Tessera

Complaining about "weaponization" of the justice system by posting his opponents/critics in prison jumpsuits —

I talked a bit about the relationship between Ireland, the U.S. and the world in a new documentary broadcast on Irish TV last night. My view, for what it’s worth: Irishness shouldn’t be a narrow thing. Our history can be a path to empathy and solidarity with others.

Trump’s IRS deal is becoming a global story — especially the ‘slush fund’ that will likely be used to compensate people convicted of Jan. 6 offenses. On Britain’s @listentotimesradio.bsky.social, I tried to answer this pertinent question from Mikey Smith of @politics.mirror.co.uk

Trump yesterday attacked MS NOW’s Akayla Gardner as “a dumb person.” Last week, he called ABC News’ Rachel Scott a “horror show” and told her “you can understand dirt maybe better than I can.” Both Gardner and Scott are Black women…

My question to Trump about the missile strike on an Iranian school — and the lack of answers about it, 10 weeks on — seems to have struck a chord. Here are my thoughts on why the media need to be persistent, especially on matters of actual life-and-death. (From Times Radio.)

The Bulwark@thebulwark.com · 3mo ago

I am the reporter who asked this question, which I think should be asked more often. More than 100 children were reported killed at the girls’ school in Minab.

Q: "We're almost 10 weeks since a missile hit a girls' school in Iran. Who fired that missile?" Trump: "That's under study right now and we'll give you a report as soon as we have it."

MAGA allies are grasping for a silver lining from Viktor Orban's defeat, arguing it means liberals exaggerated the threat. Not my view. As for Trump and democracy....? A robust exchange with Leland Vittert — who to his credit brings me on knowing I'll disagree — last night:

Time for my annual Masters resharing of the New York Times story I wrote years ago about Rory McIlroy, identity and our mutual home-place. www.nytimes.com/2011/07/11/s...

Northern Ireland’s McIlroy Transcends Boundaries (Published 2011)

nytimes.com

Dignity of the office, and whatnot.

The UK will host talks about the Strait of Hormuz next week. But Trump's idea that other nations should steam up the Strait and "just TAKE" Iran's oil is...not what that's about. I discussed it with Ali Vitali on MS NOW's "Way Too Early" today.

Wow. Pete Hegseth’s broker looked to make a “multimillion dollar” investment in a defense fund in February, just weeks before the war on Iran was launched. Great scoop from the FT: www.ft.com/content/744e...

Trump cabinet meeting ran from roughly 10:40 to 12:15. Wall Street:

Democrat Emily Gregory last night reversed a big GOP majority to win the Florida statehouse district that covers...Mar-a-Lago. I joined from the White House to discuss the tide running against Trump, even in his own backyard.

Trump called Democrats “the greatest enemy America has” in a Sunday social media post. It barely got noticed amid everything else — and that means we’re missing the dangers. My response (with bonus Shakespeare quote) —

Always a pleasure to join C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal” on a big news day. Our very last caller argued we should all “put politics aside” and back the president. My response:

President calls opposition party “greatest enemy” facing nation.

The NYT’s Tom Friedman writing with clarity and power on the seismic defeat suffered by Trump-Miller-Noem in Minneapolis. Worth reading the whole piece (linked below) but this stood out.

Trump, March 3: The U.S. Navy will “begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible.” (This didn’t happen.) Trump, this afternoon: “Countries of the World” should “take care of that passage.”

Important news even if it surprises nobody. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/u...

U.S. at Fault in Strike on School in Iran, Preliminary Inquiry Says

nytimes.com

Not to be ignored amid Iran war news — Trump’s demand for GOP to pass controversial voter-ID, proof-of-citizenship bill. “It’ll guarantee the midterms. If you don’t get it: big trouble.”

The evidence that the U.S. hit the girls’ school in Iran, killing scores of children, keeps growing. It’s horrific and not something from which the media, or anyone else, should just move on.

I’d been thinking about the through-lines between Gaza; the unwillingness of so many to acknowledge its horrors; and the comparatively contained outrage over the bombing of the school in southern Iran. But this letter-writer to The Irish Times says it better.

Re. Kristi Noem: It’s telling that she smeared both Renee Good and Alex Pretti as having engaged in domestic terrorism — but that it was reportedly her claim that Trump backed her self-promoting ad campaign that spelled doom.

Kristi Noem is OUT as Homeland Security Secretary