The contrast between the 2015 &#8220;fleecing&#8221; of America and the 2026 &#8220;reality check&#8221; in Islamabad couldn&#8217;t be more stark. While then-Secretary of State John Kerry famously treated Iranian negotiators like esteemed colleagues, Vice President JD Vance just treated them like a landlord dealing with a delinquent tenant who thinks he owns the building.
The difference isn&#8217;t just in the tone — it’s in the fundamental understanding of what a &#8220;deal&#8221; actually looks like.
In 2015, John Kerry and former President Barack Obama&#8217;s administration operated on a philosophy of &#8220;delay.&#8221; As Tennessee GOP senator Bob Corker <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/23/john-kerry-republicans-senate-iran-nuclear-deal#:~:text=Addressing%20Kerry%2C%20Corker%20said%3A%20%E2%80%9C,to%20Congress%20being%20a%20pariah.%E2%80%9D">said</a> to Kerry, “From my perspective, Mr. Secretary — I’m sorry — not unlike a hotel guest that leaves with only a hotel bathrobe on his back, I believe you have been fleeced.” Idaho GOP Senator Jim Risch echoed, “With all due respect, you guys have been bamboozled and the American people are going to pay.”
Kerry’s deal codified the industrialization of Iran’s nuclear program while leaving its ballistic missiles and terror proxies untouched. His strategy was to front-load billions in sanctions relief, effectively handing a &#8220;cash bonanza&#8221; to the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, and just hoping they’d play nice for a decade.
Fast-forward to last week in Pakistan. Vance didn&#8217;t go in looking for a &#8220;legacy&#8221; or a &#8220;breakthrough&#8221; based on hope. He went in to <a href="applewebdata://9B063FA3-54C9-4ADA-857E-879EB2DFDC81/v">probe vulnerabilities</a>. When Vance walked out of that 21-hour marathon, he didn&#8217;t leave with a handshake; he left with a &#8220;best and final offer&#8221; that demands the total dismantling of Iran&#8217;s enrichment facilities and an end to their regional terror spree. When Tehran balked, President Trump didn&#8217;t offer a &#8220;secret side deal&#8221; — he announced a complete U.S. naval blockade of all Iranian ports.
The core failure of the Kerry era was the assumption that Iran shared a mutual interest in regional stability. As then-Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) stated in a <a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/rubio-campaign-press-release-10-things-that-every-american-should-be-concerned-about-the">comprehensive essay</a> attacking the agreement, “This deal empowers one of America&#8217;s most dangerous enemies and fundamentally weakens our security.”
President Trump has flipped the script. According to U.S. officials, the Islamabad talks revealed that the Iranian regime is delusional about its own standing. They walked into the room thinking they had leverage; they walked out realizing that the United States no longer considers their &#8220;nuclear ambitions&#8221; a subject for negotiation.
While Kerry was accused of &#8220;shadow diplomacy&#8221; and coaching the Iranians to &#8220;wait out&#8221; American resolve, the current administration has made it clear that time has run out.
The 2015 deal relied on &#8220;Section Q&#8221; — a weak inspection regime that gave Iran 24 days to cover its tracks. The 2026 red lines are unambiguous:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>Total cessation of all uranium enrichment.</li>
<li>Dismantling of all major facilities.</li>
<li>Zero funding for Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.</li>
<li>Unrestricted access to the Strait of Hormuz with no &#8220;illegal&#8221; tolls.</li>
</ul>
In 2015, John Kerry gave away the store for a temporary pause. In 2026, the United States is telling Iran that if they want to keep control over the store, they have to stop trying to blow it up.
As Trump put it, the meeting proved one thing: Iran is unwilling to give up its ambitions. But unlike the previous era of disgraceful campaigns of fear, this administration is betting that a naval blockade and a dose of reality will achieve what years of Kerry’s shoddy inspections never could.

Obama_Trump2

Vance Ain’t Kerry: The Trump Doctrine Vs. The Obama Doctrine On Iran

Iran

J.D. Vance

John Kerry

On Sunday, CBS’s &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; aired an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikjANzvFuks">interview</a> in which influential American Catholic cardinals criticized President Trump for his war against the tyrannical Iranian regime.
&#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; anchor Norah O’Donnell noted that Pope Leo XIV had “issued a rare condemnation of President Trump&#8217;s threat to destroy Iranian civilization,” adding, “The Pope called it ‘truly unacceptable.’ He also took the unusual step of issuing a call to action.”
She pointed out that in a Palm Sunday homily, the Pope appeared to reference the religious language used by War Secretary Pete Hegseth to frame the Iran war, warning that Jesus does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war. She then asked, “Is this a just war?”
Washington, D.C., Cardinal Robert McElroy replied bluntly, “No. Under Catholic teaching, this is not a just war. Catholic faith teaches us that there are certain prerequisites for a just war. You can&#8217;t go for a variety of different aims. You have to have a focused aim, which is to restore justice and restore peace. That&#8217;s it.”
“Iran has been the chief exporter of terror. Is there no scenario in which preventing that can be a just war?” O’Donnell pressed.
“It&#8217;s an abominable regime. And it should be removed,” McElroy answered. “But this is a war of choice that we went to, and I think it&#8217;s embedded in a wider moment in the United States that&#8217;s worrying, which is this: We&#8217;re seeing before us the possibility of war after war after war.”
“We&#8217;re dehumanizing the victims of war by turning the suffering of people and the killing of children and our own soldiers into entertainment,” Cardinal Blaise Cupich of Chicago claimed.
“You called it sickening,” O’Donnell interjected.
“It is sickening,” he replied. “To splice together movie cuts with actual bombing and targeting of people for the purposes of entertainment is sickening. This is not who we are. We&#8217;re better than this.”
In March, McElroy, a frequent critic of the president, <a href="applewebdata://E7896B1D-1B6C-41A3-B04C-EA115012CA33/v">stated</a> that the U.S. war against Iran was not a morally legitimate conflict “because our country was not responding to an existing or imminent and objectively verifiable attack by Iran. &#8230; The criterion of right intention is not met in our country’s decision to attack Iran. &#8230; our current war effort does not meet Catholic just war teaching because it is far from clear that the benefits of this war will outweigh the harm which will be done.”

