May 19, 2026
Election Day, Polls, and History
Good morning, everyone!
If you missed it, be sure to check out the latest edition of Last Week in History:
And, if you are on Instagram, check out Everything Briefing’s page for more historical content.
Today, we will look at U.S. politics, the situation in the Middle East, and a series of historical entries.
Let’s get to it.
United States
-Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth campaigned for the candidate challenging Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie ahead of today’s Republican primary election, an unusual move for a cabinet secretary.
The Pentagon pushed back on criticism that the move politicized the military, saying Hegseth’s appearance was in a personal capacity.
Hegseth’s appearance with Massie’s challenger, Ed Gallrein, came just a day before one of the most contentious Republican primary battles of the 2026 election cycle, which has become the most expensive House primary race in U.S. history.
In a video posted to his social media yesterday, Trump scorned Massie, calling him “the worst congressman in the history of our country,” while urging voters to back Gallrein.
View it here:
Trump has frequently criticized Massie for his support of releasing the investigatory files related to the now-deceased financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and voting with Democratic lawmakers on a series of issues, including against his signature Big Beautiful Bill law passed last summer.
In an interview with CBS’ Ed O’Keefe yesterday, Massie said that his race for reelection was about what it means to be a Republican in 2026.
View the interview here:
In addition to Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Oregon, and Pennsylvania will hold statewide primary elections today.
-The average U.S. gas price stood at $4.51 yesterday amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to AAA.
-Trump’s approval rating stands at 37%, with voters giving him low marks on the economy, immigration, and the cost of living, according to a New York Times poll.
-Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former ally of Trump, predicted that there would be a “political revolution in America” if ground troops are deployed to Iran.
-Trump is planning to build a permanent helipad at the White House.
-New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced yesterday that the first city-run grocery store will open next year in the Bronx.
View his announcement here:
-A high-profile lawsuit brought by Elon Musk against OpenAI was dismissed yesterday.
-Anderson Cooper bid farewell to CBS’ 60 Minutes on Sunday after 20 years with the newsmagazine.
View it here:
-On this day in 1925, Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska.
In 1962, Marilyn Monroe sang Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy at a Democratic fundraising event in New York City.
In 1994, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died at the age of 64.
Other Links:
Justice Department announces a $1.7B fund to compensate Trump allies in a deal to drop IRS suit - AP
Democrats on the brink of war powers breakthrough - The Hill
ICE Agent Charged in Shooting of a Venezuelan Immigrant in Minnesota - The New York Times
3 killed in shooting at San Diego’s largest mosque - CNN
Mark Fuhrman, former LAPD detective who investigated O.J. Simpson, is dead - NBC
Africa
-The World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a global public health emergency.
-At least four people have been killed in nationwide protests across Kenya as demonstrators express outrage over soaring fuel costs.
-Protests broke out in Tunisia’s capital, Tunis, over the weekend, with demonstrators accusing President Kais Saied of economic mismanagement and stamping out freedom in the North African country.
-Sierra Leone said it would take hundreds of West Africans deported by the United States.
-On this day in 1982, President Ronald Reagan hosted Moroccan King Hassan II at the White House for a summit meeting.
Other Links:
Two prominent Republican Africa staffers leave Capitol Hill - Semafor
South Africa’s Ramaphosa gets ‘full support’ from his party over scandal - Reuters
Belgian diplomat linked to Lumumba case dies before landmark trial - Africa News
Rwandan genocide suspect Kabuga dies in custody in The Hague - AP
Former Nigerian minister sentenced to 75 years in rare corruption verdict - BBC
Americas and the Caribbean
-In a post to his social media yesterday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel warned that U.S. military action against the island nation would cause a “bloodbath” and that Havana “poses no threat” to Washington.
The remarks came after Axios, citing U.S. intelligence, reported that Havana had acquired more than 300 military drones and had discussed plans to attack U.S. military targets.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez called the report a “fraudulent case” for a U.S. invasion.
-The Pentagon announced yesterday that Washington would suspend its participation in a joint body with Canada that coordinates military consultation, citing Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s remarks earlier this year at the World Economic Forum.
In those remarks, Carney said the world was “in the midst of a rupture” in the rules-based international order in what was perceived to be a criticism of U.S. global leadership under Trump.
View his full address here:
Other Links:
Maduro ally is charged in Venezuela bribery case after deportation to US - AP
Venezuelan mother dies 10 days after state confirms missing son died in custody - Reuters
Former mayor shot dead in central Colombia during election campaign - AP
Two presidential campaign staffers killed in Colombia as elections near - Al Jazeera
Brazil may re-route farm export flows amid US-China deal - Reuters
Asia/Indo-Pacific
-Chinese President Xi Jinping will welcome Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Beijing today, where the two leaders are expected to discuss the war in the Middle East, Moscow’s war against Ukraine, and tensions with the United States.
