Zijn die gemeentebestuurders nou zo dom, zijn ze vooral schijterig of hebben ze gewoon genoeg overtuigend bewijs dat de planeet toch nog maar een paar jaar meegaat en dat je hem daarom net zo goed nu al helemaal kunt slopen? www.volkskrant.nl/kijkverder/v...

Bessent says the Trump admin may now lift sanctions on even more Russian oil to try and reduce oil prices during Trump’s war. This would provide a massive injection of cash to fund Putin’s war machine.

Trump and Hegseth know exactly what happened with the bombing of the girls school. This “investigation” is a smoke screen because they know the attention span of our media cycles, so they will drag it out until they stop getting asked about it. Which is usually 48 hours or so.

Israel attacked UN forces in Lebanon. It’s nowhere near the first time either.

This is exactly what we have come to expect from one of the most corrupt Presidential administrations in US history. Trump and his buddies keep getting richer while the American people suffer.

“The orders to evacuate entire swathes of south Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, along with threats to create a deep buffer zone and the intimation that Israel will carpet bomb Hezbollah’s stronghold all serve this purpose.” @yezidsayigh.bsky.social carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/...

Leavitt: "Nobody is panicking [the entire team] have a game plan to keep oil prices stable throughout Operation Epic Fury.” 'tap into “newfound oil markets in Venezuela,” 'escorting tankers', 'gasoline tax holiday', 'Loosening U.S. sanctions against Russian oil shipments' considered 🙄

‘US-Israel conducted more strikes per day in Iran than in any other bombing campaign in recent history, monitoring group reports. The increase in targets hit per day has been facilitated by the extensive use of artificial intelligence in targeting by Israel’s military’ apnews.com/live/iran-wa...:

‘Dat de mafia het huis van Henk in brand heeft gestoken mag niet maar we hebben er begrip voor want Henk slaat zijn vrouw’ zei hij terwijl het vuur oversloeg naar de rest van de straat.

Starting now

Bizar: het kabinet laat zojuist weten wat de eenmansactie van Eelco Heinen bij box 3 gaat kosten: €3,3 miljard (!) aan belastingkorting voor beleggers. De VVD breekt binnen een week het coalitieakkoord open, D66 en CDA laten het gebeuren..

This oaf is fast becoming a serious challenger to Daniel Hannan for the ‘Wrongest Man In The World’ title.

Fascinating on the critical minerals consumed in US weapons in the past week and the time it will take to replenish those. Gallium is a particular concern. foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/05/i...

Meanwhile, Spain's massive investment in renewables is paying dividends now: with prices for Spanish industry and consumers low and stable compared with other European economies. www.ft.com/content/ac77...

The remarkable thing about Pedro Sánchez is that he has faced everything modern European politics has to throw at a government - the scars of the eurozone crisis, a polarised and fragmented politics, snobbery from other Europeans - and built the most successful economy and foreign policy in Europe.

People keep asking me whether the EU is warming to the US and Israel's war on Iran. The answer is no The EU pattern has been exactly the same as the UK's: Against the original US and Israel attacks (seen as illegal). But ready to defend allies in the Gulf when attacked by Iran

Fascinating to watch 🇫🇷, then 🇬🇧, then 🇮🇹, now 🇩🇪 start to acknowledge what 🇪🇸's government recognised from the very start: the Trump-Netanyahu war on Iran is a reckless intervention conducted without regard for rules of war and without a strategy for what comes next. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

🧵 MAGA arson: the deliberate burning down the US State Department, diplomatic capacity, and international credibility (15/15)

Whatever happens, even miraculous Venezuela-like stability in Iran and/or Cuba, the end of US diplomacy as we knew it weakens the US. Diplomacy is a tool of power, we had the best, and we blew it up deliberately. These waters are plenty charted, and they are full of icebergs. 15/15

Dr Albert B Wolf, who knows Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraqi Kurdistan etc very well: Washington should abandon the Kurdish gambit. Every day it remains on the table, Turkey, Iraq, and Pakistan edge further toward the conclusion...1/2 via @warontherocks.bsky.social warontherocks.com/2026/03/why-...

Hungary seizes millions of euros in cash and gold from Ukrainian convoy

Incredible! Russia is giving Iran intelligence to target Americans, Ukraine is helping us learn how to counter drones. And yet Trump is beholden to Putin! And Republicans do nothing! www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Why not? We can take it in one strike with Iran.

Is this the first time Trump has paid serious costs for a risky foreign policy choice? He’s gotten lucky again and again, or benefited from the restraint of others, from the Soleimani assassination to Venezuela. Seems like uncharted territory and he’s floundering.

