02 U.S. Politics

Trump’s indefinite ceasefire does not seem so definite– www.cnbc.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

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… A ceasefire by U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be on shaky ground after Iran launched strikes against the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. Central Command said it sank six Iranian small boats in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump later escalated the rhetoric, telling Fox News that Iran will be “blown off the face of the earth” if it targets U.S. ships that are protecting commercial vessels transiting the strait.

He also called on South Korea to support U.S. efforts after he claimed a South Korean cargo ship had come under fire from Iran. Seoul had not publicly responded as of the time of writing.

These developments have spooked investors. International benchmark Brent crude futures rose nearly 6% to settle at $114.44 per barrel, while all three major U.S. stock indexes dipped.

Some analysts are sounding the alarm, warning that global economies could be “sleepwalking” into a “big recession”, as investors continue to underestimate the impact of the oil price shock, according to Amrita Sen, founder and director, market intelligence at Energy Aspect.

Are Anti-Trans Measures Being Used as Republican “Ballot Candy”? – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

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At a fundraiser in early January, Nevada Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo outright admitted to donors he wasn’t the most inspiring candidate. “I am not enough of a motor—uh, a motivator—as a governor candidate to get them off the couch,” he said on a recording obtained by the Nevada Independent.

“We have a couple ballot initiatives we’re going to initiate in order to get voters out,” Gov. Lombardo reassured the room.

But the governor had a plan to fix it. “We have a couple ballot initiatives we’re going to initiate in order to get voters out,” he reassured the room. One measure would mandate photos IDs at the polls, a policy that targets racial minorities. The other initiative would tap into a newer but no less virulent strain of right-wing grievance: “The second thing we’re going to do is this thing called Men in Women’s Sports,” Lombardo said at another event last October, referring to a Nevada constitutional amendment he proposed earlier this year that would ban trans girls and women from playing on girls’ school sports teams.

“Yay!” a few listeners responded. “Yeah!”

“That’s going to get people out to vote,” the governor continued. “Because, just from the groans in the room, I think they’re going to support it.”

‘Frustrated’ Fox News Voter Panel Blames Trump For ‘Very, Very, Very High’ Prices– crooksandliars.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

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A panel of voters on Fox News suggested that Republican control of government and President Donald Trump were to blame for “very, very, very high” prices.

During a Fox News segment on Monday, host Harris Faulkner asked the voter panel how they would approach the midterm elections. One independent said that she was frustrated and might not vote at all.

“Well, honestly, what has been holding me back is I feel like the change that I was expecting from the president himself,” voter Mary Josephine explained. “I don’t feel in my everyday life, which is concerning to me. I still feel, obviously, that, you know, prices are very, very, very high. You know, if you’re going to the grocery store or just in general, because inflation still exists.”

“Unfortunately, now we have the higher gas prices, which really hurt, you know, everyday people in their pocket,” the voter added. “And I’ve voted my entire life. And the frustration right now is, it’s just unbelievable. Because what really changes? I just feel like that we’re kind of, you know, just, you know, kind of steering the ship in the same direction.

A blueprint for using AI to strengthen democracy– www.technologyreview.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

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Start with what might be called the epistemic layer—how we come to know things. People are increasingly relying on AI to know what is true, what is happening, and whom to trust. Search is already substantially AI-mediated. The next generation of AI assistants will synthesize information, frame it, and present it with authority. For a growing number of people, asking an AI will become the default way to form views on a candidate, a policy, or a public figure. Whoever controls what these models say therefore has increasing influence over what people believe.

Technology has always shaped the way citizens interact with information. But a new problem will soon arise in the form of personal AI agents, which can change not only how people receive information but how they act on it. These systems will conduct research, draft communications, highlight causes, and lobby on a user’s behalf. They will inform decisions such as how to vote on a ballot measure, which organizations are worth supporting, or how to respond to a government notice. They will, in a meaningful sense, begin to mediate the relationship between individuals and the institutions that govern them.

