The 2026 Battle for the Senate Is Still Likely Republican

Adam Turner / RedState 

Politico continues its dogged faux “reporting” to create a narrative that Democrats are a lock to control the U.S. Senate in 2026. Which gives me a great opening to make one of my periodic updates on some of the crucial Senate races. The Republicans have a 53 to 47-seat majority in the Senate. There are 35 seats up for grabs in 2026. The Democrats need a net pick up of four seats to win control.

The central problem for the Democrats is that only two Republican seats – Maine and North Carolina – are in competitive states. The other 20 GOP seats are in states where Donald Trump won by double digits. That almost never happens in Senate elections, let alone twice. In the 2025 Virginia elections, the Democrats won a landslide, but they still didn’t carry a single district where Trump won with that margin. 

The Democrats also must not lose any of their own competitive seats. And in the blue wave of 2018, the Democrats still lost in an upset for their incumbent in Florida. Read mire here. 

Trump's refusal to return to war with Iran will 'cost him dearly', Saudi expert claims

Saudi analyst Mubarak al-Ati said that the US's decline on the international stage has prevented Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States from taking Trump's demands to join the Abraham Accords seriously.

Maariv Arieolola Roitman / THE JERUSALEM POST

Saudi Arabia no longer trusts the US to provide protection, Saudi analyst Mubarak al-Ati said in an interview on Russia Today TV last week.

"It seems that [US President Donald] Trump refuses to return to war and overthrow the Ayatollah's regime. This will cost him dearly,” Ati said, while claiming that the US president has shown that he is a paper tiger. 

Ati said that the US’s first real sign of its failure in international affairs was Biden’s “humiliating exit” from Afghanistan in 2021. “The US is still a superpower, but not as it was a decade ago,” he opined.

“The balance of power has changed significantly, and for rising powers such as India, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil, all of which are G20 members, there are now new possibilities, and they can establish relations with all forces, not just with the US.”

The Saudi expert claims that the US’s dwindling presence on the world stage has led Gulf States and other Muslim countries to not take Trump’s demands to join the Abraham Accords very seriously.

RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...Podcast 

Here's the podcast of last nights LIVE radio broadcast where RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discussed the latest Iran updates; Putin's nuclear win with Kazakhstan; Newsom’s proposed100% tax on all funds received by California from the DOJ's anti-weaponization fund; and our Q&A 'Off the Cuff' segment.Listen to it on https://rspradio1.podbean.com or on our RSP website at https://rspradio1.com/?page_id=39 

Just a Thought

US and Iran reach ceasefire extension deal pending Trump's final approval

The tentative 60-day pact extends the ceasefire and opens nuclear talks, but still hinges on President Trump's final sign-off

Robert McGreevy , Patrick Ward / Fox News 

U.S. and Iranian negotiators have reached an agreement on a 60-day memorandum of understanding extending the current ceasefire and launching negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, but the deal still needs President Donald Trump's final approval, U.S. sources confirmed to Fox News.

The deal follows weeks of talks threatened by heightened tensions after U.S. engaged in defensive strikes on Iran.

The U.S. first launched "self-defense strikes" in southern Iran on Monday, with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) claiming the U.S. targeted Iranian boats spotted laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM also claimed an Iranian missile had targeted U.S. warplanes. 

The U.S. responded by eliminating both Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) boats spotted laying the mines and a surface-to-air (SAM) missile site in Bandar Abbas, U.S. officials previously told Fox News. 

The U.S. then shot down an array of Iranian drones in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday shortly before Iran launched a ballistic missile strike on U.S. ally Kuwait. Though Kuwaiti forces successfully intercepted the missile, CENTCOM called the launch an "egregious ceasefire violation." Read more, see photos and video here.

Putin lands $16.5B nuclear win on Russia’s doorstep in massive Kazakhstan pact: reports

Rosatom will lead construction of two advanced reactors with an export loan covering roughly 85% of the cost

Emma Bussey / Fox News  

Russia signed a landmark nuclear agreement with Kazakhstan on Thursday to build the Central Asian country’s first-ever commercial power plant, marking a major geopolitical and economic victory for President Vladimir Putin, according to reports.

The $16.5 billion project, signed during high-level bilateral talks in Astana between Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, will be backed by a Russian export loan covering roughly 85% of the total cost, Reuters reported.

Rosatom, Russia’s state-run nuclear corporation, will lead construction near the village of Ulken in southeastern Kazakhstan along the shores of Lake Balkhash.

Rosatom secured the primary construction mandate after beating out competition from China National Nuclear Corp., France’s EDF and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, the outlet said. 

The pact directly advances the Kremlin’s efforts to anchor its economic and geopolitical influence within former Soviet states amid Western sanctions.

According to the World Nuclear Association, Kazakhstan is the world's largest producer of uranium. Read more, see photos and video here.

RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE! 

Today, Friday, May 29th from 7 to 8:00pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss the latest Iran updates; Putin's nuclear win with Kazakhstan; Newsom’s proposed100% tax on all funds received by California from the DOJ's anti-weaponization fund; and our Q&A 'Off the Cuff' segment. Tune in to RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS on https://rspradio1.com Click 'LISTEN LIVE.'