Like it or not, Trump is getting the blame for the war Netanyahu talked him into and he’s desperate for a way out of it. Two thirds of Americans are opposed to what has become Trump’s war on Iran, and his polling numbers are dropping as Americans feel it in the rising cost of fuel and food prices. Iran, on the other hand, is also desperate for a deal before their oil storage tanks fill up, or they will have to stop pumping oil, which can be damaging to oil fields. Their military bases have largely been destroyed and the Iranian military needs a respite from the bombing so they can rebuild. But Iran still possesses enough offensive weapons to continue keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed, which is driving the Western world, especially Europe, toward a deep energy depression. The bottom line is that Trump is finally having to compromise on his one-sided demands, and because of it, insiders say a deal is close. This week I’ll cover what such a deal may look like. To receive a free one-time copy of this brief, along with options on how to subscribe, click on Request a sample on the left.
US reportedly struck 4 Iranian oil tankers attempting to traverse the Strait Qatari LNG Tanker entered the Strait for first time since start of war US continues to await a formal response from Tehran on a proposal aimed at ending the war The odds of a permanent peace deal by the end of May have faded notably (now just 25%)...
Let’s remember how this began last year, with of course, a hantavirus death in the family of one of America’s most beloved Hollywood actors. It was Betsy Arakawa, Gene Hackman’s wife, who died February 12, 2025, from apparent hantavirus infection from rodents in the home. Terrifying image. At that point, no regular person had ever heard of such a disease. There is a reason. It’s rare and human-to-human spread is nearly unknown.
The Iranian government has for the first time officially weighed in on the health of new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who was injured in the opening strikes of Trump's Operation Epic Fury, which killed the younger Khamenei's father and wife. "A government official claimed Khamenei, who hasn't been seen in public since that attack, is now in good health,"
After hitting 28-year highs earlier in the week, UK gilt yields are lower as UK PM Keir Starmer said he had no plans to step aside as Labour leader after early results in local elections showed Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK racking up sweeping gains over Britain’s governing party.
From July of this year, every vehicle registered in the European Union will be required to have driver-monitoring cameras in place. That’s not every new car manufactured, but every car newly registered[1].
New figures show Muslim children make up almost 50 percent of students in Vienna’s public middle schools
A bipartisan vote in the House removed a controversial provision shielding pesticide companies from legal liability, signaling the growing influence of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.
April 29, 2026 : North Korea’s continued expansion of its nuclear weapons program and long-range missile capabilities is approaching a level that could challenge the operational limits of the United States’ homeland missile defense system, according to a recent analysis published by Bloomberg. The assessment indicates that a combination of increasing warhead production, a growing inventory of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and technological advancements in delivery systems is shifting Pyongyang’s posture from a minimal deterrent toward a more scalable strike capability.
Despite reports to the contrary, some in the Israeli leadership believe the president is considering paying off the Iranian government to open the Strait of Hormuz
Trump revealed plans to ‘free up’ the ships in the crucial waterway in a Truth Social post on May 3.
Rubio declares 'offensive' actions of Operation Epic Fury are over, and now Project Freedom is in swing. Another vessel comes under attack in Hormuz. UAE under attack again, confirmed in state sources - however which Iran denies doing - instead saying its actions were directed at the United States. White House still hasn't declared end of ceasefire. Pentagon addresses whether ceasefire over or violated: Caine says Iran's Monday operations were "all below the threshold of restarting major combat operations at this point." Contradictory statements out of Tehran on UAE attack, amid reports of division between IRGC & civilian leaders. Two US Navy destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Persian Gulf. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi travels to Beijing to discuss crisis with Chinese counterpart.
Fujairah is the only oil exporting zone in the country. ...The strike, if confirmed, would be the first strike from Iran on one of its Gulf Arab neighbors since the start of a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran that was announced last month.
it comes amid growing anger among the Russian populace and among leadership following a series of major Ukrainian drone attacks.
Trump employs interesting new term: "We’re in, I call it a mini-war." Fujairah says 3 injured in Iranian attack on Oil Industry Zone, UAE confirms "air defenses are now dealing with a missile threat", we have gotten reports of explosions in Dubai, which has sent oil higher and Emini futures into the red. UAE threatens retaliation. CENTCOM hails two US merchant ships exiting Hormuz Strait safely in "first step". Bessent issues remarks warning the US "will fire if fired upon." Iran insists Hormuz is under its control & says it targeted & struck a US Navy vessel, which the Pentagon/Central Command has denied. Trump announced Sunday US will 'help free up' ships stuck in Hormuz Strait through Project Freedom. Iran has in response issued a "redefined the control zone" in Strait of Hormuz.
A federal magistrate judge in Washington, D.C., has come under fire after expressing deep concern – described by multiple outlets as an apology – over the custody conditions of Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on April 25.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s task force to examine declassified documents and the suspicious death of a government scientist
The Russians are complaining that Ukrainian medium-range UAVs with unjammable Starlink communications are increasingly striking their rear-area logistics.
