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Debt Rattle March 4 2026

Mar 042026
 
 March 4, 2026  Posted by at 9:42 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,  Add comments


Vincent van Gogh Landscape Under a Stormy Sky 1889


• The War’s Going Pretty Well, Ackshully (Stephen Green)
• President Trump, Rubio Warn Iran ‘Hardest Hits Are Yet To Come’ (JTN)
• Trump Makes It Painful to Be a Liberal, Blue-Haired Gorgon (Kevin Downey Jr.)
• ‘ Their Whole Currency Is Lying’ (Victor Davis Hanson)
• Are White Nations Too Far Gone To Recover? (Paul Craig Roberts)
• Iran: The Last Stand against Baal (Alexander Dugin)
• Persian Gulf Goes Dark For Container Shipping; No