Today in one sentence: Israel’s Communications Ministry confiscated camera and broadcasting equipment from the Associated Press; Trump’s campaign adopted Nazi rhetoric in a social media post that referred to “the creation of a unified Reich” if he becomes president again; Trump’s defense team rested its case without calling him to testify; and the U.S. said Russia "likely" launched a counterspace weapon capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit last week.

1/ Israel’s Communications Ministry confiscated camera and broadcasting equipment from the Associated Press, claiming the news agency had violated a new broadcasting law for providing a live feed of Gaza to Al Jazeera. The Associated Press said the seizure was “not based on the content of the feed but rather an abusive use by the Israeli government of the country’s new foreign broadcaster law.” Following swift condemnation from the Biden administration and journalism organizations, Israeli officials said the equipment would be returned. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also denounced the decision to seize press equipment, calling it “an act of madness.” Lapid added: “This government acts as if it has decided to make sure at any cost that Israel will be shunned all over the world. They went crazy.” Earlier this month, Israel shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in the country, accusing the Qatari-based news network of harming Israel’s security and inciting violence against its soldiers. (Associated Press / CNN / Axios / Washington Post / New York Times)

2/ Trump’s campaign adopted Nazi rhetoric in a social media post that referred to “the creation of a unified Reich” if he becomes president again. In a 30-second video posted to Trump’s personal social media platform, a narrator discusses “what’s next for America” if Trump wins again while a series of hypothetical headlines flash across the screen, including “BORDER IS CLOSED — 15 MILLION ILLEGAL ALIENS DEPORTED,” “ECONOMY BOOMS,” and “INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED BY THE CREATION OF A UNIFIED REICH.” The term “reich” is associated with Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler, who designated his Nazi regime as the “Third Reich.” The White House denounced the post, calling it “dangerous and offensive” and that it’s “abhorrent, sickening, and disgraceful for anyone to promote content associated with Germany’s Nazi government under Adolf Hitler.” Trump’s campaign responded, calling Biden “the real extremist” and that “this was not a campaign video, it was created by a random account online and reposted by a staffer who clearly did not see the word, while the President was in court” facing 34 felony counts of election interference. (Politico / New York Times / NBC News / NPR / ABC News / Associated Press / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Axios)

  • 🤔 A Hidden Variable in the Presidential Race: Fears of ‘Trump Forever.’ “Undecided voters are concerned that if Donald Trump returns to the White House, he’ll never leave.” (Bloomberg)

  • 🤔 Imprisoned ex-Trump aide Peter Navarro predicts Fed Chair’s ouster and ‘mass deportations’ in a second presidential term. “Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell would be gone in the first 100 days of a second Donald Trump term that would also include mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and more tariffs on Chinese goods, former White House economic adviser Peter Navarro told Semafor from the federal prison where he is serving a four-month sentence for refusing to cooperate with a congressional probe into the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol.” (Semafor)

3/ Trump’s defense team rested its case without calling him to testify. With testimony concluded, closing arguments and then jury deliberations are scheduled for after Memorial Day weekend. Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels as part of an illegal effort to influence the 2016 presidential election. (Associated Press / Washington Post / NPR / New York Times / NBC News)

4/ The U.S. said Russia “likely” launched a counterspace weapon capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit last week. In a May 20 speech at the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood said “Russia deployed this new counterspace weapon into the same orbit as a U.S. government satellite” and “follows prior Russian satellite launches likely of counterspace systems to low Earth orbit in 2019 and 2022.” The briefing follows reporting in February about Russia wanting to put a nuclear weapon into space. (CNN / Associated Press)

Five years ago today: Day 852: Demands.
Six years ago today: Day 487: Walking into a trap.