Bah bah

I am fascinated by the *furious* reaction to FT writing – amid dozens of pieces about the war – an article highlighting Dubai residents scrambling to get back to UAE. To avoid big tax bill.

Klokkenluider over de leiding (Diederik Gommers) van IC na jarenlange ellende “het was professionele zelfmoord”

I know it is hard to believe, but people stuck in a conflict can be angry at the various sides at the same time and resist any alignment. So you can be Lebanese, hate Hezbollah and have zero illusions about Israel.

VVD-staatssecretaris zette stiekem gemeenten onder druk om geen verbod op gebruik van giftig staalafval (#staalslakken) in te voeren. Kabinet kiest voor verdienmodel van staalbedrijf Tata Steel boven gezondheid en milieu. Onacceptabel. Vragen. www.nu.nl/klimaat/6388...

📣 Jaarlijks vraagt het DNPP alle politieke partijen die in het parlement vertegenwoordigd naar de stand van hun ledenaantal. De cijfers van 2025 zijn vandaag gepubliceerd: het ledental van landelijke partijen is in 2025 met ruim 57.000 toegenomen tot 448.100 – een groei van 14,6%. #PartyMembership 🇳🇱

👇👇

‘In feite ondermijnen ze (bij Seatrade, red.) hiermee het verbod op toegang tot EU-havens’ Waarom worden die schepen dan niet aan de ketting gelegd en de Russische vis geboycot? specials.fd.nl/nederlandse-... archive.ph/jo95I

Well the good news is that the Israeli opposition isn't actually all that crazy right. Picture unrelated btw

oh my goodness she seems to think Special Envoy for the Shield is a real job

"I hope you are impressed," he said to me. "How do you like the performance? I mean, Venezuela is obvious. This might be even better. How do you like the performance?" "How do you like the performance?" An illegal war for the sake of spectacle and the amusement of POTUS.

Here’s my read of Iran’s strategy in the war, which seems pretty clear and is being implemented pretty effectively despite the intense US-Israeli bombardments.

'Een diep socialistisch land'

Israel’s demand that hundreds of thousands of Lebanese flee the south of Beirut so they can carpet bomb it is absolutely outrageous. Israeli strategists really seem to think they can turn Beirut into Gaza and that grateful Lebanese will then rush for a peace agreement. Delusional and criminal.

Comey found out he'd been fired from a news show that was running while he was speaking to a roomful of FBI agents.

Alle ministeries en instanties zoals politie/CJIB/CBS houden zich aan de rijkshuisstijl om eenheid uit te stralen. Watvoor signaal geef je als premier en AZ af door iets compleet anders te doen dat er bovendien ook nog eens objectief amateuristischer uitziet? Weg met Rutte’s Tandpastavlag! 😡

Unhinged opinion by Bradley Martin in the WSJ on Turkey under Erdoğan.

NEW: Italian prosecutors confirm that the phone of journalist Francesco Cancellato was hacked with Paragon spyware at the same time as the phones of two immigration activists. The Italian government admitted the hack on the activists, but said it wasn't behind Cancellato's hack. So who was?

🇫🇮☢️ Finland’s government plans to remove a legal ban on nuclear weapons on its territory, allowing them to be deployed during wartime. The amendment, justified as strengthening NATO deterrence against Russia, still needs parliamentary approval.

In a phone interview with Israel’s Channel 12, Trump demanded President Herzog to give Netanyahu a pardon “today,” saying he doesn’t want Netanyahu distracted by anything other than the war with Iran. He called Herzog “a disgrace”, who “promised me 5 times”, adding: “Tell him I’m exposing him.”

good thread and a reminder that AI models have no particular insight into their own operations

Big money has bought British politics 75% of Reform’s money has come from three rich white men democracyforsale.substack.com/p/75-of-refo...

Americans: we live in a fallen state—embroiled by sin, cheating, lying, and evil. You cannot trust anyone, not even those who claim to know you best Canadians: I love my neighbors and my friends!

Trump amd Vance and Rubio burned our bridges with Europe. Now we need them, and rhey are saying no thank you! I gifted this so you could read it. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

NEW: Trump tells Barak Ravid in an exclusive @axios.com interview that he has to "be involved in the appointment" of the next Iranian leader. Mojtaba Khamenei, the assassinated ayatollah's 56-yo son, "is a lightweight" and "unacceptable to me," he says. www.axios.com/2026/03/05/i...

As one of three people on here who seriously thinks Van Hollen is running for president, this article continues to confirm the idea that Van Hollen is running for president