In a survey of US adults taken in the last week of April, 62% said they disapprove of his general performance in the Oval Office. A whopping 76% disapprove of his handling of the cost of living and 66% disapprove of what he's done with Iran. A majority of Americans surveyed expressed disapproval of his handling of every issue covered by the survey.
US President Trump posted on Sunday that the US will guide neutral ships safely out of the Strait of Hormuz under “Project Freedom”, beginning Monday morning Middle East time. An Iranian official said any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire. Iranian Major Abdullahi said any foreign armed forces, particularly the US, would be attacked if they approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz.
Asian economies are dramatically increasing imports of discounted Russian crude amid global supply disruptions. A temporary U.S. sanctions waiver is enabling more Russian oil to flow into global markets. The shift risks boosting Moscow’s war revenues while exposing the limits of Western energy sanctions.
In some cases, targets in the Urals - nearly 1,000 miles away from the Ukraine border - have been hit. Transneft’s oil pumping and distribution facility in the city of Perm was struck this week, which lies very far into Russian territory.
New documents obtained by Sen. Ron Johnson reveal that Biden-era federal health officials refused to use a state-of-the-art statistical tool for detecting COVID-19 vaccination signals in VAERS — even though they knew the tool they were using was broken and failed to pick up on safety signals, including sudden cardiac death.
Federal health officials under the Biden administration abysmally failed at monitoring COVID-19 vaccine safety signals after the vaccine rollout, according to congressional testimony delivered today by Children’s Health Defense Senior Research Scientist Karl Jablonowski. The government’s vaccine safety monitoring “has been insulting, and many people are injured,” Jablonowski wrote in his written testimony.
As of late 2023, most cars manufactured from around 2010 onwards have integrated GPS tracking, often as part of their infotainment systems or emergency services. However, built-in, always-on GPS for tracking purposes is more common in vehicles equipped with advanced telematics or connected car services introduced in newer model years.
For decades, the American people have been lied to about “Temporary Protected Status,” or TPS. The very name is a deception. The “T” stands for temporary, yet in practice, this program has morphed into one of the most blatant forms of backdoor amnesty ever devised. Congressman Andrew Clyde (R-GA) has stepped up with H.R. 8460, the Territorial Protection and Sovereignty Act, which repeals the authority for TPS altogether, terminates existing designations, and requires current holders to leave the United States.
Perhaps last week's sanctions on China's teapot refiners are part of a leverage campaign by the Trump team ahead of the upcoming meeting. By Saturday morning, Beijing announced that companies in the country should ignore and not comply with U.S. sanctions targeting five domestic refineries.
While these volumes account for only a small fraction of Russia’s total global oil exports, they are significant for Syria. With domestic production still well below demand, Russian supplies have made Moscow the country’s leading crude provider.
Senator Ron Johnson, who has worked tirelessly to expose this coverup, recently held a Senate hearing whose title says it all: “Unmasked: How Biden Health Officials Purposely Turned a Blind Eye Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Signals.” Faced with a tsunami of vaccine injuries too large for anyone to ignore, the FDA and CDC searched for a way to statistically dismiss it, eventually settling on comparing Moderna’s injury rate to Pfizer’s and declaring the vaccines “safe” because there was no major difference between the two. When a senior FDA analyst pointed out this obvious flaw and suggested comparing them to less toxic vaccines instead, documents show the entire FDA turned against her to suppress her findings. As a result, dozens of conditions we have all seen the COVID vaccines cause were never officially linked to them—despite the data clearly showing they were.
When asked why the members were removed, a White House official told The Epoch Times via email that a 2021 Supreme Court decision “raised constitutional questions about whether non-Senate confirmed appointees can exercise the authorities that Congress gave the National Science Board.” “We look forward to working with the Hill to update the statute and ensure the NSB can perform its duties as Congress intended,” the official stated. “The National Science Foundation’s work continues uninterrupted.”
If wells are forced to shut down due to lack of storage, this could cause permanent damage and render the wells unusable in the future. Recovery is expensive and difficult. If the current data is accurate, then Iran has approximately two more weeks before their economy is destroyed. Loss of $430 million per day in export revenues aside, permanent damage to their oil fields would result in a long term economic disaster. The danger of well shutdowns is probably the reason why the regime has offered new proposals every few days to open the Strait of Hormuz, though, they continue to call for a separate negotiation on their estimated 970 pounds of enriched Uranium stockpile. There is little incentive for Trump to lift the blockade at this time, given the amount of leverage he will have over the Iranian economy if he maintains restrictions on their oil exports for another two weeks. The regime is trapped between a rock and a hard place, and will have to decide soon if their oil wells are more important to them than their Uranium.