“Totally unacceptable”: Trump rejects Iran’s latest negotiation offer

Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Apple News Today
Host: Apple News
Date: May 11, 2026
Episode Title: “Totally unacceptable”: Trump rejects Iran’s latest negotiation offer

This episode of Apple News Today, hosted by Shumita Basu with contributions from Gideon Resnick, covers pivotal developments in U.S.–Iran negotiations, U.S. domestic politics with a focus on redistricting battles, and a new federal health initiative on antidepressants. The episode also touches on international health concerns and trending sports news, providing listeners with succinct updates from top journalists and news outlets.

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1. U.S.–Iran Negotiations & Trump’s Stance

Main Theme: Increasing tension and stalled progress in U.S.–Iran negotiations, with President Trump's outright rejection of Iran's latest proposal.

• [00:40] "Completely unacceptable." — President Trump on Iran’s proposal

• Both nations have rejected each other’s terms for ending the war, keeping the region unstable.

• Details of Rejected Proposals:

  • U.S. Proposal (per Axios, [00:49]): Focused on suspending Iranian nuclear enrichment, lifting sanctions, and restoring free transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
  • Iran’s Counter (per Iranian state media, [01:06]): Demanded guarantees for ending the war, compensation for damages, and sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

• Negotiation Uncertainty: It remains unclear how talks will proceed, despite earlier optimism from Trump.

• Michael Waltz, U.S. Ambassador to the UN ([01:32]):

  • "He is giving diplomacy every chance we possibly can before going back to hostilities, but he's absolutely prepared to do that."

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio ([01:57]): Announced the end of Operation Epic Fury, but Israeli PM Netanyahu countered, insisting significant risks and required actions remain.

• Benjamin Netanyahu on '60 Minutes' ([02:14]):

  • "There is still nuclear material...proxies that Iran supports...ballistic missiles... all of that is still there and there’s work to be done."

Market Impact

• Uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz led to oil price spikes and rising U.S. gas prices ([02:41]).
• AAA Report: Average U.S. gas price reached $4.55/gallon, a high not seen since 2022.
• Senate Democrats floated suspending the federal gas tax ([03:06]), with Energy Secretary Chris Wright expressing support for measures to bring relief ([03:18]):
  • "All measures that can be taken to lower the prices for Americans this administration is in support of." — Chris Wright, [03:24]
• Morgan Stanley warns of further oil price rises if the Strait remains closed ([03:42]).

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2. Redistricting Setbacks for Democrats

Main Theme: Legal and political blows to Democrats’ efforts to redraw election maps, and Republican momentum in the midterms run-up.

Virginia Supreme Court Decision ([04:09])

• Overturned a Democrat-drawn map, which could have given them 10 out of 11 House seats.
• Alec Hernandez, Politico ([04:16]):
  • "The Supreme Court in Virginia really dealt not only Democrats in Virginia, but Democrats nationwide one of their biggest setbacks in this whole redistricting saga."
• Decision cited procedural errors in the map’s introduction and referendum process ([04:29]).
• Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader ([04:44]):
  • Called it "a shocking decision," promising continued efforts by Democrats.

Republican Momentum

• Indiana Primary ([05:13]): Showed the strength of Trump’s influence, as candidates defying him on redistricting lost.
• Alec Hernandez ([05:26]):
  • "The pressure is on for a lot of Republicans in these states to...move forward with what the president wants here in this redistricting effort...as primary season is really underway."
• Tennessee: Passed a map eliminating its only Democrat-held district ([05:56]).
• Voting Rights Act Weakening ([06:02]): U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision has emboldened states like Louisiana to consider cutting majority-Black districts, sparking protests ([06:09]).
• The White House is engaging Southern Republicans but, except in Indiana, with less overt pressure ([06:30]).

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3. RFK Jr.’s Plan to Curb Antidepressant Use

Main Theme: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. calls for reducing psychiatric drug dependency and a shift to non-pharmaceutical interventions.

RFK Jr. at 'Make America Healthy Again' Event ([07:27]):

• "Too many patients begin treatment without a clear understanding of the risks...and that's not informed consent. We are going to fix it."

• HHS guidance: Clinicians urged to help patients transition away from antidepressants, supported by new training, clinical guidelines, and reimbursement policies.

