May 6, 2026

Iran War

Bellwether Digest – May 5, 2026

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

 

By STAFF

This digest covers political, world, cultural, market, and sci-tech news from April 1-16, 2026.

This digest contains the Global Outlook, Headlines Missed, and People Advance Report.

TOP NEWS TAGS

  1. Iran War
  2. 2026 Elections
  3. Gerrymandering Wars
  4. Trump Assassins
  5. AI China

GLOBAL OUTLOOK

  1. ABORTION PILL MAILER BAN LIFTED BY SCOTUS – After a lower court issued an injunction temporarily blocking the abortion pill from being delivered through the mail, SCOTUS has lifted the injunction.
  2. SPIRIT AIRLINES LOSES ITS SPIRIT – Spirit Airlines had a 34-year run that came to an end this month after the company declared bankruptcy. They shut down all operations and are now in the process of selling off their assets, including their planes.
  3. SENATE HOPEFUL ARRESTED FOR THREATENING TO KILL TRUMP – Raymond Chandler III of Alleghany County, PA was Democrat U.S. Senate candidate until he was arrested for threatening to murder President Trump. His plan was to threaten a U.S. Senator’s daughter if the Senator didn’t walk into the oval office and assassinate President Trump.
  4. DYING GAMESTOP GRABS FOR EBAY – As GameStop continues to struggle to stay afloat, it looks to make a $56 billion bid to buy eBay. The problem is they cannot show how they could pay for it.

HEADLINES MISSED

  1. HOMESCHOOLERS FACE CPS CALL IN CONNECTICUT – If you want to take your child out of the public school system in Connecticut, your family will be subject to a visit from the Department of Children’s Protective Services.
  2. EPSTEIN RANCH WAS EUGENICS PARADISE? – New leaked Epstein Files point to forced pregnancies of teens in Eugenics experiments conducted on Epstein’s ranch, Zorro Ranch.

PEOPLE ADVANCE

  1. FLORIDA GOP GERRYMANDERING MAP SIGNED – Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a new U.S. House redistricting plan that will give the GOP 4 more seats. The law was immediately challenged in state courts.
  2. AMERICA’S EUROPE TROOP CUTS BEGIN – President Donald Trump announced a 5,000 troop cut in Germany, adding more is to come. He said, “We’re going to cut way down. And we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000.”
  3. ALBERTA WANTS TO LEAVE CANADA – Leaders of the separatist movement of Canada’s western province Alberta claim to have enough signatures to trigger a vote on separation from Canada.
  4. KEEP YOUR PERSONAL DATA AT HOME EVEN WHEN YOU BUY ONLINE – Harvard has created a digital open-source wallet that keeps your private data from being shared online. The digital wallet keeps your personal data on your phone, validating your purchases without relying on a third-party source to do so.

 

Stories We are Watching

  1. Child Struck by Gunfire as Secret Service Neutralizes Alleged Gunman Near White House– www.westernjournal.com
  2. ‘I think they’re getting some guns’– www.washingtonexaminer.com
  3. Trump’s Approval Ratings Sink Even Lower– crooksandliars.com
  4. Ukraine and Russia Declare Separate Truces– www.themoscowtimes.com
  5. Trump & Republicans Float Deal to Flip Fetterman from Democrat to GOP– slaynews.com
  6. Russia Lost Ground in Ukraine in April, a First Since Mid-2023 – AFP Analysis– www.themoscowtimes.com
  7. Fulton County moves to block DOJ subpoena for 2020 election workers’ personal data, calls effort “harassment” – CBS News– news.google.com
  8. U.S. sinks 7 small Iranian boats as Iran launches attacks on UAE and ships in Strait of Hormuz– www.cbsnews.com
  9. Young Voters Swing Back To Democrats As Republicans Are In Big Trouble– www.politicususa.com
  10. House sexual harassment payouts exceeded $300,000– www.politico.com

 