ITALY-VATICAN-US-RELIGION-POPE-PRESSER

Catholic Bishops Echo Pope, Blast Trump For War Against Iran

Catholic Church

Donald Trump

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman appeared on CNN this past Saturday to offer a masterclass in the paralyzing pathology of the modern Left: he is so consumed by his visceral hatred for Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu that he is &#8220;torn&#8221; over whether he actually wants to see a genocidal, terror-sponsoring regime in Iran defeated.
&#8220;I really want to see Iran defeated militarily,&#8221; Friedman admitted, acknowledging that the regime is &#8220;terrible&#8221; for its people and the region. But the &#8220;enlightened&#8221; foreign policy dean immediately hit a wall of his own making. &#8220;The problem is I really don&#8217;t want to see Bibi Netanyahu or Donald Trump politically strengthened by this war because they are two awful human beings.&#8221;
For Friedman, the prospect of two democratically elected leaders—whom he smeared as &#8220;alleged crooks&#8221; and &#8220;terrible, terrible people&#8221;—achieving a geopolitical victory is apparently a fate worse than the continued survival of the Ayatollahs.
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Don’t want Iran to lose if it means Trump wins. <a href="https://twitter.com/tomfriedman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TomFriedman</a> of <a href="https://twitter.com/nytimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYTimes</a> really wants “to see Iran defeated militarily because this regime is a terrible regime for its people and the region,” but on CNN’s <a href="https://twitter.com/smerconish?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Smerconish</a> he fretted “the problem is I really don’t want to see Bibi… <a href="https://t.co/rgPngGXkGc">pic.twitter.com/rgPngGXkGc</a>
&mdash; Brent Baker 🇺🇲🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@BrentHBaker) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentHBaker/status/2043048290523005341?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
The Left would rather watch the world burn than allow their political opponents to claim a win. Friedman’s obsession with Netanyahu isn&#8217;t a new development; it’s a long-documented fixation that frequently veers into the deranged.
Friedman has been railing against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for years; he has denounced the concept of Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria (the so-called “West Bank”), <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/30/opinion/dead-man-walking.html">calling</a> Israeli settlements a “cancer for the Jewish people.”
After President Trump announced that he was going to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, Friedman <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssTZuFWNKSc">slammed the decision</a>, saying the United States should have demanded concessions from Netanyahu before committing to the move. In 2023, as a historic normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia loomed, Friedman didn&#8217;t see an opportunity for Middle East stability. Instead, he wrote a column encouraging the Saudis to snub the deal because he deemed Netanyahu&#8217;s right-wing government &#8220;not normal.&#8221;
Friedman’s rhetoric has often crossed the line from policy critique into personal vilification. As the Algemeiner <a href="applewebdata://36DA76B4-D3E7-4476-B970-DEE10AE85A1F/Algemeiner">pointed out</a>, he has previously likened Netanyahu to a &#8220;dog&#8221; and an &#8220;alcoholic,&#8221; echoing tropes that are deeply offensive in the Middle Eastern context. He famously justified the Obama administration’s condescension toward Israel by stating, &#8220;friends don&#8217;t let friends drive drunk,&#8221; even while that same administration was busy sending billions in sanctions relief to Tehran.
Friedman represents a pundit class that views the world through a narrow straw of personal grievance. To him, the &#8220;physics&#8221; of Middle East peace are a game of tic-tac-toe that only he can solve, yet his solution is always the same: marginalize the conservative leaders he despises, even if it means leaving a vacuum for real monsters to fill.
Friedman’s loathing for Trump and Netanyahu has become his primary North Star, overriding even the desire to see a murderous regime in Iran brought to its knees. If a victory for the West means a victory for his political enemies, Friedman would apparently rather the West didn&#8217;t win at all.

The Boys’ Club of New York Ninth Annual Winter Luncheon

If You Can’t Root For The U.S. Against Iran, What Exactly Are You Rooting For?

Benjamin Netanyahu

The New York Times

Thomas Friedman

President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the United States Navy would begin blockading the Strait of Hormuz, effectively sealing off Iran’s primary maritime artery, an action that will cripple the Iranian regime&#8217;s capacity to resist the United States.
“The meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not,” President Trump stated. “Effective immediately, the United States Navy &#8230; will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz.”
The president characterized Iran’s maritime behavior as “WORLD EXTORTION” and warned that any vessel paying an “illegal toll” to Iran would be denied safe passage. “Our Military will finish up the little that is left of Iran!” he added, noting that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) will begin full enforcement on Monday, April 13, at 10:00 a.m. ET.
While the military rhetoric is sharp, Miad Maleki, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and former U.S. sanctions strategist, warns that the economic consequences for Tehran will be absolute. Maleki calculates that the blockade will inflict roughly $435 million in combined economic damage every single day—totaling a staggering $13 billion per month.
According to Maleki, over 90% of Iran’s $109.7 billion in annual trade transits the Persian Gulf. With oil and gas accounting for 80% of government export earnings and 23.7% of the national GDP, the closure of the Strait &#8220;zeroes this out overnight.&#8221;
The statistics provided by Maleki paint a grim picture for Iran’s energy infrastructure. Kharg Island, which handles 92% of the country’s crude exports, generates between $53 billion and $78 billion in annual revenue. Under the blockade, the 1.5 million barrels per day Iran was exporting—valued at $139 million daily at wartime prices—will cease entirely.
Furthermore, the petrochemical sector, which saw $19.7 billion in exports over a nine-month period in 2024/25, faces a daily loss of $54 million. Maleki notes that Iran’s non-oil exports, including minerals and metals, will lose another $79 million per day.
The blockade targets the heart of Iranian logistics. The Shahid Rajaee port handles 53% of all cargo operations, while Imam Khomeini handles 58% of basic goods imports. Maleki argues that Iran’s attempts to bypass the Strait are &#8220;negligible.&#8221; The Jask bypass operates at only 70,000 barrels per day—a fraction of its intended 1 million barrel capacity—and the five Caspian ports combined can only handle 11 million tons of cargo compared to the 220 million tons that move through the Gulf.
The internal impact is expected to be catastrophic. With food inflation hitting 105% in February 2026 and rice prices up sevenfold, the loss of $159 million in daily imports will accelerate a total currency collapse. The rial has already plummeted to 1.5 million per dollar, forcing the regime to issue a 10-million-rial banknote worth a mere $7.
Perhaps most critically, Maleki points to a &#8220;storage clock.&#8221; Iran has roughly 20 million barrels of spare onshore storage capacity. At current production levels, this will fill in just 13 days. Once full, Iran must &#8220;shut in&#8221; its wells. Maleki warns this could cause &#8220;water coning,&#8221; permanently destroying 300,000 to 500,000 barrels per day of production capacity. This would result in a permanent loss of $9 billion to $15 billion in annual revenue, even if the blockade eventually ends.
&#8220;The blockade,&#8221; Maleki concludes, &#8220;makes continued resistance economically impossible.&#8221;
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1/10 The U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would cost Iran approximately $276M/day in lost exports and disrupt $159M/day in imports, a combined economic damage of ~$435M/day, or $13B/month.
Over 90% of Iran&#39;s $109.7B in annual trade transits the Persian Gulf. Oil/gas… <a href="https://t.co/fOwhRltQhv">https://t.co/fOwhRltQhv</a>
&mdash; Miad Maleki (@miadmaleki) <a href="https://twitter.com/miadmaleki/status/2043456536454836467?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
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US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Trump Calls Iran’s Bluff. Now He’s Going Straight For The Jugular

Crude Oil

Economy

Global Politics

Strait of Hormuz

World

Showing why her own colleagues have long viewed her as the abrasive outlier of the High Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor — who said in 2001, &#8220;I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn&#8217;t lived that life&#8221; —  recently decided that the hallowed traditions of Supreme Court protocol are secondary to her own progressive &#8220;lived experience.&#8221;
Speaking at the University of Kansas, the &#8220;Wise Latina&#8221; took a <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/sotomayor-faults-kavanaugh-over-immigration-stops-concurrence">verbal sledgehammer</a> to Justice Brett Kavanaugh, violating the unwritten rule that judicial disagreements stay within the mahogany walls of One First Street.
Sotomayor’s target was a concurrence Kavanaugh wrote regarding an emergency order on immigration enforcement. While Kavanaugh noted that brief stops for legal residents are typically just that—brief—Sotomayor went for the jugular, and she made it personal. Mocking Kavanaugh’s upbringing, she sneered, “This is from a man whose parents were professionals. And probably doesn’t really know any person who works by the hour.”
It was a stunningly low blow, even for Sotomayor. By attacking Kavanaugh’s class and background rather than his legal reasoning, she didn&#8217;t just breach collegiality; she set it on fire. Supreme Court protocol dictates that justices attack the argument, not the man. But for Sotomayor, identity politics is the only North Star, even if it means suggesting a colleague is too &#8220;privileged&#8221; to understand the plight of the working man.
Of course, this isn&#8217;t Sotomayor’s first time playing the role of the &#8220;grating&#8221; colleague. Her history on the bench is littered with instances where her peers—on both sides of the aisle—have cringed at her antics. Even the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a fellow traveler on the Left, was known to <a href="https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/supreme-court/is-sotomayor-finding-her-voice-or-alienating-her-colleagues/#:~:text=(His%20entire%20concurrence%20is%20a,for%20Jim%20Crow%20%22shameful.%22">trade barbs</a> with Sotomayor in footnotes, frequently questioning her interpretation of the law.
In the Schuette case, Sotomayor’s fifty-eight-page dissent was so vitriolic that Chief Justice John Roberts felt compelled to write a separate concurrence just to call her out for making legal disagreements personal. At the time, even The New York Times admitted her voice was grating on her colleagues. Antonin Scalia was even less diplomatic, famously labeling her comparisons of certain modern policies to Jim Crow as &#8220;shameful.&#8221;
The Supreme Court relies on &#8220;institutional glue&#8221;—the handshake, the shared meals, the omertà of the conference room—to function. Sotomayor, however, seems intent on dissolving that glue. While Justice Amy Coney Barrett <a href="https://www.law.georgetown.edu/news/engaged-in-a-common-enterprise-u-s-supreme-court-justice-amy-coney-barrett-reflects-on-judicial-independence-transparency/#:~:text='An%20act%20of%20the%20will,do%20with%20time%20spent%20together.%E2%80%9D">recently noted</a> that collegiality is an &#8220;act of the will,&#8221; Sotomayor appears to have willed herself into a state of permanent grievance. By publicly slamming Kavanaugh’s character, she has signaled that she is no longer interested in being a judge among peers, but rather an activist-in-exile, writing children’s books and airing dirty laundry because she can&#8217;t win the legal argument.

