Politics
Trump Boasts About Tomahawks And Critics See A Problem
President Donald Trump made sweeping claims on Friday about the United States’ weapons capabilities, only for users on social media to quickly point out how those claims drastically differ from comments he made days earlier.
“Look, nobody has the technology or the weapons that we have, and the Patriots are an example of it,” Trump told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade in discussing the missiles at the US military’s disposal. “We have the Tomahawks, we have the Patriots, we have stuff that nobody’s ever been able to produce, and they can’t produce it like us.”
This counters Trump’s suggestion earlier this week that Iran had somehow obtained the American-made Tomahawk missiles and was possibly responsible for the Tomahawk strike on an Iranian girls’ school during the first days of the war. The strike killed at least 175 people, most of them young girls.
“I will say that the Tomahawk, which is one of the most powerful weapons around, is used by, you know, is sold and used by other countries,” Trump said on Monday.
“Whether it’s Iran, who also has some Tomahawks, they wish they had more, but whether it’s Iran or somebody else, the fact that a Tomahawk is very generic. It’s sold to other countries, but that’s being investigated right now,” he continued.
Trump had pinned the destruction of the girls’ school on Iran earlier in the month.
“In my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran,” Trump said on March 7 when asked about the strike. “We think it was done by Iran, because they are very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever. It was done by Iran.”
There is no evidence supporting Trump’s claim that Iran had obtained a Tomahawk missile or carried out the strike on the girls’ school.
Users on X jumped on the inconsistencies.
“I’m old enough to remember when Trump claimed that the Iranians had Tomahawks in an attempt to blame the Iranians for the girls’ school he bombed,” user Polly Sigh wrote on X.
“But when he was asked about the bombing of the girls’ school, he said Iran had tomahawks,” MeidasTouch Editor-in-Chief Ron Filipkowski wrote.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that a preliminary military investigation found the US was responsible for the strike on the girls’ school. When asked on Wednesday about the report and whether the US would take responsibility for the strike, Trump responded: “I don’t know about it.”
Baby boomers and Gen-Xers, we know younger generations are giving you a hard time these days. Your millennial and Gen Z relatives don’t always understand where you’re coming from or what you’ve experienced, and their stereotypes about your generation may seem undeserved.
If you’re craving deeper relationships with your younger relatives, one powerful way to bridge the gap is to ask thoughtful questions to get to know what matters to them and how you can best show up for them. Questions like these can open up a more fulfilling way of relating to each other.
We asked three experts on family dynamics to suggest meaningful questions to ask younger relatives, which they’ll deeply appreciate. And they may lead to you learning some important things about your loved ones. Win-win.
1. “How are things going?”
It may seem obvious, but asking this question in a way that shows you truly care about the answer can help your loved one open up.
“Family members tend to assume they know everything about one another,” Everett Uhl, a licensed marriage and family therapist, told HuffPost. “Asking open-ended questions encourages detailed responses rather than a yes/no or simple (good, fine) answer.”
Engaged listening will make all the difference in how the conversation goes. “If one continues to listen, stays curious and makes neutral statements (‘I support your position here; I totally agree with you; you are making total sense’), there is opportunity for continued dialogue with depth,” Uhl said.
“This benefits both parent and child as there will be deeper understanding between generations and each will understand the other’s inner world more.”
FG Trade via Getty Images
2. “Where do you see yourself in three years?”
Your younger relatives are in a different phase of their lives, which means that their days are very different, as are their goals for the short and long term. So asking about their hopes for the future can really help you understand where they’re coming from and figure out how you can support them no matter what stage they’re at.
“This question allows you as the parent to really see and be with your child in their life stage and understand what is important to them,” Uhl said. “This can lead to a back and forth about the life stage the adult child is in and if they are interested in moving to the next one, or if they are happy staying where they are a little longer.”
This question can replace more intrusive ones, such as “When are you getting married?” or “When are you having kids?” with empathy and curiosity. “This open-ended question lets the adult child share their wants, hopes and dreams about the future without the burden of pressure to be in a life stage by a certain age,” Uhl said.
3. “What does support look like to you right now?”
All three experts suggested you ask your younger relatives some version of this question – it’s that important for a thriving intergenerational relationship.
