Sunday, May 10, 2026
Israel doubts US optimism in Iran talks as critical issues on nuclear concessions remain unsolved
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-895606
While US officials express optimism over a potential deal, Israel remains cautious, stressing that significant differences between the US and Iran still persist.
Senior Israeli officials state that significant gaps still exist between the US and Iran, with the key question for Israel not just being what the Iranians are willing to offer to reach a deal and end the conflict, but how much US President Donald Trump is prepared to concede in order to achieve a diplomatic success.
“While there is some movement, it isn't necessarily leading to a breakthrough,” Israeli sources noted in private discussions. “This progress is largely driven by pressure. Each passing day puts more strain on the Iranian economy, but it also impacts Trump. Gas prices in the US remain high, which the public is feeling in their wallets. Republicans are starting to grow concerned as they observe the polls, which are not looking promising for the upcoming midterm elections.”
Inside Ben Shapiro’s MAGA meltdown
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/05/09/ben-shapiro-daily-wire-maga-media/
In the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, the company co-founded by conservative pundit Ben Shapiro ranked as Facebook’s top English-language publisher for three straight months. Its sarcastic news items on then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s salon visits gained millions more views than the websites of Fox News, CNN and the New York Times.
The Daily Wire’s fall from grace reflects the fragmentation of partisan media online, as centralized institutions such as Breitbart and Fox lose attention to a scattered network of podcasters, streamers and provocateurs.
The company’s brand of traditional conservatism, exemplified by Shapiro’s intense support of Israel, has clashed with right-wing creators promising a more radical brand of anti-incumbent, antiestablishment rage, she said.
Trump vexed by crashing crosscurrents in seeking end to Iran war
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5870606-iran-ceasefire-trump-conflict/
President Trump has been dancing around the question this past week as he seeks to preserve an uneasy semi-peace with Iran while searching for a lasting deal to end the war that he began 10 weeks ago.
Trump and other senior figures in his administration have been at pains to avoid declaring the monthlong ceasefire over. They have shown little appetite for a return to full-scale combat.
Yet, at the same time, they complain of Iranian attacks on U.S. interests, boast of the fearsome powers of the American military, and threaten doom if Tehran does not comply with their demands.
Iranian leaders display little inclination to fold, however — at least if their public statements are to be believed.
Iran Tests Trump’s Will to Fight
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/cease-fire-iran-trump-strait-of-hormuz-97ad272e?mod=hp_opin_pos_5
The Iran war has entered its skirmishing phase as the regime spent much of the past week firing at the United Arab Emirates and U.S. forces, who returned fire in self-defense. President Trump says the cease-fire endures, but for how much longer can that be while Iran keeps shooting?
On Thursday Iran launched missiles, drones and small boats to attack three U.S. warships as they transited the Strait of Hormuz. This was an Iranian attempt to kill U.S. troops, but it was intercepted. The U.S. destroyers exited Hormuz successfully, an important demonstration of the U.S. path through the closed Strait. “No U.S. assets were struck,” Central Command said, adding, “Centcom does not seek escalation.”
Friday, May 8, 2026
A 2026 Blue Wave as Big as the One in 2006 No Longer Seems Far-Fetched
There’s a shift in tone in Washington that’s emerged in the past few weeks. In my conversations on Capitol Hill and K Street alike, it’s impossible to miss. Democrats seem more upbeat and Republicans more deflated as the outlook of the midterm elections grows more lopsided. It’s giving 2006 vibes—the comparison Republicans have been hoping to avoid at all costs.
The President’s party typically faces net losses in midterm elections, but 2026 may well be a breed apart. As I’ve been talking with the folks who worked on the 2006 races, they say this feels worse for Republicans; having covered that cycle from over in The Associated Press’ old bureau on K Street, I cannot argue. In that year, Democrats picked up 31 House seats and five seats in the Senate. By August of 2006, Democrats enjoyed a 13-point advantage in CNN’s polling. At this point in 2026, Republicans are quick to point out, Democrats still only have a six-point advantage in CNN polling.
Trump has warned if Democrats win any control of Congress, it will mean a mangled Washington stuck dealing with the I-Word once again. It’s a route Congress has tried twice before with Trump, and the outcome on a third outing is not likely to be different. He may be right but it isn’t scaring off voters
Iran hawks erupt over terms of Trump’s peace proposal
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5868335-trump-iran-peace-proposal-backlash/
The reported terms of a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the Iran war spurred a swift backlash from allies of President Trump who have cheered on his fight against the Islamic Republic.
Prominent conservative media figures and pro-Israel advocates spoke out against the deal, which would end Iran’s nuclear enrichment for a limited period and keep the regime in place, with U.S. sanctions scaled back over time.
However, neither Trump nor the White House has pushed back against the report. The U.S. is awaiting Iran’s response to its proposal. Trump told Fox News on Wednesday that Tehran has a week to reach a peace deal.
Jews have Inherent Lust for Idolatry
Netziv (Devarim 04::09) The inherent nature of the Jewish people is to lust after idolatry and consequently one who strives to be faithful to G-d deserves a greater reward than those who lack this lust.
