Background Briefing: May 6, 2026
More Erratic Moves From Trump as He Appears Desperate and the Iranians seem to be Holding the Cards
We begin with more erratic moves from Trump who suddenly paused his “Project Freedom” initiative to have the US Navy guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz a day after announcing it and assess who really holds the cards since Trump appears desperate to make a deal while the Iranians can string things along as oil prices rise and domestic pressure on Republicans increases. Joining us is Nicholas Grossman, a Senior Editor of Arc Digital and a professor of political science at the University of Illinois. He is the author Drones and Terrorism: Asymmetric Warfare and the Threat to Global Security and is a contributor at MS NOW where his latest articles we discuss include “Trump’s credibility problem is now America’s” and “3 reality checks about Trump’s Iran strategy.”
How Long Can Iran Ride Out the Oil Blockade and What is Behind the Saudi-UAE Split Over OPEC
Then we examine how long Iran can ride out the blockade as well as tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE which just pulled out of OPEC. Joining us is Dr. Sara Vakhshouri, the founder and president of SVB Energy International, a strategic energy consulting firm with offices in Washington DC and Dubai. She is also a Professor of Energy Security at The Institute of World Politics and has advised U.S. and European governments and financial institutions on energy markets, trading and pricing, the geopolitics of energy, and investment patterns. A native of Iran, she is the author of The Marketing and Sale of Iranian Export Crude Oil since the Islamic Revolution.
Trump’s Cult-Like Hold Over the GOP Just Got a Boost From Indiana
Then finally we speak with Tom LoBianco, a veteran national political reporter for 24sight News. Having previously spent 4 years covering the Indiana statehouse, he is the author of the biography of Vice President Mike Pence, Piety & Power: Mike Pence and the Taking of the White House, and his writing has appeared in Vanity Fair’s The Hive, the Washington Post, Yahoo News, POLITICO Magazine and the Indianapolis Star. He joins us to discuss how Trump’s cult-like hold over the Republican Party was bolstered by the success of his revenge tour in Indiana yesterday where 5 of the 7 State Senators Trump was punishing for not going along with his gerrymander plan lost their seats to MAGA functionaries.