by Steve Benen | May 5, 2026 | Maddowblog, News, Politics
Exactly two months ago, on the sixth day of the war in Iran, Donald Trump hosted a White House event intended to honor a championship soccer team, though the president took some time to comment on an issue on the minds of many.
“Yesterday, my administration announced decisive action to help keep down the oil prices,” the Republican declared. Moments later, he went on to say that oil prices “have pretty much stabilized.”
It was never altogether clear what “decisive” actions the president was referring to, but two months later, it’s painfully clear that those mysterious moves failed to “pretty much stabilize” prices. MS NOW reported:
The average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. reached $4.46 [on Monday] as the standstill in the Strait of Hormuz continues to strain global energy markets. The average price for one gallon of diesel fuel topped $5.64, according to national averages tracked by AAA.
A day later, that national average inched higher, reaching $4.48 per gallon, while the average for diesel climbed to $5.66.
Chart: Carson Elm-Picard / MS NOW; Source: AAA
An analysis published by Bloomberg News described the recent trend as the sharpest spike in pump prices in at least three decades, and while the president continues to insist that prices will plummet after the war, the fact remains that (a) it’s far from clear when the conflict will be over; and (b) dozens of energy sites throughout the Middle East have been struck as part of the war; wells have to be reopened; and some infrastructure will have to be rebuilt, all of which will take time.
As for the politics, the White House and
by Steve Benen | May 5, 2026 | Iran Tensions, Maddowblog, News, Politics
As the war in Iran got underway, Donald Trump’s strategy for the conflict was, among other things, shrouded in mysteries that shouldn’t have existed. Americans were left in the dark about why the United States went to war, whether the combat operations actually constituted a war, whether the war was legal, how much the war would cost, how long the war would last and whether the administration had a credible plan to achieve its vague objectives.
Two months later, the White House’s policy is still shrouded in mysteries that shouldn’t exist, but the list is evolving.
For example, as this week got underway, Iran reportedly mounted a missile-and-drone attack on commercial ships that U.S. forces were protecting in the Strait of Hormuz, while also targeting American warships. Soon after, the U.S. military said it sank six Iranian boats. Does that mean the ceasefire is over? As MS NOW reported in its live blog, the American president didn’t want to talk about it on Monday:
Trump declined to say whether the fragile ceasefire with Iran remains in effect, offering little clarity as tensions continue to escalate, in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
Asked by Hewitt if the ceasefire was over, Trump replied, “Well, I can’t tell you that.”
So, on the one hand, we saw U.S. and Iranian forces trading shots, while Trump threatened anew to blow Iran “off the face of the Earth.” On the other hand, the American president who claims to have “terminated” combat operations would prefer not to tell the public whether the ceasefire remains intact or not.
There are secrets surrounding any war, but this need not be one
by Steve Benen | May 5, 2026 | Maddowblog, News, Politics
During Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s appearances on Capitol Hill last week, he repeatedly leaned on a lazy rhetorical strategy. Confronted with tough questions, the beleaguered Pentagon chief tried to defend himself by changing the subject to the recent past.
When Hegseth was pressed, for example, to defend his record of mass firings at the Defense Department, he had an answer he appeared to have prepared in advance. “Under Barack Obama, 197 general officers were removed,” he said in sworn testimony. “So this is not something specific to this administration.”
The problem, however, is that the secretary’s defense wasn’t true, and as The New York Times reported, “The number Mr. Hegseth gave has no basis in fact.”
Making matters worse, this was not the only instance in which the former Fox News host relied on false claims about recent Democratic administrations.
The defense secretary was also asked whether he would be willing to deploy U.S. troops to local voting precincts ahead of this year’s midterm elections. Instead of answering the question directly, Hegseth again looked backward, in keeping with his borderline-creepy fixation on Joe Biden.
“I will note that in 2024, troops were — that was Joe Biden, by the way, Joe Biden — were deployed to polling locations in 15 states,” Hegseth said in sworn testimony to the House Armed Services Committee. For good measure, he repeated, “2024 — Joe Biden — troops deployed to polling locations in 15 states. Explain that one to me.”
