I tried the @ivanthek.bsky.social technique of holding the latest Truth up to the light

In a few weeks they'll be very quietly unsuspended, and resume business as usual:

if you thought China was going to be the big economic loser from our Iran War -- since CHina purchases so much Iranian oil -- think again. Goldman Sachs thinks China will take half the hit to GDP growth we will, thanks in part to the country's massive investments in renewables + big oil reserves

In what world is it okay for the Defense Secretary to make multi-million dollar investments in defense companies: a) Ever; b) In the run-up to starting a war in the Middle East FT has the scoop: www.ft.com/content/744e... In a functional democracy, he would offer his resignation tonight.

putting aside the war crimes for a sec, this is an absolutely panicked statement from trump

“The only larger single-day protest ever held in the United States was the first Earth Day in 1970, when an estimated 20 million participated in environmental rallies and teach-ins.”

State-sanctioned terrorism:

This outcome is about as likely as me sprouting a tentacle from my forehead. Barring what seems an extremely unlikely internal collapse, there is no way this war can be ended with terms that are imposed on the Iranian regime. The cost to even attempt it in a serious way would be prohibitive:

Many of them will likely be in place just in time for the expiration of Trump's April 6 ultimatum. Draw what conclusions you will:

For all Trump's ridiculous ramblings about an imaginary imminent peace deal, this seems to be where this is headed. While US forces will likely succeed in a tactical sense, the key questions are: at what cost? and to what purpose?

Christian leaders in Jerusalem call on Israel to reopen Church of the Holy Sepulchre ahead of Easter Patriarch Theophilos III is making international contacts to pressure the Israeli government to reopen churches normally during the holidays. www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260328-chr...

Of course. "Weeks, not months." No worries. And I have a beautiful White House ballroom I'd like to sell you:

There seems to be no escaping Khanzio. Just a matter of when, not if. Don't be shocked if this goes into the fall, at a minimum:

Depraved indifference to civilian casualties. So much for liberation. With enemies like Israel, the Iranian regime doesn't need friends:

No paywall archive.md/2026.03.27-1...

Well after-the-fact damage control:

Well, the Iran Excursion is clearly going well. Considering how exquisitely planned it's been, this is hardly a surprise:

The mad tyrant is so desperate he's going for his own version of Saddam dinars:

"As per the Iranian request" Yeah I'm gunna need to hear verification of that request chief.

One of the really interesting (derogatory) things about the current clusterfuck is that there has been a huge amount of corruption/bribery flowing into the Trump circle from the Gulf nations and the Saudis that appears to have done them **no good whatsoever** Maybe take your jet back, lads.

we're close to having talks about having talks

I could have sworn they wanted a deal really badly…..

Too late.

Temu Ernst Jünger is now doing Clausewitz for (and by) Idiots:

NARRATOR: He was desperate to make a deal.

My god, cynical as I am I had no idea it was this skewed

Younger people won't believe this, but the Republican Party used to complain that Barack Obama was too self-centered.

Let me spare you shock for the next three years. He will stick his name on everything possible. He will put his face on everything he can find. He will build things dedicated to himself for as long as he can get away with it. There, you can stop being surprised.

A vile display of the Trump regime's cynical, corrupt commitment to ethnic cleansing (gift link): www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/w...

This is the same policy under which I enlisted in the guard as a 37-year old in 2005. They raised the maximum age first to 39, then 42. Back then, at the height of Iraq, they were desperate for people. Things must be really bad to be bringing it back now: taskandpurpose.com/news/army-en...

Brace yourselves. It will continue getting worse.

Mike Bloomberg: In Washington’s War on Data, the Economy and Public Will Lose www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

At this point, he's just flailing in desperation. The Iranian regime is making him Jimmy Carter 2.0, and no amount of airstrikes/Khanzio are likely to prevent it. This time, it's the global economy that the Iranians are holding hostage, and Trump will have to abase himself before they let it go:

> @scottmelkerr.bsky.social

Stories of removal from all over the U.S. on @cbsnews.com.web.brid.gy #SaveOurSigns continues to accept pictures of interpretive panels. Submit them at saveoursigns.org www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/sig...

Even if the war ended tomorrow, we estimate that it would take at least four months to bring energy markets back to some semblance of normalcy www.economist.com/finance-and-...

Reading his old social media posts are like encountering the words of some strange idiot-savant prophet:

Basically the shifting goals means Iran won, and I don’t say this flippantly

The Israeli government has displaced a total of 6 million people from their homes. (3 million Iran, 2 million Gaza, 1 million Lebanon). 6 million people. The equivalent of the entire population of Maryland displaced from their homes. By one government.

MAGA has nothing to offer at this point but Ethnonationalism for Idiots:

Countdown to Khanzio. What could possibly go wrong?

How come I never thought to do this?

As this war threatens to become a futile, months-long dumpster fire, the finger pointing and scapegoating has already begun:

Less than 24 hours until this drooling idiot either backs down or or escalates and really lights things on fire:

The Iran Excursion will truly be the gift that keeps on giving:

An enemy who is adaptive and has some technological proficiency? I'm sure this came as an utter surprise to Trump and his minions, though not to anyone with the slightest knowledge of military history and strategic affairs:

i expected better from a FIFA Peace Prize winner

Trump yet again shows himself to be a thoroughly depraved excuse for a human being:

"This is not a conservative party. It's a nihilistic party ... This is mind-bending to some people... I think who are younger, may not understand it, but the conservative party today is the Democratic Party. Because as Democrats, we are trying to preserve, to conserve the things that we've created."

A thoroughly insane ultimatum that the Iranians will ignore. Which leaves two options: Either Trump will not go through with this, in which case he will look weak, and reinforce Iran's determination to hold out. Or, he'll actually do it and things will really go to hell: