The Wheels Come Off the MAGA Machine

George Ochenski

 April 13, 2026

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Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair

The recent events on the national and world stage are pretty hard to ignore given the effects on Americans, our allies and even our fellow Montanans who just want to go fishing. 

But the wheels are coming off Donald Trump’s MAGA-mobile in real time and the result is absolutely predictable as he, his administration, and our once-stable nation are now all over the road, bouncing off curbs, going through fences, and headed for the barrow ditch. 

The undeniable signs aren’t coming from “lib-tards” — they’re coming from hard right-wing MAGA supporters, or perhaps “former supporters” is more accurate.  That lineup now includes Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones, Megyn Kelly, neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes, Mark Levin, and even looney Laura Loomer.  

These are the headliners of Fox and Friends, the people who praised the president and believed he would keep his promises of “America First,” halt U.S. involvement in foreign wars and “Make America Great Again.”  

But anyone who takes Donald Trump at his word is in for a rude awakening.  The record is clear, his word means absolutely nothing.  Not to us, not to our allies, and now not to the rest of the world as he becomes more erratic, violent, and threatening toward friends and foes alike.

The primary reason for the tidal wave of conservative criticism now crashing over the White House is Trump’s disastrous decision to allow Israel’s Benjamin “The Butcher” Netanyahu to drag us into his genocidal attacks on the sovereign nations of the Middle East.  

Netanyahu has been indicted for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in his own country — and the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for his “crimes against humanity” including “murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts,” against Palestinians in Gaza.  Of all the people not to follow anywhere, let alone into war, Netanyahu tops the list as he turns Israel into a rogue state in the eyes of the world.

Nonetheless, the rapidly-diminishing mental capacity of our president somehow justified the Iran War by claiming he had to because Israel was going to. How Israel can call the decision for the U.S. to go to war is a real mystery since declaring war is Constitutionally-delegated to Congress, not the president, and surely not a war criminal from another country.

But wars are a lot easier to start than win.  And now, billions and billions of dollars and thousands of deaths later, this delusional president who claimed he deserved to win the Nobel Peace Prize, is forced to agree to a two-week “cease fire.”  Putting that in quotes is intentional since Israel hasn’t quit bombing Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza as Netanyahu just announced it’s a “forever war.” 

Moreover, none of the ever-changing reasons for the Iran War have been accomplished.  Not seizing the uranium, effecting regime change, halting missile production, or “freeing” the Iranian people. 

Instead, after being attacked by the U.S. and Israel Iran closed the Straits of Hormuz, cutting off one-fifth of the world’s oil supply and driving fuel and fertilizer prices sky high.  When a Montanan decides he can’t go on an annual fishing campout at Fort Peck because it costs a thousand bucks to drive his truck and boat there and back, the impacts have truly come home to roost.

The talking heads at Fox News are largely responsible for the horrific situation they’re now facing. They have been betrayed, openly and repeatedly, and now they are viciously turning on their own creation — and for once, in a very rare instance, they are correct.

George Ochenski is a columnist for the Daily Montanan, where this essay originally appeared.

Staircase to Nowhere: MAGA’s Crowning Achievement



The former East Wing
Photo by Pedro Ugarte/AFP via Getty Image

Abby Zimet
Mar 31, 2026

Further

Poor deplorable MAGA. Maybe they’re disheartened by Trump’s well-deserved plunging approval rating, now at barely 33%. Maybe it’s because their regime is such a half-assed shitshow and their people are such self-serving, hypocritical dickwads. As in: Amidst a government shutdown that’s seen TSA agents (starting salary $34,454) compelled to work without pay as Congress takes a two-week recess (pay over $170,000) on the taxpayers’ dime, TMZ urged readers to send in photos of vacationing pols, and here comes Lindsey Graham at Disney World, “The Most Magical Place On Earth,” gaily twirling a Little Mermaid bubble wand yet. America and Megyn Kelly: WTF.

Or maybe it’s because Commander-In-Chief Private Bonespurs started another forever quagmire without legal or political justification, and it turns out wars in the Middle East are hard and complex and above his pay grade - like health care! - to solve, and now with no good options he’s spewing up only staggering incoherence for strategy, like hailing “great progress” in imaginary “serious discussions” while pivoting to rabidly threatening to “conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran” by “obliterating” their civilian infrastructure, electricity, energy and drinking water, which is a war crime. But talks are going “unbelievably well.”

Serious discussions with Iran    Image from Australia's The Shovel


Anyway, his true passion is turning every crass, stupid thing he or Elvis can think of fake gold like the Oval bordello and even Social Security cards, and slathering his repulsive name on structures, coins, currency, and building trashy, illegal monuments to himself like an obscene, unapproved, un-permitted, $400 million ballroom twice the size of the White House, because, “They’ve always wanted a ballroom,” except now it’s suddenly, “essentially a shed for what goes under it,” a massive military complex, presumably a bunker where, as merciful history would have it, he’ll finally free us of him, “and we’re doing it very well.”

He’s so ballroom-enraptured that on Air Force One he just pulled out a swath of drawings to show reporters, explaining, “I thought I’d do this now because it’s easier. I’m so busy...fighting wars and other things.” Quick mindless pivot to “hand-carved, beautiful, Corinthian columns” - “Corinthian wut” - he’s also reportedly re-imagining for the White House facade, a change deemed “at odds with universally held historic preservation standards.” Same, experts say of “barely scrutinized” ballroom plans, “riddled with design flaws” - disproportionate, pillars block windows, grand staircase to nowhere. WH lackey on “the best builder in the world”: “The American people can rest well knowing this project is in his hands.” We feel better already.

