“Saturday Night Live” recap: Colman Domingo makes his hosting debut

Hi all – it’s your good palSNL in Review. Welcome to Saturday night! (Or, perhaps more likely, your Sunday morning recap.)

Colman Domingois this week’s host. I am joined tonight by the always eloquent gentleman and formerSaturday Night Livecast member Gary Kroeger. He reports he first became familiar with Domingo's game during his time on "The Big Gay Sketch Show, but maybeFear the Walking Dead, orEuphoria." He adds, "It seems that it's been 15 or more years that I've been watching him and admiring his commanding presence. He's one of those actors who seems like they've been around even before they've been around. There was no learning curve, he was justtherewith gravitas as if he'd been doing Shakespeare since Shakespeare. I love thatSNLis finally getting around to having a host with some years on the planet. He's a grown-up. That will be refreshing."

Well put. Too often, the modern iteration of the show is seemingly chasing the fountain of youth, or the ultra-online cohort. (Rewatching older episodes, you can tell they used to actually cultivate, you know, adults.)

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Savvy comedy fans will recall none other than Kate McKinnon cut her teeth onThe Big Gay Sketch Show.Good company. Domingo has two Oscar nominations under his belt, but deep down, he’s just like us, Conehead Nation: another comedy nerd! Here’s anotherSNLbona fide for Domingo: he's stars on Tina Fey's Netflix seriesThe Four Seasons.

Scroll down for more! (I really hope the show resists an Uma-Oprah-style pun with tonight’s host and…Domingo. That’d be super lame!)

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

April 12, 2026

“Saturday Night Live” recap: Colman Domingo makes his hosting debut

Hi all – it’s your good palSNL in Review. Welcome to Saturday night! (Or, perhaps more likely, your Sunday morning recap.) Colman...

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Catholic Church sounds alarm as fuel crisis drives Cuba toward collapse

Cuba’s worsening fuel crisis is now severely hampering the delivery of humanitarian aid distributed through the Catholic Church, a senior American church official said in an interview.

Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who has helped coordinate aid shipments to Cuba for three decades from South Florida, told USA TODAY that what his diocese is able to send to Cuba is "small potatoes" because it's proving increasingly difficult to find ways to distribute the supplies it sends to the island amid extreme fuel shortages.

Wenski said that in the past week his community was able to ship a container of chicken to Caritas Cuba, an aid group associated with the Catholic Church, but that when it reached the area "Caritas was using almost what I would describe as wheelbarrows to distribute it. They sent me the photos."

He said that Cubans are telling him that the island is reaching its "zero hour": humanitarian collapse.

The Trump administration has tightened longstanding sanctions and curbed oil shipments to Cuba as part of a broader campaign to force sweeping political changes on the communist-run island. Already mired in a severe economic crisis, the near-total blockade is pushing the country toward collapse. The White House has also threatened tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba, including Venezuela and Mexico, and added the island to its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Trump's renewed attention on Cuba has at times bristled the Vatican, with Pope Leo XIV calling on all parties to have "sincere and effective dialogue."

The pope, who has emerged as the most prominent global critic of Trump's actions on the world stage, said in February that dialogue was the way to "avoid violence and any action that could increase the suffering of the beloved Cuban people,” according to Vatican News.

The Free Press reported on April 6 thatCardinal Christophe Pierre, who acted as a Holy See ambassador to the U.S. until March, was "summoned" by the White House over a speech Pope Leo made in January. The report, citing unnamed Vatican officials,characterized parts of the meeting as "a bitter lecture warning that the United States has the military power to do whatever it wants— and that the Church had better take its side."

USA TODAY can confirm the meeting took place, but the Pentagon and the Vatican have both pushed back on the version of events described in the report.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and Cuba have acknowledged they are in the early stages of trying to find a way out of the crisis but it's not clear how much each side is willing to compromise.

In an interview withNBC News, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canelsaid he would not resign under U.S. pressure. And he said Havana has asked the Trump administration to open formal talks without requiring political concessions.

Cuba’s Díaz‑Canel:He says he won’t step down under US pressure

A hotel remains lit by its own system during a blackout in Havana on March 16, 2026, after Cuba suffered a widespread power cut according to the national electricity company, against the backdrop of a severe crisis on the island caused by the US energy blockade.

