U.S. strikes at Iran targets even as peace talks intensify

Summary

Podcast Summary: Apple News Today — "U.S. strikes at Iran targets even as peace talks intensify"

Date: May 26, 2026
Host: Gideon Resnick (in for Shumita Basu)
Episode Theme:
The episode dissects the latest developments in U.S.-Iran peace negotiations amidst renewed military action, examines high-stakes Texas Senate primaries, discusses controversy surrounding a new DOJ “anti-weaponization” fund, and quickly breaks down trending news on chemical plant risks, AI at the Vatican, and viral airfare hacks.

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1. U.S.-Iran Peace Talks: Progress and Setbacks

Overview
Selected experts and journalists explore the mounting complexity of diplomatic efforts to end the war involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran. Optimism after initial announcements is tempered by deep skepticism as negotiations snag on major sticking points.

Key Insights & Discussion Points

• Initial Hopes, Deep Uncertainty
  • [00:13] National Security Analyst: “Trump and the US may have won the military aspect of the war with Iran, but right now they’re on the battlefield of diplomacy and Trump is not winning the peace.”
• Elements of the Proposed Deal
  • Phase one: Strait of Hormuz reopens, U.S. lifts blockade, talks set terms for Iran’s nuclear program ([01:08–01:21]).
  • National Security Analyst clarifies, “It ultimately ends... with Iran having no ability to make a nuclear weapon.”
• Disagreements Emerge
  • Iran wants upfront financial incentives; the U.S. is resisting sanctions relief ([01:31]).
  • [01:31] National Security Analyst: “It looks like Trump is trying to sell something that wasn’t nearly complete.”
• Draft Details (per AP and Wall Street Journal):
  • End to Israel-Hezbollah conflict
  • Iran stops interference via proxies
  • Gradual opening of Strait of Hormuz
  • Sanctions relief for Iran’s uranium stockpile negotiations (60-day window) ([01:53–02:12])
• Domestic Political Skepticism
  • Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker: “The rumored 60 day timeline would... be a disaster.” ([02:18])
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio tries to tamp down fears, “The idea... that [Trump] is going to... put Iran in a stronger position... is absurd.” ([02:31])
• Abraham Accords Link
  • Trump considers expanding existing Israel normalization deals as part of a broader diplomatic package ([02:53–03:09]).
  • National Security Analyst: “A lot of countries... don’t want to do that, namely Saudi Arabia, until... a clear pathway toward a Palestinian state... and the issues in Gaza are resolved.” ([03:09])

Notable Quotes

• [00:13] National Security Analyst: “Trump is not winning the peace. I think it’s fair to say it.”
• [02:31] Marco Rubio: “...the idea that somehow this president... is going to... wind up putting Iran in a stronger position... is absurd.”

Military Strikes Amid Talks

• Despite ceasefire, U.S. Central Command announces “defensive strikes in southern Iran, targeting missile sites and boats.” ([03:42–03:46])

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2. Texas Senate Primary: Trump’s Influence and GOP Divisions

Overview
A pivotal Republican primary in Texas pits longtime Senator John Cornyn against Attorney General Ken Paxton, with Trump’s last-minute endorsement of Paxton shaking up the party.

Key Discussion Points

• Stakes for party direction—Trump’s ongoing project to remake GOP in his image ([04:22–04:31]).
• The “YOLO caucus”—lame-duck lawmakers increasingly acting unpredictably as they exit ([04:54–05:05]).
• Trump labeled Cornyn “very disloyal,” favoring Paxton for his unwavering support and embrace of “false claims about the 2020 election.” ([05:43–05:47])
• Cornyn’s campaign pivots to highlighting his loyalty but battles a string of Paxton controversies (impeachment, fraud charges, personal scandals) ([06:00–06:36]).

Quotes & Moments

• [06:46] Ken Paxton: “He fought him in 2024, said his time had passed, and he fought him in 2016. So this is not a pro-Trump guy.”
• [05:29] Stephen Sloan (AP): “For the President to come out against [Cornyn]... I think it really kind of pulled the rug out on a lot of stuff that’s been festering for months.”

