Right-wing host's mea culpa over Trump support hides something darker: NYT column

Nicole Charky-Chami
April 24, 2026
RAW STORY


Right-wing broadcaster Tucker Carlson. (Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)


New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg described how there is something more troubling behind right-wing podcaster and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson's recent apology for misleading people in his support of President Donald Trump.

In a column published on Friday, Goldberg described how the conversation between Tucker and his brother, Buckley, a former Trump speechwriter, exposed much more of their message — a false narrative.

"I'm all for embracing converts to the anti-Trump cause," Goldberg wrote. "But if you listen to the dialogue between Tucker and his brother, it's clear that rather than honestly reckoning with their role in America's derangement, they're developing a new conspiracy theory to explain it away."

Conservatives have mainly stood by Trump over the last 10 years, Goldberg argued, but only recently has MAGA shown a growing understanding that Trump could be unfit to lead as commander-in-chief.

The brothers have argued that the president's recent decisions show he has been influenced by foreign actors.

"Trump, they strongly imply, has been compromised — maybe even blackmailed and physically threatened — by Zionist or globalist forces seeking the deliberate destruction of the United States," Goldberg wrote. "On Tucker's podcast, Buckley described a systematic undermining of America through the George Floyd protests, mass migration and now the war with Iran."

"I don't want to minimize the malign role Israel has played in persuading Trump to launch his catastrophic war on Iran," Goldberg explained. "As former Secretary of State John Kerry has said, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel tried to persuade previous American presidents to strike the Islamic Republic, but only Trump was vain and gullible enough to agree. America's hand-in-glove relationship with Israel has become a liability, and we should end it."

"But it wasn't Israel or Zionist donors or some shadowy internationalist cabal that made Trump a buffoonish maniac who glories in threats of violence," Goldberg wrote. "If the second Trump administration is worse than the first, it's largely because the establishment figures once demonized by Carlson as deep-state subversives are all gone. Trump is who he always was. He's just more politically unfettered than before."

Now, Tucker and Buckley Carlson are pushing more disinformation, and "some former Trump acolytes are defaulting to an older conspiracy theory: The ones in control are the Jews." That aspect is most concerning, according to Goldberg.

"This need that some MAGA apostates feel to rationalize their previous poor judgment can be harmless, if irritating. It's dangerous only when they insist on creating a scapegoat," Goldberg added.

Trump has fired back at Carlson, calling him a "Low IQ person" on Truth Social, as the feud between the two continues to escalate.

Tucker Carlson isn't fooling anyone

Tucker Carlson in Palm Beach Florida in 2018 (Gage Skidmore)

Robert Reich

April 23, 2026

ALTERNET

Tucker Carlson told the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee that Trump is “a wonderful person. I know him well. By the way, the funniest person I’ve ever met in my life, actually. You can’t be funny without perspective or without empathy, which is true.”

But on Tuesday, Carlson admitted that he’ll be “tormented” for a long time by his support for Trump in the 2024 presidential election and that “I want to say I’m sorry for misleading people.”

Well, thank you, Tucker. I — and I’m sure many others — appreciate your apology.

And we hope your torment continues.

By the way, I’ve got to ask: Are you also tormented by — and apologetic for — supporting Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen?

And what about your minimizing the presence of white nationalists among those who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021? And your claim that the attack on the Capitol “barely rates as a footnote?”

Are you now tormented and apologetic for any of this?

And while we’re at it, Tucker, what about your racist screeds? Does any of the filth you’ve spewed for years make you ashamed?

You pushed the “great replacement theory,” claiming that immigrants made America “poorer and dirtier.”

You said a Black Democratic politician spoke like a “sharecropper.”

You told your viewers that America is a “civilization under siege” — by violent Black Lives Matter protesters, by diseased migrants from south of the U.S.-Mexico border, and by refugees importing alien cultures.

When hundreds of refugees from Africa began crossing into Texas from Mexico during the first Trump administration, you warned that Africa’s high birthrates meant the new arrivals might soon “overwhelm our country and change it completely and forever.”

Amid the nation’s outrage over George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer, you called those who protested the murder “criminal mobs.”

When Kyle Rittenhouse murdered two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, you asked rhetorically, “Are we really surprised that looting and arson accelerated to murder?” And: “How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would?”

