Hamish McKenzie, the co-founder of Substack, is suddenly speaking out.

‘We are living through the most significant media disruption since the printing press, and it explains everything from why you can’t stand your neighbor to our current political tumult.’

Today, he says on his site, ‘we live in a more chaotic environment, where the narrative frenzy of social media has given rise to political movements that gain power through exploiting attention of any kind, positive or negative, from moral panics to fulminating podium-thumpers. We’ve gone from ‘Ask not what your country can do for you’ to dunk tweets and death-by-emoji.’

Obviously, it’s in McKenzie’s interest to portray a media revolution with him as the chief rebel. When Substack launched in 2017, it was viewed as an intriguing experiment, an outlet largely for those who didn’t have one.

But in the Trump era, with his constant cable appearances and Truth Social posts, there’s little question that we’re submerged in a toxic environment. The president gets this, which is why he’s done a number of podcast interviews. 

He went on Joe Rogan and Kamala, uh, did not. 

Now, with big-name journalists giving up prime television gigs in favor of the site’s independence, we are living in the Substack Era. What was once viewed as the Holy Grail – an anchoring or hosting job on a major network – is now dismissed as old-school legacy media with too many corporate constraints.

Take my former Fox colleague Chris Wallace. He left for CNN (actually CNN-plus, which was euthanized in three weeks) and then launched a Saturday talk show. But Chris recently announced he’s leaving the network to go independent, which undoubtedly includes Substack.

Another ex-Fox colleague, Megyn Kelly, had a similar experience. Having been dropped by NBC after a bad experience there, she started a daily show and video podcast on Sirius XM, and now has 3.2 million subscribers on YouTube.

Chuck Todd, having been eased out of his ‘Meet the Press’ job, was given an online streaming show. But not long ago he announced he was leaving NBC to go independent. 

When Dan Abrams gave up his NewsNation show after three years, he said: ‘As much as I love this show and the mission of this network, I just can’t continue to give this show the attention it needs and deserves with all of my other professional commitments.’ The Mediaite founder later announced that he is concentrating on creating a YouTube channel for the site, working with other media folks.

McKenzie’s great insight is that he could connect writers and podcasters directly to their audience, with Substack taking a cut. They can opt for a revenue-sharing agreement. Now you might ask, what if you’re not a famous former anchor or commentator?

Turns out that niche sites do really well. They can work at other jobs at the same time. Many users report a six-figure income. 

This is especially striking in that most Substack people let you read their sites for free, or a shortened version, with the full column and special features available only for paying subscribers. The hope is that some of the freeloaders will become subscribers over time.

Not everyone winds up at Substack voluntarily. Chris Cillizza, the former Washington Post columnist, is quite candid in saying he came to Substack after being laid off at CNN. He found himself with little to do after dropping the kids at school.

‘I started this Substack — selfishly — to help me grapple with my changed life. To give me a platform where I could express myself — hopefully to an audience — about the world of politics, yes, but also how I was navigating a new reality.’

He has slowly built a following and chats with Todd once a week, which is something that Substackers do.

Casandra Campbell of Really Good Business Ideas analyzed the 29 most popular Substacks.

The first two are Letters from an American (hundreds of thousands of paid subscribers for political history) and Broken Palate. Michael Moore was No. 3, and the only other names I recognized were former candidate Allen West, the Bulwark, and ex-Labor Secretary Robert Reich.

The others had names like Dr. Mercola’s Censored Library, DeLa Soul, The Pragmatic Engineer and The Cryptonite Weekly Rap.

‘Our political culture now mirrors chaos media culture,’ McKenzie says. ‘Opponents are not just to be argued against, but humiliated.’ Good luck changing that.

Look, I subscribe to several Substack accounts. I’d like to subscribe to more but, with fees ranging from $5 to $40 a month, it gets expensive. So I read others for free and ponder whether to upgrade.

I don’t agree that this is the biggest deal since the Gutenberg press, around 1440, but it’s having an impact on the media and political culture. Substack is hot, and there are competitors, mainly because journalists and politicos crave a connection that goes beyond the craziness of the Trump age. 

The Trump administration has sacked a senior NATO official who was recommended by a conservative research group to be fired as part of a broader effort to purge wokeness from the Pentagon.

Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, the only woman on NATO’s military committee, was dismissed from the alliance over the weekend without explanation, according to multiple reports. She is one of only a handful of female Navy three-star officers and was the first woman to lead the Naval War College, a job she held until 2023.

Chatfield reportedly got a call from Adm. Christopher Grady, the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and was told the administration wanted to go in a different direction with the job, according to the Associated Press, citing officials. The officials said they believe the decision was made last week by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but it was unclear whether he received any direction from President Donald Trump. Reuters was first to report on her termination.  

It was unclear if her firing was related to any U.S. policy direction on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Trump and Hegseth have been vocal in their insistence that so-called woke policies are dead and have vigorously sought to remove leaders who promoted diversity, equity and inclusion and to erase DEI programs and online content. The U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is ditching almost 400 books from its library with DEI content.

