Trump Gives Putin an ‘Economic Lifeline,’ Waives Sanctions on Russia

“These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin,” said US Sen. Richard Blumenthal.


US President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin on the tarmac in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, 2025.
(Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Brad Reed
Oct 17, 2026
COMMON DREAMS


President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order that waived new sanctions on Russia that were set to take effect thanks to bipartisan legislation signed into law by the president last month.

Trump justified the decision by claiming the sanctions waiver “is in the national interests of the United States,” without offering further details. The president said he submitted a report to Congress elaborating on his reasons for waiving the sanctions.

A Friday report in The New York Times described the waiver as “another economic lifeline to Russian President Vladimir V. Putin,” as the sanctions had been designed “to target Russian officials, oligarchs, and financial institutions” and “squeeze the financial lifelines sustaining Russia’s war against Ukraine.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the sanctions waiver, and urged US lawmakers and voters to speak out against the US president’s actions.

“It is important that everyone in America... sees what is really happening,” Zelenskyy wrote in a Saturday social media post. “At a time when the Russians have carried out such a massive attack on our energy sector, a decision was unfortunately made in America to completely disregard the [sanctions law], which was supposed to impose truly effective pressure on Russia to bring this war to an end.”

Zelenskyy emphasized that the sanctions package could still do a lot of good, but “it needs to actually work, and every voice in support of it matters.”

Trump in recent weeks has been pressuring Ukraine to stop its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in a bid to lower global prices of gas and diesel, both of which have skyrocketed in recent months because of the president’s illegal war with Iran.

In addition to pressuring Ukraine, Trump also struck a deal with Russia to import diesel into the US, drawing a bipartisan rebuke from lawmakers who accused the president of funding Putin’s war machine.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) ripped Trump’s decision to waive the Russia sanctions in a Friday social media post.

“Trump’s latest surrender to Putin again betrays our Ukrainian partners,” Beyer wrote, “and defies clear congressional intent of legislation designed to punish Russia for its illegal war of aggression.”

Beyer also pointed to flaws in the sanctions bill that he said gave Trump too much discretionary power to not only waive sanctions on Russia, but to impose further tariffs on US allies.

“Congress must fix this flawed law,” he said, “to stop Trump from capitulating to Putin and ensure that it truly supports Ukraine.”

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) on Saturday slammed Trump’s sanctions waiver as “beyond irresponsible.”

“What part of enforcing a law passed 86-11 by the Senate does the President and his advisors not understand?” Tillis asked. “It’s unconscionable that this administration is capitulating to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine and butchers innocent civilians every single day.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who co-authored the sanctions law with the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), said Trump has shown “that he stands on the side of a bloodthirsty thug and the enablers of Russia’s war machine and against the majority of Americans, their representatives in both houses of Congress, and our European allies.”

“These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin,” Blumenthal added. “I hope my Republican colleagues will join me in condemning this craven, cowardly action.”

'Wow': Shock as Volodymyr Zelenskyy 'trolls Trump' with 'clear message' in just five words

By:David McAfee

Oct 17, 2026

RAW STORY

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a five-word tribute to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on Saturday. Plenty of people took it as a jab at President Donald Trump.

“Thank you for everything, Lindsey!” Zelenskyy wrote on X, in English and Ukrainian. He attached a photo of himself shaking hands with Graham, who is giving a thumbs-up.

Zelenskyy didn’t mention Trump. But the timing stood out. The post went up hours after Trump put on hold the sweeping Russia sanctions law named for Graham, a South Carolina Republican and longtime Russia hawk who died in July.

“Late last night, President Trump waived the financial punishments on buyers of Russian oil that Congress had enacted to stop funding Putin’s war machine,” wrote Margaret Brennan, moderator of CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “Passing that bipartisan bill was meant to honor Lindsey Graham’s legacy, as he had pushed for those sanctions.”

She added that Zelenskyy said Saturday “it is harder now without Senator Lindsey Graham in Ukraine’s corner.”

Caitlin Doornbos, a foreign policy and war reporter who founded the outlet The Correspondent, also pointed to the timing.

“Wow. President Zelensky posts this hours after Trump announced waivers of the new Lindsey Graham sanctions law on Russia,” she wrote.

Christopher Miller, the Financial Times’ chief Ukraine correspondent, shared the post with a one-word reaction: “Wow.”

Others read it as a deliberate shot.

“Zelenskyy is basically just trolling Trump at this point, and I’m all for it,” wrote Vatnik Soup, a popular pro-Ukraine account.

Finnish geopolitical analyst Joni Askola called it “a clear message from Zelensky to Trump.” Nicolas Tenzer, a senior French civil servant and senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, wrote: “This is the message.”

John O’Brennan, a professor of European politics, called it “master trolling.”

Fox News co-host Jessica Tarlov brought up Graham’s sister, Darline Graham, who was appointed to finish his term.

“Wonder what Darline would say about who she stands with,” Tarlov wrote.

The post comes during a rough stretch between the two leaders. Trump said last week that Ukraine needs “a new president.” He also blamed Zelenskyy’s strikes on Russian refineries for high U.S. diesel prices, and Thursday he said he finds Zelenskyy “more difficult to deal with than Putin.”

Darline Graham rebukes Trump over gutting late brother’s signature law: NYT


US Senate Republican candidate Darline Graham takes notes at the podium before a debate with US Senate candidates Democrat Annie Andrews and Libertarian Kasie Whitener in Columbia, South Carolina, US, October 11, 2026. REUTERS/Sam Wolfe

By: Bennito L. Kelty

Oct 17, 2026

RAW STORY

Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) is splitting with President Donald Trump over his decision to gut her late brother's signature law imposing sanctions on Russia.


Graham pushed back on Saturday against Trump's move to exempt Russia from the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, The New York Times reported. Her brother, a longtime Russia hawk, had worked for over a year to line up votes for the measure before he died.

"Personally, I would choose to put the pressure on Russia to end the war and get gas prices down," Graham told reporters at a campaign stop. "Because I don't trust Putin, and I don't trust Russia."

