TRUMP RAGE-POSTS AT 6:15 AM ON MEMORIAL DAY – “HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE DUMOCRATS”
President Donald Trump, 79, marked Memorial Day Monday with an early morning rampage on Truth Social, firing his first post at 6:15 a.m. labeling Democrats “Dumocrats” who “disrespect our Military.” His Iran war so far has killed 13 U.S. service members. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s flagship Vision 2030 project has hit a wall: NEOM has paused construction on The Line — the 170-kilometer dual mirrored skyscrapers originally pitched as housing 9 million people — until at least 2031. The 2026 fiscal deficit stands at $33.5 billion in Q1 alone (194% of the full-year target). The Asian Winter Games at Trojena are postponed indefinitely.
🇺🇸 MEMORIAL DAY MELTDOWN
189 NIGHT POSTS IN APRIL — TRUMP ALSO JOKED ABOUT “NOT MANY DONALDS BURIED AT ARLINGTON”
President Donald Trump, 79, marked Memorial Day Monday with an early-morning Truth Social rampage starting at 6:15 a.m. The opening salvo: “Happy Memorial Day to all, including the Dumocrats, who disrespect our Military.” Targets across multiple posts: senators Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, and congressman Thomas Massie — all Republicans who questioned the Iran war. A Daily Beast analysis found Trump posted 189 times between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. in April alone. Later at Arlington National Cemetery, Trump “joked” that “not too many soldiers named Donald” were buried there. Trump received five military deferments during the Vietnam era — four academic, one for bone spurs (later disputed by his doctor’s daughter as a favor to his father). The Iran war he launched in February 2026 has killed 13 U.S. service members.
TRUMP BOUGHT $680,000 IN ELI LILLY STOCK AS HIS ADMIN BOOSTED ITS OBESITY DRUGS
Federal ethics disclosures released May 14 show Trump bought up to $680,000 in Eli Lilly stock between January and March 2026, while his administration pursued an agenda benefitting the maker of blockbuster GLP-1 obesity drugs. Lilly’s market cap: just under $1 trillion. Company revenue jumped from $45B (2024) to $65B in 2025, with 2026 projected above $80B. Critical to that surge: Medicare coverage of obesity drugs starts July 1, 2026 — historically Medicare hasn’t covered them. TD Cowen analysts called Medicare adoption “critical” to the projection. Trump’s other trades during the same period include Microsoft, Nvidia, Boeing, Target, and Chipotle.
📰 SOURCES
🏗️ SAUDI ARABIA — THE LINE
NEOM ORIGINAL TARGET: 9 MILLION RESIDENTS — REVISED 2030 TARGET: 100,000 ACROSS ALL ZONES
Saudi Arabia’s NEOM has paused all further work on The Line — the planned 170-kilometer twin mirrored skyscrapers originally projected to cost over $1 trillion — until at least after 2030. The kingdom’s Public Investment Fund is redirecting capital toward ports and data centers. The 2030 population target across all NEOM zones has been slashed to 100,000 people — vs. the 9 million MBS announced for The Line alone in January 2021. Trojena, the mountain resort meant to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games, will get no new investment. PIF also halted funding for LIV Golf ($5B sunk) and the giant cube Mukaab in Riyadh. Q1 2026 fiscal deficit: $33.5 billion — 194% of the full-year target. Webuild (Italy) had its €1B Connector High Speed Line contract terminated with only 20% work complete.
🇲🇽 MEXICO — SERIAL KILLER
PUERTO VALLARTA: 3 WOMEN MURDERED — ALL TATTOOED, 30-35 YEARS OLD, PARTIALLY UNDRESSED
Three women have been found murdered in Puerto Vallarta — a popular resort destination for American tourists in Mexico — in less than three weeks, prompting police to investigate possible serial killer activity. First victim: May 10, near scenic viewpoint Rancho El Pirulí. Second: roadside stop along the highway to Mismaloya, about a week later. Third: discovered Thursday on a dirt road near Parque Las Palmas. Common pattern: all victims between 30 and 35 years old, partially undressed, abandoned in isolated areas, with tattoos. Unconfirmed reports suggest the most recent victim is Elizabeth Martínez, 22, who had been reported missing. Investigators are also exploring whether bodies were transported from another location. Puerto Vallarta was already rocked in February when Jalisco New Generation Cartel members rampaged through the city after the death of cartel boss “El Mencho”.
📰 SOURCES
🚭 SWEDEN — SMOKE-FREE
SWEDEN HITS 4.8% — FIRST COUNTRY ON EARTH TO GO “SMOKE-FREE”
Sweden has officially become the world’s first “smoke-free” country: the daily smoking rate has fallen to 4.8% — below the 5% threshold defining smoke-free status, according to the Swedish Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs (CAN). For comparison: EU average is 24%, France 25%, Spain 20%, UK 11%, US 12-13%. The rate fell from 16% in 2003 to 4.8% in 2025. Sweden’s secret: snus (oral tobacco pouches) and white snus (tobacco-free nicotine pouches). White snus sales rose 180% from 2021 to 2024; vape liquid sales jumped 640% in the same window. Result: 61% lower male lung cancer mortality than EU average, total cancer deaths 34% below. In January 2025, the Swedish government cut snus taxes by 20% while raising cigarette taxes by 10%.
🌐 TECH — DEEPFAKE PORN
TWO MEN ARRESTED FOR CREATING AI DEEPFAKE PORN — CONNECTICUT, FLORIDA
Federal prosecutors have arrested two men in separate cases for creating AI-generated deepfake pornography of identifiable women, marking some of the first cases under the Take It Down Act signed into law in 2025. The act criminalizes the publication of “intimate visual depictions” created by AI without the subject’s consent — even when the images depict adults. Victims included co-workers, neighbors, and former classmates, with images posted to dark-web forums and revenge-porn sites. Tools used: open-source Stable Diffusion derivatives and commercial “undress” apps. Estimated 23,000 such sites operated globally in 2025 per UK research. Both defendants face up to 3 years in federal prison per image distributed.
📰 SOURCES
Every fact checked. Every source named. · NOOWW © 2026
50,000 EVACUATED IN CALIFORNIA OVER CHEMICAL TANK EXPLOSION THREAT
The family of NASCAR legend Kyle Busch confirmed Saturday that the two-time Cup Series champion, 41, died Thursday from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis. He was hospitalized after passing out in a racing simulator in Concord, North Carolina, just hours before he was scheduled to race in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Meanwhile, in Southern California, emergency crews are working nonstop to prevent a catastrophic explosion at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove, where a 34,000-gallon tank filled with methyl methacrylate — a volatile, toxic chemical used in plastics manufacturing — has been overheating and threatening to burst. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency as approximately 50,000 residents remain under evacuation orders across Orange County suburbs.
🏁 NASCAR — KYLE BUSCH DEAD
234 WINS ACROSS THREE SERIES — NO DRIVER IN NASCAR HISTORY EVER SCORED MORE
Kyle “Rowdy” Busch, 41, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (2015, 2019), died Thursday from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis. Family statement Saturday: “Rapid and overwhelming associated complications.” Busch passed out Wednesday evening in a racing simulator at a facility in Concord, North Carolina, and was rushed to Charlotte hospital. He had been scheduled Sunday to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 — NASCAR’s longest race at 600 miles. Medical examiner’s findings: he had been coughing up blood and experiencing shortness of breath the day before hospitalization. His all-time wins record — 234 victories across NASCAR’s three top divisions (Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Craftsman Truck Series) — stands unmatched. In the Cup alone, he won 63 races (9th all-time). His brother Kurt is a Hall of Famer.
CALLED IT A “SEVERE ILLNESS” — SEPSIS DEVELOPS WHEN BODY’S RESPONSE TO INFECTION GOES HAYWIRE
Sepsis is a life-threatening medical emergency triggered when the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection — bacteria, virus, or fungus — causing widespread inflammation, microscopic blood clots, and leaking blood vessels that can damage vital organs within hours. Busch had competed at Watkins Glen on May 10 with what he described as a sinus cold, asking his pit crew for a doctor’s “shot” after the race. He bounced back to win the Truck Series race at Dover last weekend and ran the All-Star Race on Sunday, finishing 17th. His racing team Richard Childress Racing announced his suspension from the sport Sunday; Busch’s number 8 car will not be used until his son Brexton is old enough to race professionally. Fellow driver Brad Keselowski said Busch “wasn’t feeling well recently” but had hidden it well.
🌪️ CALIFORNIA — CHEMICAL CRISIS
“WORST-CASE SCENARIO I’VE FACED IN MY CAREER” — ORANGE COUNTY FIRE CHIEF
Approximately 50,000 residents across six Orange County cities — Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park, Westminster — remain under evacuation orders after a 34,000-gallon storage tank at GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems Inc. overheated and began leaking methyl methacrylate, a volatile, highly flammable chemical used in acrylic plastics and aerospace manufacturing. Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said Saturday: “This is as real as it gets. This thing is going to fail unless some brilliant guy figures out how we can mitigate this incident.” Crews have been spraying water on the tank to cool it. About 7,000 gallons remain inside. The facility is located roughly 5 miles from Disneyland and 4 miles from Knott’s Berry Farm — both remain operational and outside the evacuation zone.
CRACK DISCOVERED SATURDAY NIGHT — “EITHER SPILL OR CATASTROPHIC EXPLOSION”
Late Sunday, crews discovered a crack in the tank’s exterior and launched an all-night mission to determine if the fissure goes all the way through — a key indicator of whether dangerous internal pressure has already been released. Temperature gauges inside the tank maxed out at 100 degrees Fahrenheit, making it impossible to know the true internal heat. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday and mobilized nearly 800 state and local first responders — toxicologists, hazmat teams, public health experts. A class-action lawsuit was already filed. Officials warned that fire officials are attempting to solidify the chemical from the outside inward — a process likened to freezing an ice cube — but acknowledged the process may fail catastrophically.
📰 SOURCES
🦠 EBOLA — CONGO UNRAVELING
TWO TREATMENT CENTERS TORCHED — 18 PATIENTS WITH EBOLA FLEE AFTER SECOND FIRE
Residents of a town at the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo burned a second treatment facility Saturday night, causing 18 patients with suspected Ebola to escape and remain unaccounted for, according to Dr. Richard Lokudi, director of Mongbwalu hospital. The tent was set on fire by angry villagers at a Doctors Without Borders clinic in Mongbwalu, Ituri Province. Thursday, residents had already torched an Ebola treatment center in the town of Rwampara after authorities refused to release the body of a suspected Ebola victim — a local footballer — for traditional funeral rites. Six patients were receiving treatment at that facility; all were accounted for and transferred. WHO has upgraded the national risk level to “very high” but assesses global risk as “low.”
RARE BUNDIBUGYO STRAIN — NO VACCINE, NO SPECIFIC TREATMENT — 750 SUSPECTED CASES, 177 DEATHS
This is not the Zaire Ebola strain more commonly seen in Congo — it’s Bundibugyo, a rare variant for which there is no available vaccine and no specific treatment. The WHO warned Friday that violence and misinformation are hampering containment efforts. Outbreak began in late April but went undetected for weeks because health authorities tested for Zaire (which came back negative), allowing the virus to spread uncontrolled through two provinces. Current tally: 671 suspected cases, 160 suspected deaths (WHO says at least 177); more are expected as surveillance expands. Dr. Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said any response must rebuild community trust — a challenge given the violence. Police have fired warning shots and tear gas at protesters demanding proper burial practices.
