'BradCast' 5/5/2026 (The Corrupt Hypocrisy of the SCOTUS Majority; 'Project Deadlock' in Persian Gulf)

They are facing real catastrophic destruction to their economy, generational destruction to their economy, generational destruction to the wealth of their country imposed on themselves by the actions that they're taking. They should check themselves before they wreck themselves in the direction that they're going. Well, isn't it ironic? Is Marco Rubio talking about Iran or us? Well, I don't know why I came here tonight. I guess it's Iran. I'm just kidding. From Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles, this is the broadcast. As heard on KPFK, 90.7 FM in LA, and on dozens of other fine affiliate stations on both the public airwaves and the Internet surround the country and the world, blanketing planet Earth. I'm Brad Friedman, your friendly investigative blogger, journalist, troublemaker, muckraker. And all around, swell fellow says me from bradblog.com. Thank you very much for joining us for another thrilling edition of the Bradcast. We will start here. Voters. Voters. We always start. We start. And continue and end with the voters, don't we designeur? Yes, we do. Voters went to the polls on Tuesday for statewide primary elections in both Ohio and Indiana, as well as a special election for the Michigan State Senate that will determine. Which party controls that narrowly divided chamber in that great state? We will have results and details and problem reports from those contests as available on our next broadcast. Plus... I will have a few more thoughts today in a little bit. I've been trying to keep my head from exploding all day over this. Yes, we have. Yes, I have. But I will have a few thoughts on last week's horrifically corrupt ruling by the right-wing activist U.S. Supreme Court majority, which in its Louisiana versus Calais ruling last week gutted most of what was left standing in the Voting Rights Act that they hadn't gutted previously. And the remarkable...

ironic or actually hypocritical and corrupt fallout from their infamous Louisiana v. Calais decision, which is already resulting in chaos this week amid the already underway primary election season for the critical 2026 midterms, just to give you a little preview. And I think no matter how much I yell and scream about what the corrupted court has done here, What they are still in the middle of doing this week in its wake, I cannot adequately convey to you how hypocritically corrupt it actually is and how much it demands the only real solution at this point from Democrats or just people who enjoy democracy. But Democrats, should they ever take control of anything again? complete and total reform of the U.S. Supreme Court as perfectly allowable, by the way, by the law and the U.S. Constitution. But before my head explodes over that, we'll hold that for the B block. I want to get to a few other matters before either exploding my head or yours, including in Iran War update, such as one can actually be offered today amidst differing reports from both parties who have an interest. in lying about what is actually going on there. But in related matters, there is this from celebrated groundbreaking climate change and energy journalist, author, advocate, Bill McKibben regarding the remarkable irony of the actual fallout from Donald Trump's ridiculously, ill-considered, idiotic, seemingly no way out war on Iran. this late last week from Democracy Now. What it means for energy policy is that everyone around the world can suddenly see the utter folly of relying on a fuel that not only is destroying the planet's climate, but also that can be bottled up behind a 20-mile-long waterway. I mean, sunlight has to travel 93 million miles to reach the Earth, but none of those miles go through the Strait of Hormuz. That makes it... a very appealing alternative, especially now that it's cheaper than burning. coal and gas and oil. So the movement in the last month has been pretty remarkable around much of the world in the direction of what we used to call alternative energy. The only place that's not happening, of course, is here at home. Yeah, go figure. Yes, it's true. And, you know, this time it really does seem to be different because renewables are now in a position to take over where, you know, just a few short years ago, not so much. is different. And now, in fact, renewables are cheaper and cleaner and more accessible around the globe. Absolutely. And folks are moving that way, only not here, but we will have more on all of that in our Green News report with Desi Doyne later this hour. Yep. In related matters, we quickly covered a few of the reports of a number of the skirmishes ongoing now in the Gulf at or near.

