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'No going back' for next president as Trump makes US reversal 'impossible': analyst
Donald Trump has made life harder for his Oval Office successor with a series of changes that will likely be impossible to undo, an analyst claimed.The president's tough stance on geopolitical relations during his second term has hindered the chance of reconciliation under the 48th President of the United States, Salon writer Mike Lofgren argued. The political analyst suggested that Trump's team was undermining steps taken by previous administrations to improve international relations. Lofgren claims that Trump has pressed the US into a position where there is "no going back to the status quo ante" of previous administrations. Actions taken against Venezuela and Iran, as well as a period of time where the president appeared set on subsuming Greenland into US territory has seemingly worn international relations thin. This, Lofgren suggests, is a point of no return that a future president from either party would struggle to navigate. He wrote, "Yet another future president might have retraced a path toward more balanced economic or security policies once the disadvantages of trade wars or diplomatic and military isolation became obvious."But Trump, in large part through his feral nastiness and adolescent vulgarity, has made that sort of reversal all but impossible. A hypothetical president might have distanced himself from NATO, but it’s inconceivable that he would covet an alliance partner’s territory to the point where that government made plans to blow up the airfields in the coveted territory in case of invasion."Lofgren went on to suggest that longstanding treaties and decades-old friendships between the US and other countries had been ground down slowly, and that Trump had simply sped up the process of a breakdown. "Trump hates reading, as his spotty education and lack of general knowledge testify," Lofgren wrote. "That reflects his profound lack of intellectual curiosity. "He attempts to disguise this deficiency with endless boasting about himself and endless denigration of others. He is obsessed with popular media and showbiz and the shabby values they embody."It is almost certain, to this observer anyway, that after the last hanging chad in Florida, after the rubble of the World Trade Center had cooled, after the first improvised roadside bomb exploded in Iraq, and after Lehman Brothers collapsed, Trump, or someone like him, was inevitable."
KP Sharma Oli: Nepal’s former prime minister arrested over alleged role in deadly protest crackdown
At least 77 people killed in anti-corruption youth uprising in September, which began over a brief social media banNepal’s former prime minister KP Sharma Oli was arrested early on Saturday morning over his alleged role in the deaths of dozens of people who took part in the gen Z protest that toppled his government last year.Police detained the three-time former prime minister at his residence in the capital Kathmandu, and also arrested his former home affairs minister Ramesh Lekhak. Continue reading...
Trump mocked after floating new name for Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump is facing mockery after floating the idea of renaming the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping lanes, after himself – or the United States. At an investor forum in Miami Friday night, Trump referred to the waterway as the “Strait of Trump” before correcting himself and insisting the remark was intentional.“Excuse me, I’m so sorry. Such a terrible mistake,” Trump said to the crowd. “The Fake News will say, ‘He accidentally said.’ No, there’s no accidents with me.”The Daily Beast reported Friday that Trump has also privately discussed rebranding the vital global oil corridor as the “Strait of America” if the United States were to help wrest control of it from Iran.The waterway has become a major flashpoint in the MAGA administration’s escalating conflict with Tehran, which has disrupted shipping and helped send oil and gas prices higher. One administration official told the New York Post that the U.S. is “taking the Strait back” and questioned why it should still be called Hormuz if Washington ends up policing it. But even some Trump allies appear uneasy with the idea. A former administration official told the Post that Trump’s self-promotion while in the White House is “getting tiresome and tacky,” and risks “tarnishing his legacy.” .@POTUS: "We're negotiating now, and it would be great if we could do something, but they have to open it up. They have to open up the Strait of Trump—I mean Hormuz. Excuse me, I'm so sorry. Such a terrible mistake." ???? pic.twitter.com/TqZptrkEo0— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 27, 2026
One move could be 'Trump's undoing' as 'nightmare' scenario looms: expert
Donald Trump could be facing a total collapse of his administration should he make one wrong move, an expert has warned. Describing the president as a "bad gambler," defense expert Chris Hughes suggested Trump could be taken down a worrying path during the war with Iran. Writing in The Mirror, Hughes outlined a scenario in which the US would not win against Iran, and that this may be a path Trump wishes to pursue. Trump could be "tempted into a ground war against hundreds of thousands, perhaps a million, of Iranian IRGC and Artesh regular forces that cannot be won," according to Hughes, who warned there would be no victory with a boots on the ground display from the US in Iran. "It does not take 17,000 ground troops to win against those odds and it is likely Trump has already been told this," Hughes wrote. "Even with defections and airstrikes a ground invasion of Iran would be a long-term and bloody nightmare. "The same goes for the taking of Kharg Island and perhaps a special forces raid on Iran’s nuclear sites to seize its enriched uranium. This will be Trump’s undoing, and the same goes for anyone else who goes along with it."Part of the problem regarding Trump's potential decision, Hughes warns, is in underestimating Iran's forces. He wrote, "The deathly irony remains that whilst it would prefer not to have been attacked in the first place, the latter is exactly what Iran too wants - it is a great big trap. "As we have said repeatedly the Iranian regime has always known it cannot take on America head-on - but it can draw it into a humiliating guerilla war that will cost huge numbers of lives."And it can try and out-cost the US, forcing it to spend even more than the billions it has already cost, whilst also costing the Gulf States billions in Patriot missiles. And this is by using £30,000 drones against multi-million pound Patriot defence missiles to bankrupt Trump’s war machine into a retreat."He has constantly bragged Iran has no navy or air force. The same could have been said for the Viet Cong and the Taliban and look where that got the States and other militaries that sacrificed troops, such as the UK, helping its war against terror."
