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Retiring senator warns if Trump continues to do ‘stupid things’ it will kill GOP in November

May 24, 2026 2:00pm EDT / Fox News

Tillis listed policies from Trump advisors he opposes, from 50-year mortgages to the anti-weaponization fund

By Alex Miller

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A Senate Republican warned that President Donald Trump’s decisions were “killing our chances” for the GOP holding onto power in the Senate.

It’s another chapter in the ongoing breakdown of the relationship between Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Trump that started last year during Republicans’ push to pass the president’s “big, beautiful bill.”

The latest episode on Friday came after Trump accused Tillis of being a “nitpicker” on Truth Social.

“When I told him that I would not, under any circumstances, endorse him for another run, too much work and drama (he couldn’t have won, anyway!), he immediately quit the race and publicly announced that he was going to ‘retire,’” Trump said.

President Donald Trump accused Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., of being a “nitpicker” on Truth Social.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON $1.8 BILLION ‘SLUSH FUND’ THAT KILLED HIS AGENDA, SPURRED REPUBLICAN REBELLION

“I said, ‘Wow, great news, that was easy!’ The media said how brave he was to take me on, but he wasn’t brave, he was just the opposite – HE WAS A QUITTER,” he continued. “Now he can have all the fun he wants for a few months, with some of his RINO friends, screwing the Republican Party.”

Tillis has not shied away from being critical of the Trump administration since announcing his decision not to run for office again, and he has typically aimed his barbs at the president’s top advisors.

He did so again by blaming Trump’s nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund on U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin, pushing 50-year mortgages and the bipartisan Senate housing package on Housing Director Bill Pulte, the push to acquire private companies with taxpayer dollars on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and the spate of firings of top generals at the Pentagon — and “not holding Putin accountable for his systematic kidnapping, rape, torture, and murder of Ukrainian civilians,” on War Secretary Pete Hegseth.

SENATE GOP ERUPTS OVER TRUMP DOJ ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION’ FUND, PUNTS ICE, BORDER PATROL FUNDING

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6396343287112

“If opposing these things makes me a RINO, then I gladly accept that nickname,” Tillis said on X. “We need Republicans to do well in November, but the stupid stuff is killing our chances!”

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital in a statement that Trump is “the unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party, and he is committed to maintaining Republicans’ majority in Congress to continue delivering wins for the American people.”

REPUBLICANS RECOIL AS TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR DOJ ‘SLUSH FUND’ FOR ALLIES THREATENS ICE, BORDER PATROL PLAN

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News Digital, “The weaponization that happened under the Biden Administration will not happen again, as we restore integrity to our prosecutorial system.”(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“In just over one year, the President has made our country greater than ever before with the most secure border in American history, the largest middle-class tax cuts ever, and the lowest murder rate since 1900,” Wales said. “President Trump will continue to draw a sharp contrast with his commonsense agenda and the radical Democrats in Congress who allowed millions of illegal aliens to flow through the border, unanimously opposed the Working Families Tax Cuts, and are soft-on-crime.”

Still, many of those decisions have given Republicans across the spectrum of the Senate GOP heartburn, and most recently, the “anti-weaponization” fund derailed Congress’ effort to fund immigration operations across the country for the remainder of Trump’s term.

Tillis was one of several Republicans who blasted the fund created by the Department of Justice (DOJ) shortly after its announcement earlier this week and joined in a dogpile against acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday behind closed doors.

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Like several others, Tillis was concerned that the fund could be used by Jan. 6 rioters convicted of assaulting police officers.

“Imagine that,” Tillis said earlier this week. “A fund that is set up to compensate people who assaulted Capitol Police officers and other responding agencies, right? People that had pled guilty to physical acts against the president may actually be able to get compensated. How absurd does that sound coming out of my mouth?”

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

Possible deal on Iran divides US lawmakers largely along party lines

2026-05-24T17:08:58.115Z / Reuters

[1/2]U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) leads a press conference regarding legislation that would block offensive U.S. weapons sales to Israel, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., November 19, 2024. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

May 24 (Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers appearing on Sunday morning talk shows split sharply over a potential deal to end the Iran war, with Republicans mostly backing the publicly reported contours of an agreement ​being negotiated by President Donald Trump and Democrats dismissing it as accomplishing little.