The comments mark a rare bit of daylight between Trump and the South Carolina Republican, who was appointed in July and is now running for a full term with his endorsement. Graham, who had never held office before joining the Senate, has touted her role in passing the law as one of her biggest accomplishments.

"I was so proud to get the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act passed," she said during a debate earlier this week, adding that the law "gives the president tools he can use if he so chooses to end the war through economic sanctions."

Trump opted not to use them. The president has offered no explanation for the waiver, which came one week after his administration briefly eased penalties on Russian diesel amid soaring diesel prices that have turned into a major midterm issue. The law, signed in September, targeted Russia's energy sector along with oligarchs, officials and banks, but it gave the White House wide latitude to grant exemptions.

Graham said she plans to raise the issue with Trump next week, when he is scheduled to hold a rally for her in South Carolina. She also noted that her brother and the president didn't always agree.

"They had that relationship where they could agree to disagree sometimes," she said.

According to The Times, Trump released a video Saturday endorsing Graham in the general election, saying she would be "an incredible, really an unbelievable senator" and crediting "good genetics" shared with her brother.

Throttling of Ukraine’s Starlink Access Heightens Concerns Over Government Reliance on Elon Musk

“If Musk is going to... assist Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine’s allies should sanction Starlink, X, and Tesla,” said one expert.


A double exposure photograph shows a portrait of Elon Musk and the Starlink company logo on March 1, 2025.
(Photo: Vincent Feuray/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

Brad Reed
Oct 14, 2026
COMMON DREAMS



The Ukrainian government on Tuesday night said that its access to the SpaceX-owned Starlink satellite internet service was throttled, prompting critics to question the wisdom of depending on any company owned by far-right billionaire Elon Musk.

According to a Wednesday report in The New York Times, Ukrainian officials suspect that orders to restrict their access to Starlink “had come from Washington,” as President Donald Trump has been pressuring the country to stop attacking Russian energy infrastructure ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Musk, who was Trump’s single biggest donor in the 2024 presidential campaign, has spent at least $276 million since July to help Republicans maintain their congressional majorities.

In a Wednesday social media post, Ukrainian military expert Serhiy Beskrestnov revealed that Ukrainian military forces “have not received any warnings about this restriction” to Starlink, which he said “has led to the failure of several missions.”

“Obviously, this action cannot be a coincidence,” Beskrestnov added, “and is related to the current political situation.”

As noted by the Kyiv Independent on Wednesday, Ukraine depends on Starlink for “several military applications including operating its mid-strike campaign in Russian-occupied Ukraine, as well as interceptor drones that defend against Russia’s new jet-powered attack drones.”

The sudden restrictions on Starlink drew the ire of Polish Foreign Affairs Minister Radosław Sikorski, who directly called out Musk in a social media post.

“Hey, Elon Musk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again?” Sikorski asked. “As your European customers, we are watching you.”

Ian Bond, deputy director of the Center for European Reform think tank, wrote that the sudden Starlink restrictions “should set off a siren in every defense ministry in Europe.”

“There needs to be much more urgency about developing autonomous capabilities,” Bond added, “not subject to US caprices, for early warning of attacks, countering ballistic missiles, communicating with forces or controlling offensive weapons.”

Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator for the Financial Times, expressed a similar view, arguing that “the Starlink restriction over Ukraine is a perfect illustration of the danger of relying on US technology.”

Steve Peers, professor of EU law and human rights law at Royal Holloway, University of London, argued that democratic nations must start viewing Musk and his companies as geopolitical adversaries.

“If Musk is going to (in effect) assist Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,” wrote Peers, “Ukraine’s allies should sanction Starlink, X, and Tesla.”

Nicholas Grossman, professor of international relations at the University of Illinois, pointed out that he has been calling for governments to end their dependence on Musk and his companies for the last three years.

“The problem is too much power, especially for an enemy of democracy,” Grossman wrote.

Grossman also took a shot at former President Joe Biden’s administration for not taking Musk’s threat to democracy seriously, as it continued to award SpaceX lucrative contracts even as its owner used his vast fortune to power Trump’s 2024 comeback.

“Big mistake,” he wrote.

Top historian explains Russia's magic grip on the GOP

REUTERS/Jessica Koscielniak
Matthew Rozsa

October 15, 2026 

ALTERNET

President Donald Trump's Republican Party acts less like a traditional political party than a cult of personality, according to a historian who specializes in fascism — and he points a finger of blame at Russia.

"How does the party go along, in lockstep with that?" podcaster Shane Smith asked historian Timothy Snyder in a video that dropped on Thursday. "I get that, and I probably agree with that, but that’s one person. How do you get the whole party, if not the whole country, to just overnight agree with you in lockstep?"

Snyder replied, "I’m going to answer that, but I’m going to qualify it first, because it’s not the whole country. The polling on the Russia-Ukraine war is actually pretty good. Even Republicans are about fifty-fifty, independents are mostly pro-Ukraine, and Democrats are overwhelmingly pro-Ukraine. So I wouldn’t say the whole country. There has been a seismic shift in the American right. And I think there are a couple of causes beyond Trump, who has a lot of influence. Opinion polls on Russia among certain people change because of him. He does have a lot of influence on, let’s say, half the Republican electorate."


He continued, "But in addition to that, there’s the fact that a lot of Americans on the far right really like Putin’s ideology. They like the notion of civilization. They like the sexism. They like the racism. They like the conspiracy thinking. They like the anti-gay stuff. And then, to make matters a little more practical, Putin’s Russia shares money around with the far right. I worked on this in Europe. I’ve never worked on it in the US, but I’d be stunned if it weren’t true in the US as well. They support individual right-wing actors with money, and they also platform them. And they also coach them, like with Tucker Carlson."

Snyder later pointed out that Russia is no longer left-wing, as it was under the Soviet Union, but is right-wing under President Vladimir Putin.


"There’s the fact that Russia is no longer the communist Soviet Union; it’s right-wing Russia, which is naturally attractive to certain right-wing people," Snyder told Smith. "And then there are all the ops. The way we run social media in the US is basically laissez-faire: anybody can do what they want to do. And under Trump, that’s basically policy, which means that not just the Russians, but the Chinese and everybody else, are all over our social media. I think that’s some of the answer."

