For what it is worth - U.S. & Iran still talking

• Iran’s MFA spokesman: • We do not collect tolls; one must be careful in the use of words. We are not seeking to collect tolls...the services that we’ll (Oman and Iran) provide [for the passage of ships], as well as the protection of the environment, require the collection of fees. • No nuclear talks at this stage. • The President of China announced a 4-point plan for security in the region, which was valuable to us. • Lebanon must be one of the elements in the MoU.  • Negotiations have made progress, but the imminence of an agreement depends on the Americans. • Politics in the US has become somewhat chaotic. Facing contradictory views from their officials within hours disrupts the course of any negotiation. Trump’s posts are mainly for domestic media and politics. 

• US military aircraft, including drones and crewed surveillance planes, have spent more than 150 hours circling Cuba since February 4, as Trump ramps up pressure on the Communist government, according to flight-position data analyzed by the Wall Street Journal. More than 20 surveillance flights have been tracked, generally launching from a naval air station in Jacksonville, Florida.  The flights come amid Trump's threat of a 'friendly takeover' of the country and the recent indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro. 

• Despite the current US occupation of Venezuela, some people in Caracas are still determined to express their outrage over what Trump and Rubio are doing to their nation as well as the threats to Cuba and other Latin American nations.  Viva Cuba! Viva Venezuela!

• New Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger (former CIA officer and a Democrat) vetoed bills to allow state workers to collectively bargain, to legalize marijuana, and to regulate prescription drug prices. The Democratic Party can't be counted on.  

• The US warned Japan that the delivery of 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles could be delayed for up to two years after US stockpiles were depleted during the Iran-Iraq War.
• SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis Donovan visited the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. Will the Pentagon launch their attack on Cuba in part from Venezuela? That would be a humiliation for all of Latin America and indeed a warning of more to come. Let's hope and pray it does not happen. We need to get out on the streets before Cuba might be invaded rather than just after.

• Wanna know why Basque, Spain police beat Gaza flotilla torture survivors? These are the same cops who've taken €1.6M in Israeli security contracts, trained by former Mossad agents, and equipped with Israeli surveillance tech. It's called 'Greater Isra-hell.'
• Israel killed this child today in an airstrike on her family's tent in the southern Gaza Strip. Why?

• Ukraine has been embroiled in a diplomatic crisis in West Africa since 2024. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger jointly wrote to the UN Security Council in August of that year, demanding “appropriate measures” against Kiev for its “subversive actions,” which “constitute the involvement of foreign state sponsors in the expansion of terrorism in the region.” Since that time the Ukraine Nazi-infused military has also been training French-backed terrorists in use of offensive drone warfare. France long ripped off Mali of its  gold, oil and lithium resources, giving little back in return. Since being kicked out of the region in recent years France has been trying to regain control of Mali. Thus Paris has secured the services of Kiev to assist in the terror operation. Kiev, losing US financial support for its war on Russia, is now selling its services to other NATO nations. 

• Kit Klarenberg: On May 13th, French outlet RTL published an explosive report, entirely unremarked upon by English language media. It exposed how Ukrainian military and intelligence units are covertly operating in Mali on France’s behalf, in coordination with both ethnic Tuareg rebels and Al Qaeda-linked forces determined to crush the country’s revolutionary government. Ukrainian militancy, long-encouraged by the CIA and MI6, has now decisively developed into an international mafia-like threat.
• RT reports: Foreign journalists toured the site of the deadly Ukrainian drone attack on a college dorm in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic. Ukraine targeted a teacher training school dormitory in the town of Starobelsk with several waves of UAVs on Friday, killing 21+ people, mostly teenage girls, and injuring 60 others. Russian Foreign Ministry arranged a trip to Starobelsk on Sunday for more than 50 foreign journalists from 19 countries: Austria, Brazil, UK, Hungary, Venezuela, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Qatar, China, Cuba, Lebanon, UAE, Pakistan, the US, Turkey, Finland, and France, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. BBC and CNN rejected an invitation to visit the site of the attack, while Japan’s government explicitly banned Japanese reporters from making the trip.

