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Turmoil and violence rocks state after prime minister Narendra Modi’s party claimed victory in legislative electionTensions have been high in the Indian state of West Bengal after a top political aide from Narendra Modi’s party was shot dead in the street and hundreds were arrested as violence broke out following elections this week.The prime minister’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) claimed victory in the West Bengal elections on Monday, defeating Trinamool Congress (TMC), which had ruled over the state legislature for 15 years. Continue reading...

According to MS NOW national security analyst David Rohde, what is known about the rumored one-page memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran to halt the war is less than being advertised and the advantages still lie with the war-torn country.Appearing on “Morning Joe,” Rohde praised the work of the negotiators but also claimed that the increasingly desperate American president is backing off many of his earlier demands which plays into the hands of Iran’s leadership.Addressing questions from co-host Jonathan Lemire, Rohde explained, “I just think flat out this: I just want to call it a 30-day, one page agreement is a win for Iran. It's a huge win. They have stood up to the United States. And we can talk about that in more detail.”“I keep getting told that the Iranian and Israeli officials are saying there's deep divides inside the Iranian government, but American officials are telling me that that's not true, that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is in firm control, firmer control than they were before the war. And one congressional official just called it a military dictatorship. And I fear that this pursuit of somehow moderates or other people is not really there, that they're being told these things [and] the administration, they believe it.”“And lastly, this one-page agreement is not a peace deal,” he asserted and then repeated, “This is not a peace deal. This is an extension of a ceasefire that several weeks ago, the president said there was no end of the ceasefire. The president keeps capitulating. He said before, you know, this is like several weeks ago, he's like, ‘You know, we're going to have a ceasefire for two weeks.’ And when that ends, he's like, ‘Actually, the ceasefire will continue with no end date.’ And then the pinnacle, pivotal thing was this: this Project Freedom to open the Strait of Hormuz by force. That was the most aggressive, I think, and the most effective move by the U.S. military; it worked. And then he calls it off after 24 hours. And so that's again, a huge win for Iran.” - YouTube youtu.be

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), one of President Joe Biden's fiercest Republican critics over inflation and gas prices, is refusing to account for his stunning reversal now that a Republican president's unpopular war in Iran is putting an even bigger squeeze on American consumers.When pressed by MS NOW's Jack Fitzpatrick, the normally press-friendly Louisiana Republican walked away.During his interview with MS NOW, Kennedy attempted to sidestep questions about his dramatic change of heart while simultaneously insisting his hands are tied.Gas prices have surged by more than $1.50 per gallon since Trump launched attacks against Iran nearly 10 weeks ago. On Friday, prices hit an average of $4.54 per gallon according to AAA — a 47% increase from the $2.98 national average just before the conflict began and limited oil stocks indicate little chance of a swift turnaround," Fitzpatrick is reporting while adding Republicans are urging "patience.""There are trade-offs," Kennedy attempted in his interview. "I think the American people understand it. They've been through conflicts in the Middle East before. They know these prices will come down once the conflict is over."This measured acceptance stands in sharp contrast to Kennedy's relentless criticism of Biden administration gas prices resulting from Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Even before that war started, Kennedy was hammering Biden with variations of the same joke: "I don't like to brag about all the expensive places I've been, but earlier today I went to the gas station," Fitzpatrick noted.When asked what Congress could actually do about the soaring prices, Kennedy's answer was blunt: "There's nothing we can do.""The price of gas and natural gas and gasoline and diesel fuel and oil is a product of the conflict in Iran, you know that," he told MS NOW.When pressed about whether limited options should constrain his patience with Trump's Iran war — and how he squares his current stance with his past criticisms of Biden — Kennedy grew hostile."You need to try adulting real hard," he snapped.When asked directly how he reconciles his patience now with his impatience under Biden, Kennedy refused to engage. "I don't have to square anything with you," he said, with the MS NOW reporter adding the lawmaker patted him on the back as he ended the interview and walked away.

Powerful radar system is providing new data on city’s subsidence, which experts hope will draw more attention to itWalking into Mexico City’s sprawling central Zócalo is a dizzying experience. At one end of the plaza, the capital’s cathedral, with its soaring spires, slumps in one direction. An attached church, known as the Metropolitan Sanctuary, tilts in the other. The nearby National Palace also seems off-kilter.The teetering of many of the capital’s historic buildings is the most visible sign of a phenomenon that has been ongoing for more than a century: Mexico City is sinking at an alarming rate. Continue reading...

President Donald Trump suggested a possible deal might be on the table to end the war in Iran.The 79-year-old president sent out a Truth Social post Wednesday morning following a flurry of developments this week, such as the start and quick end to Project Freedom, an effort to ensure safe passage for commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, and reports that the White House believes it's close to an agreement with Iran."Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran," Trump posted. "If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP."Axios correspondent Barak Ravid reported that Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are negotiating on a one-page, 14-point memorandum of understanding with several Iranian officials."Among other provisions, the deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the U.S. agreeing to lift its sanctions and release billions in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz," Axios reported."Many of the terms laid out in the memo would be contingent on a final agreement being reached, leaving the possibility of renewed war or an extended limbo in which the hot war has stopped but nothing is truly resolved," the report added.

Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul admitted he was startled that Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared the war with Iran over at a time when hostilities continued and no agreement is in place in particular with regard to future nuclear capabilities.Speaking with the hosts of “Morning Joe,” McFaul noted Rubio’s remark that “The Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. I'm not going to, you know - we're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What the president would prefer is a deal.”“I’ve got to tell you, honestly, I was completely shocked by what Secretary Rubio said yesterday,” he admitted. “When I saw it on some feed, I couldn't believe it that he was brought — and whether he works at the White House or State Department, it's kind of confusing, right? But there he was, alone, not with the president, by the way, declaring the end of the war that they launched without achieving any of those objectives that Joe [Scarborough] outlined from the centerpiece; none of them, and especially on the nuclear weapons deal. That they've got nothing but a commitment to negotiate in the future. After a one-page memorandum, a memorandum of understanding.”“This is a an epic defeat,” he stated. “In fact, I'm going to make a prediction: I think it's so epic that they're going to reverse it, because they're going to look at this and say, we cannot defend this. And the president's going to change his mind again.” - YouTube youtu.be

An offhand comment about the war in Iran by Vice President JD Vance during a speech in Iowa on Tuesday set off a chorus of harsh criticism on MS NOW on Wednesday morning.The vice president spoke at a manufacturing facility during a rally to boost the candidacy of Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) to fill the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Joni Ernst (R) and, while downplaying the economic devastation being visited on US consumers by the war, he awkwardly admitted, "We also know that a lot of our farmers are struggling with high fertilizer prices. I'm aware of that. As the president of the United States has said, we got a little blip in the Middle East. We gotta take care of some business on the foreign policy side."The panel on “Morning Joe” was quick to pounce on Vance’s dismissive comments.Co-host Willie Gest, speaking with conservative columnist David French, prompted his guest with, “We had two days ago the president of the United States calling this a ‘mini war. ‘Yesterday you had Vice President Vance calling this a blip. I think everyone who's lost a family member in this war, or who's now paying $4.50 a gallon on national average, or much more in many states, would consider it much more than a blip. They're trying to sort of minimize and diminish the war and in many ways, wish it away.”“You know, it's very clear at this point that it looks like Trump was essentially sold a bill of goods that he thought, and he keeps using the Venezuela comparison, we've heard it that he thought what he was getting was going to be a short and glorious and victorious military operation and he hadn't thought this through," French noted.Co-host Joe Scarborough turned the conversation back to Vance’s remark.“Over 100 school children being killed the first day of the war is a blip, up to maybe 10,000, 15,000 Iranians being killed, JD Vance is calling a blip,” he recited. “You have JD Vance calling a blip entire communities in Lebanon being wiped off the face of the earth. I mean, how would JD Vance feel if his community that he grew up in didn't have a building left standing? That's what's happening in Lebanon, all across Lebanon, because of this, quote, ‘blip.’”“That's what's happening in Iran because of this blip,” he added. “And as you say, people across the world are paying for this day in and day out with an economy that's getting worse. And of course, I guess only people like me worry about spending money and the national debt, but this war has already cost us $250 billion at minimum.”“If this is what JD Vance calls a, quote, ‘blip,’ well, then JD Vance is not a serious person. He's not a compassionate person. He's certainly — the lack of humanity calling this something that caused this much suffering a blip speaks volumes.” - YouTube youtu.be

President Donald Trump's legacy hinges on an issue he has no interest in addressing, according to one of his biographers. Journalist Michael Wolff argued during a new episode of the "Inside Trump's Head" podcast, co-hosted by Nico Hines, the Daily Beast’s global editorial director, that Trump's war in Iran is shaping up to end a lot like the oil crisis that plagued former President Jimmy Carter long after he left office. Wolff noted that Americans have become increasingly sensitive to rising gas prices resulting from the war, similar to the crisis Carter faced when the former Iranian regime fell, he added. At the same time, Trump has failed to pay attention to the changing nature of modern warfare, Wolff argued. Not only could that cost the U.S. a decisive victory in Iran, but it could also make Trump a footnote in history. "So the lesson that everyone should have been learning if they paid attention to Ukraine — which Donald Trump was not doing, was not interested in doing, and rather stubbornly refused to do — is that the nature of warfare was changing," Wolff said. Wolff added that Trump's team inside the White House has no clue how to respond to the crisis that the president has created. "Everybody within the white House and within the Trump political team is aware that they don't know what to do about this," Wolff said. "They literally do not know what to do. They don't know how to get us out of the war, and they don't know how to manage this on a political basis."