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Democratic efforts to constrain Donald Trump's Iran war are gaining unexpected momentum. More Republican lawmakers are privately signaling they're ready to join Democrats on a war powers resolution — and the defections may accelerate dramatically by month's end.According to MS NOW, Democrats believe "there's a pathway to success" on forcing votes this week that would dampen hostilities in Iran.The political math is shifting in Democrats' favor. While they would need a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override Trump's almost-certain veto, a privileged war powers measure only requires a simple majority to pass — a threshold that appears increasingly achievable as GOP support erodes, MS NOW reported.The breaking point could happen on April 29. One House GOP lawmaker, granted anonymity, told MS NOW that "a lot of Republicans" would be ready to support a war powers resolution by then."This issue is already coming ripe at the end of this month, and if they don't come to us by then, they're in violation of the law. And that's when you'll see many of us saying no más," they told MS NOW.Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) framed the political stakes sharply: "Every day that Republicans stand in the way of Democratic efforts to end this war is another day that they own the chaos, the bloodshed and the economic volatility that has resulted."Senate Republicans are already showing cracks. So far, only Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has voted with Democrats on three separate Iran war powers resolutions over the past month. But Trump's apocalyptic rhetoric is pushing other Republicans toward the exit, MS NOW reported.Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) directly rebuked Trump's threat to wipe out a "whole civilization." "It cannot be excused away as an attempt to gain leverage in negotiations with Iran. It undermines our long-standing role as a global beacon of freedom and directly endangers Americans both abroad and at home," Murkowski wrote.Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) was equally damning about Trump's Easter Truth Social posts threatening to annihilate Iran's infrastructure and demanding Tehran open the Strait of Hormuz in a social media post loaded with obscenities."Completely inappropriate," Collins said of the threats. "And the subsequent post in which he threatened to essentially annihilate the whole country of Iran is also not conducive to the negotiations that will shortly be underway."

The 40-day war with Iran is becoming a political millstone around both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump's necks — and Israeli public opinion shows that the nation believes the operation has spectacularly failed to deliver on its promises.According to the New York Times, new polling reveals widespread Israeli disillusionment with the conflict and its meager results. The war in Iran and the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon have left Israelis despairing over how little was actually accomplished compared to what leaders promised.The scorecard is devastating.Regime change in Iran? Senior government and military leaders have been killed, but it is still the same regime. Destruction of Iran's nuclear program? Damaged or delayed, perhaps, but not ended. Elimination of Iran's ballistic missile threat? Reduced, perhaps, but still a threat. The strategic damage extends beyond military failure, the Times reported. Israel has been reduced to a subordinate position, forced to accept whatever Washington decides. When Israel conducted a furious wave of airstrikes on Beirut on Wednesday that violated the day-old ceasefire, Trump scolded the country — demonstrating Israel's lack of independent agency, the Times wrote.According to an opinion poll released Sunday by the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, barely a third of Israelis believe that when Israel and the United States disagree, Israel can act on its own judgment.A separate poll from Agam Institute and Hebrew University of Jerusalem found even more damning results: "Three times as many Israelis see the war as a failure than a victory," the Times reported. Even more striking, 70 percent believe the ceasefire reflects an American concession to Iran, and two-thirds oppose it.The psychological toll is equally severe. "Many Israelis have become pessimistic, fatigued, disillusioned and distrustful of the information that they are receiving," according to the Agam-Hebrew University survey.Israeli analyst Yaakov Katz, co-founder of the Middle East-America Dialogue, said, "What's the Israeli story today? It's a narrative of a country that's constantly fighting, and presents no alternatives except for more war."

President Donald Trump's latest effort to settle the war with Iran proves that he is "the most powerful idiot in the history of the world," according to one columnist. David Rothkopf, a columnist at The Daily Beast, argued in a new column on Sunday that Trump's decision to impose a retaliatory blockade on the Strait of Hormuz showed the president is operating with the "strategic acumen of a four-year-old in a fight on a pre-school playground." The Iranian regime has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to the U.S. and Israel launching a coordinated bombing campaign across Iran in late February. The closure has sent global energy prices skyrocketing. "He is undoubtedly the most powerful idiot in the history of the world," Rothkopf wrote. "Both his idiocy and his power are unparalleled. On the latter point, his position as president and commander-in-chief of the most dominant, potent nation confirms that no idiot since the beginning of time has ever been in a position to do so much damage to so many people as a consequence of his idiocy," he added. "On the prior point, just look at the record," Rothkopf continued. "The misbegotten, ill-considered, going-from-bad-freaking-worse every damn day War with Iran illustrates Trump’s manifold mental deficiencies with shocking clarity—and, unfortunately for all of us, the damage he is doing seems certain to touch more lives in more egregious ways going forward than it already has."

