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The post Why Iran is not a new ‘forever war’ appeared first on spiked.

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DAYS THE BUDGET IS LATE: 21

TRUMP FOR CONSTANTINO: Republican House candidate Anthony Constantino’s campaign to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik is a textbook example of how aligning with the MAGA extended universe pays off.

President Donald Trump today endorsed Constantino, the brash and hard-edged CEO of Sticker Mule, over Assemblymember Robert Smullen.

Trump’s nod for the businessperson is a microcosm of a decade of Republican politics. Smullen has lined up institutional support from the state GOP, county chairs and his fellow elected officials in Albany.

But none of that matters to Trump, who won his own insurgent primary a decade ago by bucking the Republican establishment.

Now the president is backing Constantino, who has assembled his own slate of endorsees far more suited to Trump’s temperament. That includes Rudy Giuliani, who backed Constantino after the candidate, according to his telling, wrote a “beautiful two-page letter” to the former New York City mayor.

Constantino has also enlisted Trump confidant and political operative Roger Stone.

Those ties were not lost on the president when he posted on Truth Social this afternoon. “Anthony is strongly supported by many of the most Highly Respected MAGA Warriors in our Movement, including Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Roger Stone!” he wrote.

Then of course, there’s the large “Vote for Trump” sign Constantino erected atop a building that can be seen from Interstate 90.

That kind of tangible loyalty — which withstood a legal challenge by local Democrats — also played well with the president.

“Anthony has been such a Great Supporter that he actually put up a somewhat ‘controversial’ sign, against strong opposition, in my honor,” Trump posted. “The sign is still there!”

For his part, Smullen — whose support from numerous county chairs doesn’t quite equate to the large pro-Trump signage visible from I-90 — was publicly unconcerned by the president weighing in on the primary.

“A consultant got to the president, somebody who is being paid by my opponent,” he told our Bill Mahoney. “And I think the president’s made a mistake here.”

Still, it’s hard not to view this development as anything but a massive blow for Smullen, running to succeed an ardently pro-MAGA House lawmaker in a district that the president won three times.

The endorsement also highlights the strange position the state GOP finds itself in. The party took the unusual step of backing Smullen in the race amid deep concerns from party leaders over Constantino’s temperament.

New York Republicans are preparing for a future without Stefanik as its leader and top fundraiser with national standing. The North Country House lawmaker was in line to become Trump’s United Nations ambassador, only to have the nod yanked amid a messy selection process to pick her successor. Hard feelings from Stefanik’s team following the scuttled special election to replace her have lingered as a result.

One GOP official chortled at the situation, which also comes after Stefanik bowed out of the race for governor following Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s entrance.

“They knifed Elise in the special and then they got crushed by Roger Stone,” said the person, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “It is just the beginning of Elise’s allies including the president settling the score as Elise is in the midst of her successful book tour!”

For Constantino’s part, the endorsement is another step in what had initially seemed like a long-shot bid.

“I had a great talk with President Trump and am honored to receive his endorsement,” he said in a statement. “He noted every primary candidate he endorses wins so I look forward to winning the general election and making everyone who supported me very proud once I am in Congress.”

FROM CITY HALL

CC YOU IN COURT: A prominent police union filed a federal lawsuit against the Civilian Complaint Review Board today, alleging the oversight body is tarnishing officers’ reputations by releasing unredacted — and unsubstantiated — complaints against cops.

Beginning in October, the suit from the New York City Police Benevolent Association alleges, the CCRB began responding to Freedom of Information Law requests about three types of allegations against officers — sexual misconduct, racial bias and offering false statements — by releasing unredacted complaints that are then subsequently uploaded to a public database. Because CCRB does not redact identifying information, the police union argued, the accused officers’ reputations, safety, and employment prospects are unduly damaged.

“CCRB’s under-the-table collusion with anti-police activists to smear cops with false complaints is not only unfair and unconstitutional — it is a calculated effort to end proactive enforcement and drive cops away from the job,” PBA President Patrick Hendry said.

The PBA argued the complaint board is aware of how damaging the allegations can be to cops. The CCRB publishes a redacted version of the complaints on its own website.

The city’s Law Department declined to comment. And a CCRB spokesperson defended the agency but noted its ability to comment was limited by the suit.

“The CCRB’s investigations are complete, thorough and impartial,” spokesperson Dakota Gardner said in a statement. “The Agency continually reviews all applicable laws and regulations regarding the public release of its records, including disciplinary histories of members of service, to ensure it is fully compliant.” — Joe Anuta

CHARTERING A NEW COURSE?: Mamdani said at an unrelated press conference that his administration is weighing its options regarding the future of former Mayor Eric Adams’ Charter Revision Commission, which convened publicly for the first time Monday.

“We are reviewing all of the options that we have when it comes to this previously set up charter review,” Mamdani said at the press conference in Brooklyn.

Pressed on what those options might entail, the mayor added little clarity aside from noting with a laugh that “more and more are being presented by the day.”

The commission’s meeting focused on procedural steps, including selecting acting chair Gilford Monrose, as reported in today’s Playbook.

Created on Adams’ final day in office, the commission is tasked with crafting ballot proposals, including one to establish an open primary election system. This shift could complicate reelection prospects for Mamdani by opening the Democratic primary electorate up to a larger, more moderate-leaning pool of voters.

Mamdani — who has previously criticized the body as undemocratic — has several avenues to blunt its work. Charter experts say one option for the mayor’s office would be installing a chair who could stall proceedings.

Randy Mastro, the former first deputy mayor under Adams who’s now advising the commission pro bono, told Playbook yesterday he has received no assurances from the Mamdani administration about its plans. A person familiar with the matter said Mastro has also discussed the commission with Mamdani’s corporation counsel, Steve Banks.

Still, Mastro downplayed the influence of any single appointee amid the possibility of a Mamdani-selected chair helming the commission.

“I welcome anyone who wants to participate in a constructive process to improve our local democracy,” Mastro said. — Gelila Negesse

FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

PRIMARY COLORS: Former state Assemblymember Taylor Darling ended her primary bid against battleground Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen earlier this week.

“Unfortunately, the technicalities of the current system make it challenging for community focused campaigns to fully participate in the Democratic process,” Darling wrote on social media. “While I respect the rules, it is clear that these barriers need to be addressed if we want a system where all voices, especially those from our communities, are heard and valued.”

Any primary challenger is poised to have an uphill climb against the incumbent Gillen, who has more than $3 million on hand. Darling, who entered the race after Gillen voted in support of funding for the Department of Homeland Security, raised just $24,000 last quarter and had $15,000 in the bank. Progressive organizer Kiana Bierria-Anderson is also in the race, though she said her petitions to get on the ballot are being challenged. — Madison Fernandez

IN OTHER NEWS

— WATCHDOG BARKS: Citizens Budget Commission urges lawmakers to limit government spending and hold off on tax hikes as new report shows tens of thousands of New Yorkers are leaving the city. (Gothamist)

— POLLUTERS PAY: Republicans in Congress are aiming to end New York’s climate law that requires fossil fuel companies to pay for weather-related damages. (Newsday)

— THAT STINKS: As state-funded daycare expands in New York, new education mandates regarding potty training and diaper changes for young students have left schools scrambling to create new policies. (New York Post)

Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.

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Both Belgium and Hungary have taken steps to distance themselves from Israel, making them the fourth and fifth countries to do so.

Belgium has joined Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia in demanding that the EU end its association with Israel.

Meanwhile, Péter Magyar, the incoming Hungarian Prime Minister, has made it clear that he will:

arrest Netanyahu if he ever comes to Hungary

He also made it clear that Hungary intends to remain a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Better late than never

Already, Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia have all demanded that the EU end its ‘association’ with Israel. As the Canary previously reported:

Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez has said that Spain will demand an end to the EU’s ‘association agreement’ with Israel at tomorrow’s (21 April 2026) meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. Spain will be joined by the governments of Ireland and Slovenia. The association agreement gives Israel preferential trade access to the EU as well as setting a framework for political negotiations.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, told a rally in Andalusia that he is calling for the move because:

a government that violates international law or the principles of the EU cannot be its partner.

Then, on 19 April, the Spanish, Irish, and Slovenian foreign ministers wrote to the EU’s senior diplomat Kaja Kallas. They accused Israel of breaching its obligations under international law, including

executive decisions, military decisions and laws adopted by the Knesset, that contravene human rights and violate international law and international humanitarian law.

Ahead of a meeting with EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, Maxime Prevot, Belgium’s Foreign Minister, said that Israel’s actions in Lebanon are “totally unacceptable“.

He said that Belgium is calling for at least a partial suspension of the EU’s Association Agreement with Israel.

War criminals hiding in plain sight

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. In principle, ICC member countries are obliged to detain individuals subject to such warrants.

However, some countries have argued they can remain ICC members without enforcing such warrants.

France argued that arresting Netanyahu would contravene other agreements it has with Israel.

Importantly, though, Péter Magyar, incoming Hungarian Prime Minister, told reporters that:

If a country is a member of the ICC and a person who is wanted by the ICC enters our territory, then that person must be taken into custody.

Netanyahu is due to visit Hungary later this year.

Meanwhile, Italy and Germany have defended Israel from EU trade sanctions.

Antonio Tajani, Italy’s foreign minister, said that breaking trade agreements is not a useful tool because then the Israeli population “will be affected.”

Of course, he is ignoring that the vast majority of Israeli citizens support the illegal state’s genocides.