• Liz White, Wall Street Journal ([08:01]):

  • "CMS is going to figure out how to reimburse doctors for the very time-consuming work of walking a patient through getting off one of these drugs..."

Controversies and Response

• Kennedy claimed heroin was easier to quit than antidepressants, contrary to medical research ([09:04]).
• Liz White ([09:12]):
  • Warns of rhetoric that may "demonize" psychiatric medication, drawing parallels to Kennedy’s past with vaccines.
• Kennedy has linked SSRIs to violence (without evidence) ([09:28]), and the American Psychiatric Association called his approach an oversimplification that ignored broader barriers to treatment ([09:33]).
• Kennedy clarified that he’s not telling patients to stop their medication outright and new data and guidelines are forthcoming ([09:59]).

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4. Additional Headlines

Hantavirus Cruise Ship Outbreak ([10:20])

• 17 Americans repatriated from the MV Hondias; quarantined after outbreak killed three, with several infected.
• Low public risk, according to WHO.

Missing US Soldier in Morocco ([11:05])

• The remains of Kendrick Lamont Key Jr. recovered after he fell off a cliff during military exercises; search for another soldier continues.

World Cup Ticket Frenzy ([11:57])

• Colombia vs Portugal in Miami becomes the hottest ticket, surpassing Super Bowl prices.

• High demand fueled by top-ranked teams, potential last World Cup for Ronaldo, and large Colombian community in Florida.

  • Bogotá-born fan paid $8,650 for three tickets:
    • "He thought the price point was crazy, but he just couldn't stand the fomo." ([12:41])

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “Completely unacceptable.” — President Trump on Iran’s latest offer ([00:40])
• “He is giving diplomacy every chance we possibly can…” — Mike Waltz on Trump’s approach ([01:32])
• "There's still nuclear material... and work to be done." — Benjamin Netanyahu ([02:14])
• "CMS is going to figure out how to reimburse doctors..." — Liz White on RFK Jr.'s plan ([08:11])
• On wrestling with redistricting:
  "The pressure is on for a lot of Republicans... to move forward with what the president wants." — Alec Hernandez ([05:26])
• On antidepressant dependency:
  "He suggested... heroin was easier to quit than antidepressants..." ([09:04])
  “A lot of doctors... worry about access being limited to these drugs.” — Liz White ([09:43])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• U.S.–Iran Negotiations and Market Impact: 00:40–03:59
• Redistricting Battles and Political Implications: 04:01–07:15
• RFK Jr. & Antidepressant Policy: 07:15–10:20
• Quick News Bites: 10:20–13:09

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Conclusion

This episode provides a brisk, well-sourced rundown of major news stories—focusing especially on the international impasse with Iran, the fierce state-by-state battles over Congressional redistricting, and the controversial federal push to reduce antidepressant use. The episode closes with urgent health updates and a snapshot of global sports mania. For further reading and updates on all stories, listeners are directed to the Apple News app.

Transcript

[Apple News Host]

Good morning.

[Gideon Resnick]

US Talks with Iran go backwards after both sides reject each other's latest proposals.

[Apple News Host]

Democrats suffer a setback in the battle

[Gideon Resnick]

to redraw maps in time for the midterms.

[Apple News Host]

And inside, ROBERT F. KENNEDY jr. S plan to get people off antidepressants.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

The United States does not just face a mental health crisis. We face a dependency crisis driven by over medicalization.

[Apple News Host]

It's Monday, May 11th.

[Gideon Resnick]

I'm Gideon Resn. This is Apple News Today. Completely unacceptable.

[Apple News Host]

That's how President Trump described Iran's latest

[Gideon Resnick]

proposal to end the war.

[Apple News Host]

It creates another hurdle in negotiations and

[Gideon Resnick]

leaves the region in limbo.

[Apple News Host]

Axios reported that Iran initially rejected US

[Gideon Resnick]

proposals to end the war, issuing a response after 10 days. They cited unnamed officials who said it had focused on a suspension on Iranian nuclear enrichment, the lifting of sanctions and restoring free transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

[Apple News Host]

Instead, Iranian state media reported on the

[Gideon Resnick]

regime's own demands that included guarantees for ending the war permanently, compensation for war damage, and an emphasis on Iranian sovereignty over the strait.