Broader Implications

• Defeated incumbents potentially act out (“YOLO caucus”)—Senator Cassidy voted against Trump’s war powers, Rep. Massie threatens disruptions ([07:08–07:17]).

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3. DOJ “Anti-Weaponization Fund”: Who Benefits?

Overview
A new $1.8B DOJ fund, theoretically for victims of perceived Justice Department overreach, draws bipartisan fire and an array of high-profile applicants, allies and critics alike.

Key Points

• Fund details: Created from Trump-IRS settlement; for those who say they were targeted by DOJ ([07:44–07:48]).
• High-profile applicants:
  • Trump allies: Mike Lindell (MyPillow), Roger Stone
  • Trump critics/opponents: Michael Cohen, Chicago protesters, James Comey ([08:12–08:57])
  • January 6th figures: Enrique Tarrio, convicted/pardoned rioters ([10:06–10:24])
• Fund decisions made by a 5-member panel appointed by AG Todd Blanch; Trump can dismiss members at will ([09:14–09:16], [09:44])
• Legal and ethical controversy:
  • Bipartisan bill to block fund’s use of taxpayer dollars ([10:45–10:49])
  • Unclear criteria, framed as “unprecedented” in U.S. legal history ([09:36–09:40])
  • Brian Schwartz (WSJ): “The president himself is clearly hinting... president’s allies... are set to benefit more potentially from this fund.” ([09:49])

Memorable Quote

• [08:57] James Comey: “It’s to compensate people who’ve been targeted by the Justice Department... I hope I’ll be ahead of those who savagely beat police officers and sack the Capitol.”

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4. News Shorts & Trends

Southern California Chemical Plant Risk

• Mass evacuation orders after crack found in a 34,000-gallon chemical tank near L.A.; risk of explosion decreased, threat not fully gone ([11:05–11:40]).

Pope Leo’s AI Manifesto

• Pope Leo’s first encyclical urges caution and a focus on humanity in AI deployment ([11:40–12:29]).
  • [11:46] Pope Leo: “Let’s not fear artificial intelligence, but constantly keep the question of the human in play... We cannot be careless with our most powerful technical instruments.”

Airfare ‘Library Hack’ Debunked

• Viral video suggesting lower fares on public library computers is false—Washington Post tests show price is unaffected by device or browser ([12:44–13:38]).
  • [13:12] Natalie Compton (WaPo): “We wanted the hack to work, but it didn’t.”

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5. Notable Quotes with Timestamps

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 00:13 | National Security Analyst | “Trump and the US may have won the military aspect... but... Trump is not winning the peace.” | | 01:31 | National Security Analyst | “The president might have spoken too soon... there are many points of disagreement.” | | 02:31 | Marco Rubio | “The idea that somehow this president... winds up putting Iran in a stronger position... is absurd.” | | 03:09 | National Security Analyst | “We’re in a different world now... a lot of countries don’t want to do that, namely Saudi Arabia...” | | 05:29 | Stephen Sloan | “For the President to come out against [Cornyn]... I think it really kind of pulled the rug out...” | | 06:46 | Ken Paxton | “I don’t know if we could be more different on Republican issues than John Cornyn and me.” | | 08:57 | James Comey | “I hope I’ll be ahead of those who savagely beat police officers and sack the Capitol.” | | 09:49 | Brian Schwartz | “It is, in fact, the president's allies who are set to benefit more... from this fund.” | | 11:46 | Pope Leo | “Let's not fear artificial intelligence, but constantly keep the question of the human in play.” | | 13:12 | Natalie Compton | “We wanted the hack to work, but it didn’t.” |

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6. Additional Coverage & Stories

• Effort ongoing to control chemical threats in California, following governor’s emergency declarations.
• Pope Leo’s encyclical marks a strong, critical stance on tech and social responsibility.
• Popular airfare “hacks” debunked; prices based on dynamic airline algorithms, not browser or device.

