Monday, May 25, 2026

Chump launches strikes

David McAfee (RAW STORY) reports:

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) delivered a scathing assessment of Donald Trump's Iran ceasefire Sunday, welcoming the end of the war while warning that the deal represents a humiliating capitulation to Tehran that leaves the United States weaker than when the conflict began.

"If this deal with Iran is real, I will welcome it because every day this insane war goes on, America gets weaker," Murphy wrote in a detailed thread on X. "But make no mistake: these are Iran's terms. Our nation emerges humiliated."

Murphy laid out his case methodically. The deal, as he understands it, gives Iran billions of dollars to return to essentially the same position it was in before the war started — while reports suggest it may also codify Iran's right to control the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway that has remained at the centerpiece of the violent conflict.

Chump claimed to have a peace deal on Saturday but events and comments have called that into question.  Josh Marshall (TPM) notes, "With the latest “peace deal” now perhaps receding into what we might call the eternal “two weeks” I wanted to provide some mix of guidance or thoughts on what is going on. How do we go from a peace deal that is all but inked (despite only being a ceasefire and agreement to negotiate) to now where the deal is drifting off into the distance and Trump is adding new demands on Truth Social?"  And this evening?  Another strike.  Aaron Boxerman, Tyler Pager, Eric Schmitt, Ephrat Livni and Sanam Mahoozi (NEW YORK TIMES) report:


Hours after Iranian negotiators arrived in Qatar for talks on ending the war, U.S. forces struck missile launch sites in Iran and boats trying to emplace mines, American officials said Monday night.

U.S. Central Command characterized the strikes in southern Iran as defensive and said they had been intended “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.”

The strikes came on a day when Israel signaled that it planned to intensify its fight against the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.


Andre Damon (WSWS) points out, "The Trump administration confronts a deepening crisis over its failure to achieve its aims in the Iran war. It had hoped that murdering Iran’s leaders would trigger rapid regime change. When that failed, it turned to massive bombardment of the country, followed by an economic blockade. None of these methods have broken Iran’s resistance."


 Meanwhile Chump continues to kill the travel industry.  Martha McHardy (THE DAILY BEAST) notes:


Millions of international travelers are increasingly choosing to avoid the United States.

The United States had roughly 4 million fewer international visitors in 2025 than the year before, marking a 5.5 percent decline in overseas tourism, according to CNN. Foreign visitor spending also fell by more than $8 billion.

Aside from the collapse in travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, it represents the sharpest annual drop in international tourism in roughly 20 years.

Visitor numbers declined from several countries, including Germany, India, France, Australia, Chile, and China, but the largest drop came from Canada, with far fewer Canadians traveling to the United States.

The following sites updated:

 

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