Are you troubled by any of this, Tucker? Are you apologetic? Ashamed?


And if not, why the hell not?

Why should anybody believe you when you say you’re now “tormented” and “sorry” for misleading people about Trump if you express no remorse for supporting his blatant lies about the 2020 election, for backing the rioters at the Capitol, for justifying the murders of protesters, and for poisoning America with your bigoted screeds?

Tucker, we know you’d like to be the Republican candidate for president in 2028 and you think distancing yourself from Trump on his idiotic war is the way to do it — especially with JD Vance as your likely opponent in the primaries.

Well, I have news for you, Tuck. You’re not fooling anyone with your newfound conversion. You’re the same intolerant, dogmatic, puerile fanatic you always were. And just as dangerous for this country and the world as ever.


Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/.

As Trump Ravages Economy, US Consumer Sentiment Hits Record Low

A Democratic spokesperson said that “Americans are drowning under rising costs, flat wages, high unemployment, and historic layoffs—it’s no wonder they’re concerned about how they’re going to make ends meet.”


A man shops at a supermarket in New York City on April 10, 2026.
(Photo by Zhang Fengguo/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Jessica Corbett
Apr 24, 2026
COMMON DREAMS

As President Donald Trump continues to push his economy-wrecking agenda of tariffs, mass deportations, and military aggression, US consumer sentiment hit an all-time low on Friday, according to the University of Michigan.

The final April figure from the university’s Surveys of Consumers was 49.8—slightly higher than the preliminary 47.6 from earlier this month, and the 48 predicted by economists polled by Reuters, but still a record low, down from 53.3 in March.

“Decreases in sentiment were seen across political party, income, age, and education,” noted Joanne Hsu, director of the Surveys of Consumers, in a statement. “Expected business conditions declined for both short and long time horizons, nearly matching year-ago readings when the reciprocal tariff regime was implemented.”

“After the two-week ceasefire was announced and gas prices softened a touch, sentiment recovered a modest portion of its early-month losses,” she continued. “The Iran conflict appears to influence consumer views primarily through shocks to gasoline and potentially other prices. In contrast, military and diplomatic developments that do not lift supply constraints or lower energy prices are unlikely to buoy consumers.”



As Common Dreams reported earlier Friday, as the national average price for a gallon of gasoline sits at $4.059, new Reuters/Ipsos polling shows that fuel costs “are a very big concern” for 78% of Americans, and 77% blame Trump for the recent spikes.

In a social media post about the new University of Michigan record, Groundwork Collaborative highlighted another poll: A Fox News survey found that 52% of US voters questioned April 17-20 believed Democrats would do a better job on the economy than Republicans.



The Fox News poll, released Wednesday, also found that 56% of Americans think Trump’s policies are “hurting the economy,” and majorities said gas, groceries, healthcare, and housing prices are a “major problem” for their family.

Democrats didn’t waste time seizing on the new consumer sentiment finding. Kendall Witmer, rapid response director for the Democratic National Committee, declared that “Donald Trump has tanked the economy for working families.”

“Everyday Americans were already struggling to afford rent, groceries, and prescription drugs, and then Trump decided to start a reckless war with Iran and push prices even higher—and for what?” Witmer continued, taking aim at both him and Vice President JD Vance, who has played a key role in negotiations with Iran.

“Americans are drowning under rising costs, flat wages, high unemployment, and historic layoffs—it’s no wonder they’re concerned about how they’re going to make ends meet,” Witmer added, “and Trump and JD Vance can’t be bothered to make life more affordable for them.”

'Kill shot' polling figure shows just how bad Trump economy is: analysis

Trump's economic policies have triggered unprecedented public dissatisfaction, with consumer sentiment reaching its lowest point in 74 years

Ewan Gleadow
April 24, 2026 

RAW STORY


President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House, on the one-year mark into his second term in office, in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

A polling figure has shed light on just how bad President Donald Trump's economic plan for the United States is.

Trump's economic policies have triggered unprecedented public dissatisfaction, with consumer sentiment reaching its lowest point in 74 years. The University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 47.6 in preliminary April 2026, a 10.7 percent drop from March, marking the worst reading in the history of the Consumer Sentiment poll.

Tariffs on imported goods have driven up prices on consumer staples, including groceries, clothing and household items, with no relief in sight.

Trump's Iran war has exacerbated energy costs and disrupted global supply chains. Oil price volatility threatens to spike gas prices further, compounding household budget pressures.

The New Republic's Greg Sargent has since highlighted a brutal polling update for Trump and the economy.

"Donald Trump pays close attention to Fox News polling, so surely he’ll see the latest one from Fox, and it’s a real doozy. His numbers on the economy are indescribably awful," Sargent wrote.

"And the poll also shows that Democrats have the advantage over Republicans on the economy for the first time in many years—a real milestone.

But there was more to the Fox poll, he explained.

"It finds that Democrats are favored over Republicans on the economy for the first time since 2010," Sargent wrote. "Fifty-two percent pick Democrats and 48 percent pick Republicans. And on prices, again, it’s even worse—54 percent favor Democrats versus 46 percent who favor Republicans.

"Democrats are taking the lead or gaining the advantage on the economy now. It’s not just disapproval of Trump and people also hate Democrats. It’s voters now starting to look to Democrats as the better party on this issue."

Strategists “in and around the White House” have grown increasingly panicked over rising energy costs and their impact on voters, Politico reported earlier this week.

Pollster reveals Trump’s shrinking coalition: He 'is unpopular almost everywhere'

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the signing ceremony for an execituve order on mail ballots, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., March 31, 2026. REUTERS Evan Vucci

Nick Hilden

April 24, 2026

ALTERNET

The latest polls have much to say about how Americans view President Donald Trump and his performance, with his overall approval rating cratering to a new low of just 35 percent, his approval on cost of living plummeting to net -46, and surprisingly high support for impeachment. Now according to seasoned pollster G. Elliott Morris, there’s more bad news for Trump. Not only is his coalition shrinking, but he is “unpopular almost everywhere.”

Typically, Republicans like to show geographic polling maps that display the vast majority of the U.S. in red, implying widespread support for Trump and the GOP. But as Morris notes, “few people actually live” in that red, as most of it is empty space. When you instead look at what is known as a “population cartogram,” in which each map point is scaled to the number of people who live there — in other words, you look at where voters reside rather than empty land, because land doesn’t vote — something interesting is revealed: “Trump is unpopular almost everywhere people actually live.”

In fact, “Trump is above water with only two demographic groups.” He still has relatively strong support among those who voted for him in 2024, currently holding 84 percent. But while that number may appear high, the loss of 16 percent of his previous voters represents a major shift. While he’s still at just over 50 percent with male voters over 65, that’s a sizeable drop from a year ago. At the same time, his approval is abysmal with nearly every other voting bloc, and surprisingly low with two of Trump’s previous support groups: white, non-college voters and males aged 45-64, with the former split at 50 percent and the latter down to 48 percent.


“Yikes,” writes Morris. “Even some of the groups that went strongest for Trump in 2024, like white voters without college degrees and older men, are bunched in the low-to-mid 40s. There is no group short of his own 2024 voters where Trump cracks 60 percent approval. The only way you get to a sub-40 approval rating is to lose a little bit, among every type of voter, everywhere.”

Trump's latest move delights Neo-Nazis: 'It's a win for us'

Jordan Green,

 Investigative Reporter
April 24, 2026 
 Raw Story 

As Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel announced an indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center on charges of wire fraud for its informant program to infiltrate extremist groups, the news was greeted in neo-Nazi accelerationist circles with glee.

“Frankly, it’s a win for us as we see it,” a Telegram channel for The American Futurist, propaganda project, posted as the news broke on Tuesday. “Let them have their news spectacle; we get the benefit of fewer traitorous snakes in the movement….”

With Patel standing at his side, Blanche charged during the press conference that the Southern Poverty Law Center, known as the SPLC, was “manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred.”

Patel echoed that talking point in an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity” on Wednesday, claiming that the SPLC paid informants inside extremism organizations “specifically for the reason to sow discord and hate into our society.”

The American Futurist channel, authored by former members of the now-defunct accelerationist group Atomwaffen, which is tied to at least five murders, scoffed at the notion that the extremism watchdog group is secretly an ally to violent white supremacists.


“The SPLC was not funding racist groups to enable their racism — they, in fact, were not funding racist groups at all,” the American Futurist-linked TAF Private channel posted. “What they were doing was funding bad actors within groups, with the intention of destroying those groups from the inside.”


The post speculated that the prosecution was motivated by the desire to “kill two birds with one stone: arrest pro-Palestine leftists and smear the US [neo-Nazi] movement as controlled opposition.

“So, do we mind?” the post continued. “No, not at all. We can take the PR hit, and to be frank, any snitches who get rounded up on charges with the SPLC absolutely deserve what they get….”

The Department of Justice press release quotes Patel as saying that while the SPLC was “vowing to dismantle violent extremist groups,” the nonprofit instead “paid the leaders of these very extremist groups — even utilizing the funds to have these groups facilitate the commission of state and federal crimes.”


The FBI and Department of Justice sidestepped multiple requests from Raw Story for information to substantiate Patel and Blanche’s claims that the funds SPLC paid to informants were used to commit crimes or otherwise manufactured extremism.

The 14-page indictment merely states that the money spent to pay informants “was then used for the benefit of the individuals as well as the violent extremist groups.”

The indictment alleges that the informants “engaged in the active promotion of racist groups.” One informant said to be involved in the planning chats for the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville allegedly “made racist postings under the supervision of the SPLC and helped coordinate transportation to the event for several attendees.”


Engaging in racist speech and logistical activities are consistent with the activities of informants used by the FBI itself in its infiltration of violent white supremacist groups going back to the 1960s.

As described in the indictment, the activities of at least one informant appear to undercut the government’s case that the payments benefited the extremist groups. The indictment alleges that the informant, said to be an affiliate of the National Alliance, stole 25 boxes of documents from the group, which were then used to source a story published on the SPLC’s “Hatewatch” website.

“The use of informants was necessary because we are no stranger to threats of violence,” Bryan Fair, SPLC’s interim CEO, said in a video posted on the organization’s website on Tuesday. “In 1983, our offices were firebombed, and in the years since, there have been countless credible threats against our staff. For decades, we engaged in unprecedented litigation to dismantle the Klan and other hate groups.”


Beginning in the 1980s under the leadership of co-founder Morris Dees, the SPLC sued a succession of violent white supremacist groups and effectively shut them down.

In 1984, the SPLC joined a lawsuit against the United Klans of America for its role in the lynching of Michael Donald in Mobile in 1981. Three years later, a jury awarded Donald’s mother $7 million, bankrupting one of the most violent Klan factions, whose members were responsible for the 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham that resulted in the deaths of four Black girls, and the 1965 murder of civil rights activist Viola Liuzzo. (Gary Thomas Rowe Jr., one of the Klansmen indicted for Liuzzo’s murder, was an FBI informant.)

To satisfy the judgement in the Donald lawsuit, the United Klans was forced to turn over its Tuscaloosa, Ala. headquarters to Donald’s mother, and she was able to buy her first home with the proceeds from the sale.


In 1990, lawyers for the SPLC, along with the Anti-Defamation League, sued neo-Nazi leader Tom Metzger and his group White Aryan Resistance for inciting followers in the death of an Ethiopian immigrant, Mulugeta Seraw, who was beaten to death in Portland, Ore. The jury awarded the plaintiffs $12.5 million, and attorneys foreclosed on Metzger’s house to collect the judgement.

Nearly a decade later, the SPLC sued the Aryan Nations on behalf of a mother and son who were assaulted by the group’s security forces. Shortly after arriving in northern Idaho in 1980 to establish its compound, members of the group reportedly vandalized a Jewish-owned restaurant with swastikas. The Aryan Nations spawned a terrorist spinoff group called the Order that was responsible a murder and a spree of bombings and armed car robberies in the 1980s.

The jury decision in 2000 to award the plaintiffs $6.3 million forced Aryan Nations leader Richard Butler to declare bankruptcy. His group was forced to turn its compound over to the plaintiffs, and funds from the sale of the property were used to build a human rights center in nearby Coeur D’Alene.


Jordan Green is a North Carolina-based investigative reporter at Raw Story, covering domestic extremism, efforts to undermine U.S. elections and democracy, hate crimes and terrorism. Prior to joining the staff of Raw Story in March 2021, Green spent 16 years covering housing, policing, nonprofits and music as a reporter and editor at Triad City Beat in North Carolina and Yes Weekly. He can be reached at jordan@rawstory.com. More about Jordan Green.

