🎧 LISTEN TO THE HEADLINES ON THE SUBSTACK APP
⚖️ Supreme Court Denies Democrats’ Last-Ditch Bid to Revive Virginia Redistricting Plan
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Virginia Democrats’ emergency petition to revive a voter-approved congressional redistricting amendment. The Virginia Supreme Court had struck down the measure in a 4-3 ruling on May 8, 2026, finding that lawmakers violated the state constitution by advancing the proposal after early voting had begun in the intervening election. Voters narrowly approved the amendment on April 21. The high court issued a one-sentence, unsigned order on May 15 with no noted dissents. This decision leaves Virginia’s existing congressional map in place for the 2026 midterms. Democrats had hoped the new map would deliver a heavy partisan tilt favoring their party.
Politics & Government
✅ Trump Renews Push to Attach SAVE America Act to Housing and FISA Legislation
President Donald Trump on May 16, 2026, called on Congress to pass the SAVE America Act by attaching it to pending housing affordability and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act bills. He cited alleged issues with mail-in voting, including a claim of 500,000 fake ballots in Maryland. The SAVE America Act would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for federal voter registration and voter ID at the polls. Trump posted on Truth Social that the measure must pass now to address what he described as crooked mail-in voting and to ensure only citizens vote. Republicans have long supported the bill as a safeguard for election integrity, while opponents argue it could create barriers for eligible voters who lack easy access to required documents.
⚠️ FBI Opens Probe Into Possible Classified Leaks by Senate Intelligence Committee Democrats
The FBI has launched an investigation into whether Democrats or their staff on the Senate Intelligence Committee leaked classified information. The probe started after a criminal referral from the National Security Agency last summer. NSA officials flagged a leak involving an overseas intercept of Hezbollah figures. That intercept appeared in media reports during the confirmation process of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in early 2025. The New York Times story suggested Gabbard met a top Hezbollah leader during a 2017 Syria trip, a claim she denied. NSA determined the leak came from authorized material but contained inaccurate implications. Agents identified potential Democrat staff on the committee who had access before the story ran. The referral sat at the Justice Department for months until FBI Director Kash Patel learned of it weeks ago. Counterintelligence and criminal agents then expanded the effort to review other possible leaks and media contacts linked to the committee’s Democrats. This fits a broader Trump administration push on classified leaks that has produced indictments of figures like former National Security Advisor John Bolton and a former Army employee. The Senate panel has faced leak scrutiny before, including the 2018 case of former security chief James Wolfe.
⛽ Republicans Eye Gas Tax Pause Amid Soaring Pump Prices and Voter Gripes
Republicans in Congress are shifting focus to short-term relief measures as gasoline prices climb near $4.50 per gallon and broader living costs rise. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other GOP senators discussed an affordability agenda following reports of 3.8 percent consumer price inflation for the year ending in April. Sen. Josh Hawley introduced a bill to suspend the 18.4-cent federal gas tax for 90 days, with possible extension. Lawmakers are also pressing for a Senate-passed housing bill that would cut red tape on construction, limit large investors in single-family homes, and boost supply. These steps come as the Iran war disrupts oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, driving energy costs higher and drawing public blame toward the administration and Republican majority ahead of midterms.
⚠️ Colorado Governor Grants Clemency to Tina Peters, Sets June Release
Colorado Governor Jared Polis granted clemency to former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters on May 15, 2026. He shortened her nearly nine-year prison sentence for convictions related to allowing unauthorized access to voting equipment in a probe of the 2020 election. The commutation reduces the term to four years and four-and-a-half months. Peters, who expressed remorse in a statement by admitting she misled officials, becomes eligible for parole on June 1, 2026. An appeals court had earlier upheld her convictions but ruled the original sentencing improperly factored in her protected speech on election matters.
