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MS NOW hosts pounce on 'hysterical' Hegseth and 'where his mind is' after angry tirade
Two hosts on MS NOW called out Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth immediately after he fled the stage following a Pentagon press conference that “Morning Joe” host Jonathan Lemire called “hysterical."With the manic Hegseth repeatedly bashing the press, singling out CNN in particular, and dictating headlines he feels that should use to describe the unpopular war in Iran, Lemire and co-host Willie Geist both suggested that Donald Trump’s Pentagon head is feeling the pressure of a war gone wrong.”Secretary Hegseth, and let's be clear, [that] was a pretty hysterical performance, really angry,” Lemire bluntly stated, “It seemed, throughout much of that briefing, said of the Strait of Hormuz, quote, ‘We don't need to worry about it.’ But yet the rest of the administration is deeply worried about it. That's why we're seeing things like sanctions being lifted on Russia, because oil prices are so high, and they are concerned about the ability to safely send ships to and from through that strait.”“And really, we should just take a moment to note, as you just said, the media criticism here from Secretary Hegseth,” he said to Geist, “It took about three seconds to levy his first shot at the media. He suggested that CNN would be better once David Ellison takes charge of it; hat's the merger that's currently being considered. And just in striking contrast to what we have come to expect from Pentagon briefings in previous administrations.”Co-host Geist pointed out, “He first complained about the media and started to rewrite cable news banners suggesting what they should say versus what they have said based on reporting, and then later got to the acknowledgment of the death of those four service members.”“Sort of tells you the whole story about where his mind is –– deeply worried about the way the war is being perceived, the way he's being talked about,” he elaborated. “Perhaps that seemed to be throughout the briefing front and center to him.” - YouTube youtu.be
Trump's 'misunderstanding' of Iran war goals makes it impossible to broker peace: analysis
Peace appears impossible under the current understanding Donald Trump has of his war with Iran, according to a political analyst. Whether the so-called peace president brings about regime change in Iran is yet to be seen, though many experts suggest it appears unlikely. Even if the Trump administration achieved such a change, it would be futile, according to Slate analyst Fred Kaplan, who believes there are too many reasons pitched as why the war began to even figure out a route towards ending the conflict. This confusion means not only will Trump carry out the war, but that Iran has no reason to conclude it. Kaplan wrote, "Trump’s delusion seems to stem from the misunderstanding that war is all about blowing up targets. "It’s true, U.S. Central Command has blown up a lot—more than 5,000 targets, according to the latest briefings—to the point where, as Trump said, there’s almost nothing left to hit. But wars are fought for political objectives."The problem is that Trump doesn’t know what his objectives in this war are. Or, worse still, he has proclaimed many objectives, some of them contradictory with one another, many of them inconsistent with objectives proclaimed by his top advisers, because they don’t know what his objectives are either. "One day, it’s regime change (and, even within that goal, sometimes he says the people should rise up, sometimes he says he can deal with more moderate mullahs or officers taking power); other days, it’s to wipe out Iran’s nuclear potential, ballistic missiles, and navy (with nary a word about the regime or democracy)."This ongoing uncertainty from the Trump admin makes it impossible for the current or former Iranian regime to even attempt to broker peace, according to the political analyst.Kaplan added, "This confusion causes two sets of dreadful consequences. First, to the extent that Iran’s real or nascent leaders want to end the war, they don’t know what they need to say or do—and if they take seriously the talk of regime change, they see no point in trying to end the war, but will instead bring down as much around them, along with themselves, as they can."It also adds pressure to military commanders "left in the dark" by Trump's flippant remarks. "The result, even by strictly military measures, is counterproductive," Kaplan wrote. "To achieve some objectives, restraint might be the best approach.""For instance, if you just want to stop Iran’s nuclear program or destroy its ballistic missiles and navy, then you need to negotiate a surrender with Iranian authorities. But if you also kill those authorities, you have nobody to negotiate with—and so the war revs to a death spiral."
Ethiopia declares 3 days of mourning after landslides in the south kill 80 people
Ethiopia on Tuesday declared three days of mourning as the death toll from this week's landslides in the country's south climbed to 80.
France returns sacred talking drum looted from Côte d’Ivoire over 100 years ago
Djidji Ayôkwé was handed to Ivorian officials in Paris earlier this monthA sacred artefact looted by French colonial authorities more than a century ago has been returned to Côte d’Ivoire in one of the most significant cultural restitutions to a former French colony in years.The Djidji Ayôkwé, a talking drum confiscated in 1916 by French administrators, landed at 8.45am on Friday at the airport in Port Bouët on the outskirts of the economic capital, Abidjan. It was handed over to Ivorian officials in Paris earlier this month after being removed from the Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac Museum. Continue reading...
