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Hegseth 'pulled his punches' on key Trump target amid contentious briefing: MS NOW
Following Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s press conference, which was once again notable for his combative performance with the press, MS NOW’s Jonathan Lemire suggested the former Fox News personality appeared to want to avoid addressing Donald Trump’s war of words with Pope Leo XIV about the Iran conflict.Hegseth, who can be counted on to bristle at any suggestion that the Middle East war was unfounded or is being conducted poorly, was asked about the Pope’s word criticizing the war in Iran, which led the president to complain bitterly, with Catholic Vice President JD Vance chiming in to tell the pontiff to stick to matters to “morality.” "We know what our mission is,” Hegseth demurred before adding, “We know what authority we have. We're very clear about that."That brief exchange drew the attention of “Morning Joe’s” Lemire.“Not a lot of news there per se,” he said immediately following the end of the press availability. ”I will say. Secretary Hegseth did acknowledge, though he insisted, that some traffic is making its way through the Strait of Hormuz despite Iran having closed it. He did acknowledge a lot less than they'd like and that it is dangerous, you know, travel there.”“He sort of pulled his punches with the Pope when he was asked a question about the Pope's condemnation of this war. So perhaps the administration has realized you shouldn't escalate their conflict with a representative of the higher power,” he quipped to MS NOW’s David Rohde. - YouTube youtu.be
Pete Hegseth calls for 'War Dept.' to win Nobel Peace Prize amid Iran conflict
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argued that his so-called Department of War should win the Nobel Peace Prize every year after initiating a military conflict in Iran that has caused death and destabilized the world's oil supply.During a press conference on Friday, TMZ asked Hegseth what he felt while carrying out "this extreme level of violence.""Do you feel like you're on a power trip?" the correspondent wondered. "It's a very TMZ question," Hegseth shot back. "My only thought process is to ensure that our war fighters have everything they need to be successful, defeat and destroy the enemy, and they come home.""Because war is violent," he continued. "War requires doing difficult things."A second TMZ correspondent noted that Hegseth had insisted on calling the Department of Defense the Department of War despite a lack of congressional authorization."Would you consider changing the name again to the Department of Peace since that's what we're all after?" the reporter wondered. "It's a great question, actually," Hegseth replied. "You go from defense to war because you want to be proactive about peace through strength.""In fact, I once did a video about the one institution that you win the Nobel Peace Prize every single year is the United States military," he added, "because we are the guarantor of the safety and security not just of our country but of a lot of people in this world."
Pete Hegseth's sound cut off on MS NOW for harsh fact check after string of boasts
During his Friday Pentagon Press conference, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired off a collection of boasts about how well the war on Iran is going that led MS NOW host Joe Scarborough to have his producers cut the sound so he talk over the former Fox News personality for an immediate fact-check.Then he did it again, moments later after cutting back to Hegseth.Midway through Hegseth’s address, his voice was silenced even though he could be seen onscreen, as the “Morning Joe” co-host jumped in to explain, “If you just tuned in, Secretary Hegseth is giving us a summary of what's going on right now. He accurately said that there have been great military successes and that America's military is unmatched in the world. He inaccurately said that there's been a clear mission objective from the very beginning. That's just not the case.”“Clearly said he was right that for 47 years, Iranians have been targeting Americans and killing Americans. That is true,” he added. “But one of the more fascinating things we'll talk about later is he proclaimed, Iran will not have nuclear weapons. He said it: Iran will not have nuclear weapons. It will be fascinating to see details on that. He talked about the blockades getting more powerful by the day. Also, Iranians are laying more mines, which could cause problems with shipping through the strait for quite some time. He also said other administrations didn't do anything but look the other way. That's just not true at all.” “So we'll continue following this," he added before pointing out, “I've got to say, though, I'm putting a star by the fact that Pete Hegseth has said this morning, Iran will not have nuclear weapons. So anything short of that and short of the Strait of Hormuz being opened when this war ends will be an abject failure for this administration. If they are able to take away Iran's nuclear weapons and open the strait, then most likely a success.” - YouTube youtu.be
