Presumptuous Politics

Friday, March 20, 2026

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Trump Eyes Kharg Island Seizure to Reopen Hormuz

Trump Eyes Kharg Island Seizure to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump reportedly is weighing a strategy to counter Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, including the possible seizure or blockade of Kharg Island, a key hub for Iran's oil exports.

The move, detailed by Axios, underscores the administration's effort to restore stability to global energy markets after Tehran's actions sent oil prices above $100 a barrel and disrupted a key maritime route that carries roughly 20% of the world's oil supply.

Kharg Island, 

 located just miles off Iran's coast, handles about 90% of the country's crude exports, making it a critical pressure point.

Administration officials say no final decision has been made, but options on the table range from a naval blockade to a full-scale operation involving U.S. troops.

"He wants Hormuz open," one senior official told Axios. "If he has to take Kharg Island to make it happen, that's going to happen."

The U.S. military has already taken steps to prepare the battlefield.

Recent airstrikes targeted Iranian military assets on the island, deliberately avoiding key oil infrastructure — a signal, officials say, that Washington is preserving leverage while reducing Tehran's capabilities.

Reinforcements are also on the way, with multiple Marine units deploying to the region and additional forces under consideration.

The buildup reflects a broader strategy to give the president a range of options as he seeks to force Iran back to the negotiating table.

Supporters of a tougher approach argue that decisive measures are necessary to end Iran's actions in the region.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said Trump has been "prudent" in keeping all options open, noting the administration has "mountains of plans" to respond to Iran's escalation.

Other Republicans have gone further, with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., urging the president to "take Kharg Island," arguing it would cripple the country's primary revenue source and hasten the end of the conflict.

Critics, however, warn of risks.

Analysts cited by The Hill and Politico say any ground operation could expose U.S. forces to attack and escalate the conflict.

Iran could retaliate against regional energy infrastructure, tightening global supply and driving prices higher.

Still, some experts say a blockade — similar to U.S. actions in Venezuela — could achieve many of the same goals with less risk by preventing tankers from accessing Iranian oil without deploying large numbers of U.S. troops.

The stakes are high. Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz is widely viewed as an act of desperation but has had real consequences for U.S. consumers and allies.

The administration has framed its strategy as short-term pain for long-term stability and a necessary stand against a regime that has long threatened global commerce.

Charlie McCarthy

Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.

© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

 

Dem Rep Under Fire After Staffer Posed As Lawyer for Illegals 11 Times—Smuggled Phones Into ICE Facility

Democrat Representative Veronica Escobar (TX-16) is coming under fire after Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons banned one of her senior caseworkers from all ICE facilities for allegedly posing as a licensed attorney at least 11 times to gain unauthorized access to detainees at a facility in El Paso, Texas.

The staffer, identified as Benito Torres, also stands accused of smuggling cell phones inside the detention center in clear violation of security protocols.

 In a letter to the congresswoman, Lyons demanded answers on whether she knew about or authorized Torres' actions, if she condones such behavior, and what steps she will take to hold him accountable.

"The available evidence demonstrates your staffer, a senior caseworker named Benito Torres, misrepresented himself as counsel for detainees in ICE custody, violated clear detention standards and security protocols prohibiting the use of cellphones inside ICE facilities, improperly met with multiple detainees, and falsely claimed to ICE personnel such use had been approved by the agency," Lyons wrote. 

"As a result of bringing a cell phone into the Camp East Montana facility, contrary to facility visitation policy, Mr. Torres’ misrepresentation that he is a licensed attorney to gain access to detainees, his improper meetings with groups of detainees, and his assertions to ICE personnel about the origins of his visit, Mr. Torres is herby [sic] prohibited from accessing any ICE facility."


READ MORE: Accused Felon LaMonica McIver Survives House Censure Vote Because of Republican Votes

Watch: Unhinged Woman Sets Fire at Building in Kansas City, MO, Reportedly Considered for ICE Facility


Escobar is denying that her staffer did anything wrong, calling Torres "a dedicated public servant."

