Trump seeks to buy total humiliating defeat from Iran.

Noah Wyle stopped by my office this week and we talked about how for profit medicine is putting money ahead of patients and workers - and how we need to do more to support health care workers when they see corners being cut and want to speak up.

> @reuters.com

We're suing on behalf of Memphis residents who were retaliated against for recording law enforcement activity — including being tackled to the ground, taunted by name, and surveilled at home. Government agents don't get to punish people exercising our First Amendment rights.

1/ The Russian government has ordered ports to improve their anti-drone defences. However, that reportedly involves electronic warfare systems which installers admit is ineffective, low-paid security guards, and massively inflated costs. ⬇️ bsky.app/profile/spec...

Since the last Disease Outbreak News was published on 16 May 2026, the number of suspected and confirmed cases has increased rapidly in DRC, with geographical expansion into North Kivu and South Kivu. www.who.int/emergencies/...

A message to Jeff Bezos.

Academic Freedom means: *Freedom to discuss all relevant matters in the classroom *Freedom to explore all avenues of scholarship & research *Freedom from censorship/discipline when addressing matters of institutional policy *Freedom from censorship/discipline when speaking as a member of the public.

I’ve said it before and will say it a few more times. When Trump 2.0 came for accreditation I knew we had crossed into a different era of white reclamation. Precise, focused, stealth. Anyway, you probably don’t want these reforms.

You own it. You admit to it. You apologize for it, and you move on. What you do not do is hide it.

/6 Next: the judge calls them out for hiding the ball and redacting this obviously illegal stuff and lying about it.

Simply jaw-dropping, breathtaking corruption. The US President has ordered the “Dept. of Justice” never to prosecute any of his family members or companies for tax evasion. Shattering our hard-won American institutions will harm ALL Americans, Conservative and Liberal. Poison for all.

most non-cybertruck 4x4 failures are people getting into situations they could've handled but don't, due to arrogance and lack of experience most Cybertruck failures are people trying to do things no vehicle can safely do, because they believe their car is magic

“His federal badge does not make him immune from state charges for his criminal conduct in Minnesota,” said Mary Moriarty, the Hennepin County attorney.

"A new analysis suggests that more than 100,000 children have been separated from their parents during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. And roughly three-quarters of those children, like Alonzo, are likely U.S. citizens,..." Gift Article. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/u...

Dr Ryan's work has had a profound and lasting impact on the protection of vulnerable communities and global health security. 🔗 bit.ly/42GJ9bs

Dr Mike Ryan from #Ireland🇮🇪 is honored with 2026 Director-General's Awards for Global Health at #WHA79 for his leadership in strengthening global health emergency preparedness and response.

The average ACA Marketplace deductible experienced the steepest increase in history — growing by 37% or over $1,000, from $2,759 in 2025 to $3,786 in 2026 as enhanced premium tax credits expired. https://on.kff.org/4nz1Ln4

There’s a LOT going on as researchers and public health experts race to respond to the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in DRC and Uganda before it grows bigger. Some really important questions still open, but also a few answers coming into view🧪 My overview in @science.org is here (and thread coming):

Update on Ebola outbreak from @who.int: "There is significant uncertainty about the number of infections and how far the virus has spread. As of 19 May, more than 500 suspected cases, including 130 suspected deaths, have been reported by the Ministry of Health."

$TLT worst 7-day slide in 13 months -3.6%

📌The Trump regime announced Monday that it will drop some limits on “forever chemicals” in drinking water that officials had determined can cause cancer and other serious health problems. The “pro life” party is very actively trying to kill us.

So this area of rain in Houston kind of came out of nowhere? No signal on HRRR, minimal useful signal on RRFS. The hell?

FEDWATCH: “.. the near-term direction of yields depends exclusively on Brent crude, whose direction depends on how successful the mediation with Iran is in the next few days. “.. The next target is 4.69% (short-term technical resistance), followed by a direct gap to 5%.”

