David McAfee

David joined Raw Story in 2023 after nearly a decade of writing about the legal industry for Bloomberg Law. He is also a co-founder and a commissioning editor at Hypatia Press, a publisher that specializes in philosophical works that challenge religion or spirituality.

Conservative commentator shocks with new attack on Trump's Iran war move

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter presented a stark hypothetical scenario to illustrate what she characterizes as a double standard in the Trump administration's approach to civilian casualties in the Iran conflict.

Coulter posed a thought experiment: "Suppose Iran dispatched operatives to Mexico, where, from the Texas border, they fired a missile at an American base and, unintentionally but carelessly, demolished a nearby American school, killing 175 people."

She then escalated the scenario to include additional infrastructure strikes: "What if they then blew up fuel depots, showering a chemical rain on residents? Then struck homes, schools and clinics, as Iran's leader warned that 'death, fire and fury' would so pulverize America that it could never be rebuilt?"

Coulter's rhetorical point directly mirrors documented events from the actual Iran conflict. The U.S. military has been credibly accused of bombing an Iranian girls' school on the conflict's opening day, killing approximately 175 children. American strikes have also damaged fuel depots, resulting in toxic oil rain over civilian areas, and targeted residential neighborhoods and medical facilities.

"In that case, President Trump — and all of us — would howl at outrageous attacks on innocent civilians. And we'd be right," Coulter concluded, suggesting that identical actions warrant identical moral judgment regardless of which nation commits them.

'That is not true': Trump hit with blunt fact check after spreading Supreme Court lie

President Donald Trump has been making false claims about Supreme Court approval for his latest round of tariffs, according to reporting from Politico that reveals the president is misrepresenting the high court's actual ruling.

Trump has been "repeatedly claiming that the same Supreme Court went ahead and blessed his use of other authorities, like the so-called Section 122 tariffs he's turned to as a short-term fix." However, Politico reports this characterization is inaccurate.

"That is not true," according to the outlet.

While three justices who dissented from the Supreme Court's recent tariff decision did cite Section 122 as a potential tool Trump could use, the court's six-justice majority explicitly rejected that position. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion: "We do not speculate on hypothetical cases not before us."

The distinction matters significantly for Trump's legal strategy. The president is now relying on Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to justify his 10 percent tariffs imposed in February, claiming the U.S. faces a "large and serious balance-of-payments deficit."

Legal experts acknowledge Trump's new tariffs are on "probably stronger legal footing" than his previous "Liberation Day" taxes that the Supreme Court struck down. However, challengers including Democratic attorneys general from 24 states are already filing lawsuits challenging the legitimacy of Trump's statutory interpretation and the sweeping exemptions his proclamation includes.

Read the full piece here.

Former Trump insider says 'most likely outcome' in Iran includes US return 'in 10 years'

Anthony Scaramucci, a former Trump administration official, outlined a pessimistic long-term scenario for the Iran conflict, predicting that despite military devastation, the underlying tensions driving the war will remain unresolved.

"Most likely outcome now: Iran's military is devastated. Regime survives. The Strait stays closed until both sides find a face-saving off-ramp," Scaramucci stated, characterizing the likely trajectory of the conflict.

According to Scaramucci's analysis, the war will ultimately result in a pyrrhic outcome that benefits neither side strategically. While Trump will declare victory domestically and Iran's leadership will claim resistance and defiance, the fundamental geopolitical tensions that sparked the conflict remain intact.

The ex-insider predicted several consequences flowing from this stalemate. Oil prices will eventually drop as markets adjust to the new status quo, while Iran's nuclear program will be temporarily set back without being eliminated entirely. However, he emphasized this represents no permanent resolution.

"We'll be back here in 10 years," Scaramucci concluded, suggesting the conflict's underlying causes—unresolved regional rivalry, sanctions, and nuclear proliferation concerns—will inevitably resurface.

The prediction reflects growing expert consensus that without a clear diplomatic off-ramp or decisive military outcome, the Iran war risks becoming a prolonged stalemate that exhausts resources while failing to achieve lasting strategic objectives.

Trump voting 'conundrum' creates 'worst of both worlds' for GOP candidates nationwide: CNN

Republican candidates in blue states face an insurmountable strategic dilemma heading into the 2026 midterms, according to analysis of the party's electoral predicament. GOP contenders are unable to simultaneously energize Trump-supporting working-class voters while appealing to independent voters who increasingly oppose the president.