Trump's "plan" for his oversized shed/ballroomImages from New York Times


And then there’s his new gold toilet, mounted on a 10-foot throne near the Lincoln Memorial. The new masterwork of Secret Handshake (Best Friends Forever), it celebrates the renovation of the White House Lincoln Bedroom bathroom, all in gold, and “what this President has actually accomplished.” The toilet’s plaque reads, “In a time of unprecedented division, escalating conflict, and economic turmoil, President Trump focused on what truly mattered: remodeling the Lincoln Bathroom....This, his crowning achievement, is a bold reminder that (he) isn’t just a businessman, he’s taking care of business. It stands as a tribute to an unwavering visionary who looked down, saw a problem, and painted it gold.”

A Throne Fit For a King.Photo from Secret Handshake

The US G20 Presidency Could Take Trump’s Pro-Billionaire Agenda Global

There’s a real risk that the US presidency could advance an economic agenda that prioritizes the interests of the wealthy while sidelining efforts to tackle inequality, strengthen fair taxation, and resolve deepening debt crises worldwide.



Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (R) speaks as US President Donald Trump announces plans to host the 2026 G20 summit in Miami, Florida while US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (C) looks on during a press availability in the Oval Office of the White House on September 5, 2025 in Washington, DC.
(Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Charlotte Friar
Apr 12, 2026

Inequality.org

In just a year, the wealth of the 10 richest US billionaires increased by $698 billion dollars, while low-wage workers struggled as the Trump administration pushed an inequality-fueling agenda. Now, concerns are growing that the same policy choices—those driving a massive transfer of wealth to the richest—could be projected onto the global stage.

The United States recently assumed the presidency of the G20—a major platform for heads of state and governments to address global economic issues. The presidency is a role that carries significant influence over global economic priorities. There’s a real risk that the US presidency could advance an economic agenda that prioritizes the interests of the wealthy while sidelining efforts to tackle inequality, strengthen fair taxation, and resolve deepening debt crises worldwide.

Instead of focusing the G20 on poverty alleviation, reducing inequality, or dealing with a pending global economic crisis, the US government focus will center on removing regulatory burdens, unlocking energy supply chains, and pioneering new technologies and innovation. This marks a sharp departure from the 2025 theme of “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability” and signals a shift toward exporting the Trump administration’s domestic agenda to the global stage.

This all comes at a time when inequality is rising across most countries, and many low- and middle-income nations face mounting debt and stagnant growth.

As the US government so blatantly prioritizes wealthy interests, it is a critical moment for civil society to step forward—organizing and advancing an agenda that breaks decisively from the G20’s all-too-often emphasis on preserving the status quo.

US officials are pitching a “back to the basics” approach—which in reality is a sidelining of issues such as inequality, poverty, labor, climate, and gender. It is also widely anticipated that the Trump administration will restrict avenues for civil society participation.

Current plans suggest a focus on the leaders’ summit and financial track; a reduction in working groups; and formal engagement limited to business stakeholders, excluding civil society organizations, women’s groups, labor unions, and youth representatives. Even acknowledging that past G20 efforts on sustainable development have been uneven, this “back to the basics” approach risks abandoning critical priorities altogether.

Recent G20 presidencies led by Brazil and South Africa demonstrated a different trajectory, placing inequality and debt at the center of global discussions. South Africa’s 2025 presidency elevated the urgency of inequality by commissioning the first-ever G20 report on the issue. Led by professor Joseph Stiglitz, the report described a global “inequality emergency” and proposed the creation of an International Panel on Inequality to guide coordinated action.

Against this backdrop, the Trump administration’s domestic policies, including the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), represent one of the largest upward transfers of wealth in decades, making it unlikely that current US leadership will champion similar efforts internationally.

Progress on global tax cooperation is also under threat. Brazil’s 2024 presidency achieved a breakthrough agreement to cooperate on taxing high-net-worth individuals. While extreme wealth concentration has increased in recent years, research shows billionaires pay effective tax rates close to 0.3% of their wealth—well below what average workers contribute.

Yet in 2025, the Trump administration has already taken actions that undermine these efforts, including withdrawing from United Nations tax negotiations, pressuring other advanced economies to shield US corporations from global tax agreements, and opposing measures such as digital services and carbon taxes.

Climate action presents another area of concern. G20 countries are responsible for approximately 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet many continue to fall short of their commitments. The US administration’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and rollback of domestic climate policies reflect a broader retreat from climate leadership.

The Trump administration’s emphasis on expanding energy supply chains raises the possibility that fossil fuel development could be prioritized over clean energy transitions, particularly if multilateral development banks are encouraged to increase investments in oil and gas projects.

Taken together, these signals suggest that the 2026 US G20 presidency could mark a significant retreat. Rather than building on recent efforts to address inequality, debt, and climate change, it may instead shift the forum toward a narrower agenda that prioritizes elite and corporate interests.

The direction ultimately taken will have far-reaching consequences, not only for the credibility of the G20 but for the future of global economic cooperation. As the US government so blatantly prioritizes wealthy interests, it is a critical moment for civil society to step forward—organizing and advancing an agenda that breaks decisively from the G20’s all-too-often emphasis on preserving the status quo.

Now is the time for people, institutions, and movements to unite and champion bold new forms of multilateral cooperation that serve billions, not billionaires.


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.


Charlotte Friar
Charlotte Friar is a senior policy analyst at Oxfam America.
Full Bio >

Congress; Pass a Windfall Tax on the Oil Companies Profiting From Trump’s Iran War

The oil and gas companies that invested at least $75 million in Trump’s reelection are cashing in on the instability he has caused.



