MIDDLE EAST - Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad in Gaza have arsenals of rockets aimed into Israel, while tens of thousands of Shiite Muslim fighters across the region are beholden to Tehran. In the event of war with the United States, Iran “will not be alone.” “If America launches war on Iran, it will not be alone in the confrontation, because the fate of our region is tied to the Islamic Republic,” Hassan Nasrallah said. From Lebanon and Syria to Iraq, Yemen, and the Gaza Strip, Tehran has significantly expanded its footprint over the past decade, finding and developing powerful allies in conflict-ravaged countries across the Middle East. Hezbollah is one of the most prominent members of the self-styled “axis of resistance,” armed groups with tens of thousands of Shiite Muslim fighters beholden to Tehran.

GERMANY - Germany's highest court ordered public broadcaster ARD to air a small neo-Nazi party's election campaign clip, overturning a ban on the advertisement imposed on grounds that it amounted to incitement against foreigners. Last month ARD refused an advert by the National Democratic Party (NDP) for its European Parliament election campaign in which it calls for the creation of "safe zones" for Germans who have become "victims" of mass immigration. A Berlin court rejected an NPD appeal against ARD's decision. The Federal Constitutional Court overturned that decision, saying it infringed on the NPD's right to campaign and put it at a disadvantage against other parties. "A constitutional complaint (by the NPD) is therefore at the moment neither inadmissible nor unfounded," the court ruled. The NPD is hoping to make gains in the European Parliament, where it has one lawmaker, in elections later this month.

TURKEY - Donald Trump has terminated the preferential trade agreement which provided Turkey with partial tax-free access to US markets, in a move some see as Washington’s retaliation for the NATO ally’s increasingly independent policies. More than two months after the United States threatened to end Turkey’s participation in the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, President Donald Trump on Thursday cut off Ankara’s access to the program, noting that the country is no longer a developing state. It came amid heightened tensions which, in addition to a number of contentious points, have recently soured over Turkey’s refusal to give up the purchase of Russian S-400 missile air-defense systems, which the US apparently sees as a direct threat to its own national security and interests.

EUROPE - Five banks have been fined €1.07 billion (£935 million) by the European Commission after traders clubbed together to rig the foreign exchange market. Four banks in the "Banana Split" cartel - Barclays, RBS, Citigroup and JP Morgan - were fined €811 million in all. Three banks in the "Essex Express" cartel - Barclays and RBS again, plus MUFG - were fined €258 million. A sixth bank, UBS, was excused financial penalties for revealing the cartels' existence. The European Commission said the market-rigging took place from 2007 to 2013.

USA - 2019 is turning out to be a nightmare that never ends for the agriculture industry. Thanks to endless rain and unprecedented flooding, fields all over the middle part of the country are absolutely soaked right now, and this has prevented many farmers from getting their crops in the ground. I knew that this was a problem, but when I heard that only 30 percent of US corn fields had been planted as of Sunday, I had a really hard time believing it. But it turns out that number is 100 percent accurate. And at this point corn farmers are up against a wall because crop insurance final planting dates have either already passed or are coming up very quickly. In addition, for every day after May 15th that corn is not in the ground, farmers lose approximately 2 percent of their yield. Unfortunately, more rain is on the way, and it looks like thousands of corn farmers will not be able to plant corn at all this year. It is no exaggeration to say that what we are facing is a true national catastrophe.

CANADA - As Big League Politics reports, lawmakers in the province of Ontario are considering a piece of legislation that would have the same effect as criminalizing the public practice of Christianity. The bill, “Prohibiting Hate-Promoting Demonstrations at Queen’s Park Act, 2019,” would criminalize public displays erected by Christians that some could claim are hateful to Muslims (as though the Muslim religion isn’t hateful of Christians), the LGBTQRSXYX community, and any other group deemed “victims” by the intolerant Left. What’s more, it’s always the Left that gets to decide what “hate” is and what it means; conservatives have no say in the matter. Further, the actions the Left prescribes when ‘dealing’ with hate is most often authoritarian, intolerant, and itself hateful — like bans of Christian displays or even censoring Christians from speaking.

