These Moths in Australia Use the Milky Way as a GPS to Fly 1,000 Kilometers ZME Science
Axolotl Discovery Brings Us Closer Than Ever to Regrowing Human Limbs Science Alert
MIT chemical engineers make potentially game-changing breakthrough with crude oil: ‘Creates a new way to apply it’ The Cool Down
Pandemics
New data show COVID-19 triggers spike in new diabetes cases News Medical
Neuroimmune pathophysiology of long COVID Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. Thread summary:
A major new review from Yale (Moen, Baker, Iwasaki, 2025) offers the most comprehensive picture yet of what SARS-CoV-2 does to the nervous system.
The conclusion is stark:
Long COVID is a chronic neuroimmune disorder affecting brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves.🧵— Zdenek Vrozina (@ZdenekVrozina) June 19, 2025
20 Signs You’re “Still Coviding” in the Friction Economy Hearts on the Horizon
Climate/Environment
California’s 2025 wildfire season was already going to be dangerous. Trump has made it worse Los Angeles Times
Erick Rapidly Strengthens into a Category 4 Hurricane, Strikes Southwest Mexico as a Major Hurricane Eye on the Tropics
Satellite data indicates recent Arctic peatland expansion with warming Nature
Stumped! Climate skeptics are misinterpreting research about mid-Holocene forests uncovered by receding glaciers The Trade Off
The Geological Sublime Harper’s
Water
The West’s ‘Climate Mayors’ call for federal help as Colorado River flows decline Los Angeles Times
China?
Chinese industrial maximalism: Lu Feng High Capacity. “Renowned Chinese scholar Lu Feng makes the case for why China needs more–not less–industrial development, particularly in its showdown with the US.”
OECD does some of the best data work on China & industrial policy.
Here they look at 14 manufacturing industries and 482 top firms—⅔ global output, ½ in OECD and ⅓ in China.
In nearly all industries, Chinese firms invest more, are more productive, but earn less profit. pic.twitter.com/u8lPsk21Ou
— Jonathon P Sine (@JonathonPSine) June 19, 2025
The Western Roots of China and the Chinese Roots of the West — Part I Hungarian Conservative
India
China’s chokehold on rare earths & its impact on India (and others) Indialog
Syraqistan
UNICEF: Over 5,000 Gaza Children Treated for Malnutrition in May Alone Common Dreams
***
WHAT I HAVE BEEN TOLD IS COMING IN IRAN Seymour Hersh. Heavy American bombing as early as this weekend.
Trump to decide on Iran action within two weeks, White House says Axios. Well, this weekend is within two weeks.
Trump caution on Iran strike linked to doubts over ‘bunker buster’ bomb, officials say The Guardian. “The effectiveness of GBU-57s has been a topic of deep contention at the Pentagon since the start of Trump’s term, according to two defense officials who were briefed that perhaps only a tactical nuclear weapon could be capable of destroying Fordow because of how deeply it is located.”
Seyed Mohammad Marandi: Iran Prepares for War with America Glenn Diesen (Video). A grim prognosis: “The only path forward now is reckless escalation.”
Israel’s attack on Iran: The violent new world being born is going to horrify you Jonathan Cook
Iran FM set to meet EU officials to discuss de-escalation The Cradle
***
F-22s From America’s Elite 1st Fighter Wing Heading Towards Iran: What Missions Can They Accomplish? Military Watch
How the US has shifted military jets and ships in the Middle East AP
US military aircraft no longer visible at base in Qatar: satellite images AFP
Mapped: The US bases Iran may strike if war with Israel escalates New Arab
***
Treasury empties reserves to finance Iran operation Globes
PM: Israel will ‘hit all nuclear facilities,’ has destroyed half of Iran’s launchers Times of Israel
Iran used under 5% of its latent capacity against ‘Israel’: Rezaei Al Mayadeen
Iran Firing More Advanced Missiles as Israel Is Running Low on Interceptors Antiwar
Police halt broadcast of foreign outlets reporting from missile impact sites Times of Israel
‘Like the sky was torn open’: At Turkey border, Iranians recall terror in Tehran Turkish Minute
🟢 One missile. One hit.
Iran launched a single missile in its latest wave. The Israeli military confirmed it had detected the launch and announced it had activated air defense systems to intercept it.
They failed.
The missile struck in Be’er Sheva, in southern Israel.… pic.twitter.com/JPEYUhheQm
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) June 20, 2025
***
IRGC media report effort to mobilize Qom clerics for compromise with Israel Iran International
How Mossad’s network of agents helped Israel strike inside Iran The New Arab
***
World War III Update Larry Johnson
Putin, Xi criticise Israel’s attacks on Iran, urge de-escalation Al Jazeera
China’s Influence Grows in Middle East: Peace Efforts Between Israel and Iran Modern Diplomacy vs. Israel-Iran war undermines Beijing’s Mideast diplomatic push France24
Boeing ghost flights: China-Iran air route raises eyebrows in Israel conflict India Today vs. Watch out for flight tracking images showing Chinese cargo planes landing in Iran France24
Xi Shows No Sign of Rescuing Iran as Trump Ramps Up Pressure Bloomberg
unconfirmed reports that two Chinese electronic surveillance ships, 855 and 815A, are in the Persian Gulf.
Satellite photos claimed to be from 6/16 are the source.
815A can track planes, missiles, guide missiles as well as conduct electromagnetic interference and intelligence… pic.twitter.com/AG7uCAtRUh
— ADAM (@AdameMedia) June 19, 2025
European Disunion
Spain threatens to block NATO’s 5% defense spending target El Pais
MPs approve Finland’s withdrawal from Ottawa landmine treaty YLE
Old Blighty
Labour pushes on with ‘catastrophic’ disability benefit cuts: ‘The government is just not listening’ Big Issue
Ready for War? London Review of Books
New Not-So-Cold War
Russian economy on brink of recession — economic development minister TASS
EU devises scheme to squeeze more profit from Russian frozen assets Politico
“Liberation Day”
‘Feelings-based recession’: More Americans fearful of finances despite economic data Housing Wire
Recovery from the next recession will depend on state and local governments Money and Things
EU increasingly resigned to 10% baseline tariff in US trade talks, European sources say Reuters
Trump 2.0
New Map Shows Public Land For Sale Under Senate Budget Reconciliation Bill The Cocklebur
“But think of how many Walmarts could we put there the GDP would be amazing”
No. pic.twitter.com/MPKZyTziCs
— UDGuy (@UtahDroneGuy) June 19, 2025
Trump’s Bid to End Union Contracts Is Unprecedented, Judge Says Bloomberg
Trump on Juneteenth: US has ‘too many non-working holidays’ The Hill
Democrats en déshabillé
How Democratic Party Leaders Quietly Support Trump’s March to War With Iran The Intercept
MAHA
The Trump administration is trying to bring back asbestos Fast Company
Antitrust
Elon Musk’s X to offer investment and trading in ‘super app’ push FT
How Corporations Can Block Abundance The Economic Populist
Fahrenheit 451
As Hillsborough book battle unfolds, other districts wonder who’s next Tampa Bay Times
Dancing Naked on the Head of a Pin Public Domain Review
Police State Watch
Appeals court extends order allowing Trump to deploy National Guard to L.A. CBS News
Trump using National Guard for deportation work could go into ‘uncharted territory’ USA Today
Dodgers turn federal agents away from stadium, team says. Crowd briefly protests outside LAist
AI
The real race to Artificial Intelligence is about cheap electricity. Here’s how that’s going. Kevin Walmsley
Eat or be eaten by AI, Amazon CEO warns staff The Register
Creators say they didn’t know Google uses YouTube to train AI CNBC
Abortion
Abortion Clinics Are Closing, Even in States Where Abortion Is Legal MedPage Today
Imperial Collapse Watch
Class Warfare
The Number of Unhoused Young Children Is at Crisis Level. It’s Set to Get Worse. Truthout
Toward an Architecture of Belonging Orion
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
209 comments
Comments are closed.
The Stupid, It Burns
Link
America cannot rule over this planet
Our Empire Of Lies never learns
One seed cannot rule the whole pomegranate
The stupid, the stupid, it burns!
Our President talks like a cheap movie mobster
Then TACO makes sudden U turns
His face painted orange like a New England lobster
The stupid, the stupid, it burns!
Israelis need something to crawl underneath
The missiles and drones land by turns
The Iron Dome’s only a colander, see?
The stupid, the stupid, it burns!
Iran has no shortage of missiles to chuck
You needn’t have any concerns
You started this war when your sneak attack struck
The stupid, the stupid, it burns!
Iran will shut down the Strait of Hormuz
All shipping of oil then adjourns
Ten dollar gas will be our headline news
The stupid, the stupid, it burns!