[Apple News Host]

It's somewhat unclear where negotiations go now,

[Gideon Resnick]

only days after Trump said the war would be over. Very quickly.

[Apple News Host]

Speaking to ABC before Trump's rejection on

[Gideon Resnick]

Sunday, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz suggested the administration had favored talks.

[Mike Waltz]

When the mediators, in this case Pakistan, ask US Head of state to head of state to give this negotiation another chance before we go back to bombing Iran, then I think that's completely an appropriate choice for President Trump to make. He is giving diplomacy every chance we possibly can before going back to hostilities, but he's absolutely prepared to do that.

[Apple News Host]

Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio

[Gideon Resnick]

suggested the offensive stage of the conflict with Iran, so called Operation Epic Fury, was over.

[Apple News Host]

But on yesterday's 60 Minutes, Israeli Prime

[Gideon Resnick]

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck a different tone.

[Interviewer]

Is the war with Iran over? And if it isn't, who will decide when it is?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

I think it accomplished a great deal, but it's not over because there's still nuclear material, enriched uranium that has to be taken out of Iran. There is still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled. There are still proxies that Iran supports. There are ballistic missiles that they still want to produce. Now we've degraded a lot of it, but all of that is still there and there's work to be done.

[Apple News Host]

It leaves markets again wondering how and

[Gideon Resnick]

when the all important Strait of Hormuz might open back up. Oil prices spiked at Trump's rejection and gas prices continued to surge for Americans. AAA reported on Thursday that the average price for a gallon of gas jumped 25 cents for the second week in a row. It now sits at $4.55.

[Apple News Host]

That's more than a dollar higher than

[Gideon Resnick]

a year ago and the highest level since 2022.

[Apple News Host]

As political pressure mounts, Senate Democrats have

[Gideon Resnick]

floated the idea of suspending the federal gas tax of roughly 18 cents per gallon. Energy Secretary Chris Wright was asked about that on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday.

[Chris Wright]

Would you support suspending the federal gas tax to give families relief right now?

[Mike Waltz]

Yeah, all measures that can be taken to lower the price at and lower the prices for Americans this administration is in support of.

[Apple News Host]

In March, Wright told NBC he was

[Gideon Resnick]

confident gas could dip back below $3 by the summer travel season. Yesterday, he refused to make any more predictions.

[Apple News Host]

And this morning, the bank Morgan Stanley

[Gideon Resnick]

warned that the oil market was now in a race against time, with more price rises likely if the strait doesn't open up soon.

[Apple News Host]

Last week, a major electoral and a

[Gideon Resnick]

crucial court decision appeared to put Republicans at a significant advantage in the nationwide fight over redistricting in Virginia.

[Apple News Host]

The state Supreme Court on Friday struck

[Gideon Resnick]

down a new map created by Democrats that would have given them as many as 10 of the state's 11 House seats.

[Alec Hernandez]

The Supreme Court in Virginia really dealt not only Democrats in Virginia, but Democrats nationwide one of their biggest setbacks in this whole redistricting saga.

[Gideon Resnick]

Alec Hernandez is a national politics reporter for Politico.

[Alec Hernandez]

And they said, you know, even though this went to a referendum and the voters voted in favor of redistricting in the commonwealth, the way that state legislators and the governor opened the door to the referendum, the way that they got this on the ballot in the first place, was done improperly.

[Apple News Host]

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries described it

[Gideon Resnick]

as, quote, a shocking decision and said the fight is not over.

[Apple News Host]

According to the New York Times, Democratic

[Gideon Resnick]

leadership was in deep discussions for any way forward that might recover their map. With no decision reached and they don't have long.

[Apple News Host]

A state election official in Virginia said

[Gideon Resnick]

that any changes made after this Tuesday would risk his agency being unable to prepare for upcoming primaries.

[Apple News Host]

Republicans, meanwhile, seem to be having more

[Gideon Resnick]

success with their gerrymandering efforts.

[Apple News Host]

Last week's primary election in Indiana proved

[Gideon Resnick]

that Trump's sway over the electorate is still strong there. Many of the candidates who defied the president on redistricting were ousted by voters,

[Apple News Host]

which could have a ripple effect in

[Gideon Resnick]

other parts of the country.