Trump's 'fragility on display' in Oval Office meltdown leads to ridicule on MS NOW
During a Thursday Oval Office press availability, Donald Trump took time out to complain about still not getting credit for turnout at his first inauguration, and then snapped at multiple reporters who questioned him on the stalled Iran war negotiations.On MS NOW, “Way Too Early” fill-in host Sam Stein shared a clip of the president rambling about the National Mall reflecting pool that he is having cleaned up, before taking time out to whine that his inauguration crowd was listed at 25,000 instead of the million he continues to claim showed up despite all evidence to the contrary.That was followed by a “Morning Joe” supercut of Trump snapping at and insulting reporters attempting to get an idea about how long the unpopular war will continue.Those questions led Trump to tell one reporter, “I hope the fake news people like you, I hope the fake news are going to be able to write about it accurately,” saying to another, “You’re such a disgrace. Did you hear what I just said?” and calling a third persistent reporter a “wise guy.”After viewing the clips, co-host Joe Scarborough and Willie Geist piled on the president, with Scarborough pointing out that Trump is slated to attend the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night and sarcastically suggesting, “The president getting together with a group of people that he loves and admires as much as he loves and admires the press, deep respect, and so many members of his Cabinet who share his respect for the press will be seated at the table in the room that night.”Geist jumped in with, “I mean, the fragility on display in the last two clips ... ” which caused his MS NOW colleague to burst out laughing.“Sam Stein just showed the president going out of his way to say that his crowds were bigger than those for Martin Luther King during the ‘I Have a Dream' speech,” Geist continued. “And then the inability –– those were not gotcha questions in the Oval Office about the war with Iran. Those were very basic questions about where the war is headed and a timeline that he's been setting, timelines again and again, two weeks, 4 to 6 weeks.”“It doesn't inspire confidence,” he dryly added as his co-host continued to laugh. - YouTube youtu.be
Ex-CIA director skewers Trump's 'unforced errors': 'Didn’t have to dig the hole this deep'
President Donald Trump's ceasefire deal with Iran has been heavily criticized by a former Central Intelligence Agency director. William J. Burns, who served as the CIA's director from March 2021 to January 2025, profiled the key problem of Trump's current negotiating position with Iran. Trump sought to achieve regime change in Iran and potentially control the country's uranium resources when his administration first launched strikes. The admin framed the conflict as necessary for regional security and to counter perceived Iranian threats. However, analysts noted Trump's motivations extended beyond geopolitical strategy.The conflict also aligned with the ideological priorities of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other hardline advisors who promoted Christian nationalist justifications for military action. Burns wrote in The New York Times, "These unforced errors have already done a great deal of strategic damage. But, with a fragile cease-fire extension in place and the flickering potential for resumed negotiations, there is a chance to limit the harm. Three essential lessons from the past eight weeks can help Mr. Trump salvage America’s interests."This lesson is not about fatalism or avoiding tough choices. It’s about what you can accomplish at an acceptable cost to other priorities, both foreign and domestic. "Perfect is rarely on the menu in diplomacy, especially with a ruthless, ideological, and entrenched regime. Decapitating leadership can seem like an appealing shortcut, but as this administration quickly discovered in Iran, it can be an illusion."Burns went on to suggest the longer-term impact of Trump's war with Iran had emboldened world leaders in their own conflicts. He wrote, "The war has also thrown a lifeline to Vladimir Putin, resulting in more energy revenue and diminished U.S. military inventories at a time when Ukraine had been making progress on the battlefield and the Russian economy was facing its own dire straits. "Xi Jinping appears to believe the conflict has put China on higher strategic ground as Mr. Trump prepares to visit Beijing in mid-May, giving Mr. Xi an opportunity to extract concessions on trade, technology and Taiwan. And there will be longer-term challenges in the global economy, with a significant lag in impact even if a cease-fire is sustained."We didn’t have to dig the hole this deep. Fortunately, there’s still time to put our shovel down, learn some hard lessons, and apply them with a little more humility."