Putin’s visit to China comes just days after Xi hosted President Trump for two days of talks.
Just before Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin traveled to Beijing to meet with Xi, where the two leaders declared a “no limits” strategic partnership.
-China denounced Taiwan’s foreign minister for attending the annual World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.
-The Philippine Senate opened the first day of an impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte yesterday.
-North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that he plans to make his country’s shared border with South Korea an “impregnable fortress.”
-Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is floating the possibility of calling early elections.
-On this day in 1890, Ho Chi Minh, who founded the Indochina Communist Party and led North Vietnam through its war against the United States, was born in Hoang Tru.
Other Links:
Asia-Pacific markets mostly fall as Trump’s Iran warning stokes fresh oil supply fears - CNBC
Earthquake hits southwest China; thousands evacuate, buildings collapse - Reuters
US prosecutors drop fraud charges against billionaire Indian businessman Gautam Adani - AP
2 arrested after person breaks into Punch the monkey’s enclosure in Japan, zoo says - NBC
Bodies of four missing Italian divers found in the Maldives - Reuters
Europe
-Russia unleashed a major barrage of missiles and drones on Ukraine on Monday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying the bombardment targeted eight regions.
-Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said yesterday that he had a positive meeting with President Trump’s envoy for the Arctic region but reiterated that the semiautonomous territory would not negotiate on its right to self-determination.
-French prosecutors said they have been approached by 10 previously unidentified women who claim they were victimized by Jeffrey Epstein.
-Pope Leo will address the emergence of artificial intelligence in his first major text since becoming pontiff, according to the Vatican.
-On this day in 1943, President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met at the White House to plan an operation against Nazi Germany that would come to be known as D-Day.
Other Links:
European markets rebound after Trump threatens Iran - CNBC
Pentagon halts deployments to Poland and Germany to cut troop numbers in Europe, AP sources say - AP
Putin faces ‘very difficult choices’ in Ukraine as sanctions bite, Estonia’s spy chief says - Reuters
Angela Merkel says Europe ‘not making sufficient use of diplomatic potential’ to engage with Russia - The Guardian
Eurovision winner Dara arrives to screaming fans in Bulgaria - BBC
Middle East
-President Trump said yesterday that he postponed military strikes on Iran scheduled for today at the request of Washington’s Gulf allies.
The announcement came as Iran sent a new peace proposal to the United States, which reportedly has terms previously rejected by Washington. However, Tehran contends that the U.S. has softened its previous position on several issues, according to Reuters.
The proposal was delivered to U.S. officials by Pakistan, which has operated as the mediator between the two countries.
-The death toll in Lebanon is nearing 3,000 despite a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
-Israel’s navy intercepted an activist flotilla that sought to breach a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip.
-On this day in 2024, hardline Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash while traveling in the country’s northwest.
Other Links:
G7 Finance Ministers Look to Contain Iran Economic Fallout - The New York Times
Saudi says it intercepted three drones that entered from Iraqi airspace - Reuters
Hamas confirms top commander killed in Israeli air strike - BBC
Israel to establish defence offices in former UNRWA East Jerusalem compound - Reuters
EU extends sanctions on former Assad regime for one year, delists Syrian ministries - Reuters
That’s all for today. See you tomorrow.
WHAT I WROTE ELSEWHERE.
"Two questions weigh heavily on me these days, thanks in large part to the Everything Briefing and its daily news curation by Jacob Redman.
https://everythingbriefing.substack.com/p/may-19-2026
"¿When does morality matter in policy?
"¿Should morality matter in politics?
"OF COURSE MORALITY MATTERS, as well it should.
"¿Who wins in Cuba as a U.S. that I no longer understand grinds most of the ten million Cubans into grinding poverty for decades?
https://abcnews.com/International/cuba-grid-collapse-situation-growing-dire-experts/story
"¿Who wins when a U.S. utterly unfamiliar to me turns her back on fellow Americans north of the U.S. border with Canada over Prime Minister Carney's effrontery of telling the truth about U.S. policy?
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5883148-canada-defense-cooperation-trump-carney-tensions/
"¿Who wins when Europe takes more serious than the U.S. the cutural rot at the core of the Epstein files?
https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/french-prosecutors-have-identified-more-victims-in-epstein-probe-69f1060b
"We are all fed up with the U.S. news-cycle. As citizens of the United States, we need to stand together with the few brave mena nd women out there to rein in a runaway authoritarian.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zytfjwzhXg
"Representative Massie's political philosophy is not my own, far from it. Yet his courage is evident."
P.S., as Jimmy Kimmel points out: there is more oil in Hegseth's hair than in the Strait of Hormuz. 😉