Nonzero, 05/05/26
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Trump Lost the Hormuz Round | Robert Wright & Nikita Petrov.” (05/05/26)
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
Stop waiting for Trump’s own words to take him down
Source: Los Angeles Times
by Jonah Goldberg
“Trump’s famous claim that he could ‘shoot somebody’ on Fifth Avenue and not lose any voters, may have been hyperbole. But it’s not crazy to think he wouldn’t lose as many voters as he should. In the film [A Face in the Crowd, Lonesome Rhodes implodes when Americans encounter his off-air persona. The key to Trump’s success is that he ran as his off-air persona. Why people love that persona is a complicated question. Among the many complementary explanations is that he comes across as authentic, and some people value authenticity more than they value good character, honesty or competence. This is not just a problem for Republicans.” (05/05/26)
Constitutional Amendments to Stop America’s Authoritarian Turn Are Doable and Necessary
Source: The UnPopulist
by Andy Craig
“In the United States, constitutional amendments are notoriously difficult to adopt. They require two-thirds in both houses of Congress, and then ratification by three-quarters of the states. The process was last used successfully more than 50 years ago. That’s why formal amendments are often dismissed as unrealistic. … There are several worthwhile amendments which could plausibly secure broad consensus if shorn of overtly partisan goals. We also should not fall into a failure of imagination that assumes the current party system and political divisions will be entrenched in perpetuity.” (05/05/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/constitutional-amendments-to-stop
Spain: Regime agrees to let hantavirus-hit cruise ship dock in Canary Islands
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Spain has granted permission for a luxury cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak and anchored off the coast of Cape Verde to sail to the Canary Islands. Spain’s Ministry of Health said in a statement late on Tuesday that the World Health Organization (WHO) had explained that Cape Verde in West Africa was unable to receive the 147 crew and passengers of the MV Hondius. ‘The Canary Islands are the closest location with the necessary capabilities,’ it said. ‘Spain has a moral and legal obligation to assist these people, among whom are also several Spanish citizens.’ … A Dutch couple and a German national have died of the rare disease, which is usually spread from infected rodents through urine, droppings and saliva, on board the ship in early April. A British national, who was evacuated from the ship, is in intensive care in South Africa, officials said.” (05/06/26)
Year Zero with Tommy Salmons, 05/05/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“TEXIT w/Daniel Miller.” (05/05/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/texit-w-daniel-miller/
The quiet push to control AI speech
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by John Coleman
“Recent reports suggest the Trump administration is now considering new oversight for advanced AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. Few details have been finalized, but officials are reportedly discussing an executive order to create a government–industry working group. Another idea under consideration is a process for reviewing models before or around their release. As these talks move forward, they risk setting a troubling precedent for free expression.” (05/05/26)
TACO Tuesday: Trump orders pause to “Project Freedom”
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Donald Trump announced he is pausing ‘Project Freedom,’ the US effort to guide stranded vessels out of the strait of Hormuz, so he can finalise a deal with Iran, but added that his blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place. Trump’s abrupt change of plan was declared in a social media post, saying he was pausing the effort for ‘a short period’ to give space for US efforts to finalise a settlement with Iran to end the war. … Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, signalled Iran has yet to fully respond to the US attempt to reopen the waterway. … Hapag-Lloyd AG, one of the world’s largest container shipping companies, said in a statement that its risk assessment ‘remains unchanged’ and that transits through the strait ‘are for the moment not possible for our ships.'” (05/06/26)
Congress Gave Away Its Authority To Declare War and Enabled Trump’s Iran War
Source: Reason
by Fiona Harrigan
“Congress hasn’t voted to declare war since 1942, yet the legislative branch constantly refuses to rein in presidents.” (05/05/26)
https://reason.com/2026/05/05/congress-and-the-executive-enabled-illegal-war-in-iran/
Trump Watch, 05/05/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Trump’s Iranian Tar Baby.” (05/05/26)
Ukraine: At least 27 dead in Russian strikes
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Russian drone and missile attacks have killed at least 27 people in Ukraine, officials said, days before a two-day unilateral ceasefire by Moscow was due to take effect. Ukrainian officials said Russian glide bombs killed at least 12 people in southeastern Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday, hitting a car repair shop and residential buildings …. Further northeast, six people were killed, and 12 others were wounded in the city of Kramatorsk, the last hub under Ukraine’s control in the embattled Donetsk region. Four more people were killed in the city of Dnipro. Russian strikes also hit Ukrainian state-run gas facilities in the Poltava and Kharkiv regions overnight, killing three employees and two rescue workers, according to Serhiy Koretskyi, the CEO of Naftogaz.” (05/06/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/5/russian-attack-kills-five-at-ukraines-naftogaz-gas-facility