Trump spent May clearing the Republican deck. Five Indiana state senators who blocked his redistricting push lost their primaries. Sen. Bill Cassidy became the first Republican senator to lose renomination since 2012 after finishing third in Louisiana behind Trump-backed Julia Letlow. Rep. Thomas Massie lost his Kentucky seat to a Trump-backed challenger in the most expensive House primary on record at $32 million. Colorado’s Lauren Boebert, who campaigned alongside Massie, earned a Truth Social rebuke — but filed before the deadline and runs unopposed June 30. Texas Sen. John Cornyn faces Trump-backed Ken Paxton in a Tuesday runoff.
On Iran, the U.S. opened Operation Epic Fury in February with three carriers, two Marine expeditionary units, and 40,000 troops — then stopped after six days and a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire. Negotiations in Qatar have since produced missed deadlines, reversed positions, and a framework with no nuclear terms Iran is already redefining on its own. Iran rebuilt its military assets and its billboard over the Strait of Hormuz reads “Forever in Iran’s Hand.”
The DOJ announced a $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund to compensate Americans targeted by government overreach. Democrats called it a slush fund for insurrectionists — while twelve cities confirmed $138 million in riot settlements from 2020 with no sunset dates, no reversion clauses, and no oversight requirements.
Secret Service fatally shot 21-year-old Nasire Best at a White House checkpoint May 23 — the third firearms incident near Trump in 30 days. Court records show Best had a prior stay-away order, a bench warrant for noncompliance, and had been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility in 2025.
In Georgia, Brad Raffensperger blocked poll watchers from the underground operations center where statewide vote totals are aggregated on election night. A judge issued a restraining order, then voided it on a procedural technicality. A hearing on the merits is set for May 28. Raffensperger did not advance in the Republican governor’s primary.
USCIS issued Policy Memo PM-602-0199 on May 21 directing officers to deny most in-country green card applications, requiring legal immigrants to return home and apply through a consulate. The State Department has suspended immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries, leaving some applicants with no open consulate to go to.
Support Independent Local Journalism — High Country Advocate was created as a real alternative to regional media that too often silences dissenting voices while taking sides in the political struggle. Producing in-depth, unflinching reporting like this series and others is expensive: servers, editing, research time, and legal review all add up quickly. If these articles have informed you or given you new perspective, please consider supporting HCA with a paid subscription — every subscriber helps keep this reporting strong and independent. 