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For a complete news roundup and more detailed reporting, visit Apple News or the Apple News app.

Transcript

[Gideon Resnick]

Good morning. Both sides hint at progress in talks

[Alex Ward]

to end the war with Iran.

[Gideon Resnick]

But as the Wall Street Journal tells us, lasting peace is far from certain.

[National Security Analyst]

Trump and the US May have won the military aspect of the war with Iran, but right now they're on the battlefield of diplomacy and Trump is not winning the peace. I think it's fair to say it.

[Gideon Resnick]

Texas decides whether to fall behind Trump's

[Alex Ward]

pick for the Senate. And what we know and don't know about the controversial new DOJ fund.

[Gideon Resnick]

It's Tuesday, May, 26. I'm Gideon Resnick in for Shamita Basu.

[Alex Ward]

This is Apple News. Today,

[Gideon Resnick]

The contours of an agreement to

[Alex Ward]

end the U. S. Israeli conflict with Iran appear to be emerging.

[Gideon Resnick]

But a holiday weekend that began with positive updates has ended with more questions

[Alex Ward]

and plenty of skepticism.

[Gideon Resnick]

On Saturday, President Trump suggested an agreement

[Alex Ward]

had been largely negotiated.

[National Security Analyst]

In effect, he was announcing a deal to set up the talks.

[Gideon Resnick]

That's Alex Ward, national Security reporter at

[Alex Ward]

the Wall Street Journal.

[National Security Analyst]

So phase one would have been something like the strain of Hormuz reopens and the US Lifts its blockade on Iran. Then they set the terms and it ultimately ends down the line with Iran having no ability to make a nuclear weapon.

[Alex Ward]

But by Monday, the momentum had stalled. The Iranian Foreign Ministry acknowledged understanding on, quote, a large portion of the issues, but said a deal was not imminent.

[National Security Analyst]

It turns out that the president might have spoken too soon. In fact, the sides were not that close. There are many points of disagreement, one of them as basic as Iran would like some money up front to continue talking, whereas the US does not want to provide Iran with any sanctions relief. And it looks like Trump is trying to sell something that wasn't nearly complete.

[Gideon Resnick]

According to the ap, officials say a

[Alex Ward]

draft deal includes an end to the war between Israel and Hezbollah and a commitment to avoid interfering in the domestic affairs of the region. Taken to mean Iran's proxies, the Strait

[Gideon Resnick]

of Hormuz would gradually open up and there would be sanctions relief in exchange

[Alex Ward]

for the regime giving up its uranium stockpile to be negotiated over 60 days.

[Gideon Resnick]

But as those details dripped out, some

[Alex Ward]

Republican lawmakers were quick to warn against giving too much away.

[Gideon Resnick]

The Republican Chair of the Senate's Armed

[Alex Ward]

Services Committee, Roger Wicker, suggested the rumored 60 day timeline would, quote, be a disaster.

[Gideon Resnick]

On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio

[Alex Ward]

sought to ease those concerns.

[Marco Rubio]

The idea that somehow this president, given everything he's already proven he's willing to do, is going to somehow agree to a deal that ultimately winds up putting Iran in a stronger position when it comes to nuclear ambitions is absurd.

[Gideon Resnick]

Ward told us the toughest parts of

[Alex Ward]

a deal remain unresolved, in particular, Iran's ultimate nuclear ambitions, or exactly what happens to the Strait of Hormuz.

[Gideon Resnick]

And Trump surprised many yesterday when he

[Alex Ward]

suggested that more nations join the Abraham

[Gideon Resnick]

Accords, a treaty between a small number

[Alex Ward]

of countries to normalize relations with Israel.

[Gideon Resnick]

It was a flagship achievement of Trump's

[Alex Ward]

first term, and linking the accords to any Iran deal would please some within his own party.

[National Security Analyst]

So if all these countries were to sign on, it would signal greater integration of the Middle east, sort of less of at least official antagonism. But we're in a different world now, right? Gaza and Iran have happened and there are a lot of countries that don't want to do that, namely Saudi Arabia, until there is sort of a clear pathway towards a Palestinian state and the issues in Gaza are resolved.

