What if liberalism *is* a suicide pact?
May 18, 2026
(Photo illustration by The Bulwark / Photos: Getty)
Monday, May 18, 2026
3 killed in shooting at San Diego’s largest mosque, police say
Updated 7:39 PM EDT, Mon May 18, 2026
Live Updates: Trump calls off scheduled attack on Iran amid "serious negotiations" toward peace deal
By Alex Sundby, Sarah Lynch Baldwin, Tucker Reals
Updated on: May 18, 2026 /
5:30 PM EDT / CBS News
What to know about the Iran war today:
- President Trump announced Monday that he was calling off what he said was a scheduled attack on Iran that was supposed to happen Tuesday. The president said he made the decision because "serious negotiations" were taking place toward a peace deal that Mr. Trump said will be acceptable to the U.S. and countries in the Middle East.
- Before Mr. Trump's announcement, Iran had said it conveyed another amended set of terms for a potential peace deal. Tehran says it is focused entirely on an agreement to end the war and has not yet "discussed any details regarding nuclear matters."
- Mr. Trump had warned Sunday that "the Clock is Ticking" for Iran to accept a peace agreement, and "there won't be anything left of them" if the Islamic Republic's leaders don't "get moving, FAST."
“Anti-Weaponization” or Political Payout? Democrats Call Trump’s $1.7B Scheme a Highway Robbery Slush Fund
Trump’s Latest Legal Deal: Dems See a $1.7B Pot
Used to Cushion Political Allies
May 18, 2026
Picture: POLITICO
SOURCES: Bloomberg - ABC News
The Justice Department announced on Monday that it is creating a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” after President Donald Trump moved to dismiss a sprawling $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS connected to the leak of his tax returns. DOJ said the settlement also involves dropping other claims tied to the 2022 Mar-a-Lago search and the administration’s prior legal fight around a Russian collusion matter—an exchange DOJ described as establishing a “systematic process” to hear and redress claims by people who say they were harmed by “weaponization” and “lawfare.”
Cuba, in Trump’s hands: ‘The worst thing is trusting a messiah from the outside because we are incapable of saving ourselves’
Sunday, May 17, 2026
Moscow’s German front company: How the Russian military bought European technology
Prosecutors say a trading firm routed dual-use components through Turkey and into the Kremlin’s war machine
May 18, 2026 4:00 am CET
LÜBECK, Germany — The police and customs officers had been waiting for hours. Parked outside the Radisson Blu Senator Hotel in the northern German city of Lübeck, they sat in silence, engines off, watching the entrance.
While some Supertankers flee under the cover of night, 20,000 seafarers remain trapped in the perilous Strait of Hormuz
The Greek Courier
Tensions rise as sailing through the Strait of Hormuz has become a "risky business" amid the ongoing blockade. Meanwhile, concerns have mounted over the vessels and their crew trapped in the Strait.
May 17, 2026
Maritime activity in the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted. As of May 18, 2026, just a few significant vessel movements highlight the precarious situation at this vital maritime choke point.
Latest updates Iran war latest: World leaders condemn attack on UAE's Barakah nuclear plant
Latest updates
- UAE 'has right to respond' after drone strike on Barakah nuclear plant
- Trump to convene Situation Room meeting on Iran, Axios reports
- Saudi air defences destroy three drones from Iraq
- Dr Gargash says 'no one will twist the UAE's arm' after drone attack
- Trump tells Iran the 'clock is ticking.'
- UAE air defences engage three drones on Sunday
- Iran warns US against renewed aggression
In Iraqi Desert, Two Israeli Outposts Were Kept Secret for Months
Israel spent over a year preparing a covert site in Iraq for its operations against Iran, regional officials say. Iraqi officials later confirmed the existence of a second base.
May 17, 2026
Updated 9:55 p.m. ET
The truck rattling by at 2 p.m. on March 3 was a familiar sight to residents of the Bedouin encampment in Iraq’s rugged western desert — a local shepherd’s pickup, en route to the nearest town of al-Nukhaib.
