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Today in Politics, Bulletin 354. 4/21/26

… Iran refused to participate in the second round of peace talks scheduled for today in Pakistan by the US. Iran never agreed to accept the invitation, and stated repeatedly that they would not participate until the US naval blockage of the Strait of Hormuz was lifted. The Trump admin issued a statement saying that the talks were “paused indefinitely.” … JD Vance, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff planned to fly to Pakistan from Miami this morning while Trump continued to issue threats to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges. But when Trump’s threatens couldn’t coax Iran to the bargaining table, Vance’s plane was redirected to Washington, DC. The ceasefire that Trump extended for 14 days expired tonight. … Journalist Adam Cochran: “Vance, Witkoff and Kushner were all set to depart for Islamabad. At around 11AM we had a market sell off. We later find out Trump is hosting an ‘emergency meeting’ at the WH, where Vance’s motorcade was seen. And the plane carrying Witkoff and Kushner departing Miami, is now en route to Washington instead of Islamabad. Something fell apart.” … Then Trump issued a statement that he was backing down yet again from his most recent extension of his latest deadline: “Based on the fact that the Govt of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and PM Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.” … “I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other.” … Reuters: Advisor to Iran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Trump's ceasefire extension is a "ploy to buy time" for a surprise strike. … I’m sure Trump has put the US in a very strong bargaining position by issuing two ultimatums with hard deadlines only to back down both times after Iran called his bluff. Iran even said that they didn’t ask Trump to extend his ceasefire. 4-D chess from the MAGA cult leader. But it is TACO Tuesday! … Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi: “Blockading Iranian ports is an act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire. Striking a commercial vessel and taking its crew hostage is an even greater violation. Iran knows how to neutralize restrictions, how to defend its interests, and how to resist bullying.” … Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei on why they refused to show up for the talks: “The reason stems from contradictory messages, conflicting behaviors, and unacceptable actions from the American side.” … Ray Zimmt, director of the Intl Center for Strategic Studies specializing in Iran: “As I understand it, there is no issue here of an Iranian attempt to stall for time. This is not a negotiation where time can be dragged out. The expiration date of the ceasefire is well known to everyone. There is a substantive and clear position here from the leadership in Tehran, led by the Revolutionary Guards: there will be no negotiations if the Americans do not compromise on the issue of the naval blockade.” … “This does not necessarily mean that they want to return to fighting, but it seems they are also not afraid of it. They are also well aware of the accumulating economic damage resulting from the continuation of the naval blockade, yet they still assess that Iran has the ability to bear the economic price for at least several months, while the other side (the US, the global economy, Gulf states) has the ability to hold out for only a few more weeks.” … “The implication is that at this stage, it seems the chance of resuming talks depends to a large extent on the Americans' willingness to at least ease the naval blockade (even if not officially) in exchange for resuming the talks, which will probably require, nevertheless, an extension of the ceasefire by at least a few more days.” … Middle East expert Danny Citrinowitz: The events of the past 24 hours highlight the strategic impass the US has placed itself in. While Washington retains the ability to escalate militarily in the near term, the key question is what such escalation would actually achieve, beside significant disruption to the global economy.” … “At the same time, the admin’s approach has tightened the naval blockade to a degree that leaves Iran with limited room to maneuver domestically, making it politically difficult for Tehran to engage in negotiations. As a result, the US is left with two unfavorable options: ease pressure to enable diplomacy on terms it prefers, or escalate into a broader confrontation that is unlikely to force Iranian capitulation but will almost certainly exacerbate global energy instability.” … CNN: “Some Trump officials privately acknowledge that the president’s public commentary has been detrimental to talks, noting the sensitivity of the negotiations and the Iranians’ deep mistrust of the US. That was especially true on Friday, when the Pakistanis were in Tehran for talks with the Iranians.” … “As the meeting played out, Trump took to Truth Social and spoke with several reporters, claiming Iran had agreed to a host of provisions that sources familiar with the talks said had not yet been finalized. He also asserted that Tehran had agreed to many of the most contentious US demands and declared an imminent end to the war.” … Source familiar with the talks: “The Iranians didn’t appreciate POTUS negotiating through social media and making it appear as if they had signed off on issues they hadn’t yet agreed to, and ones that aren’t popular with their people back home.” … Kobeissi Letter: BREAKING: Brent crude oil prices surge above $100/barrel as US-Iran peace talks are paused. … Tucker Carlson did a podcast with his brother Buckley yesterday where they apologized for supporting Trump: “You wrote speeches for him, I campaigned for him. I mean, we’re implicated in this, for sure. It’s not enough to say, ‘Well I changed my mind,’ or like, ‘Oh this is bad, I’m out.’ It’s like in very small ways, but in real ways, you and me and millions of people like us are the reason this is happening right now.” … Buckley agreed with his brother on that point. Then Tucker continued: “So I do think it’s like a moment to wrestle with our own consciences. You know, we’ll be tormented by it for a long time. I will be. And I want to say I’m sorry for misleading people, and it was not intentional. That’s all I’ll say.” … A new Reuters/Ipsos poll has Trump’s approval at 36% with 62% disapproval, his lowest ever approval in that poll for either term. … Time: “Republicans are now panicking about Ohio. The clearest sign came earlier this month when the Senate Leadership Fund, the outside political operation with close ties to John Thune, released its spending plan. Of a massive $342 million the group plans to spend to keep Thune in that role in 2027, the biggest amount - $79 million - is going to Ohio.” … Senate Democrats’ super PAC spokesperson Lauren French: “This announcement is a sign Republicans are nervous, plain and simple. Their battleground map has increased substantially, and we’re seeing the tell-tale signs of weakness with bad candidates, uninspiring messaging, and an approval rating in the pits.” … “Despite the Brink’s truck of cash backed up to the Husted campaign’s loading dock, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted the race away from the ‘Lean Republican’ status and into a true ‘Toss Up’ category last week. (At the same time, Cook moved NC and GA to ‘Lean Democrat’ from ‘Toss Up,’ and Nebraska slid from ‘Solid Republican’ to ‘Likely Republican.’ All signal trouble for GOP candidates.)” … Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) on Dems retaking the senate: “With subpoena power, Hegseth will have to come and testify under oath about reports that his stockbroker was calling around trying to buy him defense stocks just days before the Iran war broke out. Kushner will have to testify under oath about the billions of dollars of business he was trying to do in the Middle East while he engaged in diplomacy in the region.” … A new poll in the IA governor’s race shows Democrat Rob Sand widening his lead over Republican Randy Feenstra 51-39%. The poll also shows either Democratic candidate for senate in Iowa in a dead heat with Republican Ashley Hinson. … Conservative Iowa talk-show host Steve Deace: “This tells you nominating Randy Feenstra could basically cost us the entire state. I’m sure Randy would be fine as governor at maintaining our successes here. But he is the absolute worst statewide establishment candidate I’ve ever seen in Iowa from either party. … RFK Jr. had contentious hearings in the House and Senate budget committees today - this time on the new HHS budget proposal. His hands were shaking throughout much of his testimony as he was grilled by Democrats on the committees: Rep. Ruiz: “Bloomberg reports that Trump and the WH have benched you because you're making the president look bad. RFK Jr: That's not true. Ruiz: I think the reporting is correct. You're making the president look bad. You talked publicly about snorting cocaine off a toilet bowl seat. Your words, not mine.” Rep. Carter: “I really wish you’d spend more time thinking about the American people, less time talking about whale heads, bear heads, and raccoon parts. RFK Jr: I don’t talk about any of those things!” RFK Jr: “There's no cut in Medicaid. Rep. Landsman: Just do the math with me, then that means that they added $3.5 trillion to the deficit. You've got to find $1 trillion. You either added $1 trillion to the deficit or you cut Medicaid by $1 trillion.” Sen. Baldwin: “Do you think NIH should fund less cancer research? RFK Jr: No, they should fund more, and one of the few agencies that got a raise in the budget proposal was NCI. Baldwin: And that increase is less than $1 million for an institute with a $7 billion budget. That's a .01% increase. It wouldn't even cover the cost of one additional grant.” Rep. Auchincloss: “Now, let’s just understand why the president might have bent over to do the bidding of Joe Rogan. He has a disastrous war in Iran that has led even his most committed supporters in his base, like Rogan, to question his competence. And in order to appease Rogan’s ire, he grants FDA approval. RFK Jr.: Do you want to grandstand, or do you want an answer? Auchincloss: I want safety and efficacy to be the standards by which psychedelics are approved, not the president’s attempt to shore up support from his base for a disastrous war in Iran. This should not be Rogan’s decision.” Sen. Murray: “What happened to childcare in this budget? RFK Jr: Ok, let’s talk about childcare then instead of the war. Murray: Just so it’s clear, the president is requesting $1.5 trillion in defense which cuts our non-defense incredibly. RFK Jr: It’s not my department.” AOC: “We know they’re lying through even their mechanisms. They are upcoding—they are telling us, the public, the govt, Medicare, our systems—that people are sicker than they are so that they can get more money. They’re lowering their reimbursement rates. They’re increasing denials. So we know that these folks are lying. We know that they’re bad actors. And if I’m hearing you correctly, we are giving them more money because they’re saying that they need it? … Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) to Meidas: Q - “Is Kash Patel’s drinking a national security concern? McGovern: Even before I heard he drank, he was a national security concern.” Another very busy day with multiple congressional hearings going on while we waited to see if Iran was going to Pakistan, watched what Vance was doing, then waited for Trump’s reaction to Iran’s refusal to show up. Reminder that there is no Bulletin tomorrow because I do my weekly podcast Uncovered where I take a deep dive into the top stores happening right now. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here. Thank you to all who read, share and subscribe. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. … Trump went on CNBC’s Squawk Box for 40 minutes this morning. Trump-supporting host Joe Kernan let him lie with zero pushback as usual: Kernan: “By the time Biden left office, inflation was down to about 3%-- TRUMP: No it wasn't. It was down to 5%. And the reason it was down was because I had won the election and it started falling after I won the election and I started getting prices down from right after Nov 5.” … Inflation was 2.6% in October 2024 - the month before the election. It was 3.0% when Trump took office in January 2025. Q: "So to be clear, you're saying you need at least the prospects for a signed deal or else you would resume bombing Iran? Trump: Well, I expect to be bombing because I Read more