'25th Amendment now!' Fury as Trump posts fake before-and-after photos to attack Obama

Daniel Hampton
April 25, 2026 

RAW STORY

(Photo courtesy of Donald Trump's Truth Social account)


President Donald Trump posted what appears to be an AI-generated image to Truth Social on Saturday morning, comparing the Reflecting Pool under Barack Obama to its appearance under his administration — but the internet immediately spotted a problem: both photos have the same clouds.

The side-by-side image, labeled "Hussein Obama" vs "Trump," racked up 22,400 likes and 5,240 ReTruths within hours. But the responses were swift and brutal, with users across the political spectrum pointing out the telltale sign of AI manipulation.

"Trump posts AI slop again. Look at the clouds," wrote Owen Shroyer, a right-wing commentator and Trump ally — making the callout notably bipartisan.

"Amazing that Obama and Trump got the exact same clouds," wrote journalist Pam Fessler. "Wow."

"Proof that Donald Trump is a liar. Just look at the clouds," added Monwabisi Kete.

Even one user who said they believed Trump was genuinely cleaning up Washington called out the post.

"As much as I hate to be 'that guy,'" wrote Andra Marquardt, "if you look at the clouds, it's the same photo, but one was modified to either show the water as dirty or clean. I would think there's plenty of real photos."

The social media account known as Republicans against Trump called for Trump's removal from office.

"Donald Trump just posted this on Truth Social. No words. 25th Amendment now!!"

The post comes the same day the New York Times published documents revealing Trump's administration paid $17.4 million — more than five times the Biden-era estimate — for fountain repairs at Lafayette Park across from the White House.

'Stupid move': Fury as Trump fires entire science board with no warning or explanation

Daniel Hampton
April 25, 2026 

RAW STORY


President Donald Trump triggered outrage when he fired what House Science Committee Democratic staff described as the entirety of the independent board overseeing the nation's premier basic science funding agency on Friday, sending boilerplate termination emails that offered no explanation and no warning.

Members of the National Science Board, which helps govern the $9 billion National Science Foundation, received messages from the Presidential Personnel Office simply stating their positions were "terminated, effective immediately," The Washington Post reported Saturday. The foundation funds Antarctic research stations, telescopes, research vessels, and the basic science behind MRIs, cellphones, and LASIK eye surgery.

"This is the latest stupid move made by a president who continues to harm science and American innovation," Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) said. "The NSB is apolitical. It advises the president on the future of NSF. It unfortunately is no surprise a president who has attacked NSF from day one would seek to destroy the board that helps guide the foundation."

Board member Keivan Stassun, a physicist at Vanderbilt University, confirmed that a third of the board had received the termination emails. Fellow member Marvi Matos Rodriguez said she had been reviewing an 80-page report as part of her board work just days before being fired.

Trump's fiscal year 2027 budget proposes deep cuts to NSF, and the board has been actively advising Congress on the agency's importance, helping beat back a proposed 55 percent budget cut last year.

‪Alondra Nelson‬ wrote on Bluesky that she resigned from the National Science Board in May after seeing "meaningful oversight became untenable."

"I respect colleagues who stayed to serve the NSB's mission. Today's news clarifies that was an erosion of oversight and function has become open elimination of the Board itself," said Nelson.

‪Princess Vimentin, a cancer biologist, wrote on Bluesky, "‪We are seeing more destruction of science. Trump fired the entirety of the National Science Board (NSB). The purpose of the NSB is to advise Congress & President on on NSF. The NSB was established in the National Science Foundation Act of 1950."

Trump Is Telling All The Wrong People, ‘You’re Fired’ and Devastating America

Entire careers and livelihoods have been destroyed by this dictator using the White House to vastly enrich himself and his cronies.


Supporters hold signs as former US Agency for International Development employees terminated after the Trump administration dismantled the agency collect their personal belongings at the USAID headquarters on February 27, 2025 in Washington, DC.
(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Ralph Nader
Apr 26, 2026

Common Dreams

On my radio show-podcast—the Ralph Nader Radio Hour—interviews of knowledgeable people have detailed the ravages by the cruel, serial law violator, Tyrant Trump, inflicted on millions of Americans. Still, the report from the V-Dem Institute at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg produced a jolting Common Dreams headline: ‘Trump is Dismantling US Democracy at a Speed ‘Unprecedented in Modern History.’“

The report described the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term as achieving in one year what budding autocracies take a decade to accomplish, adding that “the speed of decline is comparable to some coups d’état.”

