The Dispatch
Trump’s Proposed Iran Deal
Plus: Consumer confidence slips on Middle East inflation fears, Ken Paxton ousts John Cornyn in the Texas Senate run-off, and don’t steal miniature cars.
Center Right
Washington Examiner
Deal or no deal, expect Iranian assassinations
Center Right
Both U.S. and Iranian press suggest a deal is near between Tehran and Washington to end the war. Tasnim News, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said the regime is demanding the release of the country’s frozen assets as a first step. Nour News, close to the Supreme National Security Council, describes $11 billion […]
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TIME
Global Oil Prices Rise as Fresh U.S. Strikes on Iran Cast Shadow Over Trump's Promised Peace Deal
The fresh strikes from the U.S., and the warning Iran issued in return, have brought renewed instability to the markets.
Center Left
Bloomberg Politics
US Touts Iran Deal Prospects | Balance of Power: Early Edition 5/26/2026
On the early edition of Balance of Power, Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz discuss peace negotiations between the US and Iran. On today's show, former State Department official Heather Conley, Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino, BGR Group Principal Lester Munson, Lockheed Martin President Tim Cahill and Texas Politics Project Director James Henson. (Source: Bloomberg)
Center
The New Republic
Trump Judges Deal Republicans a Blow in 2026 Voting Map Wars
A federal court in Alabama has struck down Republicans’ attempt to redraw the state’s congressional map, on the grounds that it intentionally discriminates against Black voters. On Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court ruled that the state could not switch to its 2023 congressional map, which had previously been blocked in court three years ago, even after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act earlier this month. That earlier map only had one majority-Black, Democratic-leaning district, as opposed to the current two. “Ultimately, we cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination,” the judges said in their ruling. Two of the three judges were appointed by President Trump himself.Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court cleared the way for Alabama to redraw its maps, sending the redistricting process down to the lower court. Republicans will almost certainly appeal Tuesday’s ruling, sending it back up to the high court. Alabama Republicans have ignored protests and even natural disasters in order to force through a new congressional map as primary elections draw near. Governor Kay Ivey last week delayed four of the state’s congressional primaries in anticipation of the new map. For now, though, three federal judges are blocking their attempt. “There is no convincing evidence that it is necessary for us to allow Alabama to pivot to the 2023 Plan in the middle of an election, and substantial evidence that it is not,” the judges ruled.This story has been updated.
Left
National Review
The Disappearing Reappearing Iran Deal
Negotiations remain in flux, but we’re a long way from ‘Unconditional Surrender.’
Center Right
Truthout
US Bombs Iranian Ships Despite Ongoing Ceasefire and Peace Negotiations
Israel is also continuing its attack on Lebanon in what journalist Negar Mortazavi says is an effort to undermine talks.
Far Left
Raw Story
Trump's Iran deal is failing because he lacks key ability Ronald Reagan possessed: expert
Despite an agreement to end the U.S. war against Iran appearing within reach on Saturday, the negotiations look poised to fail due to one critical “ability” President Donald Trump lacks, and one that former President Ronald Reagan demonstrated decisively during his first term in office, a political analyst and expert warned this week.Trump boasted on Saturday that a deal to end the war had “been largely negotiated," but within days, jeopardized his own negotiations by floating a last-minute demand to Middle East nations, as well as by authorizing new strikes targeting Iran on Monday.And yet, while Trump’s actions have been scrutinized for potentially compromising a path toward a negotiated settlement, Trita Parsi, co-founder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, warned on Monday that the president was not the “greatest threat” to achieving peace.“In recent days, it was not the Persian Gulf that emerged as the greatest threat to the agreement. It was Israel’s potential refusal to fully adhere to the regional ceasefire and halt its bombardment of Lebanon. That danger remains acute,” Parsi wrote in an analysis published on his Substack Monday.Iran has demanded that Israel halt its bombardment of southern Lebanon as a key condition in its negotiations with the Trump administration, a demand that Israel has largely ignored. On Friday, Israel launched what’s referred to as a “double tap” strike in southern Lebanon – following up an initial strike with a second to target emergency responders such as paramedics. More than 3,100 Lebanese have been killed by Israeli air strikes since early March and nearly 10,000 wounded, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.To secure a peace deal, Trump could demand Israel’s compliance, much as he unsuccessfully tried to do in April when he explicitly demanded Israel halt its attacks on Lebanon. Israel strikes continued, however, with Parsi noting a similar scenario that occurred in 1982, though one that elicited a very different response by the U.S. president at the time.“Trump could still choose to put American interests first and compel Israel to comply, much as Ronald Reagan did in 1982 when he pressured Prime Minister Menachem Begin to halt Israel’s devastating assault on Lebanon,” Parsi wrote. “Reagan reportedly expressed outrage at the bombardment of Beirut, warning Begin that America’s support could not be taken for granted. Within hours, the bombing stopped. Trump, by contrast, has thus far shown little ability to ensure sustained Israeli compliance with his demands.”
Far Left
The New Republic
Trump Summons Entire Cabinet as Iran Deal Crumbles in Front of Him
Donald Trump is preparing to meet several key administration officials at Camp David on Wednesday as Iranian peace talks fall apart.The impromptu presidential retreat will include every Cabinet member, including outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, the New York Post reported Tuesday.Inclement weather could alter the plans at the eleventh hour, however. Trump typically flies to the 125-acre Maryland compound via helicopter, but heavy rain battering Washington could challenge his route and ultimately change the meeting location.Trump’s twelfth visit to the Catoctin Mountain park will focus on “recent successes of the administration including economy and small business wins, Task Force to Eliminate Fraud highlights, and foreign policy updates,” a White House official told the Post.The crumbling prospect of peace with Iran, however, is expected to dominate the conversation. The U.S. attacked Iranian boats and missile launch sites late Monday, according to U.S. Central Command, violating the ceasefire mere hours after Iranian officials arrived in Qatar for discussions to end the war. The boats were reportedly attempting to lay more mines along the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway between Iran and Oman. Iranian state media confirmed that some of the attacks hit Bandar Abbas, an Iranian port city that is home to the country’s key naval and air bases. State media reported that explosions occurred in other cities, as well.CENTCOM characterized the strikes in southern Iran as defensive, saying they were intended “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.”Shortly afterward, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei threatened American military bases in the Middle East, writing in Farsi on his official X account that “America will no longer have a safe haven for mischief and the establishment of military bases in the region.” Khamenei further vowed that the phrases “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” would remain the rallying cry of the Islamic community and “the oppressed of the world, especially the youth.”
Left