“This question does something quietly radical: It assumes that support is wanted and that the older relative is willing to provide it in whatever form is actually useful, not just the one they’re most comfortable with,” Saba Harouni Lurie, marriage and family therapist and founder of Take Root Therapy, told HuffPost.
“By asking rather than assuming, the older relative opens the door for the younger relative to be explicit, which is itself a form of respect. And for younger generations who have often felt like their needs were either invisible or inconvenient, simply being asked can be meaningful before a word of the answer is even spoken,” she continued.
Whatever the answer is – whether it be financial or emotional support or something else entirely – try your best to be open to it and to find ways to provide that support in a way that works for both of you.
4. “What am I missing?”
This is a winning question because it invites your child or younger relative to share what has perhaps felt difficult in your relationship or simply what’s important to them in life right now, and it demonstrates that you’re willing to look at your “blind spots” (because we all have them), said Harouni Lurie.
“The conversation that follows might surface moments the younger relative felt misunderstood or hurt and never knew how to bring up,” she added. “Or, it might open into bigger territory: the political climate, evolving values, the ways the world has changed in ways that aren’t always visible from the outside.”
Your family member will be grateful for your curiosity and open-mindedness.
zeljkosantrac via Getty Images
5. “Is there an expectation you feel I have of you that is weighing you down that I can release you from?”
We all grow up in families that have specific expectations of us in one way or another, whether these are explicit or implicit. Depending on our individual personalities and trajectories, though, some of these expectations can start to feel heavy – even if it’s totally unintentional.
“Expectations are the dirty word in parenting adult children,” said Catherine Hickem, a licensed clinical social worker. “They ruin relationships, damage trust, hurt a child’s self-worth, and place a burden on them that is not theirs to carry. They can put a child in the position of choosing between keeping peace with their parents or fulfilling their own needs, dreams, and desires.”
Knowing this, you likely want to help free your relative from any inadvertent expectations they may be living with, which is where this question comes in. When you ask, try your best to avoid getting defensive and listen with an open heart.
6. “Is there anything from our family’s history you want to understand better?”
We are all shaped by our family histories in big ways, and chances are your younger relatives have many questions about the values, events and traumas that have made up the generations before them.
“Younger relatives are often deeply curious about, and are being shaped by, family history that they were shielded from or handed down in incomplete or distorted form,” Harouni Lurie said. “Asking this question signals something important: that the older relative is willing to be honest, even about the hard things.”
Where previous generations might have preferred to leave the past in the past, younger generations are often highly introspective and want to better understand their family history.
“And with this question, the older relative becomes someone who wants to reckon with the past rather than guard a particular version of it,” Harouni Lurie added.
7. “What evidence do you need from me to know that I love you unconditionally?”
You love your children (or nephews or nieces, etc.). For you, that’s a given. But for them, they may need more hard proof than you think.
“Listen carefully to how your child responds to this question. Do you notice hesitancy? Defensiveness? Nervous laughter?” Hickem said. “Whatever their response, reinforce that nothing could change your love for them. But let me caution you on this: Do not say this if you are not certain you mean it. It is better to leave this question alone than to offer words you cannot stand behind.”
8. “Do you know what I really like about you?”
Loving your child or younger relative is one thing, but liking them for who they are is another.
“This may sound elementary, but when people are asked what their parents like about them, there is often a puzzled look or a joking response like, ‘I was the kid who didn’t keep them awake at night,’” Hickem said.
When asking this question, “parents should have a list ready in both their head and their heart of what they genuinely like about their child,” Hickem said. “Even if you have to reach back into childhood or adolescence to remember qualities you may not see clearly right now, look for the unique features that make them who they are.”
Asking this question and engaging in the conversation that ensues can help your loved one feel seen and valued, which in turn will naturally deepen your relationship.
9. “Is there any fear connected to our differences that we need to talk about?”
The socio-political climate today creates a huge rift between older and younger generations, something that has a significant effect on families. “We no longer know how to disagree without taking it personally or making the other person wrong or bad,” Hickem said.
Asking whether these differences between you and your younger relative cause them any fear gives “a parent the opportunity to clarify the difference between disagreeing about social issues, political concerns, or personal values and loving their child for who they are,” according to Hickem. “The relationship always matters more than the issue.”
Disagreeing on particular issues can feel really difficult, but it doesn’t mean you can’t have a healthy relationship that also includes disagreement. “Respect, compassion, sincere curiosity, and love can bridge differences,” Hickem said. “Parents may need to say, ‘I may not understand how you landed where you did, but I know you, I respect you, and I trust that you take these things seriously.’”
10. “How do you think we could have more fun at family gatherings?”
Many people end up dreading family gatherings because of their complex relational dynamics, but it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, why have family gatherings at all if the guests don’t enjoy them? This question can encourage some beautiful dialogue about how to make family get-togethers occasions everyone looks forward to.
“We might not be able to take a family trip to Disney World anymore, but creating quality time and fun memories matters,” Uhl said. “This could allow for flexibility around who hosts during the holidays, roles that members play and/or contributions that family members provide. Sharing what would improve the overall experience or motivate family members to have more quality time together can strengthen the connection between generations.”
President Donald Trump did little to reassure Americans that war with Iran will end anytime soon, saying it will end only “when I feel it in my bones.”
It’s another stunning admission that Trump and his administration have no real timeline for ending the conflict in Iran started by the US and Israel just two weeks ago. Speaking to Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade on Friday, Trump said the economy “will bounce right back” when the war ends.
“We had the greatest economy in history, and we still do,” Trump said. “Oh, this will bounce right back. When it’s over ― and I don’t think it’s going to be long ― when it’s over, this is going to bounce right back, so fast.”
“When are you going to know when it’s over?” Kilmeade asked about the ongoing war.
“When I feel it,” Trump said. “When I feel it in my bones.”
Trump has repeatedly said the war will soon end, despite giving no substantial updates on how that goal will be achieved. At the start of March, Trump claimed the war could end as soon as “four weeks.”
“It’s always been a four-week process,” Trump told The Daily Mail at the time. “We figured it will be four weeks or so. It’s always been about a four-week process so — as strong as it is, it’s a big country, it’ll take four weeks — or less.”
On Monday, Trump boasted that war with Iran was “very complete, pretty much.”
The next day, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wouldn’t say the same.
“So it’s not for me to posit whether it’s the beginning, the middle or the end,” Hegseth told reporters about when the war might end. “That’s his, and he’ll continue to communicate that.”
Then on Wednesday, Trump took things a step further when he claimed that Iran was “about to surrender” in a call with G7 leaders. Just one small problem:
“Nobody knows who is the leader, so there is no one that can announce surrender,” Trump added.
Since starting war with Iran, 13 US service members have died. Trump attended the dignified transfer of six service members killed in action while wearing a white baseball cap with “USA” written on it. And despite Trump’s attempts to deflect blame, mounting evidence suggests it was the US that bombed a school in Iran, killing more than 170 people.
Adding to Trump’s troubles has been Iran’s ability to block the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery in the transport of the world’s oil supply. Trump said he’ll order an emergency release of strategic oil reserves to soften the blow of rising oil prices after Iran struck two oil tankers in Iraq on Thursday.
Hegseth promised Friday to carry out the highest volume of strikes yet against Iran.
For all his bluster about how soon the escalating war will end, Trump seemed to drop the veil when speaking to a crowd of supporters in Kentucky on Thursday.
“We don’t want to leave early, do we?” Trump asked. “We’ve got to finish the job.”
Donald Trump has called on allies including the UK to send ships to the strait of Hormuz amid Iran’s attempts to effectively close the major shipping lane.
The waterway, which sits at the south of Iran, transports a fifth of the world’s oil supply.
Tehran has been targeting any ships which use Hormuz as its war against the US and Israel escalates, meaning the price of oil has started to skyrocket and the global economy is showing signs of strain.
Initially Trump said the hike in the price of oil was a “small price to pay”.
But in a new post on TruthSocial, he wrote: “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and others that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated.”
According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations, 16 British ships have been operating around Hormuz, the Arabia Gulf and the Gulf of Oman since the war began a fortnight ago.
Despite claiming the US has destroyed “100% of Iran’s military capability” in his post, Trump also suggested Tehran could easily still “send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile”.
But Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei promised to continue obstructing the strait on Thursday and Israel claims to it have detected new attacks from Iran over the weekend.
The president’s request for help follows a turbulent period in relations with the UK.
Just six days ago, Trump accused Keir Starmer of seeking to “join wars after we’ve already won”.
He also claimed the US did not need Britain to send two aircraft carriers to the Middle East, after alleging that Downing Street was considering it.
The White House has been fuming over Starmer’s refusal to allow the US to use British military bases to initiate pre-emptive attacks against Iran.
Starmer has since allowed Trump to use UK military sites for “limited and defensive” strikes, but the president publicly criticised Downing Street for not granting his first request.
Trump’s full post reads:
Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe. We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are. Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated. In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE! President DONALD J. TRUMP
On Sunday, March 29, the clocks are set to go forward in the UK.
It’s been that way since 1916, though we’ve experimented with sticking to “British Summer Time” (BST) for the whole year and following “double summer time” since.
Some experts, though, say we should stop making people’s clocks jump fprward an hour in spring. For instance, the European Parliament has backed a proposal to get rid of daylight saving time (DST).
Here are some of the arguments for and against BST, sometimes also called “DST”:
Against: more heart attacks may happen right after BST
One study found that heart attacks rise by 24% the first working day after BST or DST (in the UK, BST always starts on the last Sunday of March).
Yet another paper noted an 8% increase in ischemic stroke in the two days following the clock change.
And a New York paper found that hospital admissions for atrial fibrillation rise in the Monday to Thursday following DST, but not during the clock change in autumn.
For: it’s linked to lower car accidents
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents have called for the UK government to adopt BST year-round.
The charity previously told parliament, “more people are killed and injured on the road because of darker evenings in autumn and winter than would be if we adopted British Summer Time all year round… In 2017, the number of pedestrian deaths rose from 37 in September to 46 in October, 63 in November, and 50 in December”.
A University of Surrey paper found that car acccident go down by about 15-20% in the days leading up to BST, as drivers have more light in the evenings. And when we leave BST in winter, accidents rise by 13%.
Against: it wreaks havoc on your sleep
You lose an hour of sleep during BST, and your body doesn’t really care that the clock says seven o’clock; that first day you wake up, it’ll feel like rising at six.
Some sleep experts from the British Sleep Society have called for both BST and the winter clock changes to be abolished, because they mess with our body clock so much.
These disruptions to our sleep lead to a dip in “performance, productivity and safety for both paediatric and adult populations,” the researchers added.
Unsure: some say BST makes us more money, others say it doesn’t
Some people want us to adopt BST year-round because they say it’ll keep our working hours close to those in many EU countries and save us money on heating and lighting later on in the year. Others say those on the continent don’t actually have uniform working hours, and the energy savings are contested.
Even more confusingly, others, like Lib Dem MP Alex Meyer, have called to “double summer time” or “Churchill time,” which we followed in WWII. This meant the clocks sprang forward two hours in spring, and stayed at what is now BST in winter.
This was done to increase productivity in daylight and save electricity costs, Meyer called this “a low-cost, high-impact proposal” to “help meet climate goals, reduce energy bills, and boost our High Streets by making better use of the daylight hours we already have”.
But some research suggests that the energy we save by having brighter evenings is more than offset by “increased energy consumption in the warmer lighter evenings”.
In the 15 days since President Donald Trump launched Operation Epic Fury on Iran, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is approaching nearly a dozen media appearances, offering his often visceral reaction to the conflict.
Gallego, a 46-year-old combat veteran who deployed to Iraq as an infantryman in 2005, has emerged as a blunt, clear voice for the Democratic Party on foreign policy, speaking as someone whose own generation experienced the forever wars.
There he was on CNN’s “The Source with Kaitlin Collins” saying Secretary of State Marco Rubio was doing “CYA” and noting that the “MAGA base is pissed.” There he was sitting down with the AP speaking “as someone who lives with PTSD,” adding “it’s not been an easy week.” And there he was on Derek Thompson’s podcast, speaking about “going town to town searching for insurgents” 21 years ago, “but there was no clear direction of what victory looked like, what the end goal was, what was going to be the after-action report on Iraq.”
Gallego isn’t alone. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a Navy captain who flew combat missions during Operation Desert Storm in 1990, has also racked up a run of high-profile media appearances, as has former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a U.S. Navy Reserve intelligence officer who deployed to Afghanistan. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who served in Afghanistan in the Army’s 82nd Airborne, went on local radio this week to link Americans’ affordability woes to the war.
In a year after many Democrats pined for a metaphorical fighter, the party is now having a conversation with itself about whether it needs a literal fighter — a veteran who can speak with credibility on issues of war and national security.
In an interview with POLITICO, Gallego spoke of “dodging bullets, IEDs, RPGs, clearing towns and then coming back to the same towns with insurgents” and of “losing friends and still not understanding what the end goal was the whole time.”
“It leaves a mark on you, and you start seeing it happening again, you know, you don’t really think about the politics,” Gallego said. “You think about the people who are going to be potentially dying. And that’s why I think I was not hesitant to speak my mind on that.”
Later this month in San Antonio, Texas, Gallego will join VoteVets Action for its third town hall featuring potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates, promising “fresh voices to the national conversation — those who have worn the uniform and served alongside us, who connect with everyday Americans others can’t,” according to a promotional video. (They’ve also done town halls with Buttigieg and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin.)
“On foreign policy, the Dems need a candidate who is seen as strong/tough — not in rhetoric or bravado political platitudes but who conveys a sense of judgement and resolve with which voters connect instinctively,” said Doug Wilson, the former assistant secretary of Defense for Public Affairs during the Obama administration and co-lead of Buttigieg’s 2020 foreign policy team.
The “Iran war underscores the need” for such a candidate, Wilson added.
Whomever the Democrats select as their nominee could potentially face a Situation Room-steeped ticket deep with national security credentials, including a Marine Iraq war veteran in Vice President JD Vance or Rubio, with his secretary of State experience.
Depending on how the many conflicts the U.S. is engaged in at the moment resolve, that experience could cut against them.
But right now, Democrats who can match those bona fides have some currency others without them can’t.
“That’s obviously going to be helpful to them,” said Matt Bennett, co-founder of the center-left think tank Third Way. “It’s gonna be a big part of what they’re talking about for the next little while. But you know, how long does it last? We just don’t know, right? In my professional lifetime, foreign policy stuff and national security has mattered in a presidential race once — in 2004. That’s it. Otherwise, it comes up, but it’s not driving the conversation.”
Some potential Democratic candidates without such credentials have still managed to break through amid the Iran news cycle. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) has said the White House has treated aspects of the war “as a video game,” in a clip gaining traction on X. “When American service members killed in action are returning to the United States in flagged-draped coffins, and even more Americans have lost limbs or suffered terrible brain injuries or are fighting for their lives, this White House treats war like a game, and it’s a disgrace,” Ossoff said.
When asked whether military service is an essential for the party’s eventual nominee, Gallego acknowledged there is a benefit for someone who can “speak with that type of credibility.”
“I’m not the type of person that’s like, ‘you have to be a veteran — Iraq War veteran,’” Gallego said. “This is a democracy. We’re still one, and there’s a lot of people that can bring valuable experience and knowledge. But you know, someone that actually has a nuanced understanding of foreign policy; that doesn’t go to the total knee-jerk reactionism that sometimes we see where we go to the point of, you know, isolationism; or the other way, where we go to full neocon. There needs to be a very balanced way to how we approach the world.”
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Israel’s war-criminal tactics of the Gaza genocide and its war of aggression on Iran have been inflicted on Lebanon last night, 13 March 2026. The colony, which has slaughtered almost 700 Lebanese civilians and forcibly displaced around a million people, has bombed a health centre in the south of Lebanon. At least twelve medical workers were murdered, though more are still unaccounted for.
The bombing, on the village of Burj Qalaouiyah in the Bint Jbeil district, killed doctors, paramedics and nurses on duty at the health facility. As scant cover for its crimes, the occupation has issued unsubstantiated claims that Lebanese resistance forces are using ambulances for transport:
As usual with the terror state, every accusation is a confession: Israel used two Lebanese ambulances to infiltrate the Bekaa Valley on 8 March to massacre more than forty people.
The attack mirrored Israeli tactics of destroying health facilities relied on by its victims. Israel destroyed or badly damaged every hospital in Gaza and frequently targeted ambulances. It launched its illegal war on Iran with the bombing of hospitals, as well as the murder of close to 180 girls studying at their school in Minab.
Israel killed Lebanese Dr. Hisham Ismail today in south Lebanon.
