I had an absolutely fascinating and wide-ranging conversation with former CIA agent turned whistleblower and now podcaster @johnkiriakou.bsky.social about Trump, Epstein, Israel, Iran, abolishing the CIA, Dems to watch in 2028, and more. Full interview: zeteo.com/p/former-cia...

"Trump's Vision of Perpetual Imperial War" Pulitzer Prize-winning Vietnamese-American novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen reflects on how the war in Iran shows, yet again, that the U.S. has learned the wrong lessons from Viet Nam.

It‘s inexplicable that after a decade the NY Times is still swallowing the Trump regime‘s disinformation and puking it back up for the public. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, despite this headline that ran last weekend.

Remember "hope is not a strategy"? open.substack.com/pub/zeteo/p/...

Sheesh, it never ends with Trump and his revenge tour and actual weaponization of the DOJ.

Eid Mubarak!

What if taxing the rich works?

"They Thought Trump Would Help Free Imran Khan – But They Were Terribly Wrong" The former Pakistani leader remains behind bars, prompting those Pakistani-American groups that backed Trump and Republicans in 2024 to now worry they got 'played' by the president and his team.

“Self defense strikes”

I have been saying for years that Democrats should run against Republicans on the issue of corruption. Make fighting corruption the centerpiece of their hopefully populist campaigns. Well, if they don’t run on corruption this year, against Trump, then they deserve to lose.

Re the claims circulating online about Iran having agreed to get rid of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium: A well-placed Iranian source tells me there is “no agreement” on the “nuclear issue” and the two sides are focused on “ending the war and the crisis of Hormuz.”

According to Iran’s Fars News, Iran has rejected Trump’s claim that the Strait of Hormuz would return to its pre-war status. Saying Tehran would still control transit routes, permits, and passage timing under any future agreement.

How did I only just discover that Don Jr is marrying the daughter of a prominent Epstein enabler? Her late dad, a banker, wrote Epstein a reference letter calling him "a gentleman of the highest integrity" to help get him tax breaks &… his island. Can’t make this stuff up.

"First Draft: Has the Democratic Party Learned Nothing From 2024?" The Democratic National Committee’s embarrassing 2024 'autopsy,' finally published, didn’t even mention Gaza. Read/share/subscribe to First Draft from Zeteo:

“Inside Trump’s War on Late-Night Comedy – and Why It Matters” Tonight, Stephen Colbert’s show will end. Trump’s deeply corrupt and autocratic efforts to harass and censor late-night TV hosts who mock or criticize him... will not.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT

"The 9 Most Insane Things About Trump's $1.8 Billion Slush Fund" For Zeteo, a constitutional law professor breaks down the illegality and absurdity of a corrupt president's settlement with... himself. Read/share/subscribe:

"Is Bari Weiss Getting Demoted?" Rumors swirl that the CBS News editor-in-chief’s role may be scaled back. Plus, Fox’s coverage of the horrific San Diego mosque shooting was worse than you could have imagined. Read this week's 'Ragebait' media column from Zeteo:

"When a mosque is attacked in the US, Republican politicians are silent... and there is no one on the Democratic side talking like Laura Loomer... Republicans get away with this stuff." I was on Piers Morgan today talking San Diego. Full show: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXth...

Israel's ultranationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shared this video showing Israeli forces abusing detained flotilla activists. Zeteo calls for the immediate release of all activists, humanitarians, and journalists abducted, including our contributor Alex Colston.

The 9 Most Insane Things About Trump's $1.8 Billion Slush Fund A constitutional law professor breaks down the illegality and absurdity of a corrupt president's settlement with... himself. Read here, by @kimwehle.bsky.social: zeteo.com/p/trump-bill...

"The 7 Most Islamophobic Things That Republicans Have Said Just This Year Alone" In the wake of a horrific shooting at a San Diego mosque, Zeteo takes a look back at the GOP’s most bigoted rhetoric of 2026 – so far.

Republican voters in Kentucky who presumably spent much of 2024 banging on about Epstein just ejected from Congress their own Republican congressman, who helped get the Epstein files out, in order to please the close friend of Epstein, Donald Trump.

The US-Israeli plan for regime change in Iran at the start of this war was apparently to replace Khamenei with… Mahmoud Ahmadinejad! The most insane-sounding story you will read today:

BREAKING: Thomas Massie Loses Primary in Big Win for Trump and AIPAC

“First Draft: Islamophobes Can't Shut Up Even as Muslims Are Murdered at a California Mosque” 3 people were shot dead at the Islamic Center of San Diego, amid rising GOP anti-Muslim invective that has been left largely unchecked by the mainstream media.