What the Dickens? Will Ferrell Plays Ghost of Epstein on ‘S.N.L.’ Season Finale
Ferrell, the “Saturday Night Live” alum, appears with James Austin Johnson as President Trump in a send-up of “A Christmas Carol.” Paul McCartney provides the music.
By Dave Itzkoff
May 17, 2026, 9:28 a.m. ET
It’s not even close to the Yuletide, but when Will Ferrell hosts “Saturday Night Live” and Paul McCartney appears as the musical guest, that’s an occasion enough to pay homage to “A Christmas Carol.”
The deficit just grew by $955 billion in 7 months. It’s time for a constitutional fix to control the budget
May 14, 2026, 4:00 AM ET
The U.S. government is technically insolvent, with its liabilities far exceeding its assets, and its financial condition is deteriorating with each passing day.
Washington seems to be addicted to deficit financing and the accumulation of an ever-increasing mountain of debt. Indeed, since 1961, there have only been five years in which the federal government’s budget registered a surplus and the Congressional Budget Office’s latest Monthly Budget Review revealed a $955 billion deficit over just seven months of fiscal 2026. That pace puts the full-year deficit on track to exceed $1.9 trillion — precisely the CBO’s own annual projection.
We Need to Move Beyond Robot Doomerism
JACOBIN
“The robots are coming” need not be understood as heralding the apocalypse. An automated society in which states and worker-owned enterprises use technology to serve public ends while meeting individual needs is entirely consistent with the good life.
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Harrison Ford to graduates of ASU: "I didn't want to be a poster boy for Nature, I wanted to be part of the work. Go change the World"
The Greek Courier
16/05/26
Harrison Ford made a memorable impact during his commencement address at Arizona State University, where he received an honorary Doctor of Arts and Humane Letters on May 11, 2026. In front of over 14,000 graduates, the 83-year-old actor reflected not just on his own journey but particularly on his deep love and commitment to nature.
Germany’s Merz says he wouldn’t advise his children to live in US
World
WORLD EUROPE
2 MIN READ
Story by Reuters
MAY 15, 2026
Berlin, Germany, Reuters — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday said he would advise his children against living or studying in the United States at the moment, citing a rapidly changing social climate and limited opportunities even for the highly educated.
Story by Reuters
MAY 15, 2026
Berlin, Germany, Reuters — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday said he would advise his children against living or studying in the United States at the moment, citing a rapidly changing social climate and limited opportunities even for the highly educated.
Man drives car into pedestrians in Italy, injuring eight
Paulin Kola
A man has driven his car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena, injuring eight people, four seriously, officials say.
US, Iran Stall on Hormuz Reopening as Oil Supplies Tighten
Skylar Woodhouse, Jeff Mason,
and Arsalan Shahla
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 12:10 PM PDT
5 min read
(Bloomberg) -- Iran said transit through the critical Strait of Hormuz will flow once the conflict with the US and Israel is over, but the sides are no closer to resolving their differences or finding a path to achieve it.
Taking a Good, Long Look Into Elon Musk and “Muskism”
JACOBIN
A growing share of world infrastructure is dominated by the eccentric, reactionary, annoying billionaire Elon Musk. He is, regrettably, a key figure to understand — which Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian set out to do in Muskism.
Elon Musk needs no introduction. He is one of the leading capitalists of our time. Unlike many in tech, he gets down and dirty with the physical world (or rather, his employees do), building cars and rockets, digging tunnels, even implanting chips in people’s brains.
Zohran Mamdani Is Right to Condemn West Bank Land Sales
By Ben Burgis
05.12.2026
After a rowdy protest outside a real estate event at Park East Synagogue, Mayor Zohran Mamdani was widely criticized for egging on the unrest by condemning the sale of West Bank properties. But the criticisms don’t stand up to scrutiny.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal ran an editorial titled “Mamdani and the Antisemites.” The next day, an article published in the conservative National Review called the mayor’s behavior “shameful.” The day after that, Republican city council member Vickie Paladino accused Mayor Mamdani of creating a “very dangerous environment.”
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