The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here.

• Senator ‌Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the reported outlines of a deal sounded like little more than “the pre-war status quo” with Iran. “I think this was a ​blunder,” Van Hollen said on the “Fox News Sunday” program. “When you’re digging a hole, you ​should stop digging, and that sounds like maybe what we’re doing finally.”

• Representative ⁠Mike Lawler, a New York Republican who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, praised ​Trump’s approach to talks with Iran. “I think on the whole what the administration has been able ​to do for the first time in 47 years is force the remnants of this regime into a negotiation, a real negotiation,” Lawler said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

• Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, said Trump ​was being “played as a fool” in negotiations. “He’s got us in a situation that’s worse than ​it was before, a more extreme regime,” Booker told CNN’s “State of the Union” show. “(The) Strait of Hormuz now ‌is ⁠a leveraging point for them. This weak nation has put America in a stalemate.”

• Republican Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee said any deal will have “strict” terms to ensure that Iran has no path to a nuclear weapon. “I think they’ll be very enforceable,” Hagerty told “Sunday Briefing” on Fox News. “And remember … ​President Trump has used ​military force to ⁠basically annihilate the economic, technological, and military capacity of the Iranian regime. They’re in a fundamentally different place.”

• Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, ​who often criticizes Trump, suggested on CNN’s “State of the Union” that ​the reported details ⁠represent a shift in the administration’s stance. “We were told about 11 weeks ago, by (U.S. Defense Secretary Pete) Hegseth and the Department of Defense, that they had obliterated Iran’s defenses and it was just ⁠a matter ​of time before we had the nuclear material,” Tillis ​said. “Now we’re talking about a posture where we may accept the nuclear material remaining in Iran. How does that make ​sense at all?”

Reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut; Editing by Sergio Non and Deepa Babington

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Republican hawks seem to fear a Trump cut and run from Iran

2026-05-24T18:11:42.898Z / CNN

• Republican hawks are openly concerned that President Donald Trump is about to settle for far less than he promised in a deal to end the Iran war.
• Prominent Republican senators and former Trump officials warn the deal falls short of his initial demands.
• The criticism has grown so intense that Trump advisers are now responding sharply to critics within their own party.

About a month ago, President Donald Trump promised he was far from “anxious” to end the Iran war.

“I have all the time in the World,” Trump maintained on social media, “but Iran doesn’t — The clock is ticking!”

It was a dubious assertion, to say the least. Trump has appeared remarkably reluctant to restart military clashes with Iran, blowing past a series of his own deadlines despite Tehran not complying with his demands. And the political pressure is clearly building on him to find a way out, with the 2026 midterms approaching and the war — and its economic impacts — looking like a growing albatross for Republican candidates.

It took a while, but the GOP’s Iran hawks now appear worried that Trump is indeed too anxious to end the war — and is about to cave.

A procession of them has spoken out over the last two days as we’ve gotten what appear to be the first genuine glimpses of a deal to gradually end the war.

While much remains to be ironed out — and some details are in dispute — recent versions of a memorandum of understanding would end hostilities while gradually reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the US blockade in the area. The deal would include the unfreezing of some Iranian assets, and Tehran would also be allowed to resume selling fuel and oil.

The proposed agreement also includes a commitment by Iran to not pursue a nuclear weapon and to begin negotiations over giving up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

But the specifics that have leaked come up far short of what Trump initially set out for. He at one point said he would accept only “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.” And the administration’s shifting list of four goals has sometimes included completely ending Iran’s support for proxy groups in the Middle East and its nuclear program.

The hawks seem worried Trump is about to settle for far less than that.

They appear increasingly worried he’s going to take assurances from Iran that aren’t worth much, that he’s allowing Tehran to use the strait as leverage in perpetuity, and that he’s abandoning a historic opportunity to truly end the Iranian threat.

It began Friday, with an extraordinary statement from Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker of Mississippi.

Wicker said Trump was “being ill-advised to pursue a deal that would not be worth the paper it is written on.”

(Republicans often treat what they view as bad ideas Trump is pursuing as the work of advisers, rather than the president himself.)

Wicker also said that cutting a deal — rather than resuming military action — “risks a perception of weakness.”

We’d seen some stirrings of discomfort with Trump’s continued emphasis on negotiation from the likes of Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and others who had been influential supporters of the war, but Wicker crystallized it.