The Constitutional Court Celebrates Women’s Day

‘Wise Latina’ Sotomayor Breaks SCOTUS Protocol To Trash Kavanaugh’s Pedigree In Public

Brett Kavanaugh

Courts

Sonia Sotomayor

Supreme Court

U.S.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday ordered the immediate expulsion of Spanish representatives from the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat. The move serves as a forceful assertion of Israeli sovereignty against a nation the prime minister characterized as a serial defamer of the Jewish state.
&#8220;Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who attack us,&#8221; Netanyahu declared. &#8220;Spain has defamed our heroes, the soldiers of the IDF, the soldiers of the most moral army in the world. Therefore, I have instructed today to remove Spain&#8217;s representatives from the coordination center in Kiryat Gat, after Spain has chosen repeatedly to stand against Israel. Those who attack the State of Israel instead of terrorist regimes will not be our partners regarding the future of the region. I am not willing to tolerate this hypocrisy and hostility. I do not intend to allow any country to wage a diplomatic war against us without paying an immediate price.&#8221;
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
“Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who attack us.
Spain has defamed our heroes, the soldiers of the IDF, the soldiers of the most moral army in the world.
1/4 <a href="https://t.co/c95fTDNXkW">pic.twitter.com/c95fTDNXkW</a>
&mdash; Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/2042596981600596128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The expulsion from the CMCC is a significant blow to Spain’s regional influence. Established in 2025 as the &#8220;nerve center&#8221; for Gaza’s post-war stabilization, the Kiryat Gat facility coordinates international aid and monitors ceasefire compliance under the oversight of U.S. Central Command. By removing Spain, Israel has effectively stripped Madrid of its seat at the table in shaping the region’s future.
The prime minister’s firm stance was echoed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar, who described Spain’s anti-Israel bias under President Pedro Sánchez as &#8220;obsessive&#8221; and &#8220;egregious.&#8221; He stated that for a long time, the Spanish government led by Sánchez &#8220;has been operating against the State of Israel in every way possible. Sánchez and his ministers level false blood libels against Israel and its army, defame and incite against Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu. The government of Spain has been attempting to harm us in international institutions, including repeated &#8211; and unsuccessful &#8211; attempts to push sanctions against us in the European Union. During the war against Iran, it acted against our interests and against the interests of our ally, the United States of America.&#8221;
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For a long time, the government of Spain under <a href="https://twitter.com/sanchezcastejon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sanchezcastejon</a> has been operating against the State of Israel in every way possible. Sánchez and his ministers level false blood libels against Israel and its army, defame and incite against Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu. The…
&mdash; Gideon Sa&#39;ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) <a href="https://twitter.com/gidonsaar/status/2042588466026844380?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Israeli MP Amichai Chikli delivered a more blistering rebuke:
<blockquote>
Let me remind you, Mr. Sánchez: Israel did not attack Lebanon, not on October 8 and not now. It was Hezbollah that opened fire in defense of its Iranian masters. Israel has no conflict with Lebanon. It is at war with the Iranian axis of evil, with Hezbollah, and with its enablers, including Maduro and you. You, Sánchez, chose to align yourself with this terror regime. By doing so, you have become a full partner in the oppression of the Iranian people and a full partner in the terror imposed by Hezbollah on Lebanon. 
And we will not forget how you cynically exploited the release of hostages, women and children, at the Rafah crossing to stage a public relations campaign for Hamas. Many European leaders are trapped in a profound moral vertigo that is dragging their nations toward the abyss. But in your case, this is not confusion. This is alignment. A deliberate alignment with Iran, with Hamas, with Hezbollah, with pure evil. There are no words to describe my contempt for you. You are a complete and utter zero.
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Pedro Sánchez will be remembered as the man whose face was etched by a terror regime that massacred tens of thousands of its own citizens onto a ballistic missile aimed at innocent civilians.
Let me remind you, Mr. Sánchez: Israel did not attack Lebanon, not on October 8 and not… <a href="https://t.co/71hT00WQQq">https://t.co/71hT00WQQq</a>
&mdash; עמיחי שיקלי &#8211; Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmichaiChikli/status/2042239894928474471?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2026</a></blockquote>
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This modern friction is viewed by many in Israel and elsewhere through the lens of Spain’s long and virulent history of antisemitism. For centuries, Spain has been a center of institutionalized Jewish persecution. History remembers the 1391 pogroms, in which thousands of Jews were murdered, and the infamous 1492 Alhambra Decree, which forced Jews into exile or forced conversion. Spain even pioneered &#8220;Limpieza de Sangre&#8221; (purity of blood) laws — a precursor to modern racial antisemitism — which barred those of Jewish descent from society regardless of their faith.
In recent years, the Sánchez government has revived these tensions by permanently withdrawing its ambassador from Tel Aviv and leading the charge to recognize a Palestinian state. Critics argue that Spain’s current foreign policy is merely a modern iteration of its historical hostility. By expelling Spain’s representatives, Netanyahu has sent a clear signal: Israel will no longer tolerate &#8220;hypocrisy&#8221; from a nation with such a checkered past.

