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a statement. “We don’t discuss internal deliberations of how the process works, but no other social-media tool has been more effective than Truth.”
The claim that Trump really approves all this, including posts RTed within half an hour of random Xitter replies, raises more questions about his late night interactions with her.
And the concern about her lack of gatekeeper date to the first stories that described her role, at a time when she attended Trump’s trial every day, printing out posts to make him feel better. It was the entire premise of the Marc Caputo story that attributed a “Unified Reich” post to her, like the Obama-Ape and Trump-Jesus posts, one that got deleted.
As I noted in response to Caputo’s piece:
Around about paragraph 21, Caputo describes that Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita “don’t directly oversee Harp and … essentially leave her alone.”
“No one spends as much time on this campaign around him as Natalie,” said one insider. “If people think she’s an airhead because of her looks, they don’t understand how smart she is and how much the president relies on her.”
The campaign’s co-managers, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, don’t directly oversee Harp and, the source said, and essentially leave her alone.
“Natalie fills a role and Chris and Susie know that’s what he wants,” the source said, “so they focus on other things.”
Again, if true (it appears to be single sourced), it is a really important insight: Trump’s digital gatekeeper doesn’t work for the ostensible campaign managers. The campaign — which serially offers statements in response to reporting on Project 2025 claiming that unless something comes from the campaign then it is not official policy — does not control Harp.
Caputo’s source claims that the campaign doesn’t control what comes in and out of Trump’s digital persona. Harp does.
And people amenable to fascism know that, and know how to exploit it.
Natalie Harp has no gate-keeper, even in spite of three posts that have alarmed even Trump’s most rabid fans. And one of the things she does late at night when the President is having narcissist meltdowns is mainstream foreign conspiracy theories that lead him to directly pressure those who mete out “justice” in the US.
It’s a remarkably effective way of feeding Russian conspiracy theories. It’s a remarkably effective way of stoking distrust of rule of law.
And it may well serve as a presidential nudge to the guy auditioning to be AG, to hasten more indictments for those who refuse to bow down before Trump.
More Global News
New York Times, News Analysis: Trump Was Flattering, Xi Was Resolute. The Difference Spoke Volumes, David E. Sanger, May 14, 2026. In contrast to his rhetoric about China at home, President Trump spoke in conciliatory terms with Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader.
For President Trump, the first day of his visit to Beijing was all about the personal relationship between him and Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader.
“You’re a great leader,” he told his host, whom he has often said he admires for his “powerful” control over a nation of 1.4 billion people. “I say it to everybody.”
Mr. Xi, unsurprisingly, spent little time on flattery. Once the 21-gun salute and precision-marching by units of the People’s Liberation Army were finished, the disciplined Chinese leader plunged right away into setting boundaries for the two country’s relations. The red line was Taiwan, he said, making it abundantly clear that Mr. Trump’s effort at rapprochement could crash on takeoff if he interferes with China’s long-term effort to take control of the self-governing island.
“The U.S. must handle the Taiwan issue with utmost caution,” he said according to a readout from Xinhua, China’s official news agency. The warning came just minutes into his public remarks in the Great Hall of the People, the center of power for the People’s Republic starting just a decade into Mao’s revolution. For Mr. Xi, it was all about setting boundaries, from the start.
New York Times, What to Know About Wes Streeting, Who Called for a Contest to Replace Starmer, Ephrat Livni and Stephen Castle, May 14, 2026. Mr. Streeting has an unusual background for a British government minister. His grandfather went to prison for armed robbery, and he was the first in his family to graduate from college.
Wes Streeting, Britain’s health secretary, has been waiting in the wings for months to potentially challenge Keir Starmer for leadership of the governing Labour Party, making little secret of his ambition to one day become prime minister.
On Thursday, Mr. Streeting resigned his post, but he did not announce an immediate leadership challenge. Instead, he used his resignation letter to excoriate Mr. Starmer over the direction of the government, saying, “Where we need vision, we have a vacuum.”
Mr. Streeting, arguably the best communicator in Mr. Starmer’s cabinet, would need the support of 81 Labour members of Parliament to try to oust Mr. Starmer.
It is not yet clear if he has that number of backers, or whether his resignation from the cabinet would spark an immediate attempt at a leadership challenge.
The prime minister is under pressure after Labour suffered severe losses in local elections last week, but he has refused to step down.
In Mr. Streeting’s resignation letter, he said it was clear that Mr. Starmer would not lead Labour into the next general election and called for a “broad” battle of ideas to precede that change. “It needs the best possible field of candidates,” he wrote.
If, as seems likely, a contest happens sometime in the coming weeks or months, Mr. Streeting would likely be seen as the leading and most promising candidate from the right of the Labour Party. However, that faction is not currently popular with most of the party membership.
U.S. Inflation, Federal Reserve Bank, Economy, Jobs
Receipts with Catherine Rampell via The Bulwark, U.S. Economic Policy Opinion: Congrats on the Gig, Kevin Warsh. You’re Cooked, Catherine Rampell, May 14, 2026. Kevin Warsh finally got his dream job, having been confirmed to the Fed chairmanship this week. He’s been positioning himself to get the gig for the past decade, after having been passed over during Trump’s first term because (in Warsh’s own words) “I did not put my ambitions ahead of my principles.”
Warsh just squeaked through this time after a long-running, reality-TV-style Trump selection process, which was followed by the narrowest confirmation-vote margin since the requirement for Senate approval for the role was established in 1977.
There’s a real wish-upon-a-monkey-paw vibe to Warsh’s story, though. Sure, he won his prize—but it’s far more treacherous than he may have initially calculated. Although presumably Jay Powell could have warned him.
The outlook for Warsh, an inflation hawk who nonetheless promised to cut interest rates, is the subject of today’s newsletter.
IN ECONOMICS, THERE’S A CONCEPT called the “winner’s curse.” It means that the person who ends up winning an auction has often overpaid for the prize. It’s a good way of characterizing the fate of the newly confirmed Federal Reserve chair, Kevin Warsh.
Warsh has been auditioning to lead the Fed for over a decade now, muscling out competitors and massaging his public image. The main way Warsh finally got the gig was by pledging to cut interest rates, which was Donald Trump’s litmus test. Unfortunately for Warsh, he will not be able to deliver on that promise for reasons that are clear to everyone except, perhaps, Trump. This means that Warsh is hurtling toward a reckoning with his benefactor.
Yesterday, for the first time since 2007, rates on new 30-year Treasury bonds surpassed 5 percent. And look, I realize that was possibly the most boring sentence you will read today.¹ So let me explain what it means, why it matters to the economy, and why it suggests Warsh is very, very cooked.
IT STARTS WITH TRUMP’S economic policy agenda.
Inflation had been drifting downward in recent years, at least roughly until “Liberation Day” in April 2025 when Trump announced global tariffs. The rate of price growth soon started ticking back upward.
Then the Iran war happened. And, as was evident in new reports this week on consumer and producer prices, inflation has been supercharged. With consumer prices reaching 3.8 percent growth in April from a year earlier, we’re likely seeing only the earliest glimmers of the war’s effects on prices for energy, food, manufactured goods, and so forth.
Even worse, this one-two punch of tariffs and war threatens to reset expectations for how bad inflation will get. What this means is that instead of these shocks being temporary (dare I say “transitory”), we could be at the start of a vicious cycle in which companies that are fearful of getting surprised by higher prices in the future raise their own prices preemptively today. If everybody does this at once, you get more inflation. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Companies and consumers aren’t the only ones who worry about inflation. Anyone who lends to the government worries about it, too: They don’t want the interest they receive on those loans to get eaten up by inflation. They want to make money!
THIS BRINGS US to Warsh’s quandary. Warsh has said he intended to cut interest rates (specifically, the short-term rates that the Fed has the most control over). But with inflation rising, that objective is increasingly undesirable, or impossible—or both.
Markets have already communicated this: They don’t currently expect any additional cuts through at least the end of 2027. If anything, rate hikes are more likely, particularly next year.
And regardless of what markets are communicating, Warsh himself is primed to believe we need higher rates, too. He is widely known as an inflation hawk²—someone whose concerns about inflation push them to err more on the side of higher interest rates than making risky cuts.
But let’s assume he nonetheless still wants to deliver the rate cuts Trump expects. Guess what? He can’t.
For starters, Warsh will be only one of twelve votes on the Fed committee that sets interest rates, and the rest of the committee is making it clear they’re not interested in more cuts. So Warsh has no good options here.
Paul Krugman on Substack, What’s good for Elon Musk is not necessarily good for America. In fact, it may go the other way around, Paul Krugman, May 14, 2026. So why did Donald Trump take Musk and a bunch of other top executives to China with him?
What’s good for Elon Musk is not necessarily good for America. In fact, it may go the other way around. So why did Donald Trump take Musk and a bunch of other top executives to China with him?
America’s corporations are not America. They really have very distinctive differences in interest from those of the general public. You may have heard the old line that what’s good for General Motors is good for America. That’s not exactly what the CEO of General Motors said. What he said is that what’s good for America is good for General Motors and vice versa.
But in any case he said that a very very long time ago, when corporations’ role in American life was not what it is now. General Motors at the time was a “stakeholder” corporation. That is, it did not see itself as solely serving the interests of stockholders. It viewed itself as having multiple groups that had a stake in the company.
There was the workers who were represented by a powerful union. There were customers who were considered to be part of the story. They played a role in the wider community.
Today corporations ruthlessly maximize value for stockholders, unless they do it for the founder who is considered to be the owner. (It’s not entirely clear that Tesla is run in the interest of Tesla stockholders. To a large extent, it’s run just in Elon Musk’s interest, but it’s certainly not run in the interest of U.S. workers or U.S. national security or anything like that.)
Why then should we care? It’s probably worth knowing that to the extent that corporations are run in the interest of their stockholders, the stockholders of an “American” corporation are by no means necessarily American. We think that something like 40% of US equities are owned by foreigners. So anything that enhances the profits of corporations, you should think of 40 cents on the dollar of that gain actually going to other countries.
And among Americans, stock ownership in the United States is extremely concentrated in the hands of the top 10% of the population, a large fraction just in the hands of the 1% or less. and most Americans have very little stake in stock prices. They may have some stake in the success of business in the United States, but that doesn’t have to be what we consider American corporations.
It’s not really right to think of Tesla or NVIDIA, whose Jensen Huang also went to China, as being somehow America going to China. These are corporations that serve stockholders around the world, serve some tech bros who have a special control over them. What they want is profits . What they want is access to the Chinese market, including being able to sell China stuff that from the US national point of view maybe we shouldn’t be allowing them to sell — you know, highly sophisticated equipment that on national security grounds we should actually try to restrict the access of fundamentally unfriendly powers.
May 13
Top Headlines
News Roundups
May 13, 2026. Trump and his family are facing crises on multiple fronts. As Trump lands in China for a high-stakes summit with Xi Jinping, the trip is already being overshadowed by his stunning remarks that he does not think about Americans’ financial situations.U.S. Law, Courts, Crime, Rights
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, left, a Democrat from Maryland, accused FBI Kash Patel of repeatedly lying about vital matters during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on May 12, 2026 (Screenshot via C-SPAN).
May 13, 2026. The coverage of yesterday’s spat between Chris Van Hollen and Kash Patel has missed one of the most important parts of the exchange. 
New York Times, Justice Dept. Officials Consider Settling Trump Suit Against I.R.S., Andrew Duehren and Alan Feuer, May 13, 2026 (print ed.). 2026. One of the settlement terms under review is for the I.R.S. to drop any audits of the president, his family members and businesses.More On Trump Administration
President Trump used the image above on May 3 to boast via his Truth Social network that he "holds all the cards" compared to Iran, apparently not realizing that in the game of Uno displayed in the image the one holding the most cards is losing.
May 13, 2026. Trump goes to Beijing weaker than ever.
May 13, 2026. Donald Trump clutched to the railing as he weaved down the steps after Air Force One landed in China which was a perfect visual summary of his wobbly and failing presidency. 
May 13, 2026. Deep cuts and an anti-science ideology are leaving us vulnerable to the next big pandemic or biological threat.U.S. Elections, Politics, Governance
May 13, 2026. Kash Patel tried to get into a heated exchange with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) over drinking and it did not end well for the FBI Director.More On U.S. Foreign Policy
Trump’s Shrinking Ambitions on China, Ana Swanson, May 13, 2026. The president came into office planning harsher trade moves on China than on the rest of the world. Here’s why he’s had to scale them back.More Global News
Top Stories
New York Times, Investigation: U.S. Intelligence Shows Iran Retains Substantial Missile Capabilities, Adam Entous, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, May 13, 2026 (print ed.). Secret new assessments say Iran has operational access to 30 of its 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting that its military remains far stronger than President Trump has asserted.
The Trump administration’s public portrayal of a shattered Iranian military is sharply at odds with what U.S. intelligence agencies are telling policymakers behind closed doors, according to classified assessments from early this month that show Iran has regained access to most of its missile sites, launchers and underground facilities.
Most alarming to some senior officials is evidence that Iran has restored operational access to 30 of the 33 missile sites it maintains along the Strait of Hormuz, which could threaten American warships and oil tankers transiting the narrow waterway.
People with knowledge of the assessments said they show — to varying degrees, depending on the level of damage incurred at the different sites — that the Iranians can use mobile launchers that are inside the sites to move missiles to other locations. In some cases they can launch missiles directly from launchpads that are part of the facilities. Only three of the missile sites along the strait remain totally inaccessible, according to the assessments.
Iran still fields about 70 percent of its mobile launchers across the country and has retained roughly 70 percent of its prewar missile stockpile, according to the assessments. That stockpile encompasses both ballistic missiles, which can target other nations in the region, and a smaller supply of cruise missiles, which can be used against shorter-range targets on land or at sea.
Military intelligence agencies have also reported, based on information from multiple collection streams including satellite imagery and other surveillance technologies, that Iran has regained access to roughly 90 percent of its underground missile storage and launch facilities nationwide, which are now assessed to be “partially or fully operational,” the people with knowledge of the assessments said.
The findings undercut months of public assurances from President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who have told Americans that the Iranian military was “decimated” and “no longer” a threat.
New York Times, Editorial: The Iran War Worsens America’sDemocratic Erosion, Editorial Board, May 13, 2026 (print ed.). President Trump’s war with Iran is the most significant military action in American history that a president has undertaken without any form of congressional authorization.
Yes, past presidents have often pushed the bounds of their constitutional authority in using the military. Nonetheless, they have typically involved Congress for anything more than a brief attack. Sometimes, Congress passed a bill formally approving action, as was the case in Iraq in both 2002 and 1991, Afghanistan in 2001 and Vietnam in 1964. In other instances, such as Korea in the 1950s, Congress offered de facto approval by passing bills that provided additional resources for the military action. Mr. Trump has received no approval whatsoever from Congress, the only branch of government with the constitutional authority to declare war.
The New York Times editorial board is tracking 12 categories of democratic erosion in the United States, based on historical patterns and interviews with experts. Our index places the United States on a scale of 0 to 10 for each category. Zero represents the United States before Mr. Trump began his second term — not perfect, surely, but one of the world’s healthiest democracies. Ten represents the condition in a true autocracy, such as China, Iran and Russia. Based on the war with Iran, we are moving our assessment of one of the categories — bypassing the legislature — up one notch, to Level 5.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Trump Admits He Wrecked the Economy, Will Saletan, Andrew Egger and Jim Swift, May 13, 2026. It’s a bold strategy. Let’s see if it works out for him.
Donald Trump’s quest to get a bunch of taxpayer money for his White House ballroom project isn’t going great, with plenty of Republicans in both the House and the Senate still sounding highly skeptical. “It was one thing when private dollars were doing it,” Sen. John Curtis of Utah told Politico yesterday. “If you’re asking me for a billion dollars, I have some really hard questions.” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) was even more unequivocal: “Not happening here,” he said yesterday.
Happy Wednesday.
News Roundups
The Parnas Perspective, Morning News and Commentary: Trump and Family Face Multiple Crises as China Trip Risks Derailment, Trump Tower Cancelled, Reflecting Pool a Mess, and More, Aaron Parnas, right, May 13, 2026. Trump and his family are facing crises on multiple fronts. As Trump lands in China for a high-stakes summit with Xi Jinping, the trip is already being overshadowed by his stunning remarks that he does not think about Americans’ financial situations.
Republicans on Capitol Hill are scrambling to distance themselves from the comments, with several refusing to defend them publicly. Meanwhile, the Trump family was forced to halt plans for a marquee Trump Tower project in Australia after developers reportedly concluded the Trump brand had become too “toxic” to move forward.
Back in Washington, Trump’s rushed overhaul of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is reportedly already plagued by construction failures, including bubbling paint and flaws in the waterproof coating. After personally pushing the project and awarding a no-bid contract, Trump now claims he does not even know the contractor involved. At the same time, FBI Director Kash Patel is under renewed scrutiny as old comments about drinking resurface amid questions surrounding his conduct and leadership.
Suffice it to say, it has already been a busy morning. I’ll be covering the high-stakes China summit for you throughout the week. Last night, we published an exclusive investigative report into the effort to build an “Amazon for Guns,” and we have another major deep dive coming later this week. Tonight at 6:50 PM EST, we’ll also host our first live event exclusively for paid subscribers.
We are growing rapidly and reaching millions of people, but I can only continue this work with your support. If you believe in fearless, independent journalism that tells the truth without corporate pressure or political intimidation, please subscribe, upgrade your subscription, or gift one to someone else. Together, we are building the Parnas Perspective into something bigger, stronger, and more impactful than ever before.
Here’s the news:
As Trump lands in China for a high-stakes summit, Republican lawmakers are struggling to respond after Trump said he does not think about Americans’ financial situations while negotiating with Iran. Several GOP senators either dismissed, avoided, or claimed ignorance of Trump’s remarks, despite him repeating the comments publicly.
Trump insisted that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon mattered more than the economic pain Americans are facing from inflation and rising oil prices. The remarks sparked backlash because they appeared indifferent to voters’ financial struggles amid the ongoing Iran conflict.
Cynthia Lummis: “Did he say that? I don’t have a comment about that, mostly because I think he actually does care,” she said, laughing and suggesting Trump did not mean what he said.
Roger Marshall: Refused to comment, saying he did not know the “context” of Trump’s remarks.
Susan Collins: Said she had not seen Trump’s comments at all.
Plans for Australia’s first Trump Tower on Queensland’s Gold Coast have been cancelled just three months after being announced. The developer, Altus Property Group, said the Trump brand had become “toxic” in Australia, partly due to global political tensions, while the Trump Organization claimed the developer failed to meet financial obligations. The proposed A$1.5 billion luxury skyscraper was expected to become Australia’s tallest building and include a hotel, apartments, restaurants, and a beach club. The project had already sparked local controversy, with large petitions both supporting and opposing the development. Eric Trump previously championed the project:
President Trump’s fast-tracked renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is reportedly facing construction setbacks and quality issues, according to internal Interior Department documents obtained by The New York Times. Workers have allegedly found bubbles, holes, and uneven sections in the waterproof coating, as well as inconsistent application of the bright “American flag blue” paint personally chosen by Trump. The problems are raising concerns about whether the rushed overhaul will require costly repairs or additional delays, and has led to Trump now claiming that he no longer knows who the contractor that is responsible for the project is:
President Trump arrived in Beijing for a high-stakes two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping focused on trade, technology, Taiwan, and the ongoing Iran war. The visit, originally planned for March but delayed because of the Iran conflict, comes as China seeks to present itself as a stronger and more stable global power. Trump traveled alongside major U.S. business leaders including Elon Musk, Tim Cook, and Jensen Huang, saying he would ask Xi to “open up” China further to American companies.
Much of the summit is expected to center on Iran, as the U.S. pressures China to use its economic influence over Tehran to help de-escalate the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts say Beijing wants stability because rising oil prices are hurting China’s economy, but Xi is likely to demand concessions from Washington in return for cooperation. The meeting also highlights the increasingly competitive relationship between the two powers, with disputes over tariffs, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and Taiwan expected to dominate negotiations.
Kash Patel, left, is facing renewed scrutiny over past comments about drinking after reports questioned his behavior and reliability while leading the FBI. Critics have resurfaced remarks Patel previously made such as “We were slamming Negronis,” “Everybody should get a beer. Or three,” and “They’re going to call me an alcoholic,” arguing the comments take 
on new significance amid allegations about alcohol use on the job. Patel has denied the accusations and dismissed reports about his conduct as false and politically motivated.
New classified U.S. intelligence assessments reportedly show that Iran retains much of its missile infrastructure and military capability despite months of U.S. and Israeli strikes. According to the assessments, Iran still has access to 30 of its 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz, retains about 70% of its missile stockpile and mobile launchers, and has restored access to roughly 90% of its underground missile facilities. The findings contradict repeated public claims by President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Iran’s military had been “decimated,” while also raising concerns about U.S. weapons stockpiles after the war consumed large numbers of missiles and interceptors.
Trump has escalated his attacks on Capitol Hill by publicly targeting congressional staffers, posting their photos online and calling for them to be fired.
Cindy Burbank defeated anti-abortion pastor Bill Forbes in Nebraska’s Senate Democratic primary (shown above in file photos with President Trump at right), a result expected to clear the way for independent candidate Dan Osborn to challenge Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts in November. Nebraska Democrats had backed Osborn instead of running their own Senate candidate, and Burbank is expected to withdraw from the race despite winning the primary. The contest became contentious after Osborn allies accused Forbes of trying to stay on the ballot to split anti-Republican votes, while Burbank previously had to sue to regain ballot access after being removed by the Republican secretary of state.
More on the hantavirus:
South Carolina Republicans blocked an effort to fast-track congressional redistricting, making it harder for President Trump and national Republicans to eliminate the state’s only Democratic congressional district before the 2026 midterms. Five Republican state senators joined Democrats in voting against a procedural measure that would have allowed lawmakers to revisit redistricting after the legislative session ends, despite pressure from Trump and GOP leaders. State Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey opposed the push, arguing Republicans risk losing long-term influence if they completely remove Democratic representation from the state’s congressional delegation. Here is what Mike Johnson had to say concerning the Supreme Court decision that has led to this gerrymandering race:
A POLITICO analysis found that federal judges have ruled against the Trump administration’s ICE detention policies in roughly 90% of cases, with more than 10,000 court losses tied to mass detentions carried out under a 2025 policy expanding mandatory detention for immigrants facing deportation. Judges across the country, including many Trump appointees, criticized ICE for violating due process, separating families, detaining lawful residents, and in some cases ignoring court orders. The administration argues the policy is necessary to end “catch-and-release” immigration practices and says it expects the Supreme Court to ultimately uphold the detentions, though appellate courts are currently divided on the issue.
Brad Raffensperger, below, who is running for governor of Georgia, was targeted by a credible written threat that included a manifesto with his photo 
and the word “boom” written across his face. Authorities are also investigating a suspicious object found at one of his campaign stops in Macon, though no hazardous devices were ultimately discovered and no arrests have been made. Raffensperger, who became a national figure after resisting President Trump’s efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results, said he would continue campaigning despite the threats, while law enforcement agencies including the FBI and Georgia State Patrol increased security around him.
An NBC News investigation reports that despite a Trump-declared ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, Israeli forces have continued widespread destruction across southern Lebanese towns, especially in areas near the border. Satellite imagery, videos, and local officials describe systematic demolitions of homes, schools, mosques, and infrastructure that Israel says are linked to Hezbollah military activity. Lebanese officials and analysts argue the ceasefire exists “only in name,” while Hezbollah has threatened retaliation over ongoing Israeli operations and civilian deaths. The fighting has displaced over a million people in Lebanon, killed thousands since March, and intensified tensions ahead of new U.S.-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon.
Spain said it would not allow the United States to use Spanish air bases for the Iran war, with Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares arguing that the conflict violates international law and was launched without consulting NATO allies. The dispute has heightened tensions between Madrid and Washington, with the Trump administration threatening trade penalties, troop withdrawals, and possible NATO consequences after Spain blocked access to bases at Morón and Rota. Albares defended Spain’s position as consistent with European values and called for greater EU military independence, including the creation of a stronger common European defense capability.
The Parnas Perspective, Afternoon News and Commentary: Trump Shrugs Off Americans’ Financial Pain, Epstein Survivors Deliver Heartbreaking Testimony, Patel Lashes Out, Aaron Parnas, right, May 12, 2026. Trump said the quiet part out loud when he admitted he does not think about Americans’ financial situation during Iran war negotiations, sparking growing concern among swing state Republicans about the political fallout.
U.S. Law, Courts, Crime, Rights
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, left, a Democrat from Maryland, accused FBI Kash Patel of repeatedly lying about vital matters during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on May 12, 2026 (Screenshot via C-SPAN).
Emptywheel, Analysis and Opinion: The FBI Director Proved He Will Lie about Criminal Defendants, Emptywheel (Marcy Wheeler), right, May 13, 2026. The coverage of yesterday’s spat between Chris Van Hollen and Kash Patel has missed one of the most important parts of the exchange.
For example, the AP reported the spat, “FBI Director Kash Patel denies drinking allegations in heated Senate exchange,” without noting that Kash’s claim that he was in Italy on business (which AP notes) is tantamount to a confession that he was drinking on the job.
And while NBC pointed out problems with one of Kash’s two scripted counterattacks — Kilmar Abrego, shown at left with his wife, is not a convicted rapist or even charged as a “gangbanger,” and Van Hollen claimed in real time that El Salvador’s dictator Nayib Bukele staged his meeting with 
Abrego to falsely make it look like he was drinking — it doesn’t consider the import of that.
“Unlike your baseless reports, the only person that was slinging margaritas in El Salvador on the taxpayer dollar with a convicted gang-banging rapist was you,” he yelled, apparently referring to Van Hollen’s April 2025 trip to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whom the administration said it had mistakenly deported to El Salvador.
Abrego was not charged with or convicted of being a gang member or rape, but administration officials have accused him of being a member of the violent MS-13 gang, an allegation he has denied. Abrego is awaiting trial on human trafficking charges.
Salvadoran officials served Van Hollen and Abrego drinks that looked like margaritas. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele then shared pictures of the meeting, saying they showed Abrego “sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!” Van Hollen said at the time that he never touched the drink.
To be fair, Van Hollen didn’t raise this point when he did corner Kash with being unwilling to answer whether lying to Congress is a crime.
Van Hollen: In your response to me earlier, where you had a little bit of a blow-up, you made a couple provably false statements.
[snip]
You made these provably false statements that I know are sort of like urban legend in right wing media about margaritas in El Salvador, which is provably false, and so coming from the mouth of an FBI Director, to make provably false statements, in a hearing like this is extremely troubling. And it leads me to ask whether or not the other things you’ve been saying are false statements. And so my, because that’s a provably false statement; you made a couple of others that are provably false. This is from the mouth of the FBI Director.
Kash: The only one who made false statements is you.
Van Hollen: My final question to you Mr. Director is do you know that it is a crime to lie to Congress? Do you know that. That’s my last question.
Kash: I have not lied to Congress. The only one who lied to Congress is you.
Van Hollen: I didn’t ask you that. I’m not testifying here, sir, and I don’t lie.
Kash: Maybe the next time you run up a $7,000 bar tab we can talk about it.
Van Hollen: Well see there go, lying again.
Kash: The FEC report–I’ll post it, right now.
Van Hollen: It wasn’t public money, as you know. That was for a 50-member staff party.
Kash: Oh! So it was a $7,000 bar tab?
Van Hollen: I’m glad — let me just say in closing, Mr. Chairman, two things. I’m glad that you have agreed to take the test regarding whether you have alcohol problems. I’m glad you agreed with me to do that.
You still haven’t answered my final question. Do you know, Mr. Director, that it is a crime to lie to Congress? Do you know that?
Kash: I do not lie to Congress. And you’re insinuating that I have.
Van Hollen: I didn’t ask you that.
[snip]
The Director of the FBI does not want to answer the question of whether it is a crime to lie to Congress and I find that extremely troubling.
In reality, Kash has lied to Congress repeatedly.
He lied to Congress, in order to get confirmed, when he told Mazie Hirono he would not go backwards to investigate Jim Comey.
Senator Hirono (02:18:49):
Do you plan to investigate James Comey, who’s on your list?
Kash Patel (02:18:54):
I have no intentions of going backwards-
Kash lied to Congress last year when he said DOJ was in the process of releasing his grand jury transcript. In reality, he only released his first grand jury appearance, where he invoked the Fifth, and that was in almost entirely redacted form.
He didn’t even pretend to release the second grand jury appearance, where he gave immunized testimony.
Kash lied to Eric Swalwell, right, last year when he claimed that Trump’s name appeared fewer than 100 times.
ERIC SWALWELL: You said you don’t know the number of times Trump’s name appears in the files, so it could at least be 1,000 times, is that right?
KASH PATEL: The number is a total misleading factor.
SWALWELL: But the number would at least be a thousand times.
PATEL: We have not released anyone’s…
SWALWELL: But it would at least be a thousand times.
PATEL: …File that has not been credible. And we have…
SWALWELL: Director, could it at least be a thousand times?
PATEL: …Released every piece of legally permissible information.
SWALWELL: OK, so…
PATEL: You can characterize the numbers however you want it.
SWALWELL: Reclaiming my time, Director. It sounds like if you don’t know the number, it could at least be a thousand times, which leads me…
PATEL: It’s not. It’s not.
SWALWELL: Is it at least 500 times?
PATEL: No.
SWALWELL: Is it at least a hundred times?
PATEL: No.
SWALWELL: Then what’s the number?
PATEL: I don’t know the number, but it’s not that.
Kash Patel lies to Congress all the time.
Yesterday was different, though. Not only did he lie, demonstrably, about Van Hollen, implying a reception tab paid for by his campaign was instead a personal bar tab paid by taxpayers, claiming that Van Hollen had margaritas at that meeting with Kilmar Abrego.
But he lied about Abrego, calling him a “convicted gang-banging rapist.”
While I don’t think Kash was under oath yesterday, he was lying in an official capacity, and lying about someone who remains a defendant, charged with neither being a gang member nor a rapist (Abrego’s vindictive prosecution claim is fully briefed and awaiting Judge Waverly Crenshaw’s ruling). He sure as hell has not been convicted.
Kash was lying about someone that Judge Crenshaw has ordered every employee of DOJ (and DHS) to adhere to local rules prohibiting prejudicial comments:
Employees of DOJ and DHS are hereby on notice that they are prohibited from making any “extrajudicial statement (other than a quotation from or reference to public records) that the [individual] knows or reasonably should know will be disseminated by public communication that will have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing an adjudicative proceeding in the matter, including especially that will interfere with a fair trial.” L. Crim. R. 2.01(a)(1).
Kash lied about Abrego Garcia and then dug in, repeatedly denying he had lied.
There’s a thing about FBI personnel: Every single Agent guards his or her reputation for candor carefully, because if they lose that, they can no longer submit affidavits or testify without jeopardizing entire cases. Getting caught in a lie effectively makes FBI Agents useless for large parts of their job.
Kash, too, has to sign certifications, including yearly certifications and individual warrants before the FISA Court. He just opened himself up to be deemed useless for key parts of his job. He just put at risk any case in which he has a role, including those targeting Trump’s enemies.
Kash Patel yesterday proved he is willing to lie, in his official capacity, about criminal defendants.
And that puts everything he touches at risk.
New York Times, Justice Dept. Officials Consider Settling Trump Suit Against I.R.S., Andrew Duehren and Alan Feuer, May 13, 2026 (print ed.). 2026. One of the settlement terms under review is for the I.R.S. to drop any audits of the president, his family members and businesses.
The Justice Department is holding internal discussions about settling President Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service in the coming days, according to three people familiar with the deliberations, a move that could involve the government directly providing taxpayer funds or another public benefit to the president.
Whether to settle the suit and on what terms remains up in the air. One of the settlement options the Justice Department and White House officials are reviewing is the possibility of the I.R.S. dropping any audits of Mr. Trump, his family members or businesses, according to two of the people.
In January, Mr. Trump, along with two of his sons and the Trump family business, sued the Internal Revenue Service for at least $10 billion over the leak of their tax returns during the president’s first term. The Trumps argued that the I.R.S. should have done more to prevent a former contractor from disclosing tax information to The New York Times and ProPublica.
Given that Mr. Trump oversees the I.R.S., the agency that he is suing, the judge in the case has taken a series of novel legal steps to probe whether there is a genuine controversy between the Justice Department and Mr. Trump. For a lawsuit to be valid, the two parties must actually be on opposite sides, otherwise the judge can throw out the case. The judge has ordered Mr. Trump’s personal lawyers — along with the Justice Department, which represents the I.R.S. in federal court — to submit briefs by May 20 explaining whether they are in conflict with one another.
White House and Justice Department officials have in recent days been exploring ways to potentially settle the suit before that deadline, according to the people.
Mr. Trump has long maintained that the federal government was weaponized against him by political opponents, and he has spent much of his second term seeking retribution against, and sometimes compensation from, those he holds responsible. But depending on its terms, a settlement with the I.R.S. could be among Mr. Trump’s most brazen efforts to bend the government to his personal will — an agenda often carried out through the Justice Department.
Mr. Trump and his family have repeatedly disregarded Washington’s ethical guardrails aimed at preventing government officials from profiting from public office, including by pushing for more than $200 million in a separate administrative case with the Justice Department. But a settlement payment even a fraction of the size of Mr. Trump’s requested $10 billion could be much larger than his other attempts at private gain, potentially doubling his net worth.
The Justice Department declined to comment. The White House referred questions to Mr. Trump’s lawyers in the case, a spokesman for whom said, “President Trump continues to hold those who wrong America and Americans accountable.”
In a previous filing in the case, Mr. Trump’s lawyers said they were in discussions with unidentified Justice Department attorneys “designed to resolve this matter and to avoid protracted litigation.” A government attorney has yet to make an appearance in the case.
A settlement in the coming days would fly in the face of efforts by the federal judge overseeing the case, Kathleen Williams, an appointee of President Barack Obama in the Southern District of Florida, to try and manage the conflict of interest in the case. Not only has she requested briefings from Mr. Trump’s lawyers and the government by next week, she has appointed a group of six well-respected lawyers not otherwise involved in the case to provide her with their views on whether Mr. Trump’s lawsuit is legitimate.
If a settlement is reached before Judge Williams has a chance to make a decision about whether the underlying lawsuit is valid, it could frustrate her, though legal experts say that her authority beyond that would be limited.
Wayne Madsen Report, Kash Patel: Indian intelligence asset? Wayne Madsen, left, author, commentator and former U.S. Navy intelligence officer whose assignments included helping investigate the Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, May 12-13, 2026. Patel has a troubling relationship with India's right-
wing Hindu nationalist government of Narendra Modi.
One area that has alarmed career FBI and Department of Justice officials is FBI director Kash Patel’s unusually close relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (shown above) and his right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Although Donald Trump introduced Patel to Modi as an “intel guy” during the Trump’s first term in office, there is evidence that Patel had already developed a close relationship with Indian BJP politicians, diplomats, and intelligence agents of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and that Patel was already known to Modi. The RAW is India’s foreign intelligence agency.
When Patel, right, was sworn in as director of the FBI, he took the oath on the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu holy book. Absent was the outrage from the right-wing witnessed when Muslim Americans took their oaths of office on the Quran.
Patel wasted little time in defending the Modi government, something that is not in the portfolio of the FBI director. For example, when Modi built the Hindu Ayodha Ram Temple on the site of the Hindu-demolished Babri Masjid mosque andconsecrated it on Januarey 22, 2024, Patel decided to criticize the Washington media for publishing “disinformation” placed blame on Modi and his government for stirring inter-sectarian strife. In many respects, Patel has acted more as an unregistered foreign agent for the Indian government than an FBI director.
Patel stated, “To bring things really up to date, the opening of Ram’s temple, when PM Modi went there, all Washington newspapers only covered the last 50 years of history. They forgot the 500 preceding years. Whether or not you are Hindu or Muslim, there was a Hindu temple there for one of the quintessential gods in the Hindu pantheon in 1500 that was toppled, and they have been trying to get it back for 500 years.”
Patel’s Gujarati heritage (which he shares with Modi, a former chief minister of Gujarat) and “deep connection with India” would normally be a potential security vulnerability that would be fully vetted by U.S. counter-intelligence personnel. However, these are not normal times. Patel’s close relationship with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is also of immediate concern. Rather than remain neutral in Indian politics, which can be inflamed by the smallest sectarian sloight, Patel has frequently praised Modi’s leadership and views him as a populist disrupter who, like Donald Trump, not only challenges entrenched political establishments. However, Modi and Trump have adopted policies that trample on constitutional governance and favor fascism.
Modi and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
Patel congratulated India on its 79th Independence Day, a gesture normally reserved for the Secretary of State and/or the President.
Patel’s obvious bias toward Modi and his BJP opens questions about what highly-classified U.S. intelligence he may be sharing with the Indian government concerning India’s majority Islamic rivals, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Maldives, and Iran; majority Buddhist nations like Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Myanmar; and other regional nations, such as Nepal, China, Mauritius, Madagascar, and Seychelles. U.S. intelligence reports on these nations, as well as Indian opposition parties like Indian National Congress, Communist Party (Marxist), Samajwadi Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Nationalist Congress Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, and others would be of top interest to the RAW and the BJP. U.S. intelligence systems routinely capture signals intelligence and human intelligence that is 
not normally available to India, except through intelligence assets like Patel.
Patel’s questionable personal conduct leaves him open for blackmail, a tactic the RAW has been suitably trained in by the Soviet KGB and itsfollow-on, the Russian SVR.
The example of Jonathan Pollard, right, a former U.S. Naval Intelligence analyst who was spying for Israel, should serve as a warning concerning Patel. Pollard did not have anywhere near the intelligence access enjoyed by Patel.
New York Times, Murdaugh Murder Convictions Overturned by South Carolina’s Top Court, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, May 13, 2026. The decision, in which judges cited jury interference by a court clerk, upends one of America’s highest-profile homicide cases.
South Carolina’s top court on Wednesday undid the murder convictions against Alex Murdaugh, the lawyer a jury had found guilty of murdering his wife and one of his sons in a trial that captivated the country.
In a unanimous opinion, the State Supreme Court said that “shocking jury interference” by a court clerk who oversaw jurors during the 2023 trial meant that Mr. Murdaugh’s convictions must be overturned.
Mr. Murdaugh, 57, will remain in prison because he also had pleaded guilty to various charges related to stealing millions of dollars from his law firm and his former clients. While he has admitted to embezzlement, he has long maintained — including during testimony at his trial — that he did not kill his wife, Maggie, 52, and his younger son, Paul, 22.
Alan Wilson, the South Carolina attorney general whose office prosecuted Mr. Murdaugh and who is now running for governor, said in a statement that the state would retry Mr. Murdaugh.
The two victims were found shot to death in June 2021 on the family’s hunting estate, in a rural part of South Carolina’s Lowcountry. The case went unsolved for more than a year before Mr. Murdaugh was arrested.
The case drew enormous attention in part because of the family’s storied history in the region. The Murdaugh family ran a prosecutor’s office and a prominent law firm there for decades, and Paul Murdaugh at the time of his death had been facing charges of drunkenly crashing a boat, killing a teenage passenger.
More On Trump Administration
President Trump used the image above on May 3 to boast via his Truth Social network that he "holds all the cards" compared to Iran, apparently not realizing that in the game of Uno displayed in the image the one holding the most cards is losing.
The Contrarian, Opinion: Humiliation Will Only Embolden China, Jennifer Rubin, right, May 13, 2026. Trump goes to Beijing weaker than ever.
Donald Trump has apparently not figured out that Iran holds all the cards.
Still fixated on the notion that the “winner” of the war is the side that blows up the most stuff, he remains convinced he can dictate terms to Iran. But the Iranians hold the Strait of Hormuz and have remained convinced that Trump has no stomach for more military action. In any event, they are confident they can sustain any further U.S. attacks. Naturally, then, Iran is sticking to demands to keep control of the Strait, obtain sanctions relief, and even extract reparations from the U.S.
Trump insists Iran will “fold,” but there is zero evidence Iran is prepared to do so. It certainly has no incentive to do so as long as Trump, as he did once again on Monday, keeps desperately hyping the prospect of a deal. As he rambled, “You know, the mind changes ... these people, you make a deal, then the next day they send you a document that takes five days to get there, when it should have been there in 20 minutes.” He may be convinced his pronouncements box in Tehran; in reality, they’ve only convinced the Iranians that he is angst-ridden and frantic to make a deal. Trump rails at Iran for refusing to capitulate, bellowing that the ceasefire is on “life support,” but in reality, it is Trump’s pretense of victory that is in critical care.
Iran seems happy to present Trump with a binary choice: Either Trump folds, or he resumes hostilities, which have already proven incapable of dislodging the regime. Anyone who understands Iran’s recent history and its mindset after surviving a war against the U.S. should not be surprised.
As Hagaii Carmon wrote for the Times of Israel: "Regimes often survive conditions that outside analysts confidently describe as impossible. Populations absorb astonishing hardship for cultural, ideological, nationalistic, and survival reasons. Especially in authoritarian systems, economic misery alone does not automatically produce revolution."
While Iran cannot “defeat” the U.S. on the battlefield, it possesses “asymmetric leverage” — or rather, Trump gave Iran asymmetric leverage by starting a war without securing the Strait of Hormuz. “It can prolong instability, raise global energy prices, and create enough uncertainty to pressure Western governments already struggling with inflation and domestic political divisions,” Carmon explained. It “merely needs to convince Washington that full confrontation costs more than compromise.” So far, that strategy is paying off.
Trump’s trip to China may only deepen his predicament. The Independent reports that he arrives without having achieved any of his Iran war objectives, “humiliated by a weaker but dogged regime that survives in Tehran.”
Ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) recently observed: “We’re seeing at home significant gas prices, significant increases in grocery prices and in all sorts of prices for the American home.” He added, “[T]he American people are significantly concerned about this conflict with Iran. So that’s not a strong position to be in when you’re talking to an economic and a geopolitical rival.”
Reed is not the only one cringing at the prospect of the Chinese taking advantage of Trump. U.S. allies are anxious that Trump may get his pocket picked, as the New York Times reports:
In Asia, which has been hit hardest and fastest by oil shortages caused by the war and China’s tight control of oil-product exports, the mood is particularly grim. …
Many believe the summit carries more potential for harm than help. And Mr. Trump’s gut-driven approach to complex issues is the main source of anxiety.
For months, officials in Asia have worried that the president might be too eager to make a deal with Mr. Xi, ending weapons sales to Taiwan or agreeing to softened policy language that could make it easier for China to undermine the democratic island.
Trump’s visit comes after he voluntarily removed American forces from the region, and at a time when China has ramped up its presence around Taiwan and is expected to lean on Trump to curtail arms sales to Taiwan.
As the U.S. repeatedly demonstrates its fecklessness (e.g., failing to defeat Iran, ceding clean energy dominance to Beijing, tangling itself up in a multi-front tariff war struck down in court), China has shown it is prepared to engage badger U.S. companies with intrusive regulations, use its rare minerals as leverage, and even more heavily subsidize its own industries. Now, just like Iran, China feels no compulsion to make concessions to Trump.
One can easily imagine a downward spiral for the U.S. under a president who has frittered away America’s geopolitical advantages and who can be easily swayed by empty compliments and plenty of pomp. His weakness in Iran emboldens China, while China’s potential to dominate the summit will only increase Iran’s resolve.
“The whole world can see that just a few weeks of war with a second-rank power have reduced American weapons stocks to perilously low levels, with no quick remedy in sight,” Robert Kagan observed. “The questions this raises about America’s readiness for another major conflict may or may not prompt Xi Jinping to launch an attack on Taiwan, or Vladimir Putin to step up his aggression against Europe. But at the very least, America’s allies in East Asia and Europe must wonder about American staying power in the event of future conflicts.”
The China summit will offer one indication as to how badly Trump has stumbled, how worried our allies should be, and how far our enemies are willing to press their advantage.
PoliticusUSA, News and Commentary: Trump Can Barely Walk As He Arrives In China With A Lumbering Thud, Jason Easley, right, May 13, 2026. Donald Trump clutched to the railing as he weaved down the steps after Air Force One landed in China which was a perfect visual summary of his wobbly and failing presidency.
With the economy on the verge of a presidential-induced collapse, Donald Trump arrived in China in a weakened position, looking for Chinese investment in the United States that he can sell as a win to his dwindling base of political support.
The problem is that the nearly 80-year-old president could barely make it down the steps of Air Force One.
Video: Look at the disheveled president barely making his way down the steps, as if he has projected all of his personal damage onto the United States and turned the country into a reflection of his declining state.
What does Trump want from this meeting? More money for corporate America, of course.
New York Times, Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Defense Plan Could Cost $1.2 Trillion, John Ismay, May 13, 2026 (print ed.). A report from the Congressional Budget Office said that space-based interceptors, which do not currently exist, would probably consume 60 percent of the total cost.
A national missile defense system like President Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” could cost taxpayers $1.2 trillion over 20 years, according to a government report issued on Tuesday.
To protect the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii would require four separate layers of defensive assets, the analysis said, including several thousand satellites as well as a half-dozen radar and missile sites to engage intercontinental ballistic missiles and 35 new regional sites to defend against hypersonic missiles and cruise missiles.
Even if the system is built, the report concluded, an adversary like Russia or China that has a large arsenal of nuclear weapons could overwhelm it and some missiles would hit their targets.
The estimate was provided by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office using an executive order issued by Mr. Trump in January 2025 as a blueprint.
Mr. Trump has vowed to build a defense system similar to Israel’s Iron Dome, with air defense capabilities that intercept rockets and missiles. He estimated that the project would cost $175 billion.
The budget office report found that the “space-based interceptors” the president envisions — satellites armed with missiles orbiting the planet — would consume about 60 percent of the cost.
The C.B.O. assumed that countering as many as 10 enemy intercontinental ballistic missiles in space simultaneously could require a constellation of roughly 7,800 armed satellites.
To be effective, such space-based interceptors, the C.B.O. said, would need to be placed in low orbit where they would be subject to drag from the planet’s atmosphere — which over a five-year span could cause them to lose enough altitude that they would burn up and need to be replaced.
Tom Karako, a missile defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the C.B.O. report makes several assumptions about the project, including the number and types of space-based interceptors that would be required.
Cruise ship MV Hondius docks off Cape Verde port, as passengers were not allowed off the ship, while health authorities investigated suspected cases of hantavirus aboard the vessel, in Praia Port, Cape Verde, May 4, 2026. Hondius anchored off Tristan da Cunha from April 13 to 15, 2026.
Lincoln Square Media, Opinion: Hantavirus Is a Wakeup Call. Will Trump Hear It? Frank Figliuzzi, right, May 13, 2026. Deep cuts and an anti-science ideology are leaving us vulnerable to the next big pandemic or biological threat.
Medical experts tell us that the risk posed by the current Hantavirus outbreak, responsible for three deaths, is low. The threat posed by the Trump administration’s posture toward public health is another story.
As seventeen American passengers on the ill-fated Hondius cruise ship are monitored at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and other U.S. travelers shelter at home, it’s time to acknowledge a far more deadly risk: deep cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and an anti-science ideology leave us vulnerable to the next big pandemic or biological threat.
I was joined at the hip with the CDC’s impressive cadre of epidemiologists when I served as the FBI’s on-scene commander at the site of the nation’s first anthrax murder. Those disease detectives and I led what would become the largest hazardous materials evidence recovery effort in FBI history, at the American Media Incorporated headquarters – a three-story, 66,000 square foot building in Boca Raton, Florida.
The CDC immediately surged significant resources to Palm Beach County to begin the painstaking task of determining how and where microscopic Anthrax spores came into contact with the victim. Around the country at multiple locations where anthrax was turning up, hundreds of interviews were conducted, and thousands of samples were collected and analyzed as the deadly bacteria was traced through the U.S. mail system.
The story of how this effort worked has already been told. The question now is, can the CDC do it again?
Leadership is critical in a crisis, and we should count ourselves lucky that Hantavirus is not a gravely serious threat to the general public – because leadership is lacking in our federal health agencies. Eighty percent of senior roles at the CDC and its related agencies are vacant. The CDC director position is currently filled with an acting director who arrived less than three months ago. The Surgeon General position is vacant, and many deputy director positions through the health agencies are similarly unfilled.
It’s just a matter of time before we’re visited by a deadly viral or bacterial outbreak that is more serious than Hantavirus. Regardless of whether the next one occurs naturally or comes in the form of a deliberate attack, we are left more vulnerable because of Trump’s seemingly indiscriminate budget and personnel slashing at critically vital entities. It took almost one month after the first death in this Hanta outbreak for the CDC to assemble a response team.
Stephanie Psaki, global health security coordinator during President Biden’s tenure, noted: “We should be able to deal collectively with a hantavirus outbreak much more quickly and effectively than this is happening. An outbreak of a known pathogen on a cruise ship is a relatively easy scenario. It can get much harder than this.”
In 2025, Trump budget cuts nixed funding for the team leading a project studying the specific strain of hantavirus that killed the cruise ship patients. To add insult to injury, last year Trump fired every full-time employee on the CDC team responsible for public health on cruise ships.
The CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program fell victim to the random cuts enacted by Elon Musk and his dangerously ignorant DOGE flunkeys. The Vessel Sanitation Program doesn’t cost the government a dime because its entire budget flows from fees paid by the cruise ship industry. Yet, the team unexplainably disappeared. According to a statement released by Senator Chuck Shumer (D-N.Y.), “three of the CDC’s 20 Port Health Stations have no staff at all, half have no officer in charge, and the remainder rely on temporary workers.”
It’s also undeniable that there are now considerably fewer experts left to conduct field work, laboratory analysis, and coordination across local, state, and federal health agencies. In 2025, about 70 epidemiologists, like those I worked alongside during the anthrax response, received layoff notices. The entire team responsible for publishing the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the report on newly identified infectious threats, was also let go. That’s the same crew that published a June 1981 report that five formerly healthy gay men had developed an unusual pneumonia. That observation was the initial clue of the coming AIDS epidemic.
Last month, the CDC called timeout on testing for over two dozen infectious diseases like monkey pox and rabies. The agency’s lab test directory revealed 32 test orders were not conducted including “viral, parasitic, and zoonotic pathogens”. In certain instances, doctors were told to redirect their test orders to state or private labs – assuming of course that such resources were even available.
As infectious disease expert Dr. Monica Gandi wrote: “Because CDC laboratories provide specialized and confirmatory testing that is not consistently available elsewhere, reductions in federal capacity may disproportionately affect health systems that rely on public health infrastructure, including county hospitals, rural clinics, and safety-net providers.”
New York Times, French Hantavirus Patient Is Critically Ill as Outbreak Reaches 11 Cases, Leo Sands, May 13, 2026. The woman, who was a passenger on the MV Hondius, was breathing with the help of an artificial lung, officials in Paris said.
A French woman with hantavirus who had traveled on the MV Hondius cruise ship was critically ill on Wednesday, officials said, as the number of identified cases in the outbreak climbed to 11.
Health officials around the world are monitoring disembarked travelers from the ship and any of their close contacts for symptoms of the virus. The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it had identified eleven cases of hantavirus, three in people who had died. It said nine of the cases were confirmed to be hantavirus and that two more were “probable.”
Officials at a briefing on Wednesday in Stockholm by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said that the patient in France was one of three people to be critically ill. Gianfranco Spiteri, an epidemic expert at the agency, said the woman did not have symptoms when she left the ship.
Xavier Lescure, an infectious disease specialist at Bichat Hospital in Paris, where the woman is being treated, had previously said the she had severe symptoms and was breathing with the help of an artificial lung.
Pamela Rendi-Wagner, the agency’s director, noted that the virus had a long incubation period of six weeks. She recommended that the ship’s passengers be held in quarantine for that length of time after disembarking.ImageAn ambulance pictured outside Bichat Hospital in ParisBichat Hospital in Paris on Tuesday. A woman who tested positive for hantavirus was in intensive care there.Credit...Michel Euler/Associated Press
The W.H.O. has said that its officials expect to see more hantavirus cases “given the dynamics of spread on a ship” and the long incubation period, even as the risk of a larger outbreak remains low.
All of the cases identified so far have been among the roughly 150 passengers and crew aboard the MV Hondius, a Dutch-registered cruise ship that was in the South Atlantic when an outbreak began on board.
Health authorities have been identifying people to have close contact with the passengers and asking them to quarantine too.
On Tuesday, a hospital in the Netherlands said 12 of its employees could have been exposed to the virus while processing blood and urine samples from an infected patient. It said that they would enter preventive quarantine for six weeks as a precaution.
The MV Hondius departed for an Atlantic adventure cruise from Argentina last month. Within days, a 70-year-old Dutch man developed symptoms. He died onboard the ship on April 11 and his 69-year-old wife became ill and died on April 26 in Johannesburg, South Africa, while attempting to fly home to the Netherlands. On May 2, a German woman also died aboard the ship after developing flu-like symptoms. The W.H.O. said her body later tested positive for the virus.
Hantavirus is a rare family of viruses carried by rodents. The outbreak on the ship involved the Andes subtype, the only type known to spread among humans. It affects those who are in prolonged, close contact with someone with the virus. Early symptoms can resemble those of flu, but as the illness progresses it can cause shortness of breath and, in severe instances, lung or heart failure.
The W.H.O. believes that the Dutch couple had been infected with the virus before boarding the ship.
The MV Hondius anchored off Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday and passengers and crew began evacuating to their home countries for quarantine and monitoring. Spanish authorities said 32 crew members will remain on the ship until it docks in the Netherlands.
New York Times, Andreessen Horowitz Is Spending on Politics Like No Other, Theodore Schleifer, May 13, 2026. The biggest donor in the midterm elections is not Elon Musk, or George Soros, or any of the other billionaires who are often thought to wield the fattest wallets in politics.
It is a venture capital firm: Andreessen Horowitz.A list of the top contributors of this midterm cycle so far. Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, co-founders of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, have donated 115.5 million. George Soros, democratic megadonor, has donated 102.9 million. Elon Musk, C.E.O. of Tesla and SpaceX, has donated 85 million, and Jeff Yass, the Wall Street financier, has donated 81.8 million.
Top contributors of this midterm cycle so far
The Silicon Valley firm, along with its lead partners who have their names on the door, Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, have funneled more than $115 million so far in disclosed federal contributions to midterm election efforts, according to a New York Times analysis. That makes it the biggest known spender on this campaign cycle.
Andreessen Horowitz is not new to politics. Its founders are billionaires and experienced donors. But the amount of zeros on its checks has increased beyond even the $63 million or so that it and its eponymous founders spent in the 2024 cycle, as part of an astonishing effort by an investment shop to bend politics to its will.
Its unusual role in this election cycle immediately became clear after the last one. The day after Election Day — with no major elections to be held for another two years — is not typically when eight-figure donations are made. But on Nov. 6, 2024, Andreessen Horowitz officially pumped more than $23 million into the cryptocurrency industry’s main super PACs, underscoring that its political commitment was long term and not a passing interest.
Andreessen Horowitz declined to comment and did not make Mr. Andreessen and Mr. Horowitz available for interviews.
“My conclusion is this has to be a permanent role that we play,” Mr. Andreessen said on an election recap podcast recorded a few days later. “There will be some phases of the moon in which the tides are on our side. And there will be some phases when we really have to fight. But we have to stay involved every step of the way.”
The venture firm’s spending is part of a shift. In this year’s midterms, the biggest donors are no longer individual billionaires but corporations like Andreessen Horowitz, which critics said could overwhelm elections to push a pecuniary interest.
Already Andreessen Horowitz has put $47.5 million into the crypto super PAC network, Fairshake, since Election Day 2024. And the firm’s interests have expanded beyond crypto. It helped found Leading the Future, a super PAC network focused on electing pro-artificial intelligence legislators, which is modeled on Fairshake, and donated $50 million to it. Fairshake and Leading the Future both back Republicans and Democrats.Editors’ PicksThanks to ‘Mormon Wives,’ Dirty Soda Is a National ObsessionOn ‘S.N.L.’, Brett Kavanaugh, Kash Patel and Pete Hegseth Walk Into a BarThe Detectives Are Sheep. (No, That’s Not a Metaphor.)
Andreessen Horowitz and its co-founders have also together donated $12 million to MAGA Inc., President Trump’s super PAC, including $6 million in March. A trust linked to Mr. Andreessen donated nearly $900,000 to the Republican National Committee that same month.
All of this has helped Mr. Andreessen, in particular, cultivate a close relationship with the Trump administration.
Andreessen and Horowitz have sharply increased their public donations this election cycleBar chart showing that Andreessen Horowitz has rapidly scaled up their giving in the last election cycle. They have given much more to A.I., Crypto, and Republican leadership the 2026 midterm cycle. In 2022, they gave only 2 million dollars, in comparison to the 115.5 million in 2026.
New York Times, Trump Administration Live Updates: A Third Republican Breaks With G.O.P. in Latest War Powers Vote, Megan Mineiro, May 13, 2026. Middle East: Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked the latest resolution to end the war with Iran, but a third G.O.P. senator joined Democrats in the effort to curb President Trump’s ability to unilaterally wage war.
The vote by Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican who previously opposed such measures, was the latest sign of Republicans’ frustration with the conflict and the president’s handling of it. The Senate on Wednesday blocked Democrats’ seventh attempt to halt the war in Iran, as Republicans banded together almost unanimously to beat back the first such effort since President Trump blew past a 60-day deadline to seek congressional authorization to continue the fighting. In other news:
New York Times, Top Kennedy spokesman resigns in protest over new vaping policy, May 13, 2026. The chief spokesman for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. resigned on Wednesday in protest over the administration’s push to allow major tobacco companies to begin selling flavored vapes that appeal to children. His departure came one day after the head of the Food and Drug Administration quit for the same reason.
In a letter to Mr. Trump, obtained by The New York Times, the spokesman, Rich Danker, did not blame the president, whom he said had “twice restored our prosperity and national security against all odds.” But he warned that authorizing flavored e-cigarettes would draw more children into vaping and increase their risk for a number of health issues, from addiction to cancer.
The letter cited unnamed “senior H.H.S. officials,” other than Mr. Kennedy, who were behind steps including a new policy posted on the F.D.A. website on Friday, in which the agency said it would take steps to remove illicit e-cigarettes from the market and allow sales of those that have already crossed hurdles toward agency approval.
Dr. Marty Makary, the F.D.A. commissioner, who resigned on Tuesday, sought to block the marketing of flavored e-cigarettes, but was overruled. Mr. Trump was personally involved advancing it. In his letter, Mr. Danker did not name Dr. Makary, but he echoed Dr. Makary’s objections.
“Senior H.H.S. officials in the immediate office of the secretary have in recent months sought U.S. Food and Drug Administration marketing approval of e-cigarette flavors that would appeal to children and expose them to nicotine addiction, lung damage and higher risk of cancer,” Mr. Danker wrote.
Mr. Danker added that routine approval of the products would undermine a policy the agency issued in March, “with the support of the White House.”ImageRich Danker, the chief Department of Health and Human Services spokesman, wrote in his resignation letter that the sale of flavored vapes “would appeal to children and expose them to nicotine addiction, lung damage and higher risk of cancer.”
Mr. Danker’s resignation comes at a particularly fraught time for the Department of Health and Human Services. With Dr. Makary’s resignation on Tuesday, the department now has three major vacancies. The positions of surgeon general and director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are also unfilled.
As the assistant secretary for public affairs for the Department of Health and Human Services, Mr. Danker was responsible for coordinating the department’s outward communications. He was in Los Angeles on Wednesday, where Mr. Kennedy is speaking at a conference on the possible link between diet and cancer.
He is the second assistant secretary for public affairs to quit. Thomas Corry, Mr. Kennedy’s first top spokesman, resigned after two weeks, partly in protest of the way Mr. Kennedy handled a measles outbreak in Texas.
New York Times, With a Friend in Trump, the Tobacco Industry Secures a Lucrative Win, Christina Jewett and Kenneth P. Vogel, May 13, 2026. In a dispute over vapes, the president sided with tobacco companies that filled his groups’ coffers over his own F.D.A. commissioner, who resigned in protest.
Over lunch at his golf club in Jupiter, Fla., on the first Saturday of May, President Trump got an earful from a group of tobacco executives and lobbyists unhappy with the way the Food and Drug Administration was regulating their industry.
Eventually Mr. Trump had heard enough. He interrupted the conversation to call Dr. Marty Makary, the F.D.A. commissioner.
No answer.
Furious, the president then dialed Dr. Makary’s boss, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and another top health official, Dr. Mehmet Oz, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He complained to them about the F.D.A.’s regulation of e-cigarettes, according to three people briefed on the meeting who were not authorized to discuss it.
The message was received. Less than one week later, the executives got what they wanted.
On Friday, the F.D.A. issued new guidance that could pave the way for major tobacco companies to begin selling flavored vapes and to snare a chunk of the $6 billion e-cigarette market away from illegal Chinese competitors. The new policy bypassed the F.D.A.’s regular rule-making process.
In the intervening week, Dr. Makary continued to argue against approving flavored vapes as support from Mr. Kennedy and others collapsed around him. Health and Human Services Department staff began to draft the new plan, according to two people familiar with the events.
On Tuesday, Dr. Makary resigned, telling associates he could not in good conscience remain the head of an agency that backed such a policy.
Though there is no definitive evidence linking the new guidance to donations or lobbying, the episode represented a clear pivot in the federal government’s longtime approach to the tobacco industry.
Since the 1990s, when states extracted vast payments and other concessions from the major cigarette companies in a nationwide legal settlement, Big Tobacco has been in retreat. Cigarette sales have plummeted, and regulations have mounted as consumers and administrations from both parties embraced public health consensus about the dangers of smoking and nicotine addiction.
Mr. Trump’s first administration initially continued the trend, proposing further restrictions olBut since then, Mr. Trump has enthusiastically welcomed the financial support of the tobacco industry and has courted e-cigarette users as a political constituency.
The new vaping guidance highlights Mr. Trump’s willingness to use his executive authority to prioritize the causes of major corporate donors over public health concerns, taxpayer interests and the judgment of experts, sometimes including those in his own administration.
The president has developed a close relationship with tobacco companies including Altria and Reynolds American, which have donated millions of dollars to his political groups and projects, including his proposed White House ballroom. Their executives attended the lunch at the president’s golf club.
The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the F.D.A., referred requests for comment to the White House.
Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, said in a statement that Mr. Trump has pushed to expand access to vapes to help Americans trying to quit smoking.
“The only guiding factor behind the Trump administration’s health policymaking is gold standard science,” Mr. Desai said.
Reynolds American and Altria did not respond to questions about their lobbying or the conversation at the lunch.
It was attended by Jeff Raborn, a top executive at Reynolds, and Phil Park and Todd Walker of Altria, according to the people familiar with the meeting. Also attending were Brian Ballard and Rich Haselwood, lobbyists for the firm Ballard Partners, which represents Reynolds and helped marshal a sophisticated and expensive influence campaign that culminated in the new vaping guidance. Mr. Ballard is a top fund-raiser for Mr. Trump. Mr. Haselwood had been an in-house lobbyist at Reynolds before joining Ballard Partners this year.
The Daily with Sarah Jones, Commentary: Black Journalists Association Calls Trump Unhinged After His Racist Attack On Reporter, Sarah Jones, right, and Jason Easley, May 12, 2026. Trump attacked a black MS NOW White House reporter and drew some blunt truth from the Washington Black Journalists Association.
The people who are in positions of power in the mainstream media are overwhelmingly white men, which helps explain why the mainstream media has ignored Trump’s habit of attacking black people who question or oppose him.
Trump has a habit of calling black people low IQ.
This is what he said about House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday:
Why would Fox put SCUM like this on, or others, such as Low Rated Bill Maher, who gains “credibility” by constant referral to him as though he were a Liberal source of “Wisdom,” or very Low IQ Hakeem Jeffries, who considers the Supreme Court “illegitimate,” and probably hates our Country.
Trump especially hates being questioned or challenged by black women. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump consistently referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as "low IQ.”
During the 2024 campaign, Trump sat down for an interview with women journalists from the National Association of Black Journalists, and he was a total racist disaster.
This behavior is conveniently overlooked by the mainstream media, but the Washington Association of Black Journalists spoke out after Trump attacked one of their members for asking a question that he didn’t like at the White House.
MS NOW’s Akayla Gardner posted on X that she asked Trump, “I asked POTUS how the rising price of his ballroom (nearly x2 original estimate) and reflecting pool makeover (x7 original estimate) are any different than why he wanted to remove Fed Chair Jerome Powell for 30% cost overruns.”
Trump did not like this question, and he responded with a racist attack on Gardner, “ So what happened is, uh, we have a ballroom that's under budget. It's going up right here. I've doubled the size of it because we obviously need that. And, uh, we're right now on budget, under budget, and ahead of schedule.”
Trump was asked, “Why did you double? Why are you double?”
The president lashed out with his favorite insult to black women, “ You are not a smart person…We doubled the size of the ballroom, so we're gonna have a ballroom that's appropriate for the White House. We doubled the size. Uh, the ballroom now is ahead of schedule, and it's a little bit under budget, depending on the finishes that we use.”
U.S. Elections, Politics, Governance
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Take It From Him, Will Saletan, right, May 13, 2026. 
Donald Trump always finds a scapegoat. When the economy does well under other presidents, he takes the credit. And when the economy suffers under him, he finds someone else to blame. In his first term, it was the “China virus.” In his second term, it’s the Fed.
But now he’s in a jam. Official numbers released on Tuesday show that energy prices, grocery prices, core inflation, and the Consumer Price Index are all surging, thanks to Trump’s war in Iran. And this time, he can’t escape responsibility.
Why? Because he has repeatedly admitted, on camera, that he foresaw the war’s economic damage and started it anyway.
At least fifteen times in the past five weeks, Trump has recounted the story of how he told his economic team about the war. Here’s one version, delivered in Florida on May 1:
I called in Scott Bessent and all of my people, mostly my financial people. And I said, “Alright, folks, congratulations. We just hit the highest price in the history of the stock market.” . . . Oil prices were very low. They were $60 and $70 [per barrel]. They were buying [gas] for $2 and even less. . . . In Iowa, it was $1.85 a gallon.
I said, “Congratulations. Now I’m going to upset the apple cart for you, because we have to take a little journey down to a beautiful country known as Iran, and we have to make sure that they don’t have a nuclear weapon.” We stopped them with the B-2 bombers. If we didn’t do that, we would’ve had a nuclear weapon.
Every time Trump tells this story, the gist is the same: The war was his decision, and he knew it would upend the economy. Often, he quotes the pre-war price of gas, boasting that in some states it was under $2 per gallon. On average, it’s now about $4.50.
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The first time Trump told this story, in an interview with Maria Bartiromo on April 12, he said oil and gas might be even more expensive by November. Bartiromo’s eyebrows went up in shock.
Three days later, Trump boasted that oil was only $92 a barrel, up from $65 before the war. “I’m very happy,” he said. On May 6, he bragged that it was only $100.
In February, before the war, the Dow stood above 50,000. In the war’s first month, it fell almost to 45,000. Since then, it has recovered, but not completely. And Trump says he expected much worse. “When I did this, I thought the market would go down 25 percent,” he told reporters on May 5. “I thought that was a great deal if it did. If it went down 25 percent, I was satisfied. . . . I also thought oil would go up to 200, 250, maybe 300.”
For context, the Dow fell slightly less than 25 percent in the first two days of the 1929 market crash. Trump thought an equivalent fall, percentage-wise, would be great.
And what are Americans getting for this?
Sometimes Trump says the cost was worth it to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. But in his next sentence, he often adds—as he did in that May 1 speech—that we wiped out Iran’s nuclear program last year.
“Those beautiful B-2 bombers totally obliterated their three sites,” he gloated on April 12. But four days later, he said of the current war, “We had to take this journey to the Middle East in order to get rid of a nuclear weapon.”
Get rid of a nuclear weapon? Eight months after the B-2 strike? Either Trump can’t remember his own words, or he’s trying to sell you the same war twice.
In fact, he’s trying to sell it to you three times. The first time was last year, when he said the B-2s “obliterated” the nuclear sites. The second was on February 28, when he said we had to go back in to “ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.” On April 15, after six more weeks of bombing, he said we had achieved that objective again. “I could leave tomorrow. They would never be able to have a nuclear weapon,” he told Bartiromo. “For years they wouldn’t, because their country is devastated.”
But Trump didn’t end the war. He moved on to a third phase, wrestling with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. On April 23, a reporter asked him whether “Americans should anticipate spending more on gasoline for the foreseeable future.” Trump said yes, and he insisted the cost was worth it: “You know what they get for that? Iran without a nuclear weapon.”
It never ends. He keeps finding new reasons why you have to shell out for more war, always in the name of preventing a nuclear Iran.
The main reason you’re paying more for gas, groceries, and other necessities lately is that the strait is choked off. But guess who’s choking it? Three weeks ago, Trump declared:
We have it closed. We have total control of the strait. . . . They [Iran] would have opened it up three days ago. They came to us, and they said, “We will agree to open the strait.” And all my people were happy. Everybody was happy except me. I said, “Wait a minute. If we open the strait, that means they’re going to make $500 million a day.” I don’t want them to make $500 million a day until they settle this thing. So I’m the one that kept it closed.
Having jacked up inflation, Trump now lies about it. On April 16, a reporter asked him, “How much longer will Americans continue to see these high gas prices?”
“They’re not very high,” Trump replied. He dismissed recent price hikes as “fake inflation.”
On May 1, he insisted, “Grocery prices are way down.” Later that day, he added, “Outside of the gasoline, prices are way down.”
Lying about people’s everyday expenses, bragging about cutting off the world’s oil supply, admitting he chose to derail the economy—it’s hard to imagine a more self-incriminating performance. But on Tuesday, Trump outdid himself. On the White House lawn, a reporter asked him about Iran: “To what extent are Americans’ financial situations motivating you to make a deal?”
“Not even a little bit,” said Trump. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
That’s the only video clip Democrats will need this fall.
AROUND THE BULWARK
We Can’t Trust the DOJ… On the flagship pod, JAMES COMEY joins TIM MILLER to discuss why Donald Trump has so thoroughly hijacked the Department of Justice, the public can no longer be confident that a criminal investigation or indictment is legitimate.CBS management.
PoliticusUSA, Opinion: Kash Patel Gets Humiliated Over His Alleged Drinking At Senate Hearing, Jason Easley, right, May 13, 2026. Kash Patel tried to get into a heated exchange with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) over drinking and it did not end well for the FBI Director.
A reasonable person would expect FBI Director Kash Patel to avoid any and all questions about his reported drinking issues during a Senate hearing, but Patel is fighting to keep his job, so he made the big mistake of engaging with Sen. Chris Van Hollen on the topic of drinking, and it didn’t go great for Patel.
Van Hollen said that Patel had been making false statements during the hearing:
Let me just say this, Mr. Director. In your response to me earlier, where you had a little bit of a blowup, you made a couple provably false statements... Mr. Director, I was reading about and asking you to respond to allegations that are made. In fact, I was giving you an opportunity to do that, and you took that opportunity. But in the process, you made these provably false statements that I know are like urban legend in right-wing media about margaritas in El Salvador, which is provably false.
And so coming from the mouth of an FBI director to make provably false statements in a hearing like this is extremely troubling, and it leads me to ask whether or not the other things you've been saying are false statements. And so my... because that was, that's a provably false statement. You made a couple others that are provably false, and this is from the mouth of the FBI director.
Things got even more heated.
Van Hollen asked Patel, “ My, my final question to you, Mr. Director, is do you know that it is a crime to lie to Congress? You know that. That's my last question.”
Patel, right, answered, “I have not lied to Congress.”
Sen. Van Hollen said, "I didn't ask you that.”
Patel said, “The person that lied to Congress is you.”
Van Hollen shot back. “I'm not testifying here, sir, and I don't lie.”
Patel tried to claim that Van Hollen was the drinker, “Maybe the next time you run up a $7,000 bar tab, we can talk about it.”
Sen. Van Hollen said Patel was lying again, “See, there you go lying again. You suggested that was- “
Patel said, “It's in the FEC report. I'll post it right now.”
Van Hollen said, “You suggested it was public- Hang on. It wasn't public money. That was for a 50 members- a staff party.”
Sen. Van Hollen later concluded, “Let me just say in closing, Mr. Chairman, two things. I'm glad that you have agreed to take the test regarding whether you have alcohol problems. I'm glad you agreed with me to do that. You still haven't answered my final question. Do you know, Mr. Director, that it is a crime to lie to Congress? Do you know that?”
Director Patel answered, “I do not lie to Congress.”
Van Hollen resumed, “I didn't ask you that…Just let the record show, Mr. Chairman- And I'm not gonna give it to you ... the director of the FBI apparently does not wanna answer the question about whether or not it's a crime to lie to Congress, and I find that extremely troubling. I find it troubling- And it should be trusted- ... that you lie to the American people every day ... with law enforcement. You are a disgrace, Mr. Director. The fact that you can't answer that question that concludes my questioning, Mr. Chairman, but I'm obviously very troubled.”
Van Hollen was setting the stage for Patel to potentially face charges for lying to Congress.
Remember that if Democrats take back the Senate, they can refer Patel for prosecution, and the statute of limitations does not expire when Trump leaves office. A future Democratic run DOJ could decide to prosecute Patel, which is why Patel did not want to admit anything.
The fact that Patel’s alleged drinking was brought up at a Senate hearing is humiliating. The fact that the country has an FBI Director who seems to lie to Congress is deeply disturbing.
New York Times, 4 Takeaways From Tuesday’s Primaries in Nebraska and West Virginia, Kellen Browning, Updated May 13, 2026. Democrats in Nebraska appear headed toward the Senate matchup they want, while their primary for a key House district was too close to call.
Nebraska Democrats on Tuesday night maneuvered toward a favorable matchup in a high-profile Senate race, and were locked in a close primary contest for a battleground House seat that could be important to the party’s hopes of regaining control of Congress this fall.
In West Virginia, meanwhile, Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s effort to mete out Trump-like retribution against political opponents in Republican primary races met some success.
Here are four takeaways from the night.
Democrats can play hardball, too. Democratic voters have been urging the party to pull out all the stops in opposing President Trump and the Republican Party, which has pursued aggressive and unorthodox strategies — like mid-decade redistricting — to hold onto power.
Democrats have responded with their own gerrymanders. And in Nebraska, rather than back a doomed Democratic bid for Senate, party leaders played smart, endorsing Dan Osborn, an independent candidate who stands a better chance of defeating Senator Pete Ricketts, the Republican incumbent, in November. Mr. Osborn also ran for Senate as an independent in 2024, when he put up a competitive showing but fell short.
When William Forbes — a Democrat (shown above at center) accused of being a Republican “plant” who could split the general-election vote and hinder Mr. Osborn — entered the primary, the state Democratic Party quickly threw its support behind an alternative option. It backed Cindy Burbank, above right, who promised to drop out of the general election and consolidate support for Mr. Osborn.
She easily won the primary on Tuesday night. In a text message afterward, she said — perhaps joking, perhaps not — that she hoped Mr. Ricketts would simply drop out that night. “That would be such sweetness,” she wrote.
She said she was also “kinda disappointed,” because the speed of her victory over Mr. Forbes — the race was called six minutes after polls closed — had taken “all the fun out of it.”
But she recommitted to her pledge to exit the race.
“I don’t wanna split the ballot,” Ms. Burbank wrote. “I have no expectations of being able to win in November.”‘Blue dot’ politics may have swayed some voters.
Democrats saw a major opportunity for a House pickup when Representative Don Bacon, a moderate Republican, announced his retirement from Nebraska’s competitive Second Congressional District around Omaha.
But much of the sparring in the Democratic primary focused on the argument that electing one candidate, John Cavanaugh, could make it easier for Republicans to win the presidency in 2028.
The argument stemmed from Nebraska’s unusual allocation of electoral votes in presidential elections, which awards the winner of each of its three congressional districts one electoral vote each. The Omaha-area district has gone to Democrats in recent presidential contests, even as the rest of the state typically went to the Republican presidential candidate.
State Republicans have tried to repeal the so-called blue dot system — named because Omaha is a blue dot in a sea of Republican red — but Democrats in the State Legislature have blocked them. Opponents of Mr. Cavanaugh, a state senator, argued that if he won the House primary and left the State Senate, it would mean one fewer vote to keep the blue dot.
Those arguments may have had some traction. Late Tuesday, Mr. Cavanaugh was narrowly trailing Denise Powell, a political organizer, in a race that was too close to call. The winner will face Brinker Harding, a Republican city councilman.
New York Times, What You Need to Know About the Federal Gas Tax, Emmett Lindner, May 13, 2026. President Trump said he would like to suspend the 18.4-cent-a-gallon tax, but it’s a move that may save drivers only a few dollars a month.
President Trump this week proposed suspending the 18.4-cent-a-gallon federal tax on gasoline in an attempt to bring down pump prices. But that is unlikely to rein in fuel costs by that much, and it’s not even clear that Congress would go for it.
The federal gas tax makes up a small amount of the total price that drivers pay at the pump — around 4 percent right now. The national average for regular gas was $4.50 a gallon on Tuesday, up more than 50 percent since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began.
Here’s what you need to know about Mr. Trump’s proposal.What is the federal gas tax?
The federal fuel tax was meant to be temporary when President Herbert Hoover signed it into law in 1932 to help pay for national defense spending. But persistent budget deficits kept it in place, and the money it raises is used for road maintenance through the Highway Trust Fund.
The tax rate has not changed since 1993. The federal tax rate for diesel is slightly higher, at 24.4 cents a gallon.
Because the tax rates on gas and diesel have not changed for decades, the revenue they raise does not come close to meeting road maintenance needs. As a result, Congress often uses additional funds to pay for the federal government’s share of road maintenance.
“The idea is funding highway maintenance, but it doesn’t quite fund highway maintenance,” said Ted Kury, the director of energy studies at the University of Florida’s public utility research center. “Periodically, you’ll find that the government makes additional contributions.”How much would it save drivers at the pump?
A suspension of the tax would not necessarily mean a gallon would cost 18.4 cents less for drivers.
The fuel is generally taxed at a terminal before it’s distributed to gas stations, which makes it easier for the federal government to collect.
If drivers see any relief, “it’s going to have to be because that producer is then reducing the price that it charges to the gas station,” said Michael Negron, an economics fellow at the Center for American Progress, a research group.
“I would think that there would be some reduction — it’s not clear that it would be in the exact amount” of the suspended tax, said Mr. Negron, who worked on economic policy in the Biden administration.
In March, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, another research group, estimated that suspending the tax would reduce federal revenue by $2.4 billion a month, and save families earning less than $53,000 a year about $5 a month.
Mr. Trump acknowledged on Monday that the drop would be slight. “It’s a small percentage,” he said, “but it’s, you know, it’s still money.”
Suspending the tax could also have other consequences. If the federal government did not replace the forgone fuel tax revenue, there would be less money to repair highways, ultimately causing more wear on cars.
More On U.S. Foreign Policy
New York Times, Trump’s Shrinking Ambitions on China, Ana Swanson, May 13, 2026. The president came into office planning harsher trade moves on China than on the rest of the world. Here’s why he’s had to scale them back.
When President Trump campaigned in 2024, he promised a trade agenda that would hit China harder than any other economic partner, expanding on actions he had taken in his first term.
Mr. Trump talked about imposing a tariff of 60 percent or more on the country, and proposed stripping China of the preferential trade relations given to it when it joined the World Trade Organization. The rest of the world would be subject to tariffs too, but they would be much lower, at 10 or 20 percent.
More than a year into Mr. Trump’s first term, the picture looks dramatically different. Though U.S. tariffs on China are higher overall when the tariffs from Mr. Trump’s first term are added in, other countries have faced punitive levies that were nearly as high, and higher for some products.
The Trump administration has saved its most caustic criticism for allies in Europe and Canada, while approaching China more cautiously. And as Mr. Trump heads to Beijing this week for a summit with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping, expectations for its outcomes are limited.
Rather than pushing China for broader structural changes to its economy, as Mr. Trump’s aides did in his first term, the focus now is largely on maintaining stable relations between the countries, while restoring or increasing U.S. sales of products like airplanes, ethanol, soybeans, beef and sorghum.
The remarkable shrinking of Mr. Trump’s Chinese ambitions is the result of the events of the last year, when China responded to Mr. Trump’s tariffs by cutting off the supply of rare earth minerals and magnets needed by American companies making everything from cars and weaponry to power tools.
Facing the prospect of shuttered U.S. factories and widespread economic damage, the Trump administration appears to have given up the idea of a more ambitious deal with China — widely acknowledged as America’s most problematic trading partner — even as it presses less troublesome partners more aggressively than ever before.Want to stay updated on what’s happening in China? Sign up for Your Places: Global Update, and we’ll send our latest coverage to your inbox.
Myron Brilliant, a senior counselor at DGA-Albright Stonebridge Group, a consulting firm, said this week’s summit in Beijing would be “high on strategic distrust and high on symbolism but low on ambition.” Last year was a tumultuous period for U.S.-China relations, he said, and both sides “are in risk management now.”
“Each side seeks stability, and deliverables will be largely short-term in nature,” he said. Mr. Brilliant said the outcomes could include agricultural and airplane purchases, and agreements to curb fentanyl exports.U.S. officials have talked about the creation of a new “board of trade” that would oversee the agreed purchases, which could run to tens of billions of dollars. Others have suggested the meeting could result in lower tariffs on more general products, to spur their sales.
While Mr. Trump’s global tariffs have been repeatedly struck down by the courts, the administration is preparing two new trade investigations that are likely to result in more levies on dozens of countries this summer, including China. Chinese officials are expected to press U.S. officials to keep those tariffs low.
Analysts said Chinese officials also appeared likely to push for the relaxation of U.S. technology controls or a change in U.S. posture on Taiwan, a self-governing island that China claims as its own.
New York Times, How China Could Wield Its Control of Rare Earths Against Trump, Keith Bradsher, May 13, 2026. A central question hanging over the summit this week is whether China will agree to extend a temporary postponement of even tougher rare-earth export controls.
As President Trump prepares to meet China’s top leader at a summit in Beijing this week, one of the most pressing issues facing the United States, the European Union and Japan lies in China’s restrictions on exports of rare-earth metals and magnets essential to advanced manufacturing.
Manufacturers of commercial aircraft, electronics, cars, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and military hardware are facing acute shortages of rare earths, many of which are refined almost exclusively in China. Prices for some of these metals have soared as much as a hundredfold since Beijing halted most exports in early April last year.
China announced on Oct. 9 that it planned to impose sweeping new restrictions on exports of rare earths and products containing even trace amounts of Chinese rare earths. Three weeks later, Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, agreed at a meeting with Mr. Trump to postpone those measures for a year, though the restrictions issued in April remained in place.
A senior administration official said Sunday that the United States was in frequent contact with China about rare earths, and that it remained unclear whether this week’s summit would produce an agreement to extend the one-year reprieve. But the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity before the diplomatically sensitive meeting, said he was confident the two sides would reach an extension before the postponement expired.
Beijing has offered few hints about its intentions. Asked about rare earths at a news briefing last month, Mao Ning, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said that “the two sides need to jointly deliver on the important common understandings between the two presidents, and provide greater stability to China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation.”
“If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.” Abraham Lincoln, Lyceum Address 1838
The Steady State, Opinion: America’s perpetual wars are not signs of strength, but symptoms of a republic drifting away from constitutional restraint, accountability, and moral clarity, Robert Bruce Adolph (military strategist and retired senior US Army Special Forces soldier), May 13, 2026. In the beginning: I was once a young, idealistic American soldier.
I blindly believed in American ideals and her democratic leaders. I was certain that our nation’s elected representatives had the best interests of the country at heart. I was convinced that no president or Congress would place America’s sons and daughters in harm’s way without the best of justifications. Such belief is essential to those in uniform, who may die, be physically mauled for life, or psychologically scarred in pursuit of a hopefully just war’s aims. Tragically, my beliefs are now badly battered. Why is the topic of this brief essay.
Poorly selected objectives: President George W. Bush initiated a war in Afghanistan in October of 2001 to remove the Taliban from power, so they could no longer give shelter to al-Qaida, the overlords of the attacks on the Twin Towers and Pentagon. He later chose to invade Iraq in March of 2003. Nobody seems to understand why. Iraq had nothing whatsoever to do with the tragic events of 9/11. In any case, choosing to fight two long wars simultaneously was always a fool’s errand. The absurd notion that America could bestow sustainable democracy and liberal order on either country is reflective of both arrogance and naivete. History has more than proven this point. The costs in both blood and treasure were extraordinary, for both us and our NATO allies.
Congressional cowardice: Because Congress has continually abrogated its constitutional responsibility to declare war since WWII, successive presidents have made a mess of it, this one included. Ask yourself a question: an entire American generation grew from childhood to adulthood while at war in Afghanistan and Iraq. What did we achieve? Is America safer for those conflicts—part of the never-ending American Global War on Terror? Remember, before that, it was Vietnam. Now, it is an unnecessary conflict of choice with Iran. War is supposed to be the last resort when all other means have been exhausted, and not a go-to solution for misinformed, impatient, or petulant chief executives. There is no doubt that these outcomes are the result of Congressional cowardice.
History’s clear lessons ignored: The expenditure of thousands of Americans’ lives and trillions of U.S. dollars in these previous wars has accomplished little. The clear winner in Vietnam was the North. The clear winner in Afghanistan was the Taliban. The clear winner in Iraq was Iran. Although it may be emotionally satisfying to kill those we designate as terrorists, the many dead have gotten us no closer to either victory or peace. Is it our national strategy to just keep killing? If so, we will be doing so for an exceedingly long time. The Global War on Terror is a conflict that has no exit ramp. There are always potential extremists waiting in the wings of the global theater.
War lacking justification: But what is the problem? We have won all the battles. However, we have lost the wars and seem to be deep into the process of losing this conflict as well. Our sons and daughters have died on foreign battlefields while we were told repeatedly, “They are defending our freedom.” Although that rationale once held water with me, it no longer does so. In the modern era, the Taliban never directly threatened our liberties. The Iraqi version of ISIS morphed back into what it once was: a fanatical religious movement that holds no land mass. And Iran was often satisfied to act through regional proxies so long as the Ayatollahs and militarists remained in control in Tehran.
Another war of choice: In Iran today, Mr. Trump continues to slog on in the vain hope of finding “something” that looks like victory so he can declare himself a winner. This Oval Office desperately needs something for all the sunk costs—a minimum of a billion dollars daily. The mid-term elections could easily be lost by his political party if the conflict continues. If that happens, he knows that his impeachment may follow. So, exactly what is our military fighting for? I don’t know. This administration does not know either. But our soldiers do what they have always done, they perish in faraway lands, not for oil or riches, but because they believe in our nation, what it once stood for, and hopefully will again.
At the end: I was once a young, idealistic American soldier. I am no longer young, and my idealism is in tatters. I want to believe in the common sense of our people; the best intentions of our Congress; and the integrity of our government. However, these wasteful and stupid wars started by repetitive presidents must terminate. Only Congress possesses the legal constitutional authority to declare war. That authority must be reasserted. If not, this is how our soldiers’ loyalty is squandered. This is how our soldiers’ trust is abused. This is how our soldiers’ belief in the nation is trampled. This is how our soldiers’ lives are lost. If I may speak for them, our soldiers have but one request of their elected leadership: “Do not permit our sacrifice to be in vain. If we are to die, it must be in a just cause that is supported by our fellow citizens.” If we do not reclaim our country by remaining true to the law in pursuit of the aspirations laid down in our Constitution, this is how our republic dies.
Robert Bruce Adolph , a qualified Military Strategist,is a retired senior US Army Special Forces soldier. He holds graduate degrees in both National Security Studies & International Affairs and was formally trained as a counterintelligence special agent. Robert also taught university level courses in American Government, US History, and World Politics. Following his retirement from the active military, he joined the UN, subsequently seeing service in Sierra Leone, Yemen, Iraq, Egypt, Israel/Palestine, Indonesia and more, culminating in the role of Chief of the Middle East and North Africa at UN Headquarters in New York. He is the author of “Surviving the United Nations,” now out in a second edition. He is a member of The Steady State.
Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 400 former senior national security professionals.
More Global News
Drop Site News, Trump arrives in Beijing flanked by tech CEOs; South Carolina blocks redistricting push; Nigerian strike kills 100 in local market, Staff and wire reports, May 13, 2026. President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a two-day summit with Chinese president Xi Jinping. It marks the first visit to China by a U.S. president since Trump visited in 2017.
Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, along with a number of tech executives, including Elon Musk of Tesla, Tim Cook of Apple, and Jensen Huang of Nvidia. The U.S. recently sanctioned several Chinese firms it accused of assisting in Iranian oil shipments and supplying satellite imagery allegedly used in Iranian military operations. China condemned the measures as “illegal unilateral sanctions.”
In other global news:
Taiwan asserts independence in advance of U.S.-China conclave: China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said its resolve to oppose Taiwan’s independence was “firm as a rock” and its capability to crush separatism “unbreakable,” as President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for two days of meetings with President Xi Jinping. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, however, called the island a “sovereign, independent nation” that would not bow to pressure. The Trump administration announced an $11 billion weapons package for Taiwan in December, its largest ever.
Nigerian military airstrike kills at least 100 civilians at a market in Zamfara state, Amnesty says: At least 100 civilians—many of them women and girls—were killed when a Nigerian military airstrike struck the crowded Tumfa market in Zurmi district, Zamfara state, on Sunday, Amnesty International reported Tuesday. The attack is the second to kill scores of civilians at a northern Nigerian market in a month, following an April strike on a weekly market in Jilli that killed around 200 people; the military has not commented on Sunday’s attack and has previously denied targeting civilians.Turkey unveils draft law expanding maritime claims in Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean, and Black seas: Turkey unveiled draft legislation Tuesday that would codify its contested maritime boundaries and require foreign authorization for economic, scientific, and environmental activities in waters Ankara considers its own. The draft would expand Turkey’s maritime reach in the Black and Mediterranean Seas to 12 nautical miles from its shore, and would retain its claim to the 6 nautical miles it presently claims in the Aegean, where it has said it would oppose Greek expansion. Turkey has reportedly worried about growing collaboration between Greece, Cyprus, and Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Cuba ends fixed fuel prices as a consequence of U.S. sanctions: Cuba’s Finance and Prices Ministry announced Tuesday that starting May 15, it will liberalize fuel prices, allowing rates at state service stations to fluctuate based on actual import costs—ending a fixed-price regime the government said “cannot be economically sustained under present conditions.” Cuba’s national grid reports that it can meet less than half of its current electricity demand as a result of an escalating sanctions regime on the country.
CIA running secret assassination campaign against cartel members inside Mexico, CNN reports: The CIA has been directly participating in lethal operations against cartel members inside Mexico—including a targeted car bombing that killed an alleged Sinaloa Cartel operative on a busy highway outside Mexico City on March 28—as part of an expanded covert campaign led by the agency’s elite Ground Branch unit, CNN reported Tuesday. Mexican Public Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch rejected the characterization of the operation and a subsequent report from the New York Times claimed the CIA provided intelligence for the operation but was not on the ground.
Reuters separately reported that one of the alleged CIA officers who was killed in a car crash in northern Mexico last month had been seen days earlier carrying a gun in a local security office. U.S. officials are normally not allowed to carry firearms in Mexico.
Ukraine strikes gas facilities 1,500 kilometers inside Russia: Ukrainian drones struck gas facilities in Russia’s Orenburg region Tuesday—more than 1,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border—according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The attacks come hours after Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk in Ukraine that killed six people overnight and effectively ended a three-day ceasefire between the countries.
Also on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had tested a new nuclear-capable intercontinental missile, which he claimed could penetrate “all existing and future” missile defense systems.
RSF drone strikes hit civilian market and water source in Karnoi, North Darfur: Drone strikes attributed to the Rapid Support Forces struck a market in Karnoi, North Darfur, on Tuesday, killing civilians and destroying transport trucks carrying passengers from Tina to Kutum, while a separate strike disabled the “Am Saleh” well—the area’s primary water source—and killed significant numbers of livestock, according to Sudan Tribune. Drones caused more than 80% of civilian deaths in Sudan during the first four months of 2026, killing at least 880 people, according to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.
Peru charges leftist presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez with financial crimes: Peru’s public prosecutor’s office accused leftist candidate Roberto Sanchez of filing false financial disclosures with undisclosed campaign contributions between 2018 and 2020, calling for over five years in prison and permanent disqualification from the presidency. The charges were unsealed Tuesday hours after electoral authorities stated that Sanchez was set to advance to a June 7 run-off against conservative Keiko Fujimori.
Honduras arrests former mayor accused of masterminding assassination of environmental leader: Honduran authorities arrested former Tocoa Mayor Adán Fúnez on Tuesday, more than a year after the September 2024 killing of anticorruption and environmental defender Juan López. López was shot seven times days after publicly calling on Fúnez to resign over a corruption scandal tied to an iron oxide mining project Fúnez supported. Fúnez had long been accused by religious and environmental leaders of orchestrating the killing, drawing condemnation from Pope Francis, the United Nations, and the Biden administration.
Libyan authorities free and deport 120 kidnapped migrants: Eastern Libyan security forces freed 120 migrants who had been tortured and held for ransom inside a trafficking compound south of Benghazi, the Government of National Stability’s security directorate said. They said the captives were beaten and filmed to extort money from their families. Three migrants—two Bangladeshis and one Egyptian—were found dead on the Mediterranean shore nearby, and authorities also seized a small boat-building operation used for Mediterranean crossings.
Pakistan denies sheltering Iranian military aircraft as U.S.-Iran ceasefire teeters: Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry rejected as “misleading and sensationalized” a CBS News report that Iran had moved military aircraft, including a reconnaissance plane, to a Pakistani air base to shield them from potential U.S. strikes, saying the aircraft arrived during ceasefire-period diplomatic logistics and that both Iranian and U.S. aircraft used the base. (Sen. Lindsey Graham later questioned War Secretary Pete Hegseth on the report.)
Saudi Arabia bombed Iran in covert “tit-for-tat” strikes in March, Reuters reports: Saudi Arabia’s Air Force carried out multiple covert strikes on Iran in late March—the first known direct Saudi attacks on Iranian territory—in retaliation for Iranian strikes on Saudi targets, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing two Western and two Iranian officials. Saudi Arabia made Iran aware of the strikes, which were followed by intensive diplomacy and Saudi threats of further retaliation, producing an informal bilateral de-escalation agreement that took effect in the week before the broader U.S.-Iran ceasefire on April 7.
WSJ: Mossad chief visited UAE to coordinate war with Iran: The head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, David Barnea, secretly visited the United Arab Emirates on at least two separate occasions in March and April to coordinate the war with Iran, according to the Wall Street Journal. The news follows an earlier report by the Wall Street Journal that the UAE carried out covert military strikes on Iran, including an attack on a refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island in early April shortly after President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire.
In other U.S news with global impacts:
Federal appeals court temporarily pauses ruling that blocked Trump’s 10% global tariff: A U.S. federal appeals court temporarily reinstated Trump’s 10% global tariff after a Court of International Trade panel ruled 2-1 that Trump had failed to meet the legal criteria for the tariff under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act. Trump’s global tariff is set to expire in July unless extended by Congress. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is already processing $35.46 billion in refunds on tariffs previously struck down under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Senate confirms Kevin Warsh to Federal Reserve board: The Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh to the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors Tuesday in a 51-45 vote, with Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman the sole Democrat voting in favor of his confirmation. Warsh’s confirmation deepens concerns about the central bank’s independence after Trump said in December he would only appoint a chair who agreed with him on interest rates. The Trump administration has also targeted current Chair Jerome Powell through a now-dropped Justice Department investigation, and by attempting to fire Lisa Cook, a case now being reviewed by the Supreme Court. Warsh has promised “regime change,” including closer coordination with the Treasury Department.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigns: Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary resigned Tuesday at the direction of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. On his departure, President Trump said: “Marty’s a terrific guy, but he’s going to go on and he’s going to lead a good life. He was having some difficulty.” Makary’s FDA lost 3,500 workers to DOGE-driven layoffs, saw the departure of high-profile leaders in the agency, and was beset by political difficulties, including demands from anti-abortion Republicans for the agency to restrict the mail-order abortion medication mifepristone. Kyle Diamantas, a former corporate lawyer who led the agency’s food division and lacks a medical degree, will serve as acting commissioner.
Former GEO Group executive appointed acting ICE director: David Venturella, a former employee of the private prison contractor GEO Group, will serve as acting ICE director, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced Tuesday. Venturella, who previously oversaw contracts for immigration detention centers at the Department of Homeland Security, replaces Todd Lyons, who is retiring. Border czar Tom Homan also worked for GEO Group.
FBI running secret “payback squad” targeting Trump political enemies, sources say: The FBI has assembled a team of agents internally called the “payback squad” tasked with pursuing political targets set by the Trump administration, according to a new report from NOTUS. One such target is reportedly former CIA director John Brennan, who is expected to be indicted in the coming weeks; his indictment is part of a larger criminal case being built by the FBI that seeks to charge former top government officials with “grand conspiracy” against the president.
Alaska official steered $80 million in contracts to investor who sponsored his cruise: Documents obtained by The Alaska Current reveal that former Alaska Revenue Commissioner and current Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Crum awarded more than $80 million in state contracts to companies tied to tech and energy investor Peter Corsell after one of Corsell’s companies sponsored a glacier cruise for a Republican state treasurer conference. Crum also reportedly attempted to funnel $225 million from the state’s rainy day fund into private equity deals with firms connected to Corsell and to data center developers. Corsell has also partnered with one of the state’s regional governments to build North Slope Power, a proposed natural gas utility, with no public record of a formal bid process.
New York Times, Gulf Countries Arrest Shiite ‘Traitors’ Amid War With Iran, Vivian Nereim, May 13, 2026. Dozens of Gulf citizens have been accused of belonging to Iran-linked terrorism cells as the war accelerates a shift toward deeper authoritarianism in the region.
In Kuwait, officials arrested six people who they said were plotting to assassinate the country’s leaders. In the United Arab Emirates, the authorities accused 27 men of belonging to a secretive terrorist organization. And in Bahrain, the government has stripped dozens of their citizenship.
The allegations may be different, and in many cases vague, but all these men have one thing in common: They are Shiites, members of one of two major branches of Islam, according to their governments and human rights activists.
After the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began on Feb. 28, Iran retaliated by launching thousands of attacks at Gulf states that host U.S. military bases. Some of those countries have since arrested dozens of Shiite citizens, calling them traitors loyal to Shiite-led Iran.
Scholars and rights activists say there has been a surge in nationalist rhetoric in the region that has echoes of past eras when sectarianism was more widespread. It also underlines the ways that the war has accelerated a shift toward deeper authoritarianism in several of the Gulf monarchies.
“It is understandable that at times of war, nationalism increases, but this is a form of rabid nationalism that is exclusionary and subjugates a significant minority of citizens who have complained for years about discrimination,” said Ala’a Shehabi, a Bahraini academic and pro-democracy activist.
Gulf governments typically reveal little information about cases related to terrorism and national security. Such trials are rarely open to journalists, and counterterrorism laws are broad enough to encompass political dissent. That makes it difficult to determine the details of the accusations levied against the men who were arrested, or the veracity of the charges.
May 12
President Trump, right and his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, left, meet at a G20 dinner in 2018 in Argentina.
Top Headlines
News Roundups
May 12, 2026. Trump said the quiet part out loud when he admitted he does not think about Americans’ financial situation during Iran war negotiations, sparking growing concern among swing state Republicans about the political fallout. Kash Patel lashed out during a tense hearing on Capitol Hill, while Epstein survivors delivered heartbreaking testimony demanding accountability.May 11, 2026. There is a massive amount of news to cover today. The White House is now calling reporters “morons” for sharing videos and images of Donald Trump appearing to fall asleep during a maternal health event. Major developments are unfolding overseas as Trump pushes to suspend the federal gas tax, the UAE reportedly carries out secret strikes on Iran, and new reporting alleges Pakistan helped Iran shield military aircraft during the recent crisis.More Global News
Top Stories
President Trump, right and his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, left, meet at a G20 dinner in 2018 in Argentina.
New York Times, Xi Is Poised to Press Trump on Arms Sales to Taiwan, Chris Buckley, May 12, 2026. Beijing has called Taiwan the “core of China’s core interests.” Xi Jinping is likely to focus on getting President Trump to slow approval of more weapons for the self-governing island.
The United States’ stance on Taiwan has rested for decades on a complex latticework of policies designed to support the island democracy while avoiding treating it officially as an independent country, a step that would enrage Beijing.
Many in Taiwan are holding their breath for what may happen to that delicate structure when President Trump, with his off-the-cuff, transactional ways, meets China’s leader, Xi Jinping, in Beijing for a two-day summit starting Thursday. Mr. Xi appears poised to lecture Mr. Trump on U.S. support for Taiwan, especially weapons sales.
Mr. Trump and his officials have said that his trip to Beijing will be focused on trade and investment. But China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, and other officials have indicated that they also expect the two presidents to discuss Taiwan, the issue that could most likely ignite a war between their countries. China claims Taiwan is its territory, and could use armed force to take it, while the United States says it could intervene to defend Taiwan, a longtime partner.
Beijing’s Expectations
“The Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s core interests,” Lin Jian, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said last week when asked if the issue would be a priority for Mr. Xi at the summit.
Taiwan often comes up in talks between Chinese and U.S. leaders. But the summit’s setting in Beijing will give Mr. Xi more opportunity and time to make his case, said Ryan Hass, a former director for China at the National Security Council.Want to stay updated on what’s happening in China and Taiwan? Sign up for Your Places: Global Update, and we’ll send our latest coverage to your inbox.
Mr. Xi may try to persuade Mr. Trump to say that he opposes Taiwanese independence. That could be a setback for Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, though he has said he has no plans to declare independence. Successive U.S. presidents have said they “do not support” independence for Taiwan. Declaring “opposition” may suggest greater sympathy with Beijing’s view that Mr. Lai’s government is the side stirring up trouble, experts said.
“It could be easily used by China to claim that the U.S. is taking Beijing’s side, and even create new diplomatic pressure on Taiwan,” said Chen Kuan-ting, a lawmaker from Mr. Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party.
New York Times, China Seeks A.I. Independence, Weakening Trump’s Leverage, Meaghan Tobin, May 12, 2026. Before this week’s U.S.-Chinese summit, Beijing reached a milestone in its quest for technological self-sufficiency.
When the Chinese start-up DeepSeek released its latest artificial intelligence model last month, it edged Beijing closer to a future that it has spent years trying to build.
In a small but meaningful break from American technology, DeepSeek said for the first time that its new model had been optimized to run on chips made by the Chinese tech giant Huawei. This was a milestone in China’s long-running effort to develop advanced technologies at home and reduce its reliance on Western innovation.
While most of the world’s leading A.I. systems still rely on semiconductors from the U.S. chip-making giant Nvidia, Chinese A.I. firms are increasingly turning to homegrown alternatives.
The timing of DeepSeek’s announcement — before this week’s scheduled summit between President Trump and Xi Jinping, China’s leader — gives Beijing fresh confidence entering trade talks that U.S. export controls on Nvidia chips have not derailed China’s A.I. development.
Any meaningful shift by China away from American A.I. technology could limit the impact of U.S. export controls and deprive Washington of a critical source of leverage over Beijing. That prospect gained urgency since DeepSeek’s A.I. technology rattled the U.S. tech industry and turned the company into a potent symbol of China’s drive for technological self-sufficiency.
Before last year’s meeting between the two leaders, Mr. Trump said he planned to discuss Nvidia’s most powerful A.I. chips with Mr. Xi, fueling speculation that the United States might ease restrictions on the technology.
But after years of Washington’s preventing Chinese companies from buying certain advanced technology products, firms like DeepSeek and Moonshot AI are starting to design their A.I. systems around the constraints rather than waiting for them to disappear. That includes exploring how their models can run on a broader range of processors beyond Nvidia’s.
“U.S. export controls are not freezing China’s A.I. development,” said Wei Sun, a principal A.I. analyst at Counterpoint Research in Beijing. “They are forcing China to build an alternative stack.”
News Roundups
The Parnas Perspective, Afternoon News and Commentary: Trump Shrugs Off Americans’ Financial Pain, Epstein Survivors Deliver Heartbreaking Testimony, Patel Lashes Out, Aaron Parnas, right, May 12, 2026. Trump said the quiet part out loud when he admitted he does not think about Americans’ financial situation during Iran war negotiations, sparking growing concern among swing state Republicans about the political fallout. Kash Patel lashed out during a tense hearing on Capitol Hill, while Epstein survivors delivered heartbreaking testimony demanding accountability.
Here’s the news:
Republicans on Capitol Hill are growing extremely nervous following new remarks from President Trump today about affordability with many concerned that the remarks will play on repeat in ads this November.
During remarks about the Iran war, Donald Trump dismissed the idea that Americans’ financial struggles were influencing his push for a deal with Iran. Trump said his only concern was preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, even as rising gas prices and inflation tied to the conflict continue to affect U.S. households. His comments quickly drew backlash online amid growing public concern over the economic impact of the war. Reporter: “What extent are Americans’ financial situation motivating you to make a deal?” Trump: “Not even a little bit. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation.”
Donald Trump defended the construction of a new White House ballroom by boasting that the project is ahead of schedule and under budget, while angrily responding to criticism about its cost and scale. Trump claimed he personally decided to double the size of the ballroom because of demand for larger state events and gatherings: “We have a ballroom that’s under budget. I’ve doubled the size of it because we obviously need that. And we’re right now on budget, under budget and ahead of schedule. I DOUBLED THE SIZE OF IT YOU DUMB PERSON!”
During an exchange about rising inflation, Donald Trump defended his economic policies and argued that inflation had been low before the outbreak of war with Iran. Trump tied the economic turmoil to national security concerns and lashed out at a reporter questioning whether his policies were failing: Q: “Inflation is now at its highest level in 3 years. Are your policies not working?” TRUMP: “My policies are working incredibly. If you go back to just before the war, inflation was at 1.7%. If you want to let these lunatics have a nuclear weapon, then you’re a stupid person, and you happen to be.”
Oversight Democrats held a shadow hearing in Palm Beach this morning where Epstein survivors shared their stories publicly for the first time ever. You can watch the full hearing here:
Maria Farmer released a video message to Congress alleging that Ghislaine Maxwell has threatened her life and accusing the Trump DOJ of withholding key evidence she provided about Jeffrey Epstein and multiple alleged co-conspirators. Farmer said she turned over extensive information to federal authorities, but claims the public still has not seen the full scope of the evidence. She also warned that survivors continue to face intimidation while powerful figures remain protected.
Sky Roberts became emotional while testifying before Congress on behalf of his late sister, Virginia Giuffre, saying he would speak the words she could no longer say herself. Roberts then read from Giuffre’s 2016 sworn deposition, in which she alleged that Ghislaine Maxwell directed her to have sex with powerful men including Prince Andrew, Glenn Dubin, and Alan Dershowitz. He questioned why, a decade later, none of the men named in the testimony have faced criminal charges and called for Congress and the DOJ to pursue accountability.
“If Virginia were here today, she would say these words herself. Since she cannot, I will say them for her as her little brother.” “This is only a small sample of the thousands of stories that still remain untold. The question today is no longer whether names exist. The question is, what will Congress and the Department of Justice do about it?”
Epstein survivor Dani Hannah Bensky testified that the Trump DOJ exposed her personal information along with the identities of hundreds of other survivors. She said the release endangered victims who had already fought to protect their privacy and safety. The testimony adds to growing criticism over how Epstein-related records were handled and whether survivors were adequately protected by federal authorities.
Epstein survivor Roza eviscerated the Trump Administration for releasing her name publicly more than 500 times: “I kept my identity protected as Jane Doe. I woke up one day with my name mentioned over 500 times, while the rich and powerful remain protected by redactions. My name was exposed to the world. Now reporters from across the globe contact me. I cannot live without looking over my shoulder. I can only imagine the long-term impact this mistake will have on my life.”
House Oversight Ranking Member Robert Garcia and Democrats have released a new report on May 12 detailing how the sweetheart deal brokered by former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta allegedly helped further enrich Jeffrey Epstein and expand his network of sexual abuse involving adolescent girls. Garcia said the report is based on bank records and financial evidence tied to Epstein’s operations. He also signaled that additional findings and disclosures are expected in the coming months. “This report is just the beginning that we intend to put out over the course of the months ahead.”
During a heated Senate exchange, Kash Patel lashed out at Chris Van Hollen after being questioned about allegations raised in reporting from The Atlantic. Patel responded by accusing Van Hollen of wasting taxpayer money and referenced the senator’s past trip to El Salvador in unusually combative terms. The confrontation quickly drew attention as tensions escalated during the hearing. “The only person that was slinging margaritas in El Salvador and the taxpayer dollar with a convicted gang banging rapist was you.”
In an exclusive photo I received, the National Guard has been spotted playing the arcade games put up on the National Mall by Secret
According to the Wall Street Journal, Donald Trump reportedly handed his acting attorney general news clippings marked with a sticky note reading “treason” as the administration escalated efforts to investigate media leaks tied to the Iran conflict. The report says Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is considering subpoenas against reporters and media outlets that published national security leaks, prompting criticism from press freedom advocates. Here is what Blanche said in response to the reporting today:
The Trump administration has released its new 2026 counterterrorism strategy, which calls for the “identification and neutralization” of what it describes as “violent secular political groups” with “anti-American, radically pro-transgender, and anarchist” ideologies. The strategy, unveiled by White House counterterrorism adviser Sebastian Gorka, has sparked backlash from civil liberties groups and LGBTQ advocates over its language and scope. Critics argue the document dangerously conflates political activism and transgender rights advocacy with terrorism.
Lindsey Graham said he does not trust Pakistan to serve as a mediator between the United States and Iran amid growing scrutiny over Islamabad’s role in the conflict: “[W]e should be looking maybe for somebody else to mediate. No wonder this damn thing is going nowhere.”
The Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh to the Federal Reserve Board in a 51–45 vote, with John Fetterman breaking with most Democrats to support the nomination. Warsh, a former Fed governor and longtime Wall Street figure, is expected to play a major role in shaping monetary policy amid ongoing debates over inflation and interest rates.
According to POLITICO, FDA Commissioner Martin Makary is resigning after 13 months leading the agency amid internal turmoil, mass layoffs, and clashes with lawmakers, drugmakers, and the White House. The report says Kyle Diamantas will serve as acting commissioner following Makary’s departure. POLITICO reports that the decision had been under discussion for months and that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ultimately made the call.
According to POLITICO, residents in Fayetteville, Georgia discovered that a massive data center campus operated by Quality Technology Services used nearly 30 million gallons of water through improperly tracked hookups before the utility noticed the issue. County officials said the company ultimately paid nearly $150,000 in retroactive charges, though no penalties or fines were issued. The controversy has intensified local backlash against large data centers amid drought conditions and growing concerns over water consumption in Georgia communities.
According to NBC News, health officials are monitoring a growing outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, with at least 11 passengers infected and three deaths reported. Experts say the Andes strain is the only known hantavirus capable of spreading person-to-person, though officials stress the overall public risk remains very low. CDC officials believe the close quarters aboard the cruise ship likely contributed to transmission, while researchers continue studying how easily the virus can spread between people. “It’s important to remember that we’re very early in this outbreak,” a CDC official told NBC News. “The risk to the public is very, very low at this time, but that doesn’t mean we’re letting our guard down.”
The Department of Justice has filed criminal charges against the Singapore-based shipping companies linked to the deadly Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. Federal prosecutors announced charges against Synergy Marine Private Limited, Synergy Maritime Private Limited, and ship officer Karthik Nair Radhakrishnan over alleged misconduct connected to the disaster that killed six construction workers. The indictment includes conspiracy charges, violations of the Ports and Waterways Safety Act, misconduct or neglect of ship officers resulting in death, and obstruction-related offenses.
The Parnas Perspective, News and Comment: White House Calls Reporter 'Moron' For Showing Trump Dozing Off, Major Epstein and Iran News, Supreme Court Green Lights Alabama Gerrymander, Aaron Parnas, right, May 11, 2026. There is a massive amount of news to cover today. The White House is now calling reporters “morons” for sharing videos and images of Donald Trump appearing to fall asleep during a maternal health event.
Major developments are unfolding overseas as Trump pushes to suspend the federal gas tax, the UAE reportedly carries out secret strikes on Iran, and new reporting alleges Pakistan helped Iran shield military aircraft during the recent crisis.
A teenager has died just hours after reuniting with his parents following their detention by ICE. Trump is also now claiming he is seriously considering making Venezuela the 51st state. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court handed Alabama Republicans a major victory in a redistricting case that could eliminate one Black-majority congressional district.
Tomorrow will be a critical day in the Epstein investigation. I covering a major hearing involving Epstein survivors, while also working around the clock behind the scenes to help members of Congress and others prepare for upcoming witness interviews tied to the files.
Our first paid subscriber live event is happening Wednesday evening at 6:45 PM EST. On Friday, I will publish our first major deep dive investigative report focused on either a bombshell gun-related story, data centers, or possibly both. But I cannot keep building this without your support.
Here’s the news:
During a mid-morning public event on maternal health, Donald Trump appeared to fall asleep at his desk, according to observers (including those drawing on the Reuters photo above). Video clips from the event circulated online, with critics pointing to moments where his eyes were closed and his head appeared to droop.
The White House responded by calling a reporter who shared an image of the President’s eyes drooping a “moron.”
As a result, in what appears to be an example of the Streisand Effect, the term “blinking” began to trend worldwide:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he is concerned that teenagers today have lower sperm counts than previous generations. He linked the issue to broader worries about environmental toxins, food additives, and public health trends. Kennedy has frequently raised concerns about declining fertility and its potential long-term effects on population health.
According to CBS News, Pakistan quietly allowed Iranian military aircraft to use Pakistani airbases during the recent U.S.-Iran crisis while also acting as a diplomatic intermediary between Washington and Tehran. Iranian aircraft, including a reconnaissance RC-130 plane, were reportedly sent to Pakistan’s Nur Khan Air Base, though Pakistani officials denied the claims. The report highlights Pakistan’s difficult balancing act between maintaining strategic ties with the United States, Iran, Gulf states, and China amid escalating regional tensions. It also underscores growing concerns over security in the Strait of Hormuz, where U.S. and Iranian forces have been operating in close proximity during ongoing instability affecting global oil shipping routes.
Donald Trump suggested suspending the gas tax today:
According to the Wall Street Journal, the United Arab Emirates has allegedly conducted covert military strikes against Iran, including an April attack on an oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island. The UAE has shifted from a largely defensive regional posture to a more assertive military role, leveraging its advanced Western-made fighter jets and surveillance systems. The report portrays the UAE as increasingly willing to use force to defend its economic interests and geopolitical influence amid escalating regional tensions. The strikes also suggest that Gulf states are becoming more directly involved in the broader conflict surrounding Iran and concerns over U.S. reluctance to confront Tehran aggressively.
President Trump said in a phone call with Fox News’ John Roberts that he is “seriously considering” making Venezuela the 51st US state. According to reports from Fox News colleagues, Trump pointed to Venezuela’s massive oil reserves and claimed that “Venezuela loves Trump.” The comments quickly sparked backlash and disbelief, with Venezuelan officials rejecting the idea and reaffirming the country’s sovereignty.
Brock Pierce attended the unveiling of a golden Trump statue in Doral, Florida, where he participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Pierce has previously been linked to Jeffrey Epstein, including a 2012 message in which he reportedly told Epstein he had a “great time with the girls.” The resurfacing of their past connection has drawn renewed scrutiny online following Pierce’s appearance at the Trump-themed event. Critics have pointed to the association as part of broader concerns about Epstein’s network and relationships with public figures.
Trump said the ceasefire with Iran is on “life support” after rejecting Iran’s latest peace proposals and signaled he may restart U.S. naval escorts through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by insisting there would be no further negotiations unless sanctions are lifted, frozen funds are released, and its control over the strait is recognized. The escalating standoff has driven oil prices higher and left thousands of seafarers and hundreds of tankers stranded in the Gulf. The dispute is also creating pressure ahead of Trump’s upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the U.S. seeks ways to isolate Iran economically and strategically.
An 18-year-old Chicago cancer patient, Kevin Gonzalez, died one day after reuniting in Mexico with his parents, who had been detained by ICE while trying to cross the border to say goodbye. Gonzalez had stage 4 colon cancer and traveled from Chicago to Durango, Mexico, after checking himself out of the hospital in hopes of seeing his parents again. His parents were released from federal custody in Arizona after a judge ordered their release, allowing the family to reunite shortly before his death. The case has drawn national attention and renewed debate over immigration enforcement, humanitarian exceptions, and family separation policies.
Reports from Sky News and Bloomberg say several Cabinet ministers are preparing to urge Keir Starmer to resign. The reported move signals growing internal pressure within the Labour government and could trigger a major political crisis if senior ministers publicly break with Starmer. Neither Downing Street nor the ministers involved had officially confirmed the reports at the time they emerged. The situation remains fluid as attention turns to potential meetings and statements expected tomorrow morning.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said that President Trump is “not in a rush” to respond to rising gas prices, suggesting the administration is taking a longer-term approach rather than pursuing immediate action.
President Trump nominated Kari Lake and Doug Mastriano to diplomatic posts, selecting Lake as ambassador to Jamaica and Mastriano as ambassador to Slovakia. Both were prominent Trump allies who lost gubernatorial races in battleground states in 2022 and publicly supported Trump’s claims about election fraud. Lake previously led the U.S. Agency for Global Media, where she oversaw major cuts to Voice of America that later faced legal challenges in court. The nominations now head to the Senate for confirmation and could reshape Republican politics in Pennsylvania and Arizona.
Eighteen Americans returned to the U.S. after being aboard the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship Hondius, with two passengers placed in biocontainment units in Omaha and Atlanta as a precaution. One passenger tested positive for hantavirus and another showed mild symptoms, while health officials emphasized that the risk to the general public remains very low because the virus spreads only through prolonged close contact. The outbreak has resulted in six confirmed cases and three deaths since the ship departed Argentina in April. Health authorities in multiple countries are continuing monitoring, quarantines, and investigations into the source of the outbreak.
Virginia Democratic leaders asked the US Supreme Court to review a recent Virginia Supreme Court ruling that struck down the state’s Democratic-backed redistricting plan. The state court’s decision overturned maps that had previously been approved by voters. Democrats argue the ruling disregarded the will of voters and are seeking federal intervention to restore the plan. The dispute could affect future election boundaries and political representation in Virginia.
The Supreme Court cleared the way for Alabama to move forward with a new congressional map that would likely favor Republicans and eliminate one of the state’s two majority-Black districts. The decision sends the case back to a lower court and follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that weakened key protections in the Voting Rights Act. Liberal justices objected, warning the move could create confusion as elections approach. The dispute is part of a yearslong battle over whether Alabama’s maps fairly represent the state’s Black population.
Rep. Jen Kiggans made racist remarks today saying she agreed that Hakeem Jeffries had “cotton-picking hands,” repeating the phrase, “Get your cotton-picking hands off of Virginia.”
The Supreme Court extended a temporary order allowing continued access to the abortion pill mifepristone through telehealth and mail delivery while it considers an emergency appeal. The new order, issued Monday, keeps the policy in place until Thursday evening and pauses a lower court ruling that would have required women to obtain the drug through in-person visits. Justice Samuel Alito, who oversees emergency appeals from the 5th Circuit, first issued the temporary stay last week. The case remains under review by the justices and could have major implications for abortion access nationwide.
President Trump nominated Cameron Hamilton to permanently lead Federal Emergency Management Agency, about a year after firing him from the same role. Hamilton was removed in 2025 after telling Congress he did not support eliminating FEMA, despite criticism of the agency from Trump and some allies. His nomination suggests the administration may be stepping back from earlier efforts to dismantle FEMA. If confirmed, Hamilton would take over an agency facing staffing shortages, operational challenges, and pressure to prepare for the upcoming disaster season.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Netflix, accusing the company of collecting user data without consent and designing addictive features that target children and families. The lawsuit claims Netflix built a large-scale behavioral surveillance system that tracks viewing habits, devices, and other personal data while misleading consumers about privacy and child safety. Netflix denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit inaccurate and defending its privacy practices and parental controls. The case adds to growing legal scrutiny of major tech and media platforms over data collection and allegedly addictive design features.
A federal appeals court in Ohio became the third appeals court to reject the Trump administration’s effort to broadly detain immigrants without bond hearings while deportation cases proceed. The 6th Circuit ruled that many immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for years or decades must have an opportunity to argue for release, saying indefinite detention without bond could violate due process rights. The decision deepens a growing split among federal appeals courts, increasing the likelihood the issue will reach the Supreme Court. The dispute centers on the administration’s expanded interpretation of immigration law, which classifies nearly all people facing deportation as subject to mandatory detention.
A group of 40 House Democrats raised concerns about the Trump administration’s deportation flight program, accusing ICE of using secretive charter flights that limit public oversight and may violate immigrants’ due process rights. Lawmakers asked the FAA to provide detailed records on ICE air operations and investigate allegations that detainees were transported without notice to families or lawyers. The letter also questioned the use of restraints and the humanitarian conditions aboard deportation flights. The administration has denied wrongdoing, saying its detention and transport practices follow legal and safety standards.
More Global News
New York Times, News Analysis: What Middle Powers Fear About the Trump-Xi Summit, Damien Cave, May 12, 2026 (print ed.). Asian nations worry that the president might trade security commitments for better economic terms with China during his planned meeting with Xi Jinping this week.
Poland will soon host production lines for South Korean tanks. Australia is buying warships from Japan. Canada will send uranium to India, while India offers cruise missiles to Vietnam, and Brazil builds military transport planes for the United Arab Emirates.
All of these deals were sealed in the past few weeks. Each one represents an attempt by middle powers to protect themselves as the conflict in Iran throttles global energy supplies, and as a high-stakes summit between President Trump and Xi Jinping of China looms.
Global polls show the world has little trust in the United States and China. Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi have both used their enormous leverage over trade and security to coerce or punish. And in response, smaller nations are behaving as if they are stuck in “Godzilla” or “Dune” — moving quietly in small groups, trying not to provoke the wrath of petulant giants.
“It’s fifty shades of hedging,” said Richard Heydarian, a Filipino political scientist at Oxford University. Or, as Ja Ian Chong, a security analyst in Singapore put it, “No party wants to cross Beijing and now Washington, too.”
For countries watching from afar, dread and hope hover over the Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing, which is scheduled for this week. In Asia, which has been hit hardest and fastest by oil shortages caused by the war and China’s tight control of oil-product exports, the mood is particularly grim. Interviews with officials, and statements from leaders traveling the globe to secure trade and defense deals, suggest that most middle powers feel overwhelmed by the deteriorating world order.
Many believe the summit carries more potential for harm than help. And Mr. Trump’s gut-driven approach to complex issues is the main source of anxiety.
New York Times, Lawmakers Urge Trump to Move Ahead on Delayed Arms Sale to Taiwan, Robert Jimison, May 12, 2026 (print ed.). The Trump administration has held up the sale for months ahead of President Trump’s meeting this week with President Xi Jinping of China.
A bipartisan group of senators is pressing President Trump to move ahead with a long-delayed $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan, a critical test of the administration’s commitment to the island ahead of Mr. Trump’s meeting with President Xi Jinping of China later this week.
In a letter sent on Friday, the lawmakers urged the president to formally notify Congress of the arms package and argued that Taipei’s recent approval of a new military spending plan removed any remaining rationale for delay. Senior lawmakers offered early approval to the package in January, but it has stalled in the State Department for months, raising broader questions about the administration’s approach to Taiwan and its effort to recalibrate relations with Beijing.
Administration officials have told some involved in the approval of the sale that the White House directed the hold to ensure that Mr. Trump had a successful meeting with Mr. Xi.
“Ahead of your summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, we urge you and your team to make clear that America’s support for Taiwan is inviolable,” the senators wrote. They also warned against allowing support for the self-governing island, which Beijing has threatened to take by force, to become a bargaining chip in broader economic or diplomatic talks with China.
Cruise ship MV Hondius docks off Cape Verde port, as passengers were not allowed off the ship, while health authorities investigated suspected cases of hantavirus aboard the vessel, in Praia Port, Cape Verde, May 4, 2026. Hondius anchored off Tristan da Cunha from April 13 to 15, 2026.
New York Times, American Passengers Exposed to Hantavirus Land in U.S., Sonia A. Rao and Jin Yu Young, May 11, 2026. Seventeen Americans from a cruise ship that faced a hantavirus outbreak arrived in Nebraska and will be monitored at a quarantine center. One tested “mildly” positive for the Andes virus, health officials said.
May 11
Top Headlines
President Trump, right and his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, left, meet at a G20 dinner in 2018 in Argentina.
As Trump Heads to Beijing, China Is ‘Locked and Loaded’ for a Fight, Alexandra Stevenson and Murphy Zhao, May 11,2026. Beijing is signaling that it is ready for a trade showdown, and it is building up a legal arsenal in preparation.Next Challenge for Democrats...And Every American
Trump dozes off in the Oval Office during an event supposedly about maternal health on May 11, 2026 (Reuters photo).
The New Republic, Daily Blast: News and Opinion: Trump Blurts Out Vile Plot to Steal Midterms as Polls Take Brutal Turn, Greg Sargent, May 11, 2026. As Trump reveals new levels of corruption to the GOP scheme to gerrymander the midterms, a writer on voting rights explains why Democrats must develop an aggressive long-term response.
May 11, 2026. They need a bold and radical political reform agenda, or things will only get worse.
May 11, 2026. It's been a rough few weeks for us, but for Putinism-Trumpism too......News Roundups
May 11, 2026. There is a massive amount of news breaking this morning. Trump is now moving forward with plans for an “election integrity army” that would reportedly operate across all 50 states ahead of the midterms. At the same time, MAGA supporters are furious after spending millions on Trump-branded phones that still have not shipped and may never arrive. Overseas, Iran negotiations have effectively stalled, oil prices are rising again, and tensions inside the Republican Party are exploding.More On Iran War
Trump's America
A 22-foot effigy of Donald Trump, wrapped in gold leaf, now stands at his Doral golf course in Miami. The president boasted about it Thursday morning on Truth Social with the all-caps line: “The Real Deal — GOLD.”
May 11, 2026. I remember the day I came face to face with the horrifying prospect that Donald Trump could win the presidency.May 11, 2026. The White House held a maternal healthcare event in the Oval Office, and Trump cared so much about the lives of the unborn that he fell asleep multiple times.U.S. Scandals, Schemes, Corruption Allegations
Eric and Donald Trump Jr. pose in a collage that includes also models of the so-called Trump Phone.
May 11, 2026. For 11 months, Trump Mobile has been collecting $100 deposits for a Trump phone. No phones have shipped to customers.U.S. Law, Courts, Rights, Crime, Justice
U.S. Governance, Politics, Elections
May 11, 2026. The tech bros are worse than the robber barons ever were — and voters are catching on.May 11, 2026. The pain of millions of Americans due to the Republican Obamacare subsidy cuts could end next year if Democrats win back the House as they plan to force an immediate showdown with Trump.More Global News
May 11, 2026. There were two very different celebrations in Russia and in Hungary yesterday.Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Is Putin Finally About to Do Something Smart? Benjamin Parker, May 11, 2026. Vladimir Putin is a master manipulator, an effective autocrat, one of history’s most accomplished thieves, and a wily opportunist.Top Stories
President Trump, right and his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, left, meet at a G20 dinner in 2018 in Argentina.
New York Times, As Trump Heads to Beijing, China Is ‘Locked and Loaded’ for a Fight, Alexandra Stevenson and Murphy Zhao, May 11, 2026. Beijing is signaling that it is ready for a trade showdown, and it is building up a legal arsenal in preparation.
Peace and stability will be the public message when President Trump and China’s leader, Xi Jinping, meet in Beijing this week. But behind the diplomatic platitudes, both governments are quietly preparing for something harsher — a prolonged economic war, mapping vulnerabilities and sharpening tools to inflict pain on the other.
In recent weeks, China has made clear that it no longer fears another escalation. It reached for a new legal mechanism to counter U.S. sanctions. It blocked Meta’s acquisition of a promising A.I. start-up founded in China. And it codified rules aimed at punishing foreign businesses that comply with Western efforts to pull back from China.
The moves are part of Beijing’s broader campaign to push back against what it sees as Washington’s intensifying efforts to constrain its economy and technological rise. Over the past year, the two countries have ratcheted up their economic offensives, whacking each other with steep tariffs, restricting the flow of rare earths and critical technologies and imposing sanctions on major industrial companies.
Whether Mr. Xi and Mr. Trump can agree to place even modest guardrails on their expanding economic weapons will be a critical litmus test of whether their meeting succeeds.
“China is signaling more strongly that they are locked and loaded,” said Andrew Gilholm, a China expert at Control Risks, a consulting firm. “We are on the brink of a much more frequent or widespread use of Chinese countermeasures against U.S. sanctions.”
It is a high-stakes moment a decade in the making. In his first term, Mr. Trump warned that confrontation with China over technology and trade was unavoidable. He placed tariffs on certain Chinese sectors and singled out companies for sanctions. China responded with restrained, largely symbolic countermeasures, as regulators drafted laws mirroring U.S. actions, creating blacklists and export control lists.
New York Times, Iran War Live Updates: Iran War Live Updates: Long-Term Energy Crisis Looms as Trump Says Truce Is on ‘Life Support,’ Aaron Boxerman, May 11, 2026. Tehran said its conditions for a peace deal include U.S. war reparations, recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and an end to American sanctions, Iranian state media reported.
Iran defended its demands for a peace deal and President Trump called them “garbage.” Mr. Trump said he wanted to suspend the federal gasoline tax, which would require congressional approval.
s President Trump said on Monday that the cease-fire in Iran was on “life support,” countries around the world were bracing for prolonged economic woes stemming from high energy prices.
The average price of gasoline in the United States has climbed to more than $4.55 per gallon, up more than $1.50 since the war began in late February. India’s prime minister told his citizens on Sunday to conserve fuel, and the status of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical fuel shipping lane, looms over talks between Mr. Trump and China’s president, Xi Jinping, later this week.
Talks between the United States and Iran stumbled again over the weekend. Replying to an American proposal to reopen the strait and negotiate an end to the war, Iran called for U.S. war reparations, recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and an end to American sanctions, Iran’s state-owned broadcaster reported on Monday.
The Iranian offer is a “piece of garbage,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that Tehran was in the grip of “lunatics.” On Sunday, before any elements of the counterproposal were made public, Mr. Trump dismissed it as “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,” but did not specify his objections.
New York Times, Investigation: Kennedy Is Driving a Vast Inquiry Into Vaccines, Despite His Public Silence, Christina Jewett and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, May 11, 2026. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has toned down his public criticism of vaccines, under orders from the White House. But inside his department, a sprawling research effort is a top priority.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said little publicly about vaccines in recent months, at the behest of a White House worried that his unpopular stance will hurt Republicans in November’s midterm elections. But he has not abandoned his quest for evidence that they are unsafe.
Working behind the scenes, Mr. Kennedy is spearheading an intense push, across health agencies under his purview, for government scientists and federal data contractors to examine his long-held theory that vaccines are helping to fuel an epidemic of chronic disease, according to multiple people familiar with the effort.
They said the wide-ranging inquiry is a top priority for Mr. Kennedy, who sees vaccines as a “potential culprit” in various neurological and autoimmune disorders, including asthma and allergies. It resurrects research into a number of ideas Mr. Kennedy has espoused, including whether vaccines are linked to autism and whether thimerosal, a preservative that has largely been removed from vaccines in the United States but remains in some flu shots, is dangerous.
The effort is being led by Martin Kulldorff, a biostatistician and vaccine safety expert who rose in prominence during the pandemic as a critic of Covid restrictions and vaccine mandates, and is now the health department’s chief science and data officer.
Career scientists at the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are conducting the research alongside contractors who provide statistical expertise and access to millions of patient medical records. The initiative was described to The New York Times by six people who are close to it, all of whom insisted on anonymity because it is not public.
The work is raising alarms among some vaccine scholars and critics of Mr. Kennedy, who have long accused the secretary of cherry-picking data and misinterpreting studies to claim that vaccines are unsafe and to limit their use. They fear Mr. Kennedy will use the findings to further erode confidence in vaccines, which the World Health Organization estimates saved 154 million lives over the past half-century.
Mr. Kennedy, who came into office saying he would do nothing to discourage people from getting vaccinated, has already taken steps to scale back the number of vaccines children receive. Public health experts complain that by spending money on issues that have already been thoroughly studied, he is taking funds away from research that might answer the very questions he is asking, including what causes autism.
“It just demonstrates that no matter what the general tone is about vaccines, whether we talk about them or not, the secretary is going to continue to try and look at the data and analyze it in a way that will help support the conclusions that he’s already made,” said Dr. Daniel Jernigan, who oversaw vaccine safety at the C.D.C. until he resigned in August. “And that, to me, is a real problem.”
Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for Mr. Kennedy, said in a statement that the effort reflected President Trump’s dedication to advancing “gold-standard vaccine research” that will enable policymakers to “better understand vaccine safety and efficacy and to assess how vaccine exposure, timing and patterns affect health across the life span.”Editors’ PicksAre You Frail?Wait, My Lamp Wasn’t Even Italian?What Is Body Dysmorphic Disorder?
Mr. Nixon said the work would “inform vaccine recommendations, address critical gaps identified by scientific and medical organizations, including the Institute of Medicine, and strengthen public trust in public health.”
He said the initiative also involved the National Institutes of Health and universities. It remains unclear what the effort will cost and whether it is supplanting other routine government vaccine surveillance.
A former plaintiff’s lawyer, Mr. Kennedy has long said that he wants to build a body of scientific evidence on the harms of vaccines and environmental exposures, which he believes are behind an epidemic of chronic disease. That evidence, he has said, will lay the groundwork for legal action.
The Atlantic, Opinion: Checkmate in Iran, Robert Kagan, May 10, 2026. Washington can’t reverse or control the consequences of losing this war.
It’s hard to think of a time when the United States suffered a total defeat in a conflict, a setback so decisive that the strategic loss could be neither repaired nor ignored. The calamitous losses suffered at Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, and throughout the Western Pacific in the first months of 
World War II were eventually reversed. The defeats in Vietnam and Afghanistan were costly but did not do lasting damage to America’s overall position in the world, because they were far from the main theaters of global competition. The initial failure in Iraq was mitigated by a shift instrategy that ultimately left Iraq relatively stable and unthreatening to its neighbors and kept the United States dominant in the region.
Defeat in the present confrontation with Iran will be of an entirely different character. It can neither be repaired nor ignored. There will be no return to the status quo ante, no ultimate American triumph that will undo or overcome the harm done. The Strait of Hormuz will not be “open,” as it once was. With control of the strait, Iran emerges as the key player in the region and one of the key players in the world. The roles of China and Russia, as Iran’s allies, are strengthened; the role of the United States, substantially diminished. Far from demonstrating American prowess, as supporters of the war have repeatedly claimed, the conflict has revealed an America that is unreliable and incapable of finishing what it started. That is going to set off a chain reaction around the world as friends and foes adjust to America’s failure.
President Trump likes to talk about who has “the cards,” but whether he has any good ones left to play is not clear. The United States and Israel pounded Iran with devastating effectiveness for 37 days, killing much of the country’s leadership and destroying the bulk of its military, yetcouldn’t collapse the regime or exact even the smallest concession from it. Now the Trump administration hopes that blockading Iran’s ports will accomplish what massive force could not. It’s possible, of course, but a regime that could not be brought to its knees by five weeks of unrelenting military attack is unlikely to buckle in response to economic pressure alone. Nor does it fear the anger of its populace. As the Iran scholar Suzanne Maloney noted recently, “A regime that slaughtered its own citizens to silence protests in January is fully prepared to impose economic hardships on them now.”
Some supporters of the war are therefore calling for the resumption of military strikes, but they cannot explain how another round of bombing will accomplish what 37 days of bombing did not. More military action will inevitably lead Iran to retaliate against neighboring Gulf States; the war’s advocates have no response to that, either. Trump halted attacks on Iran not because he was bored but because Iran was striking the region’s vital oil and gas facilities. The turning point came on March 18, when Israel bombed Iran’s South Pars gas field and Iran retaliated by attacking Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, the world’s largest natural-gas-export plant, causing damage to production capacity that will take years to repair. Trump responded by declaring a moratorium on further strikes against Iran’s energy facilities and then declaring a cease-fire, despite Iran’s not having made a single concession.Recommended Reading
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The risk calculus that forced Trump to back down a month ago still holds. Even if Trump were to carry out his threat to destroy Iran’s “civilization” through more bombing, Iran would still be able to launch many missiles and drones before its regime went down—assuming it did go down. Just a few successful strikes could cripple the region’s oil and gas infrastructure for years if not decades, throwing the world, and the United States, into a prolonged economic crisis. Even if Trump wanted to bomb Iran as part of an exit strategy—looking tough as a way of masking his retreat—he can’t do that without risking this catastrophe.
If this isn’t checkmate, it’s close. In recent days, Trump has reportedly asked the U.S. intelligence community to assess the consequences of simply declaring victory and walking away. You can’t blame him. Hoping for regime collapse is not much of a strategy, especially when the regime has already survived repeated military and economic pummeling. It could fall tomorrow, or six months from now, or not at all. Trump doesn’t have that much time to wait, as oil climbs toward $150 or even $200 a barrel, inflation rises, and global food and other commodity shortages kick in. He needs a faster resolution.
But any resolution other than America’s effective surrender holds enormous risks that Trump has not so far been willing to take. Those who glibly call on Trump to “finish the job” rarely acknowledge the costs. Unless the U.S. is prepared to engage in a full-scale ground and naval war to remove the current Iranian regime, and then to occupy Iran until a new government can take hold; unless it is prepared to risk the loss of warships convoying tankers through a contested strait; unless it is prepared to accept the devastating long-term damage to the region’s productive capacities likely to result from Iranian retaliation—walking away now could seem like the least bad option. As a political matter, Trump may well feel he has a better chance of riding out defeat than of surviving a much larger, longer, and more expensive war that could still end in failure.
Defeat for the United States, therefore, is not only possible but likely. Here is what defeat looks like.
Iran remains in control of the Strait of Hormuz. The common assumption that, one way or another, the strait will reopen when the crisis ends is unfounded. Iran has no interest in returning to the status quo ante. People talk of a split between hard-liners and moderates in Tehran, but even moderates must understand that Iran cannot afford to let the strait go, no matter how good a deal it thought it could get. For one thing, how reliable is any deal with Trump? He all but boasted of replicating the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by approving the killing of Iran’s leadership amid negotiations. The Iranians cannot be sure that Trump won’t decide to attack again within a few months of striking a deal. They also know that the Israelis may attack again, as they never feel constrained from acting when they perceive their interests to be threatened.
And Israel’s interests will be threatened. As many Iran experts have noted, the regime in Tehran currently stands to emerge from the crisis much stronger than it was before the war, having not only retained its potential nuclear capacity but also gained control of an even more effective weapon: the ability to hold the global energy market hostage. When the Iranians talk of “reopening” the strait, they still mean to keep the strait under their control. Iran will be able not only to demand tolls for passage, but to limit transit to those nations with which it has good relations. If a nation behaves in a way that Iran’s rulers don’t like, they will be able to exact punishment merely by slowing, or even threatening to slow, the flow of that nation’s cargo ships in and out of the strait.
The power to close or control the flow of ships through the strait is greater and more immediate than the theoretical power of Iran’s nuclear program. This leverage will allow the leaders in Tehran to force nations to lift sanctions and normalize relations or face penalties. Israel will find itself more isolated than ever, as Iran grows richer, rearms, and preserves its options to go nuclear in the future. It may even find itself unable to go after Iran’s proxies: In a world where Iran wields influence over the energy supply of so many nations, Israel could face enormous international pressure not to provoke Tehran in Lebanon, Gaza, or anywhere else.
The new status quo in the strait will also occasion a substantial shift in relative power and influence both regionally and globally. In the region, the United States will have proved itself a paper tiger, forcing the Gulf and other Arab states to accommodate Iran. As the Iran scholars Reuel Gerecht and Ray Takeyh wrote recently, “The Gulf Arab economies were built under the umbrella of American hegemony. Take that away—and the freedom of navigation that goes with it—and the Gulf states will ineluctably go begging to Tehran.”
They will not be the only ones. All nations that depend on energy from the Gulf will have to work out their own arrangements with Iran. What choice will they have? If the United States with its mighty Navy can’t or won’t open the strait, no coalition of forces with just a fraction of the Americans’ capability will be able to, either. The Anglo-French initiative to police the strait after a cease-fire is a bit of a joke. French President Emmanuel Macron has made it clear that this “coalition” will operate only under peaceful conditions in the strait: It will escort ships, but only if they don’t need an escort. Yet with Iran in control, the strait is not going to be safe again for a long time. China presumably has some influence over Tehran, but even China cannot force open the strait by itself.
One effect of this transformation may be an expanding great-power naval race. In the past, most of the world’s nations, including China, counted on the United States to both prevent and address such emergencies. Now the nations in Europe and Asia that depend on access to the Persian Gulf’s resources are helpless against the loss of energy supplies that are vital to their economic and political stability. How long can they tolerate this before they start building their own fleets, as a means of wielding influence in an every-nation-for-itself world where order and predictability have broken down?
The American defeat in the Gulf will have broader global ramifications as well. The whole world can see that just a few weeks of war with a second-rank power have reduced American weapons stocks to perilously low levels, with no quick remedy in sight. The questions this raises about America’s readiness for another major conflict may or may not prompt Xi Jinping to launch an attack on Taiwan, or Vladimir Putin to step up his aggression against Europe. But at the very least America’s allies in East Asia and Europe must wonder about American staying power in the event of future conflicts.
The global adjustment to a post-American world is accelerating. America’s once-dominant position in the Gulf is just the first of many casualties.Illustration of a gift box with a newspaper collage pattern representing a gifted article
Robert Kagan is a contributing writer for The Atlantic, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and the author, most recently, of "Rebellion: How."
New York Times, Supreme Court Clears Path for Alabama to Use New Voting Map, Abbie VanSickle and Emily Cochrane, May 11, 2026. A majority of the justices sided with Alabama in a move that could speed up efforts to put in place a congressional district map that would eliminate a majority-Black district.
The Supreme Court on Monday cleared a path for Alabama to use a new voting map for the midterm elections, a victory for Republicans and another sign of the significance of the court’s recent decision narrowing the Voting Rights Act.
The justices appeared to splinter along ideological lines in the decision, with the court’s three liberals joined in dissent.
The one-paragraph order involved a pending petition before the court by Alabama lawmakers who had challenged the state’s current congressional map, which includes two majority-Black districts that both elected Democrats to Congress in 2024.
The Supreme Court’s decision will send the case back to a lower court judge to reconsider the legality of the Alabama map in light of the court’s recent decision dealing a blow to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a landmark civil rights-era law. It raised the bar for bringing legal challenges to voting maps, like one that previously resulted in the current Alabama map.
Alabama officials are likely to point to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling to ask the lower court judge to allow the state to use a congressional map first approved in 2023, but never used in light of subsequent court rulings. That new map would include only one majority-Black district, instead of the two in the current map.
In a dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the court’s majority had “unceremoniously” discarded a lower-court ruling “without any sound basis for doing so and without regard for the confusion that will surely ensue.” She asserted that the lower court was free to decide whether the recent Voting Rights Act decision had “any bearing” on its analysis or “if its prior reasoning is unaffected by that decision.” She was joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
In late April, in a 6-to-3 decision, the justices threw out Louisiana’s current congressional district map, finding that state officials there had improperly used race to draw up a congressional district map that likewise had two majority Black districts.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune at the state dinner for King Charles and Queen Camilla in the East Room last month. Photo: Craig Hudson / The Washington Post via Getty Images
New York Times, Times investigation: How Israel Turned Eurovision’s Stage Into a Soft Power Tool, Mara Hvistendahl and Alex Marshall, May 11, 2026. Israel’s efforts to influence Eurovision’s vote were broader and started years earlier than previously known.
Last fall and winter, senior Israeli diplomats urgently contacted officials and television broadcasters across Europe to address a delicate, if unexpected topic: the high camp Eurovision Song Contest.
Broadcasters wanted to ban Israel from Eurovision and threatened to boycott the contest over the war in Gaza. Some even accused the Israeli government of unfairly influencing the results through a mass voting campaign.
Israel arguably had bigger diplomatic concerns than a pop music competition, even one that reaches 166 million viewers around the world. A United Nations commission had recently accused Israel of committing genocide, which it vigorously denied. And world leaders were recognizing Palestinian statehood, which it had long opposed.
“I am a little bit surprised why this is a matter that the embassy is looking into,” Stefan Eiriksson, the head of Iceland’s national broadcaster, wrote to an Israeli diplomat who wanted to discuss Eurovision last December.
This previously undisclosed diplomatic push to keep Israel in Eurovision was just one aspect of a drama that unfolded over the past year around the world’s most watched cultural event. To the Israeli government, Eurovision became more than just a celebration of glittery outfits, gay pride and pyrotechnic staging. It became a chance, through strong showings by its singers, to burnish the country’s flagging reputation and rally international support.
This year’s competition starts on Tuesday, following the biggest crisis in Eurovision’s 70-year history. Iceland and four other countries are boycotting to protest Israel’s participation. The nonprofit European Broadcasting Union, which runs the contest, faces financial challenges.
A New York Times investigation found a well-organized campaign by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government that embraced Eurovision as a soft power tool, and a secretive contest organizer that was ill-equipped to respond.
A 22-foot bronze statue of Donald Trump, nicknamed “Don Colossus,” was unveiled on a seven-foot pedestal after being commissioned for $450,000 by cryptocurrency supporters behind the $PATRIOT memecoin. Created by Ohio sculptor Alan Cottrill and coated in gold leaf, the statue was intended to symbolize Trump’s resilience following assassination attempts. Trump joined the event by phone to thank the evangelical leaders praying over the statue. Several Christian leaders and critics condemned the display as idolatry, arguing it blurred the line between political support and religious devotion.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Trump’s For Himself, Not For You, Bill Kristol, Andrew Egger and Benjamin Parker, May 11, 2026. His narcissism is out of control.
Fresh off the Supreme Court’s decision in Callais v. Louisiana, Democrats received a second major blow Friday in their attempts to keep pace with Republicans in this year’s Total Gerrymandering War: The Virginia Supreme Court struck down the new congressional map, heavily gerrymandered in Democrats’ favor, that Virginia voters approved in a referendum last month, ruling 4–3 that the legislature had cut procedural corners demanded by the state constitution in putting the measure before voters this year. Instead of the map voters okayed, which likely would have given Democrats a 10–1 advantage, the current 6–5 map—which could plausibly grow to 8–3 in a strong blue year—will remain in place.
The national political environment remains hellish for the GOP, but the outcome of the mid-cycle gerrymanderfest has helped them hedge their bets. However the midterms turn out in November, the House will likely be ten or so seats more Republican when the dust settles than it would have had this fight never begun. Happy Monday.
Next Challenge for Democrats...And Every American
Trump dozes off in the Oval Office during an event supposedly about maternal health on May 11, 2026 (Reuters photo).
Medias Touch Network, Monday Afternoon News Updates: Trump Dozes Off as War Ramps Up, Ben Meiselas, right, and MeidasTouch Network, May 11, 2026. It’s Monday, and the word of the day is catastrophic. The economy? Catastrophic. The Iran situation? Catastrophic. The political outlook for Trump heading into the midterms? Catastrophic. And the response from the White House to all of it? Well, that might be the most catastrophic thing of all.
Let me run through what we’re tracking today before I get into the details:
Trump called CBS News this morning and told Nancy Cordes that he wants to pause the 18-cent federal gas tax “for a period of time.” He said he thinks it’s a great idea and that once gas prices come down, the tax will just phase back in.
Here’s what that tells you: things are about to get significantly worse. You don’t float a gas tax pause unless you know the trajectory is bad. The national average is already sitting around $4.60 a gallon, and with the Strait of Hormuz still effectively closed after Iran rejected Trump’s demands, it’s heading toward five dollars fast. I am sure many of you are seeing far higher prices where you live. I know I am here in California. The 18-cent pause wouldn’t even make a dent — gas prices have already risen far more than that, and the causes have nothing to do with the federal gas tax. On top of that, economists estimate this move would add roughly $2.5 billion per month to the national debt. The same national debt Trump is already spiking at record speed.
This is a panicked gesture from a man who has no real answers and knows it.Move over, Canada
Apparently not done making calls for the day, Trump then rang up Fox News to tell John Roberts that he’s “seriously considering” making Venezuela the 51st state of the United States, citing $40 trillion in oil reserves sitting there. He also added that Venezuela loves him.
This is the latest Trump hoax. First it was DOGE…remember that? DOGE was going to fix everything. Then it was the gold cards, which were going to bring in $5 trillion. They’ve sold roughly one gold card and processed somewhere around 160 applications out of what was supposed to be a massive program. Then it was tariff revenue from foreign countries, which was going to be somewhere between $18 and $21 trillion depending on which interview you caught. And now it’s Venezuela, which is going to deliver $40 trillion, conveniently matching the rough size of the national debt Trump is busy inflating.
The plan keeps changing. The number always sounds enormous. Nothing ever materializes. Don’t spend that tariff rebate check all at once, folks.Americans are running out of money
While Trump is busy mapping out his annexation of Venezuela, here’s what’s actually happening to real Americans. The personal savings rate dropped to 3.6% in March — the lowest since 2022. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index just hit its lowest reading since they started tracking it in 1952.
The Kraft Heinz CEO warned that people are literally running out of money at the end of the month and dipping into savings. The McDonald’s CEO talked about rising gas prices hitting low-income consumers hardest. The Whirlpool CEO said the appliance industry is experiencing a decline on par with the 2008 financial crisis. The Costco CFO noted that people are trading beef for chicken, and chicken for canned tuna. These are clear recession indicators.
Kevin Hassett, Trump’s economic advisor, was sent out to respond to the record-low consumer sentiment number, and his answer was essentially: people are stressed out because Trump is doing such an incredible job fixing everything that the pace of positive change is overwhelming them. Trump is so good at his job that it’s making people feel terrible. Yeah, ok.Iran continues to outmaneuver Trump
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei issued a detailed public statement today laying out exactly what Iran is asking for: an end to the blockade, an end to what they describe as maritime piracy, the release of frozen assets, and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. He pointed out that Iran has not launched military operations on U.S. soil thousands of miles away, has not killed hundreds of civilians in a single day, and is not bullying countries throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Trump’s response was to call their proposal “garbage” and say the so called “ceasefire” is now on “life support.” He said he didn’t even finish reading it. He also assured everyone that he has “the best plan ever” for Iran, but could not describe what that plan is, because there is no plan. There is frustration, there are threats, and there are phone calls to television programs. There are weird AI memes posted to his social media accounts. But no plan.
Meanwhile, experts across the political spectrum, including figures not exactly known for being soft on foreign policy, are describing the current situation as Iran having effectively checkmated the United States. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Gas prices keep climbing. And Trump keeps telling Fox News he’s very upset about it.The Kurds, the weapons, and the blame game
Trump also offered a new explanation for why there isn’t a popular uprising inside Iran: the Kurds. He said he sent weapons to be delivered to Kurdish groups to help arm Iranian protesters, but that the Kurds kept the weapons for themselves. “The Kurds take, take, take,” he said.