📰 SOURCES
☢️ IRAN — DEAL STALLS
TRUMP PUMPS THE BRAKES: “DON’T RUSH” A NUCLEAR DEAL
Sunday, President Trump instructed his negotiators to “not rush” toward a nuclear accord with Iran — just hours after claiming a deal was “largely negotiated.” The shift triggered market volatility and confused allies. Three sticking points remain: Iran’s insistence on keeping its uranium stockpile inside the country; Tehran’s new toll on the Strait of Hormuz (up to $2 million per ship); and the unresolved ballistic missile program. The U.S.-Israeli-Iranian war, launched February 28, 2026 (after US-Israeli airstrikes that killed Supreme Leader Khamenei), continues. Iran’s uranium enrichment hovers near military threshold levels, while officials deny any weapons ambitions. GOP senators like Marco Rubio have warned any deal could “strengthen Tehran” — a line that echoes Trump’s own past rhetoric.
🤐 POLITICS — POMPEO VS TRUMP
WHITE HOUSE TELLS EX-SECRETARY POMPEO TO “SHUT HIS STUPID MOUTH”
The White House escalated its feud with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Saturday, telling him publicly to “shut his stupid mouth” after Pompeo criticized the Iran negotiations on cable news. Pompeo, once Trump’s most hawkish foreign policy voice, has increasingly broken ranks with the administration. The personal attack — delivered on the record to reporters — marks a departure from typical presidential decorum and reflects the administration’s touchy relationship with establishment Republicans. Pompeo had called the emerging Iran framework “a disaster for American interests.” Whether the rebuke signals Trump’s confidence in the deal or his frustration with skeptics remains unclear.
📰 SOURCES
Every fact checked. Every source named. · NOOWW © 2026
GUNMAN KILLED AT WHITE HOUSE CHECKPOINT – 30 SHOTS FIRED
Just after 6 p.m. Saturday, a gunman opened fire on Secret Service agents at a checkpoint at the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, just outside the White House. Up to 30 shots rang out over a few seconds. Agents returned fire, fatally wounding the suspect; a bystander was hit in the exchange. President Trump was inside the Oval Office, unharmed. Hours earlier, Trump had announced that a Memorandum of Understanding to end the U.S.-Israel war with Iran had been “largely negotiated” — including reopening the Strait of Hormuz — pending final sign-off from Tehran and several mediating countries.
🚨 WHITE HOUSE SHOOTOUT
SECRET SERVICE KILLS SUSPECT, REPORTERS FLEE INTO BRIEFING ROOM
A gunman opened fire on a Secret Service checkpoint Saturday at 6 p.m., at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, just outside the White House grounds. Agents returned fire; the suspect — who never breached the perimeter — was killed. A bystander was hit in serious condition. Up to 30 shots were heard in seconds. White House reporters on the North Lawn were rushed into the James Brady Press Briefing Room. President Trump, inside the Oval Office negotiating the Iran deal, was unharmed. This is the second major security incident in a month: a gunman had also stormed the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25, prompting Trump’s emergency evacuation.
🤝 IRAN — “MOU” ANNOUNCED
DEAL WOULD REOPEN HORMUZ — BUT URANIUM ISSUE PUNTED
Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday that a “Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE” with Iran had been “largely negotiated.” Final sign-off needed from Iran and from the mediator countries: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Bahrain. Key provision: reopening of the Strait of Hormuz (the shipping chokepoint that carried 20% of global oil before the war). What’s NOT in the deal: any mention of Iran’s nuclear program or its highly enriched uranium stockpile — Tehran has insisted on saving that for later talks. The war began with US-Israeli strikes on February 28; this is the latest of several near-deals that have collapsed.
🎯 IVANKA — IRGC PLOT
“KILL IVANKA TO BURN DOWN THE HOUSE OF TRUMP”
According to a New York Post report Friday, an Iraqi national trained by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — Iran’s most powerful military and ideological force — plotted to assassinate Ivanka Trump, 44, the president’s eldest daughter and senior White House advisor in his first term. The man, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, 32, was arrested May 15 in Turkey and extradited to the US. Motive: revenge for the 2020 US drone strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, ordered by Trump. Al-Saadi allegedly held a blueprint of Ivanka’s Florida home and is also tied to plots against US synagogues in New York, LA and Arizona.
📰 SOURCES
🌋 HAWAII — MAG 6.0
BIG ISLAND ROCKED, FELT AS FAR AS KAUAI
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Hawaii’s Big Island at 9:46 p.m. local time Friday, centered 8 miles south of Honaunau-Napoopoo on the western flank of Mauna Loa, at a depth of 14 miles. 7,000 people experienced violent shaking; tremors were felt as far as Kauai, 400+ miles away. Rockslides closed parts of Highway 11. No tsunami was generated. According to the USGS, the quake came from “bending of the oceanic plate from the weight of the Hawaiian island chain” — not from volcanic activity. No casualties reported, but light to moderate property damage on the Kona coast.
⚗️ CALIFORNIA — TANK MAY BLOW
NEWSOM DECLARES EMERGENCY — 40,000 EVACUATED IN ORANGE COUNTY
Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, Saturday as a 34,000-gallon tank of methyl methacrylate (a flammable liquid used to make Plexiglas and aerospace resins) at a GKN Aerospace plant in Garden Grove continues to leak — and to heat up. The internal temperature has climbed to 90 °F (32 °C), raising fears of a rupture or explosion. 40,000 residents in Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster were evacuated. Firefighters spent overnight inside the hot zone trying to cool an adjacent tank. The Orange County DA has opened an investigation into the cause of the failure. No injuries reported yet.
🇨🇳 TAIWAN — 100+ VESSELS
CHINA DEPLOYS 100+ SHIPS AFTER TRUMP-XI SUMMIT
Taiwan’s National Security Council Secretary General Joseph Wu said Saturday that China has deployed over 100 navy and coast guard vessels in regional waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and Western Pacific, following the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing. The US Congress approved a $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan in January, but Trump has yet to sign off — and US arms shipments are temporarily paused due to the Iran war, per acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao. Taiwanese officials say they were not consulted on the pause.
✈️ JAPAN — HYPERSONIC JET
JAXA TESTS MACH 5 ENGINE — TOKYO-NYC IN 1H45
Japan’s space agency JAXA conducted its first Mach 5 combustion test at the Kakuda Space Center in Miyagi this week — meaning 5 times the speed of sound, roughly 3,800 mph. That’s 2.5 times faster than the Concorde (Mach 2, retired in 2003 after the deadly 2000 Paris crash). At Mach 5, a Tokyo-to-New York flight would theoretically take just 1 hour 45 minutes instead of 14 hours. Reality check: at Mach 5, the plane’s outer surface reaches close to 1,000 °C — comparable to spacecraft reentry. Researchers estimate commercial flights are still at least 20 years away.
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🏁 KYLE BUSCH — CAUSE OF DEATH
FAMILY: SEVERE PNEUMONIA TURNED INTO SEPSIS
The Busch family confirmed Saturday that Kyle Busch died from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis — a runaway whole-body immune reaction to infection that can kill within hours. He had been treating what he thought was a sinus cold for weeks. Wednesday, a 911 call obtained by NBC News describes him “coughing up blood” on a bathroom floor at a General Motors training facility before paramedics arrived. He died Thursday at 41. Richard Childress Racing announced Friday they will retire the No. 8 car for the rest of the 2026 season in his honor. His record of 234 NASCAR wins across the three top series remains unmatched.
📺 TRUMP TARGETS COLBERT
TRUMP POSTS AI VIDEO DUMPING COLBERT IN A TRASH CAN
Less than 24 hours after Stephen Colbert’s emotional Late Show finale, Trump posted on Truth Social an AI-generated video showing him sneak up behind Colbert during his farewell monologue, grab him by the shoulders and throw him into a green dumpster. Trump then closes the lid and dances to “YMCA” by the Village People (his rally song). The official White House X account shared the clip with the caption “Bye-bye.” Colbert, who hosted the Late Show for 11 years on CBS, had repeatedly criticized Trump and Paramount’s $16M settlement with him. Trump’s earlier morning post: “Colbert is finally finished at CBS.”
📻 CBS NEWS RADIO — OFF AIR
EDWARD R. MURROW’S NETWORK SIGNS OFF AFTER 98 YEARS
CBS News Radio went silent at 11 p.m. ET Friday after nearly a century on the air. Launched in September 1927, it had served around 700 affiliated stations across the US at the time of its closure. It was home to legends like Edward R. Murrow (whose live broadcasts from rooftops during the London Blitz in 1940 invented modern war reporting), Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather. Parent company Paramount Skydance pulled the plug citing “challenging economic realities”. The closure comes the same week as the Late Show finale — both on Paramount’s watch as it tries to acquire CNN’s parent Warner Bros. Discovery.
🎬 CANNES — DOUBLE PALME
“FJORD” WINS PALME D’OR — MUNGIU’S SECOND
Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu, 58, won his second Palme d’Or Saturday night for “Fjord”, a drama starring Sebastian Stan (Marvel’s Winter Soldier) and Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve about a Romanian-Norwegian couple suspected of mistreating their children in a remote Norwegian village. Mungiu’s first Palme came in 2007 for “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” about clandestine abortion in Ceaușescu’s Romania. He joins a small club of double-Palme directors including the Dardenne brothers (Belgium), Ken Loach (UK) and Michael Haneke (Austria). Belgian-French actress Virginie Efira won Best Actress for “Soudain” by Japanese director Ryūsuke Hamaguchi.
📰 SOURCES
Every fact checked. Every source named. · NOOWW © 2026
Pentagon UFO video shows F-16 shooting down object over Lake Huron
Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democrat-turned-Republican who has run all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies since Trump returned to the White House, resigned Friday. Official reason: her husband Abraham Williams has been diagnosed with an extremely rare bone cancer. Backstory: she had clashed publicly with Trump over Iran, refusing to call Tehran an “imminent threat” before the war. Same day, new details emerged on NASCAR icon Kyle Busch’s sudden death at 41 — he was reportedly found unresponsive in a Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord, NC, and 911 audio describes him “coughing up blood” before paramedics arrived.
🕴️ GABBARD RESIGNS
FOURTH WOMAN TO QUIT TRUMP CABINET IN THREE MONTHS
Tulsi Gabbard, 45, was sworn in as Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in February 2025 — the top job that coordinates all 18 U.S. spy agencies including the CIA, NSA, and FBI. A former Hawaii Democratic congresswoman who switched parties in 2024 to back Trump, she had been increasingly sidelined: in March, before the Iran war, she refused to confirm Trump’s claim that Iran was an “imminent threat” in Senate testimony. Trump publicly snapped back: “I don’t care what she said. She’s wrong.” Her deputy Aaron Lukas takes over on an acting basis from June 30.
💍 TRUMP SKIPS SON’S WEDDING
“I HAVE A THING CALLED IRAN” — TRUMP STAYS IN D.C.
President Trump announced Friday he will not attend his eldest son Don Jr.’s Memorial Day weekend wedding in the Bahamas to Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, 39. The couple actually got legally married Thursday in West Palm Beach (standard step before a foreign ceremony). Trump’s stated reason: “circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America.” The day before he had been blunter: “This is not good timing for me. I have a thing called Iran and other things. That’s one I can’t win on. If I attend, I get killed. If I don’t, I get killed by the fake news.”
📺 CBS NEWS RADIO — END OF AN ERA
99 YEARS ON AIR ENDS FRIDAY NIGHT AT 11 P.M.
CBS News Radio — launched in September 1927, home over its history to legendary broadcasters Edward R. Murrow (the man who exposed Senator McCarthy), Walter Cronkite, Charles Osgood and Dan Rather — signed off for the last time Friday at 11 p.m. ET. It still served around 700 stations across America. Parent company Paramount Skydance pulled the plug, citing “challenging economic realities”. The shutdown comes the same week as the Colbert Late Show finale — both blows happen on Paramount’s watch, as it tries to swallow CNN’s parent Warner Bros. Discovery in a separate megadeal.