💸 Michigan House Candidate Pushes Stock Trading Ban After Her Own Active Trading as Ambassador
Bridget Brink made 179 individual stock trades worth between $754,000 and $4 million while serving as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine under President Biden. She began actively trading in 2023 and continued into 2024 even while managing a wartime embassy in Kyiv. Her purchases included shares in Chinese-owned companies such as Polestar and NIO, which compete with American automakers, and solar firms like Maxeon and Canadian Solar. These moves contrast with investments in U.S. firms tied to her Michigan district, which includes a major General Motors plant. Brink now leads the Democratic primary for a Republican-held congressional seat in Michigan and proposes banning individual stock trading by federal officials, including ambassadors, to fight corruption.
Read Underground USA’s featured article:
⚠️ The Grift of Redefined Racism And How The Far-Left Poisoned America
BE SURE TO LIKE THE ARTICLE & SHARE IT WIDELY
The American Fifth Column
🚨 Feds Foil ISIS Plot By Ex-National Guardsman Targeting Michigan Army Base
Federal authorities arrested a 19-year-old former Michigan Army National Guard member on May 13, 2025, the day he planned to launch a mass shooting at the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command facility at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan. Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said of Melvindale provided undercover agents he believed were ISIS allies with armor-piercing ammunition and high-capacity magazines. He conducted drone reconnaissance over the base, trained them on firearms and Molotov cocktail construction, mapped entry points, and identified targets for maximum casualties. Court records include videos of him pledging loyalty to ISIS in front of its flag. Said had expressed interest in violent jihad since mid-2024 and enlisted in the Guard in 2022 before his discharge in late 2024 for failing initial requirements. He faces up to 20 years per count on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and distributing information on a destructive device.
🎭 FBI Posts $200K Bounty for Accused Iran Spy Monica Witt Still Hiding Out After Defection
The FBI announced a $200,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of Monica Elfriede Witt. She is a former U.S. Air Force counterintelligence specialist and special agent who served from 1997 to 2008 and later worked as a Defense Department contractor with access to secret and top-secret intelligence. Witt defected to Iran in 2013 after attending anti-American events there. Federal prosecutors indicted her in 2019 on espionage charges for allegedly providing national defense information to the Iranian regime. This included details that endangered U.S. intelligence personnel and their families. Authorities believe she continues to assist Iranian intelligence operations. The reward comes as officials note her actions have aided the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Witt remains at large.
🤡 Kamala Harris Calls for ‘No Bad Idea Brainstorm’ With Democrats After Court Losses on Redistricting
Former Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on a Wednesday night livestream for the “Win with Black Women” podcast. She urged Democrats to adopt an expanded playbook ahead of the 2026 midterms and floated ideas with no limits during what she labeled a “No Bad Idea Brainstorm.” Harris discussed eliminating the Electoral College, expanding the Supreme Court, creating multi-member districts, granting statehood to Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., and imposing ethics rules or penalties on Supreme Court nominees. She framed these steps as necessary to counter Republican advantages in red states following recent Supreme Court and Virginia Supreme Court rulings against race-based gerrymandering and related Democratic efforts. The comments came amid Democratic frustration over losses in Louisiana, Virginia, and Tennessee map changes that could shift House seats toward Republicans.
⚖️ ABA Drops DEI Mandate for Law School Accreditation Amid Federal and State Pressure
The American Bar Association’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar voted on May 15, 2026, to eliminate its longstanding diversity and inclusion standard for law school accreditation. The standard, known as Standard 206, had required schools to demonstrate concrete actions promoting diversity in student recruitment, admissions, faculty hiring, and programming with respect to race, ethnicity, gender, and other factors. It had already been suspended since February 2025. The change replaces explicit diversity requirements with references to nondiscrimination laws and must still receive approval from the ABA’s House of Delegates, a process that could extend into 2027. Council members cited risks to the ABA’s status as the federally recognized accreditor and the need to avoid limiting varied approaches to legal education. Some members opposed the move while noting it does not reflect personal views on diversity. The council also sought comments on potentially removing a related 2022 rule requiring education on bias, racism, and cross-cultural competency.
