Trump is already preparing to wage war on the midterms because he is viscerally afraid of what a Democratic House would do to him. He knows that if Republicans lose the chamber, impeachment becomes not a threat but a calendar item—and if the Senate refuses to remove him, he will still be exposed as a politically crippled, humiliated lame duck. That terror drives everything: schemes to force last minute registration hurdles, weaponize proof of citizenship rules, drag federal agencies into partisan “verification,” and trample states’ constitutional control over elections. His purpose is brutally clear: strip Black, Hispanic, and immigrant communities of their voice, suppress opposition turnout, manufacture chaos, and cling to power by poisoning faith in the vote itself.
Today’s podcast guest is Daoud Kuttab, an award-winning Palestinian journalist and former Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University. He is author of State of Palestine NOW: Practical and logical arguments for the best way to bring peace to the Middle East.
In this episode, we discuss the deterioration of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process since the 1993 Oslo Accords, the failures of Israeli and Palestinian leaderships in the intervening years, and what steps can be taken now to revive the peace process and work toward realizing a Palestinian state.
Listen now; link in bio
Prime Minister Netanyahu does not seek a negotiated peace with the Palestinians; instead, he perpetuates constant hostilities as a means to incrementally seize ever more territory in the West Bank and Gaza—territory he knows he could never secure at the negotiating table.
Israel is committing crimes against humanity in broad daylight. In one single afternoon, several horrific human right violations in the West Bank have been perpetrated against the Palestinians: The forced emptying of entire hamlets after nights of attacks by masked settlers, escorted by soldiers, storming in, firing in the air, beating shepherds, and telling families their children will be killed if they do not flee; whole communities pack in the dark and abandon homes, herds, and memories. In others, settlers descend on villages during harvest, torching groves, smashing cars and water tanks, and assaulting farmers while soldiers stand by or join in; decades-old olive trees are left charred, a family’s only livelihood turned to ash in a single afternoon. This is and will always be Israel’s legacy.
The Enriched Uranium Mystery
In his address to the nation Wednesday evening, Trump briefly touched on Iran’s stockpile of 60 percent enriched uranium, claiming that US strikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites and stating that “it would take months to get near the nuclear dust,” presumably referring to the enriched uranium itself—a statement as absurd as it is woefully convoluted. The comment was emblematic of a speech full of exaggerations and distortions, casting further doubt on nuclear security.
Continue reading: alonben-meir.com/writing/bluster-without-strategy-trumps-ill-fated-iran-war/
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Refusing to Call It a War
In a bizarre twist in his address to the nation on Iran, Trump refused to call the ongoing conflict with Iran a “war,” preferring the term “excursion,” even as he compared it to Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The contradiction reflected both rhetorical manipulation and historical amnesia. His linguistic gamesmanship was meant to minimize accountability while evoking the stature of past commanders-in-chief. Instead, it exposed his incoherence—an effort to claim victory without admitting the moral and strategic costs of open warfare.
alonben-meir.com/writing/bluster-without-strategy-trumps-ill-fated-iran-war/
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French General tells U.S. administration to "stop sniffing cocaine between meetings."
Pray for our President and our Troops 🇺🇲
Soon the US will have no one left who is competent in command. Much like Hitler's view of the opinions of his professional militarists. The result will be the same as Trump and his MAGA sycophants cower in their bunker below their ballroom.
Trump’s address to the nation about the Iran war failed to persuade anyone beyond his devoted base that the war has strengthened America’s national security. Instead, it exposed a president struggling to control a conflict he couldn’t clearly define, projecting an unsettling portrait of confusion. At one moment, he celebrated “mission accomplished,” claiming victory over Iran’s military capabilities; at the next, he vowed to “finish the job.” His incoherent claims, shifting objectives, and self-congratulatory tone only deepened doubts about the logic and purpose of the conflict. His shifting justifications, exaggerated claims, and disregard for facts revealed not confidence but weakness, leaving even his closest advisers unclear about what victory means.
Read more in my latest article: alonben-meir.com/writing/bluster-without-strategy-trumps-ill-fated-iran-war/
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Last night I spoke with RTVI about Trump’s address to the nation on the war in Iran. He really said nothing in his speech; as usual with Trump, there were many contradictions, and, most importantly, he did not give any answers on when this war will end. There is still no direct contact between Iran and the United States, and negotiations have been on and off. Trump’s approach, of trying to humiliate the Iranian regime, is completely the wrong approach from a psychological perspective, and demonstrates how clearly Trump is out of his depth.
Watch the full interview (in Russian) here:
