Mark Angelides: What Did You Think Victory in Iran Would Look Like?

Like the national debt, politicos of all stripes treated the despotic regime in Iran as a problem for future generations to worry about – until President Donald Trump decided to make it an issue for now. With the ceasefire currently holding, the world seems split regarding whether the ten-point plan presently on the table is a win for Washington or Tehran. But what did the pundits think a victory in Iran would really look like?

Mark Angelides: Has the Iran Endgame Begun?

Beyond the partisan punditry, for President Donald Trump, the war in Iran appears to be coming to a conclusion. It may yet turn out to be not the type of conclusion he and his administration had envisioned when the first strikes were launched on February 28, but with just several weeks to go before Congress has to step in and either declare or demur, everything is now focused on the exit strategy.

Mark Angelides: Blockade - Venezuela Gets the Terror Treatment

A total blockade of oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuelan waters has been imposed by the Trump administration, ratcheting up tensions that came to a head Tuesday evening, December 16. Ordering a “total and complete blockade,” President Donald Trump has escalated the South American situation in an effort to disrupt and destroy the flow of illegal drugs into the US. And yet, the political and economic ramifications go far beyond the drug cartels.

Mark Angelides: America Agrees - Trump Is on the Right Track

Beyond the headlines, even the Fourth Estate sees the writing on the wall.

“What happened to their so-called mandate?” This question was asked in the most rhetorical of terms by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) in response to President Trump asking Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to stay in her House seat. It would be a good question for a president struggling with personal approval ratings and backlash to his policy platform. However, the numbers show neither of these conditions is true for the current commander-in-chief. Rather, they suggest Democratic leadership is having difficulty coming to terms with an ascendant Republican presidency.

Mark Angelides: Trump’s Pitch for the American Future

President Donald Trump, on March 4, addressed a joint session of Congress, his fifth such speech, in which he made the case for this being the most successful start to any presidency in history. It was a mix of touting achievements and setting a firm direction for the future. In flights of rhetoric reminiscent of his 2018 State of the Union, Mr. Trump offered a platter of laughs, reflections, and policy plans that the American public will see played out over the next three years.

Mark Angelides: Trump Brings the Art of the Deal to Gaza

“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” President Donald Trump announced yesterday, February 4. While meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the president shocked the world by declaring the war-torn territory could soon fall under the control of the United States and that it would become “the Riviera of the Middle East.” Naturally, the Fourth Estate and politicos worldwide were apoplectic and quick to dismiss his overtures. However, that is often their default state when dealing with Trump, and it seems they may be failing to analyze his statement on differing levels.

Mark Angelides: Trump Lays Down the Law for Columbia

Columbia made a big show of refusing to accept flights from the United States returning illegal migrants. President Gustavo Petro on Sunday, January 26, made a series of public X posts in which he insisted the deportations were a non-starter until President Trump found a way to do it that treated the repatriated with the “dignity that a human being deserves.” Trump was far from amused and immediately put the full power of the executive to work. From tariffs to sanctions, Surprise, surprise, it worked. By Sunday afternoon – just a couple of hours after Trump’s response – President Petro sent his presidential plane to pick up the deported individuals in Honduras.

Mark Angelides: The Fourth Estate and the Road Not Taken

Poet Robert Frost wrote of the choices we face and the paths that ultimately define us; it is a concept that must surely be occupying editorial meetings across the nation as each particular outlet of the Fourth Estate determines whether it will opt for the path less traveled or the comfortable, familiar path.

Since legacy media have so avidly aligned themselves against President Donald Trump from 2015 onward, his return to the White House poses a conundrum: continue to be part of the unofficial “resistance” or play a straight hand?

Splitting the Fourth Estate Deck

Mark Angelides: What Everyone Misses on Trump’s Greenland Gambit

It’s not quite the renegade move many think it is.

Donald Trump wants Greenland to be part of the United States of America. This statement has been met with equal measures of disdain and excitement among the political classes. From accusations of expansionism to absolute certainty that it is the only way to adequately defend the homeland, this is a divisive issue. The overarching sentiment, however, is that it is either just Trumpian bluster or an impossible task. But that ignores the very real defense implications and the history of American presidents expanding the area under their purview.

Mark Angelides: Musk, Farage, and Tommy Robinson – Here’s the Deal

An insider's look at the row heard around the world.

A public feud between X owner Elon Musk and Britain’s Reform Party leader Nigel Farage over activist Tommy Robinson has created a perfect storm of recrimination and chaos on the UK political scene. With Musk calling for Farage to step aside as frontman of the party he created, patriots on both sides of the Atlantic are torn. But there’s an element at play that this author witnessed firsthand. And it may be the very thing that has played gatekeeper against insurgent parties in British politics. It also serves as a cautionary tale to the incoming Donald Trump administration.

Mark Angelides: Culture Struggling with Shifting Political Sands

A question of truth over perception.

The late Andrew Breitbart once noted that “politics is downstream from culture,” arguing that to change the political direction of the time, a cultural catalyst was required. But does this remain true today in a political ecosystem that often seems alien – or, at best, somewhat detached from the wishes and wills of the people it is supposed to serve?

Mark Angelides: An Elegy for the Fourth Estate

The Fifth Estate rises.

With 2024 in the rearview mirror and 2025 just begun, perhaps a moment of reflection is warranted for the not-so-sudden demise of the formerly vaunted Fourth Estate. Its position atop the cultural landscape has been rejected by much of the Western world, and it exists now as an artifact that resides in nostalgia more than zeitgeist. It was an avoidable self-immolation. But what will rise from the ashes? And will the fresh phoenix be any better?