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'Disaster': Correspondent details Trump’s big 'mistake' as even rural Americans turn on him

alternet.org

The latest polls show that Americans are firmly against the war in Iran, with 61 percent of voters agreeing that military action was a mistake. According to CNN political reporter John King , that’s a “disaster for Trump and disaster for his party” as such numbers have historically signaled a public hunger for big change — and a willingness to bring it at the ballot box. Per the new poll, not only do most Americans think the war was a mistake, but a whopping 71 percent of independents are against the conflict. These numbers are on par with public opposition to the wars in Iraq and Vietnam, and as King pointed out, in both those cases, the public decided to vote in new leadership. “It was opposition to the Iraq war that allowed the United States to elect its first African-American president, Barack Obama,” explained King. “That opposition was so fierce, the American people said, ‘We want big change. We want dramatic change.’ That is what you feel when you travel the country.” And as he noted, while in the cases of the Iraq and Vietnam wars it took years for the public to reach such levels of disapproval, President Donald Trump and his administration have brought it in less than two months. “They’re still struggling to explain what they're doing to the American people,” said King before elaborating that Americans “don't understand why the administration is doing this war. They're just not making this case effectively to the voters. And we're seeing that in this polling. It's not just Democrats who are against the war, it's Independents. It's a good chunk of Republicans as well. And this is just going to continue to get worse if the president continues these actions in the Middle East.” While the White House has attempted to portray the war as a decisive military success, not only has the conflict continued to drag on, but Americans have found themselves paying an economic cost they are not willing to bear. “The president wants to sell no taxes on social security,” said King. “Republicans in the midterm elections are trying to say, ‘Remember, we cut your taxes on overtime and tips.’ They cannot break through because whatever little you got for that, you're paying at the pump. The president said this would be quick. It's past 60 days. The president said yes, gas prices would spike, but he would get out pretty soon and they would come down. They went up again overnight. So almost everything the president has said repeatedly — Iran has agreed to give up its nuclear materials; Iran has not agreed to give up its nuclear materials — has been proven...to simply not be true.” “Politically,” King asserted, “this has become a disaster for him. It's a huge disaster for his party.” King, who had just completed a trip through Ohio farming country, said that he’d seen firsthand how the situation is hurting some of Trump’s most important voters. “Trump has had this firm grip on rural America for a decade,” he explained. “If you live in rural America, what do you have to do? You have to drive longer distances. Sometimes it's 25 minutes to the gas station. So you go pay $4.20 a gallon for gas you bought a week ago that was four bucks. Now you're driving to spend $4.20 on it. If you live in rural America, you might have a farm, or you might have equipment on your land that takes diesel fuel that's even more expensive than that. Fertilizer additives for the soil — that's even more than that.” King went on to list several hotly contested elections in the states of Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, and Iowa, saying, “What do they have in common? They're largely rural. People are driving and spending more money, so even if they get the idea that Iran is a threat, they have not heard from their commander in chief a clear plan. And this is the mistake Trump makes all the time. He says it will be fast and it will be easy. Inflation coming down will be fast and easy. It was just Sleepy Joe. Iran — it's going to be a few days. We'll be fine. We’re 60 days and counting. So his own words get him in trouble.”

5 hours ago

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Redistricting battle intensifies in several states after Supreme Court ruling on Voting Rights Act

Adn

A Supreme Court decision striking down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana has amplified an already intense national redistricting battle.

3 hours ago

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San Jose resident sues city over 7-story apartment project

San José Spotlight

Neighborhood opposition against a proposed seven-story apartment complex in Willow Glen has entered a new phase, after one resident launched a lawsuit intended to force the city into conducting a more thorough review of the development’s potential impact on the area’s sewer system. Jeffrey Yuille, who lives directly adjacent to the proposed development site at... The post San Jose resident sues city over 7-story apartment project appeared first on San José Spotlight .