Iran's ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on yesterday's show and the Trump administration's own blockade of Iranian ports in response as the war that the Trump administration is absolutely violating the law to carry out at this point in violation of the War Powers Act, which mandates that after 60 days of a president taking the U.S. into war, the Congress must either officially... constitutionally declare war or the war must stop unless Congress otherwise allows a 30-day extension, which Congress did not do late last week at the 60-day mark as a Friday night. But rather, they left town for a week-long recess instead, as Trump ridiculously announced that the war on Iran had been, quote, terminated. So there was no need to get congressional approval for any of this for a war that has, after all, been terminated. That, of course, just one day after Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth had told Congress, not that the war was terminated, but that because there had been a ceasefire declared by the U.S., those days during the ceasefire did not actually count toward the 60-day clock. after which Congress would need to give approval for the war. That a seemingly completely different explanation than Trump's claim that the war has now been terminated, even though it obviously has not been, as the Strait of Hormuz continues to be almost entirely shut by Iran. at a minimum and preventing the free flow of traffic of a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas supplies and other things in the bargain. So what is actually going on in this yes war right now? Well, Difficult to tell because both parties have reason to lie about it, though incredibly enough, I now trust the U.S. government's explanation even less than I trust the Iranians because Donald Trump's government now just lies about every single thing that exists, whereas Iran seemingly only lies about some of the things. So pick your poison. But here's what is being reported around the world from a number of sources, beginning with the somewhat right-leaning British sun today. They note that Iran has chillingly warned it is, quote,

just getting started, unquote, after unleashing a barrage of missiles toward the UAE on Monday. Monday's attack sparked fresh fears of full-scale war in the region, as Donald Trump refused to say, if the ceasefire agreement still stands. Trump, meanwhile, they report, sank seven Iranian small boats in the strait of Hormuz as he launched, quote, Project Freedom to wrestle control of the waterway. from the rogue nation, reports the sun. So apparently it is no longer Operation Epic Fury. You can get rid of it. If you bought the shirts and the hat, you don't need those anymore. Now it is Project Freedom, totally different thing, not related at all to Operation Epic Fury. So apparently no need to punch that War Powers Act clock now anymore against us, right? The American plan, the Sun reports, to guide vessels through the strait, has already seen several stranded ships escorted to safety by several. Apparently they mean two, according to reporting elsewhere, of the approximately 150 cargo and tankerships that had previously traversed the strait each and every day prior to Trump's attack on Iran. But Iran lashed out at its UAE Gulf neighbor at around the same time, triggering fears that the fragile ceasefire agreement in the region had indeed been shattered. Flames ripped through the Fujara oil industry zone after the Iranian attack reportedly injured three Indian workers there. And when the U.S. President was asked if the pause in fighting was over, he... replied cryptically, quote, well, I can't tell you that. If I answered that question, you'd say this man is not smart enough to be president. Oh, dear. Well, whether he answers it or not, I'm happy to say he is not smart enough to be president. But Trump, meanwhile, warned that Iran would be, quote, blown off the face of the earth. Another threat that constitutes a war crime in and of itself. Shoulderan's forces attack U.S. vessels during the new so-called Project Freedom? Trump told Fox News on Monday that the regime has become, quote, much more malleable in peace negotiations, whatever that means. There's no actual evidence of that other than Donald Trump says so. And as mentioned previously, he lies about absolutely everything. Iran, meanwhile, claimed international shipping had been jeopardized by the U.S., despite the Islamic Republic refusing to open the crucial oil chokepoint and firing at tankers that tried to escape the Gulf. The Speaker of Iran's parliament said, quote, the security of shipping and energy transit has fallen into the hands of America and its allies endangered by the violation of the ceasefire and the imposition of a blockade. Iran also claimed it had fired at American warships, which the U.S. has disputed. So who do you believe there?

