Iran “Responds” To US Proposal
The Associated Press wrote on May 10:
“Iran has sent its response to the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal to Pakistani mediators and wants negotiations to focus on permanently ending the war, Iran’s state-run media said Sunday. State TV said Iran seeks to end the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and ensure the security of shipping. Washington’s latest proposal had addressed a deal to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and roll back Iran’s nuclear program, an issue that Tehran would rather discuss later…
“Another sticking point in negotiations is the fate of Iran’s highly enriched uranium. The U.N. nuclear agency says Iran has more than 440 kilograms (970 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels. In an interview with state media posted late Saturday, a spokesman for Iran’s military said its forces were on ‘full readiness’ to protect nuclear sites where uranium is stored… The majority of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is likely at its Isfahan nuclear complex…”
The Sun wrote on May 11:
“The US President blasted the regime on Truth Social, writing: ‘I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called “Representatives.” I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.’… The US President earlier accused Iran of playing games with the US for almost 50 years, threatening: ‘They will be laughing no longer!’”
Al Jazeera added on May 11:
“Donald Trump says the ceasefire with Iran is ‘on life support,’ after dismissing Tehran’s response to a US peace proposal as ‘stupid.’ The US president’s swift rejection… has fuelled concerns that the 10-week-old conflict will drag on, and continue to paralyse shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Referring to the latest proposal, Trump said the ceasefire is ‘the weakest right now after reading that piece of garbage they sent us.’… The search for an agreement between the US and Iran has so far proved elusive, with Trump threatening a return to war… Iranian officials have also expressed a lack of trust in the US, which has previously attacked Iran during periods of negotiation.”
Chinese Merchant Ship Attacked
Reuters reported on May 7:
“A Chinese-owned oil products tanker was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday… as President Donald Trump launched a U.S. plan that day to help stranded vessels but suspended it a day later... This was the first time a Chinese oil tanker has been attacked… China remains a key buyer of Iranian oil, which has been targeted by a U.S. blockade in the Gulf of Oman…
“Due to the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran, hundreds of ships and 20,000 seafarers remain trapped inside the Gulf, with traffic through Hormuz paralysed after renewed attacks on ships this week.”
Why Project Freedom Might Have Been Paused
Breitbart wrote on May 7:
“President Donald Trump’s ‘Project Freedom’ — the plan for American military forces to safely escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz — was ‘paused’ after less than 48 hours because Saudi Arabia denied the use of its airbases to protect ships from attacks by Iran… the Saudi government was ‘surprised’ and ‘angered’ when Trump announced Project Freedom with a Truth Social post on Sunday afternoon… [This was denied by the White House, claiming that ‘regional allies were notified in advance’]…
“Another theory about the abrupt suspension of Project Freedom is that Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states were made nervous by the Trump administration’s low-key response to the latest wave of Iranian attacks against the United Arab Emirates…”
The Most Embarrassing U-Turn Yet
The Independent wrote on May 7:
“Not for nothing is Donald Trump known as the ‘TACO’ (Trump Always Chickens Out) President. He announces major decisions and issues dire threats… and then scraps them. But even by his own shameless standards, Trump’s abandonment of his so-called Project Freedom to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is the granddaddy of all TACO somersaults…
“The official White House version is that Project Freedom is being ‘paused’ for ‘a short period of time’ to see if a peace deal with Iran can be reached. ‘Great progress’ has been made towards that end, claimed Trump, without a shred of evidence… A more likely explanation is that he was told that Project Freedom never had a hope of working and was almost guaranteed to make the war much worse, not end it. Experts were near unanimous in warning that it was likely to end the fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran and renew the ‘hot war’ between them…
“Sir John Sawers, former head of Britain’s MI6 intelligence agency, said Trump’s latest switch on Iran showed we are ‘living in an Alice in Wonderland world’ whereby the ‘ceasefire is intact as long as the president says it is intact’… Every intelligence agency in the world could have told Trump before he launched the war that it would result in Iran retaliating by blocking the Strait of Hormuz.”
“Trump’s Iran War Boasts SHREDDED”
The Daily Mail wrote on May 7:
“A leaked CIA briefing to the White House concludes that Iran retains significant ballistic missile capabilities, undercutting Donald Trump’s claims that the regime’s stockpile has been wiped out. The regime retains roughly 70 percent of its prewar missile stockpile and 75 percent of its mobile launcher inventory, according to a confidential CIA analysis provided to Trump officials.