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Millions without power after Cuba’s electric grid fails

A hotel remains lit by its own system during a blackout inHavanaon March 16, 2026, after Cuba suffered a widespread power cut according to the national electricity company, against the backdrop of a severe crisis on the island caused by the US energy blockade.

Even as the Trump administration's attention has shifted to the war in Iran, tensions between Washington and Havana have escalated in recent weeks.Trump has suggestedhe expects soon to have the "honor" of "taking Cuba, in some form," adding, "Whether I free it, take it − I think I can do anything I want with it."

At the same time, U.S. and Cuban officials have quietly pursued high-level talks centered on apotential economic deal. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading the U.S. side and met in February with the grandson of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro. Díaz-Canel publicly confirmed on March 13 that discussions were underway.

Few details about the talks have emerged.

In his NBC News interview, Díaz-Canel said his government remains bound to the will of the Cuban people. "The concept of revolutionaries giving up and stepping down - it’s not part of our vocabulary,” he said.

Cubastroika:Inside Trump plan to save Cuba's economy and win control

Catholic Church: A U.S.-Cuba mediator

The Catholic Church has long served as a mediator between the two countries and played a central role in the 2015 thaw that restored diplomatic relations after more than five decades of hostility.Pope Francishelped broker that opening − Trump later began reversing it during his first term − and laid the groundwork for the visit by President Barack Obama to Cuba in March 2016.

On Feb. 20, seniorU.S. diplomats met in Rome with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher,the Vatican’s foreign minister, to discuss the Church’s role, according to the Washington Post. That same day, U.S. officials also met Latin American ambassadors to explore how the Church could support economic opportunity and greater freedom for Cubans.

In March, the Vatican also helped secure the release of 51 prisoners from Cuban jails, including 27 political detainees, according to the advocacy group Prisoners Defenders.

Cuba:It wants to open private sector to Cuban Americans as US talks grow

Weeks later, Cuban authorities announced the release of more than 2,000 additional prisoners, though none were classified as political, said Javier Larrondo, the group’s president.

Despite speculation, Larrondo said the releases were unrelated to U.S.-Cuba talks. He added that Trump administration officials had contacted NGOs, including his, in early 2025 about political prisoners but made clear they were not involved in any negotiations to secure releases.

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Exclusive:Trump eyes surprise economic deal with Cuba

“They knew nothing about any negotiations with Cuba to free anyone or anything,” he said.

Meanwhile, arrests of political prisoners have surged. After averaging about 15 per month last year, authorities detained 28 people in February and more than 45 in March, Larrondo said.

As thefuel crisis deepens, he said, Cuban officials fear a repeat of the July 2021 protests, when widespread unrest driven by economic hardship triggered violent clashes and led to more than 8,000 arrests.

Regime change:Trump says he may do 'friendly takeover' of Cuba, or not

For the past few months, people have been showing up at soup kitchens with containers – in order to bring home meals to their families, rather than eat at the distribution line, said Sissi Rodriguez, executive director of Friends of Caritas Cubana, a U.S.-based nonprofit that raises funds for the group.

The crisis on the island began deepening last year after Cuba struggled to recover from Hurricane Melissa.

In October, the category-3 storm battered Cuba's eastern regions with heavy rain, flooding and destructive winds. Caritas Cuba deployed volunteers to the area, distributing aid across the storm-wrecked areas via horse-drawn buggies and oxen-pulled carts, said Rodriguez.

“Cuba’s situation is unsustainable,” said Larrondo, of Prisoners Defenders.

Dems descend on Cuba

Two Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives who visited the island last week echoed that assessment.

Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Jonathan Jackson said they traveled to Cuba to witness firsthand theimpact of the fuel embargo, which they described as “an illegal blockade of energy supplies.”

“This is the most sanctioned place on Earth right now, just 90 miles from our shores,” Jackson told reporters in Havana. “Let’s lower the rhetoric. People are suffering −and for no good reason.”

Inside Marco Rubio’s Cuba gamble:Trump pushes a ‘friendly takeover’

The lawmakers said their five-day visit, which ended April 5, included meetings with Díaz-Canel, Cuban legislators, and senior foreign ministry officials.

