Tucker Carlson has publicly called on White House aides and Pentagon officials to refuse President Donald Trump’s orders if they involve mass attacks on Iranian civilians or the possible use of nuclear weapons, telling them to “say no, absolutely not” directly to the president and, if necessary, to “figure out the codes on the football yourself.” The remarks, made on his popular podcast, come amid the ongoing U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran and have triggered an immediate backlash from the White House.

Carlson framed the potential escalation as “evil” and a desecration of Christian and Islamic values, specifically criticising Trump’s recent social-media rhetoric urging the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight.” Carlson argued that such actions would mark “the end of the American empire as we understand it” and run directly counter to the “America First” principles Trump campaigned on.

Carlson’s comments come after the US and Israel’s aggressive bombing of Iran, which began with airstrikes earlier this year and has escalated into broader operations aimed at degrading Iranian military infrastructure, chemical-weapons facilities and ballistic-missile capabilities. Trump has repeatedly threatened overwhelming force if Iran does not comply with U.S. demands, while critics inside and outside the administration have questioned the intelligence justifying the campaign and warned of unintended regional fallout.

This intervention is perhaps the most high-profile act of public dissent from within Trump’s former base since the war began – as Carlson explicitly told listeners in direct contact with the president: “Those people who are in direct contact with the President need to say, ‘no, I’ll resign. I’ll do whatever I can do legally to stop this, because this is insane.’” He added that officials should refuse to carry out any nuclear-related order and leave the president to handle the nuclear “football” (the briefcase containing launch codes) himself.

🚨🇺🇸🇮🇷 BREAKING: Tucker Carlson says Trump is considering to use NUKES against IRAN

He publicly urges the US military and Pentagon officials to actively defy Donald Trump and refuse orders if he attempts to launch NUCLEAR WEAPONS against Iran pic.twitter.com/NMxbHPrpJm

— Alerte Info (@AlertesInfos_ca) April 7, 2026

Trump responded swiftly, telling the New York Post that Carlson is “a low IQ person that has absolutely no idea what’s going on.” White House officials later clarified that nuclear weapons are “not under consideration.”

Needless to say, the neocons are buzzing.

Do you feel an exciting tingle going up your leg?

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 7, 2026

Others Speaking Out

Anti-war voices across the political spectrum have amplified Carlson’s long-running opposition to the Iran war. Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has appeared multiple times on Carlson’s show to discuss the conflict and related free-speech crackdowns, described Tucker’s sustained pushback against endless Middle East wars as “herculean” in late March – noting that Carlson had already “sacrificed his relationship with President Trump” by taking a public stand.

Greenwald has slammed Trump administration’s rapid shift from campaign promises of restraint to “large-scale military destruction, including attacks on infrastructure and natural resources,” arguing that earlier talk of “liberating Iranians” has been replaced by regime-change rhetoric that echoes past neoconservative failures.

Comedian and political commentator Jimmy Dore, a longtime vocal opponent of U.S. interventionism, has used his show in recent weeks to hammer the Iran escalation as a betrayal of Trump’s “no more forever wars” pledges. Dore has linked the conflict to rising domestic costs – particularly gasoline prices – and accused both parties of falling back into the same “war machine” trap that plagued previous administrations. In episodes leading up to Carlson’s remarks, Dore has urged viewers to pressure officials to reject illegal or immoral orders, echoing Carlson’s call for internal resistance.

Dore points out that Iran has been doing some “epic” trolling of Trump with clips that are going absolutely viral.

Libertarian comedian and podcaster Dave Smith – a longtime anti-war voice and frequent guest on Carlson’s show – quickly amplified the moment on X, writing: “I can’t believe how hard Tucker just went at Trump and he is legitimately a modern American hero for doing it.” Smith has been consistently criticising the Iran escalation for weeks, including in his 1 April appearance on The Tucker Carlson Show, where the two discussed Trump’s “critical next move in Iran,” the influence of Mossad and neoconservative hawks, and the unsustainable costs of another Middle East war.