“A US official told The Washington Post that Iran has recovered and reopened the vast majority of the underground storage facilities damaged in the opening stages of the war. Sources added that Iran has not only repaired damaged missiles but has also managed to produce new ones…. Intelligence officials found that Iran can withstand the economic toll of Trump’s naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for at least three to four months.”
DNYUZ added on May 7:
“Citrinowicz, a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies [and] former head of the Iran branch in Israeli military intelligence, said that even if the blockade lasted several months, it would not force the regime to bend to Washington’s demands…
“‘What started as a war supposedly aimed at toppling the regime and dismantling its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities,’ Citrinowicz posted Wednesday on X, ‘may instead leave Iran’s regime stronger than before — empowered by sanctions relief, still retaining significant missile capabilities, continuing support for its proxies, and almost certainly preserving uranium enrichment on its own soil.’”
Why the Iran War Will Not End Any Time Soon
The Ron Paul Institute published on May 8 the following opinion piece by Larry Johnson:
“…someone in the Trump administration who has been briefed on Trump’s upcoming statements about the war in Iran made a financial killing yesterday. This is part of a continuing pattern of deliberate deception by Trump, i.e., pretending there is great progress with talks with Iran, which in turn produces a boost in the US stock market and a decline in the futures price of oil. Here is the reality: There will be no negotiated end to the war with Iran in the next six months because the US narrative and the Iranian narrative cannot be reconciled.
“Let’s start with the US position or narrative… Iran is an irredeemable Islamic terrorist state that is teetering on the edge of collapse. Iran’s political and military leaders are deeply divided. Iran’s economy has no way to recover as long as the war goes on. Iran’s military capabilities have been decimated. Iran must cease enriching uranium and must allow complete, unhindered inspections of its nuclear facilities…
“Iranian leaders are equally firm… Iran will only agree to a negotiated settlement to end the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz [SOH] if Israel agrees to a complete ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza. The Strait of Hormuz will remain under Iran’s control and that they would never relinquish control of the SOH. On May 5, 2026, Iran launched a new body called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), requiring all ships wishing to cross the Strait of Hormuz to register, fill out forms, and pay a toll before receiving a transit permit. Iran will never give up its supply of enriched uranium and, as a sovereign nation and signatory to the NPT [Non-Proliferation Treaty], will exercise its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. Iran will continue to support the Palestinian people and their quest for freedom and self-rule and will continue to provide assistance to Hezbollah. Finally, Iran will not compromise on its right to build ballistic missiles.
“This… is called an impasse. The US position rests on a number of false assumptions… there is no rift between the political leaders of Iran and the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]… the President, the Foreign Minister, the Head of the Iranian legislature and the Ayatollah all fought and served with the IRGC during the war with Iraq… Iran’s economy is beginning to revive thanks to support from Russia, China and Pakistan and from the high price of oil… the Iranian navy, air force and ballistic missile, cruise missile and drones are intact and able to continue exchanging blows with the US and Israel.
“Donald Trump faces several dilemmas… The US economy is beginning to falter with growing public anger over the surging price of gasoline. There are no viable military options to effect a regime change in Iran or to compel Iran to agree to US demands. The US supplies of critical weapons systems will be further depleted if the US renews its aerial and missile attacks on Iran…
“The real threat to the US is not military, it is economic. The continued blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran confronts the world with an unprecedented economic threat. US attempts to block this will only worsen what will become a global economic catastrophe… Iran holds the ultimate trump card… Trump holds none.”
Trump’s Illusion
t-online wrote on May 10:
“One thing is… already clear to most people… Donald Trump has maneuvered himself into a conflict regarding Iran from which, in reality, there can no longer be any politically orderly withdrawal… Trump’s dilemma is now becoming apparent almost daily. For instance, in all those excessive threats to—as a next step—‘wipe Iran off the map’ or ‘obliterate’ an entire ‘civilization.’ What followed almost invariably was: nothing.