To wreck, weaken, and endanger our country, Trump disrupts the lives of millions of civil servants, contractors, small businesses, and their families. He fired or forced out hundreds of thousands of federal civil servants staffing programs that protect the health, safety, and economic well-being of tens of millions of Americans, relying on food supplements, Medicaid, government-backed loans, and innumerable other social safety nets.

Trump has especially targeted law enforcement programs directed at enforcing worker and consumer safety, financial protections, and environmental health against toxic corporations. He is taking federal cops off the corporate crime beat.

Multiply this story of undeserved misery and fragility hundreds of thousands of times.

Here are some specifics. Qualified foreign doctors have had their visas rejected. The US has a doctor shortage, especially in rural areas. These physicians were blocked by Trump from extending care in areas with no doctors.

Huge, arbitrary cuts for scientific research have closed or curtailed labs, left individual scientists pursuing crucial discoveries to save lives without the government grants funding vital promising projects. He has also accelerated a brain drain from the US to Europe and China, and reduced the number of scientists, engineers, and nurses coming to the US to work, where they are seriously needed.

Entire careers and livelihoods have been destroyed by this dictator using the White House to vastly enrich himself and his cronies.

Let’s be more specific. The New York Times published a front-page story about what is happening to employees of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), illegally closed down in the first week of Trump’s regime. This reckless action jeopardizes millions of impoverished lives abroad. The article opened with: “She was fired by email while on maternity leave, given 24 hours to clear out her desk, and left with three days of health insurance and no severance.” Her husband, also working with funding from USAID, lost his job. They are now relying on food stamps, Medicaid, and a supplemental nutrition program—long-standing programs being cravenly slashed by the Trumpsters, while giving huge tax escapes to the super rich and large corporations like Apple.

Multiply this story of undeserved misery and fragility hundreds of thousands of times. Through Elon Musk’s criminal enterprise, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), whole agencies were being illegally shattered, and virtually shut down, e.g., the Department of Education, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the US Institute of Peace. Others were being strip-mined like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Agriculture.

Trump tore up civil service union contracts. The unions are suing Trump for this breach of contract. Such lawsuits drag on interminably and are hardly covered by the media. What the union leaders and members should be doing is peaceably encircling the White House for round-the-clock vigils and featuring large signs calling Trump out in vivid language. After all, the headquarters of the AFL-CIO is less than a block from the White House for easy logistics.

What are the pretexts coming out of Trump’s snarling mouth to justify such devastation of America? One is that he accuses these agencies of being “woke,” an ill-defined word for “leftists” that he has turned into another of his four-letter epithets for his ever-true believers.

A more frequent declaration issued without substantiation is that his decisions are based on “a grave threat to national security.” His lies don’t pass the laugh test.

This pretext is always applied to Trump’s blockage of offshore wind turbines, which he strangely has long called “ugly.” Trump recently exempted oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from measures to protect endangered species. Self-described warrior of God and Jesus Christ, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, stated that such exemptions would bolster national security by increasing domestic oil production.

Trumpian effrontery gets worse. He issued an executive order removing collective bargaining rights from hundreds of thousands of federal employees employed by a dozen agencies on national security grounds. The 1978 law he falsely invoked applied to “intelligence officers,” not to cleaners, guards, clerks, etc., in federal buildings. Again, the expected lawsuits were filed. Amid judicial delays, Trump gets his way.

When pressed by reporters to explain these pretexts, Trump’s flaks come up with ridiculous assertions promptly rebutted by specialists in each area. (See The New York Times, April 19, 2026—“Trump Has a Go-To Justification for His Contentious Decisions: National Security.”)

Who elected Trump? The Democratic Party’s feeble, cowardly, and uninspiring performance in 2024—repressing through its corporate-conflicted consultants’ decisive input from its progressive wing and civic and labor leaders—was a big factor. (See the August 27, 2024, letter to Liz Shuler).

Who unleashed this runaway felonious politician violating daily innumerable federal laws, regulations, international treaties, and constitutional provisions, constituting serious impeachable offenses? (See H.Res.1155).

First, the congressional Republicans have abjectly surrendered their oath of office to constitutionally lead the congressional branch of government. In addition, the cowardly Democrats, who could have conducted scores of “shadow hearings” to inform the media and citizenry are largely MIA.