The country's Iran's state news agency later conceded that it had just fired, quote, warning shots at U.S. warships. But the regime's attacks on the UAE were the first of their kind since the temporary ceasefire came into force on April 8. When Iran called Trump's bluff, you'll recall, just the day after he vowed that Iran's, quote, whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. A total of 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and three drones have been intercepted by UAE air defenses. The Sun reports, while a fourth crashed into the sea with further reports of a fire in the engine room of a cargo ship north of Dubai. Engine rooms, by the way, on cargo ships don't generally just catch fire unless fired upon by someone. The UK maritime trade operations said the incident was reported around 36 nautical miles north of Dubai in the UAE. But all crew have been accounted for there happily. Another blaze on board a vessel some 14 nautical miles west of Minasakur, a port in the UAE, has also been reported. Flames also broke out. At that oil industry zone I mentioned in the UAE following a drone attack where those three Indian nationals were injured. Iranian state media said the fire at the oil industry zone was the, quote, result of U.S. military adventurism to create passage for illegal ship transit. So what does that mean exactly? Are they suggesting it was a result of U.S. fire? Or a result of an Iranian attack in response to the U.S. military adventurism? I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine at this point, though it does sound like this is Iran firing on its U.S. friendly neighbors again in the UAE in hopes of damaging the U.S. without directly firing on U.S. assets. But who knows? The Sun notes that the U.S. President has continually been optimistic about a long-term peace deal, but also reportedly told officials to prepare for a, quote, extended blockade of the strait. Former U.S. Middle East advisor Jasmine El Gamal told Sky News, quote, in practice, the ceasefire does seem to be over with the war now at an impasse. She told Skye, quote, whereas Iran sees this as something that should be negotiated diplomatically, the U.S. continues to see this as a military problem to be solved, and Iran is responding in kind. That from the former U.S. Middle East advisor. The Jerusalem Post, meanwhile, confirms dozens of attacks amid the supposed ceasefire. I mean... Terminated War. I mean, I'm sorry, Project Freedom, reporting that UAE air defenses are actively engaging Iranian missiles and drones. The UAE Defense Ministry said on Tuesday in a post to Twitter.

which also noted that the incident involved several areas of the country and involved both ballistic and cruise missiles. No group, the paper reports, the Jerusalem Post, has yet claimed responsibility for the attack with the UAE foreign minister saying the country reserves its, quote, full and legitimate right to respond. Shortly afterwards, Iran opposition media, so this is media opposed to the ruling regime in Iran, reported a huge explosion and a plume of smoke in western Tehran. with an Iranian fire department chief saying a seven-story building had been evacuated. So who did that? Surely not the U.S. We have a ceasefire in this terminated war that does not any longer exist. So no legal requirement to go to Congress for approval, right? Right. Also on Monday, in addition to the 12 Iranian ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drone attacks on the UA, whoever may have launched them, a South Korean ship sailing near the Strait of Hormuz was attacked, according to the Korean media outlet, citing a government official. Attacked by whom? Again, we don't know. But Donald Trump acknowledged the attack later on Monday. And according to the Jerusalem Post, urged South Korea to join the American effort in the strait. Hey, South Korea, you don't want to have your boat shot at. Want to come join us and help. And back here in the U.S., NBC reports it this way today. The ceasefire in the Middle East was in peril on Tuesday after the U.S. and Iran traded fire and threats over Donald Trump's new mission to force open the Strait of Hormuz. Trump's so-called Project Freedom aims to use the U.S. military to break Tehran's chokehold on the critical waterway, which has throttled international shipping and sent energy prices soaring. But Iran's aggressive effort to retain its grip on the strait saw it attack U.S. ships, hit a neighboring Gulf State for the first time in weeks, and come under American fire itself. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asserted at a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday that the ceasefire was, quote, not over, despite the clashes in the strait. What do you mean? Ceasefire is over, of course, is continuing. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Cain, said that since the ceasefire was announced, Iran had attacked U.S. forces more than 10 times, but said that they were still, quote, below the threshold of restarting major combat operations. So I guess, yes, ceasefire?

