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'It's nuts!' Trump backing down from his latest 'disaster' raises red flags for Dem
A Democratic lawmaker had a sharp critique for the Trump administration on Tuesday after President Donald Trump opted to back off plans to charge fees in the Strait of Hormuz.During a live segment with CNN anchor Boris Sanchez, Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) responded to Trump's decision change after the United States was mounting its military offensive in the region and preparing to restart its blockade of the waterway, facing pressure from several Gulf nations who have since offered to invest in the U.S."It's not a major reversal; it's Donald Trump's daily reversal," Crow said. "Literally, this changes by the day. One time the strait is open, the next day it's closed. One day we're going to charge a toll, the next day we're not. The next day, we signed a peace deal, an MOU. The next day we don't. This is what happens."The former Army Ranger said he wasn't surprised by the move."Let's just put it this way — who would have guessed that getting into another war in the Middle East without a plan, without an endgame, without a strategy, without allies, would possibly have ended up like this, right?" Crow said. "It is nuts that, where we are now, six months into this, we have spent over $100 billion! Service members have lost their lives. We've lost our credibility. The Iranian regime is actually more emboldened and has more control over Iran and the Iranian people than it did in February. This is an unmitigated disaster."
‘Terrible’ US escalation expected in ‘coming days’ as foreign policy expert sounds alarm
Foreign policy expert Trita Parsi sounded the alarm Tuesday over what he suspected would be a “major escalation” from the United States, one he predicted would come “in the next coming days.”“I do suspect that there’s going to be a major escalation from the U.S. side in the next coming days… I think it’s going to be quite terrible,” Parsi said in a video interview published by Zeteo Tuesday.Parsi’s warning comes amid resumed hostilities between the United States and Iran, sparked by Iran’s strike on a container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, which Iranian officials claimed to be in violation of the tentative U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement. Iran has since declared the Strait of Hormuz “closed,” sparking multiple exchanges of fire between the United States and Iran.Beyond announcing that the U.S. would reinstate its naval blockade on Iran, President Trump has not disclosed further details about U.S. military plans. He did, however, promote commentary Tuesday morning encouraging him to “take Kharg Island,” a small Iranian island and oil hub. Experts have warned that seizing Kharg Island would result in "considerable" American casualties.Parsi, the co-founder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, also warned that, even in the “best-case scenario,” the recent flare-up in hostilities would put the United States in a worse negotiating position than it was in last week.“In the absolute best-case scenario, the two sides, through the mediation of regional states, will find some sort of way back to the table. But nothing will have changed even by then – nothing has changed now,” Parsi continued. “The runway for the U.S. before the economic crisis is shorter. The only thing that may have changed is that the illusion that military power can rearrange facts on the ground in a manner that will favor your negotiation position may no longer be an illusion that exists, it may have been dispelled by this. But that’s in a best-case scenario!”‘Major U.S. Escalation’ Against Iran Soon, Experts Tell Zeteo by Mehdi HasanIn a Town Hall Q&A for paid subscribers, Zeteo assembled three Middle East experts to unpack developments in Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza. It’s a conversation you won’t find in the mainstream media.Read on Substack
Right-wing hardliners eye 'macabre' moment to finish off GOP's hawkish wing: report
America First hardliners are viewing Sen. Lindsey Graham's death as a dark opportunity to purge the Republican Party of its remaining interventionist wing and consolidate control over Donald Trump's foreign policy agenda, Politico is reporting.Graham's sudden passing left a gaping hole in the GOP's hawkish establishment — a void that anti-interventionist Trump allies are openly celebrating as a chance to eliminate their final formidable obstacle within the party.Unlike most Republicans, Graham possessed a durable relationship with Trump, which he leveraged consistently to push aggressive foreign policy positions: unwavering support for Israel, robust aid to Ukraine, and advocacy for military strikes against Iran. With him out of the way, Politico is reporting his right-wing critics see it as a "macabre opening" they need to quickly take advantage of."The McCain wing of the 'America Last' party has taken a mortal blow with the death of Graham and the demise of [Sen. Mitch] McConnell," said Steve Bannon, Trump's former White House strategist. "[GOP Sen. Tom] Cotton and the rest of the cabal have neither the gravitas nor the cunning of those two. The Oligarchs in Ukraine and Imperial Israel Proponents are curled up in the fetal position."According to Politico, a former Trump adviser is also excited about gaining more influence with Graham out of the way. Steve Cortes framed Graham's death in nakedly transactional terms."Broadly, whatever the reason, if there are fewer voices in President Trump's ear advocating for intervention that's a great thing. It's a great thing for our country, it's a great thing for our movement, it's a great thing for our party," he said."Still, not all of the president’s America First allies see Graham’s death as a boon to their cause. Some instead frame him as a bridge between a still-hawkish Senate GOP conference and a more anti-interventionist White House — someone who was able to move between both camps in a way that actually helped the America First cause," the report notes with Alex Gray, a former NSC official in Trump’s first term warning, "It actually hurts the America First movement if we don’t have establishment senators who are willing to give America First views a fair hearing, the way Graham did. He inserted kind of an interpretive bridge between the two sides. He did a lot for America First foreign policy.”