Israeli PM Netanyahu Delivers Address To Joint Meeting Of U.S. Congress

Netanyahu Expels Spain From Gaza Coordination Hub: ‘I Am Not Willing To Tolerate This Hypocrisy’

antisemitism

Israel

Spain

Escalating his legal battle just weeks before a high-stakes federal trial, Elon Musk has <a href="https://betanews.com/article/musk-openai-lawsuit-damages-to-nonprofit/#:~:text=The%20lawsuit%20originally%20sought%20damages,go%20to%20OpenAI's%20nonprofit%20foundation.">amended his lawsuit</a> against OpenAI, demanding the immediate removal of CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman.
The revised filing, submitted this week, also seeks to force the artificial intelligence giant to abandon its for-profit structure and return to its nonprofit roots.
The case is <a href="https://medium.com/@fahey_james/elon-musks-bold-strike-against-openai-seeking-to-oust-sam-altman-and-greg-brockman-in-a-134-1f586f8f6005">scheduled</a> to go before a jury on April 27, 2026, in Oakland, California. The outcome could derail OpenAI’s planned initial public offering (IPO) and set a major precedent for how transformative technologies are governed.
In a strategic shift likely intended to neutralize claims that the lawsuit is fueled by personal greed, Musk’s amended complaint clarifies that he is not seeking to personally collect damages, estimated between $134 billion and $150 billion. Instead, Musk has requested that any recovered funds be directed to OpenAI’s nonprofit arm.
“He is asking the court to return everything that was taken from a public charity,” said Musk’s attorney, Marc Toberoff. Musk reinforced this stance publicly on X, suggesting his sole intent is to restore the organization&#8217;s founding mission.
Musk has <a href="https://www.peoplematters.in/news/business/elon-musk-moves-to-oust-openai-ceo-sam-altman-as-legal-fight-escalates-49152">alleged</a> that Altman and Brockman &#8220;manipulated and misled&#8221; him into providing roughly $38 million in seed funding between 2015 and 2018, based on assurances that OpenAI would remain a non-profit dedicated to open-source artificial general intelligence for the benefit of humanity.
Instead, Musk argues, the leadership engaged in a &#8220;wealth machine&#8221; scheme, effectively turning OpenAI into a &#8220;closed-source de facto subsidiary&#8221; of Microsoft. The filing accuses the executives of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and racketeering, claiming they leveraged the reputational and tax benefits of a nonprofit to build a private entity now valued at more than $800 billion.
OpenAI has fired back, describing the lawsuit as a &#8220;frivolous&#8221; campaign driven by &#8220;ego, jealousy, and a desire to slow down a competitor.&#8221;
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Today, at the eleventh hour, Elon lodged a court filing pretending to change his tune about attacking the nonprofit OpenAI Foundation.
The truth is that this case has always been about Elon generating more power and more money for what he wants. Having increasingly realized that…
&mdash; OpenAI Newsroom (@OpenAINewsroom) <a href="https://twitter.com/OpenAINewsroom/status/2041648263078801765?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The company recently petitioned the attorneys general of California and Delaware to investigate Musk for alleged &#8220;anti-competitive behavior,&#8221; noting that Musk now operates his own rival AI firm, xAI.
OpenAI’s legal team argues that the pivot to a &#8220;capped-profit&#8221; model was a matter of survival, citing the astronomical costs of developing advanced AI systems, which it says could reach into the hundreds of billions of dollars. The company has also pointed to internal emails from 2017  suggesting Musk himself once supported a for-profit shift, provided he maintained majority control.
The case gained significant momentum in early 2026 following the discovery of the so-called &#8220;Brockman Diaries.&#8221; A handwritten 2017 journal entry by Brockman reportedly characterized the nonprofit structure as &#8220;a lie,&#8221; a piece of evidence U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers cited as critical for the upcoming trial.
The court has already confirmed that high-profile figures, including Altman and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, are expected to testify.
The conflict is rooted in OpenAI&#8217;s 2015 founding. Initially a pure research lab, the organization began shifting its structure shortly after Musk’s departure in 2018:
<ul>
<li data-path-to-node="18,0,0">2015: Founded as a nonprofit; Musk provides initial funding.</li>
<li data-path-to-node="18,1,0">2019: Creates a &#8220;capped-profit&#8221; subsidiary to attract investment, leading to a multi-billion dollar partnership with Microsoft.</li>
<li data-path-to-node="18,2,0">2025: Completes a restructuring into a for-profit public benefit corporation.</li>
<li data-path-to-node="18,3,0">Present: Prepares for a potential late-2026 IPO at a valuation exceeding $850 billion.</li>
</ul>
Legal experts suggest the trial&#8217;s implications reach far beyond a personal feud. A victory for Musk could force OpenAI to restructure and raise new questions about nonprofit governance and donor intent. A win for Open AI could affirm the ability of a nonprofit to evolve into profit-generating enterprises despite donor objections.