The U.S. military said Tehran's forces attacked U.S. Navy and commercial ships on Monday with cruise missiles and launched drones and small boats at the vessels under U.S. escort, but that no American ships were struck. Trump, for his part, said the U.S. destroyed eight, not seven, but eight Iranian boats. Again, who are what you believe here? I am leaving to you today. We report you decide, as Fox News used to say. Two U.S. flagged merchant vessels made it through the strayed, according to NBC News, and reporting on what the U.S. military said, with shipping giant Maersk confirming that, in fact, one of its vehicle carriers was escorted out, quote, under U.S. military protection. As noted, two reportedly made it through the Strait, whereas some 150 per day used to make it through without incident or escort. Pete Hegseth said that hundreds of ships from nations around the world were now lining up to transit the Strait and said the military was in active communication with them, quote, as a direct gift from the United States to the world. we have established a powerful red white and blue dome over the strait he said a red white and blue dome over the strait A gift to the world. We will help some of those ships get through the strait that was always otherwise open until it wasn't because we decided to bomb Iran without checking with any of our allies who are now, we are now giving a gift to, a gift of a red, white, and blue dome above the strait. Or whatever, Pete. Iran denied that there had been any successful crossings of commercial vessels or oil tankers and said none of its Navy ships suffered any damage. Again, who you believe it's up to you. Well, the situation in the strait was clearly, quote, unbearable for America. Iran has, quote, not even begun yet, said the parliamentary speaker and lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, in a post on X. So didn't Trump say that the negotiations were becoming more malleable? Well, the lead negotiator is saying that what is going on is unbearable and that Iran has, quote, not even begun yet to attack, to counterattack, I guess.

Foreign Minister Abbas Arrogchi also said in a post on X late on Monday that events in the strait make clear that there is, quote, no military solution to a political crisis. He added Project Freedom is Project Deadlock. Well, that's going to sting, isn't it? Trump reportedly picks those names out himself, you know. Project Deadlock? How dare they? The escalating tensions raised questions about whether the war might be about to reignite, reports NBC. But Pete Hegseth, in his usual reassuring manner, Reassured and anxious nation that the ceasefire was not over. Nothing to worry about. All is well. All of these reports I have just shared with you from the UK to Israel to here at home is really nothing to worry about. It's just a bit of what he called churn. in the Strait of Hormuz over a completely different matter that Iran was totally responsible for. It's not the war. It's just this other thing going on in the strait. Project Freedom, you might have heard about it. It's their fault. Not ours. Last 24 hours or so, Iran's fired at us. We fired at Iran. I'm just going to ask you more directly, is the ceasefire over? No, the ceasefire is not over. Ultimately, this is a separate, a distinct project. And we expected there would be some churn at the beginning, which happened. And we said we would defend and defend aggressively, and we absolutely have. Iran knows that. And ultimately... the president's going to make a decision whether anything were to escalate into a violation of a ceasefire. But certainly we would urge Iran to be prudent in the actions that they take to keep that underneath this threshold. This is about the straits. This is about freedom of navigation. This is about international waterways. This is about free flow of commerce, all the things that happened before, and only Iran is contesting. So right now the ceasefire certainly holds, but we're going to be watching very, very closely. All of the things that happened before. It's only Iran who was screwing that up. Why would they do that? The markets responded to the latest dramatic events with oil prices retreating somewhat, but still remaining well above $100 a barrel. In fact, $110 and change. Last I checked before Showtime, by way of reminder, the price of a barrel of Brent crude was in the $70 range before the war.

Average gas prices in the U.S. climbed to $4.48 a gallon. They had been below $3 before Trump's war. Trump's mission, according to NBC, appeared to have done very little to immediately boost the confidence of those whose crews and cargo have spent weeks stranded in the strait, and I do wonder how those folks are. Getting food and water at this point after being stranded in the strait for more than two months now. Ship owners and operators expressed caution about whether Project Freedom could significantly change the calculus and restore the flow of traffic. Quote, Either party can signal willingness to allow transit, but unless the other side mirrors that behavior and it is seen to hold over time, the risk profile for vessels and crews remains unchanged. That, according to the CEO of one of the shipping companies with vessels in the Gulf, who added, quote, most prudent owners are still choosing to hold position. rather than expose vessels and crews to uncertainty. Another told NBC news, quote, there is still a huge amount of uncertainty as to what Project Freedom actually means. Well, it's a red, white, and blue dome over the straight, bitch. What more do you need? Oliver Willis over at Daly Coase, some things up this way for now, today, nearly a month after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declared that America had achieved victory. Against Iran, the two nations continue to fire on each other. On April 8, he notes, Pete Hegseth declared the conflict, quote, a historic and overwhelming victory. Well, I guess it has been whelmed since then. But he claimed that the Iran's Navy missile production capabilities, air defenses had all been totally destroyed. And despite claims of a ceasefire, Iran and the United States, have continued attacking one another. But in Pete Hegseth's eyes, mutual attacks do not count as a violation of the ceasefire. Quote, this is a separate, a distinct project, he explained, citing the newly invented Project Deadlock. I'm sorry, Project Freedom. It is unclear how the churn that Pete Hegseth cited there is different from ongoing war, observes Willis, noting that war. would in fact violate a 60-day requirement that the Trump administration obtained congressional approval to continue operations. So of course it is not a war. It can't be a war. We'd have to get Congress's approval for that. So this is just something else entirely.