Pete Hegseth menaces CNN over its Iran reporting during Pentagon press bash-fest
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth interrupted his Pentagon press briefing on Friday morning to bash the press, taking particular aim at CNN and urging an ownership change.After opening by complaining the press was not willing to “admit” the success of his Iran war planning, he later added, “They see headlines. I used to be in that business, and I know that everything is written intentionally. For example, a banner or a headline ‘Mideast War Intensifies,' splashing on the screen the last couple of days, alongside visuals of civilian or energy targets that Iran has hit. Because that's what they do.”“What should the banner read instead? How about Iran ‘increasingly desperate’ because they are,” he lectured. “They know it, and so do you ... more fake news from CNN reports that the Trump administration underestimated the Iran war's impact on the Strait of Hormuz — patently ridiculous, of course. For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is always what they do hold —the strait hostage.”“CNN doesn't think we thought of that,” he accused. “It's a fundamentally unserious report. The sooner [Paramount’s] David Ellison takes over that network, the better. Another example of a fake headline that I saw yesterday: ‘War widening.’ Here's a real headline for you, for an actual patriotic press. How about ‘Iran shrinking, going underground?’"Hegseth: "Another example of a fake headline that I saw yesterday -- 'War widening.' Here's a real headline for you for an actual patriotic press. How about, 'Iran shrinking.'"[image or embed]— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) March 13, 2026 at 5:18 AM
'That looks low to me': Nobel Prize winner issues grim warning on Iran war consequences
A Nobel Prize winner has warned there could be further spikes in the cost of oil, and it would be far worse than predicted. Paul Krugman believes estimates from experts predicting how high the cost of oil will reach could be understating just how expensive it could get. Writing in his recent Substack post, the economist suggested there is a chance that oil prices could spike much higher than either experts or Donald Trump's administration will admit. Krugman claimed, "Given time to adjust, the world can conserve oil in many different ways. For example, gas mileage roughly doubled in the decades that followed the 70s oil shocks — and that was before hybrid and electric vehicles. In the long run, the world economy could make do without Persian Gulf oil, at minimal cost in terms of global GDP."But in the long run we are all dead. In the short run, the economic impact of a sustained loss of Gulf oil could be very ugly. In fact, it would have to get ugly to persuade the world to buy a lot less oil.""I’ve seen some alarmists warn that a long war in the Gulf could lead to oil at $150 a barrel. That looks low to me." Though Krugman's opinion may be a rude awakening for some, the economist believes change will only come if the price hike persuades people to give up driving. He wrote, "Around 20 percent of the world’s normal flow of oil is bottled up inside the Strait of Hormuz — and as we’ve seen in the past day, even tankers and oil facilities inside the Strait are vulnerable to attack. If this blockade persists, it will be a much worse shock to world oil supplies than the 1973 embargo, the 1979 Iranian revolution, or the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.""So what happens if the Strait remains closed for months? It’s a matter of supply and demand. If the quantity of oil supplied to world markets can’t rise — which, as far as we can tell, it won’t until the mullahs decide to let tankers through again — the price of oil will have to rise high enough to reduce the quantity demanded.""And how high would that price have to be? It would have to be high enough to persuade drivers to stop driving, trucks to stop trucking, airlines to stop flying.""In other words, the price of oil would have to rise enough to cause a global economic crisis even though the world is much less oil-dependent than it used to be."
GOP senator uncorks crude ultimatum to Europe: 'Take the skirts off!'