I can’t believe how hard Tucker just went at Trump and he is legitimately a modern American hero for doing it.

— Dave Smith (@ComicDaveSmith) April 7, 2026

And here’s Smith on Tucker from last Tuesday:

* * * Thank you for your support

After several weeks of decidedly ugly auction which saw a notable drop in foreign demand amid what we reported a week ago was rampant selling of US debt by foreign central banks, moments ago the Treasury sold 3Y notes in what may have been the best auction since the start of the war.

Just after 1pm, the US treasury sold $58BN in 3Y notes at a high yield of 3.897%, up sharply from 3.579% a month ago and the highest since last June’s 3.972%. More importantly, the auction stopped through the When Issued 3.909% by 1.2bps, the biggest stop through since Feb 2025 and the 7th stop through in the past 8 auctions.

The bid to cover bounced nicely from last month’s 2.546 to 2.682, the highest since November. 

The internals were even stronger: indirects, or foreign central banks, came back in droves after aggressively selling US paper in recent week, and were allotted 74.8% of the auction – the highest since Sept 2024, and the second highest on record.

And with Directs awarded just 11.9%, the lowest since Sept 2024, Dealers were left holdings 13.3% or roughly in line with the recent average of 12.3%.

Overall this was a blockbuster 3Y auction, and one of the stronger for the tenor on record, although with every push higher in oil moving yields along with it, we doubt that the market cares much about the quality of today’s issuance.

Authored by Dave Mason via The Center Square,

President Donald Trump has endorsed former Fox News anchor Steve Hilton in California’s Republican gubernatorial primary.

Trump picked Hilton over the other prominent GOP candidate – Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is an outspoken Trump supporter.

Sunday night’s endorsement on social media comes as Democrats face the risk of being shut out of the general election for the first time in the Golden State’s history.

Besides the two Republicans, there are eight prominent Democratic candidates. Under California law, the two candidates with the highest number of votes in the June 2 primary, regardless of party affiliation, will face off in the Nov. 3 election. Hilton and Bianco could get more votes if Democrats spread their votes among the eight candidates. 

And a recent University of California, Berkeley poll shows Hilton, a small business owner in addition to being a former commentator, and Bianco are ahead of the Democratic candidates.

According to the poll, Hilton has 17% of the vote, and Bianco, 16%. The leading Democratic candidates are U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of San Francisco with 14%, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter of Orange County with 13% and billionaire and consumer protection advocate Tom Steyer, who financed the successful campaign to pass congressional redistricting in California, with 10%.

The poll says none of the five remaining prominent Democrats – former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former state Controller Betty Yee and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan – has more than 5% of the vote.

Prediction markets see it a different way to the polls…

The Democratic Party is taking the risk seriously, with California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks urging Democrats with less support to drop out. So far, no one has budged. Hicks has said the risk of shutout is “relatively low but not impossible.”

Hicks wasn’t available for further comment on Monday, and the state Republican Party and Bianco or his campaign staff didn’t respond to The Center Square’s requests for comment. 

Hilton also wasn’t available for an interview, but his spokesperson Hector Barajas emailed The Center Square a statement saying Hilton was honored to be endorsed by Trump. The candidate’s statement noted California has the nation’s highest poverty, unemployment and cost-of-living rates after 16 years of “one-party rule” by Democrats. Hilton promised to cut electric bills by half, have no taxes on the first $100,000 of income, make house purchases more affordable and reduce the cost of gas to $3 a gallon.

California consistently has had the nation’s highest gas taxes for several years, and the tax has grown more than $1 a gallon since the Feb. 28 start of the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. On Monday, California’s average price was $5.93 a gallon, above the national average of $4.12 a gallon, according to AAA.

Roxanne Hoge, chair of the Los Angeles County Republican Party, told The Center Square that under the top-two primary system, Democrats have spent a lot of money to help Republican candidates they think they can beat in November.

