RawStory

US News

Trump's blistering ultimatum over the Strait of Hormuz astonishes analysts

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.

Keep reading... Show less

Trump just gave Iran a way to inflict 'economic pain' for the foreseeable future: expert

President Donald Trump appears to have given Iran a way to inflict economic pain across the globe for years to come, according to one expert.

Josh Lipsky, senior director of The Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center, argued during a new CNN interview on Saturday that Iran has learned it can cause significant economic damage by controlling the Strait of Hormuz, and that the regime could leverage that for the foreseeable future. Lipsky noted that Iran learned this lesson after Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu started bombing Iran in late February.

Keep reading... Show less

House Democrat smacks down Trump's rambling ICE threat: 'This man can't win'

A House Democrat smacked down President Donald Trump's rambling threat to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports nationwide.

Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday that he is considering sending ICE officers to conduct security screenings at airports as negotiations to reopen part of the Department of Homeland Security seem to have stalled.

Keep reading... Show less

'Yes I have!' Trump throws a tantrum on Truth Social about critical New York Times report

President Donald Trump threw a tantrum on Truth Social on Saturday about a New York Times column that was critical of his strategy in the war in Iran.

The New York Times's White House and National Security Correspondent, David Sanger, reported that Trump is "eyeing an exit" from the war in Iran, but added that the president appears not to have "decided whether to take it." Sanger's report apparently didn't sit well with Trump, who raged at Sanger personally in a new Truth Social post.

Keep reading... Show less

'ICE is ready to go': Trump threatens 'incompetent' Dems as DHS funding talks stall out

President Donald Trump threatened "grossly incompetent" Democrats in Congress on Saturday that he is ready to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports across the country after talks to reopen the Department of Homeland Security fell through.

DHS has been partially shut down for more than a month, meaning some employees, including those in the Transportation Security Administration, haven't been paid. In turn, security lines at airports have become a matter of public concern. Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier on Saturday that he would send ICE agents to conduct security checks while negotiations continued.

Keep reading... Show less

Conservative analyst floored as Trump unleashes his 'most grotesque' outburst yet

Conservative analyst Bill Kristol was floored on Saturday after President Donald Trump unleashed his "most grotesque" outburst yet.

Trump posted on Truth Social that he is "glad" former FBI Director and Special Counsel Robert Mueller had passed away over the weekend. Mueller, who had been battling Parkinson's disease, led the 2016 investigation into ties between Trump's presidential campaign and the Russian government, and issued a report that concluded the Russians favored Trump to win, even though it stopped short of calling the efforts "collusion."

Keep reading... Show less

IAEA chief calls for ‘restraint’ after reported strike on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog issued a fresh demand for restraint on Saturday after the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran announced that the Shahid Ahmadi-Roshan uranium enrichment complex in Natanz “was subjected to a renewed attack” as the United States and Israel continue to bomb the Middle Eastern country.

The Iranian agency said that “technical assessments indicate that no radioactive material leakage has occurred and there is no danger to residents of the surrounding areas,” but the attack was a “violation of international laws and commitments,” including the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Keep reading... Show less

Analyst flags surprising reason US allies stopped trying to find Trump's 'hidden logic'

A foreign policy analyst flagged the surprising reason why U.S. allies seem to have stopped trying to find the "hidden logic" behind President Donald Trump's war in Iran.

Anne Applebaum, an author and staff writer for The Atlantic, argued in a new Substack essay that Trump appears to be the only world leader who doesn't understand why no other countries have helped the U.S. reopen the Strait of Hormuz after the war in Iran began in late February. The Iranian regime has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz to U.S. and Israeli trade ships after the two countries began bombing Iran.

Keep reading... Show less

Trump admin is about to make Iran's 'escalation trap' much more dangerous: expert

A political scientist said on Saturday that the Trump administration's "stunning" gaps in its Iran strategy just made Iran's "escalation trap" much more dangerous.

Robert Pape, a political scientist at the University of Chicago, argued during a recent interview on MS NOW's "Alex Witt Reports" that if the Trump administration decides to deploy ground troops in Iran, then the regime will start killing civilians in other countries like France and Germany with their long-range missiles. Pape said Iran has been telegraphing this move with its posture, and it isn't clear whether the Trump administration has picked up on this signal yet. Pape described these steps in a recent Substack essay as Iran's "escalation trap."

Keep reading... Show less

Bernie Sanders to take it to Trump in fiery address at 'No Kings' protest

US Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Saturday that he is set to headline two major rallies next weekend “as part of a growing national movement challenging oligarchy and economic inequality,” including the flagship “No Kings” rally at the Minnesota State Capitol.

The Vermont Independent plans to join other progressive elected officials, labor leaders, and organizers in Minneapolis on the afternoon of Saturday, March 28, as Americans hold more than 3,000 related No Kings events across the United States.

Keep reading... Show less

Trump's ‘disgusting’ celebration of Robert Mueller’s death sparks immediate backlash

Within minutes of news breaking Saturday of former FBI Director Robert Mueller’s passing, President Donald Trump took to social media to celebrate his death in a shocking social media post, sparking immediate backlash from critics who called the president’s language “disgusting and despicable.”

“Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

Keep reading... Show less

‘No more games!’ Trump escalates threat to deploy ICE nationwide with strict deadline

President Donald Trump doubled down on his threat to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports nationwide on Saturday by issuing Democratic lawmakers a strict deadline for action, warning that if his demands were not met by Monday, he would make good on his threat.

“If the Democrats do not allow for Just and Proper Security at our Airports, and elsewhere throughout our Country, ICE will do the job far better than ever done before! The Fascist Democrats will never protect America, but the Republicans will,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

Keep reading... Show less

‘I’m glad he’s dead’: Trump cheers Robert Mueller’s passing with tone-deaf message

President Donald Trump took to social media Saturday to celebrate the death of Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who famously led the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

“Robert Mueller just died,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people! President DONALD J. TRUMP”

Keep reading... Show less