Dedicated to whom, Ms. Escobar? It sounds like he's dedicated to serving illegal immigrants, not the public.

"This administration has a history of engaging in intimidation tactics against Members of Congress as well as continuously attempting to obstruct our ability to provide oversight," the congresswoman said in a statement to Fox News.

Of course, none of that addresses the accusations against her top aide.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on X published images of a logbook showing Torres signing in to the facility to visit a "client" under the guise of being their "lawyer." They allege that he went so far as to sign federal paperwork attesting that he was legal counsel for specific clients.

Additionally, they report, "The facility administrator discovered that Torres was passing a phone to multiple detainees and spoke to him; at that time, Torres admitted he was not an attorney and was visiting as a private citizen."

"After the fraudulent visit, officials reviewed past visitor logs and discovered Torres had repeatedly represented himself as a lawyer or said he was visiting for legal reasons."

False statements or misrepresentations to the government are typically frowned upon, to say the least.

"I stand proudly by the members of my team who have demonstrated nothing but dedication and integrity to serving our nation and our community," a defiant Torres told Fox.

Torres, though, isn't the first Democrat lawmaker accused of fraudulently posing as a lawyer for illegal aliens.

In November, a staffer for Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) also misrepresented himself as a lawyer for a detained illegal immigrant in an attempt to facilitate their release.

Duckworth, to her credit, at least fired that staffer, Edward York. It seems like Escobar is prepared to dig in her heels in defense of the faux lawyer.

Editor’s Note: Democrat politicians and their radical supporters will do everything they can to interfere with and threaten ICE agents enforcing our immigration laws.


Boasberg's at It Again: Judge Changes Grand Jury Rules After Democrats Avoid Indictments

Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg has ordered a temporary change to grand jury procedure in Washington, D.C., requiring notification when juries decline to issue indictments, a move that stands out for how rarely judges require formal reporting at this stage.

Grand juries are designed to operate independently. They decide whether charges move forward, often behind closed doors and with limited visibility, even to the courts themselves. Judges oversee the process broadly, but they do not typically require formal reporting when a case ends without charges.

Boasberg’s order changes that dynamic.

“This Court finds that notification should be provided to the duty magistrate judge whenever a grand jury fails to concur in an indictment, regardless of whether the defendant has already been charged.”

The directive does not make those decisions public, but it does require formal reporting to a magistrate judge. That creates a record where none may have existed before and brings the court a step closer to grand jury outcomes.

“When a grand jury fails to concur in an indictment in a GJO investigation, the foreperson shall promptly and in writing report the lack of concurrence to the duty magistrate judge under seal.” 

Even under seal, the shift is significant. Grand jury secrecy has long been treated as a core feature of the system. When a case ends without an indictment, it typically ends quietly. This order requires notice every time.

The timing stands out. The order follows a failed effort by federal prosecutors to secure indictments against six Democrat members of Congress over statements urging military personnel to reject unlawful orders. Those charges did not materialize, and no indictments were returned despite federal prosecutors' push. Shortly after, the court imposed a new rule requiring visibility into those kinds of outcomes.

Boasberg framed the order as temporary:

“This order shall remain in effect for 120 days, during which time the Court will consider the adoption of a local rule requiring such notifications.”


 Temporary does not mean insignificant. Even as a trial run, it raises a basic question: Why now?

That question is sharpened by Boasberg’s track record. He has repeatedly ruled against Trump and his administration, placing him at the center of multiple high-profile legal fights. This order follows a failed attempt to charge Democrat lawmakers, a sequence likely to draw scrutiny.


Read More: Welp: Boasberg Orders Trump Admin. to Bring Back, Pay for Venezuelans Deported Under AEA

Federal Judge Dismisses Judicial Misconduct Complaint Against Judge James Boasberg


Courts have the authority to manage their own procedures. This order falls within that power. But it is not routine. It adds a step that did not exist before, requiring formal notice when grand juries decline to indict and creating a record of those outcomes, even if that record remains sealed.