[Gideon Resnick]

Talks are expected to intensify this week. Tehran's top officials arrived in Qatar on

[Alex Ward]

Monday for indirect negotiations.

[Gideon Resnick]

And for now, the ceasefire remains formally in place.

[Alex Ward]

But last night, U.S. central Command also

[Gideon Resnick]

said it carried out what it called

[Alex Ward]

defensive strikes in southern Iran, targeting missile sites and boats that it said were attempting to place mines.

[Gideon Resnick]

Republican primary voters in Texas will decide

[Alex Ward]

today if they're going to stick with John Cornyn, who has held his Senate seat since 2002, or go with their Attorney General, Ken Paxton.

[Gideon Resnick]

That choice could not only shape the

[Alex Ward]

future of the state, but also the makeup of the Republican Party in Congress going forward.

[Gideon Resnick]

That's because President Trump backed Paxton at the last minute.

[Stephen Sloan]

The president has been on this decade long project of making the Republican Party more to his liking.

[Alex Ward]

Stephen Sloan is a Washington correspondent for the Associated Press.

[Stephen Sloan]

Well, it's a real short term, long term kind of calculus that he's making here. In the long term, for a president who is trying to build a legacy, cement a legacy, this could be, in his mind, an upside.

[Gideon Resnick]

The downside is that Republicans have slim

[Alex Ward]

margins in the House and Senate.

[Gideon Resnick]

And even as Trump has had success

[Alex Ward]

backing primary challengers against incumbents, those people still have months left of their terms

[Gideon Resnick]

which they can use to be a

[Alex Ward]

thorn in the side of the administration, or as Sloan called it, a kind of YOLO caucus.

[Gideon Resnick]

That philosophy of you only live once

[Alex Ward]

is coming into play more for these Republicans who feel like they have less to lose.

[Stephen Sloan]

Now we have like seven months or so before this new Congress has sworn in, right? And there's a lot that has to happen in that time. And we saw this really kind of blow up in Washington Last week, senators

[Gideon Resnick]

left town without passing a bill to

[Alex Ward]

fund immigration priorities because they were frustrated with the White House push to establish a new anti weaponization DOJ fund. And also Trump's endorsement against Cornyn.

[Stephen Sloan]

This is somebody who raises a lot of money for his Republican colleagues. He's somebody who's really liked among his colleagues. And for the President to come out against that, I think it really kind of pulled the rug out on a lot of stuff that's been festering for months.

[Gideon Resnick]

Trump has recently said that Cornyn is, quote, very disloyal, in part because he

[Alex Ward]

had previously suggested that it'd be difficult for Trump to win in 2024. And stylistically, Paxton has appealed to Trump with his firebrand approach and support of false claims about the 2020 election.

[Gideon Resnick]

But in the final days of the

[Alex Ward]

campaign, Cornyn has emphasized his close work with the President and argued that he is the only candidate who could win in November.

[James Comey]

And I know the Attorney General thinks all the scandals that he's brought with him over the years are already baked in the cake and people don't care, but I guarantee you I care and I believe you care.

[Gideon Resnick]

Paxson has been at the center of

[Alex Ward]

several controversies in recent years.

[Gideon Resnick]

He was impeached by the Texas house in 2023, though acquitted by the Senate, indicted on felony securities fraud charges. And he's in the middle of a bitter divorce, all of which Cornyn and

[Alex Ward]

his allies have used to suggest that the race could become a test of character.

[Gideon Resnick]

On Fox over the weekend, Paxton argued

[Alex Ward]

that Cornyn hadn't been sufficiently loyal to Trump.

[Ken Paxton]

He fought him in 2024, said his time had passed, and he fought him in 2016. So this is not a pro Trump guy. I don't know if we could be more different on the Republican issues than John Cornyn and me. So there is a vast difference between the two of us.

[Gideon Resnick]

If defeated, Cornyn could be tempted to

[Alex Ward]

join the growing list of lame duck Republicans already making an impact.