The carrier fleet that America sails
So bold through the water it churns
Iranian missiles will sink these fat whales
The stupid, the stupid, it burns!
A war run by CIA/MI6 spooks
The dread of the Cold War returns
They figure they’ll win it by using small nukes
The stupid, the stupid, it burns!
When Empires fall down, they go out with a whimper
A fact every wise man discerns
America’s joystick has never been limper
The stupid, the stupid, it burns!
Thanks antifa for the wordsmithery.
For temporary relief from the burn here is a bonus antidote. WATCH: Portland, Maine Busker Has A Surprise Singer, 92MooseFM.
Disclaimer, I know this dog. His name’s Waylon and he is a joy. You will likely run into him if you spend time walking the streets of Portland’s west end.
“Trump on Juneteenth: US has ‘too many non-working holidays’ ”
Trump has, however, agreed to keep all those holidays – so long as they are are rescheduled to fall on a Sunday. ‘It’s what workers want’ he claims.
I had a former employer who had investment and insurance operations globally. It was always surprising at the holiday count being quite close, in comparing the mandated holiday schedule for investment markets here in the US vs say the Netherlands or the EU. As recently as August 2019 I was flabbergasted to learn of a UK banking holiday in late August. I thought that they were pulling a prank.
Work, business and commerce in the US never really rests though….does it ? Lambert’s rules now come to mind …Alas so it goes.
Trump on calendar: US has ‘too many non-working weekends’
“Too many non-working weekends in America. It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post. “The workers don’t want it either,” he added.
While I fully admit that Trump has easily spent more time with the riff raff than the majority of America’s politicians his time with them was also structured. So I have no problem asking when the hell did those millions of workers tell him they don’t want all these federal holidays?
Imaginary voices in his head?
He interprets tacit approval for “No taxes on tips and overtime” as “People want to work overtime.” Certainly not as people preferring to be paid more for working the same amount, or in the case of 81% of workers supporting a 4-day work week, be paid the same while getting some of their life back.
If I was dictator, I would want Juneteenth celebrated on 5 July, so the US gets something like a “golden week”.
of course, I’d get yelled by for being culturally insensitive….though I think 7/5 is just as fitting as a random day in June that it celebrated because of the random progress of one military unit
If I was Trump, I would make a day have more hours, and a month have more days, and a year have more months, so businesses could make more $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS per day, and per month, and per year. I would also sign a decree that makes π rational number, so that our Country could save $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS on calculation and education, and baking.
China tried something similar to that in the 1950’s with the “Great Leap Forward”. One of the features of the plan was to create an eight day week. IIRC the days were shortened to 21 hours but the workday of course wasn’t. So instead of working six days a week they could now work 7 days a week thereby increasing productivity. After a drought and other issues with the plan, around 20 million people died and the 8 day week disappeared.
Catherine Austin Fitts and John Titus on what’s behind the US/Isr attack on Iran. Short, public excerpt from a longer video. 3+ minutes. Scroll down to the embedded video.
Where’s a False Flag When Israel Needs One?
https://solari.com/money-markets-report-june-19-2025/
I’ve noticed Reza Pahlavi, the overthrown Shah’s oldest son, popping up on the news as an important person recently. Odd. / ;)
From what I have read, in Iran Reza Pahlavi has all the appeal of a three week old sardine sandwich. This war is uniting the Iranians and they know Pahlavi for the traitor that he is. Even the female activists jailed by the government have written a letter condemning Israel and ‘foreign governments’-
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/jailed-female-activists-iran-issue-letter-condemning-israeli-attacks
Pahlavi should sign some agreement with Navalnaya, to show that he means business.
> Pahlavi has all the appeal of a three week old sardine sandwich
He’s a trading sardine, not an eating sardine.
Evokes the memory of the comic novel The Short Reign of Pippin IV.
At least they are open about big tech being hand-in-glove with DoD:
US Army appoints Palantir, Meta, OpenAI execs as Lt. Colonels antiwar
If Mayo Pete and Hunter Biden could get commissions, why not?
It’s another way to shovel more tax money into corrupt oligarchs’ pockets. Get a commission, wait a while, then “retire” and get YA check.
Probably also makes it easier to get permission to view classified material, including info about financial markets to make juicy insider-info trades.
The Orangeman and his henchmen are inventing all kinds of new corruption avenues! One of the only things they’re good at.
So technically they could be ordered into combat? Hmm.
Or they could be bombed straight away just where they are now, along with the whole building. That are the rules I learned watching Israel and the rest of the West.
“Trump to decide on Iran action within two weeks, White House says”
I can think of four reasons why Trump announced this. The first is that based on his business career, putting off events means that he may be able to improve his own personal position. The second is that the Pentagon told him that they need to time to scrounge up all the gear that they will need from all the bases scattered around the world. The third is to put pressure on Israel – to give him leverage on them – by letting them be whacked by another two weeks of battle damage while their stocks of anti-missile missiles hit the Bingo level. And fourth he is trying to lull the Iranians once more into thinking that he won’t do anything soon so that he can Shock and Awe them with a military strike to make them surrender. Personally I am going with Door Number Four.
And Iran’s meeting with the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the UK in Geneva? A perfect time to whack the Iranians while they are negotiating.
You’re right to point out your Reason # 3: ‘The third is to put pressure on Israel – to give him leverage on them – by letting them be whacked by another two weeks of battle damage while their stocks of anti-missile missiles hit the Bingo level.’ Under the Trump administration, Kissinger’s dictum,”It’s dangerous to be America’s enemy, but fatal to be its friend,’ now even applies to Israel to some extent.
You’re wrong to apply the rhetorical device of ‘Personally I am going with Door Number Four.’ All four options simultaneously are from Trump’s benefit from his POV. As Yves has remarked, Trump has a basic low cunning which often eludes allegedly smarter folks.
Actually you are quite right. They could all of them be true at the same time, though the last one has a slippery time element to it. Thanks for pointing it out.
An homage to Carl Rove as Donny invents his own reality?
I think that DJT’s ego may be a “wild card.” If he is offended by a sense of having been manipulated into supporting the launching of the 6/13 war on the theory that US would not need to intervene, only to find within a few days, “oops, we miscalculated and US has to intervene after all”, he might want to punish the people who manipulated him.
Does he really want to take US to war to save the political career of the Prime Minister of Israel? This is a negative-sum game, IMO, and someone is going to be badly damaged in the end.
A fifth option, probably unlikely, is to go back to the JCPOA “plus” style proposal that was in view until Israel sank the negotiations, and ram that down Israel’s throat. Netanyahu’s government falls, war is averted, and DJT gets his Nobel Peace Prize, the second US president to do so, and the first to have actually earned it.
er, the 3rd President, Teddy was first.
Actually the fourth. Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson & Barack Obama preceded him.
I take the fifth.
Wuk,
You are too young to be president. 50th president slot is open though, after JD, JD or Kamala, Kamala…
…i’ll have it over the rocks in a tumbler
Kamala won’t be America’s first Woman President.
America’s first Woman President will be Marjorie Taylor Greene.
I hope Hillary Clinton is alive to see it happen.
You are talking like it matters who the “America’s first Woman President” would be. The only way for it to even marginally matter is for them to make a trans-woman the president. Then the US plebs could have an eternal (not-so-)civil war on whether (s)he counts as “America’s first Woman President” or not.
Whatever is on the Epstein tapes and any other evidence Mossad is holding over Trump’s head is probably the biggest factor as to when he jumps the shark on Iran. But things may have to get more threatening for Bibi & Co. before it’s worth it for them to cash in that card. It’s still hard for me to believe Trump will wait very long though. He’s not on a very long leash and his patience is not a strategic asset. If he waits long enough that Congress can conjure up a war powers bill, I will laugh when all the woke Democrats vote for war. It’s sad when Marjorie Taylor Greene makes more sense than Chuck Schumer.
As Iranian officials have said they knew since March that there will be war, but did not expect Israel to attack during the negotiations, I doubt they will make the same mistake again.
It’s noteworthy that Iran has so far committed only a fraction of it’s firepower and none of it’s ‘allies’, while Israel is operating at the limits of it’s capacity and US can’t really bring much more to the table – I believe against Yemen this year US Navy managed 20-25 sorties per day and actually lost several fighters while doing it. Israel is doing 3-4 times more and achieving nothing much except uniting Iranians like never before.
Full bore a CVN can generate about 20 strike sorties per 24 hour cycle!
The range of a loaded sortie is small, requiring they send up S-3 or F-18 buddy refuelers for each sortie.
US had strike packages from Djibouti, which also required refuelers but likely KC-135.
