Authored by James Howard Kunstler,

“Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it’s enemy action.”

– Ian Fleming

Don’t you love the way the news media pretends it can’t figure out the motive of Cole Tomas Allen, who tried to shoot-up Saturday’s White House correspondents’ gala. He was a creation of the very White House correspondents who ducked under their tables at the sound of his shots.

Cole Tomas Allen had digested and internalized the “narrative” spewage of the Democratic Party’s propaganda department. MSNOW occupied his brain like a glistening parasite.

CBS tried to amplify the shooter’s own motive on Sunday night’s 60 Minutes show when Norah O’Donnell read out-loud from his manifesto, “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes,” and asked President Trump “What is your reaction to that?” Mr. Trump did not fall for the ruse — which was just an opportunity to reinforce a well-worn scurrility.

“You’re a disgrace,” the president replied, and Ms. O’Donnell just continued with the interview as if his answer never registered.

There it is.

In fact, Cole Tomas Allen traveled all the way from Los Angeles to Washington for the rare chance to find Mr. Trump and most of his cabinet all together in one room where he might be able to kill as many of them as possible. He styled himself: “Cole ‘coldForce’ ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ Allen. “I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done,” he concluded in his short manifesto, reportedly composed and sent out minutes before he left his room at the Washington Hilton to perform his rash deed.

That rage, you understand, was planted in his head by the likes of Norah O’Donnell of CBS news and the scores of reporters, editors, and news producers who had to abandon the festive menu starters of spring pea and burrata salad and crab terrine with a nice Veuve Clicquot when the shots rang out. The gala is a night when the Blob’s media errand boys and call girls like to treat themselves like royalty. (Meanwhile their hated enemies back in the truck stops of MAGAland get by on lowly chili-lime jerky and Little Debbie Zebra Cakes, washed down with Red Bull — good for five-hundred miles of hauling, at least.)

The former president can’t guess Cole Tomas Allen’s motives. He is a liar, a cad, and a fraud. As for political violence in general, you have not heard Mr. Obama complain about Antifa mayhem, BLM riots, tranny school murders, harassment of ICE officers, or any other violence approved by the Lefty-left. Mr. Obama is himself a bona fide seditionist. When he repeats the shibboleth “our democracy” he means simply the Lefty-left’s malevolent will to power — which is predicated on nothing more than feeding the Democratic Party’s never-ending rackets, doling out money to its captive clients for votes, solely to remain in power: Ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail. His mealy-mouthed sanctimony serves only his personal need to evade prosecution for his own crimes.

The only way Barack Obama can evade prosecution for RussiaGate and then for covertly running the “Joe Biden” White House from his HQ across town is if he is named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the RICO cases to come. That will be enough for historians to understand what happened here in the early 21st century. And what about the other traitors, the long list of Blob apparatchiks who schemed to overthrow the executive from 2016 to 2021, and then labored to throw thousands in prison, ran a fake pandemic op, queered two elections, hijacked the courts, shut down opposing opinion, and poisoned the minds of several assassins?

Justice is coming for them. They know it, and their “resistance” seeks to turn feral and savage in the months leading to the midterm elections. It will start in a few days with “Mayday Strong” rallies and street marches. Their slogan, “It’s workers over billionaires,” is just another lie. The part they leave out is that these actions are funded by billionaires: George Soros, Neville Roy Singham, Hansjörg Wyss, et al. Don’t expect the action to remain “mostly peaceful,” either. The idea, of course, is to get violent so as to goad President Trump into invoking emergency powers to put down an insurrection.

I doubt that President Trump will shrink from invoking the Insurrection Act, an amalgamation of laws passed by Congress starting in 1792–1795 with the Militia Acts, then the key 1807 law signed by President Thomas Jefferson, and major amendments during and after the Civil War, including the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act. It is codified in Title 10 of the United States Code, Chapter 13, specifically §§ 251–255. It is a statutory exception to the Posse Comitatus Act (1878), which generally prohibits using federal troops for domestic law enforcement.

