Daily Archives: 9 April 2026

‘Truly Insane’: Pentagon Threatened Pope After He Condemned Trump’s Military Attacks

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Pope Leo XIV leads his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Squarein Vatican City on April 8, 2026. (Photo by Maria Grazia Picciarella/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The US “has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world,” a top official told the Vatican’s US representative. “The Catholic Church had better take its side.”

Pope Leo, the first American to be named the head of the worldwide Catholic Church, has spoken out against President Donald Trump’s policies frequently this year as the US has invaded Venezuela and Iran and threatened Cuba’s 10 million people with an oil blockade that has crippled the island’s economy and healthcare system—and according to new reports, his criticism has followed a warning from a Pentagon official who demanded the Vatican take the “side” of the White House in foreign disputes.

The Free Press originally reported this week that after the pope’s “State of the World” address on January 9, US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby called Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s US diplomatic representative, to Washington.

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Colby told Pierre that the US “has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world.”

“The Catholic Church had better take its side,” he said, according to The Free Press.

Another Pentagon official alluded to the Avignon papacy, a period in the 14th century in which the French monarchy ordered an attack on Pope Boniface VIII and forced seven successive popes to relocate from Rome to Avignon in France.

According to Christopher Hale of the Substack blog Letters From Leo, who independently confirmed the meeting had taken place, Vatican officials took the remarks about the Avignon papacy as “a threat to use military force against the Holy See.”

“Bringing up the Avignon papacy as a threat is truly insane,” said progressive organizer Jonathan Cohn.

The pope is unlikely to visit the US during Trump’s presidency as a result of the meeting, Hale reported. Pope Leo rejected an invitation to the White House for the United States’ 250th anniversary celebration on July 4, and is reportedly planning to visit the island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean that day, where thousands of North African immigrants have arrived as they attempt to reach Europe.

The pope, reported Hale, “is too deliberate a man to have chosen that date by accident.”

The Pentagon meeting took place days after Pope Leo angered the Trump administration, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, by lamenting the fact that “a diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies.”

He made the comments days after the US invaded Venezuela, killing dozens of people and abducting President Nicolás Maduro, and as the US continued its boat bombing campaign that began last year in Latin America.

Since then, the pope has made numerous statements in recent weeks as the US joined Israel in bombing Iran and Trump issued increasingly bellicose threats to attack the country’s population of 93 million people.

He said on Tuesday, hours before a two-week ceasefire was reached between the US, Iran, and Israel, that Trump’s threat to wipe out the “whole civilization” of Iran was “truly unacceptable.”

“There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more, it is a moral question concerning the good of the people as a whole, in its entirety,” said Pope Leo. “Let’s look for solutions in a peaceful way.”

He also appeared to reject a call from Hegseth last month when the defense secretary asked Americans to pray for US troops in Iran “in the name of Jesus Christ.”

“Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” said the Pope in his homily on Palm Sunday days later. “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.’”

The New Republic reported that prior to the January meeting Pierre was called to, there were no public records of meetings between the Vatican and Pentagon officials, “let alone an instance in which the world power suggested that it could force the Bishop of Rome into captivity.”

When asked about the meeting on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance—a Catholic convert—at first claimed not to know who the Vatican’s US representative was, before saying the reported was “uncorroborated.”

The Defense Department also denied The Free Press’ account of the meeting, saying the characterization was “highly exaggerated and distorted.”

Writer Pedro Gonzalez noted that former Trump adviser Steve Bannon discussed strategies to “take down” the late Pope Frances with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to files on Epstein that were released by the Department of Justice.

“It is for this and other reasons that people take seriously the report about the Trump-Vance administration threatening Pope Leo to bend the knee or else,” said Gonzalez. “These people are insane. Their hunger for power is bottomless. Moral resistance will be met with intimidation and threats, whether it’s in America or in Rome.”

Original article by Julia Conley republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Continue Reading‘Truly Insane’: Pentagon Threatened Pope After He Condemned Trump’s Military Attacks

Israeli air strikes kill 254 in Lebanon on Wednesday

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Smoke rises over residential area following the Israeli attack on Beirut, Lebanon on April 8, 2026. [Houssam Shbaro – Anadolu Agency]

The death toll in Lebanon has risen to 254, with more than 800 people injured, following Israeli air strikes on several areas across the country, the Lebanese Civil Defence said on Wednesday evening.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry had earlier reported that dozens were killed and hundreds wounded in simultaneous strikes that hit multiple areas, including the capital, Beirut.

In a statement, the ministry said: “In a very serious escalation, Israeli enemy aircraft launched a wave of simultaneous raids on many Lebanese areas, resulting in dozens of martyrs and hundreds of injured.”

The ministry urged residents to reduce congestion in Beirut’s neighbourhoods to allow ambulance and rescue teams to move more quickly, warning that heavy traffic is obstructing access to targeted areas.