📉 RECORD-LOW CONSUMER MOOD
AMERICANS NEVER FELT THIS GLOOMY ABOUT THE ECONOMY — EVER
The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index — the most-watched monthly gauge of how Americans feel about the economy, running since 1952 — fell in May to 44.8, the lowest reading in the survey’s 74-year history. Worse than during the Great Recession (2008-2009) or pandemic-era inflation peak. The driver: gas prices, pushed up by the Iran war and the ongoing Strait of Hormuz disruption. 57% of Americans say high prices are hurting their personal finances. Independents and Republicans drove the drop — Democrats’ mood was already low and didn’t change much.
📰 SOURCES
🇨🇺 CUBA — WAR FOOTING
USS NIMITZ STRIKE GROUP ARRIVES OFF CUBA
The USS Nimitz — a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with its full strike group of fighter jets and warships — entered the Caribbean on May 20, Cuban Independence Day. That same day, the U.S. Justice Department filed federal murder charges against Raúl Castro (94, brother of Fidel, ex-president of Cuba 2008-2018) for the 1996 shootdown of two civilian planes from “Brothers to the Rescue” that killed four people. Cuba’s deputy foreign minister has told citizens to “prepare for war”. Since January 2026, the U.S. has imposed over 240 sanctions on Cuba and intercepted at least 7 oil tankers headed for the island, causing blackouts of up to 25 hours a day across more than half the country.
👑 ANDREW — NEW PROBE
FORMER PRINCE NOW PROBED FOR ALLEGED SEX OFFENCES
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, 66 — formerly Prince Andrew, stripped of his royal titles by his brother King Charles III in October 2025 — is now under a fresh police investigation. Thames Valley Police (the local force covering Windsor, Berkshire) confirmed Friday they are investigating an alleged 2010 sexual incident at his former Royal Lodge residence. A woman allegedly trafficked to the UK by Jeffrey Epstein (the financier convicted as a sex offender who died in jail in 2019) is at the centre of the new probe. Andrew was already arrested in February 2026 over alleged misconduct in public office tied to Epstein. He denies all wrongdoing.
🛸 PENTAGON UFO FILES
VIDEO: F-16 SHOOTS DOWN MYSTERY OBJECT OVER LAKE HURON
The Pentagon released Friday a newly declassified infrared video showing an Air Force F-16 fighter jet shooting down an unidentified diamond-shaped object over Lake Huron, near Michigan, on February 12, 2023. The footage shows the object exploding into shrapnel after impact. Notable detail: a second bright white object appears in the crosshairs moments later, floats around, then disappears unexplained. This was part of a wave of four such shootdowns in 8 days in early 2023, after a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon was destroyed off South Carolina. The release was triggered by 8 House lawmakers’ formal request in March for 51 UFO-related records.
🇺🇦 UKRAINE — STAROBELSK STRIKE
DEADLY UKRAINIAN DRONE STRIKE — KIEV AND MOSCOW TELL OPPOSITE STORIES
In Starobelsk, a town in Russian-occupied Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian drone strike killed 6 people and wounded around 40, with another 15 missing. Kyiv says it hit a Russian military command post. Moscow says it hit a school. According to Vladimir Putin, the attack came “in three waves, with 16 drones aimed at the same place” — so, in his words, “not accidental.” Putin has promised retaliation. The war, started by Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, is now on day 1,549.
📰 SOURCES
🏁 KYLE BUSCH — NEW DETAILS
911 AUDIO: “TROUBLE BREATHING, OVERHEATING, COUGHING UP BLOOD”
Kyle Busch, 41 — the NASCAR driver with the most wins in history across all three major series (234 total) — was found unresponsive Wednesday inside a Chevrolet racing simulator (a high-fidelity training rig) in Concord, North Carolina. He died the next day. 911 audio obtained by TMZ describes him “having trouble breathing, overheating, and coughing up blood”. He had been treating a sinus infection for weeks — even radioed his team during a May 10 race at Watkins Glen asking for a doctor and “a shot”. He still raced and won a Truck Series event May 15, then ran the NASCAR All-Star Race May 17. No official cause of death released yet.
📺 COLBERT FAREWELL
PAUL McCARTNEY CLOSES SHOW WITH “HELLO, GOODBYE”
Stephen Colbert hosted The Late Show at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York for the last time Thursday night, ending CBS’s 33-year late-night franchise that started with David Letterman in 1993. Final guests in the run-in included Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal, Steven Spielberg, Bruce Springsteen and Letterman himself. McCartney closed it with “Hello, Goodbye”. CBS pulled the plug last July, days after Colbert called Paramount’s $16 million settlement with Trump a “big fat bribe.” Trump celebrated on Truth Social: “Thank goodness he’s finally gone!” Colbert’s show was still #1 in late-night ratings.
🚖 WAYMO — FREEWAYS PAUSED
ROBOTAXI BLASTED THROUGH CONES, GOT CHASED BY POLICE
Waymo — the self-driving taxi unit of Google’s parent Alphabet — has temporarily suspended all freeway rides nationwide after a software issue. Trigger event: on Monday, a passenger filmed his Waymo “blast through construction cones” on a freeway and get chased by police. He posted on X: “Genuinely thought we were about to die.” Freeway service had only been live in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Miami. Waymo also recalled 3,791 vehicles after a separate April incident where an empty Waymo entered a flooded road. Surface street rides continue. Waymo is racing to reach 1 million paid rides per week by end of 2026.
🎙️ HUNTER BIDEN — UNLIKELY PODCAST
HUNTER BIDEN GOES ON CANDACE OWENS, FLOATS “MOSSAD” THEORY
Hunter Biden, 56 — son of former President Joe Biden, repeatedly tagged by conservatives as a “crackhead” — sat down for a 3-hour podcast with right-wing host Candace Owens, who had insulted him for years. The episode aired Thursday. Biden claimed Trump entered the Iran war under direct pressure from Netanyahu and said Jared Kushner (Trump’s son-in-law) wanted to turn Gaza into “a Trump golf course”. Owens, on her side, has previously claimed an Israeli “Mossad” hand in the September 2025 assassination of MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk. The two former enemies bonded over Israel conspiracy theories and what Biden called the “Epstein class” of D.C. elites.
🐃 OFFBEAT — “TRUMP BUFFALO”
700 KG BANGLADESHI BUFFALO NICKNAMED “DONALD TRUMP” — TO BE SACRIFICED
In Narayanganj, Bangladesh, an albino buffalo with a blonde mane has become an unlikely social-media star. Its owner, Zia Uddin Mridha, says his younger brother nicknamed the 700 kg bull “Donald Trump” because of its flamboyant blonde hair — a nod to the U.S. president. The buffalo will be sacrificed at the end of the month for Eid al-Adha, the Muslim “Festival of Sacrifice” celebrated by ~2 billion Muslims worldwide, in which families traditionally slaughter livestock and share the meat. Bangladesh has about 165 million Muslims, the world’s fourth-largest Muslim population.
📰 SOURCES
Every fact checked. Every source named. · NOOWW © 2026
IRAN PEACE TALKS HIT WALL: URANIUM STAYS, HORMUZ TOLL STANDS
Kyle Busch, the most prolific race-winner in NASCAR history across all three national series (234 victories total), was hospitalized Thursday with a “severe illness” and died hours later. He was 41 and due to race Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Meanwhile, U.S.-Iran talks collapsed again: Iran’s Supreme Leader insisted the country’s uranium stockpile would not leave Iranian soil, while Tehran pushed ahead with a permanent Strait of Hormuz toll — up to $2 million per ship — blocking the path to a deal.
🏁 NASCAR — KYLE BUSCH
234 WINS ACROSS 3 SERIES — MORE THAN ANY DRIVER IN HISTORY
Kyle Busch — nicknamed “Rowdy” — won 63 Cup Series races (9th all-time), 102 in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and 69 in the Craftsman Truck Series, both all-time records. He held two Cup titles: 2015 and 2019, both with Joe Gibbs Racing. His brother Kurt Busch is a NASCAR Hall of Famer. Busch was in his 22nd full-time Cup season and racing for Richard Childress Racing (RCR). No cause of death was disclosed by the family or NASCAR.
DIED JUST 3 DAYS BEFORE THE COCA-COLA 600 AT CHARLOTTE
Busch was scheduled to race Sunday, May 24, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600 — NASCAR’s longest race at 600 miles. His hospitalization was announced Thursday morning; his death confirmed Thursday evening. Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted: “Kyle was one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. No one can deny that. My heart is broken for the Busch family.” Last December, former driver Greg Biffle and his family died in a Statesville, NC plane crash — NASCAR’s second major tragedy in six months.
⚔️ IRAN WAR — HORMUZ TOLL
IRAN CHARGES UP TO $2M PER SHIP — PAID IN YUAN OR BITCOIN
Iran has set up the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) — a new state body — to manage traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical oil chokepoint. In peacetime, the strait carried roughly 20 million barrels of oil per day, about 27% of global maritime oil trade. Ships seeking transit must file a full declaration (owner, crew, cargo, route) and pay reportedly up to $2 million, settled in Chinese yuan or Bitcoin transfers to IRGC-linked wallets. The UN’s shipping agency calls any such toll “a dangerous precedent.”
SUPREME LEADER: URANIUM STAYS IN IRAN — TALKS STALL AGAIN
On May 21, Bloomberg reported that Iran’s response to the latest U.S. proposal “partly bridged the gap” but the Supreme Leader’s insistence on keeping Iran’s uranium stockpile inside the country — and the Hormuz toll dispute — blocked any breakthrough. The U.S.-Israel-Iran war began February 28, 2026, after US-Israeli airstrikes that also killed Supreme Leader Khamenei. As of May 22, 146 of 167 commercial vessels in the Hormuz area are operating “dark” (with transponders switched off) to avoid detection, per maritime tracker Windward.
🇺🇦 UKRAINE — RADIOACTIVE DRONES
RUSSIA FITS DRONES WITH DEPLETED URANIUM WARHEADS
Ukraine’s intelligence agency (SBU) confirmed that a Russian attack drone shot down in the Chernihiv region in April carried a warhead made of depleted uranium — a dense, slightly radioactive metal normally used to pierce tank armor. When the warhead burns or shatters on impact, it releases toxic radioactive dust. Ukrainians are warned not to touch any drone wreckage. Russia has not commented. It is the first confirmed use of radioactive munitions in this war, and Ukraine is taking the case to international courts. Russia has been waging a full-scale invasion of Ukraine since February 2022.
📰 SOURCES
🚀 SPACEX IPO
$1.75 TRILLION IPO TARGETS JUNE 12 — LARGEST IN HISTORY
SpaceX is targeting a June 12, 2026 Nasdaq listing under the ticker SPCX, aiming to raise $75 billion at a $1.75 trillion valuation — which would eclipse Saudi Aramco’s $29B IPO in 2019 as the largest ever. The company’s S-1 prospectus was filed in mid-May. SpaceX merged with Elon Musk’s AI company xAI in 2026, creating a combined entity. Starlink, the satellite internet division, now has 10.3 million subscribers (up from 5 million a year ago). The roadshow begins June 4.
PROFITABLE IN 2024, THEN $4.9B LOSS IN 2025 AFTER THE XAI MERGER
SpaceX was profitable in 2024, then posted a massive loss in 2025 after merging with xAI — because xAI is still burning cash to build AI infrastructure. Investors are essentially betting on the future of AI and space, not just rockets: SpaceX’s prospectus describes three business lines — satellite internet (Starlink), rocket launches, and AI — with AI alone representing the lion’s share of the claimed growth opportunity. Unusually for an IPO of this size, retail investors (ordinary people) can buy shares at the same price as banks and hedge funds, starting June 12.