A CVN battle group is very expensive for thumping sand. All cost plus good fees!
Hitting Iran will be same: a lot of expense! To try and assassinate a 90 years old cleric. Other objectives are more unobtainable.
US could not “do” the Houthi.
All the US needs to do is suppress Iran’s air defenses to such a level that bombing can continue around the clock. To think that the US is running out of ordnance is absurd. The US has virtually unlimited supplies of missiles and bombs stored at hundreds of military bases worldwide. Tehran can be reduced to rubble if the US wishes to do so. I don’t think Trump and his handlers will go that far, though the Israelis would certainly do that if they could. One of the folks on YouTube (I can’t recall who – perhaps Col. MacGregor) – said that Israel may push Trump by threatening to use nuclear weapons on Iran if the US does not directly enter the war. The Israelis have threatened to use nukes many times over the decades. They consider nukes to be their trump card (no pun intended) because no nation will risk self-destruction just to destroy Israel in return. That is a major benefit for Israel, being such a small and relatively unimportant country. They can bully other countries, including nuclear armed countries, because those countries don’t think crushing Israel is worth the ancillary risks. That makes sense because eventually Israel will self-destruct so no need to nuke them and risk being nuked. In the meantime, Israel will wreak havoc across a wide region of the world. That is the real tragedy of our time.
Just like they did in Yemen. Or did not, and ran away like brave Sir Robin.
No it does not. You can not print missiles and bombs like they are dollars.
The whole US-greatness shtick does not work any more. Russians called the bluff, and things changed.
Re deception–of course the Iranians claim they weren’t deceived by the first deception and Trump did tell people to start evacuating before last Friday. Apparently what surprised the Iranians was the initial on the ground sabotage and localized attacks, not the Israeli air attack.
But now that the previous Trump lies about negotiation have been exposed one would think he’s not going to try the same by saying two weeks and then attacking tonight. And surely to start an American war with Iran more than a week of preparation will be needed. Also, interestingly, members of the UK Parliament now say that an attack from UK controlled Diego Garcia cannot happen without a Parliament vote since it would make the UK a party to the war.
I doubt that that would stop Starmer pushing the UK into taking part in this war. A coupla days ago I heard that he was sending one of their two carries to this region. He already has the UK involved in the genocide in Gaza so taking part in an attack on Iran would be no biggie for him.
The pursuit of relevance: Send in the Carrier!
No, no, no! Have the Diamond Offshore tugs tow the carrier to station.
Larry interviews Alastair
https://conflictsforum.substack.com/p/trumps-path-to-war-with-iran-are
Thank you! I value Alistair’s outlook.
Parliament is one thing. An even deeper austerity arising from a war of choice will be an inadequate base to sustain any degree of support for the least popular government and the least popular opposition since the introduction of the Corn Laws as a reward to the landowning classes to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig by the Sixth Coalition led by Alexander I, the Tsar of Russia. Maybe we are on the verge of Farage’s moment of glory, for good or ill.
There’s also the market manipulation/Never-Ending-Pasta-Bowl of insider trading (cf. tariffs, crypto, etc.) angle, though that may be implicit in your first option.
Nancy Pelosi has her Bloomberg terminal warmed up and ready to go just as soon as she gets advanced notice from Trump that the insider trading window is wide open. Kristi Noem is planning to upgrade her Rolex, and maybe get some more “work” done.
Seems that the Israeli’s have been releasing the same edited video of their strikes in Iran, tweaking them to make them look different and passing them off as multiple strikes:
Murtaza Hussain twitter
And from Simplicius:
Still no sources from Iran (at least on Twatter) of visible confirmation of Israeli aircraft actually flying over the country. Considering Iranian airspace is closed ATM, it would be pretty easy to see if it was happening. Seems that Israel’s claims of air superiority over Iran are more PR than fact, and this suggests that Iranian air defences must still be active and potent enough for the Israeli’s being unwilling to risk even their ‘stealth’ aircraft.
The reports on two Chinese electronic surveillance ships operating in the Persian gulf, assuming it’s accurate, might be pretty big if it’s possible for them to relay radar and intelligence info over to the Iranians. They would be pretty ‘safe’ assets positioned right beyond Iranian borders that would cover a huge swath of southwestern Iranian airspace, I don’t think the Israeli-US forces would dare risk attacking them. Untargettable early warning radars right outside Iranian territory.
People’s Art of War – 2x PLA 815A Electronic Surveillance ships
Maybe those ships are a warning to Bibi, there to support Pakistan if things go pear shaped and Pakistan gets drawn in.
That should read “warning to Modi”
At least one Pakistani official has warned Israel they will nuke it for aggression on Iran. I don’t remember the stated trigger, though: nuke for nuke or something less?
Don’t remember the trigger. Do remember some discussion of “first strike” being within Pakistan’s doctrine.
Pakistan knows they are next, after Iran.
Pakistan does not want to share a border with “Syria”. The ante is high.
It’s not like there isn’t precedent for taking out intel ships of non-belligerents. Anyone can make an “honest mistake”.
Ohh I agree, but if that happens the Chinese can be just as prone to unfortunate “accidents” and blow up an American ship somewhere. Two can play that game.
US working to evacuate citizens wishing to leave Israel, ambassador says
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-working-evacuate-citizens-wishing-leave-israel-ambassador-says-2025-06-18/
It’s almost like… idk… USians are being held hostage.
…”Welcome to the Hotel California…Such a lovely place… You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave…”
I suggest Ambassador Huckabee load up on that Relaxium ( I believe that is the brand ) sleep aid. Not sure if he is still pitching that in advertisements or maybe not, given his appointment.
I’ve seen comments here and abroad concerned about Israel committing a “false flag” against US interests. Maybe this is that?
Huckabee will arrange for US citizens to all go to a hotel for their safety, and an “Iranian missile” will take it out.
Not that it matters, my version doesn’t include Huckabee. Recall reports of a shouting match between him and Netanyahu over this very issue. This is an Israeli gambit, main purpose to insure US “cooperation”, bonus effect is manufacturing US public sympathy for the plight of Israel via the deaths of thousands of US citizens (if things go sideways).
>Trump caution on Iran strike linked to doubts over ‘bunker buster’ bomb, officials say The Guardian
Last night Greenwald had a vid by Tulsi where she expressed dire concern about Elites and Warmongers and the use of nukes. The vid may be her resignation tome, a cryptic disclosure. Each time I believe the zio-xtians have reached peak depravity I’m proven wrong. If the GBU-57 can’t take out Fordow (and why is that necessary when the zios have at least 90 thermos and having a few is the only way to not get invaded), then of course you’re going to consider using one. But once that genie is out of the bottle, he’s not going back in.
Peak depravity may be coming into view.
Been wondering about that too. I mean, why are they even telling us about these war room “doubts” over whether the bunker-buster can really bust the bunker ?
It’s almost like a warm-up for some forthcoming lame excuse that they “had no choice” but to use tactical nukes. Again, never mind that the DNI doesn’t believe the Iranians even have any nukes down there.
Fortunately these ‘doubts’ are being removed – by sidelining Gabi Tulsard and Pete Hegseth. So-
‘Trump is now said to be relying on a smaller, more experienced ‘Tier One’ advisory group – comprising Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs Vice Chair General Dan Caine – which is now reportedly shaping US policy on Iran, rather than the traditional civilian defense and intelligence leadership.’
https://www.rt.com/news/619904-trump-gabbard-hegseth-iran/
As Gabbard and Hegseth are supposed to be responsible for giving the latest intelligence, then technically Trump Tier One group has no intelligence.
Gabbard and Hegseth were chosen by Trump because they were media personalities – they are a joke in terms of managing large organizations. You cannot read much meaning into into their freeze-out.
Gabbard is a very well know figure going back many, many years. Hegseth? Never even heard of him until last year.
I thought Hegseth was a DEI hire, they needed an illustrated man, not an illustrious man.
They sure did not pick him because of his wardrobe.
But, as Ray Bradbury demonstrated, every picture tells a story. “Reading” Hegseth’s tattoos has become a cottage industry of late.
What I’m reading in MAGA sources is that Gabbard is digging deep into CIA and the “deep staters” don’t like it, and will use Iran as they way to get rid of her and remove that pressure.
Thank you!
Antiwar this morning says Tulsi has fallen in line.
https://news.antiwar.com/2025/06/20/gabbard-iran-could-produce-nuclear-weapon-in-weeks-or-months/
Quelle surprise.
So then Hegeseth isn´t that dumb after all?
Or is it more that Hegseth simply believes US should take on China instead while the others seem to know that wouldn´t work, even less than Iran.
Same apparently in GB with MI6 staff being told to either obey or go home over the Iran issue.