ABC, CBS OMIT Palisades Firebug and His Luigi Mangione Fixation– www.newsbusters.org

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

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The Elitist Media evening newscasts rightly accorded significant coverage to last year’s deadly Southern California wildfires. It is therefore unfortunate that they seem mostly disinterested in covering the arrest and revealed motive of the individual suspected in starting the Palisades Fire.

ABC and CBS did NOT cover the arrest of Jonathan Rinderknecht. ABC covered the end of the litigation between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, while CBS covered the Met Gala. There was simply no time to spare.

NBC Nightly News did cover it. Here’s the report in its entirety as aired on Monday, May 4th, 2026:

Suspect Arrested After Shooting Incident Outside White House– trendingpoliticsnews.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

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A suspect is in custody and one bystander is recovering from gunshot wounds after a a security incident outside the White House on Monday afternoon. The incident caused a brief lockdown inside the White House as President Trump was meeting with small business leaders and taking questions from the press.

A U.S. Secret Service spokesman told reporters that the incident took place at approximately 3:30 p.m. near the outer perimeter of the White House complex.

Plainclothes officers and agents who patrol the area identified a suspicious individual who appeared to be armed. They then called for support from marked uniformed Secret Service police officers to make contact.

Upon contact, the individual fled briefly on foot, withdrew a firearm, and fired in the direction of the agents and officers. At that point, law enforcement engaged the suspect. “That individual was hit, he’s since been transported to the hospital. I have no comments on his condition,” the spokesman said.

Pam Bondi keeps up the shady shenanigans in Epstein probe– www.dailykos.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

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Shortly after she was fired as attorney general, Pam Bondi refused to appear before the House Oversight Committee to testify about her mishandling of the Epstein files, saying that since she was subpoenaed in her official capacity and was no longer in her job, she wouldn’t show up.

Now that she’s agreed to appear in her private capacity, however, she seems to be getting official representation from a high-level attorney at the Department of Justice. There’s fairly strong evidence that Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon—who is currently vying for Bondi’s old job—will somehow represent Bondi rather than Bondi hiring a private attorney.

If you’re wondering how this works, it doesn’t. Bondi is a private citizen and has insisted on being called in that capacity but somehow is also sort of still a government employee that our tax dollars should pay for representation?

A little timeline shows how Bondi and the DOJ continue to play reindeer games in an effort to protect President Donald Trump from any fallout over his longtime relationship with accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Cole Allen Had ‘Every Intention to Kill’ Secret Service and Trump – PJ Media– pjmedia.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

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D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who was present at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and is prosecuting shooter Cole Allen (pictured above), stated emphatically that Allen was certainly aiming to kill not only Trump administration officials, but anyone who stood in his way, including the Secret Service agent who took a bullet.

While speaking with CNN’s Jake Tapper on State of the Union Pirro discussed the evidence definitively proving that the bullet that embedded itself in a Secret Service agent’s body armor came from Allen’s shotgun.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche Says James Comey Indictment Built on 11 Months of Evidence– wltreport.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

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Former FBI Director James Comey. Official FBI portrait.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche went on national television Sunday and made a simple point: the federal indictment of former FBI Director James Comey was the product of an 11-month investigation, and reducing the case to a single deleted Instagram photo misrepresents what prosecutors actually have.

Blanche appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press on May 3 and addressed the widespread criticism that Comey was charged over a beach photo showing seashells arranged as “86 47.” Critics of President Donald Trump interpreted the post as a harmless political statement. Supporters of the president viewed it as a veiled threat against the 47th president of the United States. Comey deleted the image.

Blanche said investigators developed a far broader evidentiary record than a screenshot.

California Copied Europe’s Insane Energy Playbook, And Now Residents Are Really Paying the Price– www.westernjournal.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

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Even as U.S. gasoline prices rise again amid ongoing Strait of Hormuz tensions, American drivers are still paying less than half what many Europeans and Asians endure at the pump. The reason is simple: America chose lower taxes and genuine energy security.

Europe and California deliberately chose the opposite — and are now reaping the painful, predictable consequences.

