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President Trump Announces Pause to Project Freedom
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As the president cites progress towards a deal with Iran. Trump on Tuesday evening: 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 ( Truth). Wall Street Journal: Earlier, the United Arab Emirates said it was intercepting new attacks from Iran hours after a Pentagon briefing in which the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, said Iran’s military actions didn’t rise to the level of restarting the war. Tehran denied it had carried out any attack against the U.A.E. but warned of a crushing response if its interests are targeted from Emirati territory ( Wall Street Journal).
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Surprise: Schism Amongst Leaders in Iran
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With the President Masoud Pezeshkian and the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGS) Ahmad Vahidi feuding over recent actions in the gulf. Some have speculated that Vahidi is really the one on charge. Iran International: Exclusive information obtained by Iran International points to a growing clash between Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and its military leadership over Monday’s escalation in the Persian Gulf and attacks on the United Arab Emirates. According to sources familiar with Tehran’s deliberations, Pezeshkian has expressed strong anger at actions by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, led by Ahmad Vahidi, describing missile and drone strikes on the UAE as “completely irresponsible” and carried out without the government’s knowledge or coordination. Pezeshkian is said to have described the IRGC’s approach to escalating tensions with regional countries as “madness,” warning of potentially irreversible consequences. Amid a worsening situation and the risk of the country sliding back into war, Pezeshkian has requested an urgent meeting with Mojtaba Khamenei to press for an immediate halt to IRGC attacks on Gulf states and to prevent further escalation…. The tensions come as diplomatic efforts to preserve the ceasefire continue, but with a widening gap between military and political approaches inside Iran’s leadership ( Iran Intl).
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The Problem in Making Peace With Iran’s Rulers Is Intrinsic: Their Ideology Militates Against It
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The Shi’a clerics have an apocalyptic view of the future as they look for the 12 th Iman to be revealed. But: To hasten the day, they believe they, “must hasten that return through conflict, chaos, bloodshed and martyrdom.” That’s from Cliff May of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. More: Iran’s rulers see themselves as jihadis fighting a holy war against the enemies of Allah. They can contemplate temporary ceasefires, periods of calm that allow them to rearm for the next battle, but a serious “peace deal” would be out of the question. A deeper layer of complexity here is worth noting: Twelver Shiites. They believe the 12th Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, was “occulted,” hidden by Allah more than 1,000 years ago, and will eventually return as the Mahdi, essentially the messiah. Mainstream Twelver theology holds that his reappearance is divinely timed and that believers should wait patiently. Yet followers of Ayatollah Khomeini assert that Muslims must hasten that return through conflict, chaos, bloodshed and martyrdom. Twenty years ago, Bernard Lewis, the great scholar of Islam, observed that for those who believe mass death accelerates the journey to paradise, “mutual assured destruction is not a constraint; it is an inducement.” American negotiators, in particular, would do well to bear that in mind ( Washington Times).
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California Is Running Out of Crude; ‘there are no more vessels currently en route’
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California has been uniquely vulnerable to a crisis of Middle Eastern oil. States like Texas are producing oil in abundance—while California is shutting wells, shuttering refineries and chasing the industry out. Now: It’s coming back to haunt them. New York Post: California is about to face the most brutal test of the gas crisis yet as the final ship carrying oil from the Middle East arrived in the Golden State. The last oil tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz since the Iran war kicked off docked at the Port of Long Beach with two million barrels for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Despite the West Coast being heavily reliant on fossil fuels out of the Persian Gulf due to crippling eco-policies from Gavin Newsom, there are no more vessels currently en route. Oil giants and experts tore into California’s Democratic leaders for letting the state become so exposed to supply problems out of the Middle East while crucifying any production at home ( New York Post). Beege Welborn at Hot Air: Where’s the oil to make up the difference to come from? It’s so weird and so dire that the Los Angeles Times has suddenly taken an interest in ‘Whudda we do now, George?’: “In two weeks, the Hong Kong-flagged tanker will have fully unloaded at the Marathon Petroleum terminal and departed again for distant waters. After that, California must figure out how to replace some 200,000 barrels of oil a day that will no longer be arriving from the Persian Gulf.” If only they’d cared a few years earlier. But even then, they can’t be honest about it ( Hot Air).
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A Closer Look at Alito in the Louisiana v. Callais Decision
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Earlier this week, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson accused the court of unshackling itself from constraints by allowing the Louisiana to move forward expeditiously in their effort to create new, constitutional maps ( Supreme Court). The Wall Street Journal looks at an interesting footnote: Justice Alito writes, “That constitutional question was argued and conferenced nearly seven months ago.” He’s calling unusual attention to the fact that the Justices privately discussed and decided the constitutional issue in Louisiana v. Callais shortly after they heard the oral argument on Oct. 15, 2025. That means the Court waited an unusually long time to release its decision. Why the delay if the Court’s ultimate ruling was clear? Opinions in cases the Court hears in October are often released early in the next year. Could it have been because concurring Justices other than Thomas and Gorsuch had demanded legal complications that Justice Alito painstakingly included in his opinion? Or did Justice Elena Kagan slow-roll her furious dissent? We don’t know, but it’s a relevant question given that the later the decision was announced the more states would have passed their primary election deadlines under the unconstitutional map. In their concurrence last week, Justices Thomas and Gorsuch said they would have preferred a much more straightforward analysis that the Voting Rights Act bans all racial gerrymanders. The footnote suggests some pique by Justice Alito about the Court’s long gestation on Callais, and understandably so since Justice Jackson is accusing the majority of playing politics ( Wall Street Journal).
