U.S. Allies Reject Trump’s Demands for Warships, and Bovino to Retire From Border Patrol
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Why are U.S. allies rejecting Trump's demands for warships?
In theory, I knew that this kind of thing can happen in any family. Upstanding citizens are always turning out to be secret criminals, and I wouldn't even call my cousin Alan an upstanding citizen. But it's one thing to know and another thing to understand. Alan, murder me? What the hell was Alan thinking? From Serial Productions and The New York Times, I'm Em Gessen, and this is The Idiot. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracey Mumford. Today's Tuesday, March 17th. Here's what we're covering. While taking the necessary action to defend ourselves and our allies, we will not be drawn into the wider war. Across Europe and around the world, U.S. allies are drawing a line on the war with Iran.
This war started without any consultations before, a war which we didn't start. After President Trump put out a call this weekend for countries to send warships to escort traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, many declined. Germany, Japan, Italy and Australia. Other nations, including Britain and South Korea, were non-committal. I said, you mean for 40 years we're protecting you and you don't want to get involved in something that is very minor? Very few shots going to be taken because... Trump has lashed out in response, complaining that the U.S. has been defending other countries for decades. He insisted some had agreed to help and said he was thinking of his request as a loyalty test. We have the strongest military by far in the world.
We don't need them. But... It's interesting. I'm almost doing it in some cases, not because we need them, but because I want to find out how they react. Since the war started, the Strait of Hormuz has been all but closed to traffic as 17 ships have been attacked in or near the waterway, including one this morning. That's cut off a key supply route for not just oil, but also fertilizer and other products that help fuel the global economy. Beyond the U.S. 's allies, Trump also called on China to send naval support, but Beijing has little incentive to jump in. It gets oil from Iran, and Iran has been letting those ships pass safely through the strait. Meanwhile, here's a real headline for you for an actual patriotic press.
How about Iran shrinking, going underground? The Trump administration is pushing back on coverage of the war. Recently, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized how CNN has covered the conflict. The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better. Hegsa said he was looking forward to the outlet being under the control of the tech zion David Ellison, who is friendly with Trump and currently trying to buy the network. And over the weekend, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, threatened to revoke broadcasters' licenses over their coverage of the war, his latest move in a campaign to stomp out what he sees as liberal bias in media. Carr accused broadcasters of running hoaxes and news distortions and warned them to, quote, correct course.
Previous administrations also complained about news coverage, but this White House's attempts to shame journalists or try to limit how they do their work has fueled comparisons to the demands of authoritarian leaders. Carr's comments in particular drew criticism from the president's own party, with Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin telling Fox News he thought they went too far. Yeah, I'm a big supporter of the First Amendment. I do not like the heavy hand of government, no matter who's wielding it. Really, the federal government's role is to protect our freedoms, protect our constitutional rights.
Now, a few other quick updates on the Trump administration. I do believe I'll be the honor of having the honor of Taking Cuba, that's a big honor. Taking Cuba. Taking Cuba, in some form, yeah. At the White House yesterday. Whether I free it, take it, I could do anything I want with it. You want to know the truth? President Trump publicly raised the possibility of what he called taking Cuba. It comes as his administration has ramped up its pressure campaign against the island.
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