Willis notes the administration's spin is further undermined by reports that additional U.S. troops are being deployed to the region, presumably more so-called churn. Maybe it's just part of the red, white, and blue dome over the strait. I don't know. Along with the war's numerous American and Iranian casualties, its strain on the global fuel supply recently helped to eliminate Spirit Airlines, which ceased operations over this past weekend. Economists have said they expect more businesses to fold all while consumer experience skyrocketing gas prices. Instead of focusing on ending the conflict or alleviating its economic impact, the Trump administration, and its Republican allies in Congress have renewed a push for what? A new ballroom at the White House. That is what they are now focusing on in Congress. The Republicans anyway. Republicans now want taxpayers to be on the hook for a reported $1 billion for this expense. The taxpayers to be on the hook for it. Not the private donors that we don't have to worry about. We don't have to worry our little selves about. Karoline Leavitt told us when this project came to light. I don't know when was this. This was back in October of last year. And back then it was originally, it was only going to cost $200 million. And it was all going to come from private folks, nothing to worry about, said Karoline Leavitt at the time. In July, the White House said that it would cost $200 million. Yesterday, the president said $300 million. It's $300 million now the operative figure, and why did it go up by so much? $300 million is the figure, and again, it's not going to cost the taxpayers a dime. So we look forward to this project continuing, and we will continue to keep everyone apprised on it. Perhaps the president will even bring you all out to see it at the appropriate time. Yes, that would be very nice. Maybe she'll let you come on out and see it. It's only going to cost. What did you say there? 300 million. And not going to cost the taxpayers a dime. Because it's all going to be paid for by private donors who are, you know, looking for favors from the president. Somehow that's supposed to be better. But it would be given to the people. It was a gift from Donald Trump to the people. Sure, paid for by his corporate pals, but given to the people at the cost of 200 million, and then 250 million, and then 300 million, and then 400 million. But now Republicans want taxpayers to pay for it after all, and they want the taxpayers to pay $1 billion for it. If that ain't the art of the Trump grift, I do not know what is.

For the Trump administration, Willis concludes, a war is not a war. Seas fires are simultaneously in place and not in place, and victory has been achieved even when it clearly has not. So as noted, I wanted to give you an update on the war, but it ain't easy right now. That's what I got. That's the best I can do for you at the moment. You can decide if the war is still on. You can decide if the ceasefire is still in action. You can decide whether Operation Epic Fury still exists or if it's now Project Freedom. That's all we know. Good luck to us all. All right, let's take a quick break here. We will pick back up on the corrupted U.S. Supreme Court's outrageous ruling last week, gutting the Voting Rights Act, and the incredible chaos that it has now all caused for voters and for election workers, election officials, as primary season continues or tries to. Also, Green News Report with Desi Doyen is on the horizon as well. Yes, it is. I'm Brad Friedman, and you're listening to the broadcast.