Gas prices are displayed at a Mobil gas station on March 30, 2026 in Pasadena, California.
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Meghan Schneider

Cassidy Dipaola
Apr 11, 2026

OtherWords


Our dependence on fossil fuels does more than pollute our air. It destabilizes the world and empowers the ultra wealthy to profit off of that volatility, leaving working families to pay the price.

This dynamic has been on full display since President Donald Trump’s attack on Iran.



Big Oil Windfall Tax Would Return ‘Egregious’ Iran War Profits to Struggling US Families



Windfall Tax on Big Oil Demanded as Trump’s Iran War Pads Profits of Fossil Fuel Giants

Trump’s invasion of one of the world’s most oil-rich regions jolted energy markets, sending gas prices soaring to the highest level in either of his terms. In 2024 he campaigned on cutting them in half. Instead, Americans are now on track to pay roughly $720 more for gasoline this year.

The full cost to working families will be much steeper as high gas prices drive up prices on consumer goods across the board. We’re already seeing that ripple effect take hold, as the US Postal Service has proposed a temporary 8% fuel surcharge on package deliveries to offset rising transportation costs tied directly to the war-driven spike in oil prices.

To reclaim our foreign policy from those who see a global crisis as a line item on an earnings call, we must break the billionaire grip on our energy system, economy, and democracy writ large.

At the same time, the oil and gas companies that invested at least $75 million in Trump’s reelection are cashing in on this instability. A recent Financial Times analysis estimates that US oil companies could collect an additional $63 billion in revenue this year if crude prices remain at these wartime levels. In March alone, the industry is expected to generate $5 billion in extra cash flow.

This type of windfall isn’t a fluke. We’ve seen this pattern for decades.

Oil has a way of appearing in the background of every chapter of US military intervention in the Middle East and beyond. Iran nationalized its oil industry in the 1950s, and a CIA-backed coup followed. Iraq, sitting on some of the world’s largest reserves, was invaded in 2003. And earlier this year, the US invaded Venezuela and immediately began plans for a taxpayer-backed oil industry takeover.

Dependence on fossil fuels keeps us trapped in this cycle. Oil executives have spent billions to maintain this status quo, backing politicians like Trump who will protect their profits. As the oil industry rakes in eye-popping profits, it gains more power to elect leaders who prioritize policies that ensure Americans remain reliant on fossil fuels.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Congress considered a windfall profits tax on large oil companies that would capture the excess profits generated by the crisis—and return the money to American households. Roughly 80% of Americans supported the idea.

Failure to advance that legislation cost us. Researchers calculated that if the US had redistributed the portion of fossil fuel profits that exceeded 2021 returns, every American household could have received $1,715.

As oil executives profit off the war in Iran, Congress must once again push for a windfall profits tax on the largest oil companies. This isn’t an outlandish idea. Other countries have already done it. After the 2022 energy shock, the United Kingdom enacted a windfall tax on oil and gas companies, raising about $3.3 billion in its first year and roughly $4.5 billion the next—money used to help households pay their energy bills.

The current situation in Iran underscores how unchecked extreme wealth fuels corporate control, leaving working families vulnerable. New data from Impact Research for Tax the Greedy Billionaires shows that voters blame billionaires for the affordability crisis and want leaders to do more to address this. In fact, 77% of voters nationwide—including 65% of Republicans, 75% of Independents, and 91% of Democrats—support raising taxes on billionaires.

Under the Trump administration, war profiteering has reached new extremes. Confronting corporate power and taxing the ultra wealthy isn’t just about economic fairness—it’s a national security imperative.

To reclaim our foreign policy from those who see a global crisis as a line item on an earnings call, we must break the billionaire grip on our energy system, economy, and democracy writ large. If we want a democracy that works for the people, we must stop letting it be sold to the highest bidder.


This column was distributed by OtherWords.

Meghan Schneider
Meghan Schneider is the communications director for Tax the Greedy Billionaires.
Full Bio >

Cassidy Dipaola
Cassidy DiPaola is the communications director of Make Polluters Pay.
Full Bio >

NO DEMOCRACY WITHOUT ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY

Sanders Leads Launch of ‘Worker Power’ Movement to Fight ‘Status Quo Economics’

“Unless we fundamentally transform our economic and political systems, the worst is yet to come,” Sen. Bernie Sanders warned.


US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks during a pro-union rally on April 12, 2026 in New York City.
(Photo by Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)

Brett Wilkins
Apr 13, 2026
COMMON DREAMS

As Republican policies, union-busting corporations, and the imminent threat of artificial intelligence put unprecedented pressure on the US workforce, Sen. Bernie Sanders headlined Sunday’s launch of a movement “to strengthen the labor movement and expand worker power across the country.”

Sanders (I-VT) spoke at the “Union Now: Building the Labor Movement” rally at Terminal 5 in Hell’s Kitchen in Midtown Manhattan alongside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA international president Sara Nelson, and other labor and social movement leaders.

“Unless we fundamentally transform our economic and political systems, the worst is yet to come,” Sanders warned. “If the middle class of this country is going to survive, we must understand that status quo politics and status quo economics is no longer good enough.”

“It’s absolutely important that all of us here and every American understand that in the ruling class of this country today, there is an extraordinary level of arrogance and cruelty,” the senator said.

“The truth is that the 1% the people on top, people running this country have never, ever had it so good,” Sanders told the crowd. “But the sad reality is that for these people, all that they have is not good enough. They want more and more and more, and they don’t care who they step on to get what they want.”

