Right and Left on SAVE

President Trump wants Congress to quickly pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act in time for this November’s midterm elections, when Republican control of the House and Senate are on the line.

Proponents say it would assure election integrity by requiring such identification as a driver’s license to vote.

Opponents say the SAVE America Act would severely restrict voting rights and that it is not a stretch to be concerned ICE and border agents will be deployed to guard and possibly restrict access to voting booths in major American cities during the midterms this November 3. The Trump Justice Department’s latest move is an order for Democratic-leaning Wayne County, Michigan, to provide election materials including ballots, ballot receipts and ballot envelopes from the November 2024 elections, per The Independent.

“Should Congress pass the SAVE America Act?” is subject of Debate & Donuts II, the new Talking With, Not At series sponsored by The Hustings and The Allen Theatre & Salamander Bookstore Café in Annville Township, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, April 22.

Confirm your attendance via info@theallentheatre.com or editors@thehustings.news.

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MONDAY 4/20/26

Iran War, Week Eight

President Trump addresses reporters on the South Lawn last week [WHITE HOUSE photo].

Another TACO Tuesday? – President Trump late Tuesday announced another ceasefire with Iran, this one indefinite on the heels of the about-to-expire two-week ceasefire, to give Iran’s leadership time to submit a response to US demands (per The New York Times). This ceasefire will last “until discussions are concluded, one way or another,” Trump said.

The US president appears to have blinked first. US negotiators to be led by Vice President JD Vance called off their flight to Islamabad for round two of negotiations after it became clear Iran had no intentions of sending its delegation. –TL

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TUESDAY 4/21/26

One-Sided Peace Talks – Vice President JD Vance was off to Islamabad, Pakistan Tuesday for peace talks with Iran, which had not yet sent a delegation, according to Semafor. Citing a “divided regime” from when the US and Israel took out Ayatollah Hossieni Khamenei two months ago, the report posits that Iran’s hardliners may be stalling, perhaps to demand an end to the US blockade.

Meanwhile, President Trump says he is “highly unlikely” to extend the two-week ceasefire with Iran, which is set to expire later Wednesday.

It seems apparent the new regime in Iran has read The Art of the Deal, and so it’s probably up to Trump to decide whether attacks actually resume by Thursday.

Good news first … The good news is that both the US and Iran want a peace deal, Financial Times chief foreign affairs commentator Gideon Rachman writes, but the bad news is they “distrust each other and remain far apart on all the crucial issues.”

•••

Fed Up Next – President Trump’s nominee to replace Jerome Powell (his previous nominee) as Federal Reserve chairman, Kevin Warsh, is a change agent ready to shake up the institution’s traditions. That’s the argument most Republicans were to take during Warsh’s Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, according to Axios.

Most Republicans except Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who says he will block Warsh’s confirmation until Trump’s Justice Department concludes its investigation of Powell and his alleged responsibility for cost and schedule overruns in renovating the Fed’s Washington headquarters.

Powell, whose term as chairman ends in May, has said he will not step down from that role until his replacement is named and he does not plan to resign from the Fed board before his term ends in 2028.

•••

Labor Secretary is Out – Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is leaving the Trump administration to take a job in the private sector, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a statement, (per The Hill). The department’s inspector general’s office has conducted a monthslong investigation into allegations of misconduct including allegations of an affair with a subordinate, using department resources for personal trips and suggestions of drinking during the workday.

Deputy Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling is acting secretary.

After a year with nary a change in the Trump cabinet, Chavez-DeRemer now joins former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ex-Attorney General Pam Bondi, who have left the administration in the last couple of months to pursue other interests.

•••

Patel Sues – FBI Director Kash Patel has filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and author Sarah Fitzpatrick for their article published last Friday, “The FBI Director is MIA.” In the article, Fitzpatrick cites colleagues alarmed by “episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences.”

•••

Deal On? – Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has not paid his $1.3 billion judgment to families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, still. At the end of the Biden administration, Jones successfully blocked sale of his Infowars -- from which he made up a pro-gun story about the Sandy Hook tragedy being a staged event with actors as those family members -- to Global Tetrahedron, parent of The Onion.

Now Global Tetrahedron says it has reached a provisional deal to assume control of Infowars, pending approval by a Texas judge. GT plans to revive Infowars as a parody of itself, something like Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report before Stephen Colbert was hired (and much more recently fired) as host of CBS’ The Late Show. –TL

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MONDAY 4/20/26

The Art of the Deal, No Deal – Iran says it will not attend a second round of negotiations set ahead of Wednesday’s expiration of its two-week ceasefire with the US, NPR’s Morning Edition reports, after the US seized an Iranian oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump had said Vice President JD Vance would lead the delegation along with special envoy Steve Witkoff and White House son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Dinosaurs not in the usual places … As strife in the Middle East rages on, Big Oil is spending big money on drilling sites in other regions, The Wall Street Journal reports.

These include ExxonMobil dropping $24 billion on deep water oil fields in Nigeria, Chevron expanding its Venezuelan footprint, BP’s purchase of oil blocks off the coast of Namibia and Total Energies signing an exploration deal with Turkey. The report quotes energy research and consulting firm Wood Mackenzie estimating creation of $120 billion in value from the new exploration over the coming years.

Gas pains … Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN’s Jake Tapper on State of the Union Sunday that gas prices have “likely peaked” but may not dip down below $3 per gallon “until next year.” After dipping below $100 per barrel during the two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, prices started to spike again Monday, Semafor reports.

Not so slowly … Asked about Wright’s comments on SOTU, Trump told The Hill in a brief phoner Monday, “No, I think he’s wrong on that. Totally wrong.”

So, how long will it take for gas to drop below three bucks?

Trump replied, “as soon as this ends.”

•••

AAA National Average Unleaded Regular, Monday: $4.076 per gallon, down 3.4 cents from Friday, up $1.045 over February 26. Diesel: $5.531 per gallon, down 6.2 cents from Wednesday, up $2.269 over February 27.

•••

Tariff Refund Time – The Trump administration began accepting requests Monday for tariff refunds forced by the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump (per The New York Times). In the ruling, SCOTUS said President Trump could not invoke the Economic Powers Act of 1997, which he used to impose a large portion of his tariffs last year. The federal government owes $166 billion, plus interest, in tariff refunds.

•••

Amen – “Nothing’s riding on this, except the First Amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press and maybe the future of the country.” – Ben Bradlee (played by Jason Robards), executive editor of The Washington Post warning Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) they had better get their reporting on Watergate right, in Alan J. Pakula’s film version of Woodstein’s All the President’s Men. NPR’s All Things Considered celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the movie’s release on Sunday. –Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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MONDAY 4/20/26

For Left and Right

The war in Iran essentially is over and we won, President Trump has said, though Iran appears to have dropped out of peace talks in Islamabad ahead of Wednesday’s expiration of a two-week US-Iran ceasefire.

Big Oil companies are looking for new, non-Middle East locations to drill for oil and the Trump administration’s energy secretary says high gas prices will linger into 2027.

Meanwhile, the federal government is about to dole out $166 billion plus interest to businesses that paid certain Trump tariffs in the last year.

And these are just the lead news stories from Monday’s front page.

The Hustings invites you to become a Citizen Pundit and email us your thoughts on these and other recent issues to editors@thehustings.news. Please indicate your political leanings in the subject line – we will post comments by those of you leaning right in this column and those of you leaning left in the other column.

And if you plan to be in the Lebanon, Pennsylvania area this Wednesday, April 22, please join us for Talking With, Not At… Debate & Donuts II at The Allen Theatre & Salamander Bookstore Café in Annville, Pennsylvania.

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MONDAY 4/20/26

On Orbán’s Defeat

Hungarian Preview of Our Own Midterms -- The world is sick of this s#*t. Orban may have lost due to his own horrible regime, but he finally managed to lose after 16 years when Trump decided he needed to bully not only his country but the world, start war after war, and do his best to eliminate democracy in the United States. Hungary is a preview of what Trump and the spineless Republicans are in for in the midterms. Let's hope we can limit the damage before that time comes. –K.E. Bell

•••

Going Quietly – I’m mildly surprised, though grateful, that Orban is going more quietly than Trump did in 2020/21. Just one more example of DJT’s gift for making nearly anyone look better by comparison. Is Trump privately furious, and contemptuous of Orbán’s “weak loser” concession? Or is he consciously scared by the outcome? – Hugh Hansen

•••

Your Comments on Viktor Orbán’s reelection loss to remain Hungary’s prime minister are welcome. Submit your comments to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings – right or left, conservative or liberal – in the subject line so we may post them in the proper column.

•••

Should Congress pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act? is the topic for Debate & Donuts II, second in our new Talking With, Not At series sponsored by The Hustings and The Allen Theatre & Salamander Bookstore Café in Annville Township, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, April 22.

Proponents say it would assure election integrity by requiring such identification as a driver’s license to vote.

Confirm your attendance via info@theallentheatre.com or editors@thehustings.news.

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TUESDAY 4/14/26

Iran War, Week Seven

Arch d’Trump is GO – The Commission on Fine Arts, hand-picked by the White House, Thursday unanimously approved the president’s massive triumphal arch in Washington near Arlington National Cemetery, Politico reports.

FRIDAY 4/17/26

UPDATE: The Strait of Hormuz is “fully open” to all commercial vessels according to a Truth Social post by President Trump and an X-Twitter post by Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghachi, The Associated Press reports Friday.

But… About 12 minutes following the above posts, Trump Truth Socialed that the US blockade of Iranian ports remains UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE. …

THIS PROCESS SHOULD GO VERY QUICKLY IN THAT MOST OF THE POINTS ARE ALREADY NEGOTIATED.

Meanwhile … New York Stock Market futures indicate a record day ahead as crude oil prices drop 10%, AP reports.

•••

Ceasefire Upon Ceasefire – Israel’s 10-day ceasefire on Lebanon announced Thursday appears to be holding, NPR’s Morning Edition reports, as thousands of families displaced from Southern Lebanon by the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah are returning to their homes, according to The New York Times. The two-week truce between the US and Iran due to end next week extends to Lebanon, Tehran said, building hopes the new ceasefire could remove a major hurdle to ending the war.

Meanwhile, President Trump says he could attend peace talks soon with Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan.

•••

Holy War – In his press conference Thursday, war/Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth compared “the legacy, Trump-hating press” (and not others, presumably MAGA-right bloggers and influencers) with the pharisees who persecuted Jesus.

Hegseth, who frequently quotes scriptures, earlier at a Pentagon prayer service repeated word-for-word Samuel L. Jackson’s Jules Winnfield-interpretation of Ezekiel 27:17 in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction.

On NPR’s Morning Edition former Republican congressman and Obama administration Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told A Martinez that we all have religious beliefs, but a Defense secretary should not impose his beliefs on young soldiers.

“It confuses the mission by introducing that element,” Panetta said.

Hegseth’s mission, in other words, seems to be Christian Nationalism v. Islamic Republic.

On the blockades … Panetta also told Martinez “there was no question,” his Defense Department and others pre-Trump planned for enemy closure of the Strait of Hormuz. “That was all in the plan for war with Iran,” he said.