6 hours ago

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Defense industry flooding Congress with money with 'millions' as Iran war rages on

alternet.org

As President Donald Trump's war with Iran has dragged on for the last two months, a new NOTUS report revealed that defense contractors have been flooding congressional candidates with their hands on major regulatory powers with campaign money. In a report published Friday, NOTUS revealed several telling findings from campaign contribution data pulled from Jan. 1 through March 31, revealing that "the defense industry spent millions" to boost the funding for candidates likely to play a role in regulatory decisions surrounding them, as well as other "competitive races" in general. "Some of the lawmakers who have received the most contributions from defense interests sit on key congressional committees that routinely make decisions that profoundly affect the financial fortunes of military contractors," NOTUS explained. "For example, Congress is tasked with scrutinizing the Pentagon’s $1.5 trillion budget request for 2027 — a nearly $500 billion increase." Political action committees connected to "11 defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Leidos, RTX, Anduril," poured a total of $4.7 million into congressional campaigns during the first quarter of 2026, NOTUS found. The report further dug into the specific lawmakers being wooed with big money donations and how much they have been taking in. "Rep. Ken Calvert [a California Republican] chairs the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, which is charged with drafting the Defense Department’s budget," the report continued. "The Republican is running in a competitive race after California Democrats gerrymandered his district , and his campaign committee received more than $200,000 during the first three months of 2026 from defense contractor PACs and direct contributions from top defense executives, according to FEC records." Across two days in early March, Calvert took in two separate payments from "from leaders at military vehicle manufacturer AM General: Darrell Duckworth, an executive director, and Chief Financial Officer Ryan DuRussel." A week and change later, "the political action committees of Lockheed Martin and RTX, Raytheon’s parent company," also made two separate donations of $5,000 to the lawmaker. A senior congressional adviser for Calvert insisted to NOTUS that "His votes and actions are always based on what he believes is in the best interest of the constituents he represents and all Americans." "House Armed Services Committee Chair Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama received $68,000 last quarter through his campaign," the report added. "Rogers, a Republican who oversees the National Defense Authorization Act, has said he’s focused on making it easier for new defense firms such as Anduril and ShieldAI to secure defense contracts. Palmer Luckey, co-founder of Anduril, donated $7,000 to Rogers’ campaign in March." It has not just been Republicans getting this money, either, with NOTUS reporting that most Democrats continue to accept defense PAC money, despite some swearing it off. Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, received "about $130,000 from industry PACs and executives." This included "$7,000 from Anduril co-founder and CEO Brian Schimpf, $1,000 from RTX Vice President of State and Local Government Relations Peter Holland and $1,000 from BAE Systems Vice President of Strategy Chris Rappa," as well as, "$5,000 contributions from PACs tied to defense contractors Northrop Grumman, SpaceX and Leonardo DRS." In an email to the outlet, Smith also asserted that these extensive contrbituons would not have any sway over his voting decisions. "I have opposed the Iran War since before it started and I oppose the $1.5 trillion defense budget increase," Smith said. "No contribution changes that. I’ve spent decades pushing back on wasteful defense spending and challenging entrenched interests in the Pentagon."

5 hours ago

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Where can I vote on Primary Election Day in Indianapolis?

Fox 59

INDIANAPOLIS -- While voters have already had the opportunity to vote in this year's primary election, the last chance for voters to make their voices heard in the 2026 Primary Election will be on Tuesday. Several locations will be open throughout Marion County on Tuesday for Election Day voting. Vote centers throughout the area will [...]

2 hours ago

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Anthony Albanese says improving voters’ lives best way to fight rightwing populism and Pauline Hanson

The Guardian

PM tells Guardian Australia he’s committed to universal childcare in interview marking first anniversary of landslide reelection Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese says the budget chaos caused by the war in Iran will not diminish his determination to establish a universal childcare system in Australia, describing meaningful improvements to the lives of average voters as the best way to fight rising rightwing populism and Pauline Hanson. In an interview ahead of Sunday’s first anniversary of his landslide 3 May reelection, the prime minister told Guardian Australia he remained committed to delivering the major reform while in office, despite spending cuts coming in the budget hitting the national disability insurance scheme and public service departments. Continue reading...

7 hours ago

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