“We as a party have not gotten to choose our standard bearer for a long time, from state Senate all the way up to governor,” Hoge said in a phone interview Monday afternoon. ”The fact that for the first time in hundreds of races they [Democrats] might be shut down does not fill me with great empathy or concern.”

She added two Republicans and no Democrats in the general election’s gubernatorial race would be the best outcome for California.

“I’m firmly of the opinion that either Steve Hilton or Chad Bianco — or any Republican — would be a vast improvement over the public-sector-union puppets we have running our state now,” she said.

In his endorsement on his social media platform TruthSocial, Trump said he has known and respected Hilton for many years. 

“People are fleeing, crime is increasing, and Taxes are the highest of any State in the Country, maybe the World,” Trump’s post said.

“Steve can turn it around, before it is too late, and, as President, I will help him to do so! With Federal help, and a Great Governor, like Steve Hilton, California can be better than ever before!”

There’s the question of whether Trump’s endorsement of Hilton could pull enough votes away from Bianco to mean Hilton would face a Democrat in the general election. But Hoge isn’t willing to predict that would happen.

“Republicans are first and foremost rugged individuals,” Hoge said. “For me to know what they’re going to do would be a fool’s errand.”

Porter, one of the leading Democratic candidates, commented on Trump’s endorsement of Hilton on social media.

“If there was any doubt what this race is about, now it’s certain: It’s California values against MAGA,” Porter posted on X. “I’m running because voters are tired of the same old political games when the stakes are so much higher. They deserve a governor they can trust to fight for regular people, not just push policy agendas that only benefit corporate interests and the richest of the rich.”

Campaign staffs for some of the other leading Democratic gubernatorial candidates did not respond to The Center Square’s requests for comment Monday. 

On Tuesday a UN Security Council resolution on opening the Strait of Hormuz failed due to Russia and China vetoing it. It was drafted by Bahrain and authorized countries to use military force if necessary to open the strait for the free flow of shipping and commerce.

The resolution garnered 11 votes in favor, but permanent veto-wielding members China and Russia blocked it by registering no votes. This comes after days of pressure from Gulf countries to restore free passage in the strait, amid Trump’s Operation Epic Fury.

UN image

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi earlier in the week lamented, “Our countries are subjected to a sinful Iranian aggression, and GCC countries have a legitimate right to self-defense. The Security Council must take measures to ensure the protection of waterways, and we demand that the Security Council issue a resolution securing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”

And Bahrain’s Foreign Minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, stated “Iranian attacks on neighboring countries cannot be justified. The draft resolution is consistent with international law and looks forward to a unified position.”

From Moscow and Beijing’s point of view, the resolution could be used to escalate US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic:

It appears that China and Russia expressed concerns about the invocation of Chapter VII, arguing that such authorization could be interpreted as legitimizing the use of force by member states without clearly defined limits. They also raised concerns about the potential imposition of sanctions and maintained that the draft failed to address the root causes of the current crisis in the Middle East. In their view, the text risked exacerbating tensions rather than promoting de-escalation, and they urged Bahrain not to advance the initiative. These reservations led China and Russia to break silence twice.

Also, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has stated that if resolution passed it would disrupt “very fragile chances for negotiations.”

So essentially Russia and China viewed it as a ‘pro-war’ mandate which is too sympathetic to Washington’s aims in Iran.

President Trump has meanwhile been busy venting his frustration at the ongoing closure of the strait, warning Iran that its “whole civilization will die tonight” if it doesn’t agree to Washington’s ceasefire terms. Tehran has said it is only interested in a permanent truce which ensures it never gets attacked again.

Ahead of Friday’s CPI report, inflation fears are already rising, with the NY Fed’s latest monthly survey of consumer expectations reporting that Inflation expectations at the one-year horizon were higher at 3.42% in March from the previous month’s 3.00%, matching the highest since April ’25. Inflation expectations also increased by 0.1% to 3.1% at the three-year-ahead horizon, and were unchanged at 3.0% at the five-year-ahead horizon in March.

