Even after his theatrical State of the Union address, President Trump remains the only person who knows for certain whether the United States will strike Iran. That ambiguity does not signal confusion. It reflects a negotiator’s instinct: The threat of force often carries more value than force itself.As a massive American armada gathers in the Persian Gulf — the region’s largest naval deployment since 2003, led by the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford — the White House is also signaling that it still prefers a grand bargain to a regional war. For a president who has long said his legacy will rest on ending “endless wars” and who plainly covets a Nobel Peace Prize, a diplomatic breakthrough that dismantles Iran’s nuclear ambitions without a shot fired would be the ideal outcome.The Geneva talks are more than another diplomatic set piece. They will test whether Trump’s 'art of the deal' can work against one of the most entrenched regimes in the Middle East.The tension in Washington is palpable, and the president’s frustration is starting to show through his inner circle.Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, recently offered a revealing glimpse during a briefing on the Gulf buildup. Referring to the sweeping mobilization of ships, personnel, and equipment, Witkoff said Trump is "curious" that despite the gathering of this massive armada, Iran has not yet "capitulated.”That remark gets to the heart of the standoff. The strategy is pure Trump: maximize leverage, restate the “zero enrichment” red line, and wait for the other side to conclude that its only path to survival runs through a signed deal. But the clerical regime in Tehran has proved more stubborn than even Trump appears to have expected.As the third round of negotiations began in Geneva on Thursday, there were real reasons for cautious optimism, even as rumors of a “multi-stage interim deal” continued to circulate.For all its revolutionary bluster and posturing over ballistic missiles, the Iranian regime is facing a deep internal crisis. The mass protests that erupted in late 2025 and continued into early this year — with a fresh wave of student-led strikes reported this week — have badly shaken the system. Even after a brutal crackdown and sweeping internet blackouts, the grievances have not disappeared. The economy is in ruins, the rial has hit record lows, and the public has no appetite for a full-scale war with a superpower.Inside Tehran, the divisions are growing. Hard-liners within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps still posture about delivering a “regret-inducing” response to American pressure. More pragmatic figures, however — reportedly now led by veteran negotiator Ali Larijani — are speaking more openly. They understand that a war with the United States could mean the end of the Islamic Republic itself. Reports suggest that even figures close to the supreme leader are searching for an off-ramp that preserves the regime’s core interests while winning enough sanctions relief to calm a restive population.RELATED: ‘Can’t let that happen’: Trump stresses red line for Iran but holds out hope for peaceful resolution Photo by Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty ImagesThe regional picture also favors Washington. Across the Gulf, Arab capitals are watching with a mix of anxiety and quiet approval. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and others do not want their cities caught in the blast radius of a regional war. But they are also weary of Iran’s regional meddling and nuclear progress. They want Tehran checked without turning the Gulf into a battlefield. That gives Trump useful diplomatic cover to keep the pressure campaign in place while leaving the Geneva door open.The Geneva talks are more than another diplomatic set piece. They will test whether Trump’s “art of the deal” can work against one of the most entrenched regimes in the Middle East.By combining military pressure, economic punishment, and the lure of a sweeping agreement, Trump has pushed Tehran into a corner. The regime is learning that this White House has little interest in the incremental half measures of the past. Washington wants a broader settlement — one that reaches beyond the nuclear file to the wider balance of power in the region.If a deal comes this week, it will likely come because Tehran concludes that domestic collapse poses a greater danger than diplomatic humiliation. For Trump, that would amount to a crowning achievement: proof that his transactional style can deliver where decades of conventional diplomacy failed.In the high-stakes contest between Washington and Tehran, the winner may not be the side with the biggest fleet. It may be the side that best understands the other’s breaking point.