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Florida’s AG Opens Investigation Into SPLC
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The problems are getting worse for the Southern Poverty Law Center. Ed Morrissey: The more the merrier? When it comes to interstate fraud, that may be more true than the Southern Poverty Law Center knows. And more than it can withstand, too. The SPLC already faces a federal criminal indictment alleging fraud and money laundering in its use of donor funds to pay off hate-group leaders and organizers, including the infamous Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. So far, the Department of Justice has only indicted the organization and not any of its leaders. However, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has just announced a new civil fraud probe of the SPLC and its leadership, and that may make matters for the SPLC even more complicated: “Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier launched an investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center Monday, piggybacking off federal charges filed against the organization.” … Now imagine if ten state Attorneys General opened up civil and/or criminal fraud probes. The effect will be geometric if not exponential, not to mention how it will sap whatever resources the SPLC has in defending itself in these investigations and subsequent indictments and judgments. Small wonder Ship celebrated last night after learning of Uthmeier’s move. The SPLC’s woes are just beginning. Let’s hope they continue to worsen ( Hot Air).
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Secretary of State Rubio Fills in for Karoline Leavitt at White House Briefing
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Leavitt is out on maternity leave. Rubio—who is both Secretary of State and National Security Advisor—demonstrated yet again how very competent he is. The Hill: Marco Rubio, the secretary of State and national security adviser for President Trump, tried on yet another hat Tuesday at the White House press briefing, taking questions on the Iran war and foreign policy in a performance that had all the bearings of a presidential tryout. Rubio, who spent 14 years in the Senate representing Florida, answered reporters in multiple languages, joked with the press in a way that is uncommon at Trump’s White House and navigated shouted questions about topics ranging from the Middle East, Latin America, the Vatican, and U.S. gas prices ( The Hill). Rubio’s message was clear on Iran: he explained if Iran developed a nuclear weapon, then there was nothing the US could do about it. “Everybody needs to think about it this way, if Iran had a nuclear weapon and they decided to close the straits and make our gas prices like $9 a gallon or $8 a gallon, we wouldn’t be able to do anything about it because they have a nuclear weapon,” Rubio said. “A nuclear-armed Iran could do whatever the hell they want with the straits, and there’s nothing anyone would be able to do about it.” He also shrugged off a question that talks could take a while, given Iran’s high pain tolerance, answering with one of his trademark comebacks. “You’re right they have a high pain threshold, but they don’t have an unlimited pain threshold,” he said ( New York Post).
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Alberta Separatists Gather Sufficient Signatures to Force Independence Vote This October
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The polling for the measure is a statistical tie: 49 percent express support for independence, 51 percent opposing. New York Sun: Backers of a separatist movement in Alberta — an oil and cattle-fueled province more akin to Texas than the rest of Canada — say they have enough signatures to force a referendum on forming its own country. The separatists needed 178,000 signatures and they say they collected more than 300,000 by a May 2 deadline. A group called “Stay Free Alberta” turned in the petition on Monday and must now wait for the names to be verified. That process normally takes 21 days from the date of submission but there is a legal challenge that is delaying the process. A court order is pausing verification as a group of Alberta First Nations wage a court fight against the separation movement. They claim that if Alberta breaks away from Canada, it would violate their treaty rights…. Premier Danielle Smith has said that she is not in favor of Alberta seceding but said she would add it to the referendum if enough names are verified. The wording of the question would be very clear: “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?” A “yes” vote would not immediately trigger independence as officials from Alberta would need to negotiate with the federal government ( New York Sun).
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Trump Calls for National Shabbot as Part of America’s 250th
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The president is tying together the ongoing fight against antisemitism, Jewish American Heritage Month and the broader rededication of the nation, appreciating and embracing our Judeo-Christian heritage. Catherine Salgado at PJ Media: In a May 4 proclamation, Trump wrote, “This Jewish American Heritage Month, we honor the countless contributions of Jewish Americans throughout our Nation’s 250 glorious years of independence, and we celebrate their unwavering commitment to the values that make our country great — faith, family, and freedom.” He harkened back to George Washington’s praise for the Jewish community at the time of the Revolution and Founding of our nation, officially designated May as Jewish Heritage Month…. ( PJ Media). Jerusalem Post: US President Donald Trump encouraged American Jews to observe a national Sabbath from sundown on May 15 to nightfall on May 16 in honor of 250 years of American independence. The suggestion was made during his Jewish American Heritage Month proclamation on Monday. Celebrating a national Sabbath, he said, would honor the “countless contributions of Jewish Americans throughout our nation’s 250 glorious years of independence” as well as recognize the Jewish tradition of setting aside time for rest, reflection, and gratitude to God ( Jerusalem Post). The president’s proclamation: ( White House).
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Tomorrow: Nation to Mark National Day of Prayer
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With a theme, “Glorify God Among the Nations.” The formal, legal history of the day goes back to 1952, when Senator Frank Carlson initiated legislation that stated: The President shall set aside and proclaim a suitable day each year, other than a Sunday, as a National Day of Prayer, on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals ( National Day of Prayer) . Live broadcast tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. ET: ( National Day of Prayer). In January, President Trump issued a proclamation, calling for 2026 a year of celebration and rededication: The Bible teaches: “In all circumstances give thanks.” As such, it is fitting that we mark this special year as a unique occasion to celebrate our proud history, reflect on our abundant blessings, pray for our country and our people, and rededicate ourselves as one Nation under God. From the earliest days of our national story, reflection and thanksgiving have been central to our character, identity, and destiny. Just weeks before declaring independence, the Second Continental Congress ordered a day of “fasting, humiliation and prayer,” petitioning God “to pardon all our manifold sins and transgressions” and to “establish the peace and freedom of America, upon a solid and lasting foundation” ( White House).
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