The jump in year-ahead expectations was driven by a surge in gas inflation which rose 5.3% to 9.4%, the highest reading since March 2022.

Other commodity price change expectations also rose, but to a more limited degree: food prices are now expected to rise 6%; medical costs to rise 9.7%; the price of a college education to rise 9%; rent prices to rise 7.1%.

Turning to the labor market, sentiment is deteriorating fast with respondents saying that the mean probability the US unemployment rate will be higher next year rose 3.6% to 43.5%; highest reading since April 2025

On the other end, median one-year-ahead earnings growth expectations decreased by 0.1% point to 2.4% in March, remaining below its 12-month trailing average of 2.6% and at the low end of its range seen since May 2021 of 2.4% to 3.0%.

More bad news: the mean perceived probability of losing one’s job in the next 12 months increased by 0.6 percentage point to 14.4%. The reading remains below the series’ 12-month trailing average of 14.6%. The mean probability of leaving one’s job voluntarily, or the expected quit rate, in the next 12 months also increased by 2.4 percentage points to 18.3%.

The mean perceived probability of finding a job if one’s current job was lost increased by 1.9 percentage points to 45.9%, while remaining below its 12-month trailing average of 47.5%. The increase was broad-based across age, education, and income groups.

Perceptions about households’ current financial situations also deteriorated compared to a year ago, with a larger share of households reporting a worse financial situation and a smaller share reporting a better financial situation.  Year-ahead expectations about households’ financial situations also worsened, with the share of households expecting a worse financial situation at its highest level since April 2025, and a smaller share of households expecting a better financial situation in one year from now.

Perceptions of credit access compared to a year ago improved, with a smaller share of households reporting it is harder to get credit and a larger share of households reporting it is easier to get credit. Expectations for future credit availability slightly deteriorated, with the net share of respondents expecting it will be harder to obtain credit in the year ahead increasing.

The average perceived probability of missing a minimum debt payment over the next three months increased by 0.7 percentage point to 12.3%, remaining below its 12-month trailing average of 13.2%. The increase was most pronounced for respondents above age 60, those with some college education, and those with annual household incomes below $50,000.

And some more Household Finance observations:

The median expectation regarding a year-ahead change in taxes at current income level decreased by 0.2 percentage point to 3.1%.
Median year-ahead expected growth in government debt increased by 0.6 percentage point to 9.8%, remaining well above the 12-month trailing average of 7.4%.
The mean perceived probability that the average interest rate on saving accounts will be higher in 12 months remained unchanged at 24.9%.
The mean perceived probability that U.S. stock prices will be higher 12 months from now decreased by 1.6 percentage points to 36.3%.

More in the full report from the NY Fed.

Authored by Francisco Rodrigues via CoinDesk.com,

Tokenization could reshape finance by enabling instant settlement and cutting out intermediaries, and introduces new risks that regulators are not yet equipped to manage, the IMF said.

Tokenization could amplify volatility through automated markets and smart contracts, the report said.

The IMF called for clearer legal frameworks and stronger global coordination, warning that tokenized assets moving instantly across jurisdictions could complicate oversight and deepen financial fragmentation in the absence of proper regulation.

Tokenization, the representation of real-life assets on a blockchain, could reshape both crypto markets and traditional finance, while introducing new risks that regulators are not yet equipped to manage, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In a new report, the IMF described tokenization as more than a technical upgrade to markets. By moving assets like money, bonds and funds onto shared blockchains, transactions can settle instantly, cutting out intermediaries and reducing delays that define today’s markets.

The IMF says the “atomic settlement” that tokenization brings to the financial world could lower counterparty risk and force firms to manage liquidity in real time.

“Stress events are likely to unfold faster, leaving less time for discretionary intervention,” the report reads.

“Therefore, ensuring stability requires that tokenized asset management remains anchored in safe settlement assets, legally recognized finality, and robust governance arrangements.”

The report points to stablecoins — tokens whose value is pegged to a fiat currency — as a key bridge between crypto and traditional finance.

These could become widely used settlement assets across tokenized platforms, the report said.

