May 29, 2026 - Vance: US, Iran "Very Close" to Ceasefire Deal

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht just made news by leaving the Democratic Party to become an Independent. His stated reason was antisemitism - specifically what he described as the party's acquiescence to Jew-hatred becoming "disturbingly common among activists, leaders and even many elected officials."

"In the quarter century that has passed since then, the Democratic Party has changed," he wrote. "Nazi tattoos, jihadist chants, intimidation and attacks at synagogues, and other hateful anti-Jewish invective and actions are minimized, ignored, and even coddled."

Wecht was married in the Tree of Life synagogue, where 11 worshippers were slaughtered in 2018. He knows something about this subject.

His departure lands at a complicated moment for Democrats who need four Senate seats to reclaim the majority. Maine is a priority. And in their hunger to win, many in the party have looked the other way on Graham Platner, their Senate candidate there - a man with a Nazi tattoo on his chest.

Platner says he got it in 2007 during a night of drinking while on leave with fellow Marines in Split, Croatia. They picked the image off a parlor wall because they thought it looked cool. He had no idea it was the Totenkopf - the skull and crossbones used by Nazi SS forces, according to the Anti-Defamation League. He passed an Army physical. Nobody flagged it.

Then CNN's KFile investigated and found deleted Reddit posts from 2019 in which Platner discussed the Totenkopf by name - and appeared to defend its use in military culture. Two acquaintances told KFile he had described the tattoo as a Nazi symbol years before his public denials. Platner said those posts were about Marine scout snipers. His own former political director called it antisemitic: "He knows damn well what it means."

He didn't cover it up until October 2025 - 18 years after getting it - when he was becoming political.

Let that sink in. That's nearly two decades of getting out of the shower, looking in the mirror and having the Totenkopf staring back. That's no youthful indiscretion or booze-fueled mistake. Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss said this week it should be disqualifying.

I agree.

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Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. and Iran are close to a memorandum of understanding that would extend the ceasefire by 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and begin nuclear talks, though President Trump has yet to sign off as he weighs the agreement.

Axios

Exxon Senior VP Neil Chapman warned that oil inventories will hit all-time lows within weeks as Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz drags on, predicting physical Brent cargoes will spike to $150–$160 a barrel before demand destruction rebalances the market.

CNBC

A Kremlin-backed antiaging initiative championed by Vladimir Putin is pouring $26 billion into futuristic longevity research, from organ printing and genetics to cryotherapy and mini-pig experiments, as Russia pursues what Putin has described as a path toward human immortality.

The Wall Street Journal

A new Emerson College poll puts former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg atop a crowded hypothetical 2028 Democratic primary field, narrowly ahead of Gavin Newsom as Democrats weigh potential contenders following the party’s 2024 election losses.

The Hill

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California Democrats are struggling to rally behind a clear favorite in the crowded race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, with many voters reluctantly weighing electability and ideology as they delay casting ballots ahead of the June 2 primary.

Associated Press

Four-time Stanley Cup champion Claude Lemieux, one of the NHL’s most polarizing and clutch postseason performers, has died at 60 after a 21-season career that included championships with the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche.

NHL.com

New York AG Letitia James and New Jersey AG Jennifer Davenport have subpoenaed FIFA over its 2026 World Cup ticket sales, scrutinizing dynamic pricing, shifting seat categories and tactics that have driven final-match seats above $10,000 and sparked widespread fan outrage two weeks before kickoff.

NPR

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht announced that he had changed his registration to unaffiliated, citing what he called the Democratic Party's "acquiescence to Jew-hatred," a move legal ethics experts said skirts but doesn't violate judicial conduct rules.

Spotlight PA

CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss tapped Vanity Fair special correspondent Nick Bilton as executive producer of '60 Minutes,' ousting Tanya Simon along with correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi in a sweeping overhaul of the network's flagship newsmagazine.

The Hollywood Reporter

Kathleen Thomas, a Florida woman born without a right hand says a viral traffic stop in which she was ticketed for allegedly holding a phone in her nonexistent hand left her feeling “very uncomfortable” and highlighted the need for greater awareness and understanding of people with limb differences.

CBS News