And by Saturday, with news breaking that a deal could be afoot, the panic broke out into the open.

Graham said that allowing the precedent that Iran could control the Strait of Hormuz and threaten its neighbors’ oil infrastructure would be “a major shift of the balance of power in the region and over time will be a nightmare for Israel.”

He also said worried that such a deal would empower Iran’s proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas to terrorize the region.

Wicker said the proposed deal would mean that “everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught!”

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said he was “deeply concerned” about what he was hearing and that he “prayed” reports were wrong.

“If the result of all that is to be an Iranian regime — still run by Islamists who chant ‘death to America’ — now receiving billions of dollars, being able to enrich uranium & develop nuclear weapons, and having effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, then that outcome would be a disastrous mistake,” Cruz said.

Commentators like Fox News’ Mark Levin were also uneasy, with Levin responding to an Israeli report that Trump officials are anxious to cut a deal by saying, “Houston, I think there may be a problem.”

Even some key administration officials from Trump’s first term got in on the act.

Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton said Sunday it appeared “the ayatollahs will have won a significant victory.”

Fellow former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who is more of a MAGA adherent, pleaded with Trump on Sunday not to believe Iran. He said that “the regime has blatantly lied to our faces before, why do you now believe they will tell you the truth?”

And former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ripped into the reported contours of the deal, saying it sounded like one that would have been negotiated by the Obama administration officials who forged the Iran nuclear deal that Trump ripped up in his first term.

Pompeo said it amounted to: “Pay the IRGC to build a weapons of mass destruction program and terrorize the world.”

“Not remotely America First,” Pompeo added.

The situation has become troublesome enough that Trump advisers are now lashing out at the critics.

White House spokesman Steven Cheung told Pompeo that he had “no idea what the f**k he’s talking about” and that he should “shut his stupid mouth and leave the real work to the professionals.” And Trump political adviser Alex Bruesewitz told Cruz, “No one asked you, bro. Stop trying to undermine the President and his administration.”

(Cruz shot back that “young political grifters pushing Iran appeasement are not remotely helping the President.”)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is in India, offered a less confrontational version of the same talking point, saying Trump’s commitment to stopping a nuclear Iran “shouldn’t be questioned by anybody.”

Rubio called it “absurd” to think Trump’s deal might leave Iran in a stronger position.

Trump pushed back against criticism of the potential deal Sunday, writing on Truth Social, “Don’t listen to the losers, who are critical about something they know nothing about.”

But it’s abundantly clear that Trump and his negotiators are in a bad spot. They talked about how this war would last around a month, and we’re coming up on three. What’s more, Iran hasn’t demonstrated it’s swayed by Trump’s repeated threats and bluffs.

That has effectively left Trump to either resume striking militarily (which he clearly doesn’t want to do) or to turn this into a war of attrition, where we see who blinks in the face of economic pain caused by the dual gambits in the Strait of Hormuz.

But getting out of this war isn’t easy, either.

While Trump’s base has proved malleable over the years — often going along with whatever he decides — this is the kind of issue that really matters to a significant chunk of his supporters.

Trump began the war by alienating one part of his party — the anti-interventionist wing. But now he’s risking alienating the other side — the foreign policy hawks who thought they suddenly had a committed ally in the White House.

These Iran-hawk Trump allies see this as a real opportunity to end the threat in the region — an opportunity that might not come along again any time soon. They have a vested interest in making sure Trump doesn’t lose his nerve.

And they seem to really fear he is.

This story has been updated with additional information.

