Stories Speak Volumes: May 26-29
A Round-Up of National and International News
Compiled by
There are so many stories making up the mosaic of national/international news that we can’t cover them all every week. The biggest stories now seem to be: Israel and Iran, the Trump presidency (lawfare and judges), immigration (migrants and illegals), wars, weaponization of government (the deep state) against Trump and conservatives, our nation’s debt, massive inflation, climate change controversy and related expenses of government, industry attempting to address these issues, the Chinese threat, national security, abortion, taxpayer cuts, Ukraine peace, and hatred and violence against Christians. Here are just a few:
Trump-Backed Ken Paxton Defeats Incumbent John Cornyn in Texas GOP Senate Runoff
May 26: Breitbart by Jasmyn Jordan
Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton decisively defeated John Cornyn, a roughly 23-year Senate incumbent, in Tuesday’s Republican U.S. Senate runoff, advancing to face Democrat James Talarico in November after opening a roughly 25-point lead.
Associated Press called the race at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, estimating 49 percent of the vote had been counted. At the time of the call, Paxton led Cornyn 62.5 percent to 37.5 percent, with 505,741 votes to Cornyn’s 303,276.
Paxton’s victory comes one week after President Donald Trump gave him his “Complete and Total Endorsement,” calling him “The Highly Respected Attorney General of Texas,” “an America First Patriot,” and “someone who has always been extremely loyal” to Trump and the MAGA movement. Trump praised Paxton as a supporter of “TERMINATING THE FILIBUSTER” and “THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,” while saying Paxton would fight to cut taxes and regulations, secure the border, stop migrant crime, protect the Second Amendment, support Texas oil and gas, and safeguard elections.
Talarico Courts Cornyn Voters: ‘You Have a Place in Our Campaign’
May 26: Breitbart by Olivia Rondeau
Democrat Texas candidate for U.S. Senate James Talarico asked supporters of the defeated Republican incumbent, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), to join his campaign as he prepares to face the GOP nominee, Attorney General Ken Paxton. Talarico, the far-left state legislator who beat U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (R-TX) in the Democrat primary, immediately took to X to make a bid to Cornyn’s voters.
Talarico raised a staggering $40.3 million since launching his campaign in September 2025, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Cornyn, while raising far less than Talarico, still out-fundraised Paxton by a large margin. The incumbent senator raked in more than $26 million since January 2025, while Paxton raised just about $8 million.
Mullin: We’re Drawing Up Plans to Stop Processing International Flights in Sanctuary Cities
May 27: Breitbart by Ian Hatchett
On Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Hannity,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said that there are plans being drawn up to say that in “sanctuary cities, where the local, radical left Democrats aren’t allowing us to do our job and enforce federal laws, then we shouldn’t be processing international flights into their cities either.
“We’re currently drawing up plans to say listen, in these sanctuary cities, where the local, radical left Democrats aren’t allowing us to do our job and enforce federal laws, then we shouldn’t be processing international flights into their cities either. Because they don’t want us to enforce immigration, but they want us to process immigration at their facilities? Nothing about that makes sense to me.”
Florida Court Hands Major Win to DeSantis as Judge Upholds GOP 24R–4D Congressional Map
May 27: Gateway Pundit by Jim Hoft
A Leon County circuit judge has upheld Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new congressional redistricting map, handing yet another humiliating courtroom loss to notorious leftist election lawyer Marc Elias and his Democrat allies.
On Tuesday, Judge Joshua Hawkes denied the request for a temporary injunction from Equal Ground Florida and their attorneys at the Elias Law Group. The ruling means Florida’s new map — which shifts the state’s congressional delegation from a previous 20R-8D advantage to a dominant 24R-4D — will be used in the 2026 elections.
DeSantis unveiled the new congressional map in late April. It was passed by the Republican supermajority legislature on a party-line vote and signed into law on May 4. The map redraws 21 of Florida’s 28 districts to better reflect the state’s explosive population growth and the overwhelming Republican voter registration advantage, more than 1.5 million more registered Republicans than Democrats.
Pam Bondi’s Secret Health Battle Revealed — And Her Surprise Return To Trump’s White House
May 27: Red State by Rusty Weiss
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi has been quietly battling thyroid cancer in the weeks since leaving her top post at the Justice Department. Katie Miller highlighted Bondi’s private fight Tuesday night, praising the Florida powerhouse for “kicking cancer’s ass” with the same grit and determination she’s always shown in the fight for America First values.
Trump’s decision to tap Bondi for the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) puts a trusted ally right at the center of the administration’s pivotal AI policy efforts. Bondi, in this new role, will reportedly help coordinate between the White House and top tech executives on the panel — including figures like Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, and Oracle’s Larry Ellison.
The President has touted the panel as an effort to ensure America’s AI strategy prioritizes national security, innovation, and dominance over Communist China rather than Big Tech’s progressive agenda.
CA Democrats Vow to Keep Immigrant Truckers From ‘Reckless’ Policy of Taking English Proficiency Tests
May 27: Red State by Becky Noble
Blue states like California are where most of these commercial drivers licenses (CDL) are being issued. But Democrats who are running for governor in the Golden State are promising to protect those truck drivers who should not be in the country in the first place.
The priorities for California Democrats are very clear. Being against anything President Trump is for, even if it means not protecting Americans, and defending those who have no business being in the country over American citizens at any cost. They have also made the reason very clear. They are banking on the fact that if illegal immigrants remain in the country, eventually they will vote Democrat. It’s a twisted checklist of hanging on to perpetual one-party rule in California over the safety of not just Californians, but every American who drives on the nation’s interstates.