Apr 21, 202612 votes

Today in Politics, Bulletin 354. 4/21/26

Apr 21, 202622 votes

Today in Politics, Bulletin 351. 4/17/26

… Trump made 13 posts in an hour today on Truth Social claiming total victory in the Iran War with the concepts of a peace agreement allegedly imminent. However, as with all things Trump, the reality and details never seem to match up with his claims. It appears that may be the case yet again. … These were some of Trump’s claims from his blizzard of manic posts: “Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again. It will no longer be used as a weapon against the World! “A GREAT AND BRILLIANT DAY FOR THE WORLD! DJT” “Now that the Hormuz Strait situation is over, I received a call from NATO asking if we would need some help. I TOLD THEM TO STAY AWAY, UNLESS THEY JUST WANT TO LOAD UP THEIR SHIPS WITH OIL. They were useless when needed, a Paper Tiger! “Again! This deal is not tied, in any way, to Lebanon, but we will, MAKE LEBANON GREAT AGAIN!” “Iran, with the help of the U.S.A., has removed, or is removing, all sea mines! Thank you!” “Thank you to Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar for your great bravery and help!” “The U.S.A. will get all Nuclear “Dust,” created by our great B2 Bombers - No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form. This deal is in no way subject to Lebanon, either, but the USA will, separately, work with Lebanon, and deal with the Hezboolah situation in an appropriate manner. Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!” “The Failing New York Times, FAKE NEWS CNN, and others, just don’t know what to do. They are desperately looking for a reason to criticize President Donald J. Trump on the Iran situation, but just can’t find it. Why don’t they just say, at the right time, JOB WELL DONE, MR. PRESIDENT, and start to gain back their credibility???” … Reuters: “Significant differences between Iran and the US remain to reach a deal aimed at ending the war, a senior Iranian official told Reuters, adding that keeping the Strait of Hormuz open is ‘conditional on US adherence to the terms of ceasefire’. The official said ‘no agreement has been reached on the details of the nuclear issues,’ and serious negotiations are required to overcome differences.” … Middle East analyst Shaiel Ben-Ephraim: “The deal shaping up to end the war in Iran has the following components: Iran officially declared the waterway "completely open" today for all commercial vessels for the remainder of the ceasefire. Iran plans to levy a toll there. The US opposes that. Unless they can get a cut of course. The US is reportedly weighing the release of $20 billion in Iranian assets held in foreign accounts to be used for humanitarian purposes. This is a significant increase from the initial $6 billion offer, following Iran’s demand for $27 billion. Trump stated that Iran has agreed to hand over its entire stockpile of nearly 2,000 kilograms of enriched uranium, which he refers to as "nuclear dust". Trump is referring to Iran's estimated 2,000 kilos of enriched uranium. Of this, 440–450 kilos is highly enriched to 60% purity, a short technical step from weapons-grade. Both sides are debating a "voluntary" pause on uranium enrichment. The US is pushing for a 20-year moratorium, while Iran has offered only 5 years. The US demands all material be shipped to the US. Iran has only agreed to "down-blend" it domestically. A compromise involves shipping some to a third country, likely Russia, and down-blending the rest under international monitoring. The draft memorandum requires all future nuclear operations to be moved above ground, leaving current underground facilities like Fordow and Natanz out of commission. Iran demanded a ceasefire in Lebanon and that was forced on Israel for ten days. However, Israel will not withdraw and continues to harbor plans to dismantle Lebanon. … “This grand bargain serves Iranian and US interests in de-escalation. Overall it serves Iranian interests more, as it gives them money they did not have access to before and does not involve conditions regarding their ballistic missiles and leaves the current regime intact. The main threat to this deal, needless to say, is Israel. It has no interest in maintaining a ceasefire in Lebanon and a very strong interest in destroying this fragile deal.” … Axios: A US official clarifies Trump's Lebanon comments: “The President’s ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel clearly states that Israel will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets but preserves its right to self-defense against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks." … “Trump shocked Netanyahu with post declaring Lebanon strikes ‘prohibited’. Israel asked the WH for clarifications, sources say.” … Former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos: “Trump humiliates his best buds. This is political suicide for any Israeli PM, to adhere to this. I don’t care who it is. The idea of not being able to take action on your borders is untenable. Bibi of course deserves this humiliation, as he has been on his knees to Trump for perpetuity.” … News18 (India): “Iran has pushed back against Trump’s claim that Tehran has agreed to hand over its stockpile of enriched uranium, with sources saying no such arrangement has been negotiated so far. A source close to Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said ‘no form of nuclear material transfer to America has been negotiated,’ directly contradicting Trump’s assertion.” … Tasnim states that Iran has reportedly set 3 conditions for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz: Only commercial ships allowed, no military vessels; cargo must not be linked to “hostile” states. Transit must follow routes designated by Iran. Passage requires coordination with the IRGC Navy. … Middle East analyst and former Israeli intelligence officer Danny Citrinowicz: “I’m concerned that, in this round, Iran came out with the upper hand. It demonstrated not only its ability to threaten the Strait of Hormuz, which it effectively controls, but also its willingness to keep it closed until conditions aligned with its interests, while refusing to yield to US demands.” … “The takeaway from this episode is clear: Iran not only holds leverage over the strait, but any future arrangement with Tehran will have to be credibly enforced. Otherwise, the ‘Hormuz card’ can and likely will be played again. Iran is not entering the next round from a position of weakness. … “From Tehran’s perspective, it may have made tactical concessions, since it is clear that even any closure of the strait in the coming weeks, given the volume of tanker traffic, would inflict significant pain on global markets. But strategically it reinforced its core message: it sets the terms in this arena and will not accept dictates from outside powers. And if Israel were to violate the ceasefire, the strait would likely be closed again.” … “This development