While Iran has hardly anything in common with Iraq the domestic fronts here are not dissimilar however this time the opposition being almost completely gone. (re: CIA being silenced by Scooter Libby in 2003)
The vid is at 39:10
Will Tulsi Remain as DNI? Is Bombing Hospitals Permitted Only When Israel Does It? Plus: Glenn Takes Your Questions on Locals | SYSTEM UPDATE #472
the bunker buster bomb bwasn’t designed to destroy a modern, peer underground complex.
it was an ad hoc, improvised solution to bury alive insurgents in Afghan caves.
the West loves its wunderwaffe; and BiBi, politicans, media, think tanks thinkthat the GBu 57 is it. shaking my head when Trump is one of the few having 2nd doubts versus all the supposedly “adults on the room” in Panem Capitol District are silent.
no matter what happens, tulsi is playing her cards right. if thereis a US attack, she better resign the next morning
Note that igneous rock like granite is two or three times harder to penetrate than reinforced concrete.
One GBU 57 has zero chance of hurting a buried facility, 2 a 10 to minus 6 chance, 40 a 10 to minus 5.
see how General Dynamic design big bombs, aka business development.
And shoot down airplanes good for Boeing Lockheed and Northrup…..
Last tunnel hunt on Houthi was one shoot and give up!
US had problems bunker busting in 1999 Belgrade, where they could fly over at leisure.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straževica
Trump is maskarova in chief.
See Russian bomber attack, see Jun 13 regime change attempt with talks schedule in Oman for 15 May.
Two week lull……..
The country least reliable to deal with wants to “give diplomacy” cover a chance again!
“Can;\’t we all just get along” while I deploy the bombers…..
I think that is maskirovka. :-/
right
“why can´t we all just get along” speech by Jack Nicholson as POTUS from “Mars Attacks” (1996)
2:37 min.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPMmC0UAnj0
Chris Hedges on Unapologetic/Middle East Eye
Iran, Israel, USA and World War 3 | Chris Hedges | UNAPOLOGETIC
Again from Middle East Eye:
‘You can’t bomb people into a revolution’: Israel, Iran, & regime change | Hoda Katebi | Real Talk
Hoda, an Iranian-American activist (and lawyer), and delightful person, speaks about current conditions on the ground in Iran and the region.
Re: Xi Shows No Sign of Rescuing Iran as Trump Ramps Up Pressure
Sounds like Bloomberg stuffed hopium into their pipe and smoked it, followed up by a couple of shots of wishful thinking.
I have an Indian friend who claims that China helped Pakistan defend itself from India in their short war, and China is calling in their chips and telling Pakistan to support Iran.
Iran/Pakistan are proxies that China can use to shoot down US planes.
Oddly enough, Iranian officials are saying they have been offered help, but Iran doesn’t need any at the moment.
Of course “The Cause” rules so strong in Israel and US I doubt they’d be swayed by anything – they think in terms of Good and Evil, and the Good will always prevail…
So there’s no point in trying to point out the escalation dominance to them, really.
They close their eyes and refuse to look into the abyss of their own creation. Should they do so, it might appear to not only look back but laugh at their folly. I alternate between sadness for and fury at the state that my country is being reduced to by the criminal actions of its purported leaders. Criminal in supplying aid to a country that possesses nuclear weapons. Criminal in supplying the means of the dispossession and murder of a people. (I use these terms lest ethnic cleansing and genocide offend delicate sensibilities.) Criminal in colluding in aggression against Iran and finally criminal in the preparations for an attack on Iran a nation with which the US is not at war. Of course, all the gathering of military forces, the president stating that he has made his decision, that preparations are complete may be an elaborate bluff and not attack will occur. I await events. But it seems a darned expensive bluff.
I have recently heard the term “coercive diplomacy”, another in the long line of euphemisms designed to obfuscate. Reminds me of the more direct, and more honest, approach that appeared in Gay Talese’s novel The Godfather in which a gangster presents this choice to his reluctant counterpart. “You signature or your brains on this paper in the next ten seconds.” I may not be quoting correctly, but the sentiment is accurate.
Good and Evil? They close eyes, ears, and mouth to either. They are driven by lust for power and naked greed.
From John Helmer it looks more like Xi is forced by Putin to walk a certain line:
https://johnhelmer.net/the-presidents-of-russia-and-china-announce-the-cardinal-points-of-the-obvious/
Excerpt:
“So what you see is obvious,” says a well-informed Moscow source. “This is not a Sino-Russian alignment but a US-Russian alignment with the Chinese claiming to join the troika. The message to Trump is very clear — we [Putin] want to make deal; we want sanctions lifted; we want our airline flights and Boeings back; we are ready for compromises. Look what we have done! We have been good boys, haven’t we, in Syria? We have made no new troubles in Libya. We have not made trouble in Venezuela. We are only focused on fighting in our front yard. We accept that you [Trump] are the hegemon. We’ll complain about it, but we won’t fight to make you weaker. Your strength, dear Uncle Sam, is our economic survival. It’s fine that you rape a few small boys every once in a while, but we are still being good boys, aren’t we? This is the reality. And the main media are saying this now — Beijing has abandoned Teheran. Moscow has abandoned Teheran. I add that Teheran has abandoned Iran with too little and too late, so what’s left to fight? For us, it’s Ukraine.”
I think that nails it. Neither Russia nor China will lift a finger to help Iran. China may wish to, but its business interests are so inter-twined with the West that it has little choice but to stay on the sidelines and hope for the best. Russia needs the West in order to remain solvent, so it too is hamstrung. The poor Iranians, along with the Palestinians, Syrians, Iraqis, and others are simply collateral damage as the money making machine rolls along.
It doesn’t make sense.
Iran is a node of the Silk Road and North-South Corridor.
“These Moths in Australia Use the Milky Way as a GPS to Fly 1,000 Kilometers”
Not only they great navigators but for thousands of years the Aborigines found them to be good eating and would feast on them when they arrived-
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-15/bogong-moth-find-reveals-indigenous-food-practices-cloggs-cave/13139704
https://australian.museum/blog/amri-news/this-month-in-archaeology-the-oldest-archaeological-evidence-of-insect-foods-on-stone-artefacts-in-the-world/
Short Zeitgeist Report from the Rancid Underbelly of the North American Deep South.
Your humble servant was out and about yesterday. While indulging a long established weakness for french fries, I went to the dreaded Mickey D’s. I paid with cash. The cashier returned no pennies. “Pennies are being phased out” was the tale told. The change was rounded down. I can see this as a source of “windfall profit” for retail vendors. Also, the prices were up again. (Almost all of the retail food vendors here have “Help Wanted” signs in the windows yet again.)
It must be Summertime. There were unusually large cohorts of homeless people congregating at the Bigg Boxx stores. I was panhandled yesterday at: the Public Library, the Winn Dixie store, the Walmart, the gas station, and our front door. My contact at the local thrift store and homeless shelter franchise stated that food donations have dropped considerably. This is not a previously seen seasonal variation in giving. Curiously, the thrift store was about the only place where I was not panhandled yesterday.
People seem to be stocking up on gasoline recently. The section in the WalMart that holds gas cans was empty. I saw a woman filling up two or three two and a half gallon gas cans when I filled up the vehicle’s gas tank. The cashier inside, (I pay with cash for gas, it’s a long and sordid story,) said in response to my query that this had been happening slowly but steadily for a week now.
The sense of fear and unease is palpable “on the street.”
Stay safe. Focus on the important things in life.
I wasn’t quite a year old when the Cuban Missile Crisis hit, so memories are on the vague side, but my mom told me that she and every other hausfrau in LA denuded supermarkets of every possible canned or dried food, and then when it ended, they all returned said foodstuffs to the supermarkets for a refund, ha ha!
“they all returned said foodstuffs to the supermarkets for a refund”
I very much doubt this is still possible nowadays.
Actually, round here, that is still possible. I found out that live foods and meats were dumpsterized while canned and boxed goods were reshelved.
Did she really? Or are you fibbing? :)
I have a friend who often returns things to Costco. I once saw someone return a watermelon at Costco. Crazy.
The few days after Hurricane Helene ripped through the Carolinas, the gas lines were long and slow moving. Most places were only accepting cash as card readers were generally inoperable. Granted that occurrence was late September, but the folks at the nearby QT said there was a sustained, high demand for running generators as the power was broadly out for nearly a week. Planning ahead perhaps for potential of gasoline shortages…maybe ?
Western NC got it worse from Helene of course, but downed trees were a huge issue here in the upstate region of South Carolina. I’m not seeing more panhandling myself but it is a constant or persistent theme at most gas stations. One local restaurant chain has finally dropped off the additional or one off $0.50 fee for eggs on breakfast items.
As for eggs; the local grocery stores have not dropped their prices for eggs by the carton. Who knew that egg prices were “sticky!”
Glad to see you recovering from Helene. Anyone taking advantage of all of that cheap or free firewood available? A chainsaw and a pickup truck and you have heat for next winter.
Stay safe.
How about keeping a few pennies in your pocket for those dreaded Mickey D’s trips. They can’t legally refuse them can they?
That’s the sort of monkeywrenching idea I like! I’ll get back to you on that.
Are they ’rounding to the five’? Or taking everything from 9 cents down?
Is Mathnet still around? This would be just their thing.
Say safe comment colleague. And with summer the homeless footprint here in SC is up. There’s a guy living in his car in the library parking lot. As for McD I rarely go any more but have a penchant for the McDouble when on the road.
Be extra careful on the roads this summer. I have noticed continued deterioration of the driving skills of my local dragsters. Is this subconscious acting out of unresolved anger issues? Fear and anger will trigger all sorts of pathologies.
Watch out for that humidity! We are already into 100 degree Fahrenheit plus heat indices down here.
Be safe.
Gooooooooooood Moooooooooorning Fiatnam!
In what some are now calling a tragicomedy, bunker buster bombs were accidentally dropped on Illionaires’ lairs in Hawaii, New Zealand and Tierra del Fuego.
Luckily for the sum of all tiers, none of them were ensconced in them when the Heinz GBU-57s tore through what some experts guessed, might be decades worth of Charmin and vast oodles of Mountain House freeze dried meals, oh the humanity!
What? Goooooooood Moooooooooing Fiatnam? Are you trying to cow us into submission? (I promise I will not try and milk this meme for all it’s worth.)
It’s hard to imagine that Trump will take us to war against Iran based on the intel of a foreign country while US intel still maintains Iran is not building a nuclear weapon nor does it plan to. Moreover, Iran has been open to negotiations and inspections.
George W requested and received from Congress the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution. Trump has done no such thing.
Should Trump not be impeached for his actions?
Logic? Common sense? Basic human decency? That ship has sailed.
Impeached by whom? His Trumpanon MAGAnon majority in the House?
And if Impeached anyway, then convicted by whom? His Trumpanon MAGAnon majority in the Senate?
“The Trump administration is trying to bring back asbestos”
In other news, the Trump regime has announced that they intend on putting lead back into gasoline and making refrigerator and air-conditioner makers to use chlorofluorocarbons in their goods once more to Make America Great Again. Lead in paint and arsenic in wallpaper will be optional however.
It’s worse than you know, apparently he has authorized the use of lawn darts, klackers and more. Yeah, these were all considered pretty dangerous when we were kids, but the fact is that most of us survive childhood.
Missed the Executive Order banning bicycle helmets? We didn’t have them when I was a kid!
(Not that Trump ever owned much less rode a bicycle- he has disdain for the outdoors and exercise– unless it is a three-yard trek from the golf cart to the place he chooses to set his golf ball).
A Teddy Roosevelt he is not-
https://nationalparksadventure.com/the-camping-trip-that-changed-the-nation/
Roosevelt saw forests. Trump would only see board-feet.
Teddy
Don’t forget running with scissors and drinking from garden hoses.
Running with sharp things is not a good idea. But, how does a hose differ from a faucet?
I was told, as a kid, in all seriousness, that the habit was “pure White Trash.”
A garden hose has the potential to contain contaminants, an interior faucet less so.
Leaded gasoline….if we go we do it 100%, nothing is half baked (!). OK I grant that RK gets to that one first, but I have to throw in a hearty “second”, cause like it was a good idea to begin with and such.
“We need more mercury in our light bulbs and in just about everything where you can put this beautiful liquid metal”, opines the President of the U.S.A, and adds “it would be a wonderful additive to a full range of children food. This will make babies great again and mercurial. We need children that can fight! Fight, fight, fight!!!”
“Contains no artificial coloring!”
Lead in paint optional, but lead water pipes mandatory.
What about seat belts and the annoying chime? My first car had no factory-installed seat belts.
America fallen to the assassination of spiritual leaders!
Hersch is saying assassinating a holy man is the most concrete objective for US!
He is correct! The vague tactics are expensive and flawed will work as well as the recurrent attampts on the Houthi.
Would US used a GBU 57 on the building they hope to catch Khameini in?
I did not open a “7 day free trial…..”
Someone on MoA reported the IDF rocketeers missed Khameinin by 15 minutes yesterday, any confirmation?
Make Assassination Great Again!
Wilkes-Booth!
We are coming full circle from Ḥashshāshīyīns of Persia around a millennium ago…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Assassins
‘Hersch is saying assassinating a holy man is the most concrete objective for US’
Didn’t they try doing that in about 33 AD? So how did that work out?
You win the thread, Reverend.
I’m sure we’ll wash our hands of it.
Next time they will seal the tomb with reinforced concrete.
I think this is a big diversion.
IMHO, they intend to pound the shit out of Tehran. The noise about the nuclear sites is to get air defense assets concentrated there.
Israel got Hezbollah to stand down (it has not been defeated militarily) by doing that to Beirut..
Terhan is bigger than New York City. It is not Beirut. Iran is not Lebanon. The Iranian government is not Hezbollah.
This generation of Iranian leaders are the survivors of a brutal war of conquest inflicted on Iran by Saddam Hussein in the 1980s, acting as a fully funded and supported proxy of the US and Israel. Hussein killed over 200,000 Iranian soldiers in the 15-34 age cohort over the course of that war. Roughly 10% of those soldiers were killed by routine Iraqi deployment of chemical weapons on the battlefield, with the full knowledge and complicity of the Reagan administration. Iran has been here before.
A deliberate military bombing campaign targeting one of the largest civilian concentrations in the Middle East would not only be an unforgivable war crime. It would guarantee the deadliest war thus far in this already horrific 21st century.
I do not see how the US could recover from complicity in such an atrocity.
Not to mention, this call for “regime change” from Israel has about as much of a chance of success as sending former NFL coach Bill Belichick’s girlfriend to Atlanta in a “28-3” T-shirt to persuade the Falcons to fire their coach.
It’s tone deaf and obviously back-firing.
I agree. I’m just unsure if anyone with influence in the relevant decisions to be made in DC really understand this.
They can do that – but then Iran can do that to Tel Aviv as well and turn it into another Gaza. It’s like a Mexican stand-off with both sides lobbing a few experimental shots to see what they can get away with.
From yesterday… Miriam Adelson Governs America.
A couple of things from Pars Today news agency. Or its Telegram channel, rather. Demonstrating, I think, the gamut of Iranian leadership’s thinking on the prospect for a negotiated ceasefire.
—–
IRGC head, general Mohsen Rezai, TV interview yesterday:
“…They said – if we negotiate, there will be no war. We negotiated – and the war started. Now, even if we conclude a ceasefire, in two months Israel will attack us again…”
“…Right now, the enemy is in a weak position. If a ceasefire is concluded, he will strengthen, and attack again…”
—–
Deputy foreign minister, TV interview today:
“…If the aggression stops, then diplomacy becomes a possible choice…”
—–
I mean, either the IRGC guy is posturing, or there is a real hardline core somewhere inside the government that wants this thing to go the distance. And I bet this core would welcome (!) and American attack, because one, it would strengthen their positions internally (probably), and two, it would untie their hands in inflicting maximum damage on Israel.
Separately, I have to stress that in his meeting with foreign journalists (and Alex Mercouris highlighted this in his video yesterday), Putin underscored, that Iran “did not ask” for Russian help, was “lukewarm” towards a proposal for joint air defense development, and so on. To be sure, there is a lot of history between Iran and Russia, much of it fairly antagonistic. I have no idea what their relationships with the Chinese is at the moment – the Russians claim that 90% of Iranian oil goes to China, so that’s a thing – but I am guessing that it is at least not so straightforward as between, say, China and Pakistan. So while some people are madly refreshing pictures of boat traffic over the Caspian (one of the logical routes for military supplies), something tells me that maybe the Iranians actually think they can kind of go it alone and outlast both the Israelis and the Americans. It would fit with the thinking of a generation of generals that “grew up” during the Iran-Iraq War, but ye gods, if I were in their position I’d have been hitting up both the Russiand and the Chinese for every iota of military tech I could get my hands on…
It’s fair to say that the moral authority of the religious leadership has been the baseline for not fully developing nuclear weapons in Iran. It may be that the moral authority also makes demands about not entangling with interests that do not share the same traditional foundation.
” To be sure, there is a lot of history between Iran and Russia, much of it fairly antagonistic.”
