The Iran conflict and Strait of Hormuz closure have removed 50% of global traded sulfur and 36% of traded urea, causing sharp price increases: anhydrous ammonia up nearly $300/ton in the US, urea benchmark over 25%, sulfur up 40% to $600/ton, and sulfuric acid in the US rising from $155 to $400/ton. China banned sulfuric acid exports on May 1. The article recommends US policy responses to boost domestic production, including expediting permits for new ammonia/urea/sulfur plants (e.g., CF Industries Blue Point, Nueces Green Ammonia, Atlas Agro Pacific), maintaining Jones Act suspension and Venezuelan sanctions relief, and streamlining US-Canada customs. It also mentions the Homegrown Fertilizer Act and 106 stalled fertilizer projects from the Biden-era program. It warns that even if the crisis resolves soon, fertilizer prices will likely remain elevated through 2026.

Background: Iran had previously demanded the release of $12 billion in frozen assets as part of a potential agreement with the US, with negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf visiting Qatar for talks. Today: A source close to ongoing US-Iran negotiations told Iran's Fars news agency that the last major sticking point is now $24 billion in Iranian funds frozen in banks worldwide, doubling the earlier demand. The funds are described as frozen in banks worldwide, not just in the US.

A federal court in Virginia temporarily blocked President Trump's $1.8 billion compensation fund for alleged victims of politically motivated justice, setting a hearing for June 12. Separately, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Cuba a national security threat. The US also designated two Brazilian drug cartels as terrorist organizations. Trump's 'Peace Council' fund for Gaza reconstruction reportedly has received no contributions. The administration is considering suspending customs at airports in sanctuary cities ahead of the World Cup.

A federal judge in Virginia has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's $1.776 billion 'Anti-Weaponization Fund', which was designed to compensate individuals claiming they were victims of political persecution by the justice system. The fund, created as part of a settlement in Trump's lawsuit against the IRS over leaked tax records, could benefit hundreds of January 6 Capitol riot defendants whom Trump pardoned. The ruling, issued by Judge Leonie Brinkema, halts any irreversible payouts until a June 12 hearing. The lawsuit was filed by former January 6 prosecutor Andrew Floyd and other plaintiffs, who argue the fund is an unconstitutional 'slush fund'. The fund has faced bipartisan opposition, including from some Republican senators, and has stalled related migration legislation in Congress.

The US Navy secretary announced a delay in a $14 billion arms package to Taiwan following the Trump-Xi summit. Analysts say the pause may reduce US credibility as a security partner and accelerate Taiwan's shift toward indigenous asymmetric warfare capabilities, including drones and munitions, rather than relying on major US weapons systems.

A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded during a hot-fire test at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 28, 2026, producing a large fireball and causing extensive damage to Launch Complex 36. No injuries were reported. The explosion raises serious doubts about Blue Origin's ability to meet its commitments to NASA's Artemis program and Moon Base 1, which rely on New Glenn for lunar lander and rover deliveries. It also threatens Amazon's Project Kuiper broadband satellite deployment, as New Glenn was scheduled to launch 48 satellites. The incident is a major setback for Blue Origin's competition with SpaceX in heavy-lift launch and lunar exploration.

US Congressman Jim Himes and Senator Richard Blumenthal visited Kyiv on May 25, 2025, where Himes condemned Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov's threats against foreign diplomats as a sign of 'complete desperation' and Moscow's worsening battlefield position. The lawmakers denounced Russian tactics as war crimes and pledged to push for increased US military aid. The visit followed Russia's warning to strike 'decision-making centers' in Kyiv and one of the largest aerial assaults of the war, with around 90 missiles and over 600 drones, killing at least two and wounding 87. Ukrainian authorities reported nearly 1,000 applications for housing compensation in Kyiv due to the damage, underscoring the continued targeting of civilian infrastructure and the urgent need for international support.

Background: The White House previously accused China-backed actors of industrial-scale AI model theft via distillation. A new analysis reveals that Chinese AI labs are systematically distilling capabilities from US frontier models and releasing them as open-weight models that run on local devices, giving China a distribution advantage in the global AI market while US firms are constrained by terms of service from doing the same. The article argues this creates a strategic vulnerability for the US and proposes policy responses including export controls, extending the foreign direct product rule to AI, and supporting US open-weight alternatives. It also highlights safety risks from distilled models, such as DeepSeek-R1 failing safety tests and OpenClaw's marketplace being flooded with malicious extensions.