In December, the American Accountability Foundation (AAF), a conservative research group, sent a letter to Hegseth with a list of 20 general officers or senior admirals whom it said were excessively focused on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and other similar left-wing initiatives. AAF wrote that focusing on such policies is an impediment to national security and Chatfield was one of eight women who made the list. 

Chatfield made the list due in part to a 2015 speech where she bemoaned that lawmakers in the House of Representatives at the time were 80% males, proclaiming that ‘our diversity is our strength.’ The group said she also quoted a slide from a presentation by the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute highlighting ‘Investing in gender equality and women’s empowerment can unlock human potential on a transformational scale.’

Chatfield, a Navy helicopter pilot who also commanded a joint reconstruction team in Afghanistan, had been serving as one of the 32 representatives on NATO’s military committee. The panel is the primary source of military advice to the North Atlantic Council and NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group, according to NATO. It serves as the link between the political decision-makers and NATO’s military structure.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said that he was ‘deeply disturbed’ by her sacking while blasting President Donald Trump. 

‘Trump’s relentless attacks on our alliances and his careless dismissal of decorated military officials make us less safe and weaken our position across the world,’ Warner wrote on X.

Senator Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also sounded off on the president for the firing of Chatfield, describing it as ‘disgraceful.’

Admiral Chatfield is among the finest military officers our nation has to offer, and she has distinguished herself as the U.S. Military Representative to NATO. Her 38-year career as a Navy pilot, foreign policy expert, and preeminent military educator—including as President of the Naval War College—will leave a lasting legacy on the Navy and throughout the military. Admiral Chatfield’s record of selfless service is unblemished by President Trump’s behavior.

Reed also called out Republicans for not voicing their displeasure at her sacking, noting that Trump has fired 10 generals and admirals since taking office. It follows Thursday’s removal of General Timothy Haugh, the head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command. 

For the Navy, it follows the firing of its top officer, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to become Chief of Naval Operations.

‘I cannot fathom how anyone could stand silently by while the President causes great harm to our military and our nation,’ Reed said.

‘I will continue to call out this unconscionable behavior and sound the alarm about the dangers of firing military officers as a political loyalty test. I urge my Republican colleagues to join me in demanding an explanation from President Trump and Secretary Hegseth.’

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

A conservative energy group has debuted its latest ad as part of a seven-figure campaign supporting President Donald Trump’s ‘all-of-the-above energy’ agenda.

‘You voted for it, you got it, America is booming,’ the 30-second ad from The Restoring Energy Dominance Coalition, a conservative nonprofit organization headed up by former U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and former U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, says.

‘Meeting a quickly growing energy demand with an all-of-the-above approach will make good on President Trump’s promise to restore American energy dominance,’ the ad continues. 

‘Solar and storage, wind, nuclear, oil and gas. All forms of energy, all across the country.’

The ad then cuts to Trump, who says, ‘All forms of energy, yep’, before the ad says, ‘And that means more jobs and higher wages for you.’

‘In America, we show up, we get to work, we win.’

The RED Coalition ad is supported by a six-figure ad buy that will air on broadcast, cable TV and digital platforms. 

This ad is the fourth major television ad launched by the group since the start of this year as part of a broader seven-figure campaign to ‘support the administration’s energy priorities.’

Last month, RED Coalition, along with Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio, put out a polling memo stating that 51% of registered voters are in favor of Trump’s ‘All-of-the-Above Energy agenda,’ as well as 65% of GOP voters.

Trump has vowed to use his second White House term to re-exit the Paris Climate Accord, undo strict emissions standards for vehicles and power plants, and bolster production of U.S. oil and gas, including through fracking, which is the controversial technology by which pressurized fluids are used to extract natural gas from shale rock.

In the days after his victory, industry groups representing the nation’s biggest oil and gas producers told Fox News Digital they have little doubt Trump will make good on these promises in a second term.

‘Energy was on the ballot’ in the 2024 elections, American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers said in a statement.

Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump on Monday said the situation with Iran is entering ‘dangerous territory’ as he announced his administration would be talking to Iran on Saturday.

While it’s not yet known what the talks will achieve, experts continue to warn that time is running out to not only block Iran’s nuclear program but to utilize existing tools to counter Tehran’s dismissal of international law, a mechanism known as ‘snapback’ sanctions.

‘This is the one time that we have the ability to sort of put new sanctions on Iran where we don’t need Russia and China’s help, and we can just do it unilaterally,’ Gabriel Noronha of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America told Fox News Digital. Noronha is an Iran expert and former special advisor for the Iran Action Group at the State Department.

The ability to employ snapback sanctions on Iran expires Oct. 18, 2025, which coincides with when Russia will lead the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presidency for its rotational one-month stint. 

The provision for snapback sanctions was enacted under UNSC Resolution 2231, which was agreed to just days after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed in 2015 as a way to ensure that if Iran was found to be violating the nuclear deal, stiff international sanctions could once again be reimposed. 

The JCPOA has increasingly been considered a collapsed agreement after the U.S. withdrew in 2018 under the first Trump administration, followed by increasingly flagrant violations by Iran of the nuclear deal.