📉 TRUMP POLLS — NEW LOW
NET APPROVAL HITS -20 — WORST OF EITHER TRUMP TERM
Trump began his second term in January 2025 with a 47% approval rating. By May 2026, it has collapsed to around 37% — the lowest of either of his presidencies, according to the New York Times/Siena poll. Two main drivers: the Iran war (launched February 2026 with US-Israeli airstrikes) and persistent inflation. Nearly 3 in 4 Americans rate the economy as poor. The midterm elections — where all 435 House seats are up for grabs — are in November 2026.
69% OF INDEPENDENTS DISAPPROVE — UP FROM 62% IN JANUARY
Independents — voters who don’t belong to either party and who decide most elections — disapprove of Trump at 69%, up from 62% in January. Historically, every president who lost more than 20 seats in a midterm election had independent approval below 40% beforehand. Trump is now well below that threshold. Consumer confidence has fallen to a record low: prices keep rising while economic growth slows — a combination economists call stagflation (rising prices + stagnation), last seen in the 1970s.
🏪 WALMART — EARNINGS WARNING
SHARES DROP 7% AFTER LIGHTER-THAN-EXPECTED OUTLOOK
Walmart — the world’s largest retailer, with over 10,000 stores globally — warned Thursday that its profits this quarter would come in below what Wall Street expected. Shares fell 7%. The culprit: soaring gas prices (partly caused by the Hormuz crisis) are eating into budgets, especially for lower-income shoppers. CFO John David Rainey described a split economy: wealthy customers shop freely, while lower earners are cutting back. Groceries and everyday essentials are about to get more expensive, with price increases expected in the coming weeks.
📰 SOURCES
📺 LATE SHOW — END OF AN ERA
COLBERT’S FINAL EPISODE AIRS — 32 YEARS OF THE LATE SHOW ON CBS OVER
Thursday May 21 at 11:35 p.m. ET, Stephen Colbert hosted the last-ever episode of The Late Show at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York — ending a CBS franchise that launched with David Letterman in 1993. CBS announced the cancellation in July 2025, two days after Colbert publicly called a Paramount/$16M Trump settlement a “big fat bribe.” CBS called it “purely a financial decision.” Trump celebrated on Truth Social. Colbert — still rated #1 in late night — has hinted he may consider running for office.
OBAMA APPEARED; KIMMEL TOLD FANS “NEVER WATCH CBS AGAIN”
In the weeks before the finale, former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi all made appearances. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel publicly urged his own viewers not to watch CBS. Jon Stewart argued the cancellation reflected institutional “fear and pre-compliance” toward the Trump administration. The Late Show franchise had been on CBS for 32 consecutive years. Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed takes over the timeslot. Colbert himself said he was neither confirming nor denying rumors of a Netflix deal or a political run.
🎬 AI CINEMA — CANNES
“HELL GRIND”: 95-MINUTE FEATURE MADE IN 2 WEEKS, 80% OF BUDGET WAS AI COMPUTE
Hell Grind — a sci-fi heist movie shown at Cannes this week — was made entirely by AI: every character, location, lighting effect and prop was computer-generated, with no actors, no cameras, no physical set. A team of 15 people produced it in two weeks for $500,000, of which 80% went to AI processing costs. The same film made traditionally would cost over $50 million, according to its makers. Each scene required an extremely detailed text instruction — sometimes longer than a short story — to keep the AI visually consistent across shots.
CANNES 2026: HOLLYWOOD STAYED HOME, AI “CAME OUT OF THE CLOSET”
Major Hollywood directors — including Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg — declined invitations to Cannes 2026. Meanwhile, directors like Steven Soderbergh and Doug Liman (with Gal Gadot and Casey Affleck) openly used AI to cut costs. The mood shifted from alarm to acceptance. As Variety notes, companies that had quietly used AI for years “stopped trying to hide.” Actress Demi Moore was among those quoted by the Wall Street Journal commenting on the shift in industry sentiment.
💼 JPMORGAN — AI VS. BANKERS
DIMON: “WE WILL HIRE MORE AI PEOPLE AND FEWER BANKERS”
Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan — the largest bank in the United States — said publicly that his bank will hire more AI specialists and fewer traditional bankers going forward. He said roughly 25,000 to 30,000 employees leave naturally each year, giving the bank room to shift the workforce gradually without mass layoffs. The wider picture: global banks are expected to cut up to 200,000 jobs over the next five years as AI automates tasks that junior analysts and back-office staff currently do — processing documents, checking compliance, drafting reports.
🇧🇷 RIO — TOURISTS TRAPPED
200 TOURISTS TRAPPED ON RIO HILLTOP DURING GANG OPERATION
On April 20, about 200 tourists were stranded on Morro Dois Irmãos (a popular Rio viewpoint above Ipanema Beach) after police moved in on suspected members of Comando Vermelho — Brazil’s most powerful drug trafficking gang — hiding in the Vidigal favela. The trail’s main exit was blocked as shots were exchanged. Target: kingpin “Dada” (Ednaldo Perenier Souza), who reportedly escaped via a hidden passage. Rio received a record 2.1 million international visitors in 2025. The Copacabana area has since deployed 61 extra municipal guards on 24/7 patrol.
📰 SOURCES
Every fact checked. Every source named. · NOOWW © 2026
42 US AIRCRAFT LOST OR DAMAGED IN IRAN WAR
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie was ousted Tuesday night in Kentucky’s 4th District GOP primary by Trump-recruited Navy SEAL veteran Ed Gallrein, ending the libertarian’s congressional career and marking the most expensive U.S. House primary in history: $32.6 million in ad spending. Trump called Massie “a bad guy” who “deserves to lose.” Massie hinted at a 2028 run in his concession. Same day: former Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank, co-author of the Dodd-Frank Act and the first sitting member of Congress to enter a same-sex marriage (2012), died at 86 after entering hospice for congestive heart failure.
🗳️ MASSIE OUSTED
“YES. THIS IS IT” — A WARM BODY THAT BEAT MASSIE
Trump previously summed up his pick of Ed Gallrein this way: “I asked for a warm body that could beat Massie.” Gallrein, a fifth-generation Kentucky farmer and former Navy SEAL, had only just lost a state senate race in 2025. The race in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District drew $32.6 million in ad spending, per AdImpact — a record for any U.S. House primary. Trump’s “Kentucky MAGA” super PAC funneled in money from megadonors Paul Singer ($1M) and Miriam Adelson ($750K).
MASSIE FORCED EPSTEIN FILES VOTE, OPPOSED IRAN WAR
Massie had drawn Trump’s ire by pushing to release the Jeffrey Epstein files via a bipartisan discharge petition with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), voting against the “One Big Beautiful Bill”, and openly opposing the Iran war. In his 20-minute concession speech, Massie told a crowd chanting “no more wars” and “America First”: “There is a yearning in this country for someone who will vote for principles over party.” He signed off teasing a 2028 run.
🏛️ TRUMP ARCH
250-FOOT “ARC DE TRUMP” — NO CONGRESS NEEDED, WHITE HOUSE SAYS
The Trump administration does not plan to seek Congressional approval for the planned 250-foot Independence Arch at Memorial Circle, Arlington — between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. The legal theory: Congress already authorized a similar project a century ago, even though that one was never built. The arch would stand taller than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris (164 feet), more than twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial. Survey work began the week of May 11.
FOUR GOLDEN LIONS REMOVED — VIETNAM VETS SUING
The latest design has dropped four golden lions from the original, but the height stays at 250 feet — a 60-foot statue atop a 190-foot arch. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, stacked with Trump allies, reviewed the revised proposal Thursday. Four Vietnam veterans, represented by Public Citizen, are suing to block the project for lacking Congressional authorization, alongside parallel litigation by the National Trust for Historic Preservation over Trump’s planned $1+ billion White House ballroom.
🗺️ CLYBURN MAP
SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE PASSES MAP TO ERASE LONE DEM SEAT, 74-37
The South Carolina state House passed a new congressional map shortly after midnight Wednesday (12:39 a.m.), in a 74-37 vote, redrawing Rep. Jim Clyburn’s 6th District into Republican territory. Clyburn, 85, has held the seat since 1993 — he’s a power broker who delivered the 2020 Democratic primary for Joe Biden. The map could give the GOP a clean 7-0 sweep in the state. Four Republicans defected. The bill heads to the Republican-led state Senate.
💰 IRS — “FOREVER BARRED”
DOJ “FOREVER BARS” IRS FROM AUDITING TRUMP, HIS FAMILY
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an addendum Tuesday to Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” settlement, “forever barring” the IRS from any audits or reviews of past tax returns by Trump, family members, and Trump businesses. Stakes: a long-running IRS audit detailed by the New York Times and ProPublica in 2024 found Trump could owe more than $100 million over his Chicago tower loss claims. Sen. Jack Reed: “He’s the plaintiff. You’re his appointee.”
📰 SOURCES
⚔️ IRAN WAR — LOSSES
CRS REPORT: 42 US AIRCRAFT LOST OR DAMAGED IN IRAN WAR
A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report released May 13 confirms 42 US aircraft lost or significantly damaged during “Operation Epic Fury” — the air war launched against Iran on February 28. Replacement cost estimate: over $7 billion. Total war cost so far: ~$29 billion, per acting Pentagon CFO Jules Hurst III. Heaviest loss: 24 MQ-9A Reaper drones. General Atomics shut the Reaper production line in 2025; only 5 spare units remain in stock.
3 F-15Es DOWNED BY KUWAITI FRIENDLY FIRE — ALL 6 CREW EJECTED
Among the losses: three F-15E Strike Eagles destroyed by Kuwaiti ground-based air defenses in a friendly-fire incident over Kuwait on March 2, 2026. All six aircrew ejected and were recovered. A fourth F-15E was shot down over Iranian territory on April 5. Also lost: 7 KC-135 refueling tankers, one F-35A damaged by Iranian ground fire, one E-3 Sentry AWACS struck at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, and the MQ-4C Triton maritime patrol drone.
🚀 SPACEX FILES
SPACEX FILES S-1 — TARGETS $1.75T VALUATION, $75B RAISE
SpaceX filed its public S-1 registration with the SEC late Wednesday May 20, confirming plans for what would be the largest IPO in history. Ticker SPCX, dual-listed on Nasdaq and Nasdaq Texas, with a roadshow set for the week of June 8. Target valuation: $1.75 trillion (some reports say up to $2T), with a raise of up to $75 billion — beating Saudi Aramco’s 2019 record of $29 billion raised at a $1.7T valuation. CFO James McNeil promised a 30 % retail allocation, triple the normal mega-IPO rate.
SECRET BITCOIN STASH: 18,712 BTC, BOUGHT AT $35K AVERAGE
The S-1 disclosed SpaceX’s 18,712 bitcoin holdings, with a cost basis of around $661 million (~$35,320 per coin) — a stash that has not changed since 2024. Fair value at March 31: $1.29 billion, currently worth around $1.45 billion. Holdings are held by third-party custodians and were more than double what on-chain trackers Arkham and Bitcoin Treasuries had attributed to the company. Q1 2026 revenue: $4.69 billion; net loss: $4.28 billion. Starlink has ~10,000 satellites in orbit.
💵 NATIONAL DEBT
$39 TRILLION — $5 BILLION ADDED EVERY DAY SINCE OCTOBER
The US national debt officially crossed $39 trillion on May 18, per Treasury data — $39,008,999,901,378.68 to be exact. More than $1 trillion added since October 23, 2025, or roughly $5 billion per day. Debt-to-GDP ratio crossed 100% in March (debt held by the public at $31.27T against $31.22T GDP). Trump’s pushback: if you count America’s natural assets like the Grand Canyon, “if you kept it at $40 trillion, you’re way under-levered.”