Fans of President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again movement were dismayed on Sunday after one of their European allies suffered a stinging election defeat. Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orbán conceded defeat to the opposition leader Péter Magyar on Sunday, ending his 16 years in power as Hungary's Prime Minister. Magyar's Tisza party is expected to take a supermajority in the country's legislature, and his victory was hailed as a relief to many across the U.S. and Europe. However, fans of Trump's MAGA movement spun Orbán's defeat as a sign of Europe's continued decline. They shared their reactions on social media. "Dreadful news for Hungary and the West," MAGA commentator Michael Knowles posted on X. "Orban is out. A sad day for Western civilization," Paul Weston, a far-right British lawmaker, posted on X. "In 5 years' time, Budapest will look like every other ruined ex-European city. This makes our Ursula very happy of course." "This is tragic," MAGA fan Wendy Patterson posted on X. "The people fell for Magyer’s lies in a month or two people are going to be in an uproar," MAGA fan Tracie James posted on X."Hungary was nice while it lasted. Where do I go on vacations in Europe now without my date and my dog being at risk of being raped by a Moslem?" conservative strategist Joey Mannarino posted on X.

President Donald Trump was irritated on Saturday after a reporter asked him about the ongoing Iran negotiations over reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump spoke with reporters before leaving the White House to head to Joint Base Andrews, snapping at a female NBC News reporter who asked about the stalemate."Why do you say that? You don't know anything!" Trump said. He demanded to know who the reporter was reporting for, saying "well, that's fake news." "We win, no matter what," Trump added. "We've defeated their military. They have no navy. They have no radar. They have no air force. Their leaders are all dead. Khamenei is gone. For many years he ruled; he's gone. With all of that, let's see what happens — but from my standpoint, I don't care."Talks between the U.S. and Iranian teams reached the 15-hour mark on Saturday in Islamabad, Pakistan, and were likely to continue on Sunday. More than a month after the war started, these historic high-level talks became the first between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.Much of the negotiations still hinged on the United States' demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway and chokepoint amid the military operation. However, Iran had doubled down during the talks on its stance that the economically vital channel would open only once a final peace deal has been reached. “You don’t know anything” — Trump snaps at a female reporter pic.twitter.com/Ip4UD4KILU— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 11, 2026

Talks between the U.S. and Iranian teams reached the 15-hour mark on Saturday and were likely to continue on Sunday, according to The New York Times. IRNA, Iran's state news agency, and two senior Iranian officials apparently confirmed the negotiations had hit a deadlock. "The Strait of Hormuz remains a sticking point in the talks, with the U.S. demanding an immediate opening of the chokepoint and Iran doubling down on its stance that the economically vital passageway will re-open only after a final peace deal is reached, according to the two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity," The Times reported.The American delegation has not yet commented on the status of the ongoing negotiations. More than a month since the war started, the historic high-level talks were the first between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) spoke out on Saturday against special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner taking part in Middle East diplomatic efforts amid the ongoing Iran war, The Hill reported. Witkoff and Kushner were among diplomats and leaders meeting for trilateral talks discussing how to end the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In a conversation with Rev. Al Sharpton, Kelly described his concerns about the ongoing war. "You can’t send the two real estate developers to negotiate a peace with another region," Kelly said at the National Action Network Convention in New York City.Kelly also criticized Trump for lacking a plan and not consulting allies about the military attack, arguing Trump had "alienated our allies.""There is one person responsible for closing the Strait of Hormuz. It’s Donald Trump," Kelly said. "What Donald Trump taught the Iranians is they now have a strategic asset that they can exploit for decades to our detriment."Sharpton asked Kelly what Trump should try to do next to restore relationships with international allies. "You’ve got to build this, these relationships back up with our allies in the region and with NATO, and then you got to get the Iranians to the table and have a serious discussion," Kelly said. Both Witkoff and Kushner have led negotiation efforts throughout Trump's second administration. Both men have been involved in key conversations around the Russia-Ukraine war, ceasefire in Gaza and Iran's nuclear program.They joined the U.S. delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, which was meeting Saturday with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, for the first in-person discussion since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Negotiations were slated to try to ease the growing tensions between the countries and prepare for an end to the conflict after a two-week ceasefire was reached this week, although it has shown signs of unraveling.

Vice President JD Vance is increasingly finding himself “walking on eggshells” around President Donald Trump as he takes on a central role in high-stakes negotiations to end the Iran conflict, according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal.The Journal reported Friday that Vance – long viewed as an anti-interventionist voice within the MAGA administration – has been thrust into leading peace talks with Iranian officials, tying his political future to the outcome of a war he initially sought to distance himself from.A close friend of Vance who recently spoke with him said the vice president described feeling “like he was sometimes walking on eggshells around Trump because of his antiwar views.” A Vance spokesperson disputed that account, telling the Journal, “He’s walking on so many eggshells that he’s on his way to Pakistan at the president’s request to lead negotiations.”The talks, set to take place in Islamabad, represent the highest-level engagement between the U.S. and Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the outlet noted Friday. For Vance, who will be joined by Trump allies, including son-in-law Jared Kushner, they mark "the most significant international assignment of his career" as he prepares to face seasoned Iranian negotiators.“The conflict has created a political liability for a vice president who once promised ‘no new wars,’ including one with Iran,” according to the Journal. “Trump knows Vance’s skepticism of foreign intervention and that the vice president represents a branch of the party opposed to the hawkish positions espoused by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), a senior administration official said.”Vance, however, still supports the mission despite his beliefs, the aide added. The assignment adds to a growing list of responsibilities handed to Vance, including overseeing efforts to root out fraud in federal programs after making a controversial campaign appearance in Hungary.