President Trump’s State of the Union address last night was one for the books, but one moment stood out in particular as it highlighted the intense divide between the left and the right when it comes to their understanding of the American people.During his speech, Trump gave both Democrat and Republican legislators the chance to stand up and show their support for the American people.“If you agree with this statement,” Trump said, “then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”When Trump said this, the Republican side of the chamber stood, and Democrats stayed seated.BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock believes Trump’s powerful performance showed a stark difference between the left and the right, while BlazeTV contributor Pastor Corey Brooks agrees.“I think the right is going to definitely have a lot of commercials to run the Republican Party when they asked that question about, you know, supporting the American people over illegal immigrants. And no one on that side stood. I think that speaks volumes,” Brooks tells Whitlock.“That’s exactly what we’re experiencing in the city of Chicago. So I know a lot of people can resonate with that,” he adds.Whitlock points out that Trump was very “aggressive” and “clever about trying to draw the difference between himself and the Democrats.”“I thought he drew a pretty good distinct line in the sand and gave people a clear choice,” he tells Brooks.“People who watch that speech and listen to the words and not so much the rhetoric, but listen to what was being said, I think there’s a direct difference between both parties and everybody can see it,” Brooks responds, adding, “And I think overall, most Americans are probably going to wake up today and be aligned closer with those points of views.”BlazeTV contributor Virgil Walker is aligned with Whitlock and Brooks, telling Whitlock that what Trump demonstrated was “a brilliant dose of stage craft.”“There’s no other way around it. I mean to make the statement that he did as it relates to the first duty of government is to protect American citizens and those who agree with that, asking them to stand and then allowing, not for a brief, you know, stand and clap and sit down, but for that statement and the visual from that, to stand for as long as he did,” Walker says.“For him to kind of point to those people who were sitting, was a brilliant set of stage craft. It allowed the American people to see it in real time that Democrats do not care for the needs of the American people first and that they primarily are thinking about their own political future,” he adds.Want more from Jason Whitlock?To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

President Donald Trump says that he, along with many Americans, is concerned about the energy demand and strain AI data centers are putting on the electrical grid. In a brief moment during his 2026 State of the Union speech, the president gave remarks that, while only lasting a minute or so, could, in effect, save the American household hundreds of dollars per year.'A single large AI data center consumes as much electricity annually as 2 million homes.'"We have an old grid. It could never handle the kind of numbers, the amount of electricity that's needed," Trump said. "So I'm telling them, they can build their own plant."These simple comments actually have a massive ripple effect when put into practice. When companies like Apple or Meta build sprawling campuses to house their AI and user data, the power has to come from somewhere, and it often comes at the price of the American family.For example, Pew reported that data centers have accounted for over $9 billion in price increases in capacity markets for 2025-2026; this refers to the amount of electricity a provider says it will provide. This is expected to increase the average monthly residential electrical bill by $16 in Ohio and $18 in Western Maryland.RELATED: Who makes the Waymos flooding American streets? China. Photographer: Heather Khalifa/Bloomberg via Getty Images Connecticut's Office of Legislative Research found that residents in Virginia could see an increase between $14 and $37 per month by 2040 due to data centers. At an average increase of $25.50, that's $306 annually.Moreover, a Carnegie Mellon University study reported that data center growth could increase electric bills between 8% and 25% nationally."A single large AI data center consumes as much electricity annually as 2 million homes," AI researcher Josh Fonseca Rivera told Return. "In 2024, U.S. data centers collectively drew roughly as much power as all of Pakistan."He added, "These costs are already reaching households. In Washington, D.C., residential electricity bills have risen approximately $10 per month due to data center demand. I think we can all agree that trillion-dollar tech companies should pay for their own power instead of pushing costs onto families."RELATED: 'They can build their own': Trump deals blow to tech companies hoping to tap into the power grid Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images Tech expert Josh Centers said that Trump actually undersold the existing problem. "The grid has to be balanced down to fractions of a hertz every second, or the whole thing cascades into blackouts. Drop multiple data centers pulling as much power as a small city onto that, and you've got a serious infrastructure crisis," he explained."The dirty secret is these AI models are wildly inefficient. We're still running neural network math from the 1940s, just brute-forced with modern silicon and massive energy budgets," Centers added. Instead of using AI to write books, "hand kids a real book," he said, referring to his own work teaching children literacy.One military tech CEO told Return that a co-existence between communities and Big Tech is possible, one that is mutually beneficial."The key will be making sure companies truly carry their share of infrastructure costs and that communities benefit from the added capacity," said Tyler Saltsman, CEO of EdgeRunner AI. "But if structured properly, this approach could protect ratepayers, encourage modernization, and use private investment to reinforce a grid that badly needs upgrading, which is a major attack vector currently."During the State of the Union, the president referred to a new pledge, "Guaranteeing Rate Insulation from Data Centers." The new legislation is meant to "guarantee consumers [are] first priority on the grid," ensure new data centers get their power from separate sources, and establish new transparency measures around data center utility usage."They're going to produce their own electricity. It will ensure the company's ability to get electricity, while at the same time, lowering prices of electricity for you," Trump said.