[Alec Hernandez]

A lot of these states are either about to have their primaries or they've already, you know, voting has already started. Early voting has already started. So the pressure is on for a lot of Republicans in these states to, you know, move forward with what the president wants here in this redistricting effort, but also trying to stave off as much election chaos as they can in their own states as primary season is really underway here.

[Apple News Host]

Trump is mounting huge pressure across several

[Gideon Resnick]

Southern states where lawmakers are still considering last minute changes that could hand Republicans an advantage.

[Apple News Host]

Last week, Tennessee passed a new map

[Gideon Resnick]

eliminating its lone district held by a Democrat.

[Apple News Host]

And things could get worse for Democrats

[Gideon Resnick]

following the Supreme Court's decision to weaken the Voting Rights Act.

[Apple News Host]

Following that ruling, Louisiana is now considering

[Gideon Resnick]

eliminating at least one of its majority black districts. Tensions erupted there when protesters tried to disrupt a debate on the issue last week.

[Apple News Host]

Hernandez says in the meantime, the White

[Gideon Resnick]

House is likely to keep pushing.

[Alec Hernandez]

They've been basically on the phone with a lot of these Republicans in these Southern states to say, hey, like, we would really like you to take a look at these maps ahead of the midterms or whenever you can. But we haven't seen them as bullish or as revengeful as we did in Indiana. But again, a lot of them have signaled that they're willing to move forward here in the process. So I think the White House is very keen to keep this process moving forward and we'll see how engaged they stay in these last couple states.

[Apple News Host]

In South Carolina, there are already indications

[Gideon Resnick]

the pressure campaign is working there.

[Apple News Host]

State House lawmakers began discussions a few

[Gideon Resnick]

days ago on bills to redraw congressional districts despite some earlier resistance.

[Apple News Host]

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.

[Gideon Resnick]

Kennedy, Jr. Has long criticized the use of psychiatric drugs in America. And last week he outlined in detail what he wanted to do about it for the first time since taking up the post.

[Apple News Host]

Speaking at a Make America Healthy Again

[Gideon Resnick]

event, he said the country faced a dependency crisis.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Too many patients begin treatment without a clear understanding of the risks and how long they will stay on these drugs or how to come off of them. And that's not informed consent. We are going to fix it.

[Apple News Host]

Kennedy's department issued a letter to providers

[Gideon Resnick]

encouraging clinicians to help transition their patients away from antidepressants and to non pharmaceutical interventions.

[Apple News Host]

The letter announced changes like new training,

[Gideon Resnick]

clinical guidelines and reimbursement systems.

[Liz White]

The center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has a lot of power over how doctors spend their time based on what they will reimburse.

[Apple News Host]

Liz White is a reporter with the

[Gideon Resnick]

Wall Street Journal and looked into the announcement.

[Liz White]

And so Kennedy is coming out and saying, our team at CMS is going to figure out how to reimburse doctors for the very time consuming work of walking a patient through getting off one of these drugs in a way that helps incentivize these providers to be willing to do that.

[Gideon Resnick]

In his speech, Kennedy took aim at what are called SSRIs. These are drugs like Zoloft, Lexapro and Prozac, which were introduced around 40 years ago and have risen in popularity as a safe and effective treatment alongside therapy.

[Apple News Host]

Around one in six Americans are now

[Gideon Resnick]

thought to be on an ssri. Some people report difficulty in coming off the medication and can experience side effects when they do stop, especially when doing so abruptly. Part of the HHS initiative was welcomed by medical groups, and some physicians and patient groups have pushed the FDA to warn about potential withdrawal symptoms.

[Apple News Host]

But Kennedy also received criticism for how

[Gideon Resnick]

he delivered his message.

[Apple News Host]

He suggested, for example, that heroin, a

[Gideon Resnick]

drug he was addicted to, was easier to quit than antidepressants, even though existing research contradicts this.

[Liz White]

There's been notes of caution on this kind of rhetoric coming from people who work in this space because they worry that, as the secretary has done with vaccines, there's a demonization of these drugs going on in a way that's inappropriate.