“These guys are extremely, extremely greedy people, and they could care less in terms of what happens to our children, what happens to our parents and our grandparents, and what happens to our environment today,” the senator argued.

“One of the goals of the oligarchs and the media that they own is to make ordinary people feel that there is nothing that they can do to shape the future,” he added. “And what we are here today to say to [Elon] Musk and his friends: Go to hell.”

Mamdani, who marked 100 days in office, said: “When we talk about the importance of taking on the crisis of income inequality, we know that the most effective tool to do so is increasing union density. Organizing drives and strikes can, frankly, be lonely work. So Union Now is going to support workers and provide them with more resources, and my administration will stand right alongside them. This moment demands nothing less.”

“AI and robots are coming for human jobs,” the mayor warned. “Worker protections are being eroded. There are companies that think that exploitation is a viable business model. They are wrong.”

Nelson asserted that “growing union membership and bargaining power is crucial for workers’ rights and economic justice.”

“Too often, the boss has all the power to starve workers during a fight,” she said. “Union Now will work with unions directly to ensure workers have the means to win.”

Brittany Norris, a Delta AFA Organizing Committee member and flight attendant, told the crowd that “when it comes to striking, when it comes to public actions, a lot of those things cost money and it’s a lot of time, dedication, and efforts coming from the workers.”

“We continuously hear about the profits... that our industry is making, but then we’re begging for a raise that comes up close to what the cost of living increase is every year,” she added.

Sunday’s Union Now launch comes amid Sanders’ ongoing “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, which has drawn large crowds across the country, including in so-called “red” states. The rally also follows last year’s “Workers Over Billionaires” Labor Day rallies and marches in over 1,000 locations.

The Union Now launch also coincides with growing wealth inequality not only in the United States but around a world in which the richest 10% of the global population own three-quarters of planetary wealth and account for nearly half of all consumer spending.

“If [President Donald] Trump and his fellow oligarchs get their way, we will be living in a society where fewer and fewer people have more and more wealth and more and more power, where democracy will be undermined, where workers will be thrown out on the street with no recourse,” Sanders said Sunday. “That is not the America we want for ourselves or for our kids.”

“The good news is,” he added, “if we stand together and we not let Trump and his friends divide us up, when we stand together and fight for a government that works for all of us, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish.”

New Evidence Bolsters Claim That US Lied About Another Iran Airstrike Massacre

Munitions experts and The New York Times say a US missile designed to inflict maximum casualties was used in a February bombing that killed 21 people, including at least five children.


Fire and other emergency workers are seen at the site of a February 28, 2026 US missile strike on a residential area of Lamerd, Iran.
(Photo by Tasnim News Agency/Wikimedia Commons)

Brett Wilkins
Apr 11, 2026
COMMON  DREAMS

New information published Friday by the New York Times further suggests that the US military may have lied when it tried to pin the blame for a February airstrike that killed 21 people in Iran on the Iranian government, with evidence indicating that the US carried out the attack with a new missile designed to inflict maximum casualties.

While much of the world knows about the February 28 massacre of around 175 children and staff at the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab—and about how President Donald Trump initially blamed Iran for the slaughter—the strike that hit a sports hall and playground in Lamerd on the same day, the first day of the war, received far less media coverage.


‘Slaughtered in Cold Blood’: Iranians Describe US Massacre of School Children to UN Human Rights Council

Munitions experts and the Times concluded that US-made Precision Strike Missiles, or PrSMs—pronounced “prism”—struck the residential area of the southern Iranian city. Developed by Lockheed Martin, PrSMs are airburst weapons, exploding above their targets and blasting 180,000 lethal tungsten pellets in every direction. Video footage of the Lamerd strike shows multiple airbursts.




The Times verified the identities of 21 people killed in the strike. At least five victims were children, the youngest of them just 2 years old. Helma Ahmadizadeh, 10, and Elham Zaeri, 11, were attending volleyball practice at the sports hall when it was bombed. Helma survived the strike with no visible injuries. However, she told her coach that she felt something enter her body. A medical examination at a local hospital revealed a small object in her body. She subsequently died.

“A young boy, Ilia Khatami, was killed alongside his coach, Mahmoud Najaf,” the newspaper said. “The Times confirmed their deaths, and the death of a second boy, Abdul Mosavar Rahmani, who was from Afghanistan.”

The 2-year-old, Avina Barzegar, was mortally wounded by a small object while she was playing outside her home. Video posted on Telegram shows her being treated in a local hospital before she died.

Local officials said 100 other people were injured in the attack.

Pentagon officials previously denied US responsibility for the attack following the March 29 publication of a Times investigation that used video analysis to identify PrSMs as the missiles used in the strike. US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins issued a statement on March 31 calling reports that the US carried out the attack “false” and suggesting that weapon used in the strike was an Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile.

The Times’ latest analysis is “based on new video footage of detonations, new photo evidence of the damage, a missile-trajectory assessment, and the perspectives of multiple experts, including three US government officials.”

Findings include distinctive damage patterns consistent with tungsten pellet dispersion from a PrSM airburst, the discovery of a third detonation site consistent with a PrSM, a strike trajectory indicating the missile was launched from where US forces are based, and the sports hall’s proximity to an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps base. The Minab girls’ school is also located very close to an IRGC base.

Critically, Iran does not have any missiles in its arsenal that function in a similar manner to PrSMs.

“The problem is that CENTCOM chose as an alternative a very identifiable missile,” Amaël Kotlarski, who leads the weapons team at the defense intelligence firm Janes, told the Times. “And the Hoveyzeh’s distinct features aren’t seen in the video.”

