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NYT's Maggie Haberman delivers blunt verdict on Trump's 'very confusing' war
Trump's reasoning for carrying on the war in Iran while facing upcoming midterms and trying to open the Strait of Hormuz for shipping doesn't make sense, said New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman."I see it as very confusing," Haberman told CNN's Jake Tapper on Thursday. "It is very hard to know what is happening. Frankly, from either government."Haberman pointed out that Iranians "are facing economic difficulties. There's no question about that," but "gauging exactly what that means is quite hard," she said."The economic issues that are being created by the energy crisis from this war are pretty measurable in terms of the cost of gas at the pump," at home in the U.S., though, Haberman added. But Haberman is perplexed that Trump's strategy with the war doesn't factor in voters' discontent with the bump at the pump."We'll see if President Trump gets more engaged in the midterms and feels as if there's some personal interest in it for him," Haberman said. "Maybe he will decide he wants to travel, but as long as gas prices remain where they are, it's not a great climate for his party."Iran and U.S. Naval forces exchanged fire on Thursday. Trump boasted U.S. military action in a Truth Social post shortly after the skirmish, writing that Iranian ships "dropped ever so beautifully down to the Ocean, very much like a butterfly dropping to its grave!
Ceasefire hangs by a thread as US and Iran trade fire in Strait of Hormuz
The United States and Iran exchanged fire on Thursday in the Strait of Hormuz, according to an Axios report. A U.S. official confirmed the attack, saying the U.S. had conducted strikes on targets in the strait. It appeared to happen as the U.S. attempted to enforce the blockade.The Iranian navy targeted three U.S. destroyers, according to Iranian state media. The country's military said the U.S. had targeted an oil tanker and another ship entering the vital trade channel. "The U.S. official said the exchange did not constitute a resumption of the war, but the Iranian military described the U.S. strikes as a ceasefire violation and threatened retaliation. The extent of the strikes and resulting damage are unclear at this time," Axios reported.The exchange happened as both countries were negotiating a one-page memo in an effort "to end hostilities and lay the groundwork for more detailed negotiations."
Trump breaks silence on mystery Brazil meeting after press conference scrapped
Trump broke his silence on a meeting with Brazil's president that perplexed journalists on Thursday. "Just concluded my meeting with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the very dynamic President of Brazil," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "We discussed many topics, including Trade and, specifically, Tariffs. The meeting went very well."Journalists would have to take Trump's word for it because a scheduled press conference was suddenly nixed, according to reporting by NewsNation. Anchors noted that the two leaders were expected to speak about tariffs and crime, as the Trump administration is considering labeling Brazilian cartels as terrorist groups. "The two didn't quite see eye-to-eye coming into this meeting," NewsNation correspondent Kellie Meyer said. "So maybe it is no surprise that they may not be going in front of the cameras." According to reports from Brazilian media, their meeting lasted three hours. Meyer reported later that despite saying he would meet with the Brazilian press, Lula da Silva called them off and didn't meet with them at all. "Our Representatives are scheduled to get together to discuss certain key elements. Additional meetings will be scheduled over the coming months, as necessary," Trump signed off in his post.
Two Britons evacuated from hantavirus-hit ship ‘improving’ in hospital
Man, 69, is in intensive care in Johannesburg, while expedition guide Martin Anstee, 56, receiving care in NetherlandsWhat is hantavirus?Two Britons who were medically evacuated from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship are improving, global health officials have said.A British passenger, understood to be a 69-year-old man, was taken to South Africa on 27 April and is receiving care at a private health facility in Sandton, Johannesburg. Continue reading...
US seen as 'rogue superpower' as Trump's abrupt U-turn irks allies: expert
President Donald Trump's sudden change of policy on reopening the Strait of Hormuz has angered Gulf allies and changed how they view the United States amid the Iran war, an expert said on Thursday. Ravi Agrawal, editor in chief of Foreign Policy Magazine, told MS NOW that Trump's decision followed Saudi Arabia's move to suspend the U.S. military's ability to use its bases and airspaces for the ongoing military operation. The key Gulf ally's decision was a response to "Project Freedom," which Trump announced on his Truth Social platform over the weekend — without discussion among the regional allies. The backlash has had real ramifications, Agrawal argued."It is embarrassing," Agrawal said. "I mean, not only this, but you could go further back and say it's embarrassing that the United States went into this war without the backing of any of these countries in the region. None of the Gulf countries wanted this war to take place, even though they are the ones that have been in literally in the line of fire right from day one, and not only in the line of fire, because they just happen to be there, but specifically because they are home to U.S. bases. And that, in a sense, puts a target on their backs. And so Iran is attacking countries for their allegiance and alliances with the United States. And I think if you step back and look at the broader repercussions that are emerging from this, the countries in the region trust the United States less the fractures within the Gulf countries that Inzamam [Rashid] was referring to are growing." Agrawal suggested more fractures could be brewing as a result."The UAE and Saudi Arabia are increasingly not seeing eye to eye," Agrawal added. "The UAE recently pulled out of OPEC, the oil exporters' cartel. And then when you broaden that out further, Pakistan, of course, in South Asia, India, other countries that are deeply affected by this crisis, Katie, we're now looking at a world in which each of these countries are looking to strike side deals with each other, trying to work around a system and rules that they see as no longer really working with no real broker that they trust, with no broader system umbrella like the United Nations that actually functions. This is the disorder that many of us have been predicting for quite a while, and a lot of it stems from a United States that is increasingly acting like a rogue superpower."