• Tucker Carlson: "Putin did not start this war." Tucker is exactly correct. This was not, "An unprovoked invasion." The truth is that in 2001, Putin asked the Bush Administration. "I would like to join NATO. I would like to join the defensive alliance that exists to keep me from moving West into Western Europe." Bush said No because NATO always planned a war on Russia. Putin says the current crisis in Ukraine is a direct result of years of aggressive NATO policies. Professor Jeffrey Sachs: "The Casus Belli of the Ukraine war is NATO enlargement, US  directed coup, CIA operations all over Ukraine. Russia is not going to stop fighting as long as NATO enlargement is on the table. This is the basic reason why we are at war."  

• Yemen military: "American injustice continues even outside Islamic countries, as is happening in Cuba — blockade and oppression. Why all this oppression from America?"
• Telegraph: The UK and France refused to spend 0.25% of NATO countries' GDP on Ukraine. Spain, Italy and Canada also blocked this idea during the discussions. Any proposals adopted by NATO require unanimous support from all the capitals of the participating countries. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is pushing the spending increase. 

• President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic visits China and EU unelected leaders not happy about such frisky moves. Not supposed to leave the ranch without permission. President Xi emphasized that Serbia is the first European country to have built a community with a shared future in the new era with China, fully reflecting the special and high-level nature of bilateral relations. As ironclad friends, China supports Serbia in safeguarding its national interests and social stability, and in pursuing a successful development path suited to its own conditions. 

• Massive destruction in the town of Al-Duwayr, Lebanon as a result of the violent Israeli raid. 

• A poll conducted by The Economist magazine: 75% of Americans consider the economy 'weak'. 

• From the occupation prisons to Vienna Airport...the Austrian police welcome the activists of the Freedom Flotilla with torture and brutality. Why?

Solidarity with Gaza in Greece

Supporters of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla marched to the Israeli embassy in Athens, Greece, protesting the treatment of activists detained after their boats were intercepted by Israeli forces.

Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags, chanted slogans, and condemned Israeli actions during the protest. The march comes amid rising international reactions following mistreatment of flotilla activists in detention.

Greek protesters and flotilla supporters called for accountability and continued support for humanitarian aid missions to Gaza.

Iran urges UN Security Council overhaul, BRICS role in global governance

Press TV

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has urged fundamental reforms to the United Nations and international governance structures, noting that current systems have lost legitimacy and serve only the interests of a limited group of powers.

Speaking recently at the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi, Araghchi said that the world is experiencing "a period of structural instability and a deep crisis of trust."

"The structures governing the international order, designed in the post-World War II era, no longer have the capacity to respond to the realities of the 21st century," he told fellow foreign ministers.

"The gap between emerging powers and traditional decision-making structures not only threatens global stability but has fueled widespread injustice in the distribution of power, wealth, and development opportunities."

The Iranian foreign minister criticized what he described as multilateralism in name only.

"What we witness today in some international institutions is not 'multilateralism,' but rather an attempt to preserve 'unilateralism' under the guise of international law," Araghchi said.

"The instrumental use of laws, the imposition of unilateral sanctions, and the disregard for the rights and national sovereignty of countries are signs of a deep crisis in global governance."

He said that a system which delegates vital decisions for humanity to a limited group of countries while ignoring the interests of developing nations "has lost its legitimacy."

Araghchi devoted particular attention to unilateral sanctions, describing them as tools of "economic terrorism" that have evolved from diplomatic instruments into weapons of economic warfare.

"These measures, carried out in flagrant violation of international law, target not only governments but the fundamental rights of human beings—including the right to life, access to health, food, and development," he said.

The foreign minister emphasized that confronting this economic terrorism and establishing independent financial mechanisms within BRICS is "an undeniable necessity for preserving the independence and national sovereignty of countries."

Security Council reform 'not a choice but a necessity'

Araghchi called for fundamental reforms to international organizations, particularly the UN Security Council, describing the current body as "a clear symbol of inefficiency and imbalance."

He cited the Security Council's silence regarding the US-Israeli aggression against Iran as a stark example of its failure.

Araghchi also highlighted attacks on Iran's critical infrastructure, including refineries, petrochemical complexes, bridges, railways, stadiums, cultural and historical centers, energy transmission lines, and major industrial facilities.

"These infrastructures are not just technical or economic facilities; they are the backbone of people's daily lives," he said.

The foreign minister warned that silence in the face of such aggression sets a dangerous precedent.

"If today we remain silent in the face of the suffering of the Iranian people… or if we pass by it based on political considerations, tomorrow this cycle of violence and instability can be transferred to any other part of the world," Araghchi said.

Araghchi stressed that Security Council reform is "not a choice, but a necessity for the survival of the United Nations." 