Shahryar Pasandideh, another military analyst consulted by the Times, said “there is no public information to suggest that Iranian cruise missiles, including the Hoveyzeh, are equipped with an airburst fuse, let alone an airburst fuse and pre-formed tungsten pellets.”

After the Minab massacre, Trump claimed that Iran had somehow acquired a US Tomahawk missile and used it to blow up the school.

An earlier investigation by the BBC Verify also concluded that the Lamerd strike was carried out using US PrSM missiles.

More than 3,000 people have been killed over 42 days of US and Israeli strikes on Iran, according to medical officials there. This figure reportedly includes over 1,300 civilians, hundreds of whom are women and children.

Iran’s Top Diplomat Says Trump Team

Sabotaged Talks With Deal  ‘Inches Away’

“Zero lessons earned,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.


Jake Johnson
Apr 13, 2026
COMMON DREAMS

Iran’s foreign minister said Sunday that the Trump administration’s representatives derailed marathon talks in Pakistan’s capital with maximalist demands, just as the two sides were “inches away” from a preliminary agreement to end the six-week conflict.

“In intensive talks at the highest level in 47 years, Iran engaged with US in good faith to end war,” Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media. “But when just inches away from ‘Islamabad [Memorandum of Understanding],’ we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade. Zero lessons earned. Good will begets good will. Enmity begets enmity.”

The failed weekend talks marked the second time since February that US negotiators have been accused of sabotaging formal negotiations despite participants believing a deal was within reach. Oman’s foreign minister, who mediated previous talks, said hours before the US and Israel started bombing Iran on February 28 that “we have already achieved quite a substantial progress in the direction of a deal.”

The Trump administration’s negotiating team, which consisted principally of Vice President JD Vance and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, reportedly set down numerous “red lines” during the Islamabad talks this past weekend, including demanding that Iran end all uranium enrichment—which Iran has a right to conduct under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons—and dismantle its major nuclear energy facilities.

“We just could not get to a situation where the Iranians were willing to accept our terms,” Vance told reporters on Sunday. “I think that we were quite flexible.”

US President Donald Trump claimed on social media that “the meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not.”

Iran’s top negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, wrote following the talks that “due to the experiences of the two previous wars, we have no trust in the opposing side.”

After the single day of talks faltered, Trump announced a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, an illegal act of war that critics warned could plunge the two sides into a deeper conflict.

“It is concerning that Vance already suggests that the US has put forward a final and best offer, suggesting that the US is still trying to dictate terms rather than negotiate a better future,” said Ryan Costello, policy director at the National Iranian American Council. “We urge President Trump to walk back his blockade threat and for the US and Iran to reengage and consider implementing practical steps where there is agreement to lower tensions and build on this fragile pause to the war.”

The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Trump and his advisers “are looking at resuming limited military strikes in Iran” on top of the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which the president said is set to begin at 10 am ET.

“Trump could also resume a full-fledged bombing campaign,” the Journal noted—though unnamed officials said that option was “less likely.”

US Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said in an interview on Sunday that American lawmakers “need to do whatever we can to get [Trump] out” of office, calling the president’s war on Iran “illegal,” “a war crime,” “immoral,” and disastrous for the American public.

“Impeachment, invoke the 25th Amendment, push for him to resign, whatever it is,” Jayapal told MS NOW. “This is so grave of a situation.”

'I thought it was a joke': Mockery as Iran talks collapse while Trump booed at UFC event

Nicole Charky-Chami
April 11, 2026 

RAW STORY

President Donald Trump watches a match during the UFC 327 event at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on April 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

The internet was stunned on Saturday night after Vice President JD Vance announced that talks had failed between Iran and the United States — all while President Donald Trump and his family attended a UFC event in Miami.

Trump walked into the arena to a largely cheering crowd, though many booed while Kid Rock blared, just as Vance had publicly acknowledged the conversation between the Iranian and American diplomatic teams had not reached an agreement despite the 21 hours of marathon talking.

People didn't hold back from sharing their thoughts on social media:

"I guess all the Iran experts had to be at the UFC?" Writer and essayist Hari Kunzru wrote on Bluesky.

"When I heard that Trump was at a UFC fight tonight while Vance was trying to hammer out the Iran deal at four in the morning, Iran time, I thought it was a joke," writer Mary Pezzulo wrote on Bluesky.

"How the f--- is the president and Secretary of State at a UFC fight in Miami while war negotiations affecting the world economy are falling apart. And I know that MF-- isn’t going to try to play golf tomorrow too," Ron Filipkowski, Editor in Chief of MeidasNews, wrote on Bluesky.

"These 2 pics are happening simultaneously: LEFT: Vance after he fails to secure permanent ceasefire to the illegal war Trump launched. RIGHT: Trump attends UFC fight 5 days after threatening genocide of 90M people. This is what happens when you elect a genocidal fascist and an unqualified sycophant," Qasim Rashid, human rights lawyer, wrote on Bluesky.

"He clearly just wants to run the UFC, not the country. Someone should find a way to make that happen," Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin, founder of The Gaia Leadership Project & The Ripple Effect Institute, wrote on Bluesky.

"There was never a framework for a deal. I heard someone say, 'Not only does Iran have the cards, but they hold a strait.' Another Trump failure," writer and editor Stephen Simpson wrote on X.

"The Strait was open. Trump started an unprovoked, unauthorized war, and now the enemy controls the Strait, and won’t give it back," liberal political commentator Marlene Johnson wrote on

‘Hungary Has Chosen Europe’ as Voters End 16 Straight Years of Orbán’s Far-Right Rule

“Europe has always chosen Hungary,” said the head of the European Union. “Together, we are stronger.”