The Insurrection Act (with its predecessor statutes) has been invoked approximately 30 times in U.S. history by 16 presidents — Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln, Grant, Hayes, Arthur, Cleveland, Wilson, Harding, FD Roosevelt, Kennedy, Johnson, Reagan, and Bush — in episodes including the Whiskey Rebellion, the Southern Secession, many violent labor strikes, several race riots, and looting in natural disasters.

President Trump might have to use the Insurrection Act to stop what has been an ongoing coup against his elected administration by an opposition party that has turned criminal and traitorous. He may have to convene extraordinary military tribunals to adjudicate crimes that include those committed by the federal judiciary itself. If he does all this, it must include an executive order mandating common sense election procedure for the midterm: citizenship and photo ID required, paper ballots only, no vote-counting machines, voting only on one day deemed Election Day, and mail-in ballots limited only to military, people required to be out of the country, and the disabled.

All this is looking increasingly unavoidable.

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

A total of 43 alleged members and associates of the Mexican Mafia prison gang were arrested this week on multiple charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the central district of California said on April 23.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the total includes individuals already in custody, with 25 of them being arrested in Orange County, California, on April 23. They face charges including kidnapping, extortion, fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking, running illegal gambling businesses, and murder.

First assistant U.S. attorney Bill Essayli said the arrests reflected joint efforts between federal and local law enforcement and their commitment to cracking down on violent felons and organized crime.

“Gang members who murder, extort, kidnap, and traffic drugs and firearms are a menace to our communities and our way of life,” Essayli said in a statement.

The investigation also led to the seizure of 4 kilograms (8.8 lbs) of fentanyl, 54.4 kilograms (120 lbs) of methamphetamine, 0.9 kilograms (2 lbs) of heroin, 3 kilograms (6.6 lbs) of cocaine, 25 firearms, and more than $30,000 in cash, according to the office.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the gang sold illegal drugs in Orange County and ran illicit gambling businesses within commercial strip malls and private residences. It also collected “extortionate taxes” and used violence to safeguard those gambling businesses, the office added.

One of the defendants, identified as Luis Cardenas, was accused of overseeing the gang’s criminal activities from his prison cell using “an encrypted messaging application on contraband cell phones” between June 2024 and April 2026. Cardenas allegedly instructed gang members to kidnap and assault those “in bad standing” with him.

Two other defendants—Matthew Kundrat and Manuel Ramos—were charged with murder that occurred at the Akua Inn, a gang-run motel in Anaheim, California, on Feb. 3, 2025. Prosecutors said the two allegedly committed the murder to be part of the Mexican Mafia and increase their standing within the gang.

“These defendants allegedly ran a ruthless criminal enterprise that murdered, kidnapped, extorted, and flooded our communities with deadly drugs,” FBI director Kash Patel said in a statement.

“The FBI will never stop working alongside our law enforcement partners to hold these individuals accountable and protect the people of Southern California.”

Some of the defendants made their initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana and Los Angeles on April 23, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The Mexican Mafia, also known as “La Eme,” is a U.S.-based prison gang that started in the 1950s. Federal authorities said the gang exerts “immense control” over Hispanic street gangs in Southern California, directing illegal activities from within prisons and taking a portion of the proceeds from drug trafficking, illegal gambling, and other crimes.

Federal prosecutors charged Cole Tomas Allen, 31, the accused gunman in the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner shooting, with three criminal counts, including attempting to assassinate the president. 

Fox News reports that Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh unsealed the case against Allen on Monday. Allen appeared in federal court wearing a prison jumpsuit and answered the judge respectfully. He did not enter a plea and was only informed of the charges. 

The three counts include attempted assassination of the president, transporting a firearm across state lines, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The attempted assassination charge could carry a life sentence if Allen is convicted. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine told the court that Allen was heavily armed when he stormed the Washington Hilton Hotel, allegedly hunting for President Trump and top-level officials. She said Allen was equipped with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a .38-caliber semi-automatic pistol, and three knives.

Allen’s manifesto made it clear that he had a kill list (as reported by CBS News’ Jennifer Jacobs): 

Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest

“Mr. Allen has no prior arrests or convictions,” court-appointed defense lawyer Tezira Abe said. “He is presumed innocent at this time.”

Allen will remain in custody pending a Thursday hearing to determine whether he is eligible for any form of pretrial release, according to NBC News. 