Wall Street needles Trump with bitter new joke as Hormuz debacle returns with a vengeance
Energy traders and Wall Street analysts are resorting to dark humor to cope with Donald Trump's foreign policy catastrophe in the Persian Gulf, where his aggressive posturing toward Iran has backfired spectacularly and destabilized one of the world's most critical shipping routes.The situation has become so dire that financial markets have developed a bitter joke about it. Traders have coined a new term for what they now expect: the "NACHO trade" — shorthand for "Not a Chance Hormuz Opens," according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.That acronym joins other Trump-themed market jargon, including "TACO," which stands for "Trump Always Chickens Out," revealing the contempt Trump critics have for his erratic decision-making.The Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20 percent of the world's oil passes, has become the focal point of Trump's unraveling Middle East strategy. After renewed fighting over the weekend and Trump's announcement that he was reimposing a U.S. blockade on Iranian shipping, oil prices surged more than 10 percent, erasing an entire month of price declines."The chance of the region and Hormuz going back to the old normal is effectively zero," said Rachel Ziemba, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, told the Journal. "If anything this reinforces the impetus to invest in other pathways as quickly as possible."The core problem, according to Wall Street Journal reporting, is that Iran and neighboring countries have discovered they can easily manipulate U.S. politics by threatening to choke off shipping through the strait. That realization has fundamentally altered market calculations."Oil markets and Middle East producers appear to be aligning around a new reality: The Strait of Hormuz is no longer expected to return to a prewar norm," the Journal reported.According to the Journal, "The idea behind the NACHO trade is that the shipping route through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil had passed will remain virtually shut, with only a trickle of traffic slipping through clandestine routes, until the economic costs of its closure, such as high oil prices and accelerating inflation, become untenable."
Ex-Army intel officer dumbfounded by Trump's latest move: 'New levels of desperation'
A former U.S. Army intelligence officer was left dumbstruck Tuesday following President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to degrade Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, an effort they described as a manifestation of the president’s “new levels of desperation.”On Monday, Trump announced that the United States would be reinstating its naval blockade on Iran and charging hefty fees to transiting vessels. The decree came amid renewed exchanges of fire between the United States, Iran and U.S.-aligned Middle Eastern nations.“This is just new levels of desperation that I couldn't have imagined a couple of months ago,” said Harrison Mann, a former U.S. Army major and intelligence officer, during an appearance on CNN.“We've got to remember that the free protection from the U.S. Navy has not been successful for the past several months; it's why we're in a new cycle of escalation over the past week. The Navy has repeatedly tried to secure transit through the Strait of Hormuz – Iran has still been able to attack ships.”The flare-up in violence was sparked last week after Iran struck a container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz in a manner Iranian officials claimed was a violation of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement. The United States launched strikes at Iran in retaliation, which itself was met with a flurry of strikes from Iran targeting U.S. allies in the region.Mann, who resigned in protest over the U.S. facilitation and support for the Israeli siege on Gaza – which a United Nations commission and countless human rights organizations have described as a genocide – said that not only was the Trump administration’s plan doomed to fail, it also undercut its own position.“So the protecting ships part of it, we already know won't work. Is he actually going to charge fees? I doubt it, but he is doing something that's kind of dangerous for his own strategy, which is legitimizing that demand,” Mann said.“Marco Rubio just two weeks ago said nobody can charge passage through this international waterway. Trump is now saying, 'oh no, that's fine, we're going to try and do it.'"