On Our Radar

  1. White House Considers Vetting A.I. Models Before They Are Released– www.nytimes.com
  2. SCOTUS declines to hear Stockton lawsuit over doctors penalized for allegedly spreading COVID-19 misinformation – krem.com
  3. DCCC Caught Putting ‘Thumb on the Scale’ in 2026 Primaries, ‘Narrowing Democracy’ – RedState– redstate.com
  4. Canada to host NATO-backed global defence bank, Vancouver awaits HQ decision | Daily Hive | Urbanized – Daily Hive
  5. The US fights to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as the UAE comes under attack in a test of Iran truce – AP News– news.google.com
  6. Staffer for Dem Sen. Cory Booker Who Brought Gun Into Capitol Without a License Saw Charges Quickly Dropped: DOJ– www.westernjournal.com
  7. Mamdani Calls ICE ‘Cruel and Inhumane’ After Anti-ICE Mob Violently Riots in Support of Criminal Illegal › American Greatness– amgreatness.com
  8. The Redistricting War Has Just Begun– www.dailysignal.com
  9. America’s AI Rules Are Being Written in Courtrooms | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org
  10. China Construction Bank (CICHF) Receives a Buy from Goldman Sachs – The Globe and Mail
  11. Trump considering federal AI model oversight – Mashable
  12. EU Leaders Respond to Question on National Identity and Globalism at EPC Summit in Yerevan – The Armenian Report
  13. ‘Nature’ Retracts Paper on the Benefits of ChatGPT in Education– www.404media.co
  14. Trump Goes All In On Regime Change In Cuba– thefederalist.com
  15. Earth’s origin mystery cracked? Meteorites may hold the secret to life’s ingredients |– timesofindia.indiatimes.com

 

Trump: Iran Is ‘In A State Of Collapse’ And Wants Hormuz Open ‘As Soon As Possible’– wltreport.com

pgnewser April 30, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

President Trump says Iran is “in a State of Collapse” and wants the Strait of Hormuz opened “as soon as possible” while talks continue.

That is the pressure point right now: Tehran wants relief, global energy markets want the waterway open, and the U.S. blockade is still being used as leverage.

Fox News highlighted Trump’s latest comments Tuesday afternoon:

Axios put Trump’s Tuesday claim in the larger negotiating picture:

Trump said Iran had told the United States it wanted the Strait of Hormuz opened quickly while it worked through a leadership crisis. The key caveat is that Tehran has not publicly confirmed Trump’s version of the message, so the claim still sits inside a live diplomatic standoff rather than a settled public agreement.

As Iran’s Leader Re-Emerges, U.S. Fails to Finish

pgnewser April 30, 2026 0

President Trump has rejected the latest proposal by Iran to continue the ceasefire, which seems to be de facto over. The Supreme Leader has allegedly emerged and promised to free the Strait of Hormuz from U.S. presence. The progressive media is casting doubts on U.S. power while Trump’s base buckles in its support for the war.

Iran’s Missing ‘Supreme Leader,’ in Written Message, Vows ‘Future Free of America’ for Strait of Hormuz– www.breitbart.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

The alleged, but missing, “supreme leader” of Iran Mojtaba Khamenei reportedly issued a written message on Thursday declaring that his country will impose a “new legal framework and management system for the Strait of Hormuz” that will result in a future “free of America” in the waterway.

Khamenei’s message declared the Strait, in which Iran has for over a month attempted to endanger commercial traffic, a “divine blessing” for his nation that the Islamist terror regime takes seriously. His statement, issued on the occasion of Iran’s “National Persian Gulf Day,” also contained a commitment to continue the regime’s illicit nuclear development — the main issue that the administration of President Donald Trump is seeking to settle with Iran.

The message follows weeks of attempts to end hostilities between Iran and America that began on February 28, when the Pentagon launched Operation Epic Fury and killed Khamenei’s father, longtime brutal dictator Ali Khamenei. President Trump announced a ceasefire this month that was initially intended to last two weeks, but has since been extended indefinitely. In public statements on his website, Truth Social, President Trump has explained that the extension was necessary given the large number of senior leaders in the Iranian regime that have been killed, resulting in unclear leadership and an intense power struggle within the terror state’s government apparatus. Iranian officials have attempted to deny the discord among their ranks but also have not at press time been able to organize a coherent response to the White House’s attempts to construct a long-lasting peace agreement.

Bellwether Digest – April 29, 2026

pgnewser April 29, 2026 0

By STAFF

This digest covers political, world, cultural, market, and sci-tech news from April 1-16, 2026.

This digest contains the Global Outlook, Headlines Missed, and People Advance Report.