CPAC gets sobering warning of 'burning American warships' in Iran from Blackwater founder
Blackwater founder Erik Prince revealed that he warned President Donald Trump against going to war in Iran.At the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, in Texas on Friday, Prince had a sobering message about Operation Epic Fury."I counseled as loud as possible against doing this in the first place," he explained. "We face an extremely difficult challenge. The Iranians learned their lesson from what happened to Iraq. Decapitation of the leadership structure of the Iraqi army. The Iranians have done the exact same thing. There's 31 different military districts. All clear direction given to those 31 commanders is to continue to wage war against whoever they can with whatever they can.""The only person that can countermand that order is the supreme leader," he continued. "And we've killed the supreme leader now, his father, his wife, his sister, other family members in an ancient society — in an ancient society that understands blood oath.""I don't share the optimism of the administration that there's going to be a peaceful stop to this."Prince noted that Iran would "burn it down" if the U.S. tried to deploy troops in the country."If they try to put boots on the ground, force the Strait of Hormuz, you will see imagery of burning American warships in the next couple of weeks," he advised. "And I don't think people are really prepared for that.""So I would, look, Iran doesn't have an independence day because they've not really been conquered since Alexander the Great," Prince added. "For all the talk of regime change, there's never been a real preparation of an armed opposition inside the country. And a lot of ways to do that from the periphery that doesn't require U.S. boots."
‘Couldn’t even lock down his own inbox’: Kash Patel hammered after email hack
The Justice Department (DOJ) confirmed Friday that the personal email of FBI Director Kash Patel was compromised by an Iran-linked hacking group, sparking an uproar from critics who noted the irony in a top national security official not securing their own personal email account.“The FBI boss who’s supposed to protect America couldn’t even lock down his own inbox from foreign spies,” wrote liberal influencer Ed Krassenstein Friday in a social media post on X to his more than 1 million followers. “How does this scream ‘strong on national security?’”The group that claimed responsibility for the security breach is Handala Hack, which is affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, per the DOJ. Earlier this month, the DOJ issued a $10 million reward for information on any of its members.In a defiant statement published on Friday, Handala Hack said that the $10 million reward was what motivated them to release Patel’s personal files and photos. The group mocked the FBI for how “easily” its security was breached.“The so-called ‘impenetrable’ systems of the FBI were brought to their knees within hours by our team,” reads a statement from the hacking group. “All personal and confidential information of Kash Patel, including emails, conversations, documents, and even classified files, is now available for public download. This is the security that the U.S. government boasts about?! If your director can be compromised this easily, what do you expect from your lower-level employees?”Krassenstein was not alone in mocking Patel for his alleged incompetence. Journalist Max Blumenthal took aim at Patel specifically over a select-few photos released by the hacking group that appeared to show the FBI director on a trip to Cuba, which the Trump administration is currently starving of resources with crippling sanctions that have shuttered hospitals and made food scarce.“While US federal agents harass Americans for bringing humanitarian aid to Cuba, seizing their phones and subjecting them to interrogations at airports, photos surface of FBI Director Kash Patel on a trip to Havana enjoying cigars, rum and local culture,” Blumenthal wrote Friday in a social media post on X to their more than 840,000 followers.BREAKING: Iran-linked hackers from the Handala group (tied to Iran’s MOIS) just released personal photos of FBI Director Kash Patel, including him smoking cigars, plus an old resume stolen from his private Gmail account. The FBI boss who’s supposed to protect America couldn’t… pic.twitter.com/31xf7At7dC— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) March 27, 2026
Trump reveals major Iran development as pressure mounts at home
President Donald Trump signaled that negotiations were underway with Iran — and that he would pause military strikes — while simultaneously attacking the media in a new social media announcement.Trump has come under fire over the American public's response to the joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes in Iran, as calls have increased for the conflict to end as oil prices rise and the stock market takes serious hits. He said that the Iranian government requested to stop the strikes amid the talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the second time Trump has said he would pause strikes. Trump posted the following on his Truth Social platform: "As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time. Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well."The military action in Iran started on Feb. 28 and has led to the death of 13 U.S. troops and hundreds of injured service members.