•••

AAA National Average Unleaded Regular, Friday: $4.076 per gallon, down 3.2 cents from Thursday, up $1.079 over February 26. Diesel: $5.593 per gallon, down 2.1 cents from Thursday, up $2.331 over February 27. --TL

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THURSDAY 4/16/26

UPDATE: Lebanon, Israel Agree to Ceasefire – Lebanese and Israeli diplomats have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire after meeting in Washington earlier this week, The Hill reports. President Trump Truth Socialed Thursday he had an “excellent conversation” on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and has invited him to Washington to work out a permanent peace deal.

Hegseth Warns Iran Again – Iran should “choose wisely” or face US military “maximally postponed” to resume attacks, war/Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a Pentagon briefing Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reports. Hegseth told reporters the US blockade will continue as long as necessary, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said US military will “actively pursue” dark-fleet vessels aiding Iran, even those outside the Persian Gulf.

Ships sanctioned by the US already are subject to boarding, search and seizure according to United States Naval Forces Central Command, though up to now only those ships entering or exiting Iranian ports.

•••

Trump Threatens Powell Again – President Trump threatened to fire “incompetent” Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell – whom he nominated during his first term – in an exclusive interview Wednesday with Fox Business Mornings With Maria host Maria Bartiromo. Powell says he will remain Fed chairman past May if Trump’s nominee to succeed him, Kevin Walsh, is not confirmed by the Senate in time. What’s more, Powell’s seat on the Fed board runs to 2028.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) says he will “oppose the confirmation of any Federal Reserve nominee, including for the position of chairman, until the DOJ’s inquiry into Chairman Powell is truly and transparently resolved.”

The president plans to advise US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro (who is actively campaigning for the attorney general seat vacated by Trump's firing of Pam Bondi) to end the investigation of Powell regarding spending for Fed headquarters renovations “that I would have done for $25 million that’s going to cost maybe $4 billion. Don’t you think we have to find out what happened here?”

•••

Another War Powers Resolution Blocked – The Senate blocked Democrats’ fourth effort to impose a war powers resolution on the Trump administration’s incursion into Iran Wednesday by 47-52 vote, largely along party lines, CQ Roll Call reports. The vote killed a Foreign Relations Committee resolution by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) that would direct President Trump to “remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.”

As in the earlier resolutions, the two crossover votes were Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and John Fetterman (D-PA). Earlier this week, Democrats filed seven more war powers resolutions to force Republican senators on the record in coming weeks.

Unless more Republicans cross over in the coming weeks the Trump administration has to May 1 before the 1973 War Powers Resolution kicks in, Roll Call notes, in which the president must withdraw forces from military conflicts in 60 days if Congress has failed to authorize the war. This can be extended to 90 days – so, to June 1 – to safely withdraw US military forces.

•••

AAA National Average Unleaded Regular, Thursday: $4.108 per gallon, down 1.5 cents from Wednesday, up $1.111 over February 26. Diesel: $5.614 per gallon, down 2.1 cents from Wednesday, up $2.352 over February 27. --TL

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WEDNESDAY 4/15/26

Latest Mixed Messages on Iran War – There is a “high chance” Tehran will host a delegation of Pakistani mediators Wednesday in indirect talks with the US, spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry Esmail Baghei told a news conference in Tehran, The New York Times reports.

“Following the discussions that took place in Islamabad, as well as the talks the Pakistani side has had with the United States, our views have been conveyed, heard,” Baghei said.

Meanwhile on Fox Business’ Mornings With Maria Bartiromo, President Trump said the end of the war may be near, but not because of diplomacy.

“I think it’s over. I think it’s very close to being over,” Trump told Bartiromo, a refrain he has been repeating for weeks. “I don’t know how much longer they can survive. I don’t know how much longer they can go because they’re being hit very hard.

“We could take out every one of those bridges in one hour. We could take out their powerplants, electricity plants, in one hour. … We don’t want to do that, because some day you have to rebuild it, and it takes you 10 years to rebuild the bridges, even if you’re Trump, it takes a long time.”

It seems like there could be something to Jonathan Karl’s report on ABC’s Good Morning America last week that Trump had floated the idea of partnering with Iran to “manage and secure” traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

But Iran has threatened retaliation over the US naval blockade of its Strait of Hormuz ports, according to the NYT, while the US military says it has “completely halted” trade in and out of Iran by sea, with more than 10,000 US soldiers and dozens of airplanes and warships deployed.

•••

AAA National Average Unleaded Regular, Wednesday: $4.108 per gallon, down 1 cent from Tuesday, up $1.126 over February 26. Diesel: $5.635 per gallon, down 1.5 cents from Tuesday, up $2.373 over February 27.

•••

Meanwhile, World Economy – Global economic growth is projected to slow to 3.1% in 2026 and 3.2% in 2027 if the war in Iran and Lebanon remain limited in duration and scope, the International Monetary Fund says in its preliminary World Economic Outlook, “Global Economy in the Shadow of War” (hat tip to NPR’s Morning Edition). And global headline inflation is projected to rise modestly before resuming its decline in 2027 (NOTE: This means slowdown in the rate of inflation in ’27, not prices coming down.)

However … There are much greater “downside risks” if the conflict is longer, broader, and “worsening geopolitical fragmentation, a reassessment of expectations surrounding artificial intelligence-driven productivity or renewed trade tensions could significantly weaken growth and destabilize financial markets.”

The summary continues: “Elevated public debt and eroding institutional credibility further heighten vulnerabilities” though with economic gains from AI development a potential mitigation.

The IMF releases its full World Economic Outlook report at the end of April. –TL

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TUESDAY 4/14/26

Those Aren’t Scrubs – Donald J. Trump as Jesus marks the second time this year that the president has quickly removed a social media post. First was Trump’s video depicting the Obamas as apes, The Wall Street Journal's Politics newsletter notes. After immediate criticism as ‘blasphemy’ from right as well as left, Trump took down this image. He admitted it was his, saying “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor. Making people better. And I do make people better.”