Data centers: The new god of the high-tech evil doers

If anyone ever doubted that AI 'data centers' are turning the heads of greedy corporations like nothing we've ever seen before, then this is a perfect example.

This story about Lake Tahoe in northern California is emblematic of the national craze where money comes first and people's needs, water quality and availability, air quality, and more come last.

America has always been an immoral nation where the 'green frog skin' (dollar bill) is the god. People are blinded and will often do anything - even destroy their own communities and quality of life for a buck. And it is getting worse by the day.

Thank goodness many are protesting these destructive AI monsters that are key elements in the new high-tech digital money and extreme surveillance regime now underway by the big tech bros that want to turn the people of the world into slaves as they roboticize the future.

Just one year ago, only 8 jurisdictions across the United States had any kind of moratorium on AI data center construction. Today, that number has exploded to 78 — and it's still climbing. Communities in nearly every region of the country are saying no to the massive facilities tech giants and AI companies are desperate to build.

Of the 78 jurisdictions that have moved to block new builds, 69 have active restrictions and four have gone further — making their bans permanent. In just the two months from March to April 2026, 14 new bans were added to the map. The pace of resistance is accelerating, not slowing.

But many of these mega-energy suckers are still being built. Here in Maine our state legislature voted to put a ban on polluting data centers but our corporate stooge Governor Janet Mills (Democrat) vetoed the bill.

It's a battle royale across the nation. It's a struggle between high-tech evildoers with their dirty big bucks and the public. 

Don't surrender to these fools. The future is at stake.

Bruce 

Sunday song

Which invasion? Iran or Cuba or both?

• A source close to Iran's Ghalibaf says Iran's "third struggle" plan announced by the IRGC will close Bab el-Mandeb Strait "by fire" and disable the seven submarine internet cables under the Strait of Hormuz, in immediate response to upcoming US strikes that Iran has assessed as "inevitable," for this weekend. The source adds that Iran will also respond with "next-generation missiles and drones" firing hundreds daily at the Gulf energy infrastructure, and that the US and Israel are playing "Russian roulette" with the outcome being the "collapse of the global economy and unprecedented gas prices."

• The United Arab Emirates has made a more concerted push for an end to the Iran war in recent days, joining Saudi Arabia and Qatar in urging Trump to give negotiations a chance, according to several people familiar with the matter. The conversations were prompted by the countries’ fears that any retaliation from Tehran, if hostilities resume, will plunge Gulf economies into chaos, the people said. 

• Stars and Stripes: The United States has approved a potential $108.1 million foreign military sale to Ukraine to help sustain the country’s HAWK air defense systems, the State Department announced this week. The HAWK, or Homing All the Way Killer, is a U.S.-made medium-range air defense system that Ukraine has used to defend against Russian missile and drone attacks.

• Trump: “China agreed not to supply weapons to Iran. I talked to them.” China Foreign Minister: “We want to end rumors that China agreed with the U.S. not to supply weapons to Iran. To be clear: no such communication occurred. China has neither confirmed nor denied supplying weapons to Iran. Our security agreements and defense cooperation are sovereign matters for China alone. No foreign country may interfere in China’s internal affairs.”
• The Trump Gaza Board of Peace is falling apart. Very few are paying, and there is serious remorse being expressed by those who joined initially. Nebenzia at the UN Security Council did not mince words. “Six months after the vote on Security Council Resolution 2803, the so-called 'Trump Plan' remains largely a dead letter, with declarative successes only serving as a smokescreen to conceal the grim reality in the #GazaStrip.”

• Sovereignista: Let’s count: Negotiations with Russia zip; Ukraine negotiations not happening; Negotiations with Iran not happening as not even the framework of a negotiation structure can be agreed upon; China debacle; Trump’s Gaza Peace Board a dead letter; Tariffs dead and must be paid back; US outplayed in the Strait of Hormuz; The world speaking out against the war on Cuba (and this just off the top of my head). I’m sure there are more for example, the US does not have diplomats in more than 100 countries. Counting Israel, the world is at last talking, because of the brutal treatment of the latest Flotilla to Gaza.
• Haaretz: An investigation unveiled that a secret spy unit is operating inside Israel’s Education Ministry and has been monitoring teachers who criticize the government, particularly left-wing and Arab educators, in an effort to silence critics.  The unit, headed by a former Shin Bet operative, compiled detailed files tracking educators’ social media posts, protest participation, and political statements.
• Two US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft conducted an emergency response exercise at the US Embassy in Caracas. Venezuelan authorities authorized the flights. The USS Iwo Jima is operating off the Venezuelan coast. Sadly the US now occupies Venezuela. Are they practicing for the invasion of Cuba?