TOP NEWS TAGS

  1. Trump Dinner Shooter
  2. Iran War
  3. 2026 Elections
  4. Trump Deportations
  5. Trump King Charles Visit

GLOBAL OUTLOOK

  1. COMEY’S 86 47 GETS INDICTED – The Department of Justice has garnered two new indictments targeting former FBI Director James Comey. The indictments are connected to a social media post by Comey that showed seashells on the beach laid out to signal “86 47.” One charge is “knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of — and to inflict bodily harm on — the president.” The second charge is “knowingly and willfully transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to kill the president.”
  2. CHARLES STEALTH BOMBS TRUMP IN CONGRESS – Using extremely veiled language, Charles III, King of Britian, appeared to tell the U.S. congress Trump should end the war in Iran and stop deportations. Progressives tend to agree with this assessment, claiming Charles “owned” Trump in front of congress.

This is our interpretation after reading between the two clear focal points of his speech, diversity and religious tolerance, both target Trump deportations of immigrants and his war on Islamist Iran.

HEADLINES MISSED

  1. MALI BUCKLES, RUSSIA WITHDRAWS – After Islamists led a successful offensive across Mali, Russian forces withdrew, while junta forces failed to stop the assaults. Not only did the Islamists successfully disrupt multiple cities, but they also killed the country’s defense minister and gained territory in northern areas. The assault puts the junta’s power in jeopardy, especially given Russia’s disengagement.
  2. CHINA’S MANTUS CUT OFF FROM U.S. PURCHASE – China has made a decisive move in the emerging AI race and war with the U.S., halting the purchase of a Chinese-created AI-agent company called Manus. The purchaser was the U.S.’s Meta. China did not offer an explanation, though it reflect AI nationalization trends both in China and in general.

PEOPLE ADVANCE

  1. TWO BIGS GERRYMANDER WINS FOR GOP – The Virginia Supreme Court continues to refuse to certify the special election that saw the Progressives win the “right” to use gerrymandering to eliminate 4 GOP U.S. House Seats. SCOTUS has confirmed the Texas gerrymander map that switches 5 Democrat-held seats to 5 likely GOP seats. In Florida, a gerrymander plan is advancing in the legislature that would net the GOP 4 more seats in the U.S. House.
  2. AI CREATES 1K JOBS AT SALESFORCE – Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff announced online plans to hire 1000 new college graduates to drive the “exponential” potential of AI. He said in his X post, “… they said AI would kill entry-level jobs. Meanwhile these grads & interns are building it.”

Top Tracking

 

On Our Radar

Why Ending the Iran War May Be a Never-Ending Story– www.thenation.com

pgnewser April 29, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Beyond the bubble of hardened MAGA cultists and a smattering of elite pundits, the joint American-Israeli war on Iran announced by a somnolent President Trump on February 28 is widely regarded as a pointless fiasco that is doing incalculable and growing damage to the global economy. The fact that the president once again unilaterally extended the ceasefire with Iran last week means that he still has no credible ideas about how to get traffic moving through the Strait of Hormuz. He’s similarly flummoxed when it comes to imposing America’s settlement terms on an emboldened regime in Tehran—despite his constant insistence that the war has resulted in an unprecedented, monumental American victory.

Regardless of if or when Trump’s crack negotiating team featuring zero Iran experts returns to Islamabad to meet with Tehran’s delegation, the status quo in the Strait of Hormuz is untenable. Oil prices are creeping up again after dropping on President Trump’s flurry of hallucinatory statements on April 17 proclaiming that the war would be wrapping up soon. The end was inevitably near, Trump insisted, because Iran had agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz, forgo the ability to enrich uranium forever and relinquish its stockpile of what the president with almost child-like wonder calls “nuclear dust.”

Estimating Wartime Damage to US Military Bases in the Middle East as Part of Operation Epic Fury | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org

pgnewser April 29, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

70 structures. 11 US military bases overseas. Seven countries. $5 billion in damage.

The damage inflicted by Iranian forces on American and allied bases in the Middle East during the opening weeks of Operation Epic Fury will have substantial financial consequences. Not only will America’s now-degraded forward troop presence change as a result, but the deliberations over what to rebuild will be time-consuming and highly consequential.