Spencer Pratt Demands Investigation into Karen Bass for “Flagrant Violations” Of Election Laws
May 27: Gateway Pundit by Jordan Conradson
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass’s closest rival in the June 2nd open primary election, has filed a formal complaint with the Los Angeles City Clerk alleging that Bass violated election laws by campaigning near a ballot drop box.
In the complaint, Pratt’s attorney, Peter McNulty, blasted Bass for “flagrantly violat[ing] State of California and City of Los Angeles election laws by engaging in illegal electioneering.” According to California state law, illegal electioneering is “the visible display or audible dissemination of information that advocates for or against any candidate or measure on the ballot within the 100 foot limit specified in subdivision.” This includes “obstructing access to, loitering near, or disseminating visible or audible electioneering information at vote by mail ballot drop boxes.” The city of Los Angeles has a similar law on the books.
This complaint comes after Bass made a campaign video, allegedly soliciting votes with supporters holding signs within 100 feet of a dropbox, which McNulty describes as “blatant electioneering directly near a polling place and drop box location.” Supporters in the video are further seen disseminating audible electioneering information by chanting “Four more years” as Bass places her mail-in ballot in the drop box. Bass is also heard shouting at the voters as they cast their ballots, “One more vote to win!”
Gavin Newsom Vows to Confiscate 100% From California MAGA Victims of Biden Lawfare
May 28: Red State by Rusty Weiss
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced Wednesday that his failing state will impose a 100% tax—effectively confiscating every penny—on payments California residents receive from President Trump’s $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund.
“Anyone from California that receives any of those funds, we want to tax 100% of those proceeds,” Newsom boasted during a press conference. “That’s an action the state of California can take; it’s an action we look forward to taking.”
U.S. State Department to Designate Brazil’s Top Criminal Gangs as Terrorist Groups
May 28: Breitbart by Frances Martel
The State Department will announce on Thursday that it is planning to designate Brazil’s two most powerful organized criminal syndicates, the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) and Primeiro Comando da Capital (First Capital Command, or PCC), as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) and Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).
The designations impose onerous sanctions on the gangs and their members, block them from keeping their assets in the United States or freeze assets already in the country, and make it illegal for American citizens to offer material support to them. In a statement on Thursday, the State Department explained that the PCC and Red Command pose a significant security threat both in Brazil and internationally and engage in violent narco-terrorism throughout South America, meriting the designation.The designations will become effective on June 5.
South Africa: President Trump Signs EO To Accept 17,500 Afrikaner Refugees
May 29: Gateway Pundit by Collin McMahon
The Trump administration intends to accept a further 10,000 Afrikaner refugees into the United States in addition to the 6,000 Afrikaners already accepted, raising the 2026 cap to 17,500. Meanwhile, several patriotic Afrikaner organizations appealed to President Trump to help Afrikaners stay in their ancestral home.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced he was increasing the refugee cap for white South Africans because of “an unforeseen emergency refugee situation”, signing an executive order to “increase the ceiling to 17,500.” Trump blamed the South African government for “recent increases in the incitement of racially motivated violence”.
Presidential Determination No. 2026-14 of May 21, 2026 finds that “an unforeseen emergency refugee situation now exists due to recent increases in the incitement of racially motivated violence on the part of the Government of South Africa. I hereby determine that the admission to the United States of Afrikaners from South Africa in response to this emergency is justified by the grave humanitarian concerns … and that an increase in the ceiling to 17,500 is warranted,” President Trump wrote.
Trump Says He’s Heading to Situation Room to Make ‘Final Determination’ On Iran
May 29: Fox News by Greg Norman-Diamond
President Donald Trump said Friday that he’s heading to the Situation Room to make a “final determination” on the next steps with Iran. “Iran must agree that they will never have a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb. The Hormuz Strait must be immediately open, no tolls, for unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions. All water mines (bombs), if any, will be terminated (we have removed, through detonation, numerous such mines with our great underwater mine sweepers. Iran will complete the immediate removal and/or detonation of any mines that are left, which will not be many!),” Trump began in a post on Truth Social.
“Ships caught in the Strait due to our amazing and unprecedented Naval Blockade, which will now be lifted, may start the process of ‘heading home!’ Say HELLO to your wives, husbands, parents, and families from me, your favorite President!” Trump added.
“The enriched material, sometimes referred to as ‘Nuclear Dust,’ which is buried deep underground with virtually collapsed mountains, caused by our powerful B2 Bomber attack 11 months ago, sitting on top of it, will be unearthed by the United States (which, it is agreed, is the only Country, along with China, with the mechanical capability of doing so!), in close coordination and conjunction with the Islamic Republic of Iran, plus the International Atomic Energy Agency, and DESTROYED,” the president also said. “No money will be exchanged, until further notice. Other items, of far less importance, have been agreed to. I will be meeting now, in the Situation Room, to make a final determination.”
Mike Hernandez is co-founder of the Citizens Journal–Ventura County’s online news service and writes for CitizensJournal.net and MountainTopMedia.com. He is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor, writer of “Prayer Over News Daily” and edits the weekly “Stories Speak Volumes” and other columns. Mr. Hernandez mentors citizen journalists with trainings held every other month (on Saturdays at Shasta Bible College and online) and can be contacted at MikeHernandezMedia.com.