Jubilant Hungarians wave flags to celebrate the resounding Tisza win in parliamentary elections on April 12, 2026 in Budapest.
(Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Brett Wilkins
Apr 12, 2026
COMMON DREAMS


Far-right Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Sunday conceded defeat to conservative European lawmaker Peter Magyar in parliamentary elections that ended 16 years of increasingly authoritarian Christian nationalist rule amid overt interference from the Trump administration and alleged covert meddling by Russia.

“The election result is not final yet, but it is understandable and clear,” Orbán said. “The election result is painful for us, but clear. The responsibility and possibility of governing was not given to us. I have congratulated the winner.”

“We will serve our country and the Hungarian nation from the opposition,” he added.

Magyar, who leads the socially conservative but democratic Tisza Party, said on social media that “just now, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has congratulated me on our victory in a phone call.”

Tisza is projected to win 135 seats in the 199-seat Országgyűlés, or Parliament, with nearly half of all votes counted, according to the national election office. Orbán’s Fidesz party is projected to control 57 seats, based on results as of Sunday evening.

Magyar had promised that “step by step, brick by brick, we are taking back our homeland and building a new country, a sovereign, modern, European Hungary.”

Domestic and international critics have long accused Orbán of systematically eroding Hungary’s democratic institutions, tightening his grip over the country’s political system, and consolidating control over much of the media to strengthen Fidesz’s rule.

After serving a single term as prime minister from 1998-2002, Orbán was elected again in 2010 and served four consecutive terms, thanks to passage by Fidesz-led lawmakers of the so-called “Fundamental Law” and other illiberal measures.

Human rights deteriorated markedly during Orbán’s tenure, especially for LGBTQ+ people, migrants, women, and Roma. The European Union has withheld billions of dollars in funding in response.

EU leaders have condemned Orbán’s rule, calling his government a “hybrid regime of electoral autocracy.” Orbán describes it as “illiberal democracy,” while touting its universal appeal to international conservatives, including US President Donald Trump.

European leaders also bristled at Orban’s warm personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, although the Hungarian leader did condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and voted along with the rest of the 27-nation EU to impose economic sanctions on Moscow.

Russia is accused of trying to influence the outcome of the election in favor of Fidesz via a coordinated online disinformation campaign. At a massive election eve rally and concert in Budapest, thousands of attendees chanted in unison, “Russians go home!”



Trump and senior members of his administration had openly backed Orbán, with the president promising “to use the full economic might of the United States to strengthen Hungary’s economy” if the prime minister was reelected.

US Vice President JD Vance traveled to Budapest last week to campaign for Orbán. While decrying what he called “disgraceful” interference by the EU—of which Hungary is a member—Vance added that he wanted to “help as much as I can possibly help” to secure Orbán’s reelection.



Orbán has also accused Ukraine of election interference, although he has provided no evidence supporting his claim.

Responding to alleged foreign meddling, Magyar said on social media that “this is our country.”

“Hungarian history is not written in Washington, Moscow, or Brussels—it is written in Hungary’s streets and squares,” he insisted.

Numerous world leaders congratulated Magyar.

“Europe’s heart is beating stronger in Hungary tonight,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on social media. “Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. Together, we are stronger. A country reclaims its European path. The Union grows stronger.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: “The Hungarian people have decided. My heartfelt congratulations on your electoral success. I am looking forward to working with you. Let’s join forces for a strong, secure and, above all, united Europe.”

French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that “France welcomes what has been a victory in terms of people taking part in the democratic process, and a victory which shows the attachment of the Hungarian people to the values of the European Union and for Hungary’s role in Europe.”

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson cheered “Tisza’s historic victory in the Hungarian election!”

“I look forward to working closely with you—as allies and EU Members,” Kristersson added. “This marks a new chapter in the history of Hungary.”

'Bye bye, Viktor!' Internet erupts as Trump-endorsed far-right leader loses election

Robert Davis
April 12, 2026 

RAW STORY


Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban votes during the Hungarian parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, April 12, 2026. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

The internet erupted on Sunday after a Trump-backed autocrat lost a high-stakes election.

Viktor Orbán, a strongman and staunch Russian ally who has led Hungary for the last 16 years, conceded defeat to opposition party leader Peter Magyar in the country's national election. Orbán has been a symbol of the rise of the far right across Europe as he sought to roll back the country's democratic reforms.

Orbán lost the election despite U.S. Vice President JD Vance traveling to the country to campaign for him. President Donald Trump also endorsed Orbán in multiple Truth Social posts.

Orbán described his loss as "painful," according to a report from the Associated Press.

Political analysts and observers reacted to the news on social media.

"Bye bye Viktor!" former Republican lawmaker Adam Kinzinger posted on X. "MAGA hero is gone."

"Voters in Hungary said no to a strong man. We can do it too," legal expert Joyce Vance posted on X.

"I’m incredibly obsessed with JD Vance sinking Victor Orban," political commentator Molly Jong-Fast posted on Bluesky.

"Off with you, you fascist Putin puppet," author Paul Kemp posted on Bluesky.

"The return of Trump has been dreadful news for hard-right politicians around the world, and now they're disrespecting him by accepting electoral defeat," Larry the Cat, who lives at the U.K. Prime Minister's residence at 10 Downing Street, posted on X.

Trump-endorsed autocrat in Hungary concedes election loss after 16 years in power

Robert Davis
April 12, 2026 

RAW STORY


Viktor Orbán, the autocratic Hungarian president and staunch Russian ally, conceded defeat in the country's national election on Sunday, ending his 16-year reign in power, according to reports.

