So little time, so many stories. Once again, AAA plays catch-up with some skipped news over the final weeks of May 2026. Included: a pair of top-level Summit meetings in Beijing; the death of a long-term progressive Congressman, a leading light in the fight for gay rights; and the grand finale of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
As ever, stories come whooshing over the transom, and fly right on by, with no time to deal with them properly in these hectic times. We’ll try to play catch-up here, with yet another AAA version of an “omnibus bill,” compiling several small stories (and some big ones) in a comprehensive review of the doings of late. Topics include the Hungarian elections, a shooting at a Mexican archeological site, and a federal investment in a failing airline.
It’s been a head-spinning few weeks, with rising gas and energy prices, increased inflation, and the war with Iran, but somehow, America’s sweethearts, Donald and Melania Trump, have managed to keep us entertained.
After a fashion. From threatening genocide to profane tweets on the holiest day of the Christian calendar, ramshackle ceasefires and blaspheming memes, and vigorous denials of accusations of wrongdoing that haven’t been made, the Trumps have outdone themselves in this first half of April 2026. What follows is a barebones overview of the high jinks and shenanigans.
One of the main pillars of the MAGA (“Make America Great Again”) movement, and a major component of that coalition, has been conspiracy theories and theorists. From the JFK and MLKJ assassinations to the moon landing and Clinton-sponsored pedophile rings run out of pizza shops, conspiracy is the air many MAGA folks breathe. And one of the most popularized conspiracy theories involved Jeffrey Epstein, credibly accused of having sex with underage girls, and sharing this illicit activity with numerous well-heeled, famous friends and acquaintances. Epstein never came to trial, having died in prison of an apparent suicide, but was rumored to have a secret client list naming his cohorts; his manner of death was also judged suspicious in MAGA world.
On Tuesday, 24 June 2025, 33-year-old State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party structure when he won the primary in the New York City mayoral race, besting frontrunner Andrew Cuomo, a former New York governor, by some twelve points, in a stunning upset. Mamdani, who describes himself as a Democratic Socialist and entered the race last November with 1% support in polling, ran an effective grassroots campaign based on making the Big Apple more affordable for working class families, presenting himself as a populist fighter. If elected in November, he will be the first Muslim and naturalized citizen to serve as New York City’s mayor.
Donald J. Trump’s second administration, taking power at noon on 20 January 2025 (by constitutional fiat, whenever the oath itself is taken), is likely to be a replay of the first term, only more so. In 2017 when he first assumed office, Trump was a newbie novice to the Washington scene; he appointed persons with experience and relative competence to help him run the government, individuals who had a respect for its institutions and norms, who served as guardrails on Trump’s wilder, wackier impulses.