This has culminated in the rapid expansion of Tehran’s nuclear program and the assessment by the U.N. nuclear watchdog earlier this year that Tehran had amassed enough near-weapons-grade uranium to develop five nuclear weapons if it were to be further enriched. 

European nations for years have refused to enact snapback sanctions in a move to try and encourage Tehran to come back to the negotiating table and diplomatically find a solution to end its nuclear program. 

Any participant in the JCPOA can unilaterally call up snapback sanctions if Iran is found to have violated the terms of the agreement. But the U.S., which has been calling for snapbacks since 2018, was found by the U.N. and all JCPOA members to no longer be legally eligible to utilize the sanction mechanism after its withdrawal from the international agreement. 

But as Iran continues to develop its nuclear program, the tone among European leaders has also become increasingly frustrated. 

France’s foreign minister last week suggested that if Iran did not agree to a nuclear deal and halt its program, then military intervention appeared ‘almost inevitable.’

‘Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons,’ Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot reportedly told France’s Parliament on Wednesday.

‘Our priority is to reach an agreement that verifiably and durably constrains the Iranian nuclear program,’ he added.

It remains unclear how much longer European nations will attempt to hold out for discussions with Iran, as Trump has said he is becoming fed up with Tehran and has threatened direct military confrontation, even while he has made clear his administration’s willingness to discuss a deal with Tehran.

With France serving as UNSC president in April and the bureaucratic red tape Russia could employ, UNSC members supportive of blocking Iran’s nuclear program must immediately call up snapback sanctions, Noronha said.

‘It takes about six weeks to actually be implemented properly,’ said Noronha, author of ‘Iran Sanctions, U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, and the Path to Snapback,’ which was released last week. ‘And second, because the distribution of the presidencies and leadership of the U.N. Security Council is weighted towards more favorable leaders right now in the spring before it goes to pretty adversarial leadership in the summer and fall.’

The expert said this is a rare moment for the UNSC, which in recent years has become increasingly ineffective in accomplishing major geopolitical wins because it is generally divided between the U.S., U.K. and France on one side and Russia and China on the other.

A single veto is enough to block a resolution being enacted, and progress in the council has become stagnant following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

But even if Russia objects to reimposing sanctions on Iran, as Tehran has become a close ally of Moscow’s, it actually has very few options for blocking the snapback mechanism that it previously agreed to, so long as at least one other nation actually calls for the sanction tool. 

‘This is the only time this has ever happened at the U.N. before,’ Noronha said. ‘They basically said, when we invoke snapback, what it does is it says U.N. sanctions will automatically return unless there’s a vote by the council to unanimously allow sanctions relief to remain on the books.’

The snapback mechanism would legally enforce all 15 UNSC member nations to reimpose sanctions on Iran, including Russia and any nation that may be sympathetic to Tehran.

If the snapback mechanism expires come October, the U.N.’s hands will likely be tied when it comes to countering Iran’s nuclear program, as it is unlikely any new resolutions on the issue will be able to pass through the council given the current geopolitical climate between the West and Russia.

The Trump administration is slashing millions of dollars in DEI grants from a library and museum system as part of its overall Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) push to rid the government of waste, fraud and abuse.

The administration is cutting $15 million from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in the form of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) grants in a move the agency says is aligned with both DOGE and President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at eliminating DEI from the federal government. 

The grants include $6.7 million to the California State Library to enhance equitable library programs and $4 million to the Washington State Library for diverse staff development and incarcerated support. 

A $1.5M DEI grant to the Connecticut State Library system to ‘integrate social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion’ into their daily operations is also being cut along with $700,000 for a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit to study ‘post-pandemic DEI practices’ in American children’s museums that would formulate ‘enhanced equity-focused strategies.’

Additionally, a DEI grant of $265,000 going to Queens College in New York to conduct a research project on why ‘BIPOC’ teens read Japanese comic books will be cut along with $250,000 to fund the ‘Gay Ohio History Initiative’ to erect 10 ‘LGBTQ+ historical markers’ will be cut.

‘In keeping with the vision of the President’s executive orders, we are taking action to end taxpayer funding for discriminatory DEI initiatives in our nation’s museums and libraries,’ Acting IMLS Director Keith Sonderling told Fox News Digital in a statement.

‘Our cultural institutions should bring Americans together—not promote divisive ideologies. Moving forward, we must champion programs that uphold our founding ideals and reaffirm that the American Dream is within reach for all, through hard work and determination, not identity politics.’

The grant cuts come after IMLS reportedly cut 80% of its staff in a move aimed at slashing the bloated federal government while saving taxpayers additional millions. 

A recent study by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences found that federal funds represent only 0.3% of the total operating revenue for public libraries. The vast majority of funding comes from state and local sources.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services was one of seven government agencies targeted in Trump’s ‘Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy’ executive order last month.

Trump’s DOGE efforts have saved the American taxpayer $140 billion, according to its website, which represents almost $900 saved per taxpayer.

The Trump administration says it has slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in DEI contracts, including at least $100 million at the Department of Education.