Taxes explain most of the gap, as the Wall Street Journal detailed on April 22. European governments routinely pile on $3–$4 per gallon in excise duties, VAT and “green” levies. In Germany, prices recently hit the equivalent of $8.75 a gallon, with taxes comprising over half the total. Most U.S. states charge roughly 20 cents.

Thinking About Smartphone Bans in Schools | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

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America’s war on student smartphones is intensifying. Roughly two-thirds of US states have moved to restrict phone use in schools. The educational logic is straightforward enough. If these devices distract our kids, lock the gadgets away and learning will naturally improve—a strong prima facie case, to be sure. Yet new nationwide evidence suggests the story is more complicated than this basic common parental and teacher intuition.

A fresh NBER working paper by Stanford University’s Hunt Allcott and co-authors, “The Effects of School Phone Bans: National Evidence from Lockable Pouches,” examines one of the most stringent approaches—lockable phone pouches that physically prevent access during the school day. Using a dataset spanning thousands of schools, the researchers take advantage of a kind of natural experiment by comparing outcomes before and after adoption against similar schools that didn’t adopt the policy.

If the goal is to keep kids off their phones while at school, mission accomplished. On those terms, the policy works. Phone use plunges with pouches—fewer GPS pings on campus and far less in-class use, according to teachers.

Muslim Judge Apologizes To White House Correspondent Assassin– gellerreport.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

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Judge Zia Faruqui has apologized to Cole Allen, the shooter who opened fire at the White House correspondents dinner (and shot a Secret Serrvice agent in his attempt to to kill President Trump), for how he has been treated in jail.

Judicial jihad. These judges are absolutely insane and belong in prison.

Related: TERROR ATTACK: Would Be Assassin At White House Correspondents’ Dinner Was ‘TEACHER OF THE YEAR IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY”

Trump Evacuated As SHOTS FIRED at White House Correspondents’ Dinner, UPDATE: Shooter in Custody

TERROR ATTACK: Would Be Assassin At White House Correspondents’ Dinner Was ‘TEACHER OF THE YEAR IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY”

Trump Slams ‘Disgraceful’ Norah O’Donnell for Reading White House Correspondents’ ASSASSIN’S Manifesto On 60 Minutes

White House Shooter Manifesto: Would-Be Trump Assassin Was a Radical Anti-Christian Leftist

South Carolina Rated Fast-Growing As Staggering Population Declines Persist In America’s Urban Centers– dailycaller.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

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South Carolina came out as the fastest-growing state in the country, even as Democrat-led cities on both coasts continue hemorrhaging residents at striking rates.

Between July 2024 and July 2025, 66,622 more Americans relocated to South Carolina than left it, driving a 1.5% population increase that outpaced every other state, , Fox News reported.

Federal data reinforces the scale of the shift. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that national population growth slowed to just 0.5% during the same window, the weakest annual increase since the pandemic era. Five states actually shrank: California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont and West Virginia. Idaho and North Carolina trailed South Carolina at 1.4% and 1.3% growth, respectively.

NATO chief says Europeans have ‘gotten message’ from Trump on defence– www.france24.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

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President Trump Throws Cold Water on Hopes for a Peace Agreement in Islamabad – RedState– redstate.com

pgnewser April 21, 2026 0

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Tuesday morning, President Trump did a brief telephone interview with Joe Kernen of CNBC’s Squawk Box. The subject was Trump’s prognosis for how the negotiations would proceed.

President Trump doesn’t seem to have high hopes. He points out that even though the Iranian leadership has stated it would not attend the new round of negotiations in Islamabad, it is participating, so long as the U.S. continues to blockade Iranian ports. Trump did not back off (see VIDEO: USS Spruance Lights Up Iranian Blockade Runner in a Formidable Demonstration of FAFO – RedState) and yet here we are. He frames their attendance as being under duress, “[T]hey just got the okay to go forward, which I knew they were going to do anyway. I mean, I don’t think they had a choice. They have to negotiate.”