Grand juries still decide whether charges move forward, but when they decline to indict, that decision no longer ends with the jury room. The court is now formally notified, and the outcome becomes part of the record.

Editor's Note: Unelected federal judges are hijacking President Trump's agenda and insulting the will of the people.


Our New Ungracious Immigrants

Our New Ungracious Immigrants

Silicon Valley was energized by legal immigrants from all over the world who founded eBay, Google, Nvidia, SpaceX, Stripe, Sun Microsystems, Tesla, Yahoo, and a host of others.

The Greek American Elia Kazan's 1963 film "America," "America" is a fictional account based on the Herculean struggle of the director's uncle to immigrate to the United States from an impoverished and hostile Turkish Anatolia.

The film summed up Americans' traditional view of immigrants: They had risked everything for the chance to reach America, and once there, became hyperpatriotic in their gratitude for the magnanimity of their new hosts.

An excellent example is the recently released memoir from Encounter Books, "American Trojan," by former University of Southern California president and Cypriot immigrant Dr. Max Nikias. It resonates with thankfulness to America for offering him opportunities undreamed of elsewhere.

He and his wife arrived in the U.S. from war-torn Cyprus nearly penniless but determined to work hard, master English, and enrich the country that welcomed them with their talents and education. What followed was an amazing American trajectory that saw Nikias become president of the University of Southern California – arguably the most successful one in recent memory.

I grew up in rural California surrounded by hard-working immigrant farm families from Armenia, India, Japan, and Mexico. Their work ethic, love of America, and productive farms were models for U.S. non-immigrants. Such immigrants explained why the San Joaquin Valley was the most productive and richest agricultural region in the nation.

My own Swedish grandfather, disabled by poison gas while fighting on the Western Front in World War I, loved all things Swedish, but not nearly as much as his beloved America.

Four Hansons fought on the front lines of World Wars I and II. One was disabled, and another was killed on Okinawa. And all felt blessed that their parents and grandparents had gotten to America.

Gratitude and Ingratitude

But recently, something has gone terribly wrong with immigration – an open border, of course, but also a change in legal immigration as well as student visitors.

 During World War II, Japanese Americans fought heroically in horrific conditions in Italy in the famous 442nd Regimental Combat Team and 100th Infantry Battalion – even as their families were interned in the Western United States. Few native-born Americans were more loyal or patriotic than the Japanese Americans.

And now?

While America is at war with Iran and de facto with its terrorist proxies, crowds of immigrants, visitors, and foreign students in New York scream anti-American slogans as they cheer on our enemies in theocratic Iran and its terrorist proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas.

Are we surprised, then, when Islamic terrorists begin hunting down Americans on our own soil?

On campuses today, thousands of Middle Eastern international students, mostly arriving from autocratic, tribal, and failed nations, have staged often violent demonstrations in the years following the October 7, 2023, massacre. They are not shy about cheering on the Hamas slaughter of Israeli civilians.

These pro-Hamas students have not just damned Israel but also often harassed Jewish Americans. They revile their host America and expect Americans to smile and shrug.

It is hard to determine whether such zealots hate the U.S. more than they love living in America and preserving their student visas and work permits.

Hating or Loving the "Great Satan"?

Take Dr. Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani. She is the daughter of Ali Larijani, one of the late Supreme Leader Khamenei's murderous henchmen. He sent his daughter Fatemeh to the top schools in the satanic United States. She was eventually even hired as a professor at Emory University – at least until popular outrage at the Larijani family's hypocrisy prompted her dismissal.

To our enemies in Iran, we may be the "Great Satan." But Iranian theocrats apparently prefer their children and other relatives to study and get rich in Luciferian America. So, many send their kids to universities in the U.S.

Another surreal example is the case of Mahmoud Khalil, who arrived on a student visa at Columbia University and soon led the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment."