It is time for citizens to press their Senators and Representatives to stop this Trump rampage—before it is too late. The Congressional Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.

Palestinians vote in West Bank and central Gaza municipal elections, the first since war started

Copyright AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean

By Chaima Chihi & Evelyn Ann-Marie Dom

Published on 25/04/2026 - EURONEWS

The elections, held in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and in Gaza's Deir al-Balah, are taking place against the backdrop of a highly volatile political and security environment.

Palestinians voted in local elections on Saturday in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and in Gaza. This marked the first vote of any kind held in the Gaza Strip in two decades since Hamas won in 2006.

For years, elections to choose Palestinian representatives were repeatedly postponed, and no parliamentary elections have been held since 2006, when Hamas secured a surprise victory in Gaza over Fatah, the faction led by President Mahmoud Abbas.

This time around, most electoral lists are aligned with Abbas's secular-nationalist Fatah movement or consist of independents supported by smaller factions such as the Marxist‑Leninist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

A number of Palestinian factions boycotted the electoral process in protest against the Palestinian Authority's (PA) conditions for candidates to join, which were introduced as part of an electoral reform last year. Some aspiring candidates additionally complained they were prevented from participating.

Hamas, meawhile, is absent from the race in Deir al-Balah, though some candidates are speculated to be aligned with the movement.

Why local elections matter

Nearly 1.5 million people are registered to vote in the West Bank, as well as 70,000 people in Deir al-Balah area, according to the Ramallah-based Central Elections Commission. Foreign diplomats were visiting polling stations to monitor the process.

Voter turnout remained notably low, standing at 15% by late morning and later rising to 24.53% by 1 pm, the election commission said. News agency AFP reported that many stations across parts of the West Bank remained empty.

Palestinians will vote to select representatives for municipal and village councils for a four-year term. Municipal councils handle everyday services, such as overseeing water supplies, sanitation and local infrastructure.

Although they do not hold legislative power, local councils have become important in that they are one of the last remaining democratic mechanisms under the Palestinian Authority, which has been widely criticised over corruption, stagnation and declining legitimacy.

These elections are therefore one of the few remaining political mechanisms that allow Palestinians a limited form of political participation.

Palestinian men gather in front of a polling station to participate in local elections in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, 25 April, 2026. AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana

"We must see change every four years through elections... We can't change the situation but we hope to replace people... people who might be better and help develop the community," one voter told AFP.

Another voter said the elections felt largely symbolic, but that they served as a sign of people's "will to live".

The vote is also important for Western and regional supporters of the Palestinian Authority, who continue to provide financial and diplomatic support but seek clear reforms.

The European Union called the vote an "important step towards broader democratisation and strengthened local governance... in line with the ongoing reforms process".

Voting in a fragmented environment

Many European and Arab nations support the Palestinian Authority's return to governance in Gaza and regard it as a legitimate governing body for an independent Palestinian state.

However, the Palestinian Authority faces several challenges, including a severe financial crisis due in part to Israel withholding tax revenues.

Palestinian women search for their names on a voter list to take part in local elections in Al-Ubaidiya, West Bank, Saturday, 25 April, 2026. AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean

Israel also maintains varying degrees of direct and indirect control over key aspects of daily life for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. As a result, Palestinian political decisions are therefore restricted or heavily influenced by Israeli approval.

Another challenge is that voting rights are not the same for all Palestinians. Gaza, with the exception of Deir al-Balah, remains largely excluded. Furthermore, Palestinians in Jerusalem or those with Israeli citizenship are unable to participate as they are under Israeli governance, and the Palestinian diaspora also cannot participate as they are in imposed exile.

 

Europe’s wage growth since 2020: Are Europeans better off?

Copyright Valentina Petrova

By Servet Yanatma

Published on 25/04/2026 - EURONEWS

Taking into account nominal growth and inflation, real hourly wages declined by 3% in the EU over the past five years. Wage growth was stronger in non-euro area countries and in those with lower wage levels.

Hourly gross wages and salaries rose from €21.5 in 2020 to €26.2 in 2025 in the EU, reflecting 21.9% growth. However, this does not account for inflation.

Consumer prices for goods and services increased by 25.6% over the same period. As a result, cumulative real wages declined by 3%, meaning households’ purchasing power fell.

