Tuesday morning news: May 19, 2026

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Iran latest » President Trump pulled the plug Monday on a U.S. military strike against Iran that was set for today.

Three Gulf leaders—from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—personally appealed to Trump to hold off. They say serious talks with Tehran are now underway.

Trump told reporters at the White House Monday:

TRUMP: I put it off for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever, but possibly for a little while 'cause we've had, uh, very big discussions with Iran, and we'll see, uh, what they amount to.

Meanwhile, the U.S. naval blockade is still choking Iran's ability to sell oil—its single biggest export. And that squeeze has reportedly cost Iran nearly $5 billion in revenue since April.

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly:

KELLY: President Trump holds all the cards. Uh, they have been absolutely decimated militarily, they're now being strangled economically by Operation Economic Fury, and now they're more isolated than ever before.

She said President Trump's red line stays the same: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

Trump posted on social media Monday—his words—"a deal will be made." But he has also told the Pentagon to be ready for a full-scale assault on a moment's notice if talks fall apart.

San Diego mosque shooting » The FBI and police in San Diego are still investigating what drove two teenage gunmen to attack a mosque on Monday.

Police say the two suspects—ages 17 and 19—drove to the Islamic Center of San Diego, opened fire, and killed three men before driving off.

Police arrived within four minutes. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl:

WAHL: Our initial, uh, officers that got on scene, uh, did not engage with the suspects in the parking lot. Uh, they began to make entry into the Islamic Center. They observed three deceased bodies outside of, uh, the center.

The dead included a mosque security guard, who Wahl says kept the death toll from being worse. All the children at the mosque's school were safe.

Investigators say they found anti-Islamic writings in the suspects' car.

WAHL: Because of the Islamic Center location, uh, we are considering this a hate crime until it's not.

The shooters took their own lives a few blocks away in a stopped vehicle.

DOJ announces compensation fund » The Trump administration has set aside $1.7 billion dollars for Americans who say the previous Justice Department wrongly targeted them.

This stems from Trump dropping a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over his leaked tax returns.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche calls it the "Anti-Weaponization Fund." Anyone who claims political targeting can apply.

Officials have not laid out specific eligibility rules or payout amounts—leaving that to a governing commission.

Trump told reporters at the White House:

TRUMP: They're getting reimbursed for their legal fees and the other things that they had to suffer.

President Trump himself is not eligible. 

Democrats are blasting the fund. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer:

SCHUMER: Donald Trump has added a nearly two billion dollar slush fund for his MAGA allies to his wish list of pet projects he wants to fund with taxpayer dollars.

A five-member commission picked by Blanche will decide who gets paid. The fund runs through December 2028.

GA, KY primary previews » Voters in a half dozen states head to the polls today to choose Republican and Democrat candidates for November’s midterm elections.

WORLD’s Harrison Watters has more on the top races.

HARRISON WATTERS: Voters in Alabama and Kentucky will select candidates to replace outgoing Republican Senators Tommy Tuberville and former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. 

President Trump has endorsed loyalists from the House of Representatives running for both seats. He’s also endorsed a candidate running to unseat Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie. Massie has often voted against his party on expanding government spending, and last year forced a vote to release Department of Justice files on Jeffrey Epstein.

Meanwhile, Georgia Republicans hope to flip the seat of Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff, who narrowly won a special election in 2020. One name not on that ballot is outgoing Governor Brian Kemp, who many expected to run for Senate, but instead is stumping for one of five Republicans in the running. If no candidate gets more than 50% of votes, the top two will advance to a runoff election in June.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Harrison Watters.

SOUND: (Rail strike)

NY rail strike » Bullhorns replacing the normal sounds of trains rumbling into stations in New York. And rail workers are still marching with picket signs as the Long Island Rail Road strike continues.

Five unions and the railroad's parent agency are back at the bargaining table, pushed there on Sunday by the federal National Mediation Board. Marathon negotiations ran past 1:30 am without a deal.

A quarter million daily commuters are starting their week on buses as New York Governor Kathy Hochul runs shuttles from six Long Island stations.

But the engineers' union vice president James Louis told CNN talks are—his words—"much more promising today than yesterday."

I'm Kent Covington.

And coming up, new camp safety laws after tragic deaths last summer. And later, commentator Cal Thomas on the difficulty of diplomatic dealmaking.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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