Is the Strait of Hormuz Open? Trump Says Yes - Iran Says No

To be or not to be?

In the twisted world of Trumpian diplomacy the scheme is to claim that Iran has given in to all of Trump's demands when in fact that's a blatant lie. 

That somehow Iranian leaders have fallen under Trump's spell by the sheer repetition of lies on social media platforms and conceded to his brilliant bullshit.

The problem is Iran doesn't play that game. Their Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf accused Trump of making several false claims regarding the Strait of Hormuz and how he's going to take Iran's enriched uranium "back home" yesterday during a press conference.

As for the status of the Strait of Hormuz, who really knows for sure what it is? Is it open to all shipping? 

Trump claims the controversial strait is open and ready for business. Then he turns around and says that the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports "will remain in full force until the deal with Iran is 100% complete."

So, what could go wrong?

Iran attacked a cargo ship and flipped Trump the bird!

Iranian military officials said this morning that they have reasserted "strict control" over the Strait of Hormuz because of Trump's blockade of its ports, just one day after declaring the waterway "completely open."

After bragging all night about winning negotiations with Iran Trump was faced with the reality that Iran closed the strait again. He kicked the press out of the White House this morning because he didn't want to be confronted with his failure in the negotiations.

Both sides are lying like Persian rugs. The deceit among the negotiating diplomats goes so deep that after a while neither side knows what's really going on. Reality is a rocky subject that often intrudes on negotiations between Trump and other countries. The results are always bad.

That Trump openly lies before the whole world without any embarrassment shows how crazy he is. It's no surprise that there's no date for another round of talks between the U.S. and Iran. 

That's to be expected from two governments in turmoil going down dangerous paths that will ultimately affect the whole world.  

As it Stands, the lies go on, and on, and on with no end in sight.

Unfortunately, this is 'Who We Are' and It's Not Good

I'm tired of hearing the phrase "This is not who we are." 

Every time Trump or his bullies break the law someone invariably trots out that denial despite the fact that's what's happening in real time.

To my dismay we have become an authoritarian regime that defies reality and thrives on lies. We have a leader that's feuding with the head of the Catholic Church and posts blasphemous AI generated images mocking the Pope.

That's real. It's got that bad in America. What the world sees is an unhinged narcissist who holds himself above of any major religion and righteous justice. 

There's nothing you or I can do about what that maniac says. At least not until the midterms when hopefully the Democrats take back Congress. He'll still talk shit, but won't have the power to pull most of it off.

Getting Congress back won't stop Trump from continuing to be an embarrassment to most Americans, but he'll have some obstacles to overcome, unlike right now where he feels free to start arbitrary wars and write illegal executive orders with impunity.

America under Trump has become a pariah. No wonder tourism is rapidly declining because of out-of-control agencies like ICE hunting down people of color.

Our judicial system is being polluted with Trump's loyal appointees who are willing to do his every bidding. 

The struggle for justice in this country has never been this intense before. If it weren't for judges with spines who adhere to the letter of the law, the chaos in America would be complete.

The regime is staffed with lunatics in all of the high places. Imagine a FEMA leader who says he's been teleporting to the Waffle House and McDonalds. It's true. Gregg Phillips would have been locked up in an asylum in another administration, but he's a star in this one.

When people denounce corruption and say "This is not who we are" I think their referring to another age, when we didn't have a racist dictator fouling the White House. 

It's hard to watch what's happening in this country on seniors like me who remember the Great Generation's values. 

Back then liars were exposed and ridiculed in our society. Today they're running the country from top to bottom. Our Liar in Chief has set the standard for falsehoods about everything he talks about.

Things can change. The majority of Americans hate Trump and his MAGA movement and are holding historically large protests throughout all 50 states.

As it Stands, in the last decade we have lost our way under Trump, but that doesn't mean we can't rediscover who we are in the days ahead.

Lunatics in Charge: Your Life May Be in Gregg Phillips Hands Someday

Editor's Note:

I'm introducing a series called Lunatics in Charge today. In it I'll explore examples of MAGA leadership in the Trump regime. Sit back, buckle up, have a stiff drink or a hit off a bong, and prepare to be entertained.

It's no secret that Trump exclusively gathered crazy loyalists to fill out the ranks of his authoritarian government in his second term. Unlike the first, there are no guard rails this time.

Today we're going to look at one of these crazy loyalists. Meet Gregg Phillips. He leads FEMA's Office of Response and Recovery.

Someday your life may be in his grubby hands. He's a far-right conspiracy theorist who claims he's teleported multiple times, including once to a Waffle House 50 miles away.

Even Trump raised an eyebrow at that claim telling reporters that, "It sounds a little strange." That comment is coming from the lunatic in charge of our country whose minions searched high and low throughout America to gather loyal nutcases.

In a normal world the response to Phillip's teleportation claims would be one of concern. Instead, our felon in charge wanted to know what teleportation meant. "Was he kidding?" he asked the reporter.