When the State Department sought to revoke his temporary visa, the Left made Khalil a veritable martyr. Apparently, his university supporters reasoned that the U.S. had an obligation to invite to its shores those who are active supporters of terrorists like Hamas.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a naturalized citizen from Uganda whose parents became public figures and multimillionaires in America, in the past has had little good to say about his adopted country.

His quite public wife, Rama, whose parents were naturalized Syrian citizens, illustrated a book that was rife with antisemitism. It's no accident that after October 7, she posted "likes" of social media praise of the terrorist Hamas killers, who are sworn enemies of her own country.

Many Somali immigrants of Minneapolis repaid the kindness of Americans in welcoming them from war-torn Somalia by committing the greatest welfare fraud in U.S. history, which may reach $9 billion in theft. Their iconic representative, Ilhan Omar, has voiced antisemitic vitriol, downplayed 9/11, claimed the U.S. has a dictatorship worse than the one she fled, and said the U.S. was turning into one of the worst countries in the world. That is the thanks she returns for entering a hospitable America under controversial circumstances and dubious legality.

Hating – or Hating to Leave – America?

Stranger still is the attitude of visitors and illegal aliens when they finally face deportation.

Former President Joe Biden allowed 10-12 million foreign nationals to illegally enter the U.S. during his tenure, among them some 500,000 known criminals. In the years since his inauguration, not a day goes by without news that illegal aliens of that era have murdered, assaulted, been arrested for felonious acts, or caused horrific auto accidents.

One of them was Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal alien from El Salvador, who long ago was ordered to be deported for his unlawful entry and residence.

Instead, he too became an icon to the Left when he was recently and belatedly facing permanent deportation. He had clearly ignored his earlier deportation orders, and was an alleged gang member, an often violent spousal abuser, and a human trafficker.

Abrego Garcia apparently felt he had a right to enter the U.S. illegally. He successfully made a mockery of our immigration laws. But he presciently expected that soon hundreds of thousands of dollars of free legal help would come his way, ensuring he could stay in the country for which he showed utter contempt.

And in the U.S., one of the most bizarre aspects of recent protests against ICE efforts involved episodes of Mexican nationals waving the flag of the country to which under no circumstances they wished to return, even as they burned the flag of the nation in which they insisted they had an innate right to stay.

Our New Americans Killing Americans

Yet the immigration disaster transcends student visas and illegal aliens, since it extends to many naturalized citizens as well.

Consider the terrorist acts that have transpired in just the last eight days.

On March 1, Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Senegal, shot up a beer garden in Austin, Texas. He murdered three people and wounded 14 others. Diagne wore a "Property of Allah" sweatshirt, along with an Iranian flag T-shirt.

On March 7, 2026, Emir Balat, the son of a naturalized citizen from Turkey, and Ibrahim Kayumi, the son of naturalized Afghan refugees, threw IEDs toward a conservative protest outside Gracie Mansion, the New York mayor's residence.

The media sought to cover up their Islamist motives but could not, given that the two terrorists openly boasted of their aims. Indeed, the two bragged that they wanted to achieve something "bigger than the Boston Marathon bombing."

That was a reference to Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the murderous Chechen-immigrant brothers. In 2013, they murdered three and injured hundreds at the Boston Marathon. Their aim too was apparently to further the so-called global "Islamic cause."

This same week, on March 12, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, another naturalized U.S. citizen, this time from Sierra Leone, went into an ROTC meeting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Once there, he murdered the instructor, Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shah, a decorated combat veteran. Jalloh shouted "Allahu Akbar" as he fired. Jalloh had previously been convicted for attempting to support ISIS but was released before serving his full sentence.

That same March day, Ayman Muhammed Ghazali, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Lebanon, whose family in the Middle East currently has strong Hezbollah terrorist ties, drove his car rigged with explosive fireworks into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

Ghazali was killed by security guards before he could carry out his homicidal plan. Hezbollah, remember, in the past, butchered hundreds of Americans in Lebanon.

There is an endless list of illegal aliens and naturalized citizens who have killed hundreds of Americans, both as common criminals and as would-be jihadists.

And not all the killing is intentional. Thousands of driver's licenses have been issued to both illegal aliens and legal residents from all over the world, including those who do not understand English, cannot pass a commercial driver's test, and are utterly unqualified to drive. Is it any surprise that we have recently witnessed serial horrific crashes, where incompetent drivers rammed their 80,000-pound semi-trucks into unsuspecting drivers?

What Happened to Immigration?

So what made the U.S. adopt such a suicidal immigration and visitation policy – one that welcomes in millions illegally, hundreds of thousands who are known criminals, tens of thousands of students who despise the U.S., and thousands of terrorists themselves and their sympathizers?

In the mid-1960s, amid the Great Society's dreams of transforming America, new immigration laws were passed that ended the older quota process. That traditional system tended to favor better-off immigrants from Europe and the former British Empire to reflect somewhat the founding demographics of the republic.

But the new law junked the prior merit-based system and instead admitted immigrants chiefly on the basis of family ties and the purported need of the host country for inexpensive labor – with most now arriving from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Suddenly, far less important for entry were critical skill sets, English mastery, high school diplomas, proof of self-support, and knowledge of, or familiarity with, the American system.

But in the subsequent 60 years, Democrats went even further beyond the 1965 Hart-Celler Act efforts to change the demography of the U.S. They began welcoming in anyone, legal or not, who simply crashed the border or claimed they wanted to study in the U.S. The old melting pot was banished, replaced by the "salad bowl."

Immigration was seen by the Left as the answer to why they had never been able to complete their socialist agendas amid a skeptical American public. Supposedly, by welcoming in a "diverse" demographic, poor and without English fluency, they would grow the welfare state, creating a new dependent constituency.

The new immigrants and visitors were envisioned as left-wing voters-to-be who would look to the Democratic Party as their guarantors of open borders, a new entitlement society, and a criminal justice system that saw the perpetrator as a victim – and the real criminal as a racist America itself.

Diversity, the Immigration Force Multiplier

The new "diversity" ideology peaked under Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The subtext of their open-borders nihilism was a new oppressor/oppressed binary.

It dictated that traditional America was still too white, too traditionalist, too Christian, too unfairly successful – and too hostile to the Democratic-socialist agenda of a mandated equality of result achieved through massive coercive government redistributive efforts.

Under this warped view, the criminally minded Abrego Garcia became a victim of supposed "Gestapo" ICE "goons" (ironic, when patriotic and skilled Mexican American officers disproportionately staff ICE ranks).

The Tsarnaev Boston Marathon killers became "hot" underdog freedom fighters. So the supposedly sexy, photogenic young murderer Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was highlighted on the cover of Rolling Stone.

The more Mahmoud Khalil took on the mantle of an anti-American, pro-Hamas activist, the more the Left rallied to his cause.

When Major Nidal Hasan, the son of naturalized Palestinian immigrants, slaughtered 13 and wounded 32 fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, the Pentagon resisted efforts to tie him to the Islamic terrorist cause. That was hard to do, since he screamed "Allahu Akbar!" as he mowed down his fellow soldiers.

Then Army Chief of Staff George Casey responded to the mass murder with his lamentation on CNN that, "As great a tragedy as this was, it would be a shame if our diversity became a casualty as well." He sought to quash any speculation about Hasan's Islamic motives, in fear that the ensuing truth might endanger the Army's diversity efforts.

Then we come to the case of Eileen Gu, the recent American Winter Olympic multi-medalist skier.

She was born in San Francisco to a Chinese immigrant mother and an American father and lived her entire life in the U.S. But Gu chose to compete in the games for communist China, despite its efforts to isolate, dehumanize, and eventually vastly "reduce" its Uyghur minority population.

Dr. Frankenstein and His Monster

The final irony: Why do so many criminals believe they can enter the U.S. illegally and get away with murder?

Is it because they feel contempt for any nation that opens its borders, requires no background checks, destroys its own immigration laws, and weaponizes its criminal justice system to make the criminal the victim and the state his victimizer?

Why do so many burn the U.S. flag while waving the flag of Mexico, a country they have no intention of returning to?

Is it because they sense they might be praised for "celebrating diversity," as the popular culture would term such abject cultural schizophrenia?

Why would the Tsarnaev brothers repay the country that took them in by killing innocent Americans?

Would it be because, in their formative years in American schools, their teachers and texts emphasized what was wrong with a supposedly exploitative U.S.?

Why, in the middle of a near-existential war with Iran to stop its efforts to obtain nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles pointed at the U.S. and its allies, would naturalized citizens feel so free to slaughter Americans for the cause of Islam?

Would it be because they sense from left-wing universities and popular culture that it is a virtual open season on Jews?

Or that any time an Islamic terrorist commits an act, a Democratic operative will warn America of "Islamophobia" – as if, say, mowing down soldiers at Fort Hood is the lesser crime?

Why would a rich, privileged Eileen Gu feel no discomfort competing for a murderous regime whose agenda is to displace her country from its global preeminence in favor of a communist dictatorship?

Is it because in our relativist modern America, Gu's "truth" is just as meaningful as any other? And who, after all, is qualified to judge anything or anyone?

Who created our current Frankensteinian monstrosities?

We did.

We are the Dr. Frankensteins who asked nothing of immigrants, in a complete break from our nation's past.

And we got our wish for a new, quite different class of immigrants, who treated the U.S. the very way they were taught to do by the Left: as an evil entity that deserved what it got.

And we sure have gotten it.

Victor Davis Hanson is a distinguished fellow of the Center for American Greatness. He is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and the author of "The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won," from Basic Books. You can reach him by emailing authorvdh@gmail.com.


Japan's Prime Minister Saw Joe Biden's Pic on Trump's Wall of Fame. Her Reaction Was Priceless.

Japan's Prime Minister Saw Joe Biden's Pic on Trump's Wall of Fame. Her Reaction Was Priceless.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had a successful visit to the United States, meeting with President Trump and attending a White House dinner. Some observers noted the meeting could become contentious, with many questioning Japan's response to Operation Epic Fury. Takaichi stated that only Trump can bring peace to the situation. 

Yet, to get a real sense of how everyone feels about Joe Biden, the White House posted a video of her trip in which Ms. Takaichi was shown Trump’s Presidential Wall of Fame, where Joe Biden’s picture is the autopen. She’s caught laughing at the photo:

 Everyone knows—even liberals—Joe Biden was cooked. And this nation was on cruise control, especially in the last 18 months, which was a detriment to the US and its allies. 

It wasn’t all fun and games, though I’m sure the media will obsess about Trump’s quip about Pearl Harbor. Here’s what the two leaders discussed:

  1. The President championed American farmers, ranchers, and producers by improving and accelerating market access for U.S. agricultural exports to Japan.
  2. In addition to the first tranche of three major Japanese investments under the 2025 U.S.-Japan Strategic Trade and Investment Agreement announced in February 2026, and worth $36 billion, the United States welcomes a second tranche of Japanese investments, including up to $40 billion from GE Vernova Hitachi in Tennessee and Alabama to build small modular reactor power plants and up to $33 billion in natural gas generation facilities in Pennsylvania and Texas.
  3. The United States and Japan will continue to cooperate on matters related to investment security, and Japan plans to strengthen its mechanism for reviewing inbound investment based on national security risks.
  4. The President welcomed Japan’s support of U.S. reindustrialization. The United States will prioritize visa processing for temporary business travelers, particularly those who make significant investments, train American workers, or transfer critical skills, techniques, or know-how.
  5. The President and Prime Minister welcomed the outcomes of the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Ministerial and Business Forum, which brought together 17 Indo-Pacific Ministers and hundreds of business leaders to highlight over $50 billion of projects and investments in the United States and the region.
  6. Under a new Memorandum of Cooperation, the two nations will accelerate joint research and development and industry cooperation on commercially-viable development of deep-sea critical minerals resources, including rare-earth muds near Japan’s Minamitorishima Island that could meet centuries’ worth of industrial demand.
  7. The United States and Japan reached a Critical Minerals Action Plan to increase the production and diversity of critical minerals, developing a plurilateral trade initiative supported by price floors or other measures.
  8. The U.S. Department of Energy and Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology signed a Statement of Intent to drive cooperation on AI-enabled scientific discovery and innovation, high-performance computing, and quantum technologies. 
  9. Under a new Memorandum of Understanding, the U.S. Argonne National Laboratory, Japan’s RIKEN and Fujitsu, and NVIDIA will leverage public research institutions and private sector partners to accelerate computing architectures and solutions.
  10. Astronauts will return to the Moon through NASA’s Artemis program with Japan’s crewed pressurized lunar rover.  The two countries will expand cooperation in low-Earth orbit and the NASA-led Moon base, and will launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) later this year.
  11. The two countries are cooperating in biotech and pharmaceutical supply chain resilience under the October 2025 Technology Prosperity Deal.
  12. In 2025, the two nations shared multiple epidemic intelligence reports and identified 19 public health events, leading to earlier detection and rapid response. 
  13. The United States and Japan affirmed their commitment to deploying advanced capabilities in Japan to enable a strong denial defense posture.  This year, the two sides will maintain close coordination, building on the successful 2025 deployment of the U.S. Typhon missile system to mainland Japan.
  14. Following the bilateral feasibility study for AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) co-production, the two countries will scope Japan’s future role in increased AMRAAM production capacity.
  15. In support of missile defense cooperation, the two sides will rapidly increase by fourfold the production of Standard Missile 3 Block IIA missiles in Japan.
  16. The United States welcomed Japan’s commitment to develop a secure and sovereign cloud platform for government data to enhance bilateral information sharing, planning, and coordination.
  17. The two leaders committed to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of regional security and global prosperity, supported the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues through dialogue, and opposed any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo, including by force or coercion. 
  18. The United States and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea and to enhance the Japan-U.S.-ROK partnership.  The United States supports Japan’s determination to achieve an immediate resolution of the abductee issue.
  19. The two sides will coordinate in third countries to address challenges posed by strategic competitors and rogue states.

 

Poll: 100% of MAGA Republicans support Trump

(Background) U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a tour of a Thermo Fisher Scientific facility on March 11, 2026 in Reading, Ohio. President Trump is highlighting his administration's push to lower drug prices at the biotechnology and pharmaceutical company. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) / (L) Screen Capture of CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten hosting News Central.

CNN’s chief data analyst, Harry Enten, presented new polling data indicating that Donald Trump holds a remarkable 100% approval rating among MAGA Republicans, underscoring the unwavering loyalty of his “Make America Great Again” base.

During a broadcast of News Central on Wednesday, Enten disproved claims that Trump’s most fervent supporters are split in their opinions of Operation Epic Fury, the Trump administration’s joint campaign with Israel to wipe out Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities and bring about regime change.

While standing in front of a screen with the phrase, “A break in MAGA?” Enten remarked, “Sometimes you look at the polling data, and there are numbers that just jump off the screen.”

“MAGA GOP … approve 100%. 100%. If you are a member of MAGA in the GOP, you approve of Donald John Trump,” he said. “0% say that they disapprove.”


 “You don’t have to be a mathematical genius to know you can’t go higher that 100%. He is the 1972 Miami Dolphins,” he added, referencing the only NFL team to have a perfect season.

Enten did clarify that “some Republicans” do not approve of Trump or his administration’s efforts in Iran, arguing that the operation does not align with his “America First” principles, but these individuals are not part of the MAGA movement.

Furthermore, he pointed out that the president’s base within the GOP is “not shrinking.” Instead, it was “slightly larger” than it was in 2024, while he was on the campaign trail.

 

“The bottom line is this: if you are a member of MAGA, you approve of Donald Trump,” he declared.


 

Trump Forces Six Global Powers to Finally Step Up and Secure World’s Most Critical Waterway

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President Trump keeps racking up wins, and the so-called “global community” keeps having to admit he was right. This time, after taking our so-called allies to task, Trump has pushed six major countries to finally step up and help secure the Strait of Hormuz—a passageway that basically keeps the world’s lights on. For years, European leaders acted like it wasn’t their problem. Now suddenly, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Netherlands are falling in line and pledging support. Funny how fast they can mobilize when a real leader calls them out.

 Let’s be honest—liberals love to talk about “global cooperation,” but it always ends with America doing all the heavy lifting while the rest of the world freeloads. Under Biden, these same countries sat on their hands, leaving American troops to carry their water. But Trump doesn’t play by their rules, and when he demands action, people listen. When President Trump pushed back, he wasn’t just asking nicely—he was making it clear that sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option.

https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2034648237689164027

This move isn’t about being a “bully,” as the left loves to shriek. It’s about protecting American interests and our way of life. The Strait of Hormuz isn’t just some obscure stretch of water—it’s the critical artery for the world’s energy. If rogue regimes or terrorists shut it down, the whole planet pays the price. Trump understands power. He understands that if America protects the world, allies better show up or get out of the way.

It’s laughable watching globalist elites squirm when Trump gets results they could never dream of pulling off. The joint statement from these allies proves just how much influence Trump brings to the table. Suddenly, after years of dragging their feet, they realize there are consequences for ignoring real threats. Maybe next time they’ll think twice before mocking America’s leadership.

Here’s a simple truth liberals will never admit: any nation that refuses to help secure this vital passage shouldn’t benefit from what flows through it. If they want the rewards, it’s time they face the risks. President Trump just sent a loud and clear message—America leads, but we don’t carry dead weight. When will the left understand that strength, not weakness, keeps the world safe?

 

Trump Taps America’s Oil Power While Liberals Bow to Foreign Interests

Trump says US to 'run' Venezuela, tap its crude reserves: Why it won't  matter much for India's oil bill - The Times of India

America’s oil power is the hammer liberals refuse to swing. While the left scrambles to please foreign interests and pump up unreliable green fantasies, President Trump is sitting on the world’s biggest energy jackpot. Let’s be blunt: the United States out-produces everyone else when it comes to oil. Not Russia. Not Saudi Arabia. America. That means when push comes to shove, we don’t have to bow down to dictators or globalists who hate our guts.

 Trump understands the real power of oil. It’s not just about making cars go or heating homes—it’s about fueling freedom. Nations that can pump it, refine it, and get it moving fast control their own destiny. The left wants Americans hooked on batteries from China. Trump says—let’s use what’s under our feet instead of letting enemies call the shots.

https://twitter.com/PJMedia_com/status/2034736694474248653

Remember how fast the Biden crowd drove gas prices through the roof, blaming everything and everyone but their own foolish policies? Meanwhile, Trump’s energy legacy puts America first, cuts the nonsense, and shows the world we don’t need to beg OPEC or lick the boots of Europe’s bureaucrats. If you can drill and refine, you can stand strong and stare down the world.

Liberals would rather suffocate U.S. jobs and industries to get applause in Paris than protect your wallet at the gas pump. They keep crowing about “climate justice” while regular people pay more to drive to work. They chase windmills and unicorns while Trump fights for real, affordable power that helps American families.

So, ask yourself: Why should we ever let anti-American radicals and weak-kneed elites dictate how we power this country? Trump’s bold energy moves are the reason America leads. If Democrats keep gambling with our energy security, the only thing heating up will be voter anger.

 

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