"Republicans face the conundrum that in order to change the equation in a blue state we need to get these Trump voters to come out," said Mike DuHaime, a New Jersey-based GOP strategist. "But the same issues that energize those voters push away the independents — who are definitely voting."

This dynamic proved catastrophic for Republican gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia during 2025, despite Trump recording significant gains in both states just one year earlier. Neither Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey nor Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia distanced themselves from Trump, instead arguing their states would benefit from a Republican who could work with the president rather than fight him.

The strategy backfired spectacularly. According to exit polling, over 90% of Trump disapprovers voted for the Democratic winners in each state. The result, as DuHaime notes, was that "the GOP faced the worst of both worlds."

Republican candidates hugged Trump so closely that neither generated a surge in working-class Trump voters, yet their refusal to distance themselves made them easy targets for Democrats seeking to bind them to the unpopular president. Across blue-state landscapes, nearly all Republican candidates are repeating this same calculation, suggesting similar electoral disasters could unfold in 2026.

Read the full article here.

MAGA national security expert makes damning prediction about US 'losing the war'

David Pyne, a prominent America First conservative and national security analyst, issued a stark warning about the trajectory of the Iran war, arguing that Iran possesses a straightforward path to victory regardless of military losses.

"All Iran has to do to win its war of independence against the US and Israel is for its regime to survive and outlast the war while inflicting maximum financial and economic pain on its enemies to pressure Trump to end his unwinnable war of aggression," Pyne wrote on social media.

Pyne's analysis echoes warnings from military strategists about asymmetric warfare dynamics. He contends that without a massive ground invasion, American military superiority becomes irrelevant to the conflict's ultimate outcome.

"If the US doesn't invade Iran with half a million troops, the US can win every battle but it will lose the war just like we did in Vietnam," Pyne stated, drawing a parallel to America's experience in Southeast Asia.

The former Trump supporter then criticized the president's own military history, suggesting Trump lacks the experience necessary to navigate prolonged conflicts. "Trump dodged the draft four times to avoid serving in the Vietnam War so it appears he never learned this important lesson," Pyne wrote.

Pyne's comments represent growing skepticism among Trump's own political base regarding the viability of the Iran military campaign and the administration's ability to achieve stated objectives without escalating to levels of commitment Trump has repeatedly rejected.

Senator flags Trump's 'only way to prevent an even bigger disaster' in Iran

Senator Chris Murphy outlined a cascading series of military crises stemming from Trump's Iran war, warning that the president lacks any coherent strategy to contain the escalating regional conflict.

Murphy identified four interconnected crises threatening to spiral out of control. First, he noted that while U.S. and Israeli forces destroyed Iranian missiles, Iran's arsenal of cheap, weaponized drones poses an indefinite threat to regional oil infrastructure. Iran successfully destroyed a critical Oman oil depot two days ago, demonstrating the vulnerability.

"We can destroy Iran's missiles but not all their drones, and war today is drone war," Murphy stated. "Iran can hit oil sites in the region indefinitely because they possess so many cheap, weaponized drones."

Murphy criticized Trump for failing to learn from the Ukraine conflict about modern warfare dynamics. He warned that Gulf states are rapidly depleting their air defense interceptors, leaving oil infrastructure increasingly exposed.

A broader regional conflict is erupting as Iranian proxies attack Israel from Lebanon and target U.S. forces in Iraq, with Israel threatening a major ground invasion of Lebanon. Additional flashpoints loom: Yemen's Houthis remain quiet but capable of disrupting the Red Sea, while Syria faces destabilization risks.

Most critically, Murphy argued Trump has no viable endgame. "Trump has lost control of the war," Murphy concluded. "His best course now is to cut his losses and end it. That's the only way to prevent an even bigger disaster."

It’s crystal clear now that Trump has lost control of this war. He badly misjudged Iran’s ability to retaliate. The region is on fire.

1/ I’m going to explain to you in this🧵what I’ve learned - in part from closed door briefings - about the four biggest current crises.
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) March 14, 2026

'America First icon' fumes at 'demon-possessed' Trump: 'Opposite of the man I voted for'

A popular right-wing influencer is claiming that Donald Trump could be "demonically possessed" after the president unleashed a combative Truth Social post declaring that the United States is "totally destroying" Iran.

