🟦 MORNING BRIEFING: While You Slept— May 25, 2026
⭕️ DEVELOPING —
• President Trump says any agreement with Iran will be the “exact opposite�� of the Obama-era JCPOA and warned there will either be a “great and meaningful” deal or no deal at all.
• Iran says large portions of negotiations have been resolved, but insists no final agreement is imminent due to what Tehran calls “institutionalized vacillation” inside the U.S. government.
• Hezbollah launched multiple explosive drones into northern Israel overnight. One UAV struck a home in Metula. No injuries reported.
• Iran activated restricted airspace zones across the Tehran FIR and issued gun-fire exercise NOTAMs through July 22.
U.S. —
• Trump sharply criticized Republican and Democratic opponents of the potential Iran deal, including Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, and Thomas Massie.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio said diplomacy is still ongoing and that the current framework would reopen the Strait of Hormuz while entering a “very real, significant, time-limited” negotiation on nuclear issues.
• Rubio stressed Hezbollah remains the central obstacle in Lebanon and reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself.
• Pope Leo XIV called for artificial intelligence to be “disarmed,” comparing AI’s risks to nuclear technology and warning against systems used for domination and exclusion.
MIDDLE EAST —
• Iran’s central bank chief traveled to Qatar following discussions over frozen Iranian assets.
• Pakistan’s military commander joined high-level meetings with Chinese leadership in Beijing as Islamabad pushes for China to act as guarantor in any future Iran-U.S. agreement.
• China publicly praised Pakistan’s role in Middle East mediation efforts.
• Iran’s parliament re-elected former IRGC commander Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as speaker.
IRAN —
• Iran says discussions on nuclear issues and enriched uranium will only happen after immediate sanctions relief and the release of frozen assets.
• Tehran says it will not impose “tolls” on the Strait of Hormuz, though services tied to maritime security could involve fees.
• Iranian officials warned that if conflict resumes, “the flames will spread to other regions” and future responses would be broader and more powerful.
• Iran reportedly reached agreement on “a large portion” of negotiation topics, but officials say significant disputes remain unresolved.
ISRAEL / LEBANON —
• Hezbollah fired multiple explosive drones into northern Israel overnight.
• The IDF ordered evacuations in 10 southern Lebanese villages over ceasefire violations.
• An IDF drone made an emergency landing in central Israel due to a technical malfunction. No casualties.
• Lebanese government sources accused Hezbollah leadership of being disconnected from reality after demands for the Lebanese government to resign.
GLOBAL —
• DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak has now surpassed 900 suspected cases.
• Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya arrived in Ukraine for her first official visit at President Zelensky’s invitation.
• Venezuela saw prison unrest after inmates protested alleged abuse and shootings by guards.
• Japanese retail icon Toshifumi Suzuki, credited with transforming 7-Eleven into a global brand, has died at age 93.
That’s your morning briefing.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian: "We are ready to assure the world that we are not seeking nuclear weapons. We are not seeking instability in the region."
⚠️WARNING!
Be careful listening to "experts" evaluating & assessing a rumoured "deal" that has not been finalized. Propaganda, deception, political wrangling & media bias will all be kicked into red-lined overdrive until an official announcement is made and US assests start to redeploy from the theatre of operations.
Cashless bail, "Least Restrictive Environment," Non prosecution, all part of the "Reform Virus" {Obama, et al.], who told you The American Police officer was systematically racist and "Mass Incarceration" was itself a crime. Fifteen years later:
Why did Tulsi retire?
1) Several sources confirm: Ratcliffe's CIA did take back boxes of files from Tulsi's ODNI.
2) A number of ODNI agents have been threatened by Ratcliffe's CIA with being investigated themselves for looking into matters the CIA considers "off-limits."
Dan, you are completely misreading the specfic language in 12333 & 50 USC 3036. See below. EO 12333 § 2.3(e) and § 2.3(g) only allows VERY NARROW exceptions that must work through the ODNI & DoJ (specifically the AG). As I've detailed to you on numerous occasions, The Spirit & Letter of law began with the Church Committee in 1975-76, and continues to this day: in CI investigations, the CIA may assist the FBI by contributing foreign-derived intelligence, coordinating on overseas equities, or protection of its own sources/methods (but that is a VERY NARROW exception). Tread lightly on your assessment here, my friend.