“There has been dialogue - the beginnings of dialogue,” Jayapal said. “It hasn’t yet reached full negotiations, but there is clearly an interest in getting there and addressing what needs to change.”

'Let us sit down and talk'

Wenski, in Miami, who is 75, said that he had planned to travel to Cuba last month to meet with Cuban bishops across the island but had to delay the trip because of a last-minute illness. His visa is still valid for several weeks.

"I'm trying to get a couple of days to go over," he said.

But before goes, he said he'd want to talk to the Cuban bishops to make sure that they will be able to retrieve him at the airport, feed him and get him back to the airport so he can get home.

In February, Cuban bishops decided to cancel theirad liminavisit – a visit of bishops to Rome that usually happens every five years and allows them to interact with the pope and other Vatican members – due to the deteriorating situation on the island.

In aninterview with Crux magazine, Bishop Arturo González Amador, head of the Cuban Diocese of Santa Clara, said he and other bishops were readying to leave to the airport in mid-February to attend the Rome meeting when they were told the planes may not have enough fuel to leave the island.

They decided to remain closer to the Cuban people in their time of need, he said.

González applauded efforts by the U.S. and the Catholic Church to send aid to victims following Hurricane Melissa and said it was time for the two countries – the U.S. and Cuba – to drop past grievances and strengthen ties.

“We must do our part, and it is time for dialogue,” he told Crux. “Enough of being entrenched against one another; enough of uttering offensive words. Let us sit down and talk.”

Follow Hjelmgaard and Jervis on X: @khjelmgaard, @MrRJervis.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Church warns humanitarian aid falters as Cuba’s fuel crisis deepens

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

April 12, 2026

Catholic Church sounds alarm as fuel crisis drives Cuba toward collapse

Cuba’s worsening fuel crisis is now severely hampering the delivery of humanitarian aid distributed through the Catholic Church, a seni...

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North Korean leader Kim backs China's push for ‘multipolar world’ in talks with foreign minister

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leaderKim Jong Unvoiced support for China’s push to build a “multipolar world” and called for deeper ties between the traditional allies during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, state media said Saturday.

North Korea China

During the meeting Friday, Kim said his government will fully support Chinese efforts to achieve territorial integrity based on its“one-China principle,”a reference to Beijing’s official position that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, according to North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency.

Kim also outlinedNorth Korea’sposition on unspecified regional and international issues of “mutual concern” and said sustained development of ties between the two countries has become more crucial in the current geopolitical environment, KCNA said.

Wang, on a two-day trip to North Korea, said the countries’ relations were entering a “new phase” following asummitlast year between Kim and Chinese PresidentXi Jinping.

Embracing the ideas of a “new Cold War” and a “multipolarized world,” Kim has sought to break out of international isolation and push a more assertive foreign policy by expanding ties with governments locked in confrontations with the United States.

While Russia has been Kim’s top foreign policy priority in recent years, sending thousands of troops and large weapons shipments to support its war against Ukraine, he has also been cozying up to China, the North’s traditional main ally and economic lifeline.

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Kim joined Russian President Vladimir Putin at a World War II ceremony in Beijing in September and held his first summit with Xi Jinping in six years, moves that supported his efforts to portray North Korea as part of a united front against Washington.

North Korea and China last month resumed directflight and passenger train services, which had been suspended since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Wang arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday in his first visit to North Korea in seven years. He earlier met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Sun Hui and discussed ways to facilitate further cooperation and exchanges and holding “in-depth” talks on international issues, state media from both countries said.

The state media outlets did not mention whether Wang and North Korean officials discussed issues related to the U.S. or the ongoingwar in the Middle East.

Wang’s trip to North Korea came before U.S. President Donald Trump travels to Beijing for arescheduled summitwith Xi Jinping in May. Some South Korean officials have expressed hope the Trump-Xi meeting could provide a diplomatic opening with Pyongyang.

Kim has suspended all meaningful dialogue with the U.S. and South Korea since the collapse of his diplomacy with Trump in 2019 during the American president’s first term. Kim has since taken a hard-line stance toward South Korea, which he now defines as his “most hostile” adversary, and rejected U.S. offers to resume talks, calling on Washington to drop its demand for North Korea’s denuclearization as a precondition.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

April 11, 2026

North Korean leader Kim backs China's push for ‘multipolar world’ in talks with foreign minister

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leaderKim Jong Unvoiced support for China’s push to build a “multipolar world” and called for de...