Earlier today, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted the “left-wing cult of hatred” as fueling political violence in yet another failed assassination attempt on Trump. 

Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing earlier that political violence against Trump “stems from a systemic demonization of him and his supporters by commentators, yes, by elected members of the Democrat Party and even some in the media.”

“This hateful, constant, and violent rhetoric directed at President Trump, day after day for 11 years, has helped legitimize this violence and brought us to this dark moment,” Leavitt said.

Some of that hateful rhetoric Leavitt was referring to: 

If you’re wondering why 3 attempts on President Trump’s life, that we know of, have happened, it’s because of people like Tim Walz who keep saying:

“No one has ever been more dangerous to this country than Donald Trump, and he is a fascist to his core!” pic.twitter.com/4QAy7vzvcJ

— Based Bandita (@BasedBandita) April 26, 2026

Where did Charlie Kirk’s murderer learn to call conservatives “fascists”?

“Do you think Donald Trump is a fascist?”

Kamala Harris: “Yes, I do. YES, I DO!” pic.twitter.com/RxDjgOYjKY

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 12, 2025

Where they learned this from!

Democrats ARE the Party of Hate and of Inciting Violence. pic.twitter.com/ONhiBT5KgV

— Donna Marie (@sabback) September 10, 2025

As we noted on Sunday, Allen appears to be an ordinary Democrat who has been influenced over the past decade by left-wing corporate media and radical left-wing NGOs. This toxic ecosystem created an artificial information environment in which President Trump was labeled, around the clock, as a “fascist,” a “Nazi,” and worse, inciting an existential crisis among vulnerable Democrats who have chosen to respond with violence.

🚨BREAKING: I found Cole Allen’s archived tweets.

He predicted “Kamala wins all swing states,” compared Trump’s win to “Nazis getting elected,” and moved to Bluesky.

The scary part: he retweeted every mainstream Democrat on this platform.

Thread below. 👇

What radicalized him… pic.twitter.com/5VWHCZd6Rx

— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) April 26, 2026

Meanwhile, Real Clear Politics’ Paul Sperry reports:

DEVELOPING: Federal investigators are looking into a possible connection between arrested would-be Trump assassin Cole Tomas Allen and Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight Action, as well as the radical Black Lives Matter … developing …

— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) April 27, 2026

*Developing… 

Authored by Tom Gantert via The Epoch Times,

The United States will ease sanctions on Venezuela to allow its regime to pay legal fees for former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. drug trafficking case, according to a court filing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The April 24 filing states that the U.S. Treasury Department authorized an exception to existing sanctions, permitting funds to be used for Maduro’s legal defense.

Maduro is awaiting trial on federal charges, including those related to narco-terrorism and drug trafficking.

Attorney Barry Pollack, on behalf of Maduro, said in court documents filed in February that Venezuela, under its laws, had an obligation to pay Maduro’s legal expenses. Pollack said Maduro lacked his own funds to pay for legal counsel and “is being deprived of his constitutional right to counsel of his choice.”

“Mr. Maduro, as Venezuela’s head of state, has both a right and an expectation to have legal fees associated with these charges funded by the government of Venezuela,” the February court filing stated.

If declined, the cost of Maduro’s defense would be shifted from Venezuela to U.S. taxpayers even though Venezuela was willing and obligated to pay for it, Pollack stated in his brief.

“After invading another country and forcibly bringing its sovereign head of state to the United States, the government of the United States is now actively preventing him from retaining counsel of his choice and receiving a fair defense in this Court, in violation of his Sixth Amendment and Due Process rights,” the February filing stated.

Pollack had moved to get the indictment dismissed.

The United States captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a Jan. 3 raid. U.S. President Donald Trump posted a photo to social media showing Maduro in custody while blindfolded and handcuffed aboard the U.S. Navy ship USS Iwo Jima.

According to the February filing, Maduro was being held in isolation at the Metropolitan Detention Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York City pending trial on charges that “relate to alleged conduct that occurred while he was the head of state of a sovereign nation.”

The U.S. Department of State said Maduro led the Cartel of the Suns, a drug-trafficking organization that was made up of high-ranking Venezuelan officials.