There was indeed a time when the Britain and Russia were having a heydey in the region.
But I’m also wondering about Iran’s reluctance due to current events. A heavy duty security agreement would be quid pro quo. Iran may not believe they are ready for all the implications of that and yet it may be unavoidable.
I have seen it argued that the non-presence of “military cooperation” in the recent friendship/cooperation treaty between RF and Iran is attributable to a mistaken belief on the part of the Iranians, at the time the treaty with RF was being negotiated, that the West was willing to peacefully co-exist with the Islamic Republic on terms that would be acceptable to the Republic. For obvious reasons, military cooperation, mutual defense or alliance with RF would have seriously interfered with reconciliation with the West.
On that theory, if IRI survives the current crisis, the blinders will be off and there will be little external obstacle to mutual defense agreement treaty with RF.
We drove RF in the arms of China, and Iran into the arms of RF and China.
Well-played!
If Russia had already wrapped up the SMO in Ukraine, I wonder if Iran’s calculations would have been less hesitant at first? And then they would have take stock of any agreements that entailed.
Politicians like less wide open America, land that I love now for sale
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the giveaway with a nod from above
From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
Politicians like less wide open America, my home sweet home
Politicians like less wide open America, my home sweet home
Here is a link to a Wilderness Society map, with analysis. Source- Western Watersheds Alliance
258 Millions acres— federal lands ARE the west- its heritage and identity. The Montana carve- out is such an insulting, disingenuous piece of excrement.
worth a watch. It is outrageous. Mike Lee needs to strike the language, and resign.
(Haw Haw Haw nagahappin- but I do not like signing his paycheck!)
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLASAeyxLUn/?igsh=enpya2ZxZG03ZW9q
Folks in Utah have been clamoring to sell public lands there for decades. Utah Congressional representatives are pushing to allow mountain bikes on land designated as wilderness. Mountain bike touring companies are a big business in Utah. Don’t be at all surprised if this current Congress reduces protections for wilderness areas. Wuks beloved Mineral King may soon be sporting Burger King. There is nothing sacred anymore. Pursuit of the Almighty Dollar trumps everything. And I mean everything.
In a pickle
Need some lettuce
Selling off public land
Don’t upset us
All we ask is
That we do it our way
In a pickle,
In a jam,
stock up all you can,
because the winter is coming.
“This land was your land, Now it’s our land,
We don’t care for Your Sunset heart hands,
Go hike elsewhere, or maybe hike nowhere,”
All along it’s clear, we don’t need open space or trees or centuries old hardwood forests. Hey it’s like a plot from the Eastwood film, Pale Rider isn’t it ? \sarc
It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Gaza
Melody
It’s beginning to look a lot like Gaza
Everywhere you go
Take a look at Tel-Aviv
With families starting to grieve
And border guards to bribe with gold and dough
It’s beginning to look a lot like Gaza
Bombed-out retail stores
But the prettiest sight to see, is the karma that will be, on their own front door
A pair of power plants hit
GDP gone to sh1t
Is the fate of Bibi and Ben-Gvir
Drones that deplete, air defenses that leak
All the holy rollers have fled!
And TACO flips, like a line cook, at your local Pancake Shed!
Its beginning to look a lot like Gaza
A forlorn waste-land Hell
There’s some press in a Haifa hotel
Censored by Israel
The gutless kind, who don’t mind Gaza’s smell
It’s beginning to look a lot like Gaza
Soon, the MOABs start
And the thing that will make ’em ring
Is the trouble they will bring
Right within your heart
It’s beginning to look a lot like Gaza
Blocks that have been floored
But the prettiest sight to see, is the karma that will be, on their own front door
Well done sir!
California’s 2025 wildfire season was already going to be dangerous. Trump has made it worse Los Angeles Times
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Couldn’t believe how quickly the snow melted off in the higher climes and the rapidity of our reservoir filling up and hitting peak full about a week ago, now receding.
We’ve been getting news of Southern California Edison turning off the power to around 1,000 residents if the conditions warrant it, and they wanted to do it the other day, and frankly conditions were no different than any other day, but they are being extra cautious.
That said, it’s a hundred and hell here during the summer months in the foothills, and to deny us air conditioning is a cruel fate, but we apparently wouldn’t have it any other way.
In my neck of the woods the ground is already bone dry despite it being a “normal” rain year. What has changed is the number of windy days seem to have increased the past few years. The winds are desiccating the landscape. And of course the winds can increase fire intensity if fires break out. What hasn’t yet happened are days of very low humidity. Temperatures so far have been below seasonal averages. Today is 15 degrees below seasonal averages, as was yesterday. The usual advice applies – hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
Re MIT engineers make potentially Game Changing breakthrough with crude oil.
Reading the article indicates that 0.9% (90% of 1%) of worldwide energy consumption would be saved if all petroleum refining were changed to the new membrane method.
With the time required to change all the refineries and possible unexpected issues in the roll-out, one should expect little immediate benefit from this breakthrough.
The world needs far more breakthroughs to make a difference.
What a disappointment, I thought that breakthrough would be having capitalists quaff the oil. That would both put it to superior use, and deal with our neoliberal capitalist death cult.
Silent night, holey might!
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Persian missile, with withering defense
Iron Dome has gone out of style on it you can’t depend
You’ve made your bed, now lie in it
You’ve made your bed, now lie in it
Silent night, holey night!
Zionists quake at the sight
Drones and missiles stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing of defenses ajar
America the Savior is borne!
America the Savior is borne
Silent night, holey night!
Zionists lack of delight
Radiant beams from Iran
With dawn of redeeming the war plan
Harry Truman, at Thy birth
Harry Truman, at Thy birth
The holier-than-thou rollers are going to badger TACO into attacking Iran so that they can resume their bus tours of the promised land. What they may not realize is that iodine pills, a Geiger counter,, and a full Hazmat suit may be required gear for the next tour.
The Church of the Almighty Dollar may not reimburse such expenses.
Port of Haifa under attack again, today in broad daylight:
https://t.me/SabrenNews22/159159
I notice that Sabereen News never says “Israel” or names any Western media outlets. It’s always “the Zionist entity” and “enemy media”.
“Boeing ghost flights: China-Iran air route raises eyebrows in Israel conflict”
Kinda funny this. For about the past three years you have had about five dozen countries pouring money, weapons and people into the Ukraine as if it was the most natural thing in the world. But now that China was sent two naval ships to this region, it’s like ‘What the hell?’ No doubt those ships will plug into the local defense grid and help out with warnings and targeting. Certainly they will plug into whatever got shipped into Iran aboard those cargo planes. But more to the point, they will be watching and recording everything that the US and it’s allies are doing so they know what to expect when the US goes for China. You can’t buy such intel.
But I did have a thought. I have a book called “Twilight’s Last Gleaming” by John Michael Greer and a major part of it starts where the US is getting ready to invade an African nation to steal their newly discovered oil. But the Chinese sneak in men and equipment, including cruise missiles which lead to an American defeat. This then triggers the dissolution of the US. But my point is that maybe China is getting a few surprises ready for the US in Iran as payback for all the men and equipment that the US is sending to Taiwan.
It’s also ironic that Boeing has been lobbying hard to get more MAX planes delivered to China, even making it one of TACOs trade deal demands.
What are the odds that a 737-MAX carries a bunch of “sheep dipped” North Korean and Chinese mercs into Tehran?
Isn’t the 737-MAX prone to nosediving into the ground at high speed? Is that the plan to really stick it to China? Sell them defective aircraft and celebrate as they fall out of the sky.
What if China has been removing people on the return leg? Either Chinese nationals or valuable Iranians?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7W7xvg9gTs
Here’s a fast-moving hour-long discussion between Alastair Cooke & Larry Johnson, from this morning. They end by saying the US will probably attack Iran in the next 48hrs. Similar to what Sy Hersh said.
3x re: Iran/Israel
1) Interview with Chris Hedges
Iran, Israel, USA and World War 3 | Chris Hedges | UNAPOLOGETIC
Chris Hedges joins Middle East Eye on UNAPOLOGETIC for a conversation on what the consequences could be if Israel draws the USA into a full-blown war with Iran.