“However, the President’s predicament is also evident in his most recent, grotesque post on his platform, ‘Truth Social.’ Following a heavy engagement between Iranian and American forces in the Strait of Hormuz, he wrote: Iranian drones shot down by the U.S. military ‘sank so gracefully into the sea, just like a butterfly falling to its grave.’ Anyone who romanticizes an obviously fragile ceasefire and active combat in such flowery terms has a problem. While… rockets and drones continue to fly, American destroyers come under fire, and Iranian fast attack craft are sunk, Trump feels compelled to trivialize this war. That is why he went so far as to characterize the recent U.S. retaliatory strikes against Iran as a ‘love tap’—a ‘loving little pat’…
“Yet his war—and its devastating consequences—cannot be permanently denied. His approval ratings are hitting new lows. More and more Republicans are attempting to distance themselves from his Iran policy… Trump has maneuvered the United States, Europe, Asia, and the rest of the world into a situation in which almost everyone is affected… All for a war whose strategic objective remains unclear.
“This strategy will collapse the moment an American ship is severely damaged, should there be further U.S. casualties, or if another massive oil-price shock further worsens the daily lives of Americans. That is when Trump’s painstakingly constructed illusion—of a war that is supposedly no longer a war—will come to an end.”
The U.S. Navy’s Submarine Crisis
National Security Journal wrote on May 7:
“The U.S. Navy is currently experiencing a submarine crisis. It needs more submarines than it has at its disposal. America’s naval shipyards are backlogged, understaffed, and lack the capacity to maintain or repair existing submarines, let alone complete new builds in a reliable and affordable manner…
“…diesel-electric submarine technology has advanced considerably since the Navy last employed it. Many European and Asian allied nations employ diesel-electric AIP technology. In fact, AIP-driven diesel-electric submarines have consistently demonstrated an impressive ability to sneak up on US nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, get within firing range during multinational wargames, and simulate sinking them successfully….
“Israel employs German-made, AIP-driven Dolphin-class submarines as part of its nuclear strike capability, too. Of course, the Israelis have never officially acknowledged their possession of a nuclear weapons arsenal. It is, in fact, the worst-kept secret in the Middle East. Many believe that the Israelis have armed their Dolphin-class diesel-electric submarines with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles that serve as a sea-based nuclear strike capability…
“We live in an age where quantity trumps quality, after all. Time is not on the Navy’s side. They must act to plug the sizable gaps America’s broken naval shipyards have created in its nuclear submarine force. Diesel-electric subs cannot do that…”
Blasphemy and Idolatry
Letters from Leo wrote on May 9:
“A 22-foot effigy of Donald Trump, wrapped in gold leaf, now stands at his Doral golf course in Miami. The president boasted about it Thursday morning on Truth Social with the all-caps line: ‘The Real Deal — GOLD.’ Before the unveiling, the figure was blessed. Pastor Mark Burns — Trump’s longtime spiritual adviser and a candidate for Congress in South Carolina’s 3rd District — assembled a circle of evangelical and Jewish clergy at the foot of the gilded statue and consecrated it. What happened at Doral is not unusual; in fact, it is ancient — the modern American repetition of the oldest act of unfaithfulness recorded in scripture.
“… a ceremony like the one Pastor Burns staged is a sin against the living God… The sacred was dragged into filth. A Christian pastor bent religion into the service of a man who calls his own gilded image ‘the real deal,’ and the clergy who should have refused stood beside him while he did it.”
Trump: I Don’t Think About Anybody!
The Huffington Post reported on May 12:
“President Donald Trump on Tuesday gave his two cents to a reporter who asked to what extent ‘Americans’ financial situations are motivating’ him to strike a deal to end his unpopular Iran war. His answer? ‘Not even a little bit.’ ‘The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon,’ he told reporters on the White House lawn. ‘I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody.’…
“Consumer prices have jumped and gas prices have surged by 50% since the start of the conflict in late February, figures that have buried a president who once promised to eradicate inflation (among other economic promises) on day one of his second term.
“His comments arrived on the same day the latest CNN/SSRS poll found 77% of Americans blamed Trump’s policies for increasing the cost of living in their communities. That includes 55% of GOP respondents who pointed the finger at the president for a rise in living expenses. The poll also found that 70% of Americans disapproved of Trump’s handling of the economy, while 79% of respondents disapproved of his handling of gas prices. More than half of Republican disapproved of his handling of prices at the pump (52%), as well.”