Trump losing top Fox News ally as MAGA host warns of 'cascading problems'
President Donald Trump has apparently started to lose support from one of his loyal Fox News allies as doubts rise over his decision to continue the war against Iran, according to reports on Thursday. Fox News host and conservative ally Laura Ingraham had a skeptical response to the Trump administration's war on Wednesday night during a live broadcast, Media Matters for America reported. Ingraham warned that as the United States escalates its military action in the Middle East, it could prompt dire and "unintended consequences." She argued that Trump and his administration should focus on America's economy and political situation. "Iran knows it cannot win militarily, so it's using the leverage it has by prolonging the conflict," Ingraham said during her monologue leading the show. "Now, what do they want to do? They want to inflict maximum economic pain on the region, on the U.S., [on] the global economy as much as possible until they think Trump relents. But the White House doesn't seem to be blinking."The host pointed to a clip featuring White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said during a press briefing on Wednesday that "President Trump does not bluff, and he is prepared to unleash hell." Ingraham described why Leavitt's comments were problematic and what that could mean for not just Iran, but the region as a whole, especially as Republicans anticipate tough midterms ahead. "Well, the problem is obviously unleashing hell means destroying infrastructure, which itself causes a series of cascading problems for the region, including maybe outside the region — political problems for the president in a midterm election year," Ingraham said.Trump has often looked to Fox News and its voices to gain further insights and potentially influence his next moves. "The power struggle is significant — it is not an exaggeration to suggest the course of the war might hinge on which Fox shows the president is watching," according to the outlet. And although Ingraham could be one of the few Fox News broadcasters expressing concerns about the Iran war, her voice could carry some weight. "Ingraham is inching toward the type of dissent that has been virtually absent from Fox’s coverage of the war, even as the broader right-wing media has split," according to Media Matters for America. "Her colleagues have played key roles in convincing Trump to attack in the first place and are pushing for risky escalations. Ingraham herself briefly quibbled with Trump’s handling of an apparent U.S. strike that leveled an Iranian school, killing scores of children, but had supported the war itself, which she declared three weeks ago that Trump had already won."
'Put America first!' CPAC attendee 'not happy at all' with Trump
CNN's Donie O'Sullivan talked to one attendee at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, who slammed President Donald Trump over his war in Iran."I'm at CPAC in Dallas," O'Sullivan explained on Thursday. "It's the biggest conservative conference in the country. And lots of people here are talking about the war in Iran. Trump is not speaking at this event this year.""But in the past, when he has spoken here, he's talked a lot about not starting new wars," he noted.Attendee Alex Stone told O'Sullivan that he was "not happy" with Trump because of the war."I'm not happy. I'm not happy at all. I mean, President Trump ran on no new wars," he explained. "I feel like we've been co-opted into a war that shouldn't be ours. It should be Israel's."Do you still support him? the CNN correspondent wondered."I want him to succeed," Stone hedged. "I think it's to be determined on, you know, if I can remain to support him. We'll see how the next six months go, and I'll see what happens.""We hear the phrase America first," he added. "Let's put America first."However, many CPAC attendees still supported the president."This is not a war," Shawn Michael insisted. "Oh my God, I absolutely support the president of the United States of America!"
Nepal’s PM-to-be uses rap to call for unity in first post-election message
Balendra Shah, 35, is a symbol of change in country whose government was toppled last year in youth-led uprisingNepal’s rapper turned politician Balendra Shah, who is about to be sworn in as prime minister, has issued his first post-election message in the form of a rap urging unity.Hours before the release he swore an oath as a newly elected lawmaker, and he is due to become the Himalayan republic’s new prime minister on Friday. Continue reading...
Trump’s trip to meet Xi Jinping in China rescheduled for May due to Iran war
US president says he will host Chinese leader in a reciprocal visit later this yearMiddle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump will meet Xi Jinping in May during the US president’s first visit to China in eight years, a closely watched trip that had been postponed due to the Iran war.Trump was initially slated to travel next week, but will now visit Beijing on 14 and 15 May, he wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday. Trump said he would host the Chinese leader in a reciprocal visit in Washington later this year. Continue reading...
Australia refuses to say how many Chinese nationals are arriving by boat, saying it may damage bilateral relations
Exclusive: Indonesia reports growing number of attempts by Chinese nationals to organise boat journeys, as Australian authorities refuse to reveal detailsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian government has refused to reveal how many Chinese nationals have arrived in Australia by boat since 2024, saying that disclosing the figure may harm relations with other countries.However, reports by Indonesian police show that there has been a consistent trend of Chinese nationals attempting to reach Australia through Indonesia as an alternative to “zouxian”, or “walking the line” – the illegal migration route through Central America to the US via the Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama. Continue reading...
Mar 31, 2026