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Sep 13, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump was taunted Sunday with a clip from the popular TV show "The Simpsons" as strikes between the U.S. and Iran intensified. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran's Islamic Consultative Assembly, posted a clip on X of Homer Simpson filling up his RV at a gas station. The total cost climbs past $999, and Homer cheers for "free gas" as the ticker turns over to triple zeros. Ghalibaf posted the short clip in response to a Bloomberg report about gas retailing for $9.99 a gallon in San Diego. The post was also made at a time when Trump has predicted that the Iran skirmish will end quickly after the midterm elections in November. Trump has also touted the U.S. military's dominance in the fight as Iranian officials vow they won't surrender. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Trump Sunday in a post on X to send the military to face his "vacant forces."“If they're human, why deny people access to water, food, and medicine? Our people can't be bullied into submission. Iran won't surrender,” the post reads. https://t.co/ixB2cCm8aF pic.twitter.com/3RZodIRaZW— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) September 13, 2026

Sep 13, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump caved Sunday on one of the tariffs he implemented against one of America's key trading partners last year. Trump announced during a press conference that he was removing the 15% tariff he placed on Irish whiskey in April 2025. The announcement came after Trump attended the Irish Open trophy ceremony, held at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg, Ireland. "It was very unfair because others have the relief, and they did. So, I thought I'd do it," Trump told reporters at Shannon Airport before he traveled back to the U.S. Trump added that he talked about the tariff with professional golfer Shane Lowry, who won the Irish Open. "Shane asked me about it; everyone has," Trump said. "It was pretty unfair, so I decided to do it." Q: The whiskey tariffs are an EU tariff. Are you taking it off all EU countries?TRUMP: A lot of people asked me about. It was pretty unfair, so I decided to do thatQ: On just Ireland, or all of the EU?TRUMP: Just Ireland pic.twitter.com/AWoRjHuWk8— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 13, 2026

Sep 13, 2026 - World

A startling development in the Middle East has both weakened President Donald Trump's negotiating position with Iran and threatened to trigger a new global “inflationary shock,” two experts told Al Jazeera this weekend.On Friday, the Iran-backed Houthis — the Yemeni militant and governmental organization — captured Mayyun island, which divides the Bab al-Mandab Strait — a major global shipping chokepoint — into two distinct channels. This comes after the Houthis reportedly took control of the entirety of Yemen’s west coast, which sits along the Bab al-Mandab Strait.Back in July, the Houthis launched a blockade of all Saudi Arabian oil shipments passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which, with the group’s new dominance over the territory, now makes traversal through the waterway a “very risky endeavor if the Houthis don’t allow it,” warned Wolfgang Pusztai, a security and policy analyst.Pusztai argued that Iran also benefits from the move, gaining fresh leverage over another global chokepoint and making its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz “even more efficient.”Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme, concurred with Pusztai that the Houthis’ capture of Mayyun island strengthened Iran’s negotiating position with the United States. Economist Javed Hassan further warned that a global supply shock could soon emerge should the Houthis further disrupt trade through the strait.“War-risk insurance and charter rates can rise before cargoes are formally interrupted, and the resulting pressure extends beyond oil into container shipping, dry bulk and the wider cost of traded goods,” Hassan told Al Jazeera. “The technical supply shock from Houthi attacks therefore becomes an inflationary shock through several commodities at once.”The development comes as oil prices continue to climb, with diesel costs in the United States reaching levels so high that some gas stations have reportedly been unable to display the correct price.

Sep 13, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump was asked Sunday about his thoughts on the mass protests in Dublin, Ireland against his visit, but ignored the question and instead issued the female reporter a bizarre “compliment.”“Mr. President, did you see any footage of the protests against your visit here in Dublin, and what do you make of that opposition?” a female reporter can be heard asking Trump.After a brief pause, Trump instead decided to compliment the female reporter on her looks.“You know, you remind me of somebody… a great Irish singer who passed away recently. Do you know who that is?” Trump asked. “Sinéad! You look like Sinéad O'Connor! And that's a compliment! She sang beautifully.”Trump’s visit to Ireland was met with opposition as locals flocked to the streets of Dublin with crude balloons and other anti-Trump displays to protest the president’s visit.O’Connor, the famous Irish singer-songwriter whose songs touched on human and women’s rights issues, died in 2023 at the age of 56 from a chronic health condition. O’Connor had also publicly criticized Trump, calling him a “devil” in 2020.When asked of his thoughts on the Dublin protests against his visit to Ireland, Trump ignores the question and bizarrely compliments the female journalist by saying she "looks like" the late Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor pic.twitter.com/yMhMjuuXQw— Alexander Willis (@ReporterWillis) September 13, 2026

Sep 13, 2026 - World

Irish President Catherine Connolly revealed the stern message she issued to President Donald Trump during their recent private meeting, sparking a chorus of cheers Sunday from critics.Connolly met with Trump in Dublin on Saturday at her official residence, and, according to the Irish Examiner, made clear that the Trump administration’s foreign policy was at odds with the wishes of the Irish people.“I conveyed the strong view of the Irish people that the normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted,” Connolly said, referencing her meeting with Trump.“As a country which has suffered famine, colonisation and the violence of the Troubles, but also the importance of the long and challenging road to peace, I emphasised the unique insight which Irish people can bring to the resolution of conflict.”In perhaps a more subtle message to Trump, Connolly also gifted the U.S. president a collection of poems, which notably included the poem “Ceasefire” by the famous Irish poet Michael Longley.“Bravo,” wrote Australian journalist and author Peter FitzSimons in a social media post on X, responding to reports of Connolly’s message to Trump.A photograph of Trump walking in front of Connolly with a serious expression on his face also drew considerable attention from Trump’s critics.“She read him out!” wrote American historian and author Max Dashu in a social media post on X. “He has the same expression as after his secret meeting with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin in Helsinki, the one that no US translators were allowed to witness.”And Sara Salyers, a prominent Scottish independence activist and former journalist, quipped: “When a picture paints a thousand words!”