Authentic Torah Priorities - LevinAt11
Fri, May 8, '26:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tefillah request, for expeditious recovery of:
Rav Yehuda Ben Masha HaLevi;
Shimon Ben Masha; &
Lea Bas Freeda~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~בס"דLinked below is this week's LevinAt11 radio broadcast, May 7, '26;תכנית ראדיו רב יהודה לעוין שליט"א, לו לעומר, פרשת בהר בחוקותי, תשפוSelected Topic Highlights:
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Good Shabbos,Rabbi Noson Shmuel Leiter,
Executive Director,
Help Rescue Our Children
845.642.1679
Direct: 771.215.8892
Israeli Helpline: 03.721.3337
Tomim Tih'yeh [countering "New-Age" infiltration]:
Presentations on New-Age dangers: 605-313-6831 ext. 2
Heard weekly on New Jersey's WSNR Radio 620AM, co-hosting the renowned Levin At Eleven program, every Thursday evening, 11pm to midnight (ET).
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Meron rabbi arrested after cult watchdog warned of sex abuse in strictly run group
A leading communal rabbi from Meron in northern Israel has been arrested for alleged “serious sexual offenses,” police said on Thursday, a week after he was accused by a cult watchdog of managing a tightly controlled group since at least 2011.
Sources familiar with the details of the case told the Walla news site that according to complaints that had accumulated over time, Shoveli presented his control over followers as spiritual.
“He succeeded in entering into the lives of people and making them completely dependent on him. He controlled their daily routines, distanced them from their families, and some of them effectively became his servants,” a source with knowledge of the probe told Walla.
Last week, the Israeli Center for Cult Victims posted a warning about Shoveli, saying it had collected 16 testimonies against him, including from five people who were directly involved in the group’s inner circle, as well as from family members from the Haredi community.
Iran has hit far more U.S. military assets than reported, satellite images show
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/05/06/iran-us-bases-satellite-images/
Iranian airstrikes have damaged or destroyed at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at U.S. military sites across the Middle East since the war began, hitting hangars, barracks, fuel depots, aircraft and key radar, communications and air defense equipment, according to a Washington Post analysis of satellite imagery. The amount of destruction is far larger than what has been publicly acknowledged by the U.S. government or previously reported.
“The Iranian attacks were precise. There are no random craters indicating misses,” said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a retired Marine Corps colonel, who reviewed the Iranian images at The Post’s request. The Post previously revealed how Russia provided Iran with intelligence to target U.S. forces.
“The Iranians have deliberately targeted accommodation buildings across multiple sites with the intent to inflict mass casualties,” said William Goodhind, an investigator with the open-access research project Contested Ground who reviewed the imagery. “It is not just equipment, fuel storage and air base infrastructure under fire, but also soft targets, such as gyms, food halls and accommodation.”
Brain health supplements are booming. Here’s what one longevity expert takes.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/05/07/brain-supplements-longevity/
Only one has been shown in clinical trials to slow cognitive aging, by about two years. This is what the science says about which supplements work.
About 1 in 5 adults over age 50 use vitamins or supplements specifically to try to boost brain functions like memory, attention or focus, according to a 2021 AARP survey, the most recent update. The global market for nutritional supplements was estimated at $517.1 billion in 2025 and projected to be $862.5 billion by 2033, according to Grand View Research.
As more interest and money flow into the space, more serious human research is beginning to take shape. The findings, however, remain modest and uneven.
3. Multivitamin One of the more convincing findings to date about supplements comes from the cognitive substudies of the Harvard-led COSMOS trial, which involved over 2,200 participants followed over roughly two to three years. A paper published in 2024 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that adults over 60 who took a daily multivitamin scored modestly better on tests of episodic memory than those given a placebo — a gap researchers say amounts to about two years of cognitive aging
US probes oil trades worth $2.6B made before Trump's Iran War announcements
According to ABC, US authorities are investigating traders who made $2.6 billion from oil deals carried out minutes before key announcements by Trump and Iran during the war. In one case, trades totaling half a billion dollars were placed 15 minutes before Trump announced a pause in attacks on Iranian power plants. The suspicions were reported in real time.
Thursday, May 7, 2026
Levin: Result of reported US proposal to end Iran war would be ‘disastrous’
https://thehill.com/media/5868059-mark-levin-criticizes-iran-deal/
Conservative radio host Mark Levin cast doubt on the reported U.S. proposal to end the Iran war, saying it would be “disastrous” if implemented.
Under this 14-point deal, Iran would halt its nuclear enrichment processes, the U.S. would lift its sanctions on Iran and both countries would release their control over the strait, according to the outlet.
“I have to believe the Axios report is largely fake,” Levin wrote in a post on the social platform X on Wednesday.
“If the Axios report is close to accurate, the Iranian regime will survive, the Iranian people will face even more extensive brutality, and the Israeli government could fall in the October election. A disastrous result,” he continued.