NEW: As millions of Egyptians struggle to make ends meet, guards and administrative officials in prisons regularly exploit detainees and their families for money. @RyanDWalsh examines the black market in 🇪🇬's prisons & the commoditization of repression. timep.org/2023/04/04/shareho…

Biden's Middle East advisor suggests that America's war with Iran was unavoidable In a conversation with the American Jewish Committee, Brett McGurk, who was the Biden White House's top Middle East official, was asked: Was this war inevitable or was it avoidable? His answer reveals surprising overlaps between how Biden and Trump national security leaders see Iran and the Middle East. "We've been at war with Iran since 1979, and the Iranian ideology, which remains very much intact, is to get the US out of the Middle East and to eliminate Israel," McGurk says. "And as the White House point person through that [post-Oct. 7] crisis, let me just kind of very succinctly, what a day was like. Put aside the horror of Gaza and the hostages and everything going on there for a moment. "We’re under attack in the Red Sea. Anti-ship ballistic missiles flying Mach 4 trying to hit US ships and kill dozens of sailors. We're under attack in Iraq. We took a grievously wounded casualty on Christmas Day 2023 and attacks continued to escalate until we have three Americans dead in Jordan at the end of January. "Iran launched two of the largest ballistic missile attacks in history against Israel before Israel ever attacked into Iran, and all the while Iran is enriching uranium in Fordow to 60% grade as this is all going on. "I met the Iranians in Oman during this crisis. I dealt with it every day. And what Iran was doing to continue to escalate throughout that horror that was going on in the Middle East is a story that I don't think has been effectively, frankly, told. "But it gets to your question. You can dissect decisions of certain American presidents from Carter all the way through Trump. You can dissect American decision-making. You have to look at what Iran does, its policy and what it does in the region which drives so much of this mayhem. And I can criticize certain elements of the way this current campaign has been prosecuted. I think we're in a very difficult predicament now which we can talk about. "But the core of your question was this war — this war has been ongoing since 1979."

one of the best tweets of all time

If President Trump agrees to a 60-day ceasefire extension based on vague Iranian promises to “discuss” nuclear issues, it’s game over. That pushes the crisis into late July or early August, when major military operations become far less likely ahead of the midterms. Once the military leverage disappears, meaningful nuclear concessions disappear with it. Ballistic missile restrictions will be nonexistent. Iran will get billions in sanctions relief—while repeatedly using Hormuz as a tool of blackmail. Tehran will have won at the negotiating table what it lost on the battlefield.

Fox News’ Sean Hannity wonders if Pope Leo XIV has “even read the Bible” in response to his anti-conflict stance. “Has he ever heard of David and Goliath?”

The enemy is inside the gates.

Johnson: The idea that a few colleagues here would try to move a war powers motion and resolution to the floor right now is dangerous. It plays right into the hands of the enemy. I think it's shameful.

I always laugh at yo-yo’s who don’t have the 1st clue what information the President had that forced this decision. Even politicians who despise him but were briefed on the situation seem to agree with this operation. I guess lotta podcasters know better. 😂. Gotta keep the lights on somehow. Borderline traitors if you ask me. Iran is a terror nation with a long history of some of the worst human rights atrocities in the world. Nobody disputes that fact.They hate Americans. They hate Israel. They hate all Jews. They hate the West. They would kill us all if given the chance. They just murdered tens of thousands of their own people. The rest of the Middle East is on our side. The Iranian people are on our side. It isn’t that complicated to support our Troops and our country this morning. We are on the right side here. God Bless America . 🇺🇸 x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2027…