A new survey by the Bertelsmann Stiftung and King Baudouin Foundation reveals that 73% of EU citizens now believe the EU should pursue a more independent foreign policy, up from 63% previously. Trust in the US as the EU's most important ally has dropped sharply from 51% in 2024 to 31%, while the UK and Canada are increasingly seen as key partners. The shift is attributed to the Trump presidency and geopolitical tensions, with 80% of Belgians supporting reduced coordination with the US. The findings indicate a broad, cross-generational desire for European strategic autonomy.

In a recent interview, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang repeatedly avoided answering whether his company bears responsibility when its chips enable AI models with offensive cyber capabilities that could threaten US security. The article contrasts this with Anthropic and OpenAI's engagement with the Pentagon on AI safety, and proposes a formal Defense Science Board-style task force to compel industry transparency on strategic technology risks.

Mark Burns, spiritual adviser to US President Donald Trump, stated at the Black Sea Security Forum in Odesa that US conservatives now view Vladimir Putin as impossible to deal with, citing Russia's violation of a US-brokered ceasefire and a massive drone barrage on Kyiv. Burns said Trump told him a deal to end the war is close, despite stalled US-led peace talks.

US billionaires and AI leaders, including Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman, and Elon Musk, are proposing various wealth-sharing mechanisms such as universal basic income, universal basic compute, and tax reforms to address AI-driven inequality and defuse potential populist revolt. The debate is intensifying as Democratic politicians push for wealth taxes and new social contracts, with California considering a billionaire wealth tax and federal lawmakers calling for tax code overhaul.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has spent his first year in office taking a firm stance against US tariffs and diversifying Canada's trade relationships, addressed the Economic Club of New York on May 29, 2026, ahead of new NAFTA negotiations. He argued that a stronger and independent Canada forming a 'true partnership' with the US would benefit both countries, stating 'Canada Strong will help make America great again'. Carney emphasized enhanced cooperation in energy, metals, and industrial products, while also signaling Canada's ongoing diversification of trade partners towards the EU, Asia, and South America.

A fire in an Amtrak train car in a rail yard near New York's Penn Station early Friday injured five people, including two hospitalized, and caused major disruptions to New Jersey Transit, Amtrak, and Long Island Rail Road services. Overhead wire damage led to delays and service suspensions during the morning rush hour, affecting hundreds of thousands of commuters. The fire was extinguished by 100 firefighters, and service was suspended until at least noon.

Five progressive Democrats—Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ro Khanna, Elizabeth Warren, and Graham Platner—are leading a confrontational Democratic message on AI, proposing data center moratoriums, taxes on AI companies, and worker protections. They criticize AI-linked political money and environmental impacts, testing whether grassroots skepticism of AI can become a lasting political force.

Following Donald Trump's return to the US presidency in January 2025, the CBP One app that allowed migrants to legally enter the US for asylum applications was shut down on January 20, 2025. Tijuana, Mexico's main border crossing, has become a dead end for migrants, with many stranded or deported back to the city. The city remains one of the most dangerous in the world but also a site of intense solidarity. Iran's national football team will be based in Tijuana for the upcoming World Cup.

The foreign ministers of India, the United States, Australia, and Japan (Quad) announced a joint initiative to develop port infrastructure in Fiji, specifically in Suva and Lautoka, marking the Quad's first joint infrastructure project in the Pacific. The initiative aims to counter China's growing economic and strategic influence in the region. China criticized the move, warning against bloc confrontation. The announcement comes amid heightened US-China competition for influence in the Pacific Islands, where Fiji maintains a balancing act between traditional Western allies and economic ties with Beijing.

The United States has designated Brazil's two largest criminal gangs, the First Capital Command (PCC) and the Red Command, as foreign terrorist organizations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the move, which is seen as a political setback for President Lula da Silva, who opposed the designation, and a boost for his far-right challenger Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. The gangs, which originated in Brazilian prisons, are major cocaine exporters to the US and Europe. The designation follows similar US actions against groups in Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela, and is part of the White House's 'war on drugs' in Latin America.

Background: The Trump administration has imposed sweeping sanctions on Cuba and threatened military action, preparing for a potential collapse of the Cuban government. Today: A detailed analysis reveals that the US has been pressing Cuba since March to accept a phased deal involving market reforms, political prisoner releases, and severing security ties with Russia and China, in exchange for sanctions relief and investment. The article highlights Cuba's fragmented leadership—divided among the Castro circle, the military-economic conglomerate GAESA, security services, and the Communist Party—as a key obstacle, with each center blocking concessions. The proposed deal would require Cuba to liberalize laws, release political prisoners, implement market reforms, reduce GAESA's footprint, and scale back security ties with Russia and China; in return, the US would rescind secondary sanctions, remove Cuba from the state sponsors of terrorism list, liberalize travel, and suspend Title III of the Libertad Act. US officials have communicated these priorities to Cuban emissaries since March, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio's hawkish credentials could uniquely enable him to sell a negotiated settlement. The window for a negotiated settlement is closing as the economy deteriorates and the risk of US military intervention grows.

