by Steve Benen | Jun 25, 2026 | Maddowblog, News, Politics, White House, World
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said relatively little about the Trump administration’s recent deal with Iran to end the war despite his role as the nation’s chief diplomat, though it would be an overstatement to suggest the Florida Republican has been disengaged.
On the contrary, Rubio has met this week with leaders of several Middle Eastern countries, ostensibly to extend some reassurances to U.S. partners in the region.
The New York Times, however, reported on a detail from one of those meetings that stood out. From the article:
Mr. Rubio began his travels on Wednesday by meeting with the Emirati leader, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, in Abu Dhabi. The two spoke about Iran and commerce between the United States and the Emirates, the State Department said in a summary. Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Michael Boulos, a businessman with no official government position, sat beside Mr. Rubio at the meeting.
“He was just there to see me and catch up,” Mr. Rubio said. When asked whether Mr. Boulos was involved in policy discussions, the secretary said, “No, no.”
The secretary apparently wasn’t embarrassed by any of this: Rubio posted a photograph via social media showing him meeting with the United Arab Emirate’s president, with Donald Trump’s son-in-law seated just to Rubio’s right.
Met with UAE’s President @MohamedBinZayed in Abu Dhabi, where we discussed President Trump’s MOU with Iran, efforts to secure full and safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and regional stability. I thanked the UAE leadership for their unparalleled support, praised their… pic.twitter.com/J3u6bAKR2W— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) June 24, 2026
Ordinarily when we think about one of Trump’s sons-in-law having access and attending important meetings, the
by David Rohde | Apr 2, 2026 | News, World
Iran announced on Thursday that it was drafting a “protocol” that would allow it to “monitor transit” by oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway Tehran has shut down, sending oil and gas prices soaring in the U.S. and across the world.
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, said tanker traffic through the narrow route “should be supervised and coordinated” between Iran and Oman, the two countries that border the strait, according to a translation of a report from Iran’s state news agency cited by CNBC.
“Of course, these requirements will not mean restrictions, but rather to facilitate and ensure safe passage and provide better services to ships that pass through this route,” Gharibabadi said according to the report.
President Donald Trump has suggested that the U.S. may leave it to other countries to end Iran’s de facto blockade of the strait, which it enforces by firing missiles at tankers. Trump has called on European nations to do so, but experts say Europe lacks the military resources to halt Iranian attacks on tankers for the long term.
Iranian and Omani officials did not respond to requests for comment from MS NOW.
For decades, the strait has been an international waterway, controlled by no country, that ships from all nations could transit.
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Trump calls on other countries to go and ‘take’ oil from Strait of Hormuz
March 31, 2026 / 05:18
Gregory Brew, a senior Iran and oil analyst at the Eurasia Group, said that if Iran manages to take control of the Strait of Hormuz permanently, it would be a “colossal win” for the country.
“It’s a massive strategic win, given
by David Rohde | Mar 14, 2026 | Business, News, World
The Trump administration’s failure to anticipate that Iran would close the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow channel, 21 miles wide at its narrowest, through which 20% of the world’s oil supply moves — is contributing to the largest oil supply disruption in history, according to former Navy officers and maritime experts.
Iran’s willingness to close the strait, in conjunction with an insufficient deployment of ships to the region, has resulted in the U.S. Navy’s reluctance to escort oil tankers through the strategic waterway for the past two weeks.
It’s a scenario that experts have warned of for decades, and one the administration ignored, said Sal Mercogliano, a maritime historian and professor at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and Campbell University.
“I’m kind of floored by the fact that the administration failed to plan or have any guidance in place for what to do with the commercial shipping,” said Mercogliano, who noted that multiple ships have requested Navy escorts. “It just appears that the U.S. does not have sufficient resources.”
“It’s just a lack of understanding fueled by Hegseth and Trump not having an understanding of how the military works.”Gen. Mark Hertling
The U.S. Navy has failed for years to prioritize its stock of ships to counter mines, despite decades of warnings that Iran could try to close the strait, said Jonathan Schroden, the chief research scientist at the Center for Naval Analysis.
The Navy recently decommissioned four aging mine sweepers based in the Persian Gulf in Bahrain, Schroden said, and these arrived back in the U.S. about a week ago. Three newer ships replaced them, but he said the Navy has underinvested in building more
by Rachel Simon | Feb 1, 2026 | culture, Opinion, World
In the days since 26-year-old Brooklyn Beckham posted a lengthy statement on his Instagram Stories criticizing his famous parents David and Victoria for their allegedly “controlling” behavior and “countless lies,” public reaction has ranged from shock to skepticism.
