The Politics of Deadly Storms

The Senate finally found its backbone on Tuesday, voting to limit President Trump’s ability to wage war against Iran without congressional authorization. How brave. Not before the bombs fell. Not before the world held its breath waiting to see whether the conflict would spiral into a regional war. Not before lawmakers spent weeks cheerleading military action and wrapping themselves in the flag. Only after the administration signed a memorandum of understanding and signaled that a diplomatic framework was taking shape did enough senators decide it was safe to take a stand. The measure passed 50-48, with four Republicans joining Democrats to support the resolution. Further, it is a toothless, non-binding concurrent resolution that lacks legal force and does not require presidential action to remove U.S. forces from Iran. The vote is being hailed as Congress reasserting its constitutional war powers. Critics might call it something else: a

President Trump is threatening to sue The New York Times after it published a piece titled, “What Changed After Almost Four Months of War? Analysts Say Not Much.” Trump’s response? He accused the newspaper of publishing “FAKE & MADE UP ‘FACTS,’” called its reporting “TREASONOUS,” and vowed to add the story to his multibillion-dollar lawsuit, declaring, “They are Criminals.” In another post, he insisted the operation was a complete success, writing: “Their Military is DONE, their Navy is GONE, their Air Force is GONE, their Launching Pads, Missiles, Drones and Manufacturing of same, is almost GONE.” Trump says The New York Times is spreading falsehoods, but how accurate are his own statements? If Iran’s military and navy were truly destroyed, why wasn’t the U.S. able to take control of the Strait? And if all of Iran’s defenses were supposedly eliminated, then why did Washington sign an agreement that favors Iran? Judging by the 14-point memorandum, it

What if simply typing an address into Google was enough to put you on a federal watch list? That’s essentially what happened after newly unsealed court records revealed that the Justice Department ordered Google to identify 311 users who searched for the Republican National Committee or the Democratic National Committee headquarters during the first five days of January 2021. The demand was made because pipe bombs were discovered outside the RNC and DNC headquarters. According to Google’s own legal challenge, the warrant swept up ordinary citizens, party volunteers, journalists, and anyone else who happened to search for a committee’s street address or contact information. Google argued the request was “grossly overbroad” and amounted to the kind of general search the Fourth Amendment was designed to prevent. Apparently, constitutional protections stop at the search bar. Citing United States v. Grubbs, the judge ruled that Google had no legal standing to

Iranian leaders say that a framework for a peace deal was made over the weekend in Switzerland and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will be lifted during the 60-day negotiation period. In a joint statement, leaders from Pakistan and Qatar said that “encouraging progress has been made including the creation of a mechanism for further technical talks.” In other words, this is not a final peace deal. It is an agreement to keep negotiating toward one, with a target of reaching a final settlement within two months. The statement says that “the mediating parties will continue to do their utmost to ensure that the negotiations continue to be conducted in a constructive atmosphere with the aim of reaching a final deal.” A constructive atmosphere may be easier said than done. On Sunday, President Trump threatened to “hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last

President Trump signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran, which is the framework for a peace agreement. Iranian officials have also signed. The 14-point agreement was confirmed by U.S. officials. The most important conditions are as follows: The U.S. and Iran will end military operations against one another and make sure that their allies (Israel) will terminate all military operations in Lebanon; The Strait of Hormuz will reopen and the U.S. will remove its naval blockade; The U.S. will end all sanctions on Iran and help the country recover at least $300 billion “for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Iran affirms that it will “not procure or develop nuclear weapons” but the deal does leave open the possibility that Iran enriches uranium for nuclear power. The Trump administration admitted that this is only fair, which was initially the

A new report by British MP Rupert Lowe claims that the U.K. has systematically enabled Muslim men to run “rape gangs” for decades, preying on vulnerable white British girls. The report argues that Islamic principles are a key driver of these crimes. It cites concepts including al-walā’ wa-l-barā’, claiming that they encourage hostility toward non-Muslims, male dominance, forced marriage, sexual exploitation of non-Muslim women, and a hierarchy that places Muslims above others. It is a shocking claim. But reading the survivor testimony raises a different question. The women described in the report were not typically kidnapped off the street and held captive by an organized trafficking cartel. Again and again, the stories describe girls from broken homes, girls failed by social services, girls suffering abuse at home, girls who became addicted to drugs and alcohol, and girls who repeatedly found themselves in the orbit of predatory men. None