Still, their reliability depends on reserves and redemption systems, leaving them exposed to runs under stress.

The IMF also warned that faster, automated markets could amplify volatility, while smart contracts that trigger margin calls or liquidations may accelerate selloffs during downturns. Such rapid declines have been seen in crypto markets,

Tokenized assets also can move instantly across jurisdictions, complicating oversight and raising concerns about capital flight and currency substitution in emerging markets, the IMF wrote.

The organization called for clearer legal frameworks and stronger global coordination, arguing that without them, tokenized finance could deepen fragmentation rather than improve efficiency.

Tokenization has been a growing theme in the crypto sector. Real-world assets added to blockchain rails have already topped $23.2 billion according to DeFiLlama data. Excluding stablecoins, the majority of that figure is in the form of tokenized gold or money market funds.

Authored by Kimberley Hayek via The Epoch Times,

U.S Vice President JD Vance arrived in Budapest on April 7 for a two-day visit aimed at bolstering Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s campaign, ahead of Hungary’s parliamentary elections on April 12.

Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, were greeted at the Budapest airport by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.

The two men greeted one another warmly, and Szijjarto presented Usha Vance with a bouquet of flowers.

“I’m looking forward to seeing my good friend Viktor, and we’ll talk about any number of things related to the U.S.-Hungary relationship,” JD Vance told reporters before leaving Washington on Tuesday.

He said the discussions would also cover broader relations with Europe and Ukraine.

Speaking alongside the Hungarian prime minister during his two-day visit in Budapest, Vance said “the amount of interference that’s come from the bureaucracy in Brussels has been truly disgraceful.” 

“I won’t tell the people in Hungary how to vote,” he said, speaking ahead of this weekend’s election.

“I’d encourage the bureaucrats in Brussels to do the exact same thing.”

The election will decide whether Orban secures a fifth consecutive term as prime minister.

Domestic concerns such as the economy and European Union relations are expected to dominate voter decisions in the parliamentary election.

“The bureaucrats in Brussels have tried to destroy the economy of Hungary,” Vance said on Tuesday.

“They have tried to make Hungary less energy independent. They have tried to drive up costs for Hungarian consumers. And they’ve done it all because they hate this guy.”

On Feb. 15, opposition leader Peter Magyar launched the Tisza party’s election campaign in Budapest. The party has set out plans to draw Hungary closer to EU institutions.

Orban, whose Fidesz party has held power since 2010, is one of the EU’s most vocal supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the close ties between the United States and Hungary during a February trip to Budapest.

He told Orban that Trump is “deeply committed” to Hungary’s success, “because your success is our success.”

Rubio also signed a civil nuclear energy agreement with Hungarian officials to expand decades of cooperation in the sector.

Asli Aydintasbas, visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank, said the vice president’s latest visit is “not routine diplomacy.”

“For the Trump administration, Orban is not just a fellow conservative ​but a central figure in efforts to establish an illiberal bloc inside Europe. If Orban falls, the movement would suffer,” he said.

In 2023, the Hungarian prime minister publicly declared his support for Trump’s return to the White House. The two leaders met privately at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in March 2024 to discuss issues, including border security.

Trump on Feb. 13 posted an endorsement of Orban on Truth Social, calling him a “truly strong and powerful Leader, with a proven track record of delivering phenomenal results.”

“I was proud to ENDORSE Viktor for Re-Election in 2022, and am honored to do so again,” Trump wrote. “Viktor Orbán is a true friend, fighter, and WINNER, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Hungary — HE WILL NEVER LET THE GREAT PEOPLE OF HUNGARY DOWN!”

Authored by T.J.Muscaro via The Epoch Times,

For the first time in more than 50 years, the president of the United States had a phone call with astronauts around the moon.

President Donald Trump spoke with the crew of Artemis II on April 6, shortly after they completed their historic, record-breaking flight around the moon, saying he wanted to be the first to congratulate them on the occasion.