以总理内坦亚胡：与特朗普一致认为须消除伊朗核威胁

2026年5月24日 23:30 / 联合早报

以色列总理内坦亚胡说，需要拆除伊朗的核浓缩设施，并将浓缩核材料从伊朗领土上移除。 （路透社档案照片）

以色列总理内坦亚胡说，他与美国总统特朗普一致认为，任何与伊朗达成的最终协议都必须消除德黑兰构成的核威胁。

路透社报道，内坦亚胡星期天（5月24日）在社媒Telegram上发文说，这将需要拆除伊朗的核浓缩设施，并将浓缩核材料从伊朗领土上移除。

他也说，特朗普重申了以色列有权在所有战线上自卫，包括在黎巴嫩的威胁。

枪手白宫附近开火遭击毙 特朗普无恙

2026年5月24日 20:02 / 联合早报

白宫北草坪响起数十响枪声，正在进行拍摄的好几名记者仓皇逃跑，被令集中到新闻发布室避难。 （彭博社）

（华盛顿综合电）美国白宫附近发生枪击案，独行枪手与特勤局人员驳火后被枪击受伤，送院后不治身亡。事发时总统特朗普人在白宫内，安然无恙。

特勤局通讯主管古列尔米发声明指出，当地时间星期六（5月23日）傍晚刚过6时（新加坡时间24日上午6时），一名男子在白宫附近第17街和宾夕法尼亚大道交汇处的检查站，“从包里掏出一把枪开始扫射”。特勤局人员随即还击，枪手中弹，送院后宣告死亡。

古列尔米说，驳火过程中有个路人被子弹击中，他并未透露伤者伤势如何，目前也仍不清楚伤者是遭谁开枪击中。

声明也说，没有特勤局特工在这起事件中受伤。

美国媒体确认枪手21岁 有精神状况病史

古列尔米说，特朗普当时在白宫内，未受枪击事件影响。

特朗普星期天凌晨在社交媒体上发文说：“感谢我们伟大的特勤局和执法部门，今晚对白宫附近的枪手采取了迅速而专业的行动。这名枪手有暴力前科，可能对我们国家最珍贵的建筑怀有某种执念。”

多家美国媒体确认，枪手是21岁的马里兰州居民贝斯特（Nasire Best）。报道称贝斯特有精神状况病史，并多次与特勤局人员有过接触。

法庭记录显示，他曾于2025年7月在白宫附近，因擅闯行人检查站的限制区域而被捕。同年6月，他因阻碍车辆进入白宫建筑群而被警方强制拘留进行精神状况评估。

现场连起数十声枪响 记者紧急疏散集中新闻发布室

周六的枪击事件后，警方和安保人员迅速赶到现场，封锁了白宫周边的道路。

美国特勤局人员事发后在白宫外严加戒备。（路透社）

事发时，美国广播公司（ABC）新闻记者王思琳（Selina Wang）正在白宫附近为社交媒体摄制视频。现场拍摄到的画面捕捉到连串枪声突然响起，只见她一脸错愕当下立刻扑倒在地趴着寻找掩护。王思琳事后在社媒平台X叙述：“那听起来像是好几十声枪响。”

当时白宫北草坪上也有好些记者正在工作，全被令跑到白宫内的新闻发布室躲避，在里头待了足足30分钟。

枪击事件发生后，正好在白宫外草坪上拍摄采访的记者全紧急撤离被令集中在白宫内的新闻发布室长达30分钟，记者透过窗口继续拍摄现场状况。（路透社）

正好在附近的加拿大游客阿德里安形容：“我们听到多达20到25次声响，听起来像燃放烟花，实际上却是枪声，大家都开始仓皇逃命。”

特朗普两年来曾三次成暗杀目标

特朗普曾三次成为暗杀目标。最近一次是4月25日，华盛顿希尔顿酒店正举行白宫记者协会晚宴，一名男子持枪闯过安检处开枪，特朗普紧急撤离，枪手当场被捕。

2024年7月，特朗普在宾夕法尼亚州巴特勒市的竞选集会上成为袭击目标，耳朵被子弹擦伤。几个月后，另一名持枪男子在特朗普打球的西棕榈滩高尔夫球场被捕。

特朗普曾说，他大兴土木在白宫建造宴会厅是出于安全考虑，宴会厅不止可御防无人机，地底还将建造六层深的军事设施，包括军医院。为了建造宴会厅，白宫东翼已拆除。工程造价估计达4亿美元（约5亿新元）。

枪手白宫附近开火遭击毙 特朗普无恙

2026年5月24日 20:02 / 联合早报

白宫北草坪响起数十响枪声，正在进行拍摄的好几名记者仓皇逃跑，被令集中到新闻发布室避难。 （彭博社）

（华盛顿综合电）美国白宫附近发生枪击案，独行枪手与特勤局人员驳火后被枪击受伤，送院后不治身亡。事发时总统特朗普人在白宫内，安然无恙。

特勤局通讯主管古列尔米发声明指出，当地时间星期六（5月23日）傍晚刚过6时（新加坡时间24日上午6时），一名男子在白宫附近第17街和宾夕法尼亚大道交汇处的检查站，“从包里掏出一把枪开始扫射”。特勤局人员随即还击，枪手中弹，送院后宣告死亡。