So, how have wages and inflation evolved over the past five years across Europe? Which countries are the winners and losers in real terms since 2020?

Among 30 European countries, real wages and salaries declined in 12, while they increased in 18, according to Eurostat data, based on Euronews calculations. The figures are based on gross wages and salaries in national currencies.

Leading countries were outside the euro area

Bulgaria is the clear winner, with real wages rising by 37.4% between 2020 and 2025 in cumulative terms.

In Bulgaria, a law requiring the minimum wage to be at least 50% of the average gross wage came into effect in 2023.

Serbia (25.4%), Croatia (21.1%) and Lithuania (21.1%) also recorded increases of more than 20%.

The top three countries were not part of the euro area in 2020. As some countries joined between 2020 and 2025, the euro area grouping is based on its 2020 composition.

Another three non-euro countries — Romania (19.7%), Hungary (18.8%) and Poland (17.8%) — also recorded real growth of between 15% and 20%.

Within the euro area, Slovenia (14.4%), Latvia (10.6%) and Greece (8.6%) also saw significant increases over the period.

In half of European countries, real wages changed between -5% and 5%, indicating relatively small variations.

All ‘Big Four’ see real wage declines

Within the EU’s top four economies, real wages declined in all. Italy saw the largest drop at 9.2%, followed by Spain at 5.9%. Germany (-3.2%) and France (-3.3%) were slightly below the EU average.

Italy also recorded the highest decline across Europe.

As wages are gross, tax changes can affect the real outcome. Lower taxes may mean higher take-home gains, while higher taxes can reduce them over this period. Take-home ratios largely vary across Europe.

Understanding country differences: The “catch-up” effect

Nominal wage growth needs to exceed inflation to result in a positive real change. However, the level of wages also affects real growth figures. This is known as the “catch-up” effect.

Bulgaria had the lowest hourly wages in 2025, while Hungary and Romania were also among the five lowest.

Economically, it is easier for a country to increase wages from €5.7 in 2020 to €10.5 in 2025, as in Bulgaria, than for a country like Germany to grow from €28.6 to €34.5.

Inflation and nominal growth

Looking at consumer inflation and nominal wage growth in the same chart is another way to assess trends in real terms.

Cumulatively, several countries recorded strong nominal wage growth of over 60% since 2020.

The highest increases were in Bulgaria (84.2%), Hungary (82.7%) and Romania (73.1%). However, inflation was also very high in these countries — 34.1%, 53.7% and 44.6%, respectively.

In contrast, Italy saw the lowest nominal rise at 9.5%, followed by Malta (13.3%) and France (14.1%). Although inflation was below the EU average in these countries, wage growth still did not keep pace with it.

Which countries pay the most and least?

While real changes in wages are important, the level also matters, as hourly wages vary widely across these 30 countries.

As of 2025, Bulgaria has the lowest wage at €10.5 while Luxembourg has the highest at €49.7.

This means that although Bulgaria is closing the gap, a significant difference in wage levels remains between the two countries.

In general, wages are highest in Northern and Western Europe and lowest in Eastern Europe as the chart above shows.

Even among the EU’s largest economies, the wage gap is striking. As of 2025, Germany (€34.5) offers the highest gross hourly wages, while Spain (€19.5) has the lowest.

Which countries have fertility rates above the replacement level - OWID

Only a handful of countries have fertility rates above the 2.1 replacement rate to keep populations stable. Almost the entire world is suffering from a demographic decline, with Africa and Central Asia as the notable exceptions. / bne IntelliNewsFacebook

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By Hannah Ritchie for Our World in Data April 24, 2026

Fertility rates — which measure the average number of children per woman — have been falling worldwide. Since 1950, global fertility rates have halved, from almost 5 children per woman to 2.2, Our World in Data  (OWID)  reports.

As a result, global population growth has slowed dramatically, and many countries' populations are expected to decline by the end of the century.

This is because fertility rates in many countries have fallen below the “replacement level”. This is the level at which a population replaces itself from one generation to the next. It’s generally defined as a rate of 2.1 children per woman.

The map shows which countries had fertility rates above and below this level in 2025. This is based on projections from the UN World Population Prospects.

Explore how fertility rates have changed across countries over time, and how they are projected to evolve through 2100.