Kurdish organizations have uniformly denied any of this. Multiple commanders of major Kurdish factions told reporters they received no American weapons and were not part of any such operation. There is no independent confirmation these weapons were ever delivered to anyone. The truth on that is anyone’s guess, to be honest. And this is the same administration that in Trump’s first term abruptly pulled U.S. troops from northern Syria, green-lighting a Turkish invasion of Kurdish-held territory and leaving behind the very fighters who had been America’s primary partners against ISIS — at a cost of more than 11,000 Kurdish lives. The Kurds held signs reading “Trump betrayed us” as U.S. convoys pulled out.
So yes, there are reasons Kurdish groups might be skeptical of American reliability. Trump publicly blaming them now is both revisionist and reckless and it also hands Iran a pretext to retaliate against Kurdish populations.The Reflecting Pool lawsuit
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has become the subject of a federal emergency lawsuit after the Trump administration hired his handpicked swimming pool contractor, on a no-bid contract, with a reported 20% profit margin built in, to repaint the pool blue. The cost has already jumped 88% to $13.1 million.
The lawsuit notes that the Reflecting Pool’s dark tile was not decorative but intentional — it was specifically designed to create the illusion of depth and produce a more profound reflection. It’s a character-defining feature of one of the most historically significant sites in the country, the location where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered “I Have a Dream” in 1963. Plaintiffs are arguing the administration skipped mandatory Congressional review procedures before starting the work.
Trump turned one of the most iconic memorials in American history into a tacky swimming pool renovation project and handed it to a buddy on a no-bid contract.Fertility, sperm counts, and zzzs
This afternoon, Trump hosted an Oval Office event theoretically about maternal health. RFK Jr. used the occasion to discuss declining sperm counts in teenage boys, saying it was his task to investigate the issue. Trump was photographed visibly dozing during portions of the event, with his face notably drooping. Side note: I don’t think the Epstein administration should be discussing the sperm counts of teenage boys.
Dr. Oz contributed the observation that one in three Americans are “under-babied.”
Trump announced that his administration is bringing drug prices down by somewhere between 70% and 600%, depending on, as he put it, “the way you want to phrase the question.” He added that he likes the 500% number better. More stupidity.Hantavirus and the deceptive HHS statement
American passengers exposed to the Andes variant of hantavirus on a cruise ship are now back on U.S. soil, headed into a 42-day quarantine in Omaha, Nebraska. At least one American has tested positive. A French passenger repatriated separately tested positive and deteriorated overnight in the hospital.
HHS put out a statement that described one passenger as “mildly PCR positive.” There is no such thing. A PCR test is either positive or negative. This was a transparent attempt to minimize an asymptomatic positive case while burying the news that an American had contracted the virus. They also conspicuously avoided using the word “quarantine” at any point, despite that being precisely what is happening.
James Comer, when asked about this, said he has complete confidence in the Trump administration because of how well they handled COVID. Umm…
To be clear, there are no signs right now that this is going to become anything resembling the COVID pandemic. The Andes variant transmits differently and the situation is being monitored. But the problem, and it is a real problem, is that we have a gutted CDC, a compromised HHS, and an administration that has already demonstrated in the first few minutes of this crisis that their instinct is to minimize, mislead, and obscure. That’s the danger. Not the virus itself right now, but the people who would be responsible for telling us the truth about it. We need to know exactly what the latest developments are and if this becomes something of greater concern.
Meidas Health’s Vin Gupta said on CNBC earlier: “Hantavirus can cause a serious pulmonary syndrome with a high fatality rate. Clearly a scroll of social media shows a mix of us all learning more in real time. Infectious diseases and critical illness are humbling. I’m glad to see a push towards mandatory quarantine.”
The New Republic, Daily Blast: News and Opinion: Trump Blurts Out Vile Plot to Steal Midterms as Polls Take Brutal Turn, Greg Sargent, right, May 11, 2026. As Trump reveals new levels of corruption to the GOP scheme to gerrymander the midterms, a writer on voting rights explains why Democrats must develop an aggressive long-term response.
After the Virginia Supreme Court blocked the Democratic redistricting plan, which would have netted Democrats four more House seats, Donald Trump celebrated. He called the ruling a “huge win” over a “horrible gerrymander.” But Trump himself has ordered many GOP states to gerrymander maximally.
So here Trump openly declared that Republicans reserve the right to rig elections while Democrats do not. His actual position is that Republicans 
should play by their own corrupt rules, a declaration of intent to functionally steal the midterms.
Not coincidentally, this comes as a new Marist poll shows Democrats leading the generic House matchup by 10 points. Though polling averages have it at five points, Marist is a leading indicator that hints at a blue wave.
We talked to Ari Berman of Mother Jones, the great voting rights reporter. We discuss the Virginia ruling, why democracy can’t function when one party serially cheats, why Democrats must respond, and what their long-term strategy should look like. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.
Public Notice, Opinion: This is a crisis of democracy. What will Dems do about it? Paul Waldman, right, May 11, 2026. They need a bold and radical political reform agenda, or things will only get worse.
For a while there, it appeared the great redistricting war of 2025-2026 would be fought to a draw, or even that Democrats could come out slightly ahead. That is no longer the case, and the way this conflict played out has made something distressingly clear: We are facing nothing less than the collapse of American democracy as we have known it.
This is a crisis, and the only thing that can keep us from spiraling even further downward is if Democrats — not always a group known for their courage and determination — confront it in a way that meets the magnitude of the challenge.
For that to happen, the Democratic Party has to become something it has not been in the past. Its collection of careful legislators and cautious campaigners must be reborn as bold, aggressive, creatively ruthless warriors willing to take steps they never contemplated before.
There are signs they might — the fact that they fought back at all against President Trump’s attempts to rig the midterms shows they have begun to understand what they’re up against. But now they have to go much farther — not just this year, and not just if they take back one or both houses of Congress in November, but toward a radical reform of the political system of the kind we haven’t seen in decades.
The map-drawing frenzy
This started last summer when Donald Trump ordered Republicans, first in Texas and then in other states, to redraw their congressional district maps to deliver more GOP seats.
Most of them complied (Indiana was the exception), and Democrats in California and Virginia responded by putting measures on the ballot to get voters’ permission to do the same. This was a temporary response, they argued: We’ll stop Trump and the GOP from rigging the midterms now, then work toward a national system in which gerrymandering has been banished. The voters in both states agreed.
The Confederacy rises again But Republicans weren’t done. First the conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court gutted what remained of the Voting Rights Act, the crown jewel of the civil rights movement’s triumph in defeating Jim Crow. Immediately, multiple southern states moved to wipe away every district represented by a Black member of Congress, to return to the all-white delegations of the past.
Then conservatives on the Virginia Supreme Court nullified that state’s redistricting referendum, despite the fact that multiple times those same judges had rejected challenges to the measure and allowed it to go forward. It was only when the voters made a choice the court’s conservatives didn’t like that they decided they had to step in. What the Virginia ruling does — and does not — mean for 2026
The redrawing isn’t done yet — for instance, Republicans in South Carolina are considering following Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee in hastily redrawing their maps to get rid of the state’s sole Black representative. Even so, it probably won’t be enough to keep Republicans from losing the House in November, given the president’s abysmal approval ratings and the electorate’s usual midterm preference for whichever party is in the opposition.
That makes what has occurred in the last two weeks no less alarming. And it comes against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s lawlessness, corruption, and dismantling of the federal government’s ability to perform even the basic functions of effective governance.
These are not separate problems, and if they are to be solved they must be solved together.
Procedural aggression is required
When considering where Democrats go from here, we must begin with the Supreme Court, because it is the keystone of conservative minority rule in America.
The truth is that for almost its entire history, the court has been a fundamentally reactionary force, defending the wealth of the wealthy and the power of the powerful against claims to justice or equality. But because of a brief liberal period in the court’s jurisprudence running roughly from Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 to Roe v. Wade in 1973, many on the left came to see the court as a natural ally, even as it moved further and further to the right.
What conservatives realized, on the other hand, was that if they could capture the court then nothing would be out of their reach. “Checks and balances” notwithstanding, the judiciary has a unique ability to nullify the work of the other two branches. So moneyed conservative interests set out on an effort stretching over decades to create a court that didn’t just lean right, but was in the firm control of movement-bred conservatives who were committed to advancing their ideological and policy objectives and saw no limits on their ability to do so.
Trump’s Reichstag fire presidency is immolating
The right understood what they could do with a court like that, and now they have it. Principles and precedents have become a joke, while modes of analysis like “originalism” and “textualism” are deployed in radically different ways depending on which party will benefit from the outcome. When a Democrat is president, the court is extraordinarily aggressive in seizing the power to decide policy; when a Republican is president, he can largely do as he likes, even commit all the crimes he wants. They do this while allowing billionaires with interests before the court to shower them with gifts, because in this world, ethics are for suckers.
That’s why Supreme Court reform is the sine qua non of any progressive reform agenda. Without it, nothing else matters, because this court will use its power to strike down anything meaningful Democrats try to do.
There are plenty of Supreme Court reform ideas out there from which to choose. The first is to expand the size of the court, immediately adding new justices to rebalance the body. Keep in mind that the Court’s size has been altered many times over its history, most recently in 2016 when Republicans contracted it by refusing to allow Barack Obama to appoint a member after the death of Antonin Scalia, then expanded it again once Donald Trump took office.
Beyond expanding the court, Congress should enact 18-year term limits, consider stripping the court of jurisdiction over certain kinds of cases, and create strict new ethics standards to prevent the kind of naked corruption we’ve seen in recent years. That is all in Congress’ power to legislate.
Republicans will object vigorously to these reforms, and there’s no guarantee that Democrats would be able to pass them. But they have to try. As long as we live under the tyranny of this court, our democracy will continue to erode.
Beyond the court
Next, Democrats have to commit themselves to a radical program of political and procedural reform to begin the moment they have control of the executive branch and Congress — which could occur as early as January 2029.
It should include the elimination of the Senate filibuster, the circumventing of the Electoral College through the National Popular Vote interstate compact, a national ban on gerrymandering, and the revision of House elections through multimember districts, all guided by the simple principle that every American deserves both genuine representation and, when they are in the majority, to see their preferences at least stand a chance of being turned into policy.
Oh, and if Democrats take the Senate this November? Donald Trump should get no more Supreme Court nominations, not even if eight of the nine justices decide to retire. None.
Finally, the next Democratic administration must undertake a sweeping and aggressive de-Trumpification, in both policy and personnel.
The horrific changes of this administration have to be undone, and those who committed crimes in this president’s service must be prosecuted. Anyone who was tainted by Trumpism should be eliminated; for instance, the next president should immediately fire every last person who joined ICE or Border Patrol after January 20, 2025 — all of them, without exception. Those who believe they are ethical professionals and not violent thugs would be welcome to reapply for their old jobs, and they could be reassessed to see if they deserve the privilege of public service.
Perhaps you’re uncomfortable with one or more of these proposals. That’s fine. At this point, the details are less important than preparing for a new approach to politics, procedures, and governing. Because if Democrats take over in 2029 and try to slowly and carefully improve the federal government’s functioning and pass some progressive legislation, the Supreme Court will cut everything they do to ribbons. Then Republicans will take over again and degrade our democracy even further.
In the meantime, every new crisis has to be confronted with the same aggressiveness Republicans bring to politics and political procedures. For instance, what can Democrats do about what just happened in Virginia? Rather than laying down, they can explore every option open to them, no matter how unusual.
Virginia law allows the legislature to set a mandatory retirement age for justices of the state Supreme Court; since Democrats control the legislature, why not pass a law setting the retirement age a year below that of the youngest justice, to take effect immediately, then appoint a new court that can rehear the redistricting case?
You may say “That would be crazy!” Perhaps. But that’s what people thought about refusing to hear the nomination of a Supreme Court justice, right up until Republicans did it in 2016. That’s what they thought about the kind of mid-decade redistricting Trump ordered. That’s what they thought about the idea of wiping away the Voting Rights Act, but Republicans did that too. The point is that Democrats need to start thinking creatively, and take this cue from Republicans: “That would be very controversial” is not a good enough reason not to take action.
And if that causes a political crisis? Good. We’re already in a political crisis, and we won’t emerge on the other side with something better unless
Hopium Chronicles, Pro-Democracy Advocacy, Some Thoughts On What Comes Next, Simon Rosenberg, right, May 11, 2026. It's been a rough few weeks for us, but for Putinism-Trumpism too......
Yes, I wake today feeling a bit battered and bloodied, probably like a lot of you. The word I keep coming back to this morning is betrayal. The ferocious betrayal of America, of our democracy, of the American people by Trump, Roberts and their allies just feels overwhelming, shocking, medieval, maniacal, and really not f-cking OK………
Many moments got us to where we are today, where we are experiencing the further descent of the party of Lincoln into this wild orgy of white supremacist illiberalism….Bush v Gore; the outrageous GOP redistricting of 2012; Trump’s collaboration with the Russians in 2016; the attempt to overturn our election in 2021 and Trump’s exoneration by Republicans in the Senate; the corrupt Roberts’ Court ongoing enabling of extremism……
Here is Marc Elias this morning:
Despite notable setbacks, the pro-democracy movement continues to rack up key court wins, and Donald Trump’s poll numbers continue to sink. But we make a mistake in thinking the GOP will be satisfied simply with targeting minorities. They are happy to see democracy burn to the ground. They are in the thrall of a man who wants to be a dictator.
What has me worried — what we all need to focus on — is that something important in our democracy broke last week, and we are only beginning to see the fallout. The winners will be a Republican Party that is hostile to democracy.
And….
The Roberts Court did not invent the GOP’s war on multiracial democracy. But it keeps issuing the permits.
That is the lesson of Plessy. That is the lesson of the immunity decision. And that is the lesson of Callais.
Lawyers and commentators need to recognize that in Court opinions, the dog whistle is too often louder than the fine print. The culture moves before the next set of lawsuits can even be filed.
We are in that critical window right now. Republican legislators are already redrawing maps. In some cases, they’re redrawing maps mid-election. The DOJ has already signaled it will help them. And, most importantly, the media is already starting to use the GOP’s framing.
Stopping this assault on democracy is not primarily a legal task, though the legal fights can matter enormously. It is a cultural one.
The fire is not coming; it’s burning hot, and the GOP is fanning its flames. The question is whether enough of us are willing to stand up for free and fair elections — plainly, loudly and without qualification — before the permission structure of Callais hardens into culture, and the culture decides this is simply how things are.
As we pick ourselves up and get ready for the next phase of our fight for freedom and democracy here and everywhere a few things remain true today……
Trump remains wildly unpopular:
We are still favored to win the House, and have a legit chance of taking the Senate too. Republicans are likely to pick up 6 new seats this year through their post-Callais redistricting meaning we will need to win 9 to take control. If the twelve House candidates we’ve endorsed win this November this House flips - period, over and out. Which is why we need to stay so focused on this group.
News Roundups
The Parnas Perspective, News and Comment: White House Calls Reporter 'Moron' For Showing Trump Dozing Off, Major Epstein and Iran News, Supreme Court Green Lights Alabama Gerrymander, Aaron Parnas, right, May 11, 2026. There is a massive amount of news to cover today. The White House is now calling reporters “morons” for sharing videos and images of Donald Trump appearing to fall asleep during a maternal health event. Major developments are unfolding overseas as Trump pushes to suspend the federal gas tax, the UAE reportedly carries out secret strikes on Iran, and new reporting alleges Pakistan helped Iran shield military aircraft during the recent crisis.
A teenager has died just hours after reuniting with his parents following their detention by ICE. Trump is also now claiming he is seriously considering making Venezuela the 51st state. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court handed Alabama Republicans a major victory in a redistricting case that could eliminate one Black-majority congressional district.
Tomorrow will be a critical day in the Epstein investigation. I covering a major hearing involving Epstein survivors, while also working around the clock behind the scenes to help members of Congress and others prepare for upcoming witness interviews tied to the files.
Our first paid subscriber live event is happening Wednesday evening at 6:45 PM EST. On Friday, I will publish our first major deep dive investigative report focused on either a bombshell gun-related story, data centers, or possibly both. But I cannot keep building this without your support.
If you believe in fearless, independent journalism that tells the truth without corporate pressure or political intimidation, subscribe today, upgrade your subscription, or gift a subscription to someone else. Together, we are building the Parnas Perspective into something bigger, stronger, and more impactful than ever before.
Here’s the news:
During a mid-morning public event on maternal health, Donald Trump appeared to fall asleep at his desk, according to observers. Video clips from the event circulated online, with critics pointing to moments where his eyes were closed and his head appeared to droop.
The White House responded by calling a reporter who shared an image of the President’s eyes drooping a “moron.”
As a result, in what appears to be an example of the Streisand Effect, the term “blinking” began to trend worldwide:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he is concerned that teenagers today have lower sperm counts than previous generations. He linked the issue to broader worries about environmental toxins, food additives, and public health trends. Kennedy has frequently raised concerns about declining fertility and its potential long-term effects on population health.
According to CBS News, Pakistan quietly allowed Iranian military aircraft to use Pakistani airbases during the recent U.S.-Iran crisis while also acting as a diplomatic intermediary between Washington and Tehran. Iranian aircraft, including a reconnaissance RC-130 plane, were reportedly sent to Pakistan’s Nur Khan Air Base, though Pakistani officials denied the claims. The report highlights Pakistan’s difficult balancing act between maintaining strategic ties with the United States, Iran, Gulf states, and China amid escalating regional tensions. It also underscores growing concerns over security in the Strait of Hormuz, where U.S. and Iranian forces have been operating in close proximity during ongoing instability affecting global oil shipping routes.
Donald Trump suggested suspending the gas tax today:
According to the Wall Street Journal, the United Arab Emirates has allegedly conducted covert military strikes against Iran, including an April attack on an oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island. The UAE has shifted from a largely defensive regional posture to a more assertive military role, leveraging its advanced Western-made fighter jets and surveillance systems. The report portrays the UAE as increasingly willing to use force to defend its economic interests and geopolitical influence amid escalating regional tensions. The strikes also suggest that Gulf states are becoming more directly involved in the broader conflict surrounding Iran and concerns over U.S. reluctance to confront Tehran aggressively.
President Trump said in a phone call with Fox News’ John Roberts that he is “seriously considering” making Venezuela the 51st US state. According to reports from Fox News colleagues, Trump pointed to Venezuela’s massive oil reserves and claimed that “Venezuela loves Trump.” The comments quickly sparked backlash and disbelief, with Venezuelan officials rejecting the idea and reaffirming the country’s sovereignty.
Brock Pierce attended the unveiling of a golden Trump statue in Doral, Florida, where he participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Pierce has previously been linked to Jeffrey Epstein, including a 2012 message in which he reportedly told Epstein he had a “great time with the girls.” The resurfacing of their past connection has drawn renewed scrutiny online following Pierce’s appearance at the Trump-themed event. Critics have pointed to the association as part of broader concerns about Epstein’s network and relationships with public figures.
Trump said the ceasefire with Iran is on “life support” after rejecting Iran’s latest peace proposals and signaled he may restart U.S. naval escorts through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by insisting there would be no further negotiations unless sanctions are lifted, frozen funds are released, and its control over the strait is recognized. The escalating standoff has driven oil prices higher and left thousands of seafarers and hundreds of tankers stranded in the Gulf. The dispute is also creating pressure ahead of Trump’s upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the U.S. seeks ways to isolate Iran economically and strategically.
An 18-year-old Chicago cancer patient, Kevin Gonzalez, died one day after reuniting in Mexico with his parents, who had been detained by ICE while trying to cross the border to say goodbye. Gonzalez had stage 4 colon cancer and traveled from Chicago to Durango, Mexico, after checking himself out of the hospital in hopes of seeing his parents again. His parents were released from federal custody in Arizona after a judge ordered their release, allowing the family to reunite shortly before his death. The case has drawn national attention and renewed debate over immigration enforcement, humanitarian exceptions, and family separation policies.
Reports from Sky News and Bloomberg say several Cabinet ministers are preparing to urge Keir Starmer to resign. The reported move signals growing internal pressure within the Labour government and could trigger a major political crisis if senior ministers publicly break with Starmer. Neither Downing Street nor the ministers involved had officially confirmed the reports at the time they emerged. The situation remains fluid as attention turns to potential meetings and statements expected tomorrow morning.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said that President Trump is “not in a rush” to respond to rising gas prices, suggesting the administration is taking a longer-term approach rather than pursuing immediate action.
President Trump nominated Kari Lake and Doug Mastriano to diplomatic posts, selecting Lake as ambassador to Jamaica and Mastriano as ambassador to Slovakia. Both were prominent Trump allies who lost gubernatorial races in battleground states in 2022 and publicly supported Trump’s claims about election fraud. Lake previously led the U.S. Agency for Global Media, where she oversaw major cuts to Voice of America that later faced legal challenges in court. The nominations now head to the Senate for confirmation and could reshape Republican politics in Pennsylvania and Arizona.
Eighteen Americans returned to the U.S. after being aboard the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship Hondius, with two passengers placed in biocontainment units in Omaha and Atlanta as a precaution. One passenger tested positive for hantavirus and another showed mild symptoms, while health officials emphasized that the risk to the general public remains very low because the virus spreads only through prolonged close contact. The outbreak has resulted in six confirmed cases and three deaths since the ship departed Argentina in April. Health authorities in multiple countries are continuing monitoring, quarantines, and investigations into the source of the outbreak.
Virginia Democratic leaders asked the US Supreme Court to review a recent Virginia Supreme Court ruling that struck down the state’s Democratic-backed redistricting plan. The state court’s decision overturned maps that had previously been approved by voters. Democrats argue the ruling disregarded the will of voters and are seeking federal intervention to restore the plan. The dispute could affect future election boundaries and political representation in Virginia.
The Supreme Court cleared the way for Alabama to move forward with a new congressional map that would likely favor Republicans and eliminate one of the state’s two majority-Black districts. The decision sends the case back to a lower court and follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that weakened key protections in the Voting Rights Act. Liberal justices objected, warning the move could create confusion as elections approach. The dispute is part of a yearslong battle over whether Alabama’s maps fairly represent the state’s Black population.
Rep. Jen Kiggans made racist remarks today saying she agreed that Hakeem Jeffries had “cotton-picking hands,” repeating the phrase, “Get your cotton-picking hands off of Virginia.”
The Supreme Court extended a temporary order allowing continued access to the abortion pill mifepristone through telehealth and mail delivery while it considers an emergency appeal. The new order, issued Monday, keeps the policy in place until Thursday evening and pauses a lower court ruling that would have required women to obtain the drug through in-person visits. Justice Samuel Alito, who oversees emergency appeals from the 5th Circuit, first issued the temporary stay last week. The case remains under review by the justices and could have major implications for abortion access nationwide.
President Trump nominated Cameron Hamilton to permanently lead Federal Emergency Management Agency, about a year after firing him from the same role. Hamilton was removed in 2025 after telling Congress he did not support eliminating FEMA, despite criticism of the agency from Trump and some allies. His nomination suggests the administration may be stepping back from earlier efforts to dismantle FEMA. If confirmed, Hamilton would take over an agency facing staffing shortages, operational challenges, and pressure to prepare for the upcoming disaster season.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Netflix, accusing the company of collecting user data without consent and designing addictive features that target children and families. The lawsuit claims Netflix built a large-scale behavioral surveillance system that tracks viewing habits, devices, and other personal data while misleading consumers about privacy and child safety. Netflix denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit inaccurate and defending its privacy practices and parental controls. The case adds to growing legal scrutiny of major tech and media platforms over data collection and allegedly addictive design features.
A federal appeals court in Ohio became the third appeals court to reject the Trump administration’s effort to broadly detain immigrants without bond hearings while deportation cases proceed. The 6th Circuit ruled that many immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for years or decades must have an opportunity to argue for release, saying indefinite detention without bond could violate due process rights. The decision deepens a growing split among federal appeals courts, increasing the likelihood the issue will reach the Supreme Court. The dispute centers on the administration’s expanded interpretation of immigration law, which classifies nearly all people facing deportation as subject to mandatory detention.
A group of 40 House Democrats raised concerns about the Trump administration’s deportation flight program, accusing ICE of using secretive charter flights that limit public oversight and may violate immigrants’ due process rights. Lawmakers asked the FAA to provide detailed records on ICE air operations and investigate allegations that detainees were transported without notice to families or lawyers. The letter also questioned the use of restraints and the humanitarian conditions aboard deportation flights. The administration has denied wrongdoing, saying its detention and transport practices follow legal and safety standards.
The Parnas Perspective, Morning News and Commentary: Trump Builds "Election Integrity Army," MAGA Upset as Trump Phones Never Ship, Iran Talks Stall, GOP Tensions in Congress Rise, Aaron Parnas, right, May 11, 2026. There is a massive amount of news breaking this morning. Trump is now moving forward with plans for an “election integrity army” that would reportedly operate across all 50 states ahead of the midterms. At the same time, MAGA supporters are furious after spending millions on Trump-branded phones that still have not shipped and may never arrive. Overseas, Iran negotiations have effectively stalled, oil prices are rising again, and tensions inside the Republican Party are exploding.
On top of all of that, so many of you reached out overnight about the major updates I am rolling out for this community, and the response honestly blew me away. This is growing faster than we ever expected, and we are building it together in real time. Our first paid subscriber live Q&A will be this Wednesday at 7 PM EST, and I genuinely cannot wait to hang out with all of you. I’ll send out another reminder as we get closer.
This week I’ll also be covering several major developments, including the high-stakes Trump-Xi summit and tomorrow’s major Epstein hearing in Palm Beach featuring survivors and testimony surrounding Leon Black. I’ve spent the weekend working to prep members ahead of the hearing, and we’ll have extensive coverage and analysis as new details emerge.
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Here’s the news:
Tensions between House and Senate Republicans are creating major challenges for the GOP’s legislative agenda ahead of the midterm elections. Lawmakers in both chambers are blaming each other for delays on key priorities, including housing legislation, surveillance powers, and a major spending package tied to President Trump’s agenda. Although Republicans recently agreed on a budget blueprint and passed a partial Homeland Security funding bill, disagreements over issues like central bank digital currencies and spending proposals continue to divide the party. Senate Republicans are especially frustrated that ongoing disputes could prevent them from passing legislation aimed at addressing voters’ concerns about affordability and the economy.
Republicans’ recent redistricting victory in Virginia could create new complications for Speaker Mike Johnson as he tries to pass key spending legislation before the midterms. The court decision improves Republicans’ chances of holding more House seats, but it may also make vulnerable GOP lawmakers more cautious about supporting controversial spending proposals. One major point of debate is a plan that includes $1 billion for security tied to President Trump’s proposed White House ballroom project, which has faced criticism from voters. Party leaders are now worried that divisions within the GOP could make it harder to meet Trump’s June 1 deadline for passing the legislation.
President Trump issued an executive order that would expand the U.S. Postal Service’s role in mail-in voting by having it help verify voter eligibility and reject ballots from people not on approved voter lists. The proposal has raised concerns among voting-rights groups, election officials, and postal workers, who argue it could politicize the USPS and interfere with states’ constitutional authority over elections. Critics also warn that the financially struggling Postal Service lacks the resources and infrastructure to handle such a major new responsibility. Multiple lawsuits have already been filed challenging the order, with opponents arguing there is no evidence of widespread fraud in mail-in voting. He is also sending an “election integrity army” to all 50 states for the midterm election:
The United States and Iran are at a deadlock after both sides rejected each other’s peace proposals following recent military clashes. President Trump called Iran’s latest offer “totally unacceptable,” while Iranian officials insisted it was fair and reasonable. The growing tensions have raised fears of renewed conflict and instability around the Strait of Hormuz, an important global oil route. As a result, oil prices have risen and concerns about wider economic disruption have increased. Remember, this post was 50 days ago:
Oil prices rose sharply after President Trump rejected Iran’s response to a U.S. peace proposal, increasing fears that tensions in the Middle East could worsen. Brent crude oil briefly jumped 4% to about $105.50 per barrel before easing slightly later in the day. Investors are worried that continued conflict and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz could threaten global oil supplies and hurt the world economy. The market reaction reflects growing uncertainty about whether peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran will succeed.
Gas prices continue to remain stubbornly high due to the war as well:
A shortage of aluminum cans in India, caused by disruptions linked to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has made Diet Coke harder to find across the country. The unexpected shortage inspired Ishika Gupta, a marketing consultant in New Delhi, to host a Diet Coke-themed party that quickly became popular with Gen Z attendees. The event featured Coke-inspired drinks, music, and alcohol-free socializing, reflecting a growing interest in healthier lifestyles among young people in India. The story highlights how global political tensions are affecting everyday products and sparking unusual cultural trends.
Nearly 590,000 people reportedly paid deposits for the Trump Mobile T1 smartphone, generating about $59 million in sales, but customers say the phones still have not shipped nearly a year later. The gold-colored phone, promoted by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump as a U.S.-made alternative to Apple and Samsung devices, faced repeated delays with changing release dates and little communication from the company. Journalists who placed deposits reported poor customer service, missing updates, and problems with the ordering process. Concerns are growing among buyers as refunds appear uncertain and no confirmed customer deliveries have been reported.
A French woman and an American passenger evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius tested positive for hantavirus after an outbreak onboard killed three passengers. The French woman is in serious condition in a Paris hospital, while the American passenger in Nebraska is asymptomatic despite testing positive for the Andes strain, which can spread between humans. More than 100 passengers from multiple countries are being evacuated and monitored as health officials work to contain the outbreak. Although officials say the risk to the public is low, countries are tracking passengers and enforcing quarantine measures to prevent further spread.
Key Harvard professors quickly noted that the use of the term “mildly” is irrelevant and akin to a guess at this point:
Donald Trump did not make any Mother’s Day remarks, but he did spend the evening posting love letters about himself:
Trump made controversial remarks about Supreme Court justices, suggesting that it is acceptable for them to remain loyal to the presidents who appointed them. During a lengthy Truth Social post, he said justices “have to do the right thing” but added that loyalty to the person who elevated them to the Supreme Court was understandable. The comments challenge the principle of judicial independence, which is meant to keep the courts separate from political influence. The remarks quickly sparked backlash.
President Trump is expected to travel to Beijing this week for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping amid rising global tensions. Trump is reportedly seeking China’s help in preventing further conflict with Iran and keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to protect global oil supplies and trade. Some analysts believe Xi may use the meeting to push for reduced U.S. support for Taiwan in exchange for cooperation. The summit is being viewed as an important moment for U.S.-China relations and broader international stability.
Many DACA recipients are facing long delays in renewing their status, leaving them unable to work and struggling financially. Recipients say the renewal process had previously been smooth, but recent delays have caused some to lose their legal protections and employment authorization. NBC News highlights the story of Erika, a pregnant intensive care nurse brought to the U.S. from Mexico as a baby, who is now unable to work because her renewal has stalled. The delays have left many immigrants feeling uncertain about their future and worried about supporting themselves and their families.
Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon reportedly killed two people and injured five others, according to Lebanon’s state-run news agency. Additional attacks and shelling were reported in several towns across the region, including Yahmar al-Shaqif, Kfar Tebnit, and Nabatieh al-Fawqa. The violence comes despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah. Both sides continue to accuse each other of violating the ceasefire, raising concerns about escalating tensions in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the conflict with Iran is not over and argued that Iran’s nuclear materials and military capabilities still need to be dismantled. In a CBS interview, he suggested Israel may continue military operations against Hezbollah even if a ceasefire with Iran is reached, while also claiming that weakening Iran could collapse its network of regional allies like Hezbollah and Hamas. Netanyahu additionally said he wants Israel to gradually end its dependence on U.S. financial military aid over the next decade.
The U.S. Army recovered the remains of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., a 27-year-old soldier who went missing during military exercises in Morocco. Key and another soldier disappeared after reportedly falling off a cliff during an off-duty hike near the Cap Draa Training Area. A large multinational search operation involving more than 600 personnel, helicopters, drones, and naval vessels located Key’s body in the Atlantic Ocean, while efforts continue to find the second missing soldier. The soldiers had been participating in African Lion 26, one of the largest U.S.-led military exercises in Africa.
A petition opposing major changes to the U.S. Postal Service has gained nearly 88,000 signatures as USPS faces a worsening financial crisis and a nearly $2 billion quarterly loss. Concerns are growing that without congressional support or major reforms, the agency could struggle to pay employees and vendors by next year. President Trump has supported restructuring the USPS, including bringing it under executive control and potentially privatizing parts of the service, though USPS leadership has resisted those ideas. Supporters of the petition argue that weakening the Postal Service would especially hurt rural communities that rely heavily on affordable mail delivery.
Fire crews in South Florida are battling two major wildfires that broke out over the weekend in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. The larger Max Road Fire in western Broward has burned around 5,000 acres and was only 20% contained as of Monday morning, while another blaze near Florida City has burned about 210 acres and is 30% contained. Heavy smoke from the fires has affected air quality and visibility across the region, causing traffic concerns and temporary road closures. Officials have not ordered evacuations yet, but residents are being urged to stay alert and avoid affected areas.
A major voter data breach in Alberta has raised concerns about election security and foreign interference in Canada after a separatist-linked group illegally accessed personal information from nearly 2.9 million voters. Investigators say the database included names, addresses, and contact details, and could reportedly be accessed with little security protection. The breach has intensified fears about how political groups and outside actors could use voter data to influence elections and fuel separatist movements in the province. Canadian officials, privacy regulators, and federal police are now investigating the incident while critics warn it highlights growing threats to democratic systems and data privacy.
The Parnas Perspective, Evening News and Comment, Sunday News Update and Big Parnas Perspective Announcements, Aaron Parnas, May 10, 2026 There are major stories breaking tonight that you need to catch up on, from Iran to North Korea to the 2026 election battle and much more.
More On Iran War
New York Times, Iran War Live Updates: Iran Lists Demands That Trump Deemed ‘Unacceptable,’ Aaron Boxerman, May 11, 2026. Tehran said its conditions for a peace deal include U.S. war reparations, recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and an end to American sanctions, Iranian state media reported.
Iran’s demands for U.S. war reparations, recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and an end to American sanctions were among the conditions that President Trump has deemed “unacceptable,” Iran’s state-owned broadcaster reported on Monday.
The terms were detailed in a social media post by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting after Mr. Trump on Sunday dismissed an Iranian counterproposal as “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.” Mr. Trump did not specify his objections to the deal, which was passed via Pakistani mediators.
The first two conditions would almost certainly be non-starters for the United States, while the third would be possible only if Iran is willing to make major concessions on its nuclear program, which it has shown no sign of being willing to do.
The comments showed how far apart the United States and Iran remained after a week of strikes in the Persian Gulf rattled their month-old cease-fire. The deal was intended to provide an opening to negotiate a more comprehensive peace deal and end Iran’s de facto blockade of the strait, a vital waterway for oil and gas shipments.
Small-scale attacks have continued around the Strait of Hormuz. On Sunday, the United Arab Emirates said it had again been attacked by Iranian drones, after several Iranian strikes this past week. Last week, American warships fired on military facilities along Iran’s coast after coming under attack, and struck at two Iranian-flagged oil tankers attempting to enter an Iranian port, the U.S. military said.
Iran’s military warned early Sunday that countries helping to enforce U.S. sanctions against Tehran would face “difficulties” passing through the strait.
Here’s what else we’re covering:
Trump's America
A 22-foot effigy of Donald Trump, wrapped in gold leaf, now stands at his Doral golf course in Miami. The president boasted about it Thursday morning on Truth Social with the all-caps line: “The Real Deal — GOLD.”
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: The Golden Donald, William Kristol, right, May 11, 2026. I remember the day I came face to face with the horrifying prospect that Donald Trump could win the presidency.
It was Wednesday, June 22, 2016. Trump had delivered a run-of-the-mill speech in New York City attacking Hillary Clinton on a host of issues. But then he said, “Her campaign slogan is, ‘I’m with her.’ You know what my response to that is? I’m with you, the American people. She thinks it’s all about her. I know it’s all about you.”
I remember thinking, Yikes. ‘I’m with her’ vs. ‘I’m with you.’ That could work.
A month later, at the Republican convention in Cleveland, Trump returned to his theme: “My opponent asks her supporters to recite a three-word loyalty pledge. It reads: ‘I’m With Her.’ I choose to recite a different pledge. My pledge reads: ‘I’M WITH YOU—THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.’”
Flipping Clinton’s unfortunate campaign slogan against her was effective. She wanted you to stand with her. Trump promised that he would stand with you.
Fast forward eight years. What was generally thought to be Trump’s most effective line against Kamala Harris in the 2024 campaign? “Kamala is for they/them. I am for you.”
One might think it ridiculous for Trump, this selfish and self-centered con man, to present himself as being for you the people. But he pulled it off. His opponents tried to show that Trump’s policies hurt the public, including those he claimed to care about most. But their arguments fell flat in the face of Trump’s demagoguery. The people felt he was with them, that he spoke for them.
Yet a demagogue can lose his touch. Demagogues are vain. An effective demagogue must keep his vanity at least to some degree disguised, to some extent in check.
But the demagogue ages. The fear of death moves closer to the center of his psyche. Merely holding power and commanding public attention is no longer enough. Mere vanity gives way to a needy and almost insatiable narcissism. Mere self-centeredness morphs into self-obsession. The narcissism escapes containment.
Last Wednesday, a twenty-two-foot-tall statue covered with gold leaf was unveiled at Trump’s golf course in Doral, Florida. Much of the commentary has understandably focused on the claim of the pastor, Mark Burns, who presided over the ceremony and explained afterwards, “Let me be clear: This is not a golden calf.”
The pastor surely doth protest too much. But Trump’s words were more striking than the pastor’s. The president celebrated the statue, posting, “The Real Deal - GOLD - At Doral in Miami.”
Pathetic. It’s not any kind of real deal. It’s a cheesy statue covered by gold leaf. But for Trump, it’s important.
And when he called into the unveiling ceremony, he marveled: “Everyone is taking pictures of it. Everybody is—my people tell me that it’s unbelievable. All day long, they’re taking pictures. They stand up next to it, and have their pictures taken.”
He’s president of the United States. He’s arguably the most famous and powerful man in the world. And he can’t help but revel in people taking pictures of his statue.
But at least this vulgar statue is on his golf course. We don’t have to see it. We don’t have to think about it ever again.
That’s not the case with the 250-foot high triumphal arch Trump wants to build here in in Virginia, just across the Potomac River from the National Mall, directly in front of Arlington National Cemetery. He aims to impose his vanity on all of us. The arch would dominate the view of Arlington Cemetery both as you approach it from the District and as you look back toward the Lincoln Memorial from Arlington House at the top of the hill. It’s a grotesque intrusion on one of our most sacred public spaces.
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In a video for the group Home of the Brave,¹ Vietnam veteran Ronn Easton eloquently expressed his disgust:
For me, Arlington is hallowed ground. I’ve been there 10 times. Whenever I visit, I go see the Vietnam Wall first, where the names of more than 58,000 of my fallen brothers in arms are inscribed. Then I head across the river to Arlington to pay my respects. On your way in, you pass through Memorial Circle, which is the very space where Trump wants to put his arch. I can’t think of anything less fitting to welcome Americans to this particular place.
Arlington is a place for solemn, serious reflection, where we memorialize American heroes. The arch is a desecration of that.
Arlington House stands at the top of a hill inside the cemetery, looking out over the Arlington Memorial Bridge, the Lincoln and Washington monuments, and the Capitol dome beyond. When you stand there looking out, it is awe-inspiring. You are overcome by the feeling that you are surrounded by heroes—more than 400,000 of them—people who stood for America, fought for it, and died for it. To have that view disfigured by an archway honoring a president who has spent his life denigrating servicemembers is simply a bridge too far.
The golden statue is on Trump’s private property. There’s nothing to be done about it. A grandiose arch defacing the public approach to Arlington Cemetery in the nation’s capital is another matter. I do think opposition by veterans like Easton can block it.
And I think opposition by citizens can block Trump’s vainglorious ballroom, for which he wants one billion dollars of taxpayer money. There were reports late last week of Republicans on the Hill getting queasy about having to vote for this. But Trump’s not backing away. In a spate of narcissistic Truth Social posts last night, mostly reposting praise of him as the greatest president ever, Trump couldn’t help but include a couple touting his ballroom, “The Magnificent Ballroom, under construction, and ahead of schedule, at the White House!”
Trump’s golden statue. Trump’s triumphal arch. Trump’s “magnificent” ballroom. They’re all about him. His narcissism is out of control. And no Republican has said a word critical of any of his narcissistic projects.
In 2016, Trump defeated Clinton by contrasting her slogan, “I’m with her,” with his claim, “I’m with you.” In 2026, Democrats can return the favor. They just need to explain the self-evident truth, “The Republican party is with him.” And then they simply need to show, “We’re with you.”
AROUND THE BULWARK
Turkey’s New Missile Is a Symbol of Global Chaos… Why does Turkey want an ICBM? There are no good answers, observes ERIC EDELMAN.Quick Hits
HUSH, LITTLE BABY: Donald Trump has been in his feelings lately, and it hasn’t all been rage and bombast. In a long Truth Social post last night, the president offered a strangely woebegone lament that two of “his” Supreme Court justices—Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett—helped to strike down his “liberation day” tariffs earlier this year, and now seemed poised to rule against him on birthright citizenship as well.
“I’m working so hard to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and then people that I appointed have shown so little respect to our Country, and its people,” Trump wrote plaintively. “It’s really OK for them to be loyal to the person that appointed them to ‘almost’ the highest position in the land, that is, a Justice of the United States Supreme Court.” Trump also suggested his feelings had been hurt by the justices not acknowledging his presence when, in the birthright citizenship case, he became the first president ever to sit in on oral arguments: “which fact was not even recognized or acknowledged, out of respect for the position of President, by the Court—Something which did not go unnoticed by the Fake News Media!”
Fortunately, the president’s handlers know how to get him out of a funk. Someone apparently got some soothing paper to wave in front of his face, because three hours later, Trump posted simply: “Excellent Poll Numbers. Thank you!” He then spent a while scrolling and retweeting his Truth Social replies, including one call to “start arresting poll workers that cheated in elections” and seven posts calling him the greatest president of all time.
DON vs. XI: President Trump heads to China this week to talk trade with Xi Jinping, and the New York Times reports that prospects seem dim for a trade-war deescalation:
In recent weeks, China has made clear that it no longer fears another escalation. It reached for a new legal mechanism to counter U.S. sanctions. It blocked Meta’s acquisition of a promising A.I. start-up founded in China. And it codified rules aimed at punishing foreign businesses that comply with Western efforts to pull back from China.
The moves are part of Beijing’s broader campaign to push back against what it sees as Washington’s intensifying efforts to constrain its economy and technological rise. Over the past year, the two countries have ratcheted up their economic offensives, whacking each other with steep tariffs, restricting the flow of rare earths and critical technologies and imposing sanctions on major industrial companies.
Whether Mr. Xi and Mr. Trump can agree to place even modest guardrails on their expanding economic weapons will be a critical litmus test of whether their meeting succeeds.
One of the unfortunate consequences of Trump’s trade war on the entire world is how much more difficult it has made it for him to put trade pressure specifically on China—both in terms of the pain the U.S. economy can tolerate and in terms of bringing other countries along to pressure China with us. The president will arrive in Beijing on Wednesday.
PYRRHIC VICTORY?: The Supreme Court’s gutting of the Voting Rights Act is likely, at least in the short term, to help Republicans capture a swath of districts across the south currently held by black Democrats. But over at Politico, Jonathan Allen makes the case that this could backfire on the GOP—by dealing the killing blow to the multiracial coalition that Trump put together to win in 2024:
Do you think GOP nominees will get 21 percent of Black men, as Trump is estimated to have received in 2024, in future elections when you’re handing Democrats perhaps the easiest racial messaging they’ve had in the post-Civil Rights era? In case you needed a primer, that would be: You can’t trust Republicans, they only want to silence your voice.
Anybody who has ever talked to a Black voter, particularly those under 60, can recall a recurring conversation: ‘I don’t have any particular attachment to the Democrats, they’ll say, but I almost always vote for them because they’re the less racist of the two parties.’
You think that voter will be in play anytime soon when Democrats can point to Republicans as the party that, once Trump demanded it and the courts allowed it, came for elders such as Reps. Emanuel Cleaver II and Jim Clyburn?
New York Times, Chief Executives to Accompany Trump to China, Tyler Pager, May 11, 2026. The delegation includes business leaders across a wide range of industries, including Tim Cook of Apple and Elon Musk of Tesla.President Trump will be joined in China this week by 16 chief executives, including Elon Musk and Tim Cook.
The White House distributed a list on Monday of business leaders who are scheduled to be in Beijing with the president. Mr. Trump is slated to depart Washington on Tuesday and hold meetings with Xi Jinping, China’s leader, later in the week.
After the White House sent out its list, Cisco said its chief executive, Chuck Robbins, was unable to attend.
The inclusion of Mr. Musk in the delegation is the latest sign that the world’s richest man has restored his relationship with the president. Mr. Musk served as a top adviser to Mr. Trump and oversaw the administration’s effort to overhaul the federal bureaucracy. He departed the administration last May after a falling out with the president, but the two men have rehabilitated their relationship in recent months.
U.S. officials have said Mr. Trump wants to discuss the creation of a board of investment and a board of trade with China, and the delegation includes business leaders across a wide range of industries.
The delegation list:
PoliticusUSA, Trump Falls Asleep Multiple Times During Women's Health Event In Oval Office, Jason Easley, May 11, 2026. The White House held a maternal healthcare event in the Oval Office, and Trump cared so much about the lives of the unborn that he fell asleep multiple times.
Trump was supposed to participate in an Oval Office event on maternal healthcare while also promoting a new HHS website. Trump was there and seated in his chair, but zonked out.
This was Trump’s reaction as the White House touted its new program:
"We're investing a lot of money training more people to work in rural America, and we're also using telehealth tools, so you have big, uh, sophisticated urban centers adopting smaller facilities, clinics, so they can help moms deliver babies wherever they may live. You don't have to drive across state to get there. Now, as great as this all is, and as fantastic as it has been to have fifty governors, in this case, uh, Mr. President, even the Democratic governors are on board. It's such a good offer. Uh, it's such a beautiful way of keeping your people healthy that everyone's embraced this program."
Trump was snoozing until he was addressed, then he woke up. Trump also managed to fall asleep for a second time and insult the women in attendance when he was awake.
U.S. Law, Courts, Rights, Crime, Justice
New York Times, Man Charged With Assassination Attempt at Press Gala Pleads Not Guilty, Zach Montague, May 11, 2026. Cole Tomas Allen faces four counts in what prosecutors say was a plot to kill President Trump and other top officials at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Cole Tomas Allen, the man charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April, pleaded not guilty to all charges through his lawyers on Monday.
Appearing in Federal District Court in Washington, Mr. Allen was formally arraigned before Judge Trevor N. McFadden, facing four counts that included trying to assassinate the president and assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon during the annual gala at the Washington Hilton. Mr. Trump and many of his allies have cited the attack to drum up support for Mr. Trump’s plans to build a ballroom at the White House, which they say would offer a more secure venue for large events.
Prosecutors say that Mr. Allen, 31, had selected the gala as an opportunity to kill a number of top officials in the Trump administration. They say Mr. Allen traveled from California to Washington with a shotgun and pistol, booked a room at the Hilton and tried to storm past security intending to kill multiple top officials all in attendance.
In evidence presented shortly after Mr. Allen’s arrest, prosecutors said he emailed friends and associates a hierarchy of targets, prioritizing Mr. Trump and his inner circle, but also including Secret Service and other law enforcement officers who might try to stop him.
The Justice Department also said Mr. Allen fired his shotgun and hit a Secret Service officer in his ballistic vest, injuring him.
Mr. Allen appeared dazed and fatigued on Monday as he walked into court bound by his hands and ankles and wearing an orange jumpsuit. He quietly listened as Judge McFadden discussed next steps in the case with the lawyers, speaking almost inaudibly when asked direct questions.
After entering the not guilty plea, Eugene Ohm, a federal public defender representing Mr. Allen, asked Judge McFadden that Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, and Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in Washington, both recuse themselves from the case. Reiterating a motion filed last week, Mr. Ohm said the two could not play any significant role in overseeing the case, as both attended the dinner and might consider themselves potential victims in the plot they say Mr. Allen had hatched.
Mr. Ohm said it would be “wholly inappropriate” for either to directly prosecute the case, but added that he did not expect the “entire chain of command” at the Justice Department to be disqualified.
Judge McFadden asked Charles Jones, a federal prosecutor, to provide the court with “some definitive view from your boss or your boss’s boss” about whether they considered themselves potential targets.
The Contrarian, Opinion: Callais is not the last word, Jennifer Rubin, right, May 11, 2026. What democracy defenders must do now and in the long term.
n a span of less than two weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court (contravening the text and intent of the post-Civil War amendments and decades of court precedent) and the Virginia State Supreme Court (overturning the will of Virginia voters and inventing a new definition of “election”) have bulldozed through the electoral landscape to slant the 2026 midterm playing field in Republicans’ favor.
In Louisiana v. Callais, the U.S. Supreme Court demolished 60 years of progress in voting rights, robbed Black and Hispanic communities of the power to elect representatives of their own choosing, and aimed to decimate the ranks of non-white U.S. House members, state legislators, and local officials. This is nothing short of an attempt to reimpose white supremacy.
Voting rights legal guru Rick Hasen wrote:
This decision will bleach the halls of Congress, state legislatures, and local bodies like city councils, by ending the protections of Section 2 of the act, which had provided a pathway to assure that voters of color would have some rudimentary fair representation. It’s the culmination of the life’s work of Chief Justice John Roberts and Samuel Alito, who have shown persistent resistance to the idea of the United States as a multiracial democracy, and a brazen willingness to reject Congress’ judgment that fair representation for minority voters sometimes requires race-conscious legislation…. It protects Alito’s core constituency: aggrieved white Republican voters.
As infuriating, partisan, and legally unsound as these rulings are, they are not the final word on either the midterms or the future of our multi-racial democracy.
The Midterms
Even with the loss in Virginia, Democrats’ five-seat pick up in California should more than counteract the original Texas re-redistricting (where two of the five seats Republicans sought to steal may well go to Democrats). And despite the Virginia decision, Democrats may still pick up one to two more seats under Virginia’s old map. The net pickup for Republicans currently is less than ten before Democrats pursue their own redistricting in New York, Illinois, Colorado, and Maryland.
However, even with the advantage of, say, a dozen rigged seats, Republicans are unlikely to keep the House majority. Since 2024, Democrats have swung the electorate substantially in their direction, over-performing in comparison to Kamala Harris in 193 of 226 state legislative races, by 20 points in some cases. On average, Democrats are doing more than 10 points better than they did in 2024. (Brookings’ William A. Galston wrote: “In the six special elections for the House conducted in 2025-2026, the swing toward Democratic candidates averaged about 15 points, while the swing toward Democratic gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia averaged 14 points.”)
More than 20 Republican House seats were won by less than 10 points in 2024; 43 Republicans won by less than 15%. Given the electoral shift, Democrats’ list of targeted seats expands each week.
The New York Times reported that gerrymandering “tells only part of the story” about the midterms. While “Democrats could end up losing at least half a dozen safe seats, and possibly more,” depending on new maps drawn in Southern states, Republicans face gale-force “headwinds” thanks to Donald Trump’s atrocious approval numbers, his reviled Iran war, soaring gas and other consumer prices, snatching away healthcare coverage from millions, disaffection of Hispanic voters, and rampant corruption.
In short, gerrymandering, however outrageous, will not be enough to save Republicans if Democrats generate huge turnout, especially among those voters enraged that they have been stripped of voting power. (As Hungary demonstrated, a determined opposition can overcome a raft of unfair impediments imposed by a corrupt, unpopular regime.)
Democrats, independents, and disaffected Republicans know that the MAGA cult has no message — which is why MAGA lawmakers and courts must rig the election to cement white supremacy. That’s all they’ve got.
Democrats have their targets
The enormity of reversing 60 years of progress on voting rights necessitates a new era of intense organizing and public education — a new civil right movement to counter MAGA’s court-imposed Jim Crow. That effort kicks off with a grassroots National Day of Action on Saturday, May 16, in Alabama. Organizers declared, “The dismantling of the Voting Rights Act is a reminder that we have unfinished business. The fight is ours and we are going to finish it.” Scores of democracy groups, faith-based organizations, and civil rights organizations will rally to oppose Jim Crow redistricting and to support multi-racial democracy.
The goal: Democrats must win, and win big, in 2026 and 2028. Senate seats, governorships, and other statewide offices cannot be gerrymandered. A massive registration and turnout-the-vote operation must expand deep into Republican areas, appealing to disgruntled independents and Republicans while firing up the base. Democrats will need a broad, inclusive electoral coalition to pursue bold reform. As former attorney general Eric Holder likes to say, progressives “need to be comfortable with acquiring power and using power.”
What then? If Democrats come out of the 2028 election with House and Senate majorities, and the presidency, they will have all the motivation and tools required to reverse the slide into Jim Crow, beginning with substantial reform of the discredited Supreme Court. The MAGA justices’ willful misreading of the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution to concoct a “color blind” interpretation of voting rights (coupled with their monstrous expansion of executive power and abuse of the emergency docket) should unify democracy defenders on the urgency of Supreme Court reform through court expansion, term limits, revised appellate jurisdiction, and ethics reform.
Election law guru Rick Hasen argued:
The Supreme Court itself has shown itself to be the enemy of democracy. If and when Democrats retake control of the political branches, it will be incumbent on them not only to write new voting legislation protecting minority voters and all voters in the ability to participate fairly in elections that reflect the will of all the people. They will also have to consider reform of the Supreme Court itself.
With the election of aggressive Senate Democrats running in 2026 and 2028, Democrats should have little trouble carving out a filibuster exception, especially if they win by large margins that affirm voters’ rejection of MAGA assault on pluralistic democracy.
In addition to reforming the MAGA Supreme Court, a myriad of solid proposals for undoing the damage wrought by Callais include: state voting rights’ protections, a federal statute that requires nonpartisan redistricting, proportional representation, and a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to vote. Democrats should pursue an “all of the above” approach, not merely to regain but to expand diverse voters’ participation and power.
Though the tools to sustain multi-racial democracy may be different from those employed in the 1960s, Madeleine Greenberg of the Campaign Legal Center reminded us: “Every generation has faced attempts to restrict access to the ballot box, and every generation has pushed back.” If Democrats win elections decisively and fully exercise the power they obtain, they can fix what MAGA white supremacists have broken. Only then can we fulfill the promise of pluralistic democracy.
U.S. Governance, Politics, Elections
Paul Krugman via Substack, Political-Economy Commentary: Will our Hyper-Gilded Age Usher in Genuine Populism? Paul Krugman, right, May 11, 2026. The tech bros are worse than the robber barons ever were — and voters are catching on.
America used to be a middle-class society. But income and wealth disparities began rising rapidly during the Reagan years, and by the late 80s many observers began drawing parallels between the new era of inequality and the Gilded Age.
At this point, however, it’s clear that we are not experiencing a mere replay of the reign of the robber barons. We are living through something much worse. The tech bros make the “malefactors of great wealth” called out by Theodore Roosevelt look benign by comparison.
Some widely used measures of inequality suggest that income disparities, which soared in the 1980s and 1990s, have plateaued since then. But the concentration of wealth at the top is continuing to soar. Today’s oligarchs control a huge share of America’s wealth — much larger than their share even at the end of the 1980s:
The growth in wealth concentration is even more extreme if we look at the very, very top. Gabriel Zucman, one of the world’s leading experts on wealth and income inequality, argues that the concentration of wealth is now much higher than it was at the peak of the Gilded Age:
Tellingly, unlike the robber barons of yore, many modern plutocrats show little sense of gratitude for their good fortune, little inclination to give back to society by devoting a significant part of their wealth to good works. Forbes reports that Elon Musk and Peter Thiel have devoted almost none of their wealth to philanthropy, while Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos are only slightly better.
More important than the stinginess of the superrich, however, is the fact that their wealth has brought great political power, arguably more than the robber barons ever possessed — power that they abuse on an epic scale.
Thanks to the Roberts Supreme Court’s “Citizens United” ruling, plutocrats are able to pump vast amounts of money into elections. Here’s a recent headline from the New York Times:
One example of many: Peter Thiel bankrolled J.D. Vance’s Ohio Senate campaign, burying his Democratic populist rival under a flood of PAC money. Without Thiel’s big bucks, J.D. Vance would not now be a heartbeat away from the presidency.
And Elon Musk actually controlled a significant part of U.S. government operations in 2025 — control that he used, among other things, to eviscerate foreign aid. Those aid cuts have already led to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths, mostly children, with millions more deaths likely to come.
The big political question going forward is whether there will be a significant backlash against the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a small number of mean-spirited men.
I believe that there will be such a backlash, indeed that it is already starting, and that there is a political opening for some genuine populism if politicians have the courage to take a stand.
Polling suggests that an overwhelming majority of Americans — roughly speaking, almost everyone except MAGA Republicans — now consider the gap between rich and poor a major problem:
And anger over the Trump administration’s corruption — which isn’t the same as anger over the power of the superrich but overlaps with it — is clearly on the rise, becoming a major issue for the midterms.
What we need to push back against 21st century oligarchy are political figures who won’t let themselves be intimidated by the hysteria the wealthy always exhibit at any hint of an effort to limit their privileges. That hysteria is on full display right now in New York City, where some of the wealthy are crying persecution over a planned tax on expensive pieds-a-terre — apartments owned by nonresidents. It’s even more extreme in California, where a proposal for a one-time wealth tax has led Google’s Sergey Brin to compare the state to Soviet Russia.
What politicians and pundits need to understand is that while the ultrawealthy would like us to believe that concern about their excessive power and privileges is a radical, left-wing, anti-centrist position, it isn’t. It is, in fact, a view shared by a large majority of Americans. And in any case, as G. Elliott Morris has shown, few voters, even those who describe themselves as moderate, really support what pundits call “centrism.”
It’s true that any politician who proposes a pushback against modern American oligarchy will face a tidal wave of lavishly funded venom. But given the realities of who today’s plutocrats are and what they do, there are big opportunities for leaders willing to pull an FDR and declare, “I welcome their hatred.”
New York Times, G.O.P. Plant? Democratic Ruse? Accusations Fly in Nebraska’s Senate Race, Kellen Browning, May 11, 2026. One Democrat is accused of being a Republican in disguise. Another plans to drop out to boost an independent. It’s primary eve in one of the country’s most unusual midterm contests.
Are any of the candidates in Nebraska’s Senate race whom they claim to be?
In one of the most unusual contests in the country, that has become a central question ahead of Tuesday’s primary election. Republicans and Democrats are accusing each other of subterfuge in a race that includes a high-profile independent.
At least one of the two candidates in the Democratic primary has no plans to become a senator. Cindy Burbank, a 62-year-old retired pharmacy technician, says she intends to drop out of the general election if she wins the nomination, to clear a path for Dan Osborn, the independent candidate backed by the state Democratic Party.
The other, William Forbes, a 79-year-old pastor who says he has voted for President Trump, stands accused by Democratic leaders of being a G.O.P. “plant,” running to siphon Democratic votes away from Mr. Osborn in November to help Senator Pete Ricketts, a Republican, win re-election.
Republicans, meanwhile, argue that Mr. Osborn, who has received campaign contributions from national Democrats, is a Democrat in all but party affiliation. And they have suggested that a niche third-party candidate running under a marijuana legalization party banner is secretly a Democratic plant designed to eventually consolidate support behind Mr. Osborn. (Both the third-party hopeful and Mr. Forbes have denied being “plants.”)
The complicated dynamics underscore a stark reality of politics in much of the Great Plains: The Democratic brand has become so toxic that independent candidates are often more viable rivals to Republicans.
In Nebraska, which Mr. Trump won by about 20 percentage points in 2024, Democratic leaders saw little chance of winning statewide on their own in the midterms. So they decided to support Mr. Osborn, a former union leader who significantly outran the Democratic presidential ticket as a Senate candidate last cycle.
Democrats “have gotten out of touch with some of the issues that voters in the Midwest care about, because our leaders are more reflective of coastal states,” said Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party. An alliance with independent voters was “the only viable path for us right now for a federal race,” she added.
Mr. Osborn, who lost the Senate race two years ago by about seven percentage points to Nebraska’s other Republican senator, Deb Fischer, has repeatedly pledged not to caucus with either party if elected. (Republicans, though, point to a February town hall where he indicated he might caucus with Democrats if his independent approach fails.)
Other left-leaning independent candidates are running for the Senate in Montana, South Dakota and Idaho. But unlike in Nebraska, the Democrats in those states have not stood aside for them.
A progressive “prairie populism” once proliferated in the Midwest and the Great Plains. Two decades ago, Democrats had a slight edge over Republicans — 19 to 17 — among senators representing the 18 states commonly considered to comprise the region. Today, Democrats are outnumbered 25 to 11.
Axios, GOP's security referendum, Hans Nichols, May 11, 2026. Situational awareness: The Supreme Court has given Alabama permission to redistrict after its ruling on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The state's current House delegation has two Democrats, Reps. Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures.
Senate Republican leaders plan to turn the political fight over the $1 billion request for security upgrades tied to the new White House ballroom into a referendum on President Trump's safety.
Why it matters: Democrats think the $1 billion figure gives them a simple, bumper-sticker attack against Republicans for voters who are concerned about the cost of living.
But Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the funding is intended to secure the new facility and ensure the Secret Service has the resources needed to protect the president. "It's a security-related measure," Thune told reporters today. "You've got a president where there have been three assassination attempts in just the last two years."
Between the lines: House Speaker Mike Johnson will seek to heal growing friction with his Senate counterparts in remarks at tomorrow's Senate GOP lunch, we reported today.
Johnson is expected to stress open lines of communication as Republicans gear up for reconciliation packages 2.0 and 3.0. It will mark Johnson's first appearance at a Senate GOP lunch this year. U.S. Secret Service director Sean Curran will also join the lunch as the Senate considers funding for presidential security and the need for security enhancements in the new ballroom, two sources told us.
Zoom in: Thune's comments seem as directed at GOP holdouts as they are at Democrats.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told reporters: "I'm looking forward to seeing the details this week." Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters: "It was my understanding it was supposed to be paid for by private donations. That's what the president has said." "I have a feeling it may either not be in the bill or it may not pass the Byrd test, but we'll know probably more next week," said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who prefers to use private donations for the ballroom.
The bottom line: "They've become ballroom Republicans," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The Triad Via The Bulwark, Political Commentary: People Want What They Want, Jonathan V. Last, May 11, 2026. The key to understanding democratic politics.
1. The People
Sarah had Tim on The Focus Group this weekend. It was . . . sublime.
The subject was the May 16 Louisiana Senate primary and my best friends listened to Republican voters explain why they are not voting for the incumbent R, Sen. Bill Cassidy—and also give their thoughts on his two rivals, state Treasurer John Fleming and the Trump-endorsed Julia Letlow.
I cannot endorse this episode strongly enough because it demonstrates a valuable lesson about voters in 2026 America.
There is no logic. No consistency. No ideology, even. They are nothing but bundles of impulse and appetite. They want what they want, when they want it. Come and meet The People.
Every single voter in these groups was firmly against Bill Cassidy. The considered opinion of the group was that Cassidy has changed.
How has he changed?
“It’s one face for the media and then it’s another face for the public.”
“If you look at Bill Cassidy 10 years ago, as opposed to today, it’s like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
“I’ve worked with Cassidy and I was 100 percent behind him for every election for it all. But lately, it started with the impeachment of Trump and a lot of other things where he changes his mind. He’s just changing too much.”
You might think that if Cassidy had been changing politically, Louisiana voters might be able to name some issues on which he’s changed. Democrats, for instance, look at John Fetterman and say, “He’s in favor of Trump’s ballroom; he’s in favor of the Iran war; he jumped to support Markwayne Mullin at DHS—and that’s all in the last 12 weeks.”
But no. The only thing these Republicans could point to about Cassidy was his vote to convict Trump on impeachment after January 6.
Which—sure, fine. But it’s instructive that these voters aren’t capable of saying, Voting to impeach Trump is disqualifying because Trump is right about everything.
Instead, they construct complicated rationales to justify their base desire.
There was actually one voter who was able to name one other thing about Cassidy that she didn’t like:
He just seems to be very full of himself. Like he, you know, he’s an expert. And whether it be [the] political field, [the] medical field, or whatever it may be, [he] always seems like he’s got the facts behind him but rarely does he back himself up.
He was also very vocal during Covid about how you know the importance, like, wanting to mandate the vaccine, the isolation, things like that. So, I mean, I get he has a, you know, a medical background, but um he was just, he kind of followed Fauci’s, you know, “trust the science” mantra.
Leave aside the “doesn’t back himself up” nonsense. This voter was upset that Sen. Cassidy was supportive of Anthony Fauci and the federal government’s handling of Covid.
Who did Anthony Fauci work for? Who was responsible for the federal government’s Covid response? Who was president in 2020?
But of course, none of that matters. People want what they want and then they invent reasons to justify themselves.
They don’t want Bill Cassidy. They do want Trump. So they blame Cassidy for “following” the Trump administration’s Covid policies, while holding Trump blameless for them.
Sarah and Tim went on to listen to these same voters discuss John Fleming and Julia Letlow. It was even more amazing.
One voter explained why she was leaning toward Fleming:
I was at the doctor’s office the other day and there was a group of gentlemen that were sitting in the waiting room and they were talking about Fleming and they had one of them knew him from when he was younger and they were talking about how he’s very steadfast and everything but the fact was that his age was up there and they all concluded that the reason why he was running was that he felt that the state really needed him to at least get through one more term to find younger politicians.
This is literally my best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night.
Another voter did not like Fleming. He explained:
John Fleming the way they say he, he wanted open borders I was against that so I mean you look at these candidates and it’s like they don’t vote for the people once they get in . . . Have they ever enacted a bill? I mean it’s like they got a free lunch that’s all I have to say.
It is unclear who “they” are who say that Fleming wants “open borders,” but on the subject of enacting legislation, Fleming is the treasurer. Not a legislator.
The Republican voters were similarly unhappy with Letlow:
I feel like she’s more left-leaning and she’s somewhat deceitful when she gives her speeches out to the public but behind closed doors I think she votes more liberal more like DEI and other things and [LGBT], whatever, all those kind of issues.
I am not the world’s foremost expert on Julia Letlow’s career, but I am skeptical that she is now, or ever has been, a proponent of “DEI.” But that’s not even the point here: This voter claims that Letlow has been secretly voting her left-wing agenda “behind closed doors.”
That is not how legislative votes work.
But then, as the voter says, she only “feels” that way about Letlow. And that’s all that matters. She wants what she wants and she doesn’t want Julia Letlow.
So she makes things up.
The best part of this week’s Focus Group was when these same voters—who were furious with Bill Cassidy for bucking Trump—began explaining what they really want in a senator:
“I want someone who can be their own person,” said one voter explaining that it would be a negative for a Republican to blindly follow Trump and do whatever Trump wants.
“If he believes in a certain thing and he doesn’t believe exactly what Trump does, then it’s okay,” said another voter.
One of the Trump-loving voters lamented the distinct lack of good character in today’s politicians: “It just seems like they all have some kind of skeleton in their closet. They took money from somebody, inside trading, had affairs, stole money.”
2. What We Do Here
My basic conception for this newsletter is that it is the anti-matter version of The People. I rarely talk about what I want, or what I believe should happen, or what the best thing would be.
I have my own views and preferences and sometimes we discuss them. But on the whole, this newsletter is designed to see around corners.
To talk about what will happen. Irrespective of what I want.
Last week I wrote about the presidential prospects of Graham Platner. Basically everyone hated the piece.
A great many people jumped on me to say some version of:
JVL and The Bulwark have betrayed everything they ever said they believed. Look at them promoting the Oyster Nazi because they love Platner so much.
This is a misreading.
When I suggested a few weeks ago that DJTJ could probably win the Republican nomination if he wants it, it was not because I like Donald Trump Jr. and want him to be the Republican nominee for president.
In the fall of 2020 when I wrote that Trump would likely be the 2024 Republican nominee, it wasn’t because I liked Trump and wanted him to run again.
In early 2024 when I wrote that Ron DeSantis and Nikki Hailey were roadkill, it wasn’t because I wanted them to lose.
In late 2024 when I wrote that Trump had a good chance to win, it wasn’t because I wanted him to win.
As Bruce Banner once ruefully observed, “I don’t every time get what I want.”
I am used to this.
One of the fallacies of political analysis is that people often assume that the things they want, or think are best, will be popular.
You see this all the time in the world of pundits. “Candidate X should do this thing I like, because then he will win the election.”
Or: “Candidate Y lost because she did this thing I do not like.”
My own approach to politics begins from the assumption that the Thing I Like will not be popular. To take just one example: Legalized online gambling—especially sports gambling, but also including prediction markets—is deleterious and that society would be improved if we did away with it.
Good luck trying to propose that as part of a political platform. You might as well call for the mandatory eating of boiled Brussels sprouts.
What we try to do in this space is question received wisdom, follow logic chains, and be utterly clear-eyed about reality.
Sometimes those goals are in tension. For instance: What kind of logic chain can you find with those voters in Louisiana?
But being clear-eyed is always the key. Even when it’s only to understand that people want what they want and that their rationalizations are post-hoc nonsense.
Which is, funnily enough, why I think Platner is selling something powerful. Many Democrats like him and are deeply invested in him. Whether or not you think this is a good thing, it is real.
The other criticism of my Platner piece was that I was being ridiculous, that Platner has no chance to be the Democratic nominee.
I agree that he would have many hurdles, the biggest of which being, as I said in the piece, that you cannot win the Democratic nomination if you’re pulling 10 percent of the black vote and because Maine has 35,000 black voters, we have no idea how Platner would do with black voters at scale.
But consider that:
In 2016, the Democratic nomination was almost won by a senator from a tiny, very white state, who wasn’t even a member of the Democratic party.
In 2020, the mayor of a small Indiana town came within striking distance of being the nominee.
For the last three cycles, Republicans nominated a reality game-show host.
A podcast host is one of the obvious contenders for the 2028 Republican nomination.
Things are shifting in our politics and I anyone who thinks that a Sen. Platner would have zero chance to win the Democratic isn’t seeing the world clearly. What they’re doing is projecting their own desires. They don’t like Platner and what he is selling, so they believe he couldn’t possibly succeed.
I made that mistake in 2016 and I have endeavored not to make it again. If this is the kind of analysis that you find useful, I hope you’ll consider joining us.Subscribed3. Checkmate
This Bob Kagan piece on the consequences of Trump’s Iran failure is outstanding. Do not miss.
Defeat in the present confrontation with Iran will be of an entirely different character. It can neither be repaired nor ignored. There will be no return to the status quo ante, no ultimate American triumph that will undo or overcome the harm done. The Strait of Hormuz will not be “open,” as it once was. With control of the strait, Iran emerges as the key player in the region and one of the key players in the world. The roles of China and Russia, as Iran’s allies, are strengthened; the role of the United States, substantially diminished. Far from demonstrating American prowess, as supporters of the war have repeatedly claimed, the conflict has revealed an America that is unreliable and incapable of finishing what it started. That is going to set off a chain reaction around the world as friends and foes adjust to America’s failure. . . .
Some supporters of the war are therefore calling for the resumption of military strikes, but they cannot explain how another round of bombing will accomplish what 37 days of bombing did not. More military action will inevitably lead Iran to retaliate against neighboring Gulf States; the war’s advocates have no response to that, either. Trump halted attacks on Iran not because he was bored but because Iran was striking the region’s vital oil and gas facilities. The turning point came on March 18, when Israel bombed Iran’s South Pars gas field and Iran retaliated by attacking Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, the world’s largest natural-gas-export plant, causing damage to production capacity that will take years to repair. Trump responded by declaring a moratorium on further strikes against Iran’s energy facilities and then declaring a cease-fire, despite Iran’s not having made a single concession. . . .
The risk calculus that forced Trump to back down a month ago still holds. Even if Trump were to carry out his threat to destroy Iran’s “civilization” through more bombing, Iran would still be able to launch many missiles and drones before its regime went down—assuming it did go down. Just a few successful strikes could cripple the region’s oil and gas infrastructure for years if not decades, throwing the world, and the United States, into a prolonged economic crisis. Even if Trump wanted to bomb Iran as part of an exit strategy—looking tough as a way of masking his retreat—he can’t do that without risking this catastrophe.
If this isn’t checkmate, it’s close. In recent days, Trump has reportedly asked the U.S. intelligence community to assess the consequences of simply declaring victory and walking away. You can’t blame him. Hoping for regime collapse is not much of a strategy . . .
Politico, Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice leaves Democratic Party over antisemitism concerns, Aaron Pellis, May 11, 2026. David Wecht is becoming an independent due to "acquiescence to Jew-hatred” from prominent Democrats.
A Pennsylvania state Supreme Court justice said Monday he is leaving the Democratic Party over what he sees as a rise in antisemitism from mainstream party figures.
Justice David Wecht, who was elected to the court as a Democrat in 2015, said in a statement he is switching his party affiliation to independent due to an “acquiescence to Jew-hatred” becoming “disturbingly common among activists, leaders and even many elected officials in the Democratic Party.”
“I can no longer abide this. So, I won’t,” Wecht said. “I am no longer registered within any political party.”
In his statement, Wecht said he’s long felt antisemitism was most potent on the fringes of the right — especially after the 2018 shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, where Wecht was married and is a former board member. But he said that since 2018, “that same hatred has grown on the left.”
“Increasingly, it has moved from the fringe to the mainstream. It is the duty of all good people to fight this virus, and to do so before it is too late,” he said.
Wecht made a pointed jab at Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner, the favorite to win the party’s primary after former Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the race.
In October, Platner revealed he’d gotten a tattoo of a widely recognized Nazi symbol while serving in the U.S. military in Croatia. Platner denied having knowledge of the symbol’s Nazi heritage, and had it covered days after publicly acknowledging the tattoo.
“In the quarter century that has passed since then, the Democratic Party has changed,” Wecht said. “Nazi tattoos, jihadist chants, intimidation and attacks at synagogues, and other hateful anti-Jewish invective and actions are minimized, ignored, and even coddled.”
Wecht’s party change will have minimal impact on the balance of power in the state’s Supreme Court. After losing Wecht, four Democratic justices occupy the seven-seat bench.
Wecht won a 10-year retention election last November.
Politico, White House plans to reduce barriers to beef imports in an effort to lower prices, May 11, 2026. Reducing tariffs on beef imports is likely to infuriate ranchers.President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at an event about maternal healthcare.
President Donald Trump is planning to temporarily reduce tariffs on beef imports in an effort to reduce consumer prices, according to three people with knowledge of the plans.
The president will sign two executive orders Monday afternoon to “address short-term supply issues in the U.S. beef market by expanding imports,” a White House official told POLITICO. The beef tariffs will be suspended for 200 days, according to three other people familiar with the strategy.
The move, which is likely to infuriate key Republican allies in the cattle industry, is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to address affordability concerns ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The Wall Street Journal first reported Trump’s plan.
Trump has been focused on the stubbornly-high cost of beef for months, holding private meetings with Cabinet officials and industry representatives at the White House to find solutions. The average price of a pound of ground beef is $6.70 as of March, up nearly 21 percent since the president took office.
Administration officials are looking to include some deregulatory actions and policy changes to cushion the shock to ranchers who are typically supportive of Trump and have benefited from the higher prices, according to the people, who were granted anonymity to discuss the plans that aren’t yet public.
Trump was met with outcry from the cattle industry and on Capitol Hill when he suggested last fall that his administration would increase imports from Argentina. The White House ultimately decided to more than quadruple previous levels of beef imports from the South American country, but included a group of industry-friendly policy moves — including limits on what kind of beef can be imported and an end date on the increased imports — to soften the blow.
Politico, Trump picks Cameron Hamilton to run FEMA, Thomas Frank, May 11, 2026. The president nominated the man he fired as leader of the nation's disaster agency a year ago.Cameron Hamilton, then-acting administrator of FEMA, testifies on Capitol Hill.
Trump picks Cameron Hamilton to run FEMA
The president nominated the man he fired as leader of the nation's disaster agency a year ago.Cameron Hamilton, then-acting administrator of FEMA, testifies on Capitol Hill.
President Donald Trump on Monday nominated Cameron Hamilton to run the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a year after he fired him as acting administrator of the agency.
Hamilton would be the first permanent FEMA administrator in the current Trump administration if he’s confirmed by the Senate.
The former Navy SEAL was fired after he clashed with then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who gave him a lie-detector test as she searched for people inside the agency who she believed had spoken with news reporters. The day before his dismissal on May 8, 2025, Hamilton seemed to contradict the president when he told a House subcommittee that FEMA should not be eliminated, as Trump had threatened to do.
Hamilton will face Senate confirmation and potential questions about whether he has sufficient experience in emergency management to meet statutory qualifications. Hamilton worked as a vice president at Longview International Technology Solutions from August to last month, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Politico, House Ethics shares update on Cory Mills investigation, Hailey Fuchs, May 11, 2026. The panel is under pressure to police member misconduct in the wake of bad behavior among lawmakers.
The House Ethics Committee is defending its handling of the ongoing investigation into embattled Rep. Cory Mills, who stands accused of threatening to release a former girlfriend’s nude videos, among other charges.
In a statement Monday, the panel’s bipartisan leadership said that the investigative subcommittee announced in November to oversee the Mills case “has authorized more than 20 subpoenas, collected thousands of documents, and contacted dozens of witnesses.”
“The [subcommittee] expects to receive additional relevant documents and testimony in the coming weeks and will take all necessary steps to conduct a full and thorough investigation,” said chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) and ranking member Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.) in the statement.
A spokesperson for Mills did not immediately return a request for comment.
The rare public statement from a notoriously secretive committee underscores the extent of the pressure the Ethics panel remains under to aggressively police lawmakers, following a rash of member resignations spurred by allegations of sexual misconduct or other bad behavior.
Guest and DeSaulnier note that the panel’s review of Mills includes looking into a Feb. 2025 incident, during which the Metropolitan Police Department was called to a home in Washington regarding an assault allegedly committed by Mills. Mills has denied wrongdoing in the case, and the woman who was the alleged victim has said no physical altercation took place.
The Ethics investigative subcommittee is also probing a restraining order levied by a Florida judge after a former girlfriend accused Mills of threatening to release her explicit videos. Mills has denied those allegations, too.
“The Committee takes these and the other allegations very seriously and will continue to review them in a manner that ensures due process and prioritizes witness confidentiality and safety,” Guest and DeSaulnier said Monday.
Mills has also been accused of other charges, including stolen valor and involvement in federal contracts while in office. He has said he is cooperating with the Ethics Committee’s probe and has confidence in its ability to adjudicate his case.
Politico, Trump nominates Kari Lake and Doug Mastriano to diplomatic posts, Aaron Pellish, May 11, 2026. The two staunch allies ran failed campaigns for governor in battleground states in 2022.Doug Mastriano speaks.
President Donald Trump has nominated Kari Lake and Doug Mastriano — two allies who waged failed bids for governor in battleground states — to diplomatic posts.
The White House announced Monday that Trump has nominated Lake to be ambassador to Jamaica and Mastriano to be ambassador to Slovakia. Both nominations require Senate confirmation.
Mastriano, who ran for governor of Pennsylvania, and Lake, who lost in Arizona, both embraced the president and his baseless election conspiracies and were rejected by voters in 2022.
“I look forward to representing our nation abroad, strengthening the friendship between our two countries, and advancing the interests of the American people,” Mastriano said in a statement posted online.
Lake, a former local TV personality who dismantled the Voice of America as Trump’s appointed head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, said she was looking forward to her new role in the Caribbean.
“Jamaica is a country I know very well, full of incredible people, and if confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our nations, advancing America’s interests abroad, and building on the deep friendship shared by the American and Jamaican people,” she said in a social media post.
Mastriano said he will continue serving as a Pennsylvania state senator until his appointment is confirmed by the Senate. Lake’s future status leading the U.S. Agency for Global Media is unclear.
Mastriano’s appointment likely undermines an ascendant write-in campaign for him in Pennsylvania’s Republican gubernatorial primary, the race he won in 2022. The campaign, which Mastriano supported but was not involved with, threatened to pose an obstacle for Republicans’ preferred pick, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, ahead of next Tuesday’s primary.
Lake earned an appointment to USGM last year after losing two statewide races in battleground Arizona. She lost to Gov. Katie Hobbs in 2022, then sought to succeed former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in 2024, but lost to Ruben Gallego.
Shortly after joining USGM in a non-Senate confirmed role, Lake oversaw the gutting of Voice of America as part of the administration’s remaking of the federal workforce. By the end of the administration’s cuts last year, roughly 85 percent of the agency’s staff had been removed.
But Lake’s work at USGM hasn’t withstood legal scrutiny. A federal judge ruled in March that Lake’s tenure at the head of the agency was improper because she was not confirmed by the Senate. Later in March, the same judge ordered the Trump administration to reinstate the staff members who had been placed on leave.Antiliberalism Is Tearing America Apart—Again.
Occupy Democrats, "THAT LITTLE RAT BAG!" May 11, 2026. Rod Stewart just gave Trump a royal-grade humiliation in front of King Charles — and guess what his majesty did in response.
Legendary rock icon Sir Rod Stewart has never been known for his diplomatic restraint. On Monday night at the Royal Albert Hall, in front of King Charles, Queen Camilla, George Clooney, Benedict Cumberbatch, and half of British celebrity royalty, he proved it once again.During the intermission of a celebration for the 50th anniversary of the King's Trust (formerly The Prince’s Trust), Stewart sidled up to his majesty and delivered what may be the most delightfully awkward royal compliment in recent memory.
"May I say, well done in the Americas. You were superb, absolutely superb. Put that little rat bag in his place."King Charles, to his credit, laughed. Ronnie Wood grinned. Camilla was told her husband had been "so brave, so proud" in America. Stewart apparently added that his remarks had gone "right over his head" — referring, presumably, to Trump.Royal watchers were swift to clutch their pearls, noting that the sovereign must remain constitutionally neutral and that Charles had worked hard to strengthen UK-US relations during his April state visit.
The trip was widely regarded as a diplomatic triumph — Charles addressed Congress, touched on NATO and Ukraine, cracked a joke about the French, and Trump agreed to lift tariffs on Scottish whisky.All of which is true. But it's also true that a 79-year-old rock legend publicly calling the president of the United States "that little rat bag" to the King of England's face — and getting a laugh in return — is the energy a lot of people on both sides of the Atlantic are feeling right now.The palace maintained its careful neutrality. Rod Stewart maintained his trademark candor. And somewhere in Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump is presumably unaware that he's been called a rat bag by the man who sang "Maggie May" while standing next to the King of England.Meanwhile, Ronnie Wood's grin said everything about how we all feel about Stewart’s cheeky remark.
PoliticusUSA, Commentary: Trump's Federal Gas Tax Holiday Is A Con, Jason Easley, right, May 11, 2026. Because the federal gas tax is not collected at the point of purchase, a gas tax holiday may only provide minimal if any cost reduction to consumers.
The reaction to Trump’s suggested gas tax holiday has been mixed at best. House Republicans say they could have a bill on the floor by next week to suspend the eighteen-cent-per-gallon federal gas tax, but what Trump is supporting isn’t much.
Trump said in a phone interview with CBS News’s Nancy Cordes posted on X:In a phone interview, President Trump told me that he wants to pause the 18 cent federal gas tax “for a period of time.” “I think it’s a great idea,” he said. “Yup, we’re going to take off the gas tax for a period of time, and when gas goes down, we’ll let it phase back in.”
Some Republicans jumped on the idea because they are sinking in the midterm election and need something to show voters that they are cutting costs.However, suspending the federal gas tax will not really lower costs for consumers and may drive prices even higher.
A Penn Wharton Budget Model analysis of suspending the federal gas tax for 122 days, as Trump proposed, found:Not all of the tax cut would reach consumers. Short-run gasoline demand is relatively inelastic — drivers need fuel regardless of small price changes — which gives suppliers some ability to absorb part of the tax reduction as higher margins rather than passing the full savings through to pump prices.
Based on PWBM’s synthetic control estimates (see methodology in our state gas tax holiday analysis), the expected pass-through rates are 0.72 for gasoline and 0.60 for diesel. Part of the tax cut will go to Big Oil, so what about the rest?
Here is the impact of the federal gas tax suspension on consumers:B• Gasoline prices would fall by about 13.2 cents per gallon (0.72 × 18.4¢), rather than the full 18.4-cent tax.• Diesel prices would fall by about 14.6 cents per gallon (0.60 × 24.4¢), rather than the full 24.4-cent tax.In other words, consumers would see roughly 60 to 72 percent of the tax savings at the pump, with the remainder captured by suppliers. For a household filling a 15-gallon tank once per week over the 122-day period, the gasoline savings would amount to approximately $35.The suspension of the federal gas tax would save the American people $35. That’s not $35 a week, or a month, but $35 for the ENTIRE SUMMER.
The American people would save $9 per month over the summer, which would not be enough to cover the rising cost of groceries. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) has proposed suspending gas taxes and imposing a windfall tax on Big Oil instead. Trump and his party have zero interest in that idea. As long as Trump continues to fight a war with Iran and cause a global oil supply problem, gas prices will continue to rise. Remember, the United States has no domestic oil supply of its own. All of the oil drilled in the US belongs to the oil companies and is being sold on the global market, so drill, baby drill isn’t a plan to lower energy prices. It is a scheme to increase Big Oil’s profits.Gas prices could actually go up more than consumers will save from the federal gas tax suspension.A federal gas tax suspension without a windfall tax on Big Oil is a con that only helps the oil companies and does nothing to make America more affordable.What do you think about the federal gas tax holiday? Let’s talk about it in the comments below.
MS Now, Trump is busying himself with everything except affordability ahead of the midterms, Zeeshan Aleem, May 11, 2026. President Donald Trump demonstrated a show of electoral force last week that gave off the appearance that he still has the juice.
In Indiana’s widely-watched Republican primary on Tuesday, his quest for revenge against seven incumbent state senators who dared resist his edict to gerrymander the state’s electoral maps overwhelmingly succeeded. Some Republican pollsters said Trump’s ability to decisively oust Republicans who cross him indicates that, despite his recent breaks from some MAGA influencers, he still has a lock on his electoral base.
But looking ahead to November’s midterm elections, Trump’s performance in Indiana is hardly reason for Republican optimism. He still holds tremendous influence over his own party, no doubt. But that seems to be his sole focus these days, as he busies himself with positions designed to allay right-wing activists in policy areas, like immigration, and provide red meat for the base in ways that are likely to cost the party soft supporters. Meanwhile, he is perpetually ignoring the one thing that could save the GOP in November.
PoliticusUSA, News and Commentary: Democrats Have A Plan To Restore Obamacare Subsidies Next Year, Jason Easley, right, May 11, 2026. The pain of millions of Americans due to the Republican Obamacare subsidy cuts could end next year if Democrats win back the House as they plan to force an immediate showdown with Trump.
Amid all of the chaos that Trump has created with his tariffs, Iran war, and declining economy, the topic of Obamacare subsidies has slipped down the conversation list in 2026, but the fight is far from finished, and Democrats have not forgotten about the twenty million Americans who are paying higher premiums or have lost their coverage.
Politico reported:
Democrats are also eager to shift the conversation in Congress back to the question of how much wealthy people pay in taxes, especially in the wake of Republicans’ 2025 tax cuts.
…
Democrats hope to move legislation, too, though it won’t be easy finding agreement with Trump. But lawmakers will probably have to raise the federal debt limit next year, which could give them leverage to press their demands on the administration.
Near the top of their list: extending Obamacare health insurance subsidies, something lawmakers have battled over for months; re-upping wind, solar and other renewable energy tax provisions Republicans targeted last year in their “big, beautiful bill”; and a mishmash of temporary tax provisions that have expired, like the Work Opportunity Tax Credit.
One of the advantages that Democrats have built in for themselves is that by not agreeing to long-term funding deals, they will have a great deal of leverage over Trump during the final two years of his term if they win back Congress.
Trump is obsessed with his legacy, which is why he keeps trying to remodel the White House, slap his name on everything, and stick a bunch of eyesores in the Capitol. Democrats have the ability to derail all of this and make Trump’s legacy government defaults, shut downs, and even more failures.
It is vital that Democrats follow through on their promises. The reason so many of their supporters are disappointed is that the party has developed a habit of gaining power and then failing to follow through on its promises.
U.S. Scandals, Schemes, Corruption Allegations
Eric and Donald Trump Jr. pose in a collage that includes also models of the so-called Trump Phone.
Popular Information, Accountability Journalism: We were promised a gold-plated Trump phone, Judd Legum, right, May 11, 2026. For 11 months, Trump Mobile has been collecting $100 deposits for a Trump phone. No phones have shipped to customers.
On June 16, 2025, President Trump’s two eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, announced the launch of Trump Mobile. The new venture’s flagship product was “a sleek, gold smartphone engineered for performance“ called the T1 Phone. The pair announced Trump Mobile at Trump Tower in New York City on the 10th anniversary of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign announcement.
According to the press release, the T1 phone would be “proudly designed and built in the United States” and available in August 2025 for $499. Trump’s sons promised that the new service will feature a “best in class customer service team, based in the United States” that “will be available 24 hours a day to assist.”
The Trump Mobile website, which launched the same day, encouraged customers to deposit $100 to “pre-order” the “MADE IN THE USA ‘T1 Phone.” According to the website, the T1 would be available in September 2025. A spokesman for Trump Mobile told the Wall Street Journal on launch day that “manufacturing for the new phone will be in Alabama, California and Florida.” Appearing on “The Benny Show,” Trump Jr. said the T1 phone was “American hardware, built in America, without the potential of…[a] backdoor into the hardware that some of our adversaries have installed in there.”
Although Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. announced the phone at Trump Tower and promoted it during media appearances, a disclaimer on the website says that neither the Trump Organization nor any of the Trump family are making or selling the products:
Trump Mobile and all its products and services are not designed, developed, manufactured, distributed, or sold by The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals. T1 Mobile LLC uses the Trump name and trademark pursuant to the terms of a limited license agreement, which may be terminated or revoked according to its terms.
This is a typical arrangement for The Trump Organization, which remains wholly owned by President Trump. (Although, technically, the company currently is held by a revocable trust run by Trump Jr., the trust has no legal significance.) Trump earns millions of dollars annually from similar agreements.
A reporter from 404 Media, Joseph Cox, pre-ordered the phone on launch day and was initially charged $64.70. Cox was told he would receive a notification when the phone had been shipped but he had not provided a shipping address. In July, Trump Mobile placed two additional charges on Cox’s credit card, one for $100 and another for $64.70, without explanation. When Cox called the customer service number, the representative could not assist him. A Reuters reporter who called the line in June 2025 was greeted with, “Omega Auto Care, how can I help you?“
In July 2025, Pat O’Brien, an executive working on the Trump Mobile venture, said that the company had “gotten a lot of pre-orders“ but would not disclose how many.
A $499 “MADE IN THE USA” phone was always a fantasy. There is only one phone that is currently assembled in the United States, the Liberty Phone. It costs $2000 and “has specs that would have been more impressive a decade ago.” It includes parts made in China and other Asian countries. The T1 promised high-end specs including Android 15, a 50 megapixel camera, a 6.8 inch screen, and 12 gigabytes of RAM.
By June 25, 2025, the description of the T1 changed dramatically. The phone was no longer promoted as “MADE IN THE USA.” Instead it was “Proudly American” and “designed with American values in mind” — two phrases that mean little.
In October 2025, a call center operator told NBC News that the T1 phone would be shipped on November 13, 2025. That did not happen. The reporter was then told the phone would be available in early December. On December 31, 2025, a reporter from Fortune was told the T1 would be available in “mid to late January.” The Trump Mobile representative told Fortune that the phone had been delayed “due to the government shutdown.”
In January 2026, a Trump Mobile representative said that the company was “in the final stages of certification and field testing” and would ship “sometime in Q1 2026,” a window which closed on March 31.
Then, on April 6, 2026, Trump Mobile updated its terms. According to the new terms, the $100 deposit was not actually a pre-order but “a conditional opportunity if Trump Mobile later elects, in its sole discretion, to offer the Device for sale.” Further, the deposit “does not lock in pricing, promotions, service plans, taxes, fees, shipping costs, or other commercial terms.” The terms claim that “[e]stimated ship dates, launch timelines, or anticipated production schedule are non-binding estimates only.” The terms do say customers can receive a refund by making a request to customer service which will “take several business days to process.”
Popular Information called Trump Mobile’s 24-hour customer service number to ask for an updated release date and more information about the refund process. The number played a recorded message saying Trump Mobile was closed and to call back Monday through Friday between 8AM and 5PM Central Standard Time.
As of May 2026, no T1 phones have been sent to customers and the Trump Mobile website currently provides no estimate of when the T1 will be available.T-Mobile and conflicts of interest
Despite the lengthy delays and the lack of a current timeline, Trump Mobile is showing some signs of life. A ‘T1’ phone from Smart Gadgets Global, LLC — a company whose CEO, Eric Thomas, is a Trump Mobile executive — received FCC clearance in January. That’s necessary before any new phone can be used by consumers.
In February, two Trump Mobile executives showed a Verge reporter a prototype of the phone over video conference. Notably, the phone will not be “Made In the USA,” which was touted by Trump’s sons as its key distinguishing feature. Instead, it will receive “final assembly” in Miami. The Trump Mobile executives would not disclose where the phone is assembled before that final step.
Beyond manufacturing, a critical step for the release of the phone is to get certification from a company that owns a cellular network. In February, the Trump Mobile executives said they were waiting on approval from T-Mobile. Trump Mobile operates as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) that uses the T-Mobile network. So T-Mobile has to review and approve any new devices that Trump Mobile wants to deploy.
This creates a serious conflict of interest. T-Mobile is regulated by the Trump administration and regularly seeks Trump administration approval for key business activities, including acquisition of additional spectrum. Now, the Trump Organization, which is owned by President Trump, is pitching a phone that depends on T-Mobile’s approval. T-Mobile will feel immense political pressure to clear the device for use on its network.
In July 2025, three Democratic Members of Congress — Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Doris Matsui (D-CA), and Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY) — sent a letter to T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert highlighting these concerns. The letter states that T-Mobile’s business relationship with Trump Mobile “creates the appearance of significant conflicts of interest between your company and the executive branch, and likely will raise actual conflicts as more details come to light.” The Members of Congress stated that T-Mobile was in a position “to gain favorable regulatory decisions affecting the company—such as spectrum allocations, merger approvals, or enforcement actions—without any regard as to whether those decisions are in the public interest.”
More Global News
New York Times, News Analysis: What Middle Powers Fear About the Trump-Xi Summit, Damien Cave, May 11, 2026. Asian nations worry that the president might trade security commitments for better economic terms with China during his planned meeting with Xi Jinping this week.
Poland will soon host production lines for South Korean tanks. Australia is buying warships from Japan. Canada will send uranium to India, while India offers cruise missiles to Vietnam, and Brazil builds military transport planes for the United Arab Emirates.
All of these deals were sealed in the past few weeks. Each one represents an attempt by middle powers to protect themselves as the conflict in Iran throttles global energy supplies, and as a high-stakes summit between President Trump and Xi Jinping of China looms.
Global polls show the world has little trust in the United States and China. Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi have both used their enormous leverage over trade and security to coerce or punish. And in response, smaller nations are behaving as if they are stuck in “Godzilla” or “Dune” — moving quietly in small groups, trying not to provoke the wrath of petulant giants.
“It’s fifty shades of hedging,” said Richard Heydarian, a Filipino political scientist at Oxford University. Or, as Ja Ian Chong, a security analyst in Singapore put it, “No party wants to cross Beijing and now Washington, too.”
For countries watching from afar, dread and hope hover over the Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing, which is scheduled for this week. In Asia, which has been hit hardest and fastest by oil shortages caused by the war and China’s tight control of oil-product exports, the mood is particularly grim. Interviews with officials, and statements from leaders traveling the globe to secure trade and defense deals, suggest that most middle powers feel overwhelmed by the deteriorating world order.
Many believe the summit carries more potential for harm than help. And Mr. Trump’s gut-driven approach to complex issues is the main source of anxiety.
Russian Victory Day Parade on May 9, 2026 (Tass photo).
Letters from an American, Historical Commentary: May 10, 2026 [Russian, Hungarian Celebrations], Heather Cox Richardson, right, May 11, 2026. There were two very different celebrations in Russia and in Hungary yesterday.
Russia celebrated Victory Day, the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Most of the Allies honor Victory in Europe Day, or V-E Day, on May 8, the day in 1945 that jubilant celebrations broke out as news spread of the Nazis’ unconditional surrender in Reims, France, on May 7, 1945. The Russians celebrate victory over the Nazis on May 9, for by the time the Germans surrendered to the Soviets in Berlin, the time difference meant it was already May 9 in Moscow.
May 9 is an important national holiday in Russia, marked with parades and honoring of relatives who fought in the war. In 2005, when Russia was still embracing democratic nations, more than fifty world leaders attended the sixtieth anniversary of Victory Day, including President George W. Bush; the leaders of China, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Spain, and Denmark; the secretary-general of the United Nations; and the president of the European Commission.
But for the past several years, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, above, has used the event to demonstrate the nation’s military strength and to rally supporters behind him and the war in Ukraine. He has showcased troops and military hardware in a grand parade in Moscow’s Red Square.
This year, as Zahra Ullah of CNN reported, Putin followed his usual pattern of equating the troops fighting in Ukraine with those who fought in World War II. As he has often framed the war as a struggle against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), he claimed today’s soldiers for Russia are “standing up to an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc.”
But the similarities between past celebrations and yesterday’s ended there. This year, the parade was dramatically scaled back. The parade included four parade units, including some from North Korea, and there was no heavy military hardware. Instead, screens spread across Red Square showed pre-recorded videos of drones, air defense forces, and submarines that state media claimed were from the front lines.
Although foreign leaders have attended the event in the past, this year there were few. As Matthew Luxmoore noted in the Wall Street Journal, Russian allies Venezuela and Hungary have recently lost their pro-Russian leaders, and Russian ally Iran is at war with the U.S. China’s leader Xi Jinping attended last year but did not attend this year. Russian officials allowed few foreign reporters to cover the event and warned people there could be restrictions on texting and the internet “to ensure security during the festive events.”
Putin’s scaled-back celebration reflects fear of Ukrainian drone strikes, which are hitting deep inside Russia. It also reflects growing discontent over the war and its devastation of the economy, and anger at the increasing repression with which Putin is trying to control opposition.
As former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul noted in McFaul’s World, Putin’s war on Ukraine has now lasted longer than the Soviet Union’s war with Nazi Germany and has achieved none of the goals Putin set out for the conflict. He has not subjugated Ukraine and has not succeeded in regime change. He has not “demilitarized” Ukraine; indeed, Ukraine is more militarized than ever before and has become an important player in global weapons systems. And not only has Putin failed to stop NATO from expanding, but in response to his invasion of Ukraine, both Finland and Sweden have joined the defensive alliance.
Instead of achieving Putin’s goals, the war has killed or wounded more than 1.2 million Russian soldiers and eaten up the economy. As criticism of the regime has become more outspoken, the Kremlin has curbed access to the internet, not only exacerbating that criticism but also, as McFaul notes, making it harder for people to use mobile banking, order a taxi, or use other online services. Rumors are circulating that Putin is increasingly concerned for his own safety. Rather than walking to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to lay flowers as usual, yesterday he took an armored bus.
Russia had announced a ceasefire for Friday and Saturday, but when it unraveled, President Donald J. Trump announced that he had persuaded Russia and Ukraine to agree to a three-day ceasefire that would cover the Victory Day celebration and allow an exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each country. After the announcement of the ceasefire, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky trolled Putin with a formal presidential decree to “allow” a parade in Moscow. It said: “For the time of the parade…the territorial square of Red Square shall be excluded from the plan of application of Ukrainian weapons.”
By Sunday—after the parade—the ceasefire had already broken down.
Today McFaul noted: “Ukrainian warriors have stopped the invading Russian hordes. Putin is losing his war in Ukraine…. Putin would be wise to cut his losses.”
In Hungary, a different kind of celebration was underway as Péter Magyar, right, took the oath of office as prime minister after winning a landslide victory over Putin ally Viktor Orbán.
In his 16 years of rule, Orbán rejected the liberal democracy his country used to enjoy, saying that its emphasis on multiculturalism weakened the national culture while its insistence on human equality undermined traditional society by recognizing that women and LGBTQ people have the same rights as straight white men. The age of liberal democracy was over, he said, and a new age had begun.
In place of equality, Orbán advocated what he called “illiberal democracy” or “Christian democracy.” “Christian democracy is, by definition, not liberal,” he said in July 2018; “it is, if you like, illiberal. And we can specifically say this in connection with a few important issues—say, three great issues. Liberal democracy is in favor of multiculturalism, while Christian democracy gives priority to Christian culture; this is an illiberal concept. Liberal democracy is pro-immigration, while Christian democracy is anti-immigration; this is again a genuinely illiberal concept. And liberal democracy sides with adaptable family models, while Christian democracy rests on the foundations of the Christian family model; once more, this is an illiberal concept.”
Orbán focused on LBGTQ rights as a danger to “Western civilization.” Arguing the need to protect children, his party has made it impossible for transgender people to change their gender identification on legal documents and made it illegal to share with minors any content that can be interpreted as promoting an LBGTQ lifestyle. After Orbán put allies in charge of Hungarian universities, his government banned public funding for gender studies courses. According to his chief of staff: “The Hungarian government is of the clear view that people are born either men or women.”
The American right wing championed Orbán, left, who called for the establishment of a global right wing to continue to work together to destroy liberal democracy and establish Christian democracy. Before Hungary’s April election, Trump not only repeatedly endorsed Orbán but also promised “to use the full Economic Might of the United States to strengthen Hungary’s Economy, as we have done for our Great Allies in the past, if Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the Hungarian people ever need it.” Vice President J.D. Vance actually traveled to Hungary to campaign for Orbán.
But the Hungarian people overwhelmingly rejected Orbán and his party, giving Magyar’s party more than a two-thirds majority in parliament. This will give it the power to overturn not only the laws Orbán and his party passed, but also the changes Orbán made to entrench himself and his party in power permanently. Magyar promised to root out the corruption that has made Orbán and his cronies rich, to restore the rule of law and freedom of speech, and to repair Hungary’s ties with the European Union, which Orbán had frayed almost to the breaking point with his loyalty to Vladimir Putin.
In his inauguration speech, Magyar vowed to “serve my country, not rule over it.” He noted that the corrupt members of the outgoing government “stole from the pockets of Hungarians” and left behind a huge budget deficit and a broken healthcare system. He vowed accountability for those who plundered the country and broke its laws, and promised to rebuild the nation’s shattered checks and balances. He urged Hungarians always to criticize their leaders and hold them accountable.
“We inherited a country where politics deliberately pitted Hungarians against each other,” he said, and he explained how Orbán mobilized supporters with hatred and fear, poisoning “the collective psyche of an entire nation.” “The Hungarian state must never again do this to its own citizens,” he said. He vowed to heal the country: “We will once again learn to think of ourselves as one nation,” he promised.
Then Magyar and members of his party walked out to the crowd outside the parliament on Lajos Kossuth Lajos Square. Magyar urged them to see themselves as one community. He assured them that the story of the day had not been written by politicians in backrooms, but by them. “[I]t was all of you. You wrote it, through your work, your hope, your concern, and your determination. This is now your transition to democracy, this is your homeland, your National Assembly, and we thank you!”
After Magyar spoke, as Roma singer Ibolya Oláh, a lesbian, began performing her anthem “Magyarország,” the crowd crossed the reflecting pool in front of the parliament building to surge forward, taking back their public spaces and their parliament, illustrating their faith in a new era for their country.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Is Putin Finally About to Do Something Smart? Benjamin Parker, May 11, 2026. Vladimir Putin is a master manipulator, an effective autocrat, one of history’s most accomplished thieves, and a wily opportunist.
But he is not a very good strategist. If he were a good strategist, he would not have gotten involved in the war in Donbas in 2014; he would not have ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022; he would not have repeatedly doubled down on that war when it wasn’t going well; and he would not have ignored that the price he was paying for his losing war, in addition to hundreds of thousands of dead Russians and severe strain on the Russian economy, was his country’s increasing vassalage to China. In time, perhaps even the seizure of Crimea in 2014 may be viewed as the first step down a path to Russia’s ruin.
But on Saturday, in remarks following Russia’s annual Victory Day parade marking the anniversary of the German surrender in World War II, Putin said something that, if he means it, would be an excellent strategic decision. According to the independent news outlet Meduza, he said,
I think the conflict with Ukraine is coming to an end. Mr. Zelensky is ready to have a personal meeting. Whoever wants to meet, let him come. We can also meet in a third country, but there must be final agreements for this. The peace treaty should be designed for a long historical perspective. This should be the final point. Negotiations are the business of Russia and Ukraine, but we are not against U.S. mediation.²
As always, the first question one needs to ask is why Putin is saying this now. He could be trying to satisfy some faction within Russia that wants to try to strike a deal. He could be trying to give Trump even more (false) evidence that Russia is willing to make “peace.” Whatever the explanation, Putin has still not signaled a willingness to agree to terms that Ukraine would find acceptable, so at least for now, any peace agreement still seems a long way off.
But if Putin were serious about suing for peace, it would be a smart move. A historical analogy is apt:
Just looking at a map, there would be little reason to expect in early 1918 that Germany was going to lose World War I. Its armies still controlled big swaths of its neighbors’ territories, and no enemy soldier had set foot on German soil for the whole duration of the war. The U-boat campaign against allied shipping continued apace. One of the major Allied powers, Russia, had not just collapsed but was preparing, in March of that year, to sign away huge swaths of land and people to Germany in the treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
But Germany’s allies were collapsing. Austria–Hungary was imploding due to the economic stresses of the war, even as nationalist movements were tearing it apart from the inside. The Ottoman Empire, long the “sick man of Europe,” was also collapsing. While Germany could still field large armies, it could hardly feed itself thanks to the Allied blockade. And the United States was just getting around to fielding a massive new army in Europe.
In short, by the fall of 1918, it had become clear to the German high command that things were about to start getting a lot worse.
Russia finds itself in a similar situation now. It still controls roughly a fifth of Ukrainian territory, and it’s still capable of killing Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. But Ukraine’s latest adaptations—especially its use of unmanned vehicles on the ground, in the air, and on the sea, plus its long-range strike campaign against Russian military and economic targets—are starting to take a real toll. Russia’s massive advantages—manpower, geography, deep reserves of weapons and platforms from the last century—are increasingly irrelevant, if not liabilities. Even its world-beating nuclear arsenal is all but useless thanks to Indian and Chinese warnings against nuclear war. As the military historian Phillips O’Brien said in a recent interview with Bill, the Ukrainians “believe that they now are taking a bit of the initiative in the war and have the ability to hurt Russia very badly, the Russian military and the Russian economy. And so they think Putin’s now being faced, I think, with more dilemmas than they are.”
The Russian economy is working in the short term, but apart from massive government spending on the war machine, the outlook is grim. Demobilization, when and if it happens, will be a major challenge, and long-term growth prospects have already been damaged by redirection of resources to the military; millions of workers dead, injured, or fled from the country; a labor shortage; and negative GDP growth despite massive government spending on the war.
Now is the perfect time to sue for peace. It’s reasonable to predict that from this point on, Russia will have fewer advantages, and its bargaining position will only get worse. War is unpredictable, but it would be a wise and savvy move, from Putin’s perspective, to quit now, while he’s at least nominally ahead.
Then again, that could be why he won’t do it.
New York Times, Lawmakers Urge Trump to Move Ahead on Delayed Arms Sale to Taiwan, Robert Jimison, May 11, 2026. The Trump administration has held up the sale for months ahead of President Trump’s meeting this week with President Xi Jinping of China.
A bipartisan group of senators is pressing President Trump to move ahead with a long-delayed $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan, a critical test of the administration’s commitment to the island ahead of Mr. Trump’s meeting with President Xi Jinping of China later this week.
In a letter sent on Friday, the lawmakers urged the president to formally notify Congress of the arms package and argued that Taipei’s recent approval of a new military spending plan removed any remaining rationale for delay. Senior lawmakers offered early approval to the package in January, but it has stalled in the State Department for months, raising broader questions about the administration’s approach to Taiwan and its effort to recalibrate relations with Beijing.
Administration officials have told some involved in the approval of the sale that the White House directed the hold to ensure that Mr. Trump had a successful meeting with Mr. Xi.
“Ahead of your summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, we urge you and your team to make clear that America’s support for Taiwan is inviolable,” the senators wrote. They also warned against allowing support for the self-governing island, which Beijing has threatened to take by force, to become a bargaining chip in broader economic or diplomatic talks with China.
Cruise ship MV Hondius docks off Cape Verde port, as passengers were not allowed off the ship, while health authorities investigated suspected cases of hantavirus aboard the vessel, in Praia Port, Cape Verde, May 4, 2026. Hondius anchored off Tristan da Cunha from April 13 to 15, 2026.
New York Times, American Passengers Exposed to Hantavirus Land in U.S., Sonia A. Rao and Jin Yu Young, May 11, 2026. Seventeen Americans from a cruise ship that faced a hantavirus outbreak arrived in Nebraska and will be monitored at a quarantine center. One tested “mildly” positive for the Andes virus, health officials said.
May 10
Top Headlines
May 10, 2026. If you google the history of Mother’s Day, the internet will tell you that Mother’s Day began in 1908 when Anna Jarvis decided to honor her mother. But “Mothers’ Day”—with the apostrophe not in the singular spot, but in the plural—actually started in the 1870s, when the sheer enormity of the death caused by the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War convinced writer and reformer Julia Ward Howe that women must take control of politics from the men who had permitted such carnage. Mothers’ Day was not designed to encourage people to be nice to their mothers. It was part of women’s effort to gain power to change society.News Roundups
May 9, 2026. There is a lot of news to cover this Saturday. Donald Trump is looking increasingly isolated on the world stage, while America’s adversaries appear less and less concerned by his threats.Investigations and Commentary
Hantavirus victim and Hondius cruise ship passenger Leo Schilperoord, a Dutch citizen who died during the cruise as did his wife.
More On Iran War
U.S. Politics, Elections, Governance
U.S. Rep. Tom Massie, a Republican from Kentucky who helped lead the effort in Congress to require the Justice Department to thwart a Trump coverup and release the Epstein files, is shown above left in file photos with Trump, center, and the late Trump friend Jeffrey Epstein, a notorius child rapist, sex trafficker, foreign asset and global financier..
U.S. Courts, Corruption, Law, Crime, Justice, Rights
Global News
The war in Iran, trade, artificial intelligence and Taiwan are expected to be on the agenda. But expectations are modest.U.S. Media, Education, Culture
Epstein Files, Trump Team Coverup
Ritual aesthetics, private gatherings, and the elite networks that kept resurfacing around Jeffrey Epstein.
Top Headlines
Letters from an American, Historical Commentary: May 9, 2026 [The Vital Difference Between 'Mothers' and Mother's For This Day], Heather Cox Richardson, right, May 10, 2026. If you google the history of Mother’s Day, the internet will tell you that Mother’s Day began in 1908 when Anna Jarvis decided to honor her mother.
But “Mothers’ Day”—with the apostrophe not in the singular spot, but in the plural—actually started in the 1870s, when the sheer enormity of the death caused by the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War convinced writer and reformer Julia Ward Howe that women must take control of politics from the men who had permitted such carnage. Mothers’ Day was not designed to encourage people to be nice to their mothers. It was part of women’s effort to gain power to change society.
The Civil War years taught naïve Americans what mass death meant in the modern era. Soldiers who had marched off to war with fantasies of heroism discovered that newly invented long-range weapons turned death into tortured anonymity. Men were trampled into blood-soaked mud, piled like cordwood in ditches, or withered into emaciated corpses after dysentery drained their lives away.
The women who had watched their hale and healthy men march off to war were haunted by its results. They lost fathers, husbands, sons, and brothers. The men who did come home were scarred in both body and mind.
Modern war, it seemed, was not a game.
But out of the war also came a new sense of empowerment. Women had bought bonds, paid taxes, raised money for the war effort, managed farms, harvested fields, worked in war industries, reared children, and nursed soldiers. When the war ended, they had every expectation that they would continue to be considered valuable participants in national affairs, and had every intention of continuing to take part in them.
But the Fourteenth Amendment, which established that Black men were citizens, did not explicitly include women in that right. Worse, it introduced the word “male” into the Constitution when it warned states against preventing “male inhabitants” from voting. In 1869, the year after the Fourteenth Amendment was added to the Constitution, women organized two organizations—the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association—to promote women’s right to have a say in American government.
From her home in Boston, Julia Ward Howe, right, was a key figure in the American Woman Suffrage Association. She was an enormously talented writer who in the early years of the Civil War had penned “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” a hymn whose lyrics made it a point to note that Christ was “born of woman.”
Howe was drawn to women’s rights because the laws of her time meant that her children belonged to her abusive 
husband [Samuel Gridley Howe, left, a noted civic reformer in his own sphere]. If she broke free of him, she would lose any right to see her children, a fact he threw at her whenever she threatened to leave him.
She was not at first a radical in the mold of reformer Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who believed that women had a human right to equality with men. Rather, she believed strongly that women, as mothers, had a special role to perform in the world.
For Howe, the Civil War had been traumatic, but that it led to emancipation might justify its terrible bloodshed. The outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 was another story. She remembered:
“I was visited by a sudden feeling of the cruel and unnecessary character of the contest. It seemed to me a return to barbarism, the issue having been one which might easily have been settled without bloodshed. The question forced itself upon me, ‘Why do not the mothers of mankind interfere in these matters, to prevent the waste of that human life of which they alone know and bear the cost?’”
Howe had a new vision, she said, of “the august dignity of motherhood and its terrible responsibilities.” She sat down immediately and wrote an “Appeal to Womanhood Throughout the World.” Men always had and always would decide questions by resorting to “mutual murder,” she wrote, but women did not have to accept “proceedings which fill the globe with grief and horror.” Mothers could command their sons, “who owe their life to her suffering,” to stop the madness.
“Arise, women!” Howe commanded. “Say firmly: ‘We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We, women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country, to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.’”
Howe had her document translated into French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Swedish and distributed it as widely as her extensive contacts made possible. She believed that her Women’s Peace Movement would be the next great development in human history, ending war just as the antislavery movement had ended human bondage. She called for a “festival which should be observed as mothers’ day, and which should be devoted to the advocacy of peace doctrines” to be held around the world on June 2 of every year, a date that would permit open-air meetings.
Howe organized international peace conferences, and American states developed their own Mothers’ Day festivals. But Howe quickly realized that there was much to be done before women could come together on a global scale. She turned her attention to women’s clubs “to constitute a working and united womanhood.”
As Howe worked to unite women, she came to realize that a woman did not have to center her life around a man, but rather should be “a free agent, fully sharing with man every human right and every human responsibility.” “This discovery was like the addition of a new continent to the map of the world,” she later recalled, “or of a new testament to the old ordinances.” She threw herself into the struggle for women’s suffrage, understanding that in order to create a more just and peaceful society, women must take up their rightful place as equal participants in American politics.
While we celebrate the modern version of Mother’s Day on May 9, in this momentous year of 2026, it’s worth remembering the original Mothers’ Day and Julia Ward Howe’s conviction that women must have the same rights as men, and that they must make their voices heard.
More Background On Julia Ward Howe, Her "Battle Hymn of the Republic," and Predecessor Civil War Anthem "John Brown's Body"
The song was popular in the Union during the American Civil War. The song arose out of the folk hymn tradition of the American camp meeting movement of the late 18th and early 19th century. According to an 1889 account, the original John Brown lyrics were a collective effort by a group of Union soldiers who were referring both to the famous John Brown (shown above) and also, humorously, to a Sergeant John Brown of their own battalion. Various other authors have published additional verses or claimed credit for originating the John Brown lyrics and tune.
The "flavor of coarseness, possibly of irreverence" led many of the era to feel uncomfortable with the earliest "John Brown" lyrics. This in turn led to the creation of many variant versions of the text that aspired to a higher literary quality.
Numerous informal versions and adaptations of the lyrics and music have been created from the mid-1800s to the present, making "John Brown's Body" an example of a living folk music tradition. Shown below is a version of the lyrics for "John Brown's Body," which later became "Battle Hymn of the Republic" first published in The Atlantic, obscuring the author's female name in the style of the era, as shown above (Sources: New England Historical Society and Wikipedia).
Old John Brown’s body lies moldering in the grave, While weep the sons of bondage whom he ventured all to save; But tho he lost his life while struggling for the slave, His soul is marching on.
John Brown was a hero, undaunted, true and brave. And Kansas knows his valor when he fought her rights to save. Now, tho the grass grows green above his grave, His soul is marching on.
He captured Harper’s Ferry, with his nineteen men so few. And frightened "Old Virginny" till she trembled thru and thru. They hung him for a traitor, themselves the traitor crew. But his soul is marching on.
Andersonville Prison as seen by John L. Ransom: John Ransom, a Union prisoner at Andersonville Prison during the Civil War, first published his journal, Andersonville Diary, in 1881. One of the best-known Civil War narratives, the diary includes graphic descriptions of the camp's deplorable conditions.
At Andersonville Prison, which held Union prisoners of war, a visiting Confederate soldier describes it thus:
I declined an invitation not very heartily given, as I thought, to go within the stockade, but climbed up to the sentry-walk and looked over. I cannot tell the horror of that scene. It was almost sundown of a hot autumn day. The wretchedness depicted in the faces of that squalid, unprotected multitude was unspeakable. I could hear the soughing of the winds in the pines beyond, but they had neither breath nor shade. The stench even where I stood was sickening. Because I had been a prisoner myself I no doubt pitied them the more. I guessed what they must endure, though I only dimly imagined the horrors of their fate. As I turned away the notes of song arose from the squalid mass. I paused and listened—listened to the very end of that most remarkable paean of self-sacrifice that ever inspired an army or a people to suffer and achieve for another's sake. When I went away in the gloaming that follows quick upon our sunset, the words went with me, and have never left my memory.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free.
On May 1, 1865, in Charleston, South Carolina, recently freed African-Americans and some white missionaries held a parade of 10,000 people, led by 3,000 Black children singing "John Brown's Body." The march honored 257 dead Union soldiers whose remains the organizers had re-buried from a mass grave in a Confederate prison camp. This is considered the first observation of Decoration Day, now known as Memorial Day.
New York Times, A Private Call Reveals Democrats’ Desperation Over Tossing of Map, Reid J. Epstein, May 10, 2026. A conversation involving House members from Virginia and the top House Democrat reflected the fury and desperation that has gripped the party after Friday’s ruling in the state.
Democrats are struggling to respond to a major redistricting setback in Virginia, with some party leaders discussing an audacious and possibly far-fetched idea for trying to restore a congressional map voided by the court but showing little indication they have a clear plan.
During a private discussion on Saturday that included Democratic House members from Virginia and Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the minority leader, the lawmakers vented anger at their defeat at the Virginia Supreme Court, spoke about a collective determination to flip two or three Republican-held seats under the existing map and discussed a bank-shot proposal to redraw the congressional lines anyway, according to three people who participated in the call and two others who were briefed on it.
They did not land on a specific course forward, and Mr. Jeffries and the other members of Congress agreed to consult with their lawyers about the most prudent way to proceed, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private talk.
The conversation reflected the desperation and fury that have gripped the party after the state Supreme Court struck down a favorable map that had been ratified by voters. The most dramatic idea they discussed — which would involve an unusual gambit to replace the entire state Supreme Court, with a goal of reinstating their gerrymandered map — drew mixed reactions on the call, said the people, and it was not clear that it would even be viable, or palatable to Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly.ImageAbigail Spanberger speaking into microphones.Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger speaking in Williamsburg, Va., in February.Credit...Pool photo by Steve Helber
After Democrats had fought Republicans to a rough draw last month in a nationwide gerrymandering war, a pair of recent court rulings quickly gave the G.O.P. the clear upper hand in the race to redraw maps ahead of the midterm elections. Facing stiff headwinds, including President Trump’s low approval ratings and high gas prices, Republicans are looking for every advantage they can find to defy the odds and hold on to their narrow majority.
What you should know about anonymous sources. The Times makes a careful decision any time it shields the identity of a source. The information the source supplies must be newsworthy, credible and give readers genuine insight.Learn more about our process.
Any plans to enact a new congressional map for this year’s midterm elections would require action in the next few days. In a court filing last month, Steven Koski, the commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections, said any changes to the maps after Tuesday, May 12, “will significantly increase the risk” of his agency being unable to properly prepare for the state’s scheduled Aug. 4 primary election.
One key to the plan would be having Democrats in Richmond lower the mandatory retirement age for state Supreme Court justices, an idea that began circulating among state lawmakers and members of Congress after a column proposing a version of the idea was published on Friday night in The Downballot, a progressive newsletter.
Ms. Spanberger would have to sign off on any legislation that lowered the judicial retirement age. She has not been briefed on the proposal, the people involved in the discussion or briefed on it said.
The first step in the process, as discussed on the delegation’s call, would be to invoke a January ruling by a circuit court judge in Tazewell County, Va., that said the 2026 constitutional amendment effort to redraw the maps was invalid because county officials did not post notice of it at courthouses and other public locations three months before a general election.
Democrats would aim to use that ruling to seek to invalidate the earlier constitutional amendment that created the state’s independent redistricting commission by arguing that courthouses across the state did not post notice of it at the time. That would give the legislature the authority to enact a map of its choosing.
Ensuring the plan proceeds would involve the General Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats, lowering the mandatory retirement age for Virginia’s Supreme Court from 75 to 54, the age of the youngest current justice, or less. Virginia judges are appointed by the General Assembly, where Democrats hold majorities in both chambers and could then fill vacancies on the court with sympathetic Democratic lawyers.
Mandatory retirement ages are in place for judges in 32 states and Washington, D.C., according to a 2015 law review article from the Duke University Law School. The article said the most common retirement age set by states is 70.
In states such as Arizona, Georgia and Utah, Republican lawmakers have expanded state Supreme Courts in order to make them more conservative. But the Virginia proposal, which would get rid of all the sitting judges, would go considerably further.
Former Representative James P. Moran, Democrat of Virginia, said a move to stack the Virginia Supreme Court would be “just a bridge too far” and could backfire on his party.
Representative Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat who represents Loudoun County, Va., said in an interview that he supported doing whatever was necessary to preserve the map voters approved in last month’s referendum — including replacing the state’s Supreme Court justices.
“Everyone has got to have a strong stomach right now; this is a complete disaster waiting to happen if people are timid,” said Mr. Subramanyam, who was on the Saturday call. “We have Republican states ignoring their constitutions and interrupting early voting and ignoring their Supreme Courts all together. We know based on that, Republicans would explore every single option possible to move this forward.”
Mr. Jeffries has maintained throughout the redistricting battles over the last year that he would maintain all options for creating or preserving Democratic House districts and has said repeatedly that Democrats would employ “maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time.”
News Roundups
The Parnas Perspective, Evening News and Commentary: Trump Growing Increasingly Isolated Globally, Experts Warn CDC Unprepared for Pandemic, Evangelicals Defend Trump Statue Against “Golden Calf” Backlash, Aaron Parnas, right, May 9, 2026. There is a lot of news to cover this Saturday. Donald Trump is looking increasingly isolated on the world stage, while America’s adversaries appear less and less concerned by his threats.
Public health experts are sounding the alarm over the gutting of the CDC and questioning how prepared the agency would be to handle a future pandemic in light of the hantavirus outbreak. The DOJ is facing internal turmoil following the indictment of James Comey. Evangelical leaders are also pushing back on criticism surrounding Trump’s gold statue, insisting it is not a “golden calf” moment. And there is much more to get into tonight.
A quick programming note: tomorrow morning you will get our usual good news only Sunday update. That may be the only post tomorrow, though, because it is Mother’s Day and I will be spending the day with my wife and daughter celebrating her very first Mother’s Day, which I am incredibly excited about.
Here’s the news:
Donald Trump is feeling increasingly isolated on the world stage, pointing to closer cooperation between Canada and European allies, skepticism from adversaries toward U.S. threats, and growing doubts about Washington’s global leadership under his administration. The feeling right now stems from Europe pursuing a more independent geopolitical strategy while rivals such as Russia, China, and Iran no longer see Trump’s rhetoric as a credible deterrent. Supporters reject that assessment, arguing Trump’s aggressive posture and transactional diplomacy have forced allies and adversaries alike to take U.S. power more seriously. From Mark Carney today:
According to the Washington Post, the Trump administration’s effort to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey has reportedly triggered major turmoil inside the Justice Department, particularly within the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. According to the report, multiple prosecutors have been demoted, pushed out, or are considering resigning over concerns about political pressure surrounding the case, leaving one of the country’s most important prosecutorial offices weakened and understaffed. The fallout has also reportedly disrupted at least one major investigation, fueling broader fears about politicization of the Justice Department under President Donald Trump.
A 22-foot gold statue of Donald Trump was unveiled at his Florida golf resort during a ceremony led by Pastor Mark Burns, drawing backlash from critics who compared the display to the biblical “golden calf” idol. Burns directly addressed those attacks during the event, insisting, “Let me be clear: this is not a golden calf,” and describing the statue instead as a symbol of “resilience, freedom, patriotism, strength, and the will power to keep fighting for the future of America.” The pastor said the statue represented God’s protection over Trump following multiple assassination attempts, while Trump himself called into the ceremony to thank Burns and supporters. The statue was reportedly funded by crypto investors promoting a memecoin and created by sculptor Alan Cottrill.
Pastor Robert Jeffress said, “It looks like President Donald Trump has a better understanding of what the Bible teaches than the Pope,” in remarks criticizing the Vatican’s positions and defending Trump’s policies.
Public health experts sharply criticized the CDC [Centers for Disease Control] for its weak and delayed response to the hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius (shown above), arguing the agency has been largely absent during a high-profile international health crisis involving American passengers. While the World Health Organization and foreign governments coordinated evacuations, risk assessments, and public communication, critics said the CDC failed to provide timely guidance, visible leadership, or transparent updates. Experts cited the agency’s diminished role as evidence that years of cuts, political interference, and the Trump administration’s withdrawal from global health partnerships have severely undermined America’s public health capacity. Several former officials and researchers warned that the outbreak exposed a hollowed-out CDC that is no longer capable of leading international disease responses the way it once did during crises like COVID-19.
Passengers aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, which experienced a deadly hantavirus outbreak, are expected to disembark in Tenerife, Spain, before being evacuated to their home countries under strict health protocols. Officials said none of the 147 people still onboard are currently symptomatic, and the World Health Organization emphasized that the public health risk remains low. The outbreak has been linked to the Andes strain of hantavirus, the only known strain capable of person-to-person transmission, and has already caused three deaths. After passengers are evacuated, the ship will sail to the Netherlands for disinfection, while exposed passengers will continue to be monitored by health authorities in their home countries.
The CDC confirmed Saturday that it will not require mandatory quarantine for the 17 American passengers returning from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius, despite transporting them to a federal quarantine facility in Nebraska. Officials said asymptomatic passengers will instead monitor themselves for symptoms over a 42-day period and may return home while remaining in contact with local health authorities.
Scientists in Utah are warning that the proposed “Stratos Project,” a massive hyperscale data center complex planned near the Great Salt Lake, could create an enormous artificial heat island with devastating environmental consequences. Researchers estimate the project would consume around 9 gigawatts of electricity, more than double Utah’s current statewide usage, while releasing an additional 7 to 8 gigawatts of waste heat into the surrounding desert ecosystem.
Experts fear the heat could dramatically raise local temperatures, accelerate evaporation around the already-collapsing Great Salt Lake, damage wildlife habitats, worsen dust pollution, and potentially transform the area into conditions resembling the Sahara Desert. Critics also argue the project has advanced with little environmental scrutiny despite support from powerful Utah political leaders and businessman Kevin O’Leary, who is backing the development.
Senator Ron Johnson promoted an extraordinary completely false claim that as many as 3.9 million Americans may have died because of Covid-19 vaccines, a figure far beyond anything supported by mainstream medical evidence or public health research.
Meanwhile, this is what President Trump was posting today:
President Donald Trump said he “might” move U.S. troops from Germany to Poland as the Pentagon plans to withdraw around 5,000 American soldiers from Germany over the next year. Polish President Karol Nawrocki welcomed the idea and said Poland is ready to host more U.S. troops, while Prime Minister Donald Tusk cautioned against “poaching” forces from allies. Trump’s comments follow tensions with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war, after which Trump threatened even deeper troop cuts in Germany. Poland’s defense leadership framed the potential redeployment as a way to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank and European security.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Israel secretly established a military base in Iraq’s western desert ahead of its air campaign against Iran, using it to support special operations, logistics, and rescue missions deep inside Iraqi territory without Baghdad’s knowledge. The report says Iraqi soldiers investigating suspicious helicopter activity near the site in March were struck by Israeli airstrikes, killing one soldier and injuring two others, apparently to keep the operation concealed.
Iraq publicly blamed the U.S. for the strike and filed a complaint with the United Nations, while Washington reportedly chose not to reveal Israel’s role despite knowing about the covert base. The episode has fueled accusations that Israel violated Iraqi sovereignty by operating an unauthorized military installation inside the country and using lethal force against Iraqi troops on Iraqi soil.
Israeli airstrikes killed at least seven people in southern Lebanon on Saturday, including a child, as fighting with Hezbollah intensified despite a U.S.-brokered cease-fire reached last month. The strikes hit multiple locations, including towns and vehicles south of Beirut, while Hezbollah responded with drone and rocket attacks that injured Israeli soldiers. The renewed violence has raised fears that the fragile truce is collapsing into another broader Israel-Hezbollah war, with both sides accusing each other of repeated violations. The escalation comes as U.S.-mediated talks aimed at stabilizing the cease-fire are set to continue in Washington next week.
Hungary’s new Prime Minister Péter Magyar was sworn into office, ending Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule and signaling a potential reset in relations with the European Union. EU leaders, including European Council President António Costa, welcomed the change and expressed readiness to work with the new government. Magyar’s Tisza party won a commanding parliamentary majority and has pledged reforms aimed at unlocking roughly €10 billion in frozen EU funds tied to rule-of-law concerns. Orbán’s departure could also shift EU dynamics on Russia and Ukraine policy, as he had frequently blocked EU measures supporting Kyiv and sanctioning Moscow.
A person who breached security and ran onto a runway at Denver International Airport was struck and killed Friday night by a departing Frontier Airlines plane bound for Los Angeles. The collision caused an engine fire and forced an emergency evacuation of the aircraft, which was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members. Twelve passengers suffered minor injuries during the evacuation, and five were taken to hospitals, while investigators from the NTSB and airport authorities began examining how the individual gained runway access. Audio from air traffic control captured the pilot reporting, “We just hit somebody,” before aborting takeoff and evacuating the smoke-filled plane on the runway.
A storm chaser helping search tornado wreckage in Mississippi rescued a tiny kitten trapped inside the remains of a destroyed trailer park wall after severe storms swept through the area. The emotional rescue, captured on video by the Associated Press, quickly drew attention online as a rare uplifting moment amid widespread devastation caused by the tornadoes.
At least 15 people were hospitalized Saturday after a possible boat explosion near the Haulover Sandbar, a popular party boating area near North Miami Beach. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue deployed 25 emergency units, including ocean rescue teams, and upgraded the response to a Level 2 Mass Casualty incident after discovering multiple injured victims at the scene. Authorities have not yet released details about the victims’ conditions or the cause of the explosion, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The Parnas Perspective, Evening News and Comment, Sunday News Update and Big Parnas Perspective Announcements, Aaron Parnas, right, May 10, 2026. There are major stories breaking tonight that you need to catch up on, from Iran to North Korea to the 2026 election battle and much more.
Some major updates about the future of the Parnas Perspective: Starting next week, and every week after that, I will be hosting a Substack-exclusive live show with Jessica Tarlov. The official date and time will be announced soon. In addition, beginning this week, I will host a weekly live chat exclusively for paid subscribers where we can hang out, do Q&As, talk politics, world events, behind-the-scenes reporting, and honestly anything you want. I’ll announce the schedule the morning of each live.
One of the biggest requests I get from all of you is for deeper investigative reporting into stories the mainstream media either ignores or barely scratches the surface on. I agree completely. Because of your support and subscriptions, I’m now able to expand operations and dedicate resources to doing exactly that. Starting this Friday, I will publish one original deep-dive investigative piece every week. If there are stories or topics you want investigated, send them my way.
Here’s the news:
Trump lashed out at Fox News, accusing the network of undermining MAGA and the Republican Party, and claiming that MAGA Republicans “hate Fox.” He blames Fox for making it hard for Republicans to win elections.
Donald Trump lashed out at Iran today claiming that its response to the United States proposal was “unacceptable.”
An Iranian source told Tasnim News Agency that Tehran has no intention of shaping proposals to satisfy President Trump after he reportedly rejected Iran’s latest offer. “No one in Iran drafts plans to please Trump,” the source said, adding that negotiators are focused solely on protecting “the rights of Iran,” and that “naturally, it is better if Trump is dissatisfied with them.” The comments signal growing resistance inside Iran to U.S. pressure as negotiations remain stalled and tensions continue escalating between Washington and Tehran.
Despite a month-long U.S. naval blockade targeting Iran’s oil exports, Iran is expected to withstand the economic pressure for several months without catastrophic damage to its energy sector. Analysts and Western officials say Iran has adapted by reducing oil production, relying on domestic refining, and drawing on stored oil reserves, while its government has experience managing similar sanctions-related disruptions. Although the blockade is expected to worsen inflation, reduce government revenue, and strain the economy over time, experts are uncertain whether the pressure will force major concessions from Tehran. The article also notes that Iran’s hard-line leadership remains politically stable for now, even as tensions over the Strait of Hormuz continue to affect global economic and security concerns.
Here was the response from Iran that Trump did not like:
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation appears to be a mess, with the Trump administration issuing a multimillion-dollar no-bid contract through a questionable emergency exemption, skipping normal federal review procedures, and hiring a contractor with no obvious expertise in swimming pools. The project still does not fix the pool’s long-standing filtration and plumbing failures, meaning algae could soon obscure the newly painted blue surface anyway. Experts also warned that Trump’s motorcade may have already damaged the freshly repaired concrete by driving directly across the pool during a press event. Critics (including former Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi, below0 say the rushed overhaul reflects favoritism, poor planning, and an expensive cosmetic project that may quickly deteriorate.
Meanwhile, this is what Trump posted today:
There are growing concerns among local election officials about political interference and threats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Officials from several states described rising misinformation, harassment, and even violence targeting election workers, while also expressing concern that federal agencies like CISA and DHS have reduced support under the Trump administration. ProPublica reporter Jen Fifield explained that many experienced federal election-security officials have left or been removed, weakening safeguards that protected elections after 2020. Today, Donald Trump said he is deploying an "election integrity army" in every state this November.
According to the New York Times, after the Virginia Supreme Court struck down a Democratic-backed congressional map, party leaders reportedly discussed aggressive strategies to restore it before the 2026 midterms. One proposal would lower the mandatory retirement age for Virginia Supreme Court justices, allowing Democrats in the state legislature to replace the current court with new appointees more favorable to reinstating the map. The idea reflects growing frustration among Democrats over recent redistricting losses and fears that Republicans now hold an advantage in the broader national battle over congressional maps. Some Democrats support pursuing every available option, while others warn that reshaping the court could damage the party’s credibility and appear politically extreme.
Trump continued to lash out on Mother’s Day.
Kevin O’Leary is defending the massive “Stratos” AI data center project planned for rural Box Elder County, Utah, amid strong backlash from local residents concerned about environmental impacts and water use. The proposed development would span roughly 40,000 acres and could become one of the largest data center projects in the country, with O’Leary claiming it could create around 10,000 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs.
Critics of the data center project warn that the massive development could pose serious risks to local wildlife and fragile ecosystems near the Great Salt Lake. The project would cover roughly 40,000 acres in a rural area, raising concerns about habitat disruption, increased industrial activity, and the potential strain on already vulnerable water resources that support migratory birds and other species. Opponents fear that even if water usage is reduced through air-cooling technology, the scale of the development could still accelerate environmental degradation in one of the region’s most sensitive ecological areas.
Trump further claimed that Congressman Ro Khanna should not be allowed on Fox News anymore:
Officials began evacuating and repatriating passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship after a hantavirus outbreak linked to at least eight illnesses and three deaths; passengers are being quarantined and monitored for 42 days as they return to multiple countries, including the U.S.
Health experts and the WHO stressed that the outbreak is not comparable to COVID-19 because hantavirus spreads much less easily between people, with the Andes virus strain only capable of limited transmission through close contact; public health officials say the overall global risk remains low.
Health experts warn that the United States could face delays in receiving critical hantavirus surveillance, contact tracing, and outbreak response information because it is no longer formally participating in the World Health Organization. Officials say reduced coordination with the WHO may limit real-time access to international public health data during the cruise ship-linked hantavirus outbreak, potentially complicating efforts to monitor exposures and contain transmission. The concern has fueled broader criticism that weakening international health cooperation could undermine the U.S. response to emerging infectious disease threats.
Critics condemned President Trump’s remarks about childhood vaccines and autism as dangerous vaccine misinformation, noting that extensive scientific research has found no link between vaccines and autism. In the comments, Trump said, “I look at these beautiful little babies and they get a vat, like a big glass, of stuff pumped into their bodies. I think it’s a very negative thing to do,” and suggested smaller, spaced-out vaccine doses could lead to “a much better result with the autism.” Public health experts have repeatedly warned that rhetoric questioning vaccine safety can undermine trust in immunization programs and contribute to lower vaccination rates, which increase the risk of preventable disease outbreaks.
Security experts are warning that the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States faces elevated terrorism risks, particularly from lone extremists and “soft targets” like hotels, transit hubs, and fan gatherings rather than stadiums themselves. Analysts say tensions tied to the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, combined with cuts and disruptions within federal counterterrorism agencies, may weaken the country’s ability to prevent attacks during the tournament. Experts also raised concerns about poor coordination between agencies, growing drone threats, and the strain of securing 78 matches across 11 U.S. cities over six weeks.
Investigations and Commentary
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with President Trump and Mehmet Oz, the Medicaid and Medicare services administrator, in the White House in September (New York Times photo by Tierney L. Cross)
Wayne Madsen Report, Investigative Commentary: Virus threat assessments in an upside down world, Wayne Madsen, left, May 10, 2026. Hantavirus and deja vu back to 2020 and COVID-19.
While Donald Trump and his heroin- and cocaine-addled Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., shown above in a file photo, brush away the danger of the deadly hantavirus spreading around the world in the same manner as COVID-19, the virus is considered a significant public health concern for several South Atlantic islands due to a fatal outbreak originating from the cruise ship MV Hondius.
A Dutch couple decided it would be cool to photograph birds in a rat-infested garbage dump four miles outside of Ushuaia (shown below), the southernmost Argentine city in Tierra del Fuego. The couple is believed to have contracted hantavirus, a contagious respiratory pathogen, by being in close contact with rats in the dump that carried the virus. After they boarded the cruise ship, they spread the virus to other passengers. The couple later died from the virus.
Uhuaia landfill. The locals know to steer clear of it, but not wealthy eco-tourist who only think about their own quests for bird photos.The world has another type of “bird” for them: The History of the One-Fingered Salute ...'
Argentine officials deny that hantavirus originated in Tierra del Fuego. No one should believe anyArgentine official because Argentina completed 
its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 17, 2026. At that point in time, Argentina no longer officially shared healthand disease outbreak data with the organization. A year earlier, Argentina’s lunatic president, the Donald Trump and Israel sycophant, Javier Milei, left, notified WHO that it was tendering its withdrawal from the organization, which would be effective a year later. cruise ship hantavirus outbreak probe ...
Hantavirus victim and Hondius cruise ship passenger Leo Schilperoord, a Dutch national bird expert who died during the cruise as did his wife.
No thanks to the Argentine government, patient zero was identified as Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord. Someone who should have had even a rudimentary knowledge of the dangers of avian flu threw caution to the wind and walked through the garbage dump to take a photo of therare white-throated caracara, nicknamed Darwin’s caracara after Charles Darwin, who discovered that the weakest in species were “selected out” by evolution.
In a plot that is reminiscent of a Hollywood pandemic film, Schilperoord won the 2026 “Darwin award” for traversing through a landfill that the residents of Ushuaia avoided like the plague, pun very much intended.
Due to Argentina’s government clamming up about the origin of the hantavirus outbreak, the only way international health authorities became aware of Leo and Mirjam Schilperoord being patients zero and one was their obituaries appearing in the monthly magazine published by their home village of Haulerwijk.
Unofficially, some Argentine health professionals did reveal how the Schilperoords contracted hantavirus. It is believed that the couple inhaled 
particles from the feces of long-tailed pygmy rice rats, which carry the deadly Andes strain of the hantavirus. It is the only type of hantavirus that can be transmitted from human to human. The last known case of Andes hantavirus in Tierra del Fuego was recorded in 1996. leo in a hat and glasses outside Hantavirus patient zero wins the Darwin Award posthumously for placing his quest for Darwin’s caracara above the safety of rest of his fellow cruise ship passengers and several small populations of remote South Atlantic islands.
While the virus is not native to the islands where passengers of the Hondius were permitted to disembark, every stop made by the ship where passenger were permitted to disembark is in existential danger due to their small populations. The body of Leo Schilperoord, who died after the ship set sail from South Georgia, was placed ashore in St. Helena along with his wife. Mirjam Schilperoord boarded an Airlink flight from St. Helena to Johannesburg, where she was to connect to a KLM flight to Amsterdam. The KLM crew determined that she was too sick to fly and she later collapsed inside Johannesburg airport and died the following day. The Airlink flight from St. Helena to Johannesburg also included seven American passengers from the Hondius. Two of the Americans were from New Jersey. A total of seven Americans who were on board the Hondius are isolating at home in five states, which means the efforts to quarantine all the Americans in Omaha are meaningless since the five Americans are on the “honor system,“ which is ridiculous considering the lethality of the virus. Maybe they should ingest Ivermectin or some other bullshit Trump-endorsed remedy.
Other Americans were disembarked with other passengers and crew at Tenerife in the Canary Islands. A team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, an agency that was subjected to mass firings thanks to Trump, Kennedy, and Elon Musk’s DOGE villains, was to meet the American passengers in Tenerife. From there, they were to be repatriated to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus in Omaha. Any of the Americans exhibiting symptoms of the Andes hantavirus would be transferred to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit on the campus.
The WHO has confirmed six cases of the Andes hantavirus with two others assessed as probable. One of the confirmed virus patients was flown to the Netherlands. One of the probable patients with the virus, a German national, has died, making the total death count, including the Schilperoords, standing at three. A Spanish woman who is believed to have contracted the virus from the KLM flight that was briefly boarded in Johannesburg by Mrs. Schiliperoord is confirmed as symptomatic and is in the hospital in Alicante, Spain. The ship’s doctor also tested positive with the virus, along with a Swiss national being treated in Switzerland. A French national with “benign symptoms” was placed in isolation and was undergoing medical tests after being identified as a “contact case” linked to a ship passenger who flew from St. Helena to Johannesburg
Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions claims that none of those remaining on the vessel in Tenerife have either tested positive for the virus or have shown symptoms. That claim is dubious, especially since one of the acts of Kennedy was to scrap the CDC’s entire Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), including its inspectors.
Spanish health authorities are taking no chances. All crew and passengers aboard the Hondius, except for the Americans being flown to Omaha, are to be quarantined at a Madrid military hospital while under constant monitoring. Any testing positive are to be transferred to a High-Level Isolation and Treatment Unit in Spain. The incubation period for the Andes hantavirus can be as long as six weeks. Singaporean health authorities said they were monitoring two men who got off the Hondius at St. Helena, flew to South Africa and then to Singapore. The two men arrived in Singapore at different times and were being isolated and tested for the virus.
Disembarkations of Hondius passengers in Tristan da Cunha, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic that has a population of only some 220, has the British government and the Tristan British administrator on high alert for a potential public health emergency. The island has no airport nor a pier that can handle anything other than a small supply boat that ferries passengers to and from larger vessels anchored further out to sea. While disembarked, the passengers visited a Tristan gift shop and a pub. Four Tristanians booked passage on the Hondius for its voyage to St. Helena. One of those is confirmed to have contracted the hantavirus. The Tristanian spouse of that passenger is being kept in isolation. Two other British nationals on the Hondius have also been diagnosed as positive.
Tristan da Cunha only has a small medical facility and is not able to handle something as life threatening as the Andes hantavirus. A British crew member of the Hondius who disembarked in Tristan da Cunha was reported as a suspected hantavirus case and remained on the island with medical personnel deployed to assist. It can’t be stressed enough that Tristan da Cunha has a decent small hospital but it has limited medical services for dealing with a serious virus like the Andes strain. Tristan da Cunha is usually only accessible by a supply ship from Cape Town, a voyage that typically takes 5 to 7 days depending on weather and sea conditions.
Cruise ship MV Hondius docks off Cape Verde port, as passengers were not allowed off the ship, while health authorities investigated suspected cases of hantavirus aboard the vessel, in Praia Port, Cape Verde, May 4, 2026. Hondius anchored off Tristan da Cunha from April 13 to 15, 2026.
In a worse case scenario, it’s likely that the virus’s full impact on Tristan da Cunha would only be realized when no one answers the phone or responds to email or text messages. That would mean that the entire population of the Tristan capital and only town, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, became too sick or died, an event that could only be contemplated by Stephen King.
The Tristan da Cunha administrator released the following statement about the situation on the island on May 4, as news of the viral outbreak was being reported around the world:
“We understand that the first passenger was taken ill after the ship left South Georgia and unfortunately passed away before arrival at Tristan. Another passenger passed away following evacuation to Johannesburg, South Africa, where the cause of death was identified as a hantavirus. A third passenger passed away on board the ship en route to Cape Verde and a further passenger is in intensive care in Johannesburg, while two crew members are also being treated. The ship continued to Cape Verde, where she is currently at anchor . . . We are working closely with the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and other international partners to assess and manage the situation. The islanders who travelled to St Helena on the MV Hondius are being advised by Public Health in St Helena to undertake a period of self-isolation, just as a precaution. We will do the same here where necessary. The Government will provide full support to those who are asked to do so. A full risk-based contact tracing process is underway to identify and notify such persons on St Helena, Ascension and Tristan.”
Another island in danger from the ship of death is Ascension Island, a remote British territory of around 1000 residents that hosts British and American military facilities. The following is a release of the Ascension Island Government: Tristan da Cunha Ibilbidea Edinburgh of ...
“On Monday 27 April 2026, a passenger from the vessel was admitted to Georgetown Hospital. The same individual was then medically evacuated on Wednesday 29 April. It has since been confirmed that the patient was infected with a strain of Hantavirus . . . As a precaution, a small number of hospital staff who were involved in the patient’s care are self-monitoring for symptoms in line with established public health guidance . . . Medical staff will use basic personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves and masks, during patient consultations . . . Face-to-face consultations will be limited where possible. Patients are asked to avoid booking non-urgent appointments for the next two weeks. This will be kept under review . . . An additional medical officer is being recruited to assist with maintaining essential services to our community during this period.” Ascension Island – Runway 13–31 ... Ascension Island
Thirty passengers disembarked from the Hondius on Saint Helena, an island with a population of 4,400, on April 24, along with the body of Leo Schilperooord. The passengers included those from Britain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States. The ship was in St. Helena, famous as the place where Napoleon was exiled after his defeat at Waterloo, from April 22 to 24. Unlike Tristan da Cunha, St. Helena has an international airport linked to Johannesburg by a once a week flight.
St. Helena Governor Nigel Phillips said, “We are now responding to a crisis none of us would have wished.” The St. Helena government later stated, “All individuals identified as having had potential contact with passengers from the MV Hondius have been contacted directly by health officials.” The statement added, “the local health authorities are monitoring a small number of people identified as higher-risk contacts -- namely those who had close, prolonged contact with the unwell passengers of the vessel. They have been advised to isolate at home for a period of 45 days from the last known exposure to the virus.” St. Helena Island ... Jamestown, St. Helena
The eco-tourist ship of death also paid a visit to the isolated town of Grytviken in South Georgia, a dependency of the Falkland Islands. Passengers visited the abandoned whaling station, along with the church, cemetery, post office, and South Georgia Museum. There are up to 30 British Antarctic Survey researchers, British administrative personnel, and South Georgia Museum staff resident in South Georgia, most of whom reside at King Edward Point, a half mile away from Grytviken.
The Hondius did not stop at the Falkland Islands (shown above in orange off the tip of Argentina) after leaving Tierra del Fuego. Nevertheless, the Falklands government had to reassure the population of some 3600 that they were not in imminent danger from the virus. However, the Falklands was involved in the response to the outbreak. The King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) in the capital, Stanley, dispatched needed pathology supplies to Ascension Island aboard the Airbridge — the military air link between the United Kingdom and the Falklands —in support of the public health response of the Ascension and Saint Helena administrations.
The Hondius anchored off Cabo Verde prior to sailing to Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Cabo Verdean authorities initially refused to allow passengers to disembark from the vessel. However, there were photos taken of Cape Verdean health authorities loading passengers into ambuslances at the port of Praia, the Cabo Verdean capital. Moroccan authorities refused to allow a Hondius passenger evacuation flight bound for Amsterdam to refuel in Morocco. The plane instead diverted to Gran Canaria.
The world might treat the Andes hantavirus outbreak more calmly if it weren’t for the fact that the origination vector country, Argentina, quit the WHO following the lead of the irresponsible United States. Buenos Aires has been slow to even send a team to Ushuaia to investigate the point of origin of the Andes hantavirus. Idiocy is a common denominator for right-wing Elon Musk-supported neo-fascist regimes lime those in Washington and Buenos Aires.
After Trump fucked up the U.S. response to Covid, costing the lives of one million American citizens, one can understand the world’s jittery reaction to yet another dangerous pathogenic outbreak. One thing the world does understand is that Donald Trump and his crazy ally in Buenos Aires are only capable of fucking things up on a grand scale when they’re not robbing the taxpayers blind.
New York Times: Investigation: He Offered a Lawmaker’s Aide Quick Cash. Was He Spying for China? Dustin Volz, May 10, 2026 (print ed.). A staff member on the House China Committee was promised $10,000 for U.S. policy insights, on issues like Venezuela and rare-earth minerals. The outreach appears to provide a vivid portrait of how Beijing’s spy services seek to gain access to information from within the corridors of power in Washington, DC.
When a man identifying himself as Chris Chen reached out this winter to an aide on a House committee focused on threats from China, he came armed with a lucrative offer.
The staff member, Mr. Chen proposed, could earn $10,000 or more by barely lifting a finger. All he would need to do is agree to phone calls every other week to share information about the committee’s work and U.S. foreign policy about China.
Insights into U.S. trade or national-security issues, including the Trump administration’s plans for Venezuela in the aftermath of the January military operation there, would be especially valuable, Mr. Chen said. To sweeten the pot, Mr. Chen repeatedly promised to send the aide $2,000 up front. [More details below.]