should serve as a reminder to the admin that this is not a simple winner-takes-all outcome. From Iran’s perspective, this is a negotiation, one it enters from a position of strength. It’s really become the ‘Strait of Iran’. Iran holds the key to the strait, and that reality does not appear likely to change anytime soon. Developments over the past 24 hours have only reinforced and deepened this reality.” … Seyed Mohammad Marandi, Prof at Tehran Univ: “One of the major developments that Iran is currently orchestrating is shifting the passage of ships from other routes in the Strait of Hormuz to Iran’s coastal waters. This means that in the new order of the Strait of Hormuz, a significant long-term geopolitical change will take place.” … Journalist Borzou Daragahi: “This is one reason why previous US admins ruled out an attack on Iran. No one, including the Iranians, knew what would happen and what it would mean if Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. Then Trump FAFOed. Now we are in a situation where everyone in the world knows that Iran can close the Strait with a Tweet or a drone and that it would have a tremendous impact on the world economy. No matter what happens Iran will always hold that leverage.” … lan Goldenberg, chief policy officer for J Street: “A reasonable deal is better than a return to war and I’ll support it. But let’s remember that this is a colossal failure for Trump and for US interests: We could have had this deal or something similar before the war without: the death and destruction across the Middle East; massive damage to US allies and partners and global relationships; huge use of military resources that will take years to rebuild; and significant damage to the global economy. If Trump hadn’t left the JCPOA we’d probably be in the midst of negotiations on extensions of key components and follow on deals at this point but from a much stronger position. Iran wouldn’t have 400KG of HEU and we’d have the most comprehensive inspections regime ever developed to catch any cheating. Instead this will probably involve nothing even close on what is arguably the single most important element of any nuclear deal - inspections and verification.” … James Acton, director of the Carnegie Nuclear Program: “The two biggest criticisms of the JCPOA were sunsets and financial relief that Iran could spend on terrorism. The deal under discussion has both. That’s not a necessary criticism of diplomacy; it’s a criticism of those who criticized the JCPOA and will support any Trump deal. Sunset clauses and financial relief are necessary for any deal.” … Yaroslav Trofimov, chief foreign affairs correspondent for WSJ: “To sum up the day. The Strait of Hormuz is still not open unless vessels go through the Iranian tollbooth, the US naval blockade of Iran continues, and the dramatic decline in oil prices is caused not by the changing reality on the ground but by market expectations - possibly over-optimistic - that the US and Iran will strike a nuclear deal in the foreseeable future.” … Right-wing talk show host Ann Coulter: “Yay. The Strait that was open before we began bombing Iran open, is open again. Everybody pretend this is a huge victory for Trump so he’ll end this catastrophe.” … Axios: “The US and Iran are negotiating over a plan to end the war, with one element under discussion being that the US would release $20 billion in frozen Iranian funds in return for Iran giving up its stockpile of enriched uranium. According to two sources, the US was ready in an earlier stage of the negotiations to release $6 billion for Iran to purchase food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies. The Iranians demanded $27 billion.” … “The latest number discussed by the US and Iran is $20 billion. This was a US proposal. Meanwhile, the US asked Iran to agree to ship all its nuclear material to the US, while the Iranians only agreed to ‘down-blend’ it inside Iran. Under a compromise proposal now under discussion, some of the highly enriched uranium would be shipped to a third country.” … Rep. Martin Stutzman (R-IN) on CNN: “Trump is a tough negotiator. We’ve been able to watch him negotiate on Truth Social, and there are days where you’re like, ‘wow’. Host: He threatened to take out an entire civilization. Stutzman: Those were the types of words they understood.” … Fox host Sean Hannity said Pope Leo doesn’t understand Catholicism: “I went to Catholic school for 12 years, I attended a seminary in high school and studied theology. I left the Catholic church in large part because of institutionalized corruption. Others at the Vatican have totally lost sight of the true meaning of the Bible and its teachings.” … Hannity: “Pope Leo is seemingly more interested in spreading left-wing politics than the actual teachings of Jesus Christ. Why is the pope twisting religion to only attack Trump? Is it because he is Trump-hating Democrat that lacks moral clarity?” … WH Faith Office Senior Advisor Paula White‑Cain said nobody knows more about the Bible than Trump: “He can quote to you so many sermons. I mean, profound.” … Like Two Corinthians. This was a long crazy week. Monday seems like a month ago. I was hoping we could end the week on a slow news day, but then Trump decided to declare victory on Truth Social. Reminder there is no Bulletin tomorrow because I’m off Saturdays. We are going to the Maine Culinary Festival where local farms and artisans come to sell the stuff they produce, make and bake. Last year was amazing and this one is supposed to be even better. This isn’t one with restaurants and chefs - it is family owned small farms or solo people who make and/or grow things in Maine. I will be out with the next Bulletin recapping the entire weekend on Sunday night. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, it is here. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. … RFK Jr testified in another congressional hearing today. This time the House: Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR): “How does it enhance the health and well-being of children to spend HHS’ limited resources and taxpayer money on a video of yourself drinking milk in a hot tub with Kid Rock? RFK Jr: So many people have come up to me who saw the video and said that inspired me.” Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX): “Have you met with any of the 1.4 million people who have lost their health insurance just this last year from dropping off of Obamacare? RFK Jr: No. They’re almost all illegal immigrants.” Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ): “I would like to ask about proposed cuts to medical research. I was reading an article this morning about your affinity for performing your own medical research. You cut the penis off a dead raccoon to study.” Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA): “Your agency told programs to remove 200 words from their funding applications including the word ‘Black.’ Do you have an idea how we Read more