• Poland announced the arrival of the first three American-made Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft at Łask Air Base, with further deliveries scheduled through 2029. Warsaw ordered 32 F-35A fighter jets from Lockheed Martin in 2020 during President Trump’s first term in a deal worth $4.6 billion, and Polish pilots are already undergoing training in the U.S.
• The apartment of Oleksandr Udovichenko, deputy head of the Ukrainian State Security Bureau, who owns the Gorilla Casino. Price: $900,000. Zelensky and his cronies thank the people of the United States and Europe for their taxes. 

• Israel struck a road in southern Lebanon, killing a father and daughter. When medical teams arrived, a second strike hit the responders. Lebanese health authorities say over 100 medical workers have been killed since March 2026.
• Brazilian Global Sumud Flotilla activist Thiago Ávila: 'Israeli soldiers raped our people at the Global Sumud Flotilla. It was not one, not two, not three. They were taking food and medicine to Gaza. They were taking baby formula, and they got raped by Israeli soldiers.'  

• The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum announces that she will send oil to Cuba, no matter what Trump wants. “We will continue sending oil to Cuba. We will not cave, and we will not be a tool for implementing the U.S. embargo. Enough of the blackmail.”

• The Global Sumud Flotilla expresses its profound outrage and condemnation following a violent assault by the Ertzaintza (Basque autonomous police) against newly returned flotilla participants at Bilbao Airport, Spain. These activists, having just survived days of systematic abduction, torture, and severe psychological and physical violence at the hands of the israeli Occupation Forces (iOF), were met not with sanctuary, but with immediate, targeted police brutality upon stepping onto their home soil. When a family member, waiting anxiously in the arrivals terminal, attempted to cross a barrier to embrace their loved ones, the Ertzaintza suddenly and shockingly responded with violence. What should have been a moment of relief and familial comfort after such a harrowing experience was interrupted by even more brutality. See more photos and video on Fazebook https://www.facebook.com/reel/980692311003810  

Is Cuba a threat to the U.S.?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted a video on May 20 addressed directly to the Cuban people, claiming the blackouts have nothing to do with the U.S. oil blockade. 

We took to the streets to Havana to see what people thought of his speech. Most hadn’t seen it. 

“It’s just that I despise Marco Rubio so much that it’s not even worth listening to anything he says,” said Lucía Miret, 76, a retired teacher. 

Most of those who saw it, rejected Rubio’s claim. “It’s no secret to anyone that the blockade exists,” said Daimara Pérez, a doctor. “If the blockade didn’t exist then they should let the ships in.”

the funnies

Gaza flotilla released: Beaten, bruised, broken bones, raped & sexually humiliated

• The I$raeli occupation released more than 400 international Gaza flotilla participants after detaining them while they were heading to Gaza to break the siege. They were transported via Turkish planes to Istanbul. This is what Israeli military and prison personnel did to them. (Chosen by God to beat the hell of out people sailing to bring food and solidarity to those suffering from terrorist genocide! Unbelievable arrogance by the zionists.)  A lawyer reported, "Many complained of humiliation, some complained of sexual harassment and rape, broken ribs and arms. For sure from the experience in the past several years representing flotilla participants, this was the most severe in terms of violence, degrading, humiliating treatment." When will the world sanction Israel?

•  A German activist who participated in the Sumud Flotilla: 'They beat me every day and did not give me any food or water.'

• Slowly Iran is unraveling the Strait. The previous number of ships that moved was 27. As of yesterday 35 ships that contacted the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) were issued transit permits for the Strait of Hormuz, after paying the necessary tolls and signing the relevant documents. The ships will be safely guided through the Strait of Hormuz according to the guidelines and regulations of the Islamic Republic. Transit will proceed in a phased manner and in accordance with Iran’s traffic separation scheme. Iran is offering support, medical and food for the crews as well as transit insurance.  

• Reuters: The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic issued a decree banning the export of uranium suitable for creating nuclear weapons from the country. In this way, Tehran has toughened its position on one of the main US demands in peace negotiations. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei's order could further enrage Trump and complicate negotiations. According to Iranian sources cited by the publication, there are serious suspicions in Iran that the pause in hostilities was a Washington tactical trick designed to create an appearance of security before resuming airstrikes.