Based on the actual LAW the CIA appears to have done NO SUCH thing.
CIA equities and protection (EO 12333 § 1.4(f), § 1.7(a), § 2.3(e), § 2.3(g), and 50 U.S.C. § 3036.)
FBI domestic-CI coordination (EO 12333 § 1.3(b)(20), EO 12333 § 1.5(h), ICD 311, CIA AG Guidelines § 3.5, and FBI AG Guidelines/DIO)
NSA, COMSEC, secure infra (EO 12333 § 1.7(c)(1)–(8), relevant NSA, CSS policies, DoD COMSEC/NSS rules, and CIA AG Guidelines § 3.6 if CIA personnel were acting under NSA direction.)
Sorry, Dan. That's a MAJOR reach, with multiple loose ends that have to fit together perfectly. Let's use the "Razors" here:
1. The simplest answer is probably the most likely;
2. Never assigned (complex) conspiracy where incompetence is most likely.
MOST LIKELY COA: The CIA almost certainly applied pressure, both overtly & covertly, using unauthorized & illegal methods as ODNI/DGI effected one of the deepest investigation into their historic activities on high-profile issues. The illegal surveillance had a two-fold strategy;
A. Provide near real-time intelligence on what ODNI/DGI had uncovered;
B. Provide potential COINTELPRO-Style intelligence that could be used as leverage against key players, especially that which could cause embarrassment to said players.
This mirrors historical CIA TTPs (See the illegal surveillance on Senator Diane Feinstein during her "enhanced interrogation" investigation).
With all due respect for your premise, I think you're reaching based on thread-bare evidence.
LEGACY: @DNIGabbard declassified highly sensitive records and internal documents from the Obama White House.
The records make an even stronger case that the 2016 Russia collusion narrative was not rooted in credible intelligence.
Rather, intelligence was manipulated by the outgoing Obama Administration in coordination with IC leadership to fit a preferred political narrative.
As of May 2026, DNI Gabbard has declassified well over half a million pages of government records that were previously withheld from the American people.
The CIA is strictly forbidden from such "investigations" via Executive Order 12333. The CIA has no legal authority to conduct investigations, collect evidence, file for search warrants, send criminal charging documents or make arrests on US Soil, specifically vs US Citizens. Blatantly illegal. That's the FBIs job. Period.
This is good assessment by Dan. The obvious overreach by the CIA is similar to "Operation Chaos" of the 1960s-1970s and led to The Church Committee on Capital Hill in 1975-1976. The CIA needs massive reform ASAP because, well, they just can't help themselves from illegal use of their power.
The CIA is strictly forbidden from such "investigations" via Executive Order 12333. The CIA has no legal authority to conduct investigations, collect evidence, file for search warrants, send criminal charging documents or make arrests on US Soil, specifically vs US Citizens. Blatantly illegal. That's the FBIs job. Period.
Tulsi Gabbard is the only person at the top of govt., the only one, to have had the moral courage to pursue a robust investigation of Havana Syndrome/AHIs. She should release her report before departing.
🚨 President Trump just issued a STARK WARNING about the possibility of Democrats taking Congress in November
Court packing to 21 Supreme Court judges. Terminating the filibuster. Adding Democrat states. Millions more pouring through the border.
"If Democrats took control of the Congress, and let's say took control of the country, I think that this country is FINISHED."
We HAVE to keep Congress in November.
What is this, Ed Koch's New York in 1979? The "Golden Age of Policing" in America ended this problem, but "The Reform Virus" convinced you America "over policed", "mass incarcerated" & all officers were "Systematically Racist." You fell for it and are now paying the price!
A 15-year-old boy stabbed on the subway during a robbery attempt. Another violent attack on New York transit.
New Yorkers deserve safe subways. We need leadership that will enforce the law and restore order.