More On Iran War
New York Times, Strait of Hormuz Remains Effectively Blocked After Naval Skirmishes, Pranav Baskar and Devon Lum, Updated May 10, 2026. The U.S. Navy’s blockade continued to intercept ships trying to leave or enter Iranian ports, while fear of Iranian attacks kept other ships from attempting passage through the narrows.
Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remained throttled on Saturday, after naval skirmishes between U.S. and Iranian forces in recent days heightened tensions in the vital shipping route.
For weeks, the narrow passage between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea has been choked by two competing blockades enforced by each side in the conflict. About 1,600 ships are bottled up in the Persian Gulf.
Since April 13, the U.S. Navy has intercepted and turned around 58 commercial ships that were either leaving or trying to enter Iranian ports, and American forces have “disabled” four other ships that did not comply with American orders, Central Command announced on Saturday.
In public statements, the United States and Iran continued to trade threats on Saturday. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy said that any attack on Iranian vessels would be met with a “heavy assault” on American ships and other U.S. targets in the region. President Trump posted a meme of Iranian warships that had been sunk to the bottom of the ocean.
Data from MarineTraffic, a global ship-tracking firm, indicates that at least six cargo ships have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since Wednesday, but no tankers. Tracking by the London Stock Exchange Group shows that the number of ships passing through the narrows each day has decreased since Monday, from an already-low level.
Those intelligence firms may provide an incomplete picture, however, because vessels sometimes fake or shut off their location signals. Still, the data they have collected generally shows how traffic has plunged in recent days, even relative to some other periods during the cease-fire, which started on April 7.
On Thursday, there was a new round of skirmishes in the strait. The United States said it struck military sites in Iran after Iran attacked three American destroyers. On Friday, the U.S. military said that it had fired on two Iranian-flagged oil tankers, disabling them as they tried to reach an Iranian port.
Iran, for its part, said it had attacked the American warships on Thursday in retaliation for what it described as American cease-fire violations, including strikes on the country’s southern coast. Iranian forces kept up their efforts on Friday, seizing a Chinese-owned oil tanker in the strait.
New York Times, Mass Layoffs in Iran as Businesses Buckle Under Wartime Pressures, Leily Nikounazar, Photographs by Arash Khamooshi, May 10, 2026. Iran was already struggling economically before 2026 brought widespread instability. A government-imposed internet shutdown has crippled an entire sector.
In mid-March, Babak, a 49-year-old Iranian product designer at a tech company in Tehran, was called into his boss’s office and told that his position was being eliminated.
Iran’s government had shut down the internet two weeks earlier, at the outset of U.S.-Israeli war on the country, throwing the country’s tech industry into chaos and making Babak’s job impossible.
“Throughout my career, I have worked hard, continuously learned, and tried to grow,” said Babak, who sent voice messages to The New York Times, and asked to be identified only by his first name to avoid government reprisal. “Yet at this stage of my life, I find myself in an uncertain and ambiguous position,” he said.
Babak’s experience has become increasingly common throughout Iran as companies have instituted round after round of layoffs in recent weeks, according to interviews with businesses and employees and Iranian news reports.
For the Trump administration, Iran’s severe economic struggles are part of a strategy to pressure the country into submission. “I hope it fails,” President Trump told reporters this month, of Iran’s economy. “You know why? Because I want to win.”
Iranian officials insist that pressure will not work and that the country will not surrender.
Many of those companies are buckling under wartime pressures. During the war, the U.S. and Israel hit Iranian industrial sites that produce key raw materials, as well as key infrastructure. And a U.S.-imposed blockade on Iran’s ports, in place since a cease-fire last month, has cut off much of its oil exports and disrupted imports of other goods.
An Iranian government official, Gholamhossein Mohammadi, estimated that the war has caused the loss of one million jobs, “and the direct and indirect unemployment of two million people,” in comments reported by the news outlet Tasnim.
On April 25, an Iranian job search platform reported a record 318,000 resumes submitted in a single day, a figure that was 50 percent higher than the previous record, according to the news site Asr Iran.
U.S. Courts, Corruption, Law, Crime, Justice, Rights
PoliticusUSA, Cory Booker Blasts Corrupt Supreme Court Majority And Demands Reform, Jason Easley, right, May 10, 2026. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) called the Supreme Court majority corrupt and demanded that once Democrats regain power, the court be reformed.
The Supreme Court majority’s hypocrisy regarding congressional districts and gerrymandering has not gone unnoticed by elected officials and voters. The same Supreme Court majority had previously ruled that majority-minority districts were constitutional, but later ruled that districts drawn on the basis of race were not constitutional.
PoliticusUSA is unfiltered news and views delivered directly to you. Support our work by becoming a subscriber.Subscribed
The question after the ruling on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is, what is going to be done about it?
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) highlighted the problem on NBC’s Meet The Press:
Well remember, there’s a corrupt shadow hanging over the Supreme Court. Some of these same members that are voting on decisions like this are accepting gifts from billionaires. We have RVs, lavish vacations. It’s a corrupt court. The highest court in the land has the lowest ethics laws. Number two is the Supreme Court, clearly within our power — I lead one of these pieces of legislation with Senator Whitehouse and others — to give term limits to Supreme Court members.
That could go a long way in curing this. The Supreme Court desperately needs reform. It is a corrupt court. And in my opinion, it is a court that needs reform. And I will continue to lead on those things.
Booker also talked about the steps that the country needs to take to be order to reform the court.
Lawfare, Analysis and Comment: The Politically Motivated Indictment of Southern Poverty Law Center, Christopher Hardee, May 8, 2026. The political motivations, allegations, and gaping legal holes in the Justice Department’s cynical indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
On April 21, 2026, the Justice Department announced a wire and bank fraud indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a prominent civil rights organization. In the 1980s, the SPLC helped dismantle the Ku Klux Klan through civil litigation. After that success, the SPLC aggressively tracked the KKK and other violent hate groups, informing the public of how the groups operate and serving as a trusted resource for law enforcement. When the SPLC expanded its public lists of hate groups in the 1990s to include conservative organizations that the SPLC concluded advocate intolerance, even if they do not advocate violence, some conservative groups began to criticize it. The SPLC has also listed a few groups that are not on the right but that the SPLC says advocate hate, such as the New Black Panther Party.
The Justice Department is attacking a leading adversary of violent hate groups by accusing it of secretly supporting the very groups the organization has opposed for decades. Prosecuting a group that the far right opposes by accusing the group of supporting the far right makes this one of the most cynical criminal cases ever brought by the Department of Justice. Whatever one’s view about the SPLC labeling non-violent conservative organizations as hate groups, that is not a crime.
The Justice Department alleges that the SPLC fraudulently misled donors by not disclosing that the organization used donor funds to pay informants within the KKK and neo-Nazi groups. The SPLC, however, had no legal duty to inform donors about these activities, which advanced the organization’s mission, any more than the SPLC needed donor approval to engage in any other initiative to advance its mission. Using informants was consistent with the SPLC’s historic work of disrupting and monitoring the KKK and neo-Nazi groups.
The indictment also alleges that the SPLC opened bank accounts under assumed business names without disclosing the SPLC’s connection. Yet the indictment fails to allege that the SPLC sought to influence bank decisions, an essential element of the bank fraud offense. The SPLC used assumed names to protect its informants, not to influence the banks.
Perhaps sensing the indictment’s weakness, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel inappropriately added dramatic accusations in statements to the press that the indictment fails to support. Blanche said that the SPLC is “manufacturing racism to justify its existence. Using donor money to allegedly profit off Klansmen cannot go unchecked.” Blanche continued, “This Department of Justice will hold the SPLC and every other fraudulent organization operating with the same deceptive playbook accountable. No entity is above the law.” He accused the SPLC of intentionally supporting the hate groups that the organization has confronted for over 40 years. Patel repeated the accusations, including in an appearance on Sean Hannity’s program on Fox News. And White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt called SPLC a “criminal organization.”
U.S. Politics, Elections, Governance
U.S. Rep. Tom Massie, a Republican from Kentucky who helped lead the effort in Congress to require the Justice Department to thwart a Trump coverup and release the Epstein files, is shown above left in file photos with Trump, center, and the late Trump friend Jeffrey Epstein, a notorius child rapist, sex trafficker, foreign asset and global financier..
Occupy Democrats, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie exposes Trump for choking off water to Colorado because he was angry about the Epstein files, Staff Report, May 10, 2026. This is a jaw-dropping revelation.
"Lauren Boebert, they took her over to the Situation Room, right? Like this is where if they're trying to kill or capture Osama bin Laden, this is where they are at the White House," Massie said during an interview with Tucker Carlson.
"They took her into the Situation Room and tried to whip her into taking her name off of the discharge petition.""Over Epstein?" asked Carlson."Over Epstein. Yep," confirmed Massie. "And then the president vetoed a bill that would have brought water to a large portion of Colorado."
"Over Epstein," Carlson repeated.
"Over Epstein," said Massie. "And this isn't even— At this point, it's not just about Lauren Boebert. Why are people in Colorado deprived of water because their representative wants to expose a sex trafficking ring?"
"I mean, none of this makes any sense at all," said Carlson.
Unfortunately, it makes all too much sense. Trump is a deeply vindictive man. He wouldn't hesitate to punish an entire state if he thought that it would hurt Boebert's political career.
Hell, he wouldn't hesitate to punish the entire country if he thought it would hurt an enemy.As for why he didn't want the Epstein files released, that's even more obvious. His name is all over those documents. We still don't have the full files, but the ones we have seen include allegations that Trump raped and sexually abused minors with his long-time friend Epstein.
The bill that Trump vetoed to punish Boebert was related to a 130-mile pipeline aimed at carrying water from the Pueblo Reservoir to roughly 50,000 rural Coloradans. Currently, those people struggle to obtain adequate water and what water they do have access to is often contaminated with salt, radioactive waste, and toxic chemicals.The bill would have extended repayment periods for local municipalities and it passed unanimously in Congress before Trump vetoed it. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the measure would have added a relatively measly (by federal spending standards) $500,000 to the government's costs for the project. Trump vetoed it anyway. This is the same man who's now seeking $1 billion in taxpayer funds for his ballroom.In other words, Trump chose to make innocent Americans drink harmful water because he was upset that his pedophilia had been exposed.This is an impeachment worthy offense.Please like and share to thank Thomas Massie! See less
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New York Times, ‘No Seat for Me’: Virginia Democrats Are Forced to Play Musical Chairs, Reid J. Epstein, May 10, 2026. A court ruling that struck down an election map swiftly ended some Democratic House candidacies and pushed others into much tougher races.
On Thursday night, Dan Helmer received a shipment of boxes with 1,000 yard signs that read: “Dan Helmer for Congress.”
By late Friday morning, Mr. Helmer no longer had a seat to run for.
The whiplash for the Virginia Democrats running for Congress was swift and intense after the state Supreme Court struck down the new congressional map proposed in February to flip four Republican-held seats.
With the stroke of a pen in Richmond, some campaigns effectively went poof, other candidates suddenly were in far tougher districts and one went from on the verge of dropping out to gearing up for a long-shot battle in a deep-red part of the state.
Rarely have so many fully formed campaigns gone off the rails at once. The court’s shock decision on Friday dashed Democratic hopes of providing some balance to Republican-run states that have been eliminating Democratic seats since Texas kicked off a nationwide fight last year.
Mr. Helmer, a senior member of the House of Delegates, was an architect of Virginia’s redistricting gambit that began in October. His colleagues subsequently split up Northern Virginia and created a new lobster-shaped Democratic seat ideally suited for him. Barring a miracle from the Supreme Court, Mr. Helmer said his congressional campaign is most likely over.
“There’s no seat for me,” he said. His new yard signs “are probably not as useful as they were yesterday.”
Tom Perriello, a former congressman who later served as a diplomat in Africa during Barack Obama’s presidency, began his campaign in December with the expectation that new maps were coming.
He woke up Friday morning in his home near Charlottesville in a district that Vice President Kamala Harris carried by three percentage points in 2024. Once the court ruling came a few hours later, he lived in a district Mr. Trump won by 12 points.
Mr. Perriello said he would now run against Representative John McGuire, a first-term Republican whose district covers conservative Southside Virginia. He had planned to run in a district that stitched together small Democratic-leaning cities and college towns in the Shenandoah and Blue Ridge Mountains.
The situation is even more jarring for some Democratic voters, Mr. Perriello said. ImageTom Perriello standing with his hands in his pockets.Former congressman Tom Perriello. Credit...Eze Amos for The New York Times
“I just walked into a food pantry in the Shenandoah Valley and the African-American woman who runs it broke down in tears and said for the first time in her life she thought she was going to have representation,” Mr. Perriello recalled Friday. “This is what the last two months have been about, about hope for the first time for people.”
Some hope Democrats will gain seats even without the new maps.
Virginia Democrats now hold six of the state’s 11 House districts. President Trump won two of the other five by five points or less, making the Republican incumbents who represent them, Representatives Jen Kiggans and Rob Wittman, endangered given the headwinds the G.O.P. faces. Their Democratic opponents, former Representative Elaine Luria and Shannon Taylor, a local prosecutor, entered the race well before the redistricting push and remain top-tier challengers.
Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House minority leader, said in an interview Friday that “we’re going to pick up at least two seats” in Virginia under the existing maps.
Jeff Ryer, the chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, said he had given the state Supreme Court case a 50-50 chance of succeeding. Democrats, he argued, have been overconfident in the state ever since Abigail Spanberger won last year’s governor’s election by more than 15 points.
Now, instead of a map designed to hand 10 of 11 seats to Democrats, Mr. Ryer said he expected multiple competitive campaigns this year. He allowed that it would not be easy defending the seats Mr. Trump narrowly won.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and U.S. House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn, NY, both Democrats (file photos).
Occupy Democrats via Facebook, Advocacy and Opinion, Furious Democrats reveal shatter-the-glass emergency plan to get around Virginia's Supreme Court ruling and get our seats back! Staff Report, May 10, 2026. Virginia Democrats are furious and fired up after a partisan Republican-dominated state Supreme Court viciously struck down a voter-approved congressional map that fairly reflected the will of the people and handed MAGA extremists yet another unfair advantage in their desperate scramble to cling to power.
In a private strategy call Saturday that included House Democratic leaders and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, lawmakers vented their outrage over the court’s outrageous decision and discussed bold ways to push back, including an aggressive plan to replace the entire state Supreme Court itself and restore the map that voters supported.
While no final decisions were made, the conversation underscored the party’s fierce determination to flip seats and stop Republicans from gerrymandering their way to an illegitimate majority.
This comes as Republicans, terrified by President Trump’s tanking approval ratings and the disaster that is his agenda, are celebrating every cheap court victory they can get from bought Trump judges to rig the midterms.
After Democrats fought them to a draw in the nationwide redistricting battles, Republican operatives and their judicial allies are now rushing to lock in advantages before it’s too late.
Any new map would need to move fast. The deadline is looming, with elections officials warning that changes after Tuesday could jeopardize the August primary. But Virginia Democrats aren’t backing down from this blatant power grab.
More than just about lines on a map, this is about whether Republicans get to nullify the voice of the people through activist conservative courts and keep their grip on the House despite being on the wrong side of history and public opinion.
The desperation in the Democratic response shows exactly how high the stakes are, and how far MAGA forces will go to cheat democracy. They are right to explore every option to protect fair representation. When Republicans weaponize the courts to protect their minority rule, fighting back with every available mechanism isn’t “far-fetched” but necessary.
We must demand fair maps and hold these hypocrites accountable in November!
MS NOW, Opinion: This awkward moment between Pope Leo and Marco Rubio doesn’t speak well of the secretary of state, Anthea Butler, May. 8, 2026. Rubio’s visit came on the heels of derogatory remarks about the pope from Donald Trump, who continues to tell the lie that Leo wants Iran to have nuclear weapons. ‘Just the latest humiliation’: Nicolle reacts to Rubio’s Pope Leo cleanup visit after Trump attacks.
On the eve of his one-year anniversary as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV received U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican. The meeting was not the result of an invitation extended by the pope, but a request made by the United States. In an exchange of gifts after the meeting, Rubio, a Catholic, presented the first American-born pope with a glass football etched with the logo of the secretary of state. Leo reciprocated by giving Rubio a pen of cedarwood, a symbol of peace.
Leo’s response to what amounted to a glass football paperweight from Rubio? “Wow. OK.”
A glass football isn’t the most thoughtful gift for a native Chicagoan who is a fan of baseball’s White Sox.
I’m sure Rubio got the hint. A glass football isn’t the most thoughtful gift for a native Chicagoan who is such a fan of baseball’s White Sox that he even wore the team’s black cap with white lettering at the Vatican. But Rubio’s gift is emblematic of the fragile, fumbling relationship President Donald Trump and his administration have with Leo and the Holy See.
The Vatican put out a brief communique about the meeting, stating that “cordial talks renewed the shared commitment to fostering sound bilateral relations between the Holy See and the United States of America.”
According to Christopher Hale, publisher of the newsletter Letters From Leo, this is the Vatican’s polite way of saying we agree to disagree.
Rubio’s visit came on the heels of derogatory remarks about the pope from Trump, who continues to tell the lie that Leo wants Iran to have nuclear weapons. In an interview with Hugh Hewitt, Trump said Leo is “endangering Catholics and a lot of people.” Trump made that remark after he had already made several wildly inaccurate and defamatory statements about the pope.New poll shows Trump’s grip on religious base slipping as Rubio meets with Pope LeoMay 7, 2026 / 09:19
The president criticizing the pope before the secretary of state met with him illustrates how desperate Trump is to show his shrinking base that he’s still a fighter. He is using Leo as a foil to bolster his specious claim that he started the war in Iran war to keep the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who serves as the Vatican’s secretary of state, said before the meeting between Rubio and the pope that Trump’s decision to repeatedly attack the pontiff “seems a bit strange to me.” READ IN APP
Meidas Touch Network, Commentary: My Thoughts on AOC's Comments about Marge Greene, Ron Filipkowski, right, 
May 10, 2026. Should Dems should align with people like Greene on certain issues?
AOC launched a heated debate among Democrats with her comments at a forum this week where she specifically referenced former Rep. Marge Greene on the question of whether Democrats should ally or join with right-wingers on individual issues if they agree with them on that point only. This is a subject that comes up often lately as some members of the MAGA movement are criticizing Trump more openly and more often in recent months.
This is what AOC said:
“I personally do not trust somebody like Marjorie Taylor Greene—a proven bigot and antisemite—on the issues of what is good for Gazans and Israelis. I don’t think it benefits our movement to align with white nationalists. I don’t think it serves us.”
Many on the left agreed with AOC, but she also got criticism from some Democrats. Drop Site’s Ryan Grim’s post accurately represented people who disagreed with AOC’s comment:
“MTG sacrificed her political career to stand against genocide, against Trump, against the Epstein Class, and to defend the survivors of Epstein’s trafficking. If that doesn’t earn credibility I don’t know what possibly could.”
Mehdi Hasan posted this reply to Grim’s comments:
“The problem with this argument Ryan is that Liz Cheney also sacrificed her political career to stand up to Trump and took far more shit for it, from both right and left, than MTG. I can’t stand Liz Cheney and I don’t think Harris should have campaigned with her so much but I just wonder why we can’t be consistent on this stuff.”
For me, the key words in AOC’s remarks are “align with” and the key words on Grim’s post are “earn credibility.”
My position, which I have made clear on social media posts, in articles I have written, in articles written about me, and in podcasts over many years is that the single biggest weakness of the MAGA movement is that many of the factions hate each other and are selfish grifters. They also have strong fundamental disagreements with each other on some import issues. But these things were set aside in the past because their central organizing principle is idolatry of a man and mutual hatred of the libs, not a coherent or consistent set of beliefs or ideas.
The way that this movement is ultimately going to come apart is for these divisions to be amplified whenever possible, because they have a tendency to rapidly spiral out of control since the movement is also fueled by deceptive and vicious social media accounts. Trump’s departure from the scene is not necessary for the currently Republican/MAGA coalition to come apart. In fact, you could make the argument his current term has become the catalyst for the unraveling.
My view is that when Greene, Tucker Carlson, Thom Tillis, Thomas Massie, Megyn Kelly, Laura Loomer, Nick Fuentes and others rip each other, attack Trump, or Republican leadership in Congress, that is something which should be amplified. It does not mean we are making them heroes. It does not mean we agree with them about anything else other than the single point they are making. It does not mean we want to join with them. It does not mean we vouch for their character. It means that criticisms from within their own movement do more to divide them than anything any Democrat can say. And that is useful.
I continue to criticize each of these individuals on a regular basis, but I choose not to use the moments when they are ripping Trump or ripping each other as the time to swoop in and criticize them for other things. That is not the time. I prefer to let their attacks on each other stand on their own and marinate. It is not necessary for me to chime in that I don’t agree with Greene on abortion when she’s is ripping Trump on Iran. It is not necessary for me to go after Massie about J6 while he’s attacking Trump on Epstein. I go after them plenty, I just don’t go after them while they are attacking each other because I don’t really want to get in their way when they are doing that.
So, should we not “align with” people like Greene on certain issues because we don’t trust them or don’t agree with them on other issues? I guess it depends what that means. I don’t think we should praise them, share stages with them, invite them on our podcasts, or even amplify their positions on those issues unless they are making a specific criticism of Trump and/or Republican policy or actions. And even then it should be extremely rare. When they try to do it without mentioning Trump, I call them out for being afraid to say his name. When they do it while naming Trump, that is when I amplify it.
Does their criticism “earn credibility” with us as Grim argues? That also depends on what that means. What are their motives? Are they criticizing Israel’s Gaza policy simply because they are antisemitic (which is definitely the motivation for many) or because they genuinely care about the people of Gaza and are disgusted and horrified by Israel’s conduct during the war? AOC is right to be distrustful of their motives.
For me, it’s about compartmentalization. On the extremely rare occasions when a Republican openly criticizes Trump or their leadership on Epstein, Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, military spending, the national debt, J6, the ballroom, gerrymandering, disaster relief, Trump’s pardons or other issues, I will amplify their positions because I believe doing so helps our cause on that particular issue. Does that mean that I “trust” them, admire them, or want to invite them into the tent?
No, it definitely does not.
New York Times, One Big Headache for Politicians These Days: a Messy Digital Footprint, Kellen Browning, Produced by Leo Dominguez, May 10, 2026. As a new generation of chronically online oversharers runs for office, many find themselves tripped up by past statements. Their response? Delete, distance, disavow.
Mallory McMorrow, a Democratic candidate for Senate in Michigan, recently found herself at the center of an increasingly common brouhaha in modern politics: She was forced to answer for a series of unfortunate tweets.
In decade-old deleted posts unearthed by CNN last week, Ms. McMorrow, 39, had expressed liberal views out-of-step with her current moderate image. Perhaps more damaging, she complained about the Midwestern weather shortly after moving from California — “I don’t like you, Michigan” — and said that “cars are dead,” striking a nerve in the heart of the American auto industry.
Ms. McMorrow’s primary opponents were quick to criticize, but she defended herself in a CNN interview, suggesting that her posts were evidence that she was a regular person who had not been carefully cultivating her public image years ago in anticipation of a future political bid.
“I am not somebody who wanted to be in office or wanted to be in Congress when I was in diapers,” she said. “I tweeted normal things, like a normal person.”
Such uproars have become so frequent that the pattern of reaction to them now feels routine.
With a new generation of candidates who were active on X, Reddit and YouTube years before announcing political careers, it’s unsurprising that so many are seeing their past statements come back to haunt them. (It has become so common that Ms. McMorrow is not even the only Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan to deal with such a controversy: Abdul El-Sayed, 41, also faced backlash for deleted posts from 2020, in which he had described the police as “standing armies we deploy against our own people.”)
Opposition researchers have never had more content to draw from. Yet they say that voters also seem more willing than ever to forgive past unsavory viewpoints and social media misdeeds — spurred in part by President Trump, who has proved that voters can overlook outrageous statements.
Global News
New York Times, The World’s 2 Most Powerful Men Are Set to Meet Again. Here’s What to Know, Lily Kuo, May 10, 2026 (print ed.). The war in Iran, trade, artificial intelligence and Taiwan are expected to be on the agenda. But expectations are modest.
President Trump and China’s leader, Xi Jinping, are scheduled to meet in Beijing next week for a high-stakes summit that could shape the next stage of rivalry between the world’s two major powers.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi are expected to discuss the war in Iran, trade, Taiwan and other points of contention during a two-day summit beginning on Thursday. Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi last met in October in South Korea, where they agreed to pause a bruising trade war in which the U.S. imposed triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods and Beijing threatened to throttle the global supply of rare earths.
The visit next week could determine whether an uneasy détente that has emerged since that meeting will hold.
A lot has changed since the two leaders last met. Mr. Trump is now embroiled in a war with Iran, China’s closest partner in the Middle East, that has led to a global energy crisis and diverted U.S. military assets from Asia. The war has also depleted U.S. munitions, raising doubts among some Chinese analysts about the United States’ ability to defend Taiwan, a close partner of Washington.
Mr. Xi faces his own challenges as he grapples with slower economic growth, higher energy prices and the possibility of a global recession that would hurt China’s export-reliant economy.
New York Times: Investigation: He Offered a Lawmaker’s Aide Quick Cash. Was He Spying for China? Dustin Volz, May 10, 2026 (print ed.). A staff member on the House China Committee was promised $10,000 for U.S. policy insights, on issues like Venezuela and rare-earth minerals. The outreach appears to provide a vivid portrait of how Beijing’s spy services seek to gain access to information from within the corridors of power in Washington, DC.
When a man identifying himself as Chris Chen reached out this winter to an aide on a House committee focused on threats from China, he came armed with a lucrative offer.
The staff member, Mr. Chen proposed, could earn $10,000 or more by barely lifting a finger. All he would need to do is agree to phone calls every other week to share information about the committee’s work and U.S. foreign policy about China.
Insights into U.S. trade or national-security issues, including the Trump administration’s plans for Venezuela in the aftermath of the January military operation there, would be especially valuable, Mr. Chen said. To sweeten the pot, Mr. Chen repeatedly promised to send the aide $2,000 up front.
The offer seemed too good to be true. Instead of quietly accepting the deal, the aide, whose identity The New York Times agreed to withhold because he works on sensitive policy issues related to China, reported it to his bosses on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. The panel quickly concluded Mr. Chen was not the Singapore-based business consultant he claimed to be, but instead likely a Chinese intelligence officer or contractor seeking a new recruit.An offer of $10,000 for information
By framing the initial offer as a “trial period,” Mr. Chen dangled the expectation of a longer relationship with more payments to come, a common recruitment hook for spies.
“I would like to propose … three-month trial period lasting until the end of March. … And I will provide a total compensation of $10,000 for the three-month trial period.”
Rather than cut off contact, the committee’s Republican majority staff agreed to keep talking to Mr. Chen. They recorded a series of calls this winter to learn more about Mr. Chen’s tactics and interests.
Transcripts of those calls, which the committee shared with The Times alongside some of the recorded audio, depict a determined, at times impatient, individual eager to earn the trust of his mark and get down to business. Mr. Chen mixes holiday greetings with elaborate questions about manufacturing in Vietnam and Mexico and the future of Venezuela’s oil industry.
Beijing and Washington have been aggressively spying on one another for decades, an inevitable byproduct of the world’s two largest economies competing across the globe. But by their nature, those shadow games rarely surface such a detailed look at how either side plies its trade.
The outreach by Mr. Chen to an aide on the very committee responsible for investigating Chinese national-security threats appears to provide an unusually vivid portrait of how Beijing’s spy services seek to gain access to sensitive information from within the corridors of power in Washington.By some measures, the spying on both sides has intensified in recent months, as the bilateral relationship — which will be tested next week during a summit in Beijing between President Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping — has grown more strained.
The Geo Network, Ukraine Just Hit Putin's CROWN JEWEL... He Can NEVER Replace It, Staff Report, May 9, 2026. In a devastating asymmetric blow to the Kremlin, Ukraine has just shattered the myth of Russia's "untouchable" safe zones.
Using highly advanced, long-range AI kamikaze drones, Ukrainian forces bypassed massive electronic warfare layers to strike the Shagol airbase 1,700km deep inside the Ural Mountains.
U.S. Media, Education, Culture
New York Times, What to Do About the White House Correspondents Dinner? Elisabeth Bumiller, May 10, 2026. A gunman’s attack at the April dinner has spurred more debate than usual about one of Washington’s most dissected rituals.
An hour after a gunman rushed a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton last month and shut down the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, President Trump declared that it would be rescheduled within 30 days. By his calendar, an event attended by 2,570 people will be held on May 25 at the latest.
Never mind that Mr. Trump is not the host of the event. Very few think the date is realistic, at least for the kind of blowout that the dinner has become.
But as the association’s board tries to figure out the timing and type of a redo, a bigger debate than usual is swirling around one of Washington’s most dissected rituals. Critics have long called the dinner a distasteful, too-cozy fete for reporters and the powerful people they cover. Defenders say it is a celebration of the First Amendment and a fund-raiser for more than $100,000 in college journalism scholarships.
Never has it been what it became on April 25 — the site of what prosecutors say was a presidential assassination attempt and a potential mass casualty event. Current and former participants now question whether the dinner has outlived its rationale, given the heightened security concerns and the fact that on a night meant to honor journalists, Mr. Trump — who is suing multiple news organizations and routinely attacks the press — planned to “really rip” the media, as he put it, in the “most inappropriate speech ever made.’’“I would have stuck a fork in it a long time ago,” said Graydon Carter, the former editor of Vanity Fair who for eight years hosted, with Michael Bloomberg, the most exclusive of the dinner’s after-parties. “Make it smaller. Make it like a proper dinner. Whatever it was, I would go back to that. Because it’s unsustainable.’’
Susan Page, USA Today’s Washington bureau chief and a former president of the correspondents’ association who has attended every dinner since 1980, remains a supporter of the event. Still, she said, “the one thing I think is crucial is that the focus be on journalism, on the role of a free press in a democracy, and on the particular issues that White House correspondents face in covering the president.”
Nicholas Lemann, a former dean of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and a longtime staff writer at The New Yorker, called the televised dinner “Washington journalism as a Rotary Club meeting,” at odds with the way “we like to present ourselves, as lonely crusaders.”
“We see journalists palling around with public officials, including the competition for who sits at whose table,” he said. “Surely none of this helps reverse journalism’s falling public trust numbers.”
The association’s leadership has said little about its deliberations. The board “is having active conversations about rescheduling the event,” Weijia Jiang of CBS, the group’s president, said in a brief text message. One option favored by numerous White House correspondents is a lunch or more modest dinner, at least this year, to celebrate the award and scholarship winners.
“It’s a very complex decision that involves finances and security and all kinds of other considerations, so we are taking our time to make that decision thoughtfully,” said Trevor Hunnicutt of Reuters, a member of the association’s board.
What is not on the table is having the dinner in Mr. Trump’s planned White House ballroom, although the president has used the attack to make the case for his pet project.
“It’s much more secure — it’s drone-proof, it’s bulletproof glass — we need the ballroom,” he said at a news conference in the hours after the attack. But the ballroom faces legal challenges and will not be ready until the end of Mr. Trump’s term at the earliest. Members of the correspondents’ association would in any case view holding the event at the White House as a capitulation of its independence.
The dinner has had many permutations in its century-plus of history. It began in 1921 as a small, all-male gathering during the Harding administration. Three years later, Calvin Coolidge became the first president to attend. In the 1940s, it transitioned into a bacchanal with entertainers like Bob Hope and Sid Caesar. By the early 1980s, it had settled into more of a professional dinner, but with competition over who could nab the best political guests.
Epstein Files, Trump Team Coverup
Last Page First, Investigation: The Art of Darkness: Marina Abramović, Epstein, Podesta, and the Elite’s Obsession With Ritual, Jana, left, May 10, 2026. Ritual aesthetics, private gatherings, and the elite networks that kept resurfacing around Jeffrey Epstein.
The photograph spread across social media like wildfire. Lady Gaga stood beside Marina Abramović at the 2013 Watermill Center Summer Benefit in New York while experimental theater director Robert Wilson appeared in the background. Within years, the image would be recaptioned across the internet as evidence of a “dark ritual on Epstein Island.”
That part was false. The photograph was taken at an art event in Water Mill, New York, not on Jeffrey Epstein’s island.
But the speed with which millions believed it could be real says something important about the woman at the center of the image, Marina Abramović.
For decades, Abramović has built a career around ritual imagery, endurance art, blood symbolism, altered states, spirituality, and psychological intensity. To her admirers, she is one of the most important performance artists alive. To her critics, she represents something darker: the aesthetic language of elite power dressed up as avant-garde art.
Then the Epstein files surfaced.
And suddenly, Abramović’s name appeared exactly where many expected it would. Not as a criminal defendant, nor as a co-conspirator, but inside the same social and intellectual circles that repeatedly orbit the Jeffrey Epstein archive.
This is an examination into Marina, of proximity, access, symbolism, and the strange overlap between elite culture and conspiracy mythology.
Who Is Marina Abramović?
Lady Gaga, Marina Abramović, and theater director Robert Wilson during the 2013 Watermill Center Summer Benefit in Water Mill, New York.
Before the emails, before the conspiracies, and before her name became entangled with the darkest corners of the internet, Marina Abramović was simply the most famous performance artist alive.
Born in Belgrade in 1946, Marina Abramović grew up in a household shaped by contradiction. Her parents were decorated Yugoslav Partisan war heroes who later rose inside the communist government — disciplined, severe, and often emotionally distant. Much of her childhood was instead spent with her grandmother, a deeply religious woman who surrounded her with Orthodox rituals, candles, saints, superstition, and stories about spiritual forces that existed beyond the visible world.
Abramović has described her upbringing as both rigid and isolating. Her mother imposed strict rules and military structure inside the home, while her grandmother exposed her to a world of mysticism, symbolism, dreams, and ritual. Those opposing influences — control and transcendence, discipline and spirituality — would later become inseparable from her art.
Abramović became obsessed with the limits of the human body and mind: pain, endurance, fear, vulnerability, silence, altered consciousness. Emerging from the atmosphere of postwar Yugoslavia, she helped redefine what performance art could be. For more than five decades, she has used her own body as both canvas and subject, pushing herself past exhaustion, discomfort, and social taboo. Her work was never really about objects hanging on gallery walls. It was about presence, ritual, transformation, and the strange psychological space between performer and audience.
Archival photographs from early performances by Marina Abramović in the 1970s — body-centered endurance pieces involving pain, audience participation, and ritual symbolism that first established her reputation inside the avant-garde art world. | art21.org
Marina Abramović during her 1974 performance Rhythm 5, in which she constructed a large flaming star and entered its center as part of an endurance piece exploring ritual, political symbolism, altered states, and physical risk. | art21.org
In the art world, Marina Abramović’s stature is unquestioned. Major retrospectives at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Guggenheim, and the Serpentine Gallery in London firmly cemented her legacy as one of the most influential performance artists of the modern era.
Her 2010 MoMA performance, The Artist Is Present, became a global phenomenon. For 736 hours, Abramović sat silently across from more than 1,500 strangers, saying nothing while holding eye contact with each person who took the chair opposite her. Many visitors broke down in tears.
One of the most unforgettable moments came when her former artistic and romantic partner, Ulay, unexpectedly appeared across from her after years of separation. The silent reunion instantly became one of the defining images of her career.
Marina Abramović reunites with former collaborator and partner Ulay during The Artist Is Present at the Museum of Modern Art in 2010. | YouTube screen grab
The two had once ended their relationship by walking from opposite sides of the Great Wall of China until they met in the middle, embraced, and said goodbye. At MoMA, Abramović broke her own rule against physical contact and reached across the table to hold his hands as both fought back tears.
1988 walk across the Great Wall of China — meeting in the middle to say goodbye after both their relationship and creative collaboration came to an end | art21.org
It was, by any measure, a feat of emotional and psychological intensity that drew celebrity attendees like James Franco and Björk — and standing ovations from the art world.
Abramović later published her memoir, Walk Through Walls, and founded the Marina Abramović Institute, a planned “laboratory for immaterial art.” Over the years, she collaborated with figures like Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, and major luxury brands, helping push her aesthetics far beyond the boundaries of the contemporary art world.
To her devotees, Abramović’s work is spiritual, transformative, and deeply human — an attempt to use silence, endurance, pain, ritual, and vulnerability to strip away ego and force genuine connection between performer and audience. To her critics? That is where the story grows darker, and where the art world’s language of “spirituality” begins to echo in very unexpected places.
Lincoln Square Media, Commentary: Pope Leo & Trumpism | History of the Present, Brian Daitzman, above left and Christopher Hale, above right, May 10, 2026. The publisher of Letters from Leo discusses Pope Leo XIV, Catholic social teaching, Trumpism, mercy, power, and the moral crisis of American politics. Pope Leo XIV is cutting through American politics in a way Trump can’t easily attack: with moral authority, mercy, and a language beyond cruelty.
Christopher Hale believes Pope Leo XIV is breaking through in American public life because many Americans — including many who are not Catholic — are searching for a moral language that politics no longer provides.
On History of the Present, Hale, the publisher of Letters from Leo, joined Brian Daitzman, founder of The Intellectualist and host of History of the Present, for a wide-ranging conversation about Catholic social teaching, Trumpism, mercy, wealth, power, the Democratic Party, and the spiritual hunger beneath American politics.
Hale comes to the conversation from an unusual vantage point. He has spent years at the intersection of Catholic life, Democratic politics, public service, and moral argument. He ran as the Democratic nominee for Tennessee’s 4th Congressional District in 2020, and his work now focuses on the moral and political meaning of the first pope born in the United States.
Letters from Leo, Hale said, was not the product of a careful plan. It grew out of his time in Rome covering the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV for major publications. From there, he noticed something striking: American audiences, including many secular readers, were intensely interested in the new pope.
“I will say that the vast majority of my readers are secular,” Hale said. To him, that says something important about Pope Leo’s public role. His message is not only reaching practicing Catholics. It is reaching Americans looking for a moral vocabulary beyond partisan combat. A guest post byThe IntellectualistThe Intellectualist is a journalistic outlet devoted to truth-driven editorial writing. We strive to clarify complexity, confront distortion, and curate the truth from the noise.Subscribe to The Intellectualist A guest post byChristopher HaleProud Tennessean. ‘20 Democratic Nominee for US Congress. DNC Delegate. Obama-Biden White House & campaign alum. Former nonprofit exec. Pope Leo tweeted about me once.Subscribe to Christopher
Mildred Prevost died in 1990. In October, as Pope Leo XIV, her son told a Vatican synod what she had said in 1972 when he asked if women wanted equality with men, she responded “we’re already better.”
On Sunday, May 11, 2025, an estimated 100,000 pilgrims packed St. Peter’s Square. Pope Leo XIV, three days into his pontificate, stepped onto the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica for his first public Regina Caeli — the Marian prayer Catholics offer in place of the Angelus during the Easter season.
When Pope Leo XIV broke into the Regina Caeli on the loggia last May, what the world heard was an ancient Latin hymn rendered in the unmistakable phrasing of a Catholic boy whose mother took church music seriously. The voice over St. Peter’s Square — the one that drew gasps from a crowd of 100,000 — was hers.
This Mother’s Day, with the country Mildred helped build under sustained assault, the story bears retelling — this time to a much wider audience. This is the American story of a woman from Black Creole Louisiana whose son ascended to the Seat of Peter.
Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV (below left), as a young boy with his mother, Mildred Prevost, and his brothers John and Louis, standing outside Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. Long before he became shepherd to the global Church, young Robert’s journey of faith was nurtured in the heart of Chicago’s Catholic community, surrounded by family and grounded in the simple joys of faith, family, and service. A touching reminder that even the future pope once walked the ordinary paths of childhood.
May 9
Top Headlines
Shown above is Tennessee's new map for its U.S. House of Representatives district that it's Republican-led legislature rapidly enacted this month to create an all-Republican, nine-member House delegation that further gerrymanders the state to ensure that the Democratic stronghold of Memphis is divided into three parts attached to majority-White districts, as Nashville had done previously, to reduce the chance that Democratic or African-American voters would be likely to obtain representataion now that the U.S. Supreme Court voted on 6-3 Republican v. Democratic justices to void almost entirely provisions of the 1965 Civil Rights Act that Congress had renewed.
News Roundup
May 9, 2026. Catholic and evangelical leaders unveiled and blessed a statue of Donald Trump in South Florida, while critics condemned the imagery as idolatry. Meanwhile, MAGA Republicans are outraged after former President Obama met with Canada’s prime minister, with some online voices bizarrely suggesting it amounts to a “coup.”May 9, 2026. In case you’re wondering what kind of a news day it was, President Donald J. Trump announced that the “Department of War” was releasing “Government files related to Alien and Extraterrestrial Life, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and Unidentified Flying Objects.” The president posted: “Have Fun and Enjoy!”More On Iran War
ew York Times, Long Overlooked, Caspian Sea Provides Strategic Trade Route for Iran, Nicholas Kulish, Neil MacFarquhar and Julian E. Barnes, May 9, 2026. The landlocked body of water has taken on new significance, with Russia shipping military and commercial goods to bolster Tehran’s ability to withstand the U.S. assault.Critiques, Spy Probes Of Trumpism, MAGA idolotry
A 22-foot effigy of Donald Trump, wrapped in gold leaf, now stands at his Doral golf course in Miami. The president boasted about it Thursday morning on Truth Social with the all-caps line: “The Real Deal — GOLD.”
Stalin Would Be Proud of Trump: Collage of the Soviet Union's dictator Joseph Stalin and America's Donald Trump (created with Artificial Intelligence by WMR).
U.S. Courts, Law, Crime, Rights, Terrorism
May 8, 2026. You’ll be unsurprised that Seb, above, refuses to protect America from the far right terrorist threat, instead choosing to focus on the imaginary Antifa threat and to waste CT resources murderboating fisherman labeled as narcoterrorists.More On U.S. Governance, Elections, Politics
U.S. Education, Media, Culture, High-Tech
The hosts of ABC’s “The View,” from left, Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines, Joy Behar, Ana Navarro, Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin (ABC photo by Lou Rocco via Getty Images).
Global News
Victory Day parade was held on Red Square in Moscow on 9 May and lasted less than an hour. [Victory Day is a Russian holiday commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, celebrated on May 9, 2026.]
4 people convicted of conspiracy in US trial tied to 2021 assassination of Haiti’s president, Staff Report, May 8, 2026. The men had their own leader in mind and had hoped to enrich themselves with a new government, prosecutors argued.Top Stories
Shown above is Tennessee's new map for its U.S. House of Representatives district that it's Republican-led legislature rapidly enacted this month to create an all-Republican, nine-member House delegation that further gerrymanders the state to ensure that the Democratic stronghold of Memphis is divided into three parts attached to majority-White districts, as Nashville had done previously, to reduce the chance that Democratic or African-American voters would be likely to obtain representataion now that the U.S. Supreme Court voted on 6-3 Republican v. Democratic justices to void almost entirely provisions of the 1965 Civil Rights Act that Congress had renewed.
New York Times, 10 Days That Shook the House Map and Democratic Confidence, Shane Goldmacher and Tim Balk, May 9, 2026. Republicans are charging ahead in the nation’s redistricting race, and showing new bullishness after months of growing midterm fears.
Just two weeks ago, Democrats felt increasingly emboldened about taking control of the House in November after seeming to fight the redistricting wars to a draw.
But two court rulings — one by the Supreme Court and another by Virginia’s top court — and an aggressive new push by red states to carve up congressional maps have delivered the Republican Party its biggest burst of momentum in many months.
Put bluntly, Republicans have roughly 10 more House seats that favor them than they did just 10 days ago, and Democrats are suddenly grappling with a new landscape.
“This is now clearly closer than it was just a week and a half ago,” Representative Brendan Boyle, a Pennsylvania Democrat, said of his party’s chances to retake the House.
Democrats are still widely seen as favored to win the House this fall. Republicans face a daunting political climate, saddled with President Trump’s sagging approval ratings, high gas prices and an unpopular war with Iran. In special elections and last year’s races for governor, Democratic enthusiasm has swamped Republican turnout.
“I was anticipating about a 15-to-20-seat pickup before the last week and a half,” Mr. Boyle said. “Now I would be anticipating a 10-to-15-seat pickup.”
That would be more than enough to wrest the majority from Republicans, who are clinging to a current edge of 217 to 212 seats. And history is not on Republicans’ side: The party in power almost always loses seats in midterm elections.
But after the latest map changes, winning the House majority will require Democrats to flip more seats in less hospitable territory.
Bullish Republicans feel they are back in the game.
“Lord grant me humility,” James Blair, the Republican strategist who is overseeing Mr. Trump’s political operation in the midterms, wrote on X on Friday after Virginia’s top court struck down a recently enacted map meant to give Democrats four extra House seats.
One of Speaker Mike Johnson’s senior political aides interrupted the middle of a meeting in Texas, where the Republican leader was on a fund-raising swing, to break the news, according to two people with knowledge of the conversation. Mr. Johnson later celebrated on the phone with Glenn Youngkin, the former Republican governor of Virginia, who had opposed the Democratic effort to redraw the state’s lines.
The last 10 days demonstrated the power and speed of the courts to shape the midterms — and the role of judges in the next phase of the redistricting battle. Recent legal actions are underway in Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, Louisiana and Alabama that could still undo or block some of the potential Republican gains before the fall.
The outcome of the legislative and legal fight, which has unfolded largely beyond the control of American voters, could be highly consequential. No party has made a net gain of more than a dozen House seats in a national election since the wave of 2018.
Representative Yvette D. Clarke of New York, the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said in an interview that Democrats were engaged in “meetings on meetings on meetings” on Friday to figure out how to respond in Democratic-controlled states. But the party’s next steps were unclear, she said, noting that some potential paths seemed to be closed because of the election calendar.
“It’s not,” Ms. Clarke said, “a good feeling.”
News Roundup
The Parnas Perspective, Morning News and Commentary: MAGA Erupts Over Obama's Visit to Canada, Suggests a "Coup," Evangelical Leaders Ordain Trump Statue, Oil Spill Near Iran, and More, Aaron Parnas, right, May 9, 2026. Catholic and evangelical leaders unveiled and blessed a statue of Donald Trump in South Florida, while critics condemned the imagery as idolatry. Meanwhile, MAGA Republicans are outraged after former President Obama met with Canada’s prime minister, with some online voices bizarrely suggesting it amounts to a “coup.”
Millions of dollars are now being wagered on prediction markets tied to the hantavirus outbreak as the infected cruise ship prepares to dock in the Canary Islands today. A large oil spill is also developing near Iran, and a Frontier Airlines flight struck a person on the runway during takeoff in Denver.
So yes, it is already an incredibly busy morning. I’m also hoping to share some major updates next week on the AI front that could affect all of us. Many of you have messaged me saying it looks like I may be shadow banned on other platforms. That happens. It is also one of the reasons I am here, because no corporation, political party, or billionaire gets to control what I say.
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Here’s the news:
A 22-foot bronze statue of Donald Trump, nicknamed “Don Colossus,” was unveiled on a seven-foot pedestal after being commissioned for $450,000 by cryptocurrency supporters behind the $PATRIOT memecoin. Created by Ohio sculptor Alan Cottrill and coated in gold leaf, the statue was intended to symbolize Trump’s resilience following assassination attempts. Trump joined the event by phone to thank the evangelical leaders praying over the statue. Several Christian leaders and critics condemned the display as idolatry, arguing it blurred the line between political support and religious devotion.
A Politico report says Republican donors are growing increasingly anxious over President Trump’s massive $300 million political war chest and the lack of clarity about how it will be used ahead of the midterms. Some GOP donors fear the White House is underestimating electoral risks tied to the Iran war, inflation, and rising gas prices, while others worry Trump could redirect much of the money toward personal legacy projects or positioning a 2028 successor instead of defending congressional majorities. Trump allies insist spending plans are still being developed and argue Republicans will not face a funding disadvantage. Still, several donors warned that if no clear strategy emerges by summer, panic inside donor circles could intensify.
Former President Obama visited with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Canada ahead of a keynote speech he was scheduled to give:
In response, many influential figures within MAGA called for Obama’s potential arrest and even suggested that he was launching a “coup” for visiting Canada and meeting with the Prime Minister. Mind you, Donald Trump met with world leaders when he was not in office too:
A new wave of speculation on prediction-market platforms like Polymarket has seen users wager nearly $3 million on whether hantavirus could become a pandemic this year, despite the World Health Organization stressing the risk remains low. The betting surge followed a deadly outbreak aboard a cruise ship, but public health officials emphasized the virus spreads very differently from Covid-19 and requires close contact for transmission. Experts quoted in a Mother Jones report warned that gambling on disease outbreaks reflects the growing normalization of speculative betting and may worsen gambling addiction and financial harm. Critics argue prediction markets increasingly turn public health crises into opportunities for profit and sensationalism.
Federal and Florida officials are discussing shutting down the Everglades immigration detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” which was championed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. According to the New York Times, Homeland Security officials have concluded the facility is too expensive and ineffective, with Florida spending more than $1 million per day to operate the remote camp. Critics have long accused the center of unsafe and inhumane conditions, while state officials defended it as a temporary but necessary deterrent against unauthorized immigration. The facility has housed nearly 22,000 detainees since opening, despite ongoing legal challenges and delayed federal reimbursements to Florida.
Spanish authorities are preparing for the arrival of the cruise ship MV Hondius in the Canary Islands after a hantavirus outbreak onboard left at least three people dead and several others infected. Reuters reports that several European countries, including Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands, are sending evacuation planes to Tenerife to retrieve citizens from the cruise ship MV Hondius after a deadly hantavirus outbreak onboard.
The World Health Organization says eight people became ill and three died, prompting a coordinated international response led by Spanish authorities and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Passengers will be evacuated in stages once the ship arrives near Tenerife, while the vessel will later continue to the Netherlands for full disinfection. This is the letter released to the people of Tenerife this morning by the WHO:
The future of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary is reportedly uncertain after a series of controversial decisions under the Trump administration triggered backlash from public health experts, lawmakers, and agency staff. Critics say the FDA has become increasingly politicized, pointing to disputes over vaccines, vaping approvals, drug reviews, and reports that research on Covid and shingles vaccine safety was suppressed. Former officials and researchers warned that rapid leadership turnover, morale problems, and pressure from the White House are undermining public trust in the agency’s scientific independence. Although some conservatives defend Makary as a reformer challenging industry influence, others inside the administration reportedly see him as a political liability.
An NBC News report says Iran appears capable of withstanding the U.S. naval blockade for months, despite early Trump administration claims that Tehran’s oil infrastructure would quickly collapse. Analysts and Western officials told NBC that while the blockade has reduced Iran’s oil exports and forced production cuts, the regime can still refine much of its oil domestically and draw on reserves already stored overseas. Experts said Iran has experience managing sanctions and production slowdowns, making an immediate economic breakdown unlikely. Still, prolonged restrictions could gradually deepen inflation, strain government finances, and increase pressure on Iran’s leadership over time.
Satellite imagery has revealed a suspected massive oil spill near Iran’s Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export hub, amid escalating tensions in the Gulf. Analysts reviewing the images said the slick appeared consistent with oil contamination and may cover roughly 45 square kilometers, potentially making it one of the largest spills since the start of the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran. The cause of the spill remains unclear, though the area has been affected by U.S. naval blockades, military clashes, and disruptions to global oil shipping routes. Kharg Island handles about 90% of Iran’s oil exports, making any damage or environmental incident there especially significant for global energy markets.
According to NBC, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies were alarmed by President Trump’s “Project Freedom” operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, fearing it could provoke Iranian retaliation and escalate the conflict. U.S. officials told NBC that Saudi Arabia temporarily denied U.S. military aircraft access to its airspace and bases in protest, while Kuwait also reportedly restricted support until Trump abruptly paused the operation after 36 hours. Gulf leaders reportedly worried the U.S. would not defend regional infrastructure if Iran retaliated, even as Washington pushed for negotiations with Tehran.
The U.S. and Iran remain far from ending their conflict as clashes continue around the Strait of Hormuz despite a fragile ceasefire. Fighting escalated in recent days with exchanges between Iranian forces and U.S. vessels, attacks on Gulf states including the UAE, and new U.S. strikes on Iran-linked ships. At the same time, intelligence assessments reportedly suggest Iran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for months, potentially weakening Washington’s leverage in negotiations.
An FCC proposal approved on April 30 would require phone companies to verify customers’ identities before activating service, including collecting government ID, legal name, address, and existing phone numbers. The agency says the measure is aimed at stopping illegal robocalls and preventing bad actors from exploiting weak telecom oversight. Critics argue the plan would effectively end anonymous or semi-anonymous phone use in the US, raising major privacy concerns for journalists, whistleblowers, activists, and domestic violence survivors who rely on prepaid phones for protection. The proposal could also require carriers to retain customer identity records for years and potentially check users against law-enforcement watchlists.
Russia held its smallest Victory Day parade in years amid fears that Ukraine could target the event with drone or missile strikes. President Donald Trump announced a temporary U.S.-brokered three-day ceasefire beginning Friday, giving Russian President Vladimir Putin the opportunity to proceed with the annual military display in Moscow. Despite the ceasefire, the scaled-back ceremony reflected growing security concerns and the continuing strain of the war on Russia’s public events and military posture.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mocked Vladimir Putin by issuing a tongue-in-cheek decree temporarily exempting Moscow’s Red Square from potential Ukrainian strikes during Russia’s May 9 Victory Day parade “for humanitarian purposes.”
A Louisiana pastor, Terry Reed, was convicted of sexually abusing two teenage boys, marking his third conviction involving minors over nearly three decades. Prosecutors said he used religion and scripture to manipulate vulnerable teens who had moved into his home. Reed had previously pleaded guilty to similar offenses in 1997 and 2017 but received probation in those cases. He now faces the possibility of decades in prison after being found guilty on multiple rape and molestation charges.
A Utah judge ruled that cameras will be allowed in court during proceedings against Tyler James Robinson, the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk last year. Robinson’s attorneys argued extensive media coverage could prejudice potential jurors and undermine his right to a fair trial, but the judge rejected the request to limit press access. Prosecutors say Robinson fatally shot Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University and later surrendered after a statewide manhunt. Robinson faces aggravated murder charges and could receive the death penalty or life in prison if convicted.
According to The Guardian, the Trump administration is rolling back hunting restrictions across dozens of national parks, refuges, and wilderness areas after Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, right, ordered agencies to expand hunting and fishing access on federally managed lands. Changes under consideration or already implemented include allowing hunting dogs, extending hunting seasons, permitting alligator hunting in some protected areas, and easing rules on retrieving and cleaning game. Supporters argue the moves protect outdoor traditions and support conservation funding, while critics warn they could endanger visitors, disrupt wildlife management, and weaken longstanding park protections. Former park officials say the administration is bypassing established scientific and public-review processes in favor of broader deregulation.
Letters from an American, Historical Commentary: May 8, 2026 [DC Distractions From Major News], Heather Cox Richardson, right, May 9, 2026. In case you’re wondering what kind of a news day it was, President Donald J. Trump announced that the “Department of War” was releasing “Government files related to Alien and Extraterrestrial Life, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and Unidentified Flying Objects.” The president posted: “Have Fun and Enjoy!”
It’s hard to see the release of this information at this moment as anything more than a distraction from the many stories in the news that show the administration in an unflattering light.
The biggest of those stories was not that Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy took his family on a seven-month road trip to film a television series called The Great American Road Trip while he was supposed to be doing his job as secretary of transportation, or that he told Fox & Friends this morning that “it fits any budget to do a road trip” on a day when the national average for a gallon of gas was $4.54.
It was not the story, written by David A. Fahrenthold and Luke Broadwater and published in the New York Times, that Trump gave a no-bid $6.9 million contract to reseal the joints, waterproof, and paint bright blue the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Such contracts are supposed to be reviewed and put out for bids, but Trump ignored the review process and used an exemption designed to prevent “serious injury, financial or other, to the government” to award a no-bid contract to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which has never before won a federal contract but which had worked at one of his golf clubs, because he wanted the work done before the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026.
The contract is for more than triple the $1.8 million Trump promised, and officials say the repairs will last for seven to ten years, rather than the 50 years Trump claimed. Even that might be generous: One expert warned that the motorcade the president took onto the pool yesterday to review the project was heavy enough to have sprung the newly-repaired joints between the concrete slabs that make up the pool bed.
It was not the story by economist Justin Wolfers in the New York Times explaining that the Defense Department’s claim that the war on Iran has cost taxpayers $25 billion tallies only the price of the 2,000 spent Tomahawk and Patriot missiles, the airplanes lost, and the other matériel used. It does not measure the lives lost, the disruption in global oil markets, companies shut down (like Spirit Airlines), heightened geopolitical tensions, higher interest rates, lower stock prices, lower economic growth, Iran’s new ability to charge tolls in the Strait of Hormuz to fund its nuclear ambitions, and the new need for countries to increase military spending. Wolfers notes that the Iraq war cost about $3 trillion and estimates the Iran war “will cost hundreds of billions of dollars, and very possibly trillions.”
In any case, Jonathan Lemire of The Atlantic reported today that Trump is “bored” with the war and wants to move on. Five of Trump’s aides and advisors told Lemire that Trump is convinced he can sell any agreement as a win, but so far Iran is unwilling to bail Trump out of the war he started.
It was not the story in the Washington Post by Brianna Sacks and Kevin Crowe reporting that under Trump, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which helps people prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, has been denying aid to states that have Democratic-led governments while speeding it to Republican-dominated states.
It was not the story by Mark Olalde of ProPublica reporting that the Trump administration has granted a two-year pause on compliance with the Clean Air Act to more than 180 facilities, like coal power plants and medical sterilizers, that are polluting in 38 states and Puerto Rico. The administration sidelined the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by using a presidential exemption that can be tapped “if the technology to implement the standard is not available and it is in the national security interests of the United States to do so.”
This authority has never been used before, and other utilities say they are using the pollution controls the administration claims don’t exist. Trump has also invoked the national security justification for the pauses, claiming that the U.S. is in a national energy emergency out of concern that emerging industries, like AI and the data centers on which AI relies will not be able to get the huge amounts of energy they need. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Olalde: “The President has provided regulatory relief from certain burdensome Clean Air Act requirements due to national security concerns that critical industries would no longer be able to operate under such stringent standards.”
Democratic senators Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Adam Schiff of California have introduced a bill requiring the president to get Congress’s approval for such pauses in the future. Whitehouse noted that Trump’s exemptions show a willingness to “abuse every loophole available to pollute for free, damn the health consequences for Americans.”
It was not the story that the Court of International Trade in New York found Trump’s 10% global tariffs, imposed after the Supreme Court declared his “Liberation Day” tariffs of April 2025 unconstitutional, to be illegal. Trump is expected to appeal. Yesterday, he threatened to impose “much higher” tariffs on the European Union if it does not approve a trade agreement with the U.S. by July 4.
The biggest story of the day was not even the dedication of the 22-foot gold statue of Trump installed at his golf course in Miami. Marth McHardy of the Daily Beast reported that a group of crypto investors paid for the $450,000 statue as part of a promotional push for their new memecoin.
No, the biggest story of the day was that after voters in Virginia turned out in record numbers to approve a new temporary congressional district map on April 21 to garner four more seats for Democrats, the Virginia state supreme court struck down the referendum. Virginia voters had agreed to the change in order to counter gerrymandering imposed by Republican legislators in Texas, Ohio, Tennessee, Missouri, North Carolina, and Florida that is expected to gain them an additional 14 seats across the country. (Following last week’s Louisiana v. Callais Supreme Court decision, Republicans are hoping to change the lines in Louisiana, Alabama, and South Carolina to take four more.) So far, voters in California have agreed to a temporary redistricting of California to pick up four seats there.
The court split on partisan lines, saying the process of passing the referendum violated the state’s constitution. With Trump’s job approval ratings in the low 30s, anger at rising prices, frustration at the war on Iran, dislike of the administration’s attacks on immigrants, and growing outrage at the extraordinary corruption of the administration, Republicans were so worried they would lose control of the House of Representatives in the November midterm elections that they began the gerrymandering wars. Now those wars have turned in their favor.
“Huge win for the Republican Party, and America, in Virginia,” Trump gloated on social media. “The Virginia Supreme Court has just struck down the Democrats’ horrible gerrymander. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
In the end, the UFO files red herring from today’s news dump didn’t appear to work. Former representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) called the UFO files a distraction from the Iran war and said: “Unless they roll out live aliens and test demo UFOs or actually admit what we know this really is then I have way better things to do on this Friday.” The chair of the Michigan Democratic Party also commented: “If any aliens had flown over Epstein Island, you could be damn sure Trump would keep their secret. Whether aliens are out there or not, I’m more concerned about the American people here on Earth struggling to pay for food [and] rent.”
And Democrats certainly didn’t miss the Virginia decision. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the top-ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, posted: “Today, in an outrageous outburst of right-wing judicial activism following the Roberts Court’s Callais decision, the Virginia Supreme Court has struck down the will of the voters. But democracy won’t end with right-wingers in black robes. Now is the time to campaign like never before for strong democracy, freedom and progress. The American people will have the final say in November. Organize!”
More On Iran War
New York Times, Analysis: Iranian Propaganda vs. U.S. Talking Points: How We Determined the Real Damage to U.S. Military Bases, Aric Toler, Devon Lum, Christoph Koettl, Natalie Reneau, Aaron Byrd and Zach Caldwell, May 8, 2026 (interactive). Amid the barrage of messages and misinformation swirling online and on Capitol Hill, about what damage U.S. military sites incurred during the conflict with Iran, a Times analysis of satellite imagery shows 18 sites in seven countries were hit.
Introduction: So in the early days of the war between the U.S., Israel and Iran, my colleagues and I started seeing a lot of these videos that were filmed on U.S. military bases and also foreign bases, where the U.S. operates in the Gulf and the Middle East. And they showed a number of Iranian, usually drone strikes, on key infrastructure.
And then not too long after that, we started seeing a stream of Iranian satellite imagery that came out of Iranian state media that were then filtering down through social media. And these images claim to show very massive swaths of destruction at these bases that the U.S. operates out of.
And normally, what we would do is we would hit these up against American satellite imagery. But the U.S. government requested for American satellite companies to restrict the release of this imagery in the Middle East and the Gulf — not even restrict it, but even to retroactively remove images going back to early March.
And also, U.S. officials weren’t talking a whole lot about specific attacks on these U.S. bases. “I mean, the best defense is a good offense.” And when they did speak, they said the air defenses were working as designed. “Our air defenders are operating at the very top of their game. I couldn’t be prouder.”
We wanted to cut through the allegations and the talking points and understand the reality of the damage. And so we couldn’t just take this Iranian satellite imagery on face value. We had to actually verify it, cross-reference it and all that.
So what we did was we collected all these images that the Iranians released. These are dozens and dozens of images from quite a few different countries. And then we looked at European satellite companies, which did not have similar restrictions on the release of imagery. So this, for example, is in Saudi Arabia. This is the Prince Sultan Air Base where the U.S. operates out of. And here’s the Iranian image, right here, where you see there’s 12 buildings right here in the “before.” And then you see about four or five of them have been destroyed in the “after” image. And then we take the exact same location in this imagery from a European provider. And it’s identical, right? I mean, you look at it’s the exact same buildings destroyed, the same pattern, same location.
We did this across the board. We did this with dozens of images. We didn’t find even one of them that was fake. Overall, we found that Iran and Iranian-backed militias had attacked 18 different military sites in seven different countries that the U.S. operates out of.
Other news organizations have reported similar amounts of damage, but we found that in addition to large U.S. bases in the region, even sites where the U.S. had small or temporary presence were struck. U.S. Central Command declined to comment on our findings. This is the widest-ranging attack on U.S. military sites in the region ever. Some of these Iranian strikes killed American service members.
New York Times, Long Overlooked, Caspian Sea Provides Strategic Trade Route for Iran, Nicholas Kulish, Neil MacFarquhar and Julian E. Barnes, May 9, 2026. The landlocked body of water has taken on new significance, with Russia shipping military and commercial goods to bolster Tehran’s ability to withstand the U.S. assault.
Bright orange flashes and a roiling funnel of black smoke filled the air as Israeli fighter jets struck Iran’s naval command center at the port of Bandar Anzali. Israel said it also destroyed several Iranian navy vessels and called the strike “one of the most significant” it had conducted during combat operations against Iran.
Yet the attack in March, captured in footage released by Israel’s military, happened not on the strategically critical Persian Gulf, but on the Caspian Sea, a huge body of water hundreds of miles north. Routinely overlooked, the Caspian has taken on new significance as a trade route linking Russia and Iran.
For two allies that have been embroiled in wars and facing more Western sanctions than any other country, the waterway provides a passageway for both overt and covert trade — shipments that have helped Iran persist as an adversary to the United States despite overwhelming American military superiority.
Russia is shipping drone components to Iran via the Caspian Sea, U.S. officials say, helping Iran rebuild its offensive abilities after losing roughly 60 percent of its drone arsenal during recent fighting. The officials spoke anonymously to divulge private military assessments.
Russia also provides goods that would typically pass through the Strait of Hormuz, now blockaded by the U.S. Navy, as part of global trade.ImageA yellow taxi cab in Tehran passes in front of a billboard showing the Strait of Hormuz passing over President Donald Trump’s mouth.A billboard depicting the closed Strait of Hormuz over President Trump’s mouth in Tehran this month. The strait’s closing has made Iran rely on the Caspian Sea as an alternate trade route.Credit...Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times
Iranian officials have said that efforts to open alternative trade routes are progressing rapidly, with four Iranian ports along the Caspian working around the clock to bring in wheat, corn, animal feed, sunflower oil and other supplies. Mohammad Reza Mortazavi, the head of the Association of Iran’s Food Industries, told the state broadcaster IRIB that Iran is actively rerouting essential food imports through the Caspian.
Russian trade officials and port statistics also indicate a swift increase in Caspian shipping in recent months. Two million tons of Russian wheat that used to be shipped to Iran annually through the Black Sea — now under threat of Ukrainian attacks — is going via the Caspian, said Vitaly Chernov, the head of analytics for the PortNews Media Group, which tracks Russia’s maritime industry. “Against the backdrop of instability in the Middle East, Caspian routes to Iran look much more attractive,” he said.
Alexander Sharov, the head of RusIranExpo, which helps Russian exporters find Iranian buyers, estimated in an interview that cargo tonnage across the Caspian could double this year. Although Western sanctions made some major companies hesitant to ship through the Caspian, the Hormuz crisis might help overcome that, he added.The map locates the Caspian Sea, linking Iran and Russia. It also shows the Russian port city of Olya, and the Iranian city of Bandar Anzali on the Caspian Sea.
Bigger than Japan, the Caspian is considered the largest lake in the world. Much of the trade passing through it is opaque. It has proved difficult to monitor from afar, not least because ships plying the route between Russian and Iranian ports habitually turn off the transponders that allow for satellite tracking, according to maritime tracking groups. Unlike the Persian Gulf, the United States cannot interdict ships on the Caspian because only the five bordering nations have access.
“If you’re thinking about the ideal place for sanction evasion and military transfers, it’s the Caspian,” said Nicole Grajewski, a professor specializing in Iran and Russia at Sciences Po in Paris.
While both Russia and Iran are public about trade in commodities like wheat, trade in weapons systems is a different issue.
Drone shipments show the close defense partnership between Moscow and Tehran. While it is unlikely the Russian parts play a decisive role in Iran’s war with the United States and Israel, they help bolster Tehran’s drone arsenal. If the shipments continue, they will help Iran to quickly rebuild that arsenal, the U.S. officials said.
The trade flowed in both directions in years past, the officials said, with Iran shipping drones to Russia for use in Ukraine even as Russia sent parts to Iran. The need for supplies from Iran diminished after July 2023 however, when Russia, under license from Iran, began producing its own model of the Shahed drone at a factory in Tatarstan.
New York Times, Iran War Live Updates: Lasting Truce Is Elusive After Week of Traded Attacks, Staff Reporter, May 9, 2026. The United States and Iran both say that a monthlong cease-fire is holding, despite exchanging fire in recent days, but no breakthrough had been reached in negotiations.
Here’s the latest.
The United States and Iran had yet to reach a breakthrough on Saturday in negotiations to end more than two months of war in the Middle East, after a week of violent attacks across the Persian Gulf strained the truce.
Both sides have said that the monthlong cease-fire was holding, despite exchanging fire in recent days. They appeared to be little closer to agreeing to terms for a durable peace, leaving the region in an uneasy limbo.
On Friday, the U.S. military said that it had fired on two Iranian-flagged oil tankers, disabling them as they tried to reach an Iranian port. Hours later, when asked about the status of negotiations, President Trump said he was expecting to hear from the Iranians later that day. As of Saturday morning, it was unclear whether that had happened.
Iranian officials have said that the United States has put forward a proposal to bring an end to the fighting; lift the U.S. blockade of Iran’s ports; and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a transit route for oil and gas in the Persian Gulf. Iran has effectively closed the waterway since the war began, rattling global energy markets.
The U.S. proposal would also guarantee that the cease-fire continued for another 30 days to allow for broader negotiations. The talks to end the war have been fraught, with the United States demanding major restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program that Tehran has been loath to accept.
Earlier this week, the United Arab Emirates said it had faced repeated waves of Iranian rockets and drones, the first such attacks on the country since the truce took effect last month. U.S. officials said American forces had attacked “Iranian military facilities” along the Iranian coast in the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. ships came under fire.
Here’s what else we’re covering:
Critiques, Spy Probes Of Trumpism, MAGA idolotry
A 22-foot effigy of Donald Trump, wrapped in gold leaf, now stands at his Doral golf course in Miami. The president boasted about it Thursday morning on Truth Social with the all-caps line: “The Real Deal — GOLD.”
Letters From Leo, MAGA Religious Leaders Dedicate and Bless 22-Foot Golden Trump Statue at Doral, Christopher Hale (Advocate in support of Pope Leo XIV), May 9, 2026. A 22-foot, gold-leafed Trump effigy at Doral, blessed by Pastor Mark Burns and a circle of evangelical and Jewish clergy. The Catholic Church has a name for what just happened — and a duty to stop it.
Before the unveiling, the figure was blessed.
Pastor Mark Burns — Trump’s longtime spiritual adviser and a candidate for Congress in South Carolina’s 3rd District — assembled a circle of evangelical and Jewish clergy at the foot of the gilded statue and consecrated it.
What happened at Doral is not unusual; in fact, it is ancient — the modern American repetition of the oldest act of unfaithfulness recorded in scripture. The Catholic Church has spent two thousand years explaining exactly why a ceremony like the one Pastor Burns staged is a sin against the living God, and the moral content of the act is older than any of the men who participated in it.In the thirty-second chapter of Exodus, while Moses was on Sinai receiving the law, Aaron took the people’s gold, cast it into the form of a calf, and presented it for worship.
“These are your gods, O Israel,” the people cried, “who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” Moses came down, smashed the tablets, ground the idol to powder, and forced the people to drink it.The first commandment that followed was unambiguous: “You shall not make for yourself an idol.”
Catholic teaching has never softened the prohibition. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2113, says it plainly: “Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to faith. Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God.”
The teaching is not exotic. Catholic schoolchildren can recite the first commandment, and every weekday Mass opens with the recognition of one God. The cult of personality unfolding in American politics — culminating in a 22-foot gilt effigy at a billionaire’s golf resort — is the doctrine of that Mass turned inside out, performed in front of cameras by clergy who should have known better.
What Pastor Burns and the men with him staged is a clinical example of the Catechism’s warning. A creature — a 79-year-old American politician, however powerful — was honored in the place of God.I keep thinking about what Pope Leo XIV said in Cameroon this April. Standing in St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Bamenda, he warned of “a handful of tyrants” ravaging the world — and delivered a sentence the men at Doral should have read before they raised their hands: “But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.”
That is what occurred at Doral. The sacred was dragged into filth. A Christian pastor bent religion into the service of a man who calls his own gilded image “the real deal,” and the clergy who should have refused stood beside him while he did it.There is a word for the act in the Hebrew Bible, and the Catechism describes it in painstaking detail. Pope Leo XIV repeated the warning from Cameroon last month, in case anyone in the American Church had forgotten.This is the moment the Catholic Church in America must decide what it is for.
A faith that cannot say no to a golden calf is not Catholic. The Church that watches a man receive the worship reserved for God — and offers no rebuke — has chosen its side. American Christianity, in the year of our Lord 2026, is being tested in the same way the people of Israel were tested at the foot of Sinai.The American bishops cannot meet this moment without action. Evangelical leaders who have not yet bent the knee owe their congregations more than another sermon about civility. The lay faithful — Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, and people of goodwill — must do what the Church has always done in the presence of an idol: refuse to bow.
That refusal is the only response the Gospel permits. Idols are not toppled by argument. The collapse always begins with the people whose silence had been their foundation choosing, finally, to walk away — and that is the decision now in front of every Christian who watched a pastor lift his hand at Doral.Pope Leo XIV has shown the American Church the path forward — naming the tyrant in Cameroon, warning the world against those who manipulate God’s name, calling the faithful across denominations and continents into a movement of resistance to the worship of power. The hour now belongs to those of us who claim to follow him.
At Letters from Leo, we stand with the Catholics, Jews, Protestants, and people of goodwill who refuse to bow before any gilded man. The first commandment is also the first commitment of this movement — to refuse idols of every kind, especially those wrapped in gold leaf and blessed in the name of God.
The Church does not exist to provide moral cover for politicians. Its purpose is to proclaim the one God, to feed the poor, to welcome the stranger, and to reject every effort to enthrone power in the seat reserved for the Almighty. Letters from Leo exists to defend that mission against a movement, dressed in religious language, that has decided the ancient prohibitions no longer apply to the man it has chosen to worship.
This is the fastest-growing Catholic community in America because readers are hungry for a faith that means something — a Gospel that names the golden calf and refuses to soften the word “idolatry” because the man at the center of it happens to wear a red tie.
What they want from us is courage: clergy and laypeople willing to stand against this godless movement, and a Church confident enough in Christ to refuse to negotiate with it.If you believe this movement matters — Catholics and people of goodwill standing for the living God against the cult of the golden man — I am asking you to join us.
Stalin Would Be Proud of Trump: Collage of the Soviet Union's dictator Joseph Stalin and America's Donald Trump (created with Artificial Intelligence by WMR).
Wayne Madsen Report, Welcome to the new intelligence discipline of Trumpologist, Wayne Madsen, left, May 8, 2026. The White House is now viewed in the same manner that Cold War intelligence analysts -- "Kremlinologists" -- analyzed the Soviet leadership.
Around the world, intelligence personnel for over a hundred nations clock into work every day with the same task. They peruse classified intelligence summaries, deep cover agents’ encrypted email and text messages, intelligence reports from allied intelligence agencies, and news reports for the latest analyses of Donald Trump’s policies, rhetoric, and decision-making processes. These intelligence experts, who have been informally dubbed “Trumpologists,” focus on understanding the U.S. administration’s unpredictable approach to international relations, much as Kremlinologists once parsed Soviet behavior and continue to do so as Vladimir Putin descends into paranoia.
The risks are very much the same. Trump, who has demonstrated his dementia on several occasions, has his finger on the button for 3,700 nuclear warheads. His increasing insanity has every nation in the world on edge. The health of a series of Soviet and Russian leaders – from Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev through Leonid Brezhnev and his successors to Boris Yeltsin, guaranteed full employment for Kremlinologists. With the exception of Khrushchev and Gorbachev, who were ousted in Kremlin palace coups, the remainder all died in office of natural causes. Similarly, Trumpologists are in high demand by their governments for every detail, no matter how seemingly insignificant, about Trump’s mental and physical health. Trumpologists also focus on those surrounding Trump who are actually calling the shots on U.S. policies and the ebb and flow of their influence over the Oval Office.
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One can imagine that foreign intelligence services, friendly, hostile, and neutral, are tasking their medical intelligence units to try and capture any usable specimens of Trump’s saliva, hair, urine, or feces to determine what actual maladies he is suffering from, drugs being taken, and the chances that any medical condition could, in near term, prove fatal. These specimens are usually collected during international travel or through infiltration of his inner circle. Foreign leaders and celebrities on top ...
Trumpology for the world’s intelligence agencies is more of an art form than an academic discipline and that is what largely separates Trumpology from Kremlinology. Trumpologists, in addition to relying on classified intelligence reports, must rely on behavioral analysts, diplomats who specialize in foreign policy patterns in view of an extremely opaque U.S. State Department, and his interactions with social media and television networks that provide insights into Trump’s personalized, improvisational, and media‑driven decision-making process.
Foreign nations—especially China, Russia, and U.S. allies—face a strategic problem: Trump’s foreign policy style is cult of personality-driven, transactional, and less institutionally predictable than traditional U.S. policy. This forces intelligence personnel from Beijing and Tokyo and Ottawa to Berlin to analyze Trump’s his personal priorities (e.g., loyalty, legal and illegal dealmaking, and public praise), his media consumption patterns, his reactions to flattery (including the bestowing of gifts) or confrontation, his reliance on a small, shifting circle of advisers, and his willingness to break with long‑standing U.S. positions (e.g., NATO, tariffs).
The current inference of White House policy from opaque signals resembles classic Kremlinology but with a significant difference. Kremlinologists carefully examined Politburo seating charts, May Day parade lineups, and obscure newspaper editorials to infer power struggles. The United States is not there, yet. Trump’s fascination for military parades, Oval Office media events, and attempts – many of them successful – to restrict the press places the United States on a path to a Soviet-style dictatorship.
Trump provides intelligence analysts focusing on him and his administration a wealth of indicative clues. These include his unpredictable decision cycles, frequent reversals, policy announcements via social media, personalized diplomacy (e.g., leader‑to‑leader calls, summit theatrics), and weak alignment between Cabinet departments and agencies and presidential impulses. Unlike the closed Soviet hierarchy, Trump provides intelligence agencies with an individual subject to irrational impulses, amnesia, aphasia, and, according to those who have been physically near him, uncontrollable bowel and bladder discharges.
Foreign intelligence agencies have adapted to the Trump phenomenon by creating specialized Trump‑analysis units. These are either formal units that also include psychologists, psychiatrists, neuro-linguistic specialists or ad hoc elements within their “USA” offices or branches.
Intelligence services in Europe, the Americas, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific have developed dedicated teams to track Trump’s statements, advisers, and media influences. These ad hoc teams and dedicated units are navigating their nations through Trump’s revived great‑power rivalry framework and his unpredictable diplomacy
The intelligence services of Russia, China, North Korea, Israel, and the Gulf monarchies have urged their leaders to use personalized charm offensives targeting Trump because they believe he responds strongly to personal rapport. And with that rapport comes Trump’s support for interests that are far from those of the United States.
Foreign intelligence analysts also track which advisers have Trump’s ear at any given moment, because policy can shift dramatically depending on whether the “nationalist,” “transactional,” or “traditional GOP” faction is ascendant. With Trump’s personal imprimatur on the Republican Party, the “traditional GOP” is on the road to political extinction.
Trump’s willingness to threaten NATO withdrawal, invade Greenland and annex Canada, impose tariffs, or reverse long‑standing positions forces foreign governments to model scenario volatility. This even involves NATO/Allied war-gaming in which the U.S. is either neutral or, more unthinkably, hostile.
Former U.S. allies such as Canada, South Korea, Germany, France, Australia, Britain, Spain, and several others are not only recalibrating their defense postures to craft a new version of NATO with strong European Union involvement, but are closely monitoring the Trump administration for any useful intelligence that would prompt the democratic nations of the world to speed up a new mutual defense arrangement based on additional shocks from Trump and his cabal of close associates.
Ironically, it was the CIA that once ran an operation to psychologically analyze unpredictable foreign leaders, including Fidel Castro, Muammar Qaddafi, Sadaam Hussein, and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Foreign intelligence agencies now place Trump in the same category that the CIA used for erratic and even psychotic foreign dictators.
Prior to the creation of the CIA, the most famous psychological profile of a megalomaniac and narcissist was “A Psychological Analysis of Adolph Hitler,” commissioned in 1943 by Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Director William “Wild Bill” Donovan. It was authored by psychoanalyst Walter C. Langer and Harvard psychologist Dr. Henry Murray and diagnosed Hitler with “counteractive narcissism,” noting he was driven by intense feelings of inferiority and a pathological need for revenge. This assessment uncannily matches current psychological profiles of Trump. But that is where the similarities end. The OSS report concluded that based on his inability to accept defeat, Hitler, rather than be captured, would commit suicide. That occurred two years later. Trump’s extreme narcissism, coupled with his King Midas-like desire to accumulate more gold and wealth, is what separates him from Hitler. Opinion | Yes, it's okay to compare ...
OSS and MI-6 profiles of Mussolini were also similar to those compiled on Trump. Wartime psychological profilers viewed Mussolini as a “classic narcissist” whose public bravado masked a desperate need for approval from Hitler. This compares favorably with Trump’s desire for praise from Putin. Allied intelligence largely concluded that Emperor Hirohito was a shy and conflicted man who was often manipulated by his military advisors, including the war criminal Hideki Tojo. This specific profile led to the decision to retain Hirohito as a figurehead after the war to ensure social stability during the American occupation, rather than trying him as a war criminal. Should Trump and his senior officials ever end up in the dock in The Hague, they will not be as lucky. Their psychological profiles are as cruel and venal as the German war criminals tried in Nuremburg.
After the war, the CIA tracked and analyzed mercurial dictators using a multidisciplinary approach called “Leadership Analysis at a Distance.” Established formally in the early 1970s by psychiatrist Dr. Jerrold Post, the Center for the Analysis of Personality and Political Behavior was designed to predict the behavior of “irrational” or unpredictable leaders during crises. Those very same CIA tactics are now being employed to monitor Trump by such formerly friendly intelligence services as the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS), UK Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)/MI6, Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), Danish Defence Intelligence Service (FE), Netherlands General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), Brazilian Intelligence Agency (ABIN), and others. External Security .
Of course, the intelligence services of Russia, China, Israel, North Korea, Iran, and other longtime hostile services have continued business as usual regarding the United States because the Oval Office has always been in their intelligence target sights. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) operates a Department of Psychology that is heavily involved in “special influence” operations, including those designed to use social media to trigger Trump, officials of his administration, campaign donors like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, and the “MAGA” political base. Chinese psychological profile analysis is more nuanced. The Ministry of State Security (MSS) prioritizes “Cognitive Domain Operations” (CDO)—a high-tech, data-driven effort to predict and influence the behavior of both leaders like Trump and entire societies, i.e., the general U.S. population, likely voters, and Trump’s core base. The massive datasets held by the MSS—often including stolen Personal Identifiable Information (PII)—is used to build granular profiles of foreign officials. This allows Chinese intelligence to identify individual “psychological vulnerabilities” like financial stress, health fears, or family grievances for targeted recruitment or influence. The Trump family and business associates provide the MSS with an extremely rich field for espionage exploitation. Chinese intelligence is also increasingly relying on AI-driven cognitive modeling to simulate adversary decision-making in real-time, aiming to “subdue the enemy without fighting” by manipulating their perception of reality. As the U.S. slips from super-power status, Chinese AI perception reality campaigns are being particularly directed at Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Philippines, and the greater Asia-Pacific region.
Formerly friendly foreign services monitoring Trump’s psychological and medical condition include the French DGSE’s specialized psychological division that supports its Action Division and clandestine collectors; the British MI-6’s Directorate of Analysis and Production (DAP), which relies on targeting teams that focus on “Leadership Analysis” to provide the British government with assessments of foreign figures, especially Trump; the German BND employs psychological profiling of foreign leaders like Trump through its Department 3 (Analysis and Interpretation).
In addition, a “special department” within MI6 has historically collaborated with medical specialists to analyze biological samples—such as intercepted urine or excrement—to determine the true physical and mental health of leaders like Nicolae Ceaușescu and Leonid Brezhnev. Those efforts are currently directed at Trump, Putin, Kim Jong Un, Argentina’s Javier Milei (after Trump gave him a green light to assert control over the Falkland Islands), and Binyamin Netanyahu. MI6 spy agency launches dark web portal ...
The United States is a stumbling superpower that is on the road to second power status. Trump’s arsenal of dangerous weapons, including nuclear ICBMS, has the world’s psychological profiling units, working in classified intelligence environments, directing most of their resources at Trump. Global opinion polls show that Trump is currently viewed as the most dangerous and hated person on the planet. With some exceptions, he’s viewed as not being that much different than Hitler or Putin.
The Bulwark, Opinion: Little Marco’s Awkward Gift to Pope Leo (w/ Katie McGrady), Jonathan V. Last, May 9, 2026. JVL is joined by SiriusXM's The Catholic Channel host Katie McGrady to break down one of the strangest diplomatic moments of the year: Secretary of State Marco Rubio meeting Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican and gifting him a crystal football paperweight.
They unpack the awkward exchange, why the Trump administration seems uneasy with the first American pope, and how previous presidents and diplomats handled papal gifts with a lot more thought.
U.S. Courts, Law, Crime, Rights, Terrorism
Emptywheel, Analysis and Opinion: The Trump White House released the counterterrorism strategy authored by far right extremist Seb Gorka the other day, Emptywheel (Marcy Wheeler, right), May 8, 2026. You’ll be unsurprised that Seb, above, refuses to protect America from the far right terrorist threat, instead choosing to focus on the imaginary Antifa threat and to waste CT resources murderboating fisherman labeled as narcoterrorists.
Currently we face three major types of terror groups:
Narcoterrorists and Transnational Gangs Legacy Islamist Terrorists Violent Left-Wing Extremists, including Anarchists and Anti-Fascists
Aside from sheer dangerousness, Seb’s exclusion of far right terrorists is especially curious given that DOJ just invoked the CIPA process (reflecting the existence of classified evidence, and by extension a foreign nexus) in the case of white supremacist Payton Gendron who, in 2022, murdered 11 people in Buffalo. (h/t Courtwatch and this post)
Seb won’t protect Americans from terrorists whose ideology he significantly shares.
That illogical stance looks even more insane when you turn to his scolding of Europe.
The nations of Europe remain our preeminent and long-term counterterrorism partners. The world is safer when Europe is strong, but Europe is greatly threatened and is both a terror target and an incubator of terror threats.
Terrorists often seek to attack European nations to undermine their democratic institutions and their ties to the United States. Yet, a conglomerate of nefarious actors – al Qaeda, ISIS, cartels, and state actors – have freely exploited Europe’s weak borders and diminished CT resources to turn Europe into a permissive operating environment for plotting against Europeans and Americans. It is unacceptable that wealthy NATO allies can serve as financial, logistical, and recruitment hubs for terrorists. Europe still has an opportunity to change its individual and collective counterterrorism destiny if it recognizes the actual threat and takes action now.
Unfettered mass migration has been the transmission belt for terrorists. Europe can be strong again if it rediscovers traditional principles of freedom of speech, has honest conversations about Islamism, devotes sufficient resources to mitigate terrorism and cartel threats within its nations, and then actively shares its threat intelligence globally and moves counterterrorism burdenshifting to take greater responsibility for its own security. This includes CT operations in Africa.
Europe must significantly increase its CT efforts immediately. It is clear to all that well-organized hostile groups exploit open borders and related globalist ideals. The more these alien cultures grow, and the longer current European policies persist, the more terrorism is guaranteed. As the birthplace of Western culture and values, Europe must act now and halt its willful decline.
Under President Trump, America has returned to common sense and reality-based counterterrorism. We are working with allies and partners who share our threat assessment of cartels, Jihadists, and violent left-wing extremists. We are coordinating CT operations, sharing actionable intelligence, and providing expertise. We will continue to work with those nations who understand the threat, who take requisite actions themselves, and who are not undermining the principles that define our shared civilization. We will also work closely with our serious CT partners in Europe to jointly counter covert state action that looks like terrorism – to include sabotage and assassination plots – and which they have categorized as “hybrid threats.”
The far right Hungarian-American Seb spews racist rants for four paragraphs, which rant he only interrupts with a claim that Europe has dispensed with “traditional principles of freedom of speech.”
Then he lays out his demands and insinuations. The US has “expertise,” says the guy who claims Antifa is a thing, even a transnational thing. But they’ll only share it (and actionable intelligence, including actionable intelligence about may or may not include Russian, as well as Iranian, sabotage) with those “serious” partners who “understand” that Antifa, but not the far right, is a threat.
But the whole thing collapses on Seb’s scold about what he purports to be “free speech.” I guarantee you he doesn’t complain about Europe’s most restrictive limits on speech, those criticizing Israel or even just supporting Palestine. For Seb, that would be a legitimate stand against Islamic extremism. Worse, the US itself is censoring the speech of European groups like the Global Disinformation Index, HateAid, and Centre for Countering Digital Hate, whose focus includes antisemitism that would fit Seb’s stunted view of Islamic extremism, but whose speech documents a range of other harmful speech. Marco Rubio sanctioned their leaders late last year.
Which is to say, Seb’s complaint about speech, stuck in the middle of language that implicitly threatens Europe of it does not help crack down on those who oppose fascism, is a demand that Europe protect his kind of terrorist.
U.S. Politics, Elections, Governance
New York Times, How Minority Districts Fueled the G.O.P.’s Southern Ascendancy in Congress, Carl Hulse, May 9, 2026. The “majority-minority” House districts struck down by the Supreme Court last week sent a surge of Black and Hispanic lawmakers to Congress. They also opened opportunities for the G.O.P.
Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, formerly the No. 3 Democrat in the House, is certain he would never have been elected to Congress without changes in the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court determined last week amounted to unconstitutional racial gerrymandering.
“And about half of the members of the Congressional Black Caucus wouldn’t be there,” said Mr. Clyburn, the first African American sent to Congress from his state since Reconstruction. He was part of the historic 1992 class of Black and Hispanic lawmakers elected after new maps were drawn to comply with 1982 changes meant to strengthen the Voting Rights Act.
The predominantly Democratic minority groups that set to work back then to increase their representation were boosted by some unlikely allies: Republican strategists who saw an opportunity to break the Democratic hold on the South and force an extraordinary realignment.
Now, Republicans see the chance to cement their grip on the region — and to try to maintain their thin House majority — by eliminating the minority districts that initially worked to their advantage and to take those seats for their own.
It is the latest chapter in an ongoing political saga that has had profound implications for the House of Representatives over the past three decades. Redistricting in minority communities could again be a major factor in deciding the November elections as Republicans try to lessen the traditional midterm advantages for the party out of power — the Democrats in this case — in a year when they face particularly strong headwinds.
Having consolidated their power throughout the South, Republicans are now emboldened to try to eliminate the majority-minority districts, believing they can carry them without risking their strength elsewhere as Democratic-leaning minority voters are dispersed into other districts.
New York Times, Two Court Decisions Have Unleashed an Era of Perpetual Redistricting, Reid J. Epstein and Nick Corasaniti, May 9, 2026. Four states are considering drawing new maps in the coming weeks. Another dozen or more could join the fray next year.
A coast-to-coast sprint of partisan one-upmanship in which eight states have redrawn their congressional districts since last summer is likely to escalate next year to at least a dozen more as both parties seek maximum advantage in their battle for control of the House.
Four states are considering drawing new congressional or judicial maps for partisan gain in the coming weeks that could be implemented in time for the fall midterms. But the real flurry could come next year, when at least a dozen more that sat out this year’s redistricting parade could join the fray.
The longstanding tradition of drawing political lines only once a decade, after each census, is giving way to an era of perpetual redistricting where officials seek opportunities for partisan gerrymandering at every chance they can. Both parties have ratcheted up their efforts in recent days, assessing every corner of the electoral map for new openings and redoubling their efforts to win control of state capitols, where the power to draw congressional boundaries often lies.
The States Project, which invests in Democratic legislative races, has targeted six states — Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Washington — where gains in state legislatures would protect or add as many as nine congressional seats for the 2028 cycle, according to a memo the group shared with The New York Times. Democrats are also aiming to put more redistricting referendums on ballots in blue states.
“We were very limited in our ability to respond in this cycle because of constitutional constraints that exist in many Democratic-held states across the country,” Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House minority leader, said in an interview on Friday. “In the next cycle, we will have several of those constraints removed in ways that will allow us to respond in an even more decisive and forceful fashion in advance of 2028.”
The most recent redistricting flurry began in late April, when the Supreme Court declared Louisiana’s House map an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, prompting that Republican-led state and a few others to explore redistricting efforts that align with President Trump’s vision of an aggressive cartographic push to retain power in the House.
Then, on Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down that state’s Democratic gerrymander, which voters had approved in a referendum on April 21. The ruling sparked a resolve among Democrats to be even more aggressive in planning a raft of future gerrymanders that won’t affect the midterm landscape but could help the party in 2028.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, Republicans across the South wasted little time trying to eliminate red-state Democratic congressional seats in time for this year’s midterm elections. Tennessee has already passed a new map eliminating the lone Democratic district in the state. Louisiana delayed its primary to pass new maps that would eliminate at least one Democrat-leaning district there. Alabama is also fighting for a different map.
If the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act decision and Mr. Trump’s mid-cycle redistricting campaign allowed Republicans to win the House while badly losing the national vote, it would be yet another blow to the credibility of American institutions during a time of bitter division.
The Independent, Jeffrey Epstein’s brother claims released suicide note is a ‘forgery’: report, Josh Marcus, May 8, 2026. A federal court on Wednesday released an alleged suicide note Epstein wrote in prison in 2019 before his death a month later.
Jeffrey Epstein’s brother believes his brother’s purported suicide note, released this week in court, is fake.
Mark Epstein, speaking with The National Enquirer, called the document a “forgery.”
“I’ve known Jeff all my life. If he was going to kill himself, if he was going to write a suicide note, he would’ve written it ‘to somebody,’ not just a blanket statement saying goodbye,” Epstein said. “I don’t buy that.”
Jeffrey Epstein’s former cellmate claims to have discovered the document in July 2019, after Epstein was found unresponsive but alive in his cell. Epstein died by suicide the following month.
“It’s bulls**t and let me explain why,” Epstein’s brother added in the National Enquirer interview. “In the July incident, Jeffrey’s cellmate attacked him, he reported it as such, he told his lawyer as such, and then he recanted that story saying he couldn’t remember what happened because he was fearful of retaliation.”Jeffrey Epstein’s brother doesn’t believe an alleged suicide note released in court is realJeffrey Epstein’s brother doesn’t believe an alleged suicide note released in court is real (New York State Division of Criminal Justice)
“It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye,” the note, released in federal court on Wednesday, reads. “Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!!”
“NO FUN," the message concludes. “NOT WORTH IT!!”
Epstein’s cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, claims he discovered the message inside a book in July 2019 after the first incident.
Epstein initially claimed that Tartaglione, a former police officer convicted of leading a murder plot, tried to kill him, but the disgraced financier did not subsequently repeat the claim after he was moved to another cell.
The note was initially sealed in court records, but Tartaglione later described it to The New York Times and reporter Jessica Reed Kraus. The paper then petitioned for the document to be released publicly.Epstein’s former cellmate claimed he found the alleged suicide note wedged in a bookEpstein’s former cellmate claimed he found the alleged suicide note wedged in a book (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York)
On Monday, the Justice Department backed the request.
Though officials determined that Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide, his brother has long argued that this is incorrect.
Mark Epstein told The National Enquirer that a forthcoming review of his brother’s autopsy would prove the death wasn’t a suicide.
“Anybody who still thinks it’s a suicide after the report comes out; they should be declared brain dead,” he said.
Nearly seven years after Jeffrey Epstein’s death, the scandal around his sex ring continues.
On Wednesday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick answered questions about his past ties to Epstein during a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee.
Lincoln Square, How Tucker Carlson Becomes President, Rick Wilson, May 9, 2026. The New York Times piece this weekend, the one everyone in your group chat forwarded with “WTF ????”, is being read wrong. People are reacting to the spell-bound Trump stuff, the Antichrist business, the Fuentes regret-that-isn’t. All worth reacting to.
None of it gets to the underlying why of Tucker Carlson’s very public apostasy.
Tucker Carlson just broke with a God-Emperor of the MAGA party a few weeks ago, all echoed in this piece, loudly defended the vice president as a personal friend, and called the Secretary of State’s people treacherous, all in the pages of the New York Times Magazine, not Breitbart or the Daily Wire.
This isn’t an interview. It’s a soft campaign launch with some explicable stages and milestones, the same kind we’d whiteboard in the first steps of a campaign.
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Tucker is doing this in plain sight. The little jabs at the administration, the “I love the President, but …” framing on Iran, on Israel, on tariffs, on the cabinet. The careful distance from Vance. Sorry, the very public friendship with Vance, which everyone is supposed to read as proof he isn’t running. That smells … tactical.
Tucker is smart enough to know two things about Vance: first, Vance will inherit all the negatives of Trump’s term, and also that Vance utterly lacks quicksilver mendacity and brazen skill to rouse the seething hatreds of the MAGA base to his side.
Tucker sees the damage Trump has done to himself, to Vance, and to the MAGA GOP, understands no better than the rest of the prospective field that Trump’s self-destructive tear is a political disaster: he’s just getting out there early, saying it.
Sure, Trump will hold a cultlike faction for a hundred years, but he’s term-limited, eighty, and is polling in the teens. He’ll try to keep his claws in MAGA to sustain the family grift, but with numbers like his, it’s a grim race against time.
The 2028 field will be fifteen or twenty Republicans, all of them auditioning for the same MAGA inheritance. Tucker’s bet, and it’s a smart one, is that being the guy who said the quiet parts loud before it was permission-slipped is worth more than being the next loyal soldier in line or some yokel Congressman Trumpalike clone.
People forget that Tucker is not stupid.
He is not naive. He has lived and breathed media and politics his entire life. His father ran the Voice of America. He has been a magazine writer, a cable host on three networks, a podcast operator, and a wildly successful streaming experiment. He is looking a couple of years ahead, not at today.
He knows the field will fracture, knows Vance will be wounded by association with whatever Trump’s last four years look like, knows Ron DeSantis is a charisma repellent and a spent force, knows Nikki Haley has no constituency, knows Ted Cruz is, well, Ted Cruz. He’s got his eye on Marco, clearly seeing Rubio as his main competition.
He knows one of the Senators who wants to run is deep in the closet (not Lindsey), and another is routinely humiliated by a dominatrix. He laughs off the Governors who will try the “I was chief executive of the state of Blahblah” line, where even their most edge-case policies are in Tucker’s extremist rearview. He knows the Trump spawn are waiting for Donald to Logan Roy one of them into the Designated Heir position.
He knows a couple of Never Trumpers will jump in, pulling a few points off the tiny sane faction that remains in the dying GOP wing of the MAGA GOP. He knows the Silicon Valley crowd will send one of their own into the fray. At least one MAGA influencer will give it a shot.
There’s a very real scenario where over twenty semi-serious people are in the race. In a crowded primary in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, you don’t need forty percent. You need 15% percent and a good narrative of your case.The Media Parallel that Should Scare You
In 2015, every serious person in Washington explained to me that Donald Trump couldn’t win because he wasn’t a politician. Hell, I believed it myself until a terrifying December focus group in Orlando, Florida, where a woman tried to convince the moderator that Trump was the richest man in the world, owned hundreds of buildings in Manhattan, and turned everything he touched into pure gold. That was not a great Christmas.
We all tried these lines to break his momentum: He was a television personality. He didn’t know policy. He didn’t have a ground game. He couldn’t debate. He was a liar, a cheat, a conman, a business failure in everything from steaks to paint-thinner vodka. He was a jackass, a fool, a stooge. He insulted war heroes and the disabled.
MS NOW, Trump’s tariffs keep losing battles in court — but he may still win the war, Ray Brescia, May 9, 2026. The U.S. Supreme Court in February struck down the Trump administration’s “Liberation Day” tariffs as illegal and unconstitutional.
Soon thereafter, the administration invoked a different provision of federal law to impose new tariffs. Now, the U.S. Court of International Trade, which has jurisdiction over these issues, has ruled that the administration’s second effort to impose tariffs under this different legal provision is also flawed.
But before American small businesses and consumers can breathe a sigh of relief, the administration is likely to appeal. And instead of using the Supreme Court’s decision as cover for a retreat from tariffs, the administration seems committed to pursuing unpopular policies that are bad for an economy which is also seeing consumer prices spike because of events in the Middle East.
Even if the president’s effort to impose ill-advised tariffs on American businesses and consumers should ultimately fail once again in the courts, the administration is determined to press on. It has commenced steps designed to impose tariffs under more and different provisions of federal law.
And at some point, Trump will likely succeed.
U.S. Education, Media, Culture, High-Tech
The hosts of ABC’s “The View,” from left, Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines, Joy Behar, Ana Navarro, Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin (ABC photo by Lou Rocco via Getty Images).
New York Times, How ‘The View’ Landed at the Center of a Free Speech Battle, John Koblin and Jim Rutenberg, May 9, 2026. The Trump administration’s focus on the show is testament to the enduring influence of an old-fashioned broadcast TV program started 29 years ago.
President Trump’s wide-ranging campaign to punish his perceived media critics has come for newspapers like The Wall Street Journal, The Des Moines Register and The New York Times; broadcast outlets like the BBC, NBC News and CBS News; and the late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert.
But now it is bearing down on a new opponent, one that remains politically potent and has a storied place in Mr. Trump’s oeuvre of media grudge matches — the long-running ABC daytime talk show, “The View.”
The Federal Communications Commission has been quietly investigating the program for months, looking into whether “The View” violated old federal rules requiring equal airtime to rival political candidates. The inquiry could also feed into the agency’s wider review of whether ABC should be allowed to continue to own some of the country’s most important local television stations.
The clash between ABC and the Trump administration could lead to a protracted, high-stakes legal battle over free expression. The network asserts that the F.C.C. action could have “a chilling effect on First Amendment-protected free speech on the eve of the 2026 elections” and affect which political guests — if any — talk shows will book.
The central role of “The View” is testament to the enduring influence of an old-fashioned broadcast television program that the ABC anchor Barbara Walters started 29 years ago, describing it “as a kaffeeklatsch with more caffeine.” People in both parties say the show continues to hold significant political power — even as streaming, podcasts and social media take up more attention.
“The View” draws 2.7 million viewers a day, more or less the audience it has had for a decade, according to Nielsen.
“It would be easy for our side to say, ‘Who watches that junk?’” said Tim Graham, a senior leader of the Media Research Center, a conservative group that has long been critical of the show. “But the answer is: Many people.”
Representatives for “The View” declined to comment, or to set up interviews with the hosts or anyone involved in the production.
Salon, Axios accused of “market manipulation” with Iran reporting, Sophia Tesfaye, May 9, 2026. Journalist Barak Ravid draws range of criticism from Wall Street to Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Over the past several weeks, Axios has repeatedly reported that a diplomatic breakthrough with Iran was either “close,” “imminent” or nearing completion. On Wednesday, a little over an hour before Axios reporter Barak Ravid published a scoop claiming the White House believed it was 
close to reaching a one-page memorandum of understanding with Iran to end the war, nearly 10,000 crude oil contracts — worth approximately $920 million in notional value — were sold on the futures market by traders betting the price of oil was about to fall. According to data highlighted by trading surveillance accounts like The Kobeissi Letter, whoever placed those bets stood to make an estimated $125 million as oil prices collapsed more than 12%.
Then the reality of the war hit. Iran called the whole thing “the Americans’ wish list,” Donald Trump told the New York Post it was “too soon” to prepare for peace, Israel said it hadn’t even been informed of the proposal and oil bounced back 8% as traders realized the “imminent deal” might not exist at all. Even Fox News host Mark Levin, the war’s biggest media booster, wrote that he had concluded the Axios report was “largely fake.” A senior Iranian parliament member said Axios was being used by the White House for market manipulation.
The money, though, had already changed hands.
RelatedTrump wants to jail reporters over leaks from own administration
This was not the first suspiciously-timed trade surrounding Axios’ reporting on Iran. Analysts tracking commodity activity and prediction markets have identified a series of similar trades surrounding major Iran-related announcements. According to trading data cited by market observers and later referenced by lawmakers demanding investigations, billions of dollars in oil bets appeared on several occasions shortly before sensitive geopolitical developments became public. After Ravid’s April 5 report suggesting progress in negotiations, another massive oil short reportedly appeared shortly before prices fell. Similar activity allegedly preceded subsequent Axios scoops on April 17 and May 1.
Some analysts, including CNBC host Jim Cramer, and social media users suggested Axios’ reporting may have been strategically released ahead of market trading, potentially influencing oil prices and broader financial sentiment.
Former head of global research at JPMorgan, Marko Kolanovic, reacted to oil price moves following Wednesday’s Axios report, saying, “Who knows what happens next in blatantly manipulated markets” and called the outlet’s credibility into question. Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger criticized the surrounding information environment in a tweet deleted after Axios communications director Jake Wilkins replied that the allegations are “obviously not true” and “it’s irresponsible of you to be promoting it.” Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican who left Congress after a public split with Trump, asked on X: “When is everyone going to start realizing that the manic on again off again war/peace rhetoric is really just insider trading?”
Want more sharp takes on politics? Sign up for our free newsletter, Standing Room Only, written by Amanda Marcotte, now also a weekly show on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
Ben Rhodes, who served as former Deputy National Security Adviser to Joe Biden, wrote on X: “No matter how long it takes, it will be essential to someday figure out and hold accountable the people profiting off these constant and absurd leaks of imminent peace often to the same outlet.” Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a University of Tehran professor with long-standing ties to the country’s regime, wrote Wednesday in a post on X: “Axios is a tool for White House market manipulation. The Islamic Republic is fully prepared for a potential major attack before Trump’s trip to China.”
For his part, Ravid has categorically denied any coordination with traders, calling the allegations “complete and utter bulls**t.” A spokesperson for Axios said the outlet strongly supports Ravid, calling him “the best reporter on the world’s biggest story, delivering exclusive after exclusive.”
The 2024 White House Correspondents’ Association winner for overall excellence in White House coverage, Ravid is viewed as one of the premier national security reporters in Washington. When criticism gave way to conspiratorial and ugly attacks this week — unsupported claims that Ravid operates as an active intelligence asset embedded in U.S. journalism — journalists like CNN’s Dana Bash and Jake Tapper quickly came to his defense.
Modern national security journalism increasingly operates as an elite signaling system in which anonymous officials shape narratives through carefully-timed leaks that pressure foreign governments, manipulate public perception — and sometimes even markets.
But dismissing all criticism as fringe paranoia avoids confronting the underlying reality that access journalism creates profound conflicts of interest, whether or not individual reporters act improperly. Modern national security journalism increasingly operates as an elite signaling system in which anonymous officials shape narratives through carefully-timed leaks that pressure foreign governments, manipulate public perception — and sometimes even markets. So Axios has continued functioning precisely as access journalism outlets typically do: publishing what powerful officials tell them in exchange for continued insider access. After all, journalists are not responsible for what insiders do with information after publication.
That dynamic becomes especially dangerous during war.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-NY., has sent multiple letters to regulators demanding investigations into the trading activity surrounding Iran-related announcements. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse similarly urged the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to investigate what they described as recurring suspicious trades tied to sensitive government information.
Torres captured the broader institutional despair bluntly when he admitted he lacked confidence in regulators but felt there was “no choice but to agitate for accountability.”
White House Chronicle, In the Turmoil, Challenges for Graduates in the Class of ’26, Llewellyn King, May 9, 2026. Dear Graduates of 2026:
Welcome to the world you will be taking jobs in and where you will begin building careers, and at times shaping history.
It isn’t the world of your parents, and it isn’t the world your college has taught you about, because it is changing too fast. It begins anew daily. As Maya Angelou said, “This is a wonderful day. I haven’t seen this one before.”
There are three big forces looming on the horizon that will shape your world and that you will play a role in shaping. They are technology, specifically AI; politics, the harsher politics of today; and the environment, which is eventually everything.
AI will have an effect that defies comprehension — it is so enormous. It is also evolving so fast that it keeps slipping out of your grasp.
“It is exponential, and human thinking is linear.” So said one of the foremost thinkers about AI, Omar Hatamleh, former head of AI at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. He has written five books on AI.
All that is absolutely, definitely and incontrovertibly known is that AI will affect everything. It will change how we work, play and learn. It will change how we mate, think and expect.
Graduates, you will come to realize that political action and speech have changed from what they were. Both are out of the guide rails that have served them well over time.
Authoritarianism has taken root in America, and it will be hard to pull out. The bureaucracy has been politicized. There has been an expansion of presidential power over areas constitutionally assigned to Congress, under the watch of an accommodating Supreme Court.
There are troops on American streets, political searches and seizures, arrests and indictments, and deportations without due process. All this was unleashed with the Republicans. When Democrats take power, will they put the evil genie of unconstitutional government back in its bottle?
Domestic politics has also changed our relations to the world — a world where America, Canada and Europe stood together, sharing a common heritage and a common view of law, and savoring a shared peace in Europe until Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, and set in motion four years of bloody fighting.
Could we have done more? Yes, more weapons, more money, and less acceptance of Putin. Maybe troops, too.
We didn’t, and that has changed the world. Free countries now know that America won’t axiomatically have their backs. That time is past and will have major geopolitical consequences.
Internationally, the big, open American hand has been closing as it has curtailed or ended participation in international institutions from NATO to the World Health Organization to the Paris climate agreement. The arbitrary closing of USAID was a declaration of withdrawal from the world and from the exercise of soft power as a diplomatic tool.
Another challenge for future Americans as they grow into adulthood: They will live in a more dangerous world with fewer friends. Hubris is an expensive luxury.
They may also not live in a world where the climate is as predictable as it once was. Already aberrant, unpredictable weather is the norm with hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and tinder-dry regions.
Politicians may deny that the climate is changing, but the evidence is there. Sea levels are rising, city streets are flooding, and beachfront homes are being swept away. Hurricanes and tornadoes, part of our usual weather cycle, are getting more severe. Drought and floods, recurring phenomena, are worsening.
Texas and the Southwest, which have long attracted working and retired residents, are facing prolonged droughts and water shortages that will curb future growth.
Dealing with the environment is a challenge that AI may meet quite dramatically. Its ability to predict, organize and find the exit in dense data is without peer.
Graduates, as the generation coming of age in 2026, you shouldn’t fear AI; rather, you should throw yourselves at it and learn what it can do for you. Gradually, it will be understood, regulated and you will come to terms with it as a tool, not an aggressor.
We have left you a messy world, but it was always that way.
Over two and a half centuries, America has absorbed and changed. Along the way — including civil war — it produced a society in which there is still opportunity; there is still freedom, although the door may be closing; and much has been perfected here.
Remember, more people live better in the world today because of America, its ideas, its inventions and its heart. Go forth and be that American.
Global News
Victory Day parade was held on Red Square in Moscow on 9 May and lasted less than an hour. [Victory Day is a Russian holiday commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, celebrated on May 9, 2026.]
Ukrainska Pravda (Ukraine Truth), Victory Day parade in Moscow passes without attacks, lasting less than an hour, Roman Petrenko, May 9, 2026. Russian leader Vladimir Putin delivered a speech lasting almost nine minutes and announced a minute's silence in memory of those killed in the war.
After Putin's speech, spectators were shown a video lasting almost seven minutes about Russia's latest military equipment, which replaced the usual display of actual military hardware.
The ceremonial march of parade units then began.
For the first time, servicemen from Russia's unmanned systems forces took part in the parade. North Korean military personnel also marched across Red Square.
Media outlets calculated that the 2026 parade featured three times fewer marching units than in 2024, when more than 30 parade formations crossed Red Square.
Background: In his speech during the parade, Putin said Russian forces draw inspiration from Soviet troops of the World War II era.
Ukrainska Pravda (Ukraine Truth), Russian media count over 350,000 soldiers killed in war in Ukraine, Roman Petrenko, May 9, 2026. Russian media count over 350,000 soldiers killed in war in Ukraine Putin and soldiers.
The total number of Russian military personnel killed from the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine to the end of 2025 stood at 352,000, according to a joint study by two Russian media outlets.
This figure includes not only those officially recognised as killed – 261,000 people – but also those declared missing in action by court rulings, meaning cases where no body was found – around 90,000.
The journalists stressed that they did not include foreign nationals who fought on the side of the Russian Armed Forces.
Background: According to Ukraine's General Staff, Russian losses as of the end of 2025 stood at over 1.2 million killed and wounded.
Associated Press via Politico, 4 people convicted of conspiracy in US trial tied to 2021 assassination of Haiti’s president, Staff Report, May 8, 
2026. The men had their own leader in mind and had hoped to enrich themselves with a new government, prosecutors argued.
A Florida jury on Friday convicted four men of conspiracy in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, below left, whose death led to extraordinary turmoil in the Caribbean nation.
South Florida served as a central location for planning and financing the plot to oust Moïse and replace him with someone of the conspirators’ choosing, U.S. prosecutors alleged.
Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages were found guilty of conspiring to kill or kidnap Haiti’s elected leader and providing material support for the plot. They were also convicted of violating the U.S. Neutrality Act and could face possible life sentences.
“These defendants pursued power, influence, and profit through violence,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason Reding Quiñones said in a statement. “They supported a conspiracy that crossed borders, destabilized a friendly nation, and ended with the murder of a sitting president. The jury has spoken, and the rule of law has answered.”
Prosecutors argued that the men had their own leader in mind and had hoped to enrich themselves with a new government.
Moïse was killed on July 7, 2021, when about two dozen foreign mercenaries, mostly from Colombia, attacked his home near Port-au-Prince. Moïse’s wife, Martine, was wounded during the attack and flown to the U.S. for treatment. In Haiti, meanwhile, gang leaders have grown increasingly violent and empowered.
Martine Moïse was the first witness at trial, which began in March in Miami’s federal court, describing through a Creole interpreter how she awoke to the sounds of gunfire after midnight. She told jurors that she turned to her husband in bed next to her to ask what was going on.
“Honey, we are dead,” Jovenel Moïse replied, according to his wife’s testimony.
Ortiz and Intriago were principals of Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security, collectively known as CTU, and Veintemilla was a principal of Worldwide Capital Lending Group. Both companies were based in South Florida.Christian Sanon is a dual Haitian-American citizen whom investigators say was initially favored by the conspirators to replace Moïse. Solages was a CTU representative in Haiti who coordinated with Sanon and others, officials said. Sanon will face trial at a later date.
Defense attorneys argued at trial that the investigation into the assassination was a mess and that the four were manipulated into taking blame for an internal coup. They said the men believed they had a legitimate warrant signed by a Haitian judge and that they were liberating Haiti from Moïse, who had overstayed his term as president.
At least five others have pleaded guilty in the conspiracy and are serving life sentences.
Separately, 20 people, including 17 Colombian soldiers, face charges in Haiti. Gang violence, death threats and a crumbling judicial system have stalled an ongoing investigation.
Wayne Madsen Report, Investigative Commentary:Virus threat assessments in an upside down world, Wayne Madsen, May 10, 2026. Hantavirus and deja vu back to 2020 and COVID-19.
While Donald Trump and his heroin- and cocaine-addled Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. brush away the danger of the deadly hantavirus spreading around the world in the same manner as COVID-19, the virus is considered a significant public health concern for several South Atlantic islands due to a fatal outbreak originating from the cruise ship MV Hondius.
A Dutch couple decided it would be cool to photograph birds in a rat-infested garbage dump four miles outside of Ushuaia, the southernmost Argentine city in Tierra del Fuego. The couple is believed to have contracted hantavirus, a contagious respiratory pathogen, by being in close contact with rats in the dump that carried the virus. After they boarded the cruise ship, they spread the virus to other passengers. The couple later died from the virus.
Argentine officials deny that hantavirus originated in Tierra del Fuego. No one should believe anyArgentine official because Argentina completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 17, 2026. At that point in time, Argentina no longer officially shared health and disease outbreak data with the organization. A year earlier, Argentina’s lunatic president, the Donald Trump and Israel sycophant, Javier Milei, notified WHO that it was tendering its withdrawal from the organization, which would be effective a year later. cruise ship hantavirus outbreak probe ... Uhuaia landfill. The locals know to steer clear of it, but not wealthy eco-tourist assholes who only think about their own quests for bird photos.The world has another type of “bird” for them: The History of the One-Fingered Salute ...
No thanks to the Argentine government, patient zero was identified as Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord. Someone who should have had even a rudimentary knowledge of the dangers of avian flu threw caution to the wind and walked through the garbage dump to take a photo of the rare white-throated caracara, nicknamed Darwin’s caracara after Charles Darwin, who discovered that the weakest in species were “selected out” by evolution. In a plot that is reminiscent of a Hollywood pandemic film, Schilperoord won the 2026 “Darwin award” for traversing through a landfill that the residents of Ushuaia avoided like the plague, pun very much intended.
Due to Argentina’s government clamming up about the origin of the hantavirus outbreak, the only way international health authorities became aware of Leo and Mirjam Schilperoord being patients zero and one was their obituaries appearing in the monthly magazine published by their home village of Haulerwijk.
Unofficially, some Argentine health professionals did reveal how the Schilperoords contracted hantavirus. It is believed that the couple inhaled particles from the feces of long-tailed pygmy rice rats, which carry the deadly Andes strain of the hantavirus. It is the only type of hantavirus that can be transmitted from human to human. The last known case of Andes hantavirus in Tierra del Fuego was recorded in 1996. leo in a hat and glasses outside Hantavirus patient zero wins the Darwin Award posthumously for placing his quest for Darwin’s caracara above the safety of rest of his fellow cruise ship passengers and several small populations of remote South Atlantic islands.
While the virus is not native to the islands where passengers of the Hondius were permitted to disembark, every stop made by the ship where passenger were permitted to disembark is in existential danger due to their small populations. The body of Leo Schilperoord, who died after the ship set sail from South Georgia, was placed ashore in St. Helena along with his wife. Mirjam Schilperoord boarded an Airlink flight from St. Helena to Johannesburg, where she was to connect to a KLM flight to Amsterdam. The KLM crew determined that she was too sick to fly and she later collapsed inside Johannesburg airport and died the following day. The Airlink flight from St. Helena to Johannesburg also included seven American passengers from the Hondius. Two of the Americans were from New Jersey. A total of seven Americans who were on board the Hondius are isolating at home in five states, which means the efforts to quarantine all the Americans in Omaha are meaningless since the five Americans are on the “honor system,“ which is ridiculous considering the lethality of the virus. Maybe they should ingest Ivermectin or some other bullshit Trump-endorsed remedy.
Other Americans were disembarked with other passengers and crew at Tenerife in the Canary Islands. A team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, an agency that was subjected to mass firings thanks to Trump, Kennedy, and Elon Musk’s DOGE villains, was to meet the American passengers in Tenerife. From there, they were to be repatriated to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus in Omaha. Any of the Americans exhibiting symptoms of the Andes hantavirus would be transferred to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit on the campus.
The WHO has confirmed six cases of the Andes hantavirus with two others assessed as probable. One of the confirmed virus patients was flown to the Netherlands. One of the probable patients with the virus, a German national, has died, making the total death count, including the Schilperoords, standing at three. A Spanish woman who is believed to have contracted the virus from the KLM flight that was briefly boarded in Johannesburg by Mrs. Schiliperoord is confirmed as symptomatic and is in the hospital in Alicante, Spain. The ship’s doctor also tested positive with the virus, along with a Swiss national being treated in Switzerland. A French national with “benign symptoms” was placed in isolation and was undergoing medical tests after being identified as a “contact case” linked to a ship passenger who flew from St. Helena to Johannesburg
Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions claims that none of those remaining on the vessel in Tenerife have either tested positive for the virus or have shown symptoms. That claim is dubious, especially since one of the acts of Kennedy was to scrap the CDC’s entire Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), including its inspectors.
Spanish health authorities are taking no chances. All crew and passengers aboard the Hondius, except for the Americans being flown to Omaha, are to be quarantined at a Madrid military hospital while under constant monitoring. Any testing positive are to be transferred to a High-Level Isolation and Treatment Unit in Spain. The incubation period for the Andes hantavirus can be as long as six weeks. Singaporean health authorities said they were monitoring two men who got off the Hondius at St. Helena, flew to South Africa and then to Singapore. The two men arrived in Singapore at different times and were being isolated and tested for the virus.
Disembarkations of Hondius passengers in Tristan da Cunha, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic that has a population of only some 220, has the British government and the Tristan British administrator on high alert for a potential public health emergency. The island has no airport nor a pier that can handle anything other than a small supply boat that ferries passengers to and from larger vessels anchored further out to sea. While disembarked, the passengers visited a Tristan gift shop and a pub. Four Tristanians booked passage on the Hondius for its voyage to St. Helena. One of those is confirmed to have contracted the hantavirus. The Tristanian spouse of that passenger is being kept in isolation. Two other British nationals on the Hondius have also been diagnosed as positive. Tristan da Cunha only has a small medical facility and is not able to handle something as life threatening as the Andes hantavirus. A British crew member of the Hondius who disembarked in Tristan da Cunha was reported as a suspected hantavirus case and remained on the island with medical personnel deployed to assist. It can’t be stressed enough that Tristan da Cunha has a decent small hospital but it has limited medical services for dealing with a serious virus like the Andes strain. Tristan da Cunha is usually only accessible by a supply ship from Cape Town, a voyage that typically takes 5 to 7 days depending on weather and sea conditions. Cruise ship MV Hondius docks off Cape Verde port, as passengers were not allowed off the ship, while health authorities investigated suspected cases of hantavirus aboard the vessel, in Praia Port, Cape Verde, May 4, 2026. Hondius anchored off Tristan da Cunha from April 13 to 15.
In a worse case scenario, it’s likely that the virus’s full impact on Tristan da Cunha would only be realized when no one answers the phone or responds to email or text messages. That would mean that the entire population of the Tristan capital and only town, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, became too sick or died, an event that could only be contemplated by Stephen King.
The Tristan da Cunha administrator released the following statement about the situation on the island on May 4, as news of the viral outbreak was being reported around the world:
“We understand that the first passenger was taken ill after the ship left South Georgia and unfortunately passed away before arrival at Tristan. Another passenger passed away following evacuation to Johannesburg, South Africa, where the cause of death was identified as a hantavirus. A third passenger passed away on board the ship en route to Cape Verde and a further passenger is in intensive care in Johannesburg, while two crew members are also being treated. The ship continued to Cape Verde, where she is currently at anchor . . . We are working closely with the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and other international partners to assess and manage the situation. The islanders who travelled to St Helena on the MV Hondius are being advised by Public Health in St Helena to undertake a period of self-isolation, just as a precaution. We will do the same here where necessary. The Government will provide full support to those who are asked to do so. A full risk-based contact tracing process is underway to identify and notify such persons on St Helena, Ascension and Tristan.”
Another island in danger from the ship of death is Ascension Island, a remote British territory of around 1000 residents that hosts British and American military facilities. The following is a release of the Ascension Island Government: Tristan da Cunha Ibilbidea Edinburgh of ...
“On Monday 27 April 2026, a passenger from the vessel was admitted to Georgetown Hospital. The same individual was then medically evacuated on Wednesday 29 April. It has since been confirmed that the patient was infected with a strain of Hantavirus . . . As a precaution, a small number of hospital staff who were involved in the patient’s care are self-monitoring for symptoms in line with established public health guidance . . . Medical staff will use basic personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves and masks, during patient consultations . . . Face-to-face consultations will be limited where possible. Patients are asked to avoid booking non-urgent appointments for the next two weeks. This will be kept under review . . . An additional medical officer is being recruited to assist with maintaining essential services to our community during this period.” Ascension Island – Runway 13–31 ... Ascension Island
Thirty passengers disembarked from the Hondius on Saint Helena, an island with a population of 4,400, on April 24, along with the body of Leo Schilperooord. The passengers included those from Britain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States. The ship was in St. Helena, famous as the place where Napoleon was exiled after his defeat at Waterloo, from April 22 to 24. Unlike Tristan da Cunha, St. Helena has an international airport linked to Johannesburg by a once a week flight.
St. Helena Governor Nigel Phillips said, “We are now responding to a crisis none of us would have wished.” The St. Helena government later stated, “All individuals identified as having had potential contact with passengers from the MV Hondius have been contacted directly by health officials.” The statement added, “the local health authorities are monitoring a small number of people identified as higher-risk contacts -- namely those who had close, prolonged contact with the unwell passengers of the vessel. They have been advised to isolate at home for a period of 45 days from the last known exposure to the virus.” St. Helena Island ... Jamestown, St. Helena
The eco-tourist ship of death also paid a visit to the isolated town of Grytviken in South Georgia, a dependency of the Falkland Islands. Passengers visited the abandoned whaling station, along with the church, cemetery, post office, and South Georgia Museum. There are up to 30 British Antarctic Survey researchers, British administrative personnel, and South Georgia Museum staff resident in South Georgia, most of whom reside at King Edward Point, a half mile away from Grytviken. Grytviken and South Georgia wildlife - The Restless Road Grytviken, South Georgia
The Hondius did not stop at the Falkland Islands after leaving Tierra del Fuego. Nevertheless, the Falklands government had to reassure the population of some 3600 that they were not in imminent danger from the virus. However, the Falklands was involved in the response to the outbreak. The King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) in the capital, Stanley, dispatched needed pathology supplies to Ascension Island aboard the Airbridge — the military air link between the United Kingdom and the Falklands —in support of the public health response of the Ascension and Saint Helena administrations. King Edward VII Memorial Hospital ... King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, Stanley, Falkland Islands
The Hondius anchored off Cabo Verde prior to sailing to Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Cabo Verdean authorities initially refused to allow passengers to disembark from the vessel. However, there were photos taken of Cape Verdean health authorities loading passengers into ambuslances at the port of Praia, the Cabo Verdean capital. Moroccan authorities refused to allow a Hondius passenger evacuation flight bound for Amsterdam to refuel in Morocco. The plane instead diverted to Gran Canaria. Health workers in protective gear arrive to evacuate patients from the MV Hondius cruise ship at a port in Praia, Cape Verde, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu) Cabo Verdean health authorities removing cruise ship passengers.
The world might treat the Andes hantavirus outbreak more calmly if it weren’t for the fact that the origination vector country, Argentina, quit the WHO following the lead of the irresponsible United States. Buenos Aires has been slow to even send a team to Ushuaia to investigate the point of origin of the Andes hantavirus. Idiocy is a common denominator for right-wing Elon Musk-supported neo-fascist regimes lime those in Washington and Buenos Aires. After Trump fucked up the U.S. response to Covid, costing the lives of one million American citizens, one can understand the world’s jittery reaction to yet another dangerous pathogenic outbreak. One thing the world does understand is that Donald Trump and his crazy ally in Buenos Aires are only capable of fucking things up on a grand scale when they’re not robbing the taxpayers blind.
May 8
Top Headlines
Iran Live: Trump Insists Cease-Fire Holds Despite Exchange of Fire, Staff reports, May 8, 2026. Iran’s foreign minister onFriday accused the United States of “a reckless military adventure” and of undermining diplomatic efforts to end the war, a day after the U.S. military and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz.News Roundups
May 8, 2026. A new investigation reveals that fellow inmates of Ghislaine Maxwell were allegedly punished for speaking out about her preferential treatment in federal prison. Investigative Reporting, Scandal Reports
FIFA Peace Prize: What is it and why ... Trump receives FIFA’s first “Peace Prize” from his pal, FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Rebecca Crosby and Noel Sims, May 8, 2026. Our roundup of the best accountability journalism.More On Iran War
U.S. Government, Politics, Elections
May 8, 2026. Today Tennessee state representative Justin Jones burned a Confederate battle flag in the rotunda of the Tennessee State Capitol in protest of the legislature’s redrawing of the state’s congressional district maps to erase the majority-Black 9th Congressional District. By cracking the city of Memphis into three pieces and joining them to white suburbs, the legislature turned all the state’s districts into Republican seats.
May 8, 2026. The Iran war has revealed President Trump’s true weakness. There is a kind of person who truly flummoxes Trump, the person he just can’t understand — the true believer.
May 8, 2026. Something weird’s been happening lately. Donald Trump will be doing some unremarkable event surrounded with cheerful citizens, sometimes children. He makes small talk, banters with them, as one does. Only the small talk often turns out to be insane MAGA gobbledygook, like an in-person reenactment of Trump’s latest Truth Social rant.
and Thurgood Marshall, Jr., May 8, 2026. It's well past time to bring our system of government continuity into the 21st Century.U.S. Education, Culture, Media
Global News
David Pierson and Berry Wang, May 8, 2026. America’s ability to deter China in a war over Taiwan is weakened, Chinese analysts say, giving Beijing leverage in an upcoming summit with President Trump.Top Stories
New York Times, In Huge Blow to Democrats, Virginia Court Strikes Down House Map, Campbell Robertson and Nick Corasaniti, May 8, 2026. The decision by the state’s top court is a major victory for Republicans, wiping away a measure approved by voters to allow Democrats to gain as many as four House seats in the midterms.
The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a measure allowing state Democrats to redraw congressional districts, dealing a significant blow to the party’s efforts to keep pace with Republicans in a nationwide redistricting battle.
In late April, Democrats were celebrating the result of a referendum in which voters approved an amendment to the State Constitution, enabling Democratic lawmakers to reshape the map to gain as many as four House seats. But Republicans challenged the legality of the measure in court, securing a victory that helps them build an advantage in what has become a coast-to-coast gerrymandering chess match.
Democrats had fought the G.O.P. to a rough draw after the Virginia referendum, but since then, they have faced setbacks. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act last week set the stage for an improvement in Republicans’ fortunes ahead of the midterms, and the Virginia court decision provided the G.O.P. with more welcome news.
Already, Republicans in Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana have taken steps to draw new maps before the midterms, which would net Republicans a handful of additional safe seats before voters cast a ballot in November. South Carolina and Mississippi are also exploring new maps before November.
Still, Republicans face strong headwinds in their bid to retain control of the House — including President Trump’s unpopular
Democracy Docket, Analysis: Inside the redistricting apocalypse, Jen Rice, May 8, 2026. It’s been just over a week since the U.S. Supreme Court’s (SCOTUS) conservative majority gutted the Voting Rights Act (VRA) in Louisiana v. Callais. Now, we are witnessing exactly what Section 2 of the VRA 
was intended to protect the nation against: A sweep of brutal GOP gerrymanders being rushed through Southern state legislatures to eliminate minority political representation in the 2026 elections — even in elections that are already underway.
The news certainly isn’t good, but Democracy Docket has all hands on deck and we are closely monitoring what’s happening.
President Donald Trump’s redistricting arms race to rig the midterms continues to unfold. Republicans have potentially gained up to 12 seats — five in Texas, one in Missouri, one in North Carolina,four in Florida and one in Tennessee. Democrats have potentially gained up to 10 seats — five in California, four in Virginia and one in Utah. (Litigation is still ongoing in Florida, Virginia and Missouri.)
Since the Callais ruling, three more GOP-controlled states besides Tennessee have entered the fray, resulting in up to five more possible Republican seats — two in Louisiana, two in Alabama and one in South Carolina — all at the expense of Black voters.
Alabama races toward final votes to gerrymander elections already underway
Alabama lawmakers are expected to take final votes Friday on a pair of gerrymandered congressional and state senate maps, sending the bills to the governor’s desk.
There are two big reasons why Alabama should not currently be redrawing its maps in an eleventh-hour special session. First, absentee voting in the May 19 primary election has already begun. Second, the state is currently using court-ordered congressional and state senate remedial maps, implemented because the legislature’s previous maps were found to dilute the voting strength of Black voters in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Now, Alabama is asking the courts to vacate the injunctions on those maps to allow them to be used for the 2026 midterms.
If allowed by federal courts to go into effect, the maps would likely strip Black Alabama voters of political representation.
Supreme Court clears the way for Louisiana gerrymander: In a disturbing and, unfortunately, unsurprising move, SCOTUS rejected a request from pro-voting appellants in the Callais case to recall its expedited order clearing the way for Louisiana to rush through redistricting. In response to last week’s ruling, the state swiftly suspended its primary election to begin redrawing its congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterms.
In his order, Justice Samuel Alito claimed the pro-voting appellants hadn’t requested an opportunity to seek a rehearing. But the appellants argued in their filing that the second sentence in their brief had done exactly that — and Alito simply ignored it. And it appears the court ignored them again when rejecting the (second) request to reconsider the case. Now a Louisiana legislative committee will take up redistricting today.
South Carolina Republicans are taking steps to dismantle the state’s only Black-majority district and lone Democratic seat, long represented by Rep. Jim Clyburn, right.
The state House approved an amendment this week allowing them to take up congressional redistricting after Republican lawmakers faced intense pressure from Trump demanding that they redraw the map. The Senate will take up the measure next week.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed Republicans’ aggressive gerrymander into law Thursday, the same day that the GOP-controlled state legislature passed the new map and repealed the state’s ban on mid-decade redistricting. The plan carves up Memphis into three congressional districts, dismantling the state’s only Black-majority district and its one Democratic seat.
Will of the voters: Virginia, Missouri and Florida
In several states, Republicans are explicitly trying to sideline the will of voters on redistricting.
In Florida, multiple lawsuits have been filed challenging the state’s new congressional map, an aggressive partisan gerrymander. Partisan gerrymandering is actually illegal in Florida, but it’s unclear whether the justices on the Florida Supreme Court — most of whom were appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) — will bother to uphold the ban, despite the fact that Floridians voted for it.
Lastly, Missouri’s drawn-out legal battle over redistricting returns to the state Supreme Court on Tuesday. The court will hear three cases related to the GOP gerrymander, including a key challenge arguing that the new gerrymandered map is not in effect because voters submitted enough verified signatures to qualify the measure for a so-called “veto referendum.”
New York Times, Iran Live: Trump Insists Cease-Fire Holds Despite Exchange of Fire, Staff reports, May 8, 2026. Iran’s foreign minister on Friday accused the United States of “a reckless military adventure” and of undermining diplomatic efforts to end the war, a day after the U.S. military and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump on Thursday insisted that a monthlong cease-fire was holding, even as each side blamed the other for breaking the truce. At the same time, Washington and Tehran were debating a one-page U.S. proposal for the two sides to reopen the strait and cease hostilities for 30 days as they negotiate a comprehensive deal, according to three Iranian officials.
U.S. Central Command said on Thursday that “unprovoked Iranian attacks” on three American destroyers had involved missiles, drones and small boats. In response, the U.S. military said it had “targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces,” including missile and drone launch sites.
The Iranian military said the United States had violated the cease-fire a day earlier by firing on an Iranian oil tanker trying to cross an American blockade. It said it had “retaliated by attacking U.S. military vessels.”
Mr. Trump, speaking to reporters in Washington on Thursday evening, dismissed the Iranian attacks as a “trifle” and again warned that Iran “better sign their agreement fast,” an apparent reference to the one-page U.S. proposal. A key hurdle was the U.S. demand for advance commitments on the fate of Iran’s nuclear program and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, they said.
On Friday, the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, questioned in a social media post whether the U.S. strikes were a “crude pressure tactic.” He added: “Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the U.S. opts for a reckless military adventure.”
Here’s what else we’re covering:
New York Times, Trade Court Rules Trump’s 10% Global Tariff Is Illegal, Tony Romm and Ana Swanson, May 8, 2026 (print ed.). A panel of federal judges found that President Trump could not legally impose the tariff on most imports.
A panel of federal judges on Thursday found President Trump had violated the law when he imposed a 10 percent tariff on most U.S. imports, dealing yet another legal setback to the White House in its efforts to wage a trade war without the express permission of Congress.
In a split ruling, the Court of International Trade found that Mr. Trump had wrongly invoked a decades-old trade law when he applied those duties beginning in February. The president imposed the levies after his previous set of punishing tariffs was struck down by the Supreme Court.
The decision appeared to place, for now, new limits on Mr. Trump’s trade powers, which he has wielded aggressively in hopes of resetting relationships with allies and adversaries, raising new revenue and encouraging more companies to make their products in the United States.
While the court declared Mr. Trump’s tariffs to be illegal, it only explicitly blocked their collection from small businesses and some states that had sued over their legality. It remained unclear how the administration would interpret that order, though it is widely expected to appeal.
The ruling marked a major setback for Mr. Trump as he prepares to travel to China next week to meet Xi Jinping, its leader, about trade. Tariffs are expected to be a major topic on the agenda, and the court decision could undercut the president’s leverage.
The decision also raised the likelihood that Mr. Trump might once again have to pay back money collected from the illegal duties. A refund process is already underway for the roughly $166 billion collected under Mr. Trump’s prior set of sweeping tariffs.
The White House and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Mr. Trump later criticized the judges for their ruling, while signaling that his administration would not relent in its trade ambitions.
“So, we always do it a different way,” the president told reporters. “We get one ruling, and we do it a different way.”
From the beginning, the Trump administration envisioned the across-the-board tariff as a temporary solution, one that would buy time for Mr. Trump to craft a more lasting set of higher rates using other legal authorities. That process is now well underway, and could yield rates akin to those that Mr. Trump announced last year using a decades-old economic emergency law.
After the Supreme Court invalidated those tariffs in February, the White House swiftly moved to revive them, employing a never-before-used provision in the Trade Act of 1974, known as Section 122. The power allows the White House to apply tariffs up to 15 percent for a maximum of 150 days in response to “large and serious United States balance-of-payments deficits” and situations that present “fundamental international payments problems.”
The two intricate concepts reflect lawmakers’ concerns back when the U.S. dollar was pegged to gold, creating economic risks that the president might need to manage using tariffs. But the dollar is no longer pegged to that commodity, prompting a coalition of states and a group of small businesses to sue the Trump administration this spring, arguing that he did not meet the criteria under law to apply his 10 percent tariff.
The two sides clashed at a tense and highly technical three-hour hearing last month, when the judges on the Court of International Trade seemed to struggle at times to interpret lawmakers’ intentions in 1974 — and the extent to which Mr. Trump could wield that power about a half-century later.
In its 53-page ruling, two of the three judges on the trade court ultimately found that the president had failed to meet the threshold established under law to allow the use of Section 122. In doing so, the judges pointed to legislative history, which they said “chronicles a series of efforts to carefully cabin presidential discretion” on trade.
“Section 122 was passed in response to a specific historical crisis that resulted in the United States’ currency and gold reserves being depleted,” said Jeffrey Schwab, the director of litigation at the Liberty Justice Center, a legal group that represented small businesses in the case. “That is not the situation here.”
It marked the second major win for the Liberty Justice Center, which had prevailed against the president in the case that reached the Supreme Court. States joined small businesses in that case as well, but on Friday, the trade court found most did not have standing to challenge Mr. Trump over his use of Section 122.
“So long as President Trump continues to try to illegally tax Oregonians, we’ll continue to go to court to stop him,” Dan Rayfield, the attorney general of Oregon, said in a statement.
The administration is already working on its next plan for tariffs, but those levies can’t be implemented immediately. It has proposed two trade investigations under a legal provision known as Section 301, one related to global laws against trade in goods made with forced labor, and another on other countries’ manufacturing capacity.
Hearings on those measures were held in Washington this and last week. But the administration was counting on the Section 122 tariff to last until July, and those alternate tariffs may not be ready for many weeks.
News Roundups
The Parnas Perspective, Morning News and Commentary: Trump Attacks Female Reporter, Prisoners Who Spoke About Maxwell Punished, Ballroom in Trouble, More AI Attacks on Me, Aaron Parnas, right, May 8, 2026. A new investigation reveals that fellow inmates of Ghislaine Maxwell were allegedly punished for speaking out about her preferential treatment in federal prison. Meanwhile, funding for Donald Trump’s proposed ballroom project is facing serious resistance from Republicans this morning. Trump also attacked a female journalist again, and not a single one of her colleagues stepped in to defend her.
We are also learning more about how DOGE allegedly used race and other protected characteristics to carry out the largest grant cuts in the history of the National Endowment for the Humanities, along with much more.
A couple of notes on my end. First, I was disgusted watching other journalists stay silent while Trump attacked Rachel Scott. Watch the video for yourself. Journalists should never trade silence for access, but that is exactly what happened.
Second, this afternoon and evening I will be helping prepare members of Congress for upcoming Epstein depositions and interviews, so I may not have a full news update later today, but stay tuned.
Third, while scrolling social media today, I came across yet another dangerous AI-generated video impersonating me and falsely claiming I am a doctor giving medical advice. It’s clearly fake, but several people believed it. Here is the video:
There is a lot happening right now. If you are able, please consider subscribing or gifting a subscription to support my work.
Here’s the news:
A CNN investigation found that inmates at a federal prison camp in Texas say they were punished after speaking publicly about convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell following her unusual transfer to a minimum-security facility. Several women described being reprimanded, transferred to harsher detention centers, or accused of threatening prison security after making comments to reporters about Maxwell’s presence and the special treatment she allegedly received.
The accounts are particularly troubling because prison consultants and former inmates said Maxwell’s transfer itself was highly atypical for someone convicted of sex trafficking crimes, fueling suspicions of preferential treatment tied to her relationship with deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein and her comments about Donald Trump. Critics say the reported retaliation raises broader concerns about free speech, transparency, and unequal treatment within the federal prison system.
Donald Trump’s ballroom funding is in trouble. Moderate House Republicans are reportedly warning party leadership and the White House that a proposed $1 billion allocation tied to securing Donald Trump’s planned ballroom project is politically toxic and may not have enough support to pass. One Republican lawmaker reportedly said, “A first-year poli sci major would know not to ask members to take this vote,” while another bluntly predicted, “There is no way in hell that this will get 218 votes on the floor.”
High-Tech billionaire and government contractor Elon Musk wields a chainsaw above left as he acts out the ultra-right dream of firing federal workers in the Trump-authorized DOGE program, as Trump-allied Argentine leader Javier Millei cheers on Musk at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
A federal judge ruled Thursday that Elon Musk’s DOGE “blatantly used” race, gender, and other protected characteristics to carry out the largest mass termination of federal grants in the history of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Judge Colleen McMahon found it especially troubling that DOGE staffers reportedly relied on DEI-related keywords and ChatGPT to target projects connected to Black history, Holocaust testimony, Native American experiences, women, and LGBTQ topics. The court said the process was unlawful, discriminatory, and far outside normal grant review procedures, particularly amid rising antisemitism and political attacks on academic and cultural programs. The ruling blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with the cuts and intensified concerns about ideological filtering and AI-driven decision-making in federal governance.
Justin J. Pearson, shown above right, with a fellow Tennessee legislator Justin Jones, delivered an emotional floor speech in the Tennessee State House condemning a new congressional map that will dismantle the state’s only Black-majority district. “Today, you will take the only Black-majority district from us,” Pearson said, before adding, “No matter what you do, no matter how much you try to break us and make us bend and quit — we will still be here.”
The exclusive we broke yesterday was much larger than expected. The cyberhack of Columbia was not just limited to Columbia University. We now know that a massive data breach targeting Instructure, the parent company of the widely used Canvas learning platform, has affected schools and universities nationwide. According to reports, hackers threatened to release stolen data unless institutions contact them before May 12, though highly sensitive information such as Social Security numbers and passwords does not appear to have been compromised. Exposed data may include names, email addresses, student ID numbers, and messages, raising concerns about phishing scams and targeted fraud against students and staff. Cybersecurity experts are urging users to remain cautious of suspicious emails and communications as schools continue assessing the scale of the breach. Our exclusive spread like a wildfire and has millions of views now.
Donald Trump made an unannounced visit last night to inspect renovations to a 2,000-foot reflecting pool project, where crews installed a bright blue liner to fix leaks he had previously described as “filthy.” The renovation reportedly cost about $1.8 million. It is the first time a presidential motorcade drove on the reflecting pool like this:
During an exchange with reporters, Donald Trump dismissed a question about focusing on infrastructure and development projects while gas prices were rising. Calling it “such a stupid question,” Trump responded combatively and added, “You can understand dirt better than I can baby but I don’t allow it,” in another attack on a female journalist.
Later in the exchange, Donald Trump appeared to refer to reporter Rachel Scott, right, as a “bitch,” and not a single one of her colleagues stood up for 
her.
During the visit, Trump asked random construction workers if Iran should have a nuclear weapon.
When asked about the hantavirus outbreak, Donald Trump said he had been briefed and expressed cautious optimism that the situation was “very much we hope under control.” Asked whether Americans should worry about the virus spreading, Trump responded, “I hope not. We’ll do the best we can.” His comments came as health authorities continue monitoring the outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship and tracking potential contacts worldwide.
According to ABC News, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified the hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship as a “level 3” emergency response, which is the agency’s lowest level of emergency activation. The designation indicates the CDC is monitoring and coordinating its response to the outbreak, which has already resulted in multiple deaths and infections among passengers. Health officials continue tracking travelers and contacts across several countries, though experts emphasize that the overall risk of widespread transmission remains low. The outbreak has drawn international attention because the rare hantavirus strain involved may spread person-to-person in uncommon cases.
A flight attendant who had contact with passengers linked to the deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship has tested negative for the virus, easing concerns that the disease may have spread beyond those directly on board. Health officials had been closely monitoring the attendant in the Netherlands after a sick passenger was removed from a flight traveling from South Africa to Amsterdam. Authorities continue tracing passengers worldwide, as the outbreak has already caused three deaths and several confirmed infections connected to the cruise. Experts and the WHO stress that the risk to the broader public remains low because hantavirus rarely spreads person-to-person and generally requires close contact.
A new suspected hantavirus case has been identified in a British national on the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, linked to an outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius. So far, three people have died and four others are being treated in hospitals across Europe and South Africa, while health authorities continue tracing passengers and close contacts worldwide. Experts and agencies including the WHO and CDC say the risk of widespread contagion remains low, although the rare strain involved can spread person-to-person in uncommon cases. The cruise ship is expected to dock in Tenerife soon, and asymptomatic passengers are being monitored and advised to isolate after returning home.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted a short time ago, “Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the U.S. opts for a reckless military adventure.”
X avatar for @araghchi Seyed Abbas Araghchi@araghchiEvery time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the U.S. opts for a reckless military adventure. Is it a crude pressure tactic? Or the result of a spoiler once again duping POTUS into another quagmire? Whatever the causes, outcome is the same: Iranians never bow to pressure.Image10:55 AM · May 8, 2026 · 15.8K Views92 Replies · 255 Reposts · 916 Likes
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla warned, in an interview with ABC News, that the United States is on a “dangerous path” that could lead to a “bloodbath in Cuba” after repeated comments from Donald Trump about potentially taking over the country. In an interview with ABC News, Rodríguez said Cuba takes Trump’s military threats “very seriously” and would defend itself “to the very last consequences” if attacked. The remarks followed Trump’s recent statements suggesting Cuba could be “next” after Iran and references to sending the USS Abraham Lincoln near the island as part of a pressure campaign that already includes sanctions and economic restrictions. Rodríguez also said there has been “no progress” in ongoing talks with the United States and rejected any negotiations over Cuba’s political system or internal affairs.
A recent survey found that 11% of American adults say they personally know someone who has been detained or deported due to their immigration status, highlighting how immigration enforcement policies are directly affecting a significant number of people and communities across the United States.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, pledged to continue governing despite heavy losses for the Labour Party in local elections across England, Scotland, and Wales. The results highlighted growing public dissatisfaction with Labour and the weakening of Britain’s traditional two-party system, as Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party made major gains, especially in former Labour strongholds. Analysts described the outcome as a historic political shift, with voters increasingly turning to smaller and insurgent parties such as Reform, the Greens, and nationalist movements. While some Labour lawmakers are questioning Starmer’s leadership after policy reversals and declining popularity, allies argue replacing him now would create further instability.
Investigative Reporting, Scandal Reports
FIFA Peace Prize: What is it and why ... Trump receives FIFA’s first “Peace Prize” from his pal, FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Wayne Madsen Report, Investigative Commentary and Opinion: Trump Organization closely linked to criminal operations of FIFA and the International Olympic Committee, Wayne Madsen, left, author of 28 books and former Navy intelligence officer, May 7-8, 2026. Trump Tower was and continues to be a hotbed for FIFA and IOC money laundering.
FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are two of the most influential organizations in global sports.
Over the years, both have faced numerous allegations of criminal activity, including corruption, bribery, money laundering, and other forms of misconduct. Many of these criminal activities centered on Trump Tower in New York, with some personally involving Trump and his Trump Organization officers. Trump Tower was known to the FBI as a center point of criminal operations surrounding sports and the wiretaps later installed on suspects residing there, particularly those involved in the corruption of FIFA and the IOC resulted in Trump’s vendetta against the bureau. That enmity led to Trump appointing an incompetent drunk, Kash Patel, as FBI director, a move that constituted nothing more than revenge by a de facto mob gangster.
FIFA: Allegations and Investigations
FIFA’s “manosphere” climate has always attracted sexual predators and racists like Donald Trump and his neo-fascist ideological predecessor businessman-turned-politician, the late Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The fascist leanings of FIFA first raised their ugly head in 2006 during the FIFA World Cup in Berlin when French team captain Zinedine Zidane, the son of Algerian immigrants, was subjected to a racist taunt by rival Italian player Marco Materazzi.
On the field, Materazzi tweaked Zidane’s nipples while making a reference to homosexuality. That, apparently, was not enough to inflame Zidane. Howeve, when Materazzi made comments about Zidane being the “son of a terrorist whore,” Zidane head butted Zidane in a move that is more commonplace in Trump’s beloved mixed martial arts but a definite foul in soccer. Zidane received a red card and expulsion from the match -- something that very likely led to France’s defeat in overtime penalty kicks.
Materazzi had engaged in the type of racist insults for which Italian football under the de facto tutelage of right-wing and racist former Prime Minister, as well as TV, satellite, newspaper, and magazine media magnate -- and AC Milan football club owner -- Silvio Berlusconi, had become infamous.
Roberto Calderoli, an Italian Senator in the former Berlusconi government, issued his own racist insult against the French soccer team. He said, “a team which fielded Lombards, Campanians, Venetians, and Calabrians won against a team which sacrificed its identity for results by fielding blacks, Muslims, and Communists.”
The 2006 World Cup was a lesson in the nexus between racism and corruption. Materazzi had identified himself with the neo-fascist party that was a member of Berlusconi’s corruption-ridden coalition government. In addition, Materazzi once played for Lazio di Roma, a club which, like his later club, Inter-Milan, was known for racist insults from fans being shouted at black and Arab players. It was FIFA’s corruption and presence of several racist players that attracted the attention of the racist and corrupt Donald Trump. It was also not lost on Trump that the racial incident in Berlin occurred at Berlin’s renovated Olympiastadion, the site of the 1936 Summer Olympics, where racist slurs were hurled at African American runner Jesse Owens by one of Trump’s favorites, Adolf Hitler.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) maintained offices on the entire 17th floor of Trump Tower. Its general secretary, a high-flying ne’er-do-well named Chuck Blazer, a ove -- who also served as a FIFA board member -- had lived in an apartment on the 49th floor since 1990. He rented an addition apartment on the 49th floor at $6000 per month for the sole use of his cats. Blazer paid $18,000 per month for his own apartment. The funds came from CONCACAF’s budget. In 2005, Blazer permitted Trump to use his apartment to film an infomercial. For Trump, Blazer was much more than a renter. The organizations he represented, CONCACAF and FIFA, were lucrative cash cows for the cash-starved Trump. IRS still after former U.S. soccer bigwig Chuck Blazer over millions in unpaid taxes – New York Daily News Trump Tower resident Chuck Blazer
In 2013, Blazer pleaded guilty in federal court to ten criminal charges that included racketeering, wire fraud, money laundering, and income tax evasion. Blazer had agreed to cooperate with the Department of Justice in a more wide-ranging criminal investigation of international soccer. It appears that Trump’s connections to the underworld of international sports has been largely forgotten, especially after FIFA opened an office in Trump Tower on July 8, 2025. The ceremony, presided over by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Eric Trump and featuring Brazilian football star Ronaldo, marked Trump Tower as the global base for the 2026 World Cup. The move came as the United States, Canada, and Mexico prepared to co-host the 2026 football extravaganza. Infantino has been a long-time Trump sycophant, even awarding the shiny prize-hungry Trump the first-ever “FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World” during the 2026 World Cup draw event in Washington. The trophy became a source of ridicule within FIFA and around the world, especially amid Trump’s military threats against a dozen or so countries and the rounding up of thousands of Hispanics and others by ICE.
