memeorandum: There's Another Big Reason Trump Is Stuck in the Gulf (Josh Marshall/Talking Points Memo)

8:40 PM ET, April 5, 2026

Top Items:

Barak Ravid / Axios:

Trump to Axios: Iran deal possible by Tues., otherwise “I am blowing up everything” — President Trump claimed in an interview with Axios that the U.S. is “in deep negotiations” with Iran and that a deal can be reached before his deadline expires on Tuesday.

Discussion: NewsMax.com, Digby's Hullabaloo, Raw Story, The Hill and Mediaite

Laura Esposito / The Daily Beast:

Trump Skips Easter Church to Take Self-Worship Tour of D.C. — SACRED SKIP — Rather than attend Easter services, the president spent the day roaming D.C. and visiting his golf course. — Donald Trump, a Christian, opted to skip Easter service and instead went on a bizarre tour of Washington, D.C.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill, Raw Story, Washington Times, Salon, The Gateway Pundit and Daily Mail

Edward Wong / New York Times:

Trump Revels in Threats to Commit War Crimes in Iran — The president said he would bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages.” Until this administration, American leaders had insisted they were trying to follow international law in war. — Power plants, desalination stations, oil wells, roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal

Paul Krugman:

Living in Hell — War crimes coming: A horrifying update — America as we knew it may end Tuesday. — Hi, I'm Paul Krugman. Sunday morning update. Yesterday, I talked about how awful Trump's message about glory to God and all of that was, but it's looking much, much worse today.

Discussion: The Mahablog and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Axios:

Exclusive: Trump says U.S. feared Iran trap during F-15 crew rescue — President Trump told Axios the U.S. initially worried that a message from the stranded crew member of an F-15 downed by Iran was a trick by the Iranians to lure U.S. forces into a trap.

Discussion: Associated Press, The Times of Israel, Mediaite, The Post Millennial, NewsMax.com, The Gateway Pundit, New York Times, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Reuters and Washington Post

Meridith McGraw / Wall Street Journal:

Trump Warns Iran He Could Strike ‘Every Power Plant,’ in WSJ Interview — 'If they don't do something by Tuesday evening, they won't have any power plants and they won't have any bridges standing' — WASHINGTON—President Trump threatened to destroy all of Iran's power plants …

Discussion: CBS News, The Hill, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, The Gateway Pundit, The Independent, Washington Times, The Daily Caller, NewsMax.com, NOTUS, Fox News, HuffPost, Reuters and Bloomberg

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
There's Another Big Reason Trump Is Stuck in the Gulf

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Digby's Hullabaloo and Mediaite

Lauren Edmonds / Business Insider: Oil prices rise again as the war enters its 6th week and Trump threatens to strike Iran's power plants

Laura Esposito / The Daily Beast:
Trump, 79, Drops F-Bomb in Unhinged Easter Morning Threat

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, TMZ.com, RedState, Palm Beach Post, Raw Story, Showbiz411, The Independent, New York Post, The Hill, Zeteo, LGBTQ Nation, Just Jared and Rolling Stone

Reuters:
Iran War Live Updates: Trump Escalates Threat to Hit Iranian Power Plants After U.S. Rescues Downed Airman

Discussion: Axios, Advocate, New York Times, Mediaite, The Times of Israel, Associated Press, Al Jazeera, CBS News and France 24

David E. Sanger / New York Times:
In New Threats, Trump Seems Emboldened by a Successful Rescue

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Associated Press, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, Agence France-Presse and Bloomberg

Marina Dunbar / The Guardian:
Middle East crisis live: Tehran accuses Trump of ‘reckless moves’ after expletive-ridden threat against Iran's infrastructure

Discussion: The Independent, Associated Press, Al Jazeera, Digby's Hullabaloo and Axios

Irie Sentner / Politico:

‘Proactively fall in line:’ Holocaust Memorial Museum quietly changed content after Trump returned to office … “It seems like they were trying to proactively fall in line as to not then be forced to change,” one of the people said. — The museum pulled from its website a page called …

