THIS ONE FLEW UNDER EVERYBODY’S RADAR YESTERDAY: Trump Giving the New Syrian Boss Rope to Hang Himself With…or Not.

This is a gobsmacking move.

An ‘Only Trump could do this’ move.

As always, ever so interesting how it all came together, with Al-Sharaa seeking out the US, not vice versa. And the Syrian representative spun a dream of a Trump Tower in Damascus one day.

…Speaking at an investment forum on Tuesday, Trump said that he planned to lift sanctions on Syria after holding talks with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “to give them a chance at greatness”.

…Sharaa, who is keen to normalise relations with the US, has reportedly offered Trump a number of sweeteners including the Trump tower in Damascus, a demilitarised zone by the Golan Heights that would strengthen Israel’s claim to the territory it has occupied since 1967, diplomatic recognition of Israel, and a profit-sharing deal on resources similar to the Ukraine minerals deal.

The idea to offer Trump a piece of real estate with his name on it in the heart of Damascus was thought up by a US Republican senator, who passed on the idea to Sharaa’s team.

I can’t imagine who the senator was, but I’ll bet his last name might have something to do with a cracker often used for sweet pie crusts…just sayin’. What a hoot.

Trump will talk to anyone who sincerely wants to talk to him. It’s like his magic power.

If it works – and it’s all on the Syrians – it’s going to plug several gaping holes using available assets.

Read the whole thing.

ICYMI: David Plouffe Is the Michelangelo of Play-Doh. “The thing is, Concha is entirely correct that Plouffe’s decisions on Al Smith, Rogan, Walz, and Cheney all led to disaster. What Concha misses is that, as bad as those choices were, the alternatives were worse.”

AT AMAZON: Save up to 30% on Pet Day. #CommisisonEarned

IT’S THE VERBOSITY, STUPID: James Carville warns Democrats far-left jargon like ‘equity’ is turning voters off: ‘Just not helpful.’

RACISM, STRAIGHT UP:

“Helping whites people is against what we stand for.”

One of the great things about the Trump Afrikaner refugee policy is that it’s getting people, including church leaders, to say what they really think about white people. No more inferences now. It’s out in the open. Good. https://t.co/asF2erMOKZ

— RAW EGG NATIONALIST (@Babygravy9) May 14, 2025

MAKE ARMS EXPORTS GREAT AGAIN: Trump signs deals with Saudis, including biggest-ever $142 billion arms agreement.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi de facto ruler, warmly greeted Trump as he stepped off Air Force One at King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital. The two leaders then retreated to a grand hall at the Riyadh airport, where Trump and his aides were served traditional Arabic coffee by waiting attendants wearing ceremonial gun belts.

“I really believe we like each other a lot,” Trump said later during a brief appearance with the crown prince at the start of a bilateral meeting.

They later signed more than a dozen agreements to increase cooperation between their governments’ militaries, justice departments, and cultural institutions.

Additional economic agreements were expected to be inked later Tuesday at a US-Saudi investment conference convened for the occasion.

Prince Mohammed has already committed to some $600 billion in new Saudi investment in the US, but Trump teased that $1 trillion would be even better. The agreement includes a mammoth arms deal described by the White House as the largest “in history” between the allies, worth nearly $142 billion.

It’s still too soon to bring the Saudis on board as the capstone to the Abraham Accords, but I wonder if this arms deal was a sweetener.

FIRE THEM: Library of Congress Staffers Block Access for Trump Administration’s Nominees.

I CONTINUE MY TRECK THROUGH THE SCIENCE FICTION IMPRINT THAT MADE ME A SCIENCE FICTION READER… AND WRITER:  The Martian Chronicles – Reading the Future of the Past.

GEORGE GASCON* SMILES: Menendez brothers have sentenced reduced to 50 years in prison opening possibility for parole.

Erik and Lyle Menendez are eligible for parole 35 years after they were imprisoned for murdering both of their parents.

The brothers faced Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday, where Judge Michael Jesic reduced their sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life.

