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When you walk into a negotiation threatening to bomb a civilization back to the Stone Age and walk out of that negotiation having ceded the Strait of Hormuz and their nuclear enrichment program, do you think it went well?

We should be asking what Trump got out of the arrangement. Not for America, what does he personally get. Does he get half? A quarter? What is his cut?

Local TV leads its Iran coverage by saying the "deal" includes "reopening" the Strait of Hormuz, but then adds that Iran will manage the Strait and charge fees. So, the Strait is *less* accessible than before the war. Media outlets don't need to accept the administration's framing of this ceasefire.

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We can’t slow down for a moment. Keep supporting voters and candidates and keep supporting independent media in helping get factual information to the public.

The stupidity of a certain segment of the American people no longer surprises me. Whether high school dropout or PhD, one can find the exact same kind of stupid people.

DAY AHEAD - My Daily Editorial Note April 8, 2026

Big night for Democrats in the swing-state of Wisconsin.
Party official: "Twelve counties that went red in 2025’s election have swung blue"

More insights in my "Day Ahead" daily editorial note:

open.substack.com/pub/macfarla...

April 7, 2026 At 5:06 this morning, President Donald J.

It’s sad and exhausting to watch a madman do so much damage, a Republican Congress missing in action, and an administration void of ethics and integrity. Hope now resides in informed voters. Stay strong—read Letters from an American 🇺🇸 by @hcrichardson.bsky.social

open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...

Amazing work, Wisconsin! 💙🌊

Chris Taylor, a Wisconsin state appeals judge, won a seat on the state’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, widening liberal control of the court to a 5-to-2 majority.

AP: The official who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said early Wednesday morning that Israel was still attacking Iran.

Moments earlier, the White House said Israel had agreed to the terms of the two-week US-Iran ceasefire agreement.

Iran also kept up fire on Israel.

$2 million per ship — to cross a Strait that was free six weeks ago.

@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/w...

Everyone understands this ceasefire was just so Trump didn’t look weak for not obliterating all of Iran’s critical infrastructure, right?

Iran is already claiming the US gave them the OK to enrich uranium, so these talks almost certainly aren’t going to go anywhere.

The Cost of Refusing to Say “F*ck Them” to Get Ahead Most people don’t fail because they’re weak. They fail because of what they learned to survive. This is about the cost of refusing to become someone you’re not.

open.substack.com/pub/richards...

So Iran now has a significantly more stable and sustainable revenue source in tolling the Strait on top of its commodity revenues; has made its neighbours all the more cautious about engaging in future conflicts against it; and has shown the profound limitations of US hard power.

NYT reporting that under this ceasefire each ship will pay $2M to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. It was $0 before Trump launched this illegal war.

100-130 ships pass the Strait daily.

Trump just gave Iran an extra $100M-$130M per day. Masterful gambit, sir. Impeach and remove this fascist—NOW.

I want more people to hear @jackschlossberg.bsky.social @maxwellfrost.bsky.social and @crockett.house.gov —let’s move democracy forward. We can.

(I told you guys this last week)

Donald Trump was rather quick to pivot from "We have to invade Iran because they killed some protesters" to "We have to kill *all* Iranians because I say so."

Hungary Election 2026: Orbán, JD Vance, and the Fight Over Sovereignty ONEST Explained: how Viktor Orbán’s economic failures, Kremlin alignment, clashes with Brussels, and JD Vance’s April 2026 visit shape Hungary’s pivotal election.

Hungary Election 2026: Orbán, JD Vance, and the Fight Over Sovereignty

www.onestnetwork.com/hungary-elec...

Agree on all points.

Trump White House drafts a message for Pakistan's PM to post, and he posts it without removing the header. Ooops. bsky.app/profile/thet...

The President of the United States is threatening to commit war crimes and wipe out a "whole civilization" — all because he started a disastrous war of his own making and had no plan and no strategy for how to end it.

This is abhorrent, and the American people do not support this.

Are any members of Congress currently on their way back to DC?

The Cost of Refusing to Say “F*ck Them” to Get Ahead Most people don’t fail because they’re weak. They fail because of what they learned to survive. This is about the cost of refusing to become someone you’re not.

People are not expendable for power.
We know that. And yet—every day—we act like they are.

In the past, we fought for freedom.
But this is not that.

A more reflective society should be developed—because today, people seem to want to reclaim what was never theirs.
open.substack.com/pub/richards...

One House Republican pushes back on Trump's Iran threat today — Rep. Rep. Nathaniel Moran of Texas: "I do not support the destruction of a 'whole civilization.' That is not who we are, and it is not consistent with the principles that have long guided America."

Garcia: We have a president threatening to destroy an entire population…yet the Republican Party and the Speaker who control our government are doing absolutely nothing.

Trump's Iran post causes talk of his impeachment, removal to erupt among Hill Democrats "The President's enablers must wake up to the fact that he is becoming increasingly erratic," said one House Democrat.

Growing list of Dems calling for Trump's impeachment/25th Amendment:

Ansari
Omar
Pocan
Tlaib
DeGette
Thanedar
Stansbury
Khanna
Frost
Julie Johnson
Olszewski
Ramirez
Nikema Williams
Moulton
Pressley
Summer Lee
Magaziner
McBride
McCollum

More here @axios.com: www.axios.com/2026/04/07/t...