Good morning! Today is Wednesday, May 20th 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. Daniel R. DePetris argues the President's much-touted ceasefires in Ukraine, Gaza, and Lebanon are crumbling, with battlefield exhaustion likely to end these wars long before any White House diplomacy does. As the Iran War ceasefire reaches day 42, President Trump says he called off Tuesday's planned strikes at the urging of Gulf leaders, even as Treasury rolls out fresh sanctions and gas prices climb to $4.53 a gallon. The Senate voted 50 to 47 to advance a War Powers resolution on Iran, with four Republicans crossing over and Bill Cassidy backing such a measure for the first time after losing his primary to a Trump-endorsed challenger. and now for the details. We begin this morning with a sobering assessment of the President's foreign policy record. Despite repeated White House declarations of breakthroughs in Ukraine, Gaza, and Lebanon, the wars Donald Trump claims to have ended are still burning. As Daniel R. DePetris writes for The American Conservative, the ceasefires the White House has rolled out have not actually ceased the fire. In Ukraine, a recent three-day truce was violated almost immediately, with Russia striking Kharkov and Ukrainian officials reporting some 150 battlefield clashes in a single day. The front lines look virtually unchanged from late last year, with Vladimir Putin remaining defiant that nothing short of capturing the Donbas is acceptable. In Gaza, DePetris notes that while the hostages have been released and Israeli tanks have pulled back from the cities, the bombing has not stopped. Seven months into the President's 20-point peace plan, the Israeli military is extending, not decreasing, its control over the 53 percent of Gaza it holds. Hamas refuses to disarm. The interim Palestinian administration has not set foot in the territory. The situation in Lebanon is somewhat better in that Israeli and Lebanese officials are at least talking directly, and the ceasefire was extended another 45 days this month. But Israeli airstrikes continue daily, Hezbollah rocket fire persists, and more than 3,000 people have been killed since the latest war erupted on March 2nd. DePetris concludes that these wars will eventually end, but battlefield realities and mutual exhaustion are likely to deserve as much credit as the President — or more. Staying in the region, the ceasefire in the Iran War has now reached day 42. President Trump announced that he canceled strikes on Iran scheduled for Tuesday at the request of the Emir of Qatar, the Saudi Crown Prince, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, saying serious negotiations are now taking place. As Harrison Berger reports for The American Conservative, Iran has warned it will open new fronts if the United States and Israel resume attacks. Tehran's conditions, according to Reuters, have not changed: sanctions relief, the release of frozen funds, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from areas near Iran, an end to the American naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and a halt to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. Even as those talks continue, the Treasury Department announced new sanctions Tuesday against Iranian currency exchange houses under Secretary Scott Bessent's so-called Operation Economic Fury. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has more than doubled from the prior week. Brent Crude opened at $110 a barrel Tuesday morning, and AAA reports the national average price of regular gasoline at $4.53 a gallon. On Capitol Hill, the Senate voted Tuesday to advance a War Powers resolution that would halt the Iran war unless Congress authorizes further hostilities. The motion to discharge the bill from committee passed 50 to 47, following seven previous failed attempts. As Harrison Berger reports for The American Conservative, Republican Senators Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Democrats in favor. Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman crossed over to vote with most Republicans against the measure. The vote marked the first time Senator Cassidy — who lost his primary to a Trump-endorsed candidate just days ago — supported a war powers resolution. Cassidy said on social media that while he supports efforts to dismantle Iran's nuclear program, the White House and Pentagon have, in his words, left Congress in the dark on Operation Epic Fury. Should the bill clear both chambers, President Trump is expected to veto it, as he did with a similar Yemen war powers resolution in 2019. Those are today's highlights. For the full stories and more, visit theamericanconservative.com. Thank you for starting your morning with us.