Trump lays out a stark choice for Iran: “And you know, the one thing I’ll say is this: Iran can get themselves in very good footing. If they make a deal, they can make themselves into a strong nation again, a wonderful nation again. They have incredible people, but they seem to be, you know, bloodthirsty. They’re led by some very, very unfortunately tough people. And I don’t mean tough in a good way. I think it’s very negative for the country because we’re much tougher than they are — like not even close. But they have to use reason and they have to use common sense, and they can get themselves into a great position to make themselves into a great country, but a legitimate country, not a country based on death and horror.”

Ship Seized in Strait of Hormuz Carried Chemical Shipments for Missiles– gellerreport.com

pgnewser April 21, 2026 0

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Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley: The ship the U.S. seized in the Strait of Hormuz this weekend was headed from China to Iran and is linked to chemical shipments for missiles. It refused repeated orders to stop. Another reminder that China is helping prop up Iran’s regime—a reality that can’t be ignored (Haley).

Wall Street Journal: The Iranian cargo ship seized by U.S. forces in the Gulf of Oman this weekend is part of a fleet that often sails to China, one of Tehran’s most important backers—and includes vessels that have been accused of transporting chemicals for Iran’s ballistic-missile program. The ship, the MV Touska, visited the southern China port of Zhuhai twice in the six weeks before it was intercepted Sunday on its way to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, according to shipping analysts. The Touska ignored six hours of warnings from the USS Spruance, a guided-missile destroyer, according to the Pentagon

US Iran War Live Iran Tanker ‘Silly City’ Slips Past US Blockade Despite Warning: Report– www.ndtv.com

pgnewser April 21, 2026 0

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An Iranian tanker called “Silly City” successfully reached the country’s waters despite a naval blockade and threats from a US Navy task force. According to reports from local media, the vessel reached a southern Iranian port overnight after passing through the Arabian Sea with full security and operational support from Iran’s navy.

“Despite numerous warnings and threats from the US Navy Fleet Group, the Iranian oil tanker Silly City, with the operational support of the Iranian Navy and in full safety, entered Iran’s territorial waters last night after crossing the Arabian Sea,” the Iranian military said in a statement on Tuesday.

Shipping industry intelligence site Lloyd’s List reported that more than 20 Iranian so-called “shadow vessels” had transited past the US blockade

The Strait of Hormuz in peacetime sees around 120 daily transits, according to the site.

Dem Chris Murphy slammed for replying ‘awesome’ to report Iranian vessels ‘bypass US blockade’ in Strait of Hormuz | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com

pgnewser April 21, 2026 0

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“Awesome,” Murphy said as he shared an article headlined “At least 26 Iranian shadow fleet vessels bypass US blockade.”

Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy is cheering for the United States to fail in Iran because he hates the president. “Awesome,” Murphy said as he shared an article headlined “At least 26 Iranian shadow fleet vessels bypass US blockade.”

“A Democrat Senator is now publicly rooting for Iran. Did ActBlue start accepting donations from the regime’s oil revenue?” Said Montana Senator Tim Sheehy.

“The Democrats are rooting for Iran—literally,” said commentator Batya Ungar-Sargon. “Senator Chris Murphy may be the most psychotic example of this, but he is the apotheosis of a vibe that is utterly pervasive in the anti-Trump Left and Right. Donald Trump has a super-power: He exposes the most despicable qualities in his opponents, revealing them to be utterly beneath contempt.”

School Counselor Awarded Massive Lawsuit Settlement After Being Fired for Concerns With Gender Policy– www.westernjournal.com

pgnewser April 21, 2026 0

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An Indiana school counselor who was fired after discussing the district’s policy regarding “gender identity” with a reporter was awarded a $195,000 payout as part of a lawsuit settlement.

Kathy McCord, who has been an educator for 37 years, was dismissed after the South Madison Community School Corporation unveiled the new policy in August 2021.

The policy said that counselors and other employees were required to use “names and pronouns for the student that do not correspond with his or her sex” upon request of that student, according to a Wednesday release from Alliance Defending Freedom.

The policy sometimes “required employees to hide the new names and pronouns from parents,” the legal advocacy group said.