One step forward, ten steps back #Selma

What could possibly go wrong???

Europe built sovereign clouds to escape US control. Then forgot about the processors

Huh. Why would Boeing (airplane company) and Toyota (car company) donate a MILLION bucks to Trump's Transportation Secretary's pet project? Could these billionaire corporations expect a return on their donation with regulatory favors? Looks like corruption in plain sight.

CAPITAL ECON: “.. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is draining global oil inventories fast. Inventories could reach critical levels by end-June, setting the stage for Brent at $130-140pb, if not higher. And don’t expect US producers to ride to the rescue.”

For more than a century, a smelter and other factories spewed 400 million pounds of lead dust across Omaha’s east side. Faced with similar concerns, 13 states passed laws requiring all kids to get a blood test before kindergarten. But not Nebraska. With @flatwaterfreep.bsky.social

I’ve gifted this article- it’s worth a read. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

This is for people who are intelligent and know how to read (not MAGA). www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Super important work here by Stat News on death toll associated with alcohol abuse in the U.S. - causes more deaths in a typical year than every infectious disease combined Shows the important enterprise Stat continues to do under Rick Berke, a former NYT colleague www.statnews.com/alcohol-epid...

Whaddya know.

“The county’s zoning ordinance does not allow detention centers to be built or operated on this property, and the county will seek to prevent any effort to disregard or flout any applicable law to build a detention facility. ... 1/2

Nearly 13,000 Ohioans are losing food benefits for not meeting requirements that are part of the Trump/Republican spending law passed by Congress last year. This comes after 80,000 Ohioans lost benefits between the July passage and January of this year ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/05/13/1...

No Fed chair has been confirmed by such a narrow margin since Senate approval became a requirement for the job in 1977. www.wsj.com/economy/cent...

Over the past 50 years, a criminal network sold millions of dollars of allegedly looted antiquities to some of the world’s largest museums, Ariel Sabar writes. He reports on their entrepreneurial genius—and their theft, deception, and betrayal:

Bird flu spreading, hantavirus popping up, measles spreading, public health systems gutted, and Trump appoints Don Jr.’s turkey-hunting buddy to oversee the FDA. What could possibly go wrong?

Public Health Alert: Intramuscular immunoglobulin for measles postexposure prophylaxis This report details successful administration of intramuscular immunoglobulin as post-exposure prophylaxis to 11 babies exposed to measles in Utah last year. ow.ly/1ooZ50YZ5LO 📷:Quinn Daedal/Flickr cc

The Trump-Vance admin is forcing excessive Christian Nationalist messaging onto federal workers – including 100,000 USDA employees who received a sermonizing email for Easter. We’re fighting back against this attack on religious freedom promised in our Constitution.

Why should you pay more than your neighbor for the same groceries? Big companies are using surveillance pricing to make you pay higher prices for products. Our legislation would ban surveilling pricing while protecting the discounts and sales you count on.

“.. Lower Snap payments and a drop in the number of recipients had ‘a negative impact on consumers’ demand for our products,’ Kraft Heinz .. said in a filing last week.” @financialtimes.com #$KHC #SNAP www.ft.com/content/df83...

Omg. An art exhibit called “The Epstein Files Library” just opened in NYC… youtube.com/shorts/Gzr3m...

Now open in NYC: a pop-up called The Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room, which consists of “all 3.5 million pages, 3,437 volumes, and 17,000 pounds of the released and partially redacted Epstein files”. [trumpsonian.us]

Wow. This NYC pop up is 🔥 The Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room is open as a public installation displaying all 3.5 million pages of the released and partially redacted Epstein files, printed and bound into 3,437 volumes. This shouldn’t just stay in NYC. Take it on the road.

Reporter’s notebook: I heard Raskin mention Paine at last year’s big No Kings rally in Philly, and I thought “ok, that makes sense.” Then he came up negatively in the inaugural sermon at the worship service Hegseth attends, & I was like, “huh. Weird.” Then he came up at NatCon, again, negatively.