A day later, the secretary made the same claim in nearly identical wording during sworn testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Readers can probably guess where this is headed. CNN reported:
All
by Steve Benen | May 5, 2026 | Maddowblog, News, Politics
When Republicans make the case for new voter ID laws, they invariably argue, “If people have to show ID in order to [fill in the blank], then they should have to show ID in order to vote.”
These arguments tend to fall apart rather quickly, especially given that voter ID laws intend to address a problem that doesn’t exist in any meaningful way.
But GOP partisans keep trying variations on the argument anyway. Take acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, for example.
During his latest appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Donald Trump’s former defense lawyer, who’s launched an unsubtle campaign to persuade the president to nominate him as former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s successor, argued that people should stop talking about Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices gutting the Voting Rights Act and start instead talking about voter ID.
Blanche: “There’s a lot of things we can be doing, like voter ID. Every time you walk into a restaurant you have to show ID. How about you have to show your idea to vote? That’s not anything that’s crazy.”— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-05-03T14:36:31.270Z
“Every time you walk into a restaurant or a club, you have to show your ID,” the acting attorney general told host Kristen Welker. “How about you have to show your ID to vote? That’s not anything that’s crazy, and that’s what we should be talking about.”
So, a few things.
First, treating the gutting of the Voting Rights Act as an inconvenience to be overlooked is ridiculous.
Second, I’ve been to plenty of restaurants, and I’ve never even heard of one that requires patrons to show identification at the door.
Third, the right to dine out is
by Steve Benen | May 4, 2026 | Maddowblog, News, Politics
It will be nine years ago next month when Donald Trump, in his first year as president, publicly condemned Qatar as a country he said was a “funder of terrorism at a very high level.” Asked about those comments last fall, the Republican told reporters, in reference to Qatari officials, “In 2017, I didn’t really know them very well.”
In other words, by Trump’s own telling, he didn’t really know what he was talking about. Now, however, he has a new perspective, because he “got to know them.”
In fact, by all appearances, he got to know them quite well. Over the last year, the incumbent president has been quite eager to sing the Middle Eastern country’s praises, and the push hasn’t been limited to flattering rhetoric: In October, Trump unilaterally extended a NATO-like security guarantee to Qatar.
The Associated Press reported last month, meanwhile, that a Trump golf club and villa project is being developed in Qatar, thanks in part to an investment from a company owned by the Qatari government. This followed Trump administration confirmation that U.S. officials have parked revenue from Venezuelan oil sales in a Qatari bank for reasons that have never been fully explained, which followed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement that the United States will host a Qatari air force training facility at an Idaho air base.
And then, of course, there’s the superluxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet. The Associated Press reported:
The U.S. Air Force has finished modifying and testing a Boeing 747 jet donated by Qatar for temporary use as Air Force One and expects to have it ready for President Donald Trump to use this summer,
by Steve Benen | May 4, 2026 | 2026 election, Maddowblog, News, Politics
With Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell retiring in Kentucky, GOP officials are optimistic about holding onto the seat. The monthslong question, however, is which of the party’s top contenders would get the nomination.
Much of the right had already rallied behind Rep. Andy Barr, whose candidacy is perhaps best known for a recent campaign ad in which he boasted, “It’s not a sin to be white; it’s not against the law to be male; and it shouldn’t be disqualifying to be a Christian.” He nevertheless faced a primary against former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron and businessman Nate Morris, who enjoyed the backing of billionaire Republican megadonor Elon Musk, who invested $10 million in Morris’ candidacy.
Late last week, the GOP field narrowed from three candidates to two. The Associated Press reported:
President Donald Trump entered the fray of another Republican primary Friday by endorsing Kentucky congressman Andy Barr for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former longtime Senate GOP leader. […]
In a Truth Social post just before his endorsement of Barr, Trump announced that he’d asked Morris to “step aside” from the race to join his administration as an ambassador.
The president didn’t elaborate on the specific office he’d reward Morris with, writing, “I’ve asked Nate to step aside from that Race to take a role in my Administration as an Ambassador. … We will be announcing Nate’s new role soon.”
As a practical matter, Barr is now very well positioned to succeed. Indeed, shortly after Trump endorsed him, Senate Republican leaders, including National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott, also threw their backing behind the congressman, leaving little
