The Strait Of Hormuz Remains Closed, Bennett and Lapid Join Forces in Israel, Spanberger Celebrates Her First 100 Days, Slava Ukraini!

"pedophile, rapist, and traitor" - Trump completely melted down on 60 Minutes last night

Morning all. Let’s start today with a reminder that Trump’s failed war is still failed, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, there is no deal on the horizon, and Brent crude is now at one of its highest points of the war:

Meanwhile an emboldened Iran has sent its Foreign Minister to Moscow today, shoring up the Iranian-Russian alliance, an alliance that is currently fighting against Europe and Ukraine in Ukraine, and against the US in the Middle East:

Trump’s continued appeasement of Putin while Russia and Iran fight wars against the US and Europe remains among the most corrupt, dangerous and traitorous acts of his regime - and something Democrats should be challenging far more forcefully.

In Israel two of the main anti-Bibi parties merged yesterday, creating a far more formidable block six months before Israel’s October 27th general election. From The AP:

JERUSALEM (AP) — Two Israeli political heavyweights on Sunday said they would join forces in elections scheduled for later this year in an effort to unseat longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid served as prime ministers in a rotation agreement as part of a coalition government they formed in 2021, ending 12 years of Netanyahu’s rule. Now they plan to merge their parties into single faction headed by Bennett, calling it a partnership between the center and the right.

…….

Lapid urged Israel’s political center to unite behind Bennett, adding that “this country needs unity like air to breathe.”

Bennett had served as prime minister for the first year of their 2021 agreement until the coalition fractured. Lapid then held the top job as caretaker prime minister for the final six months until elections brought Netanyahu back to power.

Lapid has served as Israel’s opposition leader since that time, while Bennett took a break from politics.

The two men have ideological differences. Bennett is an Orthodox Jew with hard-line views toward the Palestinians, while Lapid is secular and seen as more moderate. But they enjoyed a close working relationship during their short-lived coalition.

“We have been through a great deal together. We have made difficult decisions together. We know we can count on one another,” Lapid said.

We will be paying close attention to the Israeli election this year, and this effort by the opposition to overcome their differences and unite to wrest control from the authoritarian party - as Peter Magyar was just able to do in Hungary, and we are attempting to do here this November.

Punchbowl has a good summary of the week ahead on the Hill in their am post, House GOP has an impossible week. Here’s an excerpt of what is going to be a very consequential week in Congress (read the article for far more detail):

Congress is staring down an absolutely brutal week that will set the tone for the rest of the legislative year. There are 190 days until Election Day.

King Charles III will address a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday (his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, did so in 1991). FISA Section 702 expires Thursday. The House will try to pass a farm bill and a GOP-drafted budget resolution to allow funding for the Department of Homeland Security, including ICE and Border Patrol. The DHS shutdown has now reached a disastrous 72 days.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has informed lawmakers that the Trump administration won’t be able to keep paying DHS employees past April 30. That means Congress has to move this week.

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger celebrated her first 100 days in office with this video celebrating the very real progress her new Administration has made:

In an interview for 60 Minutes recorded yesterday and released last night, Trump completely melts down when confronted with this line from the WHCD gunman’s manifesto:

I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.

As there is a lot of wild stuff flying around about what happened on Saturday night I strongly encourage folks to read this two articles from people with a great deal of experience on domestic security matters:

• “The Correspondents’ Dinner Was a Security Success*” - Shane Harris, The Atlantic

• “A quick analysis of last night’s shooting: So far, it appears the system worked as intended” - Garrett Graff, Doomsday Scenerio

I agree with Bill Kristol:

And agree with David French’s argument here that Zelenskyy has replaced the American President as the leader of the free world:

As an example, yesterday Poland and Ukraine announced a joint project to protect the Polish people and this front line NATO nation with a “modern drone armada”:

Now, my friends, inspired by the courage and bravery of Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people, it is….

