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The trial in Oakland, California has helped lift the veil on the AI sector - and the huge egos of the men at the heart of it.

Grandma Gail has blunt advice — that her granddaughter disagrees with.

The sprawling residence at 345 W. 13th St. has a unique title that no other Manhattan apartment can claim.

The problem within Boone’s bullpen this year is if not Bednar, then who?

Are you unwittingly creating a monster?

Voters don't behave the way they used to, and Trump has remade his party into one that can win in an era of close elections.

Former San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens is accusing his former manager of 15 plus years, Heather Masalam, of stealing money from him, causing him years of financial trauma. Owens posted a series of screenshots and photos on Sunday that featured receipts and text messages between he and Mesalam on Instagram....

Trump: Holding Off 'Planned' Attack On Iran At Request Of Gulf Allies, 'Deal Will Be Made' Summary

• Trump says holding off on 'planned' Tuesday attack upon request of Gulf states.
• US denies earlier Tasnim report of agreeing to lift oil sanctions during talks; Trump tells NYP 'not open' to Iran concessions.
• Trump calls for Iran's total military surrender in Monday morning Truth Social post.
• Oil rebounds on Tasnim reporting Iranian denial: Tehran "under no circumstances" will negotiate nuclear issue as part of an end to the war.
• A flurry of (the somewhat typically-timed) Monday opener headlines have pushed oil prices lower, erasing weekend gains, including Al Arabia reporting that Iran is ready to accept a long-term nuclear freeze, instead of full dismantling.
• Iran has submitted its latest proposal comprising 14-points through Pakistan, amid reports that the US has offered to lift sanctions on Iranian oil during the interim negotiating period.

//--> //--> US obtains Iranian enriched uranium by December 31?
Yes 26% · No 75%
View full market & trade on Polymarket

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Trump: Asked by Gulf States to Hold Off Attacking Iran

Here we go again: Trump says he's holding off a planned attack which was supposedly "scheduled" for Tuesday, at the request of Gulf leaders, including Qatar, KSA, and UAE. "A deal will be made," he says...

Oil drops on the headlines, amid the ongoing roulette...

Iranian President Somewhat Defensive

A message from Iran's president, perhaps aimed at those arguing that trying to engage the US has run its course. Words aimed at IRGC and domestic population, it appears...

"Dialogue does not mean surrender..." will "safeguard the interests and honor of Iran."

Trump 'Not Open' to Any Concessions for Tehran: NYP Interview

Another repetition of the weeks-long stale-mated reality: ...so Trump is 'not open' to any concessions, but Iran deal happening 'soon' - we are yet again told, as the Iranians themselves haven't appeared to budge on anything.

President Trump told The NY Post on Monday he is “not open” to any concessions for Tehran after receiving the latest disappointing Iranian response on peace deal talks. Highlights:

• And in an ominous foreshadowing, Trump said Iran knows “what’s going to be happening soon.”
• In the brief phone interview The Post, Trump seemingly shut the door to Iran’s Sunday offer for a diplomatic talks.
• Asked about his Friday remark that he’d be willing to accept a 20-year moratorium on Iranian uranium enrichment, Trump interjected: “I’m not open to anything right now.”
• The president declined to get into any detail. “I can’t really talk to you about it. Too many things are happening,” he said.
• “I can tell you they want to make a deal more than ever, because they know we’re—what’s going to be happening soon,” Trump said.
• Questioned about regional source claims that Iran is attempting to “wait out” Washington on both the nuclear issue and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said he “hadn’t heard that.”

US Denies Tasnim Report It Agreed to Lift Iran Oil Sanctions

And the denials keep rolling in. First via CNBC:

A U.S. official tells me the Iranian state media report that the U.S. has agreed to lift oil sanctions while talks are ongoing is false. https://t.co/gOcyBKDAxC

— Megan Cassella (@mmcassella) May 18, 2026

...as the US side does not seem very confidently in control of the situation - quite the opposite:

Senior U.S. official: "It's time for the Iranians to throw bit of candy out. We need some real, sturdy, and granular conversation [regarding the nuclear program]. If that's not gonna happen, we will have a conversation through bombs, which will be a shame" https://t.co/qTNrY1fgoN

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) May 18, 2026

Just like that, back to square zero once again we go... and back to headline roulette. 