The Associated Press reported that with 60% of the vote counted, opposition leader Peter Magyar’s party held 52% of the vote compared to Orbán's 38% support. Orbán described the loss as "painful."

"It’s a major blow for Orbán, the European Union’s longest-serving leader and one of its biggest antagonists, who has traveled a long road from his early days as a liberal, anti-Soviet firebrand to the Russia-friendly nationalist admired today by the global far-right," the AP reported.

Trump endorsed Orbán in a Truth Social post on Friday, calling him " a truly strong and powerful leader." Trump added that the U.S. stood ready to "strengthen Hungary's economy," if Orbán won.

'The tears of MAGA will flow': Internet brutally mocks GOP fears over potential Orbán loss

Nicole Charky-Chami
April 11, 2026 
RAW STORY


President Donald Trump shakes hands with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as they take part in a charter announcement for Trump's Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts, alongside the 56th annual World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

The internet was mocking MAGA followers over how they could respond to a potential loss for Hungary's authoritarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, a far-right symbol.

Orbán has served four consecutive terms as prime minister in the Eastern European country since 2010 and MAGA was looking to the Sunday election as a signal of what could happen during midterms in the United States. Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump have also been vocal supporters, with Vance even heading to Hungary to stump for the prime minister and Trump making multiple endorsements of Orbán, who has been referred to as a dictator by outside observers.

People offered their predictions of what they think MAGA would do if Orbán is not elected again.

"The tears of MAGA will flow like a bitter ocean if their role model Orbán loses," Wajahat Ali, writer, political commentator and host of the "Democracy-ish" podcast wrote on X.

"The palpable desperation of this… shows you how much MAGA have staked on Orbán being their guy in Europe," commentator Mike Galsworthy, Chair of European Movement UK and founder of Bylines Network and Scientists for EU, wrote on Bluesky.

"For Trump and Vance, Orbán must win, because there must only be one inevitable path of history, towards right-wing oligarchy and the end of democracy," Timothy Snyder, University of Toronto professor and modern European history expert, wrote on Bluesky.

"When Orbán loses, that exposes the weaknesses of MAGA: talk of peace but need for war; talk of prosperity but fleecing of the working classes; talk of the nation but dependence on an international oligarchical network," Snyder added.

"This. Viktor Orbán’s far-right extremist agenda is a model for MAGA. Trump and Vance are all-in on this election. If Orbán loses it would also be a political and ideological loss for the Trump regime and MAGA," Tom Joscelyn, Senior Fellow at Just Security, wrote on Bluesky.

"Why does Vance care whether Orban wins? Because if he loses, it will challenge the MAGA belief that history flows in only one direction," Anne Applebaum, staff writer at The Atlantic, wrote on Bluesky.

'Dreadful news': MAGA dismayed after European ally's 'tragic' election loss

Robert Davis
April 12, 2026 
RAW STORY

U.S. President Donald Trump attends UFC 327 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, U.S., April 11, 2026. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS

Fans of President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again movement were dismayed on Sunday after one of their European allies suffered a stinging election defeat.

Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orbán conceded defeat to the opposition leader Péter Magyar on Sunday, ending his 16 years in power as Hungary's Prime Minister. Magyar's Tisza party is expected to take a supermajority in the country's legislature, and his victory was hailed as a relief to many across the U.S. and Europe.

However, fans of Trump's MAGA movement spun Orbán's defeat as a sign of Europe's continued decline. They shared their reactions on social media.

"Dreadful news for Hungary and the West," MAGA commentator Michael Knowles posted on X.

"Orban is out. A sad day for Western civilization," Paul Weston, a far-right British lawmaker, posted on X. "In 5 years' time, Budapest will look like every other ruined ex-European city. This makes our Ursula very happy of course."

"This is tragic," MAGA fan Wendy Patterson posted on X.

"The people fell for Magyer’s lies in a month or two people are going to be in an uproar," MAGA fan Tracie James posted on X.

"Hungary was nice while it lasted. Where do I go on vacations in Europe now without my date and my dog being at risk of being raped by a Moslem?" conservative strategist Joey Mannarino posted on X.

Ukraine loan, frozen funds: how could Orban’s ouster unblock EU?

ByAFP
April 13, 2026


Hungarian voters have ousted Viktor Orban after 16 years in power. Will his successor Peter Magyar make things easier for the EU? - Copyright AFP Ferenc ISZA
Max DELANY

After years of holdups and bitter horse trading, EU leaders breathed a resounding sigh of relief at Viktor Orban’s crushing defeat in Hungary’s elections.

From support for Ukraine to sanctions on Russia, the bete noire from Budapest repeatedly stalled some of the EU’s key initiatives.

Now, as his vanquisher Peter Magyar gears up to take power vowing to reset ties, the question is how quickly could these dossiers get unlocked?

Here are five areas to watch:



– 90 billion euros for Ukraine? –



Most pressing is a desperately needed 90-billion-euro loan for Ukraine that Orban took hostage as he made opposition to helping Kyiv a key campaign plank.

Orban’s veto — which he tied to a row with Ukraine over a damaged pipeline pumping Russian oil — enraged his EU counterparts as it came after he gave his initial green light.

Conservative Magyar is no major cheerleader for Kyiv, but if Orban doesn’t budge in his remaining weeks in office then unblocking the loan could be an easy way for the newcomer to win over hearts and minds in Brussels.

It will also take two tango and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will have to play ball over the pipeline and soften his rhetoric as well.