After rebuilding and repairs, US military force posture across Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, and Iraq is likely to shift locations, and shrink in the Gulf overall. Given the way in which the war in Iran has revealed America’s shallow munitions stockpiles and limited air defenses, the remaining open question for US allies and partners is: Are US bases still a net benefit to their security? The implications for force planning and modernization could see major disruptions depending on how the US and Gulf governments answer this question.

Country Base Estimated Damage
Bahrain 5th Fleet Headquarters 2 SATCOM terminals, 2 radomes, and 3 large warehouses
Iraq Erbil Military Base 1 storage building
Jordan Muwaffaq Salti Air Base 1 general administrative building
Kuwait Ali Al Salem Air Base 3 hangars, parts of the runway, 15 small warehouses, 1 maintenance shed
Kuwait Camp Arifjan 6 radomes, 4 small and large warehouses, 1 general administrative building, 1 maintenance shed
Kuwait Camp Buehring 1 SATCOM terminal, 1 hanger, 4 small and large warehouses
Kuwait Shuaiba Port 1 general administrative building
Qatar Al Udeid Air Base Parts of the runway
Saudi Arabia Prince Sultan Air Base 1 small warehouse, 1 radome
UAE Al Dhafra Air Base 2 general administrative buildings, 2 small hangars, 1 medical clinic, 6 fuel storages, 1 barracks
UAE Al Ruwais Military Base 5 small warehouses, 2 general administrative buildings
Source: Author’s analysis.

Trump’s war in Iran is ‘humiliating’ America, claims German leader Merz after initially supporting the war against Iran– rmx.news

pgnewser April 29, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took aim at the realities facing the United States in its war against Iran. Speaking to students in Marsberg, the German head of state did not hold back, stating that the “entire nation is being humiliated” by Iran.

When the war first broke out, Merz backed Trump and his actions in Iran, saying the U.S. was doing the dirty work for the world. Now, with the war dragging on, he is sharply changing his tune as his approval drops to rock-bottom support levels.

The chancellor specifically noted the role of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in putting the U.S. in its current predicament. He also took issue with having started the war, thinking it would be an easy win. And America, he made clear, should have learned from its own history by now from other failed wars.

Trump threatens Iran with AI picture of himself with a gun: 'No more Mr. Nice guy!' – CNBC– news.google.com

pgnewser April 29, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

  1. Trump threatens Iran with AI picture of himself with a gun: ‘No more Mr. Nice guy!’  CNBC
  2. Trump warns Iran ‘better get smart soon’ as he weighs military options over Strait of Hormuz  NBC News
  3. Live updates: Trump says Iran ‘better get smart soon’ as talks deadlock sends oil prices higher  CNN
  4. Trump claims Iran told U.S. it wants Strait of Hormuz open ASAP  Axios
  5. Live Updates: Iran renews threat to second vital shipping lane as Trump warns Tehran to “get smart soon”  CBS News

US ‘humiliated’ by Iranian leadership – German chancellor — RT World News– www.rt.com

pgnewser April 28, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Friedrich Merz says Washington has “no convincing strategy” in talks with Tehran

The US lacks a coherent negotiation strategy and is being “humiliated” by Iran, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday.

Merz made the remarks as the vital Strait of Hormuz remains closed to most shipping, driving up global energy prices.

“The Iranians are clearly stronger than expected, and the Americans clearly have no truly convincing strategy in the negotiations either,” Merz said during a visit to a school in Marsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia.

“The problem with conflicts like this is always that you don’t just have to get in – you also have to get out again. We saw that very painfully in Afghanistan for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq,” the chancellor said, according to Deutsche Welle.

Iran ‘to end Strait of Hormuz blockade’ if Trump accepts major nuclear weapons concession– www.mirror.co.uk

pgnewser April 27, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Iran is proposing to lift its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz without tackling its nuclear programme, two regional officials familiar with the offer said Monday, as the country’s foreign minister travelled to Russia in what he described as an opportunity to consult with Moscow about the conflict with Israel and the United States.

Iran also seeks the US to lift its blockade of the country as part of its proposal, said the two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private negotiations. The fresh proposal, delivered to the United States through Pakistan, is unlikely to gain support from US President Donald Trump, who insists on ending Iran’s atomic programme as part of a comprehensive deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and secure a permanent ceasefire.