Apr 17, 202622 votes

Today in Politics, Bulletin 349. 4/14/26

… Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni today as he continues to burn bridges abroad and with Catholic voters in the US heading into the midterms. To Italian media Corriere: “Meloni doesn’t want to help us in this war, she doesn’t want to help us with NATO. I’m shocked by her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong. She’s very different from what I thought.” … Q - “She said your comments were unacceptable. Trump: She’s the one who is unacceptable.” … On the Pope: “He doesn’t understand and he shouldn’t be talking about war because he has no idea what’s happening.” … Politico: “Trump put Giorgia Meloni in another tight spot on Monday, but this time she hit back. The Italian PM and longtime Trump ally issued her first direct criticism of the US president since he was reelected in 2024, in an attempt to keep her traditionally Catholic voter base on side.” … “The American leader over the weekend attacked Pope Leo XIV - who has emerged as a forceful moral critic of the US-Israeli war in Iran, denouncing it as senseless and urging peace - bringing months of simmering tensions between the WH and the pontiff into the open.” … “Trump’s decision to pick a fight with Leo, the first American pontiff, is the latest in a series of episodes this spring that have complicated efforts by Republicans to make the case that they are tackling what voters say is their central concern this year: the rising cost of living. Some now say that Trump’s display of animosity toward Leo will further erode his support among the Catholic voters in Rust Belt states, suburbs and border counties who moved toward the GOP in the 2024 election.” … “With the midterms more than 6 months away, it remains unclear how strongly voters will weigh Trump’s feud with the pope. White Catholics, whose support helped propel Trump to a second term, remain one of the country’s largest swing voting groups. Small shifts in their voting could have an outsize impact on competitive House and Senate races in MI, OH and WI, where they make up a significant portion of the electorate.” … “And the Catholic vote could be important in parts of AZ and South Texas, where a heavy concentration of Latino Catholics could influence contests.” … Meloni: “I find President Trump’s remarks about the Holy Father unacceptable. The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and proper that he call for peace and condemn all forms of war.” … Deputy PM and far-right League leader Matteo Salvini - also a longtime supporter of Trump: “If anyone is working hard on the issue of peace and resolving the conflict, it’s Pope Leo. Attacking the pope, a symbol of peace and spiritual guide for billions of Catholics, doesn’t seem like a useful or intelligent thing to do.” … Christopher Hale, Obama’s Catholic outreach director, to Meidas’s Scott Macfarlane: “Pope Leo is the most popular American, and he’s actually the most popular figure globally. He has 69% support among Republicans, 75% support among Democrats. He’s well beloved among all political stripes. I think it’s a fight Trump needs to get out of. This story is not over yet until he apologizes.” … NYT: “Trump ascended to office 10 years ago while publicly jousting with Pope Francis, who was routinely making headlines for the progressive Catholicism he elevated, pushing the Roman Catholic Church to focus on climate change and the rights of immigrants. The pope suggested that Trump was ‘not Christian’; Trump fired back that Francis was ‘disgraceful’.” … “Trump capitalized on growing discontent among conservative Christians and won the WH. The chasm only further widened between the Vatican and conservative American Catholics, who often saw in Trump a champion. But Pope Leo is not Francis. For Trump, he presents a new foil at the Vatican with a markedly different standing among Catholics. As the first American pope, he has a native fluency in US politics and culture, and his leadership is supported across broad swaths of the American church.” … “Unlike his predecessor, Leo has growing support from conservative Catholics in pews across the US. He has so significantly rebuilt the Vatican’s relationship with the American Catholic right that many in Trump’s own camp rushed to the pope’s defense. Interviews with conservatives attending Mass at Catholic parishes across the country revealed significant displeasure with the president for his harsh criticism of the pope, a dynamic hard to imagine not long ago.” … Reuters: “Pope Leo paid homage to his spiritual roots on Tuesday, traveling to the ancient birthplace in Algeria of St. Augustine of Hippo, who inspired him to become a priest. Augustine, who died in the year 430, said wars should only be waged in order to defend against aggression or protect the innocent, with the intention of restoring a state of peace and never out of a desire for cruelty.” … Pope Leo social media post today: “God’s heart is torn apart by wars, violence, injustice and lies. But our Father’s heart is not with the wicked, the arrogant, or the proud. God’s heart is with the little ones and the humble, and with them He builds up His Kingdom of love and peace day by day. Wherever there is love and service, God is there.” … A new CBS News/YouGov poll found Trump’s approval among white voters without college degrees - which has always been the strong core of his MAGA movement - has swung from +36 early in his term to underwater at -4, a historic 40-point collapse. … Megyn Kelly: “Trump is spiraling. He’s collapsed with the white working class. Other than Fox News boomers, there’s no one left.” … Trump also responded to criticism from MAGA podcaster and Fox contributor Riley Gaines about his Trump Jesus meme in an interview with ABC: “I don’t listen to Riley Gaines. I’m not a big fan of Riley, actually.” … Gaines responded: “I do nothing for the approval of man. Our purpose on this earth is to glorify Him in all we do. The Truth Social post missed the mark. It’s now deleted. We’re imperfect people. I know I am. I don’t get my feelings hurt easy and I know with the President it’s really not personal. I want to spend eternity in a real place called Heaven. I’d love for Trump to be there too.” … Mike Johnson was asked about Trump’s Jesus post. He looked down at his phone while running away and stammering: “I don’t think Trump thought it was sacrilegious at all. I think he showed great respect to others by removing it.” … JD Vance was asked about it on Fox: Q - “I wonder as a Catholic how you consider this picture which a lot of