US PLANS NEW RUSSIAN OIL WAIVER AS IRAN WAR CRUNCHES SUPPLIES

US DENIES REPORT IT AGREED TO LIFT IRAN OIL SANCTIONS: CNBC

Steady climb in oil continues on the denials...

Trump Monday Morning Truth Social 'Threat'

Like clockwork, the start of the week threat from Trump on TS... same as the old threats:

And bearish news via Axios:

Iran has given an updated proposal for a deal to end the war, but the White House believes it is not a meaningful improvement and is insufficient for a deal, a senior U.S. official and a source briefed on the issue told Axios.

Oil Quickly Rebounding on Iranian Denial

In a far too familiar pattern, just before US market open on Monday, a slew of optimistic Iran headlines saw oil erase weekend gains, which mostly came through Saudi Arabia's state-funded Al Arabiya, as well as Reuters... only to be followed by Iranian officials rejecting the substance of these reports, putting things firmly back at square one. 

Tasnim has newly cited Iranian government sources who seek to make clear that "Iran under no circumstances" will engage in new nuclear negotiations for an end to the war. Contradicting the earlier morning reports, it still sees negotiations to find peace in the war with the US as separate from the nuclear file. "Fundamental differences between the Iranian and American texts still remain", Tasnim reports, citing a source.

"Despite some changes in the new American text, fundamental differences stemming from the Americans' exaggeration and lack of realism remain," Tasnim writes, citing the Iranian source. According to more of the statements per state media:

• "Iran will not abandon its firm and principled positions on ending the war and realizing the rights of the Iranian people".
• "Iran's frozen assets must be returned to the Iranian people in a transparent and definitive manner, and paper promises are of no use".
• "Despite some promises, there is disagreement about the return of the frozen funds".
• "Iran's determination regarding the necessity of paying compensation by the Americans for the military aggression against Iran is very serious".
• "The Americans are far from Iran's demands regarding its amount and some other issues."
• "the Americans are still trying to tie the negotiations to end the war to the nuclear issue, which is against logic and Iran will not agree to it. The Americans must understand that Iran will in no way agree to an end to the war in return for nuclear commitments".
• "Iran has not and does not have any intention of building nuclear weapons, and this claim is just an excuse and deception by the Americans. This issue has also been emphasized in the new text".

Oil reacted as expected to this official 'denial' of the prior optimism - quickly rebounding, also as Trump is said to be "losing patience" with the progress of talks. A US source has told Al Jazeera Iran has "days not weeks" to show progress.

The optimism and then denials happened within a span of a couple hours...

And here is the walkback, as IRGC must have just gotten the memo:

DESPITE SOME CHANGES IN THE NEW AMERICAN TEXT, FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES STEMMING FROM THE AMERICANS' EXAGGERATION AND LACK OF REALISM REMAIN https://t.co/3KT4OeLhCq

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) May 18, 2026 Tasnim: Another Iranian Ship Breaks Through US Blockade Line

Iranian state media is claiming that a Iranian oil tanker under US sanctions that was off the coast of India two weeks ago has now docked at Kharg Island, having broken through the US naval blockade. Tasnim reports that "the LPG tanker passed through the US blockade line undetected and entered Iranian waters." 

The Pentagon has been asserting an essentially airtight blockade on 'illicit' ships going to or from Iranian ports. CENTCOM has said it has turned around at least 75 vessels, while Iranian media has since the blockade's start touted several ships making it through.

Long-Term Nuclear Freeze on Table

Saudi state-owned Al Arabiya early Monday has issued a bombshell if true (but still very much not officially confirmed), reporting that Iran has agreed to a long-term nuclear freeze instead of a complete dismantling. The outlet also reports that Iran has withdrawn its demand for compensation, instead demanding economic concessions. However, this could be highly dubious, given over the past several days Tehran has not shown willingness to back down from this demand of compensation.