•••

US, Iran to Try Again? – Peace talks between the US and Iran did not end with Vice President JD Vance’s 21-hour effort in Islamabad last weekend. Two anonymous Pakistani officials not authorized to speak officially told The Associated Press those first negotiations were part of an ongoing diplomatic process.

On Monday, two US officials said the next round could begin as early as this Thursday in either Islamabad or Geneva.

•••

AAA National Average Unleaded Regular, Tuesday: $4.118 per gallon, down 0.7 cents from Monday, up $1.136 over February 26. Diesel: $5.65 per gallon, down 0.2 cents from Monday, up $2.388 over February 27.

•••

Swalwell, Gonzales Out – Rather than face House Ethics Committee investigations over sexual misconduct allegations, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) Monday stepped down from the House of Representatives. A frequent Trump critic on cable news, the seven-term congressman withdrew as frontrunner in this year’s race for California governor after four women approached The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN with allegations of the congressman’s sexual misconduct.

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) announced Monday on X-Twitter he would resign Congress but did not specify the date. Gonzales faced a bipartisan expulsion effort later this week, Politico reports. Earlier this month, he admitted to an affair with a staff member, Regina Santos-Aviles, who later committed suicide.

Cal gov … Swalwell’s withdrawal from California’s gubernatorial race leaves seven Democrats and two Republicans vying for the June 2 primary, from which the two frontrunners will head into the November 3 election regardless of party. With Swalwell out, the two new frontrunners are also Democrats; former US Rep. Katie Porter and billionaire and former presidential candidate Tom Steyer. –Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

Editor’s Notebook on Hungary’s Elections – The outcome shows the limits of right-wing populism, and this American of Hungarian descent is glad to hear it! It’s an untimely defeat for Trump and renewed hope for Zelenskyy. The new Hungarian leader can earn friends in the EU if he endorses a package of aid to Ukraine. –Charles Dervarics

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TUESDAY 4/14/26

To SAVE or Not to SAVE

President Trump did not wait for Congress to take up a vote on his Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act when he issued a March 31 executive order to “strengthen election integrity by ordering citizenship verification for federal election and modernizing and securing mail-in and absentee ballot procedures through the United States Postal Service.”

Trump’s EO issued five days after the president voted by mail himself in a Florida special election for state representative for most of Palm Beach County (his endorsed candidate, Republican Jon Maples, lost to Democrat Emily Gregory). The EO ignores states’ constitutional authority to regulate and control their own voting procedures, prompting 23 Democratic-led states on April 3 to file suit to block it.

“The president wants to control your vote,” Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said in a statement (per The Hill). “He wants to tell the Postal Service what ballots they can accept and when. But this is patently unconstitutional. And come November, despite the president’s lawless threats, we’ll once again use that power to protect our democracy.”

Trump’s EO and the lawsuit will be part of the discussion in Debate & Donuts II, the new Talking With, Not At series sponsored by The Hustings and The Allen Theatre & Salamander Bookstore Café in Annville Township, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, April 22.

Our topic: “Should Congress pass the SAVE America Act”?

Proponents say it would assure election integrity by requiring such identification as a driver’s license to vote.

Confirm your attendance via info@theallentheatre.com or editors@thehustings.news.

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TUESDAY 4/14/26

To ‘SAVE’ or Not to ‘SAVE’

Our topic: “Should Congress pass the SAVE America Act”?

Proponents say it would assure election integrity by requiring such identification as a driver’s license to vote.

Confirm your attendance via info@theallentheatre.com or editors@thehustings.news.

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MONDAY 4/13/26

Iran War, Week Seven

Péter Magyar is Hungary’s new prime minister as his center-right Tisza party won a supermajority of parliament seats in Sunday’s elections. Losers in the race are authoritarian Viktor Orbán, PM since 2010, President Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Scroll this column for details. [PHOTO: Tisza]

• In the right column: Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay on Trump’s ‘Wins.’

• In the left column: Details on our next Talking With, Not At…

MONDAY 4/13/26

US Blockades Blockade – It appears the US Military blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as promised by President Trump has taken effect, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing a UK Maritime Trade Operations notice to mariners. Trump earlier said the US blockade of ships entering or exiting Iranian ports would take effect at 10 a.m. US Eastern Time Tuesday. [The UKMTO is affiliated with the British Royal Navy.]

“We, of course, support this firm stance and we are in constant coordination with the US," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement.

Spokesman for Iran Parliament’s National Security Commission Ebrahim Rezai responded to Trump’s threat that no port on the Persian Gulf or the Sea of Oman would be safe. Rezai called Trump’s threat “bluster” and said Iran would consider a US blockade an “act of war” to which it would respond, according to the WSJ.

“If they don’t come back,” Trump said of ceasefire talks with Iran, “I’m fine. Their military is gone, and their missiles are largely defeated.”

As a reminder, the US-Israeli war on Iran is in the middle of a two-week ceasefire Trump announced earlier last week ahead of peace talks between Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, White House son-in-law Jared Kushner and Iranian diplomats in Islamabad, Pakistan, last weekend.

The talks ended in futility Saturday after 21 hours of negotiations. Vance left Islamabad empty handed four days after he stumped for populist “defender” of “Western civilization” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s re-election.

“We have got to get Viktor Orbán reelected as prime minister of Hungary, don’t we?” Vance said.

Scroll down to read about how that turned out Sunday.

•••

AAA National Average Unleaded Regular, Monday: $4.125 per gallon, up $1.143 over February 26. Diesel: $5.652 per gallon, up $2.44 over February 27.