people took as the president posting a picture of himself as Jesus? Vance: I think the president was posting a joke and, of course, he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor in that case.” … NYT: “Trump’s erratic behavior and extreme comments in recent days and weeks have turbocharged the crazy-like-a-fox-or-just-plain-crazy debate. A series of disjointed, hard-to-follow and sometimes-profane statements capped by his ‘a whole civilization will die tonight’ threat to wipe Iran off the map last week and his head-spinning attack on the ‘WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy’ pope have left many with the impression of a deranged autocrat mad with power.” … “Democrats who have long challenged Trump’s psychological fitness have issued a fresh chorus of calls to invoke the 25th Amend to remove the president from power for disability. But it is not just a concern voiced by partisans on the left, late-night comics or mental health professionals. It can be heard now among retired generals, diplomats and foreign officials. And most strikingly, it can be heard now on the political right among onetime allies of the president.” … Dr. Oz on Don Jr’s podcast described a recent meeting with Trump: “Your dad argued that diet soda is good for him because it kills grass if it is poured on it, so therefore it must cure cancer cells inside the body. I thought to myself, ‘I don’t want to argue this with you right now’.” … Arnaud Bertrand on Trump’s staged photo op with Door Dash Grandma at the WH: “The most fucked up aspect of this is the ‘DoorDash grandma’ t-shirt she’s wearing, and the implications of this: I checked and this is a pre-organized PR stunt between DoorDash and the WH - they boast about it on their website. The lady - Sharon Simmons, ‘a grandmother of 10’ who has ‘completed more than 14,000 deliveries’ - isn’t even from DC, they brought her over from Arkansas as a prop for this.” … “Think about just how uniquely rotten things need to be in order for this to happen. She is literally a grandmother relying on gig work because she can’t afford healthcare for her husband’s stage-3 cancer. She doesn’t even get paid a living wage and needs to rely on tips. And as an ‘independent contractor,’ she gets no benefits, no healthcare, no retirement.” …. “Which means she is an almost perfect illustration of the failure of the American social contract on almost every level: healthcare, labor rights, retirement, wages, etc. Any decent human being looking at her story - let alone policymakers - should feel only one thing: shame. Yet DoorDash and the WH looked at this woman and saw a photo op.” … “They flew her from AR, branded her ‘DoorDash grandma’ and used her as a mascot for a tax tweak - no tax on tips - that wouldn’t even begin to cover her husband’s chemo sessions. Watching the actual video of her ‘delivery’ to Trump is almost unreal. Trump opens up by saying, smiling at the camera, ‘who says it looks staged? It doesn’t.’ They immediately proceed to do a joint press conference to a bunch of journalists who were conveniently standing right there.” … “None of the questions that follow during the next 15 minutes are related to Simmons’ situation who just stands there. Journalists, the President, and cameras all obsessing over culture wars and the actual war in Iran, while the walking embodiment of the country’s deepest structural failures - healthcare, labor, retirement - stands silently in a corporate t-shirt, unmentioned and too uncomfortable to confront.” … Reuters: Today’s high oil prices do not reflect the gravity of the threat to global energy markets from the Iran war and could rise much higher if the Strait of Hormuz does not re-open, Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency, said on Tuesday: “The prices do not reflect the current situation we are in.” … Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Fox: Q - “When can Americans expect lower prices? Wright: We’re gonna see energy prices high and even rising until we get meaningful ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. It will take some time.” … Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) on Fox. Host: “Oil prices are up 50% in the last month. Scott: Well, they’re still lower than they were under President Biden, so that’s good news. We can thank President Trump.” … Gas prices spiked globally after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But Republicans always blame Biden not Putin. … Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) on Newsmax: Q - “How long do you think Americans will be willing to pay the higher energy costs? Marshall: I think back to my grandparents and their generation that served in WWII. Could you imagine telling the president, ‘You only got so many days to defeat Hitler?’” … Marshall: “I’m sorry that gas prices are going up, but help is on the way, and your national security is even more important than your pocketbook.” … WH economic advisor Kevin Hassett on CNBC: “While it’s very frustrating to go the pump and see what the price of gas looks like, the benefit for oil producers and workers in those industries is significant enough that the GDP effect in the US is much smaller than anything you would see if you look say in Asia.” … Cool, the multinational oil companies are making big money while American consumers pay more for everything. Because priorities. Reminder there is no Bulletin tomorrow because I do my weekly podcast Uncovered where we do a deep dive into the top stories happening right now. We’ve been doing the show for 3 years now and have a steady audience each week of about 200,000 viewers on YouTube and many more on Apple audio podcasts. Thank you to all who watch! If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, which averages 400,000 readers a day, you can find that here. Thank you for reading, sharing and subscribing to my work. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. … NYT: “Even before Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) stepped onstage in the auditorium at the suburban Mahopac H.S. on Sunday evening, it was clear that some of his constituents were primed for a confrontation with the congressman who is among his party’s most politically vulnerable incumbents.” … “What unfolded over the next two hours was an at-times combative session marked by frequent interruptions; competing bursts of applause and jeers; and repeated attempts by Lawler to justify or distance himself from Trump’s handling of the war in Iran. It captured how the conflict has created a worst-case political scenario for Read more