He added, "And then let’s not overestimate the American memory, or underestimate the American capacity for contradiction. Right now, the Republicans are trying to claim that the current midterm election is about anti-communism, when their guy admires a former KGB officer, fawns over the head of the Chinese Communist Party, and couldn’t say nicer things about the communist dictator of North Korea. So part of it is just an American capacity to not remember things and to embrace contradiction. I wrote a book that was largely about the 2015–2016 Russian operations in the US. I’m forgetting now who said this, but he had his finger on something important. One of the Russian operatives was actually in the United States trying to figure out what they were going to do with the social media ops. He said, 'These people believe in anything they want, and I admire them for that.' That’s of course not true of all Americans, but there is a certain fluidity around the way we remember politics sometimes, which means the Cold War doesn’t really last as long as one might think."

Russian troll farms are back —and they're boosting the GOP: NYT

(REUTERS)

Adam Lynch

October 16, 2026

COMMON DREAMS

The New York Times reports signs are emerging that Russia and other foreign governments are once again seeking to influence American voters — in favor of Trump and Republicans.

An online influence operation backed by the Russian government has been ramping up efforts to use Israel as a political wedge and sow division among U.S., according to a new study by an independent company that tracks digital threats and foreign propaganda campaigns.

The “Doppelgänger” influence operation created a flood of social media posts amplifying perceptions that Democrats have retreated from supporting Israel.


“In appearing to target Democrats with negative content, the Doppelgänger push is just the latest effort by Russia to harm the party and support President Trump since his first run for office in 2016,” reported the Times. “… Doppelgänger is run by Russia’s Social Design Agency, a public relations firm. Both the U.S. government and the European Union have imposed punitive sanctions upon it.”

Sources speaking with the Times said U.S. intelligence officials tried to provide a classified briefing to state officials on the midterm election threats on Thursday—the first of its kind in more than two years. However, Trump administration officials were unable to establish a secure virtual connection to the election personnel, said the sources.


On Wednesday, social media platform X announced it banned 13,000 accounts linked to Iran, Russia and China, said the Times. But, nothing stops Russian and Chinese-backed trolls and software from simply opening new accounts from which to sow division and animosity among voters.

The Times reports international operations have “grown more difficult to track” thanks to a broad pullback by many social media firms. That reversal of fake site subversion happened after condemnation and outcry from conservatives and MAGA elements, who accused the companies of collaborating with the U.S. government to stifle free expression.

Lisa Kaplan, the founder of Alethea, told the Times that the volume of posts in the current campaign, and replies under postings that had high engagement, “indicated that the messaging was likely getting in front of people.”


The campaign included more than 50 fake personas, posing as Israeli women, that posted in “synchronized waves” beginning on Oct. 7, the three-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel. The Ties reports a separate network of more than 1,000 accounts then inserted those posts into high-traffic conversations, creating an estimated stack of 150,000 posts.

The Times added that U.S. intelligence findings and numerous reviews have “consistently found that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has favored Trump over Democrats, most of whom are more sympathetic to Ukraine as it battles Russia’s invasion.”

In September, for example, a network linked to Kremlin trolls posted a series of AI slop social media videos churning out baseless claims against Democrats running in closely contested Senate races.


The campaigns “give us a glimpse of what their objectives are,” said Jean le Roux, a senior researcher at Graphika. “They’re not targeting Republican candidates in the same way.”

Six-figure foreign secret ties an Idaho campaign to Russia

(Photo by Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun)

Clark Corbin, 

Idaho Capital Sun

October 16, 2026 | 08:20AM ET

One of the political consultants who the New York Times recently reported received hundreds of thousands of dollars to advise the Russia-aligned government of Republika Srpska was previously named a senior adviser to Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s campaign in February.

On Oct. 6, the New York Times reported LaCivita and another adviser traveled to Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina to advise the country’s government before its recent election.

The Times and other national reports identified LaCivita as the co-manager of President Donald Trump’s 2024 election campaign and a senior adviser to the MAGA Inc. super PAC.


While LaCivita is more well-known for his work for Trump and MAGA Inc., he has also worked in Idaho.

In February, Little announced that LaCivita joined the Brad Little for Governor campaign as a senior adviser.


“Chris’ immense experience and understanding of political campaigns and strategy in races all across the country will be a huge asset to our campaign operation,” Little said in a written statement issued Feb. 26. “His insight and ability to deliver winning messages and tactics are unparalleled. I am glad to have him on the team.”

Efforts to reach LaCivita this week were unsuccessful.

Little’s campaign manager, Joan Vargas, did not respond to multiple requests from the Idaho Capital Sun asking if LaCivita still serves as a senior adviser to Little, and whether Little knew about the trip.


Back when he joined Little’s campaign in February, LaCivita issued a written statement saying he was excited to help Little get re-elected in Idaho.

“Joining the Brad Little for Governor campaign is a great honor and opportunity,” LaCivita said. “Gov. Little has been delivering results for Idahoans, and he is just getting started. I look forward to working with his team to keep Idaho one of the best states in the country.”

It was not immediately clear what work LaCivita did for Little’s campaign or if LaCivita still serves as a senior adviser on Little’s campaign.


In its story, the New York Times said it is common for political consultants to also work with foreign candidates and governments. However, the New York Times said LaCivita’s trip to Republika Srpska was notable because it occurred while LaCivita is working to help Trump-aligned candidates in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

‘Power Lies at the Hands of the People’: Thousands of No Kings Events Rally Voters for 2026 Midterms

“Voting early is the first step in how we protect those rights. A vote cast today can’t be lost to a long line or a closed polling place.”


People take part in a “No Kings: Vote Early” demonstration in Wilton Manors, Florida, on October 17, 2026.
Photo by Giorgio VIERA/AFP via Getty Images

Brad Reed
Oct 17, 2026
COMMON DREAMS

More than 3,000 No Kings rallies held in all 50 US states on Saturday sought to rally voters to the polls ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

While past No Kings demonstrations have focused on protesting the policies of President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, Saturday’s demonstrations were geared toward helping Americans ensure that their vote is counted in next month’s elections.

On the No Kings website, organizers described the events as “a day of nonpartisan voter participation, being in community with each other, and making sure every eligible voter has a plan, knows their options, and is ready to make their voice count.”

Speaking at a No Kings event in Atlanta, Georgia, Indivisible co-founder Leah Greenberg emphasized how important early voting will be to stopping any attempted meddling by the Trump administration in the elections.

“In America, power lies at the hands of the people, and we express our power at the ballot box,” said Greenberg. “Nobody knows better than the folks here that that right was never given by the powerful, it was demanded by generations of dedicated, brilliant, fearless organizers who put their lives and their freedom on the line to demand that this nation live up to its promises.”



Greenberg outlined how Trump has tried to attack the voting process throughout his second term, including his unprecedented mid-decade redistricting campaign and his attempts to restrict the right to vote by mail.

“They want chaos, fear, and confusion at the polls,” said Greenberg. “Voting early is the first step in how we protect those rights. A vote cast today can’t be lost to a long line or a closed polling place.”

In a Thursday interview with journalist Steven Beschloss, Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin said he hoped the No Kings rallies would drive “the biggest turnout in midterms in American history,” which he said was important “because we have an authoritarian” in Trump “who will take advantage of any uncertainty.”

Minnesota Democratic US Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan, whose state came under siege last winter from federal immigration agents, expressed support for the No Kings rallies in a Saturday social media post.

“This year, Minnesotans showed the world that we don’t do kings,” Flanagan wrote. “Today, we’re doing it again. No matter where you are, make your voice heard.”

The demonstrations also earned a thumbs up from Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.).

“No kings. No authoritarians. No warmongers. No despots,” Ramirez wrote. “All across the country, Americans are taking to the streets and organizing to defend our neighbors and our democracy! Remember that you have rights.”

Attendance estimates for Saturday’s No Kings protests were not available as of this writing, though past rallies have drawn as many as 8 million people nationwide.

Former GOP stars back No Kings record early-vote bid as Trump’s polling slide deepens


People take part in a "No Kings" protest as part of a nationwide day of action aimed at encouraging early voting ahead of the midterm elections in Washington, DC, US, October 17, 2026. REUTERS/Leah Millis

By: Bennito L. Kelty 

Oct 17, 2026

RAW STORY


Some of the right's best-known critics of President Donald Trump are throwing their weight behind a nationwide push that organizers hope will shatter early-voting records.

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Never-Trump conservative Bill Kristol cheered on Saturday's No Kings "Vote Early" events, as the anti-Trump coalition traded its mass street protests for a drive to bank ballots ahead of the November 3 midterms.

More than 3,000 marches, cookouts, block parties and other gatherings were planned nationwide, according to reporting by NPR, with volunteers helping people confirm their registration, map out when and how they'll vote and learn their rights at the polls.

"The first three No Kings were designed to send a message," Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin told NPR. "We're done sending a message."

Levin said the coalition wants to help drive the biggest midterm early vote in American history. Organizers are also recruiting poll watchers, a move Levin tied to fears that federal immigration agents could appear at polling places and to Trump's efforts to restrict mail-in voting.

Outside Mar-a-Lago, a protester who gave her name as Rebecca told MS NOW she hopes so many people vote that the election becomes "too big to rig" for Trump and Republicans.

Kristol drew a sharp contrast between the rallies and the president's own weekend.


"A tale of two Americas," Kristol posted on X on Saturday. "Millions of Americans gather at local No Kings events to defend democracy. Trump speaks to a few thousand die-hards in KY, then holds court at a 'Candlelight Dinner' at Mar-a-Lago with MAGA fat cats seeking favor and favors from the wannabe king."

In a piece for The Bulwark, Kristol argued that the movement got ahead of the public's turn against Trump. "Before it was fashionable, No Kings was there," he wrote.

He noted that Trump held 44 percent approval against 52 percent disapproval in the New York Times polling average when the first No Kings protest took place in June 2025. Trump now sits at 37 percent approval and 60 percent disapproval. Kristol said he would attend Saturday and "tip my Bulwark baseball cap to No Kings."


Kinzinger, meanwhile, took aim at "a man in a gold-plated palace" without naming him and argued that the political ground is shifting.

"Americans are waking up and the ground under this election is moving. Everyone can feel it," Kinzinger said in a video posted on Saturday to his Substack. "But hope isn't victory. Nothing is won until the last vote is counted."

Fury as Meta accused of kneecapping nationwide No Kings rallies: 'We demand answers'

By:Alexander Willis

Oct 17, 2026

RAW STORY


Outrage erupted Saturday after Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta appeared to take down a social media account run by No Kings organizers — just as more than 3,000 No Kings marches got underway nationwide.

“Meta pulled down the main No Kings Instagram accounts. We demand answers for why this happened during our National Day of Action,” wrote Norm Eisen, attorney and former U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic under the Obama administration. “Meanwhile, millions are mobilizing — they cannot silence us.”

Millions of Americans joined thousands of No Kings marches across the nation Saturday ahead of the midterms, with the demonstrations focusing more on “early voting and turnout rather than protesting like the previous three No Kings events,” USA Today reported.

ALSO READ:'Should be arrested': ​Capitol Hill demand targets Musk as misinformation floods midterms

But at approximately 1:30 p.m. ET, the main Instagram account for the No Kings coalition was taken down without warning or explanation, according to political scientist and Democratic strategist Rachel Bitecofer.

“The admins have lost access to the account. We are unable to login. This happened at the peak of our national day of action,” Bitecofer wrote.

According to Eisen, the No Kings Instagram account has since been restored, but its administrators remain “locked out and cannot post.”
“Meta must restore full access immediately,” Eisen demanded.

Zuckerberg has worked to win President Donald Trump’s favor since the 2024 election. He attended Trump’s inauguration, made multiple trips to Mar-a-Lago, scrapped Meta’s third-party fact-checking program and agreed to pay $25 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit over his post-Jan. 6 suspension, ABC News reported.

“Why did [Meta] suspend the official No Kings account on today’s day of mass action?” asked Democratic strategist Grant Stern. “The account is back but still locked. This is wrong.”

Fox News panel smears 'ugly' protesters as 'demented elderly people' with no friends

By: Alexander Willis

Oct 17, 2026

RAW STORY

A Fox News panel dedicated several minutes Saturday to attacking the millions of Americans participating in the nationwide No Kings protests as “demented elderly people” with no friends or relationship with their children or grandchildren.

Millions of Americans marched Saturday at more than 3,000 demonstrations organized by the No Kings coalition, with the fourth such protest having a greater focus on early voting and voter turnout just ahead of the midterms. For the panel of Fox News’ “The Big Weekend Show,” however, the millions of Americans participating were simply agitated “baby boomers” with nothing better to do on a Saturday.

“Does that really get out the vote when you just see a bunch of geriatric grandparents out there with signs about how much they hate Donald Trump?” asked Fox News’ Tomi Lahren.

Miranda Devine, a columnist for the conservative New York Post, argued that the protests were a “very ugly look” and ultimately would not bolster Democrats in the midterms.

“All you have is really baby boomers who are reliving their misspent youth as hippies and protesters, and they have nothing better to do, clearly,” Devine said.

“And maybe they don’t have any relationships with their grandchildren or their children, or maybe they never had children. They just seem like demented elderly people who are very angry, and the one thing that really drives them is their complete and utter hatred for Donald Trump.”

Lahren concurred with Devine’s assessment — that the protests ultimately wouldn’t help Democrats at the ballot box — and also speculated that those protesting were short on friends.

“I know that this gets some people out — the people who have not a lot of friends and they need something to do on a Saturday,” Lahren said.

‘Deadly Serious’: Half of World’s Reef-Building Coral Face Extinction Threat as Oceans Warm, Study Warns

“Every tenth of a degree of warming we avoid gives corals a better chance,” said one of the researchers. “So action now really does count.”

An adult green sea turtle rests on the sandy seabed beside a coral reef off Mataking Island in Sabah, Malaysia, on September 25, 2026.
(Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP via Getty Images)

Stephen Prager
Oct 16, 2026
COMMON DREAMS

Nearly half the world’s reef-building coral species are at risk of extinction according to a global assessment released Thursday. Researchers warn that the accelerating climate crisis is making the danger even worse than the most recent data shows.

Coral reefs are among the most important ecosystems on Earth, providing food and shelter for around a quarter of all marine species. Their destruction jeopardizes not only entire marine food webs, but also the millions of people who rely on those species for food.

The study, published in the journal Nature, found that as of 2020, about 44% of coral species were threatened, compared with about one-third in 2008.

David Obura, a marine biologist and lead author of the study, said the new assessment “provides the most comprehensive evaluation to date of global extinction risk among reef-building corals, and a stark warning of the accelerating increase in global threats to coral reefs.”

But he said it also “highlights the challenges we face in addressing major data and knowledge gaps on the status of species at global scales, at the same time as having to take urgent decisions to reduce the drivers of global declines in critical species and ecosystems.”




The researchers stressed that the data they analyzed understates the danger. The assessment does not take into account the damage from the devastating bleaching event that began in 2023 and lasted until mid-2025. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), it was the largest such event ever recorded, exposing about 84% of the world’s coral reef area to bleaching-level heat stress and causing widespread coral deaths.

It also doesn’t take into account what meteorologists have projected could be the strongest El Niño ever, which could break ocean temperature records in the coming months, likely leading to another massive die-off of corals.

“It is entirely possible that reassessing the status of corals just after this coming El Niño may show them to have crossed the 50% mark of the proportion of species at elevated risk of extinction,” Obura told AFP.

He noted that a previous “super” El Niño, in 1997-98, also caused tremendous damage to reefs.

“That this coming event is worse than that, after three intervening global bleaching events, is a terrifying reality,” he said.

Researchers extract a fossil coral core sample from a massive coral colony in the Galápagos Islands to reconstruct historical climate and El Niño cycles as part of a study published in Science on August 27, 2026. (Photo by Julia Cole/Science)

In the new assessment, researchers found that human-caused climate change is the primary threat to reef-building coral, determining the fate of about 90% of the species at greatest risk.

They emphasized that coral reef health is more complex than simply “survival” versus “disappearance,” and that every reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions matters.

“Coral reefs can feel a world away...” said Françoise Cabada-Blanco, a marine ecologist at the University of Portsmouth and co-author of the study. “But they cover a tiny fraction of the ocean floor, while supporting an enormous share of marine life and the food, coastal protection and livelihoods of millions of people.”

“What happens to them affects all of us,” she said. “The message from this assessment is that every tenth of a degree of warming we avoid gives corals a better chance—so action now really does count.”

A report published last year concluded that the globe had already passed the 1.2°C warming threshold for widespread coral reef dieback and found that unless global temperatures drop substantially, reefs could largely disappear.

“The crisis facing corals is deadly serious,” said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “If we don’t take swift action to curb climate pollution, we could lose half of them forever.”

“We’ve already seen a lot of disruptions to sea life from the much warmer waters El Niño has brought this year, and I’m really worried about what that will do to threatened coral species,” she added. “Coral reefs are the backbone of the ocean, and we can’t have a healthy marine ecosystem without them.”

75% of Likely US Voters Oppose Giving Big Oil Immunity From Climate Lawsuits

Even 67% of Republican voters think states should be allowed to sue oil companies for climate damage. But Trump and GOP lawmakers are pushing to kill these suits for good.


Demonstrators rally outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on October 5, 2026, as justices hear a case that could determine the fate of lawsuits seeking to hold oil companies accountable for climate damages.
(Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

Stephen Prager
Oct 15, 2026
COMMON DREAMS


President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have sought to stop state-level lawsuits aimed at holding oil and gas companies responsible for climate-related damage. But most voters don’t think they should be immune from accountability.

In a poll released last week by Data for Progress, 75% of likely voters said they would oppose legislation that would give fossil fuel companies “legal immunity from having to pay for the damages they have caused by worsening climate change.”

Just 20% said they would either “somewhat” or “strongly” support such legislation. Meanwhile, more than half (53%) said they would “strongly” oppose it.

Opposition was strong across political affiliations: 83% of Democrats and 76% of independents said they opposed giving oil companies immunity from lawsuits, but so did 67% of Republicans.

(Graphic by Data for Progress)



In recent years, states and municipalities have sued fossil fuel companies over their well-documented history of misleading the public about their products’ role in warming the planet. These lawsuits have sought compensation for damages from worsening floods, wildfires, droughts, and other climate-related disasters.

Eleven US states—California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont—as well as the District of Columbia, have active lawsuits, as do at least two tribal governments and dozens of municipalities around the country, according to a tracker by the Center for Climate Integrity.

The new poll suggests voters are even more opposed to shielding oil companies from these lawsuits than they were five months ago. Another Data for Progress poll in May showed just 65% opposed legislation to shield oil companies, compared with 75% now.

“Big Oil is desperate to secure legal immunity and escape accountability for its role in the climate crisis—and the billions of dollars of damages that have followed,” said Iyla Shornstein, the political director at the Center for Climate Integrity. “These poll results show that Americans across the political spectrum are opposed to putting Big Oil above the law.”

Protesters hold a banner outside the US Supreme Court as it considers the Suncor v. Boulder case in Washington, DC, on October 5, 2026. (Photo by Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

The oil industry’s lobbying arm, the American Petroleum Institute, has described stopping state climate lawsuits as a top priority for 2026. Their Republican allies have pushed at all levels of government to advance that goal.

In April, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and several GOP cosponsors joined Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) to introduce legislation that would shield fossil fuel companies from any climate-related lawsuits, dismiss pending cases, and overturn state “superfund” laws requiring the industry to pay for climate damages.

That bill failed to pass out of the House Judiciary Committee last month but could be brought forth again during the “lame-duck” session after the midterm elections in November.

ProPublica has identified at least 15 bills across 11 states that have either been enacted or proposed to shield companies, either by granting them broad immunity from liability for greenhouse gas emissions or restricting the ability of communities to sue over climate-related damages. Groups linked to Leonard Leo, the co-chair of the right-wing Federalist Society, have coordinated many of these efforts.

Republican attorneys general in 16 states have proposed creating a “liability shield” for fossil fuel companies modeled on the one that protects gun manufacturers from liability for the misuse of their products. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a leading conservative policy shop, approved a model bill in August aiming to establish this shield in state legislatures nationwide.

The oil industry has also pushed for the right-wing Supreme Court to step in to block these lawsuits. Earlier this month, during oral arguments, oil giants ExxonMobil and Suncor urged the court to block a lawsuit brought by Boulder, Colorado, that accused oil companies of deceiving the public about climate change and sought to hold them financially responsible.

If the court blocks the Boulder suit before it gets to trial, it could set a precedent that derails dozens of similar lawsuits around the country.

Meanwhile, Trump, who pledged to help Big Oil executives in exchange for their donations to his presidential campaign, signed an executive order last year directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to identify and challenge state lawsuits that seek to impose financial penalties on fossil fuel companies.

His DOJ has weighed in on the Suncor v. Boulder case on the side of the oil industry and has sued at least five states that have sought to hold fossil fuel companies accountable.

The question about climate lawsuits was part of a broader set of questions Data for Progress asked voters about rising insurance costs and corporate accountability in partnership with the Insurance Fairness Project. Other results showed that many Americans want legal recourse against insurers and other companies that impose costs on consumers.

“As rising home insurance costs directly threaten housing affordability for the majority of Americans, voters are tired of their prices rising while insurance companies, energy providers, and the oil and gas industry go unchecked,” said Grace Adcox, senior climate strategist for the Insurance Fairness Project. “There is a strong appetite for holding corporations accountable, both for their role in driving up costs and their role in contributing to the climate crisis.”

IMF Warns of Debt-Fueled AI Spending as Fears of Massive Financial Bubble Grow

“If we don’t see the massive gains in productivity promised by the AI enthusiasts, then we will almost certainly see a collapse in the stock market,” said one economist.


A man is using his mobile phone to view GPT-6 Astra logo and using his computer to view OpenAI logo in Suqian, Jiangsu, China on September 4, 2026.
(Photo by CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Brad Reed
Oct 13, 2026
COMMON DREAMS

The International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday that the global economy faces serious risks from Big Tech firms taking on massive debt to fund the buildout of artificial intelligence data centers worldwide.

The IMF’s latest Global Financial Stability Report outlines a number of risks to economic growth in the coming years, including a reliance on AI industry spending that it warns could lead to a new financial crisis.

The report points to the methods the world’s largest data center operators, known as hyperscalers, are using to fund new construction as particularly troubling.

“Hyperscalers have strong earnings from their core businesses,” the report states. “Yet, free cash flows are rapidly declining as hyperscalers try to sustain large AI investment needs, leaving debt financing increasingly necessary.”

The analysis also details the role played by so-called circular financing agreements, in which one company agrees to fund another company’s AI project in exchange for the firm receiving the money buying the investing firm’s products.

These arrangements could create dangerous interdependence within the industry that could spark a financial contagion if one of the firms goes belly up, according to the report.

“While investors... are generally financially sound, distress at key investee firms could present significant ‘wrong-way risk’ to the AI ecosystem,” the report states. “Equity and debt investments in the firms depreciate in value precisely when future revenue streams tied to them are impaired.”

Investment expert Bret Jensen, in an analysis published by Seeking Alpha on Tuesday, examined projected capital expenditures from the five biggest hyperscalers—Oracle, Microsoft, Facebook parent company Meta, Amazon, and Google parent company Alphabet—and highlighted how they have increasingly moved financing off their corporate balance sheets.

“Over the past 12-18 months, there has been a huge increase in debt and equity issuance,” Jensen explained. “The five hyperscalers now have a combined over $1.3 trillion of debt on their balance sheets and roughly $3 trillion in off-balance-sheet allocations.”