“Sooner or later this has to resolve itself. Hopefully sooner,” said one EU diplomat, talking as others on condition of anonymity.



– Sanctions on Moscow –



In a similar vein, Magyar could also signal a shift in Budapest’s approach to Russia by backing a stalled package of sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine war.

Orban — who maintained good ties with Russia’s Vladimir Putin despite the invasion — was slammed by critics as acting like a trojan horse for the Kremlin inside EU summits.

Hungary repeatedly held up previous rounds of punishment on Moscow and, as the electioneering heated up, Orban threw a spanner in the fresh round of sanctions.

By changing tune, Magyar can showcase a switch from Budapest.

That would then leave Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico — the other most Moscow-friendly leader in the EU — as the only holdout.



– Ukraine’s EU membership?



A longer term test will be over Ukraine’s EU membership push.

Orban was an implacable opponent of Kyiv’s bid and to the chagrin of Brussels and Ukraine was vetoing any progress.

Now he is on his way out, Magyar could show willing by greenlighting the opening of so-called negotiating “clusters” that EU officials insist Kyiv has long been ready for.

But Magyar, who has vowed a referendum on Ukraine’s membership, is no pushover and there are still plenty of steps down the road for the push to be held up.

“We shouldn’t expect Hungary to become super pro-Ukraine membership all of a sudden,” said a second senior EU diplomat.

Also, other countries cautious about Kyiv joining had hidden behind Orban’s opposition. They may now have to come out of the shadows more.

“The end of Hungarian obstruction to Ukraine’s accession does not mean it will accelerate,” summed up Sebastien Maillard from the Jacques Delors think tank.



– Frozen funds for Hungary –



It’s not just a one-way street for Magyar: he will be desperate to show that his promise to reset ties with Brussels can bring fast benefits to Hungary and its flagging economy.

The EU has frozen some 18 billion euros in funds earmarked for Budapest over Orban’s democratic backsliding, tackling graft and the treatment of LGBTQ issues.

Magyar has until the end of August to start pushing through reforms to try to secure the 10 billion euros left over from Covid recovery funds, or lose them for good.

Brussels could be willing to move fast on EU funds as it did for Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk after he took power a few years ago.

“It would give Magyar an enormous boost to say ‘look I’m coming back from Brussels with these funds,” said another EU diplomat.



– New mood? –



It may be a little harder to gauge, but EU officials will also be hoping for a more constructive atmosphere around the bloc’s top table.

While they’d learned to live with his grandstanding, Orban’s hardening stance towards the end — and proximity to Moscow — had seriously strained trust between leaders.

“I think everyone will welcome Magyar with renewed enthusiasm,” an EU official said.

That’s not saying that all will now be joy and harmony. EU leaders will still fight their corners tooth and nail, Magyar included.

“Magyar will want, as he did during the campaign, not to be caricatured as being a pawn of Brussels; do not expect him to say yes to everything,” said the second EU diplomat.

Critics dumbfounded as Trump suffers 'complete collapse' among his strongest voter group

Alexander Willis
April 12, 2026 
RAW STORY


U.S. President Donald Trump attends UFC 327 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, U.S., April 11, 2026. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS

A new CBS News poll published Sunday found that Trump has suffered an unprecedented collapse in support among what has historically been his single-strongest voter base, leaving critics stunned.

Conducted between April 8 and 10, the CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a “nationally representative sample” of 2,387 adults, and found that among white, non-college-educated voters, Trump’s support fell from 36 points in February of 2025 to minus 4, a staggering 40-point drop.

“Trump complete collapse amongst his original base: working class voters,” wrote Robert Barnes, a trial and constitutional lawyer, in a social media post on X Sunday to his nearly 370,000 followers.

“This is the making of a party [realignment],” wrote Neera Tanden, a Democratic strategist and former Biden administration official, also in a social media post on X to her more than 330,000 followers.

More broadly, Americans overall disapproved of Trump’s job performance by a margin of 61%, with 39% approving. Additionally, 63% described the condition of the economy as “bad,” and 64% disapproved of Trump’s handling of the U.S. war against Iran, with 62% believing that Trump did not “have a clear plan” for the conflict.
“40 POINT SWING!” noted Amy Siskind, political activist and writer, writing in a social media post
on X to her more than 445,000 followers.

Trump just proved he's 'the most powerful idiot' in world history: columnist

Robert Davis
April 12, 2026 
RAW STORY




President Donald Trump's latest effort to settle the war with Iran proves that he is "the most powerful idiot in the history of the world," according to one columnist.

David Rothkopf, a columnist at The Daily Beast, argued in a new column on Sunday that Trump's decision to impose a retaliatory blockade on the Strait of Hormuz showed the president is operating with the "strategic acumen of a four-year-old in a fight on a pre-school playground."

The Iranian regime has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to the U.S. and Israel launching a coordinated bombing campaign across Iran in late February. The closure has sent global energy prices skyrocketing.

"He is undoubtedly the most powerful idiot in the history of the world," Rothkopf wrote.

"Both his idiocy and his power are unparalleled. On the latter point, his position as president and commander-in-chief of the most dominant, potent nation confirms that no idiot since the beginning of time has ever been in a position to do so much damage to so many people as a consequence of his idiocy," he added.

"On the prior point, just look at the record," Rothkopf continued. "The misbegotten, ill-considered, going-from-bad-freaking-worse every damn day War with Iran illustrates Trump’s manifold mental deficiencies with shocking clarity—and, unfortunately for all of us, the damage he is doing seems certain to touch more lives in more egregious ways going forward than it already has."