Trump rage-quits press gaggle after CNN's Kaitlan Collins questions new war strikes
CNN's Kaitlan Collins pressed President Donald Trump about the war in Iran when he decided to suddenly end a White House press conference on Monday.Trump was speaking at the Oval Office to a group of reporters when he cut the questions short and lashed out against the network. The president had told reporters that the United States had plans to ramp up attacks on Iran, as Trump had ordered a new blockade against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz."The US is bombing Iran again. You've been bombing Iran for months now. Is this just the new normal for the American people?" Collins asked.Trump started to complain about CNN and its coverage of the Iran war."All they have is fake news because the fake news would rather see us lose the war," Trump said.Collins responded to Trump."You argued Iran couldn't have ballistic missiles," Collins said.But Trump kept talking about CNN and "fake news.""Which is really treasonous in a certain way. So we're doing another very major attack tonight," Trump said.Trump abruptly ended the press conference after his rant to Collins, and aides hurriedly shuffled reporters out of the room. TRUMP: All they have is fake news because the fake news would rather see us lose the warCOLLINS: You argued Iran couldn't have ballistic missilesTRUMP: Which is really treasonous in a certain way. So we're doing another very major attack tonight. pic.twitter.com/dwe58GUgul— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 13, 2026
Jul 13, 2026
'Jurassic Park' star Sam Neill dies at 78
Lindsey Graham's death reverberates around the globe: 'Certainly won’t miss him'
Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) sudden death reverberated across the globe on Sunday as world leaders reacted to the news. Graham died late Saturday night after a "brief and sudden illness," according to his office. It is believed that Graham suffered from cardiac arrest before his death. President Donald Trump described the late Senator as "one of the greatest people and Senators that I have ever known." Leaders of American-allied nations reacted to the news on Sunday, offering condolences to Graham's family and colleagues. However, the mercurial senator's death also sparked a more terse reaction from America's enemies, particularly inside the Kremlin. "He worked tirelessly to strengthen sanctions, in close coordination with the E.U.," Ursula von der Leyen, the E.U. commission president, remembered in a post on X. "A determined and fearless leader. He will be deeply missed." "Throughout his career, he stood resolutely in defense of democracy and freedom, most recently and particularly with Ukraine and its people," Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on X. "I offer my condolences to Senator Graham’s family, friends, and all those who served alongside him."Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, also thanked Graham for his staunch advocacy for Ukrainians defending their country against Russian aggression. "We will always be especially grateful for the recognition of our people and words of admiration for the courage of Ukraine’s defenders," Zelenskyy noted in a post on X. "America and the world have lost a determined leader."Graham's death sparked a much different message inside Russia's Kremlin and among the Putin regime's propagandists, The Daily Beast reported. Alexey Pushkov, a Russian lawmaker who represents Putin's party, called Graham "bloodthirsty" in a Telegram post shortly after his death, according to the report. Kremlin propagandist Sergei Mardan added that the Russian people "certainly won't miss him," the report added.
UN chief warns of imminent ‘catastrophic consequences’ as US launches new strikes: report
Shortly after the United States launched a fresh round of strikes at Iran on Sunday, the United Nations secretary-general pleaded with all parties to practice restraint, or risk sparking global and imminent “catastrophic consequences.”On Saturday, the United States launched strikes at Iran in response to an attack on a container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, and in a manner that Iran claimed to be in violation of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement. Iran responded early Sunday morning with strikes targeting major U.S. allies in the region.On Sunday, the United States retaliated again with a new wave of strikes, only this time, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres pleaded with all parties involved to stop hostilities, The New York Times reported.“A return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences [for the region and for the global economy],” Guterres said, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson.Guterres went on to say he was “deeply concerned by the serious escalation” and urged both the United States and Iran “to exercise maximum restraint, avoid further escalatory action and take immediate steps to de-escalate.”The United States’ most recent attack on Iran, according to a U.S. official who spoke with the Times under the condition of anonymity, was to degrade “Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping vessels,” the Times reported.On Saturday, Iran also announced that the Strait of Hormuz – a critical shipping route through which around 20% of the world’s oil trade flows – was “closed until further notice,” citing “America’s interventions in the region.”