“We have all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us,” Trump told Fox News Channel on Sunday.

The Axios news outlet first reported Iran’s proposal. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in St Petersburg on Monday morning ahead of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. His weekend trip has included two stops in Pakistan and a visit to Oman, which shares the strait with Iran.

Iran’s top diplomat briefly returns to Pakistan but Trump says the sides can talk by phone– abcnews.com

pgnewser April 27, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

ISLAMABAD — ISLAMABAD (AP) — Iran ‘s foreign minister briefly visited Islamabad again on Sunday as Pakistan’s political and military leadership scrambled to reignite ceasefire negotiations between Tehran and Washington, but President Donald Trump said they could talk by phone instead.

Abbas Araghchi had left Pakistan’s capital late the previous day, creating confusion around an expected second round of talks there, but he returned before continuing on to Moscow on Sunday, Iranian state media said. He had been in Oman, which previously mediated talks and is on the other side of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The White House last week said it would dispatch envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad to follow up on historic face-to-face talks earlier this month. But shortly after Araghchi’s departure Saturday, Trump said he had called off the mission because of a lack of progress with Iran.

“If they want, we can talk but we’re not sending people,” Trump told Fox News on Sunday. He said earlier on social media: “All they have to do is call!!!”

U.S.-Iran peace talks stall. What’s next for global markets– www.cnbc.com

pgnewser April 27, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Global markets are entering the week balancing resilient risk appetite against renewed geopolitical strain as prospects of U.S.-Iran negotiations took a hit over the weekend.

U.S. President Donald Trump scrapped plans to send envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad for talks with Iran on Saturday, citing “tremendous infighting and confusion” within Tehran’s leadership.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi made a brief return to Islamabad on Sunday as Pakistan’s leaders pushed to revive ceasefire talks between Tehran and Washington, though Trump said discussions could instead take place over phone. Araghchi has reportedly departed Islamabad for Moscow.

Iran has offered a new proposal to the U.S. for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and end the war, while shelving nuclear talks to a later date, Axios reported, citing a U.S. official and two sources with knowledge of the matter.

Iran supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei ‘needs plastic surgery’ after airstrike burns– www.mirror.co.uk

pgnewser April 24, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen publicly since the start of the war with the US, with reports emerging that he was seriously injured in an airstrike last month

Iran’s new supreme leader has not been seen in public since the outbreak of war with the US, with reports emerging that his face was so severely burnt in an airstrike that he requires plastic surgery.

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has neither been spotted nor released any audio or video message since assuming power. According to reports, he sustained serious injuries in an airstrike on 28 February.

The US and Iran have been engaged in conflict since late February, after joint US-Israeli forces launched strikes on several key Iranian targets. Iran hit back by attacking sites across the region and shutting the vital Strait of Hormuz trade route.

The New York Times reported that while Khamenei was gravely wounded, he remains mentally sharp and engaged, according to four senior Iranian officials with knowledge of his condition.

Iran-US war latest: UK hits back at Trump threat to review Falklands claim over lack of support for Iran war– www.independent.co.uk

pgnewser April 24, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Mike Huckabee, the US envoy to Israel, who was on hand for the White House talks, said the “people of Lebanon, the people of Israel are neighbours and they want to get along”.

“They can get along,” he said.

“But it’s like neighbours who have a rough little kid living in the neighbourhood who keeps throwing rocks at everybody’s window.

“And if the kid will quit throwing rocks, the neighbours can get along and start actually working together.”

Japan core inflation accelerates after five months as Iran war stokes energy worries– www.cnbc.com

pgnewser April 24, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Core inflation in Japan accelerated for the first time in five months, rising to 1.8% in March as Iran war-fueled higher energy prices stoke consumer inflation.

Government data showed the inflation figure — which strips out prices of fresh food — was in line with the 1.8% expected by economists polled by Reuters, and was higher than the 1.6% seen in February

Headline inflation came in at 1.5%, compared with 1.3% in February, staying below the central bank’s 2% target for a second straight month.

The so-called “core-core” inflation rate, which strips out prices of both food and energy, dipped to 2.4% from February’s 2.5%, marking its lowest level since October 2024.