This is particularly amusing given that one of the knocks on Obama’s public demeanor was that he was too “professorial.”

Graham Platner isn't a conventional candidate, but he was cruising in the Democratic race. Now he gets a chance to take on Susan Collins - a juggernaut in Maine politics for decades. www.bbc.com/news/article...

King Charles III's visit to the US was meant to be a celebration – of America's 250th anniversary, of enduring Anglo-American ties and of the "special relationship". But it has also been billed as a rescue mission. www.bbc.com/news/article...

By my count, there were four Fox News (or Business) hosts on the guest list for tonight's White House state dinner for the king: Brett Baier, Maria Bartiromo, Laura Ingraham and Jesse Watters. Five, I guess, if you include Pete Hegseth

I assume that after Lincoln's assassination there were widespread calls to build a big performing arts theater on the White House grounds.

How did I spend my Saturday? Talking to loyal listeners of the Americast podcast in London. It was a nice reminder of our audience and why we work so hard to bring them the unvarnished news from Washington

Pretty dramatic graphic.

To put this in perspective, there are about 740,000 people in the entirety of Alaska.

Trump spent Saturday night watching Ultimate Fighting cage matches in Miami. Despite their ferocity, they have set rules and time limits, and end with a clear winner and a loser. It's the kind of clarity that the Iran war may never provide. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Donald Trump wrote that they were "stupid people" and that "nobody cares about them". He then spent the next 372 words in a Truth Social post on Thursday afternoon talking about them. www.bbc.com/news/article...

This afternoon has been quite a display of the Streisand Effect.

My "I was not friends with Jeffrey Epstein" T-shirt has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my shirt.

Trump demanded Iranian open Hormuz - and they did. But the way he went about it risks permanent damage to the US and leaves many of the stated American war goals in doubt. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Hard not to view this as a concerted CYA effort by Vance.

Shorter Trump: God bless the great people of Iran, whose civilization will probably die tonight by our hand.

Oh, Iran, you sweet summer child. Let me tell you about our Congress …

Trump’s opacity could be an indication that, behind the scenes, negotiations are farther along than have been publicly acknowledged. Or it could be some combination of bluff and wishful thinking. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Trump won't care, but there are good reasons others in the USG will be reluctant to talk about nukes. Mostly, because striking regional enemies is harder than it sounds. www.amazon.com/No-Use-Natio...

In the run-up to the first Gulf War, SNL had a skit where Dana Carvey, as George HW Bush, gave a speech to the Iraqi people where he said America was a great scorpion and jackals would slake their thirst on the blood of Iraqi soldiers. It was funny because it was so absurd.

This CPAC conference, held for the first time in the heart of Republican-dominated Texas, hints that the pressure for the president to find an off-ramp from the conflict is starting to build. www.bbc.com/news/article...

I wonder if when he previously called it an “excursion” he meant to say “operation” and just muffed it.

Winning over independent voters was one of the keys to Trump's victory in 2024. Unless the current political dynamics change, independent antipathy could contribute to his party's potential undoing in November. www.bbc.com/news/article...

On the stage at CPAC now, a panel titled "Cigars, Steaks, and Ivermectin: A MAHA Survival Guide." The host is a former professional rodeo star, who notes that none of the panelists have medical training. He recommends people exercise, get good sleep and spend time outside without sunscreen.

The good news is you're not allowed to use your personal email account for official business, so I'm sure the Iranians didn't get ahold of anything important.

Attending CPAC in Dallas, and conservative commentator Michael Knowles mentions Democrat Senator John Fetterman's name. The crowd cheers. "He is getting more Republican by the day," Knowles says.

Stop me if you've heard this before, but an American president may be getting an overly rosy picture from his generals of how an unpopular war is going.

During his tour of Graceland, Trump said that he was a big Elvis fan and that Hurt was his favourite song. Given the current circumstances, however, It's Now or Never may have been a more appropriate choice.

Worst Disney ride ever.

Dusting off old BBC articles about whether Russia was committing war crimes in Ukraine because they're newly relevant. www.bbc.com/news/world-e...

The Iran war is "winding down," but more US troops are on the way. Iran's military is "gone," but it's still launching missiles and drones. Trump's words and reality don't always match. www.bbc.com/news/article...

I'll be curious how having more everyday Americans interact with ICE agents agressively enforcing airport security - and checking immigration papers - for travellers is going to play.

Palo Alto? Mountain View? This has to be a joke.

If there’s one thing that gets the average American angry, it’s higher gas prices.

If Trump is grappling with a war of choice that seems in danger of spiralling in ways he can't control, those concerns are not playing out in public. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Unplug it. Wait 15 seconds. Then plug it back in and reboot.

The one thing I think we've learned this year is if the Trump administration deploys military units, they tend to use them.

Given that this war started with the killing of Iran's leader, his top aides and and many of his family members, going underground seems like a rational thing to do.

President Donald Trump and his administration have so far offered mixed messages and contradictory explanations on the joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran. Monday was more of the same. www.bbc.com/news/article...

There is a very real difference between asking people to make a sacrifice for what you say is a good cause and telling people that the sacrifice they are currently making without their choice is for a good cause.

The U.S. is not in the business of nation-building, but it will pick Iran’s new leaders, bring it back from the brink of destruction and make it bigger, better and stronger than ever…

I'm reminded of 2017, when Trump endorsed - and campaigned for - Senator Luther Strange in Alabama despite much of his base prefering the controversial Judge Roy Moore. Moore won the nomination anyway, then became the first Republican to lose a Senate race to a Democrat since 1990.

“Mistakenly withheld”

So who would Trump ask to drop out? Cornyn, the incumbent senator who won more votes in the first round? Or Paxton, the loyal soldier who backed Trump’s challenges to the 2020 election and showed up in New York to support him during his criminal trial?

Stop me if you're heard this before, but Democrats are hoping they might be able to win a statewide seat in Texas. Here's what I saw on the ground in the recently concluded Texas Senate primaries. www.bbc.com/news/article...

I wonder how "that's the way it is" would have landed if Biden had said that after the Abbey Gate bombing.

Donald Trump is betting that what he’s done so far – along with a renewed sense of American patriotism – will be enough to shift public mood in his favour before the midterms. For the moment, that appears like a risky wager. www.bbc.com/news/article...

350km from Moscow a giant mural of soldiers killed in Ukraine looms over a town, like the war itself hangs over Russia. In Lipetsk region I witness the consequences for Russia of four years of war on Ukraine. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Delivered just eight months before the midterms, this is the last Trump State of the Union address that could have a direct impact on the political landscape during his presidential term. www.bbc.com/news/article...