Because of this, Jensen continued, “debt markets are starting to groan” by “signaling a substantial chance of default over the next half-decade on the debt of Oracle.”

Jensen also pointed out that half of this infrastructure was being built for the benefit of frontier AI labs OpenAI and Anthropic, which he described as “unprofitable” and “bleeding cash.”

Dean Baker, co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research argued in an analysis published on Friday that AI is completely propping up the US economy at the moment, as investors are holding out hope that it delivers an unprecedented boom in productivity.

The problem, Baker pointed out, is there is little sign that AI is going to deliver anywhere near the increased productivity needed to make these historic investments pay off.

“If we believe the hype, we are about to see an incredible surge in productivity that will make us ridiculously wealthy,” Baker explained. “To date, there is no evidence to support this view. Productivity growth has been at best on its trend pace the last couple of years.”

“If we don’t see the massive gains in productivity promised by the AI enthusiasts,” Baker added, “then we will almost certainly see a collapse in the stock market, with a serious recession almost guaranteed.”

‘Let Them Eat Cake’: How Trump Family Pocketed Nearly $3 Billion While Millions of Americans Lost Food Aid

“Donald Trump promised to lower costs for American families,” said the co-chair of the Not Above the Law Coalition. “Instead, he turned the presidency into his family’s most profitable business.”


Demonstrators hold up mock cryptocurrency coins with President Donald Trump’s image during the “America Is Not for Sale” rally at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, DC on May 22, 2025.
(Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Public Citizen)

Brett Wilkins
Oct 15, 2026
COMMON DREAMS

A report released Thursday details how the family of President Donald Trump “pocketed more than $2.9 billion”—including “in cash and gifts from crypto ventures, legal settlements, a luxury jet from a foreign government, and corporate deals”—while Republican cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program left millions of Americans without critical food aid.

The report, “Let Them Eat Cake: Cost of Corruption,” was published by the Not Above the Law Coalition—a group of more than 150 advocacy organizations mobilized against the Trump administration’s corruption—and cites data from the Center for American Progress revealing over $2.9 billion in cash and gifts received by the Trump family since the 2024 election.

The bulk of that amount—more than $2.4 billion—comes from the cryptocurrency industry. Trump has boasted about how his administration won’t investigate alleged crypto-related crimes.

Not only has Trump embraced crypto deregulation, he also pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the founder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, who pleaded guilty to money-laundering charges in 2023. Binance has provided critical support for World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture enriching the Trump family.

“The Trump family cashed in on the presidency while American families paid the price,” Not Above the Law said in a statement. “Over the same period, Trump signed a budget law that cut almost $187 billion from SNAP, leaving 5.2 million fewer people with help buying groceries.”

That law, the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, ushered in the biggest cuts to both SNAP and Medicaid in those programs’ histories.

According to the report, “The Trump family’s take alone could cover a full year of groceries for about 1.3 million people on SNAP.”

“At the same time, Trump’s pardons let wealthy allies and fraudsters walk away from nearly $1.7 billion owed to victims and taxpayers,” the publication adds.

Not Above the Law noted that “foreign money flowed straight to the [Trump] family” via an investment vehicle controlled by the United Arab Emirates’ national security adviser, who “put $500 million into World Liberty Financial, and the administration soon cleared advanced [artificial intelligence] chip exports to the UAE.“

The report highlights that “Trump also accepted a roughly $400 million luxury jet from Qatar.”

Not Above the Law said that, in addition to groceries for 1.3 million people for a year, the $2.9 billion could buy “more than 600 million free school lunches, or three months of groceries for the 5.2 million people who lost SNAP benefits.”

In addition to the nearly $3 billion the report says Trump’s family pocketed, the coalition noted “companies backed by Trump’s sons have collected $3.2 billion in federal funds, including a fast-tracked $620 million Pentagon loan” to a business in which Donald Trump Jr. invested.

“Donald Trump promised to lower costs for American families. Instead, he turned the presidency into his family’s most profitable business,” said Lisa Gilbert, Not Above the Law co-chair and co-president of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. “While the Trumps collected nearly $3 billion from crypto schemes, foreign governments, and corporations seeking favors, millions of Americans lost help putting food on the table. Congress must stop the self-dealing and hold this administration accountable.”

The new analysis follows a report published earlier this year by a group of Democratic US senators accusing the president and his family of turning “the power of the presidency into eye-popping profits,” with Trump increasing his personal net worth by more than $2 billion during his second term alone, according to official disclosures.

Also on Thursday, The Washington Post reported on companies and billionaire CEOs who donated a combined $333 million to Trump’s White House ballroom project, as well as previously undisclosed donors who have benefited from a presidential pardon, government contracts, and at least one closed federal investigation.

“This is what corruption is all about,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said in response to the Post report. “We don’t want a government of, by, and for the billionaire class. FIGHT BACK.”

Pentagon Plans to Withhold Report on US Massacre of Iranian Kids Until After Midterms

One policy analyst wrote sardonically that the administration doesn’t “want to remind voters before the midterms of the mass killing of schoolchildren on the first day of Trump’s glorious war.”

A view of a school destroyed in an attack by the United States is seen in Minab, Iran on September 11, 2026.
(Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Jake Johnson
Oct 15, 2026
COMMON DREAMS

The Pentagon is reportedly planning to withhold until after the midterm elections the completed findings of its investigation into a devastating US strike on an elementary school in southern Iran, which killed more than 150 people—including 120 children—on the first day of President Donald Trump’s illegal and deeply unpopular war.

Bloomberg reported on Thursday that “top Pentagon officials have expressed their intention to hold off on releasing an internal report into the attack” on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab until after next month’s midterms “at the earliest.” The internal assessment is believed to have been effectively complete for months, and preliminary findings reported in early March determined that American forces hit the school with a Tomahawk missile due to “outdated” targeting information.

According to Bloomberg, Pentagon investigators “discovered that flawed intelligence, outdated imagery, and an overreliance on AI contributed to the attack,” which is regarded as one of the US military’s worst atrocities against civilians in decades. Trump brushed off the massacre in remarks to reporters in June, saying: “Mistakes are made. War is nasty.”