It also seems Russia's offer to take and temporarily hold Iran's enriched uranium is being taken seriously. Here are the alleged "leaks" of the working draft peace document:

• Working on a condition transfer of enriched uranium to Russia instead of the US.
• Seeking multiple international guarantees for any agreement.
• Wants Pakistan and Oman to have a 'role' in any 'clash' in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Seeking a political formation that allows Iran to save face.
• Separate the maritime route from nuclear issues.

Oil pushes lower on the additional headlines, following initial reports that the US would lift sanctions on Iranian oil during the negotiating period...

As a reminder from days ago: "US President Donald Trump said Friday that he would accept a 20-year suspension of the uranium enrichment at the heart of Iran’s rogue nuclear program if Tehran gave a “real” guarantee, in an apparent shift from his previous demand that Iran permanently halt its program and his pledge to ensure Iran can never attain nuclear weapons."

US Lifting Oil Sanctions During Negotiation Period: Tasnim

Tasnim news agency says Iran has submitted its latest proposal comprising 14 points through Pakistan. State sources say the focus by Iranian leadership is to end the war and build trust. This as Pakistan’s interior minister has extended his Tehran visit for a third day.

In this context a source close to the negotiating team reportedly told Tasnim that, unlike their previous texts, Washington agreed in the new text to lift Iran's oil sanctions during the negotiation period. This is a first big sign of progress since the White House reportedly sent five 'counter' conditions to Tehran, which only offered a partial sanctions reduction.

Per more from Tasnim: 

• Waiving sanctions means temporarily lifting sanctions.

• Iran insists that lifting all sanctions on Iran should be part of the US's commitments.

• However, the US has proposed suspending OFAC until a final understanding is reached.

The headline was enough to push oil down, erasing the gains over the weekend...

Another blurb via TASS, offering a little more in terms of likely conflicting interpretations and expectations:

According to the source, unlike in its previous proposals, the US has agreed in its new offer to suspend oil sanctions against Iran for the duration of the talks. The source noted that Tehran, for its part, insists on the lifting of all sanctions, while Washington is only ready to waive US Treasury sanctions until a final agreement is reached.

More Latest Developments

According to more of the latest headlines via Al Jazeera:

• Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson says talks between Iran and the US are continuing through Pakistan.
• He added that Iranian and Omani technical teams met in Oman to negotiate a mechanism for ensuring safe transit in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Kuwait and Qatar have condemned drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, which officials say originated from Iraqi airspace.
• The Israeli army says it struck more than 30 targets in southern Lebanon, which it claims were used by Hezbollah to attack Israeli forces.
• The Israeli navy has seized vessels that were part of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, arresting 100 activists on board.

And more developments via Newsquawk:

• US President Trump warned on Truth Social that the clock is ticking for Iran and that they better get moving fast, or there won’t be anything left for them, and that time is of the essence.
• US President Trump declined to give a specific deadline for negotiations with Iran and will hold a Situation Room meeting with his national security team on Tuesday to discuss possible options for military action, while he spoke with Israeli PM Netanyahu about the situation in Iran, according to Axios. Trump also stated that he still thinks Iran wants a deal and he is waiting for an updated Iranian proposal, which he hopes will be better than the prior offer. Furthermore, Axios’s Ravid reported that Trump threatened that attacks would resume with greater intensity if the Iranian regime does not come up with a better proposal, while Channel 12’s Kraus posted that President Trump said in a phone call that he thinks the Iranians should be afraid of what’s going on right now.
• Pakistan shared revised Iranian proposal to end the war with the US on Sunday night, according to Pakistani sources. The course added that "we don't have much time", adding that both countries "keep changing their goalposts".
• Western sources say the new Iranian proposal includes a commitment of unclear value not to produce nuclear weapons but no mention of uranium or Hormuz, according to Journalist Segal.
• Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Baghaei said talks with the US continue through Pakistani mediation. The spokesperson added that they have made great efforts for safe movement and protection of the Strait of Hormuz and are in constant contact with Oman to develop a mechanism. On Uranium, Baghaei said Tehran does not need any party to recognize its right to uranium enrichment and will not discuss during negotiations with the US.
• Iranian Defence Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Reza Talaei-Nik warned of a regretful response to enemies and said that Iranian armed forces are fully prepared to confront any potential attack by the US and Israeli regime, according to IRNA.
• Iranian Major General Rezaei said Iran is serious about diplomacy and negotiations, but is more serious about dealing with the aggressor, while he added that the US must now prove its good intentions and that Iranian armed forces are on the trigger as diplomatic efforts continue.
• Iran said transit through the Strait of Hormuz would flow again once its conflict with the US and Israel is over, although the sides remain far from resolving their differences, according to Bloomberg. In relevant news, three cargo-empty, US-sanctioned tankers reportedly slipped through the US naval blockade in recent days, according to TankerTrackers.com.
• Israel said it carried out a Gaza strike targeting the de facto head of Hamas's armed wing, while Israel also conducted an airstrike on the towns of Froun, Kfar Hounah and Zawtar al-Sharqiya in southern Lebanon. Furthermore, an Israeli air strike targeted Baalbek, Lebanon and killed an Islamic Jihad commander and his daughter.
• UAE officials said a drone attack set off a fire near the UAE’s nuclear power station, while it was still investigating the source of the attack.
• Saudi Defence Ministry said it intercepted three drones launched from Iraq after entering the kingdom’s airspace.

* * *

While a Pakistani-mediated ceasefire managed to take effect on April 8, subsequent talks in Islamabad completely collapsed, but then President Trump later extended the truce indefinitely, likely to buy time and to figure out "what's next" - while seeking a complete blockade of Iranian oil exports, and of all vessels entering or exiting Iranian ports. Currently the sides are merely trying to get back to the table.

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/19/2026 - 07:00

Feeling frazzled? Hotels are now offering amenities designed to tone your vagus nerve — which can help you stay calm and more regulated.

NY MTA, LIRR Unions Reach 'Fair Deal' To End Strike After Commuter Chaos Grips NYC

New York's MTA reached a tentative labor deal with five Long Island Rail Road unions, ending the first LIRR strike in more than 30 years. Roughly 3,500 workers walked off the job Saturday, sparking commuter chaos for several hundred thousand people who heavily rely on the train service.

"Tonight, the @MTA reached a fair deal with the five LIRR unions that delivers raises for workers while protecting riders and taxpayers," Governor Kathy Hochul wrote on X late Monday.

The good news is that LIRR service will resume at noon today. However, for the 300,000 people who rely on the service to get to work this morning, the disruption still appears to be ongoing.

Tonight, the @MTA reached a fair deal with the five LIRR unions that delivers raises for workers while protecting riders and taxpayers.

I’m pleased to announce that phased LIRR service will resume beginning tomorrow at noon.

— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) May 19, 2026

LIRR confirmed that service will remain disrupted this morning because there is not enough time to get crews into position to run trains.

Limited Long Island Rail Road service will resume tomorrow with shuttle buses continuing to operate through the AM rush.

Customers should continue to work from home on Tuesday if possible. Check our website for details: https://t.co/QNV4sIPCsH pic.twitter.com/DYjK8UTDkY

— LIRR (@LIRR) May 19, 2026

The lefty union behind the commuter chaos is the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, which stated on X overnight, "The coalition of five labor unions, including BLET, today ended their 3-day strike at Long Island Rail Road after coming to terms on a tentative contract."

The coalition of five labor unions, including BLET, today ended their 3-day strike at Long Island Rail Road after coming to terms on a tentative contract. The strike began just after midnight on Saturday, May 16. Read more: https://t.co/9C6qkMxEI8 pic.twitter.com/tGOqdfJ47A

— Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (@BLET) May 19, 2026

Related coverage:

• "Please Work Remote": NYC Braces For Commuter Chaos With Ongoing LIRR Strike

• Lefty Union Paralyzes Long Island Rail Road As Strike Sets Commuter Chaos Countdown For Monday

Bloomberg noted, "The unions were seeking a 5% boost, or close to it, while the MTA offered close to 4.5% along with ways to find savings to help pay for the higher raise."