Israeli occupation forces committed another massacre against paramedics and doctors after bombing a medical center and clinic belonging to the Islamic Health Authority in the town of Bourj Qalawayh, southern… pic.twitter.com/LgFrBiCFqd
— Pheebs (@galpalpheebs) March 13, 2026
The deadly attack on Burj Qalaouiyah was the second Israeli murder of health workers in just a few hours. Israel bombed a paramedics’ centre in Souaneh village, killing two paramedics and wounding five others.
Israel is a terror state. And any support for it is collaboration in its racist crimes.
Featured image via the Canary
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has renewed its calls for an increase in the bank surcharge tax. This comes as UK households and firms face the effects of “Trumpflation”.
The bank surcharge is an additional 3% corporation tax on the profits of banking companies exceeding £100m. In April 2023 the Conservatives reduced it to this level from 8%.
With Donald Trump’s illegal war unleashing economic chaos, the union body says it’s vital that banks play their part in any efforts to protect the economy by paying their fair share in tax.
The longer the war goes on, the more likely support for households and industry will be necessary. And that will require funding.
The TUC says working people are facing the impact of the Trump-made cost of living crisis. And it urges the government to pull out all the stops to protect households and firms.
The union body adds that banks must play their part in rebuilding Britain and funding our public services like schools, hospitals and local councils.
City of London fat cats
The call comes as analysis reveals City bonuses have reached record levels as banks continue to enjoy sky high profits.
In 2025 the average bonus in the finance and insurance sector was £20,300 – the first time it has topped £20,000. City bonuses grew 6.3% in 2025, which represented the highest growth for three years.
For the economy as a whole, total bonuses in the City amounted to £23.6bn in 2025. Again, this is the highest figure on record.
Using the latest HMRC corporation tax receipt figures, the TUC estimates bank profits were £35.2bn in 2024-25. Over the last three years profits have averaged £36.5bn. This is 57% higher than the average of profits in the three years ahead of the global financial crisis (£23.2bn).
Time for action on banks
The TUC is calling for an increase in the bank surcharge, which it says could raise significant funds over the coming years. Particularly given the scale of banks’ current windfalls,
Bank profits have been turbocharged by the removal of the bank surcharge. And this has come just as high interest rates meant excess profits for banks. Together, this has led to higher returns both from net interest (the difference on interest charged to borrowers and paid to savers) and interest paid to banks on reserves they hold at the Bank of England.
As a result, bank profits are now much higher than they were in the period before the financial crisis. But after the pandemic, the Conservatives slashed taxes on banks.
TUC analysis reveals an increase in the bank surcharge could raise between £23bn-55bn over the next four years:
- A 16% surcharge, which is doubling what it originally was before the Conservatives cut it, would deliver £23bn.
- A 35% surcharge, which would be the same level as the windfall tax the Conservatives imposed on energy companies, would deliver £55bn.
- Even just reversing the Tory cuts and setting it at 8% – which the TUC says is the “bare minimum” – would raise £9bn over the next four years.
The union body also warns that if interest rates remain higher for longer, banks will make even more money.
Public support
Recent TUC polling shows significant support for a windfall tax on banks, with two in three (66%) backing this approach. This rises to 83% among Conservative to Labour switchers in the 2024 general election and 73% among Labour voters from the 2024 election now leaning to Reform.
The TUC is also calling for the government to reinstate the cap on banker bonuses to curb excessive pay for senior City executives while the rest of the country struggles with a continued cost of living crisis.
The EU still has a bonus cap, which seeks to reduce excessive risk taking (of the sort that led to the last financial crisis) and align pay with long-term stability not short-term gains.
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:
Donald Trump’s illegal war abroad risks unleashing economic chaos at home.
It’s absolutely right that the government does everything it can to protect British households and firms from Trumpflation.
The longer this war goes on, the more likely the government will need to step in with increased support.
That’s why it’s now more vital than ever that banks pay their fair share in tax. Getting banks to contribute more is just common sense.
After the Tories slashed the bank surcharge, high interest rates created a profits bonanza for banks. And if rates remain higher for longer, banks are set to cash in even more.
Instead of lining their own pockets with eyewatering bonuses, it’s only right that banks’ bumper profits are taxed fairly to invest in our hospitals, schools and local councils.
Featured image via the Canary
The Iranian government has said it will destroy all oil facilities around the Gulf region rather than let the Trump-Netanyahu axis get its hands on, or destroy, its Kharg Island oil terminal. The warning came after the US launched an attack of about fifteen bombs on military facilities on Iran’s island. Trump, typically, called the attack:
one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, [which] totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island.
The tiny island in the Persian gulf holds an oil terminal handling around 90% of Iran’s oil exports, as well as military defences. Trump has also threatened the oil terminal, and has been obsessed since at least 1988 with taking it for US profits. Iran, however, said it would destroy the whole region’s oil-handling capabilities rather than let his tiny hands touch it.
The IRGC-linked Fars News Agency said on Saturday 14 March 2026 that more the US caused more than 15 explosions targeting Iran’s air defences, airport and naval base. It said that if Trump attacks Kharg or any of Iran’s energy infrastructure:
…all oil and gas infrastructure in the region in which the U.S. and its allies have interests will be set on fire and destroyed.
Given Iran’s success in bombing US bases in the region and Israeli occupied Palestinian cities, few would doubt that Iran is capable of carrying out its threat. This would trigger a global oil crisis as well as almost certainly collapsing the ‘petrodollar’, the main thing propping up the US currency with over 1 Trillion demand on USD annually from the region.
Is Trump stupid enough to gamble that Iran is bluffing? Absolutely. Whether he actually will remains to be seen.
Featured image via Raksha Anirveda
The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians has released a seventeen-page report on Israel’s targeting of Palestinian Muslims. The report, released on the final Friday of Ramadan, documents the rising attacks on Muslims in Palestine.
In recent years, Ramadan has been associated with increased attacks on Palestinians by Israeli police and settlers alike, often working in close collaboration with one another. This report covers longstanding trends of these annual increases in attacks.
It also addresses new administrative measures introduced this year, to curtail Muslims’ ability to observe traditional religious practices associated with Ramadan. This includes bans on traditional roles, as well as bans on decorations and restriction of access to holy sites.
As well as these increased measures during Ramadan, the report also covers Israel’s systematic attack on mosques in Gaza, since the beginning of the genocide in October 2023. In total, Israeli forces have destroyed or heavily damaged about 1,160 out of Gaza’s 1,244 mosques, amounting to 93.2% of total mosques.
Religious apartheid against Muslims
The report comprehensively outlines Israel’s violations with international law. And it also highlights new legislative efforts within Israel to further entrench religious apartheid against Muslims. These include the 2023 Amendment to Counter Terrorism Law and the ongoing ‘Call to Prayer Bill’, both of which infringe upon Muslims’ rights to practise their religion freely.
Finally, the report provides a list of recommendations to both Israel and third state parties. The report calls on third party states such as the UK to explore and enact measures to:
- Ensure the accountability of perpetrators of international crimes, grave human rights violations and abuses by Israel and illegal settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories.
- Comply with all international legal obligations, namely pertaining to the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion of July 2024 and the Geneva Convention.
- Cease aiding or assisting in the commission of violations.
International Centre of Justice for Palestinians senior legal officer Dania Abul Haj said:
Since the beginning of the war on Iran, Israeli authorities have now ordered the total closure of Al Aqsa mosque, banning worshippers from prayer there and citing ‘safety measures’ which is ironic considering that everything else in the city remains open, including restaurants, cafes, shops, institutions.
It is also ironic considering the decades-long military oppression against Palestinians and the contradiction between statements and practice at times.
Israel is trying to impose a new reality in which they have full control over Al Aqsa Mosque and Haram Al Sharif. However, it is important to remind Israel, that as an occupying power, it has no sovereignty over religious sites in Jerusalem, and this is in contravention with its international obligations.
Featured image via the Canary
Although they have taken part in film and theatre festivals in various European countries, Yousef Shalabi and his team at Jenin Creative Cultural Centre have not visited the UK since 2006. Many changes have taken place since then.
Jenin Creative Cultural Centre — ‘Despite the pain we can celebrate our music’
He tells the Canary:
There’s now a new generation, a new era of suffering and madness in the Middle East. There are lots of changes, but unfortunately they do not give us a better life. Democracy, human rights, the international community and freedom have failed us many times over the years. All the world saw what happened in Gaza, and the unlimited destruction. And this has destroyed the dreams of the Palestinian people of having their independent state. We saw that Europe and the US want to stop the war in Ukraine, but when it comes to Palestinian rights, no one cares. International institutions are also facing collapse, and there is not even support for UNRWA, the last institution supporting the Palestinian refugees. So really, so much has happened.