Holding Israel accountable

Eighty-two percent of Jewish Israelis support expelling Palestinians from Gaza. Meanwhile, 56% back the expulsion of Arab citizens of Israel.

Additionally, Tajani is also ignoring the fact that there is a conscription law in Israel. This means that the majority of Israeli citizens must serve in the IOF for a minimum of 24 months for women, or 32 months for men.

Essentially, the majority of Israelis have either directly taken part in the genocide or support it, which means their feelings are irrelevant.

Whilst some EU leaders are finally growing a pair and taking a stand, it seems that some EU countries are still putting trade, money, and the delicate feelings of a majority-genocidal country above the lives of black and brown people in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.

But until the rest of Europe starts centring those lives, feelings, and voices, Israel will continue to commit war crimes and get away with it.

Feature image via the Canary

By HG

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Paloma Faith, Massive Attack, Paul Weller and Kneecap are among more than 1,100 musicians and cultural workers calling for a boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 over the inclusion of genocidal Israel.

Boycott Eurovision unless Zionist Israel is banned

The letter, co-ordinated by campaign group No Music For Genocide (NMFG), has also been signed by artists including David Holmes, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, and Macklemore.

It calls on countries to follow the lead of Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Spain by withdrawing from the popular music competition.

NMFG urged public broadcasters, performers, screening party organisers, crew, and fans to refuse to participate in or platform Eurovision until Israel is banned.

The letter says the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs the competition, should ban Israel from participating because of the ongoing conflict with Palestine, citing its ban of Russia in 2022 following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The letter cites Israel’s genocide in Gaza and said Eurovision should not “whitewash and normalise” the actions of the Zionist state. Since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 72,000 people, with the toll from the genocide likely to rise.

The letter called the EBU “hypocritical” for banning Russia from Eurovision but not Israel, and said that those who had signed the letter “refuse to be silent”.

Massive Attack musician Robert Del Naja, who is among those to sign the letter, was arrested earlier this month during a mass protest in central London against the ban on Palestine Action.

‘Silence is complicity’

Irish rap trio Kneecap, who are known for their politically driven music and social commentary, said:

Russia was banned from Eurovision in 2022. Israel has been murdering Palestinians for decades and is now committing genocide – and for the third year running, they’re welcomed back onto the stage.

That’s not neutrality. That’s a choice. We’ve paid a price for speaking out – lost gigs, court cases, visa bans – and we’d do it all again tomorrow.

Silence is complicity. We stand with No Music for Genocide and every artist, fan and broadcaster who refuses to let the world’s biggest music event be used to whitewash genocide. No stage for genocide. Free Palestine.

NMFG organisers said:

Every year, for its entire 53-year tenure as a Eurovision participant, Israel has perpetuated its terrorising systems of apartheid, torture, land theft, and military occupation against Palestinians from the river to the sea with complete impunity.

While many of us in the industry make light of Eurovision or doubt our own power as cultural producers, genocidal Israel’s leaders speak openly about the contest’s geopolitical value.

NMFG stands with and amplifies the incredible grassroots organising efforts across Europe to boycott Eurovision until Israel is banned.

From Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel to direct actionists, from Film Workers For Palestine in Hollywood to striking dockworkers in Italy and Morocco, people of conscience around the globe are fighting complicity in every industry for a free Palestine and a freer world.

Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

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The British military has been trialling drone swarms in Germany. US and Australian troops joined the so-called Army Warfighting Experiment 2026 as part of the AUKUS alliance between the three nations.

On 15 April, the British Army said:

The biggest achievement of AWE26 was building a system that let British, American and Australian drone swarms share information and data with each other instantly.

Intelligence sharing

The army described how a British drone swarm “collects intelligence” which is then shared via a UK computer to “American and Australian servers straight away”:

This kind of instant sharing between allies marks a significant breakthrough which could make a huge difference on a future battlefield.

Artificial intelligence (AI) was central to the project, forming a third of the exercise:

AI needs to be shown thousands of images before it can reliably identify objects on a battlefield and tell the difference between friendly and enemy forces.

Sounds a little haphazard…

The Ukraine war has seen drone warfare advance at a frightening rate. Battlefield developments there also shaped the allied exercise:

The war in Ukraine is proving enemies have become skilled at blocking the signals between drones and their pilots. AI-powered swarms can help get around this problem — the more data that has been fed in, the greater the accuracy and efficiency the swarm will have at identifying objects.

The precise AI system being used by the British Army was not identified in the army’s publication.

Which AI system is in use?

Commenting on the use of uncrewed systems as a force multiplier in May 2025, UK defence secretary John Healey said:

In five years’ time, AI will have had a massive impact in the military and in the battlefield. We can see this already in Ukraine, just like in every other walk of life.