In November 2025, the State Department declared Venezuela’s Cartel of the Suns as a terror organization.

Maduro took over leadership of Venezuela in 2013 and became increasingly politically hostile toward the United States as the years progressed, according to the U.S. War Department.

Traveling to matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup may prove to be one of the biggest hurdles for fans, with transportation costs and logistics shaping up to be a major concern across U.S. host cities, according to Bloomberg.

Prices for getting to stadiums are expected to spike due to high demand, limited parking, and reliance on rideshare services, where surge pricing could make even short trips expensive. 

Costs for simply getting to and from matches could vary widely depending on the city and mode of travel. Rideshare prices are expected to surge during peak game times, potentially reaching hundreds of dollars for relatively short distances, while limited stadium parking could also carry premium rates or require advance reservations.

In some regions, special event transit fares may climb significantly higher than normal daily prices, with round-trip tickets potentially reaching well over $100 for high-demand routes. For those seeking convenience, private shuttles and chartered services will likely come at a steep markup, and luxury options like helicopter transfers—already being advertised for tens of thousands of dollars—highlight just how expensive last-mile transportation could become during the tournament.

Chopper rides could wind up “costing as much as $30,000 for a group of eight passengers.” the report notes.

Bloomberg writes that public transit agencies are preparing for a massive influx of riders, but upgrades and expanded service come with significant costs. In some areas, fares are expected to rise sharply, and not all stadiums will be easily accessible by train or bus. Officials are working to expand capacity, but many systems are still recovering from pandemic-era budget shortfalls, making it difficult to scale up quickly.

At the same time, tensions are growing over who should pay for these improvements. State and local leaders argue that hosting the tournament should not burden everyday commuters with higher costs.

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill emphasized this stance, saying, “We are committed to ensuring costs are shared fairly,” and adding, “We will not be subsidizing World Cup ticket holders on the backs of New Jerseyans who rely on NJ Transit every day.” With only limited federal funding available, cities are under pressure to find solutions before millions of visitors arrive.

FIFA says that host cities are expected to expand transit services, manage crowds, and cover security-related logistics, all of which come with significant expenses. Some state leaders, including New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, have argued that FIFA should help cover those costs rather than shifting the burden onto taxpayers or everyday commuters. FIFA, however, maintains that its agreements with host cities already allow agencies to charge riders enough to cover expenses, marking a shift from earlier arrangements that required free public transportation for ticket holders.

FIFA officials pushed back strongly on the idea of contributing additional funds, signaling tension as planning ramps up. The organization said it was “quite surprised” by calls to share transportation costs and defended its existing agreements with host cities.

“To arbitrarily set elevated prices and demand FIFA absorb these costs is unprecedented,” said Heimo Schirgi. “No other global event, concert or major sporting promoter has faced such a demand.” 

Authored by Brian Quarmby via CoinTelegraph.com,

Tech giant Apple has fixed a security flaw that had allowed the FBI to access a Signal user’s deleted messages through their phone’s push notification database, despite the app being deleted and messages being set to disappear.

In a security advisory released on Wednesday, Apple said it had fixed a bug that allowed “notifications marked for deletion” to be “unexpectedly retained on the device.”

In an X post on Wednesday, Signal said the update fixed the issue that made a user’s messages retrievable by law enforcement.

“Apple’s advisory confirmed that the bugs that allowed this to happen have been fixed in the latest iOS release,” Signal said.

Signal uses end-to-end encryption to secure messages between its users. The bug is a reminder that messaging encryption may not be enough to keep data protected when using certain devices or operating systems.

Apple’s notes on the security patch. Source: Apple

FBI found a backdoor to private messages

This security flaw was first highlighted by independent technology news website 404 Media, which reported on April 9 that documents recently unsealed in Texas federal court related to an FBI case over an attack on the Prairieland ICE Detention Facility last July.

The court proceedings showed that the FBI was able to forensically extract a defendant’s Signal messages from the iPhone’s notification database, which contained cached, readable previews of incoming Signal messages even after disappearing messages were enabled and the app was deleted.

Following the 404 Media report, Signal President Meredith Whittaker called on Apple to quickly fix the issue, noting in an April 14 X post that “notifications for deleted messages shouldn’t remain in any OS notification database.”

