(2026-05-08). Headlines for May 8, 2026. democracynow.org Trump Downplays Renewed U.S. Strikes on Iran as "Just a Love Tap" and Claims Ceasefire Is Holding, UAE Expels Pakistani Workers as Strait of Hormuz Crisis Leaves 20,000 Sailors Stranded, Israeli Attacks Kill 12 in Lebanon, Including Paramedic and Two Children, U.S. Imposes More Sanctions on Cuba as Brazil's President Says Trump Ruled Out Military Action, Dozens Killed as al-Qaeda-Linked Insurgents Attack Villages in Mali, Tennessee Republicans Approve New Congressional Map Diluting Power of Black Voters, New York to Ban ICE Agents from Wearing Masks and Raiding Schools, Hospitals or Churches, Ch…
(2026-05-08). US resumes strikes on Iran, as Trump threatens further escalation. wsws.org US forces struck Iranian military targets on Thursday after sending three US Navy destroyers through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed since February.
(2026-05-08). US Project Freedom Fell Apart After 'Backlash' From Saudi Arabia, Kuwait. popularresistance.org Saudi Arabia and Kuwait suspended US access to their military sites in opposition to Washington's so-called Project Freedom, according to a 6 May report by NBC News. | "Trump's abrupt reversal on his plan to help ships go through the Strait of Hormuz came after [Saudi Arabia] suspended the US military's ability to use its bases and airspace to carry out the operation," two US officials told the US outlet. The officials said Washington's Persian Gulf allies were "surprised" by Trump's announcement of Project Freedom over the weekend, which the US leader framed as a means of breaking Iran's control over the Strait…
(2026-05-07). Amid global conflict-disruption cycle, China's reliability has enduring economic appeal. ecns.cn Disruption has become the name of the game for the world economy in the 2020s. The COVID pandemic, Russia-Ukraine conflict, Gaza war, Trump tariffs and now the Middle East conflict, have highlighted the flipside of globalization, which is that physical separation from a crisis is no longer a buffer from its economic fallout. Whether it be lockdowns, supply shocks, financial contagion, mobility bottlenecks, or erratic foreign policies, the butterfly effect is likely to be felt in multiple forms far from the epicenter.
(2026-05-08). Operation Trust Me Bro: Let Them Drink Bourbon. commondreams.org 
With no grown-ups in sight, a feckless war lurches and whipsaws on, run by a regime full of clowns, drunks, losers, grifters all steadfastly defying the will of the people. Trump rants, Hegseth lies, Rubio punts, and a shameless Ka$h Patel, who actually likes to spell his name that way, is gifting bottles of personally branded bourbon – "KASH PATEL, FBI Director," boasting "strong notes of insecurity" – on all sides. Nothing to see here.The dizzying pivots on Iran go on, with Dear Leader "paralyzed" by what he started and can't for the life of him figure out how to end. The military blockade of Iran's ports i…
(2026-05-08). "They Don't Care" : Trump's Border Wall Construction Damages 1,000-Year-Old Sacred Indigenous Site. democracynow.org 
Construction crews in Arizona who are building President Trump's expanded border wall have razed a portion of a Native American archeological site in the Sonoran Desert estimated to be at least 1,000 years old. Aerial photos reveal that bulldozers caused extensive damage to a 280-by-50-foot etching in the desert sand known as an intaglio, which holds special significance for the Hia-Ced O'odham people. | Lorraine Marquez Eiler, co-founder of the International Sonoran Desert Alliance and an elder of the Hia-Ced O'odham, says locals informed both the work crews and Border Patrol officials about th…
(2026-05-08). Trump Pushes to Take Over Elections, Punish His Enemies: Pulitzer Prize-Winning Reporter Ned Parker. democracynow.org 
A new investigation by Reuters details how the Trump administration is seeking to gain federal control over elections in at least eight states, employing investigations, raids and demands for access to balloting systems and voter ID records for the campaign. | "What we're seeing is the Trump administration, in some ways, is seeking to relitigate the 2020 election, and they're also seeking to impose federal authority over the administration of elections," says investigative journalist Ned Parker.