FIFA Peace Prize: What is it and why ... Trump receives FIFA’s first “Peace Prize” from his pal Gianni Infantino
It is not an exaggeration to call Trump Tower a virtual den of villains. In addition to criminals associated with FIFA and the IOC, a group of smaller scale organized crime figures used their apartments and offices in Trump Tower for illegal bookie operations, money laundering, bank fraud, smuggling, art theft, and professional boxing racketeering involving the flamboyant Don King. Some residents were linked to the bribing of officials of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Some of the “Dark Tower’s” criminality also involved crime boss John Gotti. Several of the residents of Trump Tower were suspected of being involved in homicides around the world.
FIFA celebrities and leaders, left to right: Didier Deschamps, Alessandro Del Piero, FIFA Vice-President Victor Montagliani, Roberto Baggio, Ronaldo, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Donald Trump, Marco Materazzi, Iker Casillas, Kaka and Marcel Desailly.
FIFA has been at the center of multiple criminal investigations. In 2015, several top FIFA officials were arrested in Switzerland on charges of racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering. The U.S. DoJ led the investigation, which revealed a widespread network of bribery involving the awarding of World Cup hosting rights and television contracts. The scandal exposed decades of corrupt practices, leading to the resignation of then-president Sepp Blatter and the conviction of several high-ranking executives. Infantino had replaced the ethically-tainted Blatter, who was banned from FIFA activities until 2027 for his involvement in the organization’s pay-for-play schemes. One common denominator linking Blatter and Infantino is Donald Trump. FIFA opens New York office in U.S.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Eric Trump open FIFA headquarters in Trump Tower
One thing that really caused Trump to blow a head gasket was the revelation that before Robert Mueller began investigating Trump and his 2016 campaign’s ties to Russian and “Eurasian” organized crime figures and networks, the FBI had already initiated a covert surveillance operation targeting criminal enterprises, including CONCACAF and FIFA, that called Trump Tower home. The 2016 Trump for President campaign also maintained its headquarters in the building.
What particularly irritated Trump was that the CONCACAF and FIFA investigation was led by Loretta Lynch, right, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and the later Attorney General under Barack Obama. In addition to Blazer, Lynch’s investigation netted other football officials, including Alejandro Burzaco of Argentina; Zorana Danis of Belgium; José Hawilla, José Margulies, and Fabio Tordin of Brazil; Jeffrey Webb of the Cayman Islands; Sergio Jadue of Chile; Luis Bedoya of Colombia; Roger Huguet of Spain; and Daryan Warner and Daryll Warner of Trinidad and Tobago. Other soccer officials indicted included those from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, United Kingdom. and Venezuela. As part of his plea agreement, Blazer fingered other sporting officials, including 2011 FIFA presidential candidate and president of the Asian Football Confederation Mohamed Bin Hammam of Qatar.
Trump, who had received some of the some $200 million in laundered funds from CONCACAF and FIFA, was steaming mad at Lynch, the DoJ, and the FBI. He would ultimately have his revenge. For Trump, revenge is a dish best served hot or cold.The International Olympic Committee: Allegations and Controversies
The IOC has also been accused of criminal operations, particularly related to the bidding process for hosting the Olympic Games. Investigations have uncovered instances where cities allegedly paid bribes to secure hosting rights. Allegations of bid rigging plagued the IOC presidency of Juan Antonio Samaranch. The Salt Lake City bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics, for example, led to a major scandal involving gifts and payments to IOC members. Make no mistake about it: the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles has been tainted by similar allegations.
Trump signed a law permanently stopping U.S. payments to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Trump, fronting for his friend Vladimir Putin, has been upset at the IOC’s and other international sporting federations’ banning of Russia over repeated and systematic athlete doping. Trump’s connections to the IOC and FIFA corruption scandals coincided with the accusations surrounding IOC President Thomas Bach. He faced intense criticism for his weakness in handling the Russian doping scandal that began with the 2014 Sochi Games. Bach faced criminal investigations by Brazilian and French prosecutors. Bach’s close relations with Putin and China’s Xi Jinping made him a useful and admired friend for Trump.
The IOC was left embarrassed over Trump’s deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) units for security at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. sparked international protests and put the IOC in the position of defending the U.S. administration’s security choices
In 2017, Arthur César de Menezes Soares Filho, a former partner in the Trump Hotel Rio de Janeiro, was charged by Brazilian prosecutors with paying bribes to secure the city’s 2016 Olympic bid.
Furthermore, the IOC has faced allegations of money laundering and improper financial management, as well as criticism for its handling of doping scandals, pedophilia, and its relationship with authoritarian regimes. Casey Wasserman, the chair of the LA28 Olympic organizing committee, has faced intense pressure to resign following the release of court documents linking him to one-time Trump besties Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Despite calls for his resignation from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and other local officials, the LA28 board has decided to retain him. U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order, in Washington
U.S. Olympics 2026 Chairman Casey Wasserman with President Trump, both of whom were best pals of sex traffickers, rapists and global financiers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
The Wasserman-Epstein scandal was not the first brush that the Olympics experienced with pedophiles. The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC)—an umbrella organization overseeing 47 semi-autonomous sports bodies, was seen as inadequately responding to the crisis ignited by the sexual abuse of underage female gymnasts by USA Gymnastics physician, Dr. Larry Nassar. Serious questions were raised about USOC’s responsibility, as well as the prevailing culture across Olympics sports.
The criminal operations and subsequent investigations of international sports, particularly FIFA and the IOC, but also international professional golf, have closely intersected with the Trump crime syndicate, also known as the Trump Organization. International sporting has served as a convenient vehicle for the criminal activities and personal grifting by Donald Trump and those associated with him. In the New York civil fraud trial, a judge found Trump and his company liable for falsely inflating the value of golf resorts, including properties in Aberdeenshire, Scotland and Westchester, NY.
He was accused of reporting “zero depreciation” on equipment like tractors and lawnmowers to artificially boost property values. Trump’s courses have hosted numerous LIV Golf events. Critics and 9/11 victims’ families have accused the partnership of aiding Saudi Arabian “sportswashing.” In May 2026, Trump called for the PGA Tour to reintegrate LIV players as Saudi funding for the league reportedly began to wind down.
Trump is a mobster who employs gangsters as his hit men and, in a few cases, hit women. As with everything else he has touched, he has turned ostensibly honest endeavors, including the Olympics, World Cup, pro golf, boxing, mixed martial arts, and other sports into a personal criminal enterprise. Trump was considered so toxic that his attempt to purchase the NFL’s Buffalo Bills was voted down by NFL team owners, many of them not examples of mortal turpitude.
Trump’s criminal reign must come to an end, and along with it, the demolition of his current and future criminal dens and symbols — from his White House ballroom and Arlington Cemetery “Arch de Trump” to Trump Tower and Mar-a-Lago. These eyesores of corruption and American fascism should be marked by historical plaques to note to future generations how the United States drifted into fascism but overthrew it with revolutionary determination not seen since the War of Independence.
Popular Information, Accountability Journalism: PopInfo Weekly, Judd Legum, right, Rebecca Crosby and Noel Sims, May 8, 2026. Welcome to PopInfo Weekly, our roundup of the best accountability journalism.
More On Iran War
New York Times, Trump Reversed Hormuz Plan After Saudis Denied Airspace Access, Michael Crowley, Eric Schmitt and Vivian Nereim, May 8, 2026 (print ed.). Saudi Arabia’s refusal of support suggests that President Trump’s unpredictable approach to Iran has strained ties with one of his closest allies in the Middle East.
U.S. Government, Politics, Elections
Letters from an American, Historical Commentary: May 7, 2026 [Erasing Black-Majority, Democratic House Seats in U.S. South], Heather Cox Richardson, right, May 8, 2026. Today Tennessee state representative Justin Jones burned a Confederate battle flag in the rotunda of the Tennessee State Capitol in protest of the legislature’s redrawing of the state’s congressional district maps to erase the majority-Black 9th Congressional District. By cracking the city of Memphis into three pieces and joining them to white suburbs, the legislature turned all the state’s districts into Republican seats.
The actions of the Republicans in the Tennessee legislature are a direct response to the Supreme Court’s April 29 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which found that in creating a second congressional district to enable Black voters to elect a representative of their choice, as mandated by the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the Louisiana legislature unconstitutionally took race into account when drawing the district lines. Although the Supreme Court’s clerk normally waits 32 days to finalize an opinion, the Supreme Court made the decision effective immediately to allow Louisiana, where the primary election was already underway, to redraw its maps.
Immediately, Republican-dominated state governments rushed to redistrict their states to eliminate majority-Black districts, thus slashing through Democratic representation in their states. As Khaya Himmelman of Talking Points Memo explained today, Louisiana’s Republican governor, Jeff Landry, immediately suspended a congressional primary election that was already underway in order to give Republican legislators a chance to change the maps to give at least one of the state’s two Democratic seats to Republicans.
Although a federal court injunction forbids Alabama from redrawing its maps before the 2030 census, Republican governor Kay Ivey called for the state to do so, and Republican attorney general Steve Marshall has filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court to let the state revert to a map struck down in 2023 because it was racially gerrymandered.
Trump began this gerrymandering arms race last year, pressuring Republican Texas legislators to redistrict the state to help Republicans win the midterms and protect him from investigations and possible impeachment. As of today, Patrick Marley of the Washington Post noted, Republican-dominated legislatures in Ohio, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, and Florida have redistricted to pick up Republican seats, while Tennessee, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Alabama are engaged in that process. In retaliation, Democrats have temporarily redistricted the states of California and Virginia.
Tennessee is now expected to send only Republicans to Congress. Just minutes after the Republicans cut Memphis into thirds to get rid of the voices of Black Democrats, Republican state senator Brent Taylor announced he was running for the new seat “to stand with President Trump and cement Tennessee’s conservative legacy for generations to come.”
In Tennessee, Representative Steve Cohen, who currently represents Memphis and who is the only Democrat in the Tennessee congressional delegation, posted: “And just like that, the TN GOP voted to enforce a racial gerrymander of Memphis and strip our city of effective representation for decades. Trump knows he HAS TO rig the game to keep his majority in November. And the TN GOP was willing to go along with it. It’s shameful. Next stop is the courts.”
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has already sued to block the redistricting.
Cohen is right that the Republicans recognize the only way for them to win going forward is to skew the maps so that Democrats can’t win, because right now, at least, the administration is a dumpster fire.
This morning, Warren P. Strobel, John Hudson, and Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post reported that the Central Intelligence Agency delivered a confidential analysis of conditions in Iran that suggests the administration has been badly off the mark in its public statements about the war.
Although Trump insists that the war had been an overwhelming military victory and that Iran is suffering so badly from the U.S. military blockade it will have to cave to U.S. demands quickly, the CIA report assesses that, in fact, Iran can survive for at least three or four more months before having to deal with more severe economic hardship. The report also assesses that Iran still has about 75% of the mobile missile launchers it had before the war and about 70% of its missiles.
Trump has told reporters that Iran’s economy is “crashing” and that Iran was down to 18% or 19% of its former missile stocks.
The content of the analysis is important, and so is the fact that CIA analysts are sharing it with reporters, suggesting they are disturbed by the administration’s current trajectory.
The administration insists the war has “terminated,” meaning that it does not have to honor the 1973 War Powers Act that requires the president to either withdraw troops or get congressional approval for continuing military actions. Today the U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran firing on three U.S. destroyers and the U.S. firing on two ships entering the strait.
While the Iranian military called the strikes a violation of the ceasefire, a U.S. official told Barak Ravid and Dave Lawler of Axios that the exchange did not mean the war had resumed. This evening, the president told Rachel Scott of ABC News in a phone call that the ceasefire is still in effect and “the retaliatory strikes against Iranian targets are just a ‘love tap.’”
As the national average for a gallon of gas hit $4.56 today, the British energy giant Shell announced its profits were up 24% in the first three months of 2026. This amounted to almost $7 billion, more than twice what Shell made in the previous quarter.
In the Wall Street Journal, John Keilman reported today that Whirlpool, which makes refrigerators and washing machines, said the Iran war has caused a “recession-level industry decline” and that Americans should expect to pay higher prices for appliances going forward.
While experts say there were about 14 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. in 2025, Trump border advisor Tom Homan told the Fox News Channel today that there are “well over 20 million” undocumented immigrants in the U.S. and “we’re going to do everything we can to arrest as many people as we can.”
But a new Pew poll shows that 52% of Americans already think Trump is cracking down too hard on undocumented immigrants. Politico adds that that number includes about a quarter of the people who voted for him in 2024. It also includes 67% of Latino voters, who had swung toward the Republicans in 2024.
Those poll numbers came before today’s story by Lisa Song, Maya Miller, Melissa Sanchez, and Mariam Elba of ProPublica identifying 79 children injured by tear gas or pepper spray during immigration encounters. While the reporters documented federal agents throwing tear gas and shooting pepper spray into crowds, the Department of Homeland Security said the fault for the children’s injuries lies with “agitators” and parents who put their children in harm’s way. “DHS does NOT target children,” it said.
The journalists assess that their count of 79 injured children is “likely still a vast undercount.”
Americans are paying dearly for the administration’s detention of immigrants. Just today, Patricia Mazzei and Hamed Aleaziz of the New York Times reported that the administration of Florida governor Ron DeSantis is talking with the Trump administration about closing the Everglades detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz. The center has been called unsanitary and inhumane since it opened about ten months ago, yet the cost of housing its 1,400 detainees is more than $1 million a day. DeSantis has asked for $608 million to run the camp for a year.
And then there are Trump’s increasingly high profile attacks on the pope. Pope Leo XIV is the first pope from the United States, and Trump seems determined to challenge him. The pope has spoken out against inhumane treatment of migrants and has called for peace through diplomacy, an observation Trump has taken as criticism of his war on Iran. Last week, Pope Leo appointed Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala to become the new bishop of West Virginia. Menjivar-Ayala was once an undocumented immigrant himself.
Trump posted last month that Pope Leo was “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” and he has continued his attacks, saying Monday: “The pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don’t think that’s very good. I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics, and a lot of people, but I guess if it’s up to the pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
As Sarah Ewall-Wice reported in the Daily Beast, Pope Leo responded indirectly, noting that “[t]he mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace. If anyone wants to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully.” He continued: “The Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years, so there is no doubt about that.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was at the Vatican today to ease tensions. The visit did not go particularly well. While Rubio gave Pope Leo a crystal football with the seal of the State Department, Pope Leo gave Rubio a pen made from the symbol of peace: olive wood. The Vatican’s statement did not suggest the men found much common ground, saying the meeting included “an exchange of views regarding the regional and international situation, with particular attention to countries marked by war, political tensions, and difficult humanitarian situations, as well as to the need to work tirelessly in support of peace.”
And finally, today the president himself is in the news…or, rather, out of it. Trump, both of whose hands have been covered in makeup lately, apparently to hide bruises, was supposed to have a meeting today with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil at 11:15 that was open to the press. The reporters waited three hours, but the event never happened. At 1:22, Trump’s social media account simply posted that “[t]he meeting went very well” and that representatives from the two countries would continue to meet.
Democracy Docket, Analysis: Virginia redistricting election nullified by state supreme court, Matthew Kupfer, May 8, 2026. In a major loss for Democrats, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled the congressional map voters approved last month to counter GOP gerrymanders cannot go into effect.
The decision overturns the will of voters for technical reasons and gives Republicans a leg up for the 2026 midterms, marking the end of the road in Virginia Democrats' effort to fight back against Republican gerrymandering nationwide. Today's decision from Virginia's highest court also follows a dangerous pattern of courts or GOP officials nullifying elections after they've been held, or halting them midway.
MS NOW, Opinion: Gen Z conservatives helped power Trump’s 2024 victory. Now some are wavering, Akayla Gardner, May 8, 2026. Brilyn Hollyhand, a 19-year-old conservative influencer, had just finished fielding questions from a room full of voting-age high school and college students in Ohio when he pulled out his phone to deliver a sharp warning to the Republican Party.
“If Republicans focus on everything except the economy going into November, we deserve to lose the midterms,” Hollyhand, former co-chair of the RNC’s youth council, said in a video posted to X and Instagram. “Gen Z doesn’t care about cultural-war wins. We don’t care about 20-point policy papers. We want solutions.”
In interviews with MS NOW, young conservative leaders echoed similar concerns about how cost-of-living frustrations — including soaring gas prices, elevated interest rates and an uncertain job market — could affect the voting group. Others are concerned about the U.S. conflict with Iran, which some described as a betrayal of Trump’s campaign vow to pursue “America First” policies.
The warning signs are real.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Trump’s Lose-Lose Abortion Dilemma, Andrew Egger, May 5, 2026. One of the million strange things about our political moment is how abortion politics has all but dropped out of it.
But abortion politics may be coming back. Red states with active abortion bans have been suing to end the chief federal policy blunting their anti-abortion efforts: a substantial Biden-era expansion of clinics’ ability to mail abortion drugs to patients without a physical visit. This Food and Drug Administration policy has meant that even living in a total-ban state is hardly a barrier to access: Women seeking abortions can simply request drugs from an out-of-state clinic and receive them discreetly by mail.
Last week, a federal court upended that uneasy status quo. In a case brought by the state of Louisiana, a New Orleans-based appeals court ruled unanimously that the FDA’s authorization of the telehealth prescription and nationwide mailing of mifepristone—one of two drugs typically taken in tandem to induce abortion—violated the state’s right to regulate the practice within its borders.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: One Speed Only, Andrew Egger, May 8, 2026. Something weird’s been happening lately. Donald Trump will be doing some unremarkable event surrounded with cheerful citizens, sometimes children. He makes small talk, banters with them, as one does. Only the small talk often turns out to be insane MAGA gobbledygook, like an in-person reenactment of Trump’s latest Truth Social rant.
Just this week, Trump staged an Oval Office event announcing his revival of the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, the annual grade-school fitness contest. “Barack Hussein Obama—have you heard of him?” the president groused to the kids around him. “The Obama administration phased out this wonderful tradition. Thank you, Barack, very much. Great job.” When one boy told him he was planning to try powerlifting, Trump immediately began yammering about the unfairness of biological males participating in women’s powerlifting—before suggesting he didn’t think this kid (who looked all of 13) would stoop to such tactics: “I don’t think we have to worry about you.”
Or consider last month, when Trump used an even more implausible event—the White House Easter Egg Roll—to share some of his favorite conspiracy theories about Joe Biden. “He was incapable of signing his name, so they’d follow him around with a big machine,” Trump told a table of coloring children. “Do you know what it was called? An autopen. He’d have the autopen sign for him. . . . That’s not too good, right?”
Or how about his tax-week stunt with DoorDash? Trump’s choreographed “delivery” last month of McDonald’s to the White House was supposed to be a straightforward victory lap on his affordability accomplishments for service workers. Instead, Trump peppered “DoorDash Grandma” Sharon Simmons with questions about whether she’d voted for him and whether men should play in women’s sports. “I really don’t have an opinion on that,” Simmons demurred. “I’m here about no tax on tips.”
Now Andrew, you might say, this is not new. And you’d be right, to a point: Trump has a longstanding habit of injecting his particular manias into even the most incongruous proceedings: During last year’s Thanksgiving Turkey Pardoning, Trump joked that “some of my more enthusiastic staffers” had been drafting paperwork to ship the turkeys “straight to the terrorist confinement center in El Salvador.” Already during Trump’s first term, it was a running joke that he could never hold himself in the register of respectability for long—and that it was some monumental accomplishment when he could make it the length of a full speech without major incident (“today is the day Trump truly became president”).
We’ve been pointing this out for years. To get the best Trump coverage in the business, become a Bulwark+ member.Subscribed
But what we see now is different. It isn’t just that Trump can’t keep his id under control for long stretches of time. These days, it seems, he can’t sublimate it at all.
We could spend productive hours speculating about why this is—the weakening impulse control of advanced age, the brain-puddinging effect of being surrounded at all times by bowing, scraping yes-men. Or maybe it’s just the same solipsism and monomania Trump’s been carrying around in his skull all along: He is so incapable of imagining the world as others see it that he actually thinks kids want to yuk it up with him about trans sports and autopens.
Whatever the psychological explanation, Trump’s growing inability to turn off The Trump Show™, even in short bursts, couldn’t be coming at a worse time for him politically. As a person, as a leader, as the head of a political project, Trump has rarely been less popular: Nate Silver’s polling aggregator puts him at just 39 percent approving, with 57.6 percent disagreeing.
Presidents are not without tools to try to fight against headwinds like these. That’s the whole point of all these smaller events: To try to show different (less odious?) sides of the president’s personality, or at least to remind voters of specific things they’ve liked that he’s done.
But successfully pulling off a strategy like this would require Trump to exercise a little self-discipline—to recede into the background, to keep a hold on his tongue, to let his strategists take the lead for a change. It would require him to admit to himself that his stream-of-consciousness shtick—his secret sauce, his essential himness that has kept him in the driver’s seat of American politics for a decade—might not be what this moment calls for.
It is, in a word, impossible. Trump always deeply resents being told what he can and can’t say. Even now, even when it is obviously and enormously in his interest to do so, he either can’t or won’t clam up—which, for a man as enslaved by his own vices as Trump is, has always amounted to the same thing.
America, to its increasing distaste, has the sort of president who spends his days nattering insanely to children about the elections that have been stolen from him and the suspiciously ethnic middle names of his predecessors. And the president seems determined not to let them forget it.
The Contrarian, Opinion:Our Perilous Succession Process, Norman Ornstein, right, and Thurgood Marshall, Jr., May 8, 2026. It's well past time to bring our system of government continuity into the 21st Century.
Less than two weeks ago, the nation could have woken up with ninety-two-year-old President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Charles Grassley of Iowa, as our commander in chief. Lost in the clamor over the tumult at the White House Correspondents Dinner is that nearly everyone in the presidential line of succession was in the Washington Hilton Ballroom — the Vice President, the Speaker of the House, and the Cabinet. There was no designated survivor, as we have at the State of the Union messages (and which became popularized with the TV series of the same name). The only one in the line not there was Chuck Grassley. If the attack had been more serious — if they all had been wiped out — the nonagenarian would have been acting president for the next 33-plus months. It is past time to change this process and eliminate the possibility, while bringing presidential succession into the 21st Century.
Grassley, when asked, said he would have been up to the job. Anyone watching the Senate would not be so confident. But, capable or not, this possibility would not be in the national interest. The potential raises again the real issue of continuity of government that has been unaddressed for decades, and which cries out for real reform in presidential succession. Following the shooting at the White House Correspondent Dinner, Senator Charles Grassley, age 92, could have become our commander in chief (Credit: Senator Alan Armstrong)
Thurgood Marshall, Jr. dealt with continuity of government issues when he served as Secretary to the Cabinet under President Clinton. Norman Ornstein, in the aftermath of 9/11, helped create a Continuity of Government Commission to deal with the gaps in the Constitution and law involving all three branches, and helped reconstitute the Commission in 2022.
We both know that our current situation is not tenable.
The last reform of presidential succession came in 1947. President Harry Truman had travelled shortly after the war ended to Potsdam, along with his Secretary of State. With no vice president and a still-shaky level of post-war security, Truman felt that reform was needed. In 1886, Congress changed the original line and removed the two congressional leaders, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and Speaker of the House. Truman felt that if the need came to trigger succession, it would be better to have elected representatives than unelected Cabinet members; the change he proposed flipped them, putting the speaker right after the VP, followed by the Senate figure, and then the cabinet in order of creation of the office. Truman’s rationale was that the speaker is closer to the people, but it was also the case that he had far more regard for Speaker Sam Rayburn than he did for Senate President Pro Tempore Kenneth McKellar.
After 9/11, it became clear that the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 was obsolete, starting with the fact that everyone in the line resides in Washington; the threat of a mass terrorist attack revealed a vulnerability that needed to be addressed. And at the same time, there were serious questions about whether it is either constitutional or wise to have members of Congress in the line of succession. Members of Congress are legislative actors, not a part of the executive branch, while the Constitution specifies that those in the line should be “Officers,” meaning executive officials; the workaround was to require the Speaker to resign from the House (or the Senate Pro Tem to resign from the Senate) to take the post, even if it were temporary, and to be designated as officers.
There were other problems. Congressional leaders could, of course, be from the opposite party of the president — and if the president and vice president were killed or incapacitated, it would reverse the results of voters. At the same time, there were obvious conflicts of interest involved. To pick the most pungent example, when President Andrew Johnson was impeached by the House in 1868, he avoided removal from office by one vote. Among those who voted for removal was Senate President Pro Tempore Benjamin Wade who, because there was no vice president, would have ascended to the presidency if Johnson had been removed.
There was one more glitch. In 1947, there were concerns that Congress might be out of session or the speaker might be far away from Washington, with the need to fill the presidency immediately. To keep the potential of distance from permanently violating the line, the act stated that if a speaker was not available, or declined initially to resign from Congress, that individual at any subsequent point could bump the acting president and assume the office. Of course, that created an immense conflict of interest — a speaker could suggest to the acting president that if he or she did not do what the speaker wanted, the speaker would take the White House job.
The initial Continuity of Government Commission issued a report on presidential succession recommending, among other things, that there be alternatives to the Cabinet outside of Washington, nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate as officers, and that congressional leaders be removed from the line. The successor commission simply said that congressional leaders should be removed and the line after the vice president should be the cabinet. There were (in both commission reports) additional recommendations about issues like presidential incapacity.Subscribed
Unfortunately, nothing came of either report or of any recommendations, beyond a number of process and staffing refinements. We continue to be stuck with the 1947 law. Congressional leaders are not eager to give up this potential power and role, and the willingness of the contemporary Congress to deal with a theoretical concern, no matter how problematic the existing system, is nil.
Partisanship and the threat of litigation raise more hurdles, even for something as simple as changing the norm of choosing as President Pro Tempore the most senior member of the majority party — hence the ninety-two-year-old Grassley — to someone better prepared to be president.
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner made it alarmingly clear that we need to revisit presidential succession. If Congress is unwilling to remove its leaders from the line, at minimum, the act should elucidate that first in line after the vice president should be the House leader of the president’s party, and that next in line should be the Senate leader of the president’s party, not the oldest senator in the majority.
The two Continuity Commissions had a wide range of members, spanning both parties and the widest range of ideologies; the recommendations of both were adopted unanimously. Presidential succession is not and should not be viewed through partisan or ideological lenses. Even this deeply divided Congress should be able to deal with this issue once and for all.
Norman Ornstein is a renowned political scientist, co-host of the podcast “Words Matter,” and author of books, including “It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism.”
New York Times, Opinion: The Kind of Men Who Flummox Trump, David French, right, May 8, 2026. The Iran war has revealed President Trump’s true weakness. There is a kind of person who truly flummoxes Trump, the person he just can’t understand — the true believer.
Trump’s central political insight (and perhaps his key political advantage) is that he understood that Americans weren’t quite cynical enough about many of our politicians. As much as we already thought they placed power over principle, we didn’t know the half of it. He could see our politicians more clearly than we could — perhaps because he’d spent a lifetime in their presence, writing them large checks while hearing their empty promises.
And he showed it by placing a big carrot and a giant stick in front of the Republican political class, and then we watched as virtually everyone fell in line.
It’s worth emphasizing the size of the carrot and the stick. First, the carrot: Joining with Trump doesn’t just mean that you gain access to the room where it happens, to use Lin-Manuel Miranda’s memorable phrase. For a substantial number of supporters, it means access to a degree of autonomy and impunity that’s virtually unknown in modern American politics.
As Corey Lewandowski was reported to have said when he was at the Department of Homeland Security, “I’m not worried. I do whatever the f — k I want. DJT will pardon me.” Joining with Trump gave Republican elites access to wealth and power more reminiscent of a banana republic than a constitutional democracy.
But it was about more than just joining with Trump — the deeper your devotion, the greater your opportunity. Deep devotion, not personal accomplishment, became the single most important qualification for high office. Write a series of children’s books praising “King Donald,” for example, and you can become F.B.I. director.
Conversely, break with Trump, and you’d face a personal and professional apocalypse. Republican state senators in Indiana learned that lesson once again on Tuesday night — most of the Republicans who refused to redistrict the state to make it more favorable to their party lost their primaries, and it wasn’t close.
Trump is not a man who values dissent, to put it mildly. The idea of a “team of rivals” is completely alien to him. Talk to virtually any prominent person who breaks with Trump, and they can tell you stories of terrifying days and sleepless nights as MAGA’s minions made their lives a living hell.
At the core of Trump’s worldview is a belief that the world is a fundamentally transactional place, and that everyone has a price.Editors’ PicksI Regret to Inform You of the Better Face Inside Your FaceHow Ancient Centipede Ancestors Conquered the EarthWhat Doctors Want You to Know About Cannabis and Health
The Republican Party has done nothing to disabuse him of the notion. Even the religious leaders around him are fundamentally transactional. As they’ve demonstrated, they’ll put up with virtually any behavior from Trump so long as he delivers on a few, simple promises. And now — especially when it comes to abortion — he doesn’t even have to deliver on those. For some it seems as if access to power alone is compensation enough.Sign up for the Opinion Today newsletter Get expert analysis of the news and a guide to the big ideas shaping the world every weekday morning. Get it sent to your inbox.
The key to Trump’s power isn’t just that he accurately sensed that much of the Republican establishment paid lip service to principle but really cared about power — it’s that he knew millions upon millions of voters possessed similar values. Their commitments to character or ideology took a back seat to the simple desire to defeat their opponents. The most important thing was to win. Anything else was a luxury.
And, in a strange way, they appreciated him for his brazenness. In this cynical view, all politicians are, deep down, just like Trump. They were faking their dedication to principle. As for Trump, he was the honest crook. He was like the mob boss who didn’t insult our intelligence by pretending to be in the sanitation business.
Like calls out to like, and over time Trump has built one of the most purely transactional coalitions in politics. It should surprise no one that prosperity gospel pastors were among the first Christians to answer Trump’s call. Their entire religion is transactional — with God dispensing health and wealth in direct response to the financial donations of the faithful.
Nor should we be surprised that such a substantial proportion of the nation’s tech moguls found their way to MAGA. Forget culture, their politics are downstream of commerce, and Trump has promised crypto and A.I. riches to all those who fall in line behind him.
From pardons to prediction markets, the transactional nature of the Trump administration is perhaps its most obvious characteristic. And transactional people often soothe their own consciences with the belief that everyone else is ultimately transactional as well — the only question is their price.
But that’s wrong. Not everyone is transactional. Some people — for better and for worse — actually have beliefs that they’re willing to die for, and Trump is painfully, obviously baffled when he encounters belief like that.
It’s embarrassing, for example, to watch him flail his way through the Iran war, shifting strategies, objectives and timelines sometimes by the day. It’s obvious that he thought Iran would be another Venezuela. In Venezuela, he was able to capture the leader and then more or less bend the remaining regime elements to his will, at least for now.
But in Iran, he helped Israel decapitate virtually all of the nation’s senior leadership, and the rest of the regime seems to have become more intransigent and less willing to negotiate. Even worse, he also seems to have enabled the most fanatical elements of the regime — the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps — rather than the slightly more moderate clerics.
In response, Trump plays the only cards he knows how to play — alternating between threatening death and destruction and proposing business deals. Remember when he considered a “joint venture” to control the Strait of Hormuz with Iran?
It turns out that there is an immense difference between your median South American autocracy and Twelver Shi’ism, the dominant religion of the Iranian regime. Threatening death to people who are willing to die for their cause doesn’t have the same effect as threatening people who seek mainly wealth and power. They are also quite willing to make other people die for their cause as well — and that means the Iranian regime (like Vladimir Putin’s Russia) will endure catastrophic casualties without shaking its commitment or tempting it to yield.
Why hasn’t Trump been able to force an end to the Ukraine war? There are true believers on both sides. The Ukrainians won’t willingly yield an inch to the man who wants to destroy them, and Putin is infused with his own sense of religious purpose and historic destiny.
Again, this true belief can be good or bad. Ukraine’s zealous defense of its own liberty and independence is heroic and deeply virtuous. So is Denmark’s defense of its own sovereignty in the face of Trump’s bullying. In fact, much of Western Europe was transactional with Trump until they realized the price of dealing with Trump was simply too high to pay.
They thought they could hunker down and weather another Trump term, but he created a crisis so grave that Europe had to stand if it wanted to preserve any shred of dignity and independence.
The pope’s steadfast adherence to Catholic doctrine is yet another example. One gets the sense that he’s almost amused at the idea that Trump’s bellicose rhetoric should have any influence at all on his public professions of Christian faith.
At home, Trump has obviously been flummoxed by judges who stubbornly stick to principle and seem immune to his bluster. Constitutional fidelity is alien to him. He cannot understand why the justices he appointed will not do exactly what he wants.
At the same time, it’s no coincidence that the members of the MAGA coalition who are most apt to break with him are the cranks and conspiracists — people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Alex Jones and even Tucker Carlson. They came into the MAGA coalition as true believers, and they’re the ones who seem genuinely outraged when Trump breaks his promises and betrays their trust.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the last 10 years of American political life has been the way that Trump has exposed layers of differences in American life beyond right versus left. In fact, in many ways right versus left has been the least consequential aspect of the American divide. The Republican Party bears little ideological resemblance to the G.O.P. of even the very recent past.
Instead, it’s been between decent and indecent. Honest and dishonest. Transactional and principled.
The first Trump administration was a complex hybrid of all these characteristics. The president’s indecency and dishonesty were paramount, of course, but for years they existed side-by-side with the integrity of Jim Mattis, for example, and in the run-up to Jan. 6 and on the day itself, Trump encountered the lines that Mike Pence would not cross.
There is no Mattis or Pence in the present administration, and that doesn’t just mean that Trump’s id and impulses are unrestrained; it also means that he’s staffed his administration with people who can’t even comprehend integrity, much less genuine belief.
It’s not that you can’t negotiate with people who possess real convictions. Of course you can. But the nature of the negotiation is entirely different. You have to take into account the other side’s values. You have to know their red lines. And you have to know that they can’t be personally bought. If a person genuinely believes their soul is at stake, then no amount of money or power can compensate them for an eternity in hell.
As Trump has concentrated the most transactional figures in American politics into his coalition, it’s clear that they’ve created their own alternate reality — where everyone is like them, willing to surrender even their deepest values (if they even have deep values) when the price is right.
Yet that alternate reality was never going to hold. Trump was always going to confront true believers, and it is quite plain that MAGA is now fighting forces of both good and evil that it can’t even begin to understand.
U.S. Education, Culture, Media
New York Times, U.S. Schools Face a Crisis as the Number of Children Drops, Sarah Mervosh, Francesca Paris and Claire Cain Miller, May 8, 2026. With fewer students, many public school districts are confronting unfilled classrooms, and hard choices about school closures.
As American women have fewer babies each year, the number of young children in the United States is dwindling. The trend is now catching up to the nation’s public school districts.
There are simply fewer children to attend school in America today: The number of public school students in kindergarten through 12th grade has fallen in 30 states since the mid-2010s.
Enrollment in U.S. public schools plunged during the pandemic. Public schools lost more than a million students.
But elementary school enrollment was falling even before the pandemic, largely because of declining fertility.
Source: National Center for Education StatisticsU.S. Schools Face a Crisis as the Number of Children Drops - The New York Times
Declining enrollment has hit many of the nation’s largest urban school districts, including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, a New York Times analysis found. But smaller and suburban districts are shrinking at a similar rate.
Fewer students means less funding, which is tied to enrollment numbers. Many districts are now facing painful budget cuts — and heated conversations about whether to close schools.
Several factors are affecting enrollment. For cities, housing costs and other expenses are driving some families out. The recent crackdown on immigration means fewer children are arriving from other countries, a demographic that had buoyed enrollment nationwide.
Many public school districts also lost students during the pandemic, and are now facing more competition than ever, from private schools, home-schooling, charter schools and virtual schools.
Data suggests that U.S. private schools had a small bump in enrollment during the pandemic, though it is unclear how much that has been sustained. This includes Catholic schools, where enrollment increased during the pandemic, but has declined overall over the last decade. Private schools are also set to benefit from new school voucher programs in many states, which help families pay for private education.
But experts say the biggest factor in declining enrollment is the record-low U.S. fertility rate. It most recently peaked in 2007, and has fallen 24 percent since then.
As children in that age cohort grow up — many babies born in 2007 graduated from high school in 2025 — there are fewer students to replace them. Projections from the National Center for Education Statistics, a research arm of the Department of Education, suggest that enrollment will keep falling in coming years.
Global News
New York Times, News Analysis: China Sees a ‘Giant With a Limp’ as U.S. Drains Weapons on Iran War, David Pierson and Berry Wang, May 8, 2026. America’s ability to deter China in a war over Taiwan is weakened, Chinese analysts say, giving Beijing leverage in an upcoming summit with President Trump.
A grinding war in Iran has so severely drained American firepower that Chinese analysts are openly questioning Washington’s ability to defend Taiwan. That shifting calculus threatens to undercut President Trump’s leverage in his high-stakes summit next week with China’s top leader, Xi Jinping.
Since the war began in late February, the United States has burned through around half of its long-range stealth cruise missiles and fired off roughly 10 times the number of Tomahawk cruise missiles it currently buys each year, according to internal Defense Department estimates and congressional officials.
To some Chinese military and geopolitical analysts, the war has done more than deplete U.S. munitions stockpiles, it has also shattered America’s aura of dominance. They argue that it has exposed a major flaw in U.S. war strategy: its inability to make weapons quickly enough to replenish its arsenal in a sustained, intense conflict.
This depletion “has significantly diminished the U.S. military’s ability to project its combat power, laying bare the shortcomings of its global military hegemony,” said Yue Gang, a retired colonel of the People’s Liberation Army, in an interview.
Such arguments help fuel a narrative among hawkish Chinese commentators, and potentially in the government, that American forces could no longer effectively defend Taiwan should the United States and China ever go to war over the self-governed island. The logic of Chinese nationalists is that since the United States has been unable to achieve a quick victory against Iran, a regional military power, then it would most likely have even less success against China, which the analysts see as a peer competitor.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: One Speed Only, Andrew Egger, May 8, 2026. Something weird’s been happening lately. Donald Trump will be doing some unremarkable event surrounded with cheerful citizens, sometimes children. He makes small talk, banters with them, as one does. Only the small talk often turns out to be insane MAGA gobbledygook, like an in-person reenactment of Trump’s latest Truth Social rant.
Just this week, Trump staged an Oval Office event announcing his revival of the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, the annual grade-school fitness contest. “Barack Hussein Obama—have you heard of him?” the president groused to the kids around him. “The Obama administration phased out this wonderful tradition. Thank you, Barack, very much. Great job.” When one boy told him he was planning to try powerlifting, Trump immediately began yammering about the unfairness of biological males participating in women’s powerlifting—before suggesting he didn’t think this kid (who looked all of 13) would stoop to such tactics: “I don’t think we have to worry about you.”
Or consider last month, when Trump used an even more implausible event—the White House Easter Egg Roll—to share some of his favorite conspiracy theories about Joe Biden. “He was incapable of signing his name, so they’d follow him around with a big machine,” Trump told a table of coloring children. “Do you know what it was called? An autopen. He’d have the autopen sign for him. . . . That’s not too good, right?”
Or how about his tax-week stunt with DoorDash? Trump’s choreographed “delivery” last month of McDonald’s to the White House was supposed to be a straightforward victory lap on his affordability accomplishments for service workers. Instead, Trump peppered “DoorDash Grandma” Sharon Simmons with questions about whether she’d voted for him and whether men should play in women’s sports. “I really don’t have an opinion on that,” Simmons demurred. “I’m here about no tax on tips.”
Now Andrew, you might say, this is not new. And you’d be right, to a point: Trump has a longstanding habit of injecting his particular manias into even the most incongruous proceedings: During last year’s Thanksgiving Turkey Pardoning, Trump joked that “some of my more enthusiastic staffers” had been drafting paperwork to ship the turkeys “straight to the terrorist confinement center in El Salvador.” Already during Trump’s first term, it was a running joke that he could never hold himself in the register of respectability for long—and that it was some monumental accomplishment when he could make it the length of a full speech without major incident (“today is the day Trump truly became president”).
We’ve been pointing this out for years. To get the best Trump coverage in the business, become a Bulwark+ member.Subscribed
But what we see now is different. It isn’t just that Trump can’t keep his id under control for long stretches of time. These days, it seems, he can’t sublimate it at all.
We could spend productive hours speculating about why this is—the weakening impulse control of advanced age, the brain-puddinging effect of being surrounded at all times by bowing, scraping yes-men. Or maybe it’s just the same solipsism and monomania Trump’s been carrying around in his skull all along: He is so incapable of imagining the world as others see it that he actually thinks kids want to yuk it up with him about trans sports and autopens.
Whatever the psychological explanation, Trump’s growing inability to turn off The Trump Show™, even in short bursts, couldn’t be coming at a worse time for him politically. As a person, as a leader, as the head of a political project, Trump has rarely been less popular: Nate Silver’s polling aggregator puts him at just 39 percent approving, with 57.6 percent disagreeing.
Presidents are not without tools to try to fight against headwinds like these. That’s the whole point of all these smaller events: To try to show different (less odious?) sides of the president’s personality, or at least to remind voters of specific things they’ve liked that he’s done.
But successfully pulling off a strategy like this would require Trump to exercise a little self-discipline—to recede into the background, to keep a hold on his tongue, to let his strategists take the lead for a change. It would require him to admit to himself that his stream-of-consciousness shtick—his secret sauce, his essential himness that has kept him in the driver’s seat of American politics for a decade—might not be what this moment calls for.
It is, in a word, impossible. Trump always deeply resents being told what he can and can’t say. Even now, even when it is obviously and enormously in his interest to do so, he either can’t or won’t clam up—which, for a man as enslaved by his own vices as Trump is, has always amounted to the same thing.
America, to its increasing distaste, has the sort of president who spends his days nattering insanely to children about the elections that have been stolen from him and the suspiciously ethnic middle names of his predecessors. And the president seems determined not to let them forget it.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Post Imperium Americanum, Joe Perticone, May 8, 2026. A little more than one year ago, I was walking along the Tiber River in Rome when my phone buzzed with a push alert announcing the death of Pope Francis. A week later, Vatican City swelled with Catholic pilgrims, dignitaries, and tourists for his funeral, which added another layer of logistical stress to my wedding the same day at the nearby Basilica di San Silvestro in Capite.
Then, exactly one year ago today, the conclave reached their decision: Chicago-born Robert Prevost would become the next leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. Since then, Pope Leo XIV’s papacy has created a surge in Catholic enthusiasm and engagement in the United States and elsewhere. Baptisms are skyrocketing in the United States. Anecdotally, I’ve never seen Masses more packed than they are now every Sunday. If you arrive five minutes late, it’s standing room only.
Leo has also been unapologetically critical of U.S. foreign and domestic policies, which have been violent and erratic during Donald Trump’s second term in office. Trump has routinely responded with lies about the pope’s personal views, while others in his administration have butted heads with the Church and its leadership. On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ventured to the Vatican to meet with the pope. Afterward, the Holy See issued a statement emphasizing the “need to work tirelessly in favor of peace.”
It’s important to not view Leo’s papacy as a response to American authoritarianism, even if he often finds himself responding to the Trump administration’s statements and behavior. That the conclave elected a U.S.-born cardinal actually speaks more to the United States’s irrelevance to Church matters. Shortly after Prevost became Pope Leo, Antonio De Loera-Brust recalled in the Jesuit America Magazine something a priest once told him: “Catholicism outlived the Roman Empire. We’ll outlive the American Empire, too.”
AROUND THE BULWARK
into Receipts Live at 12:30 p.m. eastern time.Quick Hits
RE-UN-LIBERATED: When the Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs this year, the president remained defiant: He’d just put the same tariffs back in place, he said, using different trade authorities. So far, however, that strategy’s not going so well, either. Yesterday, a panel of judges at the U.S. Court of International Trade struck down Trump’s replacement tariff regime as well, ruling that these tariffs also exceeded his authority under the statute he’d used to authorize them. The ruling even orders the administration to refund payments already made under these new tariffs.
Trump is, of course, expected to appeal. And he’s going back to the drawing board as well: “Nothing surprises me with the courts,” he told reporters last night. “Nothing surprises me, so we always do it a different way. We get one ruling, and we do it a different way.”
TRUMP’S WIND FATWA: America may be in a growing energy crunch, but Donald Trump will be damned if he’ll let a little thing like that stop his jihad against the wind industry. Despite losing in court many, many times in his attempts to unilaterally grind all new wind-power construction to a halt, climate publication Heatmap News reports, Trump is now reaching for his most far-reaching anti-wind strategy yet: smothering the industry by declaring basically all new turbine construction a threat to commercial flights on a case-by-case basis. Here’s Heatmap:
Since the early days of Trump 2.0, renewable energy industry insiders have been quietly skittish about a potential secret weapon: the Federal Aviation Administration. Any structure taller than 200 feet must be approved to not endanger commercial planes—that’s an FAA job. If the FAA decided to indefinitely seize up the so-called “no hazard” determinations process, legal and policy experts have told me it would potentially pose an existential risk to all future wind development.
Well, this is now the strategy Trump is apparently taking. Over the weekend, news broke that the Defense Department is refusing to sign off on things required to complete the FAA clearance process. . . . Over the past few weeks, according to ACP, this once-routine process has fully deteriorated and companies are operating with the understanding FAA approvals are on pause because the Department of Defense (or War, if you ask the administration) refuses to sign off on anything. The military is given the authority to weigh in and veto these decisions through a siting clearinghouse process established under federal statute. But the trade group told me this standstill includes projects where there are no obvious impacts to military operations, meaning there aren’t even any bases or defense-related structures nearby.
One energy industry lawyer who requested anonymity to speak candidly on the FAA problems told me, “This is the strategy for how you kill an industry while losing every case: just keep coming at the industry. Create an uninvestable climate and let the chips fall where they may.”
May 7
Top Headlines
May 7, 2026. The United States has resumed strikes on Iran. Kash Patel is reportedly ordering polygraphs for top FBI officials amid growing paranoia over leaks. A federal court has struck down Trump’s backup tariffs. I also obtained exclusive reporting on a massive cyberattack affecting Columbia University and campuses across the country. Meanwhile, the Trump administration cut funding for critical hantavirus research that could have helped during the deadly outbreak that is unfolding. And there is much more still developing.
, Shell Reports Nearly $7 Billion Profit Amid ‘Unprecedented Disruption,’ Gregory Schmidt, May 7, 2026. The oil giant’s earnings in the first three months of the year were more than double the previous quarter’s and follow similarly strong results of European rivals.May 7, 2026. New data suggests social media algorithms didn’t just influence voters; they may have tilted the entire outcome…More News Roundups
In a stunning geopolitical shift, key U.S. allies in the Gulf are reportedly refusing to allow Trump to use their military bases or airspace for military operations. At the same time, Trump’s own advisers are reportedly warning that rising gas prices and the Iran conflict could devastate Republican chances in the midterms. Emerging U.S. Scandals
Politico, FBI raids office of Dem state lawmaker in Virginia who led redistricting efforts, Gregory Svirnovskiy, May 7, 2026 (print ed.). The maps championed by state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, shown above, gives Democrats the advantage in four congressional seats.
against the GOP in redistricting efforts was connected to a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner three days later.Donald Trump points.May 7, 2026. Insider traders keep making a killing at our expense. 
May 7, 2026. At 6:05 in the morning on January 14th, FBI agents arrived at the door of a home in Alexandria, Virginia. The woman inside was 29 years old. And what happened next was a defining moment in the United States of America.May 7, 2026. In an attempt to disclaim that local prosecutors decided to charge Jim Comey for posting a picture of seashells were engaged in political prosecution, Todd Blanche invoked, as proof, a claim that he doesn’t know the local prosecutors who are charging it.and Rebecca Crosby, May 7, 2026. "So forget what we told you. It ain’t worth squat." Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for moreMore On Iran War
May 7, 2026. There were several stories yesterday that revealed details about Trump’s failing Iran war.U.S. Elections, Politics, Governance
This shows the current congressional map for Tennessee maps, which includes one seat (shown in blue) surrounding the predominately pro-Democrat city of Memphis. The new map will split the city into fragments so that voting can be dominated by pro-Republican surrounding areas, just like the Republican legislature did previously with the predominately Democratic city of Nashville, Normally in U.S. governance, House maps are revised once a decade, as in 2020 or 2030, not in mid-decade to secure House majorities as President Trump has sought, backed by his six fellow Republican U.S. Supreme Court justices (New York Times map)
May 7, 2026. It has not been a banner day for members of the Trump administration.U.S. Inflation, Markets, Economy, Jobs
Top Stories
New York Times, Jack Smith Calls the Justice Dept. ‘Corrupted’ by Trump and His Allies, Glenn Thrush, May 7, 2026 (print ed.). At a private event in Washington last month, Mr. Smith, the former special counsel (shown above left), accused Justice Department leaders of targeting people for prosecution to please and impress the president.
Jack Smith, the special counsel who twice indicted President Trump, accused the Justice Department of having been “corrupted” by Trump loyalists he claimed were demolishing its credibility and seeking to undermine the rule of law.
Mr. Smith’s remarks, made last month in a private discussion at the Cosmos Club in Washington, represented his sharpest criticism of the department since leaving his post early last year. They came at a time when Mr. Trump is demanding Mr. Smith be prosecuted for his work as special counsel — an outcome Mr. Smith believes is likely, according to people familiar with his thinking.
“We have a Department of Justice today that targets people for criminal prosecution simply because the president doesn’t like them,” Mr. Smith said in the hourlong discussion on April 20, according to a video obtained by The New York Times.
Mr. Smith, speaking in the deliberate cadence of a prosecutor delivering a closing argument, cited what he cast as the wholesale erosion of the department’s tradition of independence from the White House. “We have a department that fails to investigate cases because they might uncover facts that are inconvenient narratives the president would like to press,” he said.
“We have a department that fails to move on cases because they might uncover facts that are inconvenient to narratives the president would like to press,” added Mr. Smith, who was appointed in late 2022 to investigate Mr. Trump’s post-presidency retention of government documents and his push to overturn the 2020 election.Videotranscript0:00/0:22Video footage the Cosmos Club shared with its members and attendees of a private event where the former special counsel Jack Smith spoke.
Asked to comment, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department, Emily Covington, said, “I would expect nothing less from Jack Smith.”
The New York Times obtained a video of the event — an hourlong session in front of 300 people that included an opening speech and a brief question period — that was sent to club members and attendees.
The video offers a rare glimpse of the typically tight-lipped prosecutor, who has confined his comments to congressional testimony and closed events in an effort to defend himself against attacks by the president and his allies.
Mr. Smith told the audience, which included former Justice Department officials, that he remained optimistic that the institution could be recommitted to its nonpartisan mission, even though it had “been corrupted over the last year” by Trump appointees he said were more eager to impress their boss than follow laws, rules and norms.
Now, given the way the department has been corrupted over the last year, I understand it’s very easy to be cynical, to be skeptical about the future. I know in chatting with some folks at the dinner tonight, there have been expressions of how terrible things are and where do we go from here. I believe that we’re going to come through this better. And I believe the department ultimately will come through this better.
Mr. Smith declared that the department had been “corrupted” over the last year, according to footage the Cosmos Club shared with members and attendees.
Mr. Smith said it had become “difficult to track” the number of times federal judges had accused Justice Department officials of dishonesty or lack of candor since Mr. Trump returned to office.
He expressed solidarity with department employees who had quit or been forced out during the Trump administration. Efforts to portray them as Democratic partisans, he suggested, were part of a larger push by Mr. Trump to undermine the criminal justice system for political gain.
“To erode the rule of law in our country, you need to attack these people, and that is what we have seen since January of 2025,” Mr. Smith said, adding, “This attack on public servants — it’s not a byproduct of the attack on the rule of law. It is a central component of it.”
The Parnas Perspective, Evening News and Comment, U.S. Begins Strikes on Iran Again, Kash Patel Paranoid and Orders Polygraphs, Court Strikes Down Trump's Backup Tariffs, Aaron Parnas, right, May 7, 2026. The United States has resumed strikes on Iran. Kash Patel is reportedly ordering polygraphs for top FBI officials amid growing paranoia over leaks. A federal court has struck down Trump’s backup tariffs. I also obtained exclusive reporting on a massive cyberattack affecting Columbia University and campuses across the country. Meanwhile, the Trump administration cut funding for critical hantavirus research that could have helped during the deadly outbreak that is unfolding. And there is much more still developing.
Here’s the news:
The United States military has resumed strikes against Iran, but according to Axios, this is not a resumption of the war (despite bombings being an act of war)
A U.S. trade court has ruled against Donald Trump’s sweeping, backup 10% global tariff, finding the administration overstepped its authority. The court said the across-the-board tariffs were not justified under the 1970s trade law invoked by the administration.
A Columbia student has sent me the following screenshot of what appears to be a large-scale hack of the University’s learning software. Students cannot access Canvas at this time.
A canceled U.S.-funded research program may have helped scientists better understand the rare Andes strain of hantavirus now linked to a deadly cruise ship outbreak. The Trump administration cut funding in 2025 for a network studying viruses that jump from animals to humans, including hantaviruses capable of limited person-to-person spread. Researchers say the project would not necessarily have prevented the outbreak aboard the MV Hondius, but it could have improved scientific understanding of how the virus spreads and how to respond to future outbreaks. The controversy has renewed debate over federal cuts to infectious disease surveillance and pandemic preparedness as health officials monitor passengers who left the ship before the outbreak was identified.
According to MS Now, Kash Patel has reportedly ordered polygraph tests for more than two dozen current and former members of his security detail and staff as part of an aggressive effort to identify alleged leaks within the FBI. According to reports, Patel has become increasingly isolated from some senior bureau officials following a series of damaging media stories about his leadership, travel, and personal conduct. Critics inside the bureau are said to fear the investigations could intimidate employees and politicize internal operations, especially because some leak probes reportedly involve scrutiny of journalist contacts.
The Washington Post has obtained newly delivered CIA assessment reportedly concludes that Iran could withstand the current U.S. naval blockade for another three to four months before experiencing significantly deeper economic pain.
The finding challenges public claims that Iran is on the verge of rapid collapse. According to U.S. intelligence cited in the report, Iran still possesses roughly 75% of its pre-war mobile missile launchers and about 70% of its missile stockpile. Officials also believe the regime has restored some underground storage facilities and repaired damaged missile systems. The assessment contrasts sharply with recent statements from Donald Trump, who described Iran’s economy and military capabilities as being in near-total decline.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said current national gas prices averaging about $4.55 per gallon are “in a good place” and encouraged Americans to travel by car during the summer. His comments come amid ongoing public concern over fuel costs and inflation, with critics arguing that prices remain burdensome for many households.
The World Health Organization says a deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius highlights the importance of international health cooperation, as the U.S. and Argentina move forward with plans to leave the WHO. The outbreak has killed three people and infected at least five others, with health officials monitoring passengers who returned to several U.S. states after exposure to the Andes strain, a rare form of hantavirus capable of person-to-person transmission. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said WHO and U.S. CDC officials are still collaborating closely on containment and repatriation efforts despite political tensions over the agency. U.S. officials say the risk to the general public remains low, though some experts worry cuts to federal health agencies could weaken the long-term outbreak response capacity.
Former special counsel Jack Smith reportedly accused the Justice Department of being “corrupted” by allies of Donald Trump during a private speech in Washington, arguing that prosecutors are now targeting critics and avoiding investigations that could politically harm the president. Smith said attacks on career public servants and federal investigators are part of a broader effort to weaken the rule of law and undermine institutional independence.
His remarks mark some of his strongest public criticism since leaving office and come as Trump and his allies continue pushing for investigations into Smith himself. The comments highlight escalating tensions between former Justice Department officials and the current administration over political influence, prosecutorial independence, and the future credibility of federal law enforcement institutions.
The Trump administration is backing a proposal that would allow Americans to mail handguns through the U.S. Postal Service for the first time since a 1927 federal restriction was enacted. The Justice Department argues the old ban violates the Second Amendment and says law-abiding gun owners should be able to ship concealable firearms under safety rules similar to those already used for rifles and shotguns. Democratic attorneys general from roughly two dozen states oppose the change, warning it could undermine state gun laws, increase illegal firearm trafficking, and complicate criminal investigations. Gun rights groups praised the proposal as a victory for constitutional rights, while gun safety advocates argued it could turn the postal system into a major channel for unregulated handgun distribution.
A planned White House press conference ahead of the bilateral meeting between Donald Trump and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was first delayed and then canceled entirely after the two leaders met privately. Footage shared by reporter Kellie Meyer showed members of the Brazilian press leaving the White House following the cancellation announcement.
The abrupt change fueled speculation about tensions or disagreements surrounding the meeting, though no official explanation was immediately provided. The canceled appearance denied reporters a chance to hear direct remarks or take questions from both presidents. The incident drew attention because joint press events are typically used to signal diplomatic alignment and cooperation. Here’s what Trump said after the meeting:
Tennessee Republicans approved a new congressional map that dismantles the state’s only majority-Black district, a Memphis-based seat currently represented by Democrat Steve Cohen. The redraw follows a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened Voting Rights Act protections against racial gerrymandering and is expected to help Republicans gain another House seat in the midterms. Democrats and protesters denounced the plan as a racially motivated power grab, leading to walkouts, chants, and disruptions inside the state Capitol.
French prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into Elon Musk, X, and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino after Musk reportedly failed to appear for a voluntary interview requested by authorities in Paris. The investigation stems from a broader cyber-prosecutor probe launched in 2025 into alleged abuses linked to the platform and its parent companies. Prosecutors said they are seeking to formally question or potentially charge 
Musk, X Corp, and related entities, emphasizing that the case is aimed at protecting victims of alleged online and offline criminal offenses.
The war involving Iran and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are reportedly causing a shortage of Diet Coke in India because the drink is sold there exclusively in aluminum cans. Delayed aluminum shipments from the Gulf, a major global production hub, have strained supply chains, leading Coca-Cola distributors to ration deliveries and leave some orders unfilled. The shortage highlights how broader geopolitical conflicts are now affecting everyday consumer goods and global packaging supplies. Retailers say Coca-Cola is increasingly pushing customers toward bottled alternatives like Coke Zero as production and transportation costs continue to rise.
The FBI is defending Director Kash Patel after reports claimed he distributed personalized whiskey bottles engraved with “Ka$h Patel FBI Director” branding to officials and associates. The FBI said the gifts were part of a long-standing tradition of commemorative exchanges within the bureau and insisted Patel followed ethics rules and personally reimbursed any private gifts. The controversy adds to a series of recent allegations involving Patel, including claims about his conduct during official travel and accusations that he has targeted journalists critical of him. Patel has strongly denied the allegations and is suing The Atlantic for defamation over earlier reporting about his behavior and alcohol use.
A federal appeals court appeared doubtful that the Pentagon can legally punish Mark Kelly for publicly telling service members they have the right to refuse illegal orders. The Trump administration had sought to censure Kelly, a retired Navy captain and former astronaut, arguing that retired military officers are still subject to military standards and can influence active-duty personnel. Judges questioned whether penalizing Kelly over comments rooted in established military law would violate First Amendment protections against political retaliation. The case has become a broader test of free speech rights for retired military officials and the limits of executive authority under the current administration.
A Defense Department inspector general declined to investigate a controversial military helicopter flyover at Kid Rock’s home after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he did not want the matter pursued. The incident involved a military helicopter hovering near Kid Rock’s property and later flying over an anti-Trump protest, prompting ethics watchdog CREW to raise concerns about misuse of military resources and taxpayer funds. CREW criticized the decision as undermining independent oversight, arguing it sets a troubling precedent if political appointees can effectively block investigations into themselves or allied figures. The episode has intensified broader concerns about accountability and politicization within the Defense Department under the current administration.
According to the Associated Press, the U.S. State Department will begin revoking passports from Americans who owe large amounts of unpaid child support, initially targeting people with debts exceeding $100,000 before expanding enforcement to anyone owing more than $2,500 under a long-standing federal law. Officials say the policy is designed to pressure delinquent parents into paying overdue support and has already prompted some people to settle their debts after news of the crackdown emerged. Those affected will lose the ability to travel internationally until their arrears are resolved, though Americans stranded abroad will still be able to obtain emergency documents to return home.
France is moving its aircraft carrier strike group, led by the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle, toward the Red Sea as part of preparations for a possible joint French-British mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz. French officials said the operation would be defensive and separate from the U.S.-led “Project Freedom,” with the goal of restoring confidence in maritime shipping after the Iran war disrupted global oil flows. Emmanuel Macron said the mission would only proceed if regional conditions stabilize and neighboring countries, including Iran, agree.
A former missionary tied to the Assemblies of God’s Chi Alpha ministry, Daniel Savala, pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two boys and was sentenced to 30 years in prison without parole. Prosecutors said Savala used his spiritual influence over decades to groom and exploit young men and teens, despite repeated warnings and a prior 2012 child sex abuse conviction in Alaska. NBC News reported that church and ministry leaders allegedly ignored multiple complaints and continued allowing Savala access to students, helping preserve his status as a revered mentor. Victims and whistleblowers described the conviction as long-overdue justice but argued that the broader religious system that enabled the abuse still has not been fully held accountable.
New Jersey officials have reduced the planned World Cup transit fare from $150 to $105 after securing private sponsorships and other non-taxpayer funding sources. Governor Mikie Sherrill had previously clashed with FIFA over who should cover the estimated $60 million cost of transporting fans to matches at MetLife Stadium. Despite the reduction, the fare remains among the highest for any World Cup host city, reflecting ongoing concerns over security, labor, and infrastructure expenses. The dispute has become part of a broader debate over whether major sporting organizations like FIFA place too much financial burden on local governments and taxpayers.
Authorities in California have launched a new search connected to the 1996 disappearance and murder of Kristin Smart, whose remains have never been found. Investigators executed a search warrant at a home linked to the family of Paul Flores, who was convicted in 2022 of killing Smart during an attempted rape while both were students at California Polytechnic State University. Officials say they remain committed to locating Smart’s body nearly three decades after the case became one of California’s most notorious unsolved disappearances. Renewed public attention to the case has been fueled in part by the podcast Your Own Backyard, which helped uncover new witnesses and revive investigative momentum.
New York Tmes, As Stockpiles Fall, U.S. Sells More Missiles Worth $17 Billion to Gulf Nations, Edward Wong, May 7, 2026. The United States and its partners have burned through an enormous amount of air defense missiles in the Iran war, and production is slow.
The Trump administration has approved sales of thousands of air defense interceptor missiles and related services valued at $17 billion to Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, according to State Department and congressional officials.
The exports were approved despite alarm among some Pentagon officials over the dwindling U.S. stockpiles of such missiles, which have been expended in large numbers during the war against Iran.
The State Department gave formal notification of the sales to Congress last Friday. But it did not announce them in public statements, as it did with other arms sales to Israel and Gulf Arab nations that it authorized that day under an emergency provision.
The packages of sales announced in news releases on Friday were valued at more than $8.6 billion, and the State Department said it was bypassing congressional approval to expedite them because of an emergency in the Middle East.
In total, the State Department authorized about $25.7 billion in sales last Friday.
The $17.1 billion of interceptor missiles and related services being sold to Kuwait, Bahrain and the Emirates are expansions of three earlier sales approved by Congress — a package in 2019 in the case of Bahrain, and in 2024 for Kuwait and the Emirates. The State Department generally does not issue news releases about expansions of previous sales.
“These countries have deployed U.S. defense systems successfully to defend their territory and people, Americans overseas and U.S. bases,” the State Department said in a statement to The New York Times after it was asked about the sales. “This emergency action sends our partners a clear message we stand with them.”Want to stay updated on what’s happening in the Middle East? Sign up for Your Places: Global Update, and we’ll send our latest coverage to your inbox.
The State Department did not provide a breakdown of how many interceptor missiles each country would receive. A congressional official said the dollar values were $9.3 billion from Kuwait, $6.25 billion from the Emirates and $1.625 billion from Bahrain.
The letter to Congress from the State Department lists two types of Patriot interceptor missiles in the orders from each country, according to a copy obtained by The Times.
The three orders amount to about 4,250 missiles, based on the fact that a single interceptor missile costs about $4 million. That is in addition to another large order: Last Friday, in one of its news releases on the $8.6 billion in new emergency sales, the State Department said Qatar was ordering $4 billion of interceptor missiles, which equates to about 1,000 units. It would take years to produce those amounts.
The Patriot air defense system is made by Raytheon, and that company and Lockheed Martin produce missiles for it.
Since President Trump and Israel started a new war against Iran on Feb. 28, the U.S. military has used more than 1,300 Patriot interceptor missiles, according to internal Defense Department estimates, putting a significant dent into global American stockpiles. The Times first reported last month on the extent to which the United States has used up critical munitions.
During the war, Gulf Arab countries have fired about 600 Patriot interceptor missiles to defend themselves against Iranian missiles and drones.ImageA heavily damaged car sits among debris next to a building.Damage to a neighborhood in Sitra, Bahrain, last month resulted from an intercepted drone. The country is buying $1.625 billion worth of interceptor missiles and services from the United States.Credit...Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters
American companies produce more than 600 Patriot interceptor missiles per year. That means the United States and its Gulf Arab partners have burned through three years’ worth of such missiles in the war. Officials in the region have been pressing American counterparts to expedite shipments and to consider drawing from U.S. stockpiles to do so.
Patriot air defense launchers and interceptor missiles are among the most coveted weapons systems in the world. Ukraine, for instance, has asked the United States for the systems throughout its defensive war against Russia. The Trump administration has announced a plan for companies to increase total production of interceptor missiles to 2,000 units per year, but that change would take time.
The administration now has to make hard decisions on allocation of missiles. Some Pentagon officials are worried that the military’s readiness for conflicts has been compromised by the low U.S. supplies. It has had to divert munitions from U.S. commands in Asia and Europe to the Middle East, despite a widespread assessment in Washington that China — with the fastest-growing military in the world — poses the biggest security challenge to the United States.
When Raytheon and Lockheed Martin send interceptor missiles rolling off production lines to the dozen or so foreign customers that have signed contracts for them, that means fewer munitions for the United States.
Democratic and some Republican lawmakers have been pressing administration officials about the compromises to U.S. global military capabilities given the drain on resources by the Iran war.
The Trump administration has invoked an emergency authorization three times to bypass the standard congressional approval process to make arms sales to the Middle East. The $8.64 billion of arms exports announced last Friday was the latest instance. In January, it bypassed congressional approval to sell Apache attack helicopters, combat land vehicles and other arms to Israel, but did not invoke an emergency provision then.
New York Times, Shell Reports Nearly $7 Billion Profit Amid ‘Unprecedented Disruption,’ Gregory Schmidt, May 7, 2026. The oil giant’s earnings in the first three months of the year were more than double the previous quarter’s and follow similarly strong results of European rivals.
The British energy giant Shell reported robust profits following the surge in oil prices prompted by the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
The company, based in London, said Thursday that its adjusted profit soared to $6.92 billion in the first three months of the year, higher than expected and more than twice what the company earned in the previous quarter.
The strong financial turnout came amid an “unprecedented disruption in global energy markets,” the company’s chief executive, Wael Sawan,said in a statement.
On Thursday, the price of Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, hovered just below $100 a barrel, an increase of about 37 percent since the war began on Feb. 28. Oil prices briefly traded above $126 a barrel last week.
The oil shock has pushed up energy costs through higher prices for products like diesel and jet fuel, prompting airlines to cut flights and reduce snack services. Americans, spending more for gasoline and airfares, are rethinking their summer travel plans.
Shell is not the only major European oil producer to report increased profits. In April, Britain’s BP said it more than doubled its profit in the first quarter, to $3.2 billion, from the previous quarter, driven by superior oil trading and elevated oil prices. And the French oil company TotalEnergies, which reported quarterly net income of $5.4 billion, said it would raise its dividend and double its share buybacks.
The strong returns have renewed calls for a windfall tax on oil profits, similar to the response when oil companies benefited from higher energy prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
On Friday, Exxon Mobil reported $4.2 billion in first-quarter earnings, down 46 percent from a year earlier primarily because of accounting reason, while Chevron said that its quarterly profit slid to $2.2 billion, a 37 percent drop from a year earlier. Both companies attributed the decline to paper losses that would be unwound in the coming months.
Exxon and Chevron, the two largest American oil producers, said on Friday that they are not planning to further increase oil drilling to take advantage of higher gas prices.
The war in Iran has upended the global outlook for the industry. Oil reserves are being tapped to help ease supply disruptions, according to a report last month from the International Energy Agency, which lowered its forecast for oil demand for 2026.
The Hartmann Report, Commentary: Was the 2024 Election Stolen, Not by Ballots, but by Algorithms? Thom Hartmann, right, May 7, 2026. New data suggests social media algorithms didn’t just influence voters; they may have tilted the entire outcome…
It sure looks like tech billionaires and foreign dictatorships gave us Trump in 2024. This is as bad as the massive Russian bot presence on Facebook and Twitter back in 2016 that Robert Mueller documented gave Trump the presidency the last time.
A peer-reviewed study released yesterday in Nature, the world’s most prestigious scientific journal, has finally put hard numbers to what a lot of us suspected the moment the 2024 election was called for Trump (and Republicans in Congress) by the big networks: the algorithms that control our largest social media platforms intentionally and explicitly tilted the playing field, and they tilted it for Donald Trump and the GOP.
Researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi created hundreds of “sock puppet” TikTok accounts in New York, Texas, and Georgia (via VPN), uploaded to them either pro-Democratic or pro-Republican videos to show their political leanings, and then watched what TikTok’s algorithm fed back to them every day over the 27 weeks leading up to Election Day.Subscribed
Across more than 280,000 recommendations, Republican-seeded accounts received about 11.5 percent more “party-aligned content” than their Democratic counterparts, while the pro-Democratic accounts were force-fed 7.5 percent more attacks from the other side. As Professor Talal Rahwan put it:
“The algorithm wasn’t just giving people what they want; it was giving one side more of what the other side says about them.”
The pro-rightwing bias was even more dramatic when researchers looked at how the candidates’ own accounts did. Candidate Trump’s official TikTok videos were pushed to Democratic-leaning users 27 percent of the time, while Kamala Harris’s videos only reached Republican-leaning users just 15.3 percent of the time.
Translation: Leading up to the 2024 election, TikTok was working overtime to expose Democrats and lefties to MAGA’s most persuasive messaging, all while shielding rightwingers, independents, and Republican voters from Harris’s voice.
Making it even more astonishingly consequential, studies show that TikTok matters enormously to young people; roughly half of TikTok users under 30 say they use the app to keep up with politics and news, and that TikTok-engaged demographic shifted a mind-boggling full 10 percentage points toward Trump between 2020 and 2024 following this exposure.
Young men, for example, flipped from voting 56 percent Biden in 2020 to 56 percent choosing Trump in 2024, the kind of swing that decides battleground states.
Even more troubling, other research shows that TikTok isn’t an outlier. It’s one piece of a much larger algorithm-run social media ecosystem, and that system is now the main way a plurality of Americans engage with politics. Pew Research, for example, found that 42 percent of US social media users consider these platforms “important” for getting involved in political and social issues, and almost none of them have any idea how the top-secret social media algorithms decide what they see.
Sometimes it’s so obvious that it’s surprising it’s not a bigger news story.
Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology found a “structural break for Musk’s metrics around July 13th, 2024,” the exact day Elon Musk endorsed Trump. Overnight, algorithm-driven view counts on Musk’s own X posts jumped 138 percent and retweets exploded 237 percent, far above what any other major account experienced.
And it wasn’t just Musk’s own posts that got the boost; other pro-MAGA, pro-white supremacy, pro-GOP right-wing accounts across X were also systematically amplified. A separate peer-reviewed field experiment published this year in Nature randomly assigned active US users to either an algorithmic or chronological X feed for seven weeks. The result — what could only be called successful brainwashing of those being fed posts by the X algorithm — was astonishing.
The scientists noted that those on the algorithmic feed shifted “towards more conservative positions, particularly regarding policy priorities, perceptions of criminal investigations into Donald Trump, and views on the war in Ukraine.”
And once people are initially convinced of a worldview, changing their mind is a huge and usually unsuccessful undertaking, which is why rightwing billionaires were so eager to fund Charlie Kirk and other programs to indoctrinate schoolkids. Switching back to a chronological feed didn’t undo the damage.
This was on top of the roughly $277 million Musk personally spent electing Trump and Republicans, $239 million of it through his America PAC, making him by a wide margin the largest individual donor of the 2024 cycle.
Then there’s Mark Zuckerberg. After spending a decade telling Congress that Meta was politically neutral, Zuckerberg watched Trump win, metaphorically dropped to his knees, and immediately killed the fact-checking systems on Facebook and Instagram that kept identifying and calling out Trump’s and Republicans’ lies and misrepresentations.
Like a loyal puppy (or a terrified rabbit), Zuck called Trump’s reelection “a cultural tipping point,” wrote a $1 million check to Trump’s inaugural slush fund, replaced his head of global policy with longtime Bush-era Republican Joel Kaplan, and then announced he was moving Meta’s trust-and-safety operation from California to Texas. Meta’s institutional pivot toward Trump and MAGA wasn’t even subtle.
YouTube — also largely owned and run by rightwing billionaires — isn’t innocent either. An UC Davis audit using 100,000 sock-puppet accounts found that right-leaning users get systematically funneled into channels pushing rightwing extremism, conspiracy theories, and hard-right “otherwise problematic content,” while left-leaning users see nothing comparable.
A separate Brookings analysis found that YouTube’s algorithm tugs every user, regardless of where they start, “in a moderately conservative direction.”
I’ve been around digital media since the very beginning. My business partner Nigel Peacock and I were running forums on CompuServe back in the early 1980s, when “going online” meant a 300-baud modem screeching into your phone line and a connection bill that could put a small business under in a month.
The platforms were primitive, slow, and gloriously pluralistic; us gatekeepers were a handful of sysops who worked with Nigel and me (CompuServe paid us) trying to keep the message boards clean and useful. Things were civil, the feed was chronological, and there was no anonymity; even political arguments were reasonable.
None of us back then imagined that one day a few billionaires would be able to flip a switch in Beijing, San Francisco, or Austin and successfully shift the political mood of an entire continent overnight. But that’s exactly where we are today, and it appears to have been the tipping point that brought us Trump and all the horrors that accompanied him.
The closest historical parallel is the era of William Randolph Hearst and the Yellow Press at the turn of the 20th century. Hearst’s chain of newspapers reached more readers than any information outlet in human history up to that point, and when he decided it would be in his interest for America to have a war with Spain in 1898, he largely manufactured one with wild, sensationalist coverage of an explosion in the boiler room of the USS Maine in Havana harbor, casting it as an attack against America.
He’s said to have cabled his illustrator in Cuba, “You furnish the pictures, and I’ll furnish the war.” And, sure enough, within just a few months, America was at war.
The difference between Hearst and the men running today’s platforms isn’t moral; it’s mechanical. Hearst had to print on physical paper and ship it on physical trains. Musk, Zuckerberg, and the executives at TikTok and Google/YouTube can rewrite the political information environment in which hundreds of millions of people are marinating in real time, with no editor, no copy desk, and — unless things change — exactly zero public accountability.
So what do we do about these men effortlessly swinging our elections invisibly and without spending a penny of their own money? Three things are at the top of the list that Democrats in Congress and Democratic candidates need to make priorities.
First, Congress needs to require algorithmic transparency, as I suggested in The Hidden History of Big Brother in America. Senators Markey and Blumenthal have introduced excellent bills demanding that platforms disclose how their recommendation systems weight political content and forcing them to submit to fully independent audits. Given the political power these platforms and their billionaire owners command and how they’ll fight to hang onto it, none of these types of bills will pass without sustained public pressure.
Second, we need to repeal or substantially reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act so that algorithm-driven platforms are treated legally like the publishers they are, rather than like the telephone wires they used to travel over.
Third, the Justice Department’s antitrust division needs to be unleashed against the handful of companies that now control the political conversation in America. Standard Oil was broken up in 1911. AT&T was broken up in 1984. There is nothing about Meta, X, or Google that makes them more sacred that these behemoths that preceded them.
New York Times, ICE Agents Barred From Wearing Masks in New York Under State Budget Deal, Grace Ashford, May 7, 2026. State and local officials will also be prohibited from formally cooperating with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement under the agreement.
Four months after masked federal agents shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis, New York leaders announced a plan to implement some of the strictest rules for immigration officials of any state in the country.
The package, which is included in the state budget deal announced on Thursday, prohibits state and local officials from entering into formal or informal cooperation agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and forbids law enforcement agents from wearing masks.
The rules also prohibit ICE from using local jails to house detainees and from searching New Yorkers’ homes, hospitals, churches and schools without a warrant signed by a judge. But they will not affect the ability of law enforcement officials to coordinate with the agency on public safety issues.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Thursday that the changes were necessary given the extent of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
“They didn’t just target hardened criminals and gang members, which I would have supported — we did support,” Ms. Hochul said. “They also targeted mothers still nursing their infants, separating them, an 85-year-old widow in her nightgown.”
She said that ICE had used intimidation tactics to evade responsibility, adding: “New York will no longer stand for it.”
Democrats expect many of the measures — including a new provision that would allow the families of those who have had their rights to life, liberty or property violated by government agents to seek retribution — to be challenged in court.
Those cases will not only set up a novel legal battle, but will also provide an opportunity for the country to see in real time what happens when states and their citizens resist the federal government’s’ immigration enforcement efforts.
Days before the measures were finalized, Tom Homan, President Trump’s border czar, threatened to respond with force if they were approved.
“We’re going to flood the zone,” Mr. Homan said this week during a speech in Phoenix. “You’re going to see more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen before.”
Ms. Hochul quickly pushed back on his comments. “Donald Trump himself said he would not send a surge of ICE agents to the state of New York unless I ask,” she said. “I’m not asking.”
The package’s inclusion in the budget deal speaks to increased momentum among Democrats to counter the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
It also reflects the evolution of Ms. Hochul, a moderate Democrat who first rose to national attention as a county clerk opposing a state mandate to provide driver’s licenses to immigrants without legal status.
In an interview earlier this year, Ms. Hochul said that the Trump administration’s deployment of ICE — and in particular its separation of families — threatened the value system on which the country was founded.
“I feel like it’s unraveling, and I have a moral responsibility as a human being, but also as a leader, to use my platform, my voice, to call it out and try to rectify it with every fiber in my being,” she said.
The issue was elevated by the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a blind Rohingya refugee who was found dead after immigration agents left him alone outside on a cold Buffalo night. The city’s medical examiner determined his death was a homicide.
Ms. Hochul referred to the case, which took place in her hometown, in announcing the budget agreement on Thursday. “Come on, that’s not who we are,” she said. “Not as New Yorkers, not as Americans.”
News Roundups
The Parnas Perspective, Morning News and Commentary: The Trump administration this morning has deep concern over the president's political prospects in the November midterm elections, Aaron Parnas, right, May 7, 2026. In a stunning geopolitical shift, key U.S. allies in the Gulf are reportedly refusing to allow Trump to use their military bases or airspace for military operations. At the same time, Trump’s own advisers are reportedly warning that rising gas prices and the Iran conflict could devastate Republican chances in the midterms. Federal authorities have also opened a major investigation into suspicious oil market trades after billions were made betting oil prices would collapse right before they did. Plus, major new developments in the deadly hantavirus outbreak.
Meanwhile, the media landscape continues to shift rapidly. We have fresh reporting this morning about further alleged interference by Bari Weiss in CBS News coverage. We also learned the Murdoch family may acquire Vox Media assets, including New York Magazine and major podcasts. And Trump is now openly calling on CNN’s new leadership to restore the network to its “former days,” whatever exactly that means.
What is clear is this: the media environment is changing fast, and many major outlets are either capitulating to political pressure or increasingly controlled by people aligned with power. Independent journalism is not optional in this moment. It is essential. Subscribe today, gift a subscription to someone else, and help us keep building truly independent media.
Here’s the news:
President Donald Trump abruptly paused “Project Freedom,” a U.S. operation meant to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, after Saudi Arabia objected to the plan and temporarily restricted U.S. military access to its airspace and bases. The operation had been launched to counter Iran’s blockade and protect commercial vessels, but Gulf allies including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman were reportedly caught off guard by the announcement. It wasn’t just Saudi Arabia. Kuwait also denied access, per Ryan Grim and DropSite News:
U.S. officials said military cooperation from regional partners was essential because American aircraft and ships relied heavily on Gulf airspace and logistics support. Despite the setback, the U.S. continues to maintain a large military presence in the region while diplomatic efforts to end the Iran conflict continue through mediators such as Pakistan.
Several prominent right-wing commentators and influencers are criticizing Donald Trump over the Iran conflict, arguing he has abandoned “America First” principles that helped fuel his political movement. Figures including Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and Megyn Kelly are described as part of a growing divide within the MAGA movement over U.S. involvement in the Middle East and support for Israel.
The Wall Street Journal has confirmed that aides around Donald Trump are privately worried that rising oil, gas, and jet fuel prices tied to the Iran conflict could severely hurt Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections. According to the report, Trump’s inner circle fears voters could blame the administration for higher living costs if the conflict continues and energy prices remain elevated. The concerns reportedly center on the possibility that economic backlash, rather than foreign policy itself, could become a major political liability for the GOP.
Donald Trump shared a chart on social media comparing the length of U.S. wars, but critics noted several of the figures were inaccurate. The chart reportedly understated the duration of conflicts including the war in Afghanistan, the Vietnam War, and the ongoing Iran conflict, which, as we know, has already entered its ninth week despite Trump labeling it as six weeks long.
The U.S. Department of Justice is reportedly investigating at least four oil traders after more than $2.6 billion was earned from bets that oil prices would fall shortly before they sharply declined, according to sources cited by ABC News. Investigators are examining whether any traders may have had advance knowledge of market-moving developments related to the Middle East conflict or energy policy decisions. The probe comes amid heightened scrutiny of oil market volatility tied to tensions involving Iran and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz.
More Iran news:
Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, right, told French President Emmanuel Macron that Iran no longer trusts the U.S., accusing Washington of 
undermining diplomacy through threats, sanctions, and simultaneous military aggression during negotiations. Pezeshkian described the U.S. approach as “stabbing from behind.”
Iran denied responsibility for damage to a South Korean-operated vessel in the Strait of Hormuz after an explosion and fire aboard the ship. While Donald Trump blamed Iran for the incident, South Korea said the cause remains under investigation, and Iran’s embassy in Seoul insisted ships must follow Iranian regulations for safe passage.
A Washington Post analysis of satellite imagery found Iranian strikes caused far greater damage to U.S. military facilities in the Middle East than publicly acknowledged, reportedly damaging or destroying at least 228 structures and pieces of equipment. U.S. Central Command declined to comment on the findings.
In Lebanon, Israeli strikes killed three people in Nabatieh despite an existing ceasefire with Hezbollah. The Israeli military also said one of its soldiers was seriously wounded by an explosive Hezbollah drone in southern Lebanon.
In Gaza, an Israeli airstrike killed Azzam Khalil al-Hayya, son of senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya. According to Hamas officials, he died from injuries sustained in a strike on Gaza City, becoming the fourth son of the exiled Hamas leader to be killed during the conflict.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived at the Vatican City to meet with Pope Leo XIV amid tensions between the U.S. and the Vatican over the conflict in the Middle East. Rubio said the talks were not primarily focused on recent rhetorical disputes, but instead on expanding areas of cooperation between the U.S. government and the Catholic Church, including humanitarian and diplomatic efforts similar to past Church-supported aid initiatives involving Cuba.
If you want to know what the President was up to this morning, this was his post:
A deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship has led to three passenger deaths and multiple infections, with concerns growing after about 40 passengers disembarked without contact tracing. Authorities in Europe and South Africa are now trying to locate and monitor former passengers from at least 12 countries, though health experts say the broader public risk remains low. Tests confirmed the virus as the Andes strain, the only hantavirus known to spread between humans, and investigators believe the outbreak may have originated during the ship’s earlier travels in Argentina. The ship is currently heading toward Spain’s Canary Islands with more than 140 passengers and crew still on board.
A KLM flight attendant in Amsterdam is being tested for hantavirus after developing mild symptoms and being hospitalized, according to the Dutch health ministry. Reports say she may have come into contact with a Dutch passenger who was removed from a KLM flight in Johannesburg and later died from the virus in South Africa. KLM confirmed the passenger was taken off Flight KL592 before departure on April 25 due to her medical condition, and the airline said Dutch health officials are now contacting passengers from the flight as a precaution.
U.S. health officials said several former passengers from the hantavirus-affected Hondius cruise ship have returned home, including one person in Arizona, two in Georgia, and others in California. Authorities in those states are monitoring the individuals, though none have reportedly shown symptoms of the rare virus so far. The update comes amid broader international contact-tracing efforts after multiple passengers disembarked the ship before the outbreak was fully identified. Health experts continue to say the overall public risk remains low, despite concerns about the Andes strain’s rare ability to spread between humans.
A passenger aboard the hantavirus-stricken Hondius cruise ship told NBC News that travelers were “not well informed” after the first passenger death was initially described as noninfectious and due to natural causes. Turkish travel vlogger Ruhi Cenet said life on the ship continued normally for days without isolation measures, despite what later became a deadly outbreak linked to the Andes strain of hantavirus. Cenet recorded the captain’s original announcement reassuring passengers that the ship was safe, but he later said passengers unknowingly spent nearly two weeks without proper precautions.
Meanwhile, MAGA is pushing complete misinformation about treatment:
Scientists from the University of Bath, the United States, and South Africa are working on a vaccine for hantavirus following the deadly outbreak linked to the Hondius cruise ship. The BBC confirmed the team is developing a thermally stable vaccine using a technique called “insilication,” which coats vaccines in protective inorganic layers so they can survive temperature changes and potentially be delivered by drone. Researchers had already begun work on the vaccine before the cruise outbreak, which has now been linked to at least three confirmed infections and three deaths under investigation. Health officials continue to say the public risk remains low because human-to-human transmission of hantavirus is rare.
The Trump administration plans to redirect roughly $2 billion originally allocated for global health programs to help cover the costs of shutting down USAID. The diverted funding would come from programs targeting diseases and health crises including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal health, and nutrition, prompting warnings from health experts that the cuts could lead to tens of thousands of preventable deaths worldwide. Critics, including Senate Democrats and global health advocates, argue the administration is withholding congressionally approved aid to pay for the dismantling of the agency itself. The report also says spending on the long-running PEPFAR HIV/AIDS program has slowed significantly, raising concerns that testing, treatment, and outreach efforts are already deteriorating in vulnerable communities.
A Florida-born U.S. citizen in Alabama is seeking court protection after being detained by ICE three times within a year despite repeatedly presenting proof of citizenship. Leonardo Garcia Venegas and his attorneys argue federal immigration agents ignored his identification during multiple encounters tied to immigration raids in Baldwin County. His legal team says the repeated detentions violated his constitutional rights and is asking a federal judge to block future arrests while the case proceeds. The lawsuit comes amid broader scrutiny of ICE detentions involving U.S. citizens during immigration enforcement operations.
The Trump administration is closing the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, a federal watchdog that investigated abuse and misconduct in immigration detention facilities. The Department of Homeland Security said Congress effectively ended the office through a recent appropriations bill, though critics argue the legislation did not explicitly require its closure. Human rights advocates warn the move reduces oversight as concerns grow over detention conditions, with at least 18 deaths reported in ICE custody during the first four months of 2026. The office had reviewed cases involving alleged mistreatment of detainees, including Palestinian American activist Leqaa Kordia and a detained family with five children.
CBS News staffers accused editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of intervening editorially in a CBS Sunday Morning segment about archaeological disputes in the West Bank. According to the report, Weiss made script edits and changes shortly before the piece aired, marking what some employees described as her first direct editorial involvement with the program. The controversy adds to broader internal tensions at CBS over claims that Weiss has been reshaping coverage and programming to appeal more to conservative audiences. Critics also alleged the final segment underrepresented Palestinian perspectives on the historical and political significance of archaeological sites in the occupied West Bank.
James Murdoch is reportedly in talks to acquire New York Magazine and Vox Media’s podcast network for more than $300 million, according to CNN. The potential deal would give Murdoch control over brands including The Cut, Vulture, Intelligencer, and podcasts such as “Pivot” and “Today, Explained.” Vox Media has reportedly been exploring asset sales amid ongoing financial pressures in digital media. James Murdoch, the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, has distanced himself politically and professionally from his family’s conservative media empire in recent years.
Moderna announced that its experimental mRNA-based flu vaccine outperformed standard flu shots in a large Phase 3 clinical trial, reducing illness by about 27% more than traditional vaccines. Researchers say mRNA technology could improve flu protection because vaccines can be updated faster to better match circulating strains. The trial involved more than 40,000 adults across 11 countries and found the vaccine caused mostly mild side effects such as fatigue and arm pain. The results may strengthen Moderna’s case for FDA approval after regulators previously questioned aspects of the company’s earlier submission, amid broader political scrutiny of mRNA vaccines under Robert F. Kennedy Jr..
Western intelligence officials told the Associated Press that Vladimir Putin’s government has intensified efforts to assassinate political opponents and pro-Ukraine figures across Europe since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Authorities in countries including France, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, and Spain have uncovered or linked multiple assassination plots targeting Russian dissidents, Ukrainian supporters, and military defectors. Officials say Russia is increasingly using criminal proxies and intermediaries rather than intelligence officers directly, partly because many Russian operatives were expelled from Europe after the 2018 poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom. The report highlights growing fears among European governments that the campaign is meant not only to eliminate opponents but also to intimidate critics of the Kremlin and destabilize countries backing Ukraine.
According to NBC News, Kamala Harris has privately told donors that she believes the Democratic National Committee should release its internal “autopsy” report examining why Democrats lost the 2024 presidential election. According to NBC News, Harris was not involved in the DNC’s decision to keep the report private and only learned afterward that party chairman Ken Martin planned to withhold it. The issue has become a major source of tension within the Democratic Party, with some leaders demanding transparency about the campaign’s failures and spending decisions. Harris’ position signals that she is open to a public examination of the 2024 loss even as she weighs a possible 2028 presidential run.
Tom Steyer, a Democratic candidate for governor, suggested that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller should face prosecution over his role in shaping hardline immigration and domestic policies under the Trump administration.
Chief Justice John Roberts said the Supreme Court of the United States is “not part of the political process” and rejected the idea that justices act as political figures. Speaking at a legal conference in Pennsylvania, Roberts argued that court decisions are based on interpreting the law and Constitution, even when the outcomes are unpopular. His remarks came amid declining public confidence in the court and after recent controversial rulings on voting rights, abortion, gun rights, and affirmative action. Roberts also condemned personal attacks and threats against judges, saying criticism should focus on legal rulings rather than individual justices.
Powerful storms and at least one confirmed tornado caused widespread destruction across parts of Mississippi, damaging hundreds of homes, toppling trees, and knocking down power lines. Officials said there were no immediate reports of deaths, though several injuries were reported, including in a heavily damaged mobile home park in Bogue Chitto. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said multiple tornadoes were reported across central and western Mississippi as emergency crews continued damage assessments and road clearing operations. Forecasters warned that additional severe storms and possible tornadoes could spread into Alabama, Georgia, Florida, the Carolinas, and Texas.
According to CNN, China sentenced two former defense ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, to suspended death sentences after convicting them of corruption and bribery. Under Chinese law, the sentences will automatically be commuted to life imprisonment without parole after two years. The punishments are part of Xi Jinping’s sweeping military anti-corruption purge, which has removed or sidelined dozens of senior officers across the People’s Liberation Army since 2022. Analysts say the unprecedented crackdown reflects Xi’s effort to tighten control over the military but may also raise concerns about the PLA’s operational readiness and internal stability.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Whose House? Trump’s House, Bill Kristol, Andrew Egger and Jim Swift, May 7, 2026. A home renovation project only an aspiring emperor would love. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was back in the hot seat yesterday, giving closed-door testimony to the House Oversight Committee over his contradictory statements about his past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Ahead of Lutnick’s appearance, Oversight Republicans weren’t exactly rallying to his defense: “I haven’t seen wrongdoing in the email correspondence,” Chair James Comer told reporters. “But he wasn’t 100 percent truthful with whether or not he had been on the island.”
And afterward, Democrats were scathing in their assessment of his performance: “After what we have seen so far, I feel very comfortable in saying Howard Lutnick is a pathological liar who is enabling the most egregious coverup in American history,” Rep. Yassamin Ansari said. Happy Thursday.
Emerging U.S. Scandals
Politico, FBI raids office of Dem state lawmaker in Virginia who led redistricting efforts, Gregory Svirnovskiy, May 7, 2026 (print ed.). The maps championed by state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, shown above, gives Democrats the advantage in four congressional seats.
The FBI searched the office of Democratic Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas on Wednesday morning, according to multiple media reports and news footage in front of her Portsmouth office.
The FBI confirmed it was “executing a court-authorized federal search warrant in Portsmouth,” but did not explicitly state a target of its probe or what it was investigating. The investigation is ongoing and there is no threat to public safety, the agency said.
The Associated Press and Fox News, citing anonymous individuals, both confirmed federal agents carried out the raid and Fox aired footage of federal agents at the office of the lawmaker, who is the state Senate’s president pro tem.
Lucas’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Portsmouth Police Department said that it was unaware of any FBI investigation.
Lucas, 82, has long been an outspoken figure in state politics and gained national attention in recent months for helping lead the effort to redraw the state’s congressional maps, which could help Democrats gain four additional seats in the coming midterm elections. She routinely took shots at President Donald Trump and statewide Republicans with bombastic posts on social media throughout the process.
“You all started it and we fucking finished it,” she wrote on X in February, a response to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who called out the Virginia maps as a Democratic gerrymander.
In April, Virginia Democrats won a statewide referendum to enact the redraw by more than 100,000 votes.
Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott, a Democrat, urged caution in a statement given to multiple news outlets.
“At this point we simply do not know what this ultimately means,” he said. “Right now, there is far more theatrics and speculation than actual information available to the public.
Politico, Trump calls for Jeffries to be charged with ‘inciting violence’ in social media post, Gregory Svirnovskiy, May 7, 2026. Trump in the post implied Jeffries' call for "maximum warfare" against the GOP in redistricting efforts was connected to a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner three days later.Donald Trump points.
President Donald Trump pushed for Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to be charged with “INCITING VIOLENCE” on Thursday, his latest call to go after Democratic opponents in the legal arena.
“The Radical Left Democrats actually want to Destroy our Country,” he wrote on Truth Social, alongside an image of Jeffries gesturing to a “maximum warfare” sign and another image from the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which took place three days after the photo of Jeffries was taken.
Republicans have blamed Democrats for escalating violent rhetoric in the wake of the shooting at the dinner. Trump had previously faced two assassination attempts, including one in Butler, Pennsylvania, during the 2024 election that left him with a wound to his ear.
Jeffries, who unveiled the “maximum warfare” campaign — a redistricting initiative — after Democrats passed a 10-1 redraw in Virginia last month, in particular has drawn Trump’s ire. Trump called the seven-term lawmaker “Hakeem ‘Low IQ’ Jeffries” on Thursday.
When asked for comment, Jeffries’ office referred POLITICO to a post from the minority leader on X on Thursday.
“The Knicks are up 2-0 and I have to wake up to another deranged rant from this guy,” he wrote. “Gas prices are sky high, grocery bills are surging and families can’t catch a break. Democrats are about to take back the House and you’re losing your mind. Where’s the luv?”
But Jeffries is far from the only high-profile Democrat Trump has pushed to prosecute in recent months.
The president accused six Democrats — including battleground Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) of “sedition” last November after they made a video urging service members to disobey illegal orders. Democrats filed police complaints after Trump called for them to be arrested and even hanged.
A grand jury in February rejected D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s effort to indict the six lawmakers.
Last September, Trump urged then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to move faster in charging several of his longtime political opponents, including Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” he wrote on Truth Social. “They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”
James was indicted just weeks later, but the charges were later dropped.
The Trump Administration is charging former FBI Director James Comey with conspiracy to assassinate President Trump -- charges widely regarded as revenge by Trump for Comey's investigation of documented 
Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to help Trump win -- based on Comey's posting on social media seashells he saw arranged on a North Carolina beach, as shown above, displaying the numbers "86 47," which the Justice Department alleges to have been a serious threat against Trump. The term "86" reputedly stems from a coded expression by restaurant and bar personnel to oust undesirable patrons. Comey, a Republican, is not alleged to have arranged the seashells and promptly removed the image from his social media site when MAGA supporters denounced it.
Emptywheel, Analysis: The Loaner AUSAs Todd Blanche Disavowsnalysis: The Loaner AUSAs Todd Blanche Disavows, Emptywheel (Marcy Wheeler), right, May 7, 2026. In an attempt to disclaim that local prosecutors decided to charge Jim Comey, above, for posting a picture of seashells were engaged in political prosecution, Todd Blanche invoked, as proof, a claim that he doesn’t know the local prosecutors who are charging it.
We file thousands, thousands of criminal cases in this country every year. Thousands at the Federal level. Um, hundreds every day. And so to the extent that myself or President Trump or lawyers who work with me are being accused of some sort of political retribution, it is simply not true. It is absolutely not true.
How do I prove it’s not true?
Well, if you look at the recent [unintelligible] you asked me about a few minutes ago, you have local prosecutors, you have local agents, I don’t even know their names. I don’t know their names. Who are bringing these charges. That’s one way.
There’s a lot that’s ridiculous in this rebuttal on its face. DOJ may charge thousands of people every year, hundreds every day. But the Acting Attorney General only announces charges in a handful of those cases.
Since Blanche, right, took over (at least according to DOJ’s website), he has made announcements of the following:
The roll-out of the fraudulent National Fraud Enforcement Division The charges against SPLC The charges against accused WHCD attacker Cole Allen A rollback of gun regulations An investigation into the meatpacking industry
The only charges Blanche has announced were targets of Trump or his close allies. And generally, the charges for interstate threats like those with which Comey was charged are only announced if a senior Republican (obviously, including Trump) or a right wing influencer was the purported victim.
There may be thousands, thousands … thousands of charges every year. But Todd Blanche only announced three.
More importantly, there’s something wildly suspect about Blanche’s claim that he doesn’t know the name of the local prosecutor who charged this.
First of all, the single AUSA whose name is on the indictment, Matthew Petracca, is not exactly a longtime local prosecutor, he’s a former local Republican politician who moved down from New Jersey, who previously focused on Medicaid fraud at DOJ.
More importantly, there was at least one prosecutor on this case whose name Blanche likely does know, because they got moved from EDNC to EDVA to prosecute Comey the last time around.
[Ellis] Boyle acknowledged in Senate nomination disclosures that 99% of his private practice involved civil proceedings, with 52% of that work in state court. Since arriving in August, he’s impressed people in his office by working hard to learn the criminal docket, including by attending trainings and trials.
Still, the only other name on the Comey indictment is a junior assistant US attorney, Matthew Petracca, whose background as a state Medicaid fraud attorney also gives him minimal federal criminal experience.
Petracca only got involved after more experienced lawyers in the office investigating the sea shells post at earlier stages left the case, according to people familiar with the matter, who like others spoke anonymously about sensitive deliberations.
Last fall, Boyle loaned two of the office’s more seasoned and newly promoted prosecutors to the US attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia to take over her ultimately unsuccessful indictment of Comey on separate false statements allegations.
At least one of the lawyers who worked on the Virginia case was also among those investigating Comey at some point in the North Carolina threats matter, the people added.
They returned from their Virginia assignment after a judge dismissed the case. Following a few weeks back in Raleigh, both prosecutors left Boyle’s office for private practice, ahead of the threats case going to the grand jury. It’s not clear if Boyle will staff the case with additional prosecutors, as Comey’s defense team prepares to request a dismissal. [my emphasis]
Of critical import, they were told that a Fourth Circuit precedent governing lawyers’ communications prohibited doing the kind of filter protocol they wanted to do with EDNC personnel, a protocol that sounds similar to the one Todd Blanche confessed they used in his press conference announcing the charges (the one that makes it clear this is not just any of the thousands of cases DOJ charges every year).
Well, I’m not going to get into the details of the investigation itself, but a lot of these cases, you can look at when the threats were made and when charges are brought. They are not easy cases, and so we have to, there’s a communication that is sent allegedly in this case, so that means we have to look at devices. Mr. Comey is a lawyer. He has lawyers. To the extent we are looking at materials that are potentially privileged, we have to get a wall and set up a wall and let totally independent lawyers look at them. That does not happen overnight or quickly. The Statute of Limitations is five years. We brought it under one year. That is where we are.
There’s a good deal of reporting from last September about how those EDNC AUSAs got assigned to an EDVA case that no career prosecutors wanted to touch. And now there are hints that the very same career prosecutors didn’t want to touch this one in EDNC, and so left DOJ.
And because of the filter protocol, and because of this public report, Jim Comey is likely to ask for details of these earlier staffing issues along with the rest of the stack of selective prosecution.
Particularly if Comey can prove that Blanche lied when he disavowed knowing these local prosecutors, or knowing why they left DOJ.
Paul Krugman via Substack, Political-Economy Commentary: Grand Theft Oil Futures, Paul Krugman, right, May 7, 2026. Insider traders keep making a killing at our expense Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for moreGrand Theft Oil FuturesInsider traders keep making a killing at our expense.
At this point it’s almost routine: Almost every time Donald Trump makes a major announcement about the Iran War, that announcement is preceded — sometimes by only a few minutes — by huge and hugely profitable bets in the oil market.
The influential Kobeissi Letter documents the latest example:
Minutes later, Iran launched the “Persian Gulf Strait Authority” and oil prices surged +8%.
What just happened?
As the BBC among others has documented, this isn’t the first time, or the second time, that this has happened. Again and again, just before Trump makes announcements that raise hopes about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, one or more “whales,” very large traders, sell large quantities of oil futures, almost instantly reaping big profits as prices fall.
What’s truly remarkable is that this keeps happening even though the pattern has become familiar. This tells us two things: The Trump administration is making no real effort to crack down on whoever is trading using inside information, and these inside traders are operating with a complete sense of impunity, assured that they can get away with it.
The stench of corruption is overwhelming. Yet aside from the raw corruption, these incidents also raise a larger question. The insiders ripped off the parties who sold futures to them at what turned out to be very unfavorable prices to the sellers. What broader damage does this kind of unchecked insider trading do?
There’s both a narrow and a broad answer.
The narrow answer involves economic efficiency. How is the functioning of the economy affected by the realization that somebody — it’s not hard to make guesses, but we don’t know for sure — is trading oil futures based on advance knowledge about what will soon appear on Truth Social or Fox News?
It took me a while to figure this out. But I think I have an answer.
First, ask yourself what purpose is served by the oil futures market. Unlike the prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi, the oil futures market is not intended to be mainly a vehicle for gambling. Instead, it is a market that serves to reduce risk through hedging.
Here’s how it works. There are people and institutions, such as oil producers, who will need to sell oil at a future date. They want to lock in the price today on those future sales. There are also people and institutions, such as airlines, who have a future need for oil and would like to lock in the price today. Thus the futures market lets both sellers and buyers of oil eliminate a major source of risk – fluctuations in the price of oil. This reduces uncertainty in the economy as a whole.
But what if there are substantial players in the futures market with inside information? Then if you are, say, a corporation trying to lock in the price of oil you plan to buy next month, you may not be making a mutually beneficial deal with future sellers. You may, instead, be being played for a sucker — paying what in retrospect will have been an excessive price — by people who know what’s about to appear in the president’s social media feed.
The same could apply to sellers of oil futures, although the examples of insider trading we know about involved Trump insiders getting ahead of falling, not rising, prices.
Either way, the effect of traders’ suspicion that they may be losers in a rigged game will be to make them reluctant to play at all — reluctant either to buy or to sell oil futures. And this will mean losing the risk-reducing benefits of a properly functioning futures market.
Now, insider trading of oil futures probably isn’t big enough to do critical damage to those markets. But it does do damage, which hurts all of us, not just the buyers who got stuck with the immediate losses.
And beyond the narrow economic losses, insider trading on oil is part of the broader rise of what we can call the predation economy.
Under Trump II, corruption runs rampant. Success in business depends not on what you know but on who you know, and there are no rules beyond having — and, obviously, buying — the right connections.
This is bad for everyone who doesn’t have those connections. It’s bad for economic growth. And it undermines the moral basis of the economy and society as a whole. It’s the path of how a country slides into third-world status.
I’ll have much more to say about the predation economy in future posts.
Heather Delaney Reese, Commentary: Our country will not survive if we don’t stop this, Heather Delaney Reese, May 7, 2026. At 6:05 in the morning on January 14th, FBI agents arrived at the door of a home in Alexandria, Virginia. The woman inside was 29 years old. And what happened next was a defining moment in the United States of America.
The woman was not accused of a crime, and agents explicitly told her she was not even a target of an investigation. And yet they still raided her house. The agents had a warrant, and they used it. And when they left, they took with them her phone, her Garmin watch, two laptops, one personal and one issued by her employer, a recorder, and a portable hard drive. And that matters because she was a reporter for The Washington Post, and on those devices was her journalistic work. There were communications with confidential sources and stories she was working on.
But there were also personal communications. Medical information and the wedding plans she had been making with her fiancé. Her entire life, professional and deeply private, walked out the door in federal agents’ hands. And the raid did not come out of nowhere, at least not as far as the FBI was concerned. Court documents later revealed that in the days before agents knocked on her door, a federal investigator had followed her from her home to a nearby train station, documenting where she went and the technology she carried with her. They knew an extraordinary amount of information about someone they supposedly were not investigating.
The human behind all of this is Hannah Natanson, and inside The Washington Post newsroom, she had become known as the federal government whisperer. Over the previous year, she had published more than 200 stories documenting the Trump administration’s dismantling of the federal workforce. She had built relationships with 1,169 current and former government employees.
And after what had to be one of the most terrifying days of Natanson’s life, she walked into the newsroom shaken and violated in every sense of the word. Not just personally violated, but constitutionally violated. Her home had been raided, her devices seized, and the private details of her life placed into the hands of the federal government, despite the fact that she was not even accused of a crime. And yet, in that moment, she showed exactly what journalism is supposed to look like under pressure. She looked at her colleagues and told them, The best thing you can do for me is keep reporting.
I’ve thought about what she said every day since. Because that is what you would expect someone to say who is facing this kind of treatment in a place like Putin’s Russia, North Korea, or some other authoritarian state where journalists are treated as enemies of the state and the press exists only to protect the powerful. It is not what we expect to hear from a journalist in the United States of America. But this is Trump’s America now.
The official justification for the raid was a leak investigation connected to Venezuela. Days before the search, Natanson and five Post colleagues had published an exclusive story based on classified government documents concerning U.S. military operations there. A government contractor and Navy veteran was accused of improperly accessing classified databases connected to the case.
And hours after the raid, Trump walked into the Oval Office and announced to reporters that “the leaker on Venezuela” had been found and was “in jail right now.” He was referring to Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a 61-year-old Navy veteran and Pentagon contractor with top-secret clearance who had been arrested six days earlier. He had been caught the old-fashioned way, through federal investigative work, not through anything taken from Hannah Natanson or her reporting.
But the way Trump announced it, standing in the Oval Office hours after agents had raided a journalist’s home, was deliberate. He wanted the two things to sound like one thing. The contractor in jail. The reporter’s house raided. Said in the same breath, on the same day, to make the public hear it as a single story. It wasn’t. What Trump did not mention is that American law gives the press strong First Amendment protection to publish truthful information on matters of public concern, even when a source may have broken the law to obtain it, so long as the journalist did not participate in the illegal act. That protection is not unlimited, but it is one of the core safeguards of a free press. Courts have reaffirmed that protection again and again. The contractor may have broken the law. Hannah Natanson did not.
The prosecution said in court that Perez-Lugones had thrown everything away, his job, his clearance, his career of more than two decades. A Navy veteran who had served his country for more than 20 years, now facing federal charges, his life completely upended. Prosecutors said he did it “to get back at the administration.” And maybe he did. Or maybe he just couldn’t stay quiet anymore. Maybe he sat inside that secure facility, watching what was being planned and executed in Venezuela, watching what was being done to this country, and decided that someone needed to know. Maybe that was enough. He knew exactly what he was risking. So did every one of the 1,169 federal employees on Hannah Natanson’s phone. The real target was never the Venezuela documents. It was them.
The Trump administration was furious that 1,169 federal employees had trusted her with what was happening inside their agencies. Sharing details about every DOGE cut, every illegal order, every moment of chaos, intimidation, corruption, and cruelty the administration did not want the public to see. That is what they were really after. And Hannah Natanson understood exactly what those people were risking. On Christmas Eve, weeks before the raid, she published an essay about what this reporting had cost her emotionally. In it, she described one message she could never forget. A woman had written to her on Signal and asked her not to respond. The woman said she lived alone and planned to die that weekend. But before she did, she wanted at least one person to understand what had happened to her life. Trump had unraveled the government, she wrote, and with it, her future. That is what Hannah Natanson was protecting. That is what was on her phone.
And then came the detail that made the whole raid make sense. An entire section of the FBI warrant affidavit cited that Christmas Eve essay, and about her reporting methods and source relationships, as justification for the search. Her transparency about how she worked, communicated, and protected sources became part of the government’s rationale for raiding her home. She told the truth about how she found the truth, and they used it against her. The administration wasn’t just angry about one article about Venezuela or an essay about the human toll of what was happening. They were angry that a journalist had built a trusted pipeline to more than a thousand people inside the federal government who were still willing to tell the public the truth about what was happening to their country, and they wanted that pipeline shut down. The raid was not just an investigation. It was a warning. A warning to anyone willing to share what was really happening, and a warning to any journalist willing to share about it.
What happened to Hannah Natanson in January was just the next move in this administration’s larger plan to silence dissent. This week, we learned that the FBI has opened a criminal leak investigation targeting Atlantic journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick over her sources for a story reporting that FBI Director Kash Patel had been allegedly engaging in heavy drinking and unexplained absences. Patel denied it and filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic. The FBI has denied the probe exists. But here is what makes this one different as they escalate their attacks on the First Amendment. The Natanson raid, as unprecedented as it was, was at least framed around classified information and national security. This new investigation wasn’t. It is an investigation into who told a reporter about a government official. That is the new line they are drawing. You don’t have to leak classified documents anymore to become a target. You just have to share about someone they want protected.
This is how it works. This is the manipulation that makes this administration so dangerous. They don’t even have to accuse anyone of formal wrongdoing anymore. They are not even charging people with crimes. They just have to make the question loud enough. Is this a national security threat? Are the people talking to journalists endangering the country? They are trying to turn our First Amendment rights alone into the threats. To make sources afraid to speak, reporters afraid to publish, and readers afraid to trust what they read. You don’t have to silence the press directly if you can make the press silence itself.
But the courts are not playing along. Not yet, at least. Two federal judges have now blocked the Justice Department from accessing Hannah Natanson’s devices. U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga, appointed by President George W. Bush, rejected the government’s appeal and ruled that the prolonged seizure of a journalist’s tools was preventing her from doing her job. The magistrate judge below him had already criticized the DOJ for failing to even mention to the court the Privacy Protection Act of 1980, a federal law that restricts the government from raiding journalists for their unpublished work. They didn’t mention it because doing so would have made the warrant harder to obtain. Two judges have now seen through it. The government may still appeal. But for now, the line is holding.
And it’s important for us to remember how many people have been part of the resistance in these moments. There are still people inside our government sharing the truth at great risk to their livelihoods and freedom, judges holding the line, and politicians calling all of this out while risking their safety and careers to defend what is left of our democracy. I needed to hear this today. I’ve found myself needing to hear as much hope as I can lately. Maybe you need to hear it too.
Because as we all expected, this administration has been ramping up its intimidation tactics ahead of the midterms. The outlook for our country looks dark in so many ways, and I myself have been facing what I call cruelty and chaos burnout. Being in Washington, D.C. during the shooting made me realize how truly upside down our government is in so many ways. I was never a political obsessive. I never had aspirations to talk about politics every night of my life. But I am a human being, and I’ve noticed my own ability to process the destruction unfolding is starting to follow a path where I have highs and lows. I’m walking a fine line between being a present mother to my children and also spending enough time each day trying to fully understand as much of what is happening as I can. It is a fine line. And some days it catches up to me.
I’m getting better about compartmentalizing it all so that I don’t go numb, because I am here for the long haul. I will never stop, no matter how tired I get. And I know so many of you feel the exact same way.
Today was one of those days where I struggled, though. I got an email this afternoon that I should not have opened. It was a tirade from someone telling me I should end my own life. And it took me down a path of realizing just how deep this rot has gone. Where people now see cruelty as courage. Where sending something like that feels like patriotism. And I worry every single day about how far this goes before we reach the point where things finally begin to turn around.
But instead of breaking me, it made me stronger. It helped remind me what we are actually fighting for. Better days where we can all agree again that what we are living through is not normal and that we all deserve better than this. A country with competent leadership that governs from a place of real patriotism and public service, not this performative red hat extremism that feeds on outrage, cruelty, and division while calling itself “American greatness.”
So if you are feeling burned out tonight, I see you. I get it. It would be easy for us to check out for a while, but we can’t do it. We have too much work to do. We just need to remember that at some point, this will be over, and we can rest then knowing that we pushed through the hard days and never gave up on building a future for our children and grandchildren where the United States stood for freedom and democracy and not the authoritarian nightmare Trump is trying to turn it into.
As I’ve promised so many times before, whenever this administration goes after a journalist, every time they raid a home, or file a lawsuit, or open an investigation designed to make someone afraid to exercise their First Amendment rights, we respond by making sure the voices they are targeting are not silenced. We vote with our dollars and support the writers, media, journalists, and social media creators who are not backing down to Trump’s authoritarian demands. We support our favorite voices who are still telling the truth, not just me, but the ones protecting sources, too.
Because we recognize just how important that work is. Protecting confidentiality and classified information is how these investigative reports even see the light. And without this information, so much of what I write would not be possible. I depend on the bravery of journalists like Hannah Natanson to do the investigative work so I can bring it to you every night. I cannot imagine what it costs her, the fear on top of the exhaustion on top of the weight of protecting more than a thousand people who trusted her with their lives. I live with concern about what I write, but not anywhere near the level she carries. I am so grateful for her. And for every reporter still doing this work and not backing down. Because that is exactly what we are going to need to get through this.
And I want to thank you all for your paid memberships, especially on heavy nights like this. You have made this work possible and free for all, never behind a paywall. And beyond supporting me, please support investigative reporters, independent content creators, and every voice on the right side of history that you can. We will never be able to match the other side dollar for dollar. But we can make sure that when one of us is feeling the weight of the world, the others can carry the work forward. That is how movements survive. That is how the truth stays alive.
And it’s not just us recognizing the important work these journalists are doing under these harsh conditions. On Monday, something remarkable happened. The very reporting that this administration tried to intimidate and suppress was honored on the highest level. The Washington Post won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, journalism’s highest honor, for piercing the veil of secrecy around the Trump administration’s dismantling of the federal government and documenting in rich detail what it has cost the people inside it. Hannah Natanson’s reporting was at the center of that work. The same reporting that they raided her home to stop.
And in her remarks after learning of the award, she said: “To every government worker who risked so much to confide in me, I want you to know your trust is the highest honor I will ever receive.”
That line stayed with me because it captures something I think so many of us have been trying to hold onto lately. There are still people in this country willing to risk their comfort, their careers, their reputations, and sometimes even their safety to do the right thing. There are still journalists willing to tell the truth when powerful people try to intimidate them into silence. There are still government workers choosing conscience over obedience. And there are still millions of Americans refusing to surrender to cruelty and fear, no matter how exhausted they become. And that is why I still have hope for America. And you should, too.
Popular Information, Accountability Journalism: The truth about State Farm, Judd Legum, right, and Rebecca Crosby, May 7, 2026. "So forget what we told you. It ain’t worth squat."
In an ad campaign that has blanketed the airwaves this year, State Farm compares itself to a sleazy fictional competitor, Halfway There Insurance. The commercial features two popular comedic actors, Danny McBride and Keegan Michael Key, riffing to the Bon Jovi classic, Livin’ on a Prayer.
“There’s damage to your home on this block,” McBride and Key croon. “We won’t make things right, cuz filing a claim is tough.” The comedy duo stresses that, unlike State Farm, their pretend company will not live up to its promises and does not care about customer satisfaction. “So forget what we told you. It ain’t worth squat. It doesn’t make a difference if you’re happy or not,” they sing.
A website created by State Farm, HalfwayThereInsurance.com, jokes that Halfway There Insurance will just claim that home damage is not their responsibility. For “actual home protection,” the website advises, “we’d say go with State Farm.”
No expense is spared on the campaign, which debuted during the Super Bowl. The ad concludes when Jon Bon Jovi himself, riding in a red convertible with State Farm pitchman “Jake,” offers a disgruntled Halfway There customer, played by actress Hailee Steinfeld, a lift. “Stop living on a prayer and get State Farm,” Jake says.
The Halfway There campaign is one of countless ads with a similar message: State Farm is a relatable and ethical company that will be there to assist you when you need them. “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there,” is the company’s iconic slogan. According to a document filed with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and obtained by Popular Information, State Farm spent an astounding $1.139 billion on advertising in 2025.
According to an enforcement action filed by the California Department of Insurance (CDI) this week, the experience of being a State Farm customer has little in common with the advertising copy. CDI “announced a major enforcement action against State Farm General Insurance Company after an expedited investigation uncovered significant mishandling of insurance claims filed by survivors of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.” According to CDI Commissioner Ricardo Lara, “State Farm delayed, underpaid, and buried policyholders in red tape at the worst moment of their lives.”
As part of the investigation, CDI examiners reviewed a sampling of 220 claims. In more than half the claims (114) CDI determined that State Farm violated state law. In a legal filing known as an “Order to Show Cause,” CDI summarized State Farm’s violations:
The examination showed a troubling pattern of claims handling practices by [State Farm], including: slow and inadequate investigations of claims; underpayment of claims; numerous instances where multiple claims adjusters were assigned, over a short period, causing policyholder confusion; a lack of reasonable standards for prompt investigation and processing of claims, including in regards to smoke damage; and/or, delayed or inadequate communication with policyholders. These practices failed to comply with applicable laws regulating the fair handling of claims and related regulations resulting in unfair and unlawful burden to policyholders during a declared state of emergency.
The CDI is seeking authority to suspend State Farm’s license in California for up to a year. That would mean the company could not write new insurance policies during that time.
State Farm flatly rejected the conclusions of the CDI investigation. “California’s homeowners insurance market is the most dysfunctional in the country, and State Farm has worked to be part of real solutions,” the company said in a statement. “Wildfire survivors deserve real solutions - not a distorted picture of State Farm’s response.”
The investigation revealed a more nuanced picture. State Farm denied fault in some cases but admitted fault in others, “often saying that the problem was due to issues with specific adjusters.”
According to CDI, State Farm could face $2 million or more in penalties. $2 million represents less than one day of State Farm’s annual ad budget.State Farm aggressively pursued the California home insurance market
In the years before the wildfires, as other insurers were more cautious in California, State Farm blitzed the market, even while being aware of the risks.
A 2025 report from the Wall Street Journal found that, in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic, State Farm “gobbled up market share… by insuring high-value homes in the Pacific Palisades and other Los Angeles neighborhoods that many of its competitors rejected as too vulnerable to wildfires.” In 2023, the company took in “$2.7 billion of home-insurance premiums in the state,” a 70% increase compared to five years earlier.
“State Farm was the only—and I mean the only—big insurer that would take everything” during that time period, an owner of an independent insurance agency told the Journal. One insurance agent said that the only quote that he could get for a high-value home in 2022 was $20,000, until State Farm insured it for $6,000.
State Farm knew about the risks even as it expanded. According to the Journal, consultants told State Farm that there was a high risk of a fire. State Farm also knew it was selling policies that had unsustainably low premiums. But it continued to ask California “for a fraction of the increases that would be needed to bring its rates up to the necessary levels” in 2021 and 2022.
In 2023, that abruptly changed. State Farm began asking the state for much higher increases in home-insurance rates. Shortly after, the company announced that it would no longer be accepting new home-insurance policies in California.
In March 2024, State Farm announced that it would be dropping coverage for a total of 72,000 houses and apartments in the state beginning that summer. A CDI spokesman told CBS that around “1,600 policies in Pacific Palisades were dropped by State Farm in July.” An analysis by CBS News San Francisco found that State Farm dropped over 2,000 policies in two other zip codes in Los Angeles. Customers whose policies were not being renewed were advised to get insurance through California’s Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) Plan, which is used as a last resort and typically offers less coverage for a higher price.
In January 2025, State Farm reversed course and announced that it was offering to renew residential policies that it had intended to drop in Los Angeles County. But the decision only applied to policies that were still held by customers before the Los Angeles fires. Customers whose coverage had already been dropped before the fire are out of luck.
More On Iran War
New York Times, Trump Reversed Hormuz Plan After Saudis Denied Airspace Access, Michael Crowley, Eric Schmitt and Vivian Nereim, May 7, 2026. Saudi Arabia’s refusal of support suggests that President Trump’s unpredictable approach to Iran has strained ties with one of his closest allies in the Middle East.
President Trump’s announcement on Sunday that the U.S. military would escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz angered Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, who denied U.S. access to Saudi airspace and American bases in the country, according to a person briefed by Saudi officials and a U.S. military official.
Prince Mohammed’s action stunned U.S. officials and forced Mr. Trump to abandon his plan, according to a U.S. military official familiar with the sequence of events. The Saudis have since lifted the restrictions on the bases and overflights, but still have not agreed to permit the use of its territory in support of “Project Freedom,” as Mr. Trump named the naval operation, the U.S. official added.
Mr. Trump halted the tanker escort operation on Tuesday, after a flurry of phone calls between Washington and Saudi Arabia, including a call between Mr. Trump and Prince Mohammed. By that evening, Mr. Trump had announced that he had “paused” the operation after less than 24 hours.
Mr. Trump said he was reacting to new “progress” toward a peace agreement with Tehran, although no evidence of a dramatic breakthrough has emerged.
Even if the U.S. disagreement with Riyadh over tanker escorts is resolved, the initial Saudi refusal of support suggests that Mr. Trump’s unpredictable and whipsawing approach to Iran has strained ties with one of his closest allies. As recently as mid-March, the de facto Saudi leader was pressing Mr. Trump to continue his bombing campaign against Iran with the goal of bringing down its clerical regime and ridding the kingdom of a longtime adversary, according to people briefed by U.S. officials on the conversations. Saudi officials dispute their accounts.
Prince Mohammed’s calculus has since shifted. Mr. Trump instead agreed to an April cease-fire deal with Iran’s leaders, and Prince Mohammed is now trying to help end the conflict by supporting peace talks through Saudi Arabia’s ally, Pakistan. Iranian officials said on Thursday that Tehran and the United States were discussing a one-page proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz and end hostilities — which flared up again on Thursday — for 30 days while they search for a comprehensive deal that would include matters like Iran’s nuclear program.
The person briefed by Saudi officials confirmed that the kingdom had denied U.S. permission to fly over Saudi Arabia for the tanker mission, which they did not think had been well studied. Saudi officials also feared it would have led to an escalation with Iran, according to the person.
Signs of a rift between Mr. Trump and Prince Mohammed could embolden Tehran as it jockeys for leverage in on-again, off-again negotiations with the United States amid clear signs that Mr. Trump is eager for a deal.
The Saudi government’s Center for International Communication, which handles queries from journalists, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the Saudi Embassy in Washington.Editors’ PicksHunting for the Rare Thrills of Northern Vietnamese Food? Try Portland.Sizzling Summer ThrillersBy the End of a Hiking Trip, Their Relationship Was Elevated
The friction emerged after Mr. Trump declared on Sunday via his Truth Social account that the U.S. military would begin guiding commercial ships through the narrow waterway between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Most maritime traffic through the strait has been halted since Iran began attacking tankers in response to the joint U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign that began in February.
Mr. Trump initially depicted the operation as a “humanitarian” mission intended to free ships and crews who had been stranded in the strait for weeks or months, although his rhetoric grew more bellicose after the announcement. On Monday, Mr. Trump warned that he might wipe Iran “off the face of the earth” if it attacked American vessels in the strait.
On Tuesday, Saudi officials notified U.S. counterparts that they could not use their country’s territory or airspace for the operation, according to a U.S. military official. That rendered the plan unfeasible: U.S. naval escorts through the strait would require substantial air support for protection, including from fighter jets and attack helicopters.
In addition to Mr. Trump’s call with Prince Mohammed on Tuesday, an official said, Marco Rubio, the national security adviser and secretary of state, spoke to his Saudi counterpart. Steve Witkoff, a special U.S. envoy, and Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, also spoke to the Saudi leadership that day. Mr. Trump spoke again to Prince Mohammed on Wednesday.
Three people who speak often to Saudi officials said the episode shows growing frustration in Riyadh with Mr. Trump’s shoot-from-the-hip management of his clash with Iran. Mr. Trump has left his strategic goals unclear and his tactics subject to sudden change, often catching U.S. allies by surprise.
In his early years, Prince Mohammed pursued a hawkish approach to Iran, which included a disastrous bombing campaign in Yemen launched to fight Iran-backed Houthi rebels. But in recent years he has prioritized diplomacy over military action, and in 2023 Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic relations with Iran after decades of deep hostility.
The shift reflects Prince Mohammed’s view that regional stability is crucial for his broader economic ambitions, which involve turning Saudi Arabia into a global hub for business and tourism, Saudi officials and analysts say.
After Mr. Trump went to war against Iran, Prince Mohammed’s main interest was in seeing a decisive victory against Iran’s regime. Despite the easing of tensions in 2023, Saudi Arabia still considers the country a threat to its security.
New York Times, War and Energy Shortages Boost China’s Influence in Asia, Alexandra Stevenson and Murphy Zhao, May 7, 2026. The war in Iran has left China’s neighbors appealing for help, handing Beijing the kind of sway it has long sought.
As the war in Iran drags on, China has deepened its influence with fuel-starved neighbors, offering to ease shortages while pushing its renewable energy technology.
In the days after the United States and Israel attacked Iran and the Strait of Hormuz was closed, China banned oil-product exports, squeezing Asian countries that rely on its refineries for jet fuel, gasoline and diesel.
Across Asia, governments are petitioning Beijing to blunt the war’s impact. Unlike the rest of the region, China is dealing from a position of strength. It is the world’s largest importer of crude oil, but it has amassed huge reserves, spent decades reducing its dependence on foreign oil and poured hundreds of billions of dollars into clean energy technology.
Vietnam appealed to Beijing over its looming jet fuel shortage. The Philippines asked China not to restrict fertilizer exports. After a visit to China last month to press the subject, Australia’s foreign minister said Beijing would cooperate with Australian companies on jet fuel shipments.
The outreach produced assurances from China to address regional energy security issues as well as commitments from other countries to advance diplomatic dialogue with Beijing and, in some cases, cooperate on future renewable energy projects, according to government readouts. The diplomacy kept some Chinese fuel flowing, helping Asia avoid some of the worst-case scenarios that experts feared at the start of the war.
New York Times, The Long Journey From the Strait of Hormuz to the Gas Tank, Agnes Chang and Pablo Robles, May 7, 2026. This month-long journey cannot be meaningfully sped up. Ships can sail faster, but that risks safety and uses more fuel, raising costs. Once the oil reaches land, the refining, loading and transit speeds are constrained by the existing infrastructure.
Japan is fortunate enough to have strategic energy reserves and a robust distribution system that can help it weather the energy crisis. Not every country has those advantages. In those with less developed refining, port or pipeline infrastructure, getting fuel to consumers can take even longer.
And countries that rely on others to refine their petroleum may now face even more delays because of the war as they wait for damaged equipment in the Gulf states to come back online. In March, the Philippines declared a national emergency because of disruptions in oil supplies.
Even once the Strait of Hormuz fully reopens, it may take months for shipping to return to normal. With hundreds of tankers trapped or diverted, clearing the traffic will make trips longer.
And insurance premiums for traveling through the strait — still considered a high-risk zone — will likely make some voyages economically unviable.
It is not just a matter of getting the oil flowing again. Supply chains thrown into disarray by the cutoff will need time to recover. Already, much of Asia is grappling with shortages of petroleum-derived goods like plastics, adhesives and paints.
Emptywheel, Analysis: Trump’s Base Motives, Emptywheel (Marcy Wheeler), right, May 7, 2026. There were several stories yesterday that revealed details about Trump’s failing Iran war.
The second, posted by NBC towards the end of the day, reveals that no one gave America’s Gulf allies a heads up before Trump decided to re-heat the war with a plan to accompany ships to the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s plan to forcibly reopen the Strait using the Prince Sultan Airbase got quickly vetoed.
Trump surprised Gulf allies by announcing “Project Freedom” on social media Sunday afternoon, the officials said, angering leadership in Saudi Arabia. In response, the Kingdom informed the U.S. it would not allow the U.S. military to fly aircraft from Prince Sultan Airbase southeast of Riyadh or fly through Saudi airspace to support the effort, the officials said.
A call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not resolve the issue, the two U.S. officials said, forcing the president to pause Project Freedom in order to restore U.S. military access to the critical airspace.
Other close Gulf allies were also caught off guard; the president spoke with leaders in Qatar after the effort had already begun.
Tellingly, Trump did not respond to this rejection from his son-in-law’s benefactor with a tantrum, like he has every time European countries have refused to let Trump conduct an offensive war from their territory.
Trump lied to cover up the rejection.
The story of Crown Prince Bone Saw’s disinterest in serving as a base for hostile operations that would, hypothetically at least, serve Saudi interests came hours after WaPo advanced a story that NYT, NBC and CNN have also slowly been pursuing: the damage Iran did in the initial days of the war was far worse than originally known, especially on three bases in Kuwait and at the 5th Fleet HQ in Bahrain.
Iranian airstrikes have damaged or destroyed at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at U.S. military sites across the Middle East since the war began, hitting hangars, barracks, fuel depots, aircraft and key radar, communications and air defense equipment, according to a Washington Post analysis of satellite imagery. The amount of destruction is far larger than what has been publicly acknowledged by the U.S. government or previously reported.
The threat of air attacks rendered some of the U.S. bases in the region too dangerous to staff at normal levels, and commanders moved most of the personnel from these sites out of the range of Iranian fire at the start of the war, officials have said.
[snip]
More than half of the damage reviewed by The Post occurred at the 5th Fleet headquarters, and the three bases in Kuwait — Ali al-Salem Air Base, Camp Arifjan and Camp Buehring. Camp Arifjan is the U.S. Army’s regional headquarters.
Some Persian Gulf nations have refused to allow the U.S. military to conduct offensive operations out of their bases. A U.S. official said bases in Bahrain and Kuwait were two of the hardest hit, possibly because they permitted attacks from their territory, including the use of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) that can fire missiles at ranges exceeding 310 miles.
The entire story — with an explanation of WaPo methodology, which (given US-driven withholding of commercial satellite imagery) started from Iranian images that WaPo then fact checked; as well as the details of the strategic fuck-ups that led to this damage, notably a refusal to learn about the use of drones from Ukraine — is worth reading in detail.
This is one thing Whiskey Pete Hegseth has been trying to prevent journalists from exposing.
But the most important detail, in my opinion, is this one: US officials are not sure they’ll return to the damaged bases, particularly Bahrain.
A U.S. official said that damage at the Naval Support Activity is “extensive” and that the headquarters there relocated to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, the home of U.S. Central Command. It is unlikely that troops, contractors or civilian employees will return to the base “anytime soon,” the official said.
Two other officials said U.S. forces may never return to regional bases in large numbers, though no final decision has been made.
These details came on the same day that Hugo Lowell explained (from his new perch at Wired) that Trump would be ready to accept a JPCOA-like deal, but for the fact that he knows he’ll be attacked for capitulating to a deal like the Obama deal he ripped up eight years ago.
President Donald Trump’s negotiators face the arduous task of trying to convince the president that a deal he previously rejected is their best option in Iran.
Last month, Trump initially gave his blessing for a so-called “cash for uranium” deal, under which the US would release around $20 billion in frozen funds in exchange for Iran handing over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, sources familiar with the matter tell WIRED.
Trump’s negotiators, vice president JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, received repeated approvals from the president while they were in Islamabad, giving them confidence a deal was close.
But the deal unraveled, in part because Trump was warned by his team that there was a risk he could be seen as giving Iran “pallets of cash”—an echo of his own oft-stated criticism of Barack Obama’s Iran deal—and he pulled the plug, the sources said.
Except now, that’s once again the cornerstone of the current proposal.
As I’ve noted, admitting Barack Obama’s superiority is one of the two intractable psychological dilemmas Trump’s failed Iran invasion has presented for him.
And that is why, Lowell suggests, Marco Rubio and JD Vance have tried to distance themselves from this shitshow.
For all the machinations in the West Wing, it has not gone unnoticed by Trump’s orbit that some of his top players have been conspicuous in their absence on Iran, according to two administration officials familiar with the matter.
Marco Rubio, the secretary of state and national security adviser, has been part of the group advising Trump on Iran and, physically speaking, spends most of his time in his West Wing office overlooking West Executive Avenue instead of at the State Department.
Rubio was happy to brief reporters on Tuesday, but he did so only at the request of the White House, a person familiar with the matter said, with his advisers wary of him getting involved in Iran negotiations that could as easily unravel as succeed.
[snip]
Rubio instead has been more focused on Cuba, and on Venezuela, where assistant secretary of state Caleb Orr has been involved in overseeing new private equity investment to rebuild the country’s oil infrastructure.
Vance has been stuck in an awkward middle ground. Vance is a good soldier and is regularly in the Situation Room, but he was always skeptical of striking Iran at all and once suggested a six-month delay to build up the US stockpile of anti-missile interceptors, according to a person familiar with the matter. [emphasis original]
It’s probably suboptimal that the guy who is supposed to be in charge of diplomacy is hiding under the bed, but it might explain why the Saudis didn’t get a heads up that Trump wanted to wage war from their territory.
All this is happening in advance of Trump’s scheduled visit to China, and China — which has issued competing orders regarding US sanction attempts even while serving as a key broker of negotiations while dangling its own ask, Taiwan.
Trump’s incompetent attack on Iran has partially effected the primary goal Islamic extremists fought for decades to achieve: the end of US force projection into the Middle East, and with it, one cornerstone US hegemony.
If next week’s Trump visit to China happens, it may well mark the sunset of the US empire.
New York Times, World in Waiting Game Over Iran Peace Proposal Response, Qasim Nauman and Leo Sands, May 7, 2026. An Iranian official said that Tehran would convey its reply through Pakistan, a key mediator. Another Iranian official earlier dismissed a reported proposal to end the war as a “list of American wishes.”
The United States was waiting on Thursday for Iran to convey its response to the latest American proposal to end the war, after public messages from top-ranking officials on both sides suggested a burst of behind-the-scenes diplomatic activity.
Business leaders, consumers, politicians, shipping companies, and many others around the world have also been watching closely for signs of a breakthrough. The conflict, which has dragged on into a third month and prompted Iran and the United States to implement rival blockades around the Strait of Hormuz, has choked off a major oil transit route, wreaking havoc on global supply chains and causing energy prices to spike.
More On U.S. Courts, Law, Crime, Rights, Justice
The Contrarian, Opinion: The Justice Department’s Appalling Grift Store, Lauren Stiller Rikleen, May 7, 2026. Settlements with the president's friends and the possibility of payouts to the him are an affront to every taxpayer.
The Department of Justice’s grift store for friends and supporters of the president, laying a solid foundation for settlement payouts, should be an affront to every taxpayer in America.
In the past few weeks, Michael Flynn, a 2016 Trump campaign adviser, seems to have benefited twice from DOJ largesse. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about discussions with the Russian ambassador during the 2016 transition — a case that was dismissed after President Trump pardoned him. Not satisfied with the good fortune of a pardon and dismissal, Flynn sued the government, alleging malicious prosecution and related claims. The DOJ, which had been successfully fighting the case, reversed course under the Trump administration, paying a reported $1.25 million taxpayer-funded settlement to Flynn. And just days ago, the government submitted a court filing asserting it had reached yet another settlement in principle with Flynn on a different claim. (Neal McNeil/iStock)
The DOJ also reportedly paid $1.25 million to former 2016 Trump campaign adviser Carter Page for his claims against the government relating to the Russia investigation, notwithstanding that lower courts had dismissed Page’s lawsuit and an appeal was pending.
At the start of his second term, Trump continued to upend history’s retelling of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by issuing blanket clemency to more than 1,600 January 6 riot defendants and absolving the attackers from owing restitution for the millions in damages they caused. Many of those pardoned have become repeat offenders.
Now, in a display of jaw-dropping audacity, pardoned January 6 rioters have sued the federal government for tens of millions of dollars for alleged physical and emotional damages caused by the police seeking to repel the attacks. Another DOJ settlement seems more likely in light of the department’s recent move to vacate the conspiracy and sedition convictions against Proud Boys and Oath Keepers leaders. Polymarket is likely planning its betting odds on how long the pardon-to-payout pipeline will take before a taxpayer funded settlement from the DOJ is achieved.
In this administration, loyalty and personal benefit are mutually reinforcing. It’s worth comparing, as the grift grows, the government’s efforts to protect its friends and supporters from accountability with this country’s treatment of wrongly convicted individuals. The justice system has long been marred by the numbers of people who have languished in prison for years, seeking to prove their innocence. Those who are fortunate enough to ultimately be exonerated struggle — often unsuccessfully — to receive any compensation. Unlike those who are pardoned, an exonerated prisoner is declared innocent in the eyes of the law, as opposed to being forgiven by a presidential benefactor.
The settlements to Trump’s cronies, however, may merely be practice for the ultimate payment to the president and his family that would result in one of the most brazen examples of public corruption in history.
The president, his two sons, and The Trump Organization have sued the Internal Revenue Service — an agency the president oversees — for $10 billion, alleging the IRS disclosed confidential tax information to the media. The president had previously filed claims before the DOJ seeking $230 million as compensation for grievances that included the search for classified documents at Trump’s Florida home and the Russia investigation.
The president controls both sides of these cases. Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general and Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer, demonstrates the same slavish devotion to the president that his fired predecessor, Pam Bondi, exhibited. While recently defending the firing of DOJ lawyers for working on assigned cases during the prior administration, Blanche stated that, if he is not nominated as attorney general or otherwise retained at DOJ, he would thank the president and say, “I love you, sir.”
The president requested, with the DOJ’s consent, an extension of a key deadline in his IRS suit, claiming that the parties were engaging in settlement discussions. If the DOJ resolves this case for even a fraction of the billions sought, it will validate its disdain toward the taxpaying public and its contempt for conflict-of-interest requirements.
Paying taxes is an act of trust that is based on an expectation that the government will use those funds to perform essential functions on behalf of the public. DOJ settlements and potential settlements with the administration’s friends and supporters (and possibly the president and his family) undermine its responsibility to seek accountability and serve as a stunning breach of that trust at the taxpayers’ expense.
Lauren Stiller Rikleen is the executive director of Lawyers Defending American Democracy and the editor of Her Honor—Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges.
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Lauren Stiller Rikleen is the executive director of Lawyers Defending American Democracy and the editor of Her Honor – Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges.
U.S. Elections, Politics, Governance
This shows the current congressional map for Tennessee maps, which includes one seat (shown in blue) surrounding the predominately pro-Democrat city of Memphis. The new map will split the city into fragments so that voting can be dominated by pro-Republican surrounding areas, just like the Republican legislature did previously with the predominately Democratic city of Nashville, Normally in U.S. governance, House maps are revised once a decade, as in 2020 or 2030, not in mid-decade to secure House majorities as President Trump has sought, backed by his six fellow Republican U.S. Supreme Court justices (New York Times map)
New York Times, Republicans Unveil Map Carving Up Tennessee’s Majority-Black House District, Emily Cochrane, May 7, 2026 (print ed.). The General Assembly is expected to quickly approve the map, which slices up Memphis, a majority-Black city that makes up most of the state’s lone Democratic district.
Tennessee Republicans on Wednesday proposed a congressional map aimed at diluting the state’s lone majority-Black district, a swift response to last week’s Supreme Court ruling that weakened a landmark voting rights law.
The new map slices up Memphis, a majority-Black city, and Shelby County into three districts and will most likely give Republicans the ability to flip Tennessee’s lone remaining Democratic seat, which includes the city.
New York Times, Trump’s Indiana Victory Shows His Enduring Grip on Core Republican Supporters, Nick Corasaniti and Shane Goldmacher, May 7, 2026 (print ed.). Low approval ratings? MAGA divisions? The president was able to turn out party loyalists in an Indiana primary to help him oust Republican state lawmakers who had crossed him.
Even as President Trump’s popularity sags amid an unpopular war and soaring gas prices, his success Tuesday in ousting a group of Republican state lawmakers in Indiana who had crossed him showed that he continued to hold a viselike grip on a critical core of the Republican base.
For all the talk of divisions within the MAGA movement over the war in Iran, the results in Indiana on Tuesday showed that Mr. Trump can still inspire the kind of voters who will turn out to vote when he asks them to. In this case, it was for revenge: The challengers Mr. Trump backed defeated at least five of the seven Republicans incumbents in the Indiana Legislature who had defied his call to draw new congressional maps ahead of the midterms.
Victories in a low-turnout Republican primary do not mean that Republican fortunes are improving ahead of the midterm elections. The party still faces an uphill battle to keep control of Congress, amid intense headwinds from the unpopular Iran war and growing economic anxiety.
But in these races, Mr. Trump and his allies were able to vastly outspend the incumbents and weaponize the bully pulpit of the presidency over little-known state lawmakers. Mr. Trump posed for photos in the Oval Office with most of the challengers, giving them powerful visuals to drive home their alliance with the White House.
It can be hard to be an incumbent. Yet the results on Tuesday were so lopsided that one state senator lost by more than 50 percentage points. The results reinforced what has remained an unshakable truth over the decade of Mr. Trump’s domination of national politics: His sway over a significant part of the Republican base is immovable.
“You are next,” Chris LaCivita, Mr. Trump’s co-campaign manager in 2024, warned Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a Republican who has battled with Mr. Trump, in a social media post early Wednesday. Mr. Trump wants to oust Mr. Massie in a primary later this month, and Mr. LaCivita is leading an anti-Massie super PAC.
While Mr. Trump’s overall approval rating has fallen to 39 percent, according to The New York Times polling average, it is much higher among Republicans. His approval rating with that subset held steady at 85 percent in the latest Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll.
“Donald Trump has ruled the Republican Party and the Republican base, and he obviously continues to do so,” said Whit Ayres, a longtime Republican pollster. Mr. Ayres pointed to a difference between high-profile defectors such as Tucker Carlson and the average Trump voters. “While MAGA influencers and elites may have broken with the president on the war, MAGA Republicans are 100 percent, or maybe 90 percent, behind it.”
Most immediately, the romp by Mr. Trump and his allies through Indianapolis is likely to send up warning flares to Republicans across the country: Fall in line on the president’s priorities, especially on redistricting, or face the consequences.
Letters from an American, Historical Commentary: May 6, 2026 [], Heather Cox Richardson, right, May 7, 2026. It has not been a banner day for members of the Trump administration.
Evan Hill, Jarrett Ley, Alex Horton, Tara Copp, and Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post reported that Iranian strikes since February 28, when U.S. and Israeli air strikes began, have caused far more damage to U.S. military sites in the Middle East than Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the U.S. government have admitted.
While the damage from the Iranian strikes, which have killed and wounded servicemembers, is itself important, so is the underlying story: the U.S. government is hiding the true cost of the war in Iran from the American people. The journalists note that it is “unusually difficult” to get satellite imagery from the Middle East right now because less than two weeks into the war, the U.S. government asked two of the largest commercial providers of satellite imagery, Vantor and Planet, “to limit, delay or indefinitely withhold the publication of imagery of the region while the war is ongoing.”
The companies complied, forcing the journalists to turn to high-resolution satellite imagery published by Iran’s state-affiliated media, cross-checking it with lower-resolution imagery from the satellite system the European Union uses.
Global affairs journalist David Rothkopf wrote today in The Daily Beast: “Not since Vietnam have we seen a more systematic effort by an administration to lie about the nature, costs, consequences, and results of a war than we have seen from the White House on Iran.”
Early this morning, Barak Ravid of Axios, who often reports information from White House insiders, wrote that the White House believed it was close to a memorandum of understanding with Iran that would end the war and lay the groundwork for future negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, although there was plenty of hedging in the article.
Once again, there were fortuitously timed trades before the story broke. Adam Kobeissi’s Kobeissi Letter, which comments on global capital markets, noted that about 70 minutes before the Axios story, someone took about $920 million worth of crude oil shorts and bet the market would drop, meaning they promised to provide about 10,000 contracts for oil at the current price. Within two hours, oil prices had fallen more than 12%, making the entity a profit of about $125 million.
On social media, Trump’s account continued to whipsaw between pressing for an end to the war and threatening apocalyptic destruction if Iran doesn’t agree to U.S. demands. “Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption,” he wrote, “the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran. If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
The administration’s shifting justifications and claims about the Iran war are “dizzying,” Ben Finley, Matthew Lee, and Farnoush Amiri of the Associated Press wrote today. Yesterday, after calling the war “concluded,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spent the day selling Trump’s Project Freedom to open the Strait of Hormuz, only to have Trump call Project Freedom off with a post on social media.
Mosheh Gains, Courtney Kube, Andrea Mitchell, Natasha Lebedeva and Daniel Arkin of NBC News reported tonight that Trump’s abrupt about-face came after Saudi Arabia told the U.S. it would not permit the U.S. military to use Saudi airspace for the operation.
This afternoon, the U.S. fired on an Iranian oil tanker as it tried to pass through the U.S. blockade, and Israel launched strikes on a suburb of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut. China’s foreign minister Wang Yi said today that China is “deeply distressed” by the conflict and called for a ceasefire. “We believe that a comprehensive ceasefire is urgently needed, that a resumption of hostilities is not acceptable,” he said. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in China today, where he met with Wang. Trump is due to visit China on May 14. Trump wants a solution to the Iran War before that meeting, and the Iranians know it, giving them leverage over a deal.
This evening, Iran’s foreign minister M.B. Ghalibaf posted: “Operation Trust Me Bro failed. Now back to routine with Operation Fauxios.”
Hegseth is not the only member of the administration in trouble in the news today. After journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick wrote an April 17 story in The Atlantic detailing FBI director Kash Patel’s drinking and inability to perform his job, Patel sued both The Atlantic and Fitzpatrick for defamation, asking for $250 million in damages.
The Atlantic and Fitzpatrick stood by the story, which had two dozen sources. Fitzpatrick noted that after she published the piece, additional informants came forward to corroborate her findings.
Today, Ken Dilanian and Carol Leonnig of MS NOW reported that the FBI has launched a criminal leak investigation into who talked to Fitzpatrick. Sources told the reporters that such an investigation, called an “insider threat investigation,” usually involves government officials who may have given away state secrets or classified documents. Focusing on leaks to a reporter is “highly unusual,” they say. Although it remains unclear what steps the investigation has taken, Dilanian and Leonnig note that it could allow FBI agents to obtain Fitzpatrick’s phone records and examine her social media contacts.
One of the sources told the reporters that FBI agents feel ”deep concern” about the probe. “They know they are not supposed to do this,” one source told the reporters. “But if they don’t go forward, they could lose their jobs. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.”
FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson denied the story, telling Dilanian and Leonnig: “This is completely false. No such investigation like this exists and the reporter you mention is not being investigated at all. Every time there’s a publication of false claims by anonymous sources that gets called out, the media plays the victim via investigations that do not exist.”
Under Patel, the FBI has already investigated a New York Times reporter who wrote a story about an FBI security detail assigned to Patel’s girlfriend and searched the home of a Washington Post reporter.
Today the FBI raided the offices and business of Virginia state senator L. Louis Lucas, 82, a Black woman who led the movement to redraw Virginia’s districts after Republicans redrew districts in Republican-dominated states. The Fox News Channel was on the scene, suggesting it had been tipped off by the FBI.
Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick published a new story today in The Atlantic reporting that Patel travels with “a supply of personalized branded bourbon” with the label “KASH PATEL FBI DIRECTOR” and an FBI shield. She explains: “Surrounding the shield is a band of text featuring Patel’s director title and his favored spelling of his first name: KA$H. An eagle holds the shield in its talons, along with the number 9, presumably a reference to Patel’s place in the history of FBI directors. In some cases, the 750-milliliter bottles bear Patel’s signature, with ‘#9’ there as well.”
In what sure reads like a journalist burying a subject with evidence, Fitzpatrick lists the places and occasions on which Patel has given out bottles of the whiskey and explains that he has transported the whiskey on a Department of Justice plane including to the Olympics in Milan, Italy. When a bottle went missing during a “training seminar” with Ultimate Fighting Championship athletes in Quantico, Virginia, Patel was angry enough that he threatened to make his staff take polygraphs and face prosecution.
Fitzpatrick notes that “[s]everal current and former FBI employees, including multiple senior leaders, told me that the director regularly handing out his own personally branded bourbon, including to civilians outside the bureau, was unheard-of.” They explain: “The FBI has traditionally had a zero-tolerance approach to unauthorized use of alcohol on the job and for its misuse while off duty.”
“Handing out bottles of liquor at the premier law-enforcement agency—it makes me frightened for the country,” George Hill, a former FBI supervisory intelligence analyst, told Fitzpatrick.
Ron Filipkowski of MeidasNews noted: “The journalist who is being sued by Kash Patel and reportedly being investigated by the FBI is out with a new story. Is there a Pulitzer for being a fearless badass? If so, she should win it.”
Josh Wingrove of Bloomberg reported today that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will ask the Supreme Court to let the Department of Justice (DOJ) intervene in the case of columnist E. Jean Carroll, who won an $83.3 million jury verdict against Trump for defamation after he lied that he had not sexually assaulted her. Although the Department of Justice is supposed to represent the American people, Trump’s appointees are using the department as Trump’s personal law firm.
If the Supreme Court allows the DOJ to step in, swapping the U.S. government for Trump in the case, the case would have to be dismissed because plaintiffs can’t sue the federal government for defamation. Judges from the appeals court have already refused to permit such a swap, but Blanche is giving it another shot.
Finally, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was in front of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee today for a closed-door interview about his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was not under oath for his testimony, a requirement Democrats want for those testifying before the committee and committee chair James Comer (R-KY) does not.
Lutnick had said he had cut all ties with Epstein in 2005, only to have information come out that, in fact, the two maintained contact until at least 2018, years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution for a minor.