The Bradcast and the Green News Report are 100% independent, 100% listener supported. But we can't do it alone. We need you. Please help us bring real facts to listeners at independent stations around the nation. Please drop by bradblog.com slash donate. That's bradblog.com slash donate. And thanks. And isn't it ironic? Don't you think? A little too ironic. And yeah, I really do think. It's not great. Welcome back. It's the Bradcast, Brad Friedman, from bradblog.com. You might call it ironic, but really, in this case, I think it's not irony. I think it's hypocrisy. I think it's corruption. I think it's corrupt hypocrisy, if you will. I touched on this a little bit yesterday, but I'm sort of shocked that to date anyway, I've not seen a whole lot of pundits or the U.S. Supreme Court experts out there sort of underscoring this point. It's one that we've talked about for many years on this show about the court's so-called Purcell doctrine. or Purcell Principle, which originally sprang from a 2006 case, Purcell v. Gonzalez, in which the court warned in an unsigned procurium order on its emergency so-called shadow docket that, quote, court orders affecting elections can themselves result in voter confusion when issued too close to Election Day. Well, that's good advice. That's a good concern. That's something to keep in mind. That concern about timing of court orders later became known as the Purcell principle, wherein the court would block almost any law or change to existing law, at least any law or change to it that they felt like. too close to an election because it might cause confusion, chaos among election officials and or voters at the polling place. And while that sounds reasonable on its face, it also meant that in some cases where there was clear disenfranchisement about to take place in an election, the court preferred to leave that disenfranchisement in place, to let it occur rather than risk some sort of unknowable confusion at the polling place that could exist if the law was changed at the very last minute.

before the election. But okay. Better safe than sorry, I guess. At least that was how many accepted what at times was very difficult to accept from the court. Oh, it's just too late to make this change. You're just going to have to go ahead and discriminate against those voters. Well, it's better to do that than risk causing chaos. But it was difficult to accept, especially because the court would seem to invoke Purcell sometimes way before it could possibly cause chaos at the polls in an election that was still months away. For example, we saw that just last year, you may recall, in a Texas case, in which the lower court, the far right fifth circuit court of appeals for Christ's sake, the most right-wing court in the country, when they found. that Texas's mid-decade redistricting last August was an unlawful racial gerrymander in violation of the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act and that Texas would not be able to use this new map in the 2026 midterm elections. The Fifth Circuit found that. Texas went to the Supreme Court after that ruling. And that court, the Supremes, well, they decided on December 6th, 2025, on the shadow docket without comment, that Texas could, sure, go ahead, they could use that gerrymandered map anyway. And Justice Brett Kavanaugh, he issued, while the court didn't explain, the court majority did not explain why they could go ahead and use a map found to be an unlawful gerrymander by the farthest right-wing court in the nation. They didn't explain it, but Justice Brett Kavanaugh, he issued a concurrence with the majority decision at the time, and he stated that it was all due to the, yes, Purcell principle. That it was just too close to the election. to the 2026 election and the filing deadlines for the November, 26 election in December of 2025, that was just too much at the last minute to change the maps, that it was just too late to make such a change. Quote, and this is a direct quote from his concurrence, on the eve of an election. We were on the eve of an election, the November 26 election when the court issued this ruling in early 2025. Well, it was also the Purcell principle not invoked over the years, conveniently enough, in other cases where it seemed like clearly it should have been invoked, but it wasn't. In other words, the corrupted John Roberts Court. The majority, anyway, they seem to invoke Purcell when it helps their preferred party and often just ignore it when it doesn't. Concerns about chaos and confusion caused by changes to U.S. House District maps almost a year before the 26 midterm elections in Texas in early December of 2025. Of course, that was on the eve of an election. But that was then.