In a moment of rare honesty Trump said, "I don't know nothing about teleporting...it sounds a little strange, but I'll find out about it right now," he reassured the curious reporter.

The takeaway? Trump doesn't mind strange. He's never heard of teleporting (and could care less), and the chance he questions Phillips about anything is next to none. He was vetted by the former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi "I kill puppies" Noem. That's all the creds Phillips needs with this regime.

Phillips bizarre claims and background peddling election conspiracy theories made him the perfect candidate to handle a climate crisis in the MAGA hierarchy.

The clincher for hiring Phillips was when he threatened former president Joe Biden, saying, "I would like to punch that bastard in the mouth right now. He's a nasty shitty human being, and he deserves to die. And I hope he does."

Rumor is Trump has the audio of Phillip's threats and likes to play it sometime because it turns him on. He added the inspirational attack to his collection of favorite sound bites that excite and empower him.

It's bad enough that we have a president who thinks he's Jesus without having a lunatic who doubles down on his religious blasphemy in a Truth Social post.

"God will not be mocked. People can debate me. Question me. Even ridicule what they don't understand...I know what I've experienced. I know Who I serve," he recently lashed out at his online critics.

As it Stands, it's no laughing matter that we have a batshit crazy individual who may, or may not, heed climate crises when they arrive...depending on what God tells him to do. 

With Malice for All: Trump is Turning on Everyone

Trump's world is blowing up.

His agenda has suffered such terrible loses his tiny brain can't handle them. 

The result is manifested by his unhinged attacks on everybody... including his own MAGA base.

His current tantrum is against the leader of the Catholic Church who he's overtly threatened to kill on his Truth Social platform. 

It's one thing to turn on his own supporters in the regime and another to threaten the Pope. In his sick and twisted way, Trump envies the influence that the Pope has over millions of people worldwide. 

The international respect the Pope gets is an unattainable goal for our demented president. And he knows it.

So, what does Trump do? 

He posts blasphemous AI images of himself as the Pope and Jesus Christ. 

As of April 2026, Trump has been actively removing and criticizing high-level officials and appointees across the regime, including at the CDC, IRS, Justice Department, and FEMA, due to loyalty concerns, political clashes, and performance issues.

The Epstein-Trump war lingers on with no resolution in sight and now there's an American blockade against the world in the Strait of Hormuz. The situation is even worse now since Trump's attempt to divert Americans attention from the Epstein files by starting an illegal war.

Meanwhile Trump's retribution agenda against democrats and others involved in trying to hold him to justice when he attempted a coup on Jan. 6th, continues unabated.

No one is safe from Trump's malice and madness. He's managed to bully all GOP opposition to his demands with threats and lies. 

As a malicious narcissist Trump is not bothered by reality. All he requires is slavish loyalty. I think there was a time when Trump did care about what the public thought about him. That concern has obviously disappeared. 

While the price of gas continues to go up and the price of everything in the economy surges, Trump is playing golf and insulting world leaders.

As it Stands, it looks like our first felon is going to be on a 24-karat gold commemorative coin for the nation's 250th birthday. I suggest putting "With Malice for All" under Trump's image.

Cease Fire Negotiations Collapse: What's Next in the Epstein-Trump War?

I'm so confused. 

What little information I could find about the failed negotiations in Pakistan between the U.S. delegation and the Iranians doesn't make a lot of sense. 

All we know is that after 21 hours of bickering back and forth both sides picked up their balls and went home with no agreement.

I suspect having Jared Kushner and Steve Witkcoff there didn't help as the Iranian's had previously said they wouldn't negotiate with the two who they don't trust.

Does that mean we can expect more military action with troops on the ground in Iran? I wouldn't put it past Trump who is spiraling out of control with this latest defeat.

Is Trump going to bomb Iran back into the Stone Age? Innocent Iranian citizens face even more hell if Trump follows through on his threat to target Iran's water desalination plants, power grid and bridges.

In his infinite stupidity Trump has declared the U.S. Navy is going to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. What does that mean? Are American ships going to escort the estimated 130 tankers that go through daily? (Based upon production before the Epstein-Trump war.) 

Or is our Navy not letting ANYONE use the Straits of Hormuz? According to Trump's Truth Social platform our allies wouldn't be allowed to go through along with the rest of the world until Donnie said it was okay. He also threatened to interdict any vessel that has paid a toll to Iran.

I'm no expert but it sounds like the price of oil is going to continue going up for the foreseeable future.

The biggest obstacle to answering these questions is the proliferation of propaganda on both sides. Lies and more lies. What are we to believe?

I no longer trust our (once) mainstream media because it's being slowly taken over by right-wing billionaires who are buddies with our first felon. If you have a computer there are options to finding out about what's going on in this illegal war. 

You have to be careful about the sites you choose if you want the real news. I highly reccomend checking out the independent news outlets like MeidasTouch. When in doubt about a story SNOOP it for the lowdown.

As it Stands, the one thing that's clear is we can expect the Epstein-Trump war to stumble along with an unhinged sociopath leading the way.