May 28, 2026
Texas Senate Campaign and Middle East Negotiations
Good morning, everyone!
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Today, we will look at U.S. political developments, the situation in the Middle East, and a series of historical snapshots.
Let’s get to it.
United States
-The average U.S. gas price stood at $4.45 yesterday amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to AAA.
-President Donald Trump held the 12th Cabinet meeting of his second term yesterday.
View it here:
-Ken Paxton released his first ad since winning the Republican runoff election for Senate on Tuesday, attacking Democrat James Talarico on a litany of controversial statements he has made.
View it here:
Meanwhile, Talarico sat for an interview with CBS’ Ed O'Keefe to discuss his campaign, where he lamented Paxton’s “career of corruption.”
View it here:
-There is reportedly growing support among Senate Republicans to oust the chamber’s parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, after she ruled against the inclusion of $1 billion for Trump’s White House ballroom in a spending package.
-Former President Joe Biden filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice to prevent the release of audio recordings and transcripts tied to the special counsel investigation into his handling of classified information.
-Construction has begun at the White House for a UFC octagon.
-Democrat Graham Platner holds a nine-point lead over Republican Senator Susan Collins, according to a new poll.
-Minnesota Congresswoman Angie Craig announced yesterday that she would drop her bid for the Democratic nomination for Senate, a move all but ensuring the party’s backing for progressive Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan ahead of the party’s state convention this weekend.
Craig said that she will continue to seek the seat without the party’s official endorsement.
-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said yesterday that the administration is planning to halt the processing of international travelers at airports in “sanctuary cities.”
-Pam Bondi underwent treatment for thyroid cancer shortly after her dismissal as attorney general.
-Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed a bill into law that prohibits the manufacture, sale, and purchase of handguns that can be easily converted into fully automatic weapons, which was met by an immediate lawsuit filed by the National Rifle Association.
-In an interview with Politico’s Jonathan Martin, Pennsylvania Governor and prospective 2028 Democratic presidential candidate Josh Shapiro said that he had not seen Pennsylvania Senator Jon Fetterman at an event in the state for “years.”
View the full interview here:
-NASA unveiled new details on its plan to build a base on the moon.
-In a recent interview, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said it was a “mistake” to impeach President Bill Clinton in 1998.
-On this day in 1788, The Federalist Papers were published.
In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act.
In 1969, President Richard Nixon appointed conservative writer William F. Buckley Jr. to the U.S. Advisory Commission on Information.
Other Links:
Alabama asks Supreme Court to allow use of congressional map helping GOP, despite racial bias ruling - AP
James Comey’s seashells photo trial delayed until October - NBC
Justice Department launches a criminal investigation into Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll - CNN
Pentagon puts building blocks in place for Cuba invasion - Politico
Trump appoints Bondi to White House AI panel - Axios
At least $60M from National Park entrance fee fund going toward Trump’s DC projects - The Hill
Africa
-Uganda shuttered its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday as both countries face a surge in a new strain of the deadly Ebola disease.
Congo has recorded more than 900 suspected cases and over 220 deaths, with its Ituri province serving as the epicenter.
Ituri sits in the northeastern corner of Congo, bordering Uganda and South Sudan.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization called for a ceasefire in eastern Congo between government forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group in a bid to halt the spread of the disease.
Separately, a U.S. official said that Americans in Africa exposed to the disease would be sent to a facility in Kenya for treatment.
-Namibia will observe the first Genocide Remembrance Day today, commemorating the victims of Germany’s colonial rule in the early 1900s.
Other Links:
South African government and Afrikaners reject US claim of a humanitarian emergency for white people - AP
A bitter Eid al-Adha in Mali’s capital as al-Qaida-linked blockade sends sheep prices soaring - AP
Ghanaians repatriated from South Africa after anti-immigrant protests - Reuters
Senegal’s Sonko slams Prime Minister appointment in first speech as speaker - Africa News
Chinese vehicle trade deficit with S.Africa hits $3.5B - Semafor
Americas and the Caribbean
-The Trump administration has reportedly instructed federal prosecutors in Miami to back off of criminal investigations into Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez as Washington continues to strengthen ties with Caracas.
-Nationwide protests in Bolivia are nearing a second month, as demonstrators aligned with former leftist President Evo Morales call for the ouster of conservative President Rodrigo Paz.
-Canada and the Bahamas have imposed travel restrictions on visitors from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan amid an Ebola outbreak in those countries.
-The Canadian government announced yesterday that it will purchase a fleet of early warning planes from Sweden rather than a U.S. alternative.
The move comes as Ottawa is seeking to reduce its reliance on Washington amid tensions with the Trump administration.
-Argentina’s main opposition Peronists are looking to form a broad alliance against President Javier Milei ahead of next year’s presidential election and as Milei’s public support slides.
-Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has fallen to its lowest level since 2019, according to a new report.
Nine countries share the Amazon basin, with 58.4% of it within Brazil’s borders.