Senate GOP plot thrown into 'chaos' by Lindsey Graham's sudden death: analysts
The sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and the mysterious absence of a sickly Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have thrown the Senate GOP into "chaos" ahead of crucial vote, analysts contend. It remains unclear whether the senate Republicans will now be able to pursue plans to rush the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act to a vote without the two powerful representatives at hand, Democratic strategist and MS NOW contributor Max Burns argued Sunday."Lindsey Graham's sudden and unexpected death throws into chaos the Senate GOP's plan," he wrote on X. " Without McConnell and Graham they are in a real tight vote situation."That's because opposition from Democrats has been mounting.Six Democratic senators last week urged colleagues to block the NDAA's advancement until a provision they believe to be"reckless" can be removed, according to a recent Truthout report. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and five others urged colleagues not to support the U.S.-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative which would mandate cooperation between the U.S. and Israel militaries and intelligence, according to the report. “These agreements threaten U.S. national security interests by handing the Netanyahu government leverage over American weapons systems and military technology,” the letter stated. “This is not hypothetical."Iran also poses a problem. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) announced over the weekend he would not vote to approve the NDAA over concerns about the war. "We haven’t even had an up or down vote to authorize this war in the first place," Schatz said Saturday. "Trump wants a 50 percent increase at DOD - they expect money without accountability or strategy. I usually vote yes on NDAA but this is an easy call for me."With opposition mounting, Senate Republicans needed Graham and McConnell to help them fend off this attack from Democrats, argued political reporter Igor Bobic on Sunday."Senate was set to take up the NDAA upon returning from the break," he wrote. "Will be harder with Graham’s passing and McConnell’s absence amid rising Dem opposition over Iran."Last week, Politico reported an already thin margin for Republicans to push military spending.
‘Calling for their arrest’: Dem lawmaker goes scorched earth after detention
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) is now calling for the “arrest and prosecution” of Israeli settlers he accused of detaining him earlier this week while traveling the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and accused the Israeli government of “lying” about him to “cover up” their involvement in the incident.Khanna revealed earlier on Saturday that he had been detained by a group of Israeli settlers “brandishing American-made M4s,” and shared video of the incident on social media. He also claimed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “sided with the settlers” and “continued” his detention.The incident drew scattered bipartisan criticism, though some – including prominent right-wing influencer Laura Loomer and Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC) – appeared to side with the Israeli government and condemn Khanna instead.On Saturday evening, the conservative New York Post published a report claiming that during his trip to Israel and the West Bank, Khanna "blew off" an offer to meet with former Israeli hostages. While the Post did not disclose the identity of its source for the claim, Khanna suggested it had come from Israeli officials, whom he accused of lying.“The Israeli government is lying to cover up for 4 IDF soldiers who aided violent settlers brandishing M4 guns and threatening American lives,” Khanna wrote Saturday night in a defiant social media post on X.“I am calling for their arrest and prosecution. I have met with Israeli hostages and condemned the brutal, terrorist attacks of Oct 7. That does [not] excuse the IDF from detaining American citizens.”The same day Khanna revealed he had been detained by Israeli settlers, a CNN crew and other journalists were also detained by settlers in the West Bank, which CNN described as an “attack.”“The four settlers were wielding wooden and metal rods and stones. One settler brandished a knife and tried to puncture the tires of CNN’s vehicle,” CNN reported Saturday.“The settlers then began to jump on the vehicle behind CNN’s – carrying another group of journalists – and smashed the windshield of that vehicle. Another group of settlers tried to block a separate exit route before chasing the journalists towards the town of Sinjil.”More than 700,000 Israeli settlers illegally live in the West Bank, with instances of settler violence increasing over the past year. Approximately 1,732 incidents of settler violence “resulting in casualties or property damage” were documented in the 12-month period up to Oct. 31, 2025, according to a United Nations Human Rights Office report. Israeli settlers have also killed at least 15 Americans since 2003.The Israeli government is lying to cover up for 4 IDF soldiers who aided violent settlers brandishing M4 guns and threatening American lives. I am calling for their arrest and prosecution.I have met with Israeli hostages and condemned the brutal, terrorist attacks of Oct 7.… https://t.co/d0POw0J57F— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) July 12, 2026
'Get your tinfoil': MAGA chases 'conspiracy' clicks hours after Lindsey Graham's death