Asked why he had taken his wife and their four young children to Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean in 2012, Lutnick told the committee that he didn’t remember and that it was “inexplicable.”
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: No Kings. No Ballroom, William Kristol, May 7, 2026. Donald Trump’s ballroom isn’t just an architectural monstrosity and a blunderbuss of bad taste. It is an assault on American republicanism.
On Saturday, October 18, 2025, somewhere between 5 and 7 million Americans demonstrated under the banner of No Kings.
Ahead of the rallies, House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed the demonstrators would be anti-American and that the message of the rallies would be “Hate America.” He even predicted, “Let’s see who shows up for that. I bet you see pro-Hamas supporters. I bet you see Antifa types. I bet you see the Marxists in full display, the people who don’t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic.”
Johnson lost his bet. The protests were very American. Indeed, one could say that they were animated by “the foundational truths of this republic.” Their spirit and energy followed from the assertion of the Declaration of Independence that governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Their propriety and legality followed from the Constitution’s guarantee of “the right of the people peacefully to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
And so after that Saturday’s peaceful and patriotic protests, all that was left for most of the No Kings haters was a retreat into sullen silence.
But Trump had a response. Two days later, on October 20, bulldozers suddenly appeared on the White House grounds to begin demolishing the East Wing in order to make way for Trump’s ballroom. There had been no consultation with Congress, or with organizations entrusted with the task of historical preservation, or with the public. Trump couldn’t stop or even discredit citizens rallying on town squares across America. But he was going to show that the White House was not the people’s house but his house. He could and would reshape it unilaterally as he alone decided.
Trump’s action was anti-democratic and anti-republican in spirit. It also comported with his psychological needs. As Timothy Devinney explained recently, the gilded ballroom was one of Trump’s projects that
share a common psychological origin in what might be called an “edifice complex,” which emerges when individuals in positions of authority, uncertain of their place in history, attempt to pre-empt posterity’s judgment with grandiose construction projects. It reflects insecurity and egomania in equal measure.
This is surely why the ballroom—like the planned Triumphal Arch and the renaming of the Kennedy Center—has had such outsized importance to Trump personally. But the destruction of the old East Wing, the transformation of a people’s house into an emperor’s palace, also symbolizes his broader effort to replace the old republican regime with an imperial one. It’s fair to point out that there had already been, for quite a long time, too many imperial encroachments on our old republicanism. But this was a new and dramatic step in the direction of imperial grandiosity replacing republican simplicity.
On August 22, 1864, one of Donald Trump’s predecessors in the presidency, Abraham Lincoln, addressed soldiers returning home during the Civil War from the White House balcony:
I almost always feel inclined, when I say anything to soldiers, to impress upon them, in a few brief remarks, the importance of success in this contest. It is not merely for the day, but for all time to come, that we should perpetuate for our children’s children that great and free government which we have enjoyed all our lives. I beg you to remember this, not merely for my sake, but for yours. I happen, temporarily, to occupy this big White House. I am a living witness that any one of your children may look to come here as my father’s child has.
If you’d still prefer that government of the people, by the people, for the people not perish from the earth, join our pro-democracy community.
Our presidents have understood themselves to be temporary occupants of “this big White House.” Trump thinks of himself as the constructor of a permanent Donald J. Trump Ballroom that will dwarf the old, republican White House.
The new Republican party’s budget reconciliation bill, unveiled this week, includes $1 billion for Trump’s ballroom. After last month’s assassination attempt, the rationale for the appropriation is dressed up as presidential and national security. But that was never Trump’s original justification. He wanted a grand edifice built by him and named after him.
In fact, it’s telling that Trump tried to undercut public resistance by stressing that it would be paid for by private donations. But leaving aside all the corruption that this entails, it does bring home that this is a private and imperial project, not a public and republican one.
There are weightier matters of state on which to confront Trump at this moment than his ballroom. But the billion-dollar ballroom is a potent symbol and a teachable moment. It’s a good fight to have.
But, Trump apologists will say, the East Wing is in shambles! There were facilities that were once there that need to be replaced, and so would you just do nothing? The answer is Yes. If those facilities were so important, Trump shouldn’t have taken a sledgehammer to them in the first place. In any case, the area has been a construction site for six months now, and the presidency has been able to function.
When a president who believes in democracy and republicanism succeeds Trump, he or she can restore an appropriate East Wing to the people’s White House. For now, we can fight to stop the ballroom. If this means leaving the area immediately east of the White House as a construction site—or rather, a destruction site—for the remainder of Trump’s presidency, so be it. Let its ugliness exemplify the ugliness of the Trump era. Let its rubble symbolize what he has tried to do to the American republic.
AROUND THE BULWARK
Quick Hits
STRAIT STILL SHUT: Whatever the Trump administration says about it, it remains incredibly risky for ships to try to transit the Strait of Hormuz without Iran’s permission. On Tuesday, a French cargo ship that was attempting to run the strait under the auspices of America’s “Project Freedom” was hit by an Iranian strike, injuring eight crew members. The New York Times has more:
A U.S. military official said the French ship did not follow specific Project Freedom guidelines and check-in procedures, adding that when the vessel came under fire, it asked Oman for help, not the United States.
But [shipping company] CMA CGM said in a statement that the ship’s transit through the strait “was carried out as part of” Project Freedom. It added that the voyage was done “in coordination” with the U.S. Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping and “in strict accordance with the required guidelines and procedures.”
Shortly after the incident, Trump announced a “pause” in Project Freedom, ostensibly as a goodwill offering for renewed U.S.–Iran negotiations. More likely, he had simply rediscovered what he first learned eight weeks ago at the outset of the war: No amount of American military might is sufficient to keep Iranian fighters from making the strait too risky to transit.
LITTLE MAN, BIG EGO: FBI Director Kash Patel has had just about enough of your mockery, your fake news, your clowning around! Last month, Patel sued the Atlantic for reporting that people around him were concerned he was behaving erratically and had at times been intoxicated on the job. And yesterday, MSNow reported that Patel has launched a criminal investigation into the story’s author, journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick:
The sources said the so-called insider threat investigation is highly unusual because it did not stem from a disclosure of classified information and because it is focused on leaks to a reporter. The agents involved are part of an insider threats unit based in Huntsville, Alabama, the sources added.
Typically, leak investigations look into government officials who may have disclosed state secrets or classified documents. Journalists who receive and publish such information have typically only been involved as potential witnesses.
As is so often the case, the alleged behavior by Kash and his klatch is as much clownish as evil. As writer Derek Thompson put it: “If, as you say, the reporter ‘fabricated’ those stories about you without talking to anybody from your department, why are you demanding to search her phone . . . for leaks . . . from your department?”
PRESIDENTIAL FIGHT CLUB: When Donald Trump asked a teenage boy the other day whether “you think you could take me in a fight,” the numbers munchers at YouGov pricked up their ears. Immediately, they put the question out as a poll: Who do you think would win in a physical fight between you and Donald Trump?
The results were amusing. Fully 75 percent of Democratic respondents thought they could take the president, compared to only 5 percent who thought he’d hand them their asses. Republicans, however, seemed more torn by the question: A third said they thought they’d be victorious, while 39 percent said the president would come out on top.
It’s fun to imagine the struggle of the MAGA mind faced with this question, which sets two load-bearing pillars of the ideology against one another—who’s a bigger alpha-male he-man, me or the president? For our part, though, we think the median Republican is selling himself short on this one. It’s probably for the best that the fighting days of our near-octagenarian president who claims his hands are perennially bruised from shaking too many hands are behind him.
New York Times, 5 Takeaways From the Last Televised California Governor Debate, Soumya Karlamangla and Laurel Rosenhall, May 7, 2026. Candidates debated housing and insurance policy in the first half, then furiously attacked one another at the end.
What began as a tame, hourlong debate on Wednesday between seven candidates running for California governor morphed by the second half into a flurry of barbs during the last televised face-off before the June 2 primary.
The debate, held at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, was the second in two days in the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom to run the nation’s most populous state. Two Republicans and five Democrats took the stage for the event, hosted by NBC Los Angeles and the local Telemundo station, seeking enough support to be among the two top vote-getters next month.
The two Republicans, Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, and Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff, have teamed up to attack Democrats but have not differentiated themselves much from each other on policy.
They were joined by a crowd of Democrats: Xavier Becerra, a former California attorney general and cabinet secretary under President Joseph R. Biden Jr.; Tom Steyer, a former hedge fund manager; Katie Porter, a former congresswoman; Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose, Calif.; and Antonio Villaraigosa, a former mayor of Los Angeles.
Under California’s election laws, the top two candidates in the primary will advance to November’s general election, regardless of party.
U.S. Inflation, Markets, Economy, Jobs
MS NOW, Opinion: The GOP’s glaring gas prices double standard, Jack Fitzpatrick, May 7, 2026. Republicans who slammed Biden’s gas prices are preaching patience for Trump.
Gas prices have risen by more than $1.50 per gallon since President Donald Trump launched attacks against Iran almost 10 weeks ago, and throughout that time, Republican lawmakers have offered a consistent response to the increased costs: It’s a sacrifice we have to make.
GOP lawmakers have preached patience with Trump’s war with Iran, insisting that an eventual victory that stops Iran from developing nuclear weapons will be worth it. But many of those same Republicans were sounding the alarm in 2022 when gas prices spiked under President Joe Biden after Russia invaded Ukraine.
“There are trade-offs,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., recently told MS NOW. “I think the American people understand it. They’ve been through conflicts in the Middle East before. They know these prices will come down once the conflict is over.”
That patience sits in stark contrast to Kennedy’s concern about the rise in gas prices during Biden’s presidency as a result of Russia’s attack on Ukraine in early 2022. When pressed about how he squares his patience now — for a conflict Trump initiated — with his impatience with gas prices under Biden, Kennedy said, “I don’t have to square anything with you.” But Kennedy’s tolerance for high gas prices may exceed the patience of voters.
May 6
Top Headlines
May 6, 2026. Greed, willful ignorance and mortality.FBI Scandals
May 6, 2026. Carol Leonnig and Ken Dilanian report that, as FBI did with NYT reporter Elizabeth Williamson, the FBI is conducting an investigation into the genesis of the Atlantic story alleging that Kash Patel is a drunk.More On Epstein Files, Trump Team Coverup
News Roundups
May 6, 2026. Today's morning update is absolute chaos, so buckle up.More On Iran War
Global News, U.S. Foreign Affairs
More On U.S. Law, Courts, Crime, Rights, Justice
More On U.S. Government, Elections, Politics
May 6, 2026. Last Friday, in what several readers pointed out was an uncharacteristically upbeat moment, I wrote, “Cheer up. It’s May.”funding request for the budget reconciliation bill. It includes $1 billion for White House security, including Trump’s proposed ballroom.Top Stories
New York Times, News Analysis: White House Insists Iran War Is Over, Even While Missiles Fly, David E. Sanger, May 6, 2026 (print ed.). The White House is turning to rhetorical leaps as President Trump tries to put the biggest political crisis of his presidency behind him.
When the cease-fire in the war with Iran went into effect a month ago, President Trump was pretty direct that if the Iranians failed to end their nuclear program, or to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the bombers would be back in the air. “If there’s no deal, fighting resumes,” he said, making it very clear this was just a pause.
But it turns out, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that the war actually ended at some point after the cease-fire took hold, or so he told reporters at a news conference at the White House on Tuesday. “The Operation Epic Fury is concluded,” he said. “We achieved the objective of that operation.” The effort to reopen the strait, Mr. Rubio said, is entirely a defensive and humanitarian operation that would result in direct military exchanges with the Iranians only if U.S. ships came under fire.
Later on Tuesday, Mr. Trump announced that he was pausing even that effort — which was only one day old, and had succeeded in getting just a few ships freed — “for a short period of time,” citing what he said was “great progress” toward an agreement with Iran. But he kept the American blockade in place, part of a strategy of maximum economic pressure.
Still, Mr. Trump’s suspension of the effort to guide ships out of the strait seemed to contradict the administration’s stated position that it was intolerable for Iran to block an international waterway, and that only the United States had the ability to force it open again.
For the White House, the insistence that the war was over was the latest rhetorical leap in an effort to put a war that has created the greatest political crisis of Mr. Trump’s presidency in the rearview mirror. But the mere proclamation does not make it true. Missiles were still flying. Both sides insist they control traffic in the waterway.
And despite Mr. Rubio’s declaration that the objectives of the war have been accomplished, they clearly have not. In the 38 days of intensive combat operations, the United States hit, by the Pentagon’s count, about 13,000 targets. But destroying targets was not the only point. Mr. Trump himself described his objectives in the early hours of Feb. 28, when he told the country, in a video he had recorded earlier, that he had five major goals.Want to stay updated on what’s happening in Iran? Sign up for Your Places: Global Update, and we’ll send our latest coverage to your inbox.
The first, of course, was to ensure that Iran can “never have a nuclear weapon.” But he went on to add that the United States had to destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles and their launchers, sink its navy, end its support of terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas and, finally, create the conditions for the Iranian people to topple their government.
“Your hour of your freedom is at hand,” he said at the time.
The Iranian Navy is clearly gone, as Mr. Trump often notes. But that is the only one checked off the list. So far, Iran’s nuclear stockpile has not been touched and there is no agreement, at least yet, to ship it out of the country or to dilute it so that it cannot easily be used to manufacture weapons. While intelligence estimates differ, the U.S. assessments suggest that more than half of Iran’s missiles and launchers survived. It is too early to tell about support of the proxy groups, which were shredded by Israeli attacks.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Trump Is Happy. But So Are Dems, Bill Kristol, Andrew Egger and Jim Swift, May 6, 2026. The worse for Trump, the better for democracy. Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for moreTrump Is Happy. But So Are Dems.
The Trump administration’s posture toward the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz gets more confusing by the day. Over the weekend, the White House was adamant that Operation Epic Fury had wrapped up and a new project to reopen the strait, Project Freedom, was now underway—a transparent effort to dodge the sixty-day deadline for Congress to authorize the conflict.
Now, however, the White House is backing away even from its nascent Project Freedom: Yesterday, Trump announced on Truth Social that the project “will be paused for a short period of time” to find out whether a deal is finally possible with Iran. Happy Wednesday.
Paul Krugman via Substack, Political-Economy Commentary: MAGA Will Kill Many Americans, Paul Krugman, right, May 6, 2026. Greed, willful ignorance and mortality
Yesterday the Food and Drug Administration broke with previous policy and approved the sale of blueberry and mango-flavored vapes, dismissing long-standing concerns that making sweet-flavored vapes available will lead to increased smoking, especially among young people. A White House spokesman claimed that this policy U-turn reflected “Gold Standard Science,” but the decision came after Donald Trump — who suddenly became pro-vaping in 2024 after meeting with a “leading vaping lobbyist” — personally put pressure on the FDA commissioner. Trump is reportedly hoping that support for vaping will win back support from young men.
In other news, the New York Times reports that the Trump FDA has been suppressing research that refutes disinformation from anti-vaccine activists:
Officials at the Food and Drug Administration have blocked publication of several studies supporting the safety of widely used vaccines against Covid-19 and shingles in recent months, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed.
The studies, which cost millions of dollars in public funds, were conducted by scientists at the agency, who worked with data firms to analyze millions of patient records. They found serious side effects to be very rare.
Does MAGA want to see thousands of Americans die prematurely from smoking and refusal to get vaccinated? Yes.
Let’s back up for a minute. Most Americans appear to be unaware of the fact that life expectancy in the United States is substantially lower than in other advanced countries; we’re on a par with poorer nations in Europe like Albania. Surely even fewer people know that this wasn’t always true. In the early 1980s Americans lived about as long as citizens of other rich nations. Now we die substantially earlier: What changed in the 1980s? The obvious answer is politics: The election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 heralded a sharp U.S. turn to the right. And there is a strong correlation between right-wing politics and increased mortality — stronger than many of the statistical associations that guide public health policy.
You can see this correlation at the state level. Here’s life expectancy by state plotted against Trump’s share of the 2024 vote: I’ve labeled the 10 most populous states. I’ve also labeled the outliers — red states with relatively high life expectancy, blue states with low life expectancy — to emphasize that these are small states. Taking population sizes into account, the trend line through the data points shows that there is there’s a strong, clear negative correlation between Trump-leaning orientation and low life expectancy at the state level. Deep red states like Alabama and West Virginia have life expectancy comparable to, say, Kazakhstan.
What drives this correlation? Part of the answer is that red states have weak social safety nets and are especially unwilling to provide healthcare to vulnerable populations. As I noted in my most recent primer, many red states refused to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, even though the federal government would have borne the bulk of the cost. Texas, which likes to boast about its economic success, leads the nation in the share of its children who lack health insurance.
Beyond this, right-wing politics in America often goes hand in hand with hostility to science in general and medical science in particular. The deadly linkage between reactionary politics and rejection of science was obvious during the Covid pandemic. The chart at the top of this post comes from the redoubtable Charles Gaba, who carefully tracked the association at the county level between political orientation and vaccination, and — because the vaccines worked when people were willing to get them — between politics and death rates. Deaths per capita in America’s reddest counties were almost three times as high as in our bluest counties. Also notice, in the chart comparing America with France, the big drop in US life expectancy during Covid, which had a lot to do with vaccine rejection.
Why is right-wing politics so deadly? Greed and willful ignorance.
The right’s opposition to providing healthcare obviously has a lot to do with greed, with wealthy donors unwilling to pay taxes to help others in need.
Greed is also an important factor in the attack on medical science. The best-known example of scientific disinformation promoted by corporate interests is the fossil-fuel-financed attack on climate science, but the template for this attack was the earlier campaign by the tobacco industry’s “merchants of doubt” to discredit evidence that smoking is harmful to your health. The straight line from this campaign to the relaxation of rules on flavored vapes is obvious.
The role of greed in the anti-vaccine movement may be less obvious, but the fact is that quack medicine is big business. Right-wing radio and social media have long relied on peddlers of snake oil for a large part of their revenue. So much of the attack on medical science can be seen as financially motivated.
Which is not to discount the role of willful ignorance driven by ideology. The modern U.S. right is, to a large extent, an alliance between oligarchs and white Christian nationalists — and the latter are deeply hostile to Enlightenment values, modern science very much included.
Now that this alliance is in power, we’re seeing the forces that keep U.S. life expectancy far below that in other rich countries, that cause Texans to die younger than residents of Massachusetts, go into overdrive at a national level.
The consequences will be grim.
We’re already seeing a resurgence of measles as a result of lower vaccination rates. Other infectious diseases will follow. And when — not if — we face another pandemic, there’s every reason to fear the worst.
Meanwhile, millions of Americans are set to lose health insurance this year, and millions more as drastic Medicaid cuts kick in. Reproducing a chart from my last primer: America, then, is on track to experience a large rise in unnecessary deaths. But at least we’ll have mango-flavored vapes.
Former two-term U.S. President Barack Obama during interview with CBS Late Night host Stephen Colbert, whose show has been terminated by CBS management.
PoliticusUSA, News and comment: Obama Bluntly Rips Trump's Abuses Of Power, Jason Easley, right, May 6, 2026. Former president Barack Obama sat down with Stephen Colbert, and in an usual move for an ex-president called out Trump's abuses of power.
Traditionally, former presidents stay out of day-to-day politics. They might campaign for their party in an election year, but they don’t sit on the sidelines and criticize. Trump shattered this tradition by refusing to leave the spotlight and by constantly criticizing the Biden administration. The country has needed someone with credibility and status to put these pieces together and explain that what Trump is doing is not normal and is bad for the country.
During his interview with Barack Obama, Stephen Colbert asked the former president what powers he thought a president should not have.
Obama answered, “There are a couple that I followed even though they weren't law, and I want us... we're gonna have to do some work to return to this basic norm, and we probably now have to codify it. The White House shouldn't be able to direct the attorney general to go around prosecuting whoever the president wants prosecuted.”
Colbert pointed out that the DOJ is under the Executive Branch, and Obama continued, “The norm is that it's independent. The idea is that the attorney general is the people's lawyer. It's not the president's consigliere.”
Obama went on to talk about something that doesn’t get discussed enough, and that is the need to restore and fix the damage that Trump is doing to the DOJ:
And the two core principles of a democracy. We can survive a lot. Bad policy, funky elections. There, there's a bunch of stuff that we can overcome. We can't overcome the politicization of the criminal justice system. The awesome power of the state. You can't have a situation in which whoever's in charge of the government starts using that to go after their political enemies or reward their friends, right? So another power maybe I'd say would be you... Although this is in the Constitution, it's a little hard to change, but maybe don't pardon people who've given you a bunch of campaign contributions or invested in your businesses. So restoring some sense of the Justice Department being independent in making judgments about specific cases and prosecutions. Now I would consult with Eric Holder, my attorney general, all the time around broad policy issues, but that's different than who do you charge, what case do you bring?
Obama also talked about Trump’s politicization of the military, “Second thing is the military. Don't politicize our military. As President, you are commander in chief. You are responsible for directing our military. But there had been a whole series of norms that were in place to ensure that you weren't trying to make that military loyal to you as opposed to the Constitution and the people of the United States. We're gonna have to find mechanisms to restore that.”
The former president called out Trump’s using the office for personal financial gain, “And then, a good policy that I'd like to see followed is that the President of the United States shouldn't have a bunch of side hustles that there's companies and, foreign entities can invest in and be favored for.”
Democrats tried to fix the damage that Trump had caused by electing Joe Biden, who mistakenly thought that the government would return to normal with a leader who followed the norms and precedents. Democrats should understand now that when they return to power, they are going to have to take those norms and that presidential honor system and turn it into law with punishments and consequences for violations.
It is important that the next Democratic president be someone who will make it a priority to fix the government. It is also why electing someone because they stood up to Trump isn’t enough.Obama was correct. What Trump has done can be fixed, but it will take work and effort, and voters should not settle for anything less than a president who is willing to do the work to repair America.Do you agree with Barack Obama? Share your thoughts in the comments below.Leave a commentInvite your friends and earn rewardsIf you enjoy PoliticusUSA, share it with your friends and earn rewards when they subscribe.
There is perpetual activity surrounding Donald Trump, but most of it is not related to governing. The second Trump administration is defined by a cyclone of activity that intended to destroy guardrails and norms. The destruction of guardrails is paving the way for corruption on a scale the American people have not seen in the presidency in centuries.
New York Times, Guest Essay: This Trump Proposal Could Result in Millions of Americans Losing Their Retirement Savings, Steven Rattner (counselor to the Treasury secretary in the Obama administration), May 6, 2026 (print ed.). Pressed by his Wall Street supporters, President Trump is moving to liberalize the types of investments Americans can make with their individual retirement accounts.
Instead of betting their retirement savings on plain vanilla stocks and bonds, account holders would be allowed to move their funds into sexy sectors like private equity, private credit and cryptocurrency — no matter their complexity, risk and illiquidity.
Supporters of the switch make the case that individuals should have the same access to private assets with potentially higher returns as institutions and the wealthy. But this argument rests on the false premise that most Americans are equipped to evaluate these complex, opaque investments. They are not. And expanding access to them risks doing more harm than good.
All in all, the proposal, put forth by the Labor Department to fulfill a recent Trump executive order, is a consequential mistake. It could well exacerbate the challenges already posed by individual retirement accounts, a flawed replacement for the traditional corporate pension plans that many Americans used to enjoy.
At their core, today’s retirement accounts turn everyday Americans into money managers, faced with a dizzying array of choices for how to invest their money. What is an “Allspring Special Mid Cap Value Fund — Class R6”? Or a “Vanguard FTSE Social Index Fund — Admiral Class”? (Both are among the many mystifying choices in my 401(k) plan.)
I don’t know how a salesman or doctor or even an accountant could successfully sift through every flavor of stock and bond funds (like the aforementioned two), let alone navigate the bewildering world of alternative investments.Sign up for the Opinion Today newsletter Get expert analysis of the news and a guide to the big ideas shaping the world every weekday morning. Get it sent to your inbox.
I’ve been a professional investor for decades and am still daunted by the challenges.
The obstacles are even greater for those who try to boost their retirement returns by betting on individual stocks or other single investments. In 2024, the average stock retail investor earned about 16.5 percent picking mutual funds, compared to 25 percent for the S&P 500, according to a study by Dalbar, a leading independent expert. In other words, most investors would have achieved markedly better performance by just putting their savings into an index fund designed to track the performance of the S&P 500.
If individuals have so much trouble parsing ordinary stocks, imagine them trying to untangle a private equity fund offering.
Faced with this incomprehensible menu of choices, many rely on a financial adviser. But conflicts abound, with many traditional stockbrokers often pushing particular products that are often more remunerative to their employer.
And how, even, to pick a financial adviser? Barron’s recently published a list of 1,500 favored ones.Editors’ PicksThe Best Movies and TV Shows Coming to Netflix in May‘The Devil Wears Prada’ Then and Now: Why It Hits DifferentlyIs This the Perfect Mother’s Day Breakfast?
The other significant problem with individual retirement accounts is that they eliminate the social insurance aspect of traditional pension plans. Under the old regime, retirees didn’t have to worry about how long they might live; their pension benefit would steadily arrive in their bank accounts month after month.
Now, the elderly must make tough decisions about how to parcel out their assets. Use the money too quickly, and they might become impoverished. Spending it too slowly could mean unnecessary reductions in their standard of living. Already, personal finance columns are peppered with headlines like: “Even Rich Retirees Fear Outliving Their Money” and “Record Numbers of Americans Are Raiding Their 401(k) Savings.”
In theory, the Trump-supported proposal has one benefit: It could modestly ameliorate the fact that the current system works far better for the wealthy than for those further down the economic ladder. (Again, that presupposes that individuals will be able to pick through the many offerings, which will come with exceptionally high fees.)
Numerous other problems remain. Many studies have shown that lower-income workers save less and borrow (or withdraw) money more often than the rich. They also have less of the financial sophistication needed to make sound investment decisions.
According to Federal Reserve data, the average retirement account balances of Americans in median households by income have barely budged (after adjusting for inflation) since the late 1980s, while Americans in the top 10 percent have seen their retirement account more than quintuple in value.
But the answer isn’t to invite Americans to dabble in private equity, private credit and cryptocurrency. Other countries have done better at protecting their retirees without such risky schemes. Australia, for instance, requires participation in national retirement funds that are managed professionally on behalf of its account holders. (Australia has socked away $3 trillion in these funds, about $110,000 per citizen.)
So, what to do in the United States? At the very least, individuals should work with a registered investment adviser who is only compensated by their investors. You may think that those fees cost you money. But with the right adviser, your retirement savings are likely to end up larger.
While I’m not arguing for trying to turn back the clock to the old days, I do believe we need an ambitious rethinking of the architecture of our retirement system.
We’ve had a little tinkering recently. SECURE 2.0, passed in the Biden administration, made a couple of important improvements, like mandating that employers automatically enroll workers in retirement plans. Last week, Mr. Trump signed an executive order that would create Individual Retirement Accounts for workers who lack employer plans and use the Saver’s Match from Secure 2.0 to contribute $1,000 in federal matching funds to those with lower incomes.
These improvements only address a sliver of the gaps. Our system should require contributions from employers and employees, managed by public-private partnerships. We need truly universal coverage for everybody, including gig workers, part-time workers and small businesses. We need to incentivize and improve those annuities which offer set benefits for a retiree’s life in order to protect individuals against outliving their savings.
And we must strengthen Social Security. It is the only large program that guarantees seniors a fixed monthly payment until they die, but it is expected to become insolvent in just over six years. That means raising taxes to shore it up. And rather than encourage average Americans to sink their money into private equity funds and other exotic investments, we should allow the Social Security Administration to hire experts who will help it make those investments. As it stands, it is stuck investing only in low-yielding Treasuries.
Economic dignity in old age should be a promise — not a luxury.
Lincoln Square Media, Opinion: The Shocking Palantir Manifesto: A Guide to Post-Democracy Technofascism, Frank Figliuzzi, May 6, 2026. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novel, Lord of the Rings, a Palantir is an indestructible crystal stone that can see into the future or the past. The user of these stones must possess great strength of mind and intent over less powerful forces and can selectively decide what to show and what to reveal.
Last weekend, Palantir, the AI-driven company that’s been described by the American Friends Service Committee as providing “mass surveillance in the service of State violence,” revealed what it thinks prevailing power should be in our tech-centered age.
Palantir was co-founded by Peter Thiel – a dual German and U.S. citizen who lived in South Africa before moving to the U.S. It’s micro manifesto was posted on the company’s X site and quickly went viral with over 30 million views.
The startling glimpse of the not-so-distant dystopian future that Palantir dictates should serve as both a warning and a call to action for those who oppose the post-democracy technofascism within which we may already be immersed.
FBI Scandals
Emptywheel, Analysis and Opinion: Kash Patel Using FBI Resources in Pursuit of $250 Million Personal Payoff, Emptywheel (Marcy Wheeler, right0, May 6, 2026. Carol Leonnig and Ken Dilanian report that, as FBI did with NYT reporter Elizabeth Williamson, the FBI is conducting an investigation into the genesis of the Atlantic story alleging that Kash Patel is a drunk.
The FBI has launched a criminal leak investigation focusing on an Atlantic magazine journalist who wrote a deeply unflattering account last month of Director Kash Patel’s work habits, two people familiar with the matter told MS NOW.
The sources said the so-called insider threat investigation is highly unusual because it did not stem from a disclosure of classified information and because it is focused on leaks to a reporter. The agents involved are part of an insider threats unit based in Huntsville, Alabama, the sources added.
Typically, leak investigations look into government officials who may have disclosed state secrets or classified documents. Journalists who receive and publish such information have typically only been involved as potential witnesses.
The journalist, Sarah Fitzpatrick, cited two dozen anonymous sources in a detailed story reporting that Patel’s alcohol consumption and erratic behavior had caused deep concern among FBI officials. Patel was known to drink to the point of intoxication, she reported, adding that on occasion his security detail had trouble waking him in the morning.
And while they cite both Kash’s lawsuit against The Atlantic and Kash’s earlier (now dismissed) lawsuit against Frank Figliuzzi, which Kash cited repeatedly in his complaint against The Atlantic, neither they nor Matt Viser in his derivative post on this mention a key implication of this.
Patel immediately sued the Atlantic, saying the story contained falsehoods and claiming he had been defamed. The magazine and Fitzpatrick stood by her reporting, saying they had received additional corroboration after it was published.
[snip]
The FBI also launched an internal inquiry after former NBC News contributor Frank Figliuzzi made comments about Patel’s alleged socializing and work habits last year on “Morning Joe,” two sources familiar with the matter told MS NOW. Patel’s lawsuit against Figliuzzi has been thrown out by a judge who ruled his comments amounted to hyperbole.
After demanding a mere $75,000 in the Figliuzzi suit, Kash now claims to be demanding $250 million in compensation for the damage of being called a drunk.
58. As a direct and proximate result of the misconduct of Defendants, Director Patel is entitled to compensatory, special, and punitive damages, in an amount not less than two hundred and fifty million dollars ($250,000,000), as well as disgorgement of all income Defendants have earned by virtue of their lies about Director Patel.
Having filed to avenge his own personal reputation, not that of the FBI, Kash allegedly ordered up an investigation that would reveal the sources for this story (which he insinuates he knows and insinuates he knows to be the same as the Figliuzzi sources).
Kash Patel has ordered up an investigation into a personal slight in conjunction with a lawsuit that at least claims to be an effort to pocket $250 million. It’s a clearcut (mis)use of government resources to pursue personal gain.
The Atlantic, Kash Patel’s Personalized Bourbon Stash, Sarah Fitzpatrick, May 6, 2026. The FBI director has been leaving an unusual calling card.
One of J. Edgar Hoover’s greatest reforms at the FBI was his embrace of fingerprinting. During the 1930s, visitors to the FBI offices in Washington, D.C., received souvenir fingerprint cards featuring his name. The men who succeeded him as FBI director were more discreet and judicious, mindful of the cult of personality that had developed around Hoover. They generally avoided giving out branded swag.
But then came Kash Patel.
President Trump’s FBI director has a great deal of affection for swag. Merchandise for sale on a website he co-founded—still operating, nearly 15 months into his term—includes beanies ($35), T-shirts ($35), orange camo hoodies ($65), trucker caps ($25), “government gangsters” playing cards (on sale for $10), and a Fight With Kash Punisher scarf ($25).
Politico, FBI raids office of Dem state lawmaker in Virginia who led redistricting efforts, Gregory Svirnovskiy, May 6, 2026. The maps championed by state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, shown above, gives Democrats the advantage in four congressional seats.
The FBI searched the office of Democratic Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas on Wednesday morning, according to multiple media reports and news footage in front of her Portsmouth office.
The FBI confirmed it was “executing a court-authorized federal search warrant in Portsmouth,” but did not explicitly state a target of its probe or what it was investigating. The investigation is ongoing and there is no threat to public safety, the agency said.
The Associated Press and Fox News, citing anonymous individuals, both confirmed federal agents carried out the raid and Fox aired footage of federal agents at the office of the lawmaker, who is the state Senate’s president pro tem.
Lucas’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Portsmouth Police Department said that it was unaware of any FBI investigation.
Lucas, 82, has long been an outspoken figure in state politics and gained national attention in recent months for helping lead the effort to redraw the state’s congressional maps, which could help Democrats gain four additional seats in the coming midterm elections. She routinely took shots at President Donald Trump and statewide Republicans with bombastic posts on social media throughout the process.
“You all started it and we fucking finished it,” she wrote on X in February, a response to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who called out the Virginia maps as a Democratic gerrymander.
In April, Virginia Democrats won a statewide referendum to enact the redraw by more than 100,000 votes.
Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott, a Democrat, urged caution in a statement given to multiple news outlets.
“At this point we simply do not know what this ultimately means,” he said. “Right now, there is far more theatrics and speculation than actual information available to the public.”Filed Under:
More On Epstein Files, Trump Team Coverup
Politico, Lutnick admits to having prolonged ties to Epstein in closed-door interview, Hailey Fuchs and Ali Bianco, May 6, 2026. The Commerce Secretary sat for a transcribed interview with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee as part of the panel’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick departs after a closed interview with members of the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill on May 6, 2026. | Francis Chung/POLITICOBy 05/06/2026 04:14 PM EDT
For reasons he said were “inexplicable,” Howard Lutnick acknowledged visiting Jeffrey Epstein’s island seven years after he claimed to have severed his relationship with the convicted sex offender, according to lawmakers present for the Commerce Secretary’s closed-door testimony Wednesday.
The acknowledgment, however, did not satisfy Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee participating in Wednesday’s interview with Lutnick as part of the panel’s ongoing investigation into Epstein’s crimes and the powerful people in his orbit.
“He was evasive, nervous — he was dishonest,” Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) told reporters during a break in the hourslong proceedings. “He would not admit to lying, which he clearly did.”
In an interview, Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) further suggested that if her party retook the House majority, Democrats could call Lutnick back in for additional questioning in a public hearing — or, at the very least, testify under oath on video.
“They deserve to see the sweat on the secretary’s brow as he struggles to answer basic questions about his lies to the American people,” said Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.).
Lutnick appeared before lawmakers Wednesday for a transcribed interview, not a deposition, meaning he did not need to take an oath of honesty and the proceedings were not recorded on video.
Still, House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) warned, “If we find that there were any misstatements by Lutnick, it’s a felony to lie to Congress, and you’ll be held accountable.”
Comer also defended his decision not to require Lutnick’s interview be videotaped, saying the panel would release a transcript to the public and it will be up to the American people to “judge whether [Lutnick’s] credibility was damaged or not.”
Lutnick has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein’s crimes. But he has been under scrutiny from members of both parties since federal materials in the Epstein matter revealed the longtime Cantor Fitzgerald CEO visited Epstein’s now-infamous retreat in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2012. He had originally said he broke ties with Epstein in 2005.
But the stakes are high for Lutnick — the first Cabinet secretary to testify before the Oversight Committee with a congressional majority of the same party in recent history, according to Comer. Prior administration officials were ousted by President Donald Trump soon after politically damaging appearances before lawmakers on Capitol Hill — notably Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
New York Times, Purported Epstein Suicide Note Is Released, Benjamin Weiser, Jan Ransom and Steve Eder, May 6, 2026. A federal judge released the note on Wednesday, which Jeffrey Epstein’s former cellmate said he found in a graphic novel. The New York Times has not authenticated that Mr. Epstein wrote it.
A federal judge has released a suicide note purportedly written by Jeffrey Epstein that was sealed for years as part of the criminal case of his cellmate.
“They investigated me for months — FOUND NOTHING!!!” the note begins, adding that the result was charges going back many years.
“It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye,” the note continued.
“Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!!” the note reads.
“NO FUN," it concludes, with those words underlined. “NOT WORTH IT!!”
Mr. Epstein’s cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, above, said he discovered the note in July 2019 after Mr. Epstein was found unresponsive with a strip of cloth wrapped around his neck. Mr. Epstein survived that incident, but he was found dead weeks later at age 66 in the now shuttered Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan.
The note was made public on Wednesday by Judge Kenneth M. Karas of Federal District Court in White Plains, N.Y., who oversaw the cellmate’s case. The judge acted after The New York Times petitioned the court last Thursday to unseal the document and published an article in which Mr. Tartaglione described the note and how it came into his possession.
The Times has not authenticated whether Mr. Epstein wrote the note, which was placed on the court docket Wednesday evening.
The document remained hidden from public view even as the Justice Department released millions of pages of documents related to Mr. Epstein in a move of unprecedented transparency. The Times searched those records and did not find a copy of the note. (A spokeswoman from the Justice Department said the agency had never seen it.)
Got a confidential news tip? The New York Times would like to hear from readers who want to share messages and materials with our journalists.See how to send a secure message at nytimes.com/tips
The search did turn up a cryptic two-page chronology that described how the note became caught up in Mr. Tartaglione’s complicated legal case. The chronology said that Mr. Tartaglione’s lawyers authenticated the note, though it did not explain how.
Mr. Tartaglione, a former police officer in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., shared a cell with Mr. Epstein while awaiting trial in a quadruple murder case. He told The Times in recent phone interviews from a California prison that he found the note in a graphic novel after Mr. Epstein was taken out of their cell after the apparent suicide attempt.
“I opened the book to read and there it was,” Mr. Tartaglione said. It was written on a piece of yellow paper ripped from a legal pad, he said.
The New York City medical examiner ruled Mr. Epstein’s death a suicide. In the years since, revelations of security lapses inside the jail have spawned endless theories about how Mr. Epstein died and whether he was murdered.
When jail officials asked Mr. Epstein about red marks on his neck after the incident in July, he first said that Mr. Tartaglione had attacked him and that he was not suicidal. Mr. Tartaglione has long denied assaulting Mr. Epstein, who later told jail officials he “never had any issues” with his cellmate.
Mr. Tartaglione said he gave the note to his lawyers because he believed it could have been helpful if Mr. Epstein continued to claim that he had tried to hurt him. Mr. Tartaglione was convicted in 2023 and is now serving four life sentences. He has maintained his innocence and has appealed his conviction.
The note apparently became part of a drawn-out legal dispute among Mr. Tartaglione’s lawyers. Documents related to the conflict were placed under a court seal to protect attorney-client privilege, the filings say.
Before unsealing the note, Judge Karas asked the parties in the case to provide their views on The Times’s request that the materials be made public. The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, which prosecuted Mr. Tartaglione, did not contest the note’s release. In a letter to the judge, the prosecutors wrote that “there appears to be a strong public interest in the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death.”
News Roundups
The Parnas Perspective, Morning News and Commentary: 'Panic' As White House Prepares for Investigations, Hantavirus Spreads, Trump's Surgeon General Nominee Questioned his Health, Aaron Parnas, right, May 6, 2026. Today's morning update is absolute chaos, so buckle up.
Panic is reportedly setting in inside the White House as officials quietly prepare for a wave of congressional investigations. Hantavirus cases linked to the cruise ship outbreak have now spread to an eighth person. Trump’s own surgeon general nominee questioned his MRI results and attacked administration health policies in now-deleted tweets. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is set to face questioning today in the Epstein probe. And that’s only the beginning.
I’ll be covering the Lutnick questioning for you throughout the day, so stay tuned. I’ll also be speaking with members of Congress afterward to get reaction and new details. And one more thing: I’m launching a new Substack-exclusive live show with Jessica Tarlov very soon, so keep an eye out for that announcement.
The pace of today is already relentless, the stakes are high, and some days it feels impossible to keep up with all of it. If you need to step away, close your email, log off, and protect your peace for a while, do it. But I also want you to know this: I’m not going anywhere. No matter how chaotic things get, I’ll be here every single day cutting through the noise, tracking what matters, and holding power accountable.
Here’s the news:
Panic is reportedly setting in among White House staffers. According to the Washington Post, the Trump White House is privately preparing staff for the possibility of a Democratic takeover of Congress after the 2026 midterms, with attorneys from the White House Counsel’s Office reportedly holding briefings on how to handle aggressive congressional oversight and investigations. According to attendees, the sessions focused on responding to subpoenas, congressional inquiries, and scrutiny that could intensify if Democrats regain control of the House or Senate. The preparations come amid declining approval ratings for President Donald Trump and growing concern within the administration about potential investigations into White House actions. Officials publicly downplayed the meetings, describing them as routine guidance, though sources told the Washington Post the discussions were specifically framed around the political risks of the upcoming midterm elections.
CNN is now reporting that deleted social media posts from Nicole Saphier, President Donald Trump’s latest nominee for surgeon general, reveal repeated criticism of both Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines, autism claims, measles policy, and public health messaging.
Saphier allegedly accused the administration of creating “chaos” around vaccine policy, questioned Trump’s statements linking Tylenol to autism, and suggested officials may have delayed acknowledging the loss of U.S. measles “elimination” status until after the midterms.
She also mocked Trump’s public feud with Elon Musk, calling the two men “petty, loud, & obnoxious,” and publicly questioned Trump’s health transparency after he disclosed undergoing an MRI.
Despite the deleted posts, the White House defended Saphier as a qualified physician aligned with Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, while analysts view her nomination as part of an effort to move toward more traditionally credentialed public health figures after earlier controversial nominees faltered.
Howard Lutnick is set to face closed-door questioning today from the House Oversight Committee over his past relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The interview follows revelations that Lutnick visited Epstein’s private island in 2012 despite previously claiming he had cut ties years earlier, and reports that the two maintained business connections as late as 2014. Democrats reportedly threatened a subpoena to secure Lutnick’s testimony, while some Republicans on the committee, including Nancy Mace and Chairman James Comer, also supported the interview. Lawmakers are expected to question Lutnick about the timeline and extent of his association with Epstein as scrutiny over Epstein-linked figures continues.
In Michigan’s State Senate District 35 special election, Democrat Greene won by 19.5 points. This victory ensured Democrats would keep control of the Michigan Senate and gave Democrats a roughly 19-point advantage in a district that voted narrowly for Kamala Harris by 1 point in 2024.
According to Axios, the U.S. and Iran are closer to reaching an agreement than at any point since the war began, with both sides negotiating a framework that would gradually lift naval blockades and ease U.S. sanctions. The proposed deal could also include the release of tens of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets and a long-term freeze on Iran’s uranium enrichment program, potentially lasting 12 to 15 years. Sources say Iran may agree to transfer its highly enriched uranium stockpile out of the country as part of the arrangement. The U.S. is now waiting for Iran’s response to several remaining issues in the draft agreement, which officials expect within 48 hours. Trump made the comments on Iran this morning.
Oil prices plunged Wednesday after reports that the U.S. and Iran were nearing a deal to end the war and eventually reopen the Strait of Hormuz, easing fears of a prolonged global energy disruption. U.S. crude fell about 9% to roughly $93 per barrel, while Brent crude dropped 8%, triggering declines in wholesale gasoline and jet fuel prices as markets reacted positively to the prospect of restored oil flows. The Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries more than 20% of the world’s oil supply, has seen traffic collapse during the conflict, driving oil prices sharply higher in recent weeks.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy said safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz could resume following what it described as the end of “threats from aggressors,” signaling a possible easing of tensions in one of the world’s most critical shipping routes. The statement came after President Donald Trump said the U.S. had paused “Project Freedom,” a naval effort aimed at reopening the strait, because of “great progress” toward a broader agreement with Iran. Here is Trump’s statement.
Iran is casting doubt on Axios’ reporting:
A deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius has intensified after authorities confirmed the Andes strain, a rare version capable of spreading between people. Three passengers have died, three confirmed cases and five suspected cases have been reported, and several sick passengers were medically evacuated while the ship remains stranded off Cape Verde after being denied permission to dock. Spain’s Canary Islands regional government opposed plans to allow the vessel to dock there, citing public safety concerns, although the WHO has emphasized the broader public risk remains low because transmission requires close personal contact. The outbreak is believed to have originated in Argentina, where the ship began its voyage, and health officials continue monitoring passengers across multiple countries.
Swiss health authorities confirmed that a man who recently returned from South America and traveled aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius has tested positive for hantavirus and is receiving treatment in Switzerland. Officials said the patient had been on the ship linked to a deadly outbreak but stressed there is no broader public health threat. Swiss authorities have not disclosed when the man was on board the vessel, which remains anchored off Cape Verde amid the ongoing outbreak investigation. From the World Health Organization today:
White House border czar Tom Homan forcefully defended the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown while dismissing criticism from some MAGA supporters who say deportations have not gone far enough. Speaking at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix, Homan promised that “mass deportations are coming” and warned sanctuary jurisdictions they would see a surge of ICE operations and collateral arrests. He also delivered a blunt message to critics, saying, “You ain’t seen shit yet,” while insisting the administration plans to intensify enforcement efforts in the coming months. The remarks come as the administration faces growing public backlash and attempts to recalibrate its immigration messaging after controversial ICE operations earlier this year.
According to Politico, The Trump administration is reportedly ending the accelerated training program used to quickly deploy new ICE recruits and plans to restore additional instruction for recently hired immigration officers. The Department of Homeland Security is also preparing to send experienced officers into field offices to provide expanded mentorship and standardized on-the-job training after criticism that recruits received far fewer training hours than previous classes. The changes come amid bipartisan concerns, whistleblower complaints, and political backlash over ICE enforcement practices and declining public support for the agency. Officials said the revised approach reflects an effort to strengthen professionalism and oversight within ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division.
Trump lashed out at those criticizing his ballroom expenses:
The cost of domestic plane tickets has risen dramatically this year, per the Wall Street Journal.
A cargo ship in the Gulf region, the CGM San Antonio, was struck Tuesday night by what U.S. officials believe may have been a land-attack cruise missile, injuring several Filipino crew members. The French-owned vessel was reportedly near Dubai at the time of the attack, though its current position remains unclear. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre confirmed that a cargo ship had been hit by an “unknown projectile,” adding to a series of recent maritime security incidents in the region involving fires, projectile strikes, and small-boat attacks. The strike highlights growing instability in Gulf shipping lanes amid escalating regional tensions and threats to commercial vessels.
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I also wanted to feature some work from a fellow independent journalist, Nick Valencia, who I think does amazing work. Check it out:
Iranian Football Federation chief Mehdi Taj said FIFA must guarantee that Iranian officials and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will not face “disrespect” from U.S. authorities during the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The demand follows an incident in which Taj and other Iranian delegates turned back from Canada after visa issues linked to alleged IRGC ties. Taj warned that without firm assurances from FIFA, Iran’s delegation could refuse to enter the U.S. for the tournament despite Iran already qualifying. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Iranian players are welcome, but individuals connected to the IRGC would not be admitted.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, in Beijing ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned visit to China, highlighting growing coordination between Tehran and Beijing amid tensions in the Gulf. Iran said it remains committed to diplomacy with the U.S. but insists any agreement must be “fair and comprehensive,” while China called for a complete ceasefire and renewed negotiations to prevent further conflict. The talks come as the U.S. pressures China to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open after recent clashes threatened global oil supplies and shipping routes. China, which buys most of Iran’s exported oil, has also pushed back against U.S. sanctions on Chinese companies purchasing Iranian crude.
A CNN debate in California’s gubernatorial race turned confrontational after former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa accused Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco of being an “oath keeper.” Bianco responded, “And I’m very proud of it,” before clarifying under questioning from CNN moderator Kaitlan Collins that he no longer considers himself a member of the Oath Keepers organization. Villaraigosa pushed back by referencing the group’s role in the January 6 Capitol attack, saying, “I saw them on CNN attacking the Capitol.”
Pete Buttigieg criticized the Trump administration for continuing to blame its predecessor for current problems nearly two years into its term. “Look, when you are this deep into your second year, if your reflex is to still be trying to blame the previous administration, it really shows that you are out of ideas, out of solutions, and unwilling to take ownership of your own choices,” Buttigieg said. His remarks reflect growing Democratic attacks on the administration’s handling of issues ranging from the economy to immigration and governance.
A Florida resident criticized Donald Trump over reports about a proposed White House ballroom project, arguing the administration should focus instead on rising living costs and the economy. “He should be focusing on lowering these prices that he jacked up, because it wasn’t this high before he became president,” the resident said. “He don’t need to be talking about ballrooms, man. You need to be trying to fix the economy.” The comments reflect broader voter frustration over inflation and economic pressures despite ongoing political attention on symbolic or high-profile projects.
In Indiana, a majority of Republican legislators targeted by Donald Trump-backed primary challengers lost their races on Tuesday. At least five of the seven Trump-endorsed challengers in state senate races won, marking a significant victory for the president after Indiana lawmakers previously resisted his proposed redistricting plan.
In Ohio, Sherrod Brown and Jon Husted secured their respective Democratic and Republican Senate nominations. Their victories set up what is expected to become one of the most closely watched and expensive Senate contests of the 2026 midterm elections.
More On Iran War
New York Times, Iran War Live Updates: Tehran Says It Is Reviewing U.S. Proposal as Trump Makes New Threats, Leo Sands, Qasim Nauman and Erica L. Green, May 6, 2026. Here’s the latest. An Iranian official said his government was looking at an American plan to end the war, hours after President Trump threatened to resume strikes. Earlier Wednesday, another Iranian official dismissed a reported proposal as a “list of American wishes.”
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said Wednesday that his government was reviewing an American plan to end the war, hours after President Trump put pressure on Iran to agree to a deal to end the war and renewed threats, fueling uncertainty around the negotiations.
Mr. Baghaei said that Iran had yet to respond to that proposal. “After finalizing its considerations, Iran will convey its views to the Pakistani side,” he said in an interview with the semiofficial news agency ISNA. Earlier in the day, another Iranian official had dismissed a reported proposal to end the war as a “list of American wishes.”
The mixed messages came a day after Mr. Trump abruptly paused a U.S. military operation to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, citing what he said was “great progress” in talks. In public, there has been little sign that the weeks of diplomacy aimed at reaching a deal to reopen the vital waterway and end the war were bearing fruit.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said he would end the war and offer safe passage for vessels through the strait if Iran “agrees to give what has been agreed,” without elaborating. “If they don’t agree, the bombing starts,” he threatened, warning that further U.S. attacks would be “at a much higher level and intensity.”
The suggestion appeared to contradict the assertion made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday that the war was “over.”
Popular Information, Accountability Journalism: The real cost of the Iran War: $72 billion for the first 60 days, Stephen Semler, May 6, 2026. Popular Information crunches the numbers. The official accounting is at least $47 billion too low.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Acting Comptroller Jules Hurst told Congress last week that the Iran War had cost $25 billion through the first 60 days. The next day, CBS reported that officials familiar with the Pentagon’s internal assessments estimated the cost was actually closer to $50 billion — double the amount department leadership had just stated publicly. However, even the figure reported as the war’s “true cost” is at least $22 billion too low.
Popular Information conducted a cost estimate of the Iran War based on officials’ statements, military procurement and operations data, and reporting on deployments and armament use. Through 60 days, the US spent an estimated $71.8 billion on the Iran War, or $1.2 billion per day on average. This includes the cost of operations, munitions, combat losses, and arming co-belligerents. Like the estimates from Pentagon leadership and unnamed officials, this figure refers only to direct war costs — near-term expenses for military operations, munitions, and the like — and not indirect costs, which include broader economic impacts, interest on the national debt and longer-term expenses like veterans’ care. Why this figure is higher than the Pentagon’s internal estimate
Why is Popular Information’s estimate so much largest than even the Pentagon’s internal figure? Factors include incomplete accounting of damaged or destroyed military assets, the exclusion of costs outside the department (including billions of dollars in State Department-funded military aid to Israel), and a flawed method for tracking munition expenditures. The last is likely the biggest factor.
The Pentagon tracks munition “burn rate” costs by merging operational logistics (what munitions are fired, and in what quantities) with financial values (how much each one costs). The issue lies in how the Pentagon determines unit cost. The war costs that show up on the Pentagon’s ledger — and that media outlets report — are much lower than the costs the US public will ultimately be forced to pay.
For example, the largest categorical munition cost is for interceptors, which are missiles designed to shoot down other missiles. The cost to fire one SM-2 interceptor is $1.2 million. If 50 are withdrawn from the stockpile and fired, the Pentagon’s ledger would show $60 million in expenses from consuming those munitions. The $50 billion cost estimate unnamed officials gave lawmakers likely reflects this accounting method, as it’s the department’s standard.
This accounting can lead to undercounts when a rapidly consumed munition like the SM-2 isn’t planned to be purchased in the future. The Pentagon no longer buys SM-2s; the interceptor is being replaced by the more advanced and expensive SM-6. So each time an SM-2 is fired in the ongoing war, the Pentagon’s accounting system registers a cost closer to the SM-2’s $1.2 million unit cost from 2010 than the $6.3 million unit cost budgeted in 2027 for the SM-6 that will replace it. For US taxpayers, the cost of firing 50 SM-2s isn’t $60 million; it’s $315 million.
There are many more examples of expended munitions (or destroyed equipment) that are budgeted to be replaced by much more expensive variants.Foreseen consequences
The $25 billion war cost given by Pentagon Secretary Hegseth and acting Comptroller Hurst before Congress was a lie. It was a denial of the Iran War’s spiraling costs, one of several foreseen consequences of the Trump administration’s decision to go to war. The closing of the Strait of Hormuz is another predictable consequence. As nonproliferation expert Joe Cirincione told Popular Information last June:
There’s a whole list of things [Iran] could do, including closing the Straits of Hormuz. By closing the Straits of Hormuz, you cut off one-fifth of the world’s oil supply overnight. That will send stock markets crashing. That could tip the world into a global recession, even a depression.
This is why no previous president has attacked Iran. There’s a reason for it. It’s not because they weren’t courageous enough. It wasn’t because they didn’t have the capabilities. It’s because they understood that the enemy gets a vote. You could have stunning initial tactical success, and you could still end up in a quagmire with global consequences that will sink you.
Now, in May 2026, the US is in the quagmire phase of its war with Iran. The Trump administration’s plan, based on its 2027 budget request with its record $1.5 trillion in military spending, is to throw money at the problem. It will be up to Congress and its power of the purse to decide whether to enable Trump’s doubling down on another endless war.
A detailed methodology for the $72 billion estimate is available HERE.
Global News, U.S. Foreign Affairs
New York Times, Ted Turner, Creator of CNN and the 24-Hour News Cycle, Dies at 87, Jonathan Kandell, May 6, 2026. As one of the most important figures in media history, he oversaw a vast cable empire of news, sports and entertainment channels.
Ted Turner, right, the media mogul who cut a brash and vivid figure on the American scene of the late 20th century by dominating the cable television industry, creating the 24-hour news cycle with CNN, and extending his restless reach into professional sports, environmentalism and philanthropy, died on Wednesday at his home near Tallahassee, Fla. He was 87.
Phillip Evans, a spokesman for the family, confirmed the death. Mr. Turner announced in 2018 that he had Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disorder.
Mr. Turner’s signature creation was CNN — the Cable News Network — which revolutionized television news in 1980 by presenting it all hours of the day and eventually inspiring other media operations to follow suit. But his portfolio of business ventures bulged with much more, and their impact on American culture was considerable.
As a spinoff of CNN, Mr. Turner created the channel CNN Headline News and CNN International. He founded the cable and satellite sports and entertainment “superstation” that became known as TBS and spawned a sister channel, TNT, both of which continue to reach millions of homes.
In 1985, he bought for $1.5 billion the MGM studio’s library of films and nine years later created the cable franchise Turner Classic Movies, or TCM. He made a similar purchase of Hanna-Barbera cartoons and, relying on them, created the Cartoon Network in 1992. And in 1996, he merged his conglomerate, Turner Broadcasting System, with Time Warner to create one of the world’s largest media companies.
Along the way, he found the time and energy to captain the winning yacht in the America’s Cup race in 1977 and to take an active role as owner of the Atlanta Braves, giving the team extended national exposure on Turner-owned television.
“I’m trying to set the all-time record for achievement by one person in one lifetime,” he told the journalist Dale Van Atta in a Reader’s Digest article in 1998. “And that puts you in pretty big company: Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Gandhi, Christ, Mohammed, Buddha, Washington, Roosevelt, Churchill.”
Not even his staunchest admirers placed Mr. Turner on that high a pedestal. But even a bitter rival like the media magnate Rupert Murdoch — who once had his New York Post run the headline “Is Turner Insane?” — had to concede that he was one of the most influential figures in the history of mass media.Editors’ PicksThe Right Way to MulchTikTok Has Discovered Tae Bo, the Beloved ’90s Workout36 Hours in BarcelonaImageA black-and-white photo of Ted Turner standing akimbo on a boat.Mr. Turner on the deck of his boat, Courageous, in 1977. He learned to sail at his hometown Savannah Yacht Club, and it became a lifelong passion.Credit...Robert Child/Associated Press
An Atlanta-based entrepreneur, Mr. Turner took astounding risks in business, often teetering on the edge of bankruptcy and then roaring back to multiply his fortune.
Against the advice of colleagues and the conventional wisdom of his industry peers, he poured millions of dollars into pioneering ventures that combined cable and satellite broadcasts. He warred against the big television networks. He almost lost his shirt in Hollywood but emerged from these gambles and brawls as a billionaire astride a vast cable empire of news, sports and entertainment channels.
His personal life, too, was turbulent. His three marriages — his last, ending in 2001, was to the Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda — were often rocked by his open displays of infidelity, heavy drinking and otherwise boorish behavior.
Nicknamed “the Mouth of the South” for his self-aggrandizing claims and a reputation for dispensing gratuitous insults, Mr. Turner — tall and slim with a craggy, mustachioed face — could nonetheless be a man of great charm, whose gaffes were repeatedly forgiven by an indulgent public, which in large part considered him a living American legend.
Mr. Turner’s politics were contradictory and controversial. While claiming to be an archconservative Republican with warm ties to Christian evangelicals and far-right John Birch Society members, he also befriended the Cuban leader Fidel Castro and defended the repressive conduct of the Communist Chinese government.
In an extraordinary act of philanthropy, he donated a billion dollars to the United Nations, an organization loathed by American conservatives. He adored hunting, yet he became a darling of environmentalists by buying more than a million acres of wilderness and ranch land and then setting them aside as nature preserves. He became the fourth-largest private landowner in the United States, with two million acres, in addition to vast tracts he owned in Argentina and other countries.
Mr. Turner’s influence was most apparent in the way his CNN transformed television news by presenting it around the clock with constant updates, conveying a sense of immediacy.
“Today, news is available when it actually happens, not when it’s convenient for the three broadcast networks to carry it,” the father-and-son authors Robert Goldberg and Gerald Jay Goldberg wrote in their 1995 biography, “Citizen Turner: The Wild Rise of an American Tycoon.” Whether covering the fall of the Berlin Wall, the crushing of the Chinese student movement in Tiananmen Square or the Persian Gulf war of 1991, Mr. Turner’s CNN was the vehicle to view history in the making.
“I learn more from CNN than I do from the C.I.A.,” President George H.W. Bush was widely quoted as saying at the time of the war.
Mr. Turner himself professed not to be terribly interested in news or any other kind of business. It was the thrill of the hunt that drove him, not the quarry. As he told The New York Times, “I’ve always been more of an adventurer than a businessman.”
New York Times, U.S. Military Strikes Boat in Eastern Pacific, Killing 3, Adam Sella, May 6, 2026 (print ed.). The attack was the second in two days, and the latest in an ongoing campaign against people the United States says are engaged in drug smuggling at sea.
The U.S. military said on Tuesday that it had struck another boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three people and bringing the death toll to at least 190 in the monthslong campaign against those who the United States alleges are engaged in drug smuggling at sea.
U.S. Southern Command, led by Gen. Francis L. Donovan of the Marine Corps, announced the attack in a social media post on Tuesday evening. The post cited unspecified intelligence, and said the boat was traveling on “known narco-trafficking routes” and was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations.” It included a 28-second video showing an attack on a moving boat.
The strike is the second in two days, and it comes as the United States has accelerated its pace of strikes, attacking seven boats last month. The United States has struck 56 boats since September, when it began its campaign in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.
The Trump administration has not provided evidence that the boats they attack are involved in drug smuggling, and military experts have said that the strikes are illegal, extrajudicial killings.
U.S. Law, Courts, Crime, Rights, Justice
New York Times, F.A.A. Employee Charged With Threatening to Kill Trump, Karoun Demirjian, Updated May 6, 2026, The employee, Dean DelleChiaie of Nashua, N.H., was accused of emailing the White House about his plans to kill the president, after using his work computer to conduct related searches.
An employee of the Federal Aviation Administration was set to appear in federal court on Tuesday on charges of threatening to kill President Trump after allegedly using his government-issued work computer for his plans.
The Justice Department accused Dean DelleChiaie, 35, of Nashua, N.H., of using his work computer in January to conduct a series of suspicious searches, including how to smuggle a gun into a federal building, the details of previous assassination attempts against Mr. Trump, and the phrase “I am going to kill Donald John Trump.”
The criminal complaint against Mr. DelleChiaie was filed on Friday and he was arrested on Monday. If convicted of the charges against him, he faces a term of imprisonment up to 5 years and up to a $250,000 fine.
During a February interview with Secret Service officials, Mr. DelleChiaie admitted to conducting those searches, according to the department. He also confirmed to the Secret Service that he owned three firearms, including a handgun he kept in a safe at home.
According to the department, Mr. DelleChiaie made his plans to harm Mr. Trump explicit in April, in an email from his personal account sent to a public White House email address. In it, he wrote: “I, Dean DelleChiaie, am going neutralize/kill you - Donald John Trump - because you decided to kill kids - and say that it was War - when in reality - it is terrorism. God knows your actions and where you belong.”
Politico, National Mall shooter charged, Cheyanne M. Daniels, May 6, 2026. A Texas man is facing federal charges for allegedly shooting at Secret Service officers.The Washington Monument is pictured behind people walking on National Mall.
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged a Texas man accused of firing his gun at a Secret Service officer on the National Mall earlier this week, the Justice Department announced.
Michael Marx, 45, faces charges of assaulting federal officers with a dangerous weapon, using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
“My office will pursue the most serious charges available against anyone who brings gun violence to our streets, particularly when that violence unfolds steps from the seat of our government and the path of the Vice President of the United States,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement.
The charges stem from a May 4 incident near the Washington Monument. Plainclothes officers determined that a man had a gun and called for backup. The man, later identified as Marx, exchanged fire with officers while trying to flee the area. A bystander was struck in the leg during the incident while Marx was struck in the hand, left arm and upper abdomen.
The episode unfolded amid a heightened state of wariness in Washington, after a man who prosecutors allege tried to assassinate President Donald Trump and members of his administration stormed the security perimeter at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April.
The Justice Department alleges that while being transported to the hospital in an ambulance, Marx said, “F--- the White House” and “Kill me, kill me, kill me.”
Law enforcement recovered a handgun that Marx was not licensed to carry in D.C., the Justice Department said.
Politico, DOJ seeks to take on Trump’s E. Jean Carroll case, Erica Orden, May 6, 2026. It would be highly unusual for the government to intervene on the president’s behalf post trial and verdict.Donald Trump speaks at the White House.
The Justice Department will ask the Supreme Court to allow it to step in on President Donald Trump’s appeal of the $83.3 million jury verdict in a defamation lawsuit brought by the writer E. Jean Carroll — a move that would doom Carroll’s case.
In a Tuesday filing, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Brett Shumate said the government would seek to use the Westfall Act to swap Trump for the U.S. as the defendant in the lawsuit. That would require dismissal of the case because the federal government can’t be sued for defamation. A panel of appeals court judges previously denied the U.S.’s effort to insert itself as the defendant.
The act gives federal employees immunity from some civil damages when they are found to have been acting within the scope of their employment. While Trump was president when he made the comments at issue in Carroll’s lawsuit, it would be highly unusual for the government to intervene on the president’s behalf at this stage, post trial and verdict.
The Justice Department’s filing comes as Trump is seeking to avoid paying the judgment while the Supreme Court decides whether to review the case — an effort in which he is virtually certain to succeed because Carroll doesn’t oppose the pause in payment as long as he increases the bond to account for interest. Last week, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals denied Trump’s request to reconsider a panel’s ruling upholding the defamation verdict.
Trump has also asked the Supreme Court to overturn the $5 million judgment Carroll won after a jury found he sexually abused and defamed her.
Carroll’s lawsuits have become some of the last major personal legal burdens dogging Trump through his second term. Though Trump also faced a state criminal conviction and a civil fraud lawsuit in the period between his presidencies, the conviction came with no punishment and an appeals court tossed the half-billion financial penalty imposed on Trump in the civil case, though it upheld the fraud ruling.
Carroll’s lawsuits, for which Trump owes a total of $88.3 million plus interest, concern Carroll’s allegations that he sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s and then defamed her by denying her account, calling her a liar.
A spokesperson for Carroll’s lawyer declined to comment on the Justice Department’s Tuesday filing, but noted the 2nd Circuit said last year in rejecting the government’s Westfall argument that “both Trump and the government waived any right to now move for substitution” by failing to request it when the case was originally sent back to the district court.Filed Under:
U.S. Supreme CourtDonald TrumpLegalE. Jean Carroll
an has hit far more U.S. military assets than reported, satellite images showImagery published by Iranian state-affiliated media and verified by The Post shows damage to at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at U.S. military sites.
New York Times, Judge refers DoJ lawyer for possible discipline, calling out 'lack of candor,' Mattathias Schwartz, May 6, 2026 (prinr ed.). Officials withheld a detainee’s overseas arrest warrant from a federal judge. When she ordered his release, they used the same information to attack her publicly.
A federal judge said Tuesday that she was referring a Trump administration lawyer to face an investigation into potential misconduct for withholding key information from her about a case.
The lawyer, Kevin M. Bolan, leads the civil division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island. In court filings and during a hearing on Monday, Mr. Bolan acknowledged that he had failed to disclose important information to the judge about an immigrant who had been arrested and had petitioned for release. Mr. Bolan has apologized, but Judge Melissa R. DuBose said that the court still needed to get to the bottom of the omission.
“It’s the candor and the lack of candor to this court that has to be addressed,” she said. “And it has to be fully investigated, so we don’t have anything like this happen again.”
The judge said the referral would be made under the court’s local rules that govern disciplinary proceedings against attorneys. Cases can be heard by a single judge or all active judges, with punishments ranging from private reprimands or fines to disbarment. At an earlier hearing on Monday, Judge DuBose also discussed the possibility of sanctioning Mr. Bolan’s client, the Department of Homeland Security.
Natalie Baldassarre, a Justice Department spokeswoman, referred questions about the handling of the case to D.H.S., which did not immediately respond.
The dispute arose after the Department of Homeland Security last month publicly attacked Judge DuBose for ordering the migrant released from custody, despite what officials said was a murder charge that he still faces in the Dominican Republic. But the judge did not know about the international charge, and Mr. Bolan has said that before her ruling, D.H.S. had instructed him not to inform her about it.
The migrant, Bryan Rafael Gomez, was arrested by police in Worcester, Mass., on April 4 and charged with assault and battery. He was released on bail and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In a court filing, Mr. Bolan said he learned of the foreign murder charge but, after consulting with D.H.S., believed that “a legitimate law enforcement reason” meant he could not share information about it with Judge DuBose.
After Judge DuBose ordered Mr. Gomez’s release on April 28, D.H.S. went on the attack, deploying what has become a well-established playbook used by the Trump administration to single out judges who rule against its policies. Officials strongly suggested Judge DuBose had knowingly released someone accused of murder.
“An activist judge appointed by Joe Biden released this wanted murderer back into American communities,” Lauren Bis, an acting assistant secretary of homeland security, previously said in a statement. On social media, the department called Judge DuBose’s ruling “insanity” and amplified a Fox News report warning that “this accused killer is back out in the streets.”
Many of the judges attacked by the administration in similar ways have reported receiving waves of violent threats. In court on Monday, Judge DuBose called the Homeland Security Department statement “dangerous.”
On Tuesday, Mr. Bolan said that senior officials in the Rhode Island U.S. Attorney’s Office had made “a very firm, very direct request that the website be taken down” but acknowledged that the statement remained on the D.H.S. website. It remained live as of Tuesday afternoon. Judge DuBose said that taking it down was a “very basic decent act” and that she would continue to consider measures to prompt D.H.S. to do so.
Asked about Judge DuBose’s anger on Monday, the department’s media office responded by resending a copy of the disputed release, which Mr. Bolan has said was “not true.”
In a declaration filed with the court, a D.H.S. official confirmed that Mr. Bolan had been instructed to neither confirm nor deny the overseas charges to Judge DuBose. The official wrote that the direction was “consistent with ICE policy and practices” because such a notification would require “authorization” from the government of the Dominican Republic.
According to the declaration, the Dominican Republic provided the authorization but only after Judge DuBose ordered Mr. Gomez’s release, on the same day the department posted its attack on her.
The instruction to Mr. Bolan came even though the department posted a release a week before Mr. Gomez’s case reached Judge DuBose’s courtroom that said there was “an arrest warrant” in Mr. Gomez’s name “for homicide.”
In court on Monday, Melanie Shapiro, a lawyer representing Mr. Gomez, disputed that there was clear evidence of a murder charge against her client. She said that the two-page Spanish-language warrant filed with the U.S. court referred to a statute prohibiting “manslaughter” as well as a firearm statute, but not murder.
Ms. Shapiro’s court filings also dispute the state assault charge against Mr. Gomez, stating that he was arrested on the basis of “unsubstantiated allegations.” In its own filings, D.H.S. says that other than the assault charge, it has no evidence “of any actual or alleged criminal conduct” by Mr. Gomez inside the United States since he arrived “in approximately 2022.”
Also Tuesday, Judge DuBose ordered that Mr. Gomez, who has been living in Massachusetts since she ordered his release, be detained again before a bond hearing, to be held within seven days. The government had asked to reconsider her earlier release order on the basis that Mr. Gomez “presents a risk to public safety.”
“I cannot be motivated by my feelings about how this process played out,” Judge DuBose said. “If I were to have all this information at the beginning, which decision would this court make?”
New York Times, Ex-ICE Deputy Falls Short in Republican House Primary in Ohio, Reid J. Epstein, May 6, 2026 (print ed.). Madison Sheahan, whose candidacy promised to test how general-election voters viewed President Trump’s immigration agenda, lost to a rival who billed himself as a “MAGA Republican.
Few midterm races had as much potential to test how voters view President Trump’s immigration crackdown as a contest for a competitive House seat in Ohio, where the former No. 2 at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced a bid this winter.
Madison D. Sheahan, who stepped down from ICE to run against Representative Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat, had leaned into her work at the agency, calling herself “a Trump conservative” and highlighting her efforts to stop illegal immigration.
But on Tuesday she fell well short in the Republican primary race, placing a distant third in a race won by Derek Merrin, a former Ohio state legislator, according to The Associated Press.
The primary victory of Mr. Merrin, 40, who called himself a “MAGA Republican,” could give his party more hope of finally unseating Ms. Kaptur, 79, the longest-serving woman in Congress, who has represented the Toledo area in the House since she was first elected in 1982. Mr. Merrin lost only narrowly to Ms. Kaptur in 2024, and Ohio Republicans have since redrawn her seat in the Ninth Congressional District to be slightly friendlier to their party.
Mr. Merrin topped a crowded field that included Ms. Sheahan, who served as a deputy director at ICE under Kristi Noem, the former homeland security secretary, as well as Josh Williams, a state representative, who finished second.ImageRepresentative Marcy Kaptur speaking into microphones.
New York Times, Illinois State Police to Investigate Fatal ICE Shooting, Mitch Smith, May 6, 2026. Officials said they were examining the shooting of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez last summer during a Chicago-area crackdown on illegal immigration.
The state police in Illinois said on Tuesday that they were investigating the fatal shooting of a man by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent last summer in suburban Chicago.
The shooting of the man, Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, who was from Mexico, came in the midst of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration in the Chicago area, and it immediately drew outrage from residents and local officials.
Federal officials claimed that Mr. Villegas-Gonzalez, who they said was in the country illegally, drove a Subaru into officers and dragged an officer while fleeing a traffic stop in Franklin Park, Ill., near O’Hare International Airport. The agency said one officer had been severely injured.
But video of the shooting, which took place on Sept. 12, raised questions about aspects of that account.
Footage reviewed by The New York Times showed Mr. Villegas-Gonzalez attempting to flee from officers. But it did not show Mr. Villegas-Gonzalez, 38, hitting an officer with his car, and an officer was heard on one of the videos saying his own injuries were “nothing major.”
Department of Homeland Security officials did not immediately respond for a request to comment on Tuesday night about the Illinois State Police investigation. Federal officials also did not immediately respond to questions about the status of the officer who fired or of any internal investigations into the shooting.
The investigation of Mr. Villegas-Gonzalez’s death, and any attempt to bring criminal charges, could face several hurdles.
Law enforcement officers have wide latitude to use deadly force in situations in which they reasonably fear that they or someone else is at risk of death or significant injury. And the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause bars the state prosecution of federal officers in a broad range of circumstances.
Democracy Docket, Opinion: Bert Callais, plaintiff in case that gutted voting rights, is an election conspiracy theorist, Matt Cohen, Also in this week’s Eye On The Right: Election deniers and anti-voting activists celebrate the devastating Callais ruling, and more.
Bert Callais, the lead plaintiff in one of the most catastrophic Supreme Court cases ever, has a history of promoting false election conspiracies and anti-voting policies, Democracy Docket found. Callais also was at the Stop the Steal protest at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, before a deadly riot by pro-Trump insurrectionists.
In social media posts, Callais has called elections “rigged,” questioned the legitimacy of voting systems, and promoted efforts to replace electronic voting with dubious hand-counted paper ballots.
“This is f#€king insane, non citizens voting in our country,” Callais wrote in one re-post of an Elon Musk post that promoted a widely debunked conspiracy theory about noncitizen voting.
In a post from February, Callais dismissed concerns about access to voting, telling one user with a disability who pushed back on President Donald Trump’s call to get rid of mail-in ballots to “find someone to haul you to the polls.”
Callais also is cozy with Seth Keshel, who the New York Times has called “a celebrity among election deniers.” After the court ruling, Keshel posted a photo of the two men shaking hands, calling Callais a “hero.”
Election deniers and anti-voting activists celebrate Callais ruling
Election deniers and anti-voting activists are cheering for the Callais ruling, which turbocharged the gerrymandering wars to new heights. If it’s bad for democracy, you can rest assured that these folks are stoked about it.
“Huge win for America!!” the anti-voting organization True the Vote posted. “Today’s SCOTUS decision is a major step toward restoring constitutional order and equal treatment under the law.”
“Now THIS is a NUKE for a Weds,” Keshel posted right after the ruling came out. “All bets are off now for the House IF AND ONLY if these states don’t pull an INDIANA.”
In the aftermath of the Callais ruling, conservative influencer Scott Presler is now pushing to sue all states with Section 2 districts, including Pennsylvania. “Did you know that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court drew the Commonwealth’s congressional maps?” he wrote. “These unconstitutional districts include 2 majority-minority districts — just like Louisiana… We’ve got a real legal challenge here.”
Michigan election deniers are gloating over Democratic convention woes
Earlier this month, Michigan Democrats met for their party’s spring endorsement convention to vote on candidates for November’s general election. But several Democratic candidates want an audit, after one said they found “material errors” in the convention’s vote-counting process. There’s no evidence whatsoever of fraud, but Michigan election deniers and the state Republican party are using the saga to push election disinformation and further sow denialism in the state’s election process.
Michigan state Sen. Sylvia Santana (D), who appealed her loss for a seat on the Michigan State University Board of Trustees at the Democratic convention, claimed that party leadership didn't enforce a rule that required people to be in person to vote. Two other elected officials, including Attorney General Dana Nessel (D), joined Santana’s call for an audit.
“Democrats can't even secure their own internal elections,” the state GOP’s X account posted. “What a mess!”
State Rep. Matt Maddock (R) — an election denier who, along with his wife, Meshawn Maddock, attended a Stop the Steal rally in D.C. the night before the Jan. 6, 2021 riot — posted on social media that “democrats cheat[ed] their convention.”
Maddock also took a potshot at Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D), who’s been the focus of Michigan election deniers’ conspiracy theories. “Benson should take a quick glance at [the convention] and name it the second most secure election in Michigan history,” Maddock said, referencing false claims that the 2020 election was rigged in Michigan, after Benson called it the “most secure” election in the state’s history.
Icon-Banner_MEGAPHONE-SLANT-1Notes from the Twilight Zone
The Contrarian, Opinion: The Fifth Circuit Proves Abortion is on the Ballot this November, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, May 6, 2026. For now, we must support those who offer services — and get ready to get loud.
A highlight of being in Ireland (where I recently crossed the finish line of the Dublin Half Marathon, a great story for another day!) has been following the local news, especially the robust abortion beat.
Over the past week, Irish lawmakers have waged a loud fight to expand abortion rights — in particular, to ensure unnecessary waiting periods don’t impede access to care. Ireland has had a wave of public support for reproductive rights over the past two decades, culminating in the reversal of a deeply divisive 1983 ballot referendum that enshrined the “right to life of the unborn” as the eighth amendment of its constitution. In 2012, a pregnant woman died after being denied life-saving intervention. Citizens rose up and, in 2018, succeeded in repealing the amendment with a whopping two-thirds of the popular vote. (
Breaking headlines from the United States were a dark juxtaposition.
The United States is one of only four nations worldwide actively rolling back reproductive rights — we share that distinction with El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Poland. And now we’re threatened with losing yet another right. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling over the weekend in State of Louisiana et al. v. Food and Drug Administration et al., aiming to create the most significant setback to abortion access since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision nearly four years ago. The three-member panel, two of whom are Trump appointees, blocked a 2023 FDA policy allowing mifepristone to be prescribed by telehealth providers and delivered by mail — a decision that applies to all states, whether abortion is legal or not, and where voters have mobilized to pass ballot measures and enshrine reproductive rights in their state constitutions.
[What about Trump v. CASA, in which the Court ruled 6-3 that a single federal district court cannot issue a “universal” or nationwide injunction? What a difference a year makes. In the words of my NYU Law colleague professor Melissa Murray, apparently stare decisis is for suckers.]
A bit of background: During the pandemic, the FDA suspended its in-person and office-visit requirements to make it easier for patients to get and doctors to deliver medical care; by 2023, telemedicine changes were made permanent, including for the provision of mifepristone, an abortion medication that has been FDA-approved since 2000 and has a well-established safety record supported by decades of science.
Louisiana’s lawsuit to dismantle telehealth and mail delivery options for mifepristone is a naked attempt to make it harder for women everywhere in the country to access abortion, plain and simple. If the case prevails, any patient seeking abortion medication would have to travel to a brick-and-mortar health center and be handed pills by a provider. Pharmacies, too, would be prohibited from filling mifepristone prescriptions, even for those using it for the common purpose of managing a miscarriage or other medical reasons.
Not surprisingly, abortion care via telehealth has increased dramatically since Dobbs. Data from the Guttmacher Institute shows that medication abortion accounts for more than 60% of abortions in the U.S. today. Further, blue states have passed “shield laws” to protect abortion providers who serve patients living in places where abortion is banned (providing as many as 15,000 prescriptions per month, according to data from the #WeCount project), making the entire experience safer for all players. “For women in states that ban abortion, telehealth has been the last bridge to care, which is precisely why Louisiana officials want it banned. This isn’t about science — it’s about making abortion as difficult, expensive, and unreachable as possible,” said Nancy Northup, president of CRR. “Telehealth has transformed healthcare. Selectively stripping that away from abortion patients is a political blockade.”
What does the ruling indicate about the state of democracy? Whereas the Fifth Circuit claims the FDA regulation “undermin[es] laws protecting unborn human [that are] in defiance of Louisiana law,” Sen. Patty Murray’s response makes the stakes clear: “Three judges on the most extreme appeals court in the country sided with anti-abortion politicians over the FDA’s career scientists, over a quarter-century of safety data, over millions of American women who have safely used mifepristone, and over practically every major medical association in the United States.”
This Fifth Circuit ruling is not the final word on the case. The two pharmaceutical companies that make mifepristone, Danco and GenBioPro, immediately filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court, which on Monday issued an administrative stay through early next week, meaning the decision is on hold while the justices review the appeal. It is worth noting that three years ago, the same conservative Fifth Circuit also ruled against the FDA in a separate lawsuit about mifepristone. Then, the Supreme Court rejected the case over a technicality, saying the anti-abortion doctors who brought it didn’t have standing. The ruling did not address the legality of the FDA’s rule, but that moment is obviously drawing closer.
In addition to Louisiana, lawsuits in Idaho, Kansas, and Missouri similarly seek to impose a telehealth ban for mifepristone; cases in Florida and Texas are outright challenging the FDA approval of mifepristone to outlaw it altogether. Louisiana and Texas have tried to extradite telehealth abortion providers from New York and California to face criminal charges (with no success, thus far, thanks to shield laws). Though Louisiana has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, Mother Jones reports telemedicine providers are mailing close to 1,000 packages of abortion pills to patients in the state every month.
After Dobbs, the president crowed that “legal scholars, both sides, wanted, and in fact demanded, Roe be overturned” so that abortion rights could revert to the states. Hardly. The state route has led us right back to the Supreme Court, with Louisiana now poised to dictate nationwide access.
Abortion rights are popular, and Republicans lose every time they’re further threatened. Clearly, it serves the Trump administration to slow-walk the FDA litigation: remember that he directed the agency to conduct its own so-called review of mifepristone (despite its indisputable safety record); the review has been an excuse to decline to defend FDA rules on the merits and instead argue that states either lack standing or are jumping the gun.
So far, the lower courts have enabled all the stalling, but the Fifth Circuit’s inability to hide its true colors catapulted abortion front and center again. Either way, the FDA schedule requires it to file its status update by early October. Republicans can run from the issue, but they can’t hide come November.
Voters may be focused on the economy and the disastrous war with Iran, but abortion looms large. As historian and law professor Mary Ziegler told the New York Times, the popularity of telehealth “has been why people in abortion-ban states have been able to get access to abortion. It’s been the centerpiece of absolutely everything … [and] going to be a major political pressure point.”
In the spirit of the fighting Irish, readers should take heart that the community of U.S. abortion providers, advocates, and support networks “have shown amazing resilience and tenacity since the Dobbs decision,” according to Kelly Baden of Guttmacher. “They will continue to do what they can do to ensure that everyone, regardless of where they live, can access the abortion care they need.”
So, for now, our strategy must be twofold: support those who directly deliver those services and get ready to get loud. The abortion fight shows that access to healthcare, the integrity of science, the rules of democracy, and the right to bodily autonomy are not only all interconnected, but they are all on the ballot this November.
Jennifer Weiss-Wolf is executive director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at NYU School of Law. She also leads strategy and partnerships at Ms. Magazine.
Trump is holding all the cards, and no matter how you stack them, they are losers.
Lincoln Square Media, Political Opinion: Trump's Playing Uno (not Three-Dimensional Chess), Rick Wilson, May 6, 2026. As Marco Rubio says, America holds all the cards. Except, according to Trump, we’re playing Uno, and holding all of the cards means, well, you’ve lost.
That might be the most apt way to describe not only the quagmire in Iran, where our role continues to be confusing, but also our role in the world, our economy, our immigration policy, and basically every issue that pollsters ask Americans about.
In this episode, Rick explains the old “dog food test” from the world of advertising. You want to sell dog food? You have to make it look delicious for people. Trump thinks he’s trying to sell us all a bowlful of dog food.
But here’s the thing: it ain’t dog food, and nobody wants it.
Anti-voting lawyer Cleta Mitchell is having a lil crash out over Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias’ recent op-ed.
More On U.S. Government, Elections, Politics
New York Times, Republicans Unveil Map Carving Up Tennessee’s Majority-Black House District, Emily Cochrane, May 6, 2026. The General Assembly is expected to quickly approve the map, which slices up Memphis, a majority-Black city that makes up most of the state’s lone Democratic district.
Tennessee Republicans on Wednesday proposed a congressional map aimed at diluting the state’s lone majority-Black district, a swift response to last week’s Supreme Court ruling that weakened a landmark voting rights law.
The new map slices up Memphis, a majority-Black city, and Shelby County into three districts and will most likely give Republicans the ability to flip Tennessee’s lone remaining Democratic seat, which includes the city.
The Warning with Steve Schmidt, Opinion: Trump Will Have No Legacy, Steve Schmidt, May 6, 2026. Donald Trump promised his ballroom wouldn't cost the American people any money, but of course, he lied. Steve Schmidt breaks down the new $1 billion budget, Trump's gilded delusions, and promises that all the narcissistic monuments will be torn down.
Occupy Democrats, White House crowd EXPLODES with laughter at Melania Trump’s attempt to describe her husband as possessing a quality he sorely lacks, Staff Report, May 6, 2026. It was supposed to be a solemn moment. It became an accidental comedy.
Melania Trump was introducing her husband at a White House event today when she described him as a leader whose "empathy transcends the role." The audience didn't wait for a punchline. They provided one — erupting into spontaneous laughter so loud and immediate that even Trump himself couldn't suppress a smirk.
The empathy of Donald Trump. Let us count the ways.
The man who mocked a disabled New York Times reporter in front of a cheering crowd. Who called John McCain — tortured as a prisoner of war, unable to lift his own arm — a loser because he was captured. Who referred to Epstein's sexual abuse survivors as "victims or whatever." Who said, "When you have conflicts like this, you always have death," about the families of fallen soldiers. Who fired a general in a one-minute phone call after 42 years of service. Who called immigrants "animals" and referred to entire nations as "s---hole countries." Who posted a racist video depicting the Obamas as primates. Who told grieving Gold Star parents he'd pay them reparations — money that has never arrived.The empathy of a man who threatened to destroy "a whole civilization" on Truth Social before breakfast. Who called a dead ICU nurse an "assassin." Who said "nobody cares" about military equipment lost in a war he started without congressional authorization.
That empathy.The crowd laughed. Trump smirked. Melania soldiered on. And even the White House audience couldn't keep a straight face.
Daily Beast, The Scandal That Should Be the End for Fratboy Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, David Rothkopf, May 6, 2026. BLOWING UP YOUR SPOT
If this massive Iran cover-up doesn’t cost Pete Hegseth his job, nothing will.
Not since Vietnam have we seen a more systematic effort by an administration to lie about the nature, costs, consequences, and results of a war than we have seen from the White House on Iran.
What we have here is an illegal, unnecessary war wrapped in a strategic fiasco inside a huge cover-up.
At any other time in our history, the scope and scale of this would generate a scandal, major congressional hearings, and, in the end, result in the likely firing...
Occupy Democrats, EPSTEIN’S PARTY! Republican voters just elected an accused pedophile to be their nominee in the race for Ohio state house district 40!I t’s beyond parody at this point…
Pedophilia scandals apparently just don’t matter at all anymore to Republican primary voters, who overwhelmingly elected accused pedo Rodney Creech to be their nominee with nearly 60% of the vote.
Creech was accused by a minor female relative of his of climbing into her bed with her with with an erection in 2023; he admitted to doing so but denied there was anything sexual.
Texts show the minor complaining that Creech was rubbing her legs, grabbing her waist and that she was “put to tears” from being so uncomfortable around Creech.
Of course, since he’s a Republican politician, the “investigation” went nowhere. The accusations were serious enough for the GOP House leader to strip him of his assignments and they asked him to resign.
He didn’t, and now he’s back on his committees – and back on the ballot, thanks to Republican voters who think that there isn’t anything wrong with molesting a kid.
You won’t be surprised to learn this asshole is also the co-sponsor of a ban on drag shows, when HE’s the real threat to kids.
It just goes to show that the Republican Party is the Party of Epstein. Pedophiles at the top, pedophiles at the bottom, pedophiles protected by all levels of government. Time to vote for Democrats and start holding some predators accountable.
PoliticusUSA, Trump Is Getting Destroyed By The Right For "Disaster" Iran Deal, The Daily with Sarah Jones, May 6, 2026. The people on the right who have been some of Trump's biggest cheerleaders are calling the leaked details of a potential deal to end the Iran war a "disaster."Sarah Jones & Jason Easley
Those who waved the flag for Trump’s war with Iran may be starting to realize that they were duped. After Axios reported on the basics of a memorandum of understanding that is being negotiated by the Trump administration and Iran:
Among other provisions, the deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the U.S. agreeing to lift its sanctions and release billions in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
Many of the terms laid out in the memo would be contingent on a final agreement being reached, leaving the possibility of renewed war or an extended limbo in which the hot war has stopped but nothing is truly resolved.
Apparently, what Trump meant by peace through strength was not what his supporters thought it meant. Trump’s definition seems to be starting a war, then quitting on it, and giving the opponent everything they wanted when the war gets difficult.
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The framework that might be agreed upon will lead the United States to reimplement the Obama Iran nuclear deal, with Iran being much stronger and the US being weaker than when Obama was in office.
Some of Trump’s allies seem very unhappy with what could be the deal.
Hugh Hewitt is one of the biggest Trump cheerleaders in conservative media posted on X:
Talking with John Podhoretz right now (and it will post at my YouTube channel later) and the 14 point “deal” is a disaster unfolding in real time. I can’t believe President Trump will agree to anything that destroys the greatest achievement of his presidency.
Hewett also used the opening monologue of his radio show to urge Trump not to make the deal with Iran.
Not to be outdone, Fox News contributor and Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen posted on X:
Here’s what Iran sees: After being warned not to, they hit UAE and fired on a US ship - and we didn’t respond. Instead we suspended the SoH mission. They take that as weakness. They don’t think Trump is willing to bomb them again. They think they have leverage. He needs to prove them wrong.
It seems like these right-wingers are catching on that Donald Trump is weak.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Cheer Up, It’s Still May! William Kristol, right, May 6, 2026. Last Friday, in what several readers pointed out was an uncharacteristically upbeat moment, I wrote, “Cheer up. It’s May.”
Well, I don’t want to shock anyone, but I’m going to double down on the uncharacteristic upbeatness. And I think I have pretty good reason to do so. In a special election yesterday for an open seat in the Michigan State Senate in the Saginaw and Bay City area, the Democratic candidate, firefighter and Marine veteran Chedrick Greene, won and won easily. In the previous state senate contest in the district, in 2022, the Democratic candidate’s margin had been less than seven points. In 2024, Kamala Harris carried the district by less than one point. Yesterday, in a race in which both parties invested heavily, Greene romped by twenty points.
So the past year’s trend of notable Democratic overperformance continued, this time in a mostly working-class district in a swing state. The result certainly seems to bode well for November. So Democrats are happy this morning.
But so is President Trump.
In Republican primary elections across Indiana, Trump-backed challengers deposed five Republican state senators who had helped block his wished-for gerrymander of the state’s congressional districts. A sixth race was too close to call. And the incumbents who lost were conservative Republicans, albeit of a more traditional type.
The only real issue in the races was loyalty to Trump. As NBC News noted, in central Indiana’s District 41, for example, where Trump-backed candidate Michelle Davis challenged a 20-year incumbent, one ad from American Leadership PAC on behalf of Davis mentioned Trump’s name four times in fifteen seconds. Davis won, 59 percent to 41 percent.
So Trump is happy, putting up celebratory posts on Truth Social. He’ll be happier still if he succeeds ten days from now in knocking off incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) in the GOP primary, and then if Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) goes down to defeat three days later, on May 19. The first result seems likely, the second quite possible.
But Trump’s joy at once again driving all dissenters from his ranks should be short-lived. If he’s successful, the Republican party will be even more completely and totally his party. Which, given his steadily increasing unpopularity, will presumably further increase the likelihood of voters turning to Democratic candidates for both the House and Senate this November in order to check Trump.
So Democrats have reasons to be happy, too. It’s too bad that decent Indiana Republicans who stood up to Trump have to suffer in the process. But that’s the choice of the Republican primary electorate, and the only solution for now is an even bigger Republican defeat in November.
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The issue on which Indiana Republicans wanted their representatives to go along with Trump was partisan redistricting. Last night’s results will supercharge efforts in Southern states to take advantage of the Supreme Court’s gutting of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to gerrymander themselves. It’s true that this may help Republicans pick up a few more Southern House seats this year.
On the other hand, this whole effort should serve to remind voters across the nation of how much is at stake this November. I suspect whatever individual House seats Republicans pick up in redistricting could pale by comparison to the effects of a further nationalization and Trumpification of the 2026 election cycle. Here too, the worse the GOP looks, the better prospects will look for Democrats. And, for now at least, the better things will look for democracy.
I’ll add that the impression that the Republican party is ever more thoroughly Trump’s party will surely be reinforced by the Senate Republicans including $1 billion for Trump’s ballroom in their reconciliation bill, likely to pass on a purely partisan vote later this month.
And the rest of the money in the reconciliation bill—about $71 billion worth—is of course for immigration enforcement. On that topic, Tom Homan, the White House border czar, said yesterday that “You ain’t seen shit yet. This year will be a good year. Mass deportations are coming.” The administration, Homan assured us, will “flood the zone” with immigration officers, and Homan acknowledged that we’ll see not just the arrest of people with criminal records, “You will see collateral arrests increase in these areas.” Polling on the issue of the mass deportation of law-abiding immigrants suggests this too should be widely unpopular.
This is to say nothing about the fact that it looks increasingly likely that Trump’s grand “excursion” into the Middle East will end in humiliating failure.
So 2026 is going to be a rough year for this country, for the rule of law, for our well-being at home, and for our standing abroad. We’re going to have to try to mitigate that damage as best we can. And it’s going to be a rough year for decent people left in the Republican party.
But the compensation will be if November brings not merely a Democratic wave but a full-scale tsunami. That would give us real grounds for hope for the prospect of freeing the nation—and perhaps ultimately the Republican party as well—of the curse of Trumpism.
Letters from an American, Historical Commentary: May 5, 2026 [New Trump Ballroom Price: $1B], Heather Cox Richardson, right, May 6, 2026. Late yesterday, Republicans in the Senate released their funding request for the budget reconciliation bill. It includes $1 billion for White House security, including Trump’s proposed ballroom.
President Donald J. Trump unexpectedly began the process of knocking down the East Wing of the White House on October 20, 2025, just two days after millions of Americans turned out for the October 18 No Kings rallies.
Days later, Trump told reporters that the cost of the ballroom he intended to build on the site would be paid “100 percent by me and some friends of mine.” At the time, he claimed the ballroom was necessary because presidents needed more space to host events. Since the incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the White House has emphasized the need for the space for security reasons. In response, Republicans proposed a measure that appropriated $400 million to build a secure ballroom.
And now, Republicans are advancing a measure that will appropriate $1 billion in taxpayer money for Trump’s ballroom. They are doing so through budget reconciliation, which cannot be filibustered and so can pass the Senate with no Democratic votes.
The bait and switch of the ballroom plans seems to represent the bait and switch of the Republican ideology since the 1980s. When he ran for the presidency in 1980, Ronald Reagan promised voters that he would restore their freedom by cutting taxes and slashing regulations. With the resulting boom in the American economy, he argued, there would continue to be money for the social programs Americans liked. Americans could have tax cuts and social programs both.
In fact, Reagan’s tax cuts required deficit spending that tripled the national debt from $995 billion to $2.9 trillion—more federal debt than in the entire previous history of the country—prompting calls for cuts to social programs in order to address the ballooning debt. Rather than creating a rising tide that lifted all boats, as the saying went, the new system moved more than $50 trillion from the bottom 90% of Americans to the top 1%.
And yet that theory still animates the Republican Party. Last July, with their budget reconciliation bill known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” Republicans extended the 2017 Trump tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee promised the measure would fuel an economic boom. “Renewing the Trump tax cuts will be a huge boost to America’s economy—leading to higher wages and more job creation,” they said.
Not a single Democrat voted for the measure. Among other things, Democrats noted, its failure to extend the premium tax credits that enabled individuals and families to buy healthcare insurance on the Affordable Care Act markets would mean Americans would lose health insurance, and the slashing of about $186 billion in federal spending, about 20% of it, from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program over 10 years would hurt Americans who live with food insecurity.
The numbers are starting to come in.
Last Friday, Reed Abelson and Margot Sanger-Katz of the New York Times reported the conclusion of insurers and analysts that at least 20% of those covered by the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, are dropping their coverage, with analysts expecting that number will continue to rise another 6%. Already at least 5 million of the 24 million people who were covered last year have dropped their coverage. In Georgia, enrollment has fallen by more than a third.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told the House Committee on Education and the Workforce last month that the drop in coverage has come from the administration’s crackdown on fraud.
As Melissa Goldin of the Associated Press reported yesterday, there is a similar story about SNAP recipients. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins recently told the Fox News Channel that “we now have moved 4.3 million Americans off of the food stamp program. A lot of that is fraud. A lot of it is people taking the program that shouldn’t have been. And a lot of it is just a better economy…. So people don’t need food stamps.”
In fact, as Goldin notes, experts say that fraud in SNAP is rare, with less than 1% of those who enroll disqualified from the program for fraud. People appear to have dropped off the SNAP rolls because the new rules in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act made it harder to enroll.
While Republicans don’t intend to fund healthcare or nutrition programs, the Senate’s proposed budget reconciliation bill appropriates $72 billion to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection, the parent agency for Border Patrol, through 2029. Extending the funding until then means that Democrats will not be able to use funding as leverage to try to reform ICE and Border Patrol after their aggressive sweeps targeting immigrants led to dramatic abuses, including the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
In February, G. Elliott Morris of Strength In Numbers crunched the polls and found that reforms to ICE are extraordinarily popular. Ninety-two percent of Americans want ICE agents to wear body cameras, for example, and 80% wanted an independent investigation in the killings of Good and Pretti. Morris noted that between 60% and 90% of voters—a supermajority that includes Republicans and a majority of Independents—say they want “transparency, accountability, rules, and oversight” for federal agents.
Today, at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix, Arizona, Trump’s White House advisor on border security, Tom Homan, assured Republicans that mass deportation is coming and that the administration will flood immigration officers into jurisdictions that aren’t cooperative. Michael Williams of CNN reported that Homan told Republicans angry that the administration is not deporting enough people: “You ain’t seen sh*t yet. This year will be a good year. Mass deportations are coming.” He added: “You’re going to see more ICE agents [than] you ever seen before.”
The administration’s disregard for the will of the American people also shows in its approach to its war on Iran. Today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters: “The operation is over. Epic Fury, as the president notified Congress, we’re done with that stage of it. We’re now on to this Project Freedom,” the attempt to open the Strait of Hormuz. The 1973 War Powers Act required the president either to get congressional approval for the war or to withdraw the troops within 60 days of notifying Congress of a military action. That deadline was May 1.
Now, according to Rubio, the war is now in a different phase: opening the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before Trump’s military adventure.
But Iranian officials have responded to Trump’s Project Freedom with military strikes against both the vessels attempting the transit and other Gulf countries. This afternoon, Trump backed down.
He posted on social media: “Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed.”
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: De-Vancification at ISI? Joshua Tait, May 6, 2026. A conservative think tank that was rebranding itself around JD Vance style pugnaciousness is parting ways with its controversial president.
John A. Burtka IV, better known as Johnny, has resigned as president of the conservative think tank the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. The Delaware-based operation was founded in 1953, and its first president was none other than William F. Buckley Jr. It aimed to bring the conservative gospel to college students, networking them together as a band of brothers against liberalism. Over nearly eight decades, ISI developed a reputation for a bookish but socially conservative brand of conservatism. Burtka changed that.
Under his leadership, ISI tilted toward an edgier, post-liberal identity, and, according to critics, a “no enemies to the right” ethos.
Not everyone was impressed. Last November, two ISI board members urged the board to fire Burtka, saying he had—behind the board’s back—dropped ISI’s educational project to focus on hard-right podcasting with Burtka at the center and Vance as the willing figurehead of their new agenda. One of Burtka’s first guests on his podcast was neoreactionary blowhard Curtis Yarvin.
To old-fashioned conservatives, “the battle for the heart and soul of the American Conservative Movement” has long been waged inside foundations and think tanks. But in this case, though, Burtka may have been done in by something other than ideology. In the wake of the announcement, a former board member tweeted: “If something can’t go on forever, it won’t.” ISI did not respond to a request for comment.
According to an announcement authored by ISI’s chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mark C. Henrie, and seen by The Bulwark, Burtka resigned “after careful personal and professional discernment.” Burtka, the announcement read, “feels called to a new chapter in his career, one that he hopes will more explicitly engage the role of faith in renewing Western Civilization.”
We suspect—with like-minded conservatives fleeing from there—Burtka won’t be moving to Hungary.
—Joshua Tait is a historian of American conservatism. His book on the conservative intellectual movement is forthcoming from Yale University Press.
AROUND THE BULWARK
Quick Hits
LET’S JUST DO IT AND BE LEGENDS: Apparently, neither the hundreds of millions in dollars Donald Trump has solicited from private parties for his ballroom nor the $1 billion in taxpayer money he’s now asking Congress to pitch in has any cash earmarked for safe disposal of the rubble of the old East Wing. The administration has been simply dumping debris at a public D.C. golf course, East Potomac Golf Links. Yesterday, the AP reported that that debris—which is “so prevalent that it causes golfers to detour around piles of it”—has tested positive for a host of toxic substances, including lead, chromium, PCBs, and petroleum byproducts.
The White House denies there’s a problem: The soil “was tested multiple times, by multiple parties,” an Interior Department spokesperson told the AP, “and this project passed all standards set by law.”
Perhaps the most bizarre thing about the story is that East Potomac Golf Links is the site of another of Trump’s little hobby projects: He is simultaneously elbowing in to seize control of the course from its current managing body, the National Links Trust, in order to overhaul it from an affordable municipal course to a “championship” course. Maybe he can start by clearing away all the toxic metals he put there.
NOT TRIANGULATING: You might expect that an administration this unpopular would cool it on some of the more pointlessly authoritarian stuff. You’d be wrong. On Saturday, the New York Times reports, the State Department revoked the visas of most of the board members for La Nación, Costa Rica’s leading newspaper. Why? Apparently because the paper had done reporting on a sexual harassment investigation into Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves, a Trump ally:
The newspaper said the move was “unprecedented.” The visa decision appeared to be part of a larger strategy by the White House to punish its critics and reward its allies, analysts said.
“In the absence of any explanation for this decision or objective reasons to support it, only one conclusion can be drawn: Its purpose has been to punish La Nación’s editorial stance,” the newspaper said in an editorial on Monday.
“Applying such a measure to nearly the entire board of a media outlet is unprecedented in our history,” it added. “In fact, we are not aware of any similar cases in other democratic countries.”
The State Department declined to comment. Read the whole thing.
EXPLAIN YOURSELF, VIGILGOER: Speaking of not cooling it on the authoritarian stuff: After Veterans Affairs nurse Alex Pretti was killed in January by Border Patrol officers, VA employees around the country held vigils to honor his memory. For that, CNN reports, a number of vigil attendees were probed by federal investigators:
Becky Halioua, a recreational therapist and union leader at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, said she felt “it was important to acknowledge him, as a brother of our organization.”
“It’s scary for me to think about a fellow VA employee being murdered by the same government that they work for,” Halioua told local TV station WRDW, a CNN affiliate, at the time. “That’s terrifying for me.”
Then Halioua learned she was under investigation by that same government. Her supervisor informed her that an internal probe had been launched into whether she violated agency rules regarding employee interviews with the news media, a probe that could result in disciplinary action.
Halioua is not alone, several sources familiar with the matter told CNN. At least three other VA employees have been investigated for their interactions with the press, including at least one other related to Alex Pretti, according to one of the sources.
As part of her investigation, Halioua says investigators emailed her photos of herself at the vigil from news coverage, which also included a brief interaction with a local newspaper. Someone had drawn a line around her image in some photographs, labeled with her name.
May 5
Top Headlines
U.S. Political Prosecutions, Ultra-Right Oligarchs
Trump Team Smear and Prosecute Political Planning Chart (created by former participant Lev Parnas and documented in his memoir "Shadown Diplomacy," shown below)
Lev Parnas, right, May 5, 2026. Iwatched this operation from the inside in 2018 and 2019. The same players, the same playbook, and now the same machine is being used to lay the groundwork for investigations, indictments, and elections.May 5, 2026. He's selling it to avoid attention. Good.News Roundups
May 5, 2026. Trump pushes for $1 billion in taxpayer funding for his ballroom, a project that is already linked to toxic metal pollution in D.C.More On Iran War
U.S. Education, Culture Wars, Media
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May 5, 2026. The Iran debacle is accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels.U.S. Foreign Policy, National Security
U.S. Courts, Crime, Rights, Law, Justice
May 5, 2026. Kash Patel, Todd Blanche, and Jeanine Pirro will not shut up.U.S. Elections, Politics
Top Stories
New York Times, Iran War Live Updates: U.S. and Iran Both Claim Control Over Strait of Hormuz, Eric Schmitt, Greg Jaffe and Leo Sands, May 5, 2026. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hailed the new U.S. initiative to escort ships through the waterway, but traffic has not resumed. Iranian state news media said Tehran’s control over the strait had intensified.
The United States and Iran made competing claims over which side controlled the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, adding pressure to their shaky cease-fire after the U.S. Navy launched an effort to escort vessels through the vital oil shipping route.
The strait itself remains effectively closed: Only two ships were known to have passed through the waterway on Monday, and none had made the trip on Tuesday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. effort to free trapped vessels showed that the Iranians “don’t control the strait.” But Iran’s state broadcaster dismissed the U.S. effort as a failure and said Iranian control over the strait had “intensified.”
For the second day in a row, the United Arab Emirates said Tuesday that it had come under attack by Iranian missiles and drones, which it had not experienced since the cease-fire took effect in early April. The Emirates said its air defense systems were intercepting the weapons, but it was not clear if any had gotten through. Iran did not confirm or deny that it was behind the attacks.
On Monday, U.S. Central Command said American forces shot down cruise missiles and drones it said were aimed U.S. vessels, and destroyed six Iranian speedboats.
Mr. Hegseth cast the new U.S. naval effort that began on Monday as defensive and temporary. “We’re not looking for a fight,” he told reporters at the Pentagon.
Mr. Hegseth said two commercial vessels had crossed the strait under U.S. military escort on Monday. But overall ship traffic remains a trickle compared to before the war, when around 130 vessels a day made the passage.
Here’s what else we’re covering:
Letters From Leo -- the American Pope & US Politics, Commentary,“Endangering a Lot of Catholics” — Trump Smears Pope Leo XIV 48 Hours Before Rubio Meeting, Christopher Hale, May 5, 2026. Trump falsely accused the first American pope of wanting Iran armed with nuclear weapons. The smear is a setup for Marco Rubio’s Thursday meeting at the Vatican — and what the Secretary of State plans to ask about Cuba.
Donald Trump renewed his assault on Pope Leo XIV in radio remarks last night, telling Hugh Hewitt that the first American pope is “endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people” because, in Trump’s telling, Leo “thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
The smear is a lie.
Pope Leo XIV has never said any such thing about Iran or anyone else. The Holy See has rejected nuclear weapons in every nation’s hands for more than half a century. Pope Francis declared even the possession of nuclear arms “immoral” in 2017.
Leo restated that teaching within days of his election and has reiterated it almost every week since — most recently from the papal plane home from Africa, where he called for aerial bombing itself to be permanently banned.
Trump’s attack lands forty-eight hours before Marco Rubio walks into the Apostolic Palace on Thursday for the first cabinet-level audience between this administration and the Vatican since the president’s April broadsides.
As I reported yesterday, JD Vance — the highest-ranking Catholic in the federal government — has been pulled from the assignment, sidelined by his own boss after a month of insulting the pope on Vance’s behalf.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin answered Trump from Rome before the day was out.
“The Pope continues on his path — in the sense of preaching the Gospel, of preaching peace — or, as Saint Paul would say, ‘opportune et importune,’” (Latin: “in season and out of season”) the Vatican Secretary of State told reporters. “The Pope’s stance remains the same.”
Asked whether Leo would respond directly to the latest attack, Parolin said the response had already been given. “The pope has already responded; I would not add anything.”
He described Leo’s posture as “a very, very Christian response, saying that he is doing what his role requires, which is to preach peace. Whether this is pleasing or not, that is another matter.”
The Latin tag is from Saint Paul’s second letter to Timothy — “in season and out of season.” Parolin chose the line carefully.
The cardinal also told the Italian news agency ANSA that the Holy See is advocating for full nuclear disarmament — precisely the position Pope Leo has held since the day he walked onto the loggia of Saint Peter’s. Trump’s slander reads exactly backward.
Trump has been repeating the same slander for almost a month, ever since Pope Leo XIV called the Iran war “unacceptable” and the U.S. military archbishop declared it unjust.
The president has been corrected by the U.S. bishops’ conference, and by virtually every American prelate who has spoken on the matter. He keeps saying it anyway, because the lie is doing political work that the truth would not.
The reason is Thursday.
Rubio is not flying to Rome on a goodwill tour.
As I detailed in yesterday’s piece, USA Today reports Cuba is near the top of the Secretary of State’s agenda, and the pattern is hard to miss. In January, a senior Pentagon official lectured Pope Leo’s Ambassador to the United States in a closed-door meeting that Vatican officials later described to me as a fishing expedition for preemptive blessing on American military action.
Four months later, the Cuban-American Secretary of State who built his Senate career on hawkish opposition to Havana is bringing the same ask through the Vatican's front door, with the island ninety miles from Florida on the table.
Today's smear runs the play yesterday’s piece predicted — preemptive neutralization of the pope before Rubio's Thursday ask.
The Trump administration appears to be looking for the Vatican’s blessing — or at least its silence — should Washington take military action against Cuba. The play is to cast Leo as reckless, tell American Catholics a fabricated story about Iran, nuclear weapons, and their own safety, and then dispatch the cabinet's most polished diplomat to extract a concession the pope will never give.
The official line from Trump’s own ambassador to the Holy See is that there is no problem to solve. Brian Burch told reporters Tuesday that he does not “accept the idea that somehow there’s some deep rift” between the United States and the Holy See, and that Rubio is coming to engage in a “frank dialogue” about American policy.
There is a deep rift. Trump just spent the morning widening it on the radio.
The plan misreads Rome.
Pope Leo XIV spent two decades as a missionary in Peru, helped bury Pope Francis last spring, and took the name of the pontiff who wrote Rerum Novarum against gilded-age greed. He has now been attacked by an American president for opposing an unjust war, defending migrants, and refusing to baptize his agenda — and his answer every time has been the same: I am not afraid.
Cuba will be no different. Saint Augustine wrote against the Roman empire’s wars of conquest in the fifth century, and no pope formed in the Augustinian tradition is going to bless a Marine landing in Cárdenas in the twenty-first.
This Friday, Pope Leo XIV marks his first year as Bishop of Rome. The American president’s gift to the first U.S.-born pontiff on the eve of that anniversary is a public lie about the Holy Father’s position on nuclear weapons, delivered to a friendly radio host two days before the Secretary of State arrives at the Vatican to ask for what the Holy See will not give.
Trump and Hewitt ended with the same answer today with three words: “He’s from Chicago.” That is what he cannot forgive.
The pope of the Catholic Church is American — a son of the South Side, a White Sox fan, a U.S. citizen by birth and a U.S. citizen still, and the first such man in two thousand years of Christianity to wear the fisherman’s ring. Trump cannot dismiss him as a foreigner across the Atlantic, a Latin American radical, or a soft European bishop.
Leo is one of us, and Trump knows it.
U.S. Political Prosecutions, Ultra-Right Oligarchs
Trump Team Smear and Prosecute Political Planning Chart (created by former participant Lev Parnas and documented in his memoir "Shadown Diplomacy," shown below)
Lev Remembers, Commentary: The Old Ukraine Smear Machine Is Back — And Now They Control the Government, Lev Parnas, right, May 5, 2026. I watched this operation from the inside in 2018 and 2019. The same players, the same playbook, and now the same machine is being used to lay the groundwork for investigations, indictments, and elections.
While the media is chasing Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again war with Iran, something even more dangerous is happening right in front of us.
And as I always tell you: don’t just listen to what they say — watch what they do.
Because what they are doing right now is laying the groundwork to steal the next election.Subscribed
Not with one big dramatic move. Not with one headline. Not with one indictment. But piece by piece. Narrative by narrative. “Declassified” document by “declassified” document. Investigation by investigation. Criminal referral by criminal referral.
And I am sounding the alarm because I have seen this pattern before.
I lived it.
I was there in 2018 and 2019 when this same disinformation machine was being built leading into the 2020 election. I watched how it worked from the inside. I watched the same players take questionable information, wrap it in official-sounding language, push it through friendly media, send it to Fox, and then have lawyers and political operatives go on television to make it sound real.
Back then, there were still people in positions of power who refused to go along. There were people inside the system who said no. There were people who understood that using foreign dirt, Russian-linked disinformation, and manufactured Ukraine narratives to help Donald Trump politically was wrong, dangerous, and illegal.
Today, those guardrails are gone.
The people who were pushing the operation from the outside are now sitting inside the machinery of power. They do not have to beg for investigations anymore. They can start them. They do not have to pressure people to declassify documents. They can do it themselves. They do not have to ask someone to weaponize the FBI, the intelligence community, or the Justice Department.
They are building the system to do it for them.
John Solomon is reporting that newly declassified intelligence shows intercepted Ukrainian government communications discussing an alleged plot to route hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer money — through USAID-linked programs — back into Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
Ukraine. USAID. Biden. DNC. Money laundering. Election interference.
But I’m here to tell you what the real story is.
Because I know this machine. I know the people. I know the playbook.
Nobody knows John Solomon and Joe diGenova better than I do. Nobody knows how this old crew operated better than I do. I watched it happen in real time. I watched the calls, the coordination, the leaks, the television hits, the “sources,” the legal spin, the Fox News amplification, and the way a political smear was dressed up as an investigation.
Back then, we had what I called the BLT team — Rudy Giuliani, Victoria Toensing, Joe diGenova, John Solomon, and the surrounding cast of Trumpworld operators who knew exactly how to turn raw allegations into political weapons.
Someone would bring in “information.” Sometimes it came from questionable Ukrainian sources. Sometimes it came from people with Russian interests. Sometimes it came through people pretending to be patriots while pushing something much darker.
This is the same Ukraine smear machine coming back — but now with government power behind it.
And that is what makes this moment so dangerous.
Because this time, John Solomon is not just writing stories from the outside. Tulsi Gabbard, right, is sitting inside the intelligence apparatus. Kash Patel is positioned to turn political narratives into federal action. Todd Blanche is part of the legal machinery. Joe diGenova, one of the original promoters of these Ukraine conspiracy theories, is now tied to the same world of investigations and “accountability” they are trying to manufacture.
Do you understand what that means?
They are not just trying to damage Democrats politically. They are building the excuse they need to say the entire system is corrupt. They are building the excuse to say Ukraine interfered. They are building the excuse to say USAID was a Democratic money-laundering operation. They are building the excuse to say Trump’s enemies must be investigated, indicted, arrested, and removed.
And ultimately, they are building the excuse to interfere with our elections.
That is the part the mainstream media is missing.
While everyone is distracted by Trump’s chaos — Iran one day, tariffs the next, another insane statement the day after that — the real work is happening quietly behind the curtain.
Sound familiar?
It should.
Because this is the same pressure campaign we were involved in during the first Trump administration, only now it has been upgraded.
Back then, the goal was to force Ukraine to announce investigations into Biden.
Now the goal is bigger.
Now the goal is to use the American government itself to announce the investigations, generate the criminal referrals, push the indictments, and create the appearance of a massive conspiracy just in time to justify taking control of the election process.
And now look at what just happened with James Comey.
Do not look at the Comey arrest as some isolated legal event. Do not look at it as just one indictment over one social media post. That is the surface-level story they want everyone arguing about.
The deeper story is the pattern.
Comey has been one of Trump’s favorite targets for years. Brennan has been one of Trump’s favorite targets for years. The intelligence officials who investigated Russia, who warned about foreign interference, who became part of Trump’s revenge fantasy — they are all now being pulled back into the center of this machine.
And according to what I am hearing from my sources, this is not where it ends.
What I am hearing is that Joe diGenova is putting together something much bigger — a conspiracy-style indictment that could try to wrap in people like Brennan, Comey, and others under one broad theory.
Think about that.
Joe diGenova — one of the very people who helped push the original Ukraine propaganda operation — is now reportedly tied to the machinery examining Trump’s old enemies. Public reporting has already said he has been tapped to lead the Brennan-related investigation. And the Brennan case is coming out of Florida, potentially landing in front of Judge Aileen Cannon.
So ask yourself: why does that matter?
Because we already know Judge Cannon. We already saw how she handled the Trump classified documents case. We already saw what happens when a Trump-aligned legal strategy gets placed in a courtroom where the process itself can become part of the protection.
Now imagine a so-called “grand conspiracy” case involving Trump’s enemies, handled by Joe diGenova, pushed by the same media ecosystem, fed by the same old Ukraine/Russia disinformation pipeline, and potentially placed in a forum where Trumpworld believes it has the most favorable terrain.
That is how this works.
Paul Krugman, Opinion: Don't Cry for Jeff Bezos's Yacht, Paul Krugman, right, May 5, 2026. He's selling it to avoid attention. Good.
According to press reports, Jeff Bezos is planning to sell his 417-foot yacht, the one with a carved figurehead of Lauren Sanchez, his second wife, at the front (shown above in a Reuters photo). According to these reports, he’s unhappy at the attention that the yacht is getting. Funny how that works.
We’re not going to weep for Jeff Bezos’s discomfort and yes there’s a certain amount of just plain satisfaction at seeing him taken down a peg.
But I think there’s a little bit more to it. This is not just invidious comparison and hostility towards people who have acquired great wealth, although there’s nothing wrong with that. This is about the role of moods, vibes, and the motivations of the malefactors of great wealth that play such a large role in the US political system now.
As everybody should know, we have seen an extraordinary concentration of wealth at the top, probably bigger than the concentration that took place in the Gilded Age. And it’s gone along with something which is, I think, different from what we had in the late 19th century. In the late 19th century there were certain proprieties that people of great wealth felt that they had to observe. They had to maintain a certain pretense. The Victorian virtues were honored at least on the face of it.
Extremely wealthy men had conventional marriages. Presumably very many of them had mistresses as well; the strictures of conventional morality were not actually obeyed nearly as much as people wanted you to think — but they wanted you to think. They wanted to pretend to be good family men, all of that. A kind of hypocrisy was part of the package, and hypocrisy is the tribute that vice pays to virtue.
Now we have a very permissive culture, which is not on the whole a bad thing. There’s a lot of openness, there’s a lot of misery that is avoided by not having to maintain the pretense that all marriages are happy, that people don’t have whatever motivations they have in reality. But one of the things that’s happened is that we have now a plutocracy, a concentration of incredible wealth and power at the top, without even the hypocrisy of morality, the hypocrisy of pretending to be virtuous.
Now there was, politically, some back pressure against that until Trump was elected the second time. And I think we have to bear in mind, we have to take seriously the idea that an important reason that we are in the state we’re in, an important reason that we have a would-be fascist regime in power — I don’t think they’re quite managing to pull it off, but they definitely would if they could — is that a handful of incredibly wealthy men wanted all restraints off.
They wanted to be able to live the privilege of their great wealth. They wanted to be able to just flaunt their wealth, performatively display their dominance, not have to worry about people chiding them for being politically incorrect just because they were abusive towards other people because of their gender or their whatever, their race, anything.
There was a Financial Times article just after the 2024 election with Wall Street people celebrating the fact that they were now free to say pussy and retard again. This is a pretty big deal. And I think if you look at the first year or so of the second Trump administration, the people at the top, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg (shown above with Bill Gates second from the right), they all were acting as if OK, no need to apologize, no need to pretend to be good.
By the way, charitable giving has dropped way off. The super wealthy are just not doing the kind of reputation enhancing philanthropic giving that their predecessors in the Gilded Age engaged in. So this is a completely amoral elite, I got it, you don’t, I’m in power, I’m friends with the people who hold ultimate power, I don’t have to worry, I don’t care what you think.
But it’s not lasting. It turns out, and this is why I think this is somewhat important, it turns out that the backlash is powerful enough, scary enough at least to worry them.
I don’t think that people like Bezos are actually scared that the torches and pitchforks are coming for them, but they are starting to realize that maybe they haven’t purchased themselves total immunity the way they thought they had. And this is, I think, a good sign. We need more hypocritical billionaires.
OK, we need fewer billionaires and we need to work on that. But in the meantime having them feel at least somewhat disciplined by the public opprobrium that outrageous behavior brings is a good thing. More ostracism, more boycotts, sneering at and yelling at giant yachts and people who own them is a good thing.
Now, of course, Jeff Bezos choosing to spend his infinite billions on something other than a yacht, doesn’t actually free that wealth up, although maybe even maybe he might be persuaded to spend a little bit on good causes.
But in any case I think there’s something culturally going on. I think we are seeing a turn and we’re seeing that the collapse of all standards in favor of the belief that wealth is the only thing that matters is not complete and may even be reversible.
News Roundups
The Parnas Perspective, Evening News and Commentary: Trump Seeks $1 Billion for Ballroom, Ballroom Pollutes D.C. with Toxic Metals, Trump Pushes ICE Name Change to "Nice," and More, Aaron Parnas, right, May 5, 2026. Trump pushes for $1 billion in taxpayer funding for his ballroom, a project that is already linked to toxic metal pollution in D.C.
Howard Lutnick will be deposed tomorrow and I will be there covering it live. Trump is also facing backlash for using an event with children to talk about Iran, bring up Obama, and suggest that a young girl could not play volleyball because of her height. And there is more. I also sit down with Nithya Raman, who is currently running for mayor of Los Angeles.
Many of you have told me you are seeing more attacks against me lately. Do not worry. The attacks only strengthen my resolve and reinforce the importance of this work. They mean the reporting is hitting where it matters.
Here’s the news:
Howard Lutnick is scheduled to give a closed-door, transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee amid scrutiny over his past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein. Documents reportedly show interactions in 2012 and 2018 that appear to conflict with Lutnick’s earlier claims of minimal ties. The inquiry, led by Chairman James Comer, comes as part of broader fallout from newly released Epstein-related materials. Democrats are pressing for clarity on whether Lutnick misrepresented his relationship, while he has agreed to cooperate with the investigation.
Republicans have proposed allocating $1 billion in taxpayer funds for security upgrades tied to Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom. Although Trump previously said the project would be privately funded, the new proposal would cover extensive security measures, including fortified structures and underground facilities.
According to the Associated Press, debris from the demolition of the White House East Wing, tied to Donald Trump’s ballroom project, was dumped at a nearby public golf course and found to contain toxic substances. Tests detected metals like lead and chromium, along with other hazardous chemicals, raising environmental and safety concerns. Advocacy groups have filed lawsuits alleging the dumping was unlawful and could violate preservation and environmental laws. Federal officials say the material met safety standards, but the issue is now part of ongoing legal and regulatory disputes.
Donald Trump went off script during an event intended to promote youth sports and fitness, instead delivering a lengthy and intense rant. While speaking in front of a group of children, he discussed topics like Iran, nuclear weapons, immigration, and political opponents. The piece highlights the contrast between the event’s child-focused purpose and the serious, violent themes of his remarks. Here is him asking the kids if they knew who “Barack Hussein Obama” is.
Here is the moment Trump suggested to a little girl that she should play soccer instead of volleyball because of her height:
According to the Washington Post, the White House Counsel’s Office is privately briefing staff in the Trump administration on how to handle congressional oversight. The sessions are preparing political appointees for the possibility that Democrats could gain significant power in upcoming midterm elections. Lawyers are reviewing how oversight works and advising on best practices for responding to investigations and inquiries. The effort reflects growing concern within the administration about increased scrutiny from a potential opposition-controlled Congress.
The Department of Justice has issued a subpoena demanding the names and personal details of thousands of 2020 election workers in Fulton County, Georgia. The move is part of an ongoing federal investigation tied to claims about the 2020 election that have been widely debunked. Local officials condemned the request as intimidation and federal overreach, warning it could endanger workers who already face threats.
A statement from Pope Leo XIV pushes back against claims by Donald Trump that he supports Iran having nuclear weapons. The pope rejects the accusation, emphasizing that the Church’s mission is to promote peace and the Gospel. He also reiterates that the Church has consistently opposed all nuclear weapons. The response frames Trump’s criticism as inaccurate and calls for truthful discourse.
Marco Rubio says the U.S. aims to restore normal conditions in the Strait of Hormuz by ensuring it remains open and free of disruptions. He emphasized removing threats like mines and preventing any tolls or restrictions on passage. The goal, he said, is to return the strait to unrestricted, secure navigation as before.
Kash Patel has promoted the upcoming release of UFO-related government documents, claiming the Trump administration is dedicating resources to investigating extraterrestrial life. His remarks come as the U.S. faces ongoing tensions with Iran and domestic economic concerns, drawing attention to the contrast in priorities. Patel framed the initiative as fulfilling public interest, while also addressing rumors about his job security. The article highlights criticism and polling that suggest many Americans are more concerned with economic issues and opposition to the Iran conflict than with UFO disclosures.
Trump is moving forward with attempting to rename “ICE” to “NICE”
Palm Beach County and the Trump Organization reached a tentative trademark deal tied to renaming the airport after Donald Trump. The agreement would require airport retailers to source branded merchandise only from Trump-approved vendors. It would also give Trump authority to approve or veto how he is described in airport marketing materials. Critics say these provisions raise concerns about control and commercial benefit tied to a public facility, while supporters view them as standard branding protections.
Marco Rubio was photographed in front of a map of Cuba at United States Southern Command shortly before a planned visit to Pope Leo XIV. The timing has raised speculation that the meeting could be aimed at seeking Vatican support or approval ahead of potential U.S. military actions involving Cuba.
A United States Secret Service agent, John Andrew Spillman, was placed on administrative leave after being arrested for allegedly exposing himself and engaging in sexual activity in a Miami hotel. Authorities say he was found naked in a hallway and accused of following a woman, who reported feeling unsafe. The incident occurred while he was off duty but shortly after working security at a golf event attended by Donald Trump. Officials said the alleged behavior is unacceptable and that an internal investigation is underway alongside the criminal case.
Rep. Buddy Carter called for halting House races in Georgia and redrawing districts, even suggesting already cast votes be set aside. He argued the state should be represented by officials aligned with Republican values, saying: “We need to suspend the House races and go ahead and redistrict so that Georgians would be represented in the next two years by people who represent their values. Georgia is a Republican state. We need to remember that.”
Delta Air Lines will scale back complimentary snack and beverage service on many shorter flights starting May 19. Passengers in economy and comfort seating on flights under about 350 miles will no longer receive food or drinks, while longer routes and first-class service remain unchanged. The airline says the change is meant to create a more consistent onboard experience across its network. Travelers on shorter trips may need to bring their own snacks as a result.
Tennessee Republicans are considering redrawing a U.S. House district centered on majority-Black Memphis during a special legislative session called by Bill Lee. The move follows a Supreme Court of the United States ruling that weakened protections under the Voting Rights Act, prompting similar redistricting efforts in states like Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida. Critics argue the plan could dilute Black voting power and dismantle a Democratic-leaning district, while supporters frame it as part of broader redistricting efforts. The proposal also comes amid pressure from Donald Trump to reshape districts ahead of upcoming elections.
Donald Trump’s border adviser, Tom Homan, warned of a major increase in immigration enforcement in New York if the state passes new sanctuary-style protections. The proposed legislation, backed by Kathy Hochul and state Democrats, would limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities and expand protections for undocumented immigrants. Hochul criticized the threat, saying it contradicts earlier assurances from Trump that no surge would occur without her request.
According to the New York Times, the Food and Drug Administration blocked publication of studies indicating that Covid-19 and shingles vaccines are generally safe, with serious side effects found to be rare. The research, based on millions of patient records, was withdrawn or prevented from being presented despite being accepted or prepared for scientific forums. Officials said the studies had methodological issues, but outside experts criticized the move as potential censorship and warned it could undermine public trust in science. The decision is part of broader actions by the administration that have limited vaccine-related research and information.
A Florida woman, Renee Lynn Lambert, was arrested after allegedly kicking a child during a brawl at a youth football game in Fort Myers. Witnesses told police she repeatedly kicked a juvenile on the field, though Lambert claimed she was reacting after being hit first. She was charged with child cruelty without great bodily harm and resisting an officer. The incident, captured on body camera footage, shows her disputing the arrest while deputies detained her.
Airlines have cut about 2 million seats and roughly 13,000 flights from May schedules due to soaring jet fuel prices linked to the Middle East conflict. The spike in fuel costs, driven by disruptions following attacks on Iran and concerns over supply routes, has forced carriers to reduce capacity or use smaller planes. While current shortages are limited, industry analysts warn that continued disruption could lead to broader cancellations and possible fuel rationing over the summer. Governments and airlines are preparing contingency measures to minimize travel disruptions.
Authorities in Tennessee are searching for Craig Berry, a retired special forces veteran accused of shooting his wife and fleeing into wooded terrain. Berry is wanted on suspicion of attempted second-degree murder and is considered dangerous due to his survival training and access to weapons. The ongoing manhunt is complicated by his skills and the difficult landscape, with officials warning he may have outside assistance. His wife’s condition has not been publicly disclosed.
More On Iran War
New York Times, Trump Tries to Downplay Economic Effects of the Iran War, Erica L. Green and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, May 5, 2026 (print ed.). At a White House event for Small Business Week, he described the economy as “roaring” and predicted that gas prices would go down soon.
Speaking to business leaders from across the country at an event in the East Room of the White House, Mr. Trump declared that slashing taxes and regulations had yielded “record business,” and that the economy was “roaring.” The White House described the Small Business Week event as highlighting “the extraordinary revival of Main Street under his America First agenda.”
But looming over it all was a war abroad that Mr. Trump had begun, and whose economic impact is compounding cost-of-living concerns among Americans, many of whom increasingly say their economic reality has worsened under his tenure.
Mr. Trump’s comments on Monday created a sharp contrast with the economic reality outside Washington, as rising energy prices hammer families and businesses alike.
With talks between the United States and Iran at a standstill, the price of Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, reached about $114 per barrel by Monday evening. The spike came at a moment of great uncertainty about the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, a key thoroughfare for the world’s oil.
Mr. Trump, who often focuses on economic indicators like the stock market that have very little impact on the bottom line for most Americans, has brushed off the pain caused by his own policies with promises that it is temporary. During the event on Monday, he sought to downplay the rising cost of energy, saying that it had been projected to rise much more, and that he saw it “going down very substantially” soon.
But for Americans, relief remained out of reach. The average cost of a gallon of gas topped $4.45 nationwide, according to AAA, marking an increase of more than a dollar compared with last year. Soaring even higher was the cost of diesel, which shot above $5.64 a gallon, or a roughly $2 increase from this time in 2025. This increases the cost of transporting products, which is likely to result in higher prices for consumers.
Also at Monday’s event, Mr. Trump offered a new defense of one of his most consequential policies, slashing the federal work force, which resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs. He boasted that private sector jobs had been created in their place, and suggested that federal workers were grateful to him for firing them.
“And I feel sorry for everyone, you know, it’s a hard thing to do,” he said. “Many of those people voted for me, but now they like me because they went out, they got private sector jobs that they like better and is paying them sometimes two or three times more money.”
With the midterm elections just months away, Mr. Trump has struggled to hone an economic message, despite pleas from Republicans to focus on how his policies are improving the lives of everyday Americans and pledges from his aides that he would travel the country doing just that.
U.S. Education, Culture Wars, Media
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Abortion Politics Are About to Bite Trump Again, Andrew Egger, Benjamin Parker and Jim Swift, May 5, 2026. A new fault line is emerging in the president’s coalition.
The Met Gala was last night—and if you’re hoping for commentary on that, we’re afraid you’ve come to the wrong place. Happy Tuesday.
New York Times, Five Publishers and Scott Turow Sue Meta and Mark Zuckerberg, Alexandra Alter, May 5, 2026. The class-action lawsuit accuses the tech giant and its founder and chief executive of infringing on authors’ copyrights.
Five major publishers — Hachette, Macmillan, McGraw Hill, Elsevier and Cengage — and the best-selling novelist Scott Turow have filed a class-action copyright infringement lawsuit against Meta and its founder and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg.
The complaint, which was filed on Tuesday morning in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, accuses Meta and Zuckerberg of illegally using millions of copyrighted works to train their artificial intelligence program Llama, and of removing copyright notices and other copyright management information from those works.
The lawsuit asserts that Meta’s engineers relied on pirated books and journal articles to train the program by downloading unlicensed copies through websites like Anna’s Archive, an open source search engine for piracy sites including LibGen and Sci-Hub. The suit also claims that “Zuckerberg himself personally authorized and actively encouraged the infringement.”
“A.I. is powering transformative innovations, productivity and creativity for individuals and companies, and courts have rightly found that training A.I. on copyrighted material can qualify as fair use,” a Meta spokesman, Dave Arnold, told The Times. “We will fight this lawsuit aggressively.”
The plaintiffs argue that Meta’s A.I. program poses a threat to the livelihoods of writers and publishers because the technology can be used to quickly produce A.I.-generated copycat books and to summarize the plot and themes of copyrighted books in such great detail that readers don’t have to buy them.
“These A.I.-generated books are already flooding the world’s largest book marketplace, Amazon, in volumes that materially displace human-authored works,” the complaint states. The filing cites several authors whose works the plaintiffs claim were used to train Llama, including V.E. Schwab, N.K. Jemisin, Lemony Snicket and Turow.
Some of the evidence cited in the complaint purportedly comes directly from Llama. When asked to produce a travel guide in the style of the writer Becky Lomax, Llama rapidly produced “a convincing rendition of Lomax’s local insider voice,” the complaint says. Then, when asked how it was able to reproduce Lomax’s style so accurately, Llama allegedly replied, “While I don’t have personal interactions with Becky Lomax, I’ve been trained on a vast amount of text data, including her published works.”
Llama is also able to summarize books in detail. When asked to give a synopsis of Turow’s “Presumed Innocent,” Llama confirmed that it had “been trained on a digital version of the book, which allows me to access and analyze its content,” according to the complaint.
In an email to The Times, Turow said Meta’s use of pirated works amounted to “shameless, damaging and unjust behavior.”
“I find it distressing and infuriating that one of the top-10 richest corporations in the world knowingly used pirated copies of my books, and thousands of other authors, to train Llama, which can and has produced competing material, including works supposedly in my style,” Turow wrote.
By producing “knockoffs and imitations” of authors’ works, Meta’s A.I. program could “dilute the overall market for literary works,” the plaintiffs argue.
“These outputs are similar enough to copyrighted works — in subject matter, plot details, sequencing of events, character names and traits, or other creative choices — that they replace the original work for many readers or consumers,” the complaint says.
The lawsuit is the latest effort by authors and publishers to rein in tech companies’ use of copyrighted works to train their large language models.
Writers have brought lawsuits against tech companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and xAI for the companies’ unauthorized use of their work. Last fall, Anthropic agreed to pay a $1.5 billion settlement to writers whose books had been used to train its A.I. program.
(The New York Times has sued OpenAI and Microsoft, as well as Perplexity, accusing the companies of copyright infringement of news content related to A.I. systems. The companies have rebutted the claims.)
Authors have challenged Meta in court before. In June 2025, a judge ruled in Meta’s favor, finding that the plaintiffs had not presented enough evidence that Meta’s A.I. product would create “market dilution” by producing a flood of A.I.-generated books.
The lawsuit filed on Tuesday against Meta brought together trade and education publishers, academic publishers of scientific and medical journals and a best-selling author of legal thrillers. The plaintiffs are seeking an order requiring Meta to destroy all illegally acquired copies of works copyrighted by the plaintiffs that Meta used in A.I. training and to “cease all unlawful activities,” as well as requesting any “further relief as the Court deems proper.”
“We’re focused on a much more sustainable A.I. landscape — something that’s transparent and fair and participatory and has guardrails against harm for authors and publishers,” said Maria A. Pallante, president and chief executive of the Association of American Publishers, a trade group that acts as a law and policy advocate for the book publishing industry. “The harm is already evident.”
The Contrarian, Political Opinion: Trump’s $166 Billion Corporate Enrichment Scam, Tim Dickinson, May 5, 2026. How Trump’s illegal tariffs created a reverse-Robin Hood scheme on steroids.
On “Liberation Day” in April 2025, Donald Trump imposed a massive set of tariffs on imported goods from around the world. The federal government then collected those funds — raking in ten upon tens of billions of dollars — for nearly a year, until the Supreme Court ruled that the president had unconstitutionally usurped Congress’s taxation powers.
As a result, the federal government has now begun the process of refunding about $166 billion in illegal tax revenue — payable to the corporations that originally handed over the money to the U.S. Treasury.
But did these corporations actually pay the tax? Or, after all, was it you and me?
In truth, the fat tax-rebate checks from the IRS will be going to corporations that already passed those costs on to shoppers in the form of tariff-bloated prices. American consumers paid the premium, but Treasury’s refunds will be going to huge companies. Ford announced it expects a $1.5 billion payback; General Motors anticipates a $500 million return. Both companies will reportedly be using the cash to boost their earnings.
Whether by incompetence or dark design, Trump’s illegal tariffs have worked like a reverse-Robin Hood scheme, on steroids. The pockets of the poor and middle classes were picked — during an affordability crisis, no less. And, following a detour through the IRS, that cash is now topping off the coffers of multinational corporations for whom the economy is already delivering record profits.
The economic ins and outs of tariffs, or import taxes, can be confusing at the best of times. And Donald Trump has added to that confusion with a constant stream of lies. To hear the addled president tell it, foreign countries pay the bulk of tariffs. But that is not true: A study by the New York Fed shows that foreign exporters absorbed only a small fraction of the costs of Trump’s tariffs. Instead, roughly 90 percent of the costs were paid by Americans.
An independent study by the Kiel Institute, a leading European economic think tank, pegs the cost paid by Americans even higher, at 96 percent. The report, titled “America’s Own Goal,” also illuminates how the costs of Trump’s tariffs, though initially paid by importers, are “ultimately” passed through to consumers via higher prices. The net effect of Trump’s tariffs, the study described, was to “transfer wealth from American consumers to the U.S. Treasury.”
In other words, American consumers bore the costs of Trump’s tariffs. The corporate importers were just the middleman. And yet, those same corporations are now in line to pocket the massive rebates from the Treasury, leaving consumers all the poorer.
To be plain: This isn’t a little bit of money around the edges. According to Congress’s Joint Economic Committee, the Trump tariff burden per household over the last year was about $1,700 — or more than the cost of one month’s groceries for a family of four.
In aggregate, that money could have supported important investments in the common good. Assume, conservatively, as the New York Fed found, that 90 percent of the $166 billion in tariff revenue was paid for by American consumers — or about $150 billion.
Below is a list of national expenditures that also each total about $150 billion:
Instead, all of that money will be boosting the bottom lines of American companies that rely on imports to run their businesses. According to an analysis by Citi Research, some of the biggest refunds are going to the likes of Walmart ($10.2 billion), Target ($2.2 billion), Nike ($1 billion), Kohl’s ($550 million), and Home Depot ($500 million).
Outside of a few shipping companies like DHL — which, for technical reasons, became the “importer of record” and tariff payor on behalf of other businesses — almost no companies are vowing any kind of rebate to consumers. (Costco, an outlier, has made a vague commitment to “find the best way to return this value to our members through lower prices and better values.”)
The net effect, then, of collecting and rebating Trump’s failed tariffs has been to create a massive transfer of wealth from normal people to already rich corporations. Forget “trickle-down.” This is hoover-up economics, and it is an outrage.
But surely the economic pain for everyday Americans must have served some greater patriotic policy purpose. Right?
Not so much. Tariffs did not, as Trump promised, spark a domestic manufacturing boom — factory jobs in the U.S. have dropped by about 90,000. Tariffs also did not shrink the nation’s trade deficit in goods, which actually grew about 2 percent.
The tariffs did, however, make life worse in other ways, primarily by goosing inflation. (Fed chair Jerome Powell recently blamed “elevated readings” in the nation’s inflation rate “largely” on “inflation in the goods sector, which has been boosted by the effects of tariffs.”) That, in turn, has kept the Federal Reserve from lowering interest rates, keeping everything from mortgages to car payments more expensive.
Perhaps it should not surprise us that Trump’s signature economic policy ended up being A) illegal and B) a massive giveaway to the already wealthy, at the cost of his base. But it is yet another reminder that the populism he applies to his agenda has never been more than a gloss. And that Trump has nothing but contempt for those who struggle — but will ever be the billionaire’s best friend.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Trump’s Lose-Lose Abortion Dilemma, Andrew Egger, May 5, 2026. One of the million strange things about our political moment is how abortion politics has all but dropped out of it.
But abortion politics may be coming back. Red states with active abortion bans have been suing to end the chief federal policy blunting their anti-abortion efforts: a substantial Biden-era expansion of clinics’ ability to mail abortion drugs to patients without a physical visit. This Food and Drug Administration policy has meant that even living in a total-ban state is hardly a barrier to access: Women seeking abortions can simply request drugs from an out-of-state clinic and receive them discreetly by mail.
Last week, a federal court upended that uneasy status quo. In a case brought by the state of Louisiana, a New Orleans-based appeals court ruled unanimously that the FDA’s authorization of the telehealth prescription and nationwide mailing of mifepristone—one of two drugs typically taken in tandem to induce abortion—violated the state’s right to regulate the practice within its borders.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court placed that decision on a short-term hold to give the parties time to appeal. Mifepristone’s two manufacturers, Danco and GenBioPro, are arguing that the Fifth Circuit’s decision is a recipe for “immediate chaos” since it “renders inoperable an agency action that has already been in effect for years.” But the current conservative Court, which already issued the most significant anti-abortion decision in history in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, may prove sympathetic to Louisiana’s argument that the current FDA posture amounts to complicity in facilitating large numbers of abortions that are illegal under state law.
Reproductive-rights groups see this as a nightmare scenario. Ironically, so does President Trump. His administration has been doing everything it can to kick the can down the road while keeping the mifepristone status quo frozen quietly in place. Last September, amid a barrage of pestering from Republican state attorneys general, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that the FDA would conduct a “review” of mifepristone’s authorization. But they seem to be in no hurry to complete it—and meanwhile, the Trump administration has consistently asked courts to delay weighing in on the subject until that review is completed.
Trump’s political bind here is obvious. He sees abortion policy as political deadweight, a loser of an issue with an electorate that he’s in no position to press at the moment. But it also happens still to be the central issue for the social conservatives who still constitute a non-trivial portion of his base. Any action he or his government might take on the matter would infuriate some group of voters that he can ill afford to infuriate. But his attempts to slow-walk the process are no longer working, either.
Meanwhile, antiabortion groups like Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America—which Trump essentially bludgeoned into silence during his 2024 campaign—are getting tired of waiting quietly in the hope the president will throw them a bone. “Trump is the problem. The president is the problem,” SBA President Marjorie Dannenfelser told the Wall Street Journal this week. The status quo, whereby abortion policy is decided at the state level beneath an umbrella federal policy that permits unlimited abortion pills by mail, is no longer acceptable to Dannenfelser and her allies. If Trump’s stance on abortion becomes the broader Republican stance, she said last week, “then the movement as we know it is finished.”
If the Supreme Court throws out the mifepristone-by-mail status quo, it will dramatically sharpen the salience of abortion as a political issue—one that currently favors Democrats. But if they decline to throw it out, the pressure from pro-lifers on Trump and Kennedy to simply change the rules in question will become astronomical.
In 2016 and again in 2024, Trump unified the GOP’s various factions and interest groups more or less through sheer force—he made himself the only game in town. But as his presidency founders and electoral catastrophe looms, Trump is making it far easier for various types of conservative to start planning for how to survive in what comes next—in other words, to start taking a good, hard look at what comes after the Trump Era for the first time in years. Pro-life groups won’t be the last rats off this sinking ship.
New York Times, Trump Administration Live Updates: Education Dept. Investigates Smith College Over Transgender Students, Michael C. Bender, May 5, 2026. The college has been admitting transgender students since 2015.
What We’re Covering Today
The Education Department has opened a civil rights investigation into whether Smith College, the women’s school in Northampton, Mass., violated anti-discrimination laws by allowing transgender students to enroll.
The inquiry broadens the Trump administration’s bid to limit rights for the nation’s transgender students by targeting school admissions for the first time. Until now, the administration had mostly targeted policies that allowed for transgender women to participate in women’s sports and use women’s bathrooms.
By investigating Smith, the administration is raising the question of whether allowing transgender women to enroll at a women’s college — and providing access to “women-only” spaces such as bathrooms, dormitories and locker rooms — violates civil rights protections for women.
Kimberly Richey, the assistant secretary for civil rights at the Education Department, said in a statement that “an all-women’s college loses all meaning if it is admitting biological males.”
“Allowing biological males into spaces designed for women raises serious concerns about privacy, fairness and compliance under federal law,” Ms. Richey said. “The Trump administration will continue to uphold the law and fight to restore common sense.”
The college issued a statement acknowledging the investigation and stating that it remained “fully committed to its institutional values, including compliance with civil rights laws.”
About 4.7 percent of college students identify as transgender, according to the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine, a group of doctors and scientists that has called for more government regulation of pediatric gender medicine.
The federal investigation was in response to a civil-rights complaint filed by Defending Education, a nonprofit group founded in 2021 that has become one of the leading voices in the growing parents’ rights movement. Several of the group’s complaints have sparked federal civil rights investigations during the past year, and its research is often cited during congressional hearings by conservative lawmakers.
Formerly known as Parents Defending Education, the Arlington, Va.-based group posted on its website a letter from the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights on Monday announcing the investigation into Smith.
Smith, one of the nation’s largest women’s schools with about 2,500 students, has been admitting transgender students since 2015, along with several other top women’s colleges. The issue became a lightning rod at women’s colleges after a transgender applicant was denied acceptance to Smith in 2013 because her gender identity did not match her financial aid forms.
Since then, most women’s colleges updated their admissions policies to welcome transgender applicants. One notable exception has been Sweet Briar College in central Virginia, which does not admit transgender students and helps students in transition transfer to another college.
The Trump administration resolved 30 percent fewer civil rights complaints in the nation’s schools in 2025 compared with the Biden administration in 2024, the sharpest year-over-year decline in at least three decades. But the new administration has opened more than 40 civil rights investigations into schools and other educational institutions that provide protections for transgender students.
The Education Department has taken the unusual step of backing out of civil rights agreements that previous administrations negotiated to protect transgender students. The government has also sued state education departments and high school athletic associations in California and Minnesota over policies that permit transgender athletes to participate in school sports.
More Global News
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Trump Lost Ukraine, Benjamin Parker, May 5, 2026. Here’s a thing that could have happened over the past fifteen months: Ukraine could have turned the tide of its war with Russia with the enthusiastic support of the United States, rather than doing so in spite of limited help and a heavy dose of interference from the Trump administration.
Here’s what actually happened.
When Trump took office, Ukraine faced some serious problems: air defense, manpower, public finances, and the necessity of putting strain on the Russian war machine chief among them. The United States stopped offering new aid, temporarily cut off intelligence support, publicly broke with Ukraine, repeatedly accused Ukraine—not Russia—of being the impediment to peace, consistently pressured Ukraine to give up territory in exchange for worthless promises from Russia, bragged about having hung Ukraine out to dry, and lifted sanctions not only on Russian oil, but also on individual Russians.¹
Ukraine, while still in a desperate situation, has solved or ameliorated most of those problems. It has improved its air defenses against Russian drones, though ballistic missiles still remain an issue—especially due to the scarcity of PATRIOT interceptors. It has addressed its manpower problem through a combination of personnel policy reforms and the widespread use of autonomous ground combat vehicles, leaning on robots instead of people whenever possible. Its long-range strike campaign pushes ever deeper into Russian territory, damaging or destroying military and economic targets. And it has used Russia’s vast geography against it—Russia is simply too big for air defenses to cover all of it.
Now, as the strategic balance of the war is shifting in Ukraine’s favor, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a series of security cooperation agreements with Gulf states. In non-diplomatic terms, that means that America’s security partners in that part of the world were underwhelmed by our ability to protect them from Iranian drones and missiles, and are choosing to take their business elsewhere.
Ukraine also just signed a joint defense production agreement with Germany, which means that not only will Ukraine’s military benefit from the German arms industry, but the German arms industry and military will benefit from close cooperation with the Ukrainian military—which is the most experienced fighting force in the world when it comes to high-intensity, drone-age, AI-enabled warfare. As Germany pours 100 billion euros into recapitalizing its military, it will have the best information in the world on what to buy, where to spend, and how to organize itself because it will be able to learn from Ukraine’s experience. The two countries also signed a deal on the joint exploitation of Ukraine’s vast mineral wealth. The difference between this agreement and the minerals deal Ukraine signed with the Trump administration last year is that the one with Germany isn’t vaporware.
It’s impossible to not look at all this and wonder about an alternate world in which the United States had continued or even stepped up its support of Ukraine. Instead, Kyiv’s public posture toward Washington is apathy. As former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer recently pointed out, despite Trump’s constant attempts to pressure Ukraine into what amounts to surrender, Zelensky and his government have continued to wage their just war as if the United States didn’t exist.
From Donald Trump and JD Vance on down, almost every member of the Trump administration has talked about Ukraine as a sort of geopolitical beggar, always taking, never giving, and certainly unworthy of generosity or support. That view has always been not only morally idiotic but strategically short-sighted. Ukraine is now a valuable partner and ally for a host of countries that are willing to be good partners and allies in return. Unfortunately, the United States decided it didn’t want to be one of them.
AROUND THE BULWARK
more paranoid than usual, reports CATHY YOUNG.Quick Hits
MEET THE NEW WAR, SAME AS THE OLD WAR: The Trump administration’s gyrations to avoid seeking congressional approval for war in Iran continue. By law, the administration cannot continue a military action against another country for more than sixty days without getting Congress’s blessing. Last week, however, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that the sixty-day clock stops during a ceasefire. And on Friday, Trump sent lawmakers a letter claiming that the Iran conflict had been “terminated.”
This morning, at his regular Pentagon press conference, Hegseth tried to nail two new planks into this rickety argument. The first was that the “ceasefire” remains in place—despite the fact that U.S. and Iranian forces spent yesterday shooting at each other in the Strait of Hormuz. And the second is that what is happening now, in any event, is no longer the same conflict at all: Hegseth insisted that “Project Freedom,” the new effort to unplug the strait by force, is “separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury.”
The administration’s argument: We were at war with Iran then, we’re at war with Iran now, but if you squint at it juuuuuust right you’ll agree that lawmakers needn’t worry their pretty little heads about getting involved. Seems laughable, but then again: These Republican lawmakers are by now pretty much Olympic-caliber squinters.