📰 NY MAG SOLD
JAMES MURDOCH BUYS NY MAG + VOX FOR $300M+
James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems agreed to buy New York Magazine, Vox.com, and the Vox Media Podcast Network — including shows like Pivot with Kara Swisher and Esther Perel’s Where Should We Begin? — for over $300 million. The deal closes in 4 to 6 weeks. Vox Media was valued at $1 billion in 2015. James, Rupert Murdoch’s youngest son, publicly broke with the family right-wing empire years ago; this is roughly 50 years after his father first bought New York Magazine before selling in 1991.
📰 SOURCES
🪦 OBIT — BARNEY FRANK
“LEFT-HANDED GAY JEW” — DODD-FRANK ARCHITECT DIES AT 86
Self-described “left-handed gay Jew” Barney Frank died Tuesday night at 86, after entering hospice for congestive heart failure earlier this year. The Massachusetts Democrat served 32 years in the House (1981–2013), chaired the Financial Services Committee from 2007 to 2011, and co-wrote the landmark Dodd-Frank Act after the 2008 crash. In 1987, he came out — the first member of Congress to do so voluntarily. In 2012, he became the first sitting member of Congress to enter a same-sex marriage, wedding Jim Ready.
🇨🇺 CASTRO INDICTED
RAÚL CASTRO, 94, CHARGED OVER 1996 PLANE SHOOTDOWN
The DOJ unsealed an indictment Wednesday charging former Cuban president Raúl Castro, 94, brother of Fidel, over the February 1996 Cuban MiG shootdown of two civilian Cessnas operated by the anti-Castro group “Brothers to the Rescue.” Four people died. Seven counts: one of conspiracy to murder Americans, two of destroying aircraft, four of murder. The Clinton administration had previously avoided indicting Castro for diplomatic reasons. Trump: “That place is falling apart.”
🥧 BUNDT CAKE COVER
EX-PROSECUTOR HID JACK SMITH REPORT AS “BUNDT_CAKE_RECIPE.PDF”
Jack Smith is the former special counsel appointed under Biden who investigated Trump in two cases – the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case and the 2020 election interference case. Both collapsed once Trump won back the White House. Volume II of his final report (on Mar-a-Lago) was sealed by Judge Aileen Cannon and never released. On Wednesday, ex-prosecutor Carmen Lineberger, who worked in the Florida office that handled the case, was indicted: she allegedly emailed the sealed report from her DOJ account to her personal Gmail in December, with the filename “Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf.” Months earlier, she’d allegedly mailed other DOJ files disguised as chocolate cake recipes. Pleaded not guilty; up to 20 years on one count.
🔥 SANDY FIRE
2,115 ACRES, 17,000 UNDER EVAC, REAGAN LIBRARY CLOSED
The Sandy Fire, sparked Monday 10:17 a.m. by a tractor hitting a rock near Rudolph Drive in Simi Valley, has grown to 2,115 acres with 22% containment as of May 21, after burning 1,698 the day before. 17,000+ people are under evacuation orders in Ventura and LA counties. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library was evacuated. Two elementary schools (Crestview and Mountain View) were bused to Simi Valley High. More than 750 firefighters from Ventura, LA County and CAL FIRE are on scene.
🏈 RODGERS
“YES. THIS IS IT.” — RODGERS RETIRING AFTER 2026 SEASON
Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers, 42, told reporters at Pittsburgh’s organized team activities Wednesday that 2026 will be his 22nd and final NFL season. “Yes. This is it.” The four-time MVP (second only to Peyton Manning’s five), Super Bowl XLV champion, signed a one-year, $25 million deal to return — drawn back by the hiring of new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, his coach for 13 seasons in Green Bay. Rodgers ranks fourth all-time in passing TDs (527) and tied first all-time in passer rating (102.2).
📺 BEZOS PRAISE
BEZOS ON CNBC: TRUMP “MORE MATURE, MORE DISCIPLINED”
In a Squawk Box interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin recorded at Blue Origin’s Merritt Island rocket factory Wednesday, Jeff Bezos called Trump “a more mature, more disciplined version of himself than he was in his first term”, adding “Trump has lots of good ideas… you have to give him credit where credit is due.” Context: Bezos pulled the WaPo’s 2024 Harris endorsement (250,000 subscribers lost) and Amazon paid $40 million for the Melania documentary plus $35 million in promotion. Memorial Day gas average: $4.55/gallon.
🇮🇹 MUSSOLINI WINS
MUSSOLINI’S GRANDDAUGHTER WINS €100K ON BIG BROTHER
Alessandra Mussolini, 63, granddaughter of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, won Italy’s Grande Fratello VIP (the celebrity edition of Big Brother) Tuesday — beating 15 other contestants. Prize: about $116,000, half donated to charity. Former MEP and member of the right-wing Lega party (she once said she was “proud to be a fascist”), Mussolini also released a city-pop album in 1982 that’s been rediscovered on YouTube with millions of views.
📰 SOURCES
Every fact checked. Every source named. · NOOWW © 2026
TRUMP’S REVENGE TAKES DOWN MASSIE IN KENTUCKY
Eight-term Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie lost his GOP primary Tuesday to Trump-backed Ed Gallrein in what AdImpact calls the most expensive House primary in U.S. history — over $32.6 million in ad spending. Hours earlier, the WHO declared its highest-level emergency on the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak now spreading across the DRC and Uganda: at least 600 suspected cases and 139 deaths, with one American missionary doctor evacuated to Berlin and U.S. critics linking the late detection to USAID and CDC cuts.
🗳️ KENTUCKY PRIMARY
MASSIE OUSTED — $32.6M IN ADS, MOST EXPENSIVE EVER
Eight-term Rep. Thomas Massie lost the GOP primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, handpicked by President Trump. AdImpact recorded $32.6 million in ad spending — most expensive House primary in U.S. history — with more than $14 million from outside groups. Trump went all-in after Massie pushed the Epstein files release, opposed the Iran war and voted against the 2025 tax bill. Said Trump: “He was a bad guy. He deserves to lose.”
SECOND GOP INCUMBENT TO FALL IN A WEEK
Massie is the second sitting Republican ousted by a Trump-endorsed challenger in days, after Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy failed Sunday to advance from his state’s primary. Trump also publicly threatened to pull his endorsement from Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert after she campaigned for Massie. Andy Barr, also Trump-endorsed, won the GOP nomination to replace retiring Senate leader Mitch McConnell.
⚖️ DOJ SETTLEMENT
TRUMP DROPS $10B IRS SUIT FOR $1.78B FUND
President Trump, his two eldest sons and the Trump Organization dropped Monday a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for the Justice Department setting up a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to compensate alleged victims of Biden-era prosecutions. Democrats call it a “slush fund.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.): “Trump is one step closer to creating a giant slush fund of taxpayer dollars for his MAGA buddies.”
ADDENDUM SHIELDS TRUMP’S OWN TAX RETURNS
A one-page document quietly posted Tuesday on the DOJ website added a sweeping carve-out: the IRS is “forever barred and precluded” from pursuing audits of Trump, his family, the Trump Organization, and “affiliated” trusts and entities. The 2024 New York Times reported a loss in an IRS audit could cost Trump more than $100 million. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer, signed the addendum.
🪖 WAR POWERS
SENATE ADVANCES IRAN WAR-POWERS REBUKE 50-47
For the first time since the Iran war began, the U.S. Senate advanced Tuesday a War Powers Resolution by 50-47, with four Republicans joining Democrats. The vote came 80 days after the U.S. and Israel began striking Iran on February 28. The 1973 War Powers Act limits a president to 60 days of unauthorized military action; Trump declared on May 1 a ceasefire had “terminated” hostilities. The bill still faces House passage and an almost certain veto.
🌍 REFUGEES — AFRIKANERS
10,000 MORE WHITE SOUTH AFRICANS — CAP RAISED TO 17,500
In an emergency notice to Congress Monday evening, the State Department raised the refugee admissions cap for Afrikaners (white South Africans of mostly Dutch descent, about 2.7 million of South Africa’s 62 million people) from 7,500 to 17,500 through September. Justification: “unforeseen developments in South Africa created an emergency refugee situation.” Pretoria has consistently rejected the “white genocide” claim. Since October, all but three U.S. refugee admissions have come from South Africa.
📰 SOURCES
🦠 EBOLA — DRC/UGANDA
600 CASES, 139 DEATHS — BUNDIBUGYO STRAIN, NO VACCINE
At least 600 suspected cases and 139 deaths across the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda, per the WHO. The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain — no licensed vaccine or treatment exists. The WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC, its highest alert level) on May 17. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “I am deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic.”
CRITICS: USAID DISMANTLED, CDC DECIMATED
Jeremy Konyndyk, who led the COVID-19 response at USAID and now runs Refugees International, noted that during the 2014–16 outbreak (28,000 cases, largest ever), “USAID and CDC, supported by the U.S. military, led the international response.” Now: “USAID is gone and CDC is decimated.” The State Department disputes the link, calling the claim “false.” U.S. foreign global-health spending has dropped nearly 57% since USAID was shut down.
🚢 IRAN — TANKER SEIZED
U.S. NAVY SEIZES “SKYWAVE” — 1M+ BARRELS OF CRUDE
U.S. forces overnight seized in the Indian Ocean the tanker Skywave (302,481 deadweight tons, built 2005), the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday citing three U.S. officials. The vessel was sanctioned by OFAC in March 2025 for moving Iranian oil; it likely carried over 1 million barrels of crude loaded at Iran’s Kharg Island in February. Third tanker seized in two months after the Majestic X and Tifani in April. CENTCOM reports 89 commercial vessels redirected so far under the U.S. blockade.
🇨🇳 PUTIN IN BEIJING
PUTIN MEETS XI 6 DAYS AFTER TRUMP — NO COINCIDENCE
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived Tuesday in Beijing for a state visit, less than a week after Donald Trump met Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People on May 14. The two leaders plan to issue a joint declaration on a “multipolar world” and a “new type of international relations,” per Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov. China and Russia declared a “no-limits friendship” in February 2022, weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Putin and Xi have met more than 40 times since 2012.
🔫 SAN DIEGO MOSQUE
TEEN SHOOTERS ID’D — 17 AND 18, MET ONLINE
San Diego police identified the two attackers who killed three at the Islamic Center of San Diego as Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18. They met online, then realized they lived in the same city. A 75-page manifesto referencing white supremacist “Great Replacement” theory was recovered. A gas canister beside their SUV bore the Nazi SS lightning-bolt symbol. Both authors named John Earnest (2019 Poway synagogue attack) and Brenton Tarrant (2019 Christchurch, 51 killed) as inspirations.
📰 SOURCES
🔍 GOOGLE — I/O 2026
SEARCH BOX REDESIGNED — FIRST TIME IN 25 YEARS
At its I/O developer conference Tuesday in Mountain View, Google unveiled what Head of Search Liz Reid called “the biggest upgrade to our iconic Search box since its debut over 25 years ago.” The new “Intelligent Search Box” expands dynamically, accepts text, images, files and videos, and is powered by Gemini 3.5 Flash. AI Mode reached 1 billion monthly users in its first year; AI Overviews now reach 2.5 billion. Google plans capex of $180–190 billion in 2026, six times the 2022 level.
🐔 DE-EXTINCTION
26 CHICKS HATCHED FROM FULLY ARTIFICIAL EGGS
Dallas-based Colossal Biosciences announced Tuesday it hatched 26 healthy chicks from fully artificial 3D-printed lattice “eggshells” — the first successful shell-less incubation system since experiments began in the 1980s. The company targets de-extincting the South Island giant moa, a flightless New Zealand bird that stood 11.8 ft tall and weighed 507 lbs, extinct since the 15th century. Moa eggs are 80 times the size of a chicken’s. CEO Ben Lamm previously claimed the “de-extinction” of dire wolves in 2025.