Elon Musk and OpenAI

Musk Says The AI Shaping Your Life Pulled A $800B Bait-And-Switch

Elon Musk

Lawsuit

Open AI

Sam altman

On the eve of the deadline President Trump has set for the despotic Islamic Iranian regime to negotiate an end to the war, former Crown Prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi issued a plea for the Iranian army to oust the regime and its terrorist IRGC, and begin a new era for his country.
“To the armed forces of Iran: You are the heirs to the legacy of the patriotic and honorable commanders of this land, from Ariobarzanes, Bahram Chobin, and Surena, to Babak Khorramdin, Ya’qub Leyth, and Mazyar to Jahanbani, Khosrowdad and Rahimi,” he began.
Pahlavi’s list was a &#8220;Who&#8217;s Who&#8221; of Iranian military legends and patriots, which spans over 2,000 years. They all fought as fearless commanders who defended Iran against foreign invasion or internal collapse.
Ariobarzanes led a last-stand defense at the Persian Gates against Alexander the Great in 330 BC. Though heavily outnumbered, his fierce resistance nearly halted the Macedonian advance on Persepolis. Surena was the general who humiliated Rome at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC. Bahram Chobin, in 590, defeated the Göktürks.
Babak Khorramdin — a major symbol of Iranian national identity and resistance to Arab rule — led the Khorramites in a 20-year rebellion against the Abbasid Caliphate in the 9th century. Ya’qub Leyth is credited with reviving the Persian language in his court in the 9th century and reclaiming much of Iran from the Abbasids. Mazyar fought against the Abbasid Caliphate to preserve Iranian autonomy in the 9th century.
Jahanbani, Khosrowdad, and Rahimi were high-ranking generals of the Imperial Iranian Armed Forces during the 1979 Revolution. They were among the first executed by the Islamic revolutionary courts.
“How can you remain silent and inactive in the face of the brazen presence and boasts of foreign agents and criminals affiliated with the Islamic Republic in the streets of Iran from Hashd al-Shaabi and Hezbollah of Lebanon, to Afghan and Pakistani terrorists?” Pahlavi continued. “Before your very eyes, the Islamic Republic and its terrorist, repressive IRGC have slaughtered tens of thousands of the purest and bravest sons and daughters of this country, and each day sent more to their deaths.”
“These occupiers of Iran’s soil, driven by a destructive and apocalyptic madness, have brought the country to the brink of ruin,” he declared. “How have you closed your eyes to these realities and withdrawn from your duty to defend the nation and the people? How will history — and future generations of Iran — judge you? Remember your national and patriotic oath and commitment. Step forward. Defend the honor and credibility of Iran’s national army against the Islamic Republic and its foreign mercenaries.”
“And to you, the great nation of Iran: with a loud voice, demand that the army fulfill its national role,” he importuned. “Call on them to carry out their duty to the homeland and the people. Before it is too late, stand together with the nation and save Iran. Long live Iran.”
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Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi on Tuesday called on members of Iran’s army to step in against the Islamic Republic and stand with the Iranian people, urging them to uphold what he described as their national and patriotic duty and asking the public to demand that the… <a href="https://t.co/z9L7QkFD90">pic.twitter.com/z9L7QkFD90</a>
&mdash; Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) <a href="https://twitter.com/IranIntl_En/status/2041608940669075568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
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FRANCE-IRAN-ISRAEL-CONFLICT

Pahlavi Implores Iranian Military To Engineer Coup Before Trump’s Bombing Deadline

Reza Pahlavi

In a report that has sparked significant public outcry, GB News has revealed that British taxpayers are footing a massive legal bill for two convicted child sex predators.
Cousins Manzorr Hussain and Imtiaz Ali were sentenced in December 2025 to a combined total of 58 years in prison for a horrific campaign of grooming and sexual abuse against five vulnerable girls. However, exclusive findings show that the defense for these heinous crimes was funded by the very public the criminals victimized.
“Ali began abusing the girls with his relatives shortly after his arrival in the UK from Pakistan in 1996. &#8230; One victim tearfully read her impact statement from the witness box, shielded by screens from the defendants in the dock,” ITV News <a href="https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2025-12-08/jailed-groomers-branded-scum-of-the-earth-in-court-by-victim">reported</a>. “The woman said some men would come to her school to pick her up and she suffered three years of rape and sex abuse from the age of 13, leading to ‘30 years of shame.’ She added: ‘You are nothing better than pedophiles, rapists and scum of the earth. You are the lowest of the low.’”
According to Freedom of Information requests obtained by the outlet, at least £150,000 in legal aid has been spent on the duo’s defense. Specifically, Ali — who was sentenced to 28 years for hosting &#8220;sick sex parties&#8221; where girls as young as 13 were plied with drugs and alcohol — received £71,111 in taxpayer-funded assistance. His cousin, Hussain, who was sentenced to 30 years for offenses including arranging for a girl to perform sex acts for strangers on a dirty mattress, was granted nearly £80,000.
GB News highlighted the irony of these figures, noting that the abuse began shortly after Ali arrived in Britain from Pakistan. The report emphasizes that the £149,888 total currently accounted for — roughly $200,000 — may only be the beginning; the Legal Aid Agency indicated that they are still awaiting further claims from legal representatives, suggesting the final cost to the public will likely climb higher.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨BREAKING: The British government are paying money to pakistani grooming gang rapists for legal fees.
This is literally INSANE. <a href="https://t.co/xfur6ao4VP">pic.twitter.com/xfur6ao4VP</a>
&mdash; God Save Great Britain (@GSGB01) <a href="https://twitter.com/GSGB01/status/2041485473235800138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
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JAILED: Cousins gang rape children. 
Two men get 30 &amp; 28 years for 1990s grooming and rape of children.
Manzorr Hussain: 7 rapes, 6 indecent assaults. Imtiaz Ali: 5 rapes, indecent assaults.
They groomed victims with alcohol, drugs, money and lifts before raping them.
-… <a href="https://t.co/8Di21Y1N5x">pic.twitter.com/8Di21Y1N5x</a>
&mdash; Imtiaz Mahmood (@ImtiazMadmood) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImtiazMadmood/status/2021958722394972573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
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While the legal aid system is designed to ensure a fair trial, the revelation that such vast sums were used to defend men who showed &#8220;no remorse&#8221; for &#8220;systematically abusing children&#8221; has drawn sharp criticism. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) <a href="https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/two-men-jailed-58-years-sexually-abusing-five-girls-bury#:~:text=Both%20defendants%20were%20adult%20men,to%20do%20what%20they%20wanted.">described</a> the case as one of the most appalling examples of organized child sexual exploitation, involving crimes committed between 1996 and 1999.
The CPS and Greater Manchester Police spent years meticulously building a case that finally brought the cousins to justice decades after their crimes. Prosecutors praised the bravery of the victims, who carried the trauma of the abuse for over twenty years.
However, for many viewers of the GB News report, the sense of justice provided by the long prison sentences is tempered by the news that the British public was forced to subsidize the legal defense of such heinous predators.