Trump went on to insult two female reporters, calling one a “dumb person” after she asked about the controversial White House ballroom project, and another a “stupid person” after she asked about inflation. His habit to insult female reporters is well-known. He called them “piggy,” “ugly”, a “disgrace,” “horrible,” “stupid and nasty.” Of course, Trump attacks everyone—male or female—who disagrees with him. Incredibly or perhaps predictably, the Pentagon has been defending Trump’s inappropriate outbursts.
Vatican Humiliates Rubio
The Daily Beast wrote on May 7:
“The Vatican did Secretary of State Marco Rubio no favors with its response to his meeting with Pope Leo XIV on Thursday amid deep tensions between the Catholic leader and his boss, President Donald Trump… After the summit on Thursday morning, it was also revealed that the pope was not subtle in his choice of gift for Rubio. The secretary of state gifted Pope Leo, who is from Chicago, a crystal football bearing the State Department seal, while the pontiff gave Rubio a pen made from olive wood. He noted that an olive branch is the symbol of peace…
“The Vatican put out a statement describing the talks as ‘cordial; and insisted the ‘shared commitment to fostering good bilateral relations between the Holy See and the United States of America was reaffirmed.; But the niceties stopped there. ‘There followed an exchange of views regarding the regional and international situation, with particular attention to countries marked by war, political tensions, and difficult humanitarian situations, as well as to the need to work tirelessly in support of peace,’ the Vatican added.”
CubaWarns USA
ABC News wrote on May 8:
“In a sit-down interview with ABC News’ Whit Johnson in Havana on Thursday, [Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno] Rodriguez said he takes Trump’s threats ‘very seriously,’ …. ‘It seems that the U.S. government has chosen a dangerous path, a path that could lead to unimaginable consequences, to humanitarian catastrophe, to a genocide, to the loss of Cuban and young American lives, it could also lead to a bloodbath in Cuba,’ Rodriguez told ABC News in Spanish…
“Rodriguez maintained Cuba’s independence and said that if attacked militarily, ‘Cuba will exercise its right for its legitimate defense to the very last consequences with massive, mass support of the people.’… Rodriguez told ABC News on Thursday that there has been no progress in the talks with the U.S…”
Tucker Carlson’s Interview Regarding Trump
Die Welt reported on May 7:
“[Tucker] Carlson now levels a grave accusation in an interview with Die Zeit: Trump, he claims, ‘led the U.S. into this war with Iran’—specifically ‘at the behest of the Israeli government.’ In his view, this constituted a betrayal of the United States… ‘The pressure from the Israelis—and from Israeli advocacy groups within the U.S.—as well as from his donors, was simply too great,’ Carlson continued. Trump, he argued, allowed himself to be persuaded, believing that ‘regime change’ in Iran could be ‘brought about just as easily’ as it had been in Venezuela in early January.
“Carlson also recounts how he personally attempted to dissuade Trump from the war with Iran. He says he ‘flew straight to Washington’ and met with the U.S. President in the Oval Office. ‘I spent the entire day with him and have spoken with him many times since then.’ He told Trump… that he was ‘walking into a trap,’ that the U.S. would derive ‘no benefit’ from it, and that Iran posed ‘no threat to the United States.’ Furthermore, he reminded Trump of his promise ‘not to start any new wars’…”
“Trump did not contradict him on this point, Carlson said. ‘He knew it was true’… Carlson describes Trump as a politician who ‘isn’t interested in details’ and ‘doesn’t understand them, either’…
“It is noteworthy whom Carlson explicitly praises in this context: Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz. When Die Zeit asked him about Merz’s criticism… Carlson replied: ‘Absolutely! Merz is absolutely right. There was no plan.’ Trump was furious with anyone who pointed out his mistake to him… Carlson adds: ‘There is a deep humiliation of the United States embedded in all of this…’
“Carlson views the political consequences as far-reaching. The coalition that delivered Trump his victory in 2024—comprising ethnic minorities and the politically disengaged—is ‘history.’ ‘Oh, he completely destroyed it,’ says Carlson, when asked what the war is doing to the MAGA (‘Make America Great Again’) movement. ‘There is such anger among Trump’s voters; I feel it, too.’ For the midterm elections in November, Carlson sees a bleak outlook for the Republicans. ‘I don’t know what they could campaign on to score points. Nothing hurts as much as being betrayed…'”
It has also been reported that in 2025, Charlie Kirk advised Trump repeatedly against attacking Iran.