🎨 ART AUCTION RECORDS
POLLOCK $181M, BRANCUSI $107M IN ONE NIGHT
Christie’s Rockefeller Center sale Monday set new auction records for two 20th-century masters. Jackson Pollock’s Number 7A (1948), the largest “drip” painting ever auctioned, sold for $181.2 million after a seven-minute bidding war — nearly triple Pollock’s previous record of $61.2 million (2021). Constantin Brancusi’s bronze head Danaïde (c. 1913) brought $107.6 million. Both came from the estate of Condé Nast chairman S.I. Newhouse, who died in 2017. Total Newhouse evening sale: about $630 million.
🔥 SANDY FIRE — CALIFORNIA
1,700 ACRES IN SIMI VALLEY — STARTED BY A TRACTOR
The wind-driven Sandy Fire, sparked Monday at 10:17 a.m. near Sandy Avenue in Simi Valley (Ventura County), had burned 1,698 acres with 5% containment by Tuesday night. At peak, 17,000 residents were under mandatory evacuation. One home destroyed, no injuries reported. Simi Valley police say it began when an individual “hit a rock with a tractor” while clearing brush. Over 750 firefighters were deployed alongside water-dropping helicopters.
💼 META — LAYOFFS DAY
8,000 JOBS CUT — DEEPEST SINCE 2023
Meta began Wednesday its largest layoffs since 2022-23, eliminating about 8,000 jobs (roughly 10% of staff) and dropping plans to fill 6,000 open roles. Cash freed up is heading to AI: Meta now expects $125–145 billion in 2026 capex, mostly for data centers and custom silicon. Reality Labs (which has lost over $70 billion since 2020) has been a focus of cuts; 7,000 employees are being moved into four new AI units. Earlier 2026 rounds already cut about 2,200 staff.
📰 SOURCES
Every fact checked. Every source named. · NOOWW © 2026
SAN DIEGO MOSQUE SHOOTING: 3 KILLED, 2 TEEN SUSPECTS DEAD
Two males aged 17 and 19 shot dead a security guard and two staff members outside the Islamic Center of San Diego around 11:43 a.m. Monday, then took their own lives in a nearby BMW. Police are investigating it as a hate crime: anti-Islamic writing was found in the car, “hate speech” was scrawled on one of the firearms. Same day, Trump announced on Truth Social he had called off “the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow” at the request of the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, citing “serious negotiations.”
🚨 SAN DIEGO MOSQUE
“HATE SPEECH” WRITTEN ON THE GUN, ANTI-ISLAMIC NOTE IN CAR
The two teen shooters (17 and 19) targeted the Islamic Center of San Diego (ICSD) in the Clairemont neighborhood at 11:43 a.m. Monday. Three men killed: a security guard and two staff members of the on-site Islamic school. The suspects also carried out a drive-by shooting on a landscaper blocks away — bullet deflected by his helmet. Investigators found anti-Islamic writing in the BMW and “hate speech” on one of the firearms used.
ANTI-MUSLIM COMPLAINTS HIT RECORD 8,683 IN 2025
Last year, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) recorded 8,683 anti-Muslim discrimination complaints — the highest figure since the group began tracking in 1996. Complaints have surged since the Gaza war began in 2023. NYPD has deployed extra officers to NYC mosques in response to the San Diego attack. Police Chief Scott Wahl: “Because of the Islamic centre location, we are considering this a hate crime until it’s not.”
⚔️ IRAN WAR — DAY 80
“WE WERE GETTING READY TO DO A VERY MAJOR ATTACK TOMORROW”
President Trump informed the US military Monday “that we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow”, after a written request from Qatar’s emir, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed. The strike was set for Tuesday. Trump added he had ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine to remain “prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice.”
LEBANON CIVILIAN TOLL: 3,020 DEAD SINCE THE WAR BEGAN
The US-Israel-Iran war is now nearly three months old (since February 28). 3,020 people have died in Lebanon and 9,273 have been injured since the war began, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Trump warned Sunday “there won’t be anything left” of Iran without a deal. Iran responded to the latest US proposal via Pakistani mediators, but American officials found the concessions insufficient — enrichment of nuclear material remains the main stumbling block.
🗳️ MASSIE PRIMARY
$29 MILLION SPENT TO UNSEAT ONE GOP CONGRESSMAN
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie faces Trump-backed Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein in Tuesday’s May 19 GOP primary for the 4th Congressional District. More than $29 million has been spent on advertising alone — one of the most expensive House primaries ever. Trump’s “Kentucky MAGA” super PAC, run by senior advisors Tony Fabrizio and Chris LaCivita, has vowed to spend “whatever it takes.”
TRUMP POLL: 52% FOR CHALLENGER, 23% FOR MASSIE
Trump pollster John McLaughlin found 52% of district voters support a Trump-endorsed candidate vs. 23% for Massie. Trump’s approval in the district sits at 87% against Massie’s 52%. The breach was triggered by Massie calling Trump’s Iran strikes “not Constitutional”, plus his vote against Trump’s “big beautiful bill” and his bipartisan push (with Rep. Ro Khanna) to release the Epstein files.
📰 SOURCES
🩸 EBOLA — AMERICANS EXPOSED
US DOCTOR PETER STAFFORD POSITIVE FOR EBOLA, FLOWN TO GERMANY
CDC confirmed Monday that American doctor Peter Stafford, who was treating patients at Nyankunde Hospital in eastern Congo, has tested positive for Ebola and is being airlifted to Germany for treatment. Six other Americans are in the process of being evacuated. WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday. DRC’s Ituri province has reported around 350 suspected cases and 91 deaths.
BUNDIBUGYO STRAIN — NO APPROVED VACCINE
The outbreak is caused by Ebola’s Bundibugyo variant — a less-studied strain for which no approved vaccine or treatment exists. This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC since 1976. The US has issued its top-level Level 4 travel advisory against the DRC. The worst outbreak on record (2014–2016, West Africa) killed 11,325 people across more than 28,600 cases.
📷 FBI WANTS ALL PLATES
$36 MILLION FOR NATIONWIDE LICENSE PLATE TRACKING
The FBI is seeking up to $36 million for nationwide access to Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) data — cameras that scan license plates, vehicle color, brand and model and store timestamped records. The contract, revealed by procurement documents reviewed by 404 Media, would let the agency track any vehicle across the US without a warrant. Six contract zones: Eastern 48, Western 48, Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and outlying areas (Guam, US Virgin Islands, Tribal Territories) — $6 million each.
FLOCK ALONE OPERATES 80,000 CAMERAS NATIONWIDE
Only two vendors could realistically meet the contract: Flock Safety and Motorola Solutions. Flock has at least 80,000 cameras connected to its national lookup tool, already used by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Secret Service, and the Navy’s criminal investigation arm. The contract is for the FBI’s Directorate of Intelligence, which oversees the agency’s intelligence mission — meaning data could be used not only for law enforcement, but also for intelligence operations.
⚖️ MUSK v. ALTMAN
JURY DISMISSES MUSK’S $180B LAWSUIT IN UNDER 2 HOURS
A federal jury in Oakland needed less than two hours Monday to reject Elon Musk’s claim that Sam Altman and OpenAI “stole a charity” by going for-profit. The unanimous 9-member advisory jury found Musk’s claims fell outside the three-year statute of limitations. Musk had sought up to $180 billion in damages, the removal of Altman and OpenAI President Greg Brockman, and an unwinding of the 2025 restructuring. Musk on X: “calendar technicality” — and vowed to appeal.
MUSK PUT $38M IN OPENAI BEFORE LEAVING THE BOARD IN 2018
Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a nonprofit and put in $38 million over several years. He left the board in 2018 after the founders rejected his bid for control. After a 2023 Microsoft $10B deal, Musk argued OpenAI abandoned its open-source and safety commitments. OpenAI’s attorneys countered that Musk had himself pushed at one point to fold the company into Tesla. He launched competing AI startup xAI in 2023, now part of SpaceX.
📰 SOURCES
🪦 OBIT — MARK FUHRMAN
OJ SIMPSON DETECTIVE MARK FUHRMAN DEAD AT 74
Mark Fuhrman, the former LAPD detective who became infamous for finding the bloody glove on OJ Simpson’s property the night of the 1994 killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, has died at 74, the chief deputy coroner of Kootenai County, Idaho, confirmed Monday. He died May 12. Pleaded no contest to perjury in 1996 after a recording surfaced of him using anti-Black slurs — directly contradicting his sworn trial testimony.
🔥 SANDY FIRE
SIMI VALLEY: 1,364 ACRES, REAGAN LIBRARY EVACUATED
The Sandy Fire broke out around 10:15 a.m. Monday near Sandy Drive in Simi Valley (~30 miles northwest of Los Angeles) — sparked by a tractor that struck a rock, per police. By 6:30 p.m., it had burned 1,364 acres, prompting mandatory evacuations across four zones and damaging at least one home. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library closed at noon as a precaution. Approximately 500 firefighters, helicopters and air tankers deployed.
🎤 AI BACKLASH
ERIC SCHMIDT BOOED AT UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA OVER AI
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed repeatedly during his commencement speech at the University of Arizona. Boos erupted when he said AI “will touch every profession, every classroom, every hospital, every laboratory” and offered “When someone offers you a seat on the rocketship, you do not ask which seat, you just get on.” The hostile reception is the third such incident this month — earlier, real estate executive Gloria Caulfield was booed at the University of Central Florida after calling AI “the next Industrial Revolution.”
BARNES & NOBLE CEO: “NO PROBLEM” SELLING AI-WRITTEN BOOKS
James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble since 2019, told NBC’s Jenna Bush Hager: “I have actually no problem selling any book, as long as it doesn’t masquerade or pretend to be something that it isn’t.” The chain holds 300,000 titles across its stores and acknowledged some are likely already AI-generated. Sold for $683 million in 2019 (down from a $2.2B peak), the chain rebounded with 67 new stores opened in 2025 and 60 more in 2026.
⚾ MLB — VIRAL CLIP
CUBS STAR FIRES OBSCENE INSULT AT FEMALE WHITE SOX FAN
Cubs centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, 24, was caught on video Sunday at Rate Field hurling an explicit slur at a female White Sox fan after botching a leaping catch at the wall — letting in two runs in the fifth inning. The Cubs lost 9-8. Monday he said he regretted the “word choice”, citing kids on social media: “I am intense on the field, and in a moment like that, I just let it get away from me.” No formal MLB sanction announced.
☄️ ASTEROID 2026 JH2
SCHOOL-BUS-SIZED ASTEROID PASSES JUST 56,000 MILES FROM EARTH
Asteroid 2026 JH2, discovered May 10 at the Mount Lemmon Survey in Arizona, made its closest pass to Earth just before 6 p.m. EDT Monday — at 56,000 miles (91,000 km), about 24% of the Earth-Moon distance and closer than some satellites. Estimated diameter: 15 to 30 meters (~1.5 city buses). No risk of impact, but at the upper size range it would rival the 1908 Tunguska bolide that flattened forest in Siberia. Astronomers have observed only 1% of near-Earth asteroids in this size class.
🚁 WHITE HOUSE
TRUMP WANTS A CONCRETE HELIPAD ON THE SOUTH LAWN
Trump is discussing plans to install a permanent helipad on the South Lawn — possibly as soon as this summer — to stop the new VH-92A Patriot Marine One helicopter from scorching the grass. The model is significantly more powerful than the retiring VH-3D Sea King and has been blocked from White House use for years. Already done in his second term: paved over the Rose Garden, demolished the East Wing for a ballroom, installed two flagpoles. Total renovation tab: over $1.5 billion.
📰 SOURCES
Every fact checked. Every source named. · NOOWW © 2026
UKRAINE STRIKES DEEP INSIDE RUSSIA!
NOOWW
NOW YOU KNOW!