Justice is blind statue symbolizing law and legal system with United Kingdom of Great Britain nad Northern Ireland flag in the background.

Taxpayers Funded Defense For Muslim-Linked Child Predators — And Bill Isn’t Done Climbing

Child Sex Abuse

Crime

Great Britain

Muslim

After the Israel Defense Forces <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-israeli-strikes-hit-iranian-rail-and-kharg-island-israel-faces-ongoing-missile-attacks/#:~:text=Ahead%20of%20the%20strikes%2C%20the,economic%20damage%20to%20the%20regime.">targeted</a> railways and bridges inside Iran this week, a prominent Israeli military correspondent outlined what may be the likely strategy behind the strikes, one aimed at isolating the despotic Iranian regime and weakening its grip on power.
Itay Blumenthal of Kan 11 News said Tuesday that attacking Iran&#8217;s rail infrastructure could significantly hinder the regime&#8217;s ability to move forces across a vast country.
“Attacking the railways in Iran will make it difficult for Iranian forces to reinforce a huge country that is half the size of Europe,” Blumenthal noted. “In addition, there are attacks that seem to isolate Tehran from the rest of the country in terms of railway infrastructure — a step that will also help protesters take to the streets when necessary,” he <a href="https://t.me/SuliandItay/14154">added,</a> noting that roughly 10 rail segments had been hit.
The potential strategy points to a broader objective: constraining the regime&#8217;s ability to respond to internal unrest.
Iran&#8217;s government has repeatedly used force to suppress dissent. The tyrannical Iranian regime <a href="https://saf.org/gun-control-in-iran-was-failing-even-before-our-first-strike/#:~:text=Iran%20had%20some%20of%20the,and%20indirectly%20from%20the%20Ayatollah.">enforces</a> some of the world&#8217;s most repressive gun-control measures, with civilians facing a burdensome licensing process that includes military and psychological screening and results in a rejection rate of more than 93%. In May 2025, authorities intensified these restrictions, imposing 15-year prison sentences for unlicensed possession and targeting gunsmiths, trainers, and even air gun owners.
The Iranian regime has frequently used lethal force to consolidate power or crush dissent. Notable instances include: the 1988 massacre of political prisoners, which was, until 2026, the most notorious event in the regime&#8217;s history, as an estimated 30,000 people were summarily executed over a few months. &#8220;Death Commissions,” panels of judges (including current or former high-ranking officials) conducted minutes-long &#8220;trials&#8221; to determine if prisoners remained &#8220;steadfast&#8221; in their opposition. Those who did were sent to the gallows.
More recently, protests have been met with lethal force. In 2019, &#8220;Bloody November&#8221; occurred; a sudden hike in fuel prices triggered nationwide protests that were met with a near-total internet blackout and a &#8220;shoot-to-kill&#8221; policy. Reuters reported that security forces killed approximately 1,500 people in less than two weeks. In late 2022, following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the &#8220;Morality Police,&#8221; the regime launched a brutal crackdown in which more than 500 protesters (including dozens of children) were killed, and thousands were injured. Rights groups and medical professionals documented a pattern of security forces intentionally firing birdshot at the eyes of protesters, resulting in hundreds of cases of partial or total blindness.
And, of course, there was the brutal massacre in January of this year. “More than 36,500 Iranians were killed by security forces during a nationwide crackdown on protests on January 8 and 9, according to classified government documents and other evidence reviewed by Iran International’s Editorial Board,” Iran International <a href="https://www.iranintl.com/en/202601258745">reported</a>. “The figure, if confirmed, would make the crackdown the deadliest two-day massacre of protesters on record.”