The security guard outside the Islamic Center of San Diego was reportedly shot twice by the two teenaged attackers and was knocked down, he got up and ran back into the mosque and he is being credited with preventing a worse massacre before he was killed. 😫

It should be a huge scandal that a close confidante of, and adviser to, President Trump and Secretary Rubio reacted to a deadly terrorist attack at a mosque by calling the mosque "evil" and calling for the deportation of all Muslims from America. But it isn't. *sighs*

"Scott Jennings, the Most Annoying Man on Cable News" Speaking to insiders, Justin Baragona looks at how Jennings evolved from his 'aw shucks' Bush-era conservatism to WWE-style pro-Trump pugilism, and what his recent on-air outburst says about CNN.

Markwayne Mullin advises places of worship worried about acts of violence to "hire their own security"

Is Trump About to Attack Cuba? “Stirring echoes of Iraq and WMDs, the admin planted a media story about Cuban drones aimed at Florida. In DC, Christian nationalists flocked to the Mall. And breaking news about the Gaza aid flotilla.” By @martinpengelly.bsky.social: zeteo.com/p/is-trump-a...

“If you, as a leftist, think [MTG] is better than AOC in any way, then I think you need help.” @mehdirhasan.bsky.social breaks down the double standard that holds AOC to endless scrutiny while overlooking MTG’s years of extremism and conspiracy theories. Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wqg...

San Diego police are responding to a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, authorities said. People are believed to have been shot, said an officer, and Todd Gloria, the mayor, urged people to avoid the area

“You’re going to an elite university, but don’t come out of it elite.” @mehdirhasan.bsky.social shares with Hasan Minhaj the inspirational message his father gave him upon his acceptance at Oxford University.

"First Draft: Is Trump About to Attack Cuba?" Stirring echoes of Iraq and WMDs, the admin planted a media story about Cuban drones aimed at Florida. In DC, Christian nationalists flocked to the Mall. And breaking news about the Gaza aid flotilla.

I am guessing some of you who follow me here at least generally think I know what I’m doing but in case you ever want to wait on the New York Times to back me and others at @zeteo.com up, here’s NYT the day after our story went live: www.jpost.com/middle-east/...

“…U.S. officials who spoke to Zeteo say the Trump admin… is ready to ramp up the war again within the coming days, after the U.S. president returns from his state visit in China, should Trump give the order to strike. “Trump’s war fever is back,” one of the senior administration officials said”

“Two senior Trump administration officials and two other sources briefed on the situation tell Zeteo that Donald Trump has grown increasingly frustrated by the state of peace talks with Iran, and the president has ordered an acceleration of the Pentagon’s preparation for a new phase of his war…

A thing to remember about highly enriched uranium is how heavy it is

I’m trying to imagine any Republican governor in America doing the equivalent of what Jared Polis just did. This is why Democrats lose.

I talked to Crooked's Alex Wagner about Nick Kristof's column on the rape of Palestinian prisoners and the cynical and dishonest Israeli and pro-Israeli backlash:

When a Democrat is president, the press only cares about the swing voters who oppose him. When a Republican is president, the press only cares about the conservative voters who support him.

Patel was disrespectful towards the graves of men who died fighting fascism, an act MAGA loves

‘Mega-Bloodbath’: Trump Officials Hate His Plan to Seize Iran’s Uranium ‘We might actually be stupid enough to try it,’ one Trump administration official tells Zeteo. Read here, by @swin24.bsky.social: zeteo.com/p/trump-iran...

lol not Third Way letting Republicans off the hook

The Trump regime, w/ the media’s help, starts the history of its foreign relations where its chooses. The Iran-US story starts w/ the 1979 embassy takeover, not the 1953 U.S.-engineered coup. The Cuba-US story starts w/ the 1996 plane downings, not the Bay of Pigs in 1961 or plots to kill Castro.

Breaking the Nebraska GOP’s filibuster-proof majority would block: 1️⃣ Passing new voting restrictions. 2️⃣ Gerrymandering the light blue 2nd District. 3️⃣ Erasing the 2nd’s “blue dot” to stop Dems from winning the Electoral College just by flipping MI, PA, & WI. Dems currently rely on GOP defections

"if you think AOC... is somehow less progressive, less moral, less worthy of your support than MTG; if you as a leftist think she is better than AOC in any way, then I think you need help." My deep dive on AOC vs MTG, especially their records on Gaza & Israel. I bring receipts:

I’d argue that this was the week we learned of the biggest Trump corruption scandal of all.