This change means they’re now eligible for parole under California‘s youthful offender law because they committed the crime under the age of 26.

* Which means George Soros smiles. Gascon may have been tossed out of office, but plenty of Soros-backed D.A.s remain. As Tom Cotton wrote in 2021: Recall, Remove & Replace Every Last Soros Prosecutor.

HOW IS IT THAT EVERY NEW SCHOOL REFORM MAKES THINGS WORSE?  I dread to think where this Schools Bill will lead us.

FARAGE HAS TO PROVE HE CAN DELIVER:  Farage is spearheading a political revolution.

CALL THE PEST CONTROL:  Top GOP Members of Congress Call for Destruction of Hamas.

LET’S SEE SOME ARRESTS:  First-in-the-Nation: U.S. Indicts Sinaloa Cartel Leaders for Narco-Terrorism.

SHE DOES LOVE REGULATING FOLK:  Trojan Horse for Increased Regulation’: Groups Raise Alarm on Elizabeth Warren’s Plan for Banking Sector.

TIP OF THE ICEBERG, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:  ICE cracks down on DC-area businesses, nearly 200 illegal immigrants arrested.

THE TALK TED IS SCARED TO SHOW:  When ideas become too dangerous to platform.

WE DON’T OWE ANYONE REFUGE. BUT IF WE GRANT IT, THEY SHOULD HAVE SKILLS, THEY SHOULD HAVE FAMILIES, THEY SHOULD ARRIVE WAVING AMERICAN FLAGS:  A hearty warm welcome to the genuine refugees from South Africa.

CHAINSAW. MORE CHAINSAW:  Introducing the DOGE Deregulation Leaderboard! Comprehensive list of repeals of burdensome or obsolete regulations, including the cost savings to the American taxpayer. $28.7B so far.

AND FOR YOU, YES YOU: The x-less.

THE QUESTION SHOULD BE: “SHOULD WE GIVE HARVARD ANY OF THE TAXPAYERS’ HARD EARNED MONEY?”:  Trump administration pulls $450M more from Harvard.

Me? I vote for not one red cent for the blue!

DRINKING YOUR OWN INK WILL POISON YOU:  Herd Learning of False Lessons.

ABOUT TIME:  NIH Plan Major Health Study Involving East Palestine, OH, Train Derailment Exposure Victims.

HE SHOUTED “FIRE” IN THE CROWDED GHOST DANCE:  DNC Panel Starts Process to Remove David Hogg as Vice Chair.

OPEN THREAD: Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed. Roger, ready to thread out!

I NEED A SURVEY TO TELL ME THIS? Poll: college-educated women end friendships over politics.

If you wanted to drill down to the biggest dividing factor here, it’s the portion of the coalition made up of college-educated women – a cohort that now dominates the politics of the Democratic coalition. In their circles, they say differences of political opinion have led to broken friendships with friends and neighbors at a more than 40-point rate – 67 percent to 24 percent.

One factor here could be an underlying belief that your friends and neighbors are just flat-out racists over their political opinions. Of Kamala Harris voters, Cygnal’s poll found that 62 percent say race relations have gotten worse in the past five years (since the summer of George Floyd), while 55 percent of Trump voters say race relations have improved or stayed the same. And again, the same cohort shows up to double-down on that belief: fully 75 percent of white female Democrats with a college-degree say race relations have gotten worse since 2020 – compared to just 41 percent of black men.

It’s the allyship that matters most, you see – not friendship.

Just as a reminder of how ephemeral most tribal political battles are, the late Charles Krauthammer wrote:

To understand the workings of American politics, you have to understand this fundamental law: Conservatives think liberals are stupid. Liberals think conservatives are evil.

That was back in 2002, when the then-Hitlers on the left were George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Both of whom the Harris campaign eagerly sought endorsements from last year.

RIP: Robert Benton, Oscar-Winning Filmmaker Behind ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ and ‘Kramer vs. Kramer,’ Dies at 92.