MAGA allies are grasping for a silver lining from Viktor Orban's defeat, arguing it means liberals exaggerated the threat. Not my view. As for Trump and democracy....? A robust exchange with Leland Vittert — who to his credit brings me on knowing I'll disagree — last night:

Time for my annual Masters resharing of the New York Times story I wrote years ago about Rory McIlroy, identity and our mutual home-place. www.nytimes.com/2011/07/11/s...

Dignity of the office, and whatnot.

The UK will host talks about the Strait of Hormuz next week. But Trump's idea that other nations should steam up the Strait and "just TAKE" Iran's oil is...not what that's about. I discussed it with Ali Vitali on MS NOW's "Way Too Early" today.

Wow. Pete Hegseth’s broker looked to make a “multimillion dollar” investment in a defense fund in February, just weeks before the war on Iran was launched. Great scoop from the FT: www.ft.com/content/744e...

Trump cabinet meeting ran from roughly 10:40 to 12:15. Wall Street:

Democrat Emily Gregory last night reversed a big GOP majority to win the Florida statehouse district that covers...Mar-a-Lago. I joined from the White House to discuss the tide running against Trump, even in his own backyard.

Trump called Democrats “the greatest enemy America has” in a Sunday social media post. It barely got noticed amid everything else — and that means we’re missing the dangers. My response (with bonus Shakespeare quote) —

Always a pleasure to join C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal” on a big news day. Our very last caller argued we should all “put politics aside” and back the president. My response:

President calls opposition party “greatest enemy” facing nation.

The NYT’s Tom Friedman writing with clarity and power on the seismic defeat suffered by Trump-Miller-Noem in Minneapolis. Worth reading the whole piece (linked below) but this stood out.

Trump, March 3: The U.S. Navy will “begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible.” (This didn’t happen.) Trump, this afternoon: “Countries of the World” should “take care of that passage.”

Important news even if it surprises nobody. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/u...

Not to be ignored amid Iran war news — Trump’s demand for GOP to pass controversial voter-ID, proof-of-citizenship bill. “It’ll guarantee the midterms. If you don’t get it: big trouble.”

The evidence that the U.S. hit the girls’ school in Iran, killing scores of children, keeps growing. It’s horrific and not something from which the media, or anyone else, should just move on.

I’d been thinking about the through-lines between Gaza; the unwillingness of so many to acknowledge its horrors; and the comparatively contained outrage over the bombing of the school in southern Iran. But this letter-writer to The Irish Times says it better.

Re. Kristi Noem: It’s telling that she smeared both Renee Good and Alex Pretti as having engaged in domestic terrorism — but that it was reportedly her claim that Trump backed her self-promoting ad campaign that spelled doom.

Kristi Noem is OUT as Homeland Security Secretary

Just watched Trump’s remarks. The nuclear argument is incoherent (“They will be totally — again — obliterated”?) Can’t figure out what his argument actually is on an imminent threat to the U.S. And he ends by making clear the U.S. has begun a regime change war.

‼️ The New York Times joins NPR in digging into this potentially massive Epstein-Trump story — which, again, was first reported by @sollenbergerrc.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/u...

On Sky News earlier, I tried to get at the broader significance of the Supreme Court knocking Trump back on tariffs. He is constantly pushing at the boundaries, on multiple fronts. Now, even a very conservative court has said, “No.”

Rev. Jesse Jackson has died at 84. No social media post could do justice to such a large and consequential life. His 1988 speech to the Democratic National Convention is easily one of the most remarkable — and personal — political addresses you’ll ever hear.

NBC News is out with a very strong report into the apparent use of excessive force by ICE and other DHS officers, beyond the most notorious shootings. It also features this photo, which I couldn’t get past.

At the time, Kristi Noem called this ”an attempted murder of federal law enforcement.” And now? Charges dropped. New evidence is “materially inconsistent with the allegations.” www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/u...