WASHINGTON — A Republican U.S. senator used insulting and sexist language to demand European countries join America and Israel’s war against Iran, saying NATO allies should “take their skirts off, maybe put some boots on and help the rest of the world out.”“I gave up on Europe helping us years ago,” Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) told reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday. “They're all talking,” Marshall continued, citing President Donald Trump’s long-held grievance over defense spending levels among the NATO alliance. “They told us they would get to 2 percent of GDP, and they never did. Half of them never did. Now they're probably 5 percent. They're all talk.”While the U.S. clearly contributes most, analysts contest claims that NATO countries don’t pay their fair share, especially after most European nations increased spending since Trump threatened the fate of NATO at the start of his second term in the White House. Since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran late last month, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and leaders of other traditional U.S. allies have grappled with how to deal with the Trump administration's demands that they support a war that remains unpopular across the globe.On Thursday, Sen. Marshall reached back into 20th-century history to dismiss the Marshall Plan under which U.S. aid helped revive and rebuild Europe in the aftermath of World War Two. “You know, World War II is over with,” Marshall said. “The Marshall Plan is over with. “It's time for Europe to put some jeans on, take their skirts off, maybe put some boots on and help the rest of the world out.”Marshall’s committee assignments do not include roles on panels dealing with foreign or military affairs.His official Senate website highlights the seven years he served in the Army Reserves, while also painting him as a traditional conservative family man, “a physician, devoted father, [and] grandfather” and OB/GYN who “delivered more than 5,000 babies.”'I was wrong'Marshall already made news this week over errant Iran comments.Appearing on CNN on Tuesday, the senator was asked whether, with seven Americans dead and 140 wounded, and a climbing death toll in Iran, he stood by comments to Fox News last June about U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear program.“I think it will take them years to restart their nuclear program,” Marshall said then. “I think that they can’t control their airspace; they don’t have the will to do it. From what I’ve seen, I’m in shock and awe. You know, it’s just, it’s shocking how much damage we did to their facilities.”Back then, Trump claimed Iran’s nuclear program had been obliterated, even as he says new strikes were necessary to stop work on nuclear weapons.Asked if he had seen intelligence to back up the president’s change of tune, Marshall told CNN: “Look, I was wrong. They were restarting their nuclear program.”Marshall also said, “I hate war,” and saluted U.S. service members killed or injured. Pressed on why he had changed his view about the effect of last summer’s strikes, the senator said: “I believe that we obliterated those particular nuclear facilities, but now they were starting nuclear programs in other places. “And just their willingness to do that was just thumbing their nose at us.”
UK government axes flagship global health project
Programme which supports schemes in six African countries was previously hailed as vital protection for Britain against future pandemicsA flagship health project in Africa, which UK ministers said would play a vital role in protecting Britain from future pandemic threats, is being axed due to aid cuts, the Guardian can reveal.The Global Health Workforce Programme (GHWP) which supported development and training for healthcare staff in six African countries, will close at the end of the month, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said. Continue reading...
‘A few beatings won’t kill you’: judge rejects divorce request of woman abused by husband in Afghanistan
Under new Taliban laws, a husband is allowed to beat his wife as long as it is not done with ‘obscene force’, which the woman must prove in courtThe shocking level of physical violence against women permitted under the Taliban’s new laws has been revealed this week by the case of a woman in northern Afghanistan, who said she was beaten with a cable wire by her husband and told by a judge: “You want a divorce just because of that? … A little anger and a few beatings won’t kill you.”Farzana* said her husband was quick-tempered and often resorted to beating her. He regularly humiliated her and called her “disabled”, she said, because her right leg was slightly shorter than the left. She had tolerated the abuse for the sake of their children, but one evening, she said, his violence went too far. Continue reading...
‘Invasive’ AI-led mass surveillance in Africa violating freedoms, warn experts
Countries across the continent have spent more than $2bn on Chinese tracking technology that is not ‘necessary or proportionate’, new report findsThe rapid expansion of AI-powered mass-surveillance systems across Africa is violating citizens’ right to privacy and having a chilling effect on society, according to experts on human rights and emerging technologies.At least $2bn (£1.5bn) has been spent by 11 African governments on Chinese-built surveillance technology that recognises faces and monitors movements, according to a new report by the Institute of Development Studies, which warns that national security is being used to justify implementing these systems with little regulation. Continue reading...
A young girl is knocked over at Tokyo crossing – what’s behind Japan’s ‘bumping’ trend?
Viral video of girl being shoved by fellow pedestrian has reignited debate over butsukari – with experts blaming stress and gender dynamicsIt starts out as a heartwarming clip. A young girl, clearly delighted to be in Tokyo, beams as she makes a peace sign to the camera. Seconds later, she is shoved to the ground from behind by a woman wearing a surgical mask. The assailant doesn’t skip a beat, striding out of shot of the clip filmed by the girl’s mother.This was no accidental clash of shoulders in a crowded place, but one of the most visible examples of a spate of butsukari otoko – “bumping man” – shoving incidents in Japan that experts attribute to a combination of gender dynamics and the stresses of modern life. Continue reading...
Asia scrambles to confront energy crisis unleashed by Iran war – with no end in sight
From fuel caps to four-day work weeks, the Middle East conflict has left the world’s top crude oil importing region desperate to shore up suppliesDonald Trump has scrambled in recent days to reassure the world that the economic impact of his war on Iran can be contained.Sure, one of the most important waterways in global trade has, in effect, been shut for almost two weeks – but it might reopen before long. In the meantime, US oil-related sanctions on “some countries” will be lifted. And besides, the entire conflict could be over soon. Continue reading...
