For weeks, President Trump has threatened to escalate his war with Iran to terrifying new extremes in an effort to pressure the Iranian regime to capitulate to his demands, despite no evidence that such pressure is or can be effective. His latest deadline, after multiple delays, is tonight at 8 p.m. ET: he’s vowed to attack Iran’s critical infrastructure, including power plants, bridges, and other civilian infrastructure, unless the regime reopens the Strait of Hormuz and agrees to some kind of deal meeting his other demands. The regime has repeatedly vowed to respond in kind, attacking vital infrastructure throughout the Middle East. This morning, Trump declared that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.” Here’s the latest reporting, analysis, and commentary as the Iran war reaches what may be a terrifying new phase.

AOC says Trump’s Truth Social post ‘merits removal from office’

This is a threat of genocide and merits removal from office. The President’s mental faculties are collapsing and cannot be trusted.To every individual in the President’s chain of command: You have a duty to refuse illegal orders. That includes carrying out this threat. https://t.co/mTUddja5og— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 7, 2026

This is a threat of genocide and merits removal from office. The President’s mental faculties are collapsing and cannot be trusted.To every individual in the President’s chain of command: You have a duty to refuse illegal orders. That includes carrying out this threat. https://t.co/mTUddja5og

Democratic House leadership demands Congress return to stop Iran war

In a joint statement, Democratic House leadership called on Congress to reconvene in order to stop the Trump administration’s war in Iran, calling the president “completely unhinged.”

“The House must come back into session immediately and vote to end this reckless war of choice in the Middle East before Donald Trump plunges our country into World War III,” the statement read.

The leaders, who include House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar among others, urged their colleagues across the aisle to join them. “It’s time for House Republicans to put patriotic duty over party loyalty and join Democrats in stopping this madness,” they said.

Canadian PM Carney weighs in

During a press conference Tuesday, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney was asked for his message to Trump following the president’s overt threat to Iran earlier that morning.

“Canada expects all parties in this conflict, in any conflict to respect international laws, the rules of engagement and that means not targeting, certainly, civilians or civilian infrastructure and we urge all parties in this war to follow those responsibilities. It’s a point we’ve made publicly and privately,” he said.

25th Amendment move against Trump not a viable option

It’s understandable that congressional Democrats and some independent observers are talking about invoking the 25th Amendment to quickly remove the president from power in light of his deranged threats towards Iran. No president has ever expressed himself so profanely, so violently, or so recklessly at a grave moment in national and international affairs. To put it another way, if Trump indeed lost his faculties or tipped into rage-filled dementia, could he possibly sound any more alarming that he has in the last 48 hours?

To be clear, however, invoking the 25th Amendment to temporarily sideline Trump is not really a viable option unless the president all but literally falls down in the Oval Office and begins foaming at the mouth. It can only be triggered when the vice president and a majority of the presidential Cabinet tell the leaders of Congress that POTUS has become “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.” But the president can challenge this attempted interruption of his powers by telling the leaders of Congress that he is in fact not incapacitated, and then he can only be pushed aside if the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet insist he’s incapacitated. And that point unless by a two-thirds vote in both Houses of Congress the challenge to the president’s authority is upheld, he will continue in office, presumably firing the rebellious Cabinet members and denouncing his traitorous vice president.

So J.D. Vance, who owes absolutely everything to Trump’s decision to elevate him to the vice presidency, would have to orchestrate a rebellion involving over half of Trump’s hand-picked Cabinet, and secure a super-majority vote in both Houses of the Republican-controlled Congress (a higher threshold than impeachment, which only requires a majority vote in the House) to confirm the coup. Even if all these Trump loyalists really did believe The Boss had taken leave of his senses, the more feasible angle would be to surround him with both military and political leaders and talk him out of whatever madness he was planning. There’s a reason Trump’s enemies taunt him with the TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) insult. He’s more likely to change his mind than to admit he’s lost it.

‘Only the President knows where things stand and what he will do’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not outright deny reports that Iranian officials had cut off diplomacy talks with the U.S. following Trump’s threats this morning. “The Iranian regime has until 8 p.m. Eastern Time to meet the moment and make a deal with the United States. Only the President knows where things stand and what he will do,” she said, per The Hill.

Progress has been made in the past 24 hours in the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, though reaching a ceasefire deal by President Trump’s 8pm ET deadline still looks like a long shot, according to a U.S. official, an Israeli official and two other sources with........

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