•••

Democracy Wins Hungary – There was speculation that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán would pull a Donald J. Trump circa December 2020-January 2021 and refuse to concede Sunday’s Hungarian elections. But the preternaturally MAGA – er, MHGA -- anti-immigrant populist leader, in office since 2010, told a crowd of his supporters the following, The New York Times reports:

“The result of the election, while not complete, is clear. The result of the election is painful for us, but clear. Voters did not give us the responsibility and the ability to govern. I’ve congratulated the victorious party.”

Orbán ominously added; “We will never give up. Never, never, never.”

Voter turnout topped 80%, highest since Hungary’s 1989 election to separate from what was left of the Soviet Union, NPR’s Rob Schmitz told Morning Edition.

The Respect and Freedom party, or Tisza for short, won 137 seats in Hungary’s parliament to Fidesz’s 55. Hungary’s new prime minister, Tisza’s Péter Magyar, resigned Fidesz himself two years ago to run largely on a promise to end the corruption that has enriched Orbán while devastating Hungary’s economy to make it the poorest in the European Union, by far.

Tisza’s two-thirds majority gives Magyar “basically free reins to undertake sweeping constitutional changes,” Abel Bojar, of the Budapest-based 21 Research Center political polling firm, told NPR’s All Things Considered Sunday. “And what we’re hoping at this point is that he will use that to re-democratize the country.”

Orbán and his Fidesz party were not the only losers in this election. By close association include as the election’s losers the Trump White House and Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) and Putin’s Kremlin, for which Orbán blocked 90 billion euros in aid to Ukraine from the EU just prior to the war’s fourth anniversary in February (per Financial Times).

Orbán’s Fidesz playbook will look familiar: His “illiberal democracy” stacked Hungary’s judicial system and nominally independent agencies with Fidesz loyalists and took control of the country’s news media outlets.

“We have done it,” Magyar told a crowd of supporters at a rally on the Danube River (NYT). “We have liberated Hungary and have taken back our country.” – Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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MONDAY 4/13/26

This Is Winning?

Commentary by Stephen Macaulay

During his 2016 campaign, Donald Trump said on more than one occasion: “We’re gonna win so much, you may even get tired of winning. And you’ll say, ‘Please, please. It’s too much winning. We can’t take it anymore, Mr. President, it’s too much.’ And I’ll say, ‘No it isn’t. We have to keep winning. We have to win more!’”

If this is winning, “Please, please. We can’t take it anymore.”

Trump has frequently declared victory in the war on Iran.

What has he accomplished besides having a bunch of things blown up?

According to Pete Hegseth’s comments on April 8, “Together with our Israeli partners, America's military achieved every single objective on plan, on schedule, exactly as laid out from day one. Iran's navy is at the bottom of the sea. . . . Iran's air force has been wiped out. Iran no longer has an air defense — any sort of a comprehensive air defense system. . . . Their missile program is functionally destroyed, launchers, production facilities and existing stockpiles depleted and decimated and almost completely ineffective. . . .[T]hey can no longer build missiles, build rockets, build launchers or build UAVs. Their factories have been razed to the ground, set back in historic fashion. . . . . Their top leadership was systematically eliminated, their previous Iranian supreme leader dead, the supreme national security council secretary dead, the supreme leader office advisor dead, the supreme leader military office chief dead, the defense minister no longer with us, the IRGC commander dead, the armed forces general staff commander dead, the intelligence minister dead, the IRGC navy commander no longer here, the IRGC Intel chief dead.”

So they blew up the Iranian navy and air force. They blew up rockets, warehouses, and factories. They killed an array of people in Iranian leadership positions. But there has been no regime change, and while there have been no Iranian missile attacks since April 8, what we know to be true is that this is in the period of the ceasefire, so maybe Iran is following through on its commitment (or building more munitions).

What’s more, while there was also the statement that Iran could have no nuclear material that could be used to build a bomb, the state of that material is unclear.

On June 21, 2025, after Operation Midnight Hammer, Trump announced: “Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror.

“Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.

The Iranians must be quite industrious if they could bring back facilities that were “completely and totally obliterated” in a matter of months.

Iran is thought to still possess some 970 pounds of uranium that’s been enriched to 60%. A bomb requires 90% purity.

It requires from 33 to 55 pounds of uranium to construct an atomic bomb.

This means Iran still has enough to build from 19 to 29 nuclear weapons.

It also has, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, more material, as in 405 pounds enriched to 20%, 13,244 pounds to 5%, and 5,260 pounds up to 2%.

Is any of that gone?

What is gone is more money out of the pockets of American consumers.

Because of the Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz, gasoline prices have skyrocketed in the US (and elsewhere around the world).

Trump regularly said during his most-recent campaign as well as after he was re-elected that the price of energy, as in petroleum products, in particular, are the key to the costs of everything such that if the price of oil went down, the prices of everything else would go down, too.

On February 26, 2026, the average price of a gallon of gas in the US was $2.98. According to AAA, as of April 12 the price is up to $4.12 per gallon.

That’s a 38% increase.

What’s more — and it is really more — the current price of a gallon of diesel fuel — the fuel that powers everything from big rig semi-trucks to agricultural equipment — is $5.66. Growing goods is going to be more costly for farmers who have to fuel all of the Deere equipment. And moving those goods to the grocery store in a semi-trailer is going to be more expensive, too.

In other words, if the price of fuel has gone up as it has, and if Trump argued that the price of fuel drives the prices of everything else, then the prices of everything will continue to rise.

What is Trump’s plan to open the Strait of Hormuz to tanker traffic?

It is to make it impossible to go through it.

Or, as he posted on April 12 on his social media platform, “Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz.”

