US Strikes Two Iranian Ships in the Strait

They were reportedly attempting to lay mines. Wall Street Journal: Tensions rose on Monday as the U.S. sank two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ships attempting to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by launching surface-to-air missiles at U.S. planes, prompting American attacks on missile launchers near Bandar Abbas, a U.S. official said. “U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” said Col. Tim Hawkins, spokesman for the command (Wall Street Journal). Jennifer Griffin quoting senior US officials: “These were defensive strikes.” They do not indicate ceasefire is over, according to two well placed sources (Griffin).

‘I just don’t think the president’s going to get fooled’

That’s the take of Hugh Hewitt on the president’s negotiations with Iran. Hugh recognizes the angst of the national security conservatives, but is trusting the president: The president’s closest allies in the Senate—Lindsay Graham, Tom Cotton reposting Lindsay Graham, Ted Cruz, Bill Haggerty just now. These are all very close allies of the president. They’re all very worried and they know that the president is a great deal negotiator. He’s done hundreds of deals. He’s also walked away from probably three times as many deals as he’s done. So he’s very good at the close. He’s not going to get taken…. Presidents who’ve been in office for six years have seen it all and they’ve done it all. He’s walked away from a lot of tables. If it’s a bad deal or the Iranians do the bait and switch deal, he will walk away again and I hope combat would resume, but that the blockades stay there until we get absolute … Actually, I would like the blockade to stay there until we get all the enriched uranium from Iran. That’s the key. But right now we just don’t know. I just don’t think the president’s going to get fooled (YouTube).

If Iran Deal Succeeds: Trump Presses Arab Neighbors to Join Abraham Accords

The president is clearly trying to leverage every bit of progress he makes in the region. Axios reports: President Trump told leaders of several Arab and other Muslim countries during a Saturday conference call that if a deal to end the Iran war is achieved he wants their nations to sign peace agreements with Israel, per two U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the call. Trump’s remarks on Israel and the countries signing onto the Abraham Accords during the call signal the next big step he wants to take in the Middle East after the war. Trump is aiming mostly at a historic Saudi-Israeli peace agreement, but the current political climate in the region and the upcoming Israeli election make any near term breakthrough extremely difficult. On Saturday, Trump held a phone call with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain to discuss the emerging deal with Iran. Leaders including UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, who has had a more hawkish view on the Iran war, said they support it (Axios). Senator Lindsey Graham has signaled support: If in fact as a result of these negotiations to end the Iranian conflict, our Arab and Muslim allies in the region agreed to join the Abraham Accords, it would make this agreement one of the most consequential in the history of the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Pakistan joining the Abraham Accords would be beyond transformative for the region and world. It is a brilliant move by President Trump (Graham).

Iran Demands Access to $12 Billion in Qatari Funds

And those are not the only resources that they are demanding access to. Iran International: Iranian negotiators are demanding the immediate release of $12 billion in frozen assets held in Qatar as a precondition for advancing talks with the United States, an informed source with direct knowledge of the negotiations told Iran International. According to the source, the release of these specific funds in Qatar is a strict precondition for the initial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) stage. Tehran has insisted that actual, guaranteed access to this $12 billion must be granted during this first phase before any preliminary diplomatic understanding can move forward, the source said. The source emphasized that this $12 billion represents only the immediate tranche required to initiate the diplomatic roadmap, and is not the only capital Iran is claiming. Tehran’s broader negotiating position is that all of its frozen assets globally must be unfrozen and fully released as part of any eventual comprehensive agreement, according to the source. Earlier in the day, IRGC-linked Tasnim News reported that differences between Iran and the United States over one or two clauses of a possible memorandum of understanding remained unresolved. Tasnim also reported on Sunday that Iran has insisted any initial memorandum of understanding with the United States should include the release of at least part of its frozen assets in the first step (Iran International).

Rubio Presses Back on Critics of Iran Deal

The Secretary of State was in India, meeting with their external affairs minister. The Hill: Secretary of State Marco Rubio shot back at Republican criticism of a possible deal with Iran as “absurd,” adding that “our preference is to address this through a diplomatic means.” “The idea that somehow this president — given everything he’s already proven he’s willing to do — is going to somehow agree to a deal that ultimately winds up putting Iran in a stronger position when it comes to nuclear ambitions is absurd,” Rubio said at a press conference in India on Sunday. “That’s just not going to happen. But our preference is to address this through a diplomatic means, and that’s what we are endeavoring to do here. I think we’ve made some progress. I’m always cautious when I say that because you can agree to things on paper; they actually have to be implemented,” he added (The Hill). More from Joseph Chalfant at Townhall: Rubio further expressed that it has long been Trump’s preference to find global, America First solutions through diplomatic means rather than unnecessarily put American troops in harm’s way to achieve the same goals. “The problem is going to be solved one way or the other,” Rubio stated (Townhall).

Pete Hegseth on Memorial Day: ‘You raced to the breach so that we could walk in freedom and prosperity’

Eloquent words from our Secretary of War that capture our indebtedness to those who have sacrificed so much for the cause of freedom: Today with this humble ceremony, we owe at least this, that with every salute, with every ceremony, with every parade, with every prayer, every day and every year we remember that by our remembrance, we guard the eternal flame that they lit with the price of their youth. They were Americans from small towns and big cities and in the words of the apostle Paul, they stood against the darkness of the world wearing the breastplate of righteousness. They’ve now gone on to their reward, but we remember them here on this hallowed ground. To them, to those, I say: “Your watch is finished, but the legacy of what you left is eternal. You raced to the breach so that we could walk in freedom and prosperity.” May we live lives worthy of their sacrifice and boldly carry forth their fight for freedom picking up the sword of the spirit and charging forward daily. May Almighty God bless our warriors and may Almighty God bless our fallen and those they love. Always remember. And amen. (Overton).