June 20th
71 min.
https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/iran-israel-usa-and-world-war-3-chris
2) LRB
Tom Stevenson
Operation Rising Lion
June 19th
https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/june/operation-rising-lion
3) Scheerpost
Craig Mokhiber
Rogue States: The Illegality of the U.S.-Backed Israeli Attacks on Iran
June 20th
https://scheerpost.com/2025/06/20/rogue-states-the-illegality-of-the-u-s-backed-israeli-attacks-on-iran/
Mokhiber shines in this writing as I have found in more than a few live interviews.
re: German government on Iran – Israel
via Florian Warweg from NACHDENKSEITEN:
German version:
https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=134750
Excerpt from the minutes of the government press conference of 16 June 2025:
Question Warweg
Tulsi Gabbard, director of the Joint Intelligence Community, stated at the Senate hearing on March 25 of this year that, according to the unanimous assessment of all 18 US intelligence agencies, Iran is not building a nuclear bomb. If the US intelligence agencies unanimously assumed at the end of March that Iran was not building a nuclear bomb, but both the Foreign Minister and the Chancellor justified Israel’s attacks as preemptive strikes, I would be interested to know what alternative information the German Foreign Minister and the Chancellor have that contradicts this US assessment.
Wagner (AA)
Mr. Warweg, we expressly disagree with the premises you raise in your question. But let me perhaps note that the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated very clearly on May 31 that Iran is demonstrably failing to comply with its obligations under the Safeguards Agreement. I think that is the basis on which we assess the Iranian nuclear program.
Additional Warweg
But, to be honest, that wasn’t an answer to my question. I had said that the US intelligence services had concluded a month and a half ago that no nuclear bomb was being built. Israel attacked Iran, arguing that there was an imminent danger of an Iranian nuclear bomb, and both the Chancellor and the Foreign Minister defended these attacks. The US intelligence services say: No, that wasn’t planned. Then the Chancellor and the Foreign Minister, if they defend it that way, must have other information. The International Atomic Energy Agency, which you mentioned, also spoke of irregularities in the reporting, but by no means of saying that Iran was close to having a nuclear bomb.
Wagner (AA)
Mr Warweg, I have expressly stated that we do not agree with the premise of your question.
Supplementary question Warweg
What premise?
Wagner (AA)
The premise that you just laid out at length in your question. ‑ I said that the competent international authority, namely the International Atomic Energy Agency, stated very clearly in a recent resolution that Iran is not complying with its commitments regarding its nuclear program.
Shout Warweg
(without microphone, acoustically incomprehensible)
Chairwoman Buschow
Now it’s time for the next questioner to speak, Mr. Warweg. The list is indeed long.
Shout Warweg
Sorry, but if I address two people and only one answers…
Deputy government spokesman Hille
Mr. Warweg, we are all here for the Federal Government. All of my colleagues sitting here represent the Federal Government. I have nothing to add to what Mr. Wagner has just said.
Shout Warweg
Does that mean that Mr. Wadephul now also speaks for the Chancellor?
Chairwoman Buschow
Mr. Warweg, I’m putting you back on the list. Perhaps you could give other colleagues a chance to ask a question as well. Now it’s the next colleague’s turn.
More trouble for the BBPoS:
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/06/20/congress/parliamentarian-banking-republican-megabill-cfpb-00414830
Parliamentarian rules that they can’t zero out the CFPB, dissolve the Public Company Accounting Oversight board, or slash the Federal Reserve’s pay (Dread Pirate says, arrgh! I’m still gonna get me filthy lucre!)
I guess we’ll see if this declaration holds:
‘We’re not going there’: Thune vows not to overrule parliamentarian on megabill
From 2 June.
It’s possible Thune possesses a functioning cerebellum.
The problem with bypassing the Parliamentarian is that the next time the Dems control the Senate, they’ll do the same thing to undo a bunch of GOP bills.
It’s scorched earth tactics, salting the earth. Having a functional Senate in the future that doesn’t resemble a WWF brawl might still be seen as a good idea.
You have more faith in the Democrat party to wield power than I do. They tend to leave power sitting on the sidewalk for other people to pick up.
Yep. Republicans did this in the past, but Democrats refused to do it for such low hanging fruit as raising the minimum wage just under Biden!
But they’ve done it before, and that failed to happen
re: Iran
Moon of Alabama
Tic-Toc No. 6 On The War On Iran
June 20th
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2025/06/tic-toc-thread-6-on-the-war-on-iran.html#more
“(…)
I commented yesterday that Trump Always Chickens Out (TACO) by pointing to a CNN piece:
Trump will allow 2 more weeks for diplomacy before deciding on US strike in Iran, White House says
“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” said the president in his statement, which was read aloud by press secretary Karoline Leavitt from the White House briefing room.
However, “within the next two weeks” is open to many possibilities. Still I perceived that Trump had decided to not bomb Iran.
Yves Smith at Naked Capitalism sees a different form of TACO:
Trump has approved a US strike package for Iran but is allegedly holding off to see how Tehran responds to his latest ultimatum, which is to give up not just nuclear enrichment but also ballistic missiles, that is, render itself defenseless. Trump has put pedal to the metal and has also thrown the steering wheel out the window. He’s created too much in the way of expectation of action to reverse course. TACO is prevailing: Trump is unwilling and/or unable to stand up to the Israel lobby and neocons.
We will see. My hunch is still that Trump will refrain from attacking Iran because the potential damage it may cause to the global position of the U.S., as well as to his domestic political plans, is too high to make it a viable solution.
(…)”
How then will the bombing of Israel stop? What of the US citizens/hostages/human shields stuck in Israel? What are the odds of a “cease fire”? This thing has momentum.
A logical procession to WW3 begins with the US entering the fray and commencing to try and reduce Tehran to rubble. Pakistan enters the fray with Chinese assistance. This is the last exit before full on crazy, but Modi joins the fray, sniffing a chance to teach Pakistan a lesson. China joins the fray.
Iran has said that it will stop bombing Israel when Israel stops bombing Iran.
I’ve been thinking about both ike Huckabee’s extraordinary letter to Trump and Pam Bondi’s remarks to Trump about his first 100 days.
Sometimes it takes me a while to see what’s right in front of me, when I recalled Trump’s repeated statements that “God saved me in Butler PA in order to “Make America Great Again” he meant that literally.
Donald Trump sincerely believes that he is implementing God’s will, which implies that those who oppose his policies are defying God’s Will.
Not a big step for a 79 year old grandiose narcissist and it explains a lot of his behavior since January 20.
Oh, shit.
One should remember how things were during Bush Jr years. Evangelical fundamentalists, religious scapegoating of its opposite number in the ME, pearl clutching about global pop numbers of them and invading US w/ Sharia law, gaslighting the entire population about WMDs, etc.
They have always been there, even before Reagan, at least he kept them at bay by refusing Pat Robinson whom was a APAIC front man. All sadly – so they all – can proclaim prophecy has been had and by dint of it authority over everyone else.
Unfortunately as history notes people like this only understand total defeat – pure zero sum game.
Anyone who thinks this war wouldn’t have happened under harris is deluded.
From the intercept re schumer…
Yet when it comes to the prospect of a direct war with Iran, Schumer is not only supporting Trump, but less than three weeks ago was goading the administration to be “tough” on Iran and not make any “side deals” without Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approval.
Democracy…yeah sure, youbetcha
Great find by a reader!
https://nitter.poast.org/MonitorX99800/status/1936084591829201045#m
“(…)
U.S. envoy to UN Dorothy Shea:
“Israel’s government spread chaos, terror, and suffering in the region…”
She then quickly corrects herself, saying she meant Iran’s government, but the damage was done already.
(…)”
But it looks that she didn’t correct herself, and just added that “Iran’s government also spreads chaos, terror, and suffereing in the region…”
Princely. Shoe, insert into mouth.
Re: BLM and NFS Land Sales:
Those oligarch billionaires getting tax breaks are going to also enjoy some huge fenced and gated mega ranches. There will be over 10 million acres for sale in my state alone.
There’s some really nice land for sale! Of course, it was tokenly “my land”, but it’s up for sale, and I don’t have that much green so I’ll never get to use it again.
Can someone weigh in?
Supreme Court upholds Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/18/politics/supreme-court-upholds-tennessees-ban-on-gender-affirming-care-for-trans-youth
decision 6-3
p.s. Frankly I have not the time to read the 118 page opinion. And I couldn´t seriously judge it anyway.
DemocracyNow had a segment today 06/20/25 NY time:
Mr. Strangio points to hypocrisies in the constructive thinking for a basis of the ruling, but also points to areas of established areas of justice yet untouched. For now.
CNN would not accord time for such an interview (let alone to have him in the studio).
“Harming Young People”: Chase Strangio on SCOTUS Trans Heathcare Ban & End of LGBTQ Suicide Hotline
thanks!
Google…
“It’s plausible that they’re taking data from a lot of creators that have spent a lot of time and energy and their own thought to put into these videos,” said Luke Arrigoni, CEO of Loti, a company that works to protect digital identity for creators. “It’s helping the Veo 3 model make a synthetic version, a poor facsimile, of these creators. That’s not necessarily fair to them.”
Well there’s your understatement of the year.