Or course what you or I consider to be immediate (i.e., “right now”) isn’t the same in the vocabulary of Donald Trump, as he added, “The Blockade will begin shortly.”

Well, it does take time to move some ships around.

He continued, “Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade. Iran will not be allowed to profit off this Illegal Act of EXTORTION.”

Given that he’s pretty much annoyed our NATO allies, some of whom (e.g., the UK has world-class mine-sweeping capabilities), who these “Other Countries” are, remains to be determined.

The “Illegal Act of EXTORTION” that Trump refers to is likely the toll that Iran is charging to oil tankers.

How does that square with Trump’s comment to ABC News’s Jon Karl on Wednesday, April 8, that he was thinking about collaborating with Iran on charging fees for boats going through the Strait: “We’re thinking of doing it as a joint venture.”

So it is a business opportunity if the US breaks maritime law along with Iran but EXTORTION otherwise.

The point is, this isn’t “winning.” This is “flailing.”

When will Donald Trump explain to the American people what he thinks he has accomplished in Iran?

Well, the answer to that is “frequently.”

Unfortunately, along with the frequency is policy incoherence.

Macaulay is pundit-at-large for The Hustings.

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MONDAY 4/13/26

Next Talking With, Not At … Is April 22

CITIZEN PUNDITS -- Whether you're moderate right or moderate left, pro-MAGA or pro-Mamdani or anywhere in-between and you are interested in healthy, open-minded and civil political discussion, you are invited to our second of our new Debate & Donuts Series, Talking With, Not At: “Should Congress pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE America Act) at The Allen Theatre & Salamander Bookstore Café in Annville Township, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, April 22 at 6 p.m. ET.

Proponents say it would assure election integrity by requiring such identification as a driver’s license to vote.

Confirm your attendance via info@theallentheatre.com or editors@thehustings.news.

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FRIDAY 4/10/26

Is Iran Winning the War by Not Losing?

Analysis by Todd Lassa

The Consumer Price Index spiked 0.9% in March over February on energy prices up 12.5% overall, the Labor Department reported. The annual CPI was up 3.3% (from +2.4% in February). Gas prices rose 18.9% and fuel oil was up 44.2% month over month. [Bureau of Labor Statistics]

In the seven weeks since the US and Israel ignited the war, Iran’s highly enriched uranium remains in Iran, which has not had any sort of regime change. Some 24 hours after President Trump announced a two-week ceasefire in time to prevent the US Military from fulfilling his threat to annihilate the country’s civilization forever there was “little” evidence Iran had reopened the Strait of Hormuz, according to The New York Times.

The Trump Doctrine on Iran was manifest eight years ago when during his first administration, the president pulled out of the 2016 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear arms program, brokered in President Obama’s second term.

With encouragement and/or pressure by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the US and Israel launched an air attack on Iran Saturday, February 28. For weeks Trump was unable to give a single, consistent reason for launching the war, but suggested it would run maybe four to six weeks.

No Vietnam/Iraq/Afghanistan quagmires from the America First president.

After five weeks of war, Trump Truth Socialed on Easter Sunday that a US Air Force pilot whose F-15E fighter jet was shot down over southwestern Iran on Good Friday had been rescued.

“WE GOT HIM! The U.S. Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine,” Trump wrote, according to Time magazine.

That same Easter Sunday Trump Truth Socialed to Iran’s leaders: “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”

On Monday, in a press conference with the president, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is working hard to earn meta-designation as “war secretary” compared the joint military/CIA operation to rescue the USAF airman with the Easter resurrection of Jesus.

The pilot was shot down on Good Friday, hid “in a cave, in a crevice, all of Saturday” like Jesus’ entombment inside a rock, and was “flown out of Iran as the sun was rising on Easter Sunday,” Hegseth said. “A pilot reborn, all home and accounted for. … God is good.”

Trump gave Iran until 8 p.m. US Eastern Time Tuesday to reach a ceasefire deal, give up its enriched uranium and open the Strait of Hormuz, or “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

Pakistan diplomats brokered a limited two-week ceasefire just ahead of that deadline. Within 24 hours, Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that the US and Israel had violated three points of a 10-point “agreed framework,” NPR’s Morning Edition reports, most notably Israel’s continuation of attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.

President Trump has replied that a ceasefire with Lebanon is not part of the agreement.

Iran says that its side of the 10-point agreement calls for war compensation from the US and Israel, lifting of economic sanctions, takes disarmament its missiles off the table while retaining its right to enrich uranium.

Wednesday a White House official said that Vice President JD Vance will lead a US delegation with special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner to Islamabad, Pakistan for a meeting Saturday with Iranian officials, the NYT reports.

By Thursday morning Washington time, according to Morning Edition, Iran had not lifted its blockade of the Strait, US missiles had reportedly hit an Iranian oil refinery, five Gulf Arab states reportedly had been hit by Iranian drones and missiles, Israeli airstrikes had killed more than 250 people in Lebanon according to Lebanese authorities and a main gas complex in Abu Dhabi had reportedly caught fire.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Karl, chief Washington correspondent for ABC News, told Good Morning America Wednesday that Trump told him in a brief interview that the US would consider a “joint venture” with the Iranian regime to manage and secure traffic in the Strait (per Mediaite).

“We’re thinking of doing a joint venture,” Trump told Karl. “It’s a way of securing it – also securing it from lots of other people. It’s a beautiful thing.”

As bombardments on Lebanon continued Thursday, Israeli PM Netanyahu ordered immediate talks with Beirut focusing on disarmament of Hezbollah and the “normalization of peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon,” Haaretz reports. Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the US, will lead negotiations on behalf of Israel.

With the latest two-week grace period via ceasefire drawing the war out, at least, to eight weeks, Iran may be winning by not losing. Perhaps the Trump presidency will counter by declaring victory via business deal over the Strait of Hormuz?

