Well, if tabs with their fancy persuasion don’t admit that it’s part of a scheme …
🚨Trump is expected to hold a conference call with Gulf leaders at 1pm ET to discuss the situation with Iran, per two sources with knowledge https://t.co/iMfPTDsSrW
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) May 23, 2026
Ed: We’re all taking it easy this holiday weekend – on call for major breaking news, but this ain’t it. This is not a red alarm over the last six weeks. It’s a day ending in Y. If something changes, we’ll be on top of it, of course.
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Jerusalem Post: The United States and Iran are on the verge of agreeing to a 60-day extension of the current ceasefire agreement, during which most issues that arose during the negotiations would be addressed, The Financial Times reported on Saturday.
The report notes that the terms of this deal would include the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a key issue raised by both the US and Iran after each country imposed closures and blockades of the waterway. …
According to the report, sources close to the president said he would meet with the security cabinet on Saturday and would likely reach a decision as soon as Sunday on whether to sign the deal or resume the war.
The report comes after the Pakistan Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, left Tehran on Saturday after another round of talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Iran’s top negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Ed: You mean all of the people who agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz at the beginning of the ceasefire?
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“One way or the other, Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says negotiations with Iran are moving forward and revealed there could be developments “later today, tomorrow, in a couple of days.”
Rubio said President Trump prefers to resolve the… pic.twitter.com/XBgfAoxxYF
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 23, 2026
Rubio said President Trump prefers to resolve the standoff diplomatically, but stressed the administration is demanding Iran turn over its enriched uranium and address its nuclear enrichment efforts.
“Even as I speak to you now, there’s some work being done,” Rubio added.
Ed: If Trump agrees to transfer a single dollar before Iran surrenders the uranium, don’t expect to see it without another war.
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Axios: President Trump told Axios on Saturday that he would be meeting with his negotiators later in the day to discuss Iran’s latest offer, and would likely decide by Sunday whether to resume the war.
The big picture: Trump said it was a “solid 50/50” as to whether he would be able to make a “good” deal or else “blow them to kingdom come.” …
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said Saturday that Iran and the U.S. were in the final stage of discussions on a memorandum of understanding to end the war.
The spokesperson said the MOU would also deal with gradually reopening the Strait of Hormuz, lifting the U.S. blockade and releasing frozen Iranian funds.
He added that a 30-60 day period of negotiations on a detailed agreement would follow.
Ed: See above. This is a slightly more formal version of the Tehran Two-Step. Ahmad Vahidi is pushing the window further into the midterm cycle for a reason. He wants to handcuff Trump from taking any more kinetic action, and Trump is already dealing with a restive Congress that wants this settled before facing voters in November. The baseline for an extension should be Iran ceasing all claims to international waters in the Strait, full stop, and immediate negotiations to surrender all highly enriched uranium.
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Everyone is trying to claim me for their tribe. There’s no R next to my name, there’s no D next to my name. I’m not part of a political party, because I hate politicians. I’m just Spencer, husband to Heidi, father to Ryker and Gunner, and I’m a pissed off Angeleno who loves my… pic.twitter.com/pSQoSYrivV
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) May 23, 2026
… I’m a pissed off Angeleno who loves my city and is fed up with what corrupt politicians have done to her.
Ed: Smart strategy here, especially since the Republican Party is practically nonexistent in Los Angeles anyway. Why identify with an organization with no political strength at all in a municipal election? Conservatives will support Pratt anyway, and that way, people who are just as fed up with the current Democrat-progressive-DSA establishment can feel comfortable voting to eject it.
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Entertainment, via Ed Driscoll at Instapundit: “When Colbert got unexpectedly canceled, I said, ‘Okay, do you like money?’ They said, ‘Yes,'” [Byron] Allen told NBC News of his pitch to CBS. “I’ll buy the time period and you can save over $110 million.”
Last July, CBS announced that The Late Show would conclude its 33-year run at the end of the broadcast season. The network called the move “purely a financial decision” that wasn’t “related in any way to the show’s performance, content, or other matters happening at Paramount.”
Now, Allen has revealed that he plans to lease the time slot from the network and sell its ad revenue himself. “I’m putting a lot of money in their cash register,” he said. “I am a gift from the money gods. And the comedy gods.”
His series, however, will stay far away from the type of political humor that defined The Late Show. “I don’t care who you vote for. I just don’t care,” Allen said. “That’s your business. Go do what you gotta do, you know? I’m just here to make you laugh.”