古列尔米说，驳火过程中有个路人被子弹击中，他并未透露伤者伤势如何，目前也仍不清楚伤者是遭谁开枪击中。

声明也说，没有特勤局特工在这起事件中受伤。

美国媒体确认枪手21岁 有精神状况病史

古列尔米说，特朗普当时在白宫内，未受枪击事件影响。

特朗普星期天凌晨在社交媒体上发文说：“感谢我们伟大的特勤局和执法部门，今晚对白宫附近的枪手采取了迅速而专业的行动。这名枪手有暴力前科，可能对我们国家最珍贵的建筑怀有某种执念。”

多家美国媒体确认，枪手是21岁的马里兰州居民贝斯特（Nasire Best）。报道称贝斯特有精神状况病史，并多次与特勤局人员有过接触。

法庭记录显示，他曾于2025年7月在白宫附近，因擅闯行人检查站的限制区域而被捕。同年6月，他因阻碍车辆进入白宫建筑群而被警方强制拘留进行精神状况评估。

现场连起数十声枪响 记者紧急疏散集中新闻发布室

周六的枪击事件后，警方和安保人员迅速赶到现场，封锁了白宫周边的道路。

美国特勤局人员事发后在白宫外严加戒备。（路透社）

事发时，美国广播公司（ABC）新闻记者王思琳（Selina Wang）正在白宫附近为社交媒体摄制视频。现场拍摄到的画面捕捉到连串枪声突然响起，只见她一脸错愕当下立刻扑倒在地趴着寻找掩护。王思琳事后在社媒平台X叙述：“那听起来像是好几十声枪响。”

当时白宫北草坪上也有好些记者正在工作，全被令跑到白宫内的新闻发布室躲避，在里头待了足足30分钟。

枪击事件发生后，正好在白宫外草坪上拍摄采访的记者全紧急撤离被令集中在白宫内的新闻发布室长达30分钟，记者透过窗口继续拍摄现场状况。（路透社）

正好在附近的加拿大游客阿德里安形容：“我们听到多达20到25次声响，听起来像燃放烟花，实际上却是枪声，大家都开始仓皇逃命。”

特朗普两年来曾三次成暗杀目标

特朗普曾三次成为暗杀目标。最近一次是4月25日，华盛顿希尔顿酒店正举行白宫记者协会晚宴，一名男子持枪闯过安检处开枪，特朗普紧急撤离，枪手当场被捕。

2024年7月，特朗普在宾夕法尼亚州巴特勒市的竞选集会上成为袭击目标，耳朵被子弹擦伤。几个月后，另一名持枪男子在特朗普打球的西棕榈滩高尔夫球场被捕。

特朗普曾说，他大兴土木在白宫建造宴会厅是出于安全考虑，宴会厅不止可御防无人机，地底还将建造六层深的军事设施，包括军医院。为了建造宴会厅，白宫东翼已拆除。工程造价估计达4亿美元（约5亿新元）。

Recipe: Lavender and lemon poppy seed cake from “Cake Picnic” by Elisa Sunga

Updated on: May 24, 2026 / 11:47 AM EDT / CBS News

Elisa Sunga, founder of Cake Picnic, has seen thousands of baked creations at her multi-city gatherings. She published a new cookbook, “Cake Picnic: Recipes for the Love of Cake & Friends,” that’s part recipes and part how-to guide on hosting your own cake picnic.

She shares a recipe for lavender and lemon poppy seed cake from her book.

*

Excerpted from: “Cake Picnic: Recipes for the Love of Cake & Friends”

Chronicle Books

Lavender & Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

A while back I finally made my way to a lavender field outside of London. When I got off the bus, I immediately smelled the floral scent in the air. It felt like I was being hugged by the nature around me. Whenever I bake with lavender, I revisit that field in my mind. For this cake, I highly recommend using food-grade lavender extract for both ease and true lavender flavor. This cake pairs classic lemon poppy seed with a trip to the lavender field. Come with me.