Apr 14, 202620 votes

This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 347

… Viktor Orban was soundly defeated by opposition leader Peter Magyar in today’s crucial elections in Hungary. Trump repeatedly stated his support for Orban while JD Vance and Marco Rubio each made separate trips to Hungary to campaign for the corrupt autocrat. Will nearly all the vote in, Magyar’s Tisza party was leading in 137 parliament races to only 55 for Orban’s Fidesz party. … This election was incredibly consequential not only for the people of Hungary but for Ukraine and Europe as well. Orban has done everything possible to prevent the EU from assisting Ukraine in their struggle against Russian barbarians. The big winners are Magyar, the Hungarian people, Zelensky/Ukraine and all of freedom-loving Europe. I congratulate them. … AP: “Viktor Orbán conceded defeat after what he called a ‘painful’ election result, ending 16 years in power for a powerful figure in the far-right movement allied with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Partial official results show opposition leader Peter Magyar’s party dominating the vote, in a bombshell election result with repercussions around Europe and beyond.” … ‘’Thank you, Hungary!’’ Magyar posted on X, as thousands of his supporters thronged the banks of the Danube in Budapest. Across town, Orban told his followers that “I congratulated the victorious party.’ With 60% of the vote counted, Magyar’s Tisza party had more than 52% support to 38% for Orbán’s governing Fidesz party.” … “It’s a major blow for Orbán, the EU’s longest-serving leader and one of its biggest antagonists, who has traveled a long road from his early days as a liberal, anti-Soviet firebrand to the Russia-friendly nationalist admired today by the global far-right.” … European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: “Europe’s heart is beating stronger in Hungary tonight. Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. Together, we are stronger. A country reclaims its European path. The Union grows stronger.” … Reuters: “Magyar’s victory will likely spell an end to Hungary’s adversarial role inside the EU, possibly opening the way for a $105 billion loan to war-battered Ukraine blocked by Orbán.” … Historian Timothy Snyder: “Hungarians showing how to win big in an unfair election: organize AND protest AND vote AND demand profound change.” … Donald Trump Jr. posted this as polls opened: “To our friends in Hungary, we hope you will vote for independent thinking and for someone who stands for Hungary First. We hope you will vote for my father’s friend and ally. One leader in Europe has a direct line to the White House, I hope you will support Viktor Orban!” … Zelensky: Congratulations to Peter Magyar and the TISZA party on their resounding victory. It is important when constructive approach prevails. Ukraine has always sought good-neighbourly relations with everyone in Europe and we are ready to advance our cooperation with Hungary.” … “Europe and every European nation must get stronger, and millions of Europeans seek cooperation and stability. We are ready for meetings and joint constructive work for the benefit of both nations, as well as peace, security, and stability in Europe.” … UK historian Ian Richardson: “I suspect the populist right bubble is bursting the world over. Trump is a busted flush, Orban will likely be hammered tomorrow, Bolsonaro is incarcerated and Farage is looking more like a loser with each passing day. These guys only offer anger and hate, not solutions and progress.” … After Vance’s attempt to negotiate a peace deal with Iran failed in Pakistan, Trump took to Truth Social and Fox on Sunday morning to announce he was escalating the conflict to a complete blockage of all shipping from every country out of the Strait of Hormuz. … From Vance’s press conference before leaving Pakistan after his latest foreign policy failure: “The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement. So, we go back to the US having not come to an agreement. They have chosen not to accept our terms” “We just could not get to a situation where the Iranians were willing to accept our terms. We weren’t able to make any headway.” “We need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon. We haven’t seen that yet. We hope that we will.” “We leave where a very simple proposal. A method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept it. Thank you.” … NYT: 3 main sticking points remained, according to two Iranian officials familiar with the talks: The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz; Iran saying it would do so only after a final peace deal. The fate of nearly 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium. Iran made a counterproposal, but the sides were unable to reach a compromise. Iran’s demand that about $27 billion in frozen revenues held abroad be released. … MB Ghalibaf, Speaker of Iran’s Parliament: “Before the negotiations, I emphasized that we have the necessary good faith and will, but due to the experiences of the two previous wars, we have no trust in the opposing side. My colleagues on the Iranian delegation raised forward-looking initiatives, but the opposing side ultimately failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations.” … “Iran is a body with 90 million souls, from all the heroic people of Iran who, following the advice of the Supreme Leader and by taking to the streets, supported their children and sent us on our way with their blessings—for this, I am grateful, and to my colleagues in these intense 21-hour negotiations, I say: well done, God strengthen you. Long live and enduring be our dear Iran!” … Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi: “In intensive talks at highest level in 47 years, Iran engaged with US in good faith to end war. But when just inches away from ‘Islamabad MoU’, we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade. Zero lessons learned. Good will begets good will. Enmity begets enmity.” … Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ): “Did Vance think he was going to solve decades of disputes with Iran in 1 day? He spent 5 days in Feb hanging out at the Winter Olympics. Iran got highest level negotiations with America ever and still controls the Strait of Hormuz, while Vance appears to be giving up.” … “Diplomacy takes enormous planning, technical expertise, and persistent engagement, especially in war time. Our servicemembers in harm’s way and Americans struggling with gas prices deserve serious negotiations, not the performance we just saw.” … Global affairs analyst Olga Nesterova: “A good outcome for these negotiations would be Iran agreeing not to enrich above 3.67%, giving up 98% of its enriched uranium stockpile, accepting weekly IAEA inspections, keeping the straits open without charging anyone, and committing to all of it for at least a decade. In other words, the Obama deal.” … Trita Parisi with Quincy Institute: “If JD Vance is right that the US went in to negotiations demanding zero enrichment, then of course this blew up. That was Israel’s red line, not Trump’s original red line of no nuclear weapons. Push for surrender, and you guarantee escalation.” … UK TV host Lindsey Hilsum: “The Iran nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from came after 12 years of negotiations. Yet Vance thought Iran would accept US terms after 21 hours. The US thinks Iran lost this war, so they can dictate terms. Iran thinks it won, and - to use Trump’s terms - has many cards to play.” We make the entire Weekend Bulletin available to everyone, while about the first third of the daily Bulletins during the week are available. Everyone is also able to participate in the comments section on these. If you missed Friday’s Bulletin, you can find it here. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. … Meanwhile, as Vance was failing in Pakistan, Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio were partying at a UFC fight in Miami. Rubio looked like he had a few cocktails. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AFP via Getty … Trump then made several deranged posts on Truth Social: “Iran promised to open the Strait of Hormuz, and they knowingly failed to do so. There is great dishonor and permanent harm to the reputation of Iran, and what’s left of their “Leaders,” but we are beyond all of that. As they promised, they better begin the process of getting this INTERNATIONAL WATERWAY OPEN AND FAST! Every Law in the book is being violated by them.” “The meeting with Iran began early in the morning, and lasted throughout the night - Close to 20 hours. My 3 Reps, as all of this time went by, became, not surprisingly, very friendly and respectful of Iran’s Reps, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Abbas Araghchi, and Ali Bagheri, but that doesn’t matter because they were very unyielding as to the single most important issue and, as I have always said, right from the beginning, and many years ago, IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!” “Effective immediately, the US Navy will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz. At some point, we will reach an ‘ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO IN, ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO OUT’ basis, but Iran has not allowed that to happen by merely saying, ‘There may be a mine out there somewhere,’ that nobody knows about but them. THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION, and Leaders of Countries, especially the USA, will never be extorted.” “I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas. We will also begin destroying the mines the Iranians laid in the Straits. Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!” “The Blockade will begin shortly. Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade. Iran will not be allowed to profit off this Illegal Act of EXTORTION. They want money and, more importantly, they want Nuclear. Additionally and, at an appropriate moment, we are fully ‘LOCKED AND LOADED,’ and our Military will finish up the little that is left of Iran!” … Trump then went on Maria Bartiromo’s Fox show: Q - “Is this going to be enough - the blockade in this strait, the opening up of capacity in the US - to lower the price of oil and gas? Trump: It might not happen initially. Gas hasn't gone up as much as I thought. But regardless, even if it did, we have to stop this group of people.” Q - “Do you believe the price of oil and gas will be lower before the midterm elections? Trump: I hope so. I mean, I think so, it could be. It could be the same or maybe a little bit higher.” “We're putting on a complete blockade. We're not going to let Iran make money on selling oil to people that they like and not people that they don't like or whatever it is. It's going to be all or none.” On the blockade affecting China’s tankers: "As far as China is concerned, China can send their ships to us. China can send their ships to Venezuela. We told them, 'Buy from Venezuela.'" “They would be back in the stone ages. Nobody can be so stupid as to say that we want to have nuclear weapons and they have no cards. Bartiromo: If they do not give up that effort, Will you further destruct Iran? Trump: Yeah, I will.” “We can take out anything we want. As you know last week I said we're going to strongly consider knocking out their power plants and the rest of their bridges. We took down their big bridge.” “The only to thing left really is their water, which would be very devastating to hit. I would hate to do it, but it's their water, their desalinization plants, their electric generating plants. We could have them all down.” “I predict they come back and they give us everything we want. I don't want 90%, I don't want 95%. They have no cards.” On the Gulf of Mexico: "I was thinking about calling it the Gulf of Trump, and I decided not to do it.” "We don't get our oil from there. We have so much oil. We have boats pouring up to the US. They'll be filling 'em up, and they'll be leaving and they'll be packed with the best oil you can get. Light, sweet, crude. We don't need the strait." … Ronald Reagan’s former Budget Director David Stockman: “Hey, POTUS, did you ever hear of world markets, supply, demand and inventory, and the process of arbitrage when prices misalign from one region to the next or one product line to its near substitute? I thought so.” … CENTCOM: “CENTCOM forces will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10 a.m. ET, in accordance with the President’s proclamation. The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.” … MB Ghalibaf: “Enjoy the current pump figures. With the so-called 'blockade', Soon you'll be nostalgic for $4–$5 gas.” … German economist Janis Kluge: “What kind of 4D chess move is this? ‘We will really let oil prices explode! That'll show Iran who is boss!’ I mean... the idea is clear. He wants to stop Iran from privatizing the Hormuz Strait. And for once that is a legitimate goal, which could get support from other countries as well. But Iran may be able to withstand the outside pressure for longer than Trump hopes.” … Cato Institute economist Scott Linciocome: “Watching oil and liquid natural gas markets, sure. But also watching markets for petrochemicals, fertilizer, aluminum, helium, sulfur, semiconductors... Buckle up. Roughly 11% of global maritime trade transits the strait each year - a lot of it crude oil and liquid natural gas, yes, but also loads of minerals and energy-intensive commodities." … Former State and Energy Dept official Richard Nephew: “Iran's target list may also include onshore Gulf assets again if its ships are seized. Iran's approach has been to go much bigger and broader in retaliation, while being in the universe of ‘oil for oil’, ‘power for power’ etc.” … Sen. Richard Bluementhal (D-CT) was asked on MS NOW about Trump’s comment on rising gas prices: “The president’s indifference is really demented, it’s a sign of lack of caring and compassion. My colleagues on the Republican side recognize they are headed toward a disaster in the midterms.” … Middle East analyst Danny Citrinowicz: “The escalation now appears increasingly unavoidable, especially as Trump significantly raises the stakes. Iran is unlikely to back down. It will likely test US resolve by targeting American naval assets, while also attempting to disrupt commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz or deter tankers from transiting altogether.” … “Such developments would almost certainly trigger a sharp spike in global oil prices, with cascading second and third order effects particularly across Asian economies that rely heavily on Gulf energy flows. At the same time, Iran will aim to project resilience and avoid appearing to capitulate under pressure.” … “Further escalation would increase the likelihood of Houthi action in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, potentially threatening another critical maritime chokepoint. It would also raise the risk of Iranian strikes against infrastructure designed to bypass Hormuz, including pipelines such as the East-West corridor.” … “While Iran would sustain significant damage, it will attempt to maintain oil exports through alternative routes like the Jask terminal, calculating that Gulf states may ultimately suffer greater economic harm. In any case, this is not a scenario with a clear winner, only varying degrees of loss.” … NYT: “American intelligence agencies have obtained information that China in recent weeks may have sent a shipment of shoulder-fired missiles to Iran for its conflict with the US and Israel. Intel agencies have assessed that China is secretly taking an active stance in the war, allowing some companies to ship chemicals, fuel and components that can be used in military production to Iran for the war.” … “Shoulder fired missiles, known as MANPADS, are capable of shooting down low-flying aircraft. China has long been reluctant to send finished military equipment to Iran, but some officials in the government want Beijing to allow its companies to directly supply the Iranian security forces during the conflict with the US.” … Trump on Fox: "I hear news reports about China giving the shoulder missiles. I doubt they would do that because I have a relationship with Xi and I think they wouldn't do that, but maybe they did a little bit at the beginning, but I don't think they would anymore. But if we catch them doing that they get a 50% tariff." … Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) on CBS: Q - “Did they mine the strait? Because Trump also said they might not have. Turner: You’ll have to ask the president. Host: That’s the point - Congress hasn’t been briefed. Turner: It’s his tweet. Host: You’re a member of Oversight and Armed Services. Turner: You’ll have to ask the president.” … Garry Kasparov: “Congress continues to become the Russian Duma, a willingly powerless peanut gallery deferring to the president in every way.” … Q - “There hasn’t been a single congressional hearing. Do you think that’s adequate oversight of this war? Turner: Actually, we’ve had classified briefings.” … Dem congressional candidate Fred Wellman: “Absolutely not good enough. They haven’t bothered to hold a public hearing on a war costing us billions, thousands of lives including at least 13 of our own troops, and spiking our economy. This is historic cowardice and failure. The Johnson Republican Doormat Congress is without question the worst in modern history.” … Sen. John Fetterman on Mark Levin’s Fox show: “They are making it like there's kind of an energy crisis and that is just not true. I just tested that this morning. I gassed up my Jeep at Costco—I effectively paid $3.80 for a gallon. Two years ago, it was $3.65. … Former Rep. Conor Lamb, who was defeated by Fetterman in the Democratic primary: “Diesel is $6.24 at Fetterman’s favorite PA store, an all time high or close to it. Truckers and farmers would say it’s a crisis.” … Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told ABC that the main problem is Iran’s strict gun control laws: "By the way, this is exactly what nationwide gun control results in. The Iranian people are completely disarmed. It's gonna be very difficult for them to rise up. So it's a very difficult situation." … Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) on ABC: "You don't sucker punch somebody in a bar and then blame your buddies when they don't join the fight with you. If the president wanted the support of allies, he should've respected them instead of putting tariffs on their economies and trash talking them." … Axios: “The scandal surrounding Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is rapidly ballooning and could jolt a surge of expulsion votes for at least 3 of his House colleagues as soon as the chamber returns from recess next week. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) announced plans to force a vote next week to expel Swalwell. Democrats plan to counter with a vote to expel Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX).” … If those votes succeed, votes to expel Reps. Cory Mills (R-FL) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) could follow, sources said. One House Dem: “People feel confident that the allegations against all 4 are credible. Members are frustrated by what feels like a bottleneck of scandals without any real accountability yet in any one.” … A second House Democrat: “We want a full house cleaning. Get the garbage out of here. These jerks are destroying Congress, for the American people and for all of us who came here to do good work.” … Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC): “I would support it.” … Another House Republican: “It’s wise way to go.” … Cory Mills’ chief of staff resigned this weekend amongst his many scandals, including domestic violence. She signed off her resignation post with this: “The horrors persist, but I do not.” … Rep. Mike Kennedy (R-UT) to the College Republicans at the Univ of UT: “I want you to know life is hard, and when I was in my early teens, that was the first time that I took access to pornography. And I can guarantee you, somewhere in this room, somebody has challenges with that. For years, I knew that that was wrong. And I knew that every time I consumed some version of pornography that that was the wrong path, but it’s really hard to resist. I was addicted, and I know what addiction is like.” … Tyler Bowyer, Charlie Kirk’s successor at TPUSA, has a brilliant new plan for Republicans in the upcoming elections: “Republicans on the west coast should move to AZ and NV. Republicans in the northeast should move to NH. Stack votes, win for a generation with those three states.” … Nikki Haley told CNN that she will definitely not be running for president in 2028. In case anyone was wondering. … New CBS poll has Trump’s overall approval at 39% approve, 61% disapprove. Independents only: Approve-29%, Disapprove-71%.

