Trump Presses Pause on Resumption of Military Action Against Iran

President Trump on Monday afternoon: I have been asked by the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow, in that serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond. This Deal will include, importantly, NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN! Based on my respect for the above mentioned Leaders, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, The Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Daniel Caine, and The United States Military, that we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow, but have further instructed them to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached (Truth).

Three Dead in Terror Attack at San Diego Mosque

The mosque is reportedly the largest in the nation. One of the fatalities is the security guard who is credited with preventing the situation from being much worse. Wall Street Journal: Three people were killed in a shooting at a mosque in San Diego, authorities said on Monday. Police were alerted to an active shooter at the Islamic Center of San Diego at approximately 11:43 a.m. local time, San Diego Police Department Chief Scott Wahl said. Officers found three people dead at the scene, Wahl said. At about the same time, police received reports of gunfire a few blocks away. A landscaper was fired at, but wasn’t hit, Wahl said. Officers found a vehicle in the middle of the street with two people believed to be the shooters, dead from what appeared to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds, he said. All three of the victims were adult males, Wahl said. One of them was a security guard at the center, who Wahl said likely “played a pivotal role in assisting from this being much worse” (Wall Street Journal). The suspects—both dead—have been identified. Daybreak prefers not to give them name recognition (Sortor).

Georgia Primary: Democrats Press to Politicize State’s Supreme Court

The political effort looks to be modeled after what Democrats did in Wisconsin. Atlanta Journal Constitution: Two left-leaning plaintiff attorneys trying to unseat Republican-appointed justices of the Georgia Supreme Court have violated judicial conduct rules, the state’s judicial watchdog says. Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin, backed by former President Barack Obama and other Democrats, have been warned that their public endorsement of one another and promise to restore abortion rights is in violation of the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct.… In statements that became publicly available Monday, the [Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission] committee said it “reasonably believes” that Jordan and Rankin violated the judicial code by publicly endorsing one another and promising to restore abortion rights. The code applies to judges as well as those vying for a seat on the bench. The committee said a full JQC investigation could result (AJC). David Shafer—former chairman of Georgia Republican Party: Two weeks ago, the Judicial Qualifications Commission confidentially notified the Democrat backed candidates for the Supreme Court – Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin – that it was investigating them for violations of the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct. The Democrats immediately filed a secret lawsuit against the JQC to stop the investigation. The lawsuit was assigned to Stacey Abrams’s sister, a federal judge appointed by President Obama. Judge Abrams, again in secret, blocked the JQC from investigating. The Democrats continued their violations with impunity. Over the weekend, the Court of Appeals overruled Abrams. Today – one day before the election, after nearly a million Georgians have already voted – the Judicial Qualifications Commission issued a statement that Jordan and Rankin have engaged in multiple, serial violations of the Code. This is a stunning abuse of the legal process by lawyers who are seeking to become judges – impartial dispensers of justice (Shafer).

Gavin Newsom Sends Chilling Message If Top Two Candidates in Gubernatorial Primary Are Both Republican: ‘there is a break the glass scenario’

The California primary is on June 2. The Governor’s recent comment: “We all have agencies. We can shape the future. There’s still a lot. Look, I’ve said this before, so I’ll repeat it. I don’t anticipate this need to be the case, but there is a break the glass scenario and there’s many people that have a deep understanding of what it would look like if Democrats were locked out and we’re going to do everything to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Scott Jennings of Salem Media responds: Now, I want you to think about what they always say about Trump, that he is a threat to democracy, that he doesn’t respect the will of the voters. And what you just heard there, Gavin Newsom saying that if the primary doesn’t turn out the way he wants, that they’ve got an emergency plan to keep Republicans from assuming power. Well, it’s pretty incredible stuff and pretty chilling when you add it to what Democrats are arguing they will do to the Supreme Court and other levers of power should they regain the White House in 2028. Trump exercises his will in elections, but Democrats, well, apparently they plan to exercise power through decidedly non-democratic means (Jennings).

New Jersey May Send Friend of Blind Sheik to Congress

I.e.: The Blind Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman behind the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing. We’re talking about New Jersey’s 12 Congressional district. The Candidate is Adam Hamawy—and he’s running in first place: According to the poll, which was conducted by Workbench Strategy from May 5 through May 7, Hamawy has the support of 19% of 12th district Democrats, the most of any candidate in the highly splintered field to succeed Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) (New Jersey Globe). Free Beacon reports: Victims and survivors of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing reacted with shock and horror at the possibility—if not likelihood—that a close associate of the “Blind Sheikh” terrorist mastermind who inspired the attack may soon be a member of Congress. Adam Hamawy, a Princeton plastic surgeon, is a frontrunner in a crowded Democratic primary to replace retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D.) in New Jersey’s deep-blue 12th Congressional District—despite his years-long friendship with Omar Abdel-Rahman, the Muslim extremist cleric who was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 1993 bombing. The February 1993 blast killed 6 people and wounded more than 1,000. Rahman, better known as “the Blind Sheikh,” went on trial in 1995 for his role in the attack. Hamawy was a defense witness in the spectacular trial and described the terrorist as a “leader of the community” on the campaign trail just last week (Free Beacon). The New Jersey primary is June 2.