Epstein’s Suicide Note a Fake?
The Daily Beast wrote on May 9:
“Mark Epstein said he believes the handwritten [“suicide”] note, which was unsealed this week by a federal judge, is a fake designed to prop up the official ruling that his brother died by suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial in 2019….
“The note remained buried in court records for years before a federal judge unsealed it this week as part of criminal proceedings tied to Nicholas Tartaglione, Epstein’s former cellmate. Tartaglione, a former police officer convicted of murdering four men and burying them on his upstate New York property, claims Jeffrey Epstein left the note inside a book after a suicide attempt in July 2019, weeks before the notorious pedophile was found dead inside New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center. According to court filings, the note changed hands multiple times between 2019 and 2020 as people attempted to verify its authenticity.
“‘They investigated me for [a] month—FOUND NOTHING!!!’ the alleged note reads. ‘So 15 year old charges resulted. The FBI arrested me for a stack of cash and old headlines. It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye,’ Epstein reportedly wrote. The final line closely resembles phrases Epstein used in previously released emails to friends and family, apparently referencing the 1930s comedy series Little Rascals.
“But his brother argued that detail only deepened his suspicions, claiming anyone attempting to fake the note could have copied language already floating around publicly… Epstein has consistently rejected the official findings and maintains his brother was murdered… He also claimed Jeffrey initially accused Tartaglione of attacking him in jail before later backing away from the allegation because he feared retaliation…”
Newsom Under Attack
The New York Post wrote on May 9:
“California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing accusations of corruption for paying $20 million in taxpayer money to a nonprofit led by an executive who also sits on the board of his wife’s organization that promotes gender equity… The program aims to provide free diapers to newborns through hospitals statewide, but the deal has triggered a wave of scrutiny over how the nonprofit was chosen, and its proximity to Newsom’s political and personal network…
“Despite the criticism, Newsom has promoted ‘Golden State Start’ as a flagship child welfare initiative, calling it ‘a first-in-the-nation program to provide free diapers to all new babies born in California.’”
Trump in China
Newsmax wrote on May 13:
“The Chinese embassy is warning that there are ‘four red lines’ President Donald Trump must not challenge during his meetings this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping… stating that the United States, during Trump’s meetings, must not challenge the ‘Taiwan question,’ China’s record of democracy and human rights, the nation’s path and political system, and ‘China’s developmental right.’…
“The leaders are expected to discuss the Iran war, trade relations, and U.S. arms sales to Taiwan during the talks… The administration is facing bipartisan pressurefrom lawmakers to continue supporting Taiwan militarily despite objections from Beijing…”
Israel’s Government to Collapse
NPR wrote on May 12:
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition may collapse next week, after one of his key ultra-Orthodox coalition partners called for the parliament to be dissolved…
“The political crisis comes after Netanyahu told ultra-Orthodox political leaders that he would not advance legislation to exempt ultra-Orthodox Jewish Israelis from military service… A vote to dissolve the parliament has been called for next week. If parliament dissolves, new elections would be scheduled in three months’ time. By law, Israel must hold new elections by Oct. 27…
“Netanyahu would remain acting prime minister until a new government is formed after elections. He is seeking a new term.”
Now Everything Is Happening Very Fast
Bild Online reported on May 7:
“For months, there was bickering and outcry over the new military service scheme; now, suddenly, everything is moving very fast. Although draft notices have only been sent out since January, the first recruits are already standing in uniform on the barracks grounds! To ensure that willing applicants don’t have a change of heart at the last minute, new recruits are being inducted on a monthly basis. According to the Ministry of Defense, over 200,000 letters have landed in the mailboxes of 18-year-old Germans so far. A good 12,500 new ones are added every week.