Time To Get To Work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Winning The Midterms, Competing In Red States and Red Places, Expanding The Map

Hopium’s Winning The House Campaign (2026) - $620,500 raised, $1,000,000 goal (new ambitious, audacious even, q2 goal) - Donate to all twelve of our endorsed House challengers with one click | Get to know Jamie Ager (NC-11), Christina Bohannan (IA-01), Paige Cognetti (PA-08), Rebecca Cooke (WI-03), Sean McCann (MI-04), Jo Mendoza (AZ-06), Chaz Molder (TN-05), Janelle Stelson (PA-10), Shannon Taylor (VA-01), and Sarah Trone Garriott (IA-03) by watching our recently recorded Hopium interviews. Interviews with Jonathan Nez and Elaine Luria coming soon!

If you are looking for inspiration watch a few of these interviews - I promise these great candidates will get you excited about our opportunities this November! For it is simple - if we win these twelve races the House flips. Period.

James Talarico For Texas - $62,600 raised, $250,000 - Donate | Volunteer and Learn More | Enjoy my inspiring interview with Rep. Talarico as he fights to turn Texas blue

Mary Peltola For Alaska Senate - $86,700 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Volunteer and Learn More | Enjoy my uplifting conversation with Mary Peltola as she fights to turn Alaska blue

Winning Ohio - $129,200 raised, $250,000 goal - Our new campaign splits contributions evenly among Sherrod Brown, the Acton/Pepper ticket, and the Ohio Democratic Party | Donate today and help us turn this critical 2026 battleground blue | Watch my new discussions with US Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, Lt. Gov candidate David Pepper, and Ohio Dem Chair Kathleen Clyde

This total includes $21,000 sent by a Hopium community member directly to each of our three Buckeye State partners!

Hopium’s Audacious Expansion Fund - $534,600 raised, $1,000,000 goal (new stretch goal) - Join our campaign that has helped expand our map by investing in the Democratic Parties of Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Maine, and Texas, all now central battlegrounds in the 2026 election | Catch interviews with the five intrepid state chairs leading their troops into battle this year - will get you fired up! | Contribute to all five state parties with one contribution split evenly among these five new battlegrounds

Many thanks to two generous Hopium community members who have audaciously donated $20,000 to each of our five state parties over the past two years.

Roy Cooper for NC Senate (2026) - $107,500 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Enjoy my new discussion with Gov. Cooper as he fights to turn North Carolina blue

Jon Ossoff GA Senate (2026) - $170,600 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Enjoy my inspiring conversation with Senator Ossoff

Remember you can find all of our interviews with our inspiring 2026 candidates under the Podcast tab on the main Hopium site and on our channels on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify too.

Advocate For The Hopium Agenda/Pass Resolutions Of Condemnation In Your Community/Winning In An Evolving Battlefield

There are a few more ways to go to work in the coming days - call your leaders and advocate for elements of our working, ever evolving Hopium Agenda; bring resolutions that condemn our Mad King and lets facts be spoken to a candid world to your state or local government; and learn how you can help us win in evolving political and electoral battlefield this year.

Here’s our working Hopium Post-Iran Disaster Agenda:

• Work to end this new gulf war and Trump’s Imperial global ambitions

• Support Ukraine and Europe, not Russia

• Roll back the new, illegal tariffs

• Rescind the Trump tax cuts, claw back the extra ICE funding, fund the IRS so it can collect the taxes the rich are hiding from us

• Launch a major anti-corruption, renewing democracy campaign, one that ensures accountability for the crimes and treason committed, limits the political power of our emerging oligarchy, and strengthens democracy here and everywhere

• Make the US a clean energy superpower, fight for true energy independence, and lower utility and energy prices for the American people

• Rein in ICE, end Mass Deportation

• End Trump’s destructive war on science, research, our health scare system and our public Health

• Make clear to American farmers that we want to end the failed war, repeal the terrible tariffs, find legal pathways for farm workers, and make health care and energy more affordable

This week our calls should clearly focus on reining in the illegal war in the Middle East and ICE here at home, and rescinding the tariffs that are doing so much damage to our economy.

And please use the paid subscriber chat to self-report the good trouble you make each day.

Keep working hard all. We have a country to save and an election to win, together! - Simon