[Apple News Host]

He's also, in the past without evidence,

[Gideon Resnick]

linked SSRIs to violence, including mass shootings.

[Apple News Host]

The American Psychiatric association described Kennedy's speech

[Gideon Resnick]

as an oversimplification and said his focus ignored a larger reality of patients struggling to get access to the care they needed.

[Liz White]

A lot of doctors and scientists have, even though there are things about antidepressants that we're not sure of, they worry about access being limited to these drugs and don't want to push people away from what could be a really helpful intervention for severe depression.

[Apple News Host]

Kennedy, for his part, stressed he was not telling people to stop taking their

[Gideon Resnick]

medication and said it has an important role in treatment.

[Apple News Host]

He said in the coming months, his department would publish new data on prescribing

[Gideon Resnick]

trends and clinical guidance for providers.

[Apple News Host]

And finally, here are a few other stories. Seventeen Americans are being repatriated from the

[Gideon Resnick]

luxury cruise ship with a hantavirus outbreak.

[Apple News Host]

One has tested positive for the virus

[Gideon Resnick]

and another is showing mild symptoms.

[Apple News Host]

All the American citizens are being flown

[Gideon Resnick]

back to the US and the two passengers with symptoms are traveling in the plane's biocontainment unit.

[Apple News Host]

Once they land in Nebraska, they will

[Gideon Resnick]

be monitored at the country's only federally funded quarantine center. The MV Hondias, where an outbreak of the deadly hantavirus killed three people and

[Apple News Host]

infected several others, came ashore in the

[Gideon Resnick]

Spanish Canal, Canary Islands on Sunday.

[Apple News Host]

Those being evacuated from the ship were

[Gideon Resnick]

kept strictly quarantined from the public and wore head to toe protective gear and masks as they rode in a small boat to shore.

[Apple News Host]

The WHO maintains the risk to the

[Gideon Resnick]

public is low and those disembarking will not come into contact with locals. The remains of missing US Soldier in Morocco were recovered in the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday.

[Apple News Host]

Army officials say 27 year old Kendrick

[Gideon Resnick]

Lamont Key Jr. An air defense officer, was hiking while off duty when he and another American soldier fell off a cliff.

[Apple News Host]

The troops were reported missing on May 2. They were in Morocco participating in African

[Gideon Resnick]

lion, an annual military exercise involving multiple countries.

[Apple News Host]

The two soldiers went missing outside of

[Gideon Resnick]

the Taunton Province, where the terrain is characterized by mountains and desert. Efforts are ongoing to find the second missing soldier.

[Apple News Host]

When the two were reported missing, it

[Gideon Resnick]

triggered a massive search and rescue effort involving more than 600 personnel from the U.S. morocco and other partners

[Apple News Host]

and the hottest sporting ticket of the year is

[Gideon Resnick]

apparently not the super bowl after all, but in fact a World cup group stage match between Colombia and Portugal.

[Apple News Host]

The Wall Street Journal reports that tickets

[Gideon Resnick]

have reached $2,500, surpassing the average get in price of this year's NFL championship game.

[Apple News Host]

It's partly who's playing. It's one of the few group games

[Gideon Resnick]

where two of the top 15 teams are facing off against each other. It's also likely going to be the last World cup for Cristiano Ronaldo. And then there's the location.

[Apple News Host]

The game is in Miami and nearly

[Gideon Resnick]

500,000 Colombians live in Florida.

[Apple News Host]

One man who grew up in Bogota

[Gideon Resnick]

wound up paying $8,650 for three tickets. The airport repair supervisor told the Wall

[Apple News Host]

Street Journal that he thought the price

[Gideon Resnick]

point was crazy, but he just couldn't stand the fomo.

[Apple News Host]

You can find all these stories and

[Gideon Resnick]

more in the Apple News app.

[Apple News Host]

And if you're already listening in the News app right now, we have a

[Gideon Resnick]

narrated article coming up next.

[Apple News Host]

The New Yorker explores how the recent

[Gideon Resnick]

spike in gold prices created a new generation of fortune seekers and a prospecting rush not seen since the 1840s.

[Apple News Host]

If you're listening in the podcast app, you can follow Apple News Narrated to find that story and I'll be back

[Gideon Resnick]

with the news tomorrow.