Lassa is founding editor of The Hustings.

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FRIDAY 4/10/26

When You Buy the Guns, You Don’t Buy the Butter

Commentary by Stephen Macaulay

“I have the best plan of all. But I’m not going to tell you what my plan is.” -- Donald Trump, April 6, 2026, at a press conference when asked about regime change in Iran.

But what he is absolutely clear about is what he wants his new budget to include, and that’s lots and lots and lots of money for the active military. As in an increase from the 2026 budget figures for Defense of $440.9 billion.

To save you from doing the math: $440.9 billion is 3,734.3% bigger than $11.5 billion, the increase Trump proposes for Veterans Affairs.

“But wait!” you think. Maybe the $440.9-billion bump is necessary to keep up with our adversaries.

You could think that. But maybe you’d think differently to know that in 2025 defense spending by the top five countries looked like this:

US $997 billion
China $314 billion
Russia $149 billion
Germany $88.5 billion
India $86.1 billion

So last year’s US defense spending was 217.4% bigger than China’s.

Now there could be the argument made that because we are in a war — or at least we are bombing the “fuck” out of Iran, we need to jack up US defense spending.

Maybe there ought to be a consideration of how the money is being spent.

A Patriot missile, being used to shoot down a Shahed drone, costs $4 million, which would be enough to buy you, say, 80 Ford F-150 XLT pickup trucks.

Next on the list of increases is Veterans Affairs.

Trump has proposed an $11.5 billion increase. That’s fair. We should take care of the people who have taken care of us.

But also on the increase side of the budget ledger are the Department of Justice, $4.7 billion (just think of what Pam Bondi could have done with that had she not been given her walking papers); Transportation $1.6 billion (Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last week at an event in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where Mercedes-Benz was announcing a $4-billion expansion of its plant: “We’re sick of companies leaving America and going to other parts of the world. Incentivizing them to come back to our country and to help our workers is something Mercedes has been doing for a long time, but we’re seeing it in full force here today” (Presumably no one told him Mercedes is a German company); and $900 million for Energy. Perhaps Trump truly believes that once the Iranian incursion is over gas prices will drop like a stone. They won’t.

But then there are the places he’s going to cut.

Like $15.5 billion from the State Department. Who needs to worry about diplomats when you have Jared and Steve? All Marco has to do is vigorously nod whenever Trump says anything.

Health and Human Services is getting a $15.4 billion trim, which is because, as you know, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. believes fact-based medicine is overrated.

Housing and Urban Development? A $10.7 billion cut — probably because many of the cities where there needs to be help are controlled by Democrats, and so it is the fault of people who live there.

Agriculture is getting a $4.9 billion cut and Labor a $3.4 billion reduction, which makes it a good thing that those farmers and union workers already voted for Trump because they might rethink that ballot selection were they to realize how things are going. Interior and Education are both proposed to be cut by $2.3 billion (to quote Pink Floyd, “We don’t need no education. . . .”).

Homeland Security — which isn’t just about ICE, but also includes FEMA, the outfit that helps when there are disasters — gets a cut of $2.1 billion (who needs to take care of people in need when we have bombs to drop?).

Treasury has a proposed $1.5 billion cut and Commerce $1.3 billion (let’s not forget that Commerce has put out some numbers about how the economy is doing that isn’t in keeping with the Trump line because, well, those numbers are factual, not fanciful).

The things that help every day Americans are clearly not high on his agenda.

Blowing stuff up—well, that’s another thing entirely.

Macaulay is pundit-at-large for The Hustings.

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FRIDAY 4/10/26

Left on Trump v. Barbara Arguments

Join the conversation on oral arguments the Supreme Court heard Wednesday on the challenge to President Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship via editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings in the subject line.

Settled Law -- This is settled law. It's the 14th amendment to the constitution. There is no question here that this is an illegal order. Not that the president or the Supreme Court give a rat's tuchus about the constitution. Trump should just call this EO what it is: The Keep Black and Brown People Out of Our Racist Nation Decree. Hopefully, someday we'll be better than this. –K.E. Bell

Clear Precedent -- What a ridiculous position Stephen Miller (what? oh, sorry, Trump) puts forward here. Precedent is rarely clearer. Let them propose an amendment to the Constitution, so the dead weight of its failure can hang 'round their necks. – Hugh Hansen

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THURSDAY 4/2/26

Iran War, Week 6

US Economy Adds 178,000 Jobs in March – The unemployment rate ticked down 0.1 points to 4.3% from February, the Labor Department reports, when the economy lost 133,000 jobs. Gains came in health care, construction, transportation and warehousing, with further declines in federal government jobs. [CHART: Bureau of Labor Statistics]

PASSOVER/EASTER 2026

•The Supreme Court appears likely to strike down President Trump’s Executive Order banning birthright citizenship. Scroll down for the story and see comments in left and right columns.

•Read right column Contributing Pundit Rich Corbett’s commentary on No Kings III in The Gray Area.

US Bombs Iranian Bridge – President Trump says he’s responsible for the US Military destroying a newly constructed $400 million B1 suspension bridge between Tehran and Karaj, killing eight and wounding 95, The Guardian reports. Missiles hit two spots in the middle of the bridge.

“The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again,” Trump Truth Socialed, adding there would be “much more to follow” if Iran fails to reach a deal with the US.

But that might not come very quickly. After five weeks of US and Israeli military strikes, Iran’s arsenal retains about half its missile launchers and thousands of one-way drones, according to US intelligent assessments shared by three sources with CNN in an exclusive report.

“They are still very much poised to wreak havoc throughout the entire region,” one of those sources told CNN.