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Team USA's women's hockey captain is not happy with President Donald Trump or the men's hockey team.Hilary Knight, who in 2026 became Team USA's all-time leading scorer in women's Olympic hockey, took multiple shots at the president this week after he joked with the men's team that he would have to invite the women alongside the men to the State of the Union address.'I think that's being overshadowed by sort of a quick lapse.'"We're going to have to bring the women's team," the president said jokingly on Sunday, adding he "probably would be impeached" if he didn't.Although the women declined the invitation, citing "academic and professional commitments," Knight seemingly took offense to the remarks, revealing in subsequent interviews that she was sour over the president's joke."I thought the joke was distasteful and unfortunate," she told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday. "The way women are represented, it's a great teaching point to really shine light on how women should be championed for their amazing feats.""It's not my responsibility" to explain "someone else's behavior" she added.RELATED: Team USA hero Jack Hughes defends women's team for skipping White House visit: 'Everything is so political' Also on Wednesday, Knight again described the president's remarks as "a distasteful joke" during an interview on "SportsCenter.""I thought it was sort of a distasteful joke, and unfortunately that is overshadowing a lot of the success and the success of just women at the Olympics, caring for Team USA, and having amazing gold-medal feats," the women's captain told host Jay Harris. Knight said the team was just trying to focus on celebrating the incredible efforts made by the men and women at the Olympics and "not detract from that with a distasteful joke.""It was unfortunate," Knight added. She then claimed her male counterparts had a "lapse" in judgment by laughing at Trump's remarks."There's a genuine level of support there and respect [from the men], and I think that's being overshadowed by sort of a quick lapse, and, you know, I think the guys were in a tough spot."RELATED: Trump personally congratulates Olympic men's hockey team, tells them he would be 'impeached' if he doesn't do THIS While the American women were not at the State of the Union on Tuesday, Trump announced during his speech that the team would in fact be visiting the White House "soon."At the same time, the women have accepted an offer to celebrate with rapper Flavor Flav this summer, with forward Alex Carpenter saying she planned on finishing her professional season before heading to Las Vegas to "take advantage of that.""Go have some fun and celebrate like we deserve to," she said, per the New York Post. Flavor Flav was designated the official hype man for both the U.S. bobsled and skeleton teams at the 2026 Winter Olympics.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The FBI has reportedly fired a slew of employees at the direction of Dir. Kash Patel following his revelation to Reuters on Wednesday that the bureau obtained phone records for him and for White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in 2022 and 2023 while they were private citizens.Four individuals briefed on the terminations — more of which are expected — told CNN that the approximately 10 newly fired FBI employees were involved in the lawfare waged against President Donald Trump over retention of government documents at Mar-a-Lago.'I am in shock.'"It is outrageous and deeply alarming that the previous FBI leadership secretly subpoenaed my own phone records — along with those of now White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles — using flimsy pretexts and burying the entire process in prohibited case files designed to evade all oversight," Patel said in a statement.According to Patel, operatives of the Biden FBI, led by then-Director Christopher Wray, not only obtained "toll records" for his and Wiles' private phone calls, as it had with Republican lawmakers in Operation Arctic Frost, but attempted to hide that they had done so in requesting court approval.An individual with knowledge of the situation told the New York Times that some of the fired FBI employees — reportedly including support personnel, agents, and supervisors — were involved in that effort.Toll records provide investigators with identifying information of callers along with the date, time, location, and length of a call.RELATED: District Judge Cannon issues ruling on fate of Trump adversary's Biden-era special report Susie Wiles. Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty ImagesReuters, citing two FBI officials, reported that in at least one instance, the bureau sought more than just toll records and taped a call between Wiles and her attorney in 2023. While Wiles' attorney was reportedly aware that the call was being recorded and provided consent, Wiles was allegedly unaware.Wiles told associates, "I am in shock," reported Axios.A source familiar with the matter told CBS News that Wiles' records were reviewed in connection with the Trump classified documents case and that Patel's records were not subpoenaed in connection with Arctic Frost, the investigation that morphed into former special counsel Jack Smith's federal election case against Trump regarding the 2020 election.Blaze News has reached out to the FBI for comment.Other Trump allies may have been surveilled by the FBI, and the latest revelations may be just "the tip of the iceberg," Trump officials familiar with the investigation told Axios.The FBI Agents Association rushed to condemn the firings of those allegedly involved in the apparent spying operation, claiming the ousters "weaken the bureau by stripping away critical expertise and destabilizing the workforce, undermining trust in leadership and jeopardizing the bureau’s ability to meet its recruitment goals."Anthony Coley, former director of public affairs for the Biden Justice Department who is now on MSNOW, complained to Axios that Patel "is on a singular mission: to find something, anything for which to prosecute Jack Smith."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!