"Iran's Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth," Trump wrote, claiming the U.S. possesses "unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time."

The president characterized the war effort in increasingly personal terms, stating: "Now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. What a great honor it is to do so!"

Trump's rhetoric represents an escalation in his descriptions of the Iran campaign, moving from strategic military justifications to more inflammatory language targeting both his adversaries and domestic media outlets he accuses of undermining his narrative.

The post drew immediate criticism from Trump's own supporters, with some expressing disillusionment at the president's tone and approach. The Patriot Voice, a self-described "America First icon" followed that's being by numerous top MAGA voices, responded: "Trump now sounds like a full blown warmongering PSYCHOPATH. Totally the OPPOSITE of the man I thought I voted for. It's like he has been demonically possessed."

The combative comment reflects growing fractures within Trump's political coalition regarding his prosecution of the Iran war and his characterization of the growing conflict.

In another post, The Patriot Voice responded to someone who wrote. "You might not believe in Satan, but your government sure does," with the former Trump supporter adding, "Absolutely TRUE. Many in our government worship Satan."

Trump loyalists vow to sabotage GOP turnout if president ditches scandal-plagued candidate

MAGA activists are openly threatening to suppress Republican voter turnout in the 2026 midterm elections if President Trump endorses Sen. John Cornyn in Texas's GOP primary runoff, according to reporting from Axios.

Laura Loomer, a prominent Trump supporter and political activist, made the threat explicit: if Trump endorses Cornyn, "the base would likely stay home during the midterms."

The warning represents an extraordinary moment in American politics—a significant faction within the Republican Party openly threatening to sabotage their own party's electoral prospects as leverage to force Trump's hand in an internal primary dispute.

Loomer's threat comes as MAGA activists wage an intense campaign pressuring Trump to back Ken Paxton, the scandal-stained Texas Attorney General, over the more establishment-friendly Cornyn. Republican leaders have expressed deep concern that Paxton's corruption allegations and impeachment history make him unelectable in the general election against Democrat James Talarico, potentially jeopardizing Republicans' Senate majority.

The explicit threat of voter suppression underscores the degree to which Trump has lost control of his political movement. Rather than supporting the candidate most likely to win in November, MAGA activists are threatening to tank Republican turnout if Trump doesn't comply with their preferred candidate—regardless of general election viability.

The dynamic reveals a troubling precedent: Trump loyalists are willing to sacrifice Republican electoral success to enforce ideological purity and personal allegiance to the former president. For a party already concerned about maintaining Senate control, such threats represent a significant internal vulnerability heading into a critical midterm cycle.

Read the article here.

Trump-aligned GOP senator takes swipe at president's failures on food costs

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley directly challenged the Trump administration's tariff policy, arguing that removing tariffs on fertilizer is essential to lowering food prices and increasing crop production.

Grassley cited reporting that the White House is working to reduce food costs, but contended the administration is approaching the problem incorrectly. "The fastest way is to take tariff off fertilizer farmers need to harvest an abundant crop," Grassley wrote on X. "Tariffs must go."

The Iowa senator's statement represents a significant crack in Republican unity on Trump's signature economic policy. Grassley, a longtime Trump ally, is publicly advocating for the removal of tariffs that the administration has championed as beneficial to American workers and manufacturers.

The contradiction highlights the unintended economic consequences of Trump's tariff regime. By imposing duties on fertilizer imports, the administration has inadvertently increased production costs for farmers, potentially limiting their ability to grow abundant crops and ultimately driving up food prices for consumers.

Grassley's intervention suggests growing concern among agricultural-state Republicans about the real-world impact of tariff policies on their constituents. As food inflation remains a significant concern for American households, the senator's public call to eliminate fertilizer tariffs indicates that some GOP lawmakers believe Trump's trade strategy is counterproductive to the administration's stated goal of reducing prices.

Ex-Fox News host reveals he's facing criminal probe: 'The CIA has been reading my texts'

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson alleged that the CIA has been intercepting his private communications and is preparing a criminal referral to the Department of Justice, claiming he faces potential charges under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for communicating with Iranian contacts before the war began.

"The CIA has been reading my texts," Carlson stated. "They have intercepted my private communications with contacts in Iran in the period leading up to the beginning of the current conflict. And on the basis of those texts—texts!—they are preparing to accuse me of being an unregistered foreign agent under FARA."