Ice block stalls hundreds of Everest climbers at base camp
Officials assessing route after serac between base camp and camp one deemed unstable and too risky for climbers A large ice block on the route just above the Mount Everest base camp has forced hundreds of climbers and local guides to delay their attempt to scale the world’s highest peak.The serac between base camp and camp one was unstable and risky for climbers, said Himal Gautam of Nepal’s department of mountaineering on Friday. Continue reading...
AI oligarchs shamed with devastating list of 'false promises and decadence'
The artificial intelligence boom has been wildly profitable for tech billionaires and catastrophically hollow for everyone else, a new Mother Jones report said this week. Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Sam Altman have built fortunes on AI hype while delivering false promises, toxic platforms, and minimal actual job creation.According to Mother Jones columnist Tim Murphy's investigation, "The AI bubble has been a boon to the portfolios and prospects of the tech world's biggest players. Their companies are vying for hegemony and their net worths are trending toward Mount Olympus."Murphy documented a pattern of deception and excess: "Beyond the hype, you can find a litany of false promises, questionable investments, and just plain decadence, complicating both their predictions for the future and claims to come in peace."Bezos's Project Prometheus AI initiative carries a $38 billion valuation and is "focused on physical AI designed to interact with real-world industrial processes, such as manufacturing, aerospace engineering, and semiconductor production."Meanwhile, Bezos has dismantled the Washington Post after acquiring it in 2013 with promises of a "new golden era." After he nixed a Kamala Harris presidential endorsement, the paper suffered a mass exodus of subscribers, a $100 million 2025 loss, and a 40-plus percent purging of its staff. Yet Bezos still had enough leftover cash to purchase a 246-foot yacht for $75 million to join his previously purchased 417-foot yacht, Murphy reported.Zuckerberg burned through $77 billion before pivoting to AI. Mother Jones reports that 10 percent of Meta's profits came from scam ads — funds that also financed his 4,500 square foot underground bunker in Hawaii.Musk's AI platform X has been hit with allegations of 679,584 antisemitic posts over a one-year period between 2024 and 2025. Musk's Grok generated 1.8 million graphic images of women during a nine-day period last winter as his net worth continued to ascend to $850 billion, the report said.Trump lauded OpenAI's Stargate data centers as a job-creation engine that would "create 100,000 jobs 'almost immediately.'" In reality, however, "only 100 employees needed to operate Stargate's Abilene, Texas, campus once construction is completed," according to the report.Despite a promise to invest $1.4 trillion in AI infrastructure over the next eight years, the company's reported revenue in 2025 came in at $20 billion, a 70-to-1 spending-to-revenue ratio for a company promising to reshape the economy.
'I've said too much': MAGA network cuts off host saying 'gas prices are a real thing'
Pro-MAGA news network Real America's Voice pulled the plug on host Gina Loudon after she blamed the rising costs of fuel on President Donald Trump's war in Iran.On Thursday, co-host David Brody asked Loudon to comment on Trump's decision to order the U.S. military to fire on small Iranian boats, possibly breaking a fragile ceasefire agreement."Can we go to Terrence instead?" Loudon asked."My interpretation of this is this is President Trump's way of saying the ceasefire is over," co-host Terrence Bates volunteered. "Hey, Dr. Gina, I don't want to put you on the spot, even though I am, but I'm curious about your hesitance. You seem this morning at least a bit hesitant to talk about this.""I think your average American out there who's trying to, you know, get their family budget together and, you know, look at their, if they can take a vacation with their family this summer, with gas prices and things," Loudon explained. "And I know people don't want me to mention gas prices. That's become an attack on Trump, but gas prices are a real thing.""They're not just in our gas tank, but in our consumer goods, et cetera, et cetera," she continued. "And I think that they're not, they don't know from day to day whether in a ceasefire or not, because it changes every day."As Loudon spoke, she said the control room encouraged her to wrap up her remarks."And now I've said too much, and the producers are shutting me up," she admitted. "See, that's what happens when you wind me up and get me talking to you."