Today: Texas Runoff Elections

The Lone Star state has 38 candidates to choose—as many candidates did not receive 50 percent of the vote. The major one to watch: Texas Republicans will choose their candidate for Senate—long-time Senator John Cornyn or Ken Paxton—the current Attorney General who was recently endorsed by President Trump. Polling has Paxton up: Latest from SoCal strategies has Paxton at 57 percent, Cornyn at 35 (New York Times). The other key context to watch in Attorney General contest: Chip Roy will face of with State Senator Mayes Middleton for the Party’s nomination (HPM). Houston Public Media: Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made their final Houston-area campaign swings this week during early voting for their Republican primary runoff election for the U.S. Senate, with Election Day scheduled for next Tuesday, May 26. Both visits followed swiftly on President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Paxton over Cornyn on Tuesday. Cornyn told the Houston Association of Realtors on Thursday morning that he remains the Republicans’ best chance to beat Austin state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, in November’s general election…. The attorney general highlighted Trump’s recent endorsement of him. “I have to say, it was pretty amazing,” Paxton said at his Katy event. “I always told people … whenever I’m around [Trump], good things happen. Good things happen to me, and good things happen for Texas” (HPM).

Hasan Piker Subpoenaed Over Trips to Cuba

The antisemitic left-wing influencer is a genuine radical. Fox News: Federal officials have served subpoenas to Marxist political influencer Hasan Piker and CodePink cofounder Susan Medea Benjamin as part of a wider investigation into whether U.S. organizations and leaders violated U.S. laws and sanctions in supporting Cuba’s communist regime, Fox News Digital has learned….  The administrative subpoenas — called “Requests for Information,” or RFI — seek financial, logistical and communications information revolving around trips the two widely bragged about making to the island nation in March with delegations of the “Nuestra América Convoy,” or “Our America Convoy,” from a global network of communist sympathizers, activists and influencers who brought supplies to the country’s ruling Communist Party of Cuba, according to sources familiar with the matter (Fox News). More from Joseph Chalfant at Townhall.com: Piker reportedly joined groups funded by the Marxist tech giant Neville Signham for the trip, which included organizations like the Democratic Socialists of America and CodePink co-founder Susan Benjamin. Benjamin likewise was subject to a federal subpoena. Up to 40 American nationals are believed to have attended the socialist gathering and more subpoenas are expected to be handed down. The new action from the Trump administration comes just days after former Cuban leader Raul Castro was handed a federal indictment for conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals (Townhall).

The Lesson From the Defeat of Massie: The GOP Does Not Coddle the Antisemites

We have to hope that this lesson continues to mark Republicans. Andrew Stiles: These fans of the soon-to-be-former congressman (and other lunatics) will now be tasked with determining which supernatural force bears more blame for Massie’s defeat—Donald Trump or the Jews? A rhetorical question, of course. As the antisemites have certainly realized by now, even someone as handsome and powerful as Trump is not impervious to Jewish influence. The real question is whether they will ultimately grasp the futility of waging a lame crusade against an omnipotent cult that controls the weather, the space lasers, and the White House…. His righteous defeat concluded what was arguably the most important primary of the 2026 cycle. His victory would have emboldened the antisemitic conspiracy mongers that exist on both sides of the political spectrum. The result is proof that Republicans are not willing to coddle these freaks and are willing to happily purge them from their ranks. It sends a strong signal that frothing Groyperism is not a winning message in GOP primaries, which is good for the long-term health of the party and the country. For that, we can thank the unyielding leadership of Donald Trump—and whatever forces are controlling his mind. Democrats are a different story…. It seems almost inevitable that the 2028 Democratic nominee will share a stage with Hasan Piker, the beefcake brocialist who prefers China to America and dead CEOs to living Jews. Democrats seem more than happy to let him fill the vacuum, given his perceived popularity with terrorist supporters and overeducated morons—two of the party’s most reliable voting blocs, which often overlap. Congratulations to Trump on this deserved victory, and for showing Democrats how to handle the riffraff. It can be done. Good riddance, Thomas Massie (Free Beacon).

TIME Magazine Gives Glowing Cover Article to Graham Platner

Americans voters who get acquainted with what the Maine candidate for Senate has said, done and written are overwhelmingly aghast and disgusted. But TIME touts the candidate as the Democrats answer, quoting an ad maker who says, “His ‘difference’ may well be his secret sauce.” From the article: With Democratic voters yearning for outsiders to shake up the system, along comes a rough-hewn, gravelly voiced Marine Corps veteran from Sullivan, Maine—pop. 1,300—as their new national star…. Platner’s past, in other words, may actually be his path. “Platner’s rise fits a moment where many Democrats feel the traditional playbook hasn’t worked, either politically or personally,” says admaker Jim Margolis, who advised Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns. “Democrats are willing to bet on someone who may have a few warts but feels fresh, unscripted, and tuned in. His ‘difference’ may well be his secret sauce.” …. what stands out to his supporters is a fluency for the anxieties of the moment and his ability to connect with the hurt underneath them (TIME). The article ends with a quote of Platner saying: “Just trust me, bro.” He’s given voters absolutely no reason to do so.