If Trump Can’t Have Strait, No One Can – The Tuesday AM Quickie (4/14/26)
Would it have killed them to publish a lighter-weight version of The Power Broker? My wrists are so sore! -Whitney
ON THE SHOW TODAY
4/14: Emma and Sam are in the studio today, and their guests are Jason Stanley, professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto, discussing his Zeteo piece What Viktor Orban’s Landslide Defeat Can Teach Anti-Fascists Across the World; and Mohammad Ali Shabani, journalist and editor of Amwaj.Media, a platform focusing on Iran, Iraq and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
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Today you’ll read about Trump’s naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the resignations of alleged rapist Rep. Eric Swalwell and serial harasser Rep. Tony Gonzales, and the various ways people are voicing their outrage over the scourge that is artificial intelligence.
THE BIG NEWS
If Trump Can’t Have Strait of Hormuz, No One Can
The US military is blockading the crucial waterway as of yesterday, following utter failure JD Vance’s inability to close a peace deal, the AP and NYT reported. The goal is to prevent Iran from profiting off oil exports; any ship that enters the blockade will be “immediately ELIMINATED” with “quick and brutal” strikes, Trump screamed on his social media website. He said other countries would join the effort, but none have done so yet and several said they never will. More than 15 US warships are in the region to enforce the threat, the WSJ reported.
Military officials confirmed to news outlets that the blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz was in effect but provided no details. In fact, there are so few answers about about what’s happening that the Washington Post was only able to publish the questions:
Washington, Tehran and anxious capitals around the world are not sure how a cascade of urgent questions will resolve: Will the bombing resume when the truce runs out on April 22? What will U.S. Navy operations in the Strait of Hormuz actually entail? And is there any conceivable path to an agreement on an Iranian nuclear program that has now survived not only two decades of international diplomacy seeking to curtail it, but also more than five weeks of the most intensive military assault ever launched against Iranian territory?
Lots of unknown unknowns. But here’s something we do know: the price of oil is up, up, up, adding to the affordability crisis that’s making life miserable for many in the United States. Each barrel of oil cost nearly $100 yesterday, the AP reported. Before Trump started his war, the price was $70.