Take action over officials in Kyrgyzstan ‘helping Russia evade sanctions’, MPs and peers say
British foreign secretary told to impose new measures as ruble-pegged cryptocurrency A7A5 is supported in countryMore than 20 MPs and peers have called on the foreign secretary to take action against institutions and individuals in Kyrgyzstan allegedly facilitating large-scale Russian sanctions evasion.They urged the UK to levy personal sanctions against three top Kyrgyz officials for their alleged role in facilitating Russian sanctions evasion more broadly, and more specifically for allowing Kyrgyzstan to host infrastructure supporting the cryptocurrency A7A5. Continue reading...
Trump orders up new 'shoot and kill' operation in Strait of Hormuz
In yet another sign that things are not going well despite all his predictions that the war with Iran is about to come to a close, Donald Trump is threatening more violence in the Strait of Hormuz where the Middle Eastern country has the upper hand.The war, which the president claims the US has already won, has now been raging since the beginning of March and, despite White House announcements of a ceasefire, it continues with constant skirmishes.That type of fighting appears to be accelerating with a presidential announcement on Truth Social on Thursday morning.“I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. There is to be no hesitation,” he wrote. He added, “Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
The only three people Trump listens to have him trapped in a 'quagmire': MS NOW panel
Donald Trump’s Iran problem is not going away and maybe worsening, and he can thank the only three people who seem to have his ear, according to the panel on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe.”With the Strait of Hormuz still caught up in a stranglehold as a result of the president’s unprovoked war on the Middle Eastern nation, Trump has been fuming at the current state of affairs that is costing him MAGA support and has an increasing number of GOP lawmakers looking for a way to rein him in.According to co-host Joe Scarborough, the president’s refusal to listen to Pentagon experts has cost him dearly.“You know, not to labor a point here, but everybody knew from 1979 that if you went into Iran, the strait was a problem,” the former GOP lawmaker began.He continued, “And then you have the United States stumbling into Iran instead of listening to some of the smartest people, not only around now, but also throughout history on military strategy. He listened only to Pete Hegseth, Benjamin Netanyahu and Lindsey Graham –– I mean, really, that's a triumvirate.”“That's really why we're here,” he elaborated. “As far as the people in his ear saying this is something that needs to be done. And we have reports that there were many close to him, many military leaders saying, ‘Don't listen to these guys. Don't believe these guys. They're making this sound easier than it actually is.’ And yet here we are.""I mean, we're right now, we we are in a bit of a quagmire as it pertains to the strait, because the Iranians know they can play hardball," he added. Co-host Jonathan Lemire offered, “Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, outlined this could happen. But no, no advocacy was made and that's not necessarily his job. But no one else there did either. And, you know, [Vice President JD] Vance said that he had some reservations, but also made clear, 'Hey, boss, it's your decision. We'll just do it.' And this was a rushed war and it was shortsighted. They thought it was going to be over in days, a couple of weeks at most. And now it is no doubt a bit of a quagmire.” - YouTube youtu.be
GOP senator celebrates 'literally starving' Iranians: 'They can't feed themselves'
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) touted President Donald Trump's naval blockade of Iran because he said it was "literally starving" the people of the country.In an interview with Newsmax host Ed Henry this week, Marshall argued that the U.S. military was "locked and loaded" after Trump suggested to CNBC that he was willing to begin bombing Iran again if negotiations failed."And, well, again, we have our foot on Iran's neck right now," the senator explained. "When the president walks in the room, he's negotiating. There's a camera in front of him. He's negotiating, and again he's negotiating with these irrational religious zealots, that's just next to impossible, so they need to know he's serious and he's dead serious.""If this turns into weeks, I think that's when we're going to start getting antsy," he continued. "But also, we had this embargo working as well, the blockade.""And we're literally starving them both financially, as well as they can't feed themselves either very long."Marshall argued that the lack of negotiations with Iran was "a good thing.""The embargo, the blockade is there as well," he remarked. "I've got confidence in the president. That the president's got this."