CHAOS AT THE COURT: Days after throwing out Louisiana’s congressional map as unconstitutional, the Supreme Court last night set aside its usual one-month cooling-off period for its decisions and cleared the way for the state to redraw new maps immediately—a boon for state Republicans, who are racing against the clock to pass new maps despite primary elections being just around the corner.
The Court’s decision was more notable, though, for the striking breakdown of comity it featured among the justices. In a ferocious dissent that was not joined by the Court’s other liberals, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson accused the majority of nakedly meddling on Louisiana Republicans’ behalf: “Not content to have decided the law, it now takes steps to influence its implementation.”
In a response joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, Justice Samuel Alito derided Brown Jackson’s critique as “baseless and insulting,” and denied her accusation that “our decision represents an unprincipled use of power” as “a groundless and utterly irresponsible charge.”
“What principle has the Court violated?” Alito writes. “The principle that Rule 45.3’s 32-day default period should never be shortened even when there is good reason to do so? The principle that we should never take any action that might unjustifiably be criticized as partisan?”
Read the whole thing.
ABOUT THAT FREE BALLROOM: Donald Trump’s lusted-after East Wing ballroom, long billed as free to the taxpayer, now has a distinct—and mammoth—proposed taxpayer cost. Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee announced yesterday they are seeking an eye-watering $1 billion—that’s billion, with a b—for “security adjustments and upgrades” to the “East Wing Modernization Project.”
The ask mirrors Trump’s recent rhetorical swerve—even predating the assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner—into talking about his ballroom not just as a nice place to host visiting dignitaries, but as a national security imperative. In a Truth Social post, he ticked off a laundry list of construction features, including “Bomb Shelters, a State of the Art Hospital and Medical Facilities, Protective Partitioning, Top Secret Military Installations,” and on and on. Without all this, “no future president,” he insisted, “can ever be Safe and Secure at Events, Future Inaugurations, or Global Summits.”
New York Times, China’s Big Bet on Wind Power Is Paying Off, Keith Bradsher, Photographs and Video by Qilai Shen, May 5, 2026. An industrial policy of subsidies and import restrictions laid the foundations for China to become almost as dominant in wind turbines as in solar panels.
As the war in Iran threatens to choke off oil and gas supplies from the Persian Gulf, China is seizing the moment to extend its dominance in wind power.
Across China, hilltops are dotted with wind turbines, and long rows of them span many miles in western deserts. Ultrahigh-voltage power lines carry electricity thousands of miles to the energy-hungry factories along China’s coast.
Last year, China installed three times as much wind power capacity as the rest of the world combined, even as its turbine exports jumped. The global industry’s center of gravity has shifted decisively: All of the world’s six largest wind turbine manufacturers are Chinese, displacing once-dominant European firms and companies like General Electric.
The war has made China’s investments in wind look prescient. Its Asian neighbors, long reliant on Middle Eastern oil and gas, are struggling to secure fuel supplies. Meanwhile, China, with its massive reserves and modern electric grid, is better positioned to weather the energy crisis.
The contrast with the United States is stark. Under President Trump, energy policy has swung back toward oil and natural gas. In the past six weeks, the Trump administration has moved to spend nearly $2 billion reimbursing energy companies for abandoning plans to build offshore wind farms. This week, a leading renewable energy group said the administration has stalled more than 150 wind farm projects by delaying military reviews once considered routine.
The United States, the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas, has the luxury of relying on fossil fuels. China, the largest importer, does not. It is moving to reduce its exposure, motivated by concerns over national security, economic stability and climate change.
New York Times, What to Know About the Growing Saudi Arabia-U.A.E. Rift, Ismaeel Naar, May 5, 2026. Officials say competition between the countries is healthy. But tensions are mounting over energy quotas, regional conflicts and their different visions for the Middle East.
When the United Arab Emirates announced last week that it would withdraw from OPEC, the move reverberated beyond global oil markets. It was the latest sign that the Emirates’ once close partnership with another Persian Gulf powerhouse, Saudi Arabia, had fractured into open rivalry.
Saudi Arabia has historically been the dominant voice within OPEC — the cartel of leading oil producers — and has leveraged its vast production capacity to sway global prices. So the Emirati decision to leave the organization, starting in May, signaled a deeper rejection of a system long seen as dictated by the Saudi leadership.
The divergence between Saudi and Emirati leaders did not happen overnight.
A decade ago, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the Emirati leader, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, were viewed as ideologically aligned allies. Both were ambitious, assertive and in lock-step in their efforts to reshape the region after the Arab Spring uprisings that they saw as a threat to their governing systems.
Together, they waged war against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. They also moved jointly to isolate a Persian Gulf neighbor, Qatar, over accusations of supporting terrorism, which Qatar denied. And they coordinated closely against their common regional adversary, Iran.
Today, the relationship looks vastly different. The two nations increasingly back opposing sides in regional wars, pursue conflicting energy strategies and compete for global investment.
More On U.S. Governance
New York Times, Kennedy Starts a Push to Help Americans Quit Antidepressants, Ellen Barry, May 5, 2026 (print ed.). The health secretary has long complained that Americans overuse psychiatric medications. New policies he is introducing aim to change that.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday announced several initiatives intended to rein in the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the most widely prescribed class of antidepressants, which he has described as exceptionally difficult to quit.
Mr. Kennedy has long signaled that reducing the use of psychiatric drugs would be an aim of his tenure, but Monday’s announcements were the first significant step in that direction.
The initiative focuses on the most widely prescribed class of psychiatric medications, first-line treatments for depression and anxiety that include Zoloft, Lexapro, Paxil and Prozac. In 2026, 16.6 percent of U.S. adults, or roughly one in six, reported currently taking an S.S.R.I.
Introduced nearly 40 years ago, the drugs surged in popularity, partly because they had fewer side effects than previous antidepressants and could be prescribed by general practitioners. Clinicians typically told patients that going off S.S.R.I.s was straightforward. But many patients report withdrawal symptoms, including “brain zaps,” restlessness and flulike symptoms, and say they have received little support from clinicians in the process.
The changes — new trainings, reimbursement mechanisms and clinical guidelines — nudge clinicians to help patients getting off medications, and to consider nonpharmaceutical interventions, like therapy, nutrition and exercise.
“Psychiatric medications have a role in care, but we will no longer treat them as the default, we will treat them as one option, to be used when appropriate, with full transparency and with a clear path off when they are no longer needed,” Mr. Kennedy said at a Mental Health and Overmedicalization Summit organized by the MAHA Institute.
While some patients benefit from S.S.R.I.s, he said, others report emotional blunting, loss of motivation, suicidal ideation and difficulty in withdrawing.
“Let me be clear: If you are taking psychiatric medication, we are not telling you to stop,” Mr. Kennedy said. “We are making sure you — and your clinician — have the information and support to make the right decision for you.”
No major medical organizations were represented at the gathering, and afterward, some pushed back at the assertion that psychiatric medications were overprescribed.
“We may take issue with this blanket ‘overprescribing’ hypothesis that underpins the secretary’s statements,” said Dr. Marketa Wills, the chief executive and medical director of the American Psychiatric Association. “There is probably overprescribing and underprescribing in all parts of medicine, and mental health care is no different. And there are people who still can’t access care at all who need it.”
She added, though, that she welcomed Mr. Kennedy’s focus on mental health, and that she hoped to be involved in developing clinical guidelines around deprescribing.
“We, as the A.P.A., want to be at the table for all these discussions and policy improvements,” she said. “The bottom line is, we believe clinical care is safe and should be individualized for all patients, and we believe the secretary is taking steps that are beneficial for the field.”
Federal agencies have various levers to influence prescribing decisions, through reimbursement rules and regulatory actions, and Mr. Kennedy plans to use several of them. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is introducing a mechanism that will allow clinicians to be paid for time spent helping a patient get off medications, he said.
Paul Krugman via Substack, Political-Economy Commentary: Trump Is Losing a Second War, Paul Krugman, right, May 5, 2026. The Iran debacle is accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels.
Last month, out of more than 11,000 new passenger vehicles registered in Norway, only around 150 had internal consumption engines. The rest were fully electric. In mainland Europe as a whole, EV sales are up 51 percent from a year ago.
The global energy transition — the shift from fossil fuels to electrotech, which uses solar, wind and batteries to power an electrified economy — is accelerating. It’s now clear that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz marks an inflection point: the global green energy curve, which was already on a rapidly rising trajectory, has suddenly become even steeper. “Investors,” reports the Financial Times, “are piling into clean energy funds.”
This acceleration isn’t just a consequence of soaring fossil fuel prices. It is also the result of the worldwide realization that, with the end of Pax Americana, depending on imported hydrocarbons is a risk not worth taking. The United States cannot be relied on to keep sea lanes open when cheap drones can take out an oil tanker or a major pipeline. Even relying on oil and gas from America itself is dangerous, since one never knows when an erratic U.S. government – now under the control of a twice-elected malignant narcissist — will try to use energy as a tool of coercion.
Despite the perversity of its causes, the current acceleration of electrotech is overwhelmingly positive for the world as a whole. It will slow climate change and reduce pollution. It will diminish the power of anti-democratic petrostates and limit the vulnerability of the world economy to disruptions at choke points like Hormuz. It will democratize access to cheap energy sources in places like Africa.
There is another positive consequence of the clean energy boom: the diminishment of the carbon coalition — the interest groups and ideologues who hate renewable energy and want the world to keep burning fossil fuels. That coalition currently controls the Trump administration’s energy policy. But this is only the latest stage in the corruption of U.S. politics by fossil fuel interests. When we decry the Supreme Court’s destruction of the Voting Rights Act, we should always remember that the Koch brothers and other fossil fuel oligarchs essentially created the Roberts court.
And now we have petrostate oligarchs making naked corruption great again by lining the pockets of the Trump family.
Trump’s own views about energy are defined by petulance and delusions. Wind power kills birds and drives whales crazy! China — which last year added three times as much wind capacity as the rest of the world combined — doesn’t actually use the turbines it has installed! (It does.)
But Trump’s energy officials are barely less delusional than their boss. Last month Chris Wright, Trump’s energy secretary, dismissed the rise of renewable energy as a failed project:
The result has been 10 or 20 years of just massive investment in energy that wasn’t helpful in better energizing the world. Wasn’t helpful in lifting people out of poverty. Wasn’t helpful in expanding access to energy. In fact, I believe it’ll go down as the greatest malinvestment in history.
Meanwhile, last year solar and wind power accounted for 99 percent of the growth in world electricity supply, while generation using fossil fuels declined:
Let’s not pretend that hostility to the energy transition has anything to do with faith in free markets or the desire to keep energy cheap. Trump and his minions are actively trying to stop the expansion of green energy even when it’s profitable. In the latest development, the administration is using bogus national security concerns to block the development of wind power:
Now the administration has held up a large number of onshore wind projects under development on private land, citing national security concerns. These wind farms typically have to undergo a review by the Pentagon before being built to ensure that their turbines won’t interfere with military radar or flight paths. In the past, those reviews have been fairly straightforward, but they have ground to a halt in recent weeks, and the Pentagon has canceled some meetings with developers.
Fortunately, America is not the world. We account for less than 20 percent of world electricity generation. So Trump’s policies can’t stop the global energy transition. Indeed, as a result of the Iran debacle, Trump’s presidency has been a net positive for the global green energy revolution.
Trump and the fossil-fuel cabal may be able to extract a few billion dollars in profits by keeping America stuck in a dirty-energy past. But in so doing they will also ensure that the United States is left behind, and that the future belongs to China.
MUSICAL CODA: A lucky star’s above, but not for me
U.S. Foreign Policy, National Security
Hopium Chronicles, Pro-Democracy Advocacy, If Trump Wants The Pentagon Funded The United States Must Side With Europe And Ukraine - Not Russia, Simon Rosenberg, right, May 5, 2026. Trump is asking Congress for a lot of money. There are things we need in return.
Yesterday we talked about how both Putin and Trump are not winning their wars. Today let’s talk a bit about what comes next as policy makers and investors here and around the world start to reckon with the aftermath of these unfolding, twin geopolitical failures.
First, after Trump’s ridiculous gambit to open the Strait of Hormuz yesterday failed, Brent crude started the day at its highest point of the war:
Next - paying for Trump’s failed war. This war, and Trump’s other global adventures, are going to cost an extraordinary amount of money. Many, many hundreds of billions. Pro-democracy forces need to develop a comprehensive strategy of what we will get in return for providing funding for the Pentagon, for we cannot leave our military in a weakened position. Among the things we should be exploring - more Congressional oversight of the war itself, and the aftermath, as the Constitution and the law requires; reforms to create a leaner and more agile US military, ala Ukraine; a clear embrace of Ukraine, Europe and NATO in the Ukraine conflict, the days of appeasing Putin must end now; a repeal of the unaffordable Trump tax cuts to help pay for all this; an ending of his tariffs, to create more global good will as we work to restore America’s damaged reputation in the world; moving Trump’s Venezuela shake down from an off-shore, off-the books self-enrichment scheme to something overseen and managed by the US government; and perhaps more items from our Hopium Agenda, below.
From Punchbowl this morning - Ukraine backers vow tougher approach in aid fight:
Congressional backers of Ukraine are shifting to a more confrontational approach with the Trump administration in their fight to help the embattled U.S. ally in its endless war with Russia.
Ukraine supporters know they’ll need Democratic votes to advance major swaths of President Donald Trump’s $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget request and government funding.
They see these must-pass bills as essential leverage points to force a reluctant Trump administration — and other hostile Republicans in Congress — to provide Ukraine the resources to end Vladimir Putin’s war.
“Not one damn nickel, unless there’s a really robust support for Ukraine that helps Ukraine put Putin in the cage he belongs in,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) at the Sedona Forum on Friday.
War continues. It’s nearly a year and a half into Trump’s second term and the conflict, which the president repeatedly vowed to end on day one of his second term, shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. Ukraine backers allege a reason for that.
“It’s pretty clear that the president and his team favor Putin over Zelenskyy — and that’s very troubling,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) during a panel at the event. “I want to turn the heat up.”
Those fears were reinforced last week with revelations that $400 million in congressional-approved Ukraine funding was withheld by the Pentagon until bipartisan pressure led to its release. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed this while testifying before Congress.
“It’s beyond debate: Trump’s on Putin’s side,” said Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.). “Withdrawing troops from Germany, sitting on the $400 million, it’s all consistent with a man who is for Russia, not Ukraine.”
A hefty chunk of Republicans, notably Vice President JD Vance, remain adamantly opposed to further aid to Ukraine. Vance said cutting that direct aid was “one of the things I’m proudest that we’ve done in this administration” during an event in April.
Other Republicans are supportive of Ukraine but wary of publicly breaking with the Trump administration to do so.
Here’s news. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) will travel to Ukraine at the end of the month to deliver a keynote address at the Black Sea Security Forum and then visit the Odesa region to tour military and civilian resistance capabilities.
Gallego is hoping to bring other senators along on the trip. He sees the delegation as a way to gather important real-time information on the war, especially as the Iran conflict has pushed Ukraine from the front burner.
“Ukraine can win this war, and Ukraine needs us to win that war,” Gallego told us. “If we don’t provide it, it’s going to be a big regret for us — a moral stain that we’ll never get over.”
Here’s an excerpt from a new article from The Hill this morning, Murkowski spearheads GOP showdown over Iran:
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is leading a push within the Senate Republican Conference for a vote on a resolution to authorize the use of military force against Iran beyond the 60-day window set by the 1973 War Powers Act. But Senate Republican Leader John Thune (S.D.) doesn’t appear eager to schedule a vote that would give Republican lawmakers ownership of the controversial war.
Senate Republican sources say Murkowski likely won’t get a vote on her measure because it’s not privileged. Additionally, she would need Thune to agree to put it on the busy Senate calendar.
But if Republican senators don’t have an opportunity to vote on a measure to authorize military operations against Iran, that could open the door for more Republicans to vote for a Democratic-sponsored resolution ordering President Trump to withdraw U.S. troops deployed against Iran.
Democrats plan to vote against any resolution authorizing the use of force against Iran because every Democratic senator opposes the conflict except for Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.).
They would like to see Republicans vote for a resolution authorizing the conflict because that would put individual senators on record in favor of continuing the war, which polls show is unpopular with most voters.
As many as five other Republicans could vote to end military hostilities against Iran unless Murkowski prevails in her effort to pass a resolution formally authorizing the military campaign — which would bring the naval blockade against Iranian ports and future military strikes against Iran into compliance with the War Powers Act.
Murkowski is courting support from a group of Republican colleagues, including Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.), John Curtis (Utah), Todd Young (Ind.) and Josh Hawley (Mo.), who have warned that Congress needs to authorize the conflict if it stretches past 60 days.
All five GOP senators have said that Congress needs to have more say if the war drags on for more than a few months.
Trump notified Congress of the strikes against Iran on March 2. The 60-day window set by the War Powers Act, which allowed Trump to deploy U.S. forces without congressional authorization, expired on May 1.
Murkowski told colleagues on the Senate floor last week that she wants Congress to vote on a resolution authorizing the conflict to “establish a framework” that would require Trump to “come to Congress with clearly defined political and military objectives.”
“It would require metrics for success, notice of any changes in objectives and exit criteria. It would ultimately ensure that Congress is engaged,” she said.
Third, Democrats need to once again become leaders in the global energy transition, unabashed, no bullshit here either. Here’s an excerpt from Paul Krugman’s terrific new essay, Trump Is Losing A Second War: The Iran debacle is accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels:
The global energy transition — the shift from fossil fuels to electrotech, which uses solar, wind and batteries to power an electrified economy — is accelerating. It’s now clear that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz marks an inflection point: the global green energy curve, which was already on a rapidly rising trajectory, has suddenly become even steeper. “Investors,” reports the Financial Times, “are piling into clean energy funds.”
This acceleration isn’t just a consequence of soaring fossil fuel prices. It is also the result of the worldwide realization that, with the end of Pax Americana, depending on imported hydrocarbons is a risk not worth taking. The United States cannot be relied on to keep sea lanes open when cheap drones can take out an oil tanker or a major pipeline. Even relying on oil and gas from America itself is dangerous, since one never knows when an erratic U.S. government – now under the control of a twice-elected malignant narcissist — will try to use energy as a tool of coercion.
Despite the perversity of its causes, the current acceleration of electrotech is overwhelmingly positive for the world as a whole. It will slow climate change and reduce pollution. It will diminish the power of anti-democratic petrostates and limit the vulnerability of the world economy to disruptions at choke points like Hormuz. It will democratize access to cheap energy sources in places like Africa.
There is another positive consequence of the clean energy boom: the diminishment of the carbon coalition — the interest groups and ideologues who hate renewable energy and want the world to keep burning fossil fuels. That coalition currently controls the Trump administration’s energy policy. But this is only the latest stage in the corruption of U.S. politics by fossil fuel interests. When we decry the Supreme Court’s destruction of the Voting Rights Act, we should always remember that the Koch brothers and other fossil fuel oligarchs essentially created the Roberts court.
And now we have petrostate oligarchs making naked corruption great again by lining the pockets of the Trump family.
U.S. Courts, Crime, Rights, Law, Justice
Scott MacFarlane Reports, The Day Ahead Commentary, Scott MacFarlane, right, Think of the most stubborn person you know.
Emptywheel, Analysis and Opinion: Reality TV in Lieu of Justice: Jeanine Pirro Will Endanger the Cole Allen Prosecution, Emptywheel (Marcy Wheeler, right), May 5, 2026. Kash Patel, Todd Blanche, and Jeanine Pirro will not shut up.
All of them have spent much of the last two weeks on TV, making out of court statements on one or another high profile case.
It makes sense. All are seeking something — to keep his job, in Kash’s case, to get the full time job, in Blanche’s case, to get promoted in Pirro’s case — from Donald Trump. And so they are performing for their audience of one in the way most meaningful for him, on TV.
Plus, given that DOJ officials have twice indicted their predecessor, Jim Comey, and plan to keep indicting him, it has become a fight to the death — or at least, a fight with real potential that the losers of this combat will end up like Comey, hounded for years.
Particularly if they fuck up the cases they’re talking about. And their big yaps inch closer to doing that.
Kash (as Anna Bower noted), clearly referenced grand jury proceedings in the original press conference announcing the second indictment of Jim Comey. And while Comey no doubt would ask for grand jury transcripts based on the way the indictment misstates the law, Kash’s comments give Comey one more reason to ask. If those transcripts do reflect what Kash said — that the grand jury was told that Comey deleted his 86 47 post — then FBI Director Kash would have broken the law in his efforts to talk up Kash’s second indictment of a guy he promised to target in Government Gangsters.
Things could go downhill from there.
Then there’s Blanche, the aspiring Attorney General. First there are his now equivocating false claims in the SPLC case. After Blanche affirmatively denied to Laura Ingraham that DOJ had used information from the non-profit; he stated this Sunday that he didn’t know whether they had, an unsustainable claim for DOJ to make, and one that will be cause for further challenges.
On the Comey case, Blanche is all over TV, claiming that something DOJ discovered in the investigation of Comey distinguished his 86 47 comment from all the others (including Jack Posobiec) who don’t get investigated. Folks are still missing that the problem here is DOJ used a non-threat to get warrants to dig into Comey’s private communications to try to treat it as a threat, and did so when they had adverse rulings on that approach in EDVA. As with Kash, Blanche’s big mouth makes it more likely Comey will be able to challenge the investigation. More importantly, it raises the likelihood that Comey will be able to get broad swaths of communications involving Blanche.
They just keep blabbing their mouth and it makes it more likely they will become the subject of the prosecution, not Comey (or SPLC).
But Jeanine Pirro’s campaign against Cole Allen is far more troubling.
To be sure, unlike the weaponization against Trump’s enemies with SPLC and Comey, the Allen prosecution is righteous. I think there is a great deal of evidence that Allen wanted to target Trump and others. I think someone who brings several guns to a high profile event and starts shooting should and must be prosecuted.
Which is why Pirro’s blabbing is so troubling, because her reality TV performances risk endangering the prosecution. First, after Allen’s attorneys waived his detention hearing last week, Pirro released the videos they had planned to present on Xitter and made contestable representations about what the video showed (she claimed it definitively showed Allen shooting; here’s NYT’s more nuanced case).
Then Pirro went on TV and, on top of saying many things that must be reserved for the courtroom, she had the following exchange with Jake Tapper.
TAPPER: Yes.
I want to ask you this, with all due respect. You were a guest at the dinner…
PIRRO: Yes.
TAPPER: … and potentially, God forbid, a target, right? You’re in the administration.
PIRRO: Right.
TAPPER: Has it been suggested to you at any point by anyone that maybe you need to recuse yourself because you were both a witness and a potential target?
PIRRO: Absolutely not. I mean, there is no way. I mean, that would be like telling witnesses that you can’t testify at the trial because you were there.
The truth is that there were 2,500 of us who were there. And my ability to prosecute this case has nothing to do with my being there.
TAPPER: OK. Let’s talk about it, because you said that the president was the target.
PIRRO: Yes.
TAPPER: And let me just state, before I ask these two questions, I am not questioning that President Trump was the target, but…
PIRRO: Yes. I hope not, because he clearly was.
TAPPER: I’m not. I’m not.
Tapper said, you may be a target, right, you’re in the Administration, and Pirro concedes — “Right” — she might be. Then Tapper asks her if anyone has suggested she should recuse because she was a witness and a potential target. Pirro responds as if only the fact that she’s a witness matters, not that she was a potential target.
She’s wrong that no one has suggested she should recuse. At least, that’s what I suspect the purpose behind the question Allen’s attorneys asked last week.
We also request any information as to whom the government is alleging were the targets of this incident. In the detention memorandum, you reference “high ranking members of the U.S. government” as the defendant’s “intended victims and the significant roles they play.” Please identify the individuals that the government believes were the “targets” and “intended victims.” Specifically, please advise whether the government has ruled out Acting AG Blanche and US Attorney Pirro as targets and how the government has reached that conclusion.
DOJ blew off that question, and its significance, in response.
But this matters not just because Pirro keeps trying the case in the public sphere, making it more likely potential jurors will come into the courthouse with certainty about the claims Pirro has made on TV.
This matters because Pirro, a presumptive victim who won’t recuse, has made at least one affirmatively false claim about Allen.
At the beginning of last week, Allen’s attorneys, Eugene Ohm and Tezira Abe from the Public Defenders office, had to intervene to get unsupervised legal visits with Allen, which Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh ordered. Then Sunday, they had to move to get Allen removed from suicide watch, describing that he had repeatedly been found not to have suicidal tendencies, but nevertheless treating him under suicide protocols that have the effect of solitary confinement. Just calling attention to the problem seemed to do the trick. Later the same day, his attorneys filed to withdraw that motion because he had been removed from suicide status. The Magistrate Judge on duty, Zia Faruqui, held a hearing anyway.
In the hearing, Faruqui (who presided over a great many January 6 cases, including the case of a defendant who got lost in the system, Lucas Denney) he apologized for the two miscategorizations of Allen and compared his treatment to others who had armed themselves to their teeth and targeted top government officials, like Mike Pence.
Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui said Cole Allen’s placement in severe lockdown — including a temporary suicide watch that required 24-hour-a-day placement in a padded, lighted cell without access to phone calls, books, religious material or recreational time — appeared to be unfairly punitive and not based on any known medical assessment.
Faruqui, who played a role in hundreds of cases stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, said Allen was being treated more harshly than those defendants, despite similar allegations of political violence aimed at members of Congress and government leaders. Those defendants were housed in a less restrictive wing of the jail known as the Central Treatment Facility, he noted, and were given significant accommodations during their detention.
“The Jan. 6 defendants all were moved to the CTF,” Faruqui said. “Pardons may erase convictions but they do not erase history … He’s being treated differently than anyone I’ve ever observed.”
Faruqui emphasized that despite grave charges against Allen, the court and jail are still supposed to presume his innocence, particularly because he has no criminal history. He apologized to Allen, saying it was partly the court’s role to ensure that someone detained while awaiting trial was subjected to fair and dignified conditions. Faruqui ordered D.C. jail officials to update him by Tuesday morning on when and whether Allen would be moved into less restrictive conditions.
[snip]
“If we can get someone vegan food, we can get you a bible,” the magistrate judge added.
Prosecutors said little during the hearing except to note that Allen had informed FBI agents the night of the alleged assassination attempt that he hadn’t expected to survive, a detail that the jail might have relied upon to consider him a suicide risk. But Faruqui underscored that the medical professionals disagreed and said he interpreted Allen’s purported remark to be an indication he expected to get shot, not that he was seeking to end his life.
Towns noted that the FBI placed two agents outside Cole’s room during his first two days of detention, a decision he described as unprecedented and reflective of the administration’s heightened concerns about the case.
After which Pirro, on her personal Xitter account, claimed that Faruqui’s effort to ensure Allen got the same treatment as other defendants (including January 6 defendants) was, instead, trying to get him preferential treatment.
Welcome to Washington, DC, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Faruqui believes a defendant armed to the teeth and attempting to assassinate the president is entitled to preferential treatment in his confinement compared to every other defendant.
This is a false claim, a false claim from someone personally involved in the prosecution even though she was a presumptive victim of Allen. It is a false claim that ginned up racist opposition targeting Faruqui.
Jeanine Pirro could likely easily convict Cole Allen if she acted like a prosecutor, trying the case in a courtroom. But rather than do that, she has chosen to try Allen in the public sphere and she has chosen to lie about his treatment.
That is precisely the kind of tampering, tampering from a presumptive victim who refused to recuse, that would undermine the case against him.
U.S. Elections, Politics
New York Times, 7 Midterm Elections on Tuesday Will Test Trump’s Power in Indiana, Mitch Smith, May 5, 2026. The president is seeking political payback for Republican state legislators in Indiana who rejected his push to redraw the state’s political map last year.
State legislative primaries are often sleepy affairs. But not Indiana’s. Not this year.
President Trump has endorsed seven challengers to sitting Republican state senators, placing a national spotlight on down-ballot races that may get fewer than 10,000 voters.
Mr. Trump lost faith in those incumbents last year when they refused his request to redraw Indiana’s congressional map, a rare instance of elected Republicans publicly defying him.
In the months that followed, Mr. Trump invited several primary challengers to the White House and issued social media endorsements, teeing up primaries that will test Mr. Trump’s sway over the Republican rank-and-file and his ability to get political revenge.
As voters head to the polls on Tuesday, here is what to watch for:Indiana Was an Outlier
Several Republican-led states quickly fell in line last year when Mr. Trump demanded redrawn maps to boost Republicans’ chances in Congress in the midterms. But Indiana was different.
Republicans hold large legislative majorities in the state, but a critical mass of Indiana lawmakers opposed the idea. They stuck to their stance even when the president threatened political retribution, and even as some Democratic-led states moved to redraw their own maps to the Democrats’ benefit.
When lawmakers returned to Indianapolis in December, the House approved a new map, which would have positioned Republicans to flip the state’s two Democratic-held congressional seats. But the Senate said no, and a slim majority of Republicans joined all Democratic senators to vote the bill down.
State Senator Spencer Deery, a Republican running for re-election against a Trump-backed challenger, made the case to voters that redistricting outside the usual once-a-decade schedule went against the intentions of the country’s founders and was risky for his party.
“Not only was this clearly wrong from a constitutional and moral and ethical standpoint,” he said in a recent interview, “but it also was really bad politics.”Trump Tried Carrots, Then Sticks
At the first signs of resistance, Mr. Trump and his allies tried to win over skeptical lawmakers. Vice President JD Vance flew to Indianapolis. White House staffers reached out individually. President Trump spoke on a group call.Editors’ PicksChonkers the ‘Food-Motivated’ Sea Lion Plops Into San Francisco23 Easy Mother’s Day Brunch Recipes (Because Going Out Is a Nightmare)Patricia Cornwell Takes a Scalpel to Her Own Life Story
Those efforts won some converts, but not enough. Before long, the tone shifted, with the president calling out senators by name and promising to back challengers to those who bucked him.
“Any Republican that votes against this important redistricting, potentially having an impact on America itself, should be PRIMARIED,” Mr. Trump wrote in a November social media post that referred to two senators as Republicans in name only.Incumbency vs. Endorsement
Many of the Republicans who went against Mr. Trump’s wishes are staunch conservatives with long track records. Many are running for re-election with coveted endorsements from gun rights, law enforcement and agricultural groups.
But their divergence from Mr. Trump spoke to a larger, long-festering divide in the Indiana Republican Party between more establishment-oriented politicians and those who have embraced Mr. Trump’s political style.
Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, a Republican redistricting supporter, said the incumbents who defied the president were misunderstanding the political stakes of this era.
“I don’t want just conservatives,” Mr. Beckwith said. “I want conservatives who are willing to fight for conservative values. And I think that’s what President Trump is saying, too.”Local Races With National Intrigue
The decision of whether to fire the incumbents will come down to several thousand Republican voters in each of those districts, who will decide how much importance to place on the president’s endorsement.
Johnny Smith, a Trump supporter and a Republican member of the Attica City Council, donated to Mr. Deery’s Trump-backed challenger, Paula Copenhaver, who chairs the Republican Party in his home county.
But Mr. Smith also described Mr. Deery as “a good dude” who works hard as senator. As of late last month, Mr. Smith was not sure how he would vote.
“Maybe if somebody didn’t know them as well, that Trump endorsement could carry more weight,” Mr. Smith said, adding that “there’s a lot of people that are just on the fence.”The Districts That Will Decide It
Polls close in Indiana, which is divided between Eastern and Central time zones, at 6 p.m. local time. These races — all involving Republican incumbents who voted against redistricting — are the ones to watch:
New York Times, Paxton’s Fund-Raising Struggles in Texas Underscore Deep Rift in G.O.P., Lauren McGaughy, May 5, 2026. The Texas attorney general is heading into the runoff against Senator John Cornyn without the support of some of his longtime backers.
Ken Paxton, the firebrand Texas attorney general, said last year that he thought he would need about $20 million to unseat Senator John Cornyn.
So far, Mr. Paxton is far short of his mark.
Many of the wealthy donors who bankrolled his political career in Texas have decided to watch from the sidelines during the U.S. Senate race, according to an analysis of state and federal campaign finance data by The New York Times.
Several businessmen who spent millions on Mr. Paxton’s campaigns for state attorney general have not given to either his Senate campaign or a political action committee backing his run, including a former top donor who gave far more to Mr. Cornyn.
Perhaps most strikingly, the billionaire West Texas oilmen and far-right kingmakers who have long supported Mr. Paxton have spent little on his Senate run.
Mr. Paxton’s fund-raising struggles underscore the deep rift in the Republican Party between its more business-oriented conservatives, who prefer Mr. Cornyn, and the hard-right base that embraces Mr. Paxton’s pugnacious politics.
New York Times, A Top 2026 Senate Race Kicks Off With Attacks About Jeffrey Epstein, Reid J. Epstein, May 5, 2026. Ohio’s unusual contest — with a little-known incumbent and a well-known challenger — shows how Democrats are hoping to capitalize on G.O.P. voters’ anger at the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
One of this year’s top Senate contests is something of a bizarro-world race.
The Republican candidate, despite being the incumbent, is little known and still trying to introduce himself to voters. He used his first ad to talk about starting his life in a foster home.
The Democratic candidate, despite being out of office, is a household name after spending half a century in politics. His first ad was very different — a scathing attack aiming to define his rival by tying him to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier.
This is the upside-down picture in Ohio, where Senator Jon Husted, a Republican appointed last year to replace Vice President JD Vance, is hoping to fend off former Senator Sherrod Brown, a three-term Democrat who was unseated in 2024.
The race is central to determining which party controls the Senate in 2027. Democrats need to flip at least four Republican-held seats in November, and Ohio is widely seen as one of the most competitive contests.
The election is a test of how far even a Republican-dominated state has swung left during President Trump’s second term and of whether Mr. Brown, as he has done in the past, can outperform his party in a state where Democrats have been trounced in the last three presidential elections.
Now, as the general election begins — Mr. Brown faces only token opposition in the primary contest on Tuesday and Mr. Husted is unopposed — both sides are beginning an advertising war expected to exceed the $550 million spent on Ohio’s 2024 Senate race. The winner will serve the final two years of Mr. Vance’s term and then face re-election again in 2028.
Mr. Brown’s opening salvo last week sought to capitalize on Mr. Husted’s relatively low profile by highlighting $116,000 in campaign contributions he received in the past from Leslie Wexner, an Ohio billionaire who was the source of much of Mr. Epstein’s wealth. The ad was an attempt to both depress Republican turnout and hammer Mr. Husted as tied to corruption in Washington and Columbus, Ohio’s capital.
“Of all 535 members of Congress, who’s taken the most money from associates of Jeffrey Epstein?” the narrator asks in Mr. Brown’s first TV ad, which began airing on Friday. “Jon Husted, that’s who.”
Mr. Husted’s campaign manager, Drew Thompson, argued that Mr. Brown had Epstein ties, too, pointing to his past acceptance of campaign donations from Mr. Wexner’s wife — $12,700 in increments between 2011 and 2017.
“Who knows what that paid for?” Mr. Thompson said. “That’s why Ohioans voted him out after 32 years in Washington.”
National party leaders are watching the Ohio race closely.
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic minority leader, spent months urging Mr. Brown, 73, to attempt a comeback. Part of Mr. Schumer’s appeal to Mr. Brown was that he was the only Ohio Democrat who could win in an increasingly red state.
Mr. Trump carried Ohio by 11 percentage points in 2024 as Mr. Brown lost by three points, a gap that has encouraged Democrats to think that a better political environment will help the famously rumpled senator return to Washington.
May 4
Top Headlines
May 4, 2026. Simply put: the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is no longer just tense. It is unraveling.May 4, 2026. The termination of payments to providers has coincided with a massive spike in detainee deaths and medical crises. News Roundups
May 4, 2026. There is significant chaos this morning surrounding Trump’s “Project Freedom” in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran claims it launched missiles at a U.S. Navy ship, while the United States denies that any strike occurred. At the same time, Trump is facing ridicule online for posts about “holding all the cards,” especially after sharing an image of himself holding UNO cards, which would actually suggest he is losing. He is also calling for the impeachment of Hakeem Jeffries, even though that is not something that can happen. Add in more Epstein-related developments and another mass shooting, and it is already a very busy morning.More On U.S. Supreme Court
May 4, 2026. The renegade Supreme Court exhibits an over-exercise of power, open contempt for the laws Congress passes, and a heavy partisan tilt. It doesn't have to be this way.U.S. Courts, Law, Crime, Rights, Justice
U.S. Governance, Elections, Politics
Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate in Maine for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Republican Susan Collins.
New York Times, Rudy Giuliani Is in ‘Critical Condition’ in Florida Hospital, Jonah E. Bromwich, May 4, 2026 (print ed.). A spokesman for the former mayor of New York City said Mr. Giuliani was critical but stable.More On Iran War
Trump Watch
May 4, 2026. Late on Friday night, President Donald J. Trump took to social media. At 11:03 he posted an AI-generated image of himself, alongside Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, all shirtless, along with an unidentifiable woman in a bikini, appearing to be relaxing in a swimming pool. But the “swimming pool” was the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.More On U.S. Military, Foreign Affairs
More Global News, Comment
, May 4, 2026. On June 4, 1940, in the wake of the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk, Prime Minister Winston Churchill spoke in the House of Commons. The conclusion of the speech is justly famous.U.S. Political Assassinations, Attempts
A person who appears as a blurry image at centerin the shadows of NBC News cameraman Dave Wiegman’s footage from seconds after the shooting in Dealey Plaza on Nov. 22, 1963, has never been identified. Above is an enhanced image from a digital transfer made of the original celluloid. (Credit: prayer-man.com)
Investigative Commentary: On the Trail of the Elusive Wiegman Film: The Ball Is Back in NBC's Court, Lawrence P. Schnapf, right, May 4, 2026. If the original footage from November 22, 1963, still exists, it's probably in an NBC warehouse in New Jersey. U.S. Media, Culture, Charities, Celebrities, Protests
Lauren Sánchez Bezos and Jeff Bezos, above, have been increasingly active in fashion in recent years, including sitting in the front row of fashion shows and donating tens of millions of dollars in grants and scholarships devoted to sustainable fabrics and other initiatives (Reuters Photo by Danny Moloshok).
Top Stories
The Parnas Perspective, Afternoon News and Comment, Iran Ceasefire Breaks Apart, U.S./Israeli Strikes Imminent, Iran Targets Gulf States, Trump Threatens to "Blow Iran off the Face of the Earth," Aaron Parnas, right, May 4, 2026. Simply put: the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is no longer just tense. It is unraveling.
What was holding as a fragile ceasefire is now visibly breaking down, and events across the Middle East suggest a return to open confrontation between the United States, Israel, Iran, and their regional partners. I wanted to give you all the updates right now without the fluff. If you can, subscribe to support my work as I get you realtime updates and to ensure I have the resources needed to cover what will be a long week.
According to CNN, sources indicate that a resumption of U.S.-Israeli strikes on targets inside Iran could happen within the next day. That alone would mark a decisive end to the April 8 ceasefire. But the reality is the ceasefire is already collapsing under the weight of what is happening on the ground and at sea.
After Donald Trump unilaterally announced the United States would be guiding ships through the Strait of Hormuz as part of “Project Freedom,” Iran retaliated, targeting shipping lanes and critical energy infrastructure. The United Arab Emirates confirmed that one of its ADNOC oil tankers was struck by two Iranian drones after attempting to pass through the Strait without Iranian authorization. Here is one of the ships on fire today:
That is not just a tactical strike. It is a direct assertion of control over one of the most important chokepoints in the global economy. Now, Trump is claiming if US ships are targeted in the region, Iran will be “blown off the face of the earth.”
Meanwhile, Trump is claiming that the naval blockade is the “greatest military maneuver in history.”
At the same time, United States Central Command reports that Iran opened fire on U.S. warships and commercial vessels, with U.S. forces returning fire. Whether every detail of that exchange is confirmed or disputed, the broader point is clear. Direct engagement between U.S. and Iranian forces is no longer hypothetical.
Iran’s messaging reflects that shift. Military spokesperson Ibrahim Zulfiqar warned that “a new chapter of power will unfold,” signaling that Tehran sees this moment not as a contained escalation but as the beginning of something larger.
The physical consequences are already visible. A ship is burning off the coast of the UAE near Dubai following the Iranian strike. Explosions have been reported across the Dubai area as air defenses attempt to intercept incoming missiles. Residents are receiving missile alerts on their phones, the first time since the ceasefire went into effect. In Fujairah, a petroleum industrial site is on fire after a drone attack, directly hitting the UAE’s energy infrastructure.
This is what a ceasefire collapse looks like in real time. Not a formal announcement, but a steady accumulation of strikes, counterstrikes, and denials until the agreement no longer exists in practice.
The confusion and contradiction between official statements only reinforces that reality. Scott Bessent said earlier that the U.S. had “absolute control” of the Strait and that Iran did not control it.
Within hours, Iranian strikes, burning ships, and disrupted shipping lanes challenged that claim. The U.S. is now urging China to help reopen the Strait, and Donald Trump is seeking assistance from South Korea.Image
That is not the posture of a country with uncontested control. It is the posture of a coalition trying to stabilize a situation that is slipping.
South Korea has already been pulled into the consequences. One of its vessels was hit in the engine room while transiting the Strait. All 24 crew members are safe, but the message is clear.
Meanwhile, the narrative battle is just as intense as the physical one. United States Central Command says two U.S.-flagged vessels successfully exited the Strait under the escort mission known as Project Freedom. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rejects that entirely, claiming no commercial ships have passed and dismissing U.S. statements as “baseless lies.”
The truth on the water appears closer to paralysis. Traffic through the Strait remains extremely limited. Many vessels are avoiding the U.S.-backed corridor altogether and instead relying on routing systems controlled by Iran. That alone signals a shift in perceived control, regardless of official claims.
Iranian officials are not hiding their position. Lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei stated that the Strait will only reopen if countries accept Iran’s dominance or return to conflict and face “another humiliating defeat.”
The UAE has framed the attacks as a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2816 and an act of piracy, but diplomatic language is not slowing the escalation. The UAE Ministry of Defense has confirmed it is currently dealing with another wave of Iranian missile and drone strikes, even as earlier fires are still burning.
All of this is happening just weeks after a ceasefire that was supposed to stabilize the region. Instead, the ceasefire is being overtaken by events. Strikes are increasing, not decreasing. Engagements between forces are becoming more direct. More countries are being pulled in, not fewer.
What is unfolding in the Strait of Hormuz is not a temporary flare-up. It is the steady collapse of a fragile pause in conflict, replaced by a rapidly widening confrontation with global implications.
New York Times, Iran War Live Updates: Tehran Threatens Ships Over Trump Plan to Break Its Blockade, Aaron Boxerman and Sanam Mahooz, May 4, 2026. What We’re Covering Today.
Iran pushed back against President Trump’s latest attempt to break the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, threatening to attack American warships and any commercial vessels that sought to transit through the waterway without Iranian permission.
Ali Abdollahi, a top Iranian military commander, warned “all commercial ships and oil tankers to refrain from any attempt to transit without coordination with the armed forces,” Iranian state media reported.
“We warn that any foreign armed force — especially the aggressive U.S. military — if they intend to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz, will be targeted and attacked,” he added.
Mr. Trump said on Sunday that the United States would assist ships trapped in the waterway because of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran to get out but did not provide details of what that would entail.
The U.S. Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations, said in a statement on Sunday that the United States would help coordinate the movement of the stranded ships but did not say that it would escort them.
“U.S. military support to Project Freedom will include guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members,” Centcom said in the statement published on social media.
The president warned that any interference in the program, called “Project Freedom,” would be dealt with “forcefully.”
Iran’s grip over the waterway — through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas is normally shipped — has rattled global energy markets and sent prices of oil and gas skyrocketing worldwide. The United States has retaliated by imposing a naval blockade on shipping into and out of Iranian ports.
Popular Information, Accountability Journalism: ICE has not paid for detainee medical care for 7 months, Judd Legum, right, May 4, 2026. The termination of payments to providers has coincided with a massive spike in detainee deaths and medical crises.
ICE has not paid for detainee medical care for 7 monthsThe termination of payments to providers has coincided with a massive spike in detainee deaths and medical crises.Judd LegumMay 4 READ IN APP (Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
On October 3, 2025, the Trump administration abruptly stopped paying third-parties for medical care provided to detainees in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Third-party providers are used to provide “medically necessary” care including “dialysis, prenatal care, oncology, [and] chemotherapy,” according to ICE.
A document posted to an official government contracting website by ICE on November 12, described the situation as an “absolute emergency” that needed to be resolved “immediately” to “prevent any further medical complications or loss of life.”
According to the ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC), payments to third parties were supposed to resume on April 30, 2026. ICE has contracted with a private firm, Acentra Health, to process reimbursements.
But when April 30 arrived, payments to third party medical providers did not resume. Instead, Acentra quietly updated its website stating that “[c]laims payment services are estimated to begin during the second quarter of [sic] 2026 calendar year (April — June).”
For decades, routine processing of third party medical reimbursement were processed for ICE by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), through the VA Financial Service Center (VAFSC). This did not divert resources from the VA as it was compensated by ICE for this service. The arrangement was terminated with no notice after the VA’s role was criticized by right-wing activists.
In a statement, a VA spokesperson says the department is ensuring claims are being processed during the transition. “[The Department of Homeland Security] has signed a new contract to process these claims and is currently onboarding the vendor,” VA spokesperson Pete Kasperowicz told KFF Health News in February. “Meanwhile, VA is supporting this transition until May to ensure claims are processed appropriately.”
A source at the VA with direct knowledge told Popular Information that this is false. “No claims are being processed,” the VA source said. “We’ve done zero work to support [ICE] since they couldn’t pay us.” The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
Kasperowicz’s claims are also directly contradicted by the IHSC website, which stated in an April 24 update to providers, “[p]lease continue to hold all claim submissions while IHSC works to bring the new system online in the interim.” The IHSC website announced on October 3, 2025, “Do not mail or submit electronic claims to the VAFSC until further notice. All mail will be returned to sender.” All subsequent communications about the VA’s role repeated this guidance.
For more than seven months, third parties have not been able to be reimbursed for medical services provided to ICE. This has coincided with a massive spike in detainee deaths and medical crises.As ICE cuts off payments for medical care, detainee death skyrocket
The decision to stop reimbursing third parties for the medical care of ICE detainees has coincided with a significant spike in deaths, according to data released by the agency.
From 2018 to 2024, the average number of people who died in ICE custody annually was 8.9. That includes a spike in 2020 related to the onset of the COVID pandemic. In 2025, 33 people died in ICE custody, including 12 after the medical reimbursements stopped.
The trend is accelerating. In the first four months of 2026, 18 people have died in ICE custody. Since ICE stopped medical reimbursements on October 3, 2025, people have been dying in ICE custody at a rate of 51.7 people annually. This is more than five times the death rate before the policy was implemented.
The ICE detainee population has increased since Trump took office in 2025, from about 40,000 to 60,000 people. But even adjusting for the population increase, the current death rate is many times the historical average.
In a few cases, the deaths were attributed to a violent incident at a facility. But most deaths were attributable to a medical condition. Beyond the data, there are numerous examples of individual cases that suggest essential medical care is being denied to ICE detainees.
On December 3, 2025, Francisco Gaspar-Andrés died at the Camp East Montana detention facility in Fort Bliss, Texas of liver failure. According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, for two months before his death Gaspar-Andrés “went to the medical unit nine times, complaining of symptoms including bloody stool and bleeding gums.” But he “was sent back from visits to the medical unit with allergy, heartburn and indigestion medications and diagnosed with influenza despite repeatedly testing negative.” By the time he was finally transported to a hospital on November 16, doctors were unable to save his life.
After touring the Camp East Montana detention facility on April 6, Congressman Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) said that the “conditions that I saw inside the detention facility today are beneath our American values.” Vasquez heard from detainees who said “you practically have to be down on the ground, dying… before you receive medical care.”
On January 27, attorney Eric Lee said that at the Dilly Immigration Processing Center in Texas, one of his clients “had appendicitis, collapsed in the hallway, was vomiting from pain, and the officials told him, take a Tylenol and come back in three days.” Hayam El Gamal, another one of Lee’s clients held at Dilly, “was refused a CT scan by center officials for a lump in her chest.” According to an April 15 federal court filing, El Gamal, a mother of five, “has been pleading for medical attention for the abnormal growth, which has caused severe pain, since February 15.” The court filing alleges ICE is “are systematically denying Ms. El Gamal medical care” and the denial “poses an urgent threat to Ms. El Gamal’s health and potentially her life.”
Andrea Pedro-Francisco, an asylum seeker from Guatemala, was detained by ICE on February 5 and eventually sent to El Paso Service Processing Center. According to Amnesty International, she “has a large ovarian cyst and was scheduled for surgery on February 11.” But since being placed in detention, “she has not received adequate medical care.” There are indications that the cyst has grown considerably and Pedro-Francisco “is experiencing severe abdominal and lower back pain.”
An April 13, 2026, report in The Detroit News suggests that detainees at the North Lake Processing Center, which holds about 1500 people, are not receiving necessary care. Ruth Pujols Beltre, a detainee at the facility with a history of cardiovascular issues, said she has “swollen legs, a tingling sensation in her hands and trouble breathing at times.” When she reported her symptoms to North Lake staff they “only offered her over-the-counter pain relievers like Ibuprofen and acetaminophen.” Ruby Robinson, managing attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, said one client detained at the same facility “wasn’t receiving any care for a festering wound that remained after an amputation as a result of diabetes.”
Meanwhile, ICE has defended the standard of medical care provided to detainees. “For many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives,” a spokesperson told ABC News.
New York Times, Supreme Court Temporarily Restores Access to Abortion Pill by Mail, Ann E. Marimow, May 4, 2026. A lower-court ruling had reinstated a Food and Drug Administration requirement that patients visit a health care provider in person to obtain mifepristone.
The Supreme Court on Monday restored nationwide access to a widely used abortion medication in a temporary order that will, for now, allow women to once again obtain the pill mifepristone by mail.
In a brief order, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., right, paused a lower-court ruling from Friday that had prevented abortion providers from prescribing the pills by telemedicine and shipping them to patients, causing confusion for providers and patients. The one-sentence order imposes a pause until at least May 11. He requested that the parties file briefs by Thursday, and then the full court will determine how to proceed.
The state of Louisiana sued the Food and Drug Administration to restrict access to mifepristone, saying the availability of the medication by mail has allowed abortions to continue in the state despite its near-total ban.
Medication is now the method used in nearly two-thirds of abortions in the United States, and is typically delivered in the form of a two-drug regimen through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Friday’s ruling from the conservative U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit temporarily reinstated an F.D.A. requirement that patients visit medical providers in person to obtain mifepristone while the litigation continues. That rule was first lifted in 2021.
Two manufacturers of mifepristone, Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, on Saturday asked the Supreme Court to intervene. In court filings, they said the Fifth Circuit ruling would cause chaos for providers and patients — and upend a major avenue for abortion access across the country. About one-fourth of abortions in the United States are now provided through telemedicine.
Justice Alito’s order, known as an administrative stay, was provisional and expected, but an important interim step for women seeking to obtain mifepristone in the next week. The order does not signal how the full court may eventually handle the case.
Justice Alito acted on his own at this stage because he is the justice assigned to handle emergency applications from the region of the country covered by the Fifth Circuit.
The Trump administration has defended the F.D.A. in court, but has not said whether it supports keeping in place the regulations that make it easier for women to obtain the pills. The F.D.A. is conducting a review of mifepristone, and the administration had asked the lower court to put the litigation on hold until that review is complete.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: The Free World Is Leaving Trump Behind, Bill Kristol, Andrew Egger and Jim Swift, May 4, 2026. We dropped the torch. They picked it up.
Another day, another absolutely brutal poll for President Donald Trump. The latest WaPo-ABC News-Ipsos survey finds Trump’s approval rating at 37 percent, with catastrophically low approval across a host of issues: 23 percent approval on cost of living, 27 percent on inflation, 33 percent on the conflict in Iran, 34 percent on the economy, and 40 percent on immigration.
Crazy how many are so ungrateful to be living in the HOTTEST COUNTRY ON EARTH right in the middle of its GOLDEN AGE. Happy Monday.
News Roundups
The Parnas Perspective, Morning News and Commentary: Chaos in Iran, Trump Ridiculed and Calls for Impeachment, Trump Launches Election Interference Effort, and more, Aaron Parnas, right, May 4, 2026. There is significant chaos this morning surrounding Trump’s “Project Freedom” in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran claims it launched missiles at a U.S. Navy ship, while the United States denies that any strike occurred. At the same time, Trump is facing ridicule online for posts about “holding all the cards,” especially after sharing an image of himself holding UNO cards, which would actually suggest he is losing. He is also calling for the impeachment of Hakeem Jeffries, even though that is not something that can happen. Add in more Epstein-related developments and another mass shooting, and it is already a very busy morning.
Press freedom is under increasing pressure from this administration and its allies, and independent journalism is more important than ever. This newsletter, which reaches millions of households, is supported by readers rather than billionaires or corporate interests. That independence allows us to report without fear or favor.
Here’s the news:
Iran warned the U.S. not to enter the Strait of Hormuz as the American military launched a mission to guide stranded ships through the vital waterway. Tehran threatened attacks on any foreign forces approaching the area and claimed it had deterred a U.S. destroyer, though the U.S. said no ships were hit. The operation, involving thousands of troops and military assets, aims to ease a shipping crisis that has disrupted global trade and driven up energy prices. Tensions remain high as both sides exchange warnings, with little progress toward resolving the broader conflict.
According to Axios, Trump grew increasingly frustrated with the prolonged stalemate with Iran, which helped prompt the launch of “Project Freedom” to address the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. The operation aims to assist commercial ships while applying pressure on Iran, with U.S. forces ready to respond to threats but avoiding full military escorts. Officials say the approach reflects a desire for more decisive action while still limiting immediate escalation risks. At the same time, diplomatic talks continue, though both sides remain far apart on a potential agreement.
Donald Trump claimed to have “all the cards” as it relates to Iran, but posted an image of himself holding a hand full of Uno cards. Many quickly pointed out that in Uno, having the cards means you are losing:
A senior Iranian official told Reuters this morning that Iran fired a warning shot at a U.S. warship to stop it from entering the Strait of Hormuz, though it’s unclear if any damage occurred. This aligns with Iran’s broader claims that it has issued “decisive warnings” and possibly used force to deter U.S. naval movement in the area. Iran’s State Media claimed that it had struck a U.S. vessel:
Iran’s navy says it launched cruise missiles and drones near U.S. Navy vessels after they allegedly ignored warnings not to enter the Strait of Hormuz, according to Tasnim.
United States Central Command disputed the Iranian account, but did not dispute that the vessel was fired upon:
Donald Trump and Republican officials are pushing to expand aggressive voter roll purges closer to Election Day, testing the limits of the National Voter Registration Act, which generally restricts systematic removals within 90 days of an election. The Justice Department is seeking voter registration data from nearly all states and using the SAVE immigration database to identify suspected non-citizens, though the system has produced false positives and inconclusive matches.
Critics, including election officials and advocacy groups, warn that speeding up purges could wrongly remove eligible voters who may not have enough time to correct their status, increasing the risk of disenfranchisement. Supporters argue the efforts are necessary for election integrity and say safeguards like same-day registration and provisional ballots can protect voters. The issue is heading toward further legal battles, with courts and potentially the Supreme Court expected to weigh in before future elections.
Donald Trump called for the impeachment of Hakeem Jeffries after Jeffries criticized the Supreme Court, escalating political tensions. However, members of Congress cannot be impeached and can only be expelled by a two-thirds vote. The dispute stems from a recent Supreme Court ruling on Louisiana’s congressional map, which Jeffries called “illegitimate.”
Despite the U.S.-led “Project Freedom” initiative to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz, vessel traffic remains very limited. Most ships that are moving through the area are sticking to Iran-controlled routes rather than the alternative corridor near Oman. This suggests continued caution among shipping operators amid security risks and uncertainty.
The price of gas has reached another four-year high:
Rudy Giuliani, right, has been hospitalized and is reported to be in “critical but stable” condition, according to his spokesperson. The cause of his hospitalization has not been disclosed, though he had recently appeared unwell during a broadcast. In response, Donald Trump blamed Democrats for Giuliani’s health decline.
Trump further called for the termination of the filibuster, again:
Mark Carney, below left, said he believes the global international order will be reshaped, with Europe playing a central role in rebuilding it. 
His remark reflects a view that geopolitical power and leadership may shift toward European nations in response to current global instability.
A shooting at a lakeside party near Oklahoma City left at least 13 people hospitalized after gunfire broke out around 9 p.m. at Arcadia Lake. Police reported that victims were in various conditions, with some transported by ambulance and others arriving at hospitals on their own. Authorities have not made any arrests and are continuing to interview witnesses while searching for suspects. The incident occurred at a gathering of young people at the popular recreational area in Edmond, a suburb of Oklahoma City. There have now been 131 mass shootings this year:
House Oversight Democrats have announced that they will hold a hearing in Palm Beach to hear directly from Epstein survivors on May 12th:
Donald Trump is planning a major overhaul of the East Potomac Golf Links, shutting down the popular public course to redesign it as part of a broader redevelopment of federal land. The project includes proposals for a new “championship” golf course and a “National Garden of American Heroes” featuring statues of notable figures. Critics and local stakeholders say the move was unexpected and raise concerns about public access and costs. The administration says the changes are part of efforts to improve and beautify Washington, D.C.
A suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic has left three passengers dead and three others ill, with one case confirmed and the rest under investigation. The victims include an elderly couple from the Netherlands, while another infected passenger from the U.K. is receiving treatment in South Africa. Health authorities, including the World Health Organization, are assisting with medical evacuations and investigating the situation as the ship remains off Cape Verde. Hantavirus, typically spread through contact with rodents, can cause severe respiratory illness and requires careful monitoring.
Editor's Note: Hantavirus infections are spread mainly by rodents (Associated Press Backgrounder): "Hantaviruses, which are found throughout the world, are a family of viruses spread mainly by contact with the urine or feces of infected rodents like rats and mice. They gained attention after the late actor Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from hantavirus infection in New Mexico last year. Hackman died around a week later at their home from heart disease. Hantaviruses cause two serious syndromes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe disease that effects the lungs, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, a severe disease that affects the kidneys."
According to NBC News, a North Korean women’s soccer team is set to play in a tournament in South Korea on May 20, marking a rare sports exchange between the two countries. The Pyongyang-based team will face Suwon FC Women in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League. This will be North Korea’s first athletic visit to the South since 2018, during a brief period of improved relations. The event comes despite ongoing political tensions and limited diplomatic engagement between the two nations.
The Trump administration is pressuring the United Nations to adopt a “trade over aid” approach, threatening budget cuts if reforms aren’t made. This shift prioritizes private investment and free-market policies over traditional development assistance, alongside major reductions to U.S. foreign aid programs like USAID. Experts warn these changes could lead to severe global consequences, including reduced access to healthcare, education, and increased poverty and mortality. The move has heightened tensions with the UN, which is already facing financial strain and growing humanitarian demands.
A United Nations report finds that rising debt burdens in developing countries disproportionately harm women, especially as governments cut public spending. Women are more likely to lose jobs in sectors like education and care and take on additional unpaid responsibilities when services are reduced. The study estimates tens of millions of women’s jobs have been lost due to increasing debt pressures, with women’s incomes declining significantly while men’s remain largely unchanged. Researchers warn that global instability and rising costs could worsen these inequalities unless policies prioritize protecting social spending.
A United Airlines passenger jet struck a light pole while landing at Newark Liberty International Airport, prompting an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration. The Boeing 767, arriving from Venice, landed safely and taxied to the gate with no injuries reported among passengers or crew. The airline said the aircraft is being inspected for damage and the crew has been taken out of service during the investigation. Authorities are examining how the incident occurred during the plane’s final approach.
A new study warns that New Orleans has reached a “point of no return” due to rising sea levels and coastal erosion, and that planning for relocation should begin immediately. Researchers say the city could be surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico within decades, as land loss, subsidence, and stronger storms worsen flooding risks. Even major flood defenses like levees are unlikely to protect the area long-term, making eventual relocation unavoidable. Experts urge a coordinated, gradual transition to safer areas rather than an unplanned mass exodus as conditions deteriorate.
Spirit Airlines has largely completed refunds for passengers after abruptly shutting down operations following 34 years in business. The sudden closure left thousands of travelers stranded, though most refunds were processed quickly and other airlines stepped in to assist affected passengers and crew. The airline had been seeking a $500 million rescue deal but failed to secure necessary financial backing. The shutdown marks the end of a major ultra-low-cost carrier that once operated hundreds of daily flights across the U.S.
More On U.S. Supreme Court
The Contrarian, Opinion: SCOTUS's Brazen Power Grab Guts Voting Rights, Norman Ornstein, right, May 4, 2026. The renegade Supreme Court exhibits an over-exercise of power, open contempt for the laws Congress passes, and a heavy partisan tilt. It doesn't have to be this wayNorman OrnsteinMay 04, 2026
This week has underscored a brutal reality of our teetering constitutional system: a renegade, partisan Supreme Court ignoring the power and role of Congress, prevaricating about history and the plain language of the Constitution, rewarding Republican presidents while constraining Democrats, its members violating fundamental ethics that apply to every other federal judge. The Roberts Court, led by arguably the worst Chief Justice in history, has engaged in a brazen power grab. Many reforms have been floated if and when the opportunity occurs to rein in the renegades, from term limits to court enlargement. They may not be enough.
The day before the Supreme Court’s Callais dishonest and outrageous decision eviscerating what remained of the Voting Rights Act, the six Republican justices celebrated by attending Trump’s state dinner for King Charles — in what is almost certainly the first state dinner ever with a strictly partisan guest list. In September 2021, standing next to her Senate benefactor Mitch McConnell, who had destroyed Senate norms by jamming through her confirmation eight days before the 2020 election, Amy Coney Barrett said, “My goal today is to convince you that this court is not comprised of a bunch of partisan hacks,” proving the opposite.
Elena Kagan’s dissent, read from the bench, was powerful and gripping. Election law scholar Rick Hasen’s description of the dishonesty of the decision is equally powerful: what is implied in the decision written by Sam Alito, “that Congress cannot do anything to protect minority voting rights short of banning intentional discrimination despite the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection guarantee, despite the Fifteenth Amendment’s ban on race discrimination in voting, and despite the fact that both amendments explicitly give Congress the power to enforce the measures by ‘appropriate legislation.’”
The Callais decision, of course, is part of a pattern of the Roberts Court blowing up voting rights; destroying a century of campaign finance laws in direct violation of a promise made by John Roberts to respect stare decisis and decide cases on the narrowest basis possible; making independent regulatory agencies direct partisan arms of the president; cosseting the rich and powerful corporations, and unleashing Trump with the ahistorical and bizarre immunity decision that would have left the Framers bewildered that the third branch of government would undermine the first branch of government to create a dictator from the second branch of government.
I have supported term limits for decades, and still do, but actually implementing it is challenging—do you include existing justices? If not, how do you phase in term limits so that ultimately each president has two vacancies to fill—without it taking many years to implement successfully? What about enlarging the Court? The reality is that the packing was done by Mitch McConnell blocking Merrick Garland from even a hearing during the Obama administration (approximately four years before the Barrett debacle). If fundamental norms had been followed, there would be five justices nominated by Democratic presidents.
Supreme Court guru Steve Vladeck, right, has made good points about the dangers of court enlargement — among them, that it could create a likely enlargement war every time there is a change in power — but it is still a powerful idea. When the Court was set at nine, there were nine circuits; now there are thirteen. The need to rebalance the Court as soon as possible makes the risk of future retaliation worth taking.
But there is another, bolder move to consider. When I taught American Government, I would take students to the National Archives to see the actual original Constitution, encased in glass. Looking at it directly, they could see the physical articles. Article I, the Congress, was twice as long as Article II, the Executive, which in turn was twice as long as Article III, the Judiciary. Three equal branches—but it was clear which branch was Number One, in every respect. Congress has the power to declare war and the power of the purse, the two most powerful elements of government. The president can veto bills, but Congress can override. Congress can impeach and remove a president; the president has no power to remove members of Congress.
Now to Article III. The Framers did not expect that the judiciary would usurp the powers of the first branch. They created a Supreme Court and gave Congress power to establish lower courts as well. They gave the Supreme Court limited original jurisdiction: laws affecting Ambassadors and ministers, cases of Admiralty and maritime jurisdiction, between states, between a state and a citizen of another state, between citizens of different states, citizens of the same state claiming lands of different states, and between a state or its citizens and foreign states or their citizens. But here is the key clause: “In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall have original Jurisdiction. In all other Cases before mentioned, the supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations, as the Congress shall make.”
It is true that the power accumulated by the Court goes back to Justice Marshall and Marbury v. Madison, and the other branches, over time, accepted the role of the Court to interpret the Constitution. But that acceptance came with an expectation that that role would not be abused, certainly not the way it has with the Roberts Court. Congress has the power, and should use it. It is time to consider taking back some of the jurisdiction Congress has ceded to the Supreme Court, including its appellate authority in areas like voting, elections, districting, campaign finance, and congressional power, along with such issues as the right to marry and to control one’s own body.
Create a special appeals court, perhaps consisting of the chief judges of the thirteen appeals courts, to act as the final area of appeal in such cases. Even a serious threat to do so would be a strong signal to these renegade Supremes to draw back from their over-exercise of power, their open contempt for the laws Congress passes, and their heavy partisan tilt. No option should be off the table.
Norman Ornstein is a renowned political scientist, co-host of the podcast “Words Matter,” and author of books, including “It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism.”
One First, Commentary on Supreme Court: How Congress Used to Leverage the Court, Steve Vladeck, right, May 4, 2026. History is replete with examples of Congress using its powers to leverage, nudge, and even threaten the Supreme Court. A big part of how we got to where we are is that Congress has stopped doing so.
Thursday’s bonus post about Wednesday’s ruling in Callais—and how it should inform conversations about Court reform—provoked quite a bit of flak from both sides of the political spectrum. To folks on the left, I am a “conservative collaborator” because I believe that Court expansion, whatever its short-term benefits, would touch off a race to the bottom that would serve only to undermine the ability of all federal courts to play their intended constitutional role in the long term. To folks on the right, I am once again trying to “delegitmize the Court” and undermine its independence by suggesting that Congress “menace it” (and also, I don’t “understand checks on SCOTUS powers”).
Besides the view that I’m a naif, along with a rather frustrating willingness to criticize my (fairly substantial) body of work without reading it or taking it seriously, what these viewpoints have in common is an obliviousness to the history of how (and how often) Congress regulated, leveraged, sometimes “menaced,” and otherwise nudged the Court for most of American history.
Those levers didn’t necessarily produce “good” results. But they did produce a Court that was regularly looking over its shoulder. From John Marshall’s “political masterstroke” in Marbury to the needle the Court threaded during Reconstruction to Justice Owen Roberts’s 1937 “switch in time” to Justice Fortas’s 1969 resignation, the justices were always operating not just in Congress’s shadow (including, until 1935, literally in the Capitol), but in response to it.
As regular readers know, my own view is that a big part of what’s wrong with the current Court is that it has become completely un-accountable—both because Congress has stopped pulling those levers and because the internal pressure on the Court to moderate created by justices like Stewart, Powell, O’Connor, and Kennedy is no longer there. It’s only in the absence of both forces that Justice Alito can say, as he did in 2023, that “no provision of the Constitution gives [Congress] the power to regulate the Supreme Court—period.” Alito’s statement was and is literally incorrect, but it captures what has increasingly become the zeitgeist, and underscores why my own view is that restoring a culture of accountability is the best way to split the difference between preserving the Court’s independence and making it more worthy of the diffuse, public support that gives that independence real-world force.
I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. But the point of today’s “Long Read” is to at least provide the historical background—so that folks can’t just respond to my position by saying that the Court never has been accountable to Congress, and/or that it never should be. The actual history, at the very least, is decidedly to the contrary.
Much more on all of that below. But first, the news (On the Docket):
Callais was one of two rulings in argued cases the Court handed down on Wednesday. The other was Justice Gorsuch’s opinion for a unanimous Court in the First Choice case—about when organizations will have standing to challenge subpoenas for information about their donors.
It’s also worth flagging the Court’s “summary reversal” on Monday in the Texas redistricting case—a quietly important (and, to my understanding, relatively novel) disposition, which I covered in its own separate post last Monday night. Last week’s regular Order List also included another grant of certiorari for next term—in a complex but important dispute over the constitutional authority of the Department of Labor to adjudicate through administrative (rather than judicial) proceedings fines against employers for violating the terms of employment for those working under H-2A visas.The Emergency Docket
There were four full-Court rulings denying emergency applications last Thursday—three refusing to block Texas’s execution of James Broadnax, and one refusing to block Florida’s execution of James Hitchcock. There were no public dissents from the four orders.
We also got a pair of high-profile emergency applications on Saturday asking the justices to immediately pause the Fifth Circuit’s Friday night ruling in the mifepristone case—which I covered in much more detail in this post. Both Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro have asked Justice Alito (and, through him, the Court) for both an immediate “administrative” stay and a stay pending their appeal of that ruling.
The Atlantic, How the Supreme Court came to accept a practice it called unjust, David A. Graham, May 4, 2026. Just a few years ago, Chief Justice John Roberts decried partisan gerrymandering as “unjust.” Now, in striking its latest blow against the Voting Rights Act, the majority bloc he leads is effectively exhorting states to employ it.
Seven years ago, midway through a multiyear demolition of the Voting Rights Act, John Roberts’s Supreme Court heard a case on a slightly different topic: partisan gerrymandering. Republican legislators from North Carolina had drawn a map of U.S. House districts that courts, including the high court, had found was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander under the VRA. So the North Carolina lawmakers tried again, this time going out of their way to make clear that they were trying to reduce Democratic representation, not Black representation.
The gambit worked. Roberts, writing for the majority, lamented that partisan gerrymandering was pernicious and unfair. “Excessive partisanship in districting leads to results that reasonably seem unjust,” he wrote in Rucho v. Common Cause. But the majority nonetheless concluded that federal courts had no role to play in policing partisan gerrymandering, because it was a political question. Still, Roberts didn’t want that to seem like an endorsement: “Our conclusion does not condone excessive partisan gerrymandering.”
That was then. The conservative majority’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais last week doesn’t just tolerate but encourages states to embrace partisan gerrymandering as a justification for squeezing out majority-Black districts. As politicians work through the impact of the decision, Republican-led governments in Louisiana, Tennessee, and Alabama have all announced plans to try to redraw maps this week, and South Carolina’s legislature may not be far behind. The mission will be drawing the most ruthless partisan gerrymanders they can, in the hopes of protecting the GOP majority in the U.S. House.
This is what Justice Samuel Alito, the author of the Callais opinion, recommends. Discarding the Court’s old requirement, which said that mapmakers must consider whether minority voters were numerous and concentrated enough to constitute their own district, Alito wrote that plaintiffs must provide strong evidence that minority voters were intentionally targeted for their race. But he also offered an escape hatch, the law professor Richard L. Hasen explains: Even if a state “likely could have drawn a map favoring minority voters” but didn’t, “the state can defend itself by (wait for it … ) admitting to engaging in partisan gerrymandering.” In other words, as the scholar Joshua A. Douglas puts it, partisan gerrymandering “has become an absolute defense to any claim of racial discrimination under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.”
The fundamental ideology of the Callais majority is “color-blindness.” In a 2007 case undermining affirmative action, Roberts articulated the idea plainly: “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.” That’s the sort of glib comment that sounds like an argument ender as long as you don’t think too much about it. But it’s no coincidence, as my colleague Adam Serwer wrote last week, that the earliest advocates for color-blindness were reinvented segregationists.
In the color-blindness framework, any discussion of race is itself seen as impolite, the political scientist Julia Azari notes. Alito’s opinion hurriedly states that “vast social change has occurred throughout the country and particularly in the South, which have made great strides in ending entrenched racial discrimination.” This is true as far as it goes but also highly tendentious, writing off both existing disparities and the important role that the VRA has played in combating discrimination. (The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg likened abandoning parts of the VRA because of reduced discrimination to throwing away one’s umbrella during a storm because one isn’t yet wet.)
Alito acknowledges that Black voters tend to be Democrats in the South, but his allegiance to color-blindness prevents him from thinking too deeply about why. It is not some weird coincidence but the result of Democrats taking up the cause of civil rights, and Republicans becoming consistent opponents. This makes Alito’s argument that Black Democrats are losing representation because they are Democrats, not because they are Black, incoherent. “To ‘control for partisanship’ when assessing racial gerrymandering is to erase the very mechanism through which racism travels,” the political scientist Jake Grumbach writes.
The fallout from Callais stands a good chance of making the relationship between race and partisanship even stronger. Black voters have some good critiques of the Democratic Party, but watching Republican-led governments race to redraw maps to eliminate Black representation is unlikely to push them to the GOP. Then again, it may not matter: If mapmakers are empowered to draw ruthlessly partisan maps that are also racially discriminatory, the views of Black voters in some places, especially in the South, will simply not be electorally relevant.
In his 2019 opinion in Rucho, Roberts portrayed his decision to allow partisan gerrymandering as rooted in humility and restraint about the proper role of the judiciary, despite his dislike of extremely partisan maps: “No one can accuse this Court of having a crabbed view of the reach of its competence. But we have no commission to allocate political power and influence in the absence of a constitutional directive or legal standards to guide us in the exercise of such authority.” It is ironic, then, that Roberts and his allies have had no compunctions about trashing the VRA, a law duly passed and renewed by Congress. Their hubris will bring about an efflorescence of the same partisan gerrymandering that Roberts claimed to detest.
More On U.S. Courts, Law, Crime, Rights, Justice
Politico ,Magistrate judge says alleged WHCD attacker being mistreated by DC jail, Kyle Cheney, May 4, 2026. A federal magistrate judge tore into officials from the Washington, D.C. jail on Monday for their treatment of the man who allegedly attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui said Cole Allen’s placement in severe lockdown — including a temporary suicide watch that required 24-hour-a-day placement in a padded, lighted cell without access to phone calls, books, religious material or recreational time — appeared to be unfairly punitive and not based on any known medical assessment.
Faruqui, who played a role in hundreds of cases stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, said Allen was being treated more harshly than those defendants, despite similar allegations of political violence aimed at members of Congress and government leaders. Those defendants were housed in a less restrictive wing of the jail known as the Central Treatment Facility, he noted, and were given significant accommodations during their detention.
“The Jan. 6 defendants all were moved to the CTF,” Faruqui said. “Pardons may erase convictions but they do not erase history … He’s being treated differently than anyone I’ve ever observed.”
Faruqui emphasized that despite grave charges against Allen, the court and jail are still supposed to presume his innocence, particularly because he has no criminal history. He apologized to Allen, saying it was partly the court’s role to ensure that someone detained while awaiting trial was subjected to fair and dignified conditions. Faruqui ordered D.C. jail officials to update him by Tuesday morning on when and whether Allen would be moved into less restrictive conditions.
Though it houses federal inmates, the D.C. jail is run by local officials who make determinations about the housing status of criminal defendants detained pretrial and those serving sentences. Tony Towns, the general counsel for the D.C. Department of Corrections, said decisions about Allen’s housing were made with an eye toward his safety, not to be punitive.
Faruqui’s comparison to Jan. 6 defendants dredges up a fraught aspect of the four-year prosecution of people charged and convicted of breaching the Capitol that day. The nationwide manhunt began during the height of the Covid-era, with severe housing restrictions for all inmates in the D.C. jail.
Jan. 6 defendants routinely lamented their conditions in the jail, noting that they were subjected to similarly severe lockdowns, limits on their access to lawyers, challenges in reviewing evidence of their criminal cases and concerns about access to medical care.
Their complaints — bolstered by a large network of supporters — ushered in substantial changes to jail operations. Inmates were given freer access to evidence on jail-issued tablets and some were accommodated for gluten-free or vegan dietary needs. One Jan. 6 defendant’s complaints about unmet medical needs prompted a judge to investigate and ultimately hold the jail in contempt of court, forcing changes. And substandard conditions forced some inmates to temporarily be relocated to facilities in neighboring states.
Faruqui, however, said Allen appeared to be facing restrictions that no Jan. 6 defendant ever did.
“He can be both kept safe and treated with dignity. Right now, it’s not working. I think it’s legally deficient and ultimately if the DOC can’t do it, I’ll speak to the US attorney’s office. I know they have other facilities they can contract with. If you all cannot handle it, we’re going to have to reassess that with the marshals and the Department of Justice.”
“If we can get someone vegan food, we can get you a bible,” the magistrate judge added.
Prosecutors said little during the hearing except to note that Allen had informed FBI agents the night of the alleged assassination attempt that he hadn’t expected to survive, a detail that the jail might have relied upon to consider him a suicide risk. But Faruqui underscored that the medical professionals disagreed and said he interpreted Allen’s purported remark to be an indication he expected to get shot, not that he was seeking to end his life.
Politico, Judge orders release of contractor accused of sharing classified info with WaPo reporter, Josh Gerstein, May 4, 2026. A prosecutor says Aurelio Perez-Lugones disclosed info on U.S. military movements related to Venezuela.People walk by the One Franklin Square Building, home of The Washington Post newspaper.
A federal judge has ordered the release of a government contractor charged with forwarding classified information to a Washington Post reporter.
U.S. District Judge Michael Maddox called the alleged leaks by Aurelio Perez-Lugones “extremely grave,” but said the dangers posed by releasing the Navy veteran could be mitigated by putting him on home detention and location monitoring while barring him from using any internet-connected devices.
Justice Department prosecutors had urged that Perez-Lugones, who has been in jail since his arrest in January, be kept in pretrial detention because of the possibility he could disclose additional classified information to Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, whom he is accused of sharing national security secrets with.
“The government has no way of knowing what he has retained and what he is able to provide to others,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia McLane said during a hearing Monday. “The person he was communicating with is still employed and has a willingness to accept classified and national defense information. … The receptacle of additional national defense information is still available to the defendant.”
Perez-Lugones’ arrest triggered a controversial search of Natanson’s home in Virginia and the seizure of her phones and computers. The magistrate judge who approved that search warrant, William Porter, was aware that Natanson was a journalist. However, he has complained that prosecutors did not inform him about a federal law that restricts search warrants for records held by reporters or news organizations.
Following protests by Natanson and the Post that the search threatened the privacy of her communication with more than 1,000 sources and effectively cut her off from them, Porter suspended the FBI’s access to the devices seized from her home. He has said he will sift through the records to search for those related to Perez-Lugones. Prosecutors asked a federal district judge in Virginia to block that plan, but the judge has not yet ruled on that request.
About two weeks after his arrest, Perez-Lugones was indicted on five charges of unauthorized transmission of national defense information and one count of retaining national defense information. He has pleaded not guilty.
At the hearing Monday, McLane was more specific about the documents Perez-Lugones is accused of sharing with Natanson.
“This was not old information. This was current information regarding military movement in the Caribbean, in the Gulf and specifically with Venezuela,” the prosecutor said. “We have a man who has thrown everything away in an attempt to get back at the administration.”
But defense attorney Courtney Francik said there was no evidence that her client has “a historical Rolodex of classified information in his head.”
“Mr. Perez-Lugones has lost his job. He’s lost his clearance. He doesn’t have any access to any classified system,” she said.
Maddox, a Biden appointee, said the prosecution’s suggestions that Perez-Lugones could disclose classified information he recalls were too speculative to amount to the “clear and convincing” evidence needed to block his release.
Politico, Elon Musk settles SEC lawsuit over Twitter stock disclosures, Declan Harty, May 4, 2026. A trust in the billionaire Tesla CEO's name will pay $1.5 million to settle allegations that Musk failed to properly disclose his purchases of Twitter stock in 2022.
Elon Musk has struck a settlement deal with the Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve a 2025 lawsuit tied to the billionaire’s purchases of Twitter stock three years earlier, according to a court filing.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s revocable trust will pay $1.5 million to settle the case, without admitting or denying the allegations, according to the filing, posted Monday. Attorneys for Musk and the SEC wrote that if the court approves the proposed settlement, the SEC will move to dismiss the complaint against Musk “in his personal capacity, which will resolve this case in its entirety.”
Filed in the final days of then-SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s tenure, the lawsuit alleged that Musk was 11 days late in disclosing that he had acquired a major stake in Twitter — and that, the SEC said, allowed him to buy up shares in the social media company on the cheap. The SEC estimated in its complaint that Musk, who was at the time a powerful ally of then-incoming President Donald Trump, underpaid Twitter investors by more than $150 million during the period. Musk ultimately acquired Twitter in a $44 billion purchase in October 2022, rebranding it as X the following year.
“Mr. Musk has now been cleared of all issues related to the late filing of forms in the Twitter acquisition, as we said from the outset he would be,” said Alex Spiro, an attorney for Musk, in a statement. “A trust vehicle has agreed to a small fine for being late on one filing.”
The settlement marks an anticlimactic ending to what had been one of the highest-profile SEC lawsuits of former President Joe Biden’s administration — and the latest clash between the Wall Street regulator and Musk. In the years since the SEC went after Musk over his social-media posts about taking Tesla private, which led to a multi-million dollar settlement, the billionaire has emerged as one of the agency’s most prominent critics. He once famously said he doesn’t respect the SEC.
Now led by Chair Paul Atkins, a long-time proponent for light-touch regulation and enforcement, the SEC has taken a starkly less confrontational approach toward enforcement since Trump’s inauguration last year.
The agency has notably walked away from several lawsuits and probes tied to cryptocurrency companies. And SEC data show that the agency has significantly pulled back on its enforcement activity. Atkins has argued the SEC is correcting course away from more technical violations so that staff can pursue more bread-and-butter fraud and market manipulation cases.
At $1.5 million, the penalty, nonetheless, marks the largest ever for such an infraction, said a person familiar with the settlement, who was granted anonymity to speak freely. But for Marc Fagel, a former enforcement official at the SEC, the settlement was still concerning.
“I do think that it suggests if you’re wealthy or powerful enough then there aren’t going to be consequences,” said Fagel, who previously led the SEC’s San Francisco office. “The optics of this are terrible.”
The Triad via the Bulwark, Opinion: Now Indict Me, Jonathan V. Last, May 4, 2026. It’s important to clarify why the prosecution of James Comey is a travesty. And expansion of gambling is bad too.
1. Innocent
Those defenses might be legally persuasive, but they aren’t the first principle. No, Comey is both legally and morally innocent because
there is no rational universe in which the phrase “86 47” can be taken to mean anything other than a call to retire or get rid of President Trump. There is no rational universe in which it is associated—even in an arcane or euphemistic way—with violence of any sort.
You can come up with any number of phrases or expressions that are allusions to violence. Most of those expressions are metaphorical. Some might be humorous. Some might be serious. Nearly all would fall under the legal category of protected speech.
That said, it would be bad for a former FBI director to make allusions to violence, even if it were legally permissible. People like Jim Comey—former top cop in America, officer of the court—have a civic obligation not to speak loosely about encouraging violence. Even if they have a legal right to do so.
If Comey had said something like I hope someone takes care of the president and made a finger-gun motion, and then laughed and claimed it was a joke, it might be protected speech. But it would bad. People who think norms are important (like me) might defend such statements on legal grounds,¹ but we would say Comey had been unwise and had unclean hands.
That’s not what Comey did.
The term “86” comes from the hospitality industry and refers to being out of something—a dish, a beer, wine, breadsticks.
Unless the government presents some extremely important facts not in evidence, then what Comey did was not just legally sound, but also well within the bounds of wisdom and civility.
I’ll go further: By saying “86 47,” Comey was using exactly the kind of honorable, non-violent rhetoric that we hope for from public figures.
This isn’t a case of defending Comey on relativistic, or semantic, or technical, grounds. He is entirely innocent—legally, morally, and prudentially.
Which is what makes his prosecution not just ill-advised or harmful, but manifestly totalitarian.
2. Puritan JVL
One of my old conservative views is that gambling is bad. And by “bad” I mean: Gambling is a net-negative for society. It creates very little value; it functions mostly as a wealth-transfer from the individuals least-able to afford losses to entities which attained government sanction to run gambling outfits.
Simultaneously, gambling results in a lot of social harms, the costs of which are borne by everyone else.
This conservative view is somewhat in tension with the other conservative view that it’s a free country and people generally ought to be able to do what they want, even if what they want to do hurts them.
The way I’ve always resolved this tension is: moderation.
Gambling can be legal, but ought to exist in a highly-regulated context. Regulation can achieve a number of goods, but the highest good is the creation of friction around the act of wagering. Because friction makes it harder for people to hurt themselves by accident. They have to really know what they’re doing.
All of which is why I view online gambling—especially the advent of mobile sports betting—as a category difference.
If you can bet on sports outcomes by going to Vegas, walking into a casino, and putting $100 on the Yankees to win the World Series, that’s one thing. You have the freedom to do it, but the logistical hurdles make it hard for you to ruin your life² with that freedom.
If your phone is chirping at you from your pocket and enticing you to bet $100 on whether or not Jokić makes his next free throw—and trying to lure you into turning that bet into a parlay by suggesting other bets that the app’s algorithm knows appeal to you . . .
Well, that’s something entirely different. We’ve gone from giving people the freedom to gamble to giving corporate entities the ability to prey on people.
The fact is that most people who gamble online lose. Because if Tim Miller bets on that Jokić free throw, the person on the other side of that bet is probably not me. The “people” who win are big-data syndicates who do the equivalent of flash-trading.³
And it turns out that the same thing is now true of prediction markets.
This WSJ piece is worth your time:
Kalshi and its competitor Polymarket advertise themselves as life-changing tools for regular people—implying everyone has a fair chance to score. “I was about to be unable to pay my rent, but I got two years of rent through Kalshi’s predictions,” gushed one woman in a Kalshi ad on TikTok.
But for most users the reality is nothing like that.
Instead, casual traders are bleeding cash while a small number of sophisticated pros—including trading firms with access to vast streams of data—eat their lunch, according to a Journal analysis of platform data and interviews with traders.
On Polymarket, the Journal found, 67% of profits go to just 0.1% of accounts. That means less than 2,000 accounts netted a total of nearly half a billion dollars. . . .
Computers use the data and algorithms to predict price movements and manage risk, faster than any human. The pros also make use of their scale to make frequent, strategic trades—sometimes tens of thousands a day—and book profits on incremental moves, with a measure of attention and discipline rarely seen in recreational users.
Casual traders “have no chance. Systematically,” said Michael Boss, a former professional poker player and a statistician by training. On Kalshi, Boss places 60 trades a minute and modifies his bids and asks 30 times a second.
I’m not sure there is a regulatory fix for this, tbh?
I am open to the idea that prediction markets could, somehow, morph into something that creates value. The modern insurance industry sprung up from a bunch of guys in London betting on which merchant ships would make it home and which would be lost at sea.
So maybe there’s a world in which prediction markets become a new way to hedge against losses.
How would that work? Just spitballing here: You own a farm that is dependent on getting at least X inches of rain per year. You bet some amount on getting < X inches as a way of hedging potential crop losses.
Given enough regulation maybe prediction markets could turn into something like crowd-sourced alternative insurance vehicles?
But it would take a lot of regulation.⁴
As for the sports betting (which is most of what prediction markets actually do right now)—nuke it from orbit.⁵ This stuff is just one more way in which big business preys on the public and creates social calamity that the rest of us pay to clean up.
Leave a comment3. Writing
David Epstein has a new book out about how limits and structure help creativity and I cannot tell you how vehemently I agree with his thesis. I’m going to do an entire newsletter on the subject if we are ever blessed with a slow news day. In the run-up to pub day, he did an interview with Isabel Allende which is very much worth your time. Here’s Allende talking about how she structures her writing time:
“You need your space, and that ‘room of one’s own,’ as Virginia Woolf put it. That room is also your time, your space, your silence—that has to be sacred. I need to close the door to my office when I finish for the day, and no one should get in. I have the idea in my mind that the story is an entity that lives in that room, with the characters, the emotions that I have been putting together. And when I come back the next day, I open the door; it’s waiting for me, intact. I don’t want anybody to go in and vacuum, or use my computer. That would kill me if somebody used my computer!
When I finally close the computer for the day, I look at my desk and put things in piles, and I usually have a candle on, because for me the candle reminds me that I am in the process of writing—not because there’s anything magic about it. And then I blow out my candle—that ends the day. And I look around to see that everything is organized, and I leave. I’m incredibly organized, because that’s part of my structure. When I walk into my office, it looks like a lab. It’s impeccable. And when I leave, it’s impeccable. I never leave a messed-up place, because when I come back, if everything is disorganized, I feel the story isn’t there for me.
Writing is pretty much like training for sports. You train and train and train to be able to play the game. And nobody cares how much you’ve trained. Nobody cares about the effort. What matters is the performance at the end, the result. Sometimes I research a whole book for one sentence, but that’s part of the job, part of the training, so that the performance will be impeccable. Nothing comes out of thin air. But once I have my hands on the keyboard, and I start creating, then things start to happen immediately, almost immediately. But I need to get to that point. I spend hours and hours alone and in silence. Without the silence and the structure, I wouldn’t be able to do it.”
Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate in Maine for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Republican Susan Collins. He has said that some of the things that he did in his youth, such as getting a controversial tatoo since removed, were dumb and offensive.
Mike Lux via Substack, What Maine — and every other thing happening in politics right now —teaches us, Mike Lux, May 4, 2026. I am more than a little bemused by the punditry’s reaction to Governor Mills deciding to drop out of the Senate race.
An incumbent Governor backed by Chuck Schumer couldn’t compete with an outsider populist? Shocking! Stunning! Mind blowing! Unless you looked at pretty much every other thing happening in politics right now. There are some clues that DC pundits might want to take note of.
Take a look at the current state of Senate primaries where Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has played a role. I list the following facts not to beat up on Schumer, but to make a point: voters are not in a mood to be told what to do by the Democratic leadership in Washington, DC. In Michigan, the primary candidate backed by Schumer, Haley Stevens, is trailing not one but two populist anti-establishment candidates.
In Texas, the candidate backed by Schumer, Colin Allred, who lost badly to Ted Cruz in 2024, was recruited to run again, and ended up pulling out because two outsider candidates were beating him badly. In the end the least known candidate at the start of the race, James Talerico, won.
In Iowa, the candidate recruited by Schumer, Josh Turek, has been trailing the populist running against him, Zach Wahls, by a huge margin. Vote Vets, a group aligned with Senate democrats, just raised $5,000,000 to try and save Turek’s candidacy, but I suspect it won’t work. And in Minnesota, Schumer’s preferred candidate Angie Craig has been trailing Lt Governor Peggy Flanagan.
Take a look at the recent history of how elections have gone in this country.
With the exception of the 2012 re-election of Obama, who beat Mitt Romney by running a populist campaign exploiting Mitt’s background as the CEO of a private equity firm, every election in the last 20 years has resulted in the party in power losing either the presidency or control of either the House, the Senate, or both.
In 2006, President Bush’s party lost both the House and Senate. In 2008, the Democratic establishment frontrunner (Hillary Clinton) lost the primary, and then the young upstart that beat her won the general election. In 2010, Obama’s party lost 63 seats in the House and 6 in the Senate. Bain Capital saved us in 2012, but then Democrats got hammered in 2014. Clinton got shocked by Trump in 2016. Dems proceeded to win 40 seats in the House in 2018, and then beat Trump and his party in 2020, winning a trifecta. In 2022, Dems stemmed the expected red tide, but still lost the House, and in 2024 that red tide came to shore.
Finally, take a look at current polling trends. Trump is way, way, way underwater, as one would expect a president this disastrous to be. Not surprisingly given that fact, Democrats are leading in the generic Congressional ballot. But Democrats as a party are not much more popular than Trump.
Why is that? Two reasons. One is that Democratic voters (and the Independents who usually vote Democratic) themselves are not enthusiastic about what they perceive the party is these days. Democratic leaders in DC are not popular with Democratic voters. The other is that working class swing voters don’t like either political party’s establishment.
This is not a left-right thing: big numbers of voters really don’t like either party. That is true with working class swing voters, with voters who voted for Democrats in 2020 but didn’t vote in 2024, with fervent Democrats who don’t get why we aren’t fighting back harder against Trump. What all three of those crucial blocs of voters share is they don’t like either Trump or the Democratic Party leadership.
What they do like is candidates and elected officials who will fight the powers that be—greedy corporations, powerful billionaires, party leaders—in order to deliver for them on the issues they care the most about. They want politicians who will fight like hell for higher wages, lower costs, and taking on greedy corporations who are constantly screwing people.
If Democrats give them fighters like that, people will vote for them every time they are on the ballot.
One final thought: candidates who do not feel like they were born and bred to be politicians, candidates who don’t sound like everything coming out of their mouths was poll tested, are a lot more likely to be forgiven for their flaws than the establishment candidates served up by, well, the party establishment.
Going back to Maine, what Graham Platner said and did in his youth was dumb and offensive, but voters know they did a lot of dumb and offensive stuff when they were young, too—especially coming out of a trauma like war. That is why the millions of dollars of attack ads from the Mills campaign had no impact at all. When people see candidates like Platner and Dan Osborn, they think: those people’s lives are a lot like mine, maybe they will actually fight for me.
Scott MacFarlane, DAY AHEAD Daily Editorial Note, Scott MacFarlane, right, 
May 4, 2026. Inside the U.S. Department of Justice, this will be a day of the good, bad and ugly.
Looks like there will be a 12pm hearing today in the case of Cole Tomas Allen, the California man arrested at the White House Correspondents Dinner last month. Allen was seeking an emergency hearing today to ask for a judge to intervene to remove him from the “suicide precautions” cell at the Washington, D.C. jail, where he’d being held pending rial. (the “suicide precautions” cell is uniquely rough: Padded walls, 24-hour lighting, a “strait-jacket” vest and severely limited access to anything outside the cell)
A judge wants to learn more about why Allen is being treated as such by the jail in Washington, D.C. Either way… the case is expected to expand this week.
The “Good”
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro argued Sunday how “good” a case this is for the Justice Department. Pirro said the evidence is abundant against Allen. Pirro told CNN, “”A pellet that came from the buckshot - from the defendant’s Mossberg pump action shotgun - was intertwined with the fiber of the vest of the secret service officer. So it’s definitively his bullet.”
A grand jury will convene Friday at the Washington, D.C. federal courthouse, according to Pirro. Pirro said her prosecutors will seek an indictment against Allen from the grand jury, potentially adding new charges and more detail.
Note this exchange between Jake Tapper and Pirro about Allen’s alleged manifesto – and its reference to “pedophile” and “rapist.”
The “Bad”
More and more people are dunking on the Justice Department’s case against James Comey in North Carolina. Yup – the Seashell “8647” case.
Back to CNN: Here’s Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) calling the case a loser and “vindictive.”
There will be a preliminary hearing at the federal courthouse in Greenville, NC on May 11, per the latest update from the court. Yes, Comey will have to be there. Yes, there will likely be fingerprinting and a booking photo.
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche, right, defended the case under questioning over the weekend, emphasizing that this was some type of lengthy investigation. (10-11 months long)
Blanche also supported the case, by arguing it was a grand jury who saw fit to indict Comey. But – let me be very clear – Blanche and Trump have alleged that the Jan 6 cases and the Trump criminal cases were “weaponized” and political….. even though grand juries saw fit to indict in those cases.
How about all the people who sold “86-46” merchandise? How about everybody else who’s uttered “86-47”? Where are those charges?
There is a grave risk that the Trump Administration looks petty and looks to be unfocused at a time of war and real crisis. How many people in America view this as a “bad” priority?
The “ugly”
My latest enterprise report overnight so shows an ugly crisis that’s building inside the Trump Administration’s Justice Department.
MY ENTERPRISE REPORT: The number of attorneys who have left the agency since January has topped 3,400. That’s …. bonkers. And it’s “ugly.” And former prosecutors said it’s largely the consequence of a politicized and unstable agency.
A February 19th court filing in New Orleans, in an obscure civil lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, a Justice Department attorney revealed a big problem. The attorney asked for a one-month delay in the case. She wrote, “The Appellate Section has lost over 40% of its attorneys since February 2025, due to retirement, resignation, or temporary transfer. Therefore, at this time, it is not possible for me to assign this case to yet another attorney, who would need to devote time to learning the issues.”
Former federal prosecutor Mike Romano told me this exodus risks giving lots more leverage to criminal defendants, including mobsters, drug traffickers and child pornographers.
Romano said, “One way (Justice Department) attorneys might try to get out of the work overload is to make deals or plea offers that they wouldn’t otherwise make. They will try to wrap cases up.”
Stacey Young, a former Justice Department official who resigned in January 2025 after an 18-year career at the agency, said some of the departures were the result of Trump Upgrade to paid
As for Trump himself today, he has only one public event: a 3pm small business event in the East Room. Small businesses have no shortage of concerns right now, especially amid the economic crises triggered by the war.
According to a report this morning from the Associated Press, “The United States will launch an effort today to ‘guide’ stranded ships from the Iran-gripped Strait of Hormuz, President Trump said, as two ships around the strait reported attacks. Trump gave few details about what could be a sweeping attempt to help hundreds of vessels and some 20,000 seafarers. Iran quickly denounced the move as a ceasefire violation.”
Other news threads today:
1) After last week’s historic Supreme Court ruling on minority-majority Congressional districts, there are many southern states to monitor for immediate attempts to leverage the ruling and eliminate districts for Black members of Congress. Mississippi included.
As the headline in the Hattiesburg newspaper says, Democrats pledge they’ll not allow the state to return to its 1964 status. But as the last paragraph of that front page clip says… they have little power to stop a redraw.
The problem for Republicans: The primaries have already been completed. As Mississippi Today reports this morning, “Erasing primary results would be unprecedented, and it’s unclear if that action would survive a legal challenge. It’s also unclear if Mississippi’s three incumbent Republican congressmen would be on board with having to run again in new primaries, a costly endeavor. Also, further gerrymandering in the state with the highest Black population might backfire on Republicans and make Democrats more competitive.”
Watch out for Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana this week too.
U.S. Governance, Elections, Politics
Democracy Docket, Trump demands states cancel elections and rig maps for GOP, Staff report, May 4, 2026. Redistricting efforts rage on as GOP rushes to undermine will of voters and snuff out Black political power.
Florida: Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) today signed a new GOP-drawn map that could give Republicans four extra seats in Congress. Voters have already sued to block it.
Alabama: Alabama is preparing to eliminate majority-Black districts while moving forward with an election it may later have to annul. Its special session to redraw started today, even though the state currently has a court-ordered map in place until 2030.
Tennessee: Starting tomorrow, a special session will begin to eliminate the state’s one remaining Democratic stronghold in Memphis.
Louisiana: The state halted an active election to get rid of Black-majority districts, but Democrats are fighting back. Also, civil rights groups said this legal principle prevents Louisiana from suspending elections when votes have already been cast.
South Carolina: Despite GOP pressure for a special session, today Gov. Henry McMaster’s (R) office said he won’t be calling one, the Post and Courier reported.
Virginia: We are waiting for the Virginia Supreme Court to determine whether a Democratic-backed redistricting plan — approved by voters last month — will go into effect. The State Board of Elections is currently blocked from certifying the referendum pending further instruction from the state's highest court. The board is required by law to certify the results by May 5.
New York: House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) announced today a new initiative to explore redrawing the state’s congressional districts.
New Jersey: Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) is also considering redistricting to combat Republicans. “If Trump is going to attack fair voting, then New Jersey is going to stand up so that we can create a counterbalance,” Sherrill said.
New York Times, Trump Backed Forced Treatment for Homeless People. Utah Shows the Challenges, Jason DeParle, May 4, 2026. State lawmakers declined to back a Trump-inspired plan to move 1,300 homeless people to a campus on the edge of Salt Lake City, but supporters are trying to keep the plan’s spirit alive.
A Utah proposal to move 1,300 homeless people to a campus on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, many to face forced treatment for addiction or mental illness, has been set aside amid fears about costs, civil liberties and inadequate planning for a site that critics called a detention camp.
On the surface the plan’s demise is a setback for the Republican governor, Spencer Cox, as well as for President Trump, who campaigned on a similar plan and exhorted states to follow his lead.
But even as the state’s Republican-led legislature adjourned this spring without giving the plan a vote, lawmakers gave Mr. Cox significant new money and discretion to provide the services he wanted at the campus, including programs that emphasize or compel treatment.
The closely watched effort advances the conservative goal of promoting treatment over housing aid, and the campus could yet re-emerge.
“We’re still moving in the same direction to make sure we’re providing appropriate treatment,” said Tyler Clancy, the state’s new homelessness coordinator. He added that “the governor has always said it’s not compassionate to leave people on the street to die.”
The zigzagging story of the Utah campus shows the uncertainty in homelessness policy as Republicans assail the status quo but struggle to design and pay for a system to replace it.
Seeking Rents via Florida in Five, Commentary: Out of touch in Tallahassee, Jason Garcia, May 4, 2026. There was a certain irony last week when Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature briefly reassembled in Tallahassee to redraw the state’s Congressional districts and give the GOP an even greater advantage going into the 2026 midterm elections.
It was a two-day special session devoted almost exclusively to gerrymandering. And it was itself the result of gerrymandering — an insidious form of election manipulation that leads to elected officials who are often out of touch with, and sometimes outright hostile to, the vast majority of constituents they are supposed to represent.
The new Congressional maps — designed to give the Republican Party control of 24 of Florida’s 28 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, up from the 20 that the GOP holds right now — were drawn in open defiance of anti-gerrymandering rules in the state Constitution known as the “Fair Districts” amendments.
Florida Republican leaders made little secret of the fact that they were violating the Fair Districts rules, which, among other things, forbid lawmakers from designing legislative or Congressional districts that are intended to favor one political party over another.
An aide to Gov. Ron DeSantis — who claimed to have personally drawn the map that the Legislature immediately approved — told lawmakers that he used partisan election performance data when choosing the boundary lines. An attorney hired by the Governor’s Office assured legislators that they need not abide by the anti-gerrymandering rules at all.
The intentional disobedience is designed to trigger a legal challenge that a Republican-appointed court could then use to essentially erase the “Fair Districts” amendments by decreeing them unconstitutional under the U.S. Constitution.
This is, of course, completely at odds with what mainstream Floridians want. The Fair Districts amendments were added to the Florida Constitution in 2010 as the result of a bipartisan petition drive and a pair of ballot measures that ultimately passed with nearly 63 percent of the vote.U.S. Law, Courts, Crime, Justice
New York Times, Rudy Giuliani Is in ‘Critical Condition’ in Florida Hospital, Jonah E. Bromwich, May 4, 2026 (print ed.). A spokesman for the former mayor of New York City said Mr. Giuliani was critical but stable.
Rudolph W. Giuliani, right, the former mayor of New York City, is in a Florida hospital in critical condition, his spokesman said Sunday.
The spokesman, Ted Goodman, would not specify which hospital and said that the former mayor “remains in critical but stable condition.”
“Mayor Giuliani is a fighter who has faced every challenge in his life with unwavering strength, and he’s fighting with that same level of strength as we speak,” he said, before asking “that you join us in prayer” for the former mayor.
It is unclear when Mr. Giuliani, 81, was taken to the hospital.
President Trump, in a post on Truth Social, called Mr. Giuliani a “True Warrior, and the Best Mayor in the History of New York City, BY FAR.”
He used the occasion to again advance his false claim that Democrats “cheated” in the 2020 election.
More On Iran War
Semafor, Iran’s hardline regime appears more entrenched than ever, prompting fears that any window for political liberalization in the country is now closed, Staff Reports, May 4, 2026. Though US President Donald Trump had vowed to replace Tehran’s rulers at the start of his war in the country, those promises have quieted as Washington seeks an off-ramp from what is increasingly a military quagmire.
Thousands of political dissidents across Iran are believed to have been arrested during the war, while executions have surged to their highest level in 30 years. Many fear Tehran is in a vengeful mood after anti-regime protests following the killing of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the outset of the conflict. “I think we’re living on borrowed time,” one dissident told the
PoliticusUSA, Trump's Iran Blockade Fails As President Without A Plan Recycles Old Threats, Jason Easley, May 4, 2026. Trump's Iran Blockade Fails As President Without A Plan Recycles Old ThreatsThe Iran war ceasefire appears to be over as the blockade that Trump is calling one of the greatest military maneuvers in history has failed, and the president is repeating old threats.
One of the points of governing that Donald Trump has never grasped is that threats are not a form of policy. Trump’s Iran war has been characterized by the presidents and making threats to drop more bombs. Iran has responded to these threats by ignoring or mocking them.
Threats are only effective if they are taken seriously. Trump has been threatening for months, but he never follows through, so Iran doesn’t seem to believe him.
After bombing didn’t force Iran to surrender, and the Iranians responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz, Trump responded with a blockade of the Strait that he said as designed to force the Iranians to the negotiating table, because they would run out of storage capacity for their oil, and be forced to shut down production.
Javier Blas, a columnist at Bloomberg posted on X, that Trump’s new efforts to reopen the Strait are an admission that the blockade failed:
The push to re-open the Strait of Hormuz today, with two US warship crossing it and two US-flagged merchant vessels, signals the White House realises it can not keep waiting for the blockade to force Iran into the negotiation table.
Effectively, it's an admission the blockade isn't working (if the blockade is seen as a means to get Iranian concessions, rather than an end in itself). The timeline of what the blockade would do to the Iranian oil industry was completely wrong.
The blockade was intended to instill urgency in Iran to end the war by making it face the same pressures that the Trump administration had imposed, but since it didn’t work, Trump is returning to threatening Iran.
With no strategy or plan, Trump returned to making threats against Iran, and he turned to the friendly and unquestioning platform of Fox News to deliver his message.
Meidas Touch Network,Today in Politics, Bulletin 363, Ron Filipkowski, May 4, 2026. Iran ended the ceasefire in the region with preemptive strikes today against at least one US vessel, commercial ships in the gulf, and attacked neighboring countries. Trump reacted angrily first on Truth Social, then to Fox, then to reporters on his way to the WH, threatening to wipe Iran off the face of the earth in response.
… Bloomberg: “UAE says intercepted missiles and drones launched against the country - the first attack since a ceasefire between the US and Iran took hold about a month ago. The attack caused a fire in Fujairah, the end point of the pipeline the UAE uses to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.”
… Reuters: “Authorities in the UAE’s Fujairah said that a fire broke out at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone following what they described as a drone attack originating from Iran. Civil defense teams were deployed immediately to contain the blaze.”
… UAE’s Ministry of Defense: “UAE air defenses engaged 12 ballistic missiles, 3 cruise missiles, and 4 drones. UAE air defenses engaged 12 ballistic missiles, 3 cruise missiles, and 4 drones originating from Iran, resulting in 3 moderate injuries. Since the start of Iran's brazen attacks on the UAE, air defenses have engaged 549 ballistic missiles, 29 cruise missiles, and 2,260 drones. This brings the total number of injuries to 227 cases, from multiple nationalities.”
… WaPo: “In a call with reporters just now, Adm. Brad Cooper of CENTCOM says Iran has opened fire on US warships and commercial vessels today, but declines to say whether the ceasefire between the US and Iran is over. US forces returned fire and destroyed some Iranian small boats.”
… Oman News Agency: “A security source has reported that a residential building housing company employees in Tibat area of the Wilayat of Bukha was targeted in an attack, resulting in moderate injuries to 2 expatriates, damage to 4 vehicles and the shattering of windows in a neighboring house.”
… CNN: Sources said a resumption of US-Israeli strikes against targets inside Iran are expected within the next day. This follows Iranian strikes on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against the UAE’s primary oil export infrastructure in Fujairah.
… Senior US official to Axios: “Trump was fed up with the ‘no deal, no war’ stalemate in Iran. The president wants action. He doesn’t want to sit still. He wants pressure. He wants a deal.” A source close to the president described this as the “beginning of a process that could lead to a confrontation with the Iranians.”
… Trita Parsi with the Quincy Institute: “Iranian analyst tells me that Tehran’s warning shots at US warships and the strikes on the UAE reveal Iran’s new posture: If Trump plans to restart the war, Iran will not wait for Trump to do so before it retaliates. It will strike preemptively in a measured way to deter Trump.”
… Hamidreza Azizi, Middle East expert for SWP Berlin: “Iran’’s announcement of an expanded control envelope in the Strait of Hormuz - coupled with strikes on oil facilities in Fujairah and strikes on oil tankers - points to a deliberate escalation toward the UAE’s oil export bypass routes.”
… “The objective is to keep alternative export channels at risk, sustain elevated oil prices, and block any perception of normalization. In other words, the message is that Trump’s mission in the strait will not be cost-free. Instead, it will generate greater complexity and sustained pressure on the energy market.”
… Fox report: “Trump said if the Iranians try to target US ships in the area, they will be blown off the face of the earth.”
… Trump to reporters: “Iran has been given only 24 hours. After that, the world may witness one of the most devastating air strikes ever seen.”
PoliticusUSA, Opinion: Trump's Iran Blockade Fails As President Without A Plan Recycles Old Threats, Jason Easley, May 4, 2026. The Iran war ceasefire appears to be over as the blockade that Trump is calling one of the greatest military maneuvers in history has failed, and the president is repeating old threats.
One of the points of governing that Donald Trump has never grasped is that threats are not a form of policy. Trump’s Iran war has been characterized by the presidents and making threats to drop more bombs. Iran has responded to these threats by ignoring or mocking them.
Threats are only effective if they are taken seriously. Trump has been threatening for months, but he never follows through, so Iran doesn’t seem to believe him.
After bombing didn’t force Iran to surrender, and the Iranians responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz, Trump responded with a blockade of the Strait that he said as designed to force the Iranians to the negotiating table, because they would run out of storage capacity for their oil, and be forced to shut down production.
Javier Blas, a columnist at Bloomberg posted on X, that Trump’s new efforts to reopen the Strait are an admission that the blockade failed:
The push to re-open the Strait of Hormuz today, with two US warship crossing it and two US-flagged merchant vessels, signals the White House realises it can not keep waiting for the blockade to force Iran into the negotiation table.
Effectively, it's an admission the blockade isn't working (if the blockade is seen as a means to get Iranian concessions, rather than an end in itself). The timeline of what the blockade would do to the Iranian oil industry was completely wrong.
The blockade was intended to instill urgency in Iran to end the war by making it face the same pressures that the Trump administration had imposed, but since it didn’t work, Trump is returning to threatening Iran.
With no strategy or plan, Trump returned to making threats against Iran, and he turned to the friendly and unquestioning platform of Fox News to deliver his message.
Remember, this was a project implemented by the Americans overnight to assist the hundreds of vessels that are currently trapped in the Persian Gulf. We're talking about more than 20,000 sailors, and the president told Fox he's doing this for humanity. Some of these sailors were running out of food and supplies on these vessels due to the Iranian threats that are ongoing in this area.
And again, the president's saying that if US ships in the region are targeted, the Iranians will be blown off the face of the earth.
Now, I also asked President Trump about the possibility of negotiations with Iran succeeding. He said the Iranians are being far more malleable than they were being in the past, showing flexibility given the US pressure that continues as part of the American blockade of Iranian ports.
President Trump called that blockade the greatest military maneuver in history. As it relates to the combat preparations that continue across the region, President Trump understands there are two paths here. The Iranians either make a good faith deal or ultimately combat operations could resume.
Trump started a war, but has put himself in a defensive position where he is reacting to the Iranians.
The Iran war might go down as the most presidentially bungled military operation in US history. Two-thirds of Americans oppose this war. An economy that Trump already harmed is sinking even further.
There seems to be no plan. It is one desperate move after another in the hope that something works.
New York Times, News Analysis: China Seeks an Advantage With Both Trump and Iran as War Evolves, Edward Wong, With President Trump’s visit to Beijing looming, China is pushing Iran to negotiate even as its companies export material that could be used by Iran’s military.
As President Trump tries to sort out his next steps on the Iran war, China is taking its own actions to ensure that it benefits from whatever outcome eventually emerges.
China is prodding Iranian officials to negotiate with the United States, while also quietly allowing its companies to give Iran commercial support that could help Iran’s military if Mr. Trump dives back into a full-blown war.
The Chinese government has not taken a strong position on the war. It has multiple goals and acts with caution, so it is hedging, officials and analysts say.
The war will no doubt be an important issue in talks between Mr. Trump and Xi Jinping, China’s leader, when they meet in Beijing for a two-day summit scheduled to start May 14.
On the one hand, having the United States bogged down in yet another war in the Middle East is advantageous to China. The U.S. military has quickly expended an enormous amount of munitions, depleting stockpiles that would be critical in any future conflict with China. And the war diverts the Trump administration’s attention from Asia.
But China also sees a benefit to trying to help end the war, which Mr. Trump and Israel started more than two months ago. Early in the war, Iran’s military effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to most ships while allowing vessels carrying Iranian oil to cross, including ones bound for China. But the Chinese economy has still been hurt by surging global energy prices, and the country is also feeling an impact from a U.S. naval blockade that prevents some ships from leaving Iran’s ports.
“Although some observe that Beijing might favor a prolonged war in Iran, the policy discourse in Beijing in fact favors de-escalation,” said Yun Sun, a scholar of China at the Stimson Center, a foreign affairs research group in Washington.
New York Times, Oil Jumps as Iran Resists Trump’s Offer to Help Ships Through Strait of Hormuz, Updated May 4, 2026. The price of Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, rose over 4 percent on Monday to about $113 a barrel.
Oil prices jumped on Monday and stocks turned lower in volatile trading as investors reacted to the continued uncertainty over the near-total shutdown of ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
On Sunday, President Trump said on social media that, beginning Monday morning, the United States would “use best efforts” to get ships out of the strait that were not involved in the conflict. Mr. Trump offered scant details about how the process would unfold. The U.S. Central Command indicated that the American role would involve coordinating safe traffic among the stranded ships.
But Iran pushed back on Monday, issuing threats to American warships and any commercial vessels that might try to move through the strait.
Letters from an American, Historical Commentary: May 3, 2026 [Trump's doctored Reflecting Pool photo], Heather Cox Richardson, right, May 4, 2026. Late on Friday night, President Donald J. Trump took to social media. At 11:03 he posted an AI-generated image of himself, alongside Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, all shirtless, along with an unidentifiable woman in a bikini, appearing to be relaxing in a swimming pool. But the “swimming pool” was the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
It was some 43 minutes.
The president appeared to have been triggered by graffiti that appeared in the reflecting pool Friday morning: “86 47” spray-painted across it in a message that was about 15 feet by 30 feet.
The message was double edged. To “86” something in slang means to get rid of it, and Trump is the 47th president. But the phrase has taken on a second meaning since April 28, when the Department of Justice under Trump launched a criminal case against former director of the FBI James Comey for posting a picture of seashells spelling out “86 47” on Instagram a year ago. But “86 47”—and, for that matter, “86 46”—is such a common meme that there are a wide variety of shirts and hats for sale with those letters on Amazon today, prompting the host of NBC’s Meet the Press, Kristen Welker, to ask Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche if other people who shared that meme would also face charges. He said no and suggested that there was other evidence in Comey’s case, although he did not explain what that was and the indictment only talks about the seashell post.
As Trump’s popularity has sunk to new lows, he has renewed his efforts to remake Washington, D.C., into a monument to himself, almost as if he is trying to anticipate history by making future Americans think that he must have been great because of all the tributes to him in the capital. Part of that effort has been his decision to paint the reflecting pool bright blue, like a swimming pool, at a cost of about $2 million in taxpayer money.
Yesterday, Rick Maese and Dan Diamond of the Washington Post reported that one of Trump’s top fundraisers is collecting money to turn the heavily used, low-cost East Potomac Golf Links on the Washington, D.C., waterfront, one of three D.C. public golf courses the administration is taking over, into a championship golf course and to establish Trump’s National Garden of American Heroes nearby. That imagined sculpture park will feature about 250 Americans Trump believes are significant to our history.
The plans have not yet been made public, nor have they been approved by Congress or gone through the federal review process. The new golf course would erase the area’s public bike paths and open recreational space. Spokesperson Davis Ingle said: “President Trump continues to beautify and honor our Nation’s Capital during America’s historic semiquincentennial celebration.”
The Trump administration planned to take control of the East Potomac Golf Links today, shutting it down for the renovation. Today, Democracy Forward, a watchdog group, asked a judge to stop the administration from going ahead with plans that would shut down the course.
Trump’s alterations to the capital seem to be a welcome distraction for the real estate developer from the crises around him. His claim that he has “all the cards” appears to be a boast about his dealings with Iran, but that is a wildly optimistic version of events.
On Thursday, Iranian officials sent a 14-point offer for a resolution to the war to mediators from Pakistan. An Iranian official said that Iran hopes to end the war and resolve questions around the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports now and deal with Iran’s nuclear program later.
On Friday, Trump said he was “not satisfied” with Iran’s offer but did not say why he disapproved. Then, at 6:47 yesterday evening, he posted: “I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but can’t imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years.”
And yet, Iran said today it had received a response to its offer from the U.S. and is reviewing it.
The Trump administration continues to look for a way to open the Strait of Hormuz. Today Trump announced that on Monday the U.S. will launch “Project Freedom,” an effort to escort stranded merchant ships through the strait. U.S. Central Command said tonight that Project Freedom will include “guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members.” Iran has said the use of U.S. Navy ships for the escort would be a violation of the ceasefire; it is not clear if Navy ships will participate.
As Barak Ravid of Axios notes, Trump says the attempt is “humanitarian”—ships stuck from the strait’s closure are running low on supplies and are facing sanitation problems—but it’s clear the administration is trying to challenge Iran’s control of the strait. It is also worth noting that Trump often makes announcements that appear designed to move the market, and the price of oil dropped after the announcement of Project Freedom.
As Chandelis Duster of NPR reported today, gas prices jumped more than thirty cents a gallon last week. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), regular gas averages $4.446 a gallon. Two days before the Iran war began, the average price per gallon was $2.98.
Last week, German chancellor Friedrich Merz said that “[t]he Americans obviously have no strategy” and suggested that Iranian officials were outwitting the Trump administration, saying the U.S. was “being humiliated by the Iranian leadership.” Trump didn’t take that comment well, posting screeds attacking Merz repeatedly and claiming, “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”
On Wednesday, Trump talked to Russia’s president Vladimir Putin for an hour and a half—the twelfth phone call between the two leaders since Trump took office a second time—and just hours later posted about removing U.S. troops from Germany. Putin has wanted to weaken the U.S. commitment to Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for a long time. As Jack Detsch, Paul McLeary, and Stefanie Bolzen of Politico note, European officials worry that Putin is making plans to attack a NATO country.
On Thursday, Trump suggested to reporters that he might also pull troops out of Spain and Italy, “Why shouldn’t I?” he said. “Italy has not been of any help to us. And Spain has been horrible. Absolutely horrible.”
On Friday the Defense Department said it was pulling 5,000 troops from Germany and was cancelling a plan formulated under the Biden administration to put an artillery unit equipped with missiles in Europe. The U.S. had increased its European presence after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. These moves will take U.S. forces back to where they were before the invasion. As scholar of authoritarianism Timothy Snyder wrote: “You can apply lots of normalizing frameworks or you can just make a timeline of his calls with Putin. We don’t have a sovereign foreign policy. We have superpower suicide.”
Julian E. Barnes, Helene Cooper, and Megan Mineiro of the New York Times reported that senior defense officials wanted the force reduction to be understood as a punishment for Germany after Merz’s comment. In fact, U.S. bases in Germany are staging areas for U.S. operations in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.
The Politico journalists report that defense officials were “stunned” by the announcement, and on Saturday the chairs of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), declared they were “very concerned by the decision to withdraw a U.S. brigade from Germany.” They noted that “any significant change to the U.S. force posture in Europe warrants a deliberate review process and close coordination with Congress and our allies. We expect the Department to engage with its oversight committees in the days and weeks ahead on this decision and its implications for U.S. deterrence and transatlantic security.”
And yet Trump is clearly worried about the upcoming midterm election, especially after Democratic-backed Quentin Wiltz yesterday flipped a seat in the Houston suburb of Pearland, Texas, that had been a reliable Republican stronghold.
After his Friday post calling Jeffries a “thug,” Trump posted yesterday that Democrats had “RIGGED the 2020 Presidential Election. GET TOUGH REPUBLICANS—THEY’RE COMING, AND THEY’RE COMING FAST! They’re no good for our Country, they almost destroyed it, and we don’t want to let that happen again!” He demanded Republicans “approve all of the necessary Safeguards we need for Elections to protect the American Public during the upcoming Midterms.”
Tonight, again, he posted that Jeffries was “a Low IQ individual” and called for his impeachment, although neither senators nor representatives can be impeached. His post went on to say more about his own fears than about Jeffries.
“I got impeached for A PERFECT PHONE CALL,” Trump wrote. “Where are you Republicans? Why not get it started? They’ll be doing this to me!”
More On U.S. Military, Foreign Affairs
New York Times, White House Considers Vetting A.I. Models Before They Are Released, Tripp Mickle, Julian E. Barnes, Sheera Frenkel and Dustin Volz, .May 4, 2026. The Trump administration, which took a noninterventionist approach to artificial intelligence, is now discussing imposing oversight on A.I. models before they are made publicly available.
President Trump, who promoted a hands-off approach to artificial intelligence and gave Silicon Valley free rein to roll out the technology, is considering the introduction of government oversight over new A.I. models, according to U.S. officials and people briefed on the deliberations.
The administration is discussing an executive order to create an A.I. working group that would bring together tech executives and government officials to examine potential oversight procedures, according to U.S. officials, who declined to be identified in order to discuss deliberations over sensitive policies. Among the potential plans is a formal government review process for new A.I. models.
In meetings last week, White House officials told executives from Anthropic, Google and OpenAI about some of those plans, people briefed on the conversations said.
The working group is likely to consider a number of oversight approaches, officials said. But a review process could be similar to one being developed in Britain, which has assigned several government bodies to ensure that A.I. models meet certain safety standards, people in the tech industry and the administration said.
The discussions signal a stark reversal in the Trump administration’s approach to A.I. Since returning to office last year, Mr. Trump has been a major booster of the technology, which he has said is vital to winning the geopolitical contest against China. Among other moves, he swiftly rolled back a Biden administration regulatory process that asked A.I. developers to perform safety evaluations and report on A.I. models with potential military applications.
“We’re going to make this industry absolutely the top, because right now it’s a beautiful baby that’s born,” Mr. Trump said of A.I. at an event in July. “We have to grow that baby and let that baby thrive. We can’t stop it. We can’t stop it with politics. We can’t stop it with foolish rules and even stupid rules.”
Mr. Trump left room for some rules, but he added that “they have to be more brilliant than even the technology itself.”
That noninterventionist policy began changing last month after the start-up Anthropic announced a new A.I. model called Mythos. Mythos is so powerful at identifying security vulnerabilities in software that it could lead to a cybersecurity “reckoning,” said Anthropic, which declined to release the model to the public.
The White House wants to avoid any political repercussions if a devastating A.I.-enabled cyberattack were to occur, people in the tech industry and the administration said. The administration is also evaluating whether new A.I. models could yield cyber-capabilities that could be useful to the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies, they said. To get ahead of models like Mythos, some officials are pushing for a review system that would give the government first access to A.I. models, but that would not block their release, people briefed on the talks said.
New York Times, The U.S. Army’s ‘Big Experiment’ in the Arctic Cold, Greg Jaffe, Visuals by Kenny Holston, May 4, 2026. How would soldiers from places like Florida, Texas and Georgia fight and persevere in temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees?
The soldiers heaved the 300-pound plastic sleds down the hallway of their headquarters building. Packed inside were the things they would need to survive when the temperature at their Alaska training area plunged to 40 below or colder.
Each sled carried a tent with enough room for 10 troops if they curled their legs. There were gasoline containers to fuel a small metal stove that would keep them warm. There were shovels to clear the snow and hammers, stakes and rope to keep their tents standing when the winds howled.
There were fire extinguishers in case the whole thing caught ablaze.
“Make room!” the soldiers screamed.
The white sleds screeched across the linoleum floor.
In Washington and other world capitals, the Arctic is cast as a new frontier for military competition, a region where rising temperatures are opening new sea lanes and creating new access to valuable rare earth minerals. Pentagon strategy papers have repeatedly called for closer cooperation with Arctic allies and the construction of new bases to ward off rivals like Russia and China. President Trump has expressed his interest in more atavistic terms, vowing to buy or, if necessary, conquer Greenland by force.
“I would like to make a deal the easy way,” Mr. Trump said earlier this year of his ambitions for the semiautonomous Danish territory. “But if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.”
Absent from all of the strategy documents and Oval Office threats is any sense of how U.S. troops might fight in the brutal conditions.
In February, the Iran war was looming and tens of thousands of U.S. troops were gathering in the Middle East, the region that has been the Pentagon’s focus for the last 25 years. But in Alaska, the Army was preparing for a new kind of war.
The setting was the Yukon Training Center, a 400-mile expanse of snow and ice near Fairbanks and the Arctic Circle.
At minus 40 degrees and below, weapons fail, batteries quickly lose their charge, and fuel turns into a viscous jelly. Army officials wanted to learn how their equipment would perform in the extreme cold.
But their biggest questions were about the soldiers who came from places like Alabama, Texas, Florida and California. How far could these troops go before exhaustion set in and they started to lose focus, make mistakes or simply quit?
About 4,000 soldiers from the Army’s 11th Airborne Division, including 107 from the division’s Able Company, were taking part in the training battle, which pitted two similarly sized forces against each other.
In this fight, the ammunition was fake; blanks and lasers replaced bullets and artillery shells. But the cold was unsparingly real.
New York Times, Rubio to Visit Rome, Officials Say, After Trump’s Feud With Pope and Meloni, Elisabetta Povoledo, May 4, 2026. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s trip will come after President Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV and then turned on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for defending the pontiff.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Italy later this week to meet with local leaders, according to three officials briefed on the plans, in a trip that would take place amid tensions between Washington, Rome and the Vatican.
Mr. Rubio’s visit would come after President Trump repeatedly denounced Pope Leo XIV for criticizing American attacks on Iran and then turned on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, once one of Mr. Trump’s staunchest allies in Europe, for standing by the pontiff.
The U.S. government has not commented on the trip and the Italian government and the Vatican have not confirmed whom Mr. Rubio will meet. Two of the officials, both Italian, said that Mr. Rubio was expected to meet with Antonio Tajani, the Italian foreign minister, and possibly with Ms. Meloni. The third official, from the Vatican, said that Mr. Rubio was set to meet on Thursday with Leo and with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state and de facto head of government.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk more freely about sensitive diplomacy. The U.S. Embassy in Rome declined to comment.
Tensions between Mr. Trump and Leo, who was elected to the papacy nearly a year ago, began to rise in March, after the pope spoke out against the war in Iran. Leo then criticized people who use Christian teaching to promote war, in what was interpreted as a condemnation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s repeated use of Christian language to justify the attacks.
The tensions evolved into a direct clash between the president and the pontiff in April, when Mr. Trump attacked the pope on social media, accusing Leo of being “weak on crime” and “catering to the Radical Left.”
Then Leo, who had usually avoided mentioning Mr. Trump’s name during his earlier comments, responded directly.
Speaking to reporters at the beginning of a 10-day tour to four African nations, Leo said: “I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration, nor of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel. And that’s what I believe I am called here to do.”
The pope’s subsequent speeches on the trip, which condemned authoritarian leadership without naming any particular leader, were then widely interpreted as further criticism of the Trump administration.
Though Leo subsequently disowned such an interpretation, Mr. Trump and other American officials continued to lash out at the pope.
Ms. Meloni, who had already distanced herself from Mr. Trump over the Iran war, then came to Leo’s defense, saying, “I find President Trump’s remarks about the Holy Father unacceptable.”
Mr. Trump took aim at Ms. Meloni, saying in an interview with an Italian newspaper that he was “shocked by her,” adding, “I thought she was brave, but I was wrong.”
Last week, Ms. Meloni said she had not spoken to Mr. Trump since their spat but that Italy’s relationship with the United States remained “solid.”
More Global News, Comment
Semafor, Europe moved to widen its diplomatic circles, hosting a key summit in traditionally Russian-allied Armenia that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also attended, Staff Reports, May 4, 2026. The European Political Community summit was founded in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. Armenia’s involvement is a sign of its growing independence from Moscow, as Yerevan seeks closer EU ties in the wake of a 2023 attack by Azerbaijan that Russia did nothing to stop.
Carney, right, the first non-European leader to attend, similarly represents defiance of Washington: Carney is “a figurehead” for countries standing up to US President Donald Trump, France 24 reported.
Europe is making more concrete moves, too. Germany has ramped up military manufacturing, and now produces more conventional ammunition than the US.. The European Political Community summit was founded in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. Armenia’s involvement is a sign of its growing independence from Moscow, as Yerevan seeks closer EU ties in the wake of a 2023 attack by Azerbaijan that Russia did nothing to stop. Carney, the first non-European leader to attend, similarly represents defiance of Washington: Carney is “a figurehead” for countries standing up to US President Donald Trump, France 24 reported. Europe is making more concrete moves, too. Germany has ramped up military manufacturing, and now produces more conventional ammunition than the US.
Dean Blundell Mark Carney Just Walked Into Armenia and Cracked The American Empire In Half, Dean Blundell, May 4, 2026. As Canada Entertains Joining The EUCanada’s Boring Banker Just Became The Most Dangerous Man To Trump, Putin, and Xi On Earth — And Europe Is Begging Us To Make It Official.
While Donald Trump was busy threatening Greenland, picking fights with Germany, pulling 5,000 troops out of a NATO ally, bombing Iran, and licking Putin’s boots on a Tuesday — our guy Mark Carney just rolled into Yerevan, Armenia, and became the first non-European leader in history to be invited inside the European Political Community summit.
Forty-eight heads of state. Twenty-seven EU nations. The UK. Ukraine. Norway. Iceland. Turkey. Albania. The whole goddamn continent in one room — and the guest of honour is the guy from the country Trump keeps calling “the 51st state.”
The symbolism is so loud it should come with hearing protection.Who The Hell Is Mark Carney Again?
Quick refresher for the people in the back still wearing MAGA hats and complaining about gas prices.
Mark Carney is a Harvard and Oxford-educated economist who ran the Bank of Canada through the 2008 financial crisis without a scratch. Then the British poached him to run the Bank of England through Brexit — the first non-Brit to ever hold the job in its 300+ year history. Then he ran the UN’s climate finance file. Then he wrote a book. Then, when Canada needed an adult in the room because Trump had decided he was going to annex us, Carney walked into Liberal leadership, won, called an election, and won that too in April 2025 — fourth consecutive Liberal majority — running on one promise: cut the American cord.
He’s spent nearly 60 days outside the country since taking office. Not on vacation. Building a new world.
This isn’t a politician. This is a central banker with a passport, a thesis, and a vendetta against economic bullies.
And in January at Davos, he stood up in front of the global elite and said the quiet part out loud: the rules-based international order built on American hegemony has experienced “a rupture, not a transition.”
He got a standing ovation. At Davos. Where they don’t clap for anything.
Trump rescinded Canada’s invitation to his “Board of Peace” the next day and threatened 100% tariffs. Cool. Cool cool cool.The Quote That Broke The Internet (And Probably Trump’s Brain)
At Davos, Carney delivered the line that’s now tattooed onto every middle power’s forearm:BREAKING: “Let Me Be Direct” - Mark Carney EVISCERATES Trump, Declares Permanent Global "Rupture" In DavosDean Blundell·Jan 20BREAKING: “Let Me Be Direct” - Mark Carney EVISCERATES Trump, Declares Permanent Global "Rupture" In Davos
“Middle powers must act together because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.”
He wasn’t done. He quoted Thucydides. He quoted Václav Havel. He talked about how authoritarian systems sustain themselves “not through violence alone, but through the participation of ordinary people in rituals they privately know to be false.”
You think he was talking about the Soviets? He was talking about us. About the West. About the people pretending Trump’s America is still the leader of the free world while it strips wires out of the alliance and sells them for scrap to Vladimir Putin.
Then in Yerevan yesterday, in front of every leader who matters in Europe, he said this:
We’re here because of the moral and security imperitives on our co-operation…It’s my strong personal view that the international world order will be built, but it will be rebuilt out of Europe…
That’s not diplomatic word salad. That’s a declaration. A new alliance. A new rules-based order that doesn’t run through Washington anymore. It runs through Brussels, Ottawa, London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Canberra, and Seoul.
And the United States isn’t invited.How Did We Get Here? Carney’s Been Quietly Wiring The Bomb For A Year
This didn’t happen overnight. Carney has been laying charges under the foundation of American hegemony since the day he took office. Look at the receipts:
Ukraine Matters Podcast: Analysis: Russia Faces Total Defeat in Ukraine, Georgi, May 4, 2026.
Meidas Touch Network, Today in Politics, Bulletin 363, Ron Filipkowski, May 4, 2026. Iran ended the ceasefire in the region with preemptive strikes today against at least one US vessel, commercial ships in the gulf, and attacked neighboring countries. Trump reacted angrily first on Truth Social, then to Fox, then to reporters on his way to the WH, threatening to wipe Iran off the face of the earth in response.
… Bloomberg: “UAE says intercepted missiles and drones launched against the country - the first attack since a ceasefire between the US and Iran took hold about a month ago. The attack caused a fire in Fujairah, the end point of the pipeline the UAE uses to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.”
… Reuters: “Authorities in the UAE’s Fujairah said that a fire broke out at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone following what they described as a drone attack originating from Iran. Civil defense teams were deployed immediately to contain the blaze.”
… UAE’s Ministry of Defense: “UAE air defenses engaged 12 ballistic missiles, 3 cruise missiles, and 4 drones. UAE air defenses engaged 12 ballistic missiles, 3 cruise missiles, and 4 drones originating from Iran, resulting in 3 moderate injuries. Since the start of Iran's brazen attacks on the UAE, air defenses have engaged 549 ballistic missiles, 29 cruise missiles, and 2,260 drones. This brings the total number of injuries to 227 cases, from multiple nationalities.”
… WaPo: “In a call with reporters just now, Adm. Brad Cooper of CENTCOM says Iran has opened fire on US warships and commercial vessels today, but declines to say whether the ceasefire between the US and Iran is over. US forces returned fire and destroyed some Iranian small boats.”
… Oman News Agency: “A security source has reported that a residential building housing company employees in Tibat area of the Wilayat of Bukha was targeted in an attack, resulting in moderate injuries to 2 expatriates, damage to 4 vehicles and the shattering of windows in a neighboring house.”
… CNN: Sources said a resumption of US-Israeli strikes against targets inside Iran are expected within the next day. This follows Iranian strikes on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against the UAE’s primary oil export infrastructure in Fujairah.
… Senior US official to Axios: “Trump was fed up with the ‘no deal, no war’ stalemate in Iran. The president wants action. He doesn’t want to sit still. He wants pressure. He wants a deal.” A source close to the president described this as the “beginning of a process that could lead to a confrontation with the Iranians.”
… Trita Parsi with the Quincy Institute: “Iranian analyst tells me that Tehran’s warning shots at US warships and the strikes on the UAE reveal Iran’s new posture: If Trump plans to restart the war, Iran will not wait for Trump to do so before it retaliates. It will strike preemptively in a measured way to deter Trump.”
… Hamidreza Azizi, Middle East expert for SWP Berlin: “Iran’’s announcement of an expanded control envelope in the Strait of Hormuz - coupled with strikes on oil facilities in Fujairah and strikes on oil tankers - points to a deliberate escalation toward the UAE’s oil export bypass routes.”
… “The objective is to keep alternative export channels at risk, sustain elevated oil prices, and block any perception of normalization. In other words, the message is that Trump’s mission in the strait will not be cost-free. Instead, it will generate greater complexity and sustained pressure on the energy market.”
… Fox report: “Trump said if the Iranians try to target US ships in the area, they will be blown off the face of the earth.”
… Trump to reporters: “Iran has been given only 24 hours. After that, the world may witness one of the most devastating air strikes ever seen.”
… Trump on Truth Social: “Iran has taken some shots at unrelated Nations with respect to the Ship Movement, PROJECT FREEDOM, including a South Korean Cargo Ship. Perhaps it’s time for South Korea to come and join the mission! We’ve shot down seven small Boats or, as they like to call them, “fast” Boats. It’s all they have left.”
… Iran State TV: “A senior Iranian military official told IRIB that the US claim about sinking several Iranian military boats is false.”
… Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Fox: “I think the Iranians are starting to believe their own propaganda. Their leadership is hunkered down in bunkers. I don’t think they know what’s going on. Their Navy is a band of pirates.”
… IRGC spokesman Ibrahim al-Fiqar: “The clock is ticking to zero hour. Tonight, a new chapter of power will unfold, one the adversaries have never witnessed before.”
… Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX): “Iran is leaderless and broken. President Trump has completely CRUSHED their resolve.”
… Middle East expert Danny Citrinowitz: The clash was only a matter of time. After 39 days of fighting, it is possible to point to several key underlying assumptions regarding Iran’s conduct:
Iran is not expected to submit or be deterred by American threats, no matter how severe.
From its perspective, control of the Strait of Hormuz is a central strategic interest, on par with its nuclear program and missile array, especially in light of Majtaba’s statements on the matter.
When faced with a choice between what it perceives as submission and escalation, Tehran will choose escalation and will not be prepared to accept, in its view, dictates, particularly in light of its achievements in the war as it sees them.
Power centers in the current leadership - the IRGC - operate with less weight given to considerations of profit and loss. The regime’s system of checks and balances has been undermined following the elimination of Ali Khamenei.
Iran may agree to a ceasefire, but only if it shapes a new strategic reality that includes compensation and guarantees against the resumption of fighting. Not a ceasefire for the sake of a ceasefire.
Throughout the campaign, Tehran is operating and developing asymmetric capabilities as preparation for continuing the confrontation or renewing it. In this sense, it must be assumed that it has preserved significant capabilities and rehabilitated capabilities during the ceasefire.
The Iranian leadership assesses that its absorptive capacity is higher than that of the global economy and the US, and at present it is simply acting to raise this price.
If the US seeks to impose on Iran the acceptance of conditions for a cessation, this requires, in practice, a regime change, with all the risks involved and the resources that will be invested in it.
The naval blockade, despite its advantages, could not have brought about Iranian submission. The assumption that it could, as well as the assessment that eliminating Khamenei would lead to the collapse of the regime, has proven to be mistaken. And in any case, it was clear that Trump expected something else in a different timeframe (”the pipelines will explode in 3 days”). That’s what happens when you build a strategy on wishful thinking rather than knowledge of the enemy.
The American admin is still conducting itself toward Iran in familiar patterns based on the notion that it’s dealing with Venezuela, without internalizing that it’s dealing with a rival of a different kind.
… Meanwhile, members of the Trump admin were on Fox claiming that everything was going to be just fine with oil prices:
Sean Duffy: Q - “When can we expect some relief from the surge in jet fuel prices? Duffy: When the Strait of Hormuz opens, prices will come down. A lot of Democrats are making hay on this issue, complaining about fuel prices. Do you think Democrats want prices to come down? They have a war on energy.”
Kelly Loeffler: “We continue to give relief in other areas, cutting $6 trillion in regulations that the Biden admin put in place. So the list goes on and on of the relief that we are providing to the American people in real time.”
Scott Bessent: “We are cognizant that this short-term blip up in prices is affecting the American people, but I am also confident on the other side of this that prices are going to come down very quickly.”
Rep. John Rose (R-TN) on Newsmax: “Yes, gas prices are high right now, but that’s because the president, I think correctly, decided we had to stop Iran. So we’ll have to endure a little pain here.”
… Last night, Trump posted a meme of himself holding UNO cards on Truth Social, which the WH then reposted on twitter. My caption of it got 217,000 likes and 3.7 million views in less than 24 hours. That was just on twitter.
… WABC: “Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani is hospitalized in critical condition. Giuliani hosted his online show, ‘America’s Mayor Live,’ Friday night from Palm Beach, FL. As he opened the show, he coughed and his voice sounded more raspy than usual. He remarked: ‘My voice is a little under the weather, so I won’t be able to speak as loudly as I usually do, but I’ll get closer to the microphone.’
Associated Press, Ukraine hits key Russian oil-loading port and 3 ‘shadow fleet’ tankers, Staff Report, May 3, 2026. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had hit two Russian tankers near the entrance of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
The drones also hit port infrastructure, causing a fire that was later extinguished by emergency teams, the emergency service reported.
Ukraine on Sunday launched a wave of strikes against Russian oil targets, hitting a key loading port on the Baltic Sea and two tankers that Ukraine alleges were illegally used to transport Russian crude.
A nighttime drone strike sparked a blaze at Russia’s largest oil exporting port on the Baltic Sea, the port of Primorsk, according to Russian regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko.The port, operated by Russia’s state oil firm Transneft, is capable ofhandling hundreds of thousands of barrels per day. Primorsk, which was targeted multiple times in March, lies over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Ukraine, between the Russian-Finnish border and Russia’s second-largest city of St. Petersburg.
Local Gov. Drozdenko said that the drone strike did not cause an oil spill, but gave no immediate further comment regarding casualties or damage.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian forces destroyed several military and other targets, while also inflicting significant damage on oil port infrastructure.
“One more Russian carrier of Kalibr missiles is out of action. Major General Yevhen Khmara reported on the successful destruction of targets in the Primorsk port,” Zelenskyy wrote in a Telegram post on Sunday.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Volodymyr, Péter, and Leo, William Kristol, right, May 4, 2026. On June 4, 1940, in the wake of the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk, Prime Minister Winston Churchill spoke in the House of Commons. The conclusion of the speech is justly famous:
We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.
In fact, eighteen long months later—“in God’s good time”—the New World did step forth to the rescue and liberation of the old. And for eight decades after that, the United States took on the responsibility of leading the Free World.
No longer. The current American president doesn’t care much about the world. His administration’s slogan is “America First.” And his administration doesn’t care much about freedom. As White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller explained, “we live in a world, in the real world . . . that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world.” And if we simply live in a world governed by iron laws of force and power, all this talk of freedom and the Free World is bunk.
So under the Trump administration, we’re no longer the leader of the Free World. Indeed we’re barely on the side of the Free World.
If you’re still on the side of the Free World, join our pro-democracy community by becoming a Bulwark+ member.Subscribed
And yet, despite Miller’s fatalism and determinism, history is full of surprises. Trump’s success here in the United States surely counts as an unfortunate surprise. But in this past decade, the Old World has also generated surprises—hopeful surprises. The Old World has produced leaders who have stepped forth to defend freedom, and who may, in God’s good time, inspire us once again to do the same.
Seven years ago, in April 2019, an entertainer who’d never held elective office, Volodymyr Zelensky, was elected president of Ukraine. What his nation has done in defending its national freedom against the brutal assault of a much larger and dictatorial neighbor has surely been the twenty-first century’s finest hour.
And so, as David French recently put it, “for the first time in my adult life, the moral and strategic heart of the defense of liberal democracy doesn’t beat in Washington. . . . It’s in Kyiv, where a courageous leader and a courageous people have picked up the torch America has dropped.”
A year ago, on May 8, 2025, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected pope. Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, is of course not from the Old World. But the institution he heads is certainly an Old World one. And so we have the paradox that it has fallen to the head of an ancient, pre-liberal institution to remind the president of the United States of the dignity and responsibilities of human freedom. And for all President Trump’s belittling of him, People Leo XIV has turned out to be a formidable enough figure that Trump is sending his secretary of state to Rome this week to pay his respects. This is not quite Henry IV journeying to Canossa—but it’s not nothing.
Then last month, Péter Magyar trounced Viktor Orbán in the illiberals’ favorite haunt, Hungary. As David Baer observed last week in The Bulwark, Magyar
did this by invoking the spirit of Hungary’s 1848 liberal revolution. Highlighting the contrast between the ideals of 1848 and the reality of Orbán’s Hungary, Magyar turned the election into a referendum on illiberalism. . . . Presented with a clear, stark choice between reactionary conservatism and national liberalism, Hungarians chose liberalism.
As David and I discussed yesterday, Magyar has a formidable task ahead. But he seems to understand the challenge of re-creating liberal institutions and a free society, and is moving aggressively to meet it.
So: Three surprising and impressive leaders in the fight for freedom. Can they succeed on their own turf? Could they also inspire a resurgence of the cause of liberty here in the United States? Could the Old World come to the rescue of the New?
Why not? If the principles of the Declaration of Independence are universal, why shouldn’t the impetus for their renewal come from outside our borders, from Kyiv and Rome and Budapest? In the twentieth century, we helped liberate them. In the twenty-first century, couldn’t they help liberate us?
AROUND THE BULWARK
Pentagon Firings Have Nothing to Do With ‘Culture’… The U.S. military’s culture doesn’t need radical change—and if it did, this wouldn’t be the way to go about it, argues MARK HERTLING.Quick Hits
STRAITJACKETED, CHAPTER ONE MILLION: Donald Trump has tried a lot of things in his fruitless quest to get Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz—he’s tried bombing them, he’s tried stopping bombing them, he’s tried threatening to genocide them, he’s tried taking sanctions off their ships, he’s tried putting sanctions back on their ships, he’s tried blockading the strait himself. Over the weekend, another thought seemed to occur to him: What if I just tried asking really nicely?
In a Saturday Truth Social post, Trump lamented that “Countries from all over the World,” whose ships are “merely neutral and innocent bystanders,” remain bottled up in the strait, and announced that “we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways”—beginning, he said, this morning. Iran, he pleaded, should not interfere: “The Ship movement is merely meant to free up people, companies, and Countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong.” He added that Iran should consider it a “humanitarian gesture” and added that Iran’s acquiescence “would go a long way in showing Goodwill on behalf of all of those who have been fighting so strenuously over the last number of months.”
Iran was unconvinced. Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Hossein Mohebbi warned Sunday that “any foreign armed force, especially the aggressive military of America,” would be attacked if it attempted to enter the strait, and that “violating” shipping vessels would also “be stopped with full force.”
Whether Trump will risk trying to call that bluff remains to be seen. One incident seems already to occurred early this morning, although the details are disputed: Iran claimed to have fired on and struck an American destroyer, preventing it from entering the strait, while U.S. Central Command said this was fabricated, adding that U.S. forces had begun the operation to free some of the ships stranded behind the strait.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: Much of the controversy over Donald Trump’s mass-deportation agenda has involved the actions that take place out in public, which bystanders can capture via phone video: the masked plainclothes officers, the violent arrests, the brutality toward protesters. What’s happening out of sight is even worse. A new Washington Post investigation of hundreds of internal ICE records finds record amounts of guard violence taking place inside overcrowded detention centers:
As ICE’s crackdown on illegal immigration has flooded detention centers with record numbers of detainees, guards inside those facilities have increasingly resorted to acts of physical force, The Post’s analysis of the reports found. Detention guards have used punches, kicks, takedown maneuvers, restraint holds and restraint chairs, as well as less-lethal weapons such as Tasers and pepper spray, according to the reports.
During the first year of Trump’s second term, detention staff used force 37 percent more times than the previous year, the reports show. The number of people subjected to force rose even more sharply, to 1,330 individuals—a 54 percent increase from the previous year, under President Joe Biden—as officers increasingly used these tactics with groups of detainees, the reports show.
Read the whole thing. As a reminder, the vast majority of these detainees have never been accused of any crimes.
BLOOD IN THE WATER: Why redistrict tomorrow when you could redistrict today? In the wake of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Louisiana v. Callais, some Southern states are moving at breakneck speed to try to get new, redder maps in place ahead of the November midterms. Here’s CBS News:
Depending on how state officials proceed and whether courts intervene, legislators may try to split up Tennessee’s sole Democratic district and eliminate one of Alabama’s two blue seats.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee convened a special session that will start Tuesday, writing in a statement Friday that lawmakers “owe it to Tennesseans to ensure our congressional districts accurately reflect the will of Tennessee voters.” . . .
GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who is running for governor of Tennessee, has called on state lawmakers to draw a map that gives Republicans an edge in all nine of the state’s congressional districts, splitting up the Memphis-area district held by Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen. President Trump has strongly urged Lee to redraw the state’s map to give Republicans “one extra seat.”
Both Alabama and Louisiana will have to reschedule their primaries, which were set to take place this month, in order to ram new maps through. They’ll also have to contend with the fact that filing deadlines have already passed for congressional candidates, all of whom were running in districts drawn by preexisting maps. They may also run into trouble if courts decide it’s too late to make major election changes for this cycle without compromising the integrity of the elections in question.
President Trump is urging red-state legislatures to push forward. “We cannot allow there to be an Election that is conducted unconstitutionally simply for the ‘convenience’ of State Legislatures,” Trump wrote last night. “If they have to vote twice, so be it.”
U.S. Political Assassinations, Attempts
A person who appears as a blurry image at centerin the shadows of NBC News cameraman Dave Wiegman’s footage from seconds after the shooting in Dealey Plaza on Nov. 22, 1963, has never been identified. Above is an enhanced image from a digital transfer made of the original celluloid. (Credit: prayer-man.com) See also a wider frame photo below at a different moment:
JFK Facts, Investigative Commentary: On the Trail of the Elusive Wiegman Film: The Ball Is Back in NBC's Court, Lawrence P. Schnapf, right, May 4, 2026. If the original footage from November 22, 1963, still exists, it's probably in an NBC warehouse in New Jersey.
A year after Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, below left, chair of the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, first asked the NBC television network for the original version of film shot by NBC News cameraman David Wiegman in Dealey Plaza on Nov. 22, 1963, her panel is still trying to find out where the potentially significant film is 
located.
What follows is the history of that quest to date. It’s a serpentine and often foggy path that’s made all the more foggy with several institutions claiming they can’t find the film.
But we think there’s another logical place they should look.What is the Wiegman Film?
NBC News cameraman Dave Wiegman was riding in Camera Car No. 1 on November 22, 1963. The vehicle, a yellow 1964 model Chevrolet Impala Super Sport (SS) 2-door convertible, followed seven cars behind President Kennedy’s limousine as the presidential motorcared entered Dealey Plaza in Dallas. Shooting from the back seat, he used a 100-foot spool of black-and-white 16-mm reversal film. Dave Wiegman approaches the intersection of Houston and Elm Streets in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. (Credit: Robin Unger/Sixth Floor Museum/prayer-man.com)
As Camera Car #1 approached the corner of Elm and Houston streets , he began panning across the front of the Texas School Book Depository (TSBD) building, capturing employees standing just outside the entrance on the landing and steps. Hearing gunshots, Wiegman jumped from the moving car and ran toward the grassy knoll in the northwest corner of the plaza. As he ran, he captured some of the panic in the downtown city square, including the Newman family diving for cover on the grass north of Elm Street. Wiegman is captured in this United Press International photo as the Newman family lie on the grass in front of him. (Credit: prayer-man.com)
The most critical part of Wiegman’s film is a brief, blurry glimpse of the TSBD entrance. The image is fuzzy because Wiegman was swinging a heavy, turret-mounted camera from a moving vehicle. In addition, deep shadow engulfed the building’s entrance, causing the camera’s shutter to stay open longer. That increased the blur, and Wiegman had likely set the camera to a general, “infinity” focus.