Trump Says Ceasefire Has Been ‘Violated Numerous Times’ as Iran Threatens to Deploy ‘New Cards on the Battlefield’– www.westernjournal.com

pgnewser April 21, 2026 0

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As the ceasefire between the United States and Iran winds down, heated words filled the air.

“Iran has Violated the Cease Fire numerous times!” President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social.

He did not provide details about the alleged infractions.

Meanwhile, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, rebuked Trump for “imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire,” according to CNBC. He was referring to Trump’s blockade of Iranian ports.

He accused Trump of trying to turn peace talks into “a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering.”

Eric Swalwell Used Campaign Funds to Pay for Over 100 Alcohol Deliveries– slaynews.com

pgnewser April 21, 2026 0

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Disgraced former Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is facing renewed scrutiny after campaign finance records revealed extensive spending on alcohol delivery services, luxury travel, and personal expenses funded by donors over multiple years.

According to reports citing Federal Election Commission data, Swalwell’s campaign made more than 100 separate purchases from alcohol delivery service Drizly between 2020 and 2024.

The purchases account for roughly a quarter of all such campaign-related spending nationwide during that period.

Campaign Funds Used for Alcohol, Travel, and Luxury Expenses

After Drizly ceased operations, records show Swalwell’s campaign continued similar spending patterns through Uber Eats, with more than 220 transactions totaling over $19,000.

Dems brace for a close finish on Virginia redistricting effort– www.politico.com

pgnewser April 21, 2026 0

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Democrats hope gerrymandering Virginia will give them the edge they need to win back the House. But Tuesday’s special election is proving more competitive than they’d like.

Tight polling and concerns over voter turnout in an atypical April election have many Democratic party strategists and officials preparing for a close finish.

“I always thought this campaign would be close [and] 24 hours out, I believe that to be the case,” Democratic strategist Jared Leopold said on Monday, before the final day of voting.

“Anytime you’re on the ‘yes’ side of a referendum, you’ve got the burden of proof,” he added. “It doesn’t matter what the referendum is, but anytime you’re arguing for ‘yes,’ the other side is going to be arguing for the status quo.”

Most Voters Want The SAVE Act Passed Before The Midterms– thefederalist.com

pgnewser April 21, 2026 0

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A majority of voters support the SAVE America Act and want Congress to pass it before the midterms in November, a March Harvard CAPS/Harris poll found. The majority of respondents also support other election integrity requirements, like counting ballots within 24 hours after Election Day, removing noncitizens from the voter rolls, and even allowing states to share voting records with the Department of Homeland Security.

The Harvard CAPS/Harris poll is conducted monthly. Last month’s survey, conducted March 25-26, included 2,009 respondents identified as “registered voters.”

Much of leftist media outlets’ coverage surrounding the SAVE America Act — which would require documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote and voter ID in federal elections — fearmongers that the legislation would essentially disenfranchise voters en masse by enacting these common-sense safeguards. The recent Harvard/Harris poll suggests that Americans aren’t as worried about that as the corporate press would have you think.

EXCLUSIVE: Biden FBI Probed GOP Members After Prosecutors Privately Called Allegation ‘Completely Incredible’– dailycaller.com

pgnewser April 21, 2026 0

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Biden-era FBI officials pressed forward with an investigation into Republican members of Congress after top prosecutors privately agreed central allegations lacked credibility, documents obtained by Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley show.

Based largely on claims made by then-Democratic New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the FBI launched a probe in January 2021 to assess whether several Republican members assisted individuals or groups who organized the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, records reveal.

“Operation Rampart 12 is yet another example in which Republicans were unfairly targeted and secretly subjected to an invasive investigation by the Biden DOJ and FBI,” Grassley told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“If not for my investigative work and brave whistleblowers, we wouldn’t know about FBI agents’ and DOJ prosecutors’ disgraceful efforts to try and destroy Republicans,” Grassley said. “My Democrat colleagues want to ignore these facts and evidence and defend the fired officials who participated in Biden’s lawfare. I’ll continue working to expose the widespread constitutional abuses that occurred under the Biden administration, because transparency brings accountability.”