We have to do a great deal more in defence to get on top and then get ahead and at the cutting edge of this. I want to put the UK military on the leading edge of innovation in Nato on AI.

As Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) points out the current UK government has leant into AI on an unheralded scale — including with a massive budget:

To make good on that promise, the Treasury earmarked £4bn in the Spending Review, explicitly for autonomy. Britain’s defence establishment has long spoken of modernisation, but it has been made unequivocally clear that code, not just iron and steel, would lie at the heart of its future military strength.

In 2022, two AI platforms were put forward for tender. AOAV said:

Two platforms of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) were put forward: one developed by Atlas, the other by Elbit, an Israeli defence company with extensive experience of drones honed in the hellscape of Gaza.

Adding:

Elbit’s system stole the limelight.

AI is being used to marshal UK drone swarms. Who’s AI is unclear… But the overall all implications are concerning. Both the brutal battlefields of Ukraine and Israel’s genocide are shaping drone swarm technology and tactics. And sooner or later those methods will start to turn up closer to home.

Featured image via the Royal Navy

By Joe Glenton

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In the world of modern football, nothing encapsulates a player’s greatness quite like the number of league titles they have won. It is the most rigorous yardstick for measuring dominance, sustained stardom, and excellence, as it is determined by a full season of consistent performance under the pressure of competition.

Hence, the list of the most successful league champions gains value as a definitive record of the names that have succeeded in imposing their dominance year after year.

A crowded football summit and 13 titles separating the greats

According to Transfermarkt data, four players share the top spot among the most decorated league players, with 13 titles each. German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer recently joined this elite group after winning the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich in the 2025–2026 season.

He is joined by his teammate Thomas Müller and Frenchman Kingsley Coman, who has carved out a unique path with titles across three major leagues. Also standing out is Welshman Ryan Giggs, who won all his titles with Manchester United, setting a Premier League record.

Lewandowski closing in, Messi among the chasers

Behind this quartet, a host of illustrious names with 12 titles to their name stand out, led by Lionel Messi, alongside David Alaba and Paco Gento.

All eyes are on Poland’s Robert Lewandowski, who is just one step away from equalling the record, as Barcelona edge closer to clinching the La Liga title, which could give him his 13th title and put him at the top of the list.

The list contains striking paradoxes, most notably the presence of big names without a European title, such as Gianluigi Buffon with 11 Serie A titles, and Zlatan Ibrahimović, who has won 10 league titles, neither of whom has managed to win the Champions League.

In contrast, Cristiano Ronaldo’s ranking appears relatively low, as he has only seven league titles to his name, despite his historic goal-scoring record, which highlights the difference between individual glory and collective success.

An unfulfilled achievement and a goal yet to be realised

Although 24 players, including David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Eden Hazard, have won league titles in three different countries, the most difficult feat remains unachieved, as no player has ever won a league title in four of the five major leagues.

Here’s a list of the 10 players with the most league titles:

* Ryan Giggs – 13 titles
* Thomas Müller – 13 titles
* Manuel Neuer – 13 titles
* Kingsley Coman – 13 titles
* David Alaba – 12 titles
* Paco Gento – 12 titles
* Lionel Messi – 12 titles
* Robert Lewandowski – 12 titles
* Thiago Alcântara – 11 titles
* Arjen Robben – 11 titles
* Paul Scholes – 11 titles
* Gianluigi Buffon – 11 titles

There is no doubt that these football figures confirm that dominance does not stop at the club level, but extends to create an individual legacy for players, with league titles remaining one of the most prominent measures that immortalise the names of stars in the history of the game.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

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Yet another Israel-linked Labour party paedophile, Conor McGrath, has been given a ‘slap on the wrist’ sentence, despite being convicted of possessing the “most serious and disturbing [child-rape images] for which a person can be prosecuted”.

Conor McGrath escapes jail

Conor McGrath, 29, who used to work for Israel-funded MP Kevin Bonavia, was arrested in February after a ten-month probe by Herts Police and admitted three counts of possessing more than 500 such images. He has been given an eight-month suspended prison sentence at St Albans Crown Court.

McGrath becomes the latest in a long line of ‘friends of Israel’ right-wing Labour figures to escape serious punishment despite the gravest child-rape image offences and even attempting to groom children for sex.

McGrath was exposed after Hertfordshire police seized McGrath’s devices on 25 March 2025, when he was arrested on an unrelated matter. The court had heard that he admitted to being worried police would find “rude photographs” and think he was a paedophile. This prompted the police to search his electronics again, leading to the discovery of the cache.

CPS spokeswoman Claire Beards said of Conor McGrath:

The volume and nature of the indecent images that McGrath collected and stored showed his sustained and unlawful sexual interest in children. Some of the images were among the most serious and disturbing for which a person can be prosecuted.

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

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