It also stressed the need to keep roads clear for emergency crews to ensure they can assist the wounded, amid what it described as an unprecedented intensity and scale of air strikes.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said it had carried out what it described as its largest bombing campaign on Lebanon since Hezbollah entered the war with Iran on 2 March 2026.

READ: Arab League condemns Israeli bombing of Lebanon as “unprecedented barbarity”

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Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingIsraeli air strikes kill 254 in Lebanon on Wednesday

UN: Israeli shell killed Indonesian peacekeepers in southern Lebanon

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Clashes and attacks along the Israeli border in southern Lebanon prevent locals from carrying out the long-awaited olive harvest, as residents of Aadaysit in Nabatieh manage to collect olives under the protection of United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL), on October 20, 2025. [Houssam Shbaro – Anadolu Agency]

The UNIFIL announced that an investigation has concluded that three Indonesian peacekeepers were killed by a shell fired from an Israeli tank.

According to UNIFIL, analysis of the impact site and recovered shrapnel confirmed that the projectile was a 120mm shell fired from an Israeli Merkava tank, launched from the east toward the town of Taybeh.

The mission noted that it had previously provided the Israeli army with the coordinates of all its positions and facilities on 6th March and again on 22nd March, as part of efforts to reduce risks to its personnel.

In a related incident, UNIFIL reported that the Israeli army detained one of its peacekeepers after intercepting a logistics convoy, before releasing him less than an hour later following urgent contacts by UN command.

The mission condemned the detention as a “flagrant violation of international law,” stressing that any obstruction of peacekeeping operations breaches UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which guarantees freedom of movement for UN forces in southern Lebanon.

Separately, UNIFIL confirmed that another peacekeeper was killed on 29th March when a shell struck a UN position near Adshit al-Qusayr, with another seriously wounded. At the time, the source of the shell was unknown, prompting the investigation.

The findings come amid ongoing Israeli aggression on Lebanon and heightened risks facing UN peacekeeping forces operating in the area.

READ: Lebanon declares Thursday day of mourning after Israeli air strikes

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingUN: Israeli shell killed Indonesian peacekeepers in southern Lebanon

Western politicians lie, millions die: The architecture of manufactured consent

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Protesters march through downtown Chicago during an “Emergency Protest” on April 8, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. [Jacek Boczarski – Anadolu Agency]

Modern ‘victory’ is prepared long before the first shot. It is paved with a sophisticated architecture of manufactured consent—where political deception and media complicity turn illegal aggressions into ‘moral necessities.

To sustain a perpetual state of war, the public must be shielded from the gore of the battlefield and fed a steady diet of “imminent threats” and “humanitarian interventions.” Whether it was the phantom WMDs of Baghdad, the “freedom-fighting” narrative of the Afghan occupation, or the distorted “responsibility to protect” that left Libya a fractured marketplace for human trafficking, the media has acted less as a watchdog and more as a megaphone for the state.

The formula remains hauntingly consistent: Western politicians lie, the media amplifies, and millions die

The lie that sent Iraq to the stone age:

The 2003 invasion of Iraq is the gold standard for manufactured consent—a masterclass in using a fabricated casus belli to dismantle a state. This was a multi-layered campaign centered on the specter of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) and an imaginary link between Baghdad and Al-Qaeda. When Colin Powell brandished a vial of white powder before the UN, Western media acted as stenographers of power. Major outlets validated unverified intelligence from “Curveball” and other discredited sources, creating a feedback loop that made dissent look like delusion.

By the time the world realised there were no stockpiles or mobile bio-labs, over  one million Iraqis died, the state had been decapitated, its social fabric shredded.

The media’s “mea culpas” came years too late, a quiet postscript to a tragedy that achieved its goal: the destruction of a sovereign nation under the guise of a liberation that never came.

Libya: The cost of the “humanitarian” vacuum:

If Iraq was a masterclass in fear-mongering, the 2011 intervention in Libya was a masterclass in moral manipulation. Here, the “Architecture of Consent” utilized the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)—a noble-sounding doctrine transformed into a geopolitical weapon.

The lie was anchored in the unverified claim of an “imminent genocide” in Benghazi, a narrative fuelled by Gulf-funded media and echoed without scrutiny by Western capitals.

The media’s role shifted from stenography to active advocacy, painting a complex civil conflict as a simplistic binary of “pro-democracy rebels” versus a “bloodthirsty dictator.” By the time the African Union’s peace proposals were dismissed and the “no-fly zone” had morphed into a full-scale regime-change bombing campaign, the trap was set.

The “victory” celebrated in London and Paris left behind 20, 000 deaths and nearly half a million displaced many still today cannot return to their homes. It made Libya fractured wasteland—a state without a center. Just as in Iraq, the “intellectuals” and “journalists” who beat the drums of war moved on to the next target, leaving millions of Libyans to navigate a decade of constitutional chaos and militia rule. The lie didn’t just kill; it erased a nation’s future under the guise of saving its people.

