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THE BIG PICTURE
Iran has shut the Strait of Hormuz again, the US has seized an Iranian cargo ship, and peace talks are stalled while oil prices climb — and yet Trump spent his Sunday threatening to bomb "the whole civilization" of Iran on social media, getting booted from his own intelligence briefing after an hours-long freakout, and plotting to give himself the Medal of Honor. The empire is not fine.
Meanwhile, eight children between the ages of 1 and 14 are dead after a mass shooting in Louisiana, and we are collectively too exhausted to be surprised.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
1. 1. The Strait of Hormuz Is a Mess — and So Are the Talks
Since yesterday, Iran has re-closed the Strait of Hormuz, doubled down on its pledge to restrict shipping as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports continues (AP Politics), and the US military has seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that Trump says tried to run the blockade (The Guardian US). Oil prices are rising again (AP Politics). Iran's top negotiator says "fundamental issues" remain unresolved, with both sides still far apart (The Guardian US). Trump announced American negotiators will head to Pakistan today for another round of talks (Huffington Post News) — but his own erratic behavior is the central obstacle. The Guardian's diplomatic analysis puts it bluntly: Trump's chaos is leaving Tehran strategically clear that the Strait is their leverage, while the US position keeps shifting (The Guardian US).
What makes this worse: a White House leak reveals Trump was physically removed from an intelligence briefing after an hours-long meltdown, suggesting even people inside the building have doubts about his grip on the situation (The Daily Beast). Of course, he wasn’t worried about troops. He was freaking out about his image in the war.
2. Trump Threatened to Obliterate "the Whole Civilization" of Iran — and His Own People Had to Clean It Up
Trump posted a Truth Social screed Sunday morning threatening to destroy Iran's "power plants and bridges" with a "NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!" declaration (Huffington Post News). When CNN's Jake Tapper pressed UN Ambassador Elise Stefanik on whether the president had just called for genocide, she tied herself in knots trying to reframe a threat to erase an entire civilization as legitimate diplomacy (Huffington Post News). Energy Secretary Chris Wright, separately, called Trump a "creative negotiator" when asked the same question (Huffington Post News).
The Daily Beast reports Trump privately explained the "twisted logic" behind his profanity-filled posts — apparently he believes unhinged threats are a negotiating tool (The Daily Beast). Iran, for its part, blew off the latest round of peace overtures entirely (The Daily Beast).
3. Trump's Religious Right Alliance Is Cracking at the Edges
The week's compounding blasphemy — AI Jesus posts, fabricated papal quotes, an open feud with Pope Leo — appears to be drawing blood in places that matter. Even Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, a reliable Trump loyalist, publicly called the pope feud a "distraction" (The Guardian US). The Guardian reports Trump may have crossed a meaningful line with Christian voters heading into the midterms (The Guardian US). JD Vance, meanwhile, issued what amounted to a public prayer request, begging Pope Leo to pray for the administration (The Daily Beast) — a remarkable gesture from a man whose boss just spent a week calling the pontiff "WEAK." Trump's response was to post a letter from Franklin Graham praising his Christian credentials (The Daily Beast). The contradiction is its own story.
4. Vance Is Being Sidelined in Real Time
The vice president is not being included in the Iran negotiations (The Daily Beast). His top aides keep leaving. The Guardian's Simon Tisdall argues Vance's only path forward now involves eventually turning on Trump — a move that would be career-defining in either direction (The Guardian US). This is a significant shift from even a week ago, when Vance was being discussed as a 2028 frontrunner. The bench-warming is now public and humiliating.
5. Eight Children Are Dead in Louisiana and the World Barely Blinked
A mass shooting in Shreveport killed eight children between the ages of 18 months and 14 years old (The Guardian US). Police are calling it a "domestic disturbance." The suspect was killed at the scene (Huffington Post News). This happened on a Sunday when the national press was otherwise occupied with Iran, the pope, and Trump's Truth Social posts. That a mass shooting of children fails to dominate the news cycle for even a day — is itself a sad reality worth naming.
THIS WEEK’S QUESTION
Eight children were killed in a mass shooting in Louisiana — and it barely made the top headlines. Why do you think that is?
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THINGS TO WATCH
The "Trump as Mad King" narrative is going mainstream — not just in progressive media, but in analysis pieces that connect his personal deterioration (Medal of Honor self-nomination (The Daily Beast), ballroom obsession (The Daily Beast), hours-long briefing freakouts) to foreign policy instability. This framing is worth leaning into explicitly.
Ally relationships are fracturing publicly. Canada's Mark Carney issued what amounts to a formal break with the idea of American reliability (The Daily Beast). The EU is moving toward sanctions on Israel (The Guardian US). The post-WWII alliance architecture is being dismantled in real time.
Inside-MAGA fractures are widening, not healing. MTG is now promoting conspiracy theories about Trump's own assassination attempt (Huffington Post News). The coalition is eating itself.
The 2026 World Cup is quietly becoming a civil liberties and immigration story (The New Republic) — travel bans, ICE fears, and pricing that locks out working-class fans. Worth a dedicated piece before the tournament opens.
👀 KEPT OUT OF YOUR FEED
What the algorithm buried:
A key U.S. ally just delivered a scathing reveiw of Trump’s America— and now one of our closest allies is openly preparing to break free.
Jen Psaki just told Democrats what nobody wants to admit about the 25th Amendment push — and she's not wrong.
The ex-Infowars producer who survived Alex Jones is finally telling everything — fabricated ISIS videos, four years of "constant chaos," and what it actually takes to work for America's most prolific conspiracy merchant.
Maui residents are rebuilding Lahaina for their community, not for tourists — and their story will restore your faith in people
Cult experts have actual advice for talking to your MAGA relatives — and it's more useful than you'd think.
Marjorie Taylor Greene is now questioning whether Trump's own assassination attempt was a setup — and yes, she's calling on Trump himself to "lead the charge" for "the truth."
Trump and FIFA already broke the 2026 World Cup — travel bans, ICE raids, and billionaire cosplay did the damage before a single ball is kicked.
Trump told advisers his unhinged Easter threat was "a language the Iranians would understand" — then immediately asked, "How's it playing?"
Pete Buttigieg just said what every Christian in that Oklahoma crowd was thinking about Trump's AI Jesus post
Gavin Newsom just posted an AI video of a stumbling Kash Patel — and it's sending the FBI director straight to his mentions.
Kash Patel went on Fox News to call The Atlantic "fake news mafia" — and then completely unraveled on live TV
NOTICE POLLING
Yesterday, in our Sunday edition for paid subscribers, we asked, Which was Trump's biggest lie this week?
23% said: “The Iran war is over”
17% said: “I’m not worried about midterms”
60% said: "I thought I was a doctor, not Jesus"
“While all are lies, his ego is his biggest source of self. He knew what he posted, he is a narcissist. ”
- kmschroyer
"Honestly all three are tied for me but I went with the doctor/Jesus one because it tells you everything about his mental state right now."
- gwendolynf"The Jesus comment would be funny if a mentally stable person said it. Coming from him it's just one more sign that this man is unwell and somehow still in charge."
- northstarvirgil
“The midterm comment is not a lie, it’s a threat. He's already planning to cheat his way through them."
- rjmacallister
"I genuinely could have gone with any of them. Every week it gets harder to choose just one."
- carlabenedetti
"The Iran war is over?? Tell that to the families who are still waiting for their loved ones to come home. This man has no shame."
- xochitlramirez
Until next time,