Other Links:
US has deported thousands of Cubans and Venezuelans to danger in Mexico, Human Rights Watch says - AP
U.S.-wanted nephew of notorious cartel boss “El Chapo” is captured in Mexico - CBS
Milei: ‘Highly likely’ that Pope Leo will visit Argentina in November - Buenos Aires Times
Brazil Inflation Jumps Through Target Ceiling on Pricier Food - Bloomberg
Brazil approves first generic semaglutide pen after Ozempic patent expiry - Reuters
Asia/Indo-Pacific
-The Chinese military said yesterday that it had dispatched air and naval forces to drive out a Dutch frigate in the disputed South China Sea.
China claims much of the waters, through which $3 trillion of annual trade runs is transited, using its nine-dash line—a demarcation rejected by an international tribunal in 2016.
Four other countries—Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei—also claim territory in the area, overlapping with China’s claims.
The incident with the Dutch vessel occurred near the Paracel Islands, which is claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
A spokesman for China’s army said the vessel had “intruded into China's airspace,” while the Dutch government said it was operating in accordance with international law.
-Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Beijing this week, where the two leaders pledged to deepen bilateral ties.
-The International Criminal Court set the trial date for former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for November 30, where he faces charges of crimes against humanity related to his war on drugs during his time in office.
-On this day in 1998, Pakistan successfully tested a nuclear weapon underground, becoming the seventh country to gain access to the bomb.
Other Links:
Asia-Pacific markets trade mixed as investors weigh Iran tensions and ceasefire talks - CNBC
Dissident flees China by inflatable boat, hoping it’s 4th time lucky on escape attempts - NBC
China executes man for poisoning gaming tycoon linked to Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’ - AP
South Korean Starbucks boss apologizes for ad campaign that evoked massacre - AP
Taiwan Said to Suspect Nvidia Chips Smuggled to China Via Japan - Bloomberg
Europe
-Nearly half a million Russians have been killed in Ukraine since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of the country more than four years ago, according to British spy agency GCHQ.
The estimate is well above previous estimates.
Meanwhile, a senior Ukrainian military commander said in an interview with Reuters that Kyiv’s war against Russian forces is reaching a “turning point.”
-On a visit to Poland to sign a new security pact, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said London and Warsaw face “no greater challenge” than Russian aggression.
-Pope Leo issued a warning over the weekend that mass unemployment brought by artificial intelligence could lead to “social calamity” while warning world leaders to regulate the rapidly growing technology.
The warning was part of the pontiff’s first encyclical.
Read it here.
-Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said yesterday that Beijing welcomed stronger ties with the Czech Republic.
The comment comes as Prague has sought closer diplomatic ties with Taiwan in recent months.
Next week, Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil is set to lead a business delegation to the self-governing island nation, where he is expected to meet with Taiwanese President William Lai.
-Spanish police raided the headquarters of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s ruling Socialist party yesterday.
On the same day, Pope Leo hosted Sánchez at the Vatican.
On this day in 1937, Neville Chamberlain became prime minister of the United Kingdom.
Other Links:
Zelenskyy asks Trump for more US air defense help against Russian missile attacks, Kyiv says - AP
Errant Ukrainian drones fuel tensions on NATO’s eastern flank - Reuters
Germany resists EU members’ push for a tougher stance on China - Euronews
Northern Ireland’s former unionist leader faces trial in sexual abuse case involving 2 girls - AP
Ferrari shares slump after it unveils first fully electric car - BBC
Middle East
-The U.S. military carried out what it described as limited strikes in southern Iran yesterday after shooting down four Iranian one-way attack drones.
Meanwhile, the White House pushed back on a draft memo circulated by Iranian state media that said a prospective agreement between Washington and Tehran would call for a return of shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the withdrawal of U.S. military forces currently blockading Iranian ports.
According to the report, the management of traffic through the waterway would be controlled by Tehran, in cooperation with Oman.
Speaking from the Cabinet Room of the White House yesterday, President Trump rejected the idea that the two countries would control the Strait, and that Oman will “blow up” if it does not “behave.”
He added that he is “not satisfied” with the deal yet and that he feels no political pressure to finalize an agreement.
View his remarks here:
-Israeli forces told residents in southern Lebanon to evacuate yesterday as it expands operations there.
The evacuation call is the first since Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire last month.
-The Board of Peace, the body founded by Trump to oversee post-war Gaza reconstruction, has been beset by financial troubles.
According to a report in the Financial Times, the Board has “zero dollars” in its fund.
-On this day in 1964, the Palestine National Council convened in Jerusalem, where the Palestinian Liberation Organization was founded.
In 2009, President Barack Obama hosted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the Oval Office.
Other Links:
Trump opposes Russia or China taking Iran’s highly enriched uranium - CNBC
Iran Wants Billions in Frozen Funds Back to Make a Deal With Trump - The New York Times
UN raises alarm over Israel’s killings of Gazans near armistice line - Reuters
Palestinians mourn slain Hamas militant chief as Israel escalates Gaza attacks - Reuters
Millions attend Hajj rituals for Eid al-Adha celebrations as Middle East conflict continues - CBS
That’s all for today. See you tomorrow.