Madagascar, following a coup in October 2025 and subsequent political instability, is gaining strategic importance due to its deposits of critical minerals (nickel, cobalt, rare earths) and its location in the western Indian Ocean. Russia has increased engagement, hosting the interim president and providing military aid. The article argues the US should deepen engagement to prevent adversaries from gaining influence over mineral supply chains.

In a War on the Rocks essay, former senior DOE official Jay Tilden challenges the prevailing belief among strategists and lawmakers that the US faces a 'deterrence gap' due to a lack of low-yield theater nuclear weapons compared to Russia and China. Tilden argues that such rhetoric is exaggerated, potentially harmful by signaling US self-doubt and constraints to adversaries, and that the US already has multiple options to respond to limited nuclear use. He warns that public handwringing may embolden adversaries and misrepresent US decision-making, citing historical precedents like the 'missile gap' and the Reliable Replacement Warhead debate. Tilden contends that the current president's unpredictability may actually enhance deterrence, contrary to the rigid proportionality assumptions of gap proponents.

NATO had previously launched a pilot marketplace for counter-drone systems and expanded innovation ranges. Now, the alliance is implementing the Rapid Adoption Action Plan (RAAP) to compress procurement cycles from a decade to 24 months, driven by the rapid evolution of drone warfare in Ukraine. The plan includes building a counter-drone marketplace and testing infrastructure at Latvia's Sēlija Training Area, with an Innovation Badge quality assurance mark for tested systems. The initiative faces internal resistance from NATO's traditional planning processes.

Pro-Israel, cryptocurrency, and AI-linked political action committees are spending unprecedented amounts in U.S. House primaries, with eight of the top 12 outside spenders this cycle affiliated with these groups. AIPAC spent nearly $8 million to oust Rep. Thomas Massie, while crypto PAC Protect Progress spent $5 million against Rep. Al Green. The spending is reshaping primary outcomes and raising concerns about the influence of money in politics.

Forces loyal to Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar had previously detained members of an international Gaza aid convoy in Sirte. In a new development, the Global Sumud Convoy was forcibly dismantled by armed forces in the 5+5 security zone near Sirte, and ten international activists from Spain, Poland, the United States, Argentina, Uruguay, Portugal, Tunisia, and Italy remain in custody in eastern Libya. The eastern Libyan government announced that non-Libyans and non-Egyptians are no longer permitted to travel onward to Egypt, citing respect for national sovereignty. The Italian consul general visited two Italian detainees, and authorities agreed to improve conditions but provided no deportation timeline. The Maghreb Sumud Organisation stated that most participants have returned to their countries, with a limited team remaining to follow up on aid delivery and detainee legal efforts.

DARPA has issued a Request for Information for new bunker-buster bomb technologies that move beyond traditional mass-velocity scaling to manipulate shock waves for destroying deeply buried targets, as adversaries like Iran and North Korea increasingly protect assets underground.

The U.S. Marine Corps has awarded a $5.1 million contract to XR Training (XRT) to develop a virtual reality crew gunnery training prototype for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV). The simulator will feature AI-driven adversaries and realistic ocean physics, training crews in both the personnel and fighting variants. This contract is part of a broader overhaul of amphibious vehicle training following a deadly 2020 AAV mishap attributed to training shortfalls.

The U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command has developed the Intrepid Battlefield EXoskeleton (IBEX), a lightweight shoulder-to-foot brace designed to enable soldiers with lower-limb injuries to stand, walk, and shoot when evacuation is delayed. The device aims to reduce the number of troops needed to carry wounded soldiers and keep more personnel combat-effective. The project, initiated in 2020, has been tested by the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps and is now on its third round of funding with a commercial partner.

GE Aerospace has received an official order from Austal USA to supply an LM2500+G4 marine gas turbine engine for the lead ship of the US Navy's new Explorer-class ocean surveillance ships, USNS Don Walsh (T-AGOS 25). The engine will be housed in a lightweight composite enclosure, supporting the ship's integrated electric propulsion system for anti-submarine warfare and surveillance missions. This order marks a significant milestone for the T-AGOS 25 program and underscores the Navy's continued confidence in GE Aerospace's propulsion technology.