MONDAY, MAY 18, 2026
*** FLASH ***
OVER 550 DRONES SHOT DOWN — A HOUSE BURNS IN MOSCOW SUBURB
Drones flew more than 500 km from Ukraine to reach Moscow’s outskirts overnight. Three civilians killed in the Khimki and Pogorelki villages. Twelve people wounded near a major Moscow oil refinery. Debris fell on Sheremetyevo, Russia’s biggest airport, but flights kept running. An Indian worker was among the dead — India’s embassy confirmed three other Indian nationals were hospitalized. Zelensky called the strikes “entirely justified,” coming days after Russia broke a brief truce around its May 9 Victory Day parade.
S&P 500: 7,408 • DOW: 49,526 • NASDAQ: 26,225 • OIL (BRENT): $109 • GAS PRICES UP 21% IN A MONTH • INFLATION: 3.3%
The Senate’s neutral rules referee ruled the Secret Service can’t pay for the project through this spending bill. Cost has already doubled from $200 million to $400 million. The new ballroom will be nearly twice the size of the White House itself — capacity raised from 650 to 999 guests. YouTube quietly paid $22 million toward it as part of a 2021 lawsuit settlement with Trump. Trump’s own pitch: “I’m building a monument to myself — because no one else will.”
• • •
Izz al-Din al-Haddad ran Hamas’s armed wing and was one of the last surviving planners of the October 7, 2023 attacks. Israel had been hunting him for years — he had survived several previous attempts. Before the strike, the Israeli air force ran a fake operation in the south to keep Hamas off-guard. His wife, daughter and six others were killed alongside him; his two sons had died earlier in the war. Freed hostage Emily Damari said he personally planned her kidnapping.
• • •
The World Health Organization (WHO, the UN’s health agency) raised its alarm level after 87 deaths in eastern Congo. The first victim was a nurse in the town of Bunia. The strain spreading now — called Bundibugyo — is rare, and the standard Ebola vaccine doesn’t work against it. The virus already jumped borders: a man died in Kampala, Uganda’s capital, after travelling by public bus from Congo while sick. His body was then driven back across the border for burial — a second risk for spread.
• • •
The chipmaker, a Nvidia rival, was valued at $95 billion after its Wall Street debut Thursday — then sold off Friday alongside the whole tech sector. Nvidia dropped 4.4%, Intel 6%, AMD 5.7%. Markets now bet the next Federal Reserve move will be a rate HIKE, not a cut — a sharp reversal from a month ago.
• • •
Trump said China agreed to buy 200 Boeing jets, possibly up to 750. Wall Street had expected a much bigger 500-plane, $77 billion order. Trump himself wasn’t sure it was final: “It was sort of like a statement, but I think it was a commitment.” Boeing shares dropped 2.8%.
Singer Dara took the trophy in Vienna with “Bangaranga,” a high-energy pop track no one saw coming. Bookmakers had her at 150 to 1 the morning of the semi-final — the biggest outsider win in over 20 years. She swept BOTH the jury vote and the public vote, something only one other winner has done in the last nine years. Israel finished second under heavy protest: five countries had refused to take part because of Israel’s participation.
• • •
Since the war with Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow sea passage where a fifth of the world’s oil flows — countries have been draining their emergency oil stockpiles fast. JP Morgan warns most of the world’s reserves can’t actually be tapped quickly: of 8 billion barrels stored globally, only 580 million are truly available. US gasoline prices jumped 21% in a single month.
• • •
For the first time, Uyghur commanders — members of a Muslim minority persecuted in China — have spoken on the record. Thousands of their fighters launched the surprise offensive in November 2024 that ultimately brought down Syria’s Assad regime. The operation started from an olive grove in northern Syria. China had long pressured Damascus to crack down on them.
• • •
Germany freed a stranded humpback whale on April 29 by floating it out to sea inside a cargo ship that was deliberately flooded — one of the most unusual marine rescues ever attempted. Two weeks later, Danish authorities confirmed: the whale found dead off their coast is the same one. The whole rescue effort is now being questioned.
• • •
Hundreds of wooden homes built on stilts above the Lagos lagoon have been demolished. Nigerian authorities are clearing waterfront land for luxury real estate, ignoring court orders that protected residents. Families had lived there for generations.
• • •
Trump is pulling 5,000 of the 39,000 American soldiers stationed in Germany. The mayor of Vilseck, home to a major US base, learned about it from a journalist during his first press conference in office.
Google parent Alphabet had its best month since 2004 in April, up 34%. Meta, however, lost 9% after announcing it would spend up to $145 billion this year on AI infrastructure — investors decided that’s too much. US corporate profit margins just hit their highest level on record, led by tech companies pulling in 29 cents of profit on every dollar of sales.
• • •
Researchers from Dublin announced they’ve identified what they believe is the oldest surviving poem written in English, tucked away inside a manuscript stored at a library in Rome. It predates all previously known examples.
• • •
Two of the biggest names in women’s mixed martial arts (MMA) faced off in a long-awaited comeback fight. Rousey ended it almost instantly with her signature armbar — a joint lock that forces opponents to tap out.
• • •
A lower court ruling that would force women to see a doctor in person to get mifepristone — the pill used in nearly two-thirds of US abortions — was on pause. That pause expires today. The Supreme Court must either extend it or rule for good.
• • •
Eleven cases of hantavirus, a virus carried by mice, have been reported. Three patients died — a 27% death rate. People catch it by breathing in dust from dried mouse droppings in barns, sheds or cabins. It does NOT spread from person to person.
• • •
Health officials are preparing to formally review whether the United States can still claim it has “eliminated” measles — a status granted in 2000. With 27 outbreaks this year and vaccination rates falling below 80% in some counties, that label may be revoked.
• • •
A closely watched survey of factories around New York jumped to its highest level since April 2022 — nearly triple what economists expected. But prices factories pay for materials also surged, a warning sign that inflation isn’t done.
Trump admitted the quiet part out loud – and that was only story #3 of the day
1. Trump admits the Iran war may be “for PR reasons” – While in China, Trump acknowledged that the 440 kilograms of 60%-enriched uranium – the core justification he gave for going to war with Iran – is in fact safely under 24/7 surveillance by nine cameras and nobody is getting near it. The admission sparked immediate questions about the war’s actual rationale.
2. Trump sues his own government, and taxpayers foot the $1.7B bill – Trump is expected to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for the creation of a $1.7 billion taxpayer-funded “weaponization” fund. It would have total authority to compensate allies who claim they were targeted by the Biden administration, including the nearly 1,600 people charged over January 6th. The fund would operate with no oversight and no transparency requirements. Trump himself reportedly said the arrangement “looks bad – I’m paying myself.”
3. Iran hacks US gas station tank readers, no password stood in the way – Iranian hackers infiltrated automatic tank gauge networks left completely unprotected by passwords across multiple states. They altered display readings but not actual fuel levels. Officials warn that access to these systems could theoretically allow a gas leak to go completely undetected.
4. Weinstein’s third Manhattan rape trial ends in mistrial… again – The jury deadlocked for the second time in a year on the same charge, with nine jurors leaning not guilty and three for conviction. Judge Farber gave prosecutors 30 days to decide whether to attempt a fourth trial. The #MeToo-defining case has now failed to produce a verdict three times.
5. AI chip bubble now rivals the French Mississippi Bubble of 1720 – Bank of America strategist Michael Hartnett calculated that the SOX semiconductor index is now 62% above its 200-day moving average. It surpasses the Nasdaq’s spread ahead of the dot-com crash in 2000, and approaches the 73% spread of French stocks before the Mississippi Bubble burst in 1720. It was when colonial shares were used as legal tender and doubled the French money supply.
6. Trump left with “little to show” after talks with Xi – Despite a high-profile Beijing summit, Trump did not appear to secure concrete concessions. It is happening while the Iran war continues to drive US gas prices past $4.50 per gallon and a recent CNN poll shows 75% of American adults believe the conflict has negatively impacted their finances.
7. Trump’s 3,700+ stock trades raise Wall Street eyebrows – An ethics filing revealed thousands of trades made by or on behalf of the President, including reported promotion of Palantir stock on social media after buying shares. The sheer volume – over 3,700 transactions – is described as provoking “astonishment” on Wall Street.
8. North America’s largest commuter rail system faces potential shutdown – No operational disruption to this scale has been seen in decades. The system – which serves millions of daily commuters – is reportedly facing a financial and structural crisis with no clear resolution in sight.
9. German Chancellor: “I don’t want my kids living in the US” – Friedrich Merz publicly discouraged young Germans from moving to the United States, a striking statement from the leader of America’s closest European ally! It reflects the deep deterioration in transatlantic relations following the Iran war disagreement.
10. The far right’s new weapon: glamorous young women – A widely discussed investigation reveals a coordinated strategy to use attractive female influencers as vectors for far-right messaging. The goal is to make extremist content more palatable and harder to identify as political propaganda.
11. 30-year Treasury yield hits highest level since June 2007 – Oil prices continue to climb on fears of a broader energy crunch, with inflation rattling investors and the 30-year Treasury yield breaking above 5.1%. It represents a level not seen since before the 2008 financial crisis. A direct consequence of the Iran war’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
12. Lab-grown brain tissue can now play video games – It is a quietly extraordinary science story! Researchers have successfully grown brain organoids capable of interacting with external stimuli in a video game environment. It reignites debate over consciousness, ethics, and Silicon Valley’s ambitions to merge humans with machines.
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping Open Beijing Summit
Trump’s first visit to China since 2017 opened Thursday at the Great Hall of the People. Xi opened by asking whether the two powers could avoid the “Thucydides Trap” — the historical pattern where a rising power and a ruling power end up at war. On the agenda through Friday: tariffs, rare earth minerals, AI chips, Taiwan, and the Iran war. US officials privately worry Xi walks in with the leverage.
🇨🇳 TRUMP-XI SUMMIT — DAY 1
XI: TAIWAN IS THE “MOST IMPORTANT” ISSUE — MISHANDLING IT GETS “DANGEROUS”
In opening remarks carried by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, Xi Jinping told Trump that Taiwan — the self-governing island Beijing claims as its territory — is the single most important issue in US-China relations, and that mishandling it would push the relationship to a “dangerous” place. Taiwan’s ruling party rejects Beijing’s territorial claim.
CHINA’S “BREAK-GLASS” TOOL: 70%+ OF THE WORLD’S RARE EARTHS
Rare earths — 17 metals essential to fighter jets, EVs and electronics — are China’s dominant leverage. Beijing processes the overwhelming majority of global supply. When Xi threatened to restrict exports in April and October 2025, Trump backed down rather than escalate. The US has since spent billions trying to build alternative supply chains, with limited results so far.
THE “SHRINKING SUMMIT”: TRUMP ARRIVES HOLDING FEW CARDS
Trump traveled with a dozen-plus CEOs including Apple’s Tim Cook, Tesla’s Elon Musk and — added at the last minute after a personal call from Trump — Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, who boarded Air Force One during an Anchorage refueling stop. One of Trump’s priorities, per CNN: pressing Xi to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the Iran-blockaded passage carrying 20% of the world’s oil.
📰 SOURCES
🤝 NETANYAHU’S SECRET GULF TRIP
NETANYAHU SECRETLY VISITED THE UAE DURING THE IRAN WAR
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed Wednesday that he made a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates and met President Mohammed bin Zayed (known as MBZ). A source told Reuters the meeting took place in Al-Ain, an oasis city near the Oman border, on March 26 and lasted several hours.
“HISTORIC BREAKTHROUGH” — OR PROPAGANDA? THE UAE FLATLY DENIES IT
Netanyahu’s office called the trip a “historic breakthrough” in Israel-UAE relations. But the UAE’s state news agency WAM rejected the claim outright, calling it “entirely unfounded” and stressing its ties with Israel — built on the 2020 Abraham Accords — “are not based on secrecy or clandestine arrangements.” Iran said it already knew of the visit and renewed threats against the UAE.