Apr 12, 202614 votes

This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 347

Apr 12, 202611 votes

This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 347

Apr 12, 202620 votes

Today in Politics, Bulletin 344. 4/7/26

… Trump threatened to wipe out the 7,000 year old Iranian/Persian civilization tonight after 8:00 PM if they don’t surrender to his demands. He vowed to commit the war crimes in a Truth Social post: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!” … Former Rep. Marge Greene: “25TH AMENDMENT!!! Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization. This is evil and madness.” … Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI): I’m getting a lot of traffic about the 25th Amendment after Trump’s mad rants. The president is facing serious mental decline; I’m with you on that. But unfortunately, invoking the 25th is not realistic right now, given his oddball cabinet of sycophants and eccentrics, and Republican spines of foam. We’re going to have to buckle down and win this the old-fashioned way.” … Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA): “This is pure evil. The President of the US’ genocidal threat to commit war crimes is illegal under federal and international law. The US military swears an oath to the Constitution, not the president. The Joint Chiefs of Staff is required to disobey any and all illegal orders. Speaker Johnson must immediately call Congress back to Washington and rein in this mad president.” … Right-wing podcaster and long time Trump supporter Alex Jones: “WAR CRIME ALERT!! The definition of genocide is destroying an entire civilization/people! Trump literally sounds like an unhinged super villain from a Marvel comic movie. This IS NOT WHAT WE VOTED FOR!!!” … Fox host Bret Baier: “I just got off the phone with the president. He called. He said ‘8pm is happening. If we get to that point, there is going to be an attack like they have not seen.’ He’s sticking to that at this point.” … NYT: “Iran has stopped negotiation efforts with the US, informing Pakistan that it would no longer engage in cease-fire talks.” … Military.com: “Airstrikes pounded Tehran on Tues, and Iranian officials urged young people to form human chains to protect power plants, hours before the expiration of Trump’s latest deadline for the Islamic Republic to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz or face punishing strikes on its infrastructure. Iran called on ‘all young people, athletes, artists, students and university students and their professors’ to form human chains around power plants.” … Alireza Rahimi, secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council of Youth and Adolescents: “Power plants are our national assets and capital.” Iranians have formed human chains in the past around nuclear sites at times of heightened tensions with the West. … “President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X that 14 million Iranians had answered state media and text message campaigns urging people to volunteer to fight. ‘I too have been, am, and will remain ready to give my life for Iran,’ Pezeshkian wrote. A Revolutionary Guard general also urged parents to send their children to man checkpoints, which have been repeatedly targeted in airstrikes.” … Iran News 24: “The Iranian regime has dispatched its supporters to form human chains/shields outside key infrastructure facilities across Iran to prevent their bombardment, including outside the Kazerun Power Plant in Fars province, southern Iran. It’s not that they believe the US or Israel will spare them - Iranians know what Israel did to children in Gaza. They are standing there to show the world the true face of America.” … Senior Iranian official to Reuters: “If Washington attacks Iran’s power plants, the entire region and Saudi Arabia will fall into complete darkness with Iran’s retaliatory strikes.” … Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) on CNN: Q - “The president is threatening a whole civilization will die tonight. Lawler: I don’t think we’re talking about ending a civilization. Q - So you don’t believe the president’s threat? Lawler: It is their energy infrastructure and civilian infrastructure. Host: He says ‘never to be brought back again’.” … Lawler: “He is not bluffing. People misunderestimate at their own peril.” … Host: “Do you think Congress should have a vote if the US is going to make a whole civilization die? Lawler: You are parsing here. Host: I was quoting.” … National security analyst Marc Polymeropoulos: “I just watched Lawler on CNN try to explain this away, the usual ‘Trump meant to say x, y, and z,’ and I actually felt sorry for him. For about a second. Then it was just pathetic. One cannot defend the indefensible.” … Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) on Fox: “Thank God we have a commander in chief that is not full of empty rhetoric, because we’ve delayed this inevitability for 50 years. Trump is a man with a bias for action. Thank God for President Trump and the courage and political will to do what he’s doing.” … Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) on CNN: “I am hoping and praying that this really is bluster. I do not want to see us start blowing up civilian infrastructure. I do not want to see that. We are not at war with the Iranian people. We are trying to liberate them.” … Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) on Fox: “I support what the president is doing. Iran is like a cancer. Sometimes the cure to cancer hurts, but the cancer has to be eliminated. And the cancer is Iran.” … Tucker Carlson: “If you work in the WH or in the US military, now is the time to say no. Absolutely not. Using weapons of mass destruction against civilian targets? Those people in direct contact with the president need to say no, I will resign. I will do whatever I can do to stop this because this is insane, and if given the order I’m not carrying it out.” … Trump was asked about Tucker’s comments by the NY Post: “Tucker’s a low IQ person that has absolutely no idea what’s going on. He calls me all the time; I don’t respond to his calls. I don’t deal with him. I like dealing with smart people, not fools.” … NYT: “Netanyahu arrived at the WH on Feb. 11. The Israeli leader, who had been pressing for months for the US to agree to a major assault on Iran, was whisked inside with little ceremony, out of view of reporters, primed for one of the most high-stakes moments in his long career. Netanyahu headed downstairs for the main event: a highly classified presentation on Iran for Trump and his team in the Situation Room, which was rarely used for in-person meetings with foreign leaders.” … “The presentation that Netanyahu would make over the next hour would be pivotal in setting the US and Israel on the path toward a major armed conflict in the middle of one of the world’s most volatile regions. The reporting underscores how closely Trump’s hawkish thinking aligned with Netanyahu’s over many months, more so than even some of the president’s key advisers recognized. … “Their close association has been an enduring feature across two admin, and that dynamic has fueled intense criticism and suspicion on both the left and the right of American politics. Even the more skeptical members of Trump’s war cabinet - with the stark exception of Vance, the figure inside the WH most opposed to a full-scale war - deferred to the president’s instincts, including his abundant confidence that the war would be quick and decisive.” … WSJ: “Crowning a year of disputes with the Trump admin over trade tariffs, support for Ukraine and the future of Greenland, the Iran war has placed America’s friends in Europe, Asia and the Middle East in front of an uneasy dilemma. Their most important ally is acting in ways that they see as erratic and that have already caused hardship and uncertainty. The war has sapped their economies and even bigger shocks loom if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, deepening the worldwide energy crisis.” … “Many - on both sides of the Atlantic - wonder if they are even allies anymore. Angered by the refusal of European nations to join the war alongside the US and Israel, Trump has called European countries cowards, and threatened to withdraw from NATO. … Roderich Kiesewetter, a lawmaker from Germany’s ruling party, echoing a widespread sentiment in Europe: “The US is unpredictable. It’s not a reliable partner anymore for the Western world.” … Italian Senator Carlo Calenda: “Nobody can understand what America actually is today. It seems governed by some kind of mad emperor who keeps saying whatever comes to his mind, something we haven’t witnessed since Caligula or Nero. The one thing the Europeans have understood is that we are dealing with a bully. You can give him everything he wants, you can pretend you don’t hear his insults, but he will keep trying to bully us, and so at a certain point we must stop him.” … WSJ’s Yaroslav Trofimov: “Trump’s claim on Greenland - reiterated Monday - means that the transatlantic relationship will never be the same again, something we already see with the European refusal to get involved in the war on Iran.” … Retired French Lt. Gen. Michel Yakovleff: “This will never be forgotten. Psychologically, Trump talking about taking Greenland was the equivalent of a father talking, jokingly, of raping one of his daughters. Obviously, it’s a new world in the family after that.” Reminder there is no Bulletin tomorrow because I do my weekly podcast Uncovered. We will either be talking about another appearance by TACO Trump or War Crimes Trump. Along with many other things. Also we just bought a house today that was built in 1785 and beautifully restored, so things to do on the closing. Not many people live in a house that is older than the country it is in, and we are pretty excited to continue to preserve it for many years as well as the previous owners did. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here. Thank you to everyone who reads, shares and subscribes to my work as well as the other contributors at Meidas. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. … JD Vance was in Budapest today campaigning for Viktor Orban just 5 days before his big election against Peter Magyar: “I want to thank the President of the US who of course is a dear friend of PM Orban and a very strident supporter of Orban, because together the president and PM have been able to do amazing things. And we’re here to celebrate them.” “I’m here because of the moral cooperation between our countries. Because what the US and Hungary together represent under Viktor’s leadership and under Trump’s leadership is the defense of western civilization.” … Garry Kasparov: “Here he’s not wrong. Orban and the Trump admin are united and cooperating in profound moral, political and criminal corruption, with Putin as their Read more

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Today in Politics, Bulletin 344. 4/7/26

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Today in Politics, Bulletin 344. 4/7/26

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