• Ukrainian drones attacked an educational building and dormitory of the vocational school in Starobelsk, Lugansk People's Republic in Russia last night, leaving 41 people injured and 21 killed, while rescuers were searching for those still trapped under the rubble. At the time of the attack, 86 students between the ages of 14 and 18 were inside the building. This daily terrorism by Ukraine continues to be aided and abetted by NATO. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the British broadcaster BBC has officially declined to visit the site of the tragedy in Starobelsk, while the American media CNN is on vacation.

               NATO chief Mark Rutte begging for more money                

• In the most expensive House primary ever, with $32 million spent on TV ads alone, Rep. Thomas Massie (Repub-Kentucky) was chased out of his seat by a political nobody who was backed by a tidal wave of dark money (AIPAC) and the blessing of Trump, who has been waging a non-stop smear campaign against Massie ever since he took up the cause of releasing the Epstein Files. Massie was one of the few Republicans willing to take a public stand to expose and prosecute the rich pedophiles in the Epstein Files, a cause once central to the MAGA mindset, that is, until it was revealed that the pages were filled with references to and accusations against their dear leader. And so, at Trump’s demand, voters immediately threw him out of office by a margin of 10 points. Massey still has seven more months to serve until he will be replaced after the November national elections. Massey yesterday filed a bill in the House to make AIPAC have to register as a foreign agent. JFK tried to get that law passed but was assassinated before he was successful.  

• Channel 12 (Hebrew): IDF Soldiers in the north have become fixed targets, like 'ducks' in a shooting range. Nothing has happened yet. This is Hezbollah, and Hezbollah is invincible and unconquerable. No matter how high you climb, you will fall beneath the feet of Ridwan and Aziz.

                Protesting the US in Greenland yesterday                 

• On May 18 Niger’s Cabinet approved a decree cancelling the Arlit mining concession, a title originally granted in 1968 to France’s Atomic Energy Commission, declaring the land now free of all rights and returning it fully to the Nigerien people. The concession covered 360 square kilometres and had been granted for 75 years. France’s nuclear giant Orano, formerly Areva, operated it for over half a century extracting uranium that powered French homes, French hospitals, and French industry while the communities around Arlit remained without reliable electricity. Niger’s Cabinet simultaneously created a new state owned company called Teloua Safeguarding Uranium Mining Company to take over all uranium operations on Nigerien soil. Nigerien uranium will now be extracted by Nigerien hands for Nigerien benefit. 

• Washington Post: 6,000 refugees entered the US since October. All but three are South African. America’s refugee program has undergone a radical transformation. Now nearly all those arriving under the program are white South Africans.
• Reuters: Syria will attend next month’s G7 summit in France as a guest nation, represented by head chopper Ahmed al-Sharaa. It marks Syria’s first participation in the forum since it was founded in 1975. The western colonial nations continue to reveal their true colors.

• Washington Post: The U.S. fired far more advanced missile interceptors than Israel while defending Israel during recent fighting with Iran. American forces launched over 200 THAAD interceptors, about half the U.S. stockpile, plus more than 100 naval missiles, while Israel used fewer than 200 of its own high-end interceptors combined. The imbalance highlights how heavily Washington carried Israel’s defense burden. 

• Iran’s MFA spokesman to IRNA: None of the speculations raised in recent days regarding various aspects of the negotiations are confirmed. At this stage, the focus of the negotiations is on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and the claims made in the media about nuclear issues, including HEU materials or enrichment discussions, are merely media speculations and lack credibility.

Golden Dome news conference: Cost estimate @ $3.6 trillion

Yesterday Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) along with International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and Back From The Brink, released a new report on the proposed Golden Dome missile defense system.

Organizations hosted a press conference in DC with the Up In Arms campaign, Senator Ed Markey, and Congressman Jim McGovern. 

The report addresses the outlandish price tag of this $3.6 trillion missile defense system and the inevitable faults and holes in its effectiveness. 

The report demonstrates that even in a best-case scenario with Golden Dome implementation, more than 300 warheads would penetrate the system leaving 132 major US cities destroyed and 75 million Americans at risk.

Read the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space statement opposing Trump's Golden Dome space warfare system. The statement is signed by hundreds of organizations and activists around the globe. Click here  

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