USA - Along the way to becoming the richest person on earth, Jeff Bezos has certifiably lost touch with reality. After dominating earth, his latest vision is to put one trillion humans in space in floating cylinders. According to WebMD, “Schizophrenia is a psychosis, a type of mental illness in which a person cannot tell what is real from what is imagined. At times, people with psychotic disorders lose touch with reality.” TN Editor

USA - Never Forget: Those who insist CO2 will destroy the world are the same people who claim men can get pregnant and give birth. The Charlotte Observer‘s Anna Douglas can’t stop gushing about a North Carolina woman who now identifies as a “man,” and who’s also pregnant with child. Like many LGBT-allied libtards, Douglas believes that taking artificial hormones and pretending to be the opposite sex is some kind of modern miracle as opposed to a serious mental illness – just like how the Left believes that carbon dioxide (CO2) is somehow destroying the planet, as opposed to feeding plants and balancing our ecosystems.

USA - The way the mainstream media tells it, the United States never, ever ends up embroiled in wars and military conflicts on purpose — only ever by mistake, or as a result of things like ‘bad planning’ or ‘strategic missteps’. Very often when media coverage of war is analysed, there is a focus on how hawkish pundits cheerlead for conflict and journalists parrot official narratives while dissenting voices are drowned out.

MIDDLE EAST - Earlier in the day, the US State Department ordered that all American government officials not dealing with emergencies leave Iraq, the US Embassy in Baghdad said in a statement. Germany is suspending its participation in the Iraqi military training programme due to heightened tensions in the region, Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (DPA) reported citing military sources.

UK - A UK military commander was rebuked by the US Central Command for questioning Washington’s claims that Iran poses an increased threat. General Ghika, a senior figure in the anti-ISIS coalition, said none was evident in Iraq or Syria. The awkward exchange on Tuesday came as the US is trying to rally its allies to confront Tehran over an unspecified threat to American interests in the Middle East.

GERMANY - The German economy could face a hammering from Donald Trump should the US President impose tariffs on European car manufacturers, an analyst has claimed. Germany, one of the largest direct car exporters to the US, could see its automotive sector fall as much as 12 percent over “three bad trading days” if the US leader steams ahead with duties on car imports, it has been claimed. As well as this, the German stock market could tumble by as much as six percent. Germany’s gross domestic product (GDP) is currently 47 percent made up of exports, with the European Union being the largest car exporter in the world, meaning any hit to this sector could mark a substantial dent in the economy. President Trump is due to make a decision about the European tariffs which could affect some £41 billion worth of exports.

UK - Theresa May has vowed to punish disloyal ministers as the Prime Minister prepares to launch a new vote on her withdrawal agreement (WAB) bill but Tory sources are suggesting her days are numbered. The bill, which has not yet been published, looks set to spark outrage among Brexiteers with sources describing it as a “political hand grenade”. Politico said the deal is likely to “enshrine into British law” many aspects of the exit deal Eurosceptics within the Tory party will be angry about. Indeed, sources from the influential 1922 backbench committee have told ITV's Shehab Khan they have already voted to ensure Mrs May confirms her departure date and will be told she has to go if the deal fails.

EUROPE - Citizens from across the European Union have issued a damning review on the "meddling" bloc as Brussels braces for the European parliamentary election. European Union residents voiced doubts about membership of the bloc as Brussels prepares for what is predicted to be a revolutionary European Parliament poll. The populist surge prediction appeared to be supported by the concerns voters from Germany, Italy and Poland expressed talking to German broadcaster DW. One man complained about the lack of sovereignty in Germany, claiming "rules are decided over our heads and just imposed on us." Another voter, asked whether Berlin should follow in the footsteps of Brexit Britain, said: "Absolutely, and we should go back to the Deutschmark."

RUSSIA - Russian President Vladimir Putin told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that he had the impression President Donald Trump wanted to restore relations between the US and Russia after the Mueller inquiry exonerated him. “As you know, just a few days ago, I had the pleasure of talking with the US president on the phone,” Putin told Pompeo on Tuesday, as the two met in Sochi. “I got the impression that the [US] president was inclined to re-establish Russian-American relations and contacts to resolve together the issues that are of mutual interest to us.”