Wiegman’s film interests some JFK researchers because it is crime scene evidence. Some researchers believe the film captures the image of Lee Harvey Oswald as a vague, white shape against a dark background in the shadowy west (left) corner of the entryway, near the top of the front steps. The image is popularly known as “Prayer Man,” because his arms seem in prayer position. These researchers, a distinct minority among JFK researchers, assert the film will exonerate Oswald by proving he was not on the sixth floor of the TSBD firing a gun.
The only publicly available copies of the Wiegman film do not exonerate Oswald. They are degraded, multigenerational clips cropped for television. With each generation of film, important fine details such as facial features can become increasingly unclear. However, some researchers believe if they could obtain the original film, then modern 4K or 6K lasers could retrieve data from the dark areas of the 1963 footage. Such lasers can distinguish between different shades of dark gray, which a 1960s TV camera simply turned into a single, solid blob.
The question is, therefore: can these lasers get enough information out of a celluloid “blob” to generate a discernible image?
Lasers are more effective with 16-mm film than with 8-mm, such as the Zapruder film, because a 16-mm frame has four times the surface area of an 8-mm frame, capturing significantly more data (i.e., finer grain). In addition, modern AI-assisted deblurring and multi-frame stacking can reverse the motion blur to reconstruct a sharp, identifiable image. Finally, the Arriflex camera used high-quality glass lenses that could resolve much finer detail than the lens of a home movie camera like that of Abraham Zapruder.
How the Film Was Developed
Wiegman shot his footage using 16-mm black-and-white reversal film. Unlike standard “negative” film — which requires a secondary, positive print to be made — reversal film develops into a positive image, i.e., a transparency or slide. Television networks used reversal film in the 1960s to save time in the interests of broadcasting the footage quickly after shooting it.
On the afternoon of Nov. 22, 1963, Robert MacNeil — ranking NBC correspondent in Dallas — ran into Wiegman at Parkland Hospital and established that he had footage of Dealey Plaza during the chaos. But MacNeil was worried that if Wiegman took his film to the local NBC affiliate in Fort Worth (then WBAP, now KXAS-TV) to be developed, local technicians or affiliate staff might "leak" it to local newspapers or rival local stations.
To make sure that NBC Network didn’t lose its exclusive, MacNeil instructed Wiegman to take the unprocessed film back to New York. He coordinated with the White House press office to secure Wiegman a seat on the returning press plane, scheduled to depart Love Field shortly after Air Force One. Wiegman personally accompanied the film back to New York. It was processed at the NBC network studio at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Manhattan.
Sixties TV cameras could not handle the wide range of light in reversal film. To make the image look “clean” on a bright television screen, technicians would turn up the contrast, transforming the shadows into solid black. To get the “best” clips on air, technicians would physically cut the film and tape it back together. This often led to the loss of a few frames at the beginning or end of a sequence.
So, researchers are looking for that original, physical strip of reversal film pulled out of Dave Wiegman’s camera and developed in a “hot soup” processor, then physically threaded through the projector at the NBC station. Only the original film allows for the modern AI enhancement and 4K scanning required to determine whether the figure called “Prayer Man” is Oswald. Many JFK researchers dismiss the idea that “Prayer Man” is Oswald, citing other photographic eyewitness testimony.
Even the highest-quality scan from the original film — assuming it could be retrieved — might prove indeterminate. As matters stand now, many JFK researchers such as Robert Groden himself dismiss the idea that “Prayer Man” is Oswald, citing other photographic and eyewitness testimony. For example, Sarah Stanton and Buell Frazier both said flatly that Oswald was NOT in the doorway.Rep. Luna’s Inquiry
On April 8, 2025, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna wrote the chairman of NBC Universal News Group requesting access to “any original video, audio or photographic evidence” in its custody or control of NBC News Group or its affiliates “depicting or capturing other events that transpired in Dallas on November 22, 1963.”
The network responded by providing roughly 20 hours of archival footage that included what appeared to be a multigenerational copy of the Wiegman film. Rep. Luna publicly stated that NBC’s response was inadequate, because the company had not provided the original reversal film needed for the high-resolution analysis. Rep. Luna officially requested that NBC “reassess their archives” to locate the missing original footage. The network then apparently told Rep. Luna that it couldn’t find the original Wiegman footage.Tracing Storage History
Robert Groden has long claimed that he made a negative of the original reversal 16-mm film while working for the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA). On a recent podcast, he said that the film had been stored at a film or tape library in Long Island City in the Borough of Queens, New York. Groden says has a copy and negative made from the original film. He says he will not make it available to the House Task Force.
In search of the highest quality Wiegman film, JFK Factg investigated NBC’s 1970s and 1980s archival practices for film. In the ‘70s, NBC utilized warehouses in Queens and Manhattan for storage. One depot was the Pathe Laboratories facility at 43-10 23rd Street in Long Island City, a former parachute factory. Left: 43-10 23rd St. in Long Island City, NY, in the 1980s (Credit: 1940s.nyc). Right: The building today houses the offices of Cannon Hill Capital Partners. (Credit: cannonhillcap.com).
Another Long Island City facility was the Movielab, Inc. complex, located at 31-21 31st Street (or its associated building at 47-07 31st Place). The Movielab facility was a major processing lab and storage hub. Groden likely saw the Wiegman film at either the Movielab in Long Island City. While the buildings that housed these film libraries still exist, they are now occupied by commercial businesses. Left: 31-21 31st St. in Long Island City, New York, address of the Movielab, Inc. facility in the 1980s (Credit: 1940s.nyc). Right: The facility today is occupied by New York Pet Services and the House of Wellness. (Credit: propertyinformationportal.nyc.gov).
In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the NBC News Master Film Library moved from local New York City storage to the Fort Lee Film Storage building on Jane Street, also known as the Bonded Film Storage facility.
Note that NBC News has a major facility at 210 54th Ave. in Long Island City.
However, it is the home of NBC field operations and stores much of its production equipment. It is not a location for archival storage or a digitization hub for historical film.NBC’s Gift Was ‘Held Back’
We then learned of another possible location for the original Wiegman file.
In 1986 and 1992, NBC donated to the Library of Congress a massive collection of pre-1985 video and film involving over 18,000 television programs spanning 1948-1977. This collection principally consists of broadcast masters and kinescopes (film recordings of a television broadcasts) in the form of 20,924 reels of film and 2,213 videocassettes. The collection contains full coverage of Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy (including all Kennedy press conferences), Johnson, and Nixon, as well as the national conventions and elections in that period. It also includes material donated by NBC journalist and “Meet the Press” creator Lawrence E. Spivak.
These materials are stored at the climate-controlled bunker underground in Culpeper, Virginia, known as the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center (NAVCC), also known as the Packard Campus. The Packard Campus in Culpeper, Virginia (Credit: Thomas R. Schiff Photographs)
If a researcher wants to review footage, they must provide notice to the Library of Congress, which will notify the NAVCC. The NAVCC will digitize the film, and it can be viewed using equipment at the Moving Image Research Center at the James Madison Building on Capitol Hill.
We shared this information with Rep. Luna’s office, suggesting that her task force might want to contact the NAVCC to see if it holds the original 16-mm Wiegman film. Luna’s office forwarded the request to the Oversight Committee staff. The Committee contacted the NAVCC, and after searching the Collection using multiple search terms, the NAVCC informed the Committee:
“We do not believe that we hold a film or video that matches the description which you provided. Related to this event within these collections, we have 124 reels of motion picture film that are live coverage of the assassination by NBC news from 11/22/63 to 11/25/63. This isn’t raw footage but rather copies of the finished broadcasts that might contain some of this footage.”
Interestingly, the NAVCC also noted that during the search process, it came across NBC paperwork related to the 1986 and 1992 donations. Within this material was a binder labeled “NBC News – held back,” which contains several pages of material simply listed as “JFK Assassination.” The “held back” refers to items listed in the original inventories but never sent to the Library of Congress.
The NAVCC then checked with NARA, since NARA can sometimes hold material anticipated to be at the Library of Congress. NARA informed the NAVCC that it could not find anything after thoroughly searching the JFK Collection. NARA also told NAVCC that the agency was confident it did not have the Wiegman original. NARA added that the Sixth Floor Museum acquired all of the local NBC affiliate records.Back to NBC New York
So, in 1986 NBC donated what it called “full coverage” of the Kennedy administration, including all the Kennedy press conferences — yet it evidently omitted the Wiegman assassination footage. Given the film’s historical significance, the omission feels conspicuous. Moreover, NBC clearly audited the inventory of its holdings in connection with the 1986 and 1992 donations to the Library of Congress and “held back” materials related to the JFK assassination. This seems like an intentional act of retention, not a clerical loss.
NBC currently operates a Central Archives facility at 5801 West Side Ave., North Bergen, NJ. This is a massive climate-controlled warehouse for film reels, master tapes, and historical documents. After General Electric (GE) acquired RCA/NBC in late 1986, the network started significantly restructuring its assets. This included moving physical archives from scattered sites into more centralized, climate-controlled warehouses. The North Bergen facility became operational sometime in the early 2000s. NBC’s Central Archives facility in North Bergen, New Jersey. (Credit: Google Maps)
If the Wiegman film was “held back” from the 1986 or 1992 donations, NBC likely stored it at the Fort Lee location before transferring it to the North Bergen facility after it opened.
Thus, NBC Central Archives might be the location of the “JFK Assassination” materials that were inventoried but “held back” from the 1986 donation.
Rep. Luna intended her vaguely worded initial letter to NBC as a broad net for network’s archival films. It’s unclear where NBC searched when it told Rep. Luna it couldn’t find the original 16-mm Wiegman reversal film.
Maybe the Task Force or Oversight Committee should send a more targeted follow-up letter to NBC, specifically asking that it investigate vaults and shelves at the North Bergen NBC Central Archives facility.
It looks as if that’s the most likely location for this historic film — if it still exists.
U.S. Media, Culture, Charities, Celebrities, Protests
Lauren Sánchez Bezos and Jeff Bezos, above, have been increasingly active in fashion in recent years, including sitting in the front row of fashion shows and donating tens of millions of dollars in grants and scholarships devoted to sustainable fabrics and other initiatives (Reuters Photo by Danny Moloshok).
New York Times, The Met Gala’s Embrace of Jeff Bezos Causes a Backlash, Jesse McKinley and Alisha Haridasani Gupta, May 4, 2026. Protesters have found a perfect foil in Amazon’s founder, the gala’s lead sponsor this year.
It is perhaps the world’s most exclusive party, a spectacle of fashion and extravagance that draws a secretive roster of famous people, charges $100,000 a ticket and drapes a carpet down the steps of one of Manhattan’s oldest cultural institutions.
But this year, the Met Gala is facing stiff headwinds, most notably for the decision to name Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and one of the world’s wealthiest men, and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, as honorary chairs.
Opposition to the Bezoses started almost immediately after they were announced as financial sponsors in February, and comes amid a surging anti-rich sentiment nationwide and in New York City, the event’s liberal home. The outrage seemingly gained momentum after the city’s newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, declared in mid-April that he would skip the gala, breaking with many of his predecessors, saying that his focus is on “affordability.”
And in the weeks leading up to the event on Monday, an avid anti-Bezos campaign has erupted on New York’s streets, in subways and online, where social media users have described the event as the “Amazon Prime Gala” or “Bezos Ball.” Reports of skittish stars and upset fashionistas have peppered tabloid pages, including rumors of some past guests steering clear.
The gala, which dates to 1948, acts as a fund-raiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute and ushers in its major spring exhibition, which this year focuses on the dressed body. The fashion house Saint Laurent is sponsoring the exhibition catalog. Designers are known to spend months preparing outfits for the famed guests, who are often in surreal and spectacular fashion.
Fern Mallis, the creator of New York Fashion Week, called the Met Gala “the biggest ball of the year,” whose influence has far outgrown its roots as an event for well-heeled philanthropists and patrons “who lived nearby and loved the museum” and were often escorted by the designers they wore.
Now, she said, “it’s really about the celebrities and the musicians and the athletes and all these cultural icons of the day.” But, she thought that much of the starry guest list had little connection with the museum itself. “I’ll bet many of them have never even been there,” she said.
At the same time, the gala is grappling with other uncertainties, including a transition of professional roles for the longtime editor of Vogue, Anna Wintour, whose control over the event — from the seating charts to the finger food — is famously ironclad.
The Met’s Costume Institute is financially dependent on the gala. Last May, it raised a record $31 million, dwarfing similar benefit events at other institutions. This year’s take is expected to surpass that.
The Met has dealt with criticism over donors in the past, including members of the Koch family — conservative political backers who also donate heavily to cultural institutions — and the Sacklers, whose now-disbanded company, Purdue Pharma, produced the painkiller OxyContin, a culprit in the opioid crisis. (The Sackler name was removed from several Met galleries in 2021; despite protests, the plaza in front of the Met is still named for David H. Koch, who funded its redesign and died in 2019.)
The split screen of the gala’s opulence juxtaposed with the economic struggle for many living in New York City, where an estimated 1 in 4 residents live in poverty, has long been evident. And while Bezos seems emblematic of those living at the top of the spectrum, even his critics say the problem is larger than this one billionaire.
May 3
Top Headlines
Proof, Investigative Commentary: The Second Iran War Continues. There Is No Ceasefire. And Things Are About to Explode, Seth Abramson, right, May 3, 2026.Our energy, food and financial networks now rest on media reporting what Trump and his administration aim to hide—that there’s never been aceasefire in the Second Iran War and that the war continues.
New York Times, Israel Said It’s Applying the Gaza Model in Lebanon. This Is What the Devastation Looks Like, Samuel Granados, Abdi Latif Dahir and Sanjana Varghese, May 3, 2026. An entire street is leveled. Houses and shops are flattened, including a popular cafe. This is what is left of the town of Bint Jbeil, just a couple of miles from the Israeli border, nearly two months after Israel relaunched its ground offensive in southern Lebanon.News Roundups
May 1, 2026. Tonight we have a packed and urgent agenda as the Department of Defense faces mounting turmoil under Pete Hegseth, with growing concern over his leadership after the removal of experienced officials and increasing reliance on close family members for advice.More On Iran War
U.S. Crime, Courts, Rights, Law, Justice
We Are The First News Outlet to Connect Her to the Others. We were told she was a bipolar musician who went hiking while possibly suicidal. We were not told she was also a neuroscientist with ties to Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories in New Mexico.Global News
May 2, 2026. On World Press Freedom Day, findings from Reporters Without Borders and UNESCO highlight a deepening crisis affecting legal protections, safety, and the future of independent journalism.U.S. Governance, Elections, Politics
May 3, 2026. Last night, while the President of the United States was away from the White House, spending yet another vacation weekend in Florida, he grew restless in the middle of the night. And at 11:03 p.m., he opened his Truth Social app and went on a late-night posting spree.
wish Kamala Harris had decided to run for governor in California, where Democrats are struggling to break through, rather than weigh another White House run.3,2026. Trump and his party were planning on running on tax cuts in the midterm election, but skyrocketing prices have caused the American people to see through the tax cut smokescreen in 2026.American Culture, Sports, History
right, May 3, 2026. Today was the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby, which was launched in 1875 as horse racing—with its famous Black jockeys, who won more than half of the first 28 derbies—was gaining an audience in the U.S.Top Headlines
New York Times, Trump Faces the Complicated Reality of a Costly, Unpopular War in Iran, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, May 3, 2026. President Trump’s predictions of a relatively short-term conflict with minimal economic consequences appear to be crumbling.Two months into the war in Iran, President Trump is confronting the complicated reality of a conflict that has proved costly, deeply unpopular and lacks a clear endgame.
Energy markets are in turmoil. The Pentagon has given its first public estimate of the war’s cost: $25 billion so far. Key Republicans in Congress are growing impatient. And Mr. Trump is lashing out at foreign allies, like Germany, who have shown no interest in joining the fight.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters on Friday (as shown above), Mr. Trump insisted he had no regrets.
“I did something that was, I don’t know, foolish, brave, but it was smart,” Mr. Trump said at The Villages, a retirement community in a solidly Republican area. “I would do it again.”
Still, Mr. Trump’s predictions of a relatively short-term conflict with minimal economic consequences appear to be crumbling around him.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly defended the war, which he launched alongside Israel on Feb. 28, and said it is imperative that Iran never has a nuclear weapon. The United States and Israel have taken out military targets and killed senior Iranian leaders — including the Supreme leader — but the government there remains intact and able to inflict pain on the United States.Sign up for Your Places: Global Update. All the latest news for any part of the world you select. Get it sent to your inbox.
As the conflict continues, Mr. Trump has encouraged Americans to keep things “in perspective,” citing the long wars in Vietnam and Iraq to suggest that U.S. involvement in Iran is “not very long at all.”
Just three weeks ago, Mr. Trump said Iran had agreed to all of his demands and he suggested a breakthrough was near. Iran would work with the United States to remove its enriched uranium, energy prices would drop and a growing global crisis with potential severe political ramifications would subside.
None of that happened.
Mr. Trump has issued mixed messages about the future of the war, arguing that Iran wanted to make a deal while also saying that the leadership in Tehran was so “disjointed” that it was hard to tell who was calling the shots. He also said it’s not worth having his envoys travel 18 hours on a plane to negotiate a deal that might not come together.
And on Friday, after saying he was not satisfied with Iran’s latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Mr. Trump said, “frankly, maybe we’re better off not making a deal at all. Do you want to know the truth? Because we can’t let this thing go on.”
On Saturday, he appeared to double down, saying on social media that he was reviewing Iran’s latest proposal though he couldn’t “imagine that it would be acceptable.”
Mr. Trump has said his model for Iran was the U.S. operation in Venezuela in January, when U.S. forces toppled Nicolás Maduro. But the two scenarios are very different. In Venezuela, only Mr. Maduro was ousted, while much of the rest of the government remained in place and was willing to work with the Trump administration. That is not the case in Iran, in part because Iran’s leadership oversees extensive military capabilities.
New York Times, Trump Says U.S. Will Help Stranded Ships Leave Strait of Hormuz, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and David E. Sanger, May 3, 2026. President Trump offered few details on how the new program, which he called Project Freedom, would work, but said interference would be dealt with “forcefully.”
President Trump said on Sunday that the United States would launch a new effort to help guide stranded ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed.
Mr. Trump said the initiative, called Project Freedom, would begin on Monday morning “Middle East time,” after his administration heard from nations seeking help freeing their ships. He warned that any interference in the program would be dealt with “forcefully,” but offered few details about how it would work.
“These are Ships from areas of the World that are not in any way involved with that which is currently taking place in the Middle East,” Mr. Trump said in a lengthy social media post.
Mr. Trump’s announcement was essentially a challenge to Iran, and a bet that it would not want to take the risk of firing the first shots — or laying mines — in a challenge to the U.S. Navy. He said nothing about lifting the American blockade on all shipping in and out of Iranian ports.
If the move works, it could flip the script on the current dual blockades — one run by the Iranians, the other by the United States. But it could also lead to a breach in the current cease-fire if Iran sought to try to intercept shipping or challenge the American effort.
Mr. Trump did not make clear in his post what it meant for the United States to “guide” ships and how that differed from escorting them.
The president’s announcement comes at a moment when Iran has just made a new proposal to the United States to end the war, but one that Mr. Trump told reporters over the weekend was probably insufficient.
In the post on Sunday, Mr. Trump said the negotiations were still ongoing and “could lead to something very positive for all.”
Mr. Trump’s gamble here is also that he can re-establish the status quo before the war broke out on Feb. 28, when cargo ships carrying oil, fertilizer, helium for semiconductor production and other goods did not pay a toll imposed by the Iranians. Some of those tolls have reportedly run as high as $2 million a ship
If successful, it would also be a subtle dig at Europeans, who have been organizing a joint effort to keep the gulf open, but only after a cessation of hostilities. Mr. Trump has noted, with some sarcasm, that the Europeans are interested in intervening only after the need for confronting Iran is over.
But there are risks, as well. It is not clear that all mines in the strait have been removed. And even if Tehran decides not to challenge the new U.S. effort, it is possible that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps unit, or even an individual on the Iranian side, may not get the message and could open fire, from land or from a small speedboat.
President Trump claims that the United States is engaging in a "friendly blockade" of Iran and thata blockade, long recognized throughout the world as an act of "war" in most circumstances, does not constitute "war" for the purposes of triggering longstanding "war powers" requirements of congressional approval (posting by Aaron Rupar on May 2, 2026).
Proof, Investigative Commentary: The Second Iran War Continues. There Is No Ceasefire. And Things Are About to Explode, Seth Abramson, left, May 3, 2026.Our energy, food and financial networks now rest on media reporting what Trump and his administration aim to hide—that there’s never been a ceasefire in the Second Iran War and that the war continues.
Introduction: There are many ways to begin a report establishing that a war the current regime in Washington falsely claims is over is 
not in fact over, and that a ceasefire the second Trump administration falsely says has been in place since April 7 never existed at all, and that a rogue president of the United States who has just renewed his deranged campaign to receive a Nobel Peace Prize is now plotting to launch his third war of choice in the last nine months after getting his job by promising to start exactly none.
The fact that the level of rhetorical nonsense and mass deception Americans are now experiencing is beyond anything U.S. voters have experienced before, to include the darkest days of the Vietnam War, is adequately represented by this social media post: Hostilities in Iran have not concluded; the letter Trump sent to Congress was in no way responsive to the 1973 War Powers Resolution that governs his most awesome and deadly presidential powers, and what he describes as a “very friendly” blockade recently blew up the engine room of an Iranian vessel in the Arabian Sea before storming its deck and seizing by force its crew, cargo, and fuel, an action the man pictured above admitted twice—just two days ago and on camera—constituted “piracy.”
That’s one way of articulating how lost America is.
But it’s not the whole picture.
So according to the president of the United States, hostilities in Iran ended on April 7 with the two-week ceasefire he wrote of in his letter to Congress; during that two-week period America engaged in significant acts of high seas piracy against Iran on April 19, because sometime prior to April 19 the ceasefire had seen the addition of a naval blockade; on April 21 the two-week ceasefire was extended indefinitely, along with the blockade and the piracy; and now, as of early May, Trump is contemplating “restarting” strikes on Iran, though the strikes did not stop, the ceasefire was not honored, and Trump will neither concede that what America was in prior to April 7 was a “war” nor that what he was is now plotting would likewise be a war, as his contention appears to be that none of this is war despite the fact that clearly all of it is.
As if this ridiculousness isn't enough, here is Trump rejecting the latest Iranian peace offer on May 3 in a way that repeatedly acknowledges that he in fact means none of what he has said and the United States is indeed a “war” and that that war is ongoing:
Readers of this publication are aware that American taxpayers are being robbed by the man above and his friends to the tune of tens and possibly even hundreds of millions of dollars, beginning with the most expensive golf trips in American political history—more than $100 million worth of them, most involving Trump overcharging taxpayers for use of his properties and needless additional security details for friends and family—and extending to what appears to be a nine-figure Embezzlement scheme surrounding the Trump Führerbunker boondoggle (a topic Proof will report on shortly). Readers are also aware that the same corrupt actors in and around this regime who spearheaded the end of DEI in all government initiatives and many parts of the private sector have turned what was once a reasonably competent government into one in which there are human resources shortages at every level, unqualified Trump fans at every level, special access to Americans’ most sensitive data given to Trump megadonors like Elon Musk, and a hiring philosophy (such as it can be called a philosophy at all) in which being young, white, attractive, and able to do cable news hits is all the Boss requires to put you in positions of power and influence in D.C. that once required advanced degrees or at least decades of relevant work experience.
Readers know too that this regime is lousy with alcoholics and drug addicts, spousal abusers and alleged foreign agents, compromised self-dealing plutocrats and corrupt embezzlers, sociopathic billionaires’ agents and serial rapists. Under their deranged stewardship, America is neither safe nor secure, and none of us can feel as though our interests are being represented. Our standing in the world as Americans is the lowest it’s ever been, and our democracy is in ongoing peril.
But even for all this, what’s happening in the Middle East is of a different order.
Why? Because it threatens the whole world.
Food distribution systems; financial markets upon which banks, NGOs and pensions rely; the global jet fuel and fertilizer supply, and the potential use of as-yet untested supersonic and even nuclear weapons (whose use was only—allegedly—taken off the table within the last few hours) all could plunge Earth into World War III or a global depression that would kill many millions and produce tens of millions of refugees.
So the lies being told by the President of the United States above about whether America was at war back in 2025, and whether America is now at war in 2026, and whether America will soon be deep into a shooting war again this year or next, hit closer to home than even the fact that 77.3 million of our countrymen voted for a failed businessman now stealing from his country to try to become one of the richest men alive (he is currently #645 on the planet but, as you can see below, climbing fast ever since the United States became his piggy bank).
New York Times, Behind Voting Rights Case, a Clash Over the Reality of Racism, Richard Fausset, May 3, 2026. The Supreme Court ruling said there must be proof that a racial group was “intentionally” disadvantaged. The dissent called it “well-nigh impossible.”
In 1965, the year Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, it did not take much detective work to discover how some of the South’s most powerful white politicians felt about their Black neighbors.
Senator James Eastland, a Democrat from Mississippi who wanted to kill the landmark legislation, once openly stated that Black people were an “an inferior race.” During his 1963 inauguration speech, Gov. George C. Wallace of Alabama, a Democrat, infamously declared, “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.”
These days, such racism, at least when directed at Black people, is rarely openly expressed by white Southern politicians, who consider it to be immoral, bad politics, bad manners — or all of the above.
But a question central to the Southern experience lingers: Has anti-Black racism eased, or has discrimination against African Americans simply become more subtle, disguised as a web of rules embedded in regular partisan politics?
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court strode once again into this fraught territory with a decision that weakened the Voting Rights Act, the law that allowed many Black Southerners to finally participate in American democracy after decades of systemic oppression and exclusion.
At issue was the way in which the courts should determine whether a legislative map is racially discriminatory. Writing for the six-judge conservative majority, Justice Samuel A. Alito stated that from now on, anyone who wished to challenge a map on such grounds must show proof that the map makers had “intentionally” drawn legislative districts to disadvantage a given racial group.
New York Times, Israel Said It’s Applying the Gaza Model in Lebanon. This Is What the Devastation Looks Like, Samuel Granados, Abdi Latif Dahir and Sanjana Varghese, May 3, 2026. An entire street is leveled. Houses and shops are flattened, including a popular cafe. This is what is left of the town of Bint Jbeil, just a couple of miles from the Israeli border, nearly two months after Israel relaunched its ground offensive in southern Lebanon.
The village of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon. Drone video from @amitseg, via Telegram.
The destruction of this town, a Hezbollah stronghold, is repeated again and again across southern Lebanon, a lush region of undulating vistas, where Israel has razed border villages as part of an effort to lay the groundwork for a larger occupation.
The approach, Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said, was modeled on tactics the military used in Gaza, where the Israeli military reduced entire neighborhoods, buildings and streets to rubble.
After the war between Israel and Hezbollah reignited in early March, when Hezbollah attacked Israel in solidarity with Iran, Israel established a several-mile-deep “buffer zone” that it says it will continue to occupy until the threat from Hezbollah is contained.
An analysis of satellite images, along with photos and videos shared online and verified by The New York Times, shows the scope of that campaign. Widespread demolitions have flattened expanses of at least two dozen towns and villages near the border, with damage to government offices as well as civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and mosques.
Villages are now blurred into ash, with the white of rubble marking town after town.
New York Times, Supreme Court Asked to Restore Access to Abortion Pill by Mail, Ann E. Marimow and Pam Belluck, May 3, 2026 (print ed.). A federal appeals court temporarily halted a Food and Drug Administration regulation that has greatly expanded access to the abortion pill mifepristone.
A manufacturer of the abortion pill mifepristone asked the Supreme Court on Saturday to immediately restore full access to the medication, putting the contentious issue of abortion back before the justices in an election year.
The request came after a lower court on Friday temporarily restricted abortion providers nationwide from prescribing the pills by telemedicine and sending them to patients by mail. That process is one of the main ways women seeking abortions have obtained the medication in recent years.
If the order on Friday by a federal appeals court is upheld, it could sow confusion and upend a major avenue for abortion access across the country — not just in states with abortion bans. About one-fourth of abortions in the United States are now provided through telemedicine.
Louisiana officials had sued the Food and Drug Administration to restrict access to mifepristone, saying the availability of the medication by mail had allowed abortions to continue in the state despite its near-total ban on abortion.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Friday sided with Louisiana and essentially reimposed an F.D.A. requirement that health care providers prescribe mifepristone only after seeing patients in person. That rule was first lifted in 2021. The Fifth Circuit ordered that in-person dispensing of mifepristone be reinstated until the Louisiana lawsuit made its way through the courts.
Two mifepristone manufacturers, Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, are also defendants in the Louisiana lawsuit. On Saturday afternoon, Danco filed an emergency request asking the Supreme Court to lift the lower court’s order, which applied to patients across the country. GenBioPro said it would file a similar request later on Saturday.
In its filing, Danco said the Fifth Circuit’s ruling “injects immediate confusion and upheaval into highly time-sensitive medical decisions,” and forces Danco, providers, patients and pharmacies “all to guess at what is allowed and what is not.”
In a filing on Friday night asking the Fifth Circuit to pause its order, Danco said that the ruling would cause “chaos.” The court had not responded to the request by Saturday afternoon.
The Trump administration has defended the F.D.A. in court, but has not said in this case, or in public statements, whether it supports keeping in place the regulations that allow for pills to be mailed. Rather, it has said that the F.D.A. is conducting a review of mifepristone. It has also asked the court to delay the lawsuit proceedings until that review is complete.
Administration officials recently told The New York Times that the review would not be finished until the end of this year, a time frame that would fall after the midterm elections.
The mifepristone case puts the Trump administration in a politically tricky position, given that many of President Trump’s supporters oppose abortion. The Justice Department has not responded to requests for comment about whether they would appeal to the Supreme Court.
On Saturday, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the F.D.A., declined to comment, citing “ongoing litigation.”
Following the Supreme Court’s decision in 2022 to eliminate the nationwide right to abortion, Republican-led states like Louisiana imposed strict bans on abortion. In response, many Democratic-led states passed shield laws that protect abortion providers who prescribe pills by telemedicine and send them to patients in states with abortion bans.
Medication is now the method used in nearly two-thirds of abortions in the United States, and is typically delivered in the form of a two-drug regimen through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The first of the drugs is mifepristone, which was approved in 2000.
During the coronavirus pandemic, the F.D.A. lifted its requirement that patients visit a medical provider in person to obtain mifepristone. That decision, which was made permanent in 2023, led to the creation of numerous telemedicine abortion services.
Louisiana has claimed in its lawsuit that the F.D.A.’s decision to remove the in-person dispensing requirement was based on inadequate or flawed data — an assertion medical organizations dispute, pointing to more than 100 studies that have found that mifepristone is safe, and that serious complications from taking it are rare.
In addition, Louisiana said that the regulations had resulted in numerous illegal abortions in the state, and that it had paid thousands of dollars in Medicaid bills for women harmed by mifepristone.
In April, a district court judge in Louisiana said the state was likely to win its challenge to the regulation, but declined to pause the availability of pills by mail. Instead, the judge gave the F.D.A. time to complete the safety review of mifepristone.
In its ruling Friday, the Fifth Circuit sided with Louisiana, echoing the state’s arguments that the F.D.A.’s regulations were “undermining its laws protecting unborn human life” and also “causing it to spend Medicaid funds on emergency care for women harmed by mifepristone,” according to the order written by Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan, a Trump appointee. He was joined by Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt, another Trump appointee, and Judge Leslie Southwick, an appointee of President George W. Bush.
Other litigation over access to abortion medication has been making its way through the federal courts.
In 2024, the Supreme Court declined to limit access to mifepristone in a case brought by anti-abortion doctors and groups that sought to have its approval revoked. The court unanimously sided with the Biden administration and the manufacturer of mifepristone, and said the plaintiffs did not have legal grounds to bring the challenge.
The case was revived later that year, and is pending before a federal court in Missouri. Another similar case was filed against the F.D.A. last year by Texas and Florida.
News Roundups
The Hartmann Report, Weekly Summary: he Best of the Rest of the News and Opinion, Thom Hartmann, right, May 2, 2026. Russia’s main goal for years has been to cripple NATO by getting US troops out of Germany.
— Vladimir Putin (shown above right in a file photo) called Donald Trump this week (we wouldn’t have known except Russian media bragged about it) and apparently gave him his instructions; yesterday the Pentagon announced we’re pulling5,000 troops out of Germany and putting massive tariffs on EU goods to further weaken NATO member nations.They’re toasting their success with champagne in the Kremlin and planning their strategy to take the Baltic states once the war against Ukraine is over.
— Thanks to six corrupt bought-off Republicans on the Supreme Court, Louisiana Republicans are colluding in broad daylight to rig this fall’s election and silence the voices of Black voters. Jeff Landry, left, is one of the most corrupt governors in America, having been accused of accepting free flights and gifts, illegal use of campaign funds, and giving government jobs to top donors, among other things. Now he’s suspending the 
upcoming primaries (voting was already underway) so he and his cronies in the legislature can re-gerrymander the state to make sure the state will never again send a Black representative to Washington DC. Democracy Docket’s Marc Elias noted, “What is happening in Louisiana right now is both a redistricting power grab and a dry run for authoritarian election subversion this fall.” And this is just the beginning; with the six Republicans on the Court okaying new maps that shatter majority-Black districts, the Congressional Black Caucus is bracing for a major loss of members this fall and in 2028. John Roberts and his buddies on the Court claim that they’re not “seeing race” and that the problem of minority voters being victimized by Republican policies is long in the past; in fact it’s very, very real now and their and Landry’s actions prove it. Hypocrites and racist liars…
— The Trump regime is the most lawless in America’s history. The War Powers Act of 1973 requires two things: If the United States has come under attack or an attack is imminent, the president may order an immediate commencement of war-making against the attacker; when that happens, he then has 60 days to try to resolve the situation, but after that must seek approval from Congress to continue kinetic action. Trump has already broken that law: Iran represented no immediate threat to the US at all but he bombed them anyway. And now, as Democrats are joining Republicans in pretending he didn’t commit that crime and so are asking for the 60-day request for war authorization from Congress, Whiskey Pete Hegseth told senators yesterday that because our military isn’t currently shooting or bombing, “the clock is paused” and they don’t need to go to Congress.
— Americans of all stripes and political affiliations agree: Data Centers are a plague. Big AI have been buying off politicians across the country, often even getting tax deferrals and free land as they burden local electric and water resources, all to increase the profits of a handful of morbidly rich AI oligarchs. Residents in the areas the tech bro oligarchs are eyeing are getting active, although a few well-placed “contributions” and “tips” to politicians often frustrate their efforts. Maine’s legislature, for example, passed a moratorium on the centers last month by a wide margin but then Governor Janet Mills, apparently feathering her nest for her upcoming retirement, vetoed the legislation. In other states it’s less obviously corrupt, but people are genuinely freaked out as AI transforms not just the physical landscape of America but the employment landscape as well.
— The Trump grift is multigenerational. Uday and Qusay…er…Don Jr and Eric just jumped into the defense contracting business, hooking up with three new drone companies. Suspiciously, the companies all are bidding for or just got massive multi-million-dollar contracts with the Pentagon, with more to come. Remember when Republicans screamed about Jimmy Carter’s brother Billy “cashing in on the presidency” by licensing his name to a brand of beer? Or when Republicans held endless hearings, press conferences, and years of Fox “News” reports about Biden’s son making $5 million for sitting on the board of an energy company? They were pikers. The Trump Crime Family is the most corrupt first family in American history and hopefully their reign will be short-lived when Democrats get the power of impeachment back.
— Democracy around the world is under assault by rightwingers who get themselves elected and then flip their nations into autocracy and oligarchy. An estimated half of all the world’s democracies are under such an assault — including the United States — and Uganda is the most recent to go all in. President Yoweri Museveni says he wants to sign legislation that’s working its way through the Ugandan legislature that would criminalize opposition politicians, most types of reporting and opinion writing, and any group affiliated with foreign organizations. Russia, through diplomatic outreach and via their massive social media influence operations, has been pushing this sort of thing across the free world, and this bill is a virtual clone of Russian legislation that lets Putin imprison or even execute dissidents and reporters. And Trump, trying to help out his mentor and owner, has shut down Voice of America to make Putin’s job even easier.
The Parnas Perspective, Evening News and Commentary: Pentagon in Disarray as Hegseth is 'Isolated,' Blanche has 'Disastrous' Interview, Mass Shootings Strike America, and More, Aaron Parnas, right, May 1, 2026. Tonight we have a packed and urgent agenda as the Department of Defense faces mounting turmoil under Pete Hegseth, with growing concern over his leadership after the removal of experienced officials and increasing reliance on close family members for advice.
At the same time, Todd Blanche is under intensifying scrutiny following a controversial interview that some Republicans warn could put his position at risk. Across the country, more mass shootings are once again underscoring a persistent crisis, while new warnings from a prominent physician are raising fresh and serious questions about the health and fitness of Donald Trump.
These developments point to deeper instability across national security, justice, and public safety at a moment when accountability and transparency are more critical than ever. From internal upheaval at the Pentagon to legal and political tensions within the administration, the stakes continue to rise with real consequences for the country.
Press freedom is under increasing pressure from this administration and its allies, and independent journalism is more important now than ever. The Parnas Perspective is powered by readers, not billionaires or corporate interests, and that independence allows us to report without fear or favor.
Here’s the news:
A report from The Guardian describes growing alarm inside the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has fired or forced out dozens of senior military leaders—many of them Black or female—without clear performance reasons, contributing to internal instability and fears of politicization. Insiders say Hegseth has become increasingly isolated and focused on ideological goals, while critics warn the purge could damage military cohesion, professionalism, and the ability to resist unlawful or extreme orders from Donald Trump. The situation has raised broader concerns about weakened civilian-military checks, especially amid escalating rhetoric around Iran and even discussions of nuclear options.
During an interview with NBC News, acting Attorney General Blanche, left, compared voter ID requirements to showing ID at a restaurant, which quickly drew widespread criticism and mockery online.
Blanche further said individuals selling “86” merchandise or posting similar messages would not face prosecution. He emphasized that such phrases are widely used and appear frequently, indicating they do not meet a threshold for legal action. And yet, they are the basis for the Comey prosecution.
Senator Thom Tillis, right, criticized James Comey as a major disappointment but said he does not support what he called a “vindictive prosecution” over the “8647” seashell post, arguing the case needs more than just that image to justify charges. He questioned whether the phrase “86” can be interpreted as a call for violence, while Todd Blanche said the Justice Department has broader evidence collected over months to prove intent against Donald Trump. Comey, who deleted the post and denied any violent meaning, now faces charges tied to allegedly threatening the president, further escalating his long-running conflict with Trump.
During CNN’s State of the Union, Jeanine Pirro said Cole Tomas Allen’s manifesto was full of hatred toward Donald Trump but avoided giving specifics when pressed by Jake Tapper.
A report from The Daily Beast highlights an unscheduled dental visit by Donald Trump in Florida, raising questions because it was not listed on his public schedule. Physician and commentator Jonathan Reiner noted that the White House has its own dental facilities, suggesting the visit may have been unusual or urgent. The incident has fueled speculation about Trump’s health, especially amid recent attention to his mental acuity.
Donald Trump may be overdue for his annual physical exam, drawing attention after recent social media posts about his mental sharpness. Cardiologist and commentator Jonathan Reiner noted that the 79-year-old president has not had a recent check-up and should undergo a routine evaluation. The discussion has added to ongoing public focus on Trump’s health and fitness.
A report from The Daily Beast found that Donald Trump spent more than 80% of nights in April posting on Truth Social, with activity between roughly 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., leaving only five nights where he may have gotten a full night’s sleep. The analysis shows a sharp increase in his overnight posting compared to past social media use, highlighting how frequently he is active during typical sleeping hours. The pattern has prompted questions about his physical health and possibly his mental state due to the scale and timing of the activity.
A new poll from ABC News, The Washington Post, and Ipsos shows Donald Trump’s overall disapproval has reached a record high, driven largely by dissatisfaction with economic issues and foreign policy. The strongest negative ratings are tied to cost of living and inflation, with broad majorities also unhappy with his handling of Iran, alliances, and the economy. Overall, the data suggests widespread public concern across multiple major policy areas, not just a single issue. Disapproval breakdown:
Gas prices have reached a new high today:
A CNN investigation found that a majority of U.S. military sites in the Middle East were damaged by Iran, describing the destruction as unprecedented. It comes as Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth tried to downplay and conceal the extent of the damage.
Sen. Jack Reed rejected Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s claim that a ceasefire pauses the 60-day War Powers deadline, arguing the law does not allow any “timeout” and the clock continues once military action begins. He emphasized that under the War Powers Resolution, the president must comply with the 60-day limit regardless of pauses in fighting, directly challenging the administration’s legal interpretation.
Drugmakers Danco and GenBioPro have filed an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to restore nationwide telehealth access to the abortion pill mifepristone after a federal appeals court ruling ended online prescribing and mail delivery. The companies argue the decision would cause widespread disruption and uncertainty, as the medication is used in a majority of abortions and many patients rely on telehealth access.
Kid Rock debuted a concert promo video featuring a ride in a U.S. Army helicopter alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, sparking criticism over the use of military resources for what appears to be a taxpayer-funded promotional stunt. The collaboration reflects a close relationship between the artist and the Donald Trump administration, which has sought cultural allies, though critics argue it signals favoritism and misuse of government assets.
Republicans are divided over the idea of clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell, with some discussing whether a pardon from Donald Trump could secure her cooperation in investigations tied to Jeffrey Epstein, while many lawmakers and survivors’ advocates strongly oppose it. Critics argue that granting clemency would undermine justice for victims and reward a convicted accomplice, while key Republicans have called the idea politically damaging and inappropriate
According to CNN, a federal grand jury in California indicted Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez after he was shot multiple times by ICE agents during a traffic stop and later taken into FBI custody, facing charges including assault on a federal officer and destruction of government property. Authorities allege he refused orders, struck agents with his vehicle, and attempted to flee, while his attorney disputes key claims, saying he was not a gang member and acted out of fear after being shot at. The case remains disputed, with conflicting accounts of the incident and ongoing questions about the circumstances leading to the shooting.
A mass shooting at an apartment party in Amarillo, Texas, on May 2, 2026 left two teenage boys (ages 16 and 17) dead and 10 others injured. Police say a group that had been asked to leave an earlier gathering tried to force entry into the apartment and opened fire with a rifle-style weapon. Investigators believe multiple weapons may have been used and that the suspects were known to someone at the party. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
Spain has demanded the release of Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish resident detained by Israel after its forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in international waters, with a court extending his detention despite no formal charges. Another activist, Thiago Ávila, also remains detained, with rights groups alleging mistreatment, while Israel claims the pair have links to a sanctioned organization. The incident has intensified diplomatic tensions, as Spain and Brazil condemn the detentions as illegal and a violation of international law.
A shooting at a post-prom party in Indianapolis left one person dead and three others injured, with victims found both at the scene and later at a hospital. Police say the incident occurred early Sunday at a rental home where a large group of teens had gathered, with one victim in critical condition and others sustaining less severe injuries. Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
According to NBC, a passenger on a United Airlines flight allegedly assaulted a flight attendant and tried to access the cockpit before the plane landed at Newark Liberty International Airport, prompting a police response. The 48-year-old man was detained and taken for a psychiatric evaluation, while no serious injuries were reported among others onboard. Authorities, including the Federal Aviation Administration, are investigating the incident amid ongoing concerns about unruly airline passengers.
More On Iran War
New York Times, What to Know About the Mideast Standoff, Staff Reports, May 3, 2026. Negotiations to end the war are at an impasse over Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz, which remains mostly shut.
Negotiations to end the war with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz are still at a standoff, after President Trump suggested he was likely to reject Tehran’s latest proposal, a day after he had rejected an earlier one.
“I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but can’t imagine that it would be acceptable,” he said on social media on Saturday, adding that Iran had not “yet paid a big enough price for what they have done.”
Two semiofficial Iranian news outlets reported earlier on Saturday that Tehran had sent a 14-point proposal to Pakistani mediators in response to a nine-point U.S. proposal, but they offered few details about what it said. It was the latest exchange in a dizzying saga of diplomatic efforts.
On Thursday evening, Tehran had sent a proposal to the mediators, state media reported. Mr. Trump rejected that offer on Friday, saying, “I’m not satisfied with it,” without elaborating on what his objections were — comments that echoed what he had said about yet another earlier proposal.
The two sides remain at an impasse, and Mr. Trump called off talks in Islamabad last weekend. He has repeatedly insisted that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons, while Iran has rejected American proposals that it suspend its nuclear program and hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Without a clear way forward, the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut. Both the U.S. Navy and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have stringently limited which ships can use the waterway, reducing the flow of oil, natural gas and other crucial materials out of the Persian Gulf to a trickle and causing ripple effects for the world economy.Want to stay updated on what’s happening in Iran and Pakistan? Sign up for Your Places: Global Update, and we’ll send our latest coverage to your inbox.
On Saturday, a senior Iranian general said that renewed confrontation between Iran and the United States was possible, according to a report from the Fars news agency. In comments to reporters on Saturday night, Mr. Trump also suggested it was possible that military strikes could resume.
New York Times, 2 U.S. Service Members Are Missing in Morocco, Africa Command Says, Leo Sands and Eric Schmitt, May 3, 2026. The two Army soldiers were reported missing during a joint military exercise on Saturday near Cap Draa Training Area, a coastal area in southwestern Morocco.
The U.S. Army is searching for two service members who went missing while taking part in a joint military exercise in Morocco, according to a statement released by the U.S. Africa Command on Sunday.
The service members were reported missing on Saturday near Cap Draa Training Area, in southwestern Morocco, along the Atlantic Ocean. They had been participating in African Lion 2026, a large joint military exercise held annually by U.S. forces, NATO countries and African nations.
A U.S. military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters, said the two Army soldiers were out on an early evening hike at a training range and at least one of the soldiers was believed to have fallen off a cliff into the sea.
Other military personnel hiking nearby rushed to create a human chain down the cliff to attempt a rescue, but a large wave swept one or two of them into the ocean, a second U.S. military official said. Initial reports indicated that the first individual who fell was eventually rescued but two others were still missing, the official said.
A major multinational search effort — including ships, ground teams and reconnaissance drones — has ensued, the first military official said.
The search includes Moroccan SA-330 Puma and AS332 Super Puma helicopters; a U.S. CH-47 Chinook helicopter; Moroccan and American surveillance drones; French and Moroccan navy frigates; and Moroccan mountaineers and divers, the official said.
The statement from U.S. Africa Command did not identify the missing soldiers. “The incident remains under investigation and the search is ongoing,” it said. The command did not immediately respond to a request for further information on Sunday.
About 5,000 personnel from over 40 countries were scheduled to participate in this year’s African Lion exercises in Morocco from April 27 to May
New York Times, Jordanians Struggle as Mideast Wars Scare Tourists Away, Raja Abdulrahim and Rana F. Sweis, Photographs by Laura Boushnak, May 3, 2026 (print ed.). Though Jordan mostly sat out the conflicts, its tourism high season was nearly wiped out at popular sites. Visitors canceled flights, hotels and tours.
In a normal year, Alyan and Sharhan, the pair of camels that greet visitors as they enter Jordan’s ancient city of Petra, would have little rest. Usually, tourist after tourist climbs on their backs to be photographed in front of the 2,000-year-old Treasury building.
With war engulfing the Middle East for the past two months, tourism in Jordan has now dried up at some sites. The camels have spent much of their time lazing in the sand. Occasionally, one flops on his side for a quick nap.
For the camel owners, this period has been much more stressful — a reminder of just how fragile the country’s tourism industry is, especially when its neighbors are at war and its airspace becomes a transit route for missiles and rockets.
“It’s 1 percent of what it was,” Hussein al-Budool, one of the camel keepers, said of tourism to Petra lately. He came to Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage site in southwest Jordan, every day throughout March and April, even though tourism had slowed to a trickle and did not pick up after a cease-fire took effect early last month.
U.S. Crime, Courts, Rights, Law, Justice
The Pugilist, Investigative Commentary: There Is a 14th Missing or Murdered American Scientist, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, right,May 3, 2026. We Are The First News Outlet to Connect Her to the Others. We were told she was a bipolar musician who went hiking while possibly suicidal. We were not told she was also a neuroscientist with ties to Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories in New Mexico.
The FBI is now investigating the deaths and disappearances of thirteen scientists, researchers, and workers connected to America's nuclear weapons and aerospace programs, reacting to pressure from a public increasingly alarmed by what appears to be a troubling pattern. Nearly half of the thirteen people have direct ties to Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories, large weapons science labs in New Mexico.
As of today, I’ve identified a potential fourteenth: Ingrid Coleen Lane, shown above. No other news outlet has yet tied her disappearance to the others. That’s probably because in news stories and press releases, Lane has only been described as 37-year-old married bipolar Buddhist musician struggling with her mental health. But that’s been an incomplete portrait of Lane, who was also a bioengineer and neuroscientist with the Mind Research Network at the Univ. of New Mexico, who also worked at or with Sandia and Los Alamos labs.
Lane’s husband, Louis Scuderi, is an astrophysicist contracted through the Department of Defense, who builds directed energy weapons software for the Air Force at Kirtland Air Force Base, next door to Sandia Labs. He has published several research papers about earth-like planets near other stars.
When taken in the context of the unfolding story of other missing scientists, these omissions in the official story of Lane’s disappearance are as mysterious as the disappearance itself.
Ingrid Lane vanished on State Route 144, a narrow dirt road that runs through the Jemez Mountains. Her black 2019 Subaru Impreza hatchback was found on 144 about 11 miles north of NM-126, near San Antonio Mountain and the Valles Caldera National Preserve, at 9,100 feet elevation and out of cellular range.
The last confirmed sighting of Lane was on the afternoon of October 15th, when two hunters encountered her on that same road. They said she flagged them down after her car had been damaged. They helped air up her tire and offered her a ride back down to the main road. She refused, telling them she was determined to get to the top of a mountain. She seemed coherent and purposeful. That was the last time anyone reported seeing Ingrid Lane alive.
Three days later, on October 18th, an Apple AirTag led sheriff’s deputies to her car. What they found has never been adequately explained. The Sandoval County Sheriff’s Department reported a “large boulder rock” crashed through the rear hatch window. The front bumper of the car showed significant collision damage that has never been accounted for in any official report. Three laptops were inside. An unactivated burner phone. Her keys were still in the ignition. Investigators said they found forensic evidence that Lane had been outside the car, near the car — but there was no trace of her departure. No footprints leading away. No trail for search dogs to follow. She has never been found.
Lane's educational background reflects someone operating at the highest levels of scientific research. She attended Johns Hopkins University, studied at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and completed biomedical engineering coursework at the University of New Mexico. She was presented publicly as a neuroscientist from the Mind Research Network at UNM — a collaborative research ecosystem with documented ties to both Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories — in a listing on KUNM, UNM's public radio station.
Her name appears in an official March 2023 NNSA Strategic Outlook Initiative report, catalogued as SAND2023-04694R and co-produced by Sandia National Laboratories and the Kansas City National Security Campus, as a Sandia contributor who participated in workshops and reach-back conversations on the future of the nuclear security enterprise workforce. That report was published seven months before she vanished. Lane’s childhood friend Emma Mincks, with whom she had reconnected in the years before her disappearance, told the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper that Lane had been pushing diversity initiatives at Sandia and they were not well received. The stress of that conflict led to mental health difficulties. Lane was pursuing a new role at a Los Alamos-affiliated organization when she disappeared, and Mincks said she believed Lane was feeling better about “the Sandia stuff.”
The NNSA report Lane contributed to explicitly calls for greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility across the nuclear security enterprise — the precise work her friend said was not well received. Lane herself was disabled. She had bronchopulmonary dysplasia, the result of being born nearly three months premature and hospitalized for six months as an infant. She was told at one point she would need a lung transplant by age 30
For a boulder to naturally drop into the rear window of her car on this remote state road through dense forest is impossible.
Search dogs at the site where Lane’s car was found could locate no scent trail. Drones, helicopters, and more than eighty volunteers found nothing across multiple searches. Lane’s mother, Rebecca Lane, a retired teacher, told the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper that the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office failed to fully investigate. “They didn’t even do forensics on the car,” she said. “They just really put no effort, even the token amount.” The sheriff’s office made an official determination in the Lane case, issued within twenty-four hours of finding the scene: no signs of foul play.
Rebecca Lane also told Porter that during the searches, a personal item belonging to her daughter appeared on a roadway where it had not been the day before. It was never explained.
The mental health narrative introduced immediately after Lane's disappearance — suicidal ideation, a recent breakdown, erratic behavior — presents a specific evidentiary question. Many roles at Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratories require Department of Energy security clearance, and DOE protocols mandate review or suspension of clearance when serious mental illness, suicidal ideation, or documented erratic behavior are present. Whether Lane held such a clearance is not publicly known. But if she did, the mental health narrative her family provided to police would have created an institutional problem that has never been publicly addressed. Either her role did not require clearance — which raises its own questions about what she was actually doing there — or it did, and the contradiction between her documented mental health history and her active Sandia affiliation has simply never been examined. Law enforcement has never addressed this publicly either way.
The abandoned car of Ingrid Lane, a quantum computing staff member at Sandia National Laboratories, found on State Route 144 in the Jemez Mountains on October 18, 2023. Note the atom symbol on the bumper. The rear hatch window is completely shattered. Three laptops were found inside, along with an unactivated burner phone. The Sandoval County Sheriff's Office declared no foul play within 24 hours without processing the car forensically.
As for the boulder: a rock large enough to shatter the entire rear car window would have had to be carried through dense forest somehow. Law enforcement found no footprints, no tire tracks, no sign of any other human presence. How the boulder got through that window in an area investigators described as “just trees,” has never been asked by any investigating authority.
Lane’s husband, Louis J. Scuderi, has been portrayed in the news media and on social media mostly as a touring musician. He is a member of an Albuquerque band called Mandology, whose website say he “studied physics and astrophysics in college and graduate school, specializing in extrasolar planets, planetary sciences, and the planet Mars” and that “he currently works at Stellar Science.”
Scuderi holds a graduate degree in astronomy from the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy and published peer-reviewed research on extrasolar planets in the Astrophysical Journal during his academic career, including work conducted as a NASA Space Grant intern with over 100 nights of telescope observing experience. Stellar Science, his employer, is an Albuquerque-based Department of Defense contractor whose portfolio includes directed energy weapons modeling and simulation, high-power microwave systems, laser weapons simulation, and space domain awareness — work performed under contract directly at Kirtland Air Force Base. His dad’s interesting, too.
Scuderi’s father — Ingrid Lane’s father-in-law — Louis Anthony Scuderi, is Professor Emeritus of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of New Mexico, where his research specialties include surface processes, sedimentology, and the mechanics of how geological materials — including rocks — move through landscapes. The elder Scuderi maintained an extensive research collaboration with Chinese scientists over multiple years, co-authoring numerous peer-reviewed papers with researchers from Chinese institutions on fieldwork conducted in Inner Mongolia and China’s dryland regions. Father and son also published together, co-authoring a 2011 conference paper on remotely mapping surface roughness on alluvial fans — comparing terrain in Death Valley to the surface of Mars.
What any of these connections mean in the context of Ingrid Lane’s disappearance, if anything, is unknown. None of it has ever been investigated. None of it was ever reported. But I do find it interesting that Lane, her parents (her late dad, Kelly, was a science teacher), her husband and her father-in-law are all scientists and teachers who appear to be progressive, politically.
Lane and her husband were both working in the military industrial complex in New Mexico at a time when the nation was/is experiencing a steady creep towards an anti-enlightenment-science type of authoritarianism that favors tech-bro-exploitative science. The Trump administration has been actively purging many other agencies of people who do not share the Project 2025 mindset, including scientists in less classified fields.
When you purge the education department or something like USAID, the people who are fired might be angry, and might even file a wrongful termination lawsuit. But if you should purge the military weapons science agencies and contractors of liberal and progressive scientists, you might get more than a lawsuit. You might risk national security if they decide to take all those juicy secrets and sell them to your enemies. There are safer ways to clear the system of the “wrong” kinds of scientists, I’d imagine. Ways that keep them quiet forever.
I’m not saying that’s absolutely what happened to Ingrid Lane or any of the other 13 missing or murdered scientists, researchers and workers associated with US nuclear military science and astrophysics. I don’t know enough yet to make any kind of declaration. The evidence for Lane’s vanishing seems to support several possibilities. She might have been extracted — willingly or otherwise — by a foreign or domestic intelligence operation, with the scene staged, by those who knew her, to produce a narrative that would foreclose investigation.
Or: She might have been targeted by intelligence forces, domestic or foreign, because of what she knew or what she was carrying.
Or: (Read more for other possibilities):
What is certain is that the story told to the public about Ingrid Lane was incomplete in ways that appear, in retrospect, to have been functional. A bioengineer and neuroscientist with ties to two nuclear weapons laboratories was reduced in the news narrative to an emotionally unstable chick who went hiking and probably killed herself.
Perhaps one of the most remarkable things about the missing-and-murdered scientists story is that Trump’s FBI is investigating the thirteen known cases at all. Trump himself has even made a statement about the investigation, saying it’s serious stuff. Given how little he cares for scientists generally, mostly holding them in contempt, I find his sudden performance of concern for these particular scientists and workers… interesting.
Just like I find it interesting that there is a fourteenth person whose vanishing we were never supposed to realize might be part of what is starting to look like a larger purge.
Which leaves one question that I don’t quite trust Kash Patel’s FBI to ask, much less answer: if Ingrid Lane’s identity and professional life as a scientist could be erased so completely from the police and news narratives, how many other disappeared scientists are out there we haven’t heard of yet? And how many more are there to come?
New York Times, Live Updates: Justice Department Still Open to Investigating Fed Chair Powell, Minho Kim, May 3, 2026. What We’re Covering Today.
The Justice Dept. could resurrect an investigation of Jerome Powell, the Fed chair, Jeanine Pirro said.ImageJerome H. Powell speaking from behind a lectern in front of an American flag.Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, has resisted President Trump’s demands that the central bank slash interest rates.Credit...Anna Rose Layden for The New York Times
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in Washington, signaled on Sunday that federal prosecutors were still interested in investigating Jerome H. Powell, right, the Federal Reserve chair who had faced a criminal inquiry regarding a renovation of the Fed’s headquarters amid President Trump’s 
demands that the central bank lower interest rates.
Ms. Pirro dropped the case last month after a Republican senator with a crucial vote to confirming Mr. Trump’s nominee to replace Mr. Powell, Kevin M. Warsh, said he would hold up that process until prosecutors stopped their inquiry into Mr. Powell. But on Sunday, Ms. Pirro indicated that she could again pursue the case if a continuing internal audit were to find any indication of malfeasance by Mr. Powell.
“We continue to litigate the issue,” Ms. Pirro said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” vowing again that she would also appeal a federal judge’s order from March that had quashed grand jury subpoenas in the case, a major roadblock for the prosecution.ImageJeanine Pirro walking down a hallway lined with flags surrounded by aides.Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in Washington, indicated on Sunday that she could again pursue the case against Mr. Powell if an internal audit were to find any indication of malfeasance.Credit...Salwan Georges for The New York Times
Ms. Pirro’s unwillingness to move on from Mr. Powell’s case despite scant evidence of wrongdoing hinted that the pause on the inquiry could be temporary.
The Republican senator, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, said on Sunday that the Justice Department should not reopen the case into Mr. Powell unless the agency came forward with new evidence of wrongdoing.
“At the end of the day, there was no crime committed, and prosecutors that I’ve spoken with all agree,” Mr. Tillis said on CNN.
The Justice Department opened the investigation into Mr. Powell in an escalation of Mr. Trump’s pressure campaign against the chairman, whom he has continually attacked for resisting his demands to slash interest rates. The inquiry focused on whether Mr. Powell had lied to Congress regarding a $2.5 billion renovation of the Federal Reserve headquarters.
That investigation hit a major roadblock in March when James E. Boasberg, the chief judge in Federal District Court in Washington, blocked prosecutors’ grand jury subpoenas seeking information on the renovations and Mr. Powell’s testimony to Congress. Judge Boasberg described the subpoenas as an attempt “to harass and pressure Powell either to yield to the president or to resign and make way for a Fed chair who will.”
Mr. Powell’s term as Fed chair ends on May 15, but he vowed last week to stay on as a governor who holds a vote on interest rates. He has emphasized that the efforts by Mr. Trump and his allies to exert political pressure on the central bank have motivated him to stay on, despite his earlier plans for retirement.
Mr. Powell can technically remain a governor until 2028. He would be the first Federal Reserve chair to stay on as a governor after an expired term since 1948.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticized Mr. Powell’s decision to stay on at the Federal Reserve on Sunday, saying that his continued service “violates all norms” and expressing the administration’s wishes that Mr. Powell depart soon.
“It would be inappropriate to overshadow,” Mr. Bessent said on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” “I am optimistic that after a period he may move on.”
If Mr. Powell were to leave, Mr. Trump could appoint another governor who might be more amenable to his wishes.
Mr. Trump has tried to fire another Federal Reserve governor, Lisa D. Cook, over dubious allegations of mortgage fraud. The Supreme Court has yet to rule on whether the president can fire Ms. Cook over such claims of wrongdoing, but the justices expressed concern about the implications for the Fed’s independence if her firing were to stand.
New York Times, Blanche Says Others Who Post ‘86 47’ Message Won’t Be Charged Like Comey, Devlin Barrett, May 3, 2026. The acting attorney general said such messages were “posted constantly” and said the Justice Department had gathered other evidence against the former F.B.I. director, but declined to describe it.
Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, on Sunday sought to contrast the Justice Department’s indictment of the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey over a social media post with other instances in which people have shared the same message, saying that the department had gathered additional evidence during an 11-month investigation.
Mr. Comey was indicted last week over a photo that he posted on Instagram in May 2025 of seashells on a beach that spelled out “86 47,” which the department characterized as a threat to the president. The charge was the second attempt by the Justice Department under President Trump to prosecute Mr. Comey and the department’s latest effort to pursue charges against the president’s perceived enemies.
Asked on NBC’s “Meet The Press” whether others who displayed the same numbers, or bought or sold T-shirts with the same message, would face the same prosecution, Mr. Blanche said no.
The “86 47” message, Mr. Blanche said, is “posted constantly — that phrase is used constantly.” He added, “Every one of those statements do not result in indictments.” What makes Mr. Comey’s case different, he argued, is other evidence collected, which he said he could not describe.
“Of course the seashells are part of that case,” said Mr. Blanche, who acknowledged that proving Mr. Comey’s intent would be crucial to his prosecution. “You prove intent with witnesses; you prove intent with documents,” he said, adding that there was “a body of evidence” that led to Mr. Comey’s indictment. The three-page indictment, secured on Tuesday, was focused only on the seashell post.
Mr. Comey has insisted he is innocent and will fight the charges. He has said he did not associate the phrase “86” with violence, and pointed to its origins in the restaurant business, where it has for decades been used to refer to removing something from the menu or throwing out an unruly customer.
Senator Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California, appeared later on the show and said there was only one thing that distinguished Mr. Comey’s case from other examples of people using the phrase: “the fact that James Comey is a political opponent of the president; it’s the fact that the president has called on him for prosecution; it’s the fact that Todd Blanche wants to keep his job.”
Mr. Schiff called the charges against Mr. Comey “deeply illegitimate” and said he expected the case to be thrown out of court before it ever gets to a jury.
U.S. Governance, Elections, Politics
Heather Delaney Reese, Opinion: Donald Trump is betraying our allies, Heather Delaney Reese, right,May 3, 2026. Last night, while the President of the United States was away from the White House, spending yet another vacation weekend in Florida, he grew restless in the middle of the night. And at 11:03 p.m., he opened his Truth Social app and went on a late-night posting spree.
Over the course of just 42 minutes, he rapidly posted 11 times in a row, including a custom portrait of his own face sketched in gold, and a photo of his face as an overlay at one end of Mount Rushmore, right next to Abraham Lincoln. He also shared a post attacking a sitting member of Congress, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, calling him “low IQ” and a “thug,” his favorite insults for black people.
But the most bizarre was the fake image he shared of himself floating in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, lounging shirtless on a gold blow-up chair, giving a thumbs-up alongside Vice President J.D. Vance, Marco Rubio, Doug Burgum, and an unknown woman in a very small gingham bikini. That is what the President of the United States was doing in the middle of the night.
When the president spends his nights like that, not resting or preparing for the next day of executing what is arguably the most consequential job in the world, he isn’t just blowing off steam or sharing a harmless moment of eccentricity. He is revealing where his priorities actually are. Because this was the President of the United States, during an active war he started, choosing to spend 42 minutes in the middle of the night posting fake fantasy images of himself instead of upholding the dignity of the office.
And if we really think about what his favorite slogan, “America First,” actually looks like, it’s not this. Nobody would think it is if they were being honest with themselves. It’s not strategy or leadership. It’s spectacle. It’s crass and dangerous rhetoric coming from inside the Trump administration while the men and women of the United States military hold the line on the other side of the world.
And then this evening, before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport to fly to his own golf tournament in Miami, Trump stopped to talk to reporters on the tarmac. He was asked why the United States is withdrawing troops from Germany. The Pentagon announced just yesterday that it would pull 5,000 troops over the next six to twelve months. And when a reporter asked the President of the United States why, he stopped and made a large shrug motion before saying: “Uh, we’re going to cut way down and we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000.”
And to Trump, this may just be a retaliation method, or a deeper desire to create vulnerability and thus opportunity for wrongdoing. But regardless of the reasoning, those troops are there for a reason. And an important one at that.
Here is what those troops actually do, because it matters enormously, and because the framing that we’ve been sold for years, that this is somehow a favor we’re doing for Europe, is one of the most successful lies in modern American political life.
There are roughly 36,000 American military personnel permanently stationed in Germany. The centerpiece of that presence is Ramstein Air Base, which serves as the headquarters for U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa and NATO Allied Air Command. Ramstein is not a symbolic outpost. It is the nerve center from which America projects military power across three continents: Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The satellite relays for American drone operations in the Middle East pass through Ramstein, because direct control from the United States would simply be too slow. Right now, today, during the Iran war Donald Trump started, Ramstein is actively running his own military operation. He is threatening to gut the very base that is executing his own war, because the German chancellor said something he didn’t like.
Friedrich Merz, Germany’s chancellor, said this week that the United States was being “humiliated” by Iran and appeared to have no exit strategy. Trump’s response was to announce troop withdrawals. Not a diplomatic call or a frank exchange through proper channels. A punishment. And the people being punished are not Friedrich Merz like Trump thinks they are. They are us. They are the world.
Because here is the thing that “America First” has always gotten exactly backwards. Those troops are not in Germany for Germany. They are there because we learned, at a cost of approximately 405,000 American lives, what happens when the balance of power in Europe collapses. It happened in 1914, and it happened again in 1939. Twice in thirty years, the instability of that continent pulled the United States into a catastrophic world war. After the second time, the architects of the postwar order made a decision: never again. They built NATO. They stationed American forces in Germany. They created eighty years of imperfect but largely intact peace between the major powers of the world. Not as charity but as insurance. Paid for in American blood and maintained by American presence, because we understood that a stable world is a world where our children don’t have to go die in it.
Pulling those troops doesn’t just leave Europe exposed. It leaves us exposed. It shortens our reach into the Middle East and Africa. It signals to every adversary watching, and they are all watching, that American commitments are negotiable based on the president’s mood on any given day. Republican Senator Jack Reed said exactly that this week. The withdrawal, he said, “suggests American commitments to our allies are dependent on the president’s mood.” Multiple defense analysts said it plainly: this benefits Vladimir Putin. Directly, immediately, and without any strategic gain for the United States.
This is “America Last”, sold to us as “America First”. This is what happens when the people in charge can only see what is directly in front of them at this exact moment. There is no long game. There is no thinking about next year, or the next generation, or the world our children are going to inherit. There is only right now, and what can be extracted from it today. Budgets are being slashed not to strengthen America, but to concentrate wealth at the top, to create a larger pool of public money that can be redirected toward the people already in power. The president, his family, and enablers. Every cut, withdrawal, and dismantled alliance is another shovel of dirt moved from the public good into a private pile. And the people making these decisions will never feel the consequences. They never do.
And then there are our allies. The people who have stood with us when it counted. They are being collectively punished right now. Germany said something honest about the war Trump started, and now 5,000 troops are being pulled. And he told us Saturday morning, almost cheerfully, that 5,000 is just the beginning. The allies who opened their bases to us, who shared their intelligence, who sent their own sons and daughters to stand beside ours, are now being left more vulnerable to the very threat that NATO was built to contain. The line we drew together is breaking apart. And every inch it breaks, Russia moves closer to everything it has wanted for three-quarters of a century.
NATO’s first Secretary General, Lord Ismay, summed up the alliance’s founding logic in a single sentence: keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down. That was 76 years ago. And in the decades since, through the Cold War, through the fall of the Berlin Wall, through Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its full invasion of Ukraine, that alliance has been the single most effective check on Russian expansionism the world has ever produced. Every country that broke free from Soviet control and ran toward NATO did so because they knew exactly what waited for them if they didn’t. They had lived it and remembered it. They joined because NATO was the only guarantee that Russia could not simply take them back.
Putin has wanted NATO weakened since before he had the power to do anything about it. In 2005, he called the breakup of the Soviet Union “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.” He has spent the years since trying to reverse it, piece by piece and border by border. And the one thing standing between his ambitions and the map he wants is a unified Western alliance with the United States at its center. Remove the United States from that center, and the entire architecture shifts. The deterrence collapses, and the calculation changes for every country on Russia’s border.
What Trump is doing has Putin written all over it. And if he had nothing to do with it directly, he is still going to be thrilled. He has dreamed of this for decades. A weakened Europe and a retreating America. An alliance fracturing from the inside, not from Russian military pressure, but from an American president doing the work for him, for free, out of spite and ignorance.
Donald Trump is either in on it, and benefiting from it in ways we may not yet fully understand, or he is too captured by his own ego and the flattery of the men around him to see what is happening and why. Neither option is acceptable. Both are dangerous. And the people paying the price are not the ones posting AI images of themselves on gold chairs at 11 o’clock at night. They are the countries on the eastern edge of Europe who are watching the American commitment evaporate, and left to wonder how bad this is going to get.
And this is exactly why the world is pulling away from us. They know this is just the beginning. What Trump is doing in Germany is another test balloon, another push to see how far he can go before someone stops him. Will our allies hold together without us? Will Congress finally draw a line? Will our military leaders speak? The questions are piling up. And the silence where answers should be is its own answer. Because here is the hard truth: you can send troops back to Germany. You can sign new agreements. You can make new promises. But you cannot easily rebuild what trust requires, which is time, consistency, and the belief that the word of the United States actually means something. That is what is being destroyed. And that damage does not come with an undo button.
There is a kind of American exceptionalism buried in the assumption that we can do whatever we want, and the world will wait for us to come back to our senses. It won’t. Not forever. For over a century, people have repeated a saying, often credited to Churchill, though historians can never quite pin it down, that Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing, after they’ve exhausted every other possibility. It was meant as a backhanded compliment. A wry observation from the outside that we get there eventually, even if we make everyone wait. But that saying assumed there was a “there” to get to. It assumed that the right thing was still the destination, just delayed. What we are watching now is something different. This isn’t delay. This isn’t America taking the long way around. This is the voice of America, a man who has no intention of arriving at the right thing at all. And the world, watching him dismantle alliance after alliance from a vacation in Florida, is starting to wonder if they can afford to keep waiting and if he even knows or cares what is right.
And as bleak as this all is, there is always light in the darkness. Always something to hold onto to keep us going. Because it’s not just us seeing this for what it actually is. More Americans by the day are voicing their disapproval of Trump, even within his own party. A Pew Research poll released this week shows Trump’s approval among Republicans has dropped from 73% in January to 68% today. The share of Republicans who say he keeps his promises is down 14 points since November.
And upon hearing the news, two Republicans in Congress broke from the White House on the Germany troop cuts. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker of Mississippi and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers of Alabama issued a joint statement saying that they are “very concerned” by the decision. They said Germany has stepped up, increased its defense spending, and provided support for Operation Epic Fury. And then they said this: pulling troops from Germany prematurely “risks undermining deterrence and sending the wrong signal to Vladimir Putin.”
That is two Republicans, the chairmen of both Armed Services Committees, saying that the president is sending the wrong signal to Putin. They also said that any significant change to U.S. force posture in Europe must be reviewed and coordinated with Congress, and that they expect the Pentagon to engage with its oversight committees in the days and weeks ahead. That is friction. That is the machinery resisting, even from the inside. It is not nearly enough. But it is real, and it counts. And friction is how we slow this down while we work toward November.
And yesterday, while the president was rambling at The Villages, something else was happening that didn’t get nearly enough coverage by the media. Across this country, in hundreds of cities and towns, people took to the streets for the May Day Strong economic blackout, and millions showed up. Over 3,000 protests and events. In Charlotte, North Carolina, the school board canceled classes entirely because so many teachers were expected to be absent. Ordinary people, on a Friday, in the middle of the workday, said no.
We are not done resisting. Eighty years of hard-won stability did not build itself. It was built by people who understood that a peaceful world is not something that happens to us, or that can be preserved from within our own borders alone. It is something we maintain together, with the commitment to show up for each other, to form a united front against it. That understanding is what he is selling off, piece by piece. But he has not finished the sale. And the people in the streets yesterday are proof that he never will. That is why I still have hope for America. And you should, too.
New York Times, A California Dream? Some Democrats Fear Harris Picked the Wrong Race, Jennifer Medina, May 3, 2026. Some wish Kamala Harris had decided to run for governor in California, where Democrats are struggling to break through, rather than weigh another White House run.
The current political math in California goes like this: There are eight candidates running for governor. Only four of them are breaking double digits in polling. And there’s a chance that Democrats could be shut out of the general election entirely in November.
To many Democrats in the reliably liberal state, the calculus seems rather grim. Some can’t help but wonder about a never-was-but-what-if variable: Kamala Harris.
Maybe, they say, she should have run for governor instead of publicly pondering a third run for president.
Sunny Hostin, a co-host of “The View,” recently urged Ms. Harris, the former vice president, to reconsider.
“California, it’s like running a country,” she said on the morning show. “I know that she’s talked about being president — I don’t know if that’s the right position for her — but my goodness, she certainly knows California.”
After Ms. Harris lost her bid for president in 2024, many believed that she would try to become the next governor of California. The state has a tradition of larger-than-life governors — Ronald Reagan, Jerry Brown, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gavin Newsom — who have happily used the statewide office as a megaphone to speak to a worldwide audience.
But after months of speculation, Ms. Harris ruled out the possibility last July.
Instead, she has been roaming the country on a book tour, saying recently that she “might” run for president again in 2028.
It’s enough to give some party loyalists heartburn. The governor’s race, they say, would have been a better bet.
“She would have been good at it, and it would have been a good job for her,” said Matt Bennett, a co-founder of Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank based in Washington. “It would have been good for Democrats everywhere.”Editors’ PicksUtility Bills Are Likely to Be Higher This Summer. Here’s What You Can Do.It’s Already a Bad Tick Season. Here’s How to Protect Yourself.Tooth Brushing at Work Has Me Foaming at the Mouth
On the other hand, Mr. Bennett said, she would enter the presidential race “with a real burden” of defending the past.
“It’s conceivable that she could craft a message,” he added, “but she’s got a lot of explaining to do.”
The state’s nonpartisan primary has drawn a field that now includes Democrats Xavier Becerra, a former cabinet member in Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s administration; Katie Porter, a former member of Congress; Tom Steyer, a hedge fund billionaire; Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose; Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles; and Tony Thurmond, the state education superintendent. Another Democrat, Representative Eric Swalwell, dropped out of the race amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
There are also two Republicans, Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County; and Steve Hilton, a former Fox News contributor.
The top two vote getters, regardless of party, will advance to the general election.
Leading Democrats in California have avoided publicly criticizing the candidates, even as many privately call the field lackluster. Rusty Hicks, the chairman of the state party, has urged candidates to “honestly assess” whether they should remain in the race.
And while mail-in voting begins Monday for the June 2 primary, liberal activists have sent text messages urging Democratic voters to wait to cast their ballots until there is a clear party front-runner.
A year ago, that front-runner was clearly Ms. Harris; a statewide poll found that 31 percent of voters supported a theoretical Harris campaign, while no other contender exceeded single digits. Most leading Democrats wanted to stay out if she waded in, so her mulling effectively froze the field for months.
Now, there are a few complications. For one thing, the deadline for making the ballot has long since passed. (Last month, a poll circulated through text message asked voters: “What are the chances you would write in Harris for governor” if she launched a campaign? The source of the poll was unclear, and the results were never reported.)
Perhaps more to the point, there is little to indicate Ms. Harris was ever interested in the campaign — or the job.
PoliticusUSA, Opinion: The American People Aren't Buying The GOP's Tax Cuts BS Anymore, Jason Easley, right, May 3,2026. Trump and his party were planning on running on tax cuts in the midterm election, but skyrocketing prices have caused the American people to see through the tax cut smokescreen in 2026.
Republicans based their entire midterm election strategy on massive tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations disguised as no taxes on tips and no taxes on Social Security.
Trump and his party thought that they could fool the American people, but experts warned them, even before they passed the tax cuts, that counting on tax returns as a campaign strategy was going to fail, because high inflation would eat up any increase in tax returns that people might receive.
The Iran war has caused gas prices to reach a five-year high, and the increase has come so quickly that comparisons are being drawn to the energy crisis of the 1970s.
The result is that voters see no taxes on tips and respond with a resounding “So what?” No taxes on Social Security have been met with, “Who cares?”
Something even worse than a failed campaign strategy is unfolding.
The American people are rejecting the Republican Party’s economic ideology on taxes.
The latest Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found: Americans disapprove of his handling of the situation with Iran by 66 percent to 33 percent. His rating on the economy has declined by seven points, to 34 percent, as gas prices have spiked. His approval rating on inflation has fallen five points in that time to 27 percent and his lowest rating comes on perceptions of his handling of the general cost of living, with 23 percent approving vs. 76 percent disapproving.
The whole midterm election campaign for Republicans was supposed to be based on immigration and taxes. Trump is negative on both issues.
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On taxes, just 38% Americans approve how the president has handled taxes. Sixty one percent of respondents disapprove. That is a net approval rating of (-23) on taxes.
The high disapproval on taxes indictates that the American people aren’t being fooled by the tax cuts for the rich, and crumbs for everyone else approach that Republicans have been using for nearly half a century.
The con isn’t working anymore. Many Americans now understand that the only thing trickling down to them are higher prices.
By pushing Republican economic ideology to the extreme, Trump has done one favor for the American people. He has opened their eyes to the fraud behind Republican tax cut math.
New York Times, Indiana Republicans Defied Trump. Will Voters Punish Them for It? Mitch Smith, May 3, 2026. The election on Tuesday will test the influence of President Trump, who endorsed challengers to Republican state senators who scuttled his push to redraw political maps.
Spencer Deery is running for re-election to the Indiana Senate with endorsements that most any conservative Republican would covet: the National Rifle Association, Indiana Right to Life, Indiana Farm Bureau.
President Trump, however, wants him to lose.
In Mr. Trump’s view, Senator Deery is “an incompetent and ineffective RINO incumbent” and “America Last politician” who “has become a favorite politician of the Far Left.” The president has urged Republican voters to support Mr. Deery’s opponent, Paula Copenhaver, in the primary on Tuesday.
Mr. Deery garnered the president’s scorn in December by helping to vote down a plan to redraw Indiana’s congressional districts outside the usual once-a-decade cycle. Mr. Trump lobbied for months for the new map, which would have positioned Republicans to flip two U.S. House seats in the midterm election, but he failed to convince enough lawmakers in the Republican-led State Senate to go along with the plan. The highly public defeat in Indiana was a rare instance of Republican officials going against the president’s wishes, and a counterpoint to a redistricting blitz that has played out in other states.
In the months that followed, Mr. Trump made good on his promise to try to unseat the Republicans who had defied him with a series of social media endorsements and White House meetings, an unusual level of presidential involvement for local legislative races in a solidly Republican state.
That has turned Mr. Deery’s race, along with those of six other Republicans facing Trump-backed challengers, into a test of the president’s ability to bend the party to his will and exact political revenge.ImageSenator Spencer Deery, in a dress shirt, standing in a room with multicolored carpet.“It’s an important election nationally because they’re trying to demonstrate a proof of concept that if the states do not line up with their view, that there can be political consequences,” said State Senator Spencer Deery, a Republican incumbent facing a challenger supported by President Trump.Credit...Jon Cherry for The New York Times
“It’s an important election nationally because they’re trying to demonstrate a proof of concept that if the states do not line up with their view, that there can be political consequences,” said Mr. Deery, a first-term senator who reported receiving death threats after coming out against redrawing the maps last year. “No matter your politics, no matter your state, that should be concerning to you.”
The race between Mr. Deery, who has worked in higher education, and Ms. Copenhaver, a Covington City Council member and the chair of the Fountain County Republicans, has attracted unusual levels of spending, attention and Republican-on-Republican vitriol.
Global News
The Parnas Perspective, News and Commentary: It's World Press Freedom Day and the Alarm Bells are Ringing, Aaron Parnas, right, May 2, 2026. On World Press Freedom Day, findings from Reporters Without Borders and UNESCO highlight a deepening crisis affecting legal protections, safety, and the future of independent journalism.
The news cycle slowed to a near standstill this afternoon. There were no major breaking developments, no urgent headlines competing for attention, and nothing significant that you missed. That kind of quiet is rare, and it creates an opportunity to step back and focus on something larger than any single news day.
This weekend marks World Press Freedom Day, and it deserves more attention than it typically receives. A functioning democracy cannot exist without a free press. Independent journalism is what allows people to understand what is happening around them, to question those in power, and to make informed decisions about the direction of their communities and their country. Access to reliable information and the ability to express ideas freely are not optional features of a healthy society. They are fundamental rights, and when they begin to weaken, the consequences extend far beyond the media itself.
That is why I continue to do this work, and it is also why I am asking you directly to support it. If you believe that independent journalism matters, subscribing is one of the most meaningful ways to ensure that it can continue and support a free and independent press this World Press Freedom weekend. This is not a symbolic gesture. It directly supports the time, resources, and independence required to report accurately and consistently. Subscribing is a way to invest in a media environment that prioritizes accountability and truth over speed, noise, or influence.Subscribed
For me, this is not an abstract issue. My family fled Russia decades ago at a time when press freedom was severely restricted. Journalism operated under heavy control, dissent carried real risks, and the truth was often filtered or suppressed. Growing up in United States, I was raised with a very different understanding of how a society could function. I believed that a free press was one of the defining strengths of this country, that journalists could hold power accountable, and that the public had meaningful access to the truth.
What is increasingly difficult to ignore is that this foundation is beginning to shift. The change has not come all at once, and it is not always dramatic enough to dominate a single headline. Instead, it has taken shape gradually through growing hostility toward journalists, economic pressures that weaken independent outlets, and a political environment that often treats the press as an adversary rather than a necessary institution. Over time, those pressures accumulate and begin to reshape the conditions under which journalism operates.
In 2026, World Press Freedom Day is observed under the theme “Shaping a Future at Peace: Promoting Press Freedom for Human Rights, Development, and Security.” It is marked every year on May 3rd and serves as a global moment of reflection on whether governments, institutions, and societies still uphold the principle that people have a right to know what is being done in their name. Increasingly, the answer to that question is uncertain.
Across the world, journalists are facing growing levels of risk. They are being threatened, detained, forced into exile, and in many cases, killed for doing their jobs. According to UNESCO, between January 2022 and September 2025, 310 journalists were killed, including 162 in conflict zones. These figures reflect a reality in which reporting the news has become dangerous in ways that extend far beyond traditional war zones. Here are stats from CPR:
From conflicts involving Russia and Ukraine to ongoing violence in places such as Gaza, Lebanon, and multiple regions across Africa, journalists are increasingly operating under conditions where the act of documenting events can place them in direct danger. These risks are compounded by the fact that attacks on journalists are often not fully investigated, and accountability remains inconsistent. When those responsible face no consequences, it reinforces a system in which silencing the press becomes an effective strategy.
This trend is reflected in broader global data. The 2026 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders shows that more than half of the world’s countries now fall into “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom. Just over two decades ago, that figure was significantly lower. Today, less than one percent of the global population lives in a country where press freedom is considered “good.” The global average score has reached its lowest level in 25 years, and legal protections for journalists have weakened in more than 60 percent of countries. In many countries, press freedom is non-existent.
The United States is not separate from this trend. This year, it fell to its lowest ranking ever on the index, dropping to 64th out of 180 countries. That decline reflects multiple factors, including weakening legal protections, increasing political hostility, economic instability within the media industry, and rising safety concerns for journalists. While the United States still maintains stronger protections than many countries, the trajectory points in the wrong direction, and it underscores that press freedom is not guaranteed.
At the same time, the information environment itself is becoming more complex. Outlets that present themselves as legitimate media are increasingly spreading misinformation or acting in alignment with those in power rather than holding them accountable. This creates a landscape in which propaganda and reporting are often difficult to distinguish, leaving audiences to navigate a growing volume of content without clear signals of credibility.
The result is a gradual erosion of trust. When people are unsure what to believe, the role of journalism becomes harder to fulfill, and the ability to maintain accountability weakens. This is one of the most significant challenges facing the press today, and it is closely tied to the question of support.
Independent journalism requires sustained investment. It depends on people who recognize its value and are willing to support it directly. Without that support, the pressures that already exist only intensify, and the space for independent reporting continues to shrink.
American Culture, Sports, History
New York Times, News Analysis: A Long, Strange Trip: How the G.O.P. Came to Embrace Psychedelic Drugs, Andrew Jacobs, May 3, 2026. For decades, conservatives were adamantly opposed to the use of drugs like psilocybin and LSD. Now, the Trump administration has made a sharp pivot.
Mindbending may be just the word to describe the Oval Office ceremony on April 18, when President Trump ordered federal agencies to speed up research into the potential therapeutic uses of illegal psychedelic compounds like LSD, peyote and MDMA.
Here was a law-and-order Republican and lifelong teetotaler championing the hallucinogenic substances that a previous Republican president, Richard Nixon, had condemned as “public enemy No. 1.”
In the decades since 1970, when Nixon consigned psychedelics to the most restrictive category of federal prohibition, his absolutist, just-say-no approach was embraced by waves of conservative politicians.
They generally held to the view that psychedelics were a morally corrupting intoxicant, the indulgences of hippies, draft-dodgers and other liberal degenerates.
“As someone who has worked with psychedelics for decades, watching the White House event was a very trippy experience,” said Dimitri Mugianis, an underground practitioner who was prosecuted by federal authorities for illegally treating a heroin addict with the psychedelic drug ibogaine.
Mr. Trump’s bold efforts to soften the federal government’s stance on certain illegal drugs have been head-spinning — last month, the Justice Department, at the president’s behest, loosened restrictions on medical marijuana, too.
But experts in the field are not entirely surprised.
They note a steady easing of public opposition to psychedelics in recent years, much of it shaped by research that has chipped away at the stigma by demonstrating the drugs’ potential to treat intractable mental health conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and substance abuse.
A parade of boldface names has openly discussed having psychedelic experiences, including Aaron Rodgers, Mike Tyson, Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Sergey Brin, a co-founder of Google.
That Nixon’s war on drugs is widely seen as a failure has also helped shift attitudes.
W. Bryan Hubbard, founder of the advocacy group Americans for Ibogaine, said the opioid crisis, decades of blue-collar job loss and the nation’s unending wars also provided an opening.Editors’ PicksThese 5 Actors Are Already Screen Stars. Now They’re on Broadway.The Met Gala Co-Host QuestionnaireThe Super Shoe’s Step-by-Step Evolution
“Ironically, as with the counterculture movement of the 1960s, all of this accumulated damage has produced a suspicion of power,” he said.ImageMorgan Luttrell wears a suit and speaks during a committee hearing at a table.Rep. Morgan Luttrell, Republican of Texas and a former Navy Seal, traveled to Mexico receive ibogaine treatment and has become an evangelist for the drug.Credit...Kenny Holston/The New York Times
In the end, though, drug reform advocates found a highly effective proxy for persuading even the most calcified antidrug warrior: the American military veteran.
Haunted by their wartime experiences and facing soaring rates of self-harm, veterans have been flocking to psychedelic clinics outside the United States in recent years. Their Lazarus-like tales of recovery from PTSD and substance abuse after receiving treatment have been instrumental in eroding skepticism among Republican elected officials.
“No one is going to deny a veteran in this country,” said Michael Pollan, whose 2018 book on the resurgence of psychedelics, “How to Change Your Mind,” helped catalyze mainstream acceptance of the drugs.
“Embracing veterans was a brilliant political move that erased the liberal-left coding that psychedelics have had since the 1960s,” Mr. Pollan said.
New York Times, Guest Essay: Lauren Sánchez Bezos and the Fashion End Times of ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Robin Givhan, May 3, 2026. When I look at photographs of Lauren Sánchez Bezos I see someone who loves fashion, although not at all in the way I do. My affection for it is rooted in respect for its beauty and creativity and in a fair amount of skepticism because of its stumbling acceptance of its social responsibilities. Her version of fashion exudes personal indulgence and broad disregard.
A plutocrat by marriage, she represents the industry’s ultimate customer, with its ever-rising prices and shrinking sales. Fashion is pricing all but the most astoundingly wealthy out of the market.
In the just-opened film “The Devil Wears Prada 2” Justin Theroux plays a dastardly acquisitive tech titan named Benji Barnes, with clear echoes of her husband, the billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The Barnes character happens to have a girlfriend who might remind you of Mrs. Sánchez Bezos. Their thirst for clout helps drive the film’s plot.
On Monday, Mr. Bezos’ real-life hundreds of billions of dollars will propel Mrs. Sánchez Bezos up the grand Fifth Avenue staircase of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, past a gantlet of photographers and into the Costume Institute Benefit, better known as the Met Gala, over which she and he will preside as honorary co-chairs. The institute’s exhibition this year, “Costume Art,” is made possible by the Bezos largess. But the couple is so broadly unpopular in the fashion world and beyond that there were calls for a boycott of the gala.
Beyoncé is also supposed to be there, serving as an official co-chair, along with Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Condé Nast’s chief content officer, Anna Wintour. But Mrs. Sánchez Bezos is the star of the Met Gala because she represents what fashion, buffeted by social and technological change, has surrendered to: economic inequality in human form, with pink, glossy lips, cinched up in a couture corset.Sign up for the Opinion Today newsletter Get expert analysis of the news and a guide to the big ideas shaping the world every weekday morning. Get it sent to your inbox.
Taste is one more part of the culture for ruthless tech titans to attempt to optimize for their benefit. With Ms. Wintour’s determined gatekeeping and the Costume Institute’s intellectual concerns about human creativity, the Met Gala is the perfect laundromat for soulless tech money.
Both “The Devil Wears Prada” and its sequel stage fictional versions of the Met Gala for the cameras and star Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, a fictional version of Ms. Wintour. The first film captured the fabulousness of the fashion world. It also worked to give viewers the sense that its haughty, judgmental inhabitants were hard at work helping to make small lives feel bigger by the decisions they made huddled in a room going through “a pile of stuff.”
I think about how the sharp-tongued Miranda might view Mrs. Sánchez Bezos: A corset? In an evening gown? Groundbreaking. The sequel depicts Miranda with her power and influence slipping. She’s confronting the same tidal wave of financial challenges that the real-life fashion ecosystem is navigating.
Onscreen, the upheaval comes by way of data-driven technology, an awkward tycoon with no sense of style and the fashion-loving woman he aims to please. As Stanley Tucci’s character, Nigel, says, he’s reduced to creating “content that people scroll past as they pee.” In real life, fashion magazines — and publications in general — are in trouble, and they’re hoping the right billionaire will bail them out. (The Bezoses have been rumored to be considering buying Condé Nast, Vogue’s parent company; when asked about it, Mrs. Sánchez Bezos told the writer Amy Chozick in The Times, “I wish!” and then, “No.”)Editors’ PicksThese 5 Actors Are Already Screen Stars. Now They’re on Broadway.The Met Gala Co-Host QuestionnaireThe Super Shoe’s Step-by-Step Evolution
With her donations, scholarships and grants, Mrs. Sánchez Bezos offers the industry some support beyond her expensive shopping habit. The Bezos Earth Fund awarded $34 million in grants to institutions developing environmentally neutral fabrics, and she directed $6.25 million from the Earth Fund to the Council of Fashion Designers of America to support innovation and education in sustainability. The industry readily grabs on. Some people are betting that she’s the right billionaire.
According to Ms. Chozick’s recent profile of her, Mrs. Sánchez Bezos just wants to be happy. And whenever she steps in front of cameras, dressed in a remarkable array of finery, she looks delighted. In an era of extreme economic inequality and financial instability, when California is looking to institute a billionaire tax and a tax on second homes in New York City is under consideration, Mrs. Sánchez Bezos moves about with ostentatious pleasure. She counts her 10-figure blessings, and wears her windfall on her back for all to see.
Her taste veers outside a palette of beige and gray cashmere — the approved sensibility of well-mannered, quiet money. She is willing to flash a wide smile or offer a pouty stare for the cameras rather than stare them down with an expression of bashful reserve or detached ennui, which is what serious women are supposed to do. She does not have the body of a 6-foot-tall 12-year-old boy, which is how high fashion still insists on defining an elegant female physique.
She defies these expectations — something that could be lauded. But she simply embraces a different cliché, an extreme version of femininity that’s defined by a snatched waist and a cantilevered bosom.
She laments how little the public really knows about her. But provided the opportunity to tell her critics more, she refrains.
“I am not talking politics,” she told The Times. “No, no, no, no, no. No way.”
It’s reasonable to believe that since she sat in a place of honor behind President Trump during his inauguration, she might have a few thoughts about the current administration. Mrs. Sánchez Bezos, who once worked in broadcast news, acknowledged the importance of journalism but offered no thoughts on her husband’s drastic staff cuts at The Washington Post, which he owns (and where I used to work).
But she is willing to express her exasperation that the white lace bra readily visible under the Alexander McQueen suit she wore to Mr. Trump’s swearing-in caused an online kerfuffle. She defines the problem as a scandal about lace, not her disregard for the dignity of an official function.
To draw the cameras, it helps that she has hired one of the best stylists money can buy, Law Roach, and collected an impressive array of very expensive stuff. She’s done so from a feast of options. Costume not as art, but as merchandise. Perhaps she even scrolled past some of it while she was indisposed. As Miranda deftly shivved a would-be white knight, “You’re not a visionary; you’re a vendor.”
Mrs. Sánchez Bezos’ clothes don’t demand that the public pay attention to her story. Or even the stories of the designers she wears. Or really, even fashion.
Letters from an American, Historical Commentary: May 2, 2026 [Greatest American Horses], Heather Cox Richardson, right, May 3, 2026. Today was the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby, which was launched in 1875 as horse racing—with its famous Black jockeys, who won more than half of the first 28 derbies—was gaining an audience in the U.S.
A horse-based event gives me the opportunity to repost a piece my friend Michael S. Green and I wrote together a number of years ago on Ten Famous American Horses. While it has no deep meaning, it does illustrate that there is history all around us, a theme you’ll hear more about from me and my team soon. And it was totally fun to research, too. I spent hours watching Mr. Ed shows and reading entertainment theory, but the insightful detail—and the inclusion of Khartoum—is all Michael. This piece remains one of my favorite things I ever had a hand in writing.
So tonight, let’s take the night off from the craziness of today’s America and recall past eras when horses could make history.
May 2
Top Headlines
Former President Donald J. Trump, in a blue suit, sits with his attorneys during arraignment and later conviction in New York City's state court on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records related to the 2016 presidential campaign season involving in part hush money to women, including porn actress Stormy Daniels. Seated at far left is Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche, whom Trump installed with Senate concurrance as Deputy U.S. Attorney General, a post now elevated to Acting Attorney General running the Justice Department nationally (Associated Press photo by Seth Wong).
News Roundups
May 2, 2026. The President went on a lengthy Truth Social posting spree that included a racist post about Hakeem Jeffries and a bizarre image of himself swimming in front of the Lincoln Memorial in the reflecting pool. At the same time, ICE has contracted with a security firm previously accused of torture to help locate, detain, and process undocumented children in the United States. Spirit Airlines has shut down completely. Trump is now claiming Cuba could fall quickly and is signaling potential military action. And there is more.U.S. Politics, Elections, Governance
May 2, 2026. "Shut up and build the ballroom" is dumb — even for MAGA. More On Iran War, U.S. Military
May 2, 2026. Today is the deadline for President Donald J. Trump to ask Congress for approval for his war on Iran. And today, Trump sent letters to House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate president pro tempore (officially the leader of the Senate if the vice president is not present) Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to inform them that so far as the White House is concerned, “the hostilities that began on February 28…terminated” on April 7, when Trump ordered a two-week ceasefire. Ignoring the fact the U.S. fired on an Iranian tanker on April 19, the letter says “there has been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026.”May 2, 2026. I talked with Greg Sargent of The New Republic.
and Jason Easley, May 2, 2026. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is reportedly gaining power in the Trump administration and is a big reason why Americans are economically suffering. More On Global News
May 2, 2026. The GOP is dominated by cartoon villains like Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and weak senators like Roger Wicker who should know better.#MeToo, Trafficking, Allegations
Representatives Nancy Mace, Anna Paulina Luna and Lauren Boebert (New York Times photo by Alyssa Schukar).
Occupy Democrats, “MAGA to the core” influencer Craig Long, ARRESTED in human trafficking sting! Staff Report, May 2, 2026.Tampa-area gym owner Long, 41, who boasts 560,000 TikTok followers, frequently praised the local sheriff, but was nonetheless busted for allegedly soliciting the services of a prostitute. Long, shown at right with President Trump, allegedly reached out to an undercover Polk County Sheriff's Office detective online and arranged to meet at a hotel in Bartow for a sex act, where he was caught. He was arrested along with over 200 others in an operation targeting sex buyers, traffickers, and facilitators. He’s married, of course. Despite Long’s support, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, shown at right also right, didn’t return the favor. U.S. Law, Courts, Rights
May 2, 2026. Contrarians Say Hell No to Jim Crow: Publisher's Roundup 65. There is no sugar-coating it: The Roberts Court’s Callais decision is a disaster. But it is one the democracy movement has been preparing for since the court took up the case. Callais will test us. More On Trump Governance, Planning
May 2, 2026. For nearly 90 minutes, the President of the United States delivered a rambling, grievance-filled spectacle to one of the most loyal audiences he has left, the deeply red stronghold of The Villages. But even in a room designed to adore him, surrounded by people who were already on his side, he couldn’t hold it together. U.S. Transportation, Jobs, Markets, Economy
Top Stories
Former President Donald J. Trump, in a blue suit, sits with his attorneys during arraignment and later conviction in New York City's state court on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records related to the 2016 presidential campaign season involving in part hush money to women, including porn actress Stormy Daniels. Seated at far left is Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche, whom Trump installed with Senate concurrance as Deputy U.S. Attorney General, a post now elevated to Acting Attorney General running the Justice Department nationally (Associated Press photo by Seth Wong).
New York Times, Trump’s Push for Electoral Retribution Heads to the Ballot Box, Shane Goldmacher, May 2, 2026. The president’s push to punish political enemies in his own party will play a starring role in a series of Republican primaries this month in which he has backed challengers.
President Donald Trump is seeking to unseat a raft of elected Republicans he perceives as political enemies in a series of primaries this month.
President Trump has spent the past year using the federal government to target those he considers his political enemies. Now, in a series of primaries this month, he is turning his ire on fellow Republicans by asking voters to punish those who have crossed him.
Contests in Indiana, Louisiana and Kentucky in the coming weeks all feature Trump-backed challengers trying to oust Republican incumbents who have earned Mr. Trump’s ire. The fights have soaked up energy and cash from the president’s allies and his political operation, pulling attention away from the broader battle with Democrats over control of Congress this fall.
In Indiana, Mr. Trump hopes to oust a half-dozen Republican state senators who defied him by defeating a redistricting effort that would have drawn the state’s two Democratic House members out of power. In Louisiana, he is backing a challenger to a Republican senator, Bill Cassidy, who voted to convict him in his second impeachment trial after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. In Georgia, Mr. Trump is supporting a candidate for governor who is running against the Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, who refused to help the president “find” votes for him in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
And in Kentucky, Mr. Trump is invested in unseating one particularly irksome Republican congressman who has refused to vote for the president’s full agenda.
“We’ve got to get rid of this loser,” Mr. Trump said at a March rally in Representative Thomas Massie’s northern Kentucky district, a deeply conservative swath encompassing suburbs of Cincinnati.
Mr. Massie has openly challenged Mr. Trump in a way that no other congressional Republican seeking re-election this year has done, even as he has stressed that he sided with Mr. Trump on roughly 90 percent of votes.
“I say, look, if they’re bankrupting the country or covering up for pedophiles or starting another war or spying on you without a warrant, I’m sorry, that’s when I deviate from the party,” Mr. Massie said in an interview. “That’s the 10 percent we’re talking about here.”
Since returning to office last year, Mr. Trump’s administration has focused intently on punishing the president’s perceived enemies: firing them, investigating them, charging them with crimes.
The extension of this retribution tour into the midterm landscape has bothered some fellow Republicans, who have grumbled in public and private that Mr. Trump is more engaged in campaigns of vengeance than in maneuvering to save the party’s narrow congressional majorities. Mr. Trump personally recruited some challengers who will appear on the ballot this month, and he has posed with most of them for photos behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, for their use in campaign ads. His advisers and allies are overseeing some of the primary efforts.
New York Times, U.S. to Withdraw 5,000 Troops From Germany, Pentagon Says, Julian E. Barnes and Helene Cooper, May 2, 2026 (print ed.). Officials announced the decision after President Trump expressed annoyance with the German chancellor’s remarks about the Iran war
Pentagon officials said on Friday that they were pulling 5,000 troops from Germany and would redeploy them to the United States and other posts overseas.
The Defense Department is also canceling a plan developed under the Biden administration to place a missile-equipped artillery unit in Europe.
The moves will return U.S. forces in Europe to the level they were in 2022, before Russia began its war in Ukraine, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the planning process. Last year, the Pentagon redeployed a brigade in Romania and did not send replacement forces.
Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that the withdrawal would be completed over the next six to 12 months.
“This decision follows a thorough review of the department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground,” he said.
The Defense Department — particularly during both of President Trump’s terms — has for several years considered decreasing the military presence in Germany. But senior defense officials privately made it clear that they wanted the move to be seen as a punishment for Germany, whose recent comments about the U.S. war in Iran have annoyed Mr. Trump.
Earlier this week, Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, left, said Iran had “humiliated” the United States, and he questioned how Mr. Trump planned to end the conflict.
“The Americans obviously have no strategy,” Mr. Merz said.
Mr. Trump then took to Truth Social, his social media site, to vent.
“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” he wrote on Thursday.
Later, he added: “The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (Where he has been totally ineffective!), and fixing his broken Country, especially Immigration and Energy, and less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat, thereby making the World, including Germany, a safer place!”
On Friday, while announcing the decision, a senior Pentagon official said that Germany’s failure to contribute to the Iran war effort had frustrated the United States, and that the country’s rhetoric was inappropriate and unhelpful.
The announcement, and the criticism of Germany, represents a shift for Pentagon officials, who recently had praised Germany’s efforts to increase military spending and take over more of the burden of supporting Ukraine.
Even if the Pentagon pulls 5,000 troops out of Germany, the country would still host the second-largest U.S. troop presence in the world, at more than 30,000, behind only Japan.
Defense officials say the United States depends on its bases in Germany to stage many of its operations in the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
The Iran war has made that clear. Many U.S. troops evacuated from bases in the Middle East that were targeted by Iran were moved to Germany. And many of the U.S. troops wounded in the war have been taken to Germany — to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center near Ramstein Air Base — for treatment.
The U.S. military’s Africa Command and European Command are also headquartered in Germany.
Defense officials said the reduction would not directly affect Landstuhl or other medical facilities in Germany where U.S. troops receive care.
News Roundups
The Parnas Perspective, Morning News and Commentary: Trump Launches Racist Posting Spree, ICE Hires Firm Accused of Torture to Find Undocumented Children, U.S. Will Take Over Cuba "Almost Immediately," Aaron Parnas, right, May 2, 2026. The President went on a lengthy Truth Social posting spree that included a racist post about Hakeem Jeffries and a bizarre image of himself swimming in front of the Lincoln Memorial in the reflecting pool (above). At the same time, ICE has contracted with a security firm previously accused of torture to help locate, detain, and process undocumented children in the United States. Spirit Airlines has shut down completely. Trump is now claiming Cuba could fall quickly and is signaling potential military action. And there is more.
Here’s the news:
Donald Trump’s approval rating has dropped to record lows, including among key groups like men and white voters who have historically supported him. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows approval at 37% among men and 44% among white voters, with overall net approval hitting an all-time low. The decline is largely tied to economic strain—especially rising fuel and living costs—linked to the ongoing Iran conflict. Voter dissatisfaction is spreading across demographics, including independents and some Republican-leaning voters. Analysts warn that continued economic pressure and a prolonged war could further erode his political support.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll backs up those claims: about 77% of Americans say Donald Trump bears at least some responsibility for rising gas prices, largely tied to the Iran conflict. That blame cuts across party lines, including roughly 95% of Democrats, 82% of independents, and even 55% of Republicans.
Gas prices soar to a level that is genuinely unheard of:
Spirit Airlines abruptly shut down operations, canceling all flights and beginning an orderly wind-down due to financial struggles worsened by rising fuel costs linked to the Iran war. The airline, which had already faced multiple bankruptcies and failed merger attempts, could not secure enough funding to continue operating. The shutdown affects thousands of passengers and around 17,000 employees, with other airlines stepping in to offer capped fares and job opportunities. Customers are being issued refunds, though additional travel-related expenses may not be covered.
Several major airlines are offering “rescue fares” or support options for stranded Spirit passengers, though details vary by carrier:
Overnight, Trump went on a bizarre Truth Social posting spree in which he posted the following AI generated image of him and his cabinet secretaries swimming in front of the Washington Monument in the reflecting pool:
He also called House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries a “thug.”
According to The Guardian, ICE has hired contractor MVM Inc to help track undocumented immigrant children, but the decision is controversial due to serious past allegations against the company. MVM has been sued for claims including “torture,” “enforced disappearance,” and inhumane treatment tied to its role in separating migrant families, where it allegedly transported and held children in harsh conditions. Although MVM denies wrongdoing and some claims were dismissed on procedural grounds, key allegations are still moving through federal court. Critics argue that involving a contractor with this history raises major ethical concerns, especially given the vulnerability of the children being tracked.
Donald Trump argued that presidential candidates should take cognitive exams, warning voters about the risks of electing someone unfit for office. He said, “I mean, you get a guy who gets in there, he's got a good line of crap. He gets in and all of a sudden you're stuck with a man who's a moron.”
Donald Trump said the U.S. Navy acted “like pirates” while describing the seizure of a ship and its cargo during a blockade tied to the conflict involving Iran. He framed the operation as taking control of oil and goods from vessels, calling it “very profitable,” while speaking at a rally. The remarks come amid escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy shipments, which Iran has effectively restricted. The U.S. has imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports, with military officials stating it will continue indefinitely and applies to all ships regardless of nationality. Iran has vowed to maintain its counter-blockade as long as U.S. actions persist, raising concerns among legal experts about the broader implications.
Donald Trump said the U.S. will take over Cuba “almost immediately,” suggesting a military show of force—such as positioning an aircraft carrier offshore—could compel the country to surrender. The remarks, made during a Florida event, were unclear in seriousness but came alongside concrete action: an executive order expanding U.S. sanctions on Cuba. The new sanctions target key sectors like energy, finance, and mining, and could also penalize foreign companies doing business with Cuba. The administration framed Cuba as a national security threat, while Cuban officials strongly condemned the measures as coercive.
Congressman Robert Garcia, left, the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, has launched a probe into Kristi Noem over her reported 
use of the U.S. Coast Guard Commandant’s waterfront residence near Washington, D.C. He is requesting lease records and related documents to determine whether the arrangement is appropriate. Garcia raised concerns that the housing situation could represent a misuse of taxpayer-funded resources. The inquiry focuses on whether the residence is being used in line with federal rules and ethical standards.
According to Politico, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services accidentally exposed Social Security numbers for at least 100 healthcare providers in a public national directory. The data appeared in downloadable files intended for insurers and researchers, likely due to information being entered incorrectly and not properly reviewed. The agency took the database offline after the issue was discovered and says it is working to strengthen safeguards. Critics say the breach highlights ongoing concerns about weak data privacy protections.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has called a special legislative session to redraw Tennessee’s congressional map shortly before the 2026 primaries, following pressure from Donald Trump. The move comes after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key Voting Rights Act provision that had required majority-minority districts, potentially enabling Republicans to eliminate the state’s only Democratic-held seat in Memphis. Republicans already dominate the state’s delegation (8–1) and could push for a 9–0 advantage under new maps. The timing is controversial because candidate filing deadlines have already passed and campaigns are underway. Critics argue the redistricting effort reflects partisan gerrymandering aimed at further consolidating GOP control.
Donald Trump is withdrawing about 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany amid growing tensions with European allies over the Iran conflict. The move follows criticism from Germany’s chancellor and reflects a widening rift between the U.S. and NATO partners, especially as some countries refuse to support operations in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has also threatened to pull troops from Italy and Spain, accusing them of not helping enough. The withdrawal could weaken U.S. military positioning in Europe and has drawn concern from defense officials and lawmakers about its strategic impact.
Donald Trump endorsed Andy Barr in the Kentucky Senate race, above, giving him a major advantage in the Republican primary to replace Mitch McConnell. Trump also asked businessman Nate Morris to drop out and instead consider a role in his administration, which Morris accepted while endorsing Barr. The move sidelines a MAGA-aligned candidate who had financial backing from Elon Musk. Analysts say Trump’s endorsement is likely decisive in the deeply Republican state, potentially clearing Barr’s path to the nomination.
Rubén Rocha Moya, governor of Mexico’s Sinaloa state, said he will temporarily step down after being indicted in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges. Prosecutors allege he and other officials helped a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel—specifically the group led by Los Chapitos—by protecting their operations and influencing elections. Rocha denies the allegations, saying his decision to step aside is to allow investigations to proceed. Mexico’s attorney general has not found enough evidence yet to detain him, but is reviewing the case and seeking more information from the U.S. The charges also claim officials received millions of dollars in exchange for aiding drug trafficking and enabling violence.
A federal judge, Dale E. Ho, blocked the Trump administration from deporting about 3,000 Yemeni refugees by extending their Temporary Protected Status. He ruled that ending protections could put people at serious risk given ongoing conflict in Yemen. The judge also criticized Kristi Noem for not properly following legal procedures and for inflammatory remarks about migrants. The decision provides temporary relief while a broader legal challenge moves forward, though the administration says it will continue to fight the ruling.
The Hartmann Report, Weekly Summary: he Best of the Rest of the News and Opinion, Thom Hartmann, right, May 2, 2026. Russia’s main goal for years has been to cripple NATO by getting US troops out of Germany.
— Vladimir Putin (shown above right in a file photo) called Donald Trump this week (we wouldn’t have known except Russian media bragged about it) and apparently gave him his instructions; yesterday the Pentagon announced we’re pulling 5,000 troops out of Germany and putting massive tariffs on EU goods to further weaken NATO member nations.They’re toasting their success with champagne in the Kremlin and planning their strategy to take the Baltic states once the war against Ukraine is over.
— Thanks to six corrupt bought-off Republicans on the Supreme Court, Louisiana Republicans are colluding in broad daylight to rig this fall’s election and silence the voices of Black voters. Jeff Landry, left, is one of the most corrupt governors in America, having been accused of accepting free flights and gifts, illegal use of campaign funds, and giving government jobs to top donors, among other things. Now he’s suspending the upcoming primaries (voting was already underway) so he and his cronies in the legislature can re-gerrymander the state to make sure the state will never again send a Black representative to Washington DC. Democracy Docket’s Marc Elias noted, “What is happening in Louisiana right now is both a redistricting power grab and a dry run for authoritarian election subversion this fall.” And this is just the beginning; with the six Republicans on the Court okaying new maps that shatter majority-Black districts, the Congressional Black Caucus is bracing for a major loss of members this fall and in 2028. John Roberts and his buddies on the Court claim that they’re not “seeing race” and that the problem of minority voters being victimized by Republican policies is long in the past; in fact it’s very, very real now and their and Landry’s actions prove it. Hypocrites and racist liars…
— The Trump regime is the most lawless in America’s history. The War Powers Act of 1973 requires two things: If the United States has come under attack or an attack is imminent, the president may order an immediate commencement of war-making against the attacker; when that happens, he then has 60 days to try to resolve the situation, but after that must seek approval from Congress to continue kinetic action. Trump has already broken that law: Iran represented no immediate threat to the US at all but he bombed them anyway. And now, as Democrats are joining Republicans in pretending he didn’t commit that crime and so are asking for the 60-day request for war authorization from Congress, Whiskey Pete Hegseth told senators yesterday that because our military isn’t currently shooting or bombing, “the clock is paused” and they don’t need to go to Congress.
— Americans of all stripes and political affiliations agree: Data Centers are a plague. Big AI have been buying off politicians across the country, often even getting tax deferrals and free land as they burden local electric and water resources, all to increase the profits of a handful of morbidly rich AI oligarchs. Residents in the areas the tech bro oligarchs are eyeing are getting active, although a few well-placed “contributions” and “tips” to politicians often frustrate their efforts. Maine’s legislature, for example, passed a moratorium on the centers last month by a wide margin but then Governor Janet Mills, apparently feathering her nest for her upcoming retirement, vetoed the legislation. In other states it’s less obviously corrupt, but people are genuinely freaked out as AI transforms not just the physical landscape of America but the employment landscape as well.
— The Trump grift is multigenerational. Uday and Qusay…er…Don Jr and Eric just jumped into the defense contracting business, hooking up with three new drone companies. Suspiciously, the companies all are bidding for or just got massive multi-million-dollar contracts with the Pentagon, with more to come. Remember when Republicans screamed about Jimmy Carter’s brother Billy “cashing in on the presidency” by licensing his name to a brand of beer? Or when Republicans held endless hearings, press conferences, and years of Fox “News” reports about Biden’s son making $5 million for sitting on the board of an energy company? They were pikers. The Trump Crime Family is the most corrupt first family in American history and hopefully their reign will be short-lived when Democrats get the power of impeachment back.
— Democracy around the world is under assault by rightwingers who get themselves elected and then flip their nations into autocracy and oligarchy. An estimated half of all the world’s democracies are under such an assault — including the United States — and Uganda is the most recent to go all in. President Yoweri Museveni says he wants to sign legislation that’s working its way through the Ugandan legislature that would criminalize opposition politicians, most types of reporting and opinion writing, and any group affiliated with foreign organizations. Russia, through diplomatic outreach and via their massive social media influence operations, has been pushing this sort of thing across the free world, and this bill is a virtual clone of Russian legislation that lets Putin imprison or even execute dissidents and reporters. And Trump, trying to help out his mentor and owner, has shut down Voice of America to make Putin’s job even easier.
More On U.S. Politics, Elections, Governance
Lincoln Square Media, Political Opinion: Trump's Civility Con Job Falls Apart, Rick Wilson, right, May 2, 2026. "Shut up and build the ballroom" is dumb — even for MAGA.
The MAGA brain trust, summoned to its keyboards like dyspeptic moths to a Twitter flame, settles on its message within roughly the time it takes Karoline Leavitt to blink her dull, porcine eyes. That message, in full: Democrats did this, shut up forever, and also, taxpayers should fund Donald’s $400 million party bunker.
It is, even by the historically generous standards of the MAGA cinematic universe, a thunderingly stupid response to a serious moment.
Let’s take it apart, because I’m never, ever going to shut up about the profound damage Trump has done to this nation and the world until he’s moldering in his piss-soaked grave…and the ballroom might just become the nail in the political coffins of more than a few Republican Members of Congress.
Demand One: “Stop criticizing Donald Trump, or you are responsible for political violence.”
This is the rhetorical equivalent of the arsonist suing the fire department. The same political movement that pardoned more than a thousand J6 attackers, including the ones who curb-stomped Capitol Police officers and attacked them with flagpoles and bear spray, is now lecturing the country about the dangers of inflammatory speech.
You know, President Donald Trump, America’s voice of civility and reason.
That President.
The same president who has posted on Temu Social hundreds of times about charging his political opponents with treason, which carries the death penalty. The same President who fantasized aloud about “one really violent day” of crime purging America. The same President who said Liz Cheney should face a military tribunal, who mused about shooting shoplifters, who routinely calls the press “enemies of the people,” and who joked about Paul Pelosi getting his skull caved in with a hammer.
The same President who has unleashed state political violence against American citizens in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and across the nation. The same President whose murderous DHS agents have killed three American citizens in the last year.
That guy is now the wounded innocent demanding civility from the people he’s spent a decade dehumanizing, attacking, threatening, and weaponizing the government against anyone who opposes him.
You don’t get to spend a decade building a politics out of grievance, vengeance, hatred, conspiracy, and cruelty, and then clutch your pearls when the temperature of the fire you set actually rises.
You cannot pardon the people who beat cops on January 6 and then go on Fox to cry about the sanctity of law enforcement. You cannot run a movement whose dominant aesthetic is “I’m going to punish the people you hate” and then demand the rest of America adopt the verbal hygiene of a Quaker meeting.
The online right has been egregiously dumb and historically blinkered in pursuing this line of argument, mainly because most of them are, but many in the media have taken the bait, hook, line, and sinker.
The MAGA civility tour is another Trump con, performed by frauds, for the consumption of marks.
Demand Two: “Build the ballroom.”
In a time of economic peril and panic, MAGA’s first instinct was real estate marketing, upselling Trump’s tasteless carbuncle of a vanity construction project. Within minutes of the incursion at the Hilton, the same talking point about building the ballroom flowered across the MAGA mediasphere like a coordinated rollout.
Because it was.
I wrote yesterday about the B-list Trash Social scamfluencers, all arriving at the same epiphany at the same moment, completely independently and not at all because someone in a group chat called “Fight Fight Fight” hit “send” and a Venmo link, but I’m struck by how these herd animals are racing toward the cliff like doomed buffalo.
The very smart Ashley St. Clair, a former TPUSA recruit, whom I recently interviewed on The Lincoln Project Podcast, pointed out the obvious: this isn’t political instinct, this is paid messaging operating with the precision of a product launch.
And the thing they were selling?
A 1,000-seat banquet hall, on the bones of the demolished East Wing that couldn’t even host the 2,600-person dinner everyone is suddenly so worried about, at an event the White House doesn’t and shouldn’t even host.
The American people don’t want this thing. They didn’t want it before Trump bulldozed the East Wing, and they don’t want it now.
And yet here we are, watching Republicans demand Congress fast-track the construction of a private discotheque so the boss can host bigger parties.
Meanwhile, in the actual country.
The MAGA base … the real one, not the paid posters … woke up Monday morning to the same crapulous economy they had on Friday.
Gas at $4.02 a gallon, up from $3.16 a year ago. Inflation has hit 3.3% and is rising, and food inflation is rising even faster.ArticlesA Blue Revolution Is BrewingRick Wilson · December 5, 2025A Blue Revolution Is Brewing
There is no universe, in this one or any alternate timeline, where “let’s lock up the economic data and build a shiny new ballroom” is a winning affordability message.
The Iran war is grinding into its eighth week with no end in sight, the IRGC-controlled Strait of Hormuz playing peekaboo with the global economy, and the administration’s “gas under three bucks in weeks” promise aging like old milk on a hot day.
Trump’s economic approval is at 30%. His handling of inflation is at 27%. CNBC has him at -18 net, the worst of his political life. Eighty percent of Americans have cut back spending because of the tariffs and the war.
That is the world the MAGA foot soldier actually lives in.
Not the ballroom world: the Walmart parking lot world. The “do I fill up the tank or fill the kid’s prescription” world.
And into that world walks the Republican Party with a single, urgent, transformational demand: please ratify the president’s craving for a bigger function space.
This is political malpractice on a scale that would embarrass a sophomore class president at a particularly dumb school.
The most basic rule of governing in an economic downturn is that you do not, under any circumstances, throw yourself a Versailles-themed costume ball while your voters are deciding between gas and groceries. This is where the pitchforks, tumbrels, torches, and the National Razor come in.
You don’t demand $400 million in taxpayer money when you promised the ballroom was going to be funded by private-but-actually-influence-peddling money laundering…I mean, donations.
While farmers are going bankrupt and truck drivers are watching diesel hit five bucks, you don’t tell a country in economic panic that what it really needs, what would really help, is somewhere fancier for the president to host black-tie events with his domestic and foreign oligarch pals.
In the wake of this incident, MAGA gave America two unserious answers: shut up, and pour the concrete for the Trump fuhrerbunker ballroom.
Donald Trump, of all the monsters in history, doesn’t get a free ride because someone got through a security checkpoint two floors and 800 feet away from him.
The most vile, cruel, abusive, mendacious, corrupt, loathsome, un- and anti-American man to ever besmirch the Oval Office never, ever, ever gets a free ride.
Hit him harder. Talk louder. Push more. Never stop fighting him.
As for the ballroom, I’m delighted this is the GOP’s strategy right now. Dozens of GOP members in danger of losing this fall all raced to their cameras to do the performative fan dance of “WE MUST BUILD THE BALLROOM TO PROTECT THE GOD-EMPEROR.”
It’s catastrophic political malpractice. It won’t even work on the MAGA base after the first flush of paid social media propaganda fades, and it ignores one of the most fundamental rules of politics: you can never get a lost day back in an election.
More On Iran War, U.S. Military
Letters from an American, Historical Commentary: May 1, 2026 [Dodging War Powers Law], Heather Cox Richardson, right, May 2, 2026. Today is the deadline for President Donald J. Trump to ask Congress for approval for his war on Iran. Under the 1973 War Powers Act, a president has the authority to respond to an “imminent threat” without congressional approval, so long as he notifies Congress in writing within 48 hours. Then the president has 60 days either to withdraw U.S. forces from their engagement or to get Congress to authorize the military action.
Trump launched U.S. attacks on Iran alongside Israeli attacks on February 28. He notified Congress on March 2. Sixty days from March 2 is today.
And today, Trump sent letters to House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate president pro tempore (officially the leader of the Senate if the vice president is not present) Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to inform them that so far as the White House is concerned, “the hostilities that began on February 28…terminated” on April 7, when Trump ordered a two-week ceasefire. Ignoring the fact the U.S. fired on an Iranian tanker on April 19, the letter says “there has been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026.”
The next paragraph notes that the administration is nonetheless continuing to build up its military presence in the region “to address Iranian and Iranian proxy forces’ threats and to protect the United States and its allies and partners.”
In other words, the administration is trying to get around the War Powers Act with the dodge Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth tried in front of the Senate yesterday: a ceasefire stops the War Powers clock. This is not what the law says.
Trump’s letter also ignores the fact the U.S. continues to blockade Iranian ports. A blockade is an act of war.
It’s worth reiterating that Trump’s war of aggression violated the Constitution from the start. He sidestepped Congress—which has the sole authority to declare war—by insisting the threat from Iran was “imminent” even though his own advisors testified that Iran did not, in fact, have the capacity to build a nuclear weapon in less than ten years. As Tess Bridgeman and Oona A. Hathaway of Just Security note, that attack also violated the United Nations charter, which prohibits the use of force except as defense against an attack or a legitimate threat of an imminent one.
Now the administration has just told Congress it intends to retain the power to do whatever Trump wants with the United States military.
This is another example of the administration trying to find a fuzzy way to get around acting within the boundaries of the law. It is clearly just a posture to permit Trump to act as he pleases. This afternoon, Trump told an audience: “You know we’re in a war, because I think you would agree we cannot let lunatics have a nuclear weapon.”
This afternoon, Trump told reporters that there was no need for him to ask Congress for authorization to extend the war because “it’s never been sought before.” “[N]obody’s ever sought it before,” he said. “Nobody’s ever asked for it before. It’s never been used before. Why should we be different?”
In fact, presidents before Trump have indeed honored the 60-day requirement for congressional approval of military operations.
Trump told reporters, “Every other president considered it totally unconstitutional, and we agree with that.”
In fact, the Framers of the Constitution placed the power to declare war in the hands of Congress and not in the president because they did not trust that much power in the hands of one man. They also wanted to make sure the American people would have robust debates about the value of the money and lives lost in combat. So determined were they for the American people to have those debates that they put into the Constitution that Congress had the power “[t]o declare War” and “[t]o raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years.”
In Federalist No. 26, one of the newspaper essays Alexander Hamilton wrote to encourage the ratification of the Constitution, Hamilton explained that people shouldn’t fear the strength of the new government outlined in the Constitution, because the necessity of debating war, alongside the two-year limit on government funding for the military, would force Congress to debate military actions. He expected members of the opposition to attack those in power over military appropriations, so that if those in power were “disposed to exceed the proper limits, the community will be warned of the danger, and will have an opportunity of taking measures to guard against it.”
Senate majority leader John Thune (R-SD) said yesterday he would not challenge Trump’s novel interpretation of the War Powers Act, in part, he said, because Senate Republicans have given him no reason to. Republicans have no interest in voting to support Trump’s unpopular war, and yet don’t want to buck Trump. So they are choosing to abdicate their constitutional responsibilities.
In contrast, Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) posted: “There’s no pause button in the Constitution, or the War Powers Act. We’re at war. We’ve been at war for 60 days. The blockade alone is a continuing act of war.”
Representative Adam Smith (D-WA), the top-ranked Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, told Mary Clare Jalonick, Stephen Groves, and Seung Min Kim of the Associated Press: “Is the expectation that the Trump administration is going to follow the law? I do not have that expectation.”
Ironically, today is Law Day, a holiday established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958 to remind us to “vigilantly guard the great heritage of liberty, justice, and equality under law.”
As former chief justice of the Kansas Supreme Court Lawton Nuss wrote in the Kansas Reflector today, Eisenhower had seen lawlessness and the horrors it produced in World War II. In his first observance of Law Day, he reminded Americans that the U.S. rested not on, as Nuss writes, “the unchecked exercise of raw power,” but on law, individual rights, and the constitutional order.
With the enormously destructive capabilities of modern warfare and the power of leaders to hold loyalists in their sway in the modern era, Eisenhower said, “In a very real sense, the world no longer has a choice between force and law. If civilization is to survive, it must choose the rule of law.”
The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent and Paul Krugman on Substack, Opinion: How Trump Screwed Himself, Greg Sargent and Paul Krugman, right, May 2, 2026. I talked with Greg Sargent of The New Republic.
Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network. I’m your host, Greg Sargent.
This week, Donald Trump rejected a proposal from Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. This offer would have set aside questions about Iran’s nuclear program for now. That may be why Trump rejected it. But there’s another possible reason—accepting that deal wouldn’t make him look as if he’s winning. Yet this comes as gas and oil prices continue to rise, which isn’t making Trump look like a winner either. And partly because of that, Republicans are privately warning that their prospects in the midterms look increasingly dire. So what now for Trump?
Paul Krugman has a great new piece on his Substack, arguing that Trump simply does not have the cards in the Iran situation, even though he may not know it. So we’re talking with Krugman about where all this is going. Paul, always nice to have you on.
Paul Krugman: Good to be on again.
Sargent: So Trump rejected that proposal from Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, perhaps in part because it would not address Trump’s demand for total termination of Iran’s nuclear program. But the New York Times had an extraordinary detail about the Iranian offer: “A U.S. official also said that accepting it could appear to deny Mr. Trump a victory.” Paul, apparently that’s the single most important factor in all of this, right?
Krugman: That’s what’s been holding everything up. For most of us, by about a week into the war, it was obvious that basically America lost. But Trump cannot bring himself to acknowledge that.
He’s been trying—he’s threatening to bomb them back into the Stone Ages, and he’s been threatening war crimes, and he’s been imposing counter-blockades against the blockade—all of which seems to be because he cannot seem to accept that actually he screwed up badly. There is no good outcome for the United States here. All we can do is accept something that actually leaves Iran stronger than it was, but he won’t do it.
Sargent: Well, we just learned that gas prices rose on Tuesday to the highest level in four years. It’s well over $4 a gallon on average. Brent crude is over $100 a barrel again. Paul, can you just walk us through the basics of how those developments are tied to the Strait of Hormuz remaining closed?
Krugman: Yeah. Before this war, about 15 percent of the world’s oil flowed through that strait. And it’s other stuff too—natural gas, helium, fertilizer—but right now let’s focus on the oil.
So 15 percent of the world’s oil goes through that narrow passageway, which is extremely easy for Iran to block. That 15 percent—there’s really not much of an exit. There’s no real way around the Iranian blockade. A little bit of stuff can go by pipeline, but not much. And that’s a lot of oil being denied to the world market. And of course, the price of oil has gone way up.
But if this continues, he ain’t seen nothing yet. Because the really interesting thing—I cited some numbers from Goldman Sachs in the Substack—although the price of oil is way up, consumption of oil is only down a little bit. And mostly what’s happening is that they’re drawing down inventories of oil, that people who have oil in storage tanks, with oil that was already on tankers, is being used up, which is all happening out of the belief that the strait will reopen soon and prices will come down.
As people start to realize that that’s not about to happen—which has been happening just over the past couple of days—then the prices have to go much, much higher.
Basically, the price of oil has to go high enough to inflict enough economic damage—we have to somehow or other stop, reduce the consumption of oil by another 11 million barrels a day. Convenient thing is that right now, world oil consumption is about 100 million a day. So that’s also about 11 percent. And it takes a huge price increase to do that.
It’s not easy to wean yourself off oil, in the matter of weeks, which is what we’re kind of expecting has to happen. So this can get much—it’s ugly already. It’s ugly politically, obviously, for Trump and the Republicans to have gas hitting its highest level in four years. But it’s going to get a lot uglier very soon unless Trump swallows his pride and accepts that he actually lost this war.
Sargent: Well, just to clarify what you’re saying here—in other words, in order to get the world to demand less oil in keeping with the fact that there’s less supply, the prices really have to go up a lot.
Krugman: I mean, think of it. There’s a certain amount of oil available, which is less than it was. You can’t burn a barrel of oil that isn’t there. So one way or another, people have to be induced to burn less oil. And the way we do that—it’s a world market—the way we do that—in effect nobody decides on it, but what happens is just that the price of oil, there’s bidding for barrels of oil, and the bidding drives the price up until the demand for oil has fallen back in line with the supply.
And the thing—a crucial point again—is oil is, to use the jargon, it’s inelastic. It’s very hard for people to switch away from oil. Give me five years and we can all be driving electric cars, but next month, we can’t. So the prices have to go really, really high to make that big of a dent in oil demand.
Sargent: Right. And so this is where your argument comes in. It’s sort of a structural argument about the situation. You wrote that Trump doesn’t have the cards in the standoff with Iran precisely because the longer we wait, the harder it gets for the world. So I guess the only way out—the only way this can be resolved—is in a way that leaves America weaker and leaves Iran stronger. Can you explain that?
Krugman: Yeah, I mean, basically Iran clearly still has the ability to block that strait. They have drones, they have missiles. The United States bombed a lot of their sites, but not enough. And these things are really easy to hide. They have speedboats.
And, if you want to think of the maximally vulnerable target—a fully loaded oil tanker. You want to hit something with bombs that will go off with a big bang and a lot of flames, it’s an oil tanker.
So Iran has the ability to block the strait. And they have every incentive to do that until they feel that they’re not facing an existential threat—the Iranian regime. So really, the strait does not get open until Trump accepts a deal that is sufficiently favorable to the Iranians for them to start letting tankers through again.
By definition—the strait was open before Trump started his war—Iran is clearly going to want to charge tolls on it. Iran is not going to cancel its nuclear program because...they’re hurting too. The United States has a blockade. Iran can’t export oil—it’s among the countries now that can’t sell oil. And they also can’t import food, which is probably more important. But they are prepared to pay that price. So in this waiting game, basically they have by far the upper hand.
Another—well, another president would not have started this idiot war in the first place. But in any case, given the situation, would say, okay, we need to face reality. I need to face reality. I messed up and I’m not going to get something that looks like victory out of this. But Trump so far won’t.
Sargent: Well, you mentioned that there’s pressure on Iran as well. And I want to ask you—is there a scenario where the pressure on Iran actually does matter and forces them to the table on terms that are more favorable to Trump?
Trump had this missive on Truth Social where he said, “Iran has just informed us that they are in a state of collapse. They want us to open the Hormuz Strait as soon as possible.”
Is this just complete bullshit? I mean, is there a scenario where the pressure on Iran does sort of force them to the table on terms that would make Trump feel a little more like a winner, or whatever the only thing that matters is?
Krugman: Yeah, it’s one of those things where—is this unadulterated bullshit? No, it’s adulterated bullshit. I mean, Iran is hurting. Their economy normally depends overwhelmingly on selling oil. And again, they actually import food. So there’s going to be a lot of unemployed, hungry Iranians, a lot of economic disruption—maybe even, if this goes on long enough, maybe even runaway inflation in Iran.
But this is a fanatical, theocratic regime which is completely willing to kill its own people to stay in power. That is not going to force them to cave. And on the other hand, the whole world economy outside the Persian Gulf is looking at very nasty consequences, including the United States and the political consequences of—I guess, $4.18-a-gallon oil today and much more than that for diesel, by the way. So there are other things that are hurting even more.
It’s very unlikely that the United States is prepared to deal with multiple months of this stuff. So, yeah, it’s not the case that [it’s all] Iran is hurting us and we aren’t hurting Iran. But if you ask who is going to have to cry uncle sooner, it’s almost certainly us.
The Daily with Sarah Jones, Political Commentary, Pete Hegseth Is Consolidating Power And Has Got To Go, Sarah Jones and Jason Easley, May 2, 2026. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is reportedly gaining power in the Trump administration and is a big reason why Americans are economically suffering.
In the first year of Trump’s administration, it was a common belief that Pete Hegseth wouldn’t last and would be one of the first to get the boot. Instead, it has been other cabinet officials who have been shown the door as Hegseth has played himself into Trump’s incompetent boys club and more power.
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The destruction of the Department of Justice gets a lot of attention, but what is happening at the Pentagon is a massive problem.
The Washington Post reported:
The defense secretary is now more confident than ever in his job security, people familiar with the matter said, and appears to be inoculated against his early missteps thanks to his unflinching loyalty to and close personal relationship with Trump, his willingness to carry out presidential directives with few questions asked and his pugnacious reshaping of the military to root out “woke” people and policies.…
Hegseth’s standing has risen even as the president in recent weeks removed three Cabinet members — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer — who came to be seen as political liabilities. Some officials cautioned that dynamics can change quickly in the Trump administration, and it’s hard to know how long anyone is safe.
One administration official equated the state of play to that of a grizzly bear chasing a group of hikers, saying, “As long as you don’t run the slowest, you’re safe — and Pete is not the slowest right now.”
Trump could sour on Hegseth tomorrow, but Hegseth’s destruction of the Department of Defense is a national security and economic issue.
The reason why the American people are suffering even more economically is that Trump has someone who is unqualified but has developed a close personal relationship with the president.
Democrats are working to force Hegseth out of the administration.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) drafted articles of impeachment against Hegseth and said:
Pete Hegseth broke his oath to the Constitution, put U.S. troops at grave risk through the unauthorized disclosure of classified information, engaged in abuse of office and conduct beneath the dignity of his office, and carried out unlawful military actions despite his obligation to refuse—including strikes on civilians and a girls’ school in Minab, Iran. Hegseth’s conduct meets the threshold of high crimes and misdemeanors and warrants immediate removal by Congress.
As the daughter of Iranian immigrants and as someone who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, I know this absolutely cannot continue. The stakes for U.S. servicemembers and our national security, the Iranian people and innocent civilians everywhere, and global stability are too high to ignore.
Pete Hegseth is doing more than harming Iranians. Hegseth is also harming the American people. Gas prices are high because Trump’s Defense Secretary follows orders without critical thinking.
The weakening of the US military is a national security problem that could linger for long after Donald Trump leaves office.
Democrats will have an opportunity to rebuild both the DOJ and the military. Hegseth has taken power away from the experts in uniform and given it to himself and other political appointees.
Once Democrats take back all or part of Congress, they will have the power to pressure Hegseth and the administration.
New York Times, Hegseth’s and Moulton’s Parallel Lives Collide Over Iran, Greg Jaffe, May 2, 2026. The defense secretary and Representative Seth Moulton, a Democrat, debated the Iran war through the prism of their shared experiences fighting Iraq
The defense secretary and the Democratic congressman had, in many respects, led parallel lives.
Pete Hegseth and Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts both graduated from Ivy League colleges and volunteered to fight in Iraq. Both pushed for more troops and a better strategy for that war in 2006 as violence spiked and Americans turned against it.
Now they were sitting across from each other in a House hearing room debating the war with Iran.Video1:36CreditCredit...U.S. House Armed Services Committee
Mr. Moulton pressed Mr. Hegseth to consider that the unpopular war, now entering its third month, could drag on for years and cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.
Mr. Hegseth dismissed the notion as absurd.
“On the battlefield, it has been an astounding military success,” he said at the Wednesday hearing.
“But are we winning the war?” Mr. Moulton asked skeptically.
“Absolutely,” Mr. Hegseth replied.
Both men were debating the Iran conflict through the prism of Iraq, a war they supported on the battlefield and in newspaper editorials before they concluded that it had all been a tragic waste. Mr. Moulton commanded a Marine Corps rifle platoon on the march to Baghdad and later served as an embedded adviser to Iraqi troops. Mr. Hegseth led an Army infantry platoon in Samarra as Iraq descended into civil war.
“I recoiled the first time I heard then-candidate Donald Trump call it a ‘stupid war,’” Mr. Hegseth wrote in 2024. “But objectively he was right.”
“It was a massive failure of leadership and intelligence,” Mr. Moulton wrote on the war’s 20th anniversary in 2023.
Why had the U.S. military, despite its huge firepower advantage, been unable to meet its goals in Iraq? What did those failures predict about the outcome of the new war in Iran?Editors’ PicksFor Mother’s Day, Flowers and Cards — With a TwistTurning a House Into a Home — and a Wedding Venue, TooThe Benefits of a Face Massage, and How to Do It Yourself
To Mr. Moulton, the lack of planning that had bedeviled the Iraq war was painfully present in the Iran conflict. In the weeks before the war started, Mr. Hegseth’s Pentagon had sent the only minesweepers in the region to Singapore. This was proof, he said, that the Trump administration had not expected Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, a powerful blow to the U.S. and global economy.Image
New York Times, News Analysis: How Germany May Have Misjudged Trump’s Anger on Iran, Jim Tankersley, May 2, 2026. After Chancellor Friedrich Merz upset President Trump with criticism of the war, he offered no public sign he believed Mr. Trump’s threats to pull troops were serious.
As President Trump fired off a series of social media posts criticizing Germany this past week, including a threat to pull some American troops from the country, German leaders showed no public signs that they believed the president was serious.
That now appears to have been a miscalculation — one of several that German leaders have made in the course of Mr. Trump’s war against Iran.
Pentagon officials said on Friday that they planned to relocate 5,000 troops from Germany to the United States and around the world within the next year. Boris Pistorius, the German defense minister, called the move “foreseeable” in a statement on Saturday morning that was otherwise unyielding.
“The presence of American troops in Europe, and especially in Germany, is in our interest and in the interest of the United States,” Mr. Pistorius said. He also said that Europeans must continue taking more responsibility for their own security.
The Americans privately made clear that the move was meant to punish Germany for not helping more with the war effort, as Mr. Trump has demanded, and for criticizing Mr. Trump’s strategy from the highest levels.
Until that announcement, the consensus view in German politics appeared to be that Mr. Trump was most likely bluffing. He had tried, and failed, to remove some of America’s 35,000 troops from Germany at the end of his first term in office. He would need congressional approval to move troops from Europe now.
In March, when Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany visited Mr. Trump in Washington, Mr. Merz said the president had taken any threat of troop reductions off the table.
“President Trump has also assured me not just today, but once again, that the United States will maintain its military presence in Germany,” he told reporters in a German-language news conference near the Capitol, shortly after meeting Mr. Trump.
German leaders were also confident that the Trump administration needed its military presence in Germany. Unlike some other European allies, Germany had allowed America to help launch attacks on Iran from bases inside Germany’s borders. It has continued to allow injured Americans to be treated in a major American hospital on German soil that has for decades hosted Americans injured in wars including in Afghanistan and Iraq.
More On Global News
Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Lincoln Square Media, Political Opinion: How Republicans Betrayed Democracy, Stuart Stevens, right, May 2, 2026. The GOP is dominated by cartoon villains like Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and weak senators like Roger Wicker who should know better.
“Putin is a war criminal who should be in jail for the rest of his life, if not executed.”
That’s what Roger Wicker, the Republican Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on CNN in In February 2025.
Stuart Stevens know the Senator well. He used to work for him. But now Stuart sees a powerful Senator throwing in with our buffoonish Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, and betraying both our allies in Ukraine and democracy writ large. It’s tragedy. It’s farce.
#MeToo, Trafficking, Allegations
Representatives Nancy Mace, Anna Paulina Luna and Lauren Boebert (New York Times photo by Alyssa Schukar).
New York Times, These G.O.P. Women Want Congress Members to Pay a Price for Abuse. Will It Work? Annie Karni, May 2, 2026. Three Republican women who had a hand in forcing the resignations of lawmakers accused of sexual misconduct said they are out to name and shame more offenders. It is not clear how far they will go.
When former Representative Tony Gonzales, Republican of Texas, admitted in March to a long-rumored affair with a staff member who later killed herself, a pair of Republican women immediately called for him to be formally censured, and a third became the first in the G.O.P. to demand that he resign.
The men at the helm of the party, President Trump and top Republican congressional leaders, were still standing by Mr. Gonzales, whose vote they needed to maintain their narrow majority in the House.
But among the small minority of G.O.P. lawmakers in the House who are women, an outspoken trio on the hard right — Representatives Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Lauren Boebert of Colorado — went on the war path and ultimately helped force Mr. Gonzales’s resignation in May under the threat of expulsion.
It was part of an unlikely campaign by three MAGA women to call out what they say is a culture of rampant sexual harassment and misconduct on Capitol Hill, and to dismantle the unwritten rules of political expediency and tribal loyalty that for decades have helped to keep such behavior under wraps.
“His staffer lit herself on fire and killed herself in the worst possible way, and he got a hall pass?” Ms. Mace said on Wednesday during a lengthy group interview with Ms. Boebert and Ms. Luna, who shared a couch across from her, to discuss their efforts. “I don’t think so.”ImageRepresentative Nancy Mace withstood immense pressure earlier this year from President Trump when she signed on to a petition that forced the release of the Epstein files.Credit...Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times
The three lawmakers, all of whom have notably said they do not believe the allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct against Mr. Trump, added that they were bent on naming and shaming predators in Congress in both parties.
“This place only operates on pressure and pain,” said Ms. Luna, who led the charge to push out Mr. Gonzales. “The best way to change it is with pressure and pain.”
“Group” is an unusual word for these independent rabble rousers who have proven to be more successful at generating headlines about their own antics than at building alliances. But the women — who began to refer to themselves during the interview as the “three musketeers” — have forged a small caucus that has had an impact in recent months on how men accused of sexual wrongdoing have been treated by Congress.
Ms. Mace and Ms. Boebert, along with former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, also withstood immense pressure earlier this year from Mr. Trump when they signed on to a petition that forced the release of the files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.
“It’s not easy having the president come down on you,” Ms. Boebert said.
Still, they said that they saw nothing wrong with the behavior of the president — who was found liable of sexual abuse in 2023 and was caught on tape boasting about pushing himself on women — and dismissed the accusations of sexual misconduct against him.
“I’ve only ever gotten grandfather vibes,” Ms. Boebert said of Mr. Trump.
They are far less forgiving of their colleagues on Capitol Hill.
New York Times, Swalwell Used Social Media to Build His Career. His Accusers Used It to Warn Others, Madison Malone Kircher, May 2, 2026 (Print ed.). Eric Swalwell used social media to boost his image and meet women, accusers said. Some of those same women used apps and influencers to join forces years later.
Eric Swalwell was once hailed as “the Snapchat king of Congress” for his prolific use of the app with disappearing messages.
Mr. Swalwell had developed a reputation as a digital native, a person who seemed to have a deep understanding of how to harness the power of social media.
In the end, social media would also play a critical role in his undoing.
It was on social media where early whispers of sexual misconduct accusations against Mr. Swalwell swirled after he entered the California governor’s race last year. After hearing similar chatter and allegations directly from women, two Democratic influencers built a network using some of the same platforms that his accusers said he had used to connect with them.
Cheyenne Hunt, one of the influencers, said she connected some of the accusers with one another. She also told the former aide who eventually alleged in news reports that Mr. Swalwell had sexually assaulted her in a New York hotel that other women were preparing to come forward. The content creators later used social media to collect stories from the women and generate interest online.
On April 10, The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN published the detailed accounts that ultimately ended Mr. Swalwell’s political career after interviewing the accusers for weeks and working to try to verify their allegations.
Mr. Swalwell has denied he committed any sexual misconduct.The Influencer NetworkImageA woman with her hands in the pockets of her dress stands near an open French door.Arielle Fodor, known online as “Mrs. Frazzled.” Last year, she received several private messages warning her to stay away from Mr. Swalwell and began to try to find out more.Credit...Ariana Drehsler for The New York Times
Mr. Swalwell entered the governor’s race in November, hoping to capitalize on his national image as a Democratic attack dog and his ability to reach voters on social media. He invited several influencers to a kickoff meeting on Zoom last year, recognizing their power in the modern era.
Among the content creators Mr. Swalwell won over was Arielle Fodor, known online as “Mrs. Frazzled.” Ms. Fodor, a former teacher who posts about Democratic politics, promoted Mr. Swalwell to her audience, hailing him as “a politician who acts like a normal human and not a robot.”
Almost immediately, Ms. Fodor received several private messages warning her to stay away from him, she said in an interview. She said she wanted to find out more.
She heard rumors of sexual misconduct as she began inquiring among Capitol Hill staffers, political acquaintances and a member of Congress, whom she declined to name.
For months thereafter, the chatter lingered but largely went nowhere. Mr. Swalwell, meanwhile, was gathering endorsements in California and assuaging the fears of potential backers by emphasizing that there had been no news reports with allegations.
Eventually, at the end of March, Ms. Fodor decided to post on Threads about Mr. Swalwell. Behind the scenes, a top Swalwell aide, Yardena Wolf, messaged Ms. Fodor and blamed a vengeful ally of an opposing candidate for the rumors, Ms. Fodor said.
Other people were watching, too.
Annika Albrecht saw the posts and reached out to Ms. Hunt, a friend of hers, to describe her own experience with Mr. Swalwell.
Ms. Albrecht said she had met Mr. Swalwell on a trip to Washington as a college student in 2019. Later, on Snapchat, he invited her to meet him at a hotel. She did not oblige. Sara Azari, a lawyer for Mr. Swalwell, disputed Ms. Albrecht’s account and said her story was uncorroborated.Ms. Fodor said she heard that Ms. Hunt was planning to post about Mr. Swalwell, too, and reached out to her in an Instagram direct message in March. Though they had never met, the two women, with Ms. Albrecht, began bringing together other women and directing them to a lawyer and, finally, to reporters at CNN, they said.
In a statement, the network said, “CNN always maintains its editorial independence while obtaining information from a multitude of sources through a rigorous editorial process.”ImageA woman sitting at a desk with a laptop on a stand in front of her. She is crossing her arms on the desk.Cheyenne Hunt, a content creator and a lawyer who previously ran for Congress as a Democrat in California, spoke to several women about their experiences with Mr. Swalwell.Credit...Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times
At the same time, reporters at The San Francisco Chronicle were talking to a former Swalwell staffer, who told them that the congressman had sexually assaulted her, including at a New York City hotel in 2024. The Chronicle explained afterward that it had independently found the woman and gained her trust over several weeks, and that it had looked for witnesses, public records and contemporaneous conversations to try to verify her claims.
The newspaper also said that “the influencers’ posts lent urgency to our efforts,” spurring them to investigate and contact the influencers themselves.
The parasocial relationships influencers cultivate with their followers may have helped some women feel comfortable with contacting Ms. Hunt and Ms. Fodor before going to a media outlet.
“Content creators build their platforms on being so accessible,” said Jessica Maddox, an associate professor at the University of Georgia who researches social media. “That accessibility makes people think they are closer to them than they actually are, or, even, that if they reached out, they could be heard.”
Occupy Democrats, “MAGA to the core” influencer Craig Long, ARRESTED in human trafficking sting! Staff Report, May 2, 2026.Tampa-area gym owner Long, 41, who boasts 560,000 TikTok followers, frequently praised the local sheriff, but was nonetheless busted for allegedly soliciting the services of a prostitute.
Long, shown above left with President Trump, allegedly reached out to an undercover Polk County Sheriff's Office detective online and arranged to meet at a hotel in Bartow for a sex act, where he was caught. He was arrested along with over 200 others in an operation targeting sex buyers, traffickers, and facilitators. He’s married, of course.
Despite Long’s support, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, shown above right, didn’t return the favor. At a press conference after the arrest, he quipped:“Well I’m going to give him some content for his social media today. He was a previous felon who straightened up. . . Now he’s an influencer, he moves in big circles [shows photo with Trump] even with the president. He likes the cops, and he just got a chance to see them up real close. You got arrested in a human trafficking sting. Influence that for a while.”
Lol. Here we have yet another example of the “family values” MAGA crowd showing their true colors. They lecture far and wide about morality, post endless praise of their great leader Trump, and then have the rotten luck to get caught in stings such as this.
The hypocrisy is off the charts. So very often, sex creeps attempt to mask deviances with righteousness, which makes their arrests abound in delicious irony. It's not hard to connect the dots from rings like this to the more sinister machinations of Epstein and his Girl Friday Maxwell.
We’re not saying he was looking for an underage hooker, but even if he was looking for an adult to consent to his proposed tryst, Long’s behavior is far from . . . righteous.
U.S. Law, Courts, Rights
Todd Blanche being sworn in as Deputy Attorney General.
The Red Letter with Tara Palmieri, Opinion: A Simple Question About Epstein Triggered Todd Blanche's Security Detail, Tara Palmeri, April 28, 2026. The only thing standing between you and answers on Jeffrey Epstein? Todd Blanche’s security.
I asked Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche a question he didn’t like. The conversation ended quickly. In a town obsessed with security, he was just as quick to lean on his detail to shut it down.
It was a brief exchange—but a revealing one, offering a glimpse into how the country’s top law enforcement official understands both power and policing, at a moment when his “interim” status is beginning to look less temporary.
It was Wednesday evening in Washington, D.C. At the bar of a private event to which I had been invited, I posed a few questions to Blanche, another guest who had accepted an invitation just like I had.
Thank you for reading The Red Letter. Please consider supporting my independent journalism with a paid subscription:
“Mr. Blanche, are you concerned about a potential conflict of interest between US Attorney Jay Clayton at the Southern District of New York and Leon Black, who has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault?” I asked. “Clayton was appointed by Black to chairman of Apollo when he was pushed out.”