Carlson denied any wrongdoing, insisting he has never worked for, taken money from, or advocated on behalf of any foreign government. He characterized his communications as routine journalism, stating: "I am an American journalist who has done what American journalists have always done, which is talk to people all over the world in an effort to understand what's happening."

The commentator framed the alleged investigation as part of a broader pattern, warning that criminalizing journalistic contact with overseas sources sets a dangerous precedent. "If they can do this to me, they can do it to anyone. Any reporter, any commentator, anyone who has a phone and uses it to talk to sources overseas could be targeted in exactly the same way," he said.

Carlson also referenced a 2021 incident when his private texts were leaked to media outlets, characterizing it as "clearly an intelligence operation." He argued the current situation represents an escalation from leaking to building criminal cases based on private conversations.

'Wow': Observers horrified by 'scary' Trump brag showing he's following 'Putin's playbook'

Donald Trump over the weekend posted a graphic that alarmed numerous political observers.

Trump took to his own social media site, Truth Social, to post the graphic, which is called, "President Trump is reshaping the media." The image celebrates that NPR, Stephen Colbert, Jim Acosta, and others in the media are "gone," while noting that CNN and the FCC have both been "reformed" by the president.

That graphic sent shivers down the spines of some onlookers, who took to X to express their concern.

Republicans against Trump noted, "Trump posted an image claiming he is 'reshaping the media,'" to which political science professor Michael McFaul replied, "Wow. Scary. Reminds me of Putin's early years of reshaping Russian media."

WaPo media reporter Scott Nover chimed in, "latest Truth Social posts includes a series of boasts about how he’s 'reshaping the media.'"

Garry Kasparov, founder of Renew Democracy, also added, "Fascism doesn’t sneak up on you. It boasts in your face about war, attacking 'internal enemies' and the free press, taking total power, and tells you that you must embrace it, not fight it. Consolidating and purging media into loyal hands is Putin's playbook."

One popular news curator, @SkylineReport, also noted that "Trump just posted a graphic bragging that he’s 'reshaping the media.'"

They added, "It literally lists journalists pushed out, public broadcasters 'defunded,' layoffs at major outlets, and regulatory pressure as 'wins.' Read that again. A president openly celebrating the use of political power to punish critics and pressure the press. That’s not media criticism. That’s media capture — the playbook authoritarian leaders use to bend the information system toward themselves. And the most dangerous part? He’s not hiding it anymore."

Experts alarmed as Trump FCC's new 'fascist' move dubbed 'truly extraordinary moment'

Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission under President Donald Trump, stirred outrage when he issued a stark warning to television broadcasters, threatening license revocation for news coverage he characterizes as "hoaxes and news distortions."

"Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions—also known as the fake news—have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up," Carr stated. "The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not."

The threat appears directed at media coverage of the Trump administration's Iran war, prompting immediate condemnation from media critics and Democratic lawmakers who characterized the remarks as an authoritarian attack on press freedom.

CNN senior political reporter Aaron Blake flagged the administration's approach: "The Trump administration is now threatening the licenses of broadcasters whose news coverage—apparently about the war—it deems to be 'fake.'"

Authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat responded to the threat with stark language. When Republicans Against Trump asked "What country are we living in?" Ben-Ghiat replied simply: "What authoritarians do."

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy issued an urgent warning, stating: "This is the federal government telling news stations to provide favorable coverage of the war or their licenses will be pulled. A truly extraordinary moment. We aren't on the verge of a totalitarian takeover. WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT. Act like it."

Senator Mark Kelly similarly condemned the FCC's overreach. "When our nation is at war it is critical that the press is free to report without government interference. It is literally in the Constitution. This is overreach by the FCC because this Administration doesn't like the microscope and doesn't want to be held accountable," Kelly said.

The threat represents an unprecedented use of federal regulatory authority to pressure media outlets based on their editorial coverage of government actions.

When our nation is at war it is critical that the press is free to report without government interference. It is literally in the Constitution. This is overreach by the FCC because this Administration doesn’t like the microscope and doesn’t want to be held accountable. https://t.co/Y6fxigFERQ
— Captain Mark Kelly (@CaptMarkKelly) March 14, 2026

Ousted Trump official melts down at senator while stepping down from Kennedy Center role

A Donald Trump nominee who is stepping down from his role at the Kennedy Center took some parting shots at a Dem senator on Saturday.