As Israel wars elsewhere … Meanwhile, Israel, which has been driving the war effort, is concentrating on taking over southern Lebanon across the Zahrani River, where Israel has ordered residents to evacuate, The New York Times reports.

•••

AAA National Average Unleaded Regular, Friday: $4.091 per gallon, up one unobtainable penny per gallon over Thursday’s price and up $1.109 over February 27. Diesel: $5.533 per gallon, up 2.6 cents over Thursday and $1.759 costlier than on February 27. –TL

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THURSDAY 4/2/26

Bondi Fired – President Trump fired his loyal attorney general, Pam Bondi Thursday and Truth Socialed that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche would replace her on an interim basis, The New York Times reports.

“We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future,” Trump wrote. Shades of Kristi Noem’s firing as Department of Homeland Security secretary.

Five Republicans on the House Oversight Committee last month joined Democrats to vote to subpoena to testify in private under oath about the Epstein case.

•••

Strait, No Chaser Redux – In his address to the American people Wednesday night President Trump (above) said that while the US is “on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly – very shortly,” two to three weeks of the US war on Iran remain.

“We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” Trump said. “We are going to bring them back to the stone ages where they belong.”

Trump’s address otherwise was very familiar. He excoriated President Obama’s diplomatic deal to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump has opposed the JCPoA since 2015, a point he made Wednesday night.

“And then, very importantly, I terminated Barack Hussein Obama’s Iran nuclear deal … Essentially, I did what no other president was willing to do. They made mistakes and I am correcting them.”

The president suggested it’s up to the countries suffering oil shortages from Iran’s Strait of Hormuz blockade to “Go to the Strait and just take it.” Trump suggest such countries purchase oil from the US instead.

As for the spike in motor fuel prices Americans are paying, “This short-term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict. This is yet more proof that Iran can never be trusted with nuclear weapons.”

•••

AAA National Average Unleaded Regular, Thursday: $4.081 per gallon, up 6.3 cents from Wednesday’s price and up $1.099 over February 27. Diesel: $5.49 per gallon, up 1.7 cents over Wednesday and $1.733 costlier than on February 27.

•••

Birthright Citizenship Saved? – General consensus is the majority of Supreme Court justices will uphold birthright citizenship as guaranteed by the 14^th Amendment when it hands down its opinion on Trump v. Barbara, expected in late June, NPR’s Nina Totenberg said on All Things Considered Wednesday.

In her analysis of Wednesday’s oral arguments, Totenberg said she expects justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Brett Cavenaugh to go with President Trump’s executive order, issued the first day of his second term last year, eliminating birthright citizenship for babies of illegal immigrants and legal immigrants with temporary or long-term visas, with conservative justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Chief Justice John Roberts siding with the three liberal justices.

Gorsuch has long been an advocate of Native American rights and questioned whether Trump’s EO would affect those who choose to live on Native land.

The standout exchange was between Roberts and Trump administration Solicitor General John Sauer.

“We’re in a new world now where 8 billion people are one plane ride away from having a child who is a citizen,” Sauer argued.

“It’s a new world,” Roberts replied. “It’s the same Constitution.”

Cecillia Wang, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney for the challengers, said, “We can’t take the current administration’s policy considerations into account to try and radically reinterpret the original meaning of the 14^th Amendment.”

Other takes…

•“Supreme Court appears likely to side against Trump on his birthright citizenship.” – Amy Howe analysis, SCOTUSblog

•“With Trump Looking On, Justices Tread Cautiously on Birthright Citizenship,” headline in James Romoser’s coverage in The Wall Street Journal. Trump attended the court live, and left after his solicitor general’s arguments, according to NPR’s Totenberg. WSJ’s sub-headline: “Supreme Court projects evenhandedness on controversial initiative amid tense standoff with the president.”

•“Key Justices Appear Skeptical of Limiting Birthright Citizenship.” – Headline in The New York Times.

•“A clear majority of the Supreme Court on Wednesday was unimpressed by the president’s attempt to reinterpret the Constitution.” – The New Republic, Matt Ford. –Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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THURSDAY 4/2/26

Right on Trump v. Barbara Arguments

Scroll down for two very different comments from the conservative side on oral arguments the Supreme Court heard on President Trump’s birthright citizenship case Wednesday. Join the conversation via editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings in the subject line…

This Isn’t Hard -- The 14^th Amendment to the United States Constitution — that thing that the presidential oath of office mentions in the passage that has the person swearing saying he or she “will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend” — opens: “All persons born or naturalized in the Unted State, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States, and of the State wherein they reside.”

“All” means the whole quantity.

“All” meant that in the 18^th century (attention Constitutional originalists), as it does today.

Donald Trump ought to spend more time preserving, protecting and defending the Constitution rather than undermining it. —Stephen Macaulay

Birth Tourism -- The administration argues that "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" excludes children of undocumented immigrants or temporary visa holders, aiming to curb what has become a modern "birth tourism" and an illegal immigration incentive industry unknown 166 years ago.

This view has merit. The clause was ratified post-Civil War primarily to secure citizenship for freed slaves and their descendants, those born here fully subject to US authority, not foreign diplomats, illegals flooding across the Biden administration's open border or transient visitors owing primary allegiance elsewhere. Today's expansive interpretation, granting automatic citizenship to hundreds of thousands annually from non-citizen parents, has fueled exploitative practices that strain resources and undermine sovereignty in ways the 1866 drafters never contemplated.

The Constitution's text is broad and is open to judicial interpretation, which is the path the Trump administration is seeking. The preferred correction of these abusive practices would be through the amendment process. Unfortunately that is likely impossible in today’s divided and politicized Congress. –Rich Corbett

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THURSDAY 4/2/26