Ed: David Ellison likes money. Paramount apparently didn’t before Ellison bought them, because CBS lost $40 million a year on Colbert’s show. Colbert himself cost the network $15 million, and the overall show reportedly cost over $100 million a year. Why would a talk show cost that much money? Colbert inadvertently revealed one reason …
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What on earth did all these people do? https://t.co/N2WDozZB7G
— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) May 23, 2026
Ed: The show reportedly employed over 200 people. When I worked for a smallish division of a Fortune 100 corporation in the 90s, it employed roughly the same number of people across the entire country to serve clients numbering in the six figures. CBS had the same number of people working to stage a nightly conversation.
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https://t.co/UIHLAFnMwA pic.twitter.com/CTdzWEp2ME
— Bridget Phetasy (@BridgetPhetasy) May 22, 2026
Ed: Res ipsa loquitur. That was the defining moment of Regime Comedy. (Via Ace.)
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Brad Slager at RedState: Many others this week have been flooding the headlines with this cancellation, and it has been a miasma of misinformation. As the show closes, the ongoing conceit has been that Colbert has been forced off the airwaves by President Trump. This, despite the reason given by multiple news outlets showing that this was a business decision by the network. First reported by Puck News, the program’s fiscal losses of between $40-50 million a year for CBS were also stated as a cause by the New York Post, and confirmed by the Wall Street Journal.
But let’s not allow data and spreadsheets to interrupt a political narrative! Trump cannot tolerate being insulted, and so he was forcing Colbert off the air as a form of retribution. As alleged noted historian Jon Meacham said, “Always worry when they come for the comedians.” …
It seems telling that we are not hearing of Colbert moving to cable, where he would be free from the constraints of the FCC. What about the streaming services, where the comedian would be entirely unshackled and could let loose with all manner of his political opposition? It would be fair to think, with the effusive coverage in the media and all of the celebrity support he enjoys, that a new show by the multi-Emmy Award-winning host would be irresistible to a hungry platform.
Or, dare we suggest, all of the media hype from the past few months has been shameless wishcasting on behalf of their favorite windmill-tilting anti-Trump voice in the night. Now these desperate souls have Jimmy Kimmel’s lap to rest their heads upon. Good luck having him become your comedic “knight in shining ardor.”
Ed: The garment-rending of the Protection Racket Media over Colbert’s cancellation reached its absurd peak this week. Colbert killed his show, not Trump, and not even David Ellison. The entire rotten edifice of Regime Comedy is collapsing, and Colbert isn’t even the first to go.
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Maybe some of them can go work for Greg – who has THE most successful late night show of them all.
But last time I walked through his team’s workspace, he was doing more with 20 people than the other shows do with 400. https://t.co/QgoQn8sOzq— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) May 23, 2026
Ed: That’s the real story. Acosta’s doing what he usually does … pushing a warped and hysterical narrative on behalf of the progressive Left, combined with his personal animosities.
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>says “dear leader can’t take a joke”
>*turns off replies* https://t.co/8vJ8gSND43— Siraj Hashmi (@SirajAHashmi) May 23, 2026
Ed: Perfect.
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I like how all the people who care about misinformation and disinformation are claiming Colbert was fired because of Trump when it was well documented and reported his show was a financial black hole and CBS decided to save money.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) May 23, 2026
Ed: See above, and I don’t mean John Roberts.
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Letterman finale viewership: 13.8 million
Colbert finale viewership: 6.74 million https://t.co/SQNaJ5O03o— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) May 23, 2026
Ed: As Concha pointed out in another tweet, Johnny Carson drew over 50 million for his final episode over 30 years ago. The Colbert finale drew about the same number of viewers as Jimmy Kimmel did when he returned to the air after his brief suspension last year. Those were likely the same people watching for the same reason. This is what you get when you curate your audience down to Antifa and its supporters.
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Ed: This is a CRAZY story from my state and from Nate the Lawyer, one of my favorite YouTube channels. The only way that Nate could have improved his presentation of this scandal would have been to arrange his opening graphic into a Brady Bunch format. Otherwise … five stars, no notes. Watch it all the way through.
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In western Pennsylvania, the founding of our country is right under our feet.
We (Yinzers) often pass over it daily as we go about our business yet in 1758, the men who forged our country and set the stage for the American Revolution fought right here, beginning at Fort Ligonier…— ZitoSalena (@ZitoSalena) May 23, 2026
… beginning at Fort Ligonier and ending at what was then Fort Duquesne and became christened Fort Pitt after the French destroyed their fort rather than succumb to defeat.
It was the heat of French and Indian war started by a young lieutenant colonel and Virginian George Washington.
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