The musicians from the centre are hoping to return to the UK later this year. Their goal is to show people that despite all the daily hardships Palestinians face, they are carrying a message of hope.
Shalabi says:
We want to live in peace, with dignity, as all other nations do, and to build a future for our kids. Despite the pain, we can celebrate our music and let others enjoy it too. We also want to create awareness among the British people, and let them know we salute them for their solidarity, and their big demonstrations in support of Palestine. Hopefully this tour will happen and will be as successful as the one in 2006.
Psychological trauma and economic hardship part of daily Palestinian life
Jenin Creative Cultural Centre was established in 2005, as a response to the Jenin Refugee Camp massacre of 2002, by the Israeli occupation. Destruction was widespread in the camp, and many residents were displaced. According to Shalabi, there was a growing need at the time for psychological support, especially for the women and children.
Now, more than 20 years later, the needs of the community are greater than ever. The Israeli occupation recently forcibly displaced all 17,000 residents from Jenin Refugee Camp, as part of its campaign to ethnically cleanse the occupied territory of Palestinians. Currently, the West Bank has also been plunged into its deepest economic crisis on record. So the work of the Jenin Creative Cultural Centre has become essential.
But tightened movement restrictions since October 2023, as well as safety concerns due to increased violence by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF), have made it much more difficult for Palestinians to make their way to the centre. So the staff — who are all volunteers — go to the community instead. Shalabi says several of the musicians have faced severe problems, while growing restrictions have also prevented them from getting together to play music.
One musician lost his brother, who was killed by a drone in front of his house in the Jenin camp. Another two became displaced with their families. One of them was Alaa. He toured with the Jenin Creative Cultural Centre 20 years ago, but has now lost everything. It’s so important to have such musicians to play our music, despite the horrible conditions. They used to play to groups of 60 children at the centre, but we now go mainly to the Arab American University.
Art is a tool which can be used to heal Jenin
There are around 600 families currently staying at the university, who were displaced from Jenin Refugee Camp more than 14 months ago. They still know nothing about what has happened to their homes. Many children are among them, so Jenin Creative Cultural Centre also does activities for them, such as facepainting, while running workshops for the women.
While those forcibly displaced from Jenin Refugee Camp are particularly affected by depression and trauma, Shalabi says the daily lives of others in Jenin are no less traumatic, with many having lost family members, and friends. Allowing people to talk about the hardships they have endured is sometimes enough to help them leave behind the traumatic situations they have faced. But sometimes they may need something more.
We see art as a tool, for healing. It creates an atmosphere of peace and relaxation. We wanted to create a safer place, where children can practice hobbies. Our projects, such as our pottery workshop, also help women develop new skills, to enable them to get a livelihood and some income.
An important part of Jenin Creative Cultural Centre’s work is also to build bridges with the international community, and create awareness of the ongoing situation caused by ‘Israel’. Shalabi says they want to invite their friends from around the world to not only volunteer and bring their various skills to the local Palestinian community, but to also live with the Palestinian people, and experience life under occupation.
He adds:
There are also lots of interesting historical sites in the Jenin area, and you can enjoy the Palestinian food. This is an invitation for anyone who is interested to come and see, and live with us, and show the Palestinians your solidarity.
Help Jenin Creative Cultural Centre’s musicians play traditional Palestinian music to a UK audience
Jenin Creative Cultural Centre needs to raise £10,000 for their three week trip to the UK. There are plans for musical evenings to take place in universities, cinemas and centres in both England and Scotland.
The plan is for six volunteers from the centre to take part in the tour, including five musicians. These include a singer, a keyboard player, a traditional Palestinian flute player, and a musician who plays the Oud — one of the oldest string instruments, originating in the Middle East.
Shalabi says:
You will miss a lot if you don’t come. We are sure you will enjoy our performance of Palestinian traditional music, and you will dance. Music is a way to unify people for peace and entertainment, and hopefully we will meet you all with the spirit of happiness.
Please send donations to this link
Featured image via author
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