Pavel Durov, the co-founder of competing privacy messaging app Telegram, also commented on the report, arguing in an April 14 Telegram post that the only way to truly stay safe was for the app to “force an absence of notification previews” on both ends of a conversation.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday granted Republicans a significant boost in the ongoing battle over congressional boundaries, issuing a summary reversal that allows Texas to proceed with its 2025 mid-decade congressional map for the November 2026 elections.

In the case, Abbott v. League of United Latin American Citizens, the justices overturned a federal district court’s earlier injunction against the new boundaries. The majority referenced its own prior opinion from late 2025 in the same litigation, while Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson noted their disagreement with the outcome.

The Texas map, redrawn by the Republican-led legislature last year, had faced challenges from voting-rights organizations that claimed it improperly relied on race. A lower court had blocked its implementation in November 2025, but the Supreme Court had previously paused that order to let primaries move forward.

Dems Score Win In Virginia

In a separate but related development playing out the same day, a Virginia state court delivered a win for Democrats on Sunday by rejecting a Republican-led challenge to a newly approved congressional map.

Richmond Circuit Court Judge Tracy Thorne-Begland turned down a last-minute bid by the Republican National Committee, the state GOP, and other plaintiffs seeking to halt certification of results from a voter referendum held the previous week. That ballot measure narrowly passed a set of new district lines drawn by Democratic lawmakers.

The judge emphasized that courts do not weigh in on the merits of policy choices but instead check whether elected officials followed constitutional rules. He found they had done so here. While acknowledging that the updated districts are less compact than before and reflect partisan considerations, Thorne-Begland concluded the question of compactness was open to reasonable debate after reviewing competing expert testimony, including from Boston University political scientist Maxwell Palmer.

Virginia’s current congressional delegation holds a 6-5 Democratic majority. The new configuration, if it survives final review, would expand that edge to 10-1 and create up to four additional competitive opportunities for Democrats in the fall midterms.

Plaintiffs had argued the map violated state constitutional standards and lacked proper legal authority when enacted. The judge, however, determined they were unlikely to succeed on the core claims at this stage.

The Virginia Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments later Monday on separate but overlapping questions about the legality of the referendum process and timing.

* * *

In today’s first of two coupon auctions (due to the week’s truncated schedule as the Fed is on Wednesday), the US Treasury sold $69BN in 2 year paper in a mediocre auction, yet one which was notably stronger than last month’s issuance.

The sale stopped at a high yield of 3.812%, down from last month’s 3.936% and tailing the When Issued 3.811% by 0.1bps. This however was a big improvement from last month’s 1.8bps tail, which was the biggest since March 2023. 

The bid to cover was 2.653, a notable improvent from last month’s 2.440, above the recent average of 2.61%. That said, the BTC has come in a very narrow range of 2.4 to 2.8 for the past decade with little variation. 

The internals were marginally weaker, with Indirects taking down 56.48%, down from 59.38% and below the recent average. And with Directs almost doubling from 16.50% to 31.65%, Dealers were left holding 11.87%, down from a surprisingly high 24.12% in March.

Overall, this was an average auction yet the fact that it was a solid improvement from last month’s ugly 2Y sale should probably be enough to position the market well heading into the day’s second auction, the sale of 7Y paper at 1pm ET.

Summary

• Putin tells FM Araghchi that he’s been in contact with the new Supreme Leader, and says Iran fighting for ‘sovereignty’

• After a weekend of stalemate malaise, Iran reportedly offers new proposal for opening ship traffic, while postponing the thorny nuclear issue; Rubio says ‘will not tolerate’ Iran control of strait

• Trump says peace could come via telephone rather than face-to-face meetings, also warning Iranian oil infrastructure could explode from within unless flow resumes; Tehran later says Trump has requested new talks

• Iranian FM has been sending written messages to US via Pakistani intermediaries 

• Israel strikes deep into Lebanon in Beqaa Valley for first time of 3-week ceasefire.