Ryan Costello, policy director at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), said in a statement that “the refusal to come clean about the attack on Minab is not just a shameful exercise to dodge accountability for a horrific war crime; it is actively risking these errors being repeated again.”

“As the administration has dodged accountability on Minab and [a deadly strike on a sports hall hours later], it has engaged in further attacks that may be war crimes, including the bombing of a civilian home on Qeshm Island that killed a family and the bombing of a wedding party in Kuhestak that killed five, including two children,” said Costello. “Ensuring these tragedies don’t repeat starts with accountability on Minab.”

International policy analyst Brian Finucane wrote sardonically that the Pentagon doesn’t “want to remind voters before the midterms of the mass killing of schoolchildren on the first day of Trump’s glorious war.”

Bloomberg’s reporting came as CNN published a story detailing internal US “strike plans” that include possibly dropping the so-called “mother of all bombs” on Iranian energy infrastructure.

The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) is the largest nonnuclear bomb in the US arsenal. In 2017, Trump became the first US president to deploy the weapon, authorizing the military to drop it on Afghanistan.

Sina Toossi, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, warned that using the bomb against Iran would risk “triggering another major escalatory spiral, potentially including Iranian attacks on critical regional energy infrastructure, with consequences for global markets and the US economy.”

“This only reinforces the fundamental problem: Trump has no viable military solution to the Iran conflict,” Toossi wrote. “Is he looking for one spectacular strike to project strength and declare victory? Or is he prepared to plunge the US into an even deeper, potentially endless war that could devastate the rest of his presidency, legacy, and the economy?”

Costello of NIAC said that “the Trump administration’s threats to commit war crimes in Iran cannot be normalized.”

“President Trump acts on many of his threats, necessitating more urgent action to bring this illegal war of choice to a definitive end,” he added.

70+ House Democrats Demand Pentagon Answer for Iran Wedding Massacre

The September 1 strike, which killed five women and children and wounded more than 70 other Iranians, is but one of several civilian massacres


Mourners gather around the coffin of one of the victims of a likely US airstrike on a wedding party, on September 3, 2026 in the village of Kuhestak, Iran.
(Photo by Morteza Akhondi/Getty Images)

assacres during Trump’s illegal war of choice.


Brett Wilkins
Oct 14, 2026
COMMON DREAMS

More than 70 House Democrats on Tuesday sought answers and accountability from the Pentagon regarding a likely US strike on a September wedding gathering in southern Iran that killed five civilians—all women and children—and wounded over 70 others.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Reps. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), and Jason Crow (D-Colo.) led 74 lawmakers in demanding an explanation for the September 1 bombing in Kuhestak and details of what the Trump administration is doing to protect Iranian civilians.

“We demand urgent answers regarding the United States’ role in this strike, why the strike proceeded given the clear risk of significant civilian harm, and what steps the [US Department of Defense] is taking to prevent further civilian casualties in Iran,” the lawmakers wrote.

The strike occurred at approximately 9:30 pm local time while preparations were underway for the wedding of the daughter of a local fisher.

According to witnesses interviewed by The Associated Press, around 150 women and children were gathered at the Mallahi family compound. The celebration was following a regional tradition in which women and men gather separately. The bride and groom had not yet arrived, and the main celebration had not begun. A bomb struck the room where dinner would have been served.

Four initial fatalities—two women and two children—were identified by Iranian authorities and human rights groups: 50-year-old Zarkhatoun Taheri, 43-year-old Kolsoum Malahi Najandnia, 16-year-old Mohammad Mallahi, and 4-year-old Amir Mohammad Karimi. A fifth victim, 22-year-old woman Asiyeh Molainejad, died in a hospital on September 3.

Weapons experts concluded the blast was likely caused by a direct hit from a US munition. The Pentagon has not publicly accepted responsibility for the strike, which remains under investigation.

“This incident is regrettably among the latest in a string of civilian casualty incidents arising from the US-led war in Iran,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “This includes a strike at the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Iran, on the first day of the war that killed a reported 175 civilians, including 120 children.”

The United Nations’ Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said it found “reasonable grounds” to believe that the Minab school strike constituted a war crime.

“While it has been reported that a preliminary investigation by the department found that the US military was responsible for the strike, over six months later the department has still not publicly acknowledged responsibility for the strike nor released the findings of its investigation,” the lawmakers’ letter notes.

“Similarly, reporting and independent analysis indicate that US forces were responsible for a strike at a youth sports hall in Lamerd, Iran, that killed 21 civilians, including 7 children, on February 28. While the department has denied responsibility, analysis by weapons experts found that the damage pattern is consistent with that of an American Precision Strike Missile,” the lawmakers continued, referring to Lockheed Martin’s next-generation surface-to-surface ballistic missile.

Hegseth, who advocates “maximum lethality” for US forces, has expressed disdain for what he called “stupid rules of engagement” designed to minimize civilian harm. He has overseen the dismantling of efforts meant to mitigate wartime harm to civilians—hundreds of thousands of whom have been killed in US-led wars during this century, according to experts.

“Maximum lethality,” combined with AI-powered systems allowing for exponentially faster and more numerous target selection, has raised concerns that have been underscored by actions including US-backed Israeli massacres in Gaza and Lebanon, and US airstrikes in Iran, where tens of thousands of people have been killed or wounded during more than seven months of President Donald Trump’s illegal war of choice, according to Iranian government figures.

The Washington, DC-based National Iranian American Council (NIAC) welcomed the lawmakers’ intervention, arguing that Iranian civilians must not be treated as expendable casualties of war.

“The lives of Iranian civilians cannot be treated as an acceptable cost of war,” NIAC president Jamal Abdi said in a statement. “These are families, children, and entire communities whose lives have been irreversibly altered by a military campaign that Congress never authorized.”

“Credible allegations of unlawful attacks on civilians demand independent investigations, full public disclosure of the findings, and accountability for any violations of international humanitarian law,” Abdi added. “The Trump administration cannot be permitted to wage an unauthorized war in defiance of US and international law while evading responsibility for its devastating human consequences.”