ISRAEL SENT IRON DOME WEAPONS AND CREWS TO THE UAE
The announcement came a day after US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee revealed that Israel had sent Iron Dome air-defense systems — and the personnel to operate them — to the UAE. During the war, Iran fired some 2,800 missiles and drones at the Emirates, making it the most-targeted country in the region.
⚔️ IRAN — REBUILDING FAST
TEHRAN HAS ALREADY RESTORED MOST OF ITS MISSILE LAUNCH SITES
Despite US claims that the regime is “combat-ineffective,” Iran has rapidly rebuilt most of its missile launch sites, according to The Telegraph. US intelligence separately assessed this week that Iran retains substantial ballistic-missile capabilities — undercutting the narrative that the February-March strikes neutralized the threat.
PRO-IRAN HACKERS CLAIMED A REVENGE ATTACK ON SPOTIFY
A pro-Iran group calling itself the Islamic Cyber Resistance in Iraq — 313 Team claimed a DDoS attack (a flood of traffic designed to overload servers) on Spotify, citing “revenge” for the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei. Downdetector logged thousands of user reports of the music service going down.
📰 SOURCES
📉 INFLATION — 4-YEAR HIGH
WHOLESALE PRICES JUMP 6% — BIGGEST SPIKE SINCE 2022
The Producer Price Index (PPI) — wholesale prices paid by businesses, an early warning sign for consumer inflation — rose 6% year-on-year in April, the largest jump since December 2022. The monthly gain of 1.4% nearly tripled the 0.5% economists expected. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
GASOLINE SURGED 15.6% IN A SINGLE MONTH
Three-quarters of the goods-price gain came from energy, led by a 15.6% jump in gasoline as the Iran war pushed oil higher and pump prices past $4/gallon. The Federal Reserve has held its benchmark rate at 3.5%-3.75%; after the PPI report, market-implied odds of a rate hike climbed to about 39%.
CORE INFLATION HITS 4.4% — THE PAIN IS SPREADING BEYOND GAS
“Core” PPI — which strips out volatile food and energy — still rose 4.4% year-on-year, the steepest since February 2023, showing price pressure is broad-based, not just an oil-pump story. Economists now expect consumer inflation (CPI) to top 4% in next month’s report, which would be the highest since May 2023.
🇬🇧 STARMER CLINGS ON
STREETING SET TO RESIGN AND CHALLENGE STARMER FOR THE LEADERSHIP
UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting is reportedly preparing to quit the government as early as Thursday to trigger a Labour leadership contest. He spent just 16 minutes in talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street on Wednesday. An ally told The Times: “He is going for it. He’s going tomorrow.”
OVER 90 LABOUR MPs WANT HIM GONE — BUT 100+ SIGNED TO BACK HIM
More than 90 of Labour’s roughly 400 MPs have called on Starmer to quit; four junior ministers have already resigned, including Jess Phillips. But over 100 backbenchers signed a counter-pledge of support. A leadership challenge needs 81 MPs (20% of the party) to formally trigger it.
KING’S SPEECH OVERSHADOWED — 4 PMs IN 4 YEARS?
The turmoil overshadowed the State Opening of Parliament, where King Charles III read Starmer’s security-heavy legislative agenda from a golden throne. If Starmer falls, Britain would be on track for its fourth prime minister in four years. Other potential rivals: Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham.
📰 SOURCES
Every fact checked. Every source named. · NOOWW © 2026
Gulf Quietly Entered the Iran War
Two Western and two Iranian officials told Reuters Tuesday that the Saudi Royal Air Force carried out unpublicized strikes on Iranian soil in late March — the first time Riyadh is known to have directly bombed Iran. The disclosure comes one day after the Wall Street Journal revealed the UAE also struck a refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island in early April. The 10-week war that began February 28 has now drawn in three Gulf militaries beyond the US and Israel — without public acknowledgment.
⚔️ IRAN WAR — DAY 74
SAUDI STRIKES TRIGGERED A SECRET CEASEFIRE WITH TEHRAN
According to Western and Iranian officials cited by Reuters, Riyadh notified Tehran of the strikes after carrying them out — then threatened further retaliation. The diplomatic pressure led to an “understanding” between the two countries to de-escalate, weeks before the broader US-Iran ceasefire. 31 drones and 16 missiles had been fired at Saudi Arabia on April 7-8 alone.
IRAN HIT ALL 6 GULF STATES — INCLUDING CIVILIAN AIRPORTS
Since US-Israeli strikes began February 28, Iran has hit all six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (the regional bloc of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman) with missiles and drones — striking US military bases, civilian sites, airports and oil infrastructure. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a 34-km-wide passage carrying 20% of seaborne oil, continues to disrupt global trade.
UAE FIRED 2,800+ MISSILES AND DRONES AT, REFINERY HIT BACK
Per the Wall Street Journal, the United Arab Emirates struck a refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf in early April. Tehran fired some 550 ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 2,200 drones at the UAE during the war, per the Emirati defense ministry — making it the region’s most-targeted country. Officials claim a 95% interception rate. UAE Mirage-2000-9 jets were reportedly involved in the Lavan strike.
IRAN HANGS 29-YEAR-OLD AEROSPACE STUDENT FOR CIA-MOSSAD SPYING
Erfan Shakourzadeh, 29, a master’s student in aerospace engineering at Iran University of Science and Technology, was hanged Monday at Ghezel Hesar prison near Tehran. Accused of leaking classified satellite data to the CIA and Mossad (Israel’s foreign intelligence agency), he was arrested in February 2025. He left a note before execution rejecting the charges: “I was forced into a false confession after eight and a half months of torture.”
190 EXECUTIONS IN IRAN SO FAR IN 2026 — UN CONFIRMS 4,000+ ARRESTS
Iran has carried out at least 190 executions in the opening months of 2026, per the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights. The UN confirmed in late April 21 war-related executions and over 4,000 arrests since hostilities began. Tehran was the world’s second-most prolific executioner in 2025 (after China) with 1,639 hangings, including 48 women.
📰 SOURCES
🇬🇧 STARMER ON THE BRINK
SIX CABINET MINISTERS NOW TELLING STARMER TO QUIT
The Telegraph reports that six cabinet members told Keir Starmer to step down: Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Defence Secretary John Healey, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, and the Culture Secretary. Around 80 Labour MPs of the 403 have publicly called for him to set a departure date. Starmer told cabinet Tuesday: “The country expects us to get on with governing.”
FOUR JUNIOR MINISTERS RESIGNED IN ONE DAY
Tuesday, four junior ministers walked out: Jess Phillips (Safeguarding), Miatta Fahnbulleh (Devolution), Alex Davies-Jones (Victims), and Zubir Ahmed (Health). Four parliamentary private secretaries had already resigned the day before. 81 MPs are needed (20% of the parliamentary party) to trigger a formal leadership contest under Labour rules.
LABOUR LOST 1,498 LOCAL SEATS — REFORM UK GAINED 1,452
The crisis was triggered by historic losses at the May 7 local elections (which choose town and county councillors, not MPs). Labour lost 1,498 council seats across England, while Nigel Farage’s far-right Reform UK picked up 1,452. The BBC projected a national vote share of just 17% for Labour — half its 2024 score. The Greens picked up 441 seats; the Liberal Democrats 155.
⚖️ TEXAS SUES NETFLIX
PAXTON: “NETFLIX IS A LOGGING COMPANY THAT OCCASIONALLY STREAMS MOVIES”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Netflix Monday in Collin County under the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act (Texas consumer protection law). The complaint accuses the streamer of tracking viewing habits, devices, household networks and app usage on adult AND children’s profiles, then selling that data to brokers. The lawsuit demands Netflix disable autoplay by default on kids’ profiles.
NETFLIX FIRES BACK: “INACCURATE AND DISTORTED INFORMATION”
Netflix told ABC News the lawsuit “lacks merit” and that it “complies with privacy and data protection laws everywhere we operate.” Paxton’s filing cites a 2019 letter from Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings promising shareholders the company would not move into advertising — and a 2020 earnings call where Hastings again denied collecting user data. Texas is requesting a jury trial.
💥 CYBERWAR FALLOUT
PRO-IRAN HACKERS HIT SPOTIFY AS “REVENGE FOR KHAMENEI”
A pro-Iran group called the Islamic Cyber Resistance in Iraq — 313 Team claimed a DDoS attack (a flood of fake traffic that overloads servers) on Spotify Tuesday around 1pm EST. Downdetector recorded thousands of user reports. The group cited “revenge” for the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei. Same day, the group also briefly attacked WordPress.com servers before saying they were “stopped due to browser verification.”
📰 SOURCES
💰 $39 TRILLION DEBT WALL
US TREASURY PAYING $2.96 BILLION A DAY IN INTEREST
According to the Congressional Budget Office (the non-partisan body that scores US fiscal policy), the Treasury has paid $628 billion in net interest in the first 7 months of fiscal year 2026 — averaging $2.96 billion per day. That’s more than the US spent on Medicare ($588B) or Medicaid ($409B) over the same period. Only Social Security ($953B) costs more.
DEBT TO HIT $39 TRILLION BY MAY 18 — UP $2.7T IN ONE YEAR
Gross US national debt reached $38.91 trillion on May 5 and grows by an average of $7.39 billion per day — projected to cross $39T around May 18. Up $2.70 trillion year-on-year, up $10.75T over five years. The average interest rate on marketable debt is now 3.373%, vs. 1.491% five years ago. Net interest will absorb 14.94% of total federal outlays by FY2028, per CBO.
📺 BUZZFEED CHANGES HANDS
BYRON ALLEN BUYS 52% OF BUZZFEED FOR $120 MILLION
Comedian and Allen Media Group founder Byron Allen, 65, takes majority control of BuzzFeed as Chairman and CEO. The deal: $20M cash + $100M five-year promissory note at 5% interest, for 40 million new shares at $3.00 each. Founder Jonah Peretti steps down as CEO, becomes “President of BuzzFeed AI.” BuzzFeed peaked at $1.7B valuation in 2016; market cap was $31M on Monday before the announcement.
“COMICS UNLEASHED” REPLACES COLBERT’S “LATE SHOW” ON MAY 22
Allen’s existing late-night show “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen” moves to CBS at 11:35pm starting Friday May 22 — replacing “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” which airs its final episode May 21 after 11 years. CBS announced the Colbert cancellation in July. Allen’s media holdings already include The Weather Channel and 13 broadcast affiliates.
🇨🇳 TRUMP IN BEIJING
16 US CEOS TRAVEL WITH TRUMP TO MEET XI
President Trump departed Washington Tuesday for Beijing with a delegation of 16 American CEOs, including Elon Musk (Tesla/SpaceX), Tim Cook (Apple — making his final diplomatic trip before September retirement), Larry Fink (BlackRock), Stephen Schwarzman (Blackstone), Kelly Ortberg (Boeing) and Jane Fraser (Citigroup). Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang joined at the last minute. Cisco’s Chuck Robbins withdrew.
FIRST US-CHINA SUMMIT SINCE 2017 — AGENDA: AI, TARIFFS, IRAN, TAIWAN
It is Trump’s first visit to Beijing since 2017. Talks will cover trade barriers, AI development, export controls, Taiwan, and the Iran war. Boeing has been hit hard since China raised import taxes on US goods to 125% in April 2025, in retaliation for Washington’s 145% tariffs on Chinese products. A major Boeing aircraft sale is reportedly under negotiation. Notably absent: General Motors, Disney, Alphabet.
📰 SOURCES
Every fact checked. Every source named. · NOOWW © 2026
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