*  *  *

Rubio: ‘Will Not Tolerate’ Iran Control of Strait

The latest via WSJ on what Iran is proposing, centered on immediately lifting the US naval blockade on Iranian ports:

Iran has presented regional mediators with a new offer to stop its attacks in the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a full end to the war and a lifting of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, according to officials familiar with the matter. The proposal, presented by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during his tour of the region and Pakistan over the weekend, is designed to break the deadlock in the conflict and set talks back in motion, the people said. It would see discussions about Iran’s nuclear program shelved. Washington hasn’t responded to the proposal, one of the people said. Iran’s mission to the United Nations didn’t respond to a request for comment.

But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told Fox News on Monday that the US will not tolerate Iran controlling or establishing a toll system in the Strait of Hormuz. Rubio further asserted that the strait would remain open either through international pressure or a coalition-led effort.

Iranian Foreign Minister told Russia’s President Putin that US ‘destructive habits’, ‘unreasonable demands’ and frequent changes in positions are slowing diplomatic progress

Just days ago Iran began declaring that the first toll passage funds had been successfully transferred to the Central Bank of Iran, after Trump stated the US won’t allow a toll system. Rubio further said the US will not normalize the Iranians being essentially a gatekeeper, with countries seeking permission from Iran.

We will not tolerate a system where Iran plays gatekeeper to the world.” 🚨

Secretary Marco Rubio draws a line. As the “dual blockade” chokes global energy, the U.S. stance is clear: The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, not an Iranian toll booth. pic.twitter.com/YECpK8SUi4

— Martin (@Martin_Sedi) April 27, 2026

Putin Says He’s in Contact with Ayatollah in Araghchi Moscow Meeting

President Putin, FM Lavrov, and Iranian FM Araghchi have been meeting in Moscow, after warm greetings and amid competing narratives over the future of the Strait of Hormuz. The Russian leader said something surprising right out of the gate, at a moment Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen since the US-Israeli war began: “Last week I received a message from the Supreme Leader of Iran,” he told Iran’s Araghchi

Additionally Putin pledged, “The people of Iran are courageously and heroically fighting for their sovereignty.” This certainly stands in sharp contrast from the US and Western consensus. Putin also stressed, “Russia will do everything that serves the interests of Iran and the region to achieve peace as soon as possible.” This after Tehran on Monday made clear that it sees the future of the Strait of Hormuz as being under Iranian military control – an earlier headline which pushed crude prices up, and within hours later on this as well:

Hours prior, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described of Araghchi’s arrival, “the importance of this conversation is difficult to overestimate in terms of how the situation around Iran and in the Middle East is developing.” Araghchi to Putin: “It’s been proven to everybody that Tehran has friends and allies such as Russia… Allies that, in times of need, are standing next to Iran – and we are grateful to you for your support.”

The moment Putin greeted the Iranian top diplomat and his team (below), and where things stand on Iran’s proposal…

Iran has reportedly sent a new proposal to the U.S. that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but only after an end to the war and guarantees it will not resume, according to sources and regional reports. Under the plan, broader talks on the nuclear program and maritime navigation would come later.

Vladimir Putin greets Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi and his team https://t.co/Zgto3ZyVVI pic.twitter.com/ObAOkfMmPN

— RT (@RT_com) April 27, 2026

Meanwhile President Trump is expected to hold a situation room meeting soon on Monday, related to Iran and the Hormuz crisis with his top national security and foreign policy team.

IDF Hits Beqaa Valley for First Time of Lebanon Truce

A three-week Lebanon ceasefire is officially in place, but in reality it exists on paper or in name only, as Israel has intensified and expanded its attacks, now striking the distant Beqaa Valley for the first time since the truce began. “The IDF says it has launched a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley and several areas of southern Lebanon,” Israeli media reported Monday. “The strikes come following repeated Hezbollah attacks on IDF troops and Israel during the ceasefire, including a deadly drone attack yesterday,” according to The Times of Israel.

The latest coverage notes that “Israel has not struck in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa Valley in some three weeks.” The IDF frames the escalation as a response to Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire, while Hezbollah argues Israeli ground forces are on Lebanese territory and therefore legitimate targets.

Meanwhile, Joseph Aoun told representatives from southern villages that negotiating with Israel “is not betrayal,“ but necessary for stability. The Maronite Catholic leader added that “Betrayal is carried out by those who take their country to war to serve foreign interests.”