🚉 LIRR Unions Launch Strike, Halting Nation’s Busiest Commuter Rail Line
The Long Island Rail Road shut down operations early on May 16, 2026, after a coalition of five unions representing about 3,500 workers walked off the job just after midnight. Negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority collapsed over wage increases for the final year of a proposed four-year contract, with the unions seeking higher raises than the MTA offered. This marks the first strike on the LIRR since 1994. The system normally carries roughly 270,000 to 330,000 passengers daily between Long Island and New York City. Limited shuttle bus service is planned, but it will cover only a small portion of normal capacity and will leave many middle-class commuters scrambling for alternatives starting Monday.
International
💥 US-Nigeria Forces Eliminate ISIS Global Number Two in Lake Chad Strike
US and Nigerian forces carried out a joint operation in northeastern Nigeria that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second-in-command of ISIS globally and director of its operations. President Donald Trump announced the mission late Friday, calling it a meticulously planned effort that removed a key figure responsible for directing attacks, finances, media, and weapons development across ISIS networks. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed the strike on al-Minuki’s compound in the Lake Chad Basin, noting several lieutenants died with him. US Africa Command reported no American casualties and described the action as a significant disruption to ISIS activities in Africa.
💀 IDF Eliminates Top Hamas Commander Tied To October 7 Atrocities
Israeli forces struck a building in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood on May 15, 2026, killing Izz al-Din Haddad, the senior Hamas military leader in Gaza and a key planner of the October 7, 2023, attacks. Haddad oversaw hostage operations, ordered fighters to capture soldiers and document the acts, and surrounded himself with captives for protection. Israeli officials monitored his movements for days before three jets dropped 13 bombs on the target. Hamas sources and mosques in northern Gaza confirmed his death the next day, with family members identifying his body. Haddad had assumed a top role after Mohammed Sinwar’s death in May 2025 and survived prior attempts on his life. Former hostages expressed relief at the outcome.
🚨 Car Rams Pedestrians and Driver Stabs Bystander in Modena Rampage
A driver deliberately steered his vehicle onto a sidewalk in central Modena, Italy, on May 16, 2026, striking multiple pedestrians along Via Emilia Centro near Largo Porta Bologna. Eight people suffered injuries with four in serious condition, one reportedly losing both legs according to some accounts. The man in his thirties, an Italian national of North African origin born in Bergamo and living locally, crashed into a shop window after the initial impact. He exited the car, brandished a knife, and stabbed a passerby who tried to intervene before citizens subdued him. Police arrested the suspect with no ongoing threat reported, though witnesses described possible intoxication. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed solidarity with the victims.
🕌 Vienna Study Reveals Muslim Youth Prioritizing Religious Rules Over Austrian Law
A new study commissioned by the City of Vienna and released around May 12, 2026, surveyed over 1,200 young people aged 14 to 21 from various ethnic backgrounds. It found that 41 percent of Muslim respondents agreed that Islamic religious laws take precedence over Austrian state laws, compared to 21 percent of Christian youth. Researcher Kenan Güngör described the overall results as very worrying, with religion playing a far larger role in the lives of Muslim youth. Additional findings include 46 percent of Muslim youth expressing willingness to fight and die in defense of their faith, 65 percent stating that Islamic rules apply to all areas of daily life and must be strictly followed, and over half supporting headscarves for Muslim women in public. One-third of Muslim participants reported becoming more religious in recent years, with higher rates of practices like praying and mosque attendance. Factors such as authoritarian upbringing, lower education levels, social isolation, and online radical content were noted as contributing influences alongside religious identity.
⛽ Iran Suspected in Cyber Intrusions at US Gas Station Fuel Monitors
US officials are looking into cyber intrusions at automatic tank gauge systems that track fuel levels in storage tanks at gas stations across multiple states. Attackers gained access to these internet-facing devices, many left without password protection, and in some cases changed the readings shown on monitors, though actual fuel volumes in the tanks stayed untouched. No physical damage, leaks, or injuries have turned up, yet the breaches raise worries about potential safety issues such as hiding real fuel leaks or disrupting operations. Iran stands as the leading suspect because of its track record of hitting similar energy and infrastructure targets, even if solid forensic proof remains thin. Cybersecurity experts have flagged these exposed systems as long-known weak spots that opportunistic actors could exploit amid ongoing regional tensions.