It started with a report from The Washington Post, which stated, "Richard Grenell, the Trump ally installed to lead the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, is leaving the post after just over a year at the helm of the cultural institution — ending a turbulent tenure marked by staff departures, artist cancellations and plummeting ticket sales."

That was seized upon by Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. He shared the WaPo article and wrote, "Like a mob bust-out gone wrong, Trumpsters’ looting of the Kennedy Center has put it out of business, and now it needs to be 'closed for renovations' as cover-up. No surprise he’s being replaced."

That's when Grenell melted down. He replied, "Your buffoonery knows no limits. You sat silent while the place went into total disrepair. You sat silent while the staff was paid with monies designed to pay off the future $30 million loan coming due in 2030 because there was no money in the bank to pay salaries. You sat silent while corporations left because of the hard left woke programming."

He then continued:

"We fixed it. And we are doing the right thing to close the entire place in a few weeks to renovate it - because of your years of neglect. This Washington game of kicking the can down the road and never solving problems has ended with President Trump. It doesn’t matter what you or the New York Times or CNN says. We are fixing the place that YOU ruined. It becomes a construction site for two years because you failed to keep up with the maintenance. And we have a world-class construction leader to do it the right way. You are welcome."

Trump just 'walked right into the trap' his predecessors were smart enough to bypass: host

President Donald Trump has stumbled into a geopolitical trap that previous administrations deliberately avoided, according to analysis by political show host David Pakman comparing Trump's approach to Iran with policies pursued by the Obama and Biden administrations.

Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed that both the Obama and Biden administrations spent years resisting pressure from Israeli leadership to launch preemptive military strikes against Iran. Obama refused repeated calls for action, instead pursuing diplomacy that produced the Iran nuclear agreement. Biden similarly rejected pressure for escalation after the October 7 attacks, reportedly coming within thirty minutes of authorizing a preemptive strike before deciding against it.

Trump took a different path, with his administration launching military action against Iran—the exact scenario his predecessors had worked strategically to avoid.

The danger lies in an asymmetric cost dynamic. Iran can wage conflict far more cheaply than the United States, deploying $20,000 drones while the U.S. responds with $4 million Patriot interceptors. This imbalance allows weaker adversaries to drain resources from stronger ones over time, Pakman noted.

Experts warn that Trump may have succumbed to the same pattern that characterized his first term—believing flattering foreign leaders who promised dramatic breakthroughs, as happened with Putin and Kim Jong Un. The administration now faces a painful choice: commit to prolonged costly conflict or execute a politically humiliating exit.

Trump ridiculed for 'sending out invitations to WWIII' as he 'pleads' allies for Iran help

President Donald J. Trump spurred a variety of alarmed reactions on Saturday after he asked other countries to help the U.S. with the Iran war amid escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

"The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way," Trump wrote, before shifting to call for international cooperation. He urged countries reliant on oil transit through the strait to "take care of that passage," promising substantial U.S. assistance and coordination to ensure "everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well." Trump framed the effort as a long-overdue "team" approach that would foster "Harmony, Security, and Everlasting Peace!"

The post drew immediate online backlash, with critics highlighting what they saw as a glaring contradiction: claiming total Iranian defeat while seeking help to secure the vital waterway, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil flows.

Professor Phillips P. O'Brien, a noted historian and strategist, described the message as "a work of art" worthy of preservation. He pointed out the irony: if Iran's military capability is "100% destroyed," why plead with frequently insulted allies to intervene in the Gulf?

Online reactions spread rapidly. PatriotTakes, which monitors right-wing extremism, quipped that Trump was "sending out invitations to WWIII."

MS NOW's Chris Hayes called it an "instant classic."

Detractors mocked the pivot as evidence of overreach in the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, where recent airstrikes—including on Kharg Island's military targets—have disrupted shipping but not fully neutralized threats like mines or asymmetric attacks. Supporters, however, viewed it as pragmatic leadership, emphasizing U.S. dominance and the need for shared burden in global security.

The statement also underscores broader challenges in Trump's foreign policy approach: bold claims of triumph paired with appeals for multilateral support in a region where unilateral action has proven costly. As oil prices surge and tanker traffic remains vulnerable, the post highlights the delicate balance between projecting strength and acknowledging real-world limitations in securing critical chokepoints.