Iran Offers New Path To Opening Strait

Running a little ahead of schedule, Sunday evening brought this week’s infusion of pre-Monday-open optimism about prospects of ending the US-Israel war on Iran. Axios’ Barak Ravid, a veteran of Israeli intelligence who routinely posts anonymously-sourced scoops, reported that Iran has presented a new proposal for opening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the shooting — though Iran’s concept includes a potential non-starter via a proposed postponement of nuclear negotiations. No details were reported, beyond the notion of either an extended ceasefire or permanent end of the war that would accompany a full reopening of the strait. 

Earlier on Sunday, President Trump said face-to-face discussions with the Iranians weren’t essential to ending the war. “If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us. You know, ​there is a telephone. We have nice, secure lines,” he told Fox News. “They know what has to be in the ⁠agreement. It’s very simple: They cannot have a nuclear weapon; otherwise, there’s no reason to meet.”  

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi:

Incorrect approaches and excessive demands by the U.S. caused the previous round of talks—despite progress—not to reach its objectives. pic.twitter.com/Bt7ikClaoe

— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 27, 2026

Sunday’s micro-dose of hope capped a weekend in which negotiations were perceived as grinding to a clear stalemate marked by a lack of warfare but also a continued choking of traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz. On Saturday, Trump’s lead negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, were poised to travel to Islamabad for another round of negotiations with the Iranians when Trump nixed their trip at the last minute.

Iran’s Fars news agency reported that Araghchi has “conveyed written messages regarding Iran’s red lines to the American side through Pakistani intermediaries.” 

Iranian Foreign Minister Shuttles Between Pakistan, Oman, Russia 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been on the go. On Saturday, he left Pakistan after meeting with Pakistan’s military chief, Asim Munir, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. On parting, Araghchi said he’d had a “very fruitful visit,” while cautioning it’s unclear “if the US is truly serious about diplomacy.”

Then he was off to Oman for talks centered on re-opening the strait — which lies between the two countries — then back to Pakistan. By Monday, Araghchi was in St Petersburg, Russia for discussions with President Putin. Commenting on the relationship via X, Iran’s envoy in Russia said: 

“Iran and Russia are present in a united front in the campaign of the world’s ​totalitarian forces against independent and justice-seeking countries, ​as well as countries that seek a ⁠world free from unilateralism and Western domination.” 

Trump: Iranian Oil Infrastructure In Peril From Limited Capacity

Trump told Fox News on Sunday that the US blockade on traffic to and from Iranian ports is putting major pressure on the country’s export infrastructure: 

“When you have, you know, lines of vast amounts of oil pouring through your system, if for any reason that line is closed because you can’t continue to put it into containers or ships, which has happened to them — they have no ships because of the blockade — what happens is that line explodes from within, both mechanically and in the earth.”

“It’s something that happens where it just explodes. And they say they only have about three days left before that happens. And when it explodes, you can never, regardless, you can never rebuild it the way it was.”

That approximate scenario has also been outlined by the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute. “Once the tanks are filled, Iran would have to shut down its oil fields, which risks long-term damage to the fields,” AEI’s Annika Ganzeveld told the New York Post. A worst-case scenario doesn’t only imperil Iran’s economy, but also threatens to put more upward pressure on global energy prices. Analysts differ on how much time Iran has before a forced shutdown of production  — with estimates ranging from mere days to seven weeks. 

TankerTrackers.com on Sunday reported that Iran has loaded roughly 4.6 million barrels of oil at its terminals, without specifying the time-frame in which the feat had occurred. The outlet said another 4 million barrels have somehow evaded the US blockade. That volume of oil buys a few more precious days of storage capacity, the Wall Street Journal says. 

BREAKING: IRAN LOADS 4.6 MILLION BARRELS AT CRUDE OIL TERMINALS

ADDITIONAL FOUR MILLION BARRELS APPEAR TO HAVE EXFILTRATED US BLOCKADE LINE

— TankerTrackers.com, Inc. (@TankerTrackers) April 26, 2026

Meanwhile, citing claims made by the secretary-general of the Iran Shipping Association, FARS reported that “Iran’s maritime trade flow has not stopped, and ships are reaching ports by crossing the blockade.” The report also said the bolstering of alternative routes — including northern ports on the Caspian Sea and rail links to China and central Asia — had also buffered the country’s “economic resilience.” 