Breaking: Grand jury rebuffs Trump and Pirro over video released by 6 Democratic lawmakers in Nov. Dems noted troops could refuse "illegal orders." Trump accused them of "seditious behavior" and said they should be "arrested and put on trial." Grand jury: No. www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

Today’s NYT investigation into what really went on after the killing of Renee Good is shocking. It’s centered on the apparent suppression, for political reasons, of a proper investigation. But there’s so much more. (Link below.)

If you saw the testimonies offered yesterday by Renee Good’s brothers — or others affected by the use of force by federal agents — you know how moving they were. These horrendous events don’t happen in a vacuum. My thoughts today —

Trump’s comments about how Republicans should “take over the voting” are evidence of his weakness, not strength — and there’s a collision coming. My thoughts today on “Rising” (full segment is on The Hill’s YouTube.)

Reporter: Renee Good was shot in the head and killed by an ICE Agent. Leavitt: Why was she killed? Reporter: Because an ICE agent acted recklessly and killed her unjustifiably Leavitt: You’re a left-wing hack. You’re not a reporter.

The proprietor of The Other Place has been cozying up to white supremacism. I want to make sure we’re clear on that as he tries to get back in Trump’s favor and his companies become even more closely meshed with the Pentagon.

WATCH— @niallstanage.bsky.social : “It’s surely better for 🇺🇸 democracy that people protest a government agent shooting someone in the head than to be docile or acquiescent to those kinds of actions.”

The six seconds from JD Vance that give the game away about the Trump administration’s attitude to the killing of Renee Good. www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8fFYLgo/

The “nobody debates that” here is not getting the attention it should. The nation is literally debating that. And the evidence of the wheels contradicts Vance. His phrasing is demanding the media simply echo his view and silence any other.

STANAGE: “You couldn’t ask for a more textbook example of what colonialism or imperialism are.”

Vital point by Jack Smith — Rep. Pramila Jayapal: What happens if people inferring with elections aren’t held accountable? Smith: “It becomes the new norm…” Jayapal: “So the toll on our democracy, if you had to describe that, what would that be?” Smith: “Catastrophic.”

Fox News’ coverage of the latest Epstein disclosures: “False claims exposed.”

I seem to have made Elon’s fans mad again 🤷🏻‍♂️

“It’s imperative that CNN be sold,” says the president, whose Department of Justice could block a bid from Netflix that would *not* involve CNN being sold. The rival offer is from Paramount, led by Trump-friendly David Ellison, and *would* involve CNN being sold.

Trump again claims he “inherited” the “worst inflation in the history of our country.” The inflation rate for January, when he returned to power, was 3 percent — obviously not remotely close to the worst ever. Peak Biden-era inflation was also lower than the early 1980s peak.

“Nobody has ever heard of it before,” Trump says about an “800 percent” reduction in drug prices. Indeed no one has heard of that, since it’s mathematically impossible.

The conservative site The Blaze recklessly named a woman who it said — on the spurious basis of anonymous “gait analysis” — was a “forensic match” for the Jan. 6 pipe bomber. Turns out she has a solid alibi and has been ruled out by the FBI, per CBS News. Grossly irresponsible.

“Federal authorities say that the former president and his co-conspirators almost immediately began mapping out an illegal path to retain the presidency.”

“Orders are presumed to be lawful.”

Good NYT opinion piece by Frank Bruni on the moral contortions required from Trump supporters on his behalf: ** The Outrageous False Equivalences That Prop Up President Trump www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/o...

My day-after assessment of the Trump-Mamdani meeting: Pretty, pretty, pretty funny. Speaking to Alexis Conran earlier on Britain’s Times Radio.

My take on today’s festivities, now up at The Hill. thehill.com/homenews/cam...

Plenty of media activity outside the West Wing as we await @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social’s arrival.

Elizabeth Warren on Colbert's show: "We don't think one corporation or one man named David Ellison should be able to buy up all the shows and buy up all the sports and buy up all the news and decide who watches what and I'm gonna stay in that fight."

University College Dublin’s student news organization, The University Observer, sought me out for an interview about media, my career and advice for aspiring journalists. My words of highly dubious wisdom are here: universityobserver.ie/how-niall-st...

Not sure how we got to the point of weak, bitter little men like this believing they’re providing some kind of template of masculinity. Embarrassing.