May 18, 2026
Louisiana Primary, Kentucky, and Gas Prices
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Today, we will look at election results in Louisiana, several historical snapshots, and the week of news ahead.
Let’s get to it.
The Week Ahead
-Chinese President Xi Jinping will host Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Beijing this week.
-Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon, and Pennsylvania will hold statewide primary elections on Tuesday.
-Cuba will commemorate its independence on Wednesday.
-Foreign ministers from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will meet in Helsingborg, Sweden, on Thursday.
-The U.S. Congress will begin a weeklong recess for Memorial Day on Friday.
-Cyprus will hold legislative elections on Sunday.
Major Developments
-Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy did not advance in Saturday’s Republican primary, placing third in a four-way field.
President Donald Trump had endorsed Congresswoman Julia Letlow, who placed first, due to his anger with Cassidy for voting to convict him in his second impeachment trial in 2021.
In his concession speech in Baton Rouge, Cassidy issued a seemingly veiled criticism of Trump, saying, “When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to.” He added, “But you don’t pout. You don’t whine. You don’t claim the election was stolen.”
View his full remarks here:
Reacting to Cassidy’s loss, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said there was “no room” in the Republican Party for those who “tried to destroy” Trump.
Meanwhile, former senator and presidential candidate Mitt Romney called the outcome “a loss for the country.”
Cassidy’s loss marks the first time an incumbent senator has failed to win renomination since 2017.
-Trump called for a primary challenger against Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert after the conservative lawmaker campaigned with Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie as he faces a tough primary challenge this week.
Trump has scorned Massie for his support of releasing the investigatory files related to the now-deceased financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and a litany of other issues.
Referencing Cassidy’s loss in an interview on ABC’s This Week yesterday, Massie said, “My situation is a little bit different.”
View his interview here:
-The average U.S. gas price stood at $4.51 yesterday amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to AAA.
In an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, Trump said that he expected gas prices to “drop like a rock” following the conclusion of Washington’s war against Iran.
View the interview here:
Last month, inflation rose to a three-year high, fueled by a sharp rise in gas prices.
-Trump reported thousands of financial transactions in the first quarter of the year, according to a new filing with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics.
-Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are featured on the latest cover of TIME magazine following Trump’s two-day visit to the Asian country last week.
-Colorado Governor Jared Polis commuted the prison term of Tina Peters, who had been sentenced to nine years for tampering with election equipment.
-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is continuing to resist demands for him to step down as a growing number of his Labour Party members call for him to do so.
Four ministers have resigned from his government since the vote, with former Health Minister Wes Streeting saying that he will run to replace Starmer if a leadership contest is triggered.
Starmer has faced increased pressure to step down since Labour suffered major defeats in municipal elections held earlier this month and as he has faced questions over his appointment of an ambassador who had close ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
-Trump said over the weekend that the U.S. and Nigeria had carried out an operation that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second in command of ISIS’ global network.
-On this day in 1860, the Republican Party nominated Abraham Lincoln for president at its convention in Chicago.
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy hosted the first group of Peace Corps volunteers at a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House before their departure to Indonesia.
In 1974, India successfully detonated its first nuclear weapon, becoming the sixth country to acquire the bomb.
Other Links:
Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen ending campaign after redraw of his Memphis district - AP
Supreme Court rejects Virginia Democrats’ attempt to revive new congressional map - NBC
Trump administration to create $1.776B ‘Truth and Justice Commission’ to compensate allies: Sources - ABC
Republicans revise ballroom security funding after parliamentarian meeting - Politico
In Congress, a Sexual Harassment ‘Minefield’ Persists, Aides and Former Staff Say - The New York Times
Feds seek death penalty in murder of Israeli embassy staffers - ABC
WHO declares global health emergency over Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda - AP
Toddlers among more than 50 schoolchildren kidnapped in Nigeria - BBC
Peru electoral body pledges to fix voting ‘flaws’ ahead of June presidential runoff - Reuters
Lula is trying to show the left how to deal with Trump - The Washington Post
China committed to not ‘provide material support to Iran,’ US trade rep says - ABC
India news: Gas price hiked in Delhi NCR amid Iran fallout - DW
Kyiv mourns as death toll from Russian attack in the Ukrainian capital rises to 24 - AP
Fears Grow That Iran May Be Using Proxy Groups Beyond Mideast - The New York Times
UAE reports drone strike at nuclear power plant as Iran war deadlock persists - Reuters
Coal Makes a Comeback, Fueled by War in the Middle East - The Wall Street Journal
That’s all for today. See you tomorrow.
Notes:
https://scowcroft.substack.com/p/tsg-weekly-calendar-may-18-24
Disturbing that Senator Cassidy lost. I was overly and overtly optimistic that Trump's hold on his base had weakened.