[Gideon Resnick]

Senator Bill Cassidy, who recently lost the

[Alex Ward]

primary, joined Democrats to vote to rein in Trump's war powers.

[Gideon Resnick]

And Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie, who lost

[Alex Ward]

last week, has hinted that he could throw some wrenches into Trump's agenda as well.

[Stephen Sloan]

Maybe over the long term, this will work out to accomplish what the President wants. But the next few months are pretty hard.

[Gideon Resnick]

President Trump's friends and foes alike have

[Alex Ward]

already begun eyeing up a part of the $1.8 billion so called anti weaponization fund.

[Gideon Resnick]

The money was set aside as part

[Alex Ward]

of Trump's settlement with the irs, and

[Gideon Resnick]

it's designed for those who feel they

[Alex Ward]

were unfairly treated by the Justice Department.

[Gideon Resnick]

The Wall Street Journal reports that high

[Alex Ward]

profile names have already started expressing their interest. Some are Trump allies, like MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who lost defamation cases for spreading voter fraud conspiracies, or Roger Stone, who Trump pardoned after being convicted for lying to Congress. Others, though, are names that Trump might not welcome.

[Brian Schwartz]

People like Michael Cohen, the president's longtime former attorney and fixer who was picked up in the Robert Mueller probe. He told us he's looking to get involved with this and make an application for it.

[Gideon Resnick]

That's Brian Schwartz, a reporter at the Journal. Cohen is now a vocal critic of Trump, but he pled guilty in 2018

[Alex Ward]

to a number of charges stemming from investigations into the president.

[Gideon Resnick]

And Schwartz told us that he's not

[Alex Ward]

the only Trump critic who might get involved. Protesters in Chicago, for one, who were targeted by the administration for prosecution and recently had their charges dropped.

[Gideon Resnick]

And then there's former FBI Director James

[Alex Ward]

Comey, who's been indicted twice by the DOJ since the start of Trump's second term.

[Gideon Resnick]

He was asked about the fund on

[Alex Ward]

CNN and initially said he thought it was a headline from the Onion.

[James Comey]

It's to compensate people who've been targeted by the Justice Department for, they say, personal, political or ideological reasons. So I'm guessing I'll be in line. I hope I'll be ahead of those who savagely beat police officers and sack the Capitol.

[Gideon Resnick]

Schwartz said that the cases will be

[Alex Ward]

decided by a five member panel whose

[Gideon Resnick]

membership will be selected by Trump's Attorney

[Alex Ward]

General, Todd Blanch, and who Trump can fire without cause if he chooses.

[Gideon Resnick]

It's unclear for now who Blanche will appoint or exactly what the criteria would

[Alex Ward]

be to get access to the funds.

[Gideon Resnick]

The DOJ says the fund will be

[Alex Ward]

nonpartisan and that anyone can apply. And the money comes from a broader taxpayer pot that's been used to cover US Government legal settlements.

[Gideon Resnick]

But to use the money like this is unprecedented, and it drew a bipartisan

[Alex Ward]

firestorm on the Hill last week.

[Gideon Resnick]

Because Trump will have the power to

[Alex Ward]

remove members from the panel at will, it could be motivated to make decisions that appease him.

[Brian Schwartz]

The president himself is clearly hinting that it is, in fact the president's allies who are set to benefit more potentially from this fund and not necessarily Democrats as well.

[Gideon Resnick]

Schwartz says a likely pool of applicants are people who faced legal charges related

[Alex Ward]

to the 2020 election.

[Gideon Resnick]

Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys leader

[Alex Ward]

who was sentenced to 22 years for seditious conspiracy, told Reuters that he plans to apply.

[Gideon Resnick]

And Schwartz reports that many of the

[Alex Ward]

January 6th rioters who were charged or convicted but later pardoned by Trump for their roles in the insurrection are talking with lawyers about applying as well.

[Brian Schwartz]

There's no rule stopping people who assaulted police officers that day and were convicted of that from submitting for funds.