Just hours after the 'sudden' death of Sen. Lindsey Graham was announced to the public, MAGA conspiracy theorists began chasing traffic with wild claims about the cause.Questions do remain after Graham's office released an statement Sunday morning that was short on detail."On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness," read the 2 a.m. statement. "Senator Graham's family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period."President Donald Trump has promised to release more information after declaring on Truth Social Sunday morning that Graham "is dead!"It was later revealed he died Saturday night at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. after reportedly suffering chest pains.These sparse details proved fodder enough for conspiracy theories to thrive on X.Libertarian talk show host Clint Russell told his nearly 300,000 followers to "get your tinfoil ready" before he suggested, without evidence, that Russia was somehow to blame for Graham's death in Washington, D.C. Graham was in Ukraine as recently as Friday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reports show. "I'd say there is a decent chance that Russia blew up Lindsey Graham," Russell wrote in a comment liked more than a thousand times."Graham is not just the most psychotic booster of Ukraine but he was also the biggest booster for arming Ukraine a decade ago (and likely the Maidan revolution) which really forced Russia to invade," Russell added. "This -could- be the warning shot to the political class that while Russia doesn't want WW3 they will extract a cost on the politicians themselves who are pushing for this endless war. It's now being reported he died of a heart attack. Sure, maybe. Idk."MAGA influencer Laura Loomer also blamed Russia but she decided to tell her 1.9 million followers, again without evidence, that it was possible Russia had poisoned Graham with help from Iran. "There seriously needs to be an investigation," she wrote in a post liked nearly 10,000 times. "Russia just sent a delegation to Khamenei’s funeral in Tehran where the IRGC and funeral organizers was calling for myself, President Trump and Senator Graham to be assassinated. Lindsey Graham was in Ukraine one day ago calling for a Russian sanctions bill that he claimed the White House supports. Now he is suddenly dead from a random illness according to his staff. Did Russia just murder a US Senator?"Anthony Galli, a conservative writer with more than 10,000 followers, took this idea and ran with it."If Iran was behind Lindsey Graham's sudden death but we should respond anyway," he wrote. "President Trump should launch OPERATION LINDSEY GRAHAM. It's what he would've wanted."Matt Forney, host of an eponymous video podcast with more than 3,000 followers, was blunt about naming these comments as baseless claims of secret plots — but did not reject them. "I'm not going to go full conspiracy theorist yet," he wrote. Responding to video of Graham he added, "But this was two days ago. Lindsey Graham looks pretty spry for a 71-year-old. He certainly doesn't look sick or frail. Did Russia or Iran assassinate Graham? I don't think we can rule it out."
Cocaine-cash probe reaches the land behind Ivanka and Kushner's Albania resort
A Miami businessman wanted in Albania for alleged drug money laundering is suspected of faking deeds to the land where Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner hope to build a multi-billion-dollar resort, new reports show.Albania's anticorruption prosecution service is investigating whether Artur Shehu transferred land to Albania Land Development, a Kushner-linked company, with forged deeds and falsified titles, according to reporting by Al Jazeera and Reuters."Prosecutors allege Shehu and his associates funnelled proceeds from cocaine trafficking into Albanian property, using falsified titles to disguise the money’s origin, and have since frozen roughly 110 million euros ($126m) tied to the sale in a notary’s account," Al Jazeera reported.Shehu’s lawyer Kujtim Cakrani denied the allegations to Reuters. “Nothing that has been alleged regarding Mr Artur Shehu’s character is true,” he told Reuters. "Mr Shehu is aware of the allegations made by the Albanian prosecution. These allegations do not concern him because he maintains that the truth is entirely different from what the prosecution claims."A Justice Department spokesperson declined Reuters' request for comment.Ivanka and Kushner's announcement that they plan to build a $1.6 billion luxury resort on Sazan Island, a protected nature preserve and Albania's largest island, already sparked mass protests. It hasn't stopped the couple from moving forward with the deal and snapping up coastal land. Neither Ivanka, Kushner nor Albania Land Development has been accused of wrongdoing in the case.Shehu sold a strip of pristine Albanian coastline to Kushner's company in April, according to reporting by Reuters."Reasonable suspicions are formed, based on evidence, that the above-mentioned assets were acquired through the use of forged documents," according to case files reviewed by Reuters. Reuters also reported that an Albanian organized crime-fighting agency issued a warrant seeking Shehu's arrest for laundering money for South American cocaine traffickers shipping drugs into European ports.Cakrani confirmed Shehu was a target but said he was unconcerned about the arrest warrant, telling Reuters it was "widely believed" that Albanian prosecutors operate under the influence of politicians and business figures.