Just six months ago, apparently this is now. And we have never had a clearer example of the courts, not ironic, but corrupt hypocrisy than what we saw last week in Louisiana versus Calais. Not only did the court issue its ruling in Calais, gutting the Voting Rights Act, allowing states to completely do away. With majority, minority, U.S. House districts and others, by the way, so long as they claim it, it's not because racial gerrymender, it's a partisan gerrymender. That's fine. As long as it's partisan, not a racial basis, which, by the way, is appalling enough as is. But as long as it's not racial, as long as it's only partisan, they could do it right now. States can do it right now, even after primary elections have already begun in all 50 states. Never mind per cell. And worse than that, they're apparently now allowing it to happen in states where voting has actually already begun in their primaries. Never mind concerns about chaos that could happen with changes to election laws made on the quote eve of an election months before the election was even to take place, but now right smack dab in the middle of an election with votes already cast in that election. They are allowing the rules to be changed. What chaos? What confusion? And by the way, none of this is an oversight. None of this is accidental. They are doing it on purpose and they just do not care. How do we know that? Well, A, say what you want about this corrupted majority. They are not stupid. They know what they are doing. And B, well, today we have actual proof as David Kurtz highlights at TPM's morning memo today. He writes, destroying the Voting Rights Act wasn't enough. The Supreme Court gifted Republicans another partisan political advantage on Monday of this week. Following the decision last Wednesday, deviating from its normal procedure by immediately certifying last week's ruling in Louisiana v. Calais and sending it back to the lower court rather than waiting the usual 32 days under its own rules. The court offered no explanation for its ruling. So usually it issues its ruling. The court does. Then they wait for just over a month before making that ruling official essentially certifying it. Sometimes, you know, they discover some errors or some mistakes or some typos that are fixed during that interim before it is actually certified. So the general rule is 32 days after a ruling is issued. The ruling is then certified and it becomes official. But not in this case, not in this case as they ran to make it official certifying this just days after issuing it. As Kurtz notes, accelerating the usual timing will now make it easier for Louisiana to redraw its house district maps to eliminate at least one of its two majority black districts before the midterm elections.

Would want to cause chaos and confusion for voters in Alabama. But now all bets are off. Moreover, notes Kurtz, it wasn't just that the 2022 election was run with legally flawed maps. It was the difference maker, apparently, in control of the U.S. House that year. As Georgetown Law Professor Steve Vladic points out, quote, one can draw a straight line from the court's unsigned, unexplained February 2022 intervention in Alabama to at least five congressional districts that should have been redrawn before the 2022 midterms in November. But they weren't. And Republicans won all five of those seats giving Republicans their exact margin of control in the U.S. House in the 118th Congress.

Kurtz wraps up with this. He writes the John Roberts Court's unique ability to be nakedly partisan and thin-skinned about it mirrors the Trumpian attitude of the current era. We will behave with impunity and we don't want to hear a peep from you about it. Well, that sounds about right, doesn't it? And now, speaking of bitter irony, Let's get to it. Our latest Green News report. We are getting into territory where even if the street does reopen, it could be beyond a year for gas prices to fully normalize back to their pre-war levels. Nearly half of Americans are cutting back on driving and other expenses due to soaring gas prices. We're likely to see really significant health impacts from these nutrient changes. Rising CO2 levels reduce nutritional content of plants. Studies show plus... tragedy and immense irony is unfolding. The Iran war really is fueling a renewable energy boom. Just not here. All of that irony and more straight ahead from brandblog.com. I'm Brad Friedman. And I'm Desi Doyen. Stand by for six minutes of independent green news, politics, analysis, and snarky comment. Those who fought to keep the world hooked on fossil fuels are inadvertently supercharging the global renewables boom. Finally, something Trump didn't suck at. This is your... Green News Report.