Suspicious MAGA suspects deadly cruise ship hantavirus outbreak a plot to ruin Trump
Right-wing influencers were spreading conspiracy theories about the rat-borne illness that has left three luxury cruise ship passengers dead, according to reports on Thursday. Experts from the World Health Organization have said that the hantavirus outbreak on MV Hondius is being transmitted human-to-human and that MAGA social media accounts are now suggesting the virus was purposefully introduced to the passengers, The Daily Beast reported. The ship has been stranded off Cape Verde throughout the week but is now back to sailing with the plan to disembark passengers in the Canary Islands starting on Monday. Eight confirmed cases have been connected to the cruise, prompting medical evacuations in South Africa, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. MAGA followers were sharing their unfounded claims."HOLY S---. Twenty-three hantavirus cruise passengers returned home to ‘all corners’ of the World even America with one person already sick, per NYP. THEY ARE GOING TO TRY AND DO IT AGAIN. BUCKLE UP…” the MAGAVoice wrote on X. The account has 1.3 million followers and later shared this post: "Strange how viruses only occur when President Trump is in office and during Elections…"DC Draino, an account run by MAGA influencer and lawyer Rogan O’Handley with more than 2.3 million followers, expressed doubt about the WHO's updates."People on X giving better pandemic advice than everyone at WHO combined," DC Draino wrote on X.Right-wing commentator 01Hour wrote this on X: "If an outbreak happens on a ship. Leave it on the ship. Bring the doctors on the ship with equipment and make it a floating ICU. Did they learn nothing?"
Insider trading accusations fly over suspicious Iran war oil trades
Serious questions were raised about market manipulation as President Donald Trump and his administration came under scrutiny over the status of the ongoing Iran war amid a chaotic rise and fall of oil prices. Axios released a report early Wednesday that the United States was moving closer to an end of the Iran war — that's when people started to notice suspicious activity in the market. The Kobeissi Letter challenged the timeline of incidents in a post on X."According to our analysis, ~$920 million worth of crude oil shorts were taken 70 minutes before an Axios report claimed the US and Iran were near a '14-point' deal to end the war," according to The Kobeissi Letter. "At 3:40 AM ET today, nearly 10,000 contracts worth of crude oil shorts were taken without any major news. This is equivalent to ~$920 million in notional value, an unusually large trade for 3:40 AM ET. At 4:50 AM ET, just 70 minutes later, Axios reported that the US is 'close' to a 'memorandum of understanding' to end the Iran War. By 7:00 AM ET, oil prices had fallen over -12% with these crude oil shorts gaining approximately +$125 million. Minutes later, Iran launched the 'Persian Gulf Strait Authority' and oil prices surged +8%. What just happened?"Experts and lawmakers reacted to the volatile market. "Record levels of fraud," Michael Bento, owner of Valois Capital Management, LLC, wrote on X."The most corrupt war in US history. Maybe in world history," Phillips O'Brien, historian and professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews, wrote on X."Shocker," Rick Wilson, former Republican strategist and co-founder of The Lincoln Project, wrote on X."This has to stop. Lives on the line so they can insider trade!" Jessica Tarlov, Fox News co-host and podcast co-host, wrote on X."$900M in oil shorts right before the Axios article. I’ve found at least another $100M in the same kind of trades onchain. Meaning multiple insiders knew about the article forthcoming and traded on it," Adam Cochran, professor, policy consultant and journalist, wrote on X."When is everyone going to start realizing that the manic on again off again war/peace rhetoric is really just insider trading? And sprinkle in some murder. Only a select few in the top tax bracket are benefiting from this, and the majority of you ain’t in it," former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) wrote on X."WTF!" Independent journalist and former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta wrote on X.