(2026-05-08). Tidbits-May 7- Reader Comments: Voting Rights Overturned by Trump Administration and Supreme Court; Kamala in '28?; Haymarket Monuments; Barbara Kopple's Labor Films; Black Employment Under Trump; a Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Assata Shakur. portside.org Tidbits-May 7- Reader Comments: Voting Rights Overturned by Trump Administration and Supreme Court; Kamala in '28?; Haymarket Monuments; Barbara Kopple's Labor Films; Black Employment Under Trump; a Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Assata Shakur |
(2026-05-08). Trump is trying to kill a carbon tax on global shipping. He may not succeed. grist.org Ninety percent of global trade is conducted by giant ships that crisscross the globe, delivering containers of jet fuel, electronics, clothing, and many other goods every day of the week. Seafaring trade on this scale has brought the cost of many products down dramatically, but those ships have historically run on a very dirty fuel — essentially the sludge left over from refining crude oil — causing the shipping sector to contribute about 3 percent of total carbon emissions worldwide. | Last year, the International Maritime Organization, or IMO, the United Nations agency overseeing global shipping,…
(2026-05-08). Amid Growing Abuse at ICE Jails, Rep. Adelita Grijalva Calls to Shut Down Trump's Detention Network. democracynow.org 
As the Trump administration continues to expand the ICE detention system, concerns are growing over abuses inside immigration jails, including use of physical violence, pepper spray and electric shocks against detainees. Earlier this year, more than 70,000 people were being detained by ICE in jails across the country. | Congressmember Adelita Grijalva from Arizona, who visited two ICE jails recently, says detainees who spoke to her described dire conditions, medical neglect and more. "People are losing weight. Water is undrinkable," she says. "There are a lot of really significant abuses happeni…
(2026-05-08). US Continues To Blow Up Small Boats. popularresistance.org A US military strike on May 4 killed two mariners in an alleged "narco boat" campaign which now has a cumulative death toll of at least 188. The pace of extrajudicial executions is ramping up, according to The Guardian. But why? | The serial murders could be, as the Trump administration claims, a genuine counter-narcotics operation. Or Mr. Trump and company may be conducting a demonstration exercise of executive power. Alternatively, the "kinetic strikes" may reflect more domestic concerns or perhaps foreign policy issues. Another possibility is that the administration is intentionally cultivating an image of unp…
(2026-05-08). Trump's "America First" Counterterrorism Strategy: A blueprint for dictatorship. wsws.org The White House document equates anti-fascists and left-wing opponents of the government with terrorists, while erasing the threat of far-right fascist violence.
(2026-05-08). Trump's Ostrich Policy on Climate Change. juancole.com
(2026-05-07). Trump DOJ escalates attack on Colorado gun laws with lawsuits targeting magazine limits and assault weapons ban. nationofchange.org The Justice Department has launched a sweeping legal challenge against two major Colorado gun-control laws, escalating a broader effort by the Trump administration to dismantle firearm restrictions enacted by Democratic-led states and cities in response to decades of mass shootings.
(2026-05-07). US-Iran peace optimism fuels Asian stock market gains. scmp.com US President Donald Trump said conflict in the Middle East would be "over quickly", as Iran considered a peace proposal that could lead to the reopening of the vital Strait of Hormuz. | "We've had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it's very possible that we'll make a deal," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, according to Reuters. The president has repeatedly played up the possibility of an agreement with Iran since the war began on February 28, without reaching an…
(2026-05-07). US-proposed Iran resolution at UN faces likely vetoes from China, Russia. al-monitor.com May 7 (Reuters) – The U.S. on Thursday urged countries to support its United Nations resolution demanding Iran halt attacks and mining of the Strait of Hormuz, but diplomats said China and Russia are likely to veto it.A Chinese veto would be awkward ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's trip to China next week, where the Iran war is like to be high on the agenda.
(2026-05-07). Report: Trump Paused 'Project Freedom' Due To Backlash From Gulf Arab Allies. news.antiwar.com Updated on May 7, 2026 at 4: 03 pm EST NBC News reported on Wednesday that President Trump quickly ended the US military operation to "guide" commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz due to backlash from the US's Gulf Arab allies. The report said that the abrupt reversal came after Saudi Arabia was caught off …
(2026-05-07). Rubio meets Pope Leo at Vatican to defuse tensions with Trump. scmp.com US Secretary of State Marco Rubio left the Vatican on Thursday after seeing Pope Leo in what was expected to have been a fraught meeting following President Donald Trump's repeated attacks on the Catholic leader over the Iran war. | Rubio spent 2-1/2 hours at the Vatican before driving away in a convoy under tight security. He met initially Leo before ‚Äåsitting down with senior Vatican officials, including top diplomat Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
(2026-05-07). Trump says U.S. had 'very good' talks with Iran in past 24 hours. ecns.cn U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States has had very good talks over the past 24 hours with Iran on ending the war that has lasted more than two months.