And as the fallout continues from this viral celebrity schism, family, friends and strangers alike have dissected Brooklyn’s claims, with predictably differing opinions. Some of the allegations are impossible (at least for the public) to confirm. Others, such as Victoria’s attention-grabbing dance at her son’s wedding to model Nicola Peltz, involve more potential witnesses. Notably, neither of Brooklyn’s parents have commented directly on the matter. But in a sign that the story has yet to cool down, the BBC has already released a new documentary tackling the biggest claims, asking whether “brand Beckham” can possibly survive the scandal.
Brooklyn Beckham has just torched his mum and dad. Absolute scenes. pic.twitter.com/gs96bCjM08— Alex Davies (@AlexDaviesEnts) January 19, 2026
There may indeed be truth behind some of Brooklyn’s many passionate accusations, but plenty of people appear to be struggling to feel significant pity for a highly privileged “nepo baby” whose fame and financial success stem, at least originally, from the family he now publicly condemns. Even the name of Brooklyn’s hot sauce business, Cloud 23, is a nod to one of his father’s jersey numbers. This lack of sympathy is likely due to a combination of factors. But there’s something deeper at play here than mere jealousy or pettiness.
Brooklyn clearly feels enough hurt and anger toward his family to cut them out of his life — at least for now. That’s a hugely difficult choice for anyone to make,
by Ja'han Jones | Jan 29, 2026 | Opinion, World
Several prominent Republicans who count themselves among the “America First” MAGA movement have been cheering on protesters in Iran who have opposed their country’s repressive regime. At the same time, those GOP officials have condemned and castigated American protesters who oppose President Donald Trump’s increasingly authoritarian administration.
Trump himself is the biggest culprit when it comes to this contradiction, having previously expressed support for protesters in Iran while he and his administration spread lies about and issued threats toward protesters in Minneapolis.
But that dissonance between expressions of support for Iranian protesters and expressions of contempt for American protesters exercising their First Amendment rights is fairly standard for some GOP lawmakers.
Take Ted Cruz, for example. The Texas senator recently attacked Alex Pretti, the man who was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis last weekend, for carrying a gun at the time of his death. Video of the incident shows that Pretti, who was in legal possession of a firearm, didn’t brandish the gun, as the Trump administration claimed, before he was pinned to the ground and shot multiple times. Cruz told his podcast listeners this week that “if you have a firearm, the odds of that confrontation escalating rise dramatically.” He added, “We are seeing, sadly, leftists targeting ICE agents for murder. And if you have that firearm and you’re engaged in violence, the agent’s perception of the physical threat to them is understandably much, much higher.” (Cruz offered no examples of “leftists” having targeted ICE agents “for murder,” and Pretti wasn’t “engaged in violence” when he was killed.)
The Republican’s call for American citizens to disarm when
by Ja'han Jones | Jan 16, 2026 | Opinion, World
Kari Lake — the figurehead tapped by Donald Trump to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, or USAGM, where her leadership may not even be legally sanctioned — admitted this week that she had prevented Radio Free Europe from broadcasting into Iran, as she faces ongoing allegations of hampering the congressionally funded organization in ways that undermine U.S. diplomacy.
Writer Oliver Darcy reported in his Status newsletter this week that Lake had denied Radio Free Europe access to a USAGM transmitter in Kuwait that would allow it to broadcast into Iran amid the regime’s deadly crackdown on protesters. The decision has hampered the outlet’s ability to reach the Iranian public at a time when the government had blacked out internet access.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Lake said she had denied Radio Free Europe access because, in her opinion, the outlet had failed to “better align their message with American foreign policy.”
The fake news is in hyperdrive spreading lies right now about USAGM and RFE/RL broadcasting in Iran. Here’s the truthUSAGM and our outlets have greatly increased coverage into Iran. VOA Farsi is providing expanded hours of TV, radio and digital coverage each day sharing the…— Kari Lake (@KariLake) January 14, 2026
For a sense of Lake’s judgment on what such alignment might look like, consider that Lake previously vowed to strip funding from Radio Free Europe over its Hungarian outlet’s critical coverage of Trump’s authoritarian ally Viktor Orban.
Even in the face of rebukes from federal judges, Lake hasn’t let up in her effort to undermine, if not outright destroy, the media agency. Nor has criticism of Lake’s leadership at USAGM