On a lighter note I was almost 20 years old when I learned that most Men did not know how to respond to one of the more simple questions Women ask us, “Does this dress make me look fat ? ”
The correct response is a passionate kiss followed by “Let me help you take it off, just to be sure”
Excellent response. I once tried “It’s not the dress that’s doing it”, but it didn’t end well.
Now that’s some “news you can use”
Thanks for this. You made my day!!!! There is only so much gloom and doom that is tolerable in any given day.
Maybe you should also try posting less gloom and doom, and make someone’s day instead.
I wonder if all the people who had gender reassignment surgery scheduled in Iran are being given rain dates now. I’m surprised no Democrat has voiced concern about that since Friday the 13th. It can’t be easy making all your plans for something that life-changing and then being told you have to wait till bombs stop falling.
Tuition Increases and Layoffs Are Coming to a Broad Set of Universities (NY Times via archive.ph)
I dunno, the pay university administrators get ought to be ripe for cutting. The president of UCF was making a cool few million before his retirement/death not many years ago, as I recall. But grew the campus, and thus captured more federal dollars, so I guess he got his cut of that.
I doubt much the administrator class is gonna feel any personal financial pain.
If something happens that makes gasoline prices rise astronomically, what is that going to do for the officials and oligarchs battling against work-from-home?
Nothing. They will state that the cost of commuting to and from the office is a “cost of being employed.” If an employee doesn’t like it, he or she can always get another job. (Sound like a boss you have had? It does to me.)
Iranian missile forces are battling for work-from-home.
Will the rationing be odds/evens or alternate days ? Gabbard has rolled over and there are credible reports that US target gathering planes have been in Pakistani airspace for a week.
Use of a nuclear device might get the US denied rare earths for the foreseeable future, hopefully.
Maersk temporarily pauses Haifa port calls
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/shipping-company-maersk-temporarily-pauses-haifa-port-calls-2025-06-20/
I wonder if that was their insurance company telling them nope.
Or maybe simple reality? I’ve resorted to Tehran Times to try to find out what’s going on.
https://www.tehrantimes.com/
According to them big strikes on Haifa today and they say the Microsoft server farm in Beersheba has been hit with a single missile attack. MS has been accused of helping with the targeting in Gaza.
Meanwhile Israel is censoring everything and of course their targeting claims–accepted at face value by the MSM–extremely unreliable.
Just to clarify web search says the Beesheba strike was a near miss on the Microsoft office there, Meanwhile the Tel Aviv stock exchange was indeed hit and damaged but still functioning.
In the Johnson/Crooke talk Crooke says the Iranians are now holding back a bit waiting for a possible US attack.
But will the Government of Iran have to answer to the Microsoft Corporation?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ9B7owHxMQ (55 secs)
Only if their name is Mandrake.
Carolinian,
Indi points out that the Stock Market was not hit:
https://indi.ca/iran-asserts-aerial-dominance/
But, the centre of the city was which is more the point. You’d think that this part of town was pretty well protected. The Israeli equivalent of Langley was actually hit. And their version of the Pentagon, apparently.
Click trough for some incidental iconography.
https://x.com/OlgaBazova/status/1936163674625859896
https://xcancel.com/OlgaBazova/status/1936163674625859896
ICE is an armed, well organized and uniformed criminal organization.
By now you can find hundreds of clips of ICE agents violating the rights of American Citizens and legal residents.
You can also find footage of Noem’s goons assaulting a US Senator along with Noem baldfaced lying about what happened as the video footage demonstrates.
Other congress people have been illegally denied access to detention facilities on several occasions.
Ms Noem admitted not knowing what Habeas Corpus is and has made it clear that Due Process is no longer in effect.
Courts no longer have any authority over the executive branch of Government, their orders are being ignored by more than just the DHS.
I’m amazed at the complacency of both our congresscritters and America’s Oligarchs, the critters are rapidly becoming irrelevant, the oligarchs are ignoring what no “due process” means and what the Rule of Law protects.
Which is Property.
re: Iran
USEFUL IDIOTS with full free episode
Israel is “ISIS with Nukes” – with Iranian-American Analyst Sina Toossi
…discussing the rapidly unfolding attacks in the Middle East
Katie Halper
48 min.
https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/live-now-israel-just-bombed-a-hospital
In this discussion with Larry Johnson, Alastair Crooke gives a mini masterclass on geopolitical negotiations in this discussion on Israel Iran. First 15 mins he sums up the current situation but from 21 minute mark he recounts a number of past experiences, ‘ignorance being a disease of the West… somehow the West thinks ignorance is a virtue’, and then covers oodles of ground including the ramifications of the dual drone attacks in Russia and Iran along with attempted decapitation strikes while negotiations are on going. “This is a historical moment where the world is going to shift one way or the other…there is an uncanny silence fallen on the rest of the world waiting the outcome”
The whole thing is gold but especially from about the 21 minute mark where he starts recounting briefly some of his experiences and encounters during Global War on Terror and ties that into todays situation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7W7xvg9gTs
Krystal and Saagar on Breaking Points, utube, ~13+ minutes
Israel — Damage Reports As Interceptors Run Low
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKBRSIUQzGE
https://www.yahoo.com/news/medical-sources-report-23-killed-205924207.html/
Medical sources report 23 killed at Gaza aid distribution point
‘Boom Boom Tel Aviv’ goes viral as city-themed anthem takes over social media
https://www.easterneye.biz/boom-boom-tel-aviv-viral/
Lol. Right. Just a wee tinch of journalistic irony here.
Lol, thank you. The irony is delicious.
I’m old enough to remember McDonalds “I’d hit it!” ad campaign.
Just wanted to plonk this here as so much has changed since the UK/Russia conflict and now Israel/Iran.
Basically all Western military doctrine has gone poof, think tank opines affiliated with MIC Mfg/Investor greed has come home to roost. Something about the War was Won and it was just down to a mop up of trouble makers with COIN ops, weaponizing SWIFT, and strategic displays with over priced toys that never met a peer.
Ballistics have changed everything forever, tactically and strategically, closely followed by drones. Russia’s battle field tactics layered system attack of artillery, medium range ballistics, TOR/Tornado, and then drones aka Kill Chain has reshaped the battlefield. Air force is only at stand off range to deliver ordnance and defensive posture against any other air delivered weapon system, add on EW and hacking of critical systems. Per se Iran would never be able to attack Israel with air-frames as that would screw with other nations air space and political dramas, so they went the full ballistics route. On that note the exchange over Israel is a special, explosions 60 mi above in exoatmosphere are something to be hold. All manner of FOD raining down and then a hyper-sonic piercing the defensive.
Yes, Skippy I agree. I’m sure we could find a good article about this somewhere.
Simplicious has mentioned this a bit but only in isolated, case by case examples.
But, some of the established military doctrine of the last few decades that have been shown to be outdated include (straight off the top of my head):
Main Battle Tank domination of the battlefield, air superiority via ever more complicated jet fighters, awesomeness of aircraft carrier strike groups, superiority of Western weapons, importance of helicopters, importance of manoeuvre as opposed to attritional warfare, reliance on short sharp wars, invulnerability conferred by “advanced” air defence weapons, stealth technology conferring invulnerability to air forces.
There are more I’m sure. The whole of Western Doctrine will need to be updated, then their procurement processes. Then their factories. Then their economies.
It’s been a huge wake up call for NATO and the US. Everything about their forces seem to be out of date.
I just read an article linked here from the LRB about the latest defence review in the UK and it’s clear that they do not have a f***ing clue how to go about changing things. That’s why MI6 is their preferred route to action via proxies.
I should also have said that terrorism is the cheapest and most available action for them to take now. The actual armies that exist in the West are not that good.
The West have become the terrorists now!
Horribly ironic.
The West have been the terrorists all along (among others). The difference is that “we have got The Maxim gun, and they have not” thinking no longer applies.
Just to be clear, the term “ballistics” has different meaning, and it has been around for a while. So were the ballistic missiles (as some very old Londoners might still remember). What has changed the game is their increased accuracy, speed, and numbers.
Correct, I was just keeping it simple. On that note the first nights waves of Missiles were largely upgraded Ballistics with a few more modern designs. Now that the anti missile battery’s have been depleted or destroyed Iran is using smaller volleys of first gen missiles at night. This makes it harder for Israeli air force to target them before and after launch.
Then one can look at the economic side of things where Iran has a two+ to one manufacturing advantage of missiles and drones. Also Israel geographically is quite small and compact where Iran is quite vast.
So it looks like its weather or not US air force attempts to use B-2s and other air frames, and then Iran responds with attacks on US military bases ring fencing it. If past performance by NATO sorts in the Ukraine is an indicator ….