“Today you made history and made all of America really proud,” Trump said on the call mediated by NASA administrator Jared Isaacman from Johnson Space Center.

“We have a lot of things to be proud of lately, but there is nothing like what you’re doing: circling around the moon for the first time in more than half a century and breaking the all-time record for farthest distance from planet Earth.

“Humans have really never seen anything quite like what you’re doing in a manned spacecraft. It’s really special.”

Trump to the Artemis II crew: I look forward to having you in the Oval Office at the White House, and we will celebrate your incredible achievements and triumphs… I’ve been pretty busy also, as you know, but I will absolutely find the time… pic.twitter.com/2AuhUdo3hd

— Wunderkind (@EngineerNGR) April 7, 2026

Trump praised all the astronauts by name: the three Americans, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, for kickstarting a return to the stars that will be an international effort led by the United States.

A mini “America 250” banner was raised in their Orion spacecraft Integrity to mark the occasion.

“America will be second to none in space and everything else that we’re doing, and we will continue to lead the whole thing into the stars,” he said.

His fellow Americans expressed their appreciation for the call.

Trump also gave special praise to the first Canadian astronaut to make the trip, Jeremy Hansen.

The president told Hansen that he had spoken to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, professional hockey icon Wayne Gretzky, and other Canadian friends, all of whom are proud of him and his historic flight.

“You have a lot of courage, doing what you’re doing,” Trump told Hansen, “a lot of bravery, a lot of genius. They’re very, very proud of you.”

Hansen also took the opportunity to thank the president for his push to get NASA back to the moon, taking other countries along, and to say that Canadians were proud to be a part of the Artemis program.

“On behalf of Canada, the space leadership you spoke of from America is truly extraordinary,” Hansen told Trump.

“I’ve said this many times before, a nation that leads like that and creates and sets big goals for humanity, that brings other countries along with it, is truly incredible.

“[It’s an] intentional decision to lead by example, and to allow other countries like Canada to share our gifts and help you achieve these mutually beneficial goals like establishing a presence on the moon and eventually going to Mars. And Canadians are so proud to be a part of this program.”

Trump asked them all a few questions about their mission thus far, including how the far side of the moon differed from the near side, and what it was like to be on the far side, cut off from communications with Mission Control.

The call ended with the crew accepting Trump’s invitation to visit the Oval Office upon their return.

“Thank you for that, Mr. President, and when you want us, we will be there,” Glover said. ”And thank you for your leadership. Thank you to Jared for his leadership.”

Apple is about 8 years late to the foldable smartphone space, with Samsung’s Galaxy Fold released in October 2018. Now, Tim Cook’s big launch of Apple’s first foldable smartphone could face “delays in its mass production and product shipment schedule,” according to new Nikkei Asia sources deep within the handset supply chain.

Supply chain sources told the Japanese business outlet that the complexity of the new foldable iPhone is causing engineering problems during early testing, and these issues could delay mass production and shipments by months.

Some suppliers have already been warned that component production schedules could be pushed back.

“It’s true that more issues than expected have emerged during the early test production phase, and additional time will be needed to resolve them and make necessary adjustments. … The current situation could put the mass production timeline at risk,” one of those sources said.

The source added, “April will mark a crucial stage of the engineering verification test, and this month through early May is extremely critical.”

Nikkei previously reported that Apple adjusted its iPhone launch strategy for 2026, pushing back production of base model iPhones to early 2027 to prioritize production of premium models, including foldable iPhones. This move is intended to allocate constrained supplies of memory chips and other key components more efficiently.

Another person in the handset supply chain said the potential schedule delay has very little to do with memory chips, but rather with “engineering challenges” for Apple’s first foldable iPhone: “Apple and the supply chain are working under a tight timeline, and the current solutions are not enough to completely solve the engineering challenges. More time is needed.”

Will Apple release a foldable iPhone before 2027?
Yes 80% · No 21%
View full market & trade on Polymarket

Nikkei Asia’s supply chain checks suggest Apple will initially produce 7 million to 8 million foldable iPhones.