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Mar 22, 2026 - World

Far-right politicians across Europe who enthusiastically embraced Donald Trump following his re-election are now rapidly retreating from the relationship, with the Iran conflict and his demands for NATO intervention serving as the breaking point.According to reporting from the Wall Street Journal's Bertrand Benoit and Max Colchester, tensions have been building over Trump's tariff policies—which were struck down by the Supreme Court in a landmark ruling—but the invasion of Iran and subsequent demands that European nations share the military burden have pushed nationalist-minded European lawmakers to openly reconsider their alignment with the American president.The State Department has actively courted European right-wing parties, channeling grants to think tanks and nongovernmental organizations promoting Trump's "America First" agenda, including policies on free speech and immigration crackdowns. Initially, these parties welcomed the support and association.But as Europe absorbs the consequences of U.S. policy decisions, the political calculus has shifted dramatically. European politicians are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain their public gratitude while advancing their own nationalist agendas.Even longtime Trump confidant Nigel Farage has begun hedging his bets. "Look, he's a friend of mine. I agree with many things that he does. I don't agree with other things that he does," Farage recently admitted—a stark contrast to his previous unqualified support.Public opinion in Europe has turned decisively against Trump. In the U.K., the vast majority of voters identify as "anti-Trump," according to YouGov polling. Only a quarter of British and German voters support Trump's attack on Iran. In France, even right-wing voters hold unfavorable views of the president.This presents a mounting dilemma for MAGA-aligned parties. As Tim Bale, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London, explained, politicians like Farage who harbor ambitions for higher office must appeal to a much broader electorate—one that largely abhors Trump.Criticism from Trump's European allies intensified around the Greenland episode. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who previously served as a diplomatic bridge between Europe and the U.S., has noticeably cooled her public praise. Her deputy, Matteo Salvini—one of Trump's most vocal Italian supporters—flatly rejected the president's requests for European nations to help police the Strait of Hormuz. "Italy isn't at war with anyone," Salvini declared.French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and her protégé Jordan Bardella have escalated their criticism, condemning Trump's military strikes in Venezuela, though they have remained more cautious regarding the Iran attack, reflecting the party's strong support for Israel.Germany presents the starkest rebuke. Senior Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmaker Peter Felser stated bluntly: "We cannot be the lap dog of an 'America First' policy if it destroys German jobs. We must remain a sovereign German party, not just the German branch of the MAGA movement."Gerold Otten, an AfD lawmaker and defense expert, characterized Trump's military actions and contempt for international norms as deeply troubling. "You enter very dangerous territory when you say, 'I am above the law,'" Otten warned. "On the global stage, saying 'I'm doing it because I can, because I am powerful'—that leads to the breakdown of civilization, a state where only the law of the jungle remains."

Mar 22, 2026 - World

According to Donald Trump’s UN ambassador, the president should not be constrained from ordering the Pentagon to bomb Iran’s sole nuclear power plant located southeast of the city of Bushehr, situated on the waterfront of the Persian Gulf.During an appearance on “Face the Nation,” Ambassador Mike Waltz, who was shuffled over to the UN after he was caught up in the “Signalgate” scandal, was asked about Trump’s 48-hour threat to begin bombing Iran’s power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz is opened to shipping.In a post on Truth Social, the president wrote, “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP”That led CBS host Margaret Brennan to ask Waltz, “The reason I'm asking you is when the President says he's going to bomb energy infrastructure, civilian energy infrastructure. Is he going to bomb a nuclear power plant or is that off the table?”“Well, I would never take anything off the table for the president, certainly not on national television,” Waltz replied. “However, there are larger plants. There's one outside of Tehran, there are others outside of other cities that are gas-fired, thermal, thermal-powered.”“I think the important point here is to understand,” he attempted. “The IRGC, a declared terrorist organization not only by us, but in a number of European countries, controls a huge swath of Iran's critical infrastructure, their economy and certainly many of their governing institutions, and so to the extent we're degrading their military capability and their defense industrial base, all options should be on the table, and the President's made that very clear.”

Mar 22, 2026 - World

As Donald Trump’s war on Iran enters its 23rd day, the administration is putting out signals that it would like to begin peace talks at the same time that the president is raising the threat that he will destroy the country’s energy infrastructure within two days.Appearing on MS NOW, to discuss the mixed messaging, AXIOS reporter Eli Stokols stated that the president is clueless about the best path to proceed down, and events on the ground –– particularly the closing of the Strait of Hormuz –– show no signs of being easily resolved.Speaking with the hosts of “The Weekend, “ he explained, “Look, I think the president has been sort of all over the place. And I think the post overnight, with the threats if they don't, you know, open up the strait, we're going to blow their power plants to smithereens; the president's grappling with a lack of control. He started this conflict. He is not capable of ending it on his own.”“Iran has a say here,” he observed. “And I think, you know, he's frustrated about not getting more help from European allies, which, like we all know why that is. And I think there's a sense, as much as they are saying, 'Well, we need $200 billion, we need all this money to keep this war going.'”“There's a clear sense that the president would probably like to wrap this up, but that doesn't mean he can't escalate if he gets frustrated,” Stokols predicted. “And so I think there's a lot of uncertainty and incoherence in the strategy, because that reflects an uncertainty about how to proceed and what he can actually do to bring about an outcome that he'll be happy with a sort of clean ending to this war that he started.” - YouTube youtu.be

Mar 22, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump issued a blistering ultimatum to the Iranian regime on Saturday night, one that raised the eyebrows of multiple political analysts and observers. Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran has 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or else the U.S. will strike multiple energy plants in the country. He made the threat as global energy prices continue to climb from the regime's effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to U.S. ships. "If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!" Trump wrote. Over the last week, multiple power plants and energy fields in Iran have been struck by Israeli forces. The strikes became such a problem for the Trump administration that Trump demanded Israel stop striking Iran without telling the U.S. first. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested that the Trump administration has been made aware of Israeli operations. "I'm old enough to remember when he said the U.S. doesn't care because we don't even use the Strait of Hormuz. It was, like, yesterday," space archaeologist Justin Walsh posted on Bluesky. "We’re not even a month into this war yet, and he’s already threatening to do war crimes on main," journalist Matt Novak posted on Bluesky. "Such a move would disproportionately harm civilians, something the regime has made clear it cares little about," journalist Yashar Ali posted on X. "From claiming the war is 'winding down' to threatening a new act of terror against a country of 90 million people," journalist Aaron Maté posted on X.

Mar 21, 2026 - World

Victims of army drone attack on East Darfur health facility included children and medical personnel A strike on a healthcare facility in Sudan has killed 64 people and wounded 89 more, the World Health Organization reported on Saturday.The UN’s humanitarian office in Sudan had earlier said it was “appalled by the attack on a hospital in East Darfur yesterday, reportedly killing dozens, including children, and injuring more”. Continue reading...