After Settling Lawsuit With IRS, Trump Creates $1.8 Billion Fund to Fight Weaponization

Axios reports: President Trump settled his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS on Monday in exchange for a $1.776 billion fund to compensate those who claim they were targets of government “weaponization.” The fund creates an unprecedented, taxpayer-backed mechanism to compensate people who claim they were wrongfully targeted, potentially including Jan. 6 defendants. Multiple news outlets had reported earlier that Trump was considering launching the nearly $1.8 billion fund as part of the talks to resolve his lawsuit. Trump, his sons and the Trump organization will receive a formal apology but no payment under the settlement’s terms. Trump sued the IRS after a former contractor leaked his confidential tax returns to The New York Times and ProPublica during his first term. The contractor pleaded guilty and was sentenced to federal prison. The filing says the case was dismissed “with prejudice,” which means Trump can’t refile it (Axios). Wall Street Journal: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will appoint a five-person commission to administer the “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which will last through Dec. 15, 2028, and have the power to issue apologies and pay people who submit claims. Trump will be able to fire commission members (Wall Street Journal).

State of Texas, DOJ Force Houston Hospital to Open First Detransition Clinic

A landmark case that may well indicate more to come. Fox News: Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) in Houston agreed to stop administering puberty blockers to children, pay $10 million in penalties and open a “detransition clinic” after a sweeping probe from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the state of Texas. The resolution brings to a close a years-long investigation by Texas’ Healthcare Program Enforcement Division, which concluded that TCH fraudulently billed Texas Medicaid for “unallowable and illegal ‘gender-transition’ interventions,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote in a Friday statement. “Under the terms of this landmark agreement, Texas Children’s will establish the first-ever multidisciplinary clinic designed to provide medical care to patients who were subjected to ‘gender-transition’ procedures,” Paxton wrote (MSN). Ed Morrisey: Readers may recall that this probe began when a TCH doctor blew the whistle on its persistence in pursuing sex-change therapies for children. Dr. Ethan Haim got targeted in a DoJ indictment ginned up by Merrick Garland et al in retaliation for exposing the practices to which TCH now admits. Haim had sent redacted files proving that TCH continued these practices after a March 2022 promise to stop, allowing Christopher Rufo to expose TCH…. Despicable. Merrick Garland’s DoJ weaponized its authority to silence Haim in retaliation for exposing the mutilation and sterilization of children, and the pediatric-transitioner industry attempted to ruin him through defamation for it (Hot Air).

After Russian Strikes on Kyiv, Ukraine Strikes Deep in Russian Territory

Rattling the Putin regime. Telegraph: Ukraine unleashed its biggest attack on Moscow in a year, firing nearly 600 drones overnight in retaliation for strikes on Kyiv. Three people were killed after 586 drones were shot down over Russian territory, Sergey Sobyanin, the Moscow mayor, said. The attack on the region around the capital lasted from Saturday evening into the early hours of Sunday morning. It was the biggest on the area in more than a year, according to Russian state media (Telegraph). Institute for the Study of War: Ukraine’s May 16 to 17 strike series proved that Russia is unable to effectively defend the Russian capital, a weakness that generated significant frustration in the Russian ultranationalist information space. The Kremlin’s response to the strikes thus far has been muted and likely aimed at downplaying the impact of the strikes, in contrast to the harsh milblogger responses. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticized the Ukrainian strikes for their purported impact against civilians, omitting the several successful strikes against Russian defense industrial plants and oil infrastructure objects (ISW).

Senate Confirms Nearly 50 of Trump’s Nominees

The nominees included U.S. attorneys, U.S. marshals, ambassadors and members of a number of agencies, including the departments of War, Transportation, Energy and more. And: The only reason they could confirm them was as a result of the fact that the GOP changed the rules last year (Brookings). Fox News: Senate Republicans moved one step closer to clearing out the backlog of President Donald Trump’s nominees. The GOP confirmed 49 of Trump’s picks on Monday, a move that will have installed 60% of his civilian nominees. It’s also the fourth time Republicans have confirmed a slate of nominees in a batch since changing the Senate’s rules last year…. Senate Democrats for much of last year had blocked most nominees from getting confirmed. Typically, civilian nominees were often confirmed without actually having to take a full vote on the Senate floor. That obstruction, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in a bid to prevent Trump from molding the federal government to fit with his agenda, spurred Republicans to go nuclear and change the Senate’s rules. That move, the fourth time that lawmakers have turned to the nuclear option in the Senate, lowered the threshold for certain picks to just a simple majority rather than the typical 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster (Fox News).

Our Youth’s Infatuation With Socialism Has Been Both Swift and Deep

Andy Kessler looks at the disturbing trend: What’s with the rash of socialists inflaming our politics? Didn’t socialism die in Berlin in 1989? Yes, but awful ideas are eternal for the power-hungry…. America’s youth are infatuated—almost two-thirds of those under 30 have a “favorable view” of socialism. They are told artificial intelligence will destroy jobs; they worry about never-arriving climate disasters and are seduced by universal basic income (aka welfare for all). Oh, and they hate the filthy inequality schemes and unfathomable riches of billionaires—but they sure enjoy iPhones and Starbucks’s Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso. Young voters help elect oxymoronic democratic socialists. The effect has been swift. In April, Seattle’s socialist mayor, Katie Wilson, declared, “I think the claims that millionaires are going to leave our state are, like, super overblown. And if—the ones that leave, like, bye.” Starbucks announced a $100 million expansion in Nashville, Tenn., and former CEO Howard Schultz moved to Florida. As in, like, bye (Wall Street Journal).