The world on the brink of the stone age: When Trump’s threat goes beyond Iran

Afghanistan: The Invisible Millions:

While Iraq was built on fabricated evidence, the invasion of Afghanistan was built on the rejection of evidence. The “Architecture of Consent” here relied on a false binary: “You are either with us, or you are with the terrorists.” This rhetoric successfully bypassed the legal requirement for proof.

The historical record is clear: the Taliban leadership, through their deputy ambassador in Pakistan, repeatedly requested that the United States provide “solid evidence” of Osama bin Laden’s involvement in the 9/11 attacks.

They even offered to hand him over to a third-party Islamic country for a trial under Sharia law if such evidence was produced. The Bush administration’s response was not a legal brief, but a dismissal: “There’s no need to discuss innocence or guilt. We know he’s guilty.”

The media, acting as the state’s megaphone, framed the Taliban’s request for due process as “defiance,” transforming an act of aggression into a “just war.” This set the precedent for the decades of “forever wars” that followed—where the accusation of the West becomes the conviction, and the “evidence” is only produced after the country has been reduced to rubble. By the time the US was defeated and forced to, hurriedly leave Afghanistan, over 150,000 people were killed as a result of the 2001 US invasion alone.

As we look toward the horizon, the “Architecture of Manufactured Consent” is currently being recalibrated for its most ambitious project yet: Iran. The drumbeat of war follows the exact frequency of the Iraq build-up, but with a more sophisticated digital veneer. Here, the “lie” is not just about a single weapon, but about the total demonization of a regional power’s right to security. We see the same “Information Iron Curtain” descending. Just as the American public was shielded from the Taliban’s offer of a third-party trial, today’s Western audiences are kept in the dark regarding the technicalities of international nuclear monitoring or the devastating human cost of “maximum pressure” sanctions. By framing Iran as an existential, irrational threat, the architecture ensures that when the first missiles are launched, the public will have been conditioned to see it not as a choice, but as inevitability. The goal remains the same: the redrawing of the geopolitical map at the cost of an entire generation’s blood, ensuring that no sovereign Arab or Middle Eastern state can challenge the “Imperial Directive.”

How to tell the rebels have won: The structural defeat of empire

The “Architecture of Manufactured Consent” is not a collection of unfortunate policy errors; it is a structural requirement of modern empire. Whether through the Ultimatum Fraud in Afghanistan, the Phantom WMDs of Iraq, or the Humanitarian Trojan Horse in Libya, the pattern is immutable. Politicians design the lie, the media assembles the consent, and millions of people—mostly in the Global South—pay with their lives and their sovereignty.

The same pattern is being repeated in Iran. They east distortion of facts, for example, is manifested in the over use of the term “the Iran war” when in fact the right description is the war on Iran. Despite the surprise announcement of Trump, accepting a two week ceasefire, the fact remains: western media amplified and distorted the terminology to appease Trump personally. It is time that we move beyond the “mea culpas” issued by journalists years after a nation has been levelled. True accountability begins by recognizing that these wars are never about liberation or democracy; they are about the systematic dismantling of states to ensure a profitable, perpetual chaos. If we continue to ignore the architecture of the lie today, we will be forced to count the bodies of the millions tomorrow.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

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Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingWestern politicians lie, millions die: The architecture of manufactured consent

Iran warns US must choose between ceasefire and war via Israel, ‘it cannot have both’

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (C) participates in the traditional Quds Day rally in the capital Tehran on March 13, 2026. [Fatemeh Bahrami – Anadolu Agency]

Iran warned on Wednesday that the US must choose between a ceasefire and “continued war via Israel,” saying Washington “cannot have both,” Anadolu reports.

“The Iran–U.S. Ceasefire terms are clear and explicit: the U.S. must choose—ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on US social media company X.

“The world sees the massacres in Lebanon. The ball is in the U.S. court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments.”

Citing an informed source, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported earlier that Tehran will withdraw from the truce with the US if Israel continues to violate it through attacks on Lebanon.

The Israeli army said it struck more than 100 sites “within 10 minutes” across multiple areas in Beirut, the Beqaa Valley and southern Lebanon, in the “largest” coordinated strike since the start of the current offensive in Lebanon.

READ: ‘Ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran must include Lebanon’: Belgian foreign minister

While simultaneously attacking Iran since Feb. 28, Israel has carried out airstrikes and a ground offensive in southern Lebanon since a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2, despite a ceasefire that took effect in November 2024.

After Pakistani mediation, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran, saying Tehran presented a “workable” 10-point proposal for negotiations.

The announcement came less than two hours before the expiration of a deadline Trump had repeatedly extended for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept an agreement or face “the destruction of an entire civilization.”

READ: Iran may quit US ceasefire if Israel continues attacks in Lebanon: Iranian media

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingIran warns US must choose between ceasefire and war via Israel, ‘it cannot have both’