U.S. And Israel Wage War Against Iran

The Real Strategy Behind Destroying Iran’s Railways And Bridges

Bridges

Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

Railways

The United States on Tuesday intensified its campaign against Kharg Island, underscoring its role as a critical center of gravity in the war with Iran.
Kharg Island is not merely a piece of land; it is the &#8220;jugular&#8221; of the Iranian state. Located roughly 21 miles off Iran&#8217;s coast, the island handles an estimated 90% to 96% of the country’s crude oil exports. Its primary value lies in its deep-water access, which allows &#8220;Supertankers&#8221; (VLCCs) to dock — something the shallow mainland coastline cannot accommodate. With storage tanks holding nearly 30 million barrels, Kharg is the source of half of Iran’s government revenue.
For the United States, neutralizing or seizing the island is a &#8220;silver bullet&#8221; strategy: without the hard currency generated there, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) loses the ability to fund its domestic operations, missile programs, and regional proxies.
The focus on Kharg Island mirrors a long-held strategic view expressed by Donald Trump decades before entering politics. In a 1988 interview with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/12/polly-toynbee-1988-interview-donald-trump">The Guardian</a>, Trump criticized the U.S. approach to Iran, stating: &#8220;One bullet shot at one of our men or ships and I’d do a number on Kharg Island. I’d go in and take it &#8230; It’d be good for the world to take them on.&#8221;
Decades later, that concept appears to be resurfacing in current strategy. By threatening to &#8220;take&#8221; the island rather than simply destroy it, the United States gains a massive bargaining chip. If the U.S. controls the &#8220;tap&#8221; at Kharg Island, it can dictate Iran’s economic survival without necessarily causing a permanent global environmental catastrophe.
During the Iran-Iraq War, Iraqi forces repeatedly bombed the island’s oil infrastructure specifically to weaken Iran’s economy, which shows how central it has long been to Iran’s war resilience.
“The U.S. has already struck various targets on the island, including air defenses, a radar site, the airport and a hovercraft base, according to satellite analysis by the Institute for the Study of War and American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project,” Military.com <a href="https://www.military.com/daily-news/2026/03/31/seizing-kharg-island-would-risk-us-troops-lives-and-may-not-end-iran-war-experts-say.html#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20reasons%20American,and%20artillery%20could%20be%20fired.">reported</a>. On Tuesday, a U.S. official confirmed a new wave of precision strikes on the island. <a href="https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-892327">Described</a> as &#8220;restrikes&#8221; on targets previously hit in March, the operation specifically targeted Kharg’s remaining air defense batteries (S-300/S-400 systems) and radar stations.
These strikes serve two purposes: By stripping away the island&#8217;s &#8220;Anti-Access/Area Denial&#8221; (A2/AD) capabilities, the United States is clearing the path for a potential amphibious assault. Additionally, the strikes occurred just hours before President Trump’s 8:00 PM ET deadline. The president has notably ordered the military to spare the actual oil loading jetties for now, signaling that the United States intends to preserve the infrastructure for a future &#8220;seize and hold&#8221; operation by the 5,000 Marines currently stationed in the Gulf.
Taking Kharg Island would be a &#8220;Joint Forcible Entry&#8221; operation of unprecedented complexity, requiring demining the approaches and conducting a &#8220;vertical envelopment&#8221; via Ospreys and paratroopers.
The logic remains the same as it was in 1988: if Tehran is the body, Kharg Island is the heart. By stopping the heart, the United States aims to end the regime&#8217;s ability to wage a prolonged war before the 8:00 PM deadline expires.

Satellite imagery of Iran

America Just Took Aim At The Source Of Iran’s Power

Kharg Island

U.S. Military

After President Donald Trump warned that the United States could target Iran’s energy infrastructure, critics overlooked that such strikes have been a standard practice of modern warfare for nearly a century.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” Trump posted Sunday on Truth Social. “There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F*ckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
He reiterated the warning Monday, telling reporters, &#8220;Every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o&#8217;clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again. I mean complete demolition by 12 o&#8217;clock, and it will happen over a period of four hours if we wanted to — we don&#8217;t want that to happen.”
Critics responded by warning such actions could violate international law. A spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned against targeting civilian infrastructure. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-NJ) accused Trump of proposing &#8220;mass war crimes,&#8221; arguing that destroying bridges and power plants would both harm innocent civilians and fail to reopen the Strait. Erika Guevara-Rosas of Amnesty International similarly <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/03/trump-warning-attack-iran-power-plants-is-threat-to-commit-war-crimes/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIntentionally%20attacking%20civilian%20infrastructure%20such,cause%20disproportionate%20harm%20to%20civilians.">stated</a> that attacks on power plants are &#8220;generally prohibited&#8221; and could be unlawful if they cause disproportionate civilian harm.
Yet targeting energy and infrastructure has long been a cornerstone of military strategy.
During World War II, during the <a href="https://dpaa-mil.experience.crmforce.mil/Projects/s/wwii/operation-tidal-wave">Ploești Raids</a> in 1943 (Operation Tidal Wave), U.S. bombers launched a high-risk raid on the Romanian oil refineries that supplied roughly 30% of Nazi Germany&#8217;s fuel. By 1944, <a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/0407twenty/">relentless bombing</a> of coal-to-liquid fuel plants (like those at Leuna) helped cripple German military operations due to fuel shortages.
In the Korean War, <a href="https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196085/strategic-bombing-new-flexibility/#:~:text=In%20the%20spring%20of%201952,specific%20high%2Dvalue%20economic%20targets.">Operation Pressure Pump</a> in 1952 saw U.S. forces attack major hydroelectric plants, knocking out roughly 90% of North Korea&#8217;s power grid and even causing blackouts in parts of China.
During the Vietnam War, in <a href="https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-017/h-017-2.html">Operation Rolling Thunder</a>, the U.S. targeted North Vietnamese petroleum, oil, and lubricant (POL) storage facilities. Later in the war, during Operation Linebacker, the U.S. used &#8220;smart bombs&#8221; (laser-guided) to strike the thermal power plants in Hanoi, significantly disrupting the city&#8217;s electricity.
In the 1991 Gulf War, U.S.-led coalition forces <a href="https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/infrastructure-targeting-and-postwar-iraq">destroyed</a> or disabled nearly 90% of Iraq&#8217;s national power grid within days. The United States used specialized &#8220;Graphite Bombs&#8221; (non-lethal wire-dropping canisters) to short-circuit electrical substations.
More recently, during the 2011 Libya intervention, NATO forces <a href="https://www.nato.int/en/news-and-events/articles/news/2011/07/06/nato-cuts-off-pro-qadhafi-access-to-fuel-in-brega?utm_source=chatgpt.com">targeted</a> fuel and logistics infrastructure (including refueling equipment) used by Muammar Gaddafi’s military. In the war against ISIS, Operation Tidal Wave II  <a href="https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/630352/oir-spokesman-coalition-cripples-isil-oil-distribution/">targeted</a> the oil infrastructure controlled by the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

U.S. Aircraft Operate At RAF Fairford In Gloucestershire

Echoes Of The Past: Why Trump’s Iran Threat Mirrors Past U.S. War Strategy

bombing

Infrastructure

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Hank Berrien