Blanche didn’t hesitate.
“That’s not what happened,” he said.
I provided some context he seemed to lack:
“It’s an established fact that Clayton took a top position at a company founded by Black, who is mentioned in the Epstein files and has faced multiple accusations of sexual assault,” I said.
Black appointed Clayton to his role as chairman when he had to step down from Apollo Global Management for paying Epstein $150 million for accounting and estate planning. Clayton had more than $1.5 million in holdings from the private equity firm Black founded before he left for the DOJ in 2025, according to his financial disclosure. This is a glaring conflict of interest that I’ve reported on in The Red Letter but that the mainstream media hasn’t picked up. To me, it may explain why Black and so many other powerful men who have been accused by survivors under oath have not been prosecuted.
“No, you’re wrong, it was something else,” Blanche said.
I calmly pushed back: “Black announced it himself in a statement that Clayton would be replacing him as chairman and Black is accused by many women in the files of sexual assault.” (Black denies this.)
This was the moment that our exchange became less cordial.
“How can you say that? What files are you referring to?” Blanche said.
“The Epstein files. The FBI’s own materials reference Black as a potential co-conspirator,” I said. “There’s a presentation that names him.”
“You shouldn’t be talking about things you don’t understand,” he shot back. “I’ve seen the files. You haven’t. You can’t just make things up.”
“Everyone has seen the Epstein files. They’re public,” I said.
As acting Attorney General, Blanche was primed to have special insight about my areas of inquiry. As a former prosecutor in New York and personal attorney for President Trump, my areas of inquiry would be particularly familiar.
Blanche made like his name in response. While standing under purple lights at the terrace bar, his wife dressed head to toe in black with her blonde hair pulled back said to me, “You’ve ruined our beautiful night.”
Before I could explain, a member of his security detail moved between us and said if I didn’t move away, he would remove me for trespassing.
I had not arrived at the French Ambassador’s residence with explicit plans to learn more about the Justice Department. I was there for the Amethyst Ball, a glitzy confab hosted by members of the Washington perma-class: Steve Clemons, Heather Podesta, Kellyanne Conway, and Ambassador Laurent Bili. The event, nominally an annual celebration of the French-American alliance, was attended by other members of the media as well as officials from the Trump administration and various Beltway creatures.
Meidas Touch Network, Advocacy: Trump Family THREATENS to SUE MEIDAS?! Ben Meiselas, right, May 2, 2026. The Trump family is now openly threatening to SUE the MeidasTouch Network after we highlighted reporting from the Financial Times about a new investment involving Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. This is the same tired playbook they learned from their daddy: intimidation, bluster, and empty threats.Subscribed
The Financial Times reported on a deal involving a company backed by Don Jr. and Eric tied to a major tungsten mining project that received significant U.S. government support. Our Editor-in-Chief, Ron Filipkowski, posted the article and added his commentary:
“Suddenly Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumber just can’t stop making big bucks off shrewd investments in companies making big bucks off connections to the government. They are experts in every industry now.”
In response, Eric Trump jumped in with a warning, telling Ron to be “very careful”:
“@RonFilipkowski i would be very careful Ron. I had no involvement in this transaction and have always been a passive investor with no management role in this vehicle. Any suggestion to the contrary would be both inaccurate and defamatory.”
Let’s get something straight.
Posting and commenting on a Financial Times report is not defamation. And it is an undisputed fact that the Trump family has profited to the tune of billions off the presidency.
If the Trump family thinks they are going to intimidate us and this community, they are badly mistaken.
We’ve dealt with these threats before. They’ve come after us. Trump has sued our hosts. Trump family allies have sued us. And they’ve failed every time.
So go ahead. File the lawsuit.
We welcome discovery and would look forward to taking their depositions under oath.
The Contrarian, Opinion: 15 Ways to Fight 'Callais', Norman Eisen, right, May 2, 2026. Contrarians Say Hell No to Jim Crow: Publisher's Roundup 65. There is no sugar-coating it: The Roberts Court’s Callais decision is a disaster. But it is one the democracy movement has been preparing for since the court took up the case. Callais will test us.
But as a movement and as a nation, we can meet the challenge — as our predecessors did in Selma. In this week’s column, I share ideas on how we Contrarians can pitch in, gleaned from some of the toughest and wisest people I know.
I was in New Mexico at a democracy conference of all places when the decision hit on Wednesday morning. As I sat on my patio in the morning sun and read the decision beneath the high blue sky, I was struck by the contrast between the beauty of my surroundings and the horror on the page. Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed fair representation for Black and Latino Americans in Congress, state legislatures, and more, was annihilated. Marchers with signs at the March on Washington Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash
The content of the majority opinion was devastating, but so was the timing. I knew that the decision would be bad, but I had hoped that the Roberts Court would at least have the decency to wait until the end of the term in June — not drop this bombshell in the middle of primary season.
Sure enough, chaos immediately ensued across the South as the GOP sought to capitalize on the case by immediately commencing efforts to snatch away Black and Latino representation. Florida passed a bill the same day. Alabama and Tennessee are taking steps to pass their own bills. Louisiana went even further, canceling active congressional primary elections! Odious Gov. Jeff Landry claimed an “emergency” in contravention of state law.
It was one of the darkest series of days since Jan. 20, 2025. But we Contrarians refused to quit back then and have since helped mount ferocious pushback in the courts of law and of public opinion. Your efforts as part of the overall democracy movement have helped make Donald Trump one of the most unpopular presidents in history. We will do the same pushback here, starting with litigating vigorously with our pro-democracy allies in the South. Your paid subscriptions make that possible; because we are owned by no one, all profits are plowed into our over 300 legal cases and matters — and counting.Subscribed
The past 15 months are not the only inspiration for what we must do now. Far from it. The civil rights movement in particular offers vital lessons. I asked three of today’s leaders in that movement — Bryan Fair of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Lauren Groh-Wargo of Fair Fight, and Juan Proaño of LULAC — for inspiration and specific next steps. I had intended to combine their ideas with my own into a single column, but their ideas stand on their own as distinct and brilliant guides to action.
Bryan’s Thoughts:
I’d like to start with a few high-level observations:
The majority opinion in Callais reminds one of the court’s infamous opinions in Dred Scott and Plessy, in which the court announced that “persons of African descent, whether slave or free, … had no rights which the white man was bound to respect,” and that “separate was equal.” Now, “nonminority voters,” a euphemism for white voters, have no duty to respect and preserve minority voters’ power. The Callais decision invites an immoral race to the bottom against all minority voters and their nonminority allies. We eventually defeated Dred Scott and the similarly dreadful Plessy. We must also reverse Callais.
More On Trump Governance, Planning
Heather Delaney Reese, Commentary, Trump's midterm panic is getting ugly, Heather Delaney Reese, right, May 2, 2026. At 4:10 this afternoon, Donald Trump reemerged into the public eye for the first time since the shooting in Washington, D.C. this past weekend. As he made his way toward the podium, he struggled to summon any real energy, dragging himself across the stage, stopping every few steps to catch his breath and soak in the applause as his theme song played in the background.
And for nearly 90 minutes, the President of the United States delivered a rambling, grievance-filled spectacle to one of the most loyal audiences he has left, the deeply red stronghold of The Villages. But even in a room designed to adore him, surrounded by people who were already on his side, he couldn’t hold it together. He lashed out at the sound crew mid-speech, spiraled into a racist and deeply disturbing made-up story about a sitting congresswoman and her brother sleeping together, mocked the very people cheering for him by insisting he was smarter than they were, and then veered into a bizarre tangent about the First Lady begging him not to dance to what he called the “gay national anthem.” “Darling, please don’t dance. It’s not presidential,” he said, before brushing it off with, “It may not be presidential, but I’m leading by 20 points in the polls or something.”
It would be easy to write off this whole speech as just another concerning moment of Trump once again suffering from a possible cognitive issue, but that isn’t what we saw. It was something more deliberate than that. His limits aren’t slipping. They’re gone. He’s operating like someone who no longer believes they apply to him at all. Like someone who thinks he can say anything and do anything, and face no consequences. And if this is what he’s willing to show us in public, out in the open, with cameras rolling and a room full of people watching, then it’s worth asking what’s happening when none of us are there to see it. What is the leader of what used to be called the “free world” doing when he’s not performing for us, when it’s just him and the people who never tell him no?
Coverage of the speech described him as “unburdened.” And that’s exactly right. Because what we watched wasn’t a man losing control. It was a man who has decided he no longer needs to pretend to have any. He is not unhinged. He is unleashed. And he’s showing us, piece by piece, exactly how far he intends to take this.
He opened with this: “I shouldn’t be here. There was just an attempt, I won’t use the word, an attempt, they say, on my life. I should be indoors at a secure facility where I can quietly, beautifully, and safely play out my term, destroying everything that comes in our way. Like bad countries that want to get nuclear weapons.”
He said it casually. Almost like it was nothing. The crowd laughed. And then he just kept going, like the President of the United States describing his presidency as destroying everything in his path was a normal thing to say out loud. He brought up the assassination attempt, made himself the victim, and in the same breath told a room full of American seniors he should be allowed to destroy whatever he wants. And based on his track record, we need to take him at his word.
He spent several minutes acknowledging his most devoted followers, a group he calls the Front Row Joes, people who travel to every rally, hundreds of times, and stand in the front row. He said, “They’re all over. I can’t get rid of them. They are sick individuals, but we love them.”
He bragged that more than 51 million American seniors now pay a federal tax rate of zero. And then, in almost the same breath, he looked out at that same crowd and said: “I don’t happen to be a senior. I’m much younger than you. I’m a much, much younger man than you. Look at you old guys. Wouldn’t you like to be my age? It’s young, vital, vibrant.”
He is 79 years old. He dragged himself across that stage twenty minutes earlier. And then he stood there and talked down to a room full of people who showed up to support him, calling them old, telling them they wished they could be him. And they laughed. They loved it. That’s the relationship he has with his base. He insults them, and they reward him for it. He’s trained them to see his contempt as charisma. And it’s one of the most disturbing dynamics I’ve ever watched play out in American politics.
Then came the media section. He pointed to the press cameras and said, “Look at all the fake news back there. Watch. That’s a lot of fake news. That’s a lot of fake news. That’s a lot of fakers.” He then announced that studies show he gets 93% negative coverage on the evening news, and declared that this proves the media has lost all credibility. “Nobody believes them. Very simple.”
And then he explained his own philosophy of communication, which he calls “the weave,” as if it were something to be proud of. Giving an example of how he uses it that highlights taking incoherent and unrelated jargon to deflect: “I love the weave because the weave is great. Someday, I won’t come back, and they’ll say, ‘all right, he shot.’ That’s the weave. I call it the weave because you get a lot of stories into one little sentence.”
What he is describing, in his own words, is the technique he uses to hold an audience’s attention, jumping from topic to topic, threading unrelated stories together, going so far out that people lose track of where he started, and then circling back. It’s the reason his speeches feel like a barrage. What he is doing is intentional. He’s not just rambling, he’s weaving.
And he just told us that he manipulates the narrative, while calling the actual press “fake news” and accusing them of manufacturing stories about him. This is not a man who believes in a free press. This is a man who has spent years systematically dismantling trust in journalism so that his version of reality, “the weave”, his fabrications and propaganda fill the space where facts used to live.
And then, mid-speech, the microphone volume wasn’t to his liking. And the man who holds the nuclear codes lost it. “Tell them to turn up the microphone, will you please! Turn up the mic! You know, I hate it. You pay these guys a lot of money, and then you get up and the mic isn’t on properly. And then they want their money, and I don’t believe in paying people to do a bad job. I only like to pay, I pay early. And I’m screaming my ass off because the mic is no good! Turn the mic up, please! Amazing.”
Thank you to those of you who support this work with a paid membership. Your $5 a month is what allows me to keep writing every day and, just as importantly, to keep these posts free and accessible to everyone. Those who can pay are the reason those who can’t still have access. And right now, with so much at stake heading into the midterms, that matters more than ever. If you’re in a position to join, I’d be grateful to have you with us.Upgrade to paid
After his meltdown, he switched directions and eventually introduced Dr. Oz with these words: “We have a man here who knows more about Medicaid, Medicare, medical crap than any human being. Where is Dr. Oz?”
Medical crap. That is what the President of the United States called the healthcare policy that millions of seniors depend on to survive. He then admitted openly that he doesn’t engage with any of the details. “All I want to do is take care of you. I don’t care. I said, you work out the details. But I did say — give them the max. That’s all I care about.” He didn’t mean to reveal as much as he did, but with no limits and no impulse control, it was bound to happen. He is not running the government. He is performing the presidency while the people around him run it because he doesn’t want to do the “boring” parts that come with the job.
He then pivoted to Minnesota and his usual claims about Medicare fraud. And this is where the speech took a turn, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about all night. Without any real transition, he said this: “Look at the wonderful country. It’s a beautiful country. You should try it sometime, Somalia. It’s a beautiful place. It’s got no government. It’s got no military. It’s got no anything. It’s got one thing that’s really strong: crime. It’s filthy dirty, disgusting dirty. It’s a horrible place. They come here. And Ilhan Omar, you ever hear of her? She heads it.”
He described a sitting member of Congress like she’s personally responsible for the conditions of an entire nation. And then he kept going: “She comes here from Somalia and tells us how to run the United States of America. She says, ‘The Constitution gives me certain rights, gives me certain rights, and I demand that I be given these rights.’ Get the hell out. What a phony.” He’s telling a room full of Americans that a member of Congress, elected by her constituents, who swore an oath to the same Constitution he did, should “get the hell out” for invoking her rights.
And then he went further. “And then she married a brother to come in. I don’t know. I believe she married her brother, which is totally illegal. Although it’s a lovely couple, actually, but it’s a little bit on the illegal side. Darling, I love you very much. Good night, brother. Let’s go to bed.” This is a lie. It has always been a lie. It’s been investigated, debunked, and dismissed over and over again.
And the President of the United States told it anyway, stopping to act it out, doing voices, and making very strange hand gestures and movements for a room full of people who laughed along with him. This isn’t politics or a policy disagreement. This is a sitting president making up a perverted story about a member of Congress and performing it as entertainment. I have never seen anything like this from someone in this office.
He then turned his attention to Gavin Newsom, and used that as a launching pad to talk about himself for several minutes. He suggested Newsom take a cognitive test, and then announced: “I took three of them. Aced all of them, by the way. I’m the only president to take a cognitive test because I don’t think Obama could pass it. I don’t. Biden? Give me a break. You know, the first question is very easy. It’s a lion, a giraffe, a bear, and a shark. They say, ‘Which one is the bear?’ And everybody says, ‘Ohhh.’ 30 questions. Very standard test, but very tough around those last 10 questions. Not too many people, even in this very room, could answer those last 10.”
He just told a room full of his most loyal followers that he was smarter than they were and that most of them probably couldn’t pass a basic cognitive test. And they applauded. He then described the moment he got his score: “When I got the score, the doctor said, ‘I’ve never seen.’ They said, ‘He’s a mad genius.’ I didn’t mind that too much. Then they said, ‘He’s a horrible human being.’ I don’t like that much. Then they said, ‘He’s really not a smart person at all.’ I really hated that.”
When Trump first started boasting about his cognitive tests, physicians stepped forward to add clarity to the subject, saying that these are not routinely given. It is not a standard part of a physical exam. It happens when there is a concern. He keeps bringing this up himself, over and over, in elaborate detail, to every audience he can find. A genuinely confident man does not do this. But a man who is working very hard to convince everyone around him, and perhaps himself, that there is nothing to worry about, does. And then he described the math portion of the test to the crowd, walking them through the multiplication and division and addition in real time, clearly proud that he could follow along. He said the doctor called him a “mad genius.” He described his decision to take the test as a moment of bravery. He has been president for a year and a half and he is still, at a retirement community in Florida, relitigating his cognitive test results.
He introduced the drug pricing section with a story about a friend. He described this friend as “extremely fat,” “very obnoxious,” “a very unattractive individual,” and “highly neurotic, semicontrolled.” He said, “Usually I like to say I like a neurotic person, but it has to be controlled. This guy’s only semi.” This is how the President of the United States talks about his friends. He announced that starting July 1st, Medicare will cover weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy for $50 a month, which is genuinely meaningful news for millions of people, and then spent several minutes seething about Joe Biden taking credit for insulin price reductions that Trump said he originated. “I was standing there seething,” he said. “I was watching television. I was so angry. I said, I did it, and I didn’t get credit for it.”
He talked about the economy. He claimed grocery prices are way down, used car prices are way down, eggs are down by four or five times. He claimed he secured $18 trillion in investment in his first 11 months. And then he said this: “Think of it, it’s really almost 100 times more if you really multiply it out properly.” He went back to his “alternative math” again. Because 18 trillion is not 100 times more than 1 trillion. It is 18 times more. He said this slowly, confidently, to a room full of people, and nobody corrected him. Because nobody in that room is there to correct him. They are there to cheer.
He addressed the Iran war, saying this about any American who questions whether we are winning: “I believe it’s treasonous. Okay. You want to know that? It’s treasonous.” He called American citizens who question his war treasonous.
He held a crowd poll on whether Biden’s nickname should be “Sleepy Joe” or “Crooked Joe.” He attacked Democrats for using the word “affordability” as a political message, calling a lawmaker a “sleazebag” for focusing on it ahead of the midterms. And then he said this about the Democrats’ economic messaging: “They’ve got one good line of bullshit.”
That is how the President of the United States spent today. Talking to seniors in front of the large words “GOLDEN YEARS”.
I’ve been writing these posts every night for over a year now, and I realized today that something in me has shifted. I used to feel it. When he said something monstrous, something that made the rest of the world look at us with pity or horror, I would cringe. It was physical. I don’t feel that anymore. Now I watch him, the words just move through me, and I write them down and move on to the next thing. And that numbness concerns me. Not because I’ve stopped caring, because I haven’t. But because I know that numbness isn’t a side effect of what’s happening. It’s the point. Make it constant and relentless. Make it so overwhelming that even the people paying the closest attention start to go numb. And if it’s happening to me, someone who is watching all of this every single day, then imagine what it’s doing to people who are only catching pieces of it. We can’t go numb. That’s exactly what they’re counting on.
And maybe that is one of the most important things we can do in this moment. Not let ourselves go numb and just accept the absurdity of it all. We’re all trying to hold it together, to stay steady, because this isn’t something that’s going to be over quickly. And even if he doesn’t raise our blood pressure the way he used to, we haven’t lost the ability to see what he’s doing for what it is. But this is going to be a challenge, and it’s something we need to watch for in each other. Because the people most at risk of checking out aren’t the ones who stopped caring. They’re the ones who care deeply but feel overwhelmed. The ones who don’t always vote because they think it won’t make a difference, or that it’s already decided. Those are the people who matter most right now. Not the ones already with us. The ones who are one conversation away. Find out if they’re registered. Help them get registered if they’re not. Ask if they’ll need a ride when the time comes, or someone to walk them through it. Be that person. Make it your job between now and November. We have to make this too big to rig. That is how we answer a man who has decided he is untouchable. Not with outrage alone. With numbers.
And we’re not alone in this work. Because outside that election rally he held today, there were hundreds of people who showed up to protest him on barely two days’ notice. They showed up for a president who wasn’t showing up for them in the ways a president should. They understood what was at stake. They didn’t go numb. They got up and went. That is the answer to everything we saw today. Not despair. Presence and the stubborn, daily refusal to let any of this become normal, even when normalization is pulling at all of us every single day.
He is not invincible. He went to the safest room in the country today and still fell apart in front of everyone. He can feel what’s coming. The walls are closing in, and even he can’t deny it. That is why I still have hope for America. And you should, too.
U.S. Transportation, Jobs, Markets, Economy
New York Times, Spirit Airlines, a Pioneer of Low-Fare Flights, Shuts Down, Niraj Chokshi, May 2, 2026. Spirit once upended the industry by offering very low fares but was in its second bankruptcy in two years after years of struggle.
Spirit Airlines reshaped aviation in the United States by stripping down flying to its essentials and selling what were often the cheapest tickets around. But the airline shut down for good on Saturday, a victim of the rising costs it once excelled at controlling.
In a statement just after 2 a.m., Spirit said it had canceled all flights and told passengers not to go to the airport. On the airline’s homepage, a bright yellow banner declared that the airline was “winding down all operations.”
The budget airline had lost billions of dollars in recent years as it struggled with intense competition at its most important airports — Las Vegas, Florida and New York among them — and rising labor and aircraft maintenance costs.
As a result, Spirit filed for bankruptcy in 2024 and again in 2025. It had aimed to emerge from the second bankruptcy this summer as a smaller company, but those plans fell apart as jet fuel prices rose dramatically in recent weeks, a consequence of the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran. The Trump administration started an 11th-hour effort to provide Spirit a lifeline, but government officials and the airline’s creditors could not reach a deal in time to save the company.
The shutdown leaves 17,000 full- and part-time Spirit employees without work and tens of thousands of customers without flights. Spirit said it would automatically issue refunds for tickets purchased on credit or debit cards and was working to get more than 1,300 flight crew members home.
Many other airlines said they would offer affected travelers discounted prices on flights to and from the airports that Spirit served. Some said that they would help stranded Spirit employees get home and United Airlines invited them to apply for jobs
Spirit said it safely flew more than 50,000 passengers on Friday. Spirit flight 1833, the airline’s last, departed from Detroit late in the evening and landed in Dallas after midnight, local time.
Spirit has been widely credited with democratizing air travel in the United States by keeping costs and ticket prices very low. The approach served Spirit well for years, generating huge profits. But competition from larger airlines and rising costs, particularly for pilots and other professionals, hobbled the company after the pandemic. It also suffered disproportionately from industrywide engine problems.
In an interview this past week, Scott Kirby, the chief executive of United Airlines, said Spirit’s problems predated the current rise in fuel prices. “They were in trouble well before this, and well-run airlines are able to be profitable even in this environment,” he said. He also criticized Spirit’s business model, saying it was fundamentally flawed because it was based on treating customers poorly.
May 1
Top Headlines
A split image of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican seen as vulnerable given her state’s leftward tilt, and Democratic challenger Graham Platner (New York Times photos by Eric Lee, left, and Sophie Park).
Wayne Madsen, left, author of 28 books, commentator and former Navy intelligence officer, May 1, 2026. Putin and Trump won't stop at Donetsk, the Baltics, Greenland, Alberta, etc. They want world domination with Washington as a junior partner of Moscow.More On Epstein Files, Trump Coverup
During a 2022 New Year's gala, the recently deported mother Amanda Ungaro is shown at left, with the her former partner Paulo Zampolli, at right, the modelling guru and longtime Trump family friend. Shown also are President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. Ungaro, now living in Brazil after a brutal deportation process that separates her from her son with Zampolli, is well-acquaintained with the modeling world that included trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, the Trumps and Zampolli, and disputes the latter's assertion that he introduced the Trumps.
Vicky Ward Investigates, Epstein's Path Of Death And Destruction Goes All The Way To The White House And Far Beyond, Vicky Ward, May 1, 2026. Paolo Zampolli's Former Partner, Amanda Ungaro Explains Why She Thinks The First Lady Gave Her Impromptu Press Conference About Jeffrey Epstein.News Updates
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is shown in a file photo praying with Republican colleagues on the House floor.
May 1, 2026. Mike Johnson is facing an internal revolt as anger over his leadership has reached a fever pitch, and his grip on power looks increasingly fragile. At the same time, May Day demonstrations are erupting across the globe, with thousands of events in the United States alone. Organizers are driving one of the largest economic blackouts in recent memory, targeting billionaires and major corporations while encouraging support for small, local, and independent businesses.April 30, 2026. Tonight’s update covers a wide range of major stories, from new developments in the Epstein case to Donald Trump calling for cognitive tests for presidential and vice presidential candidates, to declining support for the Iran war, the growing May Day boycott, and more. More On Iran War
Shown above is on of the Artificial Intelligence-generated fake images created by the Trump Administration to portray President Trump as a brave wartime commander leading troops against domestic and foreign enemies.
More On U.S. Media, Military, National Defense
Federal appeals court won’t rehear Trump’s appeal of E. Jean Carroll’s $83 million jury award, Kara Scannell, April 29, 2026. A split federal appeals court said its full bench of judges would not rehear President Donald Trump’s appeal of the $83 million jury award for defaming magazine columnist E Jean Carroll.More On U.S. Law, Courts, Crime, Justice, Civil Rights
The Trump Administration is charging former FBI Director James Comey with conspiracy to assassinate President Trump -- charges widely regarded as revenge by Trump for Comey's investigation of documented Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to help Trump win -- based on Comey's posting on social media seashells he saw arranged on a North Carolina beach, as shown above, displaying the numbers "86 47," which the Justice Department alleges to have been a serious threat against Trump. The term "86" reputedly stems from a coded expression by restaurant and bar personnel to oust undesirable patrons. Comey, a Republican, is not alleged to have arranged the seashells and promptly removed the image from his social media site when MAGA supporters denounced it.
U.S. Elections, Politics, Governance
May 1, 2026.This week’s Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which all but ended the legal mechanism of majority-minority districts across the South, promises to ratchet up our ongoing partisan redistricting total war to heretofore unimaginable levels. May 1, 2026. Today, on International Workers’ Day, hundreds of organizers (unions, pro-democracy organizations, and ordinary individuals) are calling for a day of no work, no shopping, and no school (to the extent people are able) in support of a three-part agenda. Check here to find events near you.
May 1, 2026 (print ed.). One lesson of the Democratic Senate primary in Maine is that no one should underestimate the white-hot fury of the party’s voters.May 1, 2026. Today G. Elliott Morris of Strength in Numbers noted that Trump has hit a new low in overall job performance and in his handling of the economy, at -22.2 and -40.3, respectively. Those numbers reflect the percentage of people who approve of his handling of an issue minus those who disapprove.Global News
U.S. Inflation, Economy, Markets, Jobs
Top Stories
A split image of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican seen as vulnerable given her state’s leftward tilt, and Democratic challenger Graham Platner (New York Times photos by Eric Lee, left, and Sophie Park).
New York Times, Collins and Platner Face Off: 5 Takeaways From the Maine Senate Shake-Up, Lisa Lerer and Katie Glueck, May 1, 2026. The exit of Gov. Janet Mills kicked off the general election early in what is likely to be one of the most important, expensive and combative Senate races of 2026.
The abrupt exit of Gov. Janet Mills, above, from the Senate race in Maine has propelled one of the nation’s marquee contests into the general-electionphase, effectively crowning Graham Platner, a progressive political newcomer, as the Democratic nominee.
Ms. Mills’s decision to withdraw from the race on Thursday was a tacit recognition that the two-term governor, 78, who has spent decades in elected office, lacked the funding and support to defeat Mr. Platner, 41, an oysterman from Downeast Maine. Next will come a tough, expensive contest to defeat Senator Susan Collins, 73, a Republican who has overcome Democrats’ attempts to defeat her for three decades.
The political implications of Ms. Mills’s departure are already reverberating through Democratic primary contests across the country. Mr. Platner’s ascension quickly became a powerful signal that the Democratic base has grown impatient with the party’s establishment and is eager to embrace a new generation of leaders.
Here are five takeaways from the shake-up in Maine’s Senate race:Democrats are in a fighting mood.
Ms. Mills’s struggles to gain traction made at least one thing clear. Democratic primary voters are in no mood to take suggestions — much less orders — from party leadership in Washington.
Ms. Mills had the support of Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader. But in the eyes of some voters, that was a drawback, not an asset.
Instead, they wanted someone younger, a political outsider who was willing to take the fight to both President Trump and a Democratic establishment they saw as timid, sclerotic and simply too old.
One thing to watch now: How much time do Democrats spend fighting with one another over Mr. Platner, versus swallowing the reservations some of them quietly have about him and turning their attention to Ms. Collins?
Plenty of Democrats, including Mr. Schumer, quickly expressed support on Thursday for Mr. Platner’s candidacy. Ms. Mills, notably, did not. Her spokesman said in a statement that she would not support Ms. Collins — and that she would “continue to hear and watch how Graham Platner works to earn the support of Maine voters.”Trump vs. the tattoo: The race will test political baggage.
There is no question that Ms. Collins has a challenging race on her hands. She is running for re-election in a state that supported Kamala Harris over Mr. Trump by about seven percentage points in 2024. And since Mr. Trump’s victory that fall, Democratic voters have grown more energized to defeat Republicans at every level of government.
But Ms. Collins is an incumbent who has repeatedly won tough races, and Republicans believe they have an unusually flawed opponent in Mr. Platner.
He has a long record of making incendiary remarks online, many of which he has apologized for, and also had a chest tattoo that is widely recognized as a Nazi symbol before he had it covered up last fall (he has said he hadn’t realized its meaning).
Eager to jump on those vulnerabilities, Republicans have already started the attack ads against Mr. Platner.
Will those efforts break through — or end up mattering — in a political environment dominated, as always, by Mr. Trump?
Mr. Platner is betting they will not.
“Republicans are preparing to run a scorched-earth campaign, and we’re ready for that,” he told reporters.
Then-President Trump meets with his Russian counterpart and role model Vladimir Putin on July 7, 2017 at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany. Trump plans to reinvite Putin to rejoin the G20 at Trump property in Florida this year following Putin's dismissal from such bodies for war crimes during Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine
Wayne Madsen Report via Substack, Opinion: Russia and U.S. seeking to cleave off parts of other nations to expand their own dying empires, Wayne Madsen, left, author of 28 books, commentator and former Navy intelligence officer, May 1, 2026. Putin and Trump won't stop at Donetsk, the Baltics, 
Greenland, Alberta, etc. They want world domination with Washington as a junior partner of Moscow.
By their actions and words, the governments of Russia and the United States, joined together by criminal syndicates and anti-democratic political interests, have made it clear that they are seeking to enlarge their empires by cleaving off the territory of neighboring countries. For Russia, the targets include, in addition to Ukraine’s Donbas and Crimea, already illegally occupied by Russian forces, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and other nations. For the Putin-aligned Donald Trump regime, their annexation goals are set upon Greenland, Canada (initially, Alberta and Saskatchewan), the Gaza Strip, the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, Cuba, and parts of Panama and Mexico.
The U.S. State Department has also indicated that it no longer recognizes the sovereignty of European nations over their overseas territories, particularly that of the United Kingdom over the British citizen-populated Falkland Islands and its Antarctic dependencies. The Trump regime has signaled to the corrupt Argentine President Javier Milei, who is providing dual citizenship rights in Patagonia for Israeli settlers, that it is shifting its stance in recognizing Buenos Aires’s sovereignty claims over what the Argentinians call the Malvinas.
U.S. talk of European “imperial possessions” has set off alarms in several European capitals. King Charles III made it a point to stop off in Bermuda for a three-day visit following his labyrinthine visit to Washington, where he had to navigate between royal tactfulness and the boorish tastelessness of the worst ever president of the United States and one of the most despised leaders in the world. The King’s visit will cement Bermuda’s close links to Britain at a time when Trump is threatening land grabs in Canada, Greenland, Cuba, Mexico, and Panama. King Charles arrives in Bermuda and ... King Charles III re-staking British sovereignty over Bermuda
In essence, Trump and his advisory circle of real estate developers are parceling the world up into properties they seek to control. Trump’s ambassador to Canada, Peter Hoekstra, has been caught meeting with far-right Canadian political leaders and others with their eye on a Hitlerian “Canschluss” or absorption by the United States. A referendum on Alberta independence followed by becoming the 51st state has been tied to the U.S. State Department and Republican activists working with an Albertan group called the Centurion Project, who have been caught accessing the mailing addresses of some 5 million registered voters in the province.
Trump’s irredentist desires against Mexico were highlighted by his corrupt Justice Department’s indictment of Rúben Rocha Moya, the left-wing governor of Mexico’s Sinaloa state, and nine other current and former Mexican officials tied to the ruling Morena party of President Claudia Sheinbaum and former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The Mexican officials have been charged with being part of the Sinaloa drug cartel founded by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is serving a life sentence in the United States. Moya called the indictment “a perverse strategy to violate the constitutional order” in Mexico.
The U.S. aggression against Sinaloa state followed a clandestine CIA counter-narcotics operation in the northern state of Chihuahua in which two CIA agents were killed. The CIA operations was conducted without the permission or knowledge of the Mexican federal government or the Attorney General of Chihuahua, César Jáuregui Moreno, who resigned after the CIA operation.
The Trump regime picks and chooses its drug cartel allies. While indicting Mexican Morena party officials and sending CIA agents into missions in Mexico normally carried out by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Trump recently pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was serving a 45-year prison sentence in the U.S. for accepting bribes from the very same Sinaloa cartel that Governor Moya has been accused of having links.
While Trump and his real estate ogres eye territorial gains around the world, Vladimir Putin, from his lair in the Kremlin, is looking to carve off more land grabs from Russia’s periphery. After having grabbed Luhansk, Donetsk, Crimea, and three-quarters, each, of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia from Ukraine; South Ossetia and Abkhazia from Georgia (and possibly, Georgia itself through a pro-Russian oligarchical regime in Tbilisi), and threatening to all-out invade and occupy Transnistria in Moldova, Putin is leering at invading and annexing three small regions of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, triggering a war with NATO (minus the United States).
Russian plans, cited by Baltic intelligence agencies, include sending “green uniformed” men into the majority Russian-speaking regions of Narva in Estonia and Latgale in Latvia, where they would announce the creation of the “Narva People’s Republic” and the “Latgale People’s Republic,” the same artifice used by Moscow with Ukraine’s “Lugansk People’s Republic” and “Donetsk People’s Republic.” The Russians falsely claim that 
the Latgalia and its capital Daugavpils, ate historically Russian. Moscow also falsely claims that the Latgalian-speaking minority in the region bordering Russia are actually ethnic Russians. Latgalian is not a Slavic language and is related to Latvian and Lithuanian. A common thread that runs through Putin’s and Trump’s regimes is the convenient alteration of historical and even fundamental facts. latviamap
As far as Lithuania is concerned, Putin has in mind a three-pronged attack. The first is the seizure of the 65-mile Suwalki Gap, a strip of territory on the Lithuanian-Polish border that connects Belarus, a Russian vassal state, to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The second attack would be the seizure of the Curonian Spit, a coastal region of Lithuania. The third would be the invasion and occupation of Klaipeda, the Lithuanian port city that Russia claims is “historically” (more like hysterically) Russian. After occupation of Klaipeda, Russian forces would proclaim the “People’s Republic of Samogitia,” which comprises most of western Lithuania. The three Russian “people’s republics” in the Baltic republics would serve as 
jumping off regions to occupy the remainder of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
It is clear that Russia needs a taste of its own medicine. There are now calls for the new government of Hungary to join its fellow Finno-Ugric republics of Estonia and Finland to increase support for repressed Finno-Ugric ethnic groups in Russia, including the Komi, Mari, Udmurts, Erzya, Moksha, Karelians, Vepsians, Khanty, Sami, and Mansi. The ousted Viktor Orban regime attempted to change the ethnicity of Hungarians to Turkic, another fabrication of the sort that is now common currency in Russia and the United States.
Wayne Madsen's 28th book, "A Parade of New Soverignties," shown above at left, is a 480-page reference book showing descriptions (one to a page) of entities around the world where significant populations consider themselves as a distinct entity and sometimes in significant opposition to the larger national government recognized globally. His book was updated this week to include four new entities comprised largely of Ukrainians exiled to remote regions of the Russian Federation.
New York Times, Since Congress Let Obamacare Subsidies Expire, Millions Are Dropping Coverage, Reed Abelson and Margot Sanger-Katz, May 1, 2026. Americans can’t afford the higher health insurance premiums that resulted from Congress’s refusal to extend federal tax credits.
Millions of Americans appear to be dropping Obamacare coverage in the months since Congress failed to extend the generous subsidies that had become a defining feature of the Affordable Care Act.
Initial sign-ups had already fallen by about 1.2 million people. But insurance companies, state officials and industry analysts are reporting that many more have lost Obamacare coverage now that people are facing long-term higher costs. The federal government has yet to report current enrollment data.
Many insurers and analysts are estimating overall declines of about 20 percent, dropping to around 19 million from the 24 million who were covered under the A.C.A. last year. Other indications suggest there could be even larger potential losses by the end of the year, a deep retrenchment for Obamacare coverage and a reversal of significant gains in the last several years.
The rising cost of health care has shown up as a top concern among Americans in several public opinion polls. Premiums are rising for Americans who get insurance through work, too, as health care costs have been increasing nationwide. Out-of-pocket costs are growing too, as plans with high deductibles have become popular.
Though health care has faded somewhat as a congressional priority since lawmakers hit a stalemate over the subsidies at the end of 2025, it is likely to figure prominently in the midterm elections this year.
One analysis, by Wakely Consulting Group, a firm with access to detailed insurance industry data, estimates that coverage in the marketplaces will drop by as much as 26 percent this year compared with last year’s average enrollment.
In Georgia, where coverage had nearly tripled since Congress first authorized the extra financial help in 2021, state data show enrollment has fallen by more than a third, according to information obtained by the news organizations The Current GA and The Georgia Recorder.
The Georgia state insurance department did not respond to a request for comment.
Some Blue Cross plans lost 20 to 30 percent of customers this year. And many people are switching to plans with lower premiums but much higher out-of-pocket costs, said David Merritt, a spokesman for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. “We are waiting on official data like everyone else,” he said.
The insurers and state officials said early retirees with middle-class incomes, who faced the largest increases in premiums, appeared to be among the hardest hit. In some markets, the cost of insurance for this group rose by $1,000 a month or more.
In many states, around 10 percent of people who are still insured have chosen less generous coverage by picking so-called bronze plans, which carry deductibles as high as $10,600 a year.
More On Epstein Files, Trump Coverup
During a 2022 New Year's gala, the recently deported mother Amanda Ungaro is shown at left, with the her former partner Paulo Zampolli, at right, the modelling guru and longtime Trump family friend. Shown also are President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. Ungaro, now living in Brazil after a brutal deportation process that separates her from her son with Zampolli, is well-acquaintained with the modeling world that included trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, the Trumps and Zampolli, and disputes the latter's assertion that he introduced the Trumps.
Vicky Ward Investigates, Epstein's Path Of Death And Destruction Goes All The Way To The White House And Far Beyond, Vicky Ward, May 1, 2026. Paolo Zampolli's Former Partner, Amanda Ungaro Explains Why She Thinks The First Lady Gave Her Impromptu Press Conference About Jeffrey Epstein.
The ghost of Jeffrey Epstein hovers over everything, still, seeming to tarnish and destroy everything in its path.
There’s tragic news from Norway (where I was two weeks ago). Edward Rød-Larsen, the 25-year-old son of Terje Rød-Larsen and Mona Juul, two Norwegian diplomats severely impacted by the Epstein files, died a couple days ago by suicide. The family lawyer appears to have blamed the media in a public statement.My Norwegian friends tell me this is likely to become a massive debate in the coming days and weeks. Of course, the press reported hard on the couple’s dealings with Epstein (Rod-Larsen borrowed a considerable sum of money from Epstein without 
declaring it), and the government is investigating the couple, who are elderly.
So, should the media have done anything differently? The focus was not on the couple’s son.
But, as we know, Epstein’s wingspan was enormous. And the amount of collateral damage in this hideous story continues to pile up.
I was in DC over the weekend because of another horrendous suicide that is Epstein-related; I attended a powerful, moving memorial service for Virginia Roberts Giuffre, to mark the one year anniversary of her tragic death. The Family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre At Her Memorial Service in Washington, DC
Virginia’s two brothers and their wives were present along with her publicist Dini Von Mueffling. So too were several of the Epstein survivors who paid homage to the one amongst them whose bravery was pivotal in bringing both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to justice.
Props to Rep. Jamie Raskin for his poignant oratory contextualizing Virginia’s life. A snippet:
The world is filled with injustice, especially towards women and girls, because the world is organized much more around power than it is around justice. The only thing that ever tips the scales towards justice, towards freedom, is the courage of brave leaders and the activism of thousands and thousands and hundreds of thousands and millions of people engaged in solidarity and movement forward demanding change. Virginia Roberts Giuffre was a leader. Generations to come will marvel at her toughness and celebrate her personal conviction and her moral determination to change American society and to change the world. And she’s now not just a hero to this movement, but she’s a hero to the ages who dwells with other great leaders and heroes of our history, like Dolores Huerta, like Rosa Parks, and like Frederick Douglass.
Beautifully put.
Where though, I wondered were other members of congress? It was a busy weekend in DC, as we all know. But surely this service ought to have taken priority on our politician’s calendars? I was disappointed not to see more of them there.
Yesterday, I spoke with someone else who has had her life turned upside down, she believes, because of Epstein. Amanda Ungaro
Amanda Ungaro, a Brazilian ex-model and former longtime partner of Paolo Zampolli, right, A Trump-appointed UN ambassador, who once introduced Melania Knauss to Donald Trump, has experienced a living hell, in the wake of an acrimonious child custody battle with Zampolli. Paolo Zampolli with Donald Trump
Last year Ungaro and her new husband, a Brazilian doctor who runs a medical spa in Miami, were suddenly arrested, charged with practicing procedures like Botox and butt injections without a license. They pled not guilty.
Ungaro’s husband, who has a green card, was released on bail. Amanda, however was picked up from jail by ICE and detained for three and a half months before being deported to Brazil, all at the behest, she says of Zampolli, who is currently the Special Envoy of the President of the United States for Global Partnership. (Whatever that means).
Zampolli, left, tells me that he didn’t push for ICE to deport Ungaro but that he did “check” in with a senior ICE official, David Venturella, to find out what was going on. “I was super concerned about the safety of my son because he was alone when those two were in jail,” he said. The New 
York Times recently confirmed that Zampolli spoke to Venturella, who made a phone call to ensure Ungaro was picked up at the jail by ICE before she could be released on bail. A source told the New York Times that Venturella said on the phone that the case was important “to someone close to the White House.”
When she was initially detained by ICE, Amanda says she of course reached out to Melania Trump through a friend in DC, to ask for her help. She points out she has known the First Lady for twenty years. They have spent Christmas, Easter and Thanksgivings together. The First Lady even emailed her son, Giovanni on his birthdays.
She was told that Melania was in London at the time and “looked shocked” but did nothing. The White House did not respond to my inquiry, but a spokesman said in a statement to the New York Times that the First Lady “has no knowledge of, nor involvement in, the personal affairs of Mr. Zampolli and Ms. Ungaro,” and that Mrs. Trump “has had no contact or engagement with” ICE.
Ungaro says she was devastated.
So, months later, on April 8th, Ungaro let loose on X, writing:
“I have nothing left to lose in my life. I will tear down the entire system - be careful with me bitch.”
Maybe you should be afraid of what I know….of who you are, and who your husband is.”
“I have known you for 20 years. You knew I was detained in ICE. You were present in my life - every year on my son’s birthday, even sending Secret Service and being the first to congratulate him, back in 2016.”
“Do you know what I think about you after 20 years???”
The posts went viral and she later deleted them, she says “because there was too much noise.” The next day, April 9, Melania Trump gave her bizarre impromptu, emotional press conference emphatically denying that she was an Epstein victim.
Even the pundits at Fox News were stumped as to the thought process behind it.
Ungaro’s theory is that the First Lady read her X posts and became scared. Ungaro says she believes it’s possible Zampolli did not in fact introduce Melania to Donald Trump, as he has claimed and that Jeffrey Epstein did. (Zampolli’s riposte: “I mean, after 30 years, you still guys ask me the same question, man.”)
Both couples have documented history that overlaps with Epstein. Epstein flew Ungaro to New York from Paris when she was just seventeen. When she landed in New York, she met Zampolli, then 32 and the owner of ID Models Management, with whom she signed. The two became romantically involved. (Zampolli says Ungaro was 19 when that happened.) Zampolli’s biggest client at the time was Victoria’s Secret, then owned by Leslie Wexner, Epstein’s main benefactor. Epstein and Zampolli reportedly considered buying a modeling agency together.
But it also emerged in the Epstein Files that Epstein was wary of Zampolli: In one 2011 email, Mr. Epstein warned an Emirati businessman: “Be careful, zampoli [Sic] is trouble. Lots.” He added, “He sells stories to the press.”
Zampolli’s relationship with the Trumps did not appear to hit similar speed bumps. Ungaro claims that Melania Trump grew even closer to Zampolli once her husband was elected President. During Trump’s first presidency, Zampolli was appointed to the board of the Kennedy Center. And In Trump’s second presidency, Zampolli was given his “special envoy” position.
He and Ungaro, who had stopped working under a diplomatic visa at the UN, moved with their son to Washington, DC. But their relationship was already souring, according to Ungaro. Zampolli was widely reported to be a lover of night-life and parties. At one point she says she told the First Lady of their difficulties. According to her, Mrs. Trump replied: “Men are all the same. Paolo doesn’t change”. [The First Lady’s Office did not respond to my request for a comment]. Zampolli with Melania Trump
In 2022 Ungaro left Zampolli and drove to Miami. She says one of the contentious issues between them was her immigration status, and that Zampolli used this as leverage. According to a legal document they both signed, he was supposed to help her with a visa.
She began working with her new husband at his spa, and hired a lawyer to help her sue Zampolli for child custody so that their son, Giovanni, who had gone to boarding school, could live with her in Miami. As part of that case, she says, her lawyers sued Zampolli for back-dated child custody payments. According to Ungaro, a judge threatened to incarcerate Zampolli if he did not pay child custody he owed. [Zampolli says this claim is “unfounded” and a breach of confidentiality].
But two days before that deadline Ungaro and her husband were arrested. She paid $20,000 bond, but before she was released, ICE agents took her and put her in a facility for three and a half months, before flying her back to Brazil. Zampolli says that the arrest had nothing to do with him. “I was told that he [Ungaro’s husband] has a license for veterinary in Brazil, and he also was doing Botox in Brazil, which you don’t need to be licensed. But in the state of Florida to practice medicine…you need a license.”
Ungaro says she was treated inhumanely. “I was handcuffed everywhere: my feet, the waist, my hands like for 24 hours without food, without water,” she said.
“Melania knew it…. and she didn’t do anything,” she told me.
Now Ungaro says she is working on a book about what happened.
“I could say more, but now is not the right moment,” she says.
Her son Giovanni, 16, flew to Brazil to be with his mother after the deportation but is now back in the US, living with his father. Ungaro is not optimistic she will see her son anytime soon.
Like I said, the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein wreaks havoc everywhere you look.
Media tycoon, financier and spy Robert Maxwell is shown with his daughter, the future sex trafficker and socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, center and his wife (Alpha Press photo).
The Pugilist, Opinion: Did Ghislaine Maxwell's Israeli Spy Father Fake His Death to Launder the Family Fortune? Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez (right, investigative journalist and NYt best-selling author, formerly with the Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times), April 30, 2026. A documented hypothesis from the Epstein files and beyond.
Last year, I had almost no idea who Ghislaine Maxwell was, and I’d certainly never given a moment’s thought to her father, Robert Maxwell. Now, I think about these people more than is probably good for me. If you’re new here, and are lucky enough to heretofore have not heard of these two, allow me to ruin your life by summarizing. (Feel free to dissociate through the next paragraph, as I sure as hell did, if you already know their basic biographical information.)Ghislaine Maxwell is a convicted child sex trafficker. She worked with Jeffrey Epstein to lure, groom, exploit and rape minors, and traffick them to famous and powerful men, and filmed them raping the kids so they could blackmail them later. He’s dead. She’s in prison. And our bloated bloviating president might pardon her soon.
Among the places Jeff and Ghislaine raped kids and filmed others raping kids for kompromat was my beloved home state of New Mexico. In 1993, Ghislaine has said, she convinced Jeffrey to buy a 7,600-acre property that he (or someone) dubbed Zorro Ranch. Most people know this now.
What most people still do NOT know, however, is this: Ghislaine’s dad, Robert Maxwell, a British publishing tycoon who also worked as a spy for Israeli military intelligence, was in New Mexico in 1983-1984, selling backdoored, bugged software to Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratories, the two biggest nuclear weapons labs in the United States. The software was bugged by Israel, to allow it to spy on anyone using it.
It appears Jeffrey and Ghislaine were not merely buying an isolated ranch to rape kids at. They were raping kids with a purpose. And that purpose was to contribute to Israel’s espionage efforts at the nuclear weapons labs in New Mexico, work Ghislaine’s dad had begun.
Gah. Hang on. I have to shake it off. THEM. The heavy grease of them in my mind. So tired of them. Tired of them living in my brain. Monsters I wish had stayed under the bed. Anyway. Deep breath. Onward.
Okay. So Robert. Robert Maxwell. Born in what’s now Ukraine. Flees Hitler, ends up in England. Speaks like eight languages. Serves in the M16 intelligence operation for England. Bosses say he’s next to useless after the war because his only loyalty is to Israel. Yet he stays in England, working for intelligence. Probably more than one country’s intelligence. Makes a boatload in his publishing front, whilst also being a spy. Publishes scientific journals. Gets access to scientists. Including nuclear physicists. Comes to New Mexico. Does the thing with the labs. Whistleblowers tell the FBI. Ed Meese, president Ronald Reagan’s head of the Dept. of Justice, drops the investigation. Then, around 1991, the story gets weird. Like everything else about these people.
And by weird, what I mean to say is that in 1991, Robert Maxwell died in a rather weird way. He is said to have had a heart attack on or near his yacht, named The Lady Ghislaine (because of course it is), and then he drowns in the inky blue sea near the Canary Islands. It gets weirder. Because, yeah.British media reports from the time say medical examiners can’t agree on either the cause of death OR that the obese waterlogged corpse is even Robert Maxwell at all. His wife says its him, though. And that’s good enough for everyone else. Then it gets weirder.
Upon Robert Maxwell’s death, it comes to light that he has somehow managed to move hundreds of millions of pounds out of the pension accounts for his publishing empire employees, and that money has simply vanished. It’s a scandal, naturally, as so many things are in jolly old England.
But it is not a scandal in Israel.
Robert Maxwell was buried on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem five days after his death, in what his own wife Betty described as “a hero’s send-off and what amounted to a state funeral.” Israeli President Chaim Herzog delivered the eulogy. Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir attended. So did at least six serving and former heads of Israeli intelligence. Shamir said Maxwell had “done more for Israel than can today be said.”
That can today be said. Read that again.
To me, it sounds like a knowing wink from a sitting prime minister to a crowd full of intelligence chiefs who all understood exactly what had just happened and why. You don’t invoke secrecy at a funeral unless there is something to keep secret.
For me, it’s the next moves of Robert’s youngest daughter, that make me feel like the death might have been faked.
In Britain, the press coverage was all about the pitiable widow and her poor defrauded seven living children (two others had died by then) — and especially it was about the heartbroken, stunning youngest daughter, Ghislaine, a fixture in high society and the posh social scene.
Poor Ghislaine, the media said, consoled herself by moving to Manhattan and hooking up with a rich hottie named Jeffrey Epstein, whom she would later tell current US Attorney General Todd Blanche her father had “never met.”
It was lie, though. Like almost everything that slips easily from Ghislaine’s mouth. Epstein had, in fact, met Robert Maxwell long before he met the man’s youngest daughter.
According to former Mossad intelligence officer Ari Ben-Menashe, Jeffrey Epstein met Robert Maxwell first, because both Jeff and Rob were working for Israeli military intelligence in the early 1980s. Ben-Menashe, who claims to have run both of them, says Epstein was already squirreling away millions of pounds for Robert Maxwell in the early 1980s, in offshore bank accounts.
Which means one of two things, to me. Either:
1. Ghislaine Maxwell knew to go to Epstein in the event of her father’s death, to get the hidden money, and covered her own ass by allowing it to seem as though Epstein — who, let’s be honest, never met a person over 14 he wanted to date — was “supporting” her; or
2. Robert Maxwell, with the help of the Mossad, began making arrangements a decade before he faked his death, so that his youngest daughter, his favorite daughter, the daughter he took everywhere with him (to learn the trade, I presume?) could take over his spy operations and the family fortune, without having to take on the faltering publishing empire.
I am leaning towards the latter, and here’s why. The scandal about the missing pensions was heartbreaking to anyone who cares about hardworking people who dedicate their lives to a company and retire to find creep who employed them has absconded with their retirement savings. And in class-conscious Britain, it was possibly even more enraging. Armed with the public outcry and pity, big banks swooped in to save the day. So did the British government, which bailed out half of the missing funds. The pensioners got their retirement money after all.
If I’m right, Ghislaine, through Jeffrey, got the missing money. And gave it to Jeffrey — it was the other half billion he needed to become an actual billionaire, with the first half billion having come from Mega Group Zionist rich guy, Les Wexner.
Think about it. It’s almost too perfect. The official story, repeated by the med to this day, is that poor little Ghislaine, who was little more than a randy, raunchy, charming but oversexed party girl, was so heartbroken over the death of her domineering bombastic father, and so destroyed by the disgrace he brought to her family, that all she could do was flee to New York City to rebuild her life again — which is what all newly destitute people do, naturally, go to the most expensive city in the United States, to flit about at cocktail parties and fashion shows.
It’s all so obvious in hindsight. Especially as new interviews and documents come to light demonstrating that Jeffrey Epstein was not the genius financier he was painted out to be. He was, rather, a real, living, fictional creation — a pretend financier, funded by and propped up by Israeli intelligence and their three-letter ally organizations in the United States. US attorney for the Souther District of Florida, Alex Acosta, said as much when he confessed to having been forced to give Epstein a much lighter sentence than the norm, because, he was told, Epstein was “one of ours,” meaning intelligence.
If this is all true, if my intuition is correct, then the money Jeffrey Epstein used to buy Zorro Ranch — purchased from the then-sitting governor of New Mexico, whose purchase was handled on Jeffrey’s behalf by attorney John J. Kelly, Epstein’s local personal power of attorney who would eight months later be named the US Attorney for the District of New Mexico, a job in which he would not once investigate any of the allegations of abuse against Jeffrey or Zorro Ranch — was money the Maxwell family stole from pensioners in Britain, laundered through big banks and the British government itself.
And when Ghislaine brought Jeffrey to New Mexico to, as she puts it, help him find a nice ranch property, they just happened to settle upon one that was already owned by the governor, that also sat next door to a ranch owned by a former U.S. intelligence operative turned weapons engineer and founder of Teledyne, a huge defense contracting company. And when Ghislaine helped Jeffrey build the massive 33,000-square-foot house of horrors there, the construction contractor they hired was Bradbury Stamm, which specializes in massive industrial, government and top security military and nuclear weapons laboratory builds, not private residences.
A later governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, would party at Zorro Ranch with Epstein, and not just there, but also in New York, and at Epstein’s island, Little St. James. Richardson flew on Epstein’s plane and helicopter both, and denied all of this, just as he denied Virginia Giuffre’s allegations that Jeffrey made her “massage” Richardson. But the release of the files last year and this year proved his denials were lies. As were the similar denials of Bruce King’s son Gary King, who Epstein supported financially in his winning bid to become New Mexico’s attorney general, and as attorney general King never investigated Epstein. In fact, he continued to meet privately with Epstein even after his conviction in Florida, and took more campaign donations from him in his losing bid for governor, working with Epstein’s lawyers to create a shell company so no one would know the donations came from the most famous pedophile and child sex trafficker of all time, which might have hurt Gary’s campaign as that campaign hinged on ending child sex trafficking in our state.
So.
What do you think? Did Robert Maxwell really drown and embezzle so many hundreds of millions of pounds that he left his family destitute?
My best guess — and I want to be clear this is a guess, an educated one, but a guess — is that Robert Maxwell lived past 1991, quietly, somewhere outside public view, under the protection of the intelligence service he served for decades. Mossad has extracted assets before. They had every reason to extract this one. A living Robert Maxwell facing criminal trial in Britain was a catastrophic intelligence liability. A dead Robert Maxwell was a managed exit. The math isn’t complicated.
You just hand the family business to the kids and retire, like a good old chap.
Former Jeffrey Epstein cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione, a former policeman serving four life sentences for four murders, poses with a pet on a Facebook portrait.
ABC News, Ex-cellmate says he found suicide note from Jeffrey Epstein following earlier suicide attempt, James Hill and Aaron Katersky, April 30, 2026. The note is locked inside the case file of ex-cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione. Convicted quadruple murderer Nicholas Tartaglione told The New York Times the note was written on paper from a yellow legal pad and tucked inside a book.
A suicide note purportedly written by the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is locked inside the case file of his former cellmate, convicted quadruple murderer Nicholas Tartaglione, who told The New York Times it was written on paper from a yellow legal pad and tucked inside a book.
According to the Times, Tartaglione found the note in July 2019, after Epstein unsuccessfully tried to kill himself -- about two weeks before Epstein died by suicide in his lower Manhattan jail cell.
Epstein was found in his cell on July 23, 2019, "with a homemade noose fashioned around his neck," according to a Bureau of Prisons incident report.RelatedNew date set for Bondi deposition in House Oversight's Epstein probe after Democrat threatens contempt
Epstein was "lying in the fetal position on the floor of his cell wearing a t-shirt and boxers. He was breathing heavily and was snoring. ... His neck was red with no abrasions," the report said. Epstein was "determined to have sustained a circular line of erythema at the base of the neck and friction marks on the front of neck."
According to the report, at first Epstein alleged that his cellmate, Tartaglione, had tried to kill him -- an allegation he did not repeat. He later said he could not recall what happened. Tartaglione has denied attempting to harm Epstein.
Tartaglione first mentioned the existence of the purported suicide note in a podcast last year.
"It said something like 'FBI, you know, looked into me for months and found nothing.' Then he wrote, 'What do you want me to do? Cry about it?' And he was weird because he wrote a smiley face, and then he wrote 'time to say goodbye,'" Tartaglione said on the podcast.This photo provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein, March 28, 2017.New York State Sex Offender Registry
The note is now part of a sealed file in Tartaglione's criminal case. The New York Times on Thursday filed a petition with a federal judge to have the alleged note unsealed, arguing that Tartaglione has publicly discussed it and that a two-page chronology document about the alleged note was included in the Justice Department's recent disclosures of Epstein files.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas ordered the parties to the case to respond to the Times unsealing request by May 4.
Federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York did not know of any suicide note written by Epstein, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News, but a two-page chart contained in the Justice Department's Epstein files referenced it.
"Sometime between 7/23 and 7/27, NT found the note," the chart said, referencing Nicholas Tartaglione by his initials.
The chart said Tartaglione's lawyer, Bruce Barket, authenticated the note in January 2020 but did not say how.
Reached by ABC News on Thursday, Barket declined to comment because the matter is sealed.RelatedDOJ internal watchdog to review department's compliance with Epstein Files Transparency Act
"The entire Epstein affair, as it relates to Nick, is under seal, not just the supposed note, if there is one," Barket said.
After the first possible suicide attempt, Epstein himself denied he was suicidal during a "suicide risk assessment" he underwent while in jail.
"Inmate Epstein denied any past or present suicidal ideation, intention or plan. He denied ever engaging in any suicide attempts or self-injurious behavior in the past," the evaluation said. "He stated he lives to have fun, to enjoy life, and to learn. He said his future plans include fighting his case and going back to his normal life."
Epstein was taken off suicide watch the following day, July 24, 2019, but was kept under psychological evaluation.
"Mr. Epstein stated, 'I have no interest in killing myself,' a staff psychologist at the Metropolitan Correctional Center wrote in a report. "He explained although his situation is 'not perfect' due to his being incarcerated, he noted he has 'lots to do for [his] legal case.' He described having a 'wonderful life,' to include interactions with 'interesting people and projects.' He said 'it would be crazy' to take his life. He furthered, 'I would not do that to myself.'"
Epstein, a wealthy financier who owned two private islands in the Virgin Islands, came under investigation for allegedly luring minor girls to his seaside home in Palm Beach, Florida, for massages that turned sexual. He served 13 months of an 18-month sentence for sex crimes charges after reaching a controversial non-prosecution agreement in 2007 with the U.S. attorney's office in Miami.
In 2019, Epstein was indicted on charges that he "sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls at his homes in Manhattan, New York, and Palm Beach, Florida, among other locations," and used cash payments to recruit a "vast network of underage victims," some of whom were as young as 14 years old.
Epstein died in jail while awaiting trial on August 10, 2019. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging by the New York Medical Examiner's Office, and the Justice Department concurred with that finding.
News Updates
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is shown in a file photo praying with Republican colleagues on the House floor.
The Parnas Perspective, Morning News and Commentary: Mike Johnson Faces Major Republican Revolt as Mass Demonstrations Against the Billionaire Class Explode Worldwide, Aaron Parnas, right, May 1, 2026. Mike Johnson is facing an internal revolt as anger over his leadership has reached a fever pitch, and his grip on power looks increasingly fragile. At the same time, May Day demonstrations are erupting across the globe, with thousands of events in the United States alone. Organizers are driving one of the largest economic blackouts in recent memory, targeting billionaires and major corporations while encouraging support for small, local, and independent businesses.
I have always been committed to keeping this platform independent and free from billionaire influence. Today I am doubling down on that by uplifting independent creators, journalists, and businesses, and by highlighting the growing pro-labor movement around the world.
Here’s the news:
Frustration with House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, has reached a fever pitch among Republicans, as internal divisions and anger over his leadership style intensify. Lawmakers accuse him of making last-minute, often conflicting promises to different factions, which led to chaotic scenes on the House floor, including shouting matches and public confrontations over policy decisions like ethanol legislation. While Johnson has managed to push key bills through with a slim majority, many Republicans say his crisis-driven approach has eroded trust and left members questioning his ability to lead effectively. The turmoil has sparked quiet discussions within the party about alternative leadership as concerns grow about governing and holding onto their majority.
Thousands of people across the U.S. are participating in “May Day Strong” protests, organizing walkouts, marches, and an economic blackout urging “no school, no work, no shopping.” The demonstrations bring together labor unions, immigrant rights groups, and political organizations advocating for workers’ rights, immigration reform, and economic justice. Organizers see the coordinated action as a way to build momentum toward a larger general strike in the future. The movement reflects growing activism around labor conditions, public services, and opposition to current government policies. Organizers are emphasizing the need to shop small and shop local over retail.
According to a new Guardian report, CEO pay rose dramatically in 2025, increasing about 20 times faster than worker wages, highlighting growing income inequality. While executive compensation surged, real wages for workers declined by 12% since 2019 when adjusted for inflation. The wealth of billionaires also reached record highs, further widening the gap between top earners and average workers. Analysts and labor groups argue this trend reflects a system that disproportionately benefits corporate leaders at the expense of workers.
The war in Iran has reached the 60-day limit set by the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which requires the president to withdraw U.S. forces unless Congress approves the conflict or grants an extension. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argued that the current ceasefire should pause this countdown. However, the situation raises legal and political questions about whether the administration must seek congressional authorization or begin withdrawing troops.
Iran is using the temporary ceasefire with the U.S. to recover and rebuild its buried missiles and military equipment, aiming to restore its ability to launch attacks if fighting resumes. U.S. officials believe Tehran is accelerating these efforts as negotiations stall and the possibility of renewed conflict increases. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is weighing options, including further military action, while also considering diplomatic outcomes and global factors like oil prices and relations with China. Despite heavy damage from U.S. and Israeli strikes, intelligence suggests Iran still retains a significant portion of its missile arsenal and military capabilities.
Mojtaba Khamenei vowed that Iran will not give up its nuclear and missile programs, signaling defiance despite U.S. pressure and ongoing conflict. His remarks come as tensions remain high over Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, which is disrupting global oil supplies and driving up prices. The U.S. is pushing allies to help secure the waterway while maintaining a blockade on Iran, even as ceasefire negotiations remain fragile. Meanwhile, internal repression in Iran has intensified, with executions and crackdowns on dissent increasing during the conflict.
Gas prices in the U.S. have surged more than 30% since the war involving Iran began, with the national average rising above $4 per gallon and even higher in some states. The increase is driven by disruptions to global oil supply, putting financial strain on households already facing high costs. Prices had briefly stabilized during a ceasefire but have recently climbed to new highs. Rising fuel costs are also affecting air travel, with airlines increasing ticket prices due to higher jet fuel expenses.
CBS journalist Sharyn Alfonsi, left, criticized growing corporate interference and editorial pressure at CBS News after a segment she worked on was delayed and challenged by leadership. She argued the decision reflected a broader climate of fear in media, where business and political considerations may outweigh journalistic integrity. The dispute has raised concerns about censorship and has left her uncertain about her future at the network. Alfonsi warned that journalists should be more concerned about staying truthful than avoiding conflict with those in power.
Governor Kathy Hochul is pressing the Trump administration for assurances that an ICE agent involved in a fatal shooting is not operating in New York, citing safety concerns. The move is part of a broader effort to push back against aggressive federal immigration enforcement and limit the presence of ICE in the state. Hochul and state lawmakers are advancing new protections to restrict cooperation with federal agents and safeguard undocumented immigrants. The issue has become politically significant as public concern grows over immigration crackdowns and related incidents.
Governor Mikie Sherrill said she is open to pursuing redistricting in New Jersey, though she noted constitutional hurdles would require legislative approval first. She indicated a willingness to work with lawmakers to redraw district maps if conditions warrant it. Sherrill suggested her support would depend on how current maps evolve, leaving the door open to potential political adjustments.
Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw U.S. troops from Spain and Italy after criticizing their leaders for not supporting U.S. military operations tied to the Iran conflict. He accused both countries of being unhelpful, particularly after they denied access to bases for U.S. aircraft, and issued similar warnings to Germany earlier. European leaders pushed back, with officials expressing confusion and concern over the potential move and its strategic consequences. While no immediate troop withdrawal is planned, the remarks have raised tensions within NATO and highlighted strains in U.S.-Europe relations.
Many have now called for Scott Jennings to be fired after he used profanity during a heated on-air argument with a Adam Mockler. The outburst occurred during a live segment and has drawn widespread criticism of his conduct. The incident has intensified scrutiny of Jennings’ role at the network and sparked debate over professionalism in televised political discussions.
Alex Jones ended his final broadcast on Infowars with a chaotic rant as the outlet faces shutdown and a potential takeover by The Onion. During the broadcast, he made a series of extreme and conspiratorial claims, reflecting his long-running style. The sign-off marks the end of Infowars in its current form amid legal and financial pressures.
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing New Jersey to overturn laws that allow undocumented immigrants to receive in-state tuition and financial aid at public colleges. The Trump administration argues these benefits are unconstitutional because they are not equally available to all U.S. citizens. The targeted laws, signed by former governors Chris Christie and Phil Murphy, expanded access to affordable education for certain undocumented students. If the lawsuit succeeds, these tuition benefits could be eliminated entirely as part of a broader push against similar policies in other states.
House Judiciary Committee Democrats have launched an investigation into the Trump administration’s prosecution of the Southern Poverty Law Center, alleging the Justice Department is abusing its authority. They claim the administration is targeting the group because of political disagreements with its views. The probe is seeking extensive records, including decades of information on how the FBI has used SPLC data and informants in cases. Lawmakers say the inquiry will examine whether federal power is being weaponized against a nonprofit organization.
Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur is facing a tough 2026 reelection in Ohio’s 9th District, which has become more conservative due to demographic shifts and Republican-led redistricting. Despite her long tenure and history of winning difficult races, the newly drawn district lines make her more vulnerable than in past elections. Republicans see the seat as a key opportunity to gain control of the House, but they are dealing with a crowded and unsettled primary with no clear frontrunner. This internal division could weaken their chances unless the eventual nominee receives strong national party support.
James Broadnax was executed in Texas for a 2008 double murder despite last-minute appeals citing a confession from his cousin and alleged constitutional violations during his trial. His lawyers argued he was not the shooter and that prosecutors improperly used rap lyrics and excluded Black jurors, but courts rejected these claims. Broadnax had previously confessed to the crime, though he later recanted, and his cousin’s new admission was deemed unreliable by prosecutors. The execution proceeded after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene.
A man has been charged with attempted murder after stabbing two Jewish men in London, in what police have labeled a terrorist attack. The incident comes amid a broader rise in antisemitic violence, including recent arson attacks on synagogues and Jewish sites. In response, the U.K. government raised its terror threat level to “severe,” indicating an attack is highly likely. Officials have pledged increased security and stronger action to combat extremism and protect the Jewish community.
The Pentagon is partnering with major tech companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon Web Services to transform the U.S. military into an “AI-first” force. These collaborations aim to enhance decision-making, data analysis, and battlefield capabilities using advanced artificial intelligence systems. However, the initiative has raised concerns about high costs, cybersecurity risks, and the potential use of AI for domestic surveillance. Some companies have also resisted involvement, highlighting ethical and operational tensions around military AI use.
The Parnas Perspective, Evening News and Comment, Trump Declares Iran War is OVER as He Faces MASS PROTESTS, Aaron Parnas, right, May 1, 2026. This Friday evening I want to take a moment to talk about something that really matters, and I genuinely want this to be a conversation about what this all means moving forward. I have a news update below. It is a little slower than usual, but this topic is too important to rush.
Fake posts, AI, and the reality that it is getting harder by the day to know what is real and what is not. That is exactly why I am building this platform right now. The stories I post are real. They are not AI-generated, they are not exaggerated, they are not designed just for clicks. It is just the news. And in this media environment, that alone is becoming rare. If you can subscribe, I am asking you to do it today, because this is not just content anymore. This is a real fight of our time, the fight between what is true and everything trying to replace it.Subscribed
I get thousands of comments and messages every day, many from you, and a huge number of them are asking the same thing: is this real, is this video accurate, did this actually happen. There are times I choose not to cover something that is going viral because it is not accurate, and even then I get pushback for not addressing it because it looks real enough. That is where we are now. “Looks real” has become enough for a lot of people, and that should concern all of us. This week I experienced it firsthand. Multiple fake AI-generated accounts claimed I was connected to the shooter at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Completely false, but it spread fast, and it led to threats against my family.
After that, I started looking into how often this is actually happening, and the answer is constant. In just one week, dozens of public figures were falsely linked to the suspect, from actors like Tom Hanks and Sydney Sweeney to musicians like Chris Brown and Taylor Swift. Political figures including Barack Obama and Pierre Poilievre were also falsely implicated, along with Pope Leo XIV and Savannah Guthrie. None of it was real, but all of it spread. And it is not just one story or one platform. It is everywhere right now. It is about wars, celebrity news, criminal cases, breaking headlines. Nothing is off limits.
In my own research, I found disturbing examples involving me directly. On TikTok alone this week, I found videos of me speaking languages I do not speak. I found fake reports using my voice and my face, almost perfectly synced. I even saw Anderson Cooper delivering a story using my exact words in his voice. And that was just from a week of searching. Here is the reality: a lot of this content stays up. Major platforms are not taking it down fast enough, and sometimes not at all. That is the environment we are operating in, and that is exactly why this matters right now.
I would love to hear more from you about what you are seeing in this fast-paced media landscape, one that unfortunately is too fast for regulators to keep up with.
Now, here’s the news:
Today, Donald Trump falsely claimed that it is “unconstitutional” to get Congressional authorization for the war in Iran:
The White House told Congress that it considers the Iran conflict “terminated,” arguing a ceasefire ended hostilities and removed the requirement to seek congressional approval under the War Powers Resolution. Despite this claim, U.S. forces remain active in the region, including enforcing a naval blockade against Iran. Critics in Congress and legal experts dispute the administration’s interpretation, saying ongoing military activity still requires authorization.
Residents in The Villages, Florida, are protesting President Trump’s visit, gathering to demonstrate opposition during his appearance.
A late-April poll found 61% of Americans believe President Trump’s February 28 military action with Israel was a mistake, with strong partisan divides—most Republicans support it while large majorities of Democrats and independents oppose it. Only 19% think the war is making progress, as economic concerns like rising gas prices and recession risks weigh on public opinion. With a fragile ceasefire in place, 75% of respondents prioritize negotiating an end to the conflict over continuing to fight.
Gas prices have surged to a wartime high following the Iran ceasefire, driven by rising oil prices and ongoing market uncertainty. Despite the ceasefire, the Trump administration maintains actions like a naval blockade and claims the conflict is effectively over, even as Congress debates whether authorization is still required. Experts warn prices may stay elevated and markets remain volatile due to continued tensions and potential disruptions to global oil supply.
The Trump administration has offered Spirit Airlines a “final proposal” for a federal bailout as the struggling carrier faces possible liquidation due to soaring fuel costs. While the White House says it is trying to save jobs and stabilize the company, the plan faces skepticism from officials and analysts who question whether a bailout would be effective or set a bad precedent. Meanwhile, other airlines are preparing for a potential shutdown, which could disrupt travelers and reduce competition in the market.
Ted Waitt, a former boyfriend of Ghislaine Maxwell, testified before the House Oversight Committee as part of its Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Lawmakers questioned him about whether he had any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes during his relationship with Maxwell, but the interview produced few concrete answers. Democrats said the testimony revealed little new information, while Republicans maintained it still contributed to the probe and pushed back on claims it was unproductive. Overall, his testimony did not significantly advance the committee’s understanding of Epstein’s activities.
Donald Trump claimed he has taken multiple cognitive tests and suggested others, including Barack Obama, might not pass them. He also implied that many of his own supporters would struggle with the questions. “I took three of them. I’m the only president to take a cognitive test. I don’t think Obama could pass it. Didn’t he get into Harvard with a C average? The first question is a lion, a giraffe, a bear, and a shark. A lot of you wouldn’t have been able to answer those questions.”
Thousands of people across the U.S. are participating in “May Day Strong” protests, organizing walkouts, strikes, and an economic blackout with calls for no work, school, or shopping. The demonstrations bring together labor unions, immigrant rights groups, and activists opposing issues like immigration enforcement, war, and economic inequality. Organizers say the coordinated actions are meant to build momentum toward a broader general strike in the future.
A 33-year-old Cuban immigrant died in a Georgia ICE detention center, with authorities investigating the death as a suspected suicide. He is the 18th person to die in ICE custody in 2026, amid ongoing concerns about conditions, including the use of solitary confinement. Advocates and critics say the case highlights broader issues with the immigration detention system and are calling for increased oversight or closure of such facilities.
Donald Trump announced plans to raise tariffs on European Union cars and auto parts from 15% to 25%, accusing the EU of failing to meet commitments under a recent trade agreement. The EU disputes this claim, saying it is still implementing the deal and criticizing the move as unreliable and unfair. The escalation highlights growing trade tensions between the U.S. and European Union, with potential impacts on global markets and the auto industry.
Voting rights groups have sued to stop Louisiana officials from suspending congressional primary elections after early voting had already begun. The governor halted the election to redraw districts following a Supreme Court ruling, but plaintiffs argue this action is незакон and disrupts voters, especially those who already cast ballots. Lawsuits in state and federal court claim the move creates confusion, violates election laws, and risks disenfranchising voters.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has called a special legislative session to redraw congressional districts in response to ongoing legal battles and a recent Supreme Court decision. The session aims to prepare new maps and potentially set special primary elections if courts allow changes to take effect.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said the recent Supreme Court ruling on voting rights will not affect the 2026 midterm elections, since voting is already underway. However, he expects the decision will require Georgia to redraw its electoral maps before the 2028 elections. The ruling has sparked partisan reactions, with Republicans supporting changes to districting and Democrats warning it weakens voting rights protections.
Former U.S. Rep. David Rivera was convicted on multiple charges for secretly lobbying on behalf of Venezuela without registering as a foreign agent. Prosecutors said he took part in a $50 million scheme tied to the government of Nicolás Maduro, attempting to influence U.S. policy while hiding the effort. The case highlights concerns about foreign influence in U.S. politics and could result in a lengthy prison sentence.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Tit-for-Tatting Democracy to Death, William Kristol, Andrew Egger, and Jim Swift, May 1, 2026. We should try for more than Gerrymandering Total War.
Yesterday brought an exciting new innovation in the field of unaccountable executive-branch war-waging. By law, when the president takes military action against another country, he must get Congress’s blessing within sixty days. As of today, time’s up for the war in Iran—but yesterday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Congress that the administration believes it has more time. Why? Because, they’ve decided, the clock stops during a ceasefire. Happy Friday.
The Parnas Perspective, Evening News and Commentary, Epstein, Trump Cognitive Test, DOJ Admits Selective Prosecution, and More, Aaron Parnas, right, April 30, 2026. Tonight’s update covers a wide range of major stories, from new developments in the Epstein case to Donald Trump calling for cognitive tests for presidential and vice presidential candidates, to declining support for the Iran war, the growing May Day boycott, and more.
I also want to take a moment to thank you. We are approaching one full year at the top of the Substack charts as the largest news publication on the platform. That only happens because of you. Many people have tried to buy into what we are building, and I have turned them down every time. Independence is not just a word, it is a principle, and it matters.
Here’s the news:
A purported suicide note written by Jeffrey Epstein in 2019 has been kept sealed in a New York courthouse and was never reviewed as part of official investigations into his death. According to his former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, the note was found after Epstein was discovered injured in his jail cell weeks before he died, and included statements suggesting resignation, such as “time to say goodbye.” The note was turned over to Tartaglione’s lawyers, authenticated, and later sealed by a judge as part of a separate legal dispute, leaving federal investigators without access to it. The Justice Department says it never saw the document, and it was not included in the massive release of Epstein-related records, prompting The New York Times to petition for it to be unsealed.
A 25-year-old Norwegian man, Edward Juul Rod-Larsen, took his own life shortly after authorities launched an investigation into his parents’ alleged connections to Jeffrey Epstein. The probe followed reports that Epstein left millions of dollars to him and his twin sister in his will, though neither sibling was accused of wrongdoing. His parents, both prominent diplomats, have denied any misconduct and said the intense public scrutiny had taken a heavy toll on their family. The case is part of broader investigations into Epstein’s ties to high-profile figures in Norway and beyond.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey over his “86 47” social media post does not mean everyone using that phrase will be prosecuted. He emphasized that each case depends on specific facts, evidence, and whether a statement is deemed a true threat against the president. Prosecutors argue the phrase implies harm toward President Trump, while Comey’s defense is expected to challenge that interpretation and raise First Amendment concerns.
Donald Trump called for mandatory mental competency evaluations for anyone running for President of the United States:
The White House is growing increasingly concerned about tomorrow’s mass economic boycott:
The House approved a Senate-passed bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, ending a record 75-day shutdown and sending the measure to President Trump for signature. The deal excludes new funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, reflecting ongoing disputes over immigration policy, though Republicans plan to address funding for those agencies separately. The vote came just before a critical deadline to prevent workers from missing pay and ahead of a congressional recess. Lawmakers must still act on other urgent issues, including renewing a key foreign surveillance program before it expires.
According to Politico, President Trump’s suggestion that he may withdraw U.S. troops from Germany surprised Pentagon officials, who said no such drawdown had been planned. The proposal contrasts with a recent military review that supported maintaining troop levels and has raised concerns among U.S. and European officials about weakening NATO and deterrence against Russia. Germany currently hosts tens of thousands of U.S. troops and key military infrastructure, making any withdrawal logistically difficult and strategically significant. Lawmakers and defense experts are urging more clarity, noting the potential costs and risks to U.S. and allied security.
The Senate unanimously approved a ban preventing senators and their staff from trading on prediction markets, citing ethical concerns about speculative activity while in public office. The measure, led by Sen. Bernie Moreno, takes effect immediately and has bipartisan support, with calls for the House and executive branch to adopt similar rules. Separately, a criminal case against a staffer for Sen. Cory Booker was dropped after officials confirmed he had a valid carry permit despite being arrested for bringing a gun into the Capitol. Meanwhile, the House passed a major farm bill after months of negotiation, though it faces an uncertain path in the Senate due to policy disagreements.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, said a ceasefire in the conflict with Iran effectively pauses the 60-day deadline for congressional authorization under the War Powers Resolution, though he deferred final legal interpretation to the White House. Sen. Tim Kaine disagreed, arguing the law does not allow the clock to stop and that the deadline may be imminent.
Alina Habba faced a tense exchange during an appearance on The View, where she defended the Justice Department by saying it brings “real cases,” contrasting it with figures like Jack Smith and Letitia James. Her remarks were met with audience laughter and skepticism. Co-host Sunny Hostin pushed back, noting Habba had previously been sanctioned nearly $1 million for filing a frivolous lawsuit against James Comey.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats are ready to redraw congressional maps in states like New York, Illinois, Maryland, and Colorado following the recent Voting Rights Act decision. He framed the move as a response to Republican-led redistricting efforts and court rulings affecting map legality. The changes would be aimed at influencing future elections, particularly the 2028 cycle. His comments signal an escalating redistricting battle between the parties over control of the House.
During an exchange, Rep. Steve Scalise claimed gas prices were nearly $6 per gallon about two and a half years ago and credited Republicans with lowering inflation. CNBC’s Joe Kernen pushed back, noting that $6 was not the national average and that average gas prices were around $3.65 at that time. Kernen also argued prices are currently higher than they were then, challenging Scalise’s framing.
The Senate passed a 45-day extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s Section 702 surveillance powers, rejecting a longer House proposal and preventing the program from expiring. The short-term extension gives lawmakers more time to negotiate reforms, particularly over whether to require warrants before accessing Americans’ communications. The House must still approve the Senate measure for the extension to take effect. The move reflects ongoing disagreements in Congress about balancing national security needs with privacy protections.
Donald Trump criticized House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries after Jeffries reportedly called the Supreme Court “illegitimate,” demanding he retract the statement. Trump defended the Court as a key institution, despite having previously attacked it himself over rulings that went against his policies, including tariff decisions.
House Energy & Commerce Committee Democrats have launched an investigation into FCC Chair Brendan Carr over his actions involving ABC. Lawmakers are questioning his decision to order an early license renewal for Disney-owned ABC stations and whether it was appropriate. They have requested documents and an explanation of the move, setting a deadline of May 14. The probe signals heightened scrutiny of potential political influence in FCC decision-making. Here is their letter.
Donald Trump said he spoke with Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, who pledged to revise the state’s congressional map after a court ruling found it unconstitutional. Trump claimed the changes could give Republicans one additional House seat and praised state leaders for moving to “correct” the map. He framed the effort as part of a broader political fight against Democrats and their policies.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, left, plans to delay the state’s May 16 House primaries after the Supreme Court struck down its congressional map as unconstitutional. The ruling forces lawmakers to redraw district lines, likely benefiting Republicans by potentially eliminating at least one Democratic-held seat. The decision could have broader national implications by weakening protections for majority-minority districts and reshaping future elections. While the immediate impact in Louisiana is uncertain, the ruling may significantly influence congressional power dynamics in 2026 and beyond.
Trump’s war in Iran is now more unpopular than the Vietnam War:
President Trump withdrew Dr. Casey Means’ nomination for surgeon general after her confirmation stalled in the Senate and instead nominated Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and Fox News contributor. Saphier, if confirmed, would become the nation’s top doctor and is known for advocating cancer prevention and communicating public health issues. Means faced bipartisan scrutiny over controversial views on vaccines, birth control, and her lack of an active medical license, which contributed to her stalled nomination. The switch reflects political tensions over health policy and disagreements within the Senate over Trump’s original pick.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed that Iran will participate in the 2026 World Cup, including matches held in the United States, despite earlier concerns about security and potential withdrawal. Iranian officials had previously questioned participation following U.S. and Israeli strikes and the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, which raised safety concerns for players. The tournament will be hosted across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with Iran scheduled to play multiple matches in U.S. cities. While U.S. officials say players are welcome, some restrictions may apply to individuals with ties to Iran’s military.
The Trump administration is appealing a federal judge’s ruling that blocked Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s overhaul of the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule. The court had found that changes to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee were made unlawfully and paused both the new schedule and committee appointments. The overhaul reduced the number of recommended vaccinations, prompting a lawsuit from major medical organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics. The case is expected to continue for months and could ultimately reach the Supreme Court, while the advisory panel’s future remains uncertain.
A federal appeals court declined to rehear Donald Trump’s appeal of the $83 million defamation judgment in favor of E. Jean Carroll, leaving the verdict intact. The court rejected a rare full-panel review, with a majority of judges voting against reconsidering the case. The ruling follows earlier findings that Trump sexually abused Carroll in the 1990s and repeatedly defamed her afterward, causing significant harm. Trump may still seek review from the Supreme Court, but the decision marks another setback in his legal efforts to overturn the judgment.
Israel intercepted dozens of aid boats bound for Gaza in international waters, detaining hundreds of activists and drawing widespread international condemnation. Countries including Italy, Spain, Germany, and Türkiye criticized the move as a violation of international law, with some calling it piracy and demanding the release of detained citizens. Human rights groups and journalists’ organizations also raised concerns about the treatment and safety of those aboard.
Camp Mystic in Texas has withdrawn its application to reopen for the summer of 2026 following intense scrutiny and emotional legislative hearings after a deadly 2025 flood that killed 27 people. The decision came after pressure from victims’ families and ongoing investigations into the camp’s safety measures and emergency response. Camp officials said stepping back was necessary out of respect for grieving families and to avoid causing further harm. The camp had faced criticism for attempting to reopen while investigations and community recovery efforts were still ongoing.
The suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner shooting, Cole Tomas Allen, will remain in custody after his defense team conceded detention for now. Allen, a 31-year-old from California, is charged with attempting to assassinate the president and other serious offenses after allegedly opening fire outside the event. Prosecutors say he arrived in Washington with multiple weapons, while his attorneys argued he had no prior criminal record and strong community support. A Secret Service officer was injured in the incident, and Allen could face life in prison if convicted.
More On Iran War
Shown above is on of the Artificial Intelligence-generated fake images created by the Trump Administration to portray President Trump as a brave wartime commander leading troops against domestic and foreign enemies.
New York Times, Hegseth Says Iran Cease-Fire Stops Clock for Congressional Approval, Megan Mineiro, April 30, 2026. The defense secretary testified on the eve of the 60-day mark of the war, a major statutory deadline for the president to withdraw forces or seek approval from Congress to continue the fight.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, told Congress on Thursday that President Trump does not have to comply with a law requiring presidents to seek congressional authorization to continue a war beyond 60 days because the cease-fire agreement reached with Iran has paused the clock on any such obligation.
His assertion came on the eve of the 60-day mark of Mr. Trump’s official notice to Congress that he had begun the war, a critical deadline under the War Powers Resolution for a president to begin to withdraw forces, seek congressional authorization to continue a military campaign or request a 30-day extension. Some Republicans have pointed to the milestone as a potential pivot point in their so far unconditional support of the war, beyond which they would demand a vote on whether to continue it.
“We are in a cease-fire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses, or stops, in a cease-fire,” Mr. Hegseth said in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, when asked whether the White House would seek an authorization. He declined to answer if it would.
Mr. Hegseth’s novel reading of the statute, which some legal experts disputed, came on his second consecutive day of testimony on Capitol Hill, as the defense secretary presented a defiant and combative front to lawmakers who raised concerns about the war in Iran and his leadership.
“The biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless naysayers and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,” he said at the opening of the hearing, echoing remarks he made before a House committee on Wednesday.
He repeated the broadside as he went before lawmakers to appeal for congressional support for the Pentagon’s nearly $1.45 trillion budget request for the coming year. But while the hearing was called to review the historically large request — a 40 percent increase in the military budget — it was also the first time that senators had the opportunity to publicly question Mr. Hegseth since the war began over eight weeks ago.
Democrats and Republicans have said for weeks that they viewed Friday as the key statutory deadline for Mr. Trump to come to Congress if he wanted to continue the war.
“It’s going to pose a really important legal question for the administration,” said Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, a Democrat who has led on repeated failed attempts to curb Mr. Trump’s ability to wage war without congressional approval.
“We have serious constitutional concerns,” Mr. Kaine added.
Some Republicans, including Senators John Curtis of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, have signaled that they would not support a continued military campaign against Iran after the 60-day mark without congressional approval.
But others have made the case for giving Mr. Trump more time.
Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, Republican of Pennsylvania, introduced a resolution this month that would exempt from the 60-day timeline any day that is part of a cease-fire or includes negotiations to reach one.
Legal scholars from both sides of the ideological spectrum rejected Mr. Hegseth’s assertion that a cease-fire pushes off a deadline for a president to win authorization for hostilities.
“It’s a legal stretch to say that hostilities are not ongoing when U.S. warships are blockading the Strait of Hormuz and firing on Iranian vessels,” said John B. Bellinger III, a former national security legal adviser during the George W. Bush administration. “There continues to be a clear and present danger of armed conflict for U.S. forces.”
Harold Hongju Koh, a Yale Law School professor and former State Department legal adviser during the Obama administration, rejected the idea of a “stoppable clock” in a law enacted expressly to limit the executive’s power to go around Congress.
“There is no pause button in the War Power Resolution,” he said.
New York Times, Trump’s Plans to Boost Weapons Production Might Not Deliver for Years, Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt, May 1, 2026 (print ed.). While the defense industry has announced plans to make more munitions, much of that expanded production will not quickly kick in.
For months, President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have celebrated tentative agreements with defense companies to expand production of Patriot air defense systems, Tomahawk cruise missiles and other weapons believed crucial for a war with China, Russia or North Korea.
“Exquisite Class Weaponry,” the president said on Truth Social on March 6 after meeting with executives from seven major defense companies.
Lockheed Martin, for instance, would increase production of its PAC-3 Patriot missile interceptors to 2,000 a year, from 600. It would quadruple production of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, interceptors to 400 from 96.
Trouble is, the administration does not yet have the funding or congressional support for the weapons it needs for the possible future wars. And the Pentagon is diverting munitions deliveries intended for allies for its own use as a stopgap measure until large new arms orders begin.
While the U.S. defense industry has announced those ambitious plans to make more critical munitions and interceptors, much of the expanded production will not kick in for several years.
In appearances before the House and Senate Armed Services Committees on Wednesday and Thursday, Mr. Hegseth urged lawmakers to approve the funding so that the Pentagon could buy the weapons from the companies that are supposed to increase production capacity. It is part of the Defense Department’s $1.45 trillion budget request, which does not include the additional money the department is expected to seek for the cost of the Iran war.Want to stay updated on what’s happening in the Middle East? Sign up for Your Places: Global Update, and we’ll send our latest coverage to your inbox.
The Pentagon’s acting comptroller this week put the cost of the Iran war so far at $25 billion, though war funding experts say that the final amount will almost certainly be far higher.
Daily Beast, Trump’s Sons Cash In on Dad’s War With Mega Drone Deal, Leigh Kimmins, May 1, 2026. A company linked to Eric Trump and Don Jr. has struck a lucrative deal with the Pentagon.
The Trump family is officially set to cash in on the president’s war on Iran by selling drones to the Air Force.
Donald Trump’s elder sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, joined the board of drone-maker Powerus after a golf club company they backed merged with it in March to take it public.
Powerus, based in West Palm Beach, the home of Trump International Golf Club, now stands to gain from its links to the first family. The company, only founded last year, announced that it had struck a deal to sell an undisclosed number of interceptor drones to the Pentagon.
But Brett Velicovich, the company’s co-founder and president, insists this decision is based on merit, not nepotism. “They’re not going to pick a system because of who’s on an investor list,” he said, according to Bloomberg. “They’re picking because they need it now.”
The deal was sealed after a successful demonstration at a facility in Arizona, he added. The deal marks the start-up’s first weapons procurement contract with the U.S. military.
The Guardian-2 is a low-cost, semi-autonomous, high-speed counter-drone interceptor purpose-built for action in the Middle East to defend against Iranian Shahed-type attack drones.
Although it fits the brief, the deal is likely to invite scrutiny because of its links to the Trump family.
More On U.S. Media, Military, National Defense
Medias Touch Network, Commentary: Donald Trump wants $1.5T of your money for Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon, and they don’t want to tell you why, Joe Plenzler, May 1, 2026. There’s a cone of silence over the Pentagon (shown above) and Hegseth is squelching media coverage of Trump’s war with Iran. New from Meidas Defense.MeidasTouch Network.
In the labyrinthine halls of the Pentagon, there was once a tradition as old as the building itself: the presence of a free and inquisitive press. For decades, journalists walked the same corridors as generals, building the kind of face-to-face rapport that transforms abstract defense policy into a story American taxpaying citizens can understand. For decades, our military leaders understood that they can’t win strategically without the support of the American people and that the channel to reach them was through the press. The press also understood that to have stories to tell, they needed to cultivate relationships and sources with people inside the military. All of this was a symbiotic relationship, although tenuous and often adversarial, for the benefit of keeping the American people informed. And our founders knew that a have a healthy, well-functioning democratic republic, needed a well-educated and well-informed public so the people could know who they wanted to choose to lead them. But today, Trump and Hegseth are doing their best to dismantle all of this.Subscribed
As Atlantic correspondent Nancy Youssef recently discussed on the Meidas Defense podcast, the Pentagon Press Corps was effectively evicted from the building in October. This isn’t just a matter of office space or convenience; it is a fundamental breakdown in democratic accountability at a time when the Department of Defense is managing nearly a trillion dollars in taxpayer money and engaging in increasingly complex global conflicts like the war with Iran.The Death of Nuance
For the American public, the loss of press access inside the Pentagon means a loss of sensory detail and truth. Youssef, a veteran of front-line reporting in Iraq and Afghanistan, points out that being in the building allowed reporters to “feel” the climate—to see the faces of leaders after a tragedy like the Abbey Gate bombing or to gauge the tension before a major strike.
Without this access, the public is left with sanitized, assigned-seat briefings and Hegseth “stat-padding” from the podium. When leaders brag about destroying 400 missile storage facilities without providing a denominator—is that 400 out of 500 or 5,000?—they aren’t informing the public; they are managing a narrative to their personal advantage. They aren’t telling the American people the full story.A Climate of Fear
Perhaps most alarming is the reported “climate of fear” currently permeating the senior ranks of the military. With 21 admirals and generals fired recently, often without explanation, military leaders are reportedly hesitant to provide their best, unvarnished military advice. When the uniformed personnel are afraid to push back, and the press is barred from the room, the result is a closed-loop system where politics overrides reality.
This echo chamber has real-world consequences. Current reporting suggests that President Trump may not be receiving a full or accurate picture of the war in Iran, particularly regarding munitions stockpiles and the long-term effectiveness of strikes. When information is filtered through a small “coterie” of advisors rather than a robust, transparent process, the risk of strategic failure skyrockets. Even Vice President J.D. Vance is raising the issue and questioning Hegseth’s accuracy in briefing Trump. (See Nancy Youssef’s recent article The Pentagon May Not Be Telling Trump the Full Picture About The War.)The Fiduciary Duty to the Public
The Department of Defense has a fiduciary responsibility to its shareholders: the American people. You and I, dear reader, are paying for these wars not just with $600 a year in additional taxes per person, but also at the gas pump and the grocery store every freakin day. We deserve to know if our trillion-dollar investments in conventional platforms like aircraft carriers and stealth bombers are actually effective against the asymmetric, $20,000 drones of our adversaries.
Trust in the military is declining, and secrecy only accelerates that rot. If the war is “going great,” as leadership often claims, the solution is simple: let us see it by embedding reporters with military units deployed to the Persian Gulf. Let them talk to the pilots conducting the strikes, the logisticians moving beans, bullets and band aids throughout the area of operations, and the Patriot ground crews who have been on the receiving ends of drone and missile attacks and tried to defend them. The bottom line: transparency isn’t a threat to national security; it is the bedrock of it. Without an informed public, there can be no sustained support for national strategy. It’s time the Pentagon let the light back in. We the People deserve the whole truth and the full story.Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
More On U.S. Law, Courts, Crime, Justice, Civil Rights
The Trump Administration is charging former FBI Director James Comey with conspiracy to assassinate President Trump -- charges widely regarded as revenge by Trump for Comey's investigation of documented Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to help Trump win -- based on Comey's posting on social media seashells he saw arranged on a North Carolina beach, as shown above, displaying the numbers "86 47," which the Justice Department alleges to have been a serious threat against Trump. The term "86" reputedly stems from a coded expression by restaurant and bar personnel to oust undesirable patrons. Comey, a Republican, is not alleged to have arranged the seashells and promptly removed the image from his social media site when MAGA supporters denounced it.
Emptywheel, Analysis: Jim Comey’s Equal Protection Claim, Emptywheel (Marcy Wheeler), right, April 30-May 1, 2026. When the FBI indicted MAGA Sal Russotto last June, they charged him exclusively for threats he made to Alina Habba.
Russotto called to “86 that bitch” and called Habba the C-word repeatedly. He also wished Habba, “a slow painful death,” demanded “Death penalty for all traitors,” and said, “I HOPE YOU DIE A PAINFUL DEATH.” (WFLA-TV, Orlando man faces jail time for threatening a federal official and officers, attorneys say, June 28, 2025.)
When DOJ turned to sentencing in November, they tried to ratchet up the punishment by claiming that Russotto had threatened other people, exclusively using the 86 slur, as well, thereby claiming Russotto had more than one victim.
Additionally, as the government intends to prove at sentencing, in the hours prior to those threats, the defendant posted several other threatening posts directed at other individuals and groups, including but not limited to: “86 [Victim 1],” “86 [Victim 2],” “86 [Victim 3],” and “86[Victim 4].”
DOJ later filed an exhibit they argued supported a claim of aggravating evidence. It shows Russotto’s Xitter activity from the evening of May 17, 2025 (when Laura Loomer had launched her successful attempt to get Maurene Comey fired), up through the tweets sent directly to Habba.
Lo and behold, there were other 86 claims, including:
Directly to Chuck Schumer Directly and indirectly to Hakeem Jeffries Indirectly to Joe Biden, in addition to tweets sent to Dan Bongino hoping to FJB, seemingly hoping that Joe Biden would have a long and painful death. To Dan Bongino asking to 86 “DemonRATS” To convicted Jan6er Derrick Evans, asking to 86 Canada To others, repeatedly, asking to 86 the N-word, plural To multiple people, including John Cornyn and Catturd, asking to 86 Comey or All Comeys
It wasn’t until sentencing, accompanying the testimony of FBI Agent Drew Ulloa, that DOJ added an exhibit. There was a different version of Russotto’s Xitter traffic from May 17 through May 20 again. But there was an additional exhibit showing that, starting on May 16 — the day Secret Service interviewed Jim Comey about his shell picture — Russotto started targeting Comey (and also Brian Krassenstein, whom he threatened directly; Krassenstein’s brother reposted Comey’s 86 47 post, and himself got a visit from Secret Service) with even more explicit death threats; I’ve redacted the C-word here.
Russotto’s replies to people like Catturd appear to be replies to their comments about Comey’s Secret Service interview.
Russotto, whose sentencing memo described his bipolar disorder and alcohol addiction and claimed he was blackout drunk when he sent the threats to Habba, was sentenced to six months home confinement and five years of probation.
Mr. Russotto was arrested for the instant offense on June 27, 2025. The offense conduct involved a series of posts made by Mr. Russotto on the online platform X, between 8:02p.m. and 8:25p.m on May 19, 2025.44 The following day, on May 20, 2025, Mr. Russotto agreed to speak with agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.45 He admitted to the agents that he was drunk on May 19, 2025 and did not remember making the posts.46 This particular conduct occurred while Mr. Russotto was experiencing a blackout from his alcohol consumption. At the time of his arrest, Mr. Russotto’s alcohol use was severe, drinking two bottles of vodka per day.47 Mr. Russotto has accepted responsibility for this offense and decided to waive his constitutional right to a trial jury by pleading guilty.48 He is extremely remorseful and ashamed of his conduct.49 He writes, “I’d like to apologize to Mrs. [redacted name] for my disgusting comments as I am embarrassed and ashamed of my conduct.”50
Now I’m assuming that even though Russotto sent several 86 tweets to the then Deputy Director of the FBI, the FBI didn’t interview those victims, which would include Joe Biden.
I assume, too, that the FBI didn’t interview Comey to find out of he felt the wave of 86 posts accompanied by much clearer death threats than he sent in a picture of shells were true threats.
I also suspect that DOJ used this prosecution, in which a MAGA threatened Habba after she dropped charges against Ras Baraka, to set up the prosecution of Jim Comey (though unlike the Comey indictment, they used the proper intent standard for sending threats). He’s not the only one they charged, DOJ can say (and Todd Blanche may have tried to say at the presser where he introduced this shitshow); they also charged this MAGA!
But for most of a year, DOJ knew that Russotto had also issued death threats against Jim Comey, just as a guy named Spaceman Chuck issued threats against Jim Comey in response to events transpiring in his EDVA prosecution. And it wasn’t until the last minute that they admitted these death threats started by targeting Comey, not Habba.
Donald Trump and E. Jean Carroll, the New York columnist who won verdicts showing that Trump sexually assaulted her three decades ago and then continued to lie about the attack
CNN, Federal appeals court won’t rehear Trump’s appeal of E. Jean Carroll’s $83 million jury award, Kara Scannell, April 29, 2026. A split federal appeals court said its full bench of judges would not rehear President Donald Trump’s appeal of the $83 million jury award for defaming magazine columnist E Jean Carroll.
The decision paves the way for Trump to ask the US Supreme Court to hear his arguments involving presidential immunity following the high court’s landmark 2024 decision.
In a split decision, a majority of judges on the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied Trump’s motion to have his appeal heard “en banc” or by the full bench of judges.
The decision is the latest turn in a six -year legal battle between Carroll and Trump that resulted in two civil trials including one where Trump briefly took the witness stand.
“The American People stand with President Trump in demanding an immediate end to the unlawful, radical weaponization of our justice system, and a swift dismissal of all of the Witch Hunts, including the illegal, Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes—the defense of which the Attorney General has determined is legally required to be taken over by the Department of Justice because Carroll based her false claims on the President’s official acts,” a spokesman for Trump’s legal team told CNN. “President Trump and his legal team will be appealing this decision as he continues to fight against, and consistently defeat, Liberal Lawfare.”Related articleE. Jean Carroll leaves Manhattan Federal Court in New York, following the conclusion of her civil defamation trial against Donald Trump on January 26, 2024.E. Jean Carroll leaves Manhattan Federal Court in New York, following the conclusion of her civil defamation trial against Donald Trump on January 26, 2024.Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/File
Trump asks Supreme Court to overturn verdict that he sexually abused and defamed E. Jean Carroll2 min read
Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for Carroll, also issued a statement:
“E. Jean Carroll is eager for this case, originally filed in 2019, to be over so that she can finally obtain justice.”
Trump had asked the full bench to rehear arguments that a panel of judges rejected in September. The panel affirmed the jury’s verdict that Trump defamed Carroll when in 2022, during his first term, he denied her allegations of sexual assault, said she wasn’t his type, and suggested she made up the allegations to sell copies of her new book. The jury awarded Carroll $83 million in damages.
In 2023, a different jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation of Carroll over an alleged assault that occurred in the mid-1990s at a New York department store and for statements he made in 2019 denying it happened. That jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages.
Trump asked the Supreme Court to hear his challenge to the $5 million judgment, but the court has not yet decided. In that case, Trump has said the trial judge made mistakes by allowing two other women to testify about alleged sexual assaults by Trump and by allowing Trump’s hot mic comments to Access Hollywood to be played in court.
In the current case, Trump argued the Justice Department should have been substituted for him as a defendant because he made the statements within the scope of his duties as president in response to questions by reporters. The Justice Department can’t be sued for defamation so it would have ended the litigation.
In September, the panel of appeals court judges rejected those arguments finding that Trump waived his right to claim immunity and that the Supreme Court 2024 decision on immunity didn’t alter its view.
In Wednesday’s decision, three of the appeals court judges disagreed with the majority and said they would have reheard the case.
“Whatever one thinks about the merits of Trump v. United States, everyone agrees that it represents a significant legal development,” the three judges wrote in a 54-page dissenting opinion. “I would rehear the case en banc to bring our case law about the scope of presidential duties and immunity into conformity with decisions of the Supreme Court and to resolve these questions of exceptional importance in line with the constitutional separation of powers and normal judicial practice.”
Denny Chin, a senior circuit judge, wrote that the majority got it right.
“The dissent goes further than either of the filed petitions, challenging rulings in our decisions, as well as prior decisions of this Court, that neither Trump nor the Government contests in their petitions for rehearing. En banc review of these issues, which were not raised by the petitioning parties, was properly denied,” Chin wrote.
U.S. Elections, Politics, Governance
New York Times, Republicans Want Tennessee’s Last Democratic House District, Emily Cochrane, May 1, 2026. Republicans sliced Nashville into three G.O.P.-leaning congressional districts in 2022. After the Supreme Court decision on voting rights, Memphis could be next.
The Supreme Court’s blow to the Voting Rights Act had barely landed on Wednesday when Senator Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, called on lawmakers to eliminate the last Democratic-held House seat in the state.
Taking to social media shortly after the Wednesday morning ruling, Ms. Blackburn, the favorite to become the state’s next governor, urged the legislature to hastily adopt a new congressional map that would put Memphis, a majority Black city, in Republican hands.
The chorus quickly grew. Her opponent in the gubernatorial primary, Representative John Rose, declared that the Democratic-led city “deserves Republican representation in Congress.” State Senator Brent Taylor, of nearby Shelby County, asked on X, “Got any ideas on who would make a great Republican congressman from West TN?”
By Thursday morning, President Trump said on Truth Social that Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, had assured him in a call that he would “work hard” to get Republicans “one extra seat” in Tennessee, “and help save our country.”
A spokeswoman for Mr. Lee did not respond to questions about the conversation, and it remains unclear whether a new map will be approved before the midterm elections. But for some Democrats, the eager chatter was the realization of fears that have percolated since 2022, when Republicans carved a Nashville-area seat long held by Democrats into three Republican districts.
“Memphis could be like Nashville,” said Representative Steve Cohen, a Democrat who has held the Memphis seat since 2007. “Thrown off the political map.”
Mr. Cohen said he had been in touch with voting rights lawyers and would try to stop any redistricting effort.
The Supreme Court ruling, which raises the bar for finding congressional maps racially discriminatory under the Voting Rights Act, was not unexpected. But it still set off a scramble across the South, as conservatives saw a new opportunity to break up districts with large numbers of Black voters who remain loyal to Democrats.
Tennessee was not always as reliably ruby red. As recently as 2008, it had a Democratic governor, Phil Bredesen, and five Democrats in its congressional delegation.
But as the state’s electorate became increasingly disillusioned with the Democratic Party during the Obama years, the number of Democrats it sent to Congress dwindled. Then, in 2012, Republicans won a supermajority in the General Assembly, giving them the power to redraw districts without the need for Democratic input. Just two of the state’s congressional seats remained in Democratic hands when it came time to redraw the map after the 2020 census: Nashville, a safe Democratic stronghold for 150 years, and Memphis, the only Tennessee district to ever send a Black lawmaker to Congress.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Give Peace a Chance, Andrew Egger, right, May 1, 2026. Last August, with Texas sprinting toward a Republican partisan gerrymander and California threatening to respond with a gerrymander of its own, I lamented that “Republicans and Democrats alike are dropping all pretense of high-mindedness and rushing to crank out the most screamingly lopsided gerrymanders their population maps can sustain.” Trump and the GOP had started this fight, “but voters in both red and blue states will be worse off for it.”
We hadn’t seen anything yet. This week’s Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which all but ended the legal mechanism of majority-minority districts across the South, promises to ratchet up our ongoing partisan redistricting total war to heretofore unimaginable levels.
There’s been plenty of end-of-democracy hand-wringing on the left over the Callais decision—some reasonable, some silly. There were good reasons why Congress felt the need to pass the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to protect black voters’ political franchise in the segregated South, where white politicians were then actively straining to dilute their power along explicitly racial, not merely partisan, lines. Still, there’s a reasonable argument to support Justice Samuel Alito’s conclusion that the way some courts had chosen to apply the VRA over the years had become preposterous—finding that if a state’s population could support a racial gerrymander creating a certain number of majority-minority districts, it was bound by law to do so.
But reasonable or unreasonable, the decision’s effect on the gerrymandering fight — if current trends continue — is going to be extreme. Freed from the legal regime that forced them to leave a number of Democratic districts in place, Southern Republicans will stroll easily into new districts that they will draw to take as many as nineteen formerly Democratic House seats.
Many Democratic groups are pledging to continue the fight-fire-with-fire approach they’ve carried out successfully over the last year. The voting-policy group Fair Fight Action is arguing this week that Team Blue could theoretically fight Republicans to a draw ahead of the 2028 elections by pushing hard for Democratic gerrymanders in seven additional blue and purple states: New York, Colorado, Oregon, Maryland, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota.
“Democrats have a clear path to neutralize this GOP power grab if they want to take it,” Fair Fight Action’s Max Flugrath told the New Republic yesterday. “This is the ‘break glass in case of emergency’ moment for American democracy.”
We’d argue we’ve been in an emergency for American democracy for about ten years now. It’s why The Bulwark exists—to give the best pro-democracy news to a pro-democracy community. Join us.
Color me skeptical. Fair Fight Action’s proposal relies on a lot of cheerful assumptions about the outcome of the 2026 midterms, about various state legislatures’ willingness to knife fight, and about the ability of further mid-cycle gerrymanders to survive the courts. More than that, though, it shines a megawatt spotlight on the problem that Gerrymandering Total War has presented for the anti-Trump, pro-democracy coalition. You’re just never going to convince me — and more important, you’re never going to convince a critical mass of Americans — that the only way to save democracy in this country is by gerrymandering the shit out of every state that is willing to give Democrats an ounce of political power.
Many Democrats contend their hands are forced. They’d be willing to take up federal legislation to try to stop the gerrymanderers, or at least to take weapons out of their toolkit; the problem, they say, is that Republicans won’t support such measures.
But why stop trying? The gerrymandering tit-for-tat has grown so extraordinarily stupid over the last year, so bad for voters of both parties across the country — and it threatens to get so much worse in the years to come — that it seems the very least congressional Democrats could do is to strain to find some anti-gerrymandering measures on which there’s an appetite for bipartisan agreement. Incumbents hate regular re-gerrymanders, which scramble their districts and risk their long-term political prospects: the state of perma-redistricting that Gerrymandering Total War promises is something they regard with dismay. This is true of Republican incumbents too. Democrats should go kick their tires.
Maybe no such measures exist; maybe congressional Democrats would be banging their heads against the wall looking for them. But at least they’d be banging their heads against the wall in support of actual improvements. Simply gerrymandering as hard as Republicans are to fight them to a draw is an extraordinarily grim idea of a best possible Democratic—or democratic—future. We should all demand a little more.
Hopium Chronicles, Pro-Democracy Advocacy: Gas Surges 40 Cents This Week, Louisiana Gov Cancels Primary Elections, "Poll: Trump’s Iran war reaches Iraq- and Vietnam-era disapproval levels," Simon Rosenberg, right, May 1, 2026. Excited to be speaking at the Maine Democratic Party Convention today.
Brent crude starts the day at $110 a barrel, near its wartime high. Gas has surged more than 40 cents just this week here in the US, and starts the day at $4.41 a gallon.
For more on the economic impacts of Trump’s failed war, including the new terrible inflation numbers we got yesterday, see yesterday morning’s Hopium post, Inflation Has Surged, Our Economy Has Slowed, And Everything Trump Is Doing Is Making It Worse.
The Callais Aftermath: I recommend these two initial articles on what comes now:
“Trump has no clue what his Supreme Court has unleashed” - Greg Sargent, TNR
“How Democrats are fighting back after Callais, Jacob Knutsen” - Democracy Docket
Yes the Governor of Louisiana declared a state of emergency in order to cancel - yes cancel - elections already underway to get more Congressional seats for fellow Louisianan Mike Johnson this November: How is this being treated as normal?
A Republican governor is declaring a state of emergency to cancel an ongoing election for Congress. If you think this is ends with redistricting, you are not paying attention.
Meanwhile in Georgia:
In my weekly talk/post I talk about the need for Democrats to now compete and win in a very different national battleground and map:
The Washington Post has new polling on Trump and the war that gave us this memorable headline:
And here’s the current homepage of The Guardian. Similar headlines are being seen all over Europe today:
The Contrarian, Opinion: Undaunted in Solidarity, Jennifer Rubin, right, May 1, 2026. Today, on International Workers’ Day, hundreds of organizers (unions, pro-democracy organizations, and ordinary individuals) are calling for a day of no work, no shopping, and no school (to the extent people are able) in support of a three-part agenda:
The first item aims squarely at income inequality, which has exploded and intensified by under-taxation (or non-taxation) of giant corporations and the mega-rich. An agenda that slashes benefits for working people and cuts funding for libraries, schools, advanced medical research, etc. to pay for billionaires’ tax cuts is as unsustainable as it is immoral.
The second item — opposing brutal, lawless domestic shock troops and an unconstitutional, reckless war that has pummeled our military readiness and worsened the affordability — is overwhelmingly popular with voters. A large majority of Americans oppose a cruel, impulsive, and vindictive bully’s ICE overreach and dangerous war. Violence at home and violence as the central feature of our foreign policy reflect an authoritarian mindset in which domination is the only acceptable outcome.
And the last on the list, democracy protection, gained new urgency on Wednesday. It recognizes the threats from Trump (unconstitutional executive orders, ballot seizures, conspiracy mongering) and the Supreme Court (who just eviscerated the Voting Rights Act) to free and fair elections.Subscribed
The call for an economic slowdown/shutdown first sounded in Minneapolis. The day of economic forbearance was widely observed; events culminated in a massive rally. To the extent they can create a visible ripple in the ordinary routine of Americans and bring people together once more in common purpose, the May Day Strong organizers can add another form of protest to their toolkit to keep the Resistance engaged, enthusiastic, and emboldened.
This year’s May Day underscores the central role organized labor has played in the Resistance. Expert at turning out people and networking, they have been a mainstay at the No Kings Day events. Whether organizing mass events, participating in campaigns, or fighting for gains for workers, unions play a critical role in preserving democratic institutions.
As the Center for American Progress reported:
[U]nions inform their members of the benefits of democratic participation, disclose which elected officials have provided the most support, and encourage members to vote for pro-worker politicians. Therefore, it is no surprise that research shows weakening unions lead to fewer working-class candidates serving in state legislatures and Congress.
While being a union member makes a person more likely to vote and participate in politics, unions also increase participation among nonmembers, as nonunion members are often the recipients of union efforts to educate and mobilize.
One of the historic roles of organized labor has been combating the concentration of wealth and income inequality (the first agenda item for May Day Strong). The Economic Policy Institute explained: “By bringing workers’ collective power to the bargaining table, unions are able to win better wages and benefits for working people—reducing income inequality as a result.” As union power decreased (and the tax code allowed the rich to pay less or no taxes), income inequality increased, creating a despair that democracy could not create shared prosperity. Unions can slow the exponential growth in wealth and power of the super-rich, as enumerable studies have confirmed.
“When union density is high, nonunion workers benefit too because unions effectively set broader standards—including higher wages—which nonunion employers must meet to attract and retain the workers they need,” EPI found. “The combination of the direct wage effect for union members and this spillover effect for nonunion workers means unions are crucial to raising wages for working people and reducing income inequality.”
Unions’ impact on democracy can extend beyond the realm of wages and working conditions to foster a culture conducive to democracy and equal opportunity:
High union density is consistently associated with a much broader set of positive spillover effects across multiple dimensions: from higher wages and better benefits; to more equitable tax systems; safer workplaces; stronger public services; and healthier, more inclusive democracies. Unions don’t just improve workers’ paychecks—they shape the social and political fabric of the communities they operate in, lifting standards for union and nonunion workers alike, while their political advocacy helps to drive an array of strongly positive outcomes, especially in states where unions represent a sizeable share of the workforce.
However, just as important as their organizing work and their advocacy for working people, unions have played an outsized role in litigation, a key brake on Trump’s accumulation of power. If you peruse through Just Security’s litigation tracker of 784 (!) cases, you will see that organized labor, including AFSME, AFGE, AFT, UAW, UFW, and the AFL-CIO, have repeatedly brought suit to stop: illegal layoffs, efforts to strip bargaining rights from government programs, termination of grants, changes in visa rules, destruction of independent boards and agencies, turning off funds for schools that have DEI programs, attempts to curtail workplace safety regulation, privacy violations, changes in student debt rules, dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Education, violation of First Amendment, ICE raids utilizing racial profiling, and destruction of Voice of America.
The eye-popping list underscores unions’ willingness to fight for benefits, protections, and rights that impact all Americans, union or not. Take, for example, the lawsuit that AFT’s Texas chapter brought against Texas’s state education agency, challenging investigations into and discipline of teachers who communicated in private email accounts their views of Charlie Kirk after his murder. “This was a state-sponsored attack on teachers because of what they expressed privately to their friends and colleagues and family,” Randi Weingarten, president of the national American Federal of Teachers, told the New York Times. “You can’t have First Amendment rights for some and not for all.”
In sum, organized labor has been an undaunted, unwavering, and unabashed champion in the success of the Resistance, fulfilling its long-established role as a combatant against income inequality and democratic backsliding. Without their multi-faceted participation in the fight to save democracy, we would be much closer to a Viktor Orban-style autocracy. We salute organized labor as a critical player in the battle to restore and enhance our democracy.
Check here to find events near you that will allow you to make your voice heard on this historic day.
New York Times, During President Trump’s second term, the disaster declarations that unlock money are taking longer than in the past, Scott Dance and Ashley Cai, May 1, 2026. Blue states wait the longest and they hear ‘no’ more often.
Federal disaster declarations, which unlock millions of dollars in aid for communities hit by catastrophes, have been delayed significantly in President Trump’s second term, and money is flowing especially slowly to states that Mr. Trump lost in the 2024 election, according to a New York Times analysis.
The review of Federal Emergency Management Agency data found that the Trump administration is moving more slowly than its predecessors to approve or deny requests for emergency aid after natural disasters, sometimes leaving communities stretched to pay big expenses until they hear whether the federal government will help.
In past decades, more than a few weeks rarely passed before presidents approved or denied state requests for disaster declarations, designations that make communities eligible for federal aid.
But that gap has been growing, a change that has accelerated under this administration. For instance, when destructive storms swept across Kansas in July, triggering widespread flash flooding that required rescues in areas still recovering from earlier storms and tornadoes, it took six months for Mr. Trump to grant the state’s request.
In Edwards County, Kan., population 2,800, that meant local officials had to cover costs up front.
“That comes out of our budget,” said Richard Neilson, the county’s emergency manager. “Sometimes it’s a lot of money.”
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman is shown campaigning as a progressive Democrat in Pennsylvania before his increasingly sharp turns to the right, including support for varied Trump programs, following his election in 2022.
The Triad ia The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Are YOU Prepared for the Fetterman Contingency? Jonathan V. Last, May 1, 2026. Taking the Senate is even harder than you think.
I’ve given you two pieces of joy this week so let’s bring down the room. If Democrats don’t win the Senate in November, it will be bad.
Democrats are likely to come close to flipping the Senate, so if they fall short the narrative will be that Trump “held” and did better than expected.
Without control of the Senate, impeachment becomes an even more politically-fraught exercise.
If Republicans control the Senate, then chances are >90 percent that Trump will have the chance to replace both Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, creating a Trump-picked majority on the Supreme Court for a generation.
Now, there is some good news and some bad news on the Senate. The good news is that
the Senate truly is in play. The list of seats Democrats have at least a 2-in-5 chance of winning includes: Alaska, Texas, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, and Maine.¹
If Democrats ran that table and didn’t lose Georgia (or any other currently-held seat) then they’d wind up with 53 seats and it would be a political earthquake.
The bad news is that Democrats probably need to get at least 52 seats. Because if they only get to 51, they’re going to get schlonged by this guy: John Fetterman.
Let’s talk about the Fetterman Contingency.
First off: Is 53 D seats possible? Sure.
It is likely? Absolutely not. Texas and Iowa are super-reaches. Ohio is going to be exceptionally hard, even with an excellent candidate. In order to have even a chance at 52+, Dems have to win two of those three races.
Alaska, Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, Michigan is the parlay from hell. Democrats could hit it. But . . . yikes.
Hitting 51 seats is, by comparison, much more achievable. The best bets, in descending order of probability, go something like this:
That’s a long row to hoe, and even if Dems got it done, they only end up with 51 seats.
What happens then?
John Fetterman has been sending every signal possible that he will be open to switching parties.
2. Fetterman v. Platner
John Fetterman (not up for reelection until 2028) has been moving towards the Republican party for a couple years now. It may have started with his strained relationship with Josh Shapiro. Weirdly, the evolution sped up after the October 7th attack on Israel, when he was criticized by Palestinian activists. His response to that criticism hardened into a pose of reflexive antagonism toward progressive political actors. And it has finally expanded so that Fetterman now routinely criticizes the Democratic party itself.
Last week, for instance, Fetterman spoke to the conservative independent journalist Nicholas Ballasy. The interview is short, but worth watching.
In under three minutes Fetterman:
Repeats Trump’s claim that NATO should have supported the Iran war.²
Says that opponents of the Iran war “want” Iran to have nuclear weapons.
Charges Democrats with “almost rooting for Iran,” saying “my party, it’s been very disappointing, honestly, the way they’ve chosen to respond.”
Two days later, Fetterman went on Fox News to continue his attack on the Democratic party: “You know, Iran must be so excited by the American media and the Democratic party, the way they, it’s like, as long as we can hang on for 60 days, more and more people continue to vote against, you know, the Trump administration to end the Iranian regime.”
And now Fetterman is beginning to focus his dislike of the Democratic party on Graham Platner.
For the purposes of this discussion, let’s be value-neutral. Put aside your views of Fetterman and Platner and be purely analytical.
In the Ballasy interview, Fetterman said of Platner, “They’ve [the Democratic party has been] embracing people, like Platner, in Maine . . . that’s . . . kind of what our party’s becoming. It’s been incredibly disappoint[ing].”
By focusing his argument for the degeneracy of the Democratic party on the Democratic candidate most likely to flip a Republican seat, Fetterman is establishing a high-percentage predicate.
If Democrats wind up with 51 seats, Republicans will make a full-court press to get him to join their caucus. Why wouldn’t Fetterman switch? He is a ballroom-endorsing, Netanyahu-maximalist who has a good relationship with Trump and has been gradually expanding his grievances as not merely being with progressives, or Israel-skeptics, but with the main body of Democratic voters and elected Democrats in Congress, too.
Fetterman is already there; all he needs is an incentive and a casus belli.
He is pre-establishing Platner’s election as his pretext. What is his incentive?
Fetterman cannot win another Democratic primary in Pennsylvania.
He already has a (likely) quality opponent.
So what are Fetterman’s choices?
If Democrats get to 52+ seats, then he can’t really help Republicans.
If Republicans get to 50 on their own, they don’t need Fetterman.
But if Democrats are sitting at 51 seats? Then we have a perfect storm.
At that point there will be nothing Democrats can offer Fetterman to make him stay, because Democratic voters in Pennsylvania are through with him.
But Republicans can give him anything—not just the promise of a shot at holding onto his seat in 2028 by clearing the field for him, but friendly spaces on Fox and a warm, post-Senate embrace that finds room for him in their ecosystem.
New York Times, Opinion: Don’t Underestimate the Fury of Democratic Voters, Michelle Goldberg, right, May 1, 2026 (print ed.). One lesson of the Democratic Senate primary in Maine is that no one should underestimate the white-hot fury of the party’s voters.
In October, Graham Platner’s insurgent campaign appeared doomed. Janet Mills, Maine’s Democratic governor, had just entered the Senate primary race, reportedly at the urging of Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader. Then a barrage of devastating opposition research against Platner dropped. Journalists reported on old Reddit posts where he wrote that all cops are bastards, spoke about fighting fascism with guns and seemed to blame rape victims for their own assaults. His political director resigned. Hoping to get ahead of an even more damaging story, Platner revealed that a skull tattoo he’d gotten while he was in the Marines, when he was drunk with his friends on leave in Croatia, looked like a Nazi Totenkopf symbol. His public image abruptly transformed from working-class hero to guy with a Nazi tattoo. Many declared his candidacy dead.
But Maine Democrats, many of whom saw Platner in person as he tirelessly barnstormed across the state, seemed ready to look past the negative stories. On Thursday, Mike Hurley, the former mayor of Belfast, Maine, told me he “loves” Mills, but had been backing Platner because he wanted a brawler. While Republicans are playing “hardball,” he said, Democrats in Washington seem like they’re playing “T-ball.” Hurley was impressed, he said, by how Platner soldiered on after his disastrous October: “A lot of people would crumble under the kind of pressure he’s been under, and he’s not crumbling.” He felt as though he understood him. “Platner is a very recognizable kind of person in small towns,” said Hurley. “He’s a thoughtful loudmouth.”
On Thursday, Mills, trailing significantly in the polls, announced she was dropping out of the race, saying that she didn’t have the “financial resources” to continue. That clears the field for Platner to run against Maine’s longtime Republican senator Susan Collins, in a race that’s crucial to Democratic hopes of flipping the Senate. Washington Democrats both underestimated Platner and misread the mood of the primary electorate, which has been radicalized by revulsion toward Donald Trump.
Though a newcomer to politics, Platner turned out to be a natural on the stump. In October, at a low point in his campaign, I went to Maine to interview him and attend one of his town halls. Watching him address hundreds of people crammed into a small-town school auditorium, I could feel the charge in the air — that rare alchemy born when a politician is able to pull a crowd into a shared vision of the future. One attendee likened it to seeing Barack Obama when he first ran for president.Sign up for the Opinion Today newsletter Get expert analysis of the news and a guide to the big ideas shaping the world every weekday morning. Get it sent to your inbox.
Platner spoke about the struggles of working people for whom a decent life seemed out of reach, about the disastrous wars he’d fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, and about the need for a Democratic Party with New Deal-scale ambitions. And he spoke to people’s feelings of being abandoned to Trump’s depredations by a weak and fumbling Democratic Party. “Nobody is coming to save us,” he said, positioning himself as a leader who could help people save themselves.
Since then, Platner has used his campaign to organize for causes besides his own election. He rallied against a ballot initiative that would have required voter ID and restricted absentee voting. (It lost.) When ICE came to Lewiston, Maine, a town with a significant Somali population, he urged people to resist the agency the way that the citizens of Minneapolis had, celebrating those who, as he said in a fiery speech, “do real things to impede ICE’s operations and physically protect our communities.” He collects donations for food pantries at his events. His campaign feels, to many of his impassioned supporters, like a movement.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Maine candidate — and I don’t care who they are, Angus King, Susan Collins or Olympia Snowe — nobody has ever had this kind of response or support,” said Hurley.
Plenty of Democrats, particularly outside of Maine, worry about Platner’s electability. Primary voters were poised to forgive his tattoo and his hotheaded Reddit posts, but a general electorate might not be so understanding. And while Platner is leading Collins in the polls, Collins has beat expectations before. In 2020, most polls showed her trailing the Democrat Sara Gideon, who outspent Collins by millions, but Collins ended up winning by nine points.
For many Maine progressives, though, Gideon’s defeat only emphasizes the peril of playing it safe. “The Sara Gideon campaign was a disaster, I think, because they made her follow a script, and she came off as totally fake because of it,” said Andy O’Brien, a former Maine legislator who now works at the A.F.L.-C.I.O. By “they,” he means Democrats from Washington. Now, he said, Maine voters have lost all faith in the ability of the party’s establishment to pick winners. “They sold us these candidates like Hillary Clinton and Kamala as the most electable candidates, and they weren’t,” he said.
Of course, the dynamics propelling Platner’s rise aren’t confined to Maine. Democrats all over the country regard their party’s leaders as feckless in the face of Trump’s blustering authoritarianism. They are desperate to break up the power of the oligarchs arrayed around the president and believe Democrats have been too timid in pushing for sweeping reforms. A Democratic version of the Tea Party is emerging as voters seek to upend a system that they believe has failed them.
In New Jersey in February, Analilia Mejia, a veteran of Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign, won a special election primary in an affluent suburban district with little history of radicalism. The progressive epidemiologist Abdul El-Sayed, who has recently been campaigning with the left-wing Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, is competitive in Michigan’s Senate primary. The democratic socialist Francesca Hong has become a leading candidate in the Democratic primary for governor in Wisconsin. “Voters have a different theory of what is electable right now,” said Rebecca Katz, a founding partner of Fight Agency and a media consultant to both Platner and El-Sayed. “Someone who knows what they believe and is willing to fight for it.”
These voters could be wrong; candidates can still benefit from the perception of moderation. But there’s a widespread hunger in the country for populists and outsiders, and ordinary people don’t always think in the same ideological terms as pundits. As America slips deeper into social and economic crisis — likely to be exacerbated by the job-killing effects of artificial intelligence — the electorate might gravitate toward leaders offering far-reaching solutions.
Letters from an American, Historical Commentary: April 30, 2026 [Polling On Trump Policies], Heather Cox Richardson, right, May 1, 2026. Today G. Elliott Morris of Strength in Numbers noted that Trump has hit a new low in overall job performance and in his handling of the economy, at -22.2 and -40.3, respectively. Those numbers reflect the percentage of people who approve of his handling of an issue minus those who disapprove.
On Tuesday, Morris explained in Strength in Numbers that while Republicans have lately been arguing that they simply need to get people to show up to win the midterms, turnout is not their problem. Their real problem is that voters don’t like what Trump is doing.
An obvious symbol of Trump’s presidency is his unilateral decision to tear down the East Wing of the White House and replace it with a giant ballroom. A new Washington Post–ABC News–Ipsos poll released today shows that Americans oppose the ballroom by a margin of about two to one. Fifty-six percent of Americans oppose it, while only 28% support it. Of those who oppose it, 47% oppose it strongly.
Dan Diamond and Scott Clement of the Washington Post note that people don’t like Trump’s proposed triumphal arch, either—52% opposed versus 21% in favor—or the idea of Trump’s signature on paper money. Sixty-eight percent of Americans oppose that plan, while only 12% support it. Even Republicans oppose it 40% to 28%.
And then there is Trump’s war on Iran. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that only 34% of Americans approve of the strikes on Iran, while 61% oppose them. Gas prices continue to rise, with Brent crude futures today briefly topping $114 a barrel—the highest price since June 2022, shortly after Russia launched its attack on Ukraine. Senator Angus King (I-ME) noted on CNN today that these higher prices are currently costing American consumers about $700 million a day.
On his Substack today, economist Paul Krugman noted that the acronym “TACO,” for “Trump Always Chickens Out,” has been replaced by “NACHO”: “Not A Chance Hormuz Opens.” Krugman explains that Iran is unlikely to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil passed before Israel and the U.S. began airstrikes against Iran on February 28, 2026, until “the economic damage from its closure becomes much more severe.”
Trump is maintaining a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, and Iran says it will not reopen the strait until that blockade on Iranian shipping is lifted. Krugman notes that Trump’s ego will not permit him “to face up to the reality that he, more or less single-handedly, led America to the greatest strategic defeat in its history.”
So he is deluding himself into thinking he can extract concessions from Iran, although he has been unclear about what those might be. For their part, Krugman notes, Iranian officials have no incentive to make a deal, both because the pinch on oil is hurting the U.S. and thus Trump, and because they have no reason to believe Trump would honor any deal they made. He has made a habit of breaking deals.
“The question now,” Krugman wrote, is “how much destruction will the world, and America, have to bear before Trump is willing to accept reality?”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified yesterday in front of the House Armed Services Committee and today in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee about Trump’s request for a $1.5 trillion defense budget and the Iran war. This was the first time a member of the administration had appeared in a public hearing since the war began, and lawmakers had much to say. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top-ranking Democrat on the committee, summed up the situation:
“Sixty-one days ago,” he said, “President Trump unilaterally began the war in Iran. He had no coherent strategy. He refused to make a case to the American people or consult Congress. He failed to present any evidence of an immediate threat, and he ignored the advice of military and intelligence experts who warned him of the consequences. Today our nation is in a worse strategic position. The Strait of Hormuz was open. Now it is closed. Thirteen service members have tragically lost their lives, and more than 400 have been wounded. We have lost dozens of aircraft, sustained significant damage to our bases in the area, and expended an alarming amount of our missile inventory. Morale and readiness across the force, especially among overdeployed units and vessels like the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, have suffered. Gasoline and fertilizer prices throughout the world have surged. American families are bearing the cost of a war they wanted nothing to do with and have gained nothing from.”
Tomorrow marks 60 days since Trump informed Congress he had begun military actions against Iran. Under the 1973 War Powers Act, after 60 days the president has to either end those hostilities or get congressional approval. In his testimony today, Hegseth tried to argue that the 60-day clock stops during a ceasefire, only to have Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) note that the law doesn’t say that.
And yet, today Senate Republicans blocked another Democratic measure—the sixth, introduced by Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA)—to require Trump to end his war on Iran. House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told Ryan Nobles, Monica Alba, and Alexandra Marquez of NBC News that Congress doesn’t have to meddle with Trump’s actions in Iran because the U.S. is currently “not at war.”
And then there is the corruption. Last week, news broke that a start-up company backed by President Trump’s son Eric had won a $24 million contract from the Pentagon. Today news broke that the U.S. Air Force has agreed to buy an undisclosed number of drones from a company backed by Trump’s sons.
And then there is the incompetence. Today, after a 76-day shutdown, House Republicans finally passed a Senate measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security while withholding funds from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection, the parent agency for Border Patrol. The Senate passed the bill unanimously on March 27, but because it was what the Democrats wanted, Speaker Johnson refused to take it up until today.
In the face of Trump’s growing unpopularity, the Republicans are changing not their unpopular policies but the rules of elections, clearly hoping to game the system to win elections no matter how unpopular they have become.
Yesterday, with virtually no public input, the Florida Senate approved a gerrymandered map designed to give four more seats in Congress to the Republicans despite the fact that more than ten years ago, voters passed a constitutional amendment that bans partisan gerrymandering.
Also yesterday, the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais threw open the door for Republicans in southern states to redraw their maps to shift between 10 and 15 seats from Democrats to Republicans. In the decision, the six Republican-appointed justices on the court declared that plaintiffs charging that district lines discriminate on the basis of race must prove that the lawmakers who drew those lines were intentionally making decisions based on race rather than partisanship, which the court has declared is beyond reach of the federal courts.
The decision means that states are now free to redraw district lines to undercut the power of minority voters, a demographic that tends to vote for Democrats.
Louisiana’s Republican governor, Jeff Landry, immediately declared a state of emergency, suspending the primary elections in the state in order to gerrymander the state to grab one or two more Republican seats. More than 100,000 absentee ballots had already been sent out—some have already been returned—and voting was due to start within days.
Democrats have already filed a lawsuit against the governor’s attempt to stop an election that’s already underway and to let the election proceed. The lawsuit notes, among other things, that the Constitution gives to state legislatures, not the governor, the responsibility for deciding “[t]he Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives.”
Lawmakers in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama are also considering redistricting in the wake of the Callais decision.
Democrats have responded to the Supreme Court’s gutting of the Voting Rights Act and the Republican-dominated state gerrymanders that are sure to follow. States dominated by Democrats are considering their own gerrymanders to counter the Republicans, as well as new legislation to protect minority voting rights in their states.
“Today’s decision by this illegitimate Supreme Court majority strikes a blow against the Voting Rights Act and is designed to undermine the ability of communities of color all over this country to elect their candidate of choice,” House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) told reporters Wednesday. “But we are not here to step back. We are here to fight back.”
Trump, meanwhile, wants even more. His social media account posted today: “How much abuse can the Republican Senate take from the Radical Left Lunatics in the form of Democrat Senators, before they BLOW UP (TERMINATE!) THE FILIBUSTER, and approve things at a record clip, including The Save America Act, that would be unthinkable without the Filibuster Termination??”
Without the filibuster, he told reporters, “[w]e could pass one bill after the other. We could pass laws and acts and things that we never even dreamt of passing. And you know what else? We wouldn’t lose for 50 years.”
The upcoming elections are definitely on Trump’s mind. He called in to NewsMax today, saying: “It is a problem I’m not on the ballot. And I have to convince—Everyone says if I was on the ballot we’d win in a landslide. I have the best, I have some of the best poll numbers I’ve ever had.”
Popular Information, Weekly Investigative Roundup: Judd Legum, right, Rebecca Crosby and Noel Sims, May 1, 2026.
New York Times, A Midterm Clash of A.I. Giants Escalates as a Tech Billionaire Jumps In, Shane Goldmacher and Nicholas Fandos, May 1, 2026. Chris Larsen, who hails from California, plans to spend $3.5 million to help Alex Bores, a New York congressional candidate at the center of a proxy war over A.I. regulation.
One of this year’s biggest fights over the future of regulation of the artificial-intelligence industry is about to get even more expensive and contentious.
Chris Larsen, a tech billionaire from California, said he planned to spend $3.5 million in the coming weeks to help a New York congressional candidate who is facing a barrage of attack ads from a super PAC linked to OpenAI.
Mr. Larsen is planning to support Alex Bores, a state assemblyman who co-wrote A.I. regulation legislation adopted in New York. Mr. Bores has been targeted by an industry-aligned super PAC that is trying to make an example of him.
The billionaire’s seven-figure infusion into the Manhattan race will ratchet up what is quickly becoming one of the country’s most expensive Democratic primary contests for the House. The primary has also become a major proxy battle for competing factions in the race to develop, profit from and steer regulation of A.I.
Mr. Larsen, an investor in and executive at the crypto-related firm Ripple Labs, called the attacks on Mr. Bores by a super PAC aligned with OpenAI “really despicable.” OpenAI has called for limited federal regulations to allow the “freedom to innovate” and has generally opposed state regulations like those written by Mr. Bores.
“They are trying to destroy and intimidate and send a clear message that if you do come up with clear guardrails, we are going to crush you,” Mr. Larsen said in an interview. He said he hoped his spending would provide a counterweight: “While some of these folks are going to try to crush you, others are going to step up, and we’re going to support you.”
Mr. Larsen said he saw A.I. regulation as one of the nation’s most pressing issues. And the first television advertisement that he is funding tackles the topic directly.
The ad features a child watching an iPad-like screen and warns about what he could be looking at with the assistance of A.I. “Violence, child sexual abuse and predators,” the narrator says. “Who would be against A.I. safety laws? OpenAI.”
The ad then calls out the company for its attacks on Mr. Bores. Mr. Larsen’s super PAC, called You Can Push Back, has been reserving cable and broadcast time in recent days.
Josh Vlasto, a top strategist for the A.I. super PAC opposing Mr. Bores, Leading the Future, said his group’s mission was “to pass a national regulatory framework that creates jobs for American workers, wins the race against China and protects the safety of kids, family and communities.”
He added, “Alex Bores’s entire political career has been bankrolled by Anthropic, the effective altruist community and their allies looking to control A.I. for themselves and their companies.”
Mr. Larsen’s involvement in a race in Manhattan, thousands of miles from his San Francisco Bay Area home, is the latest twist for a House primary contest that is already one of the most crowded, complicated and costly in the nation.
It features an unusually star-studded field including Jack Schlossberg, John F. Kennedy’s 33-year-old grandson; George T. Conway III, a former Republican turned leading antagonist of President Trump; and Micah Lasher, a longtime Democratic operative who serves alongside Mr. Bores in the Assembly.
Mr. Larsen is joining two other super PACs defending Mr. Bores. Both have ties to OpenAI’s main rival, Anthropic, which generally favors stronger federal regulation of the industry. Those groups have spent more than $1.5 million on the race so far.
“I think the Alex Bores race is the most important Democratic primary in the country,” said Brad Carson, a former Democratic congressman who is now helping lead Public First, an Anthropic-aligned group that has funded some of the pro-Bores ads. “We’re really grateful for Chris’s help in this campaign.”
In February, Anthropic announced that it was giving $20 million to Public First’s nonprofit arm.
Mr. Bores and his rivals are competing to succeed Representative Jerrold Nadler, who is retiring from his affluent, well-educated and decidedly liberal district in Manhattan. Running north from 14th Street to around the top of Central Park, it is home to more Fortune 500 companies, major arts institutions and media empires than any other district in the country.
There has been no public polling on the race so far, though a smattering of privately funded polls released by candidates and interest groups suggest that the contest remains wide open.
Mr. Larsen is not the first billionaire businessman seeking to sway its outcome. Michael R. Bloomberg, the city’s former mayor, has spent $5 million so far to help Mr. Lasher, one of his former aides.
But Mr. Larsen’s involvement underscores how the race is being transformed by forces far outside the district, as rival artificial intelligence interests try to alter the future of a multi-trillion-dollar industry and those would seek to regulate it.
Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: The Lovely Month of May, William Kristol, right, Cheer up. It’s May.
The month of April of 2026 had its cruelties. From Donald Trump’s executive branch to the Supreme Court to the Republican party in Congress and state houses, the assault on our liberties and our democracy didn’t let up.The replacement of Pam Bondi by Todd Blanche seems to be resulting in what President Trump intended—an even more vigorous weaponization of the Justice Department than before. The Supreme Court eviscerated the Voting Rights Act, and Republicans at the state level moved feverishly to alter the electoral playing field for November. The Republican Congress continued to be committed to not exercising its constitutional responsibility for matters of war and peace, and to getting more funds to ICE and the border patrol with no reforms of their practices.
And they’re not stopping. Trump may have to beat an ignominious retreat from Iran—but he could well try to compensate by invading Cuba or Greenland. The Republicans in Congress will try to jam through everything they can while they’re still in charge. The Trumpist kleptocrats in government will try to steal everything they can get their hands on. And the Trumpist apparatchiks will try to tighten their control over everything they can within the executive branch, and to intimidate everyone they can outside of the government, in business and the media and the private sector. In sum: Trump and his Republican party have plenty of levers for the exercise of authoritarian power and oligarchic greed, and they remain determined and ruthless in trying to exercise them.
So in that way, “April” is not over.
But one does have the sense, as we enter May, that the wind is finally in the Trumpists’ faces, not at their backs. Trumpism seems less fated to be triumphant than it has been.
As the polls show, Trump is weaker than he’s ever been as president. The Iran “excursion” has been a disaster—and while that’s bad for the country and the world, it has exposed him as a commander-in-chief who’s both reckless and feckless. Inflation is up and broader economic prospects aren’t great—and while that too is bad for the country, it’s also bad for Trump. And it’s bad for his party’s prospects in the midterms, which seem worse than ever, despite their efforts to try to alter the playing field in every way possible, as Andrew described above.
And it’s now increasingly possible to glimpse a world in which the authoritarian axis of Trump and Putin and Xi may not succeed in shaping events. Ukraine has held its own against Russia. Viktor Orbán was defeated in Hungary. Perhaps the future will be shaped by the patriotic liberalism of Volodymyr Zelensky and Peter Magyar.
Who knows? There are challenges a-plenty. But some things are looking up, and surely we’re entitled after the last eighteen months—the last ten years—to a moment of hope.
So on this first day of May, I turn away for at least a moment from the stern and gloomy visage of Eliot. I appeal instead to the good cheer of the lyricist and librettist Alan Jay Lerner and the composer Frederick Loewe, the pair who brought us so many great musicals, including My Fair Lady and Camelot.
For as Guenevere explains in Camelot,
Tra la, it’s May, the lusty month of May That lovely month when everyone goes blissfully astray Tra la, it’s here, that shocking time of year When tons of wicked little thoughts merrily appear . . . It’s mad, it’s gay, a libelous display Those dreary vows that everyone takes Everyone breaks Everyone makes divine mistakes The lusty month of May.
Perhaps this May could be the month when we succeed in forcing Trumpism and authoritarianism to go astray. Perhaps this May we could start to turn the corner away from a path to an authoritarian future. Perhaps this May we could begin to see ahead of us a future that, if not mad and gay, is at least decent and free.
AROUND THE BULWARK
Quick Hits
OUT MEANS OUT: Casey Means is a wellness influencer, a MAHA-movement heroine, and an RFK Jr. ally—but she won’t be U.S. surgeon general. On Thursday, the White House abruptly yanked her nomination, replacing her with radiologist and Fox News contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier, a more unambiguously pro-vaccine choice.
Since her nomination, Means had raised eyebrows with her history of kooky new-age online content—think blogs about “full moon ceremonies,” “spirit guides,” and “plant medicine experiments”—but it was her halting testimony on vaccines in her Senate confirmation hearing that really doomed her nomination. While stating that “vaccines save lives,” Means repeatedly sidestepped questions about whether she would recommend Americans get vaccinated for measles and flu.
That was apparently enough to lose the vote of Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), himself a physician and a vaccine advocate.¹ In a Thursday Truth Social post, Trump blasted Cassidy as “a very disloyal person” for standing in the way of a “strong MAHA warrior”—but he ended up giving Cassidy what he wanted anyway.
Saphier will be Trump’s second nominee for surgeon general to be plucked from the ranks of Fox News. He was forced to withdraw his first choice for the position, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, amid suggestions that she had embellished her résumé and credentials.
ONE NICE CHANGE: You know what senators and their staffs shouldn’t be doing? Insider trading on prediction markets. Interestingly, the Senate agrees. Here’s Politico:
The Senate Thursday unanimously voted to ban senators and their staff from trading on prediction markets, a practice that has come under growing scrutiny on Capitol Hill in recent months.
The resolution, spearheaded by Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), prohibits senators and staff from using prediction markets. It goes into effect immediately.
“United States Senators have no business engaging in speculative activities like prediction markets while collecting a taxpayer-funded paycheck, period,” Moreno, who spearheaded the resolution, said in a statement.
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who supported the measure, called on House Speaker Mike Johnson to pass similar rules in the House—and said he would work to pass legislation constraining administration officials, as well.
Global News
New York Times, Investigation: The Last Moments of Flight 2216, James Glanz, Mark Walker, John Yoon, Mika Gröndahl and Pablo Robles, May 1, 2026. What happens when pilots move too quickly in a moment of crisis?
As a South Korean jetliner came in for a landing in late December 2024, a vast cloud of birds suddenly appeared in the sky.
Engulfing the aircraft, the birds pummeled its fuselage and tore into the engines.
In the minutes that followed, the crew faced a cascade of unforgiving decisions. The kind pilots train for — and hope they never have to make. The kind that can save lives, or cost them.
The kind other pilots might one day look at and ask themselves: What would I have done?
For four hours and 30 minutes, the redeye that took off from Thailand with 181 people aboard made its unremarkable way some 2,000 miles over land and sea.
But in the last four and a half minutes, with the destination in sight, it all came apart.
“Bird!” warned the first officer. “There are many below.”
“Hey, hey!” the captain declared seconds later. “It’s not going to work.”
It was the start of one of the deadliest air disasters in years. Within minutes, 179 people would lose their lives.
Many things went wrong for the crew of Jeju Air Flight 2216, including regulatory failures and bad decisions by others. But for all their bad luck, a New York Times investigation has found, the pilots appear to have worsened the crisis by acting too quickly, rushing into trouble that may well have been avoidable.
After consulting with pilots and aviation experts, we modeled the view inside the Boeing 737 cockpit to show what the pilots were likely to have been experiencing in the final moments of flight.
New York Times, As Israel Entrenches, Frustration With Hezbollah Turns to Support, Christina Goldbaum, Visuals by David Guttenfelder, May 1, 2026. With the cease-fire fraying and Israel demolishing villages in the south, many Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon are putting aside their annoyance with the group and turning to it for protection.
From their hilltop village in southern Lebanon, gravediggers watched black smoke curl up from the opposing ridgeline. Just a mile away, Israeli forces were blowing up buildings on Lebanese land, under a newly planted Israeli flag.
Days into Lebanon’s fragile cease-fire, its collapse already seemed inevitable. Israeli forces were entrenching their positions in the occupied south while Hezbollah members prepared for the next round of fighting in areas still under their control. In the cemetery in their village of Majdal Zoun, the men were digging 20 graves — nine for Hezbollah fighters already killed, the rest for those expected to die in the battles ahead.
“Just listen to the sky above us,” said one of the men, Muhammad Ali, 50, as the thrum of an Israeli drone buzzed overhead. “This war is not over.”
When the cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel was struck on April 16, an uneasy calm settled over southern Lebanon, a region that has been battered in the latest war.
Thousands of people displaced from the south flooded the highways to return home. But unlike the last wars between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006 and 2024, this was no jubilant homecoming or celebration of a self-proclaimed victory for Hezbollah. The pause offered people only a moment to take stock of the destruction and search for summer clothes they had left behind.
U.S. Inflation, Economy, Markets, Jobs
Paul Krugman via Substack, Political-Economy Commentary: Who Are You Gonna Believe, Trump or Your Lying Eyes? Paul Krugman, right, May 1, 2026. The emperor’s new clothes, gas prices edition Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for moreWho Are You Gonna Believe, Trump or Your Lying Eyes?The emperor’s new clothes, gas prices editionPaul KrugmanMay 1 READ IN APP
I’m still on semi-vacation. So mostly brief posts for now.
Republicans have an affordability problem. During the 2024 campaign Donald Trump promised to reduce prices beginning on “Day One,” and promised specifically that he would cut energy prices in half. He has instead presided over rising inflation — the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure is running almost a percentage point higher than it was when he took office — and his Iran debacle has caused a spike in gasoline and diesel prices:
A normal political party would respond to this problem by trying to solve it. OK, some blame-shifting — attributing rising prices to forces beyond the president’s control or insisting that current problems were caused by the previous administration’s policies — would also be par for the course.
But MAGA is trying to deal with its affordability crisis simply by denying reality. Over the past few days multiple prominent Republicans have gone on TV to insist that gas prices are falling. On Thursday Sen. Tim Scott said that “gas prices continue to come down,” while House Majority Leader Steve Scalise declared that gas is much cheaper than it was “two years ago,” when, he claimed, it was $6 a gallon. The average price then was actually $3.66.
And Pete Hegseth, the Defense secretary, told Congress that gas prices in California were $8 a gallon on the eve of the Iran war; the average was actually $4.64.
What’s striking about these efforts to create an alternate reality isn’t merely the fact that politicians are lying. It’s the fact that they’re lying about a subject in which the truth is more or less literally in everyone’s face every day. Lies about, say, immigrant crime are difficult for ordinary Americans to check. But gas prices are displayed on giant signs all around America — and drivers face a reality check on fuel costs every time they fill their tanks.
Why, then, do Republicans believe that these lies will work for them politically?
Part of the explanation is their belief that they can flush the majority of Joe Biden’s presidency down the memory hole, that they can pretend that Trump took office just after the inflation surge of 2021-2022, not after the “immaculate disinflation” — falling inflation without high unemployment — that followed. That is, their story about gas prices looks like this:
And their story about overall inflation looks like this:
Will these games with the timeline persuade voters that Trump is actually doing a good job on prices? No. That ship has already sailed (and sunk). As the chart at the top of this post shows, independents disapprove of Trump’s handling of the cost of living by a remarkable 5-to-1 margin, and false claims on Fox News won’t change that.
So what’s the purpose of these MAGA lies? The answer, of course, is that they’re aimed at an audience of one. Voters know that gas prices are way up and that inflation is elevated, but Donald Trump, swaddled in his Mar-a-Lago bubble, doesn’t. Trump says that we have no inflation. He recently insisted that inflation was 5 percent at the end of Biden’s term and took credit for falling inflation before he took office. So Republicans determined to say whatever he wants to hear — which means everyone still in the party — feel obliged to praise his inflation record, the facts be damned.
And for those worried that this kind of behavior, where keeping the Leader happy is far more important than respecting the truth, will lead to policy mistakes, I have three words for you: Strait of Hormuz.
See our News Reports section for earlier clips during this unusually heavy news period.
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Andrew Kreig
JIP Editor
The Justice Integrity Project (JIP) researches official misconduct
Broadcast and lecture audiences can count on the Project's director to deliver blunt, entertaining and cutting-edge commentary about public affairs, with practical tips for the millions of Americans caught up in unfair litigation or regulation.
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