“…The Bundeswehr aims to send out 650,000 letters in 2026 alone, with the goal of increasing the number of active-duty personnel over the course of the year from the current 12,700 to 20,000. To achieve this, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is relying on… ‘lightning recruitment’ drives!…
“72 percent of the 18-year-old men contacted by the Bundeswehr so far have completed the questionnaire regarding the new military service; 28 percent, however, have not—despite being legally obligated to do so. In plain terms: More than one in four is ignoring their civic duty! Anyone who fails to complete the questionnaire faces a fine of 250 euros… However, the fine will only be collected if a young man has received multiple reminders and still fails to respond.
“According to the law, fines of up to 1,000 euros would have been possible—however, the ministry led by Boris Pistorius (66, SPD) has set the penalty significantly lower. The men have one month to complete the online questionnaire. Women—who are also being contacted—are not legally obliged to provide information…
“There is a great deal at stake here: The questionnaire assesses both suitability and willingness. Notably, around half of those who responded have signaled an interest in performing the voluntary military service, which lasts at least six months.”
Not Going Well for Merz
Politico wrote on May 12:
“As Friedrich Merz’s popularity plunges to new lows — compounding his already-weak coalition’s troubles little more than a year into office — the chancellor is traveling the country to persuade Germans that things remain on the right track. It’s not going well. Instead, Merz looks like he is only compounding his problems, often appearing out of touch and further alienating some of the very voters he can least afford to lose….
“The chancellor’s failure to connect with voters is one reason a vast majority of Germans — 86 percent — are unhappy with the work of the coalition government… Merz is markedly less popular than even his ill-fated predecessor, Olaf Scholz, was at the same point in his chancellorship….”
Russia’s Medvedev Attacks Germany
Die Welt reported on May 7:
“Russia’s former President Dmitry Medvedev has accused Germany of militarism and revanchist desires over its defeat in the Second World War, and has called into question the Federal Republic’s very right to exist. He argued that no referendum on reunification ever took place, rendering the process legally dubious…
“Furthermore, Medvedev wrote that Berlin had violated the ‘Two Plus Four Treaty’ by opening a maritime tactical headquarters in Rostock. Consequently, he claimed, the treaty governing German unity is invalid…
“Once again, in a text peppered with Nazi comparisons, Medvedev also took direct aim at Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He accused the government of driving the German economy into the abyss. Merz apparently fails to recognize that rearmament will not generate economic growth, he wrote—this against the backdrop of a rearmament drive in Russia itself that is unprecedented, with 40 percent of budget revenues currently flowing into the defense and security apparatus.
“Moreover, he accused Berlin of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. In this context, he issued threats of war. He made it clear that even the mere prospect of Germany acquiring nuclear weapons would constitute grounds for war in the Kremlin’s eyes. Furthermore, he wrote that even a conventional war—one fought without nuclear weapons—would end in Germany’s total destruction.
“Medvedev, who served in the Kremlin from 2008 to 2012, was widely regarded during his tenure as a beacon of hope for the liberalization of Russia. However, since the outbreak of the war against Ukraine—ordered by President Vladimir Putin in 2022—he has sought to cast himself as a hardliner. He has repeatedly drawn attention to himself through threats, such as those involving nuclear strikes against Western capitals like Berlin, London, or Paris.”
Romania’s Government Collapses
Politico wrote on May 5:
“Romania’s [pro-European] centrist government collapsed on Tuesday, throwing one of Europe’s most strategically important countries into turmoil at a critical time. Center-right Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, who heads the National Liberal Party, lost a confidence vote in the country’s parliament after only 10 months in office, bringing his short-lived and unpopular attempt to rein in the country’s budget deficit to an abrupt end…
“Bolojan’s defeat was in part masterminded by far right leader George Simion… But Simion’s bid to oust the prime minister only succeeded because his far right Alliance for the Union of Romanians joined forces with the center-left Social Democratic Party (PSD), which quit Bolojan’s coalition government last month…
“Romania is also suffering from soaring inflation and has the EU’s highest budget deficit. If the country does not complete key reforms by August, it risks losing out on around €11 billion in EU funding…”
New Government in Hungary
Deutsche Welle wrote on May 9:
“Conservative Peter Magyar was sworn in as Hungary’s new prime minister on Saturday… He has… vowed to repair ties with the EU. Relations between the NATO member and the bloc were strained under Orban, who moved closer to Moscow and opposed EU efforts to support Ukraine against Russia’s invasion…
“One of his first tasks as prime minister will be trying to unblock billions of euros in suspended EU funding to help kickstart the economy. The money was frozen during Orban’s time in office due concerns about rule of law and corruption in Hungary. Also on Saturday, the EU flag was raised on the parliament building in Budapest for the first time since Orban removed it in 2014.”