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/19/2026 - 06:55

When Australian farmer Rhys Smoker announced he’d found a live frog in a bag of lettuce, his housemates didn’t believe him.

The head of the World Health ​Organization expressed deep concern on Tuesday at the speed ‌and scale of the Ebola outbreak, as the number of cases rises.

Isak Andic's son, Jonathan Andic, who took over the global fashion empire in the wake of his dad's death, was detained for questioning in Barcelona as part of the possible homicide probe, local cops said.

International Energy Agency Is Wrong To Forecast Coal's Demise

Authored by Tom Harris via The Epoch Times,

Activists would have us believe that coal is a dying energy source. But, thankfully for American coal states such as West Virginia and the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia—all of which use millions of tonnes of coal every year to generate electricity—that is not even remotely true.

However, the world is burning more coal now than ever, reaching a record 8.85 billion metric tonnes annual consumption by the end of 2025. Since 2020, annual coal consumption has increased by 1.40 billion tonnes.

Most of this has come from China, of course, which makes up about 55 percent of global coal consumption (the United States makes up about 5 percent of global consumption). Although the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts a decline in demand over the next five years, The Kobeissi Letter more realistically predicts that demand will continue to rise, and points out that “past forecasts of peak coal demand have repeatedly proven wrong.”

A graph on the IEA’s website that illustrates coal consumption (in metric tonnes, Mt) from 2000 to 2022, shows estimates for 2024 to 2026 that seem improbable.

Regardless, the IEA writes that increased demand for renewables is the primary cause for the estimated decline in coal consumption, and that “Global coal demand is expected to effectively plateau over the coming years, showing a very gradual decline through to 2030.” However, they also write that coal use is expected to increase in India by about 3 percent per year and in Southeast Asia by about 4 percent per year up to 2030.

In reality, we can’t expect China to slow its coal production anytime soon. Currently consuming about 3 billion tonnes annually, they will clearly dominate global trends in coal consumption in the years to come. Although the IEA also expects a slow decline in coal consumption in China over the next five years, with the gradual but marked decline of climate change alarmism worldwide and China’s ambition to expand its economy, this prediction doesn’t seem to hold much credibility either.

As The Kobeissi Letter states, coal remains in high demand, and the pipe dream of climate activists to kill coal doesn’t account for the security and convenience that this energy supply affords us. Like nuclear electricity—another power source that is vital to providing electricity for large portions of the world—the fuel for coal-fired power generation can be stored right on a power plant’s site for long periods of time, providing stable energy for society. We especially need coal during deep freezes because natural gas can falter in extreme cold due to “just-in-time” pipeline delivery. Gas flows can slow or freeze entirely, as seen in winter storms Uri (2021) and Elliott (2022), leaving grids vulnerable. And, not surprisingly, in each of these storms, wind and solar delivered very little, and sometimes no power at all, causing millions to lose electricity and causing hundreds of deaths from the cold.

CO2 Coalition energy expert Dick Storm says that “coal is indispensable” and that it is “the lowest cost proven source of primary energy for electricity generation ever in history.” The Canadian province of Ontario, where I live, proved this case well. In 2002, coal provided about 25 percent of the province’s power, and we enjoyed very low electricity rates. But in 2005, then-Premier Dalton McGuinty held a news conference and, pointing to the pile of coal beside him, said it was “old technology” and that, to save the climate and protect the air, Ontario would phase out all coal-fired electricity generation. This made no sense in light of the facts:

1. Coal is not a technology. It is a resource, and the degree to which it causes pollution when burned depends on the technology used to burn it. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions from a coal plant is unquestionably costly, difficult, and of course, unnecessary. Reducing real pollution is often well worth the price and far easier to accomplish with a coal station by using the latest pollution control technology.