Popular Mexico nightclub jacks up price for Americans over Trump insults
Americans wanting to dance the night away at a popular nightclub in Mexico City can expect to fork over $300 as a cover charge just to get past the doorman — and they can thank Donald Trump’s attacks on the southern neighbor of the US for the high price of admission, The Guardian reported.The Mexico City hotspot is charging American visitors a steep $300 cover charge to enter — while citizens from other countries pay just $20 and Mexicans and Latin Americans pay $14 — in a pointed protest against Donald Trump's relentless attacks on America's southern neighbor.The tiered pricing policy from Japan, a nightclub in the Roma Norte neighborhood, has struck a chord with Mexico City residents. The Instagram announcement detailing the eye-watering cover charges has been liked over 26,000 times and garnered more than 200 comments, mostly in support of the policy as part of a broader backlash against what many see as American economic and political overreach, the report said.In a pointed Instagram post, the club reframed its pricing strategy. "It's not that 'we charge gringos more' it's that we offer discounts to people that need it," Japan wrote. "The cover charge is $5,000 [pesos]. Citizens of the USA don't get a discount."The post explains that citizens from any other country receive a 93% discount, Mexicans and Latin Americans get 95% off, and students and teachers receive a 97% discount, paying just 150 pesos for entry.Club owner Federico Crespo made clear the pricing reflects deteriorating Mexico-U.S. relations under Trump. "This is a response to a year of insults directed at us – as a country – by the United States. It's very much a response to the many attacks against Mexico from Trump," Crespo said.Rather than pocket the extra revenue, Crespo said the money collected from American cover charges is distributed among Japan's workers — many of whom are struggling with rising rents, soaring cost of living, and longer commutes."By giving the workers the money collected from cover charges, we help them out a little bit," Crespo told the Guardian
Internet stumped over Trump official's bizarre boast
The internet was stunned by White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett's comments on Wednesday as he bragged about how credit card spending on higher-priced gasoline was "through the roof." Hassett made the remarks in an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday morning where he discussed the ongoing Iran war, the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the American economy. Media experts and political voices were shocked by the comments. "Is this supposed to be a brag?" Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) wrote on X."We must consider the possibility that Kevin Hassett is secretly working for the Democrats," Jon Favreau, co-founder of Crooked Media and co-host of Pod Save America, wrote on X."Trump’s chief economic advisor is bragging that people are surviving on credit cards right now," MeidasTouch editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski wrote on X."?" New York Times White House correspondent Katie Rogers wrote on X. "Make this guy the spokesperson for the entire Republican party," House Majority PAC, a Democratic Super PAC, wrote on X."Do they understand that this is not a good thing?" Nobel Prize nominee Andrew Gebo wrote on X.Do they understand that this is not a good thing? https://t.co/2rngKsQsJX— Andrew Gebo (@Gebo___) May 6, 2026
White House 'flailing' over 'head-spinning' Trump walk-backs: MS NOW
The unrelenting flow of statements about the state of the war with Iran, with positions and plans changing from hour to hour depending on who is speaking, has the White House “flailing” to come up with a coherent message for a deeply skeptical US populace, according to analysts.On Wednesday morning, Donald Trump was on Truth Social claiming the end of war is at hand, which Iran immediately disputed, less than 24 hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the war is already over.As reports continued to stream in Wednesday morning, MS NOW co-host Jonathan Lemire told “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski, “What we've seen here, and it's just, it's head-spinning. We shouldn't lose sight of it: it's dizzying. The different messages from this administration right now, including yesterday, where we had the secretary of state go to the White House briefing room, a rare senior official beyond Secretary [Pete] Hegseth, to talk about this war. And he did so and said that we're winding down the conflict. But this operation to keep the strait open is proceeding, and it's going to be a success that we want to have the Strait of Hormuz open.""Hours later, the president says, 'Nope’ we're done with that. Now we have this idea of a deal being, he [Trump] says, within reach and now Iran is saying no,” he reported. “And we know President Trump wants to be out of this war, but he has set deadline after deadline after deadline and every time Iran has called his bluff. Is that going to happen again, or does Trump feel like he actually, this time, is going to need to follow through with the resumption of a bombing campaign?”“And what would that look like? Would most military targets have been hit? Does that mean now the infrastructure, does that mean the bridges, the power plants? Does that mean wading into the territory of war crimes?” he asked. “There's a lot here that shows, to your point, Mika, this administration is flailing for an answer to this war.” - YouTube youtu.be
‘Defeated by conspiracy’: West Bengal chief minister refuses to resign after election loss
Mamata Banerjee says Narendra Modi’s party ‘forcefully captured’ election that ended her party’s 15 years in powerA political showdown is taking place in the Indian state of West Bengal as the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, India’s most powerful female politician, has refused to resign after she lost elections to the prime minister’s party this week.Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) won an overwhelming victory on Monday in state elections in West Bengal, where Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress party (TMC) have been in power for 15 years. Continue reading...
Trump admits his new plan to end war relies on 'big assumption' — and threatens more bombs
President Donald Trump suggested a possible deal might be on the table to end the war in Iran.The 79-year-old president sent out a Truth Social post Wednesday morning following a flurry of developments this week, such as the start and quick end to Project Freedom, an effort to ensure safe passage for commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, and reports that the White House believes it's close to an agreement with Iran."Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran," Trump posted. "If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP."Axios correspondent Barak Ravid reported that Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are negotiating on a one-page, 14-point memorandum of understanding with several Iranian officials."Among other provisions, the deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the U.S. agreeing to lift its sanctions and release billions in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz," Axios reported."Many of the terms laid out in the memo would be contingent on a final agreement being reached, leaving the possibility of renewed war or an extended limbo in which the hot war has stopped but nothing is truly resolved," the report added.