Putin Threatens Armenia
RBC wrote on May 10:
“Russian leader Vladimir Putin criticized Armenia, warning Yerevan [capital of Armenia] against pursuing European integration without coordination with the Kremlin, according to Russian media. The Kremlin chief claimed that such a policy could lead to a scenario similar to the events in Ukraine in 2014, referring to Russia’s armed invasion….
“‘We are now living through everything that is happening on the Ukrainian track. And where did it begin? With Ukraine joining or attempting to join the EU,’ Putin said, adding that this later led to ‘the coup d’état, the Crimea story, the position of southeastern Ukraine and military actions.’”
Chaos in Britain
Daily Mail wrote on May 8:
“Keir Starmer was fighting for his political survival last night after Labour was thrashed in the local elections.
“MPs, ministers and unions lined up to call on Sir Keir to set out a timetable for his departure following humiliating defeats across England, Scotland and Wales. Nigel Farage hailed a ‘historic’ result last night as Reform smashed through Labour’s Red Wall strongholds in the North and Midlands…
“Sir Keir said he took ‘responsibility’ for the electoral disaster but insisted he would not ‘walk away’. However, furious Labour figures blamed the PM directly…”
Andrew Neil wrote on May 9 in the Daily Mail:
“Just when Britain needs tough and radical leadership, our new system of multi-party mayhem will deliver nothing but instability and paralysing inertia.”
Bringing Back Disgraced Gordon Brown
The Sun wrote on May 9:
“KEIR Starmer has brought Gordon Brown back for a top job as calls grow for the under-fire Prime Minister to quit. Brown, 75, has been appointed as his Special Envoy on Global Finance – more than 16 years since he was ousted from No10 in a landslide General Election defeat in 2010… [He also appointed Harriet Harman, the former Labour deputy leader, as his ‘Adviser on Women and Girls’.]
“The Prime Minister has plunged to historically unpopular levels after 21 months of U-turns, sleaze scandals and policy disasters…. Meanwhile Labour MPs and ministers blasted the appointments as ‘pure gimmick’ and ‘nonsense’ that suggests Sir Keir doesn’t ‘grasp the scale of the challenge’…. The new job announcements came as the chorus of public fury from the Prime Minister’s own MPs is continuing to crescendo today…”
Gordon Brown faced significant political difficulties during his time as UK Prime Minister (2007–2010), including allegations of bullying staff, the infamous “bigot woman” scandal in 2010, [when he slandered a female voter as “a bigot woman,” who had asked him about immigration, causing a major public relations disaster], and criticism over the sale of gold reserves, selling nearly 60% of the UK’s gold reserves between 1999 and 2002 at historically low prices, a move commonly referred to as “Brown’s Bottom”.
A Government in Decline
The Sun wrote on May 9:
“… in this moment of crisis, [PM Keir Starmer] has turned to the man who sold Britain’s gold, crashed the economy and was dumped out of office. Making Gordon Brown ‘global finance envoy’ is another spectacular misjudgment from the most unpopular Prime Minister in living memory.
“Who better to revive a dying government than a former Labour leader overwhelmingly rejected by the British people?… This is a government in decline, clinging to the ghosts of Labour past because it has nothing left to offer the country now…”
Nigel Farage’s Powerful Influence
Politico wrote on May 9:
“The leader of Reform UK would require a political earthquake to achieve a nationalsuccess. Luckily for him, volatile voters keep delivering seismic results.
“Judged on his own record, Nigel Farage is one of the most prolific political failures in modern British history. In three of the five elections he has fought over the past 20 years under various party banners, none of his side’s candidates won a single seat — and he finally entered Westminster in 2024 only after failing in seven previous attempts.
“But local elections across England, as well as parliamentary votes in Wales and Scotland, this week confirmed that Farage’s Reform UK party is now an undeniably powerful electoral force. The question is whether he can convert these successes into winning a general election and achieving a national majority in Westminster. POLITICO analysis suggests he has an enormous task ahead in his quest to become prime minister — but not an impossible one.”
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:
These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.