Iranian Leadership Divided On Deal Terms

Iran’s leadership is reportedly split on how flexible they should be on nuclear terms of a deal. Last year, at the encouragement of Israel and pro-Israel forces inside the United States, the Trump administration had adopted a maximalist position demanding that Israel agree to never again enrich nuclear material, even to levels far below weapon-grade. 

For many observers, this was seen as a demand that Israel knew Iran would never consent to, ensuring the all-out US-Israel war on Iran that Prime Minister Netanyahu himself admitted he had “yearned to do for 40 years.” It’s been the long-running conclusion of the US intelligence community that Iran has not been developing a nuclear weapon. Netanyahu has been warning of an imminent Iranian nuclear weapon for 34 years — since 1992.  

Donald Trump has been repeating the same claims Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed for over 30 years:

“Iran is very close to obtaining nuclear weapons” – often framed as “a few months” or even “a few weeks.”

For 30 years, the same pretext – and Iran still without nuclear weapons. pic.twitter.com/pagRS2hQ0I

— Mr. Whale (@CryptoWhale) April 15, 2026

* * *

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a rare moment torched US foreign policy and the Trump administration’s Iran war gambit. There’s been plenty of criticism out of Europe since Operation Epic Fury kicked off on February 28, but Merz’s Monday words are especially direct and scathing.

He proclaimed that Iran’s leadership was embarrassing the US, claiming it was prompting US officials to travel to Pakistan and then return without achieving any outcome. “The Iranians are obviously very skilled ⁠at negotiating, or rather, very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,” he said.

The top German official made the remarks before students in the town of Marsberg. His sharpest attack came in the following: “An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible.“

Merz then claimed, “If I had known that it would continue like this for five or six weeks and get progressively worse, I would have told ​him even more emphatically.” ​And yet the criticisms from EU leaders in the opening days were somewhat muted, meager, and weak.

The German leader further questioned whether the US had a clear exit strategy:

“The Iranians are clearly stronger than expected and the Americans clearly have no truly convincing strategy in the negotiations either,” Merz said during a school visit in Marsberg, a town in his home region of Sauerland.

“The problem with conflicts like this is always: you don’t just have to get in, you have to get out again. We saw that very painfully in Afghanistan for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq.”

Indeed a tiny handful of Republicans in Congress have made a similar argument, most especially Rep. Thomas Massie, in dissenting from the Iran war, especially given there’s been no formal Congressional approval or war authorization.

Merz also commented on the potential blowback to Europe: “It is at the moment a pretty tangled situation,” he said. “And it is costing us a great deal of money. This conflict, this war against Iran, has a direct impact on our economic output.”

Given the Trump admin’s positions of late, Merz saying “An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership” certainly opens the door to withdrawing US troops from Germany. pic.twitter.com/2DmcB35Q24

— Justin Logan (@JustinTLogan) April 27, 2026

The fresh critique is certainly going to add fuel to the fire of Trump’s ratcheting anti-EU and anti-NATO rhetoric, given their absence in helping the US get the Strait of Hormuz back open and the return to normal functioning of global energy transit once again.

But Trump’s own words have been confusing for allies to say the least – on the one hand lambasting them for not joining a US-led coalition, but then sometimes in the same breath declaring that Washington does not ‘need their help’. Naturally this enables uncertain fence-sitting allies to shrug and say simply, this is “not our war” – as the lead European powers are doing.

Some American conservative pundits have been increasingly breaking with Trump over the Iran war, a trend that is likely to grow the longer the war and Hormuz crisis persists:

At this point, more California teachers have tried to assassinate Trump than Iranians have.

I really wish he’d get back to domestic concerns and stop cleaning up the rest of the world.

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) April 26, 2026

The White House is said to be mulling ‘punishment’ for allies who haven’t stepped up – for example removing US troops from European territory, at a moment EU leaders have warned of the ‘Russia threat’ related to the ongoing Ukraine war. There’s even a NATO ‘naughty’ list supposedly circling within the US administration.