Posts on Monday, May 25, 2026
One hardly has to be a political junkie to know that midterm elections rarely turn out well for the party that holds the White House. It has happened only once this century, when the Republicans picked up 8 House seats and one Senate seat during the first midterm election of George W. Bush’s presidency. There are two factors at play this year, however, which may allow the GOP to duplicate that feat. First, the leader of the Republican Party has built his political career on defying history. Second, the Democrats have recruited a very large number of truly weird candidates.
In less than a week, the U.S. attorney in Miami supervising the probe of Obama-Biden era government weaponization secured indictments against Cuban communist dictator Raul Castro and an alleged money launderer for Venezuelan strongarm man Nicolas Maduro.
But it was Jason Reding Quinones’ indictment against one of his own former federal prosecutors for trying to steal a sealed, classified report from Jack Smith’s investigation of President Donald Trump that may have sent the loudest shockwaves through government.
Everyone’s angry with Donald Trump.
It’s true that things are getting ragged with just over five months left until the midterms. The president’s agenda is being stymied in the courts and in Congress by bloody-minded Democrat obstructionism, and by a handful of lily-livered naysayers in his own bare-majority party.
His poll numbers are as bad as they’ve ever been, apart from a rough patch in the aftermath of Jan. 6, 2021.
The war with Iran has hit gas prices and exacerbated the cost of living. It may be heading to some sort of deal, but cheerleaders are thin on the ground.
We've got a positive update on the story out of Orange County, California, regarding that leaking chemical tank, thankfully:
On Saturday, a leaking chemical tank prompted the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in Orange County, California. The evacuated area encompasses parts of six Los Angeles metro area cities, and the incident may well lead to the tank melting down in a thermal runaway. Fortunately it appears that failure, rather than explosion, is the more likely option, although neither is what you would call "good."
Political commentator Scott Jennings gave the Iran debate a much-needed dose of plain English after he received a briefing from a senior Trump administration official. Jennings' central point was simple: President Donald Trump used force when force became necessary, then paused further strikes when diplomacy had a chance to save lives.
Trump's critics have spent years calling him reckless, impulsive, and incapable of restraint. Now he's showing patience, and many of those same voices still can't bring themselves to admit what sits in front of them.
Trump has said talks with Iran remain active, but he has also warned his team not to rush into a weak agreement.
US President Donald Trump says he has instructed negotiators "not to rush into a deal" with Iran, after earlier suggesting an agreement was close.
The deal under discussion reportedly involves a 60-day ceasefire extension, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a plan for further negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme.
In a social media post, Trump said "constructive" talks were proceeding but "both sides must take their time and get it right".
Trump said on Saturday an agreement had been "largely negotiated", prompting speculation an announcement could be imminent.
Iranian officials gave similar signals over the weekend
U.S. intelligence shows that Iran's supreme leader is effectively holed up in an undisclosed location with little access to the outside world and is only reached by a labyrinth of couriers, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter.
The Iranian officials authorized to work with the Trump administration have been having a difficult time communicating inside of their own government system — and it's a central reason why the details of a potential deal with Iran and past agreements have been slow to emerge.
When the U.S. sends proposed details, the difficulty in reaching the supreme leader means there can be a long delay