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Cruise companies to Alaska are avoiding a popular excursion to Tracy Arm after a massive landslide

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — For years, a popular part of manycruises in southeast Alaskahas been sailing up Tracy Arm, a long, narrow fjord marked by steep mountains, glittering waterfalls and calving glaciers.

Alaska Cruises Landslide

But this season, major cruise lines are skipping it. A massive landslide last summer sent parts of a glacier crashing into the water, generated a tsunami and pushed a wave high up the opposite mountain wall. Several companies opting out cited safety concerns with the still-hazardous slopes.

“Tracy Arm is the majestic princess, you know, she is the queen of fjords,” said travel agent Nate Vallier.

The destination cruise and tour companies have chosen as an alternative — nearby Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier — is “still beautiful by any means, but it’s just not the same,” he said.

Tracy Arm,southeast of Juneau, is a roughly 30-mile (50-kilometer) fjord that features two tidewater glaciers — the North and South Sawyer — and wildlife, including seals and bears.

Early on Aug. 10, 2025, a landslide originating high on a slope above the toe of the South Sawyer, near the head of the fjord, sent water surging more than a quarter mile (more than half a kilometer) up the mountain wall opposite the slide and out Tracy Arm.

No ships were in the fjord, officials said, and no deaths or injuries were reported. But kayakers camped on an island near where Tracy and Endicott arms meet had much of their gear swept away by the rushing water.

Southeast Alaska, largely encompassed by a temperate rainforest, isno stranger to landslides. And while it's long been known the fjord network in the Tracy Arm region has been susceptible, the slope that failed had not been identified as an active hazard before last summer's collapse, said Gabriel Wolken, manager of the state’s climate and ice hazards program.

Scientists are working to understand not only what caused the slope to collapse but to understand what other hazards might exist in the fjord, he said.

The area remains unstable, said Steven Sobieszczyk, a U.S. Geological Survey spokesperson. Steep landslide areas continue to change for years after an initial slide, he said by email.

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“Continued rockfall and small-scale sliding from the exposed landslide scar are expected and could impact the water, potentially causing a future localized tsunami,” he said.

Major cruise companies, including Holland America, Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean said in response to inquiries from The Associated Press that they are replacing a Tracy Arm visit with Endicott Arm. MSC Cruises, Virgin Voyages and regional tour company Allen Marine also are doing Endicott and Dawes Glacier instead. Norwegian Cruise Line said it does not have voyages sailing by Tracy Arm.

Endicott already has been a stop for some ships previously and an alternative when conditions in Tracy Arm, such as excess ice, have been unsafe.

Vallier, who owns the Alaska Travel Desk, said he would have liked cruise companies to give travelers more advance notice about itinerary changes.

After leaving Seattle, the first ships of the season are due April 21 in Ketchikan and in Juneau the following week.

Seeing a glacier — particularly a dynamic, calving glacier — is a bucket-list item for many tourists, and that's what has made Tracy Arm so popular, he said. While the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau is a major attraction for the capital city and cruise port, many visitors view it from across a large lake, and it has diminished or entirely retreated from view from some hiking overlooks.

Kimberly Lebeda of Wichita, Kansas, was excited when she booked tickets for a Tracy Arm excursion for her family last year. Lebeda, who researches areas she visits, said she was sold on the scenery.

But the night before the stop, they were told that due to ice in Tracy Arm, they would go up Endicott instead. Her family and others who'd booked the excursion got off the ship and onto a smaller boat with glass windows, abundant seating and snacks. They saw seals on ice floes, waterfalls and “a wall of ice” calve from Dawes Glacier, she said.

She called it “an amazing thing to witness.”

“Was it worth it? Yes, because I don’t know if I'll ever get to do that trip again,” she said. “Again, I haven’t ever been to Tracy Arm so I can’t really compare. But to me, was it worth it and was it exciting? Absolutely.”

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

April 11, 2026

Cruise companies to Alaska are avoiding a popular excursion to Tracy Arm after a massive landslide

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — For years, a popular part of manycruises in southeast Alaskahas been sailing up Tracy Arm, a long, narrow fjord m...