Makes one two-layer 9 in [23 cm] cake

LEMON POPPY SEED YOGURT CAKE

1¼ cups [250 g] granulated sugar

3 Tbsp lemon zest

1½ cups [340 g] vanilla yogurt, at room temperature

2⁄ 3 cup [132 g] neutral oil

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp kosher salt

2 1⁄ 3 cups [280 g] all-purpose flour

¼ cup [28 g] cornstarch

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp poppy seeds

LAVENDER SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

1½ cups [300 g] granulated sugar

6 egg whites

2 cups [452 g] unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1 in [2.5 cm] pieces

1 tsp table salt

½ to 2 tsp lavender extract, to taste

1 or 2 drops purple food coloring (optional)

DECORATIONS

Candied lavender, fresh lavender sprigs, lemon slices, candied lemons, piped buttercream swirls, flower petals, or sprinkles (optional)

TO MAKE THE LEMON POPPY SEED YOGURT CAKE: Preheat the oven to 325°F [165°C]. Grease and line two 9 in [23 cm] round cake pans with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar to release the oils. Add in the yogurt, oil, eggs, and salt. Whisk until smooth.

Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda over the mixture. Add the poppy seeds. Using a spatula, gently fold the ingredients together for a few turns. Do not overmix; some streaks of flour are fine.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared baking pans and use an offset spatula to smooth the tops. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack. Let the cakes cool in the pans to room temperature before running a butter knife inside the rim of the pans and inverting the cakes onto the rack.

TO MAKE THE LAVENDER SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM: Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar and egg whites. Place the bowl over the simmering water, ensuring the bottom does not touch the water, and whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches 160°F [70°C]. To test, rub a small amount between your fingers—it should feel completely smooth.

Remove the bowl from the heat and attach it to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes. With the mixer on low, gradually add the butter, one piece at a time. The mixture may look curdled at first, but it will come together. Once all the butter is incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl, increase the speed to high, and whip for another 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment, add the table salt, lavender extract, and food coloring (if using), and beat on medium for another 10 minutes. The buttercream should be light, airy, and doubled in volume.

TO ASSEMBLE AND DECORATE THE CAKE: Place the first cake layer on a cake board or serving plate, securing it with a small dab of lavender Swiss meringue buttercream directly on the board. Using an offset spatula, spread about ½ cup [114 g] of the buttercream over the surface. If a thicker layer of frosting is desired, add more.

Place the second cake layer on top, aligning it carefully, flat side up for a smooth surface. Apply a thin crumb coat of buttercream over the entire cake to seal in crumbs, using an offset spatula to smooth it evenly. Chill the cake for 20 minutes to set the crumb coat.

Once set, use the remaining buttercream to frost the top and sides of the cake, smoothing it evenly or creating textured patterns with a spatula. Decorate as desired. Remove nonedible decorations before serving.

Lavender & Lemon Poppy Seed Cake Andria Lo

Excerpted from Cake Picnic: Recipes for the Love of Cake & Friends by Elisa Sunga. Published by Chronicle Books. Copyright © 2026 by Elisa Sunga.

伊朗总统佩泽希齐扬：德黑兰并不寻求发展核武器

2026年5月24日 20:10 / 联合早报

伊朗总统佩泽希齐扬说：“我们准备向世界保证，我们不寻求发展核武器。” （路透社档案照片）

伊朗总统佩泽希齐扬说，德黑兰并不寻求发展核武器。

半岛电视台报道，佩泽希齐扬星期天（5月24日）说：“我们准备向世界保证，我们不寻求发展核武器。”

不过，他强调，在国家“荣誉和尊严”问题上，德黑兰的谈判团队“绝不妥协”。

另据塔斯尼姆通讯社当天早些时候报道，佩泽希齐扬说，未经最高领袖穆杰塔巴的许可，伊朗不会就美伊协议做出任何决定。

他说：“任何导致社会分裂的声明、分析或立场，实际上都是在为敌人造成的破坏火上浇油。”

他也说：“任何国家决策都必须经过最高国家安全委员会的批准，并获得最高领袖的许可。国家治理需要统一的决策和全体人民的服从。”