(2026-05-07). US sets expectations for Iraq's next PM to confront Iranian militias. al-monitor.com The Trump administration is cautiously sizing up Iraq's new prime minister-designate, Ali al-Zaidi, as a potential partner in pushing back on Iranian influence.
(2026-05-07). China shores up Iran support as Trump seeks exit. al-monitor.com China understands how badly Trump wants an exit from the conflict. But timing is critical: if no agreement is reached before Trump arrives in China on Thursday, Beijing would be better positioned to set the agenda.
(2026-05-07). Lula won't sideline China or anyone in rare earths, tells Trump refining stays in Brazil. scmp.com Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told US President Donald Trump on Thursday that his country's rare earth reserves are open to investment from China and any other nation willing to process the minerals on Brazilian soil, resisting pressure to side with Washington in its contest with Beijing over critical mineral supply chains. | "We have no preference. What we want is to share with whoever wants to invest in Brazil," Lula said at a press conference at the Brazilian embassy in…
(2026-05-07). Black Memphians Came to Fight a Voter Map That They Say Erases Them. capitalbnews.org 
This story was originally published by Tennessee Lookout. Breaking news: Republican lawmakers in Tennessee approved a new U.S. House map Thursday that carves up a majority-Black district in Memphis, reshaping it to the GOP's advantage as part of President Donald Trump's strategy to hold on to a slim majority in the November midterm elections. A Tennessee …
(2026-05-07). BlueGreen Alliance celebrates 20 years and tackles Trump impact. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—As the BlueGreen Alliance, a coalition of unions and environmental groups, celebrates its 20th anniversary this spring, it can look back on acceptance of the principle it pushed ever since Steelworkers President Leo Gerard and Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope founded it: That green jobs are good jobs, that green jobs should be union …
(2026-05-07). US Launches Its 63rd Airstrike of the Year in Somalia. news.antiwar.com The US has launched another airstrike in Somalia, according to a press release from US Africa Command, as the Trump administration continues its record-shattering bombing campaign in the country. AFRICOM said that the strike targeted the ISIS affiliate in Somalia's northeastern Puntland region, about 46 miles southeast of the Gulf of Aden port city of …
(2026-05-07). US trade court rules against Trump's 10 percent global tariffs. aljazeera.com The court ruled in favour of small businesses that challenged the tariffs that took place in February.
(2026-05-07). The Trump regime, oligarchy and the fight for socialism. wsws.org This speech was given by Joseph Kishore, National Secretary of the Socialist Equality Party (US), at the International May Day 2026 Online Rally, held Friday, May 1.
(2026-05-07). Trump gives EU until July 4 to ratify deal or face tariff hike. scmp.com US President Donald Trump on Thursday said the European Union must ratify its trade deal with the United States by July 4 or face "much higher" tariffs, after European officials fell short of agreement on the pact. | The US president said he spoke to EU chief Ursula von der Leyen about the issue and "agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels".
(2026-05-07). "Can't Afford Daycare or Healthcare — But Hegseth Swears a $1.5 Trillion War Budget 'Puts Taxpayers First'" scheerpost.com Joshua Scheer U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ignited a firestorm of ridicule Thursday after releasing a video praising President Donald Trump's proposed $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget as a fiscally responsible plan that "puts the American taxpayer first." Critics across the political spectrum called the claim mathematically impossible, strategically incoherent, and politically insulting at a moment …
(2026-05-07). Hegseth Calls Inflating the Pentagon Budget by 50% to $1.5 Trillion a 'Fiscally Responsible Investment'. news.antiwar.com Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in a post on X on Thursday that inflating the Pentagon budget by nearly 50% to $1.5 trillion for 2027 was a "fiscally responsible investment" as the Trump administration attempts to justify its record-shattering military budget request. "Thanks to President Trump's $1.5 trillion defense budget, this War Department has …