2. Seen in a global context, Ontario’s emissions are trivial—one-quarter of Canada’s 1.6 percent of global emissions. So, no matter what one believes about the causes of climate change, McGuinty’s announcement and the province’s painful reduction to 0 percent coal-fired power were merely virtue signalling and showmanship. It had no impact on climate whatsoever.

It did, however, have a huge impact on consumer electricity rates, which, depending on the year, doubled or even tripled as coal was replaced with more expensive power, including a massive expansion of industrial wind turbines. Of course, soaring power rates are politically problematic, so the government decided to hide the increase in the tax base, and today’s rates are merely 50 percent higher than those in 2002. But we all eventually pay for this massive increase, just not directly on our power bill.

Renewable energy has only been able to survive thus far because it is heavily subsidized by tax dollars. These subsidies have, unfortunately, caused coal-fired power stations to be less profitable to operate, by comparison, compounded by the fact that regulations have crippled the industry. It is important to increase our expansion of coal plants, Storm tells us. 800,000 megawatts of new power generation, the equivalent of 80 New York cities, will be needed in the United States in the next 25 years to keep up with demand. This is simply not possible with renewable energy, and although nuclear and other conventional power will be significant players in this, coal will remain a steady, reliable power source to provide us with these vast amounts of power.

Rather than phase out coal, Saskatchewan should build more plants. Since Alberta phased out this important energy source, it will soon come knocking again begging for more power from Saskatchewan’s black gold.

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/19/2026 - 06:30

A woman is dead after she fell into an open manhole in Midtown Monday night, police said.

What Lafrenière has shown through his first six NHL seasons pales in comparison to his counterparts who went No. 1 in the years before and after him.

Teacher union honcho Randi Weingarten’s 2025 vanity book “Why Fascists Fear Teachers” isn’t just a self-promoting, self-glorifying soliloquy.

American Federation of Teachers boss Randi Weingarten tapped hundreds of thousands in union resources to help write her controversial book -- working with a team that raked in more than $1.4 million from the labor group, a new analysis found.

An elite team of Finnish divers on Tuesday recovered the bodies of two of the four Italian tourists who died in an underwater cave in the Maldives. The bodies were located on Monday after recovery operations restarted following the death of a military diver — and they were found lying at a depth of around...

"Answering The Call": Ford Motor Eyes WWII-Style Production Push For Trump's War Economy

One month after we reported that the Trump administration was in talks with U.S. manufacturers about converting idle civilian industrial capacity into weapons production, as conflicts across Eurasia deplete critical weapons stockpiles, Ford Motor signaled Monday morning that it is prepared to support a Western defense-industrial mobilization.

Much like during World War II, Ford said it is exploring how its commercial vehicles and related technologies could help governments in North America and Europe quickly build up their defense in the most cost-effective way. 

"Traditional, purpose-built military hardware takes years to develop and costs billions. By using commercial, off-the-shelf solutions from Ford, governments can access world-class technology at a fraction of the time and cost," Ford wrote in a press release.

Ford said its trucks, such as the F-Series and Ranger, along with technologies like Pro Power Onboard, could support military mobility, transport, and field operations.

"We have always partnered with government customers in times of peace, crisis, and conflict to serve society. During World War II, Ford's assembly lines produced hundreds of thousands of aircraft, trucks, and engines for the Allied effort," Ford pointed out.

Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that not only Ford, but also GM, Aerospace, and Oshkosh were in talks with the Trump administration to convert civilian industrial capacity into weapons production.

The effort to boost the war economy is part of what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has described as putting the defense industrial base on a "wartime footing."

Evidence of converting underused civilian industrial capacity has already been seen with the German automaker Volkswagen, which will soon transform its Lower Saxony factory from producing T-Roc Cabriolets to manufacturing parts for the Iron Dome missile interceptor system.

One major vulnerability is labor disruption. Far-left unions could weaponize strikes and other work stoppages to slow or derail America's defense-industrial buildup at a moment when conflicts across Eurasia, from Ukraine to Iran, are already drawing down critical weapons stockpiles.

We suspect other major U.S. manufacturers will soon issue statements similar to Ford's amid Trump's push for a booming war economy.

 

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/19/2026 - 05:45