伊朗总统佩泽希齐扬：德黑兰并不寻求发展核武器

2026年5月24日 20:10 / 联合早报

伊朗总统佩泽希齐扬说：“我们准备向世界保证，我们不寻求发展核武器。” （路透社档案照片）

伊朗总统佩泽希齐扬说，德黑兰并不寻求发展核武器。

半岛电视台报道，佩泽希齐扬星期天（5月24日）说：“我们准备向世界保证，我们不寻求发展核武器。”

不过，他强调，在国家“荣誉和尊严”问题上，德黑兰的谈判团队“绝不妥协”。

另据塔斯尼姆通讯社当天早些时候报道，佩泽希齐扬说，未经最高领袖穆杰塔巴的许可，伊朗不会就美伊协议做出任何决定。

他说：“任何导致社会分裂的声明、分析或立场，实际上都是在为敌人造成的破坏火上浇油。”

美伊可能达成协议 包括30天完全解除海上封锁
美伊临时协议呼之欲出 传将宣布延长停火60天

他也说：“任何国家决策都必须经过最高国家安全委员会的批准，并获得最高领袖的许可。国家治理需要统一的决策和全体人民的服从。”

Celebrating the most prestigious, and the junkers, of the automobile world

May 24, 2026 / 10:41 AM EDT / CBS News

On the central coast of California, car enthusiasts can marvel at the most prestigious and the junkers of the automobile world, all in one weekend.

No place celebrates the elegance of the automobile quite like the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Like bubbles in champagne, these vehicles have risen to the top as some of the most exclusive and valuable collector cars in the world.

This invite-only event is chaired by Sandra Button, who exudes a very serious air about it all — for good reason. Button said for some, owning one of these cars is “like owning an art form.”

“As more and more time goes by, as caretakers, it’s important that we keep them authentic. That we’re really here for the cars,” Button said.

But just up the road from the perfect green carpet of the 18th fairway in Monterey, on the not-so-manicured laws of the Seaside City Hall, is another event that’s gained popularity.

The Concours d’Lemons is a more corndog than caviar event that’s an ode to the less desirable, less loved and less expensive driveway dwellers.

Alan Galbraith stitched together this monstrosity in 2009. He calls himself the “head gasket of the Concours d’Lemons.” Like Concours d’Elegance, it’s an annual celebration of cars where the vehicles ooze with mediocrity instead of pedigree.

“We kind of figured if there’s a top, there needs to be, you know, rock bottom, and that’s what we do,” Galbraith said.

The car categories say it all. There’s the Swedish Meatball class, the Soul Sucking Japanese Appliance class, and the award for Rust Belt American Junk.

Will Hughes was dressed just as questionably as his award-winning entry — a 1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass — the “gutless” as he calls it.

“It started out from the factory with 75 horsepower. Now it’s 50. Sounds like you hit a dog when you get up to 50 miles per hour,” Hughes said.

Galbraith means no disrespect in holding the annual event. It’s just the opposite.

“A lot of people, they’ll see a VW Bug and, you know, you can come up with the story of, ‘Ah, me and six of my idiot buddies went to a concert. We all crammed in that car and went there,’” Galbraith said. “Not everybody has that story about a Duesenberg or a Ferrari, right? So there’s a little bit more of a connection with some of these cars.”

There’s no Best of Show here – only Worst of Show. This year, Chris Wollard took home the top prize for entering what can only be described as an unidentified driving object. Past winners have included a double-ended Honda and a fur-covered Lincoln Continental named Buttercup.

When asked what it’s like to drive his car, Wollard replied, “It’s terrifying. It was a terrible idea. But it looks cool.”

As the silly-stringed festivities were coming to an end, Galbraith began shifting gears for the job he’d start the following morning. For all the love he has for Ford Pintos and AMC Pacers at the Concours d’Lemons, he respects the Bugattis and Bentleys at the Concours d’Elegance. In fact, he’s a respected lead docent there.

“He’s such a trickster and it was just so fun to think on this weekend when Pebble Beach is so serious that somebody was having a little poke at us and having some fun and kind of taking the seriousness out of all of it,” Button said.

From the rare to the rotten, Americans’ love affair with the automobile is a bit promiscuous. Enthusiasts will stop and look at just about anything with a motor.

“If you’re laughing, smiling, having a good time, a little bit of levity into what can be a fairly serious thing. If you’re having fun, I’ve done my job,” Galbraith said.