Anthony Faiola / Washington Post:

On Easter, Pope Leo delivers commanding message of peace to a world at war — “Let those who have weapons lay them down!” the first American pope declared. The White House's war in Iran and nativist agenda at home are testing the Vatican. — ROME — Pope Leo XIV used his first Easter speech Sunday …

Discussion: New York Times, CBS News, RNS, Letters from Leo, France 24, Reuters, Politico and Middle East Monitor

Rebecca Falconer / Axios:
Pope calls for peace, Trump vows hell for Iran on Easter

Discussion: CNN, MS NOW and Straight Arrow News

Washington Post:
Trump threatens Iran with ‘Hell’ over Strait of Hormuz in profane post

Miriam Jordan / New York Times:

ICE Agents Detain Newlywed Spouse of Soldier Training to Deploy — The 22-year-old wife of an Army staff sergeant came to the U.S. as a toddler. She was taken from a military base where the couple planned to live. — A U.S. Army staff sergeant and his wife arrived at his base in Louisiana last week …

Discussion: Raw Story

Kelly Garino / Daily Mail:

Fury as SNL comedian makes foul joke about Trump ‘being assassinated’: 'President in a theater...what's the worst that could happen?' — Saturday Night Live is under fire after a cast member cracked 'what's the worst that can happen?' about Trump attending a play - an unmistakable nod to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Discussion: Breitbart, Mediaite, Daily Caller News Foundation, Hollywood in Toto, The Post Millennial and Just Jared

Richard Stengel / The Guardian:

I was the US soft power czar. Our reputation may never recover from this — Trump's venal persona and his war on Iran will do untold damage to America's ability to make a positive difference in the world — Early one Sunday morning in the summer of 2003, I drove into the center …

Discussion: Raw Story

Ryan King / New York Post:

Late-night shooting near the White House puts Secret Service on heightened alert — The Secret Service is on heightened alert after a shooting early Sunday near the park across from the White House, where President Trump is for the weekend. — No injuries were reported in the shooting …

Associated Press:
Secret Service investigates reports of gunfire near Lafayette Park across from the White House

Discussion: CBS News, The Daily Caller, WFAA-TV and Washington Times

Axios:

Dems weighing 2028 campaigns run from 2020 positions … - Many Democrats believe they lost to Donald Trump in 2024 because voters didn't like some of their left-leaning policies, not just how they were communicated. … - Last year Newsom said that “not one person ever in my office …

G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:

Why Democrats are suddenly winning back the left — and the “double-haters” — This is my weekly Sunday roundup of new political data published over the last seven days. It is free to read, but if you want to support independent data-driven political journalism, become a paying subscriber.

Discussion: Breitbart

Daniel Miller / Politico:

Politicians are debuting holograms at airports. It's either innovation or the ‘height of inauthenticity.’ … LOS ANGELES — They called it “Holo-Donna.” — It was a holographic version of Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, and she — it? — welcomed travelers making their way through Jacksonville International Airport.

Discussion: NewsMax.com

Mohamad El Chamaa / Washington Post:

American universities in Middle East brace for Iranian retaliation — After the U.S.-Israeli campaign struck Iranian universities, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps called American schools in the Middle East “legitimate targets.” — BEIRUT — The American University of Beirut restricted access to all but essential personnel.

Discussion: NewsMax.com

Catherine Belton / Washington Post:

In Hungarian election, Trump and Putin are backing Viktor Orban — Viktor Orban, who has built strong ties to the MAGA movement and the Kremlin, faces a tough electoral challenge from center-right candidate Peter Magyar on April 12. — When Vice President JD Vance heads to Budapest this week …

Discussion: The Daily Wire, NewsMax.com, Bloomberg and Washington Examiner

Axios:

Dems eyeing 2028 want huge tax cuts — but big hikes for the rich — Some Democrats eyeing runs for the White House have rolled out a provocative new economic policy: massive tax cuts for the working and middle classes — and big hikes for the wealthy.