Okay, Tessie Doyen, I don't know what your lead story here is about. I understand that the war has been terminated, according to Donald Trump last Friday. So what fake news do you have for us today? Oh, I only wish that that were true. As Donald Trump's war on Iran drags on fuel prices in the U.S., including diesel, are hitting new highs nationally. That is forcing Americans to make difficult choices. According to a new ABC. News poll, nearly half of Americans say they are cutting back on driving or cutting out other household expenses to make ends meet. Goldman Sachs projects that if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened by July, global oil prices will not return to pre-war levels before 2028, even in a best case scenario. 2028. Yes, that likely means more price surges and more major economic impact. to come. And with 30% of the world's fertilizer supply also bottlenecked in the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports that the International Grains Council and other agricultural organizations have cut their forecasts for next year's harvests. That's crop yields in 2027. Another food supply warning, but this one results from humanity's burning of fossil fuels. A new analysis confirms previous research showing that Rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is making food crops less nutritious. CO2 is necessary for plants to grow, but too much CO2 is like junk food, making it difficult for plants to obtain nutrients, causing mineral deficiencies that reduce the nutritional value of humanity's most important crops. Today, rice, wheat, beans, peanuts, chickpeas, and many other crops contain lower levels of protein. protein, iron, and other essential vitamins and minerals than they did just a generation ago. Experts warn of the increased risk of hunger and life-threatening nutritional deficiencies around the world as CO2 levels continue to rise due to humanity's activities. I don't understand. All of these climate deniers over on Fox News told me that more CO2 would be great. It grows more plants. Everything will be much better with more CO2. Yeah, too much CO2 is plant food like candy is food. Well, I do like candy. Some better news. It is still early yet, but data from around the world increasingly show that the Iran war really is resulting in permanent demand destruction for fossil fuels, as governments look to speed up electrification of their economies and secure new domestic energy supplies, primarily renewable energy and storage. And consumers are doing so too. The Financial Times reports that EV ownership has hit a tipping point in China and...

many other parts of the world, with people buying more electric cars than gas. Demand for rooftop solar is surging in Europe. In the UK, solar panels are now being installed on average every three minutes since the Iran conflict began. A surge in rooftop solar begun in the last fossil fuel crisis has helped Pakistan and Spain weather the economic impacts. And Simon Steele, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations climate, climate talks relished the irony at a planning meeting for this year's upcoming summit. From this tragedy, an immense irony is unfolding. Those who fought to keep the world hooked on fossil fuels are inadvertently supercharging the global renewables boom. And this latest crisis has made the economic logic of renewables impossible to ignore. Renewables offer safer, cheaper, cleaner energy that can't be held captive by narrow shipping straits or global conflicts. Irony indeed. For much more on all of these stories and the ones we couldn't get to today, check out our website at greennews.bradblog.com. I'm Brad Friedman. And I'm Desi Doyen. And this has been your Green News Report. Don't she think it's like rain on your wedding, baby. It's a freedom. Thank you very much. Desi Doyen. Thanks to all of you for spending a portion of your day or night with us. If you missed any portion of today's program.

Today's ironic program, you can download it any time for free at the newly redesigned bradblog.com. And by the way, I know I've talked about it on the show before. I hope you have checked it out. Go to bradblog.com. I'm kind of amazed that everybody seems to like it so much in truth. There's been like... Zero complaints. Come on by. Find something wrong. Complain about it. In the meantime, Green Chili Deb writes on Blue Sky, quote, you're right. The new and improved bradblog.com is so nice. Congratulations. Thank you very much, Green Chili, Deb. Our friend Susan Schaefer over on Facebook writes, wow, love the new clean design of your website. Very nice, she says. Thank you, Susan. Find out for yourself. Stop by bradblog.com. And hey, while you're there, hit one of the donate. buttons consider helping us to Stay on your public airwaves as long as possible and, well, get caught up from what I wasn't able to do for the past eight months while I've been buried in Bradblog design work in the background. Yeah, and it's hard to overstate how hard it was to get all of this done, especially for you because the biggest burden fell on you. And we had lots of help from a lot of people. But really, it's quite stunning that it has turned out so well. I know. This will know what a big undertaking is. I'm sure everything will crash by the time this show gets to air. By the way, when you stop by, check out a really, really cool media player in each story, each Bradcast item. So you can listen online. You can share it really easily. You can even embed a version of today's show on your own website with our simple little buttons that I made. So I hope you'll enjoy it. Check it out. Drop me email if you like. I'm Bradcast at Bradblog.com. and on the social medias. You will find me, especially at Blue Sky. You'll find me at the Brad blog. You'll find Desi Doyen there as well. At Green News Report. At Green News Report. Say hello to her. I think that's it. Is that it? Yes. I think so. All right. That's it. We're out of here. Thanks, guys. We'll see it all of the above. Until we see you here. Hopefully tomorrow, I'm Brad Friedman. Good luck world.

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