[Gideon Resnick]

Blanche told lawmakers that he plans to

[Alex Ward]

appoint the panel that will judge the applications within the next month.

[Gideon Resnick]

The fund already faces several challenges in federal court, and both Democrats and some

[Alex Ward]

Republicans are questioning its legality.

[Gideon Resnick]

Last week, lawmakers in the House introduced

[Alex Ward]

a bipartisan bill to prohibit the fund

[Gideon Resnick]

drawing from taxpayer dollar. And finally, here are a few other stories we're following. The risk of a major chemical tank

[Alex Ward]

explosion that prompted mass evacuation orders in Southern California has passed, but the danger

[Gideon Resnick]

is not over yet, officials said.

[Alex Ward]

The threat of a smaller scale explosion remains.

[Gideon Resnick]

Last week, inspectors discovered a crack in

[Alex Ward]

a 34,000 gallon tank that was storing chemicals used in the production of plastics and resinstein.

[Gideon Resnick]

Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency

[Alex Ward]

as fears grew of devastating contamination at a facility about 30 miles from Los Angeles.

[Gideon Resnick]

But while firefighters had managed to cool

[Alex Ward]

the temperature down and to lessen the risk, officials warned that evacuation orders were still in place.

[Gideon Resnick]

At the Vatican, Pope Leo weighed in

[Alex Ward]

on one of the defining technologies of the moment yesterday.

[Marco Rubio]

Let's not fear artificial intelligence, but constantly keep the question of the human in play. We cannot be careless with our most powerful technical instruments.

[Gideon Resnick]

It was part of his first Papal

[Alex Ward]

Encyclical, a 42,000 word open letter that he presented alongside Chris Ola, a co founder of Anthropic.

[Gideon Resnick]

AI is one of the first issues

[Alex Ward]

the pontiff spoke about after being elected,

[Gideon Resnick]

saying it's the biggest challenge facing humanity today. In this letter, he framed AI as

[Alex Ward]

a new industrial revolution, said that it should be removed from military and economic interests, and that concentrating the power of AI in the hands of a few big tech leaders could have negative consequences. Pope Leo also used the encyclical to

[Gideon Resnick]

apologize for the Vatican's past role in

[Alex Ward]

legitimizing slavery, saying it was, quote, a wound in Christian memory.

[Gideon Resnick]

And as airline prices fly ever higher,

[Alex Ward]

one viral video claimed to have the the public library.

[Gideon Resnick]

According to the video, computers at your

[Alex Ward]

local branch are a blank slate. They're free of your search history and cookies that many believe affect the price that you see.

[Gideon Resnick]

The video also claims that airlines can

[Alex Ward]

determine your fare in a predatory manner,

[Gideon Resnick]

but the Washington Post tried to see

[Alex Ward]

if that was the case, and they tested the theory out the short answer they found was a resounding no.

[Gideon Resnick]

The Post's Natalie Compton searched for the same flights on her personal devices like

[Alex Ward]

phones and laptops, then went to the library to try it.

[Natalie Compton]

We looked directly on the airline websites and through their apps. I even went back to a different library on a second day to repeat the test again. We all got the same results. If a fare fluctuated, it fluctuated for all of us and not just on a particular device. This was disappointing. We wanted the hack to work, but it didn't.

[Gideon Resnick]

Those viral videos Airfare experts also told

[Alex Ward]

the Post that they were skeptical and that airlines are constantly updating fares in real time to account for demand and

[Gideon Resnick]

how many tickets are left, no matter if you're at the library or at home. You can find all these stories and

[Alex Ward]

more in the Apple News and app.

[Gideon Resnick]

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

[Alex Ward]

narrated article coming up next. Rolling Stone reports on Colossal Biosciences, the company that claims it can de extinct animals.

[Gideon Resnick]

It's had successes like resurrecting dire wolves, and now it's hoping to create artificial wombs. If you're listening in the podcast app, you can follow Apple News plus narrative

[Alex Ward]

to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.

[Sam]

Sam.