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Iran's 'trump card' in Pakistan peace talks – the Strait of Hormuz

Iranenters high-stakes peace talks in Pakistan this weekend holding more leverage than it has managed to wield at any time during its six-week war: It has taken control over theStrait of Hormuz.

The narrow, 100-mile-long waterway is the primary channel through which 20% of world’s oil and natural gas supply must pass. By deciding which ships can travel through the passageway – and which can’t – Iran has the power to disrupt global energy markets and inflict pain on its adversaries across the world.

The U.S. demands that Iran reopen the waterway are one of the focal points of the peace talks that opened Saturday, Apr. 11. Negotiators for the two countries are trying to turn a fragile, two-week ceasefire into a lasting peace plan.

Here’s a closer look at how theU.S.-Israel warwith Iran has reshaped the world – and, in some cases, how it hasn’t.

Smoke rises following an explosion, after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Smoke rises following an explosion after the U.S. and Israel reportedly launched an attack against Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026, in this screen grab taken from video.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran on February 28, 2026. Two loud blasts were heard in Tehran on February 28 morning by AFP journalists, and two plumes of thick smoke were seen over the centre and east of the Iranian capital.

Israel's defence ministry announced it had launched a "preemptive strike" on Iran as sirens sounded in Jerusalem and people across the country received phone alerts about an "extremely serious" threat.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> U.S. President Donald Trump pumps his fist after disembarking Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 27, 2026. Hours later, Trump made live comments about the military strikes he launched against Iran.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Buildings inin Tehran stand after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, February 28, 2026.

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Latest photos capture US and Israeli strikes against Iran

Smoke rises following an explosion,after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026.

No straight passage through the Strait of Hormuz

Before the war, oil tankers and cargo ships passed freely through theStrait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. But days after the start of the war, Iran effectively blocked the strait, restricting the number of ships that could travel through the channel and reportedly charging fees of up to $2 million per ship for those vessels that did.

Iran’s blockage of the passageway caused a major disruption in global energy markets, causing a spike in oil and gas prices.

Reopening the passageway was one of the key U.S. conditions for the two-week ceasefire announced on Apr. 7. But Iran has allowed only a trickle of ships to continue through the channel since the pause in fighting. As a condition for ending the war, Iran is demanding the right to collect tolls from ships that traverse the strait.

PresidentDonald Trumphas sent mixed signals on the tolls. He has called them illegal and a violation of the ceasefire and said Iran should stop charging them. But in an interview with ABC News, he suggested the tolls could possibly continue as part of a joint venture between Iran and the United States. Tolls could be a way to secure the passageway, he said.

Strait of Hormuz.You may pay more for gas after Iran closes oil route

Iran's closure of the strait has shifted the focus of the peace talks away from ending its nuclear program, which had been one of Trump's justifications for the war, to the need to get ships moving through the channel unimpeded once again.

Brent Crude oil, a global benchmark, was trading at about $72 per barrel on Feb. 28. Prices surged to almost $120 per barrel in late March before dropping to just under $100 per barrel on April 10 after the U.S and Iran reached a conditional two-week ceasefire agreement.

While the U.S. is far less reliant on foreign oil compared to other countries in Europe and elsewhere, the elevated global prices have impacted domestic gasoline prices. On April, the average cost in the U.S. for a gallon of regular gasoline was $4.15, according toAAA Gas Prices, which tracks retail gasoline prices. That's up from $3.45 a month ago and less than $3 at the start of the year, according to AAA Gas Prices.

A changed Iranian regime?

The war has severely weakened Iran's clerical, military and political leadership. Many of its top intelligence and security officials and its longtime supreme leader,Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have been killed in the U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign.

Trump has asserted that Iran's new rulers are more moderate. There's little evidence of that. AyatollahMojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, has not appeared publicly since taking over from his father, and many analysts believe the country may move toward stronger ideological rigidity and increased control by hardline military forces within the government.

Exclusive:Israel decided to kill Iran’s leader after Oct. 7 attack

Iranian military degraded, but still functioning

U.S. forces have inflicted serious damage onIran’s militaryduring six weeks of bombing. Iran’s Navy is gone, “lying at the bottom of the ocean,” Trump boasted. Iran’s ability to build and stockpile ballistic missiles and long-range drones has been set back for years, according to the White House. And Defense SecretaryPete Hegsethtold reporters that Iran’s military had been so degraded following more than 13,000 strikes by U.S. forces that it had essentially been wiped out and would be ineffective for years.

Defense analysts say there’s no question Iran’s military has been weakened by the U.S. attacks. Yet it has continued to operate, using medium- and short-range missiles to strike Israel and neighboring Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

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Iranian forces shot down two American military planes – an F-15E fighter jet and an A-10 Warthog – on April 3, prompting a massivesearch and rescue missionfor a weapon systems officer who had been in the F-15E. Airmen in both planes ejected from the aircraft and were quickly rescued. Trump said the F-15E had been shot down by a shoulder-mounted, heat-seeking missile.

'No friends but the mountains.'Kurds want Trump's help for Iran ground war

Accounting for Iran's nuclear materials

Prior to the start of the war, Iran possessed approximately 440kg of uranium enriched to 60%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nation's nuclear watchdog. That material is theoretically a short technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the IAEA. While Iran insists that its nuclear program is for civilian energy purposes only, few in the West believe that.

Highly-enriched uranium can be used for nuclear-armed bombs and missies. Most of Iran's enriched uranium is thought to be stored at a nuclear site deep underground near the city of Isfahan, one of three nuclear sites U.S. bombers targeted last year.

There has been speculation that Trump has considered sending U.S. troops or special forces to seize Iran's enriched uranium as part of his vow to prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons.

Trita Parsi, an Iran expert who is the co-founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said there are conflicting reports about the current state of Iran's nuclear materials. "It appears the U.S. government believes it knows where it is and that the Iranians have not accessed it," he said.

Iranian security expert Ali Vaez of the Brussels-headquartered Crisis Group think tank said Iran's nuclear materials are unaccounted for and probably buried in deep tunnels. He said that, as it stands, the war has "set back Iran’s nuclear program, but hasn't fully blocked its pathway to nuclear weapons."

Iran's mega-MAGA impact

Whilepollsshow most Republicans support the war in Iran, Trump has gotten pushback from an unexpected place: his MAGA supporters.

Grassroots activists and high-profile media figures in MAGA world have publicly slammed the war, saying it runs counter to his “America First” campaign promise. They also have taken issue with everything from Trump’s use of profanity in his wartime social media posts, his apocalyptic threat to wipe out the Iranian civilization and the whopping cost of the conflict. (The price tag: $29 billion so far, according to the nonprofit Center for Strategic and International Studies.)

"He has gone insane," former Rep.Marjorie Taylor Greeneof Georgia, a Trump supporter turned critic, wrote in amessageon X.

Trump has fired back, calling his critics“losers”and accusing conservative media influencers such as Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and Alex Jones of digging for cheap publicity.

But the MAGA rift could have serious consequences for Trump and Republicans heading into this fall’s midterm elections, when the GOP will try to hold onto its slim majorities in the House and the Senate.

Reluctant allies and NATO future

The war has appeared to deepen divisions between the U.S. and some of its traditional allies. France, Spain, Germany and Britain have in particular been reluctant to always heed calls by the Trump administration for air support and use of their military bases. Non-U.S. NATO members have also been resistant to help the U.S. militarily as Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump, in turn, has called American allies "cowards." He has characterized NATO as "a paper tiger" and re-upped his threats to leave the military alliance formed in the wake of World War II. He has also compared British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Neville Chamberlain, now widely known as the British leader who pursued a policy of appeasement toward Nazi Germany.

U.S. allies have struggled to understand Trump's strategy, motivations and regular contradictory statements about the reasons for the war, even as they have agreed with him that's Iran regime is a menace for the wider Middle East region and that Tehran should not be permitted to advance its nuclear program.

"This war violates international law," German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in late March, echoing comments from other European leaders. "There is little doubt that, in any case, the justification of an imminent attack on the U.S. does not hold water," he said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Iran’s Strait of Hormuz control raises stakes for Pakistan talks

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

April 11, 2026

Iran's 'trump card' in Pakistan peace talks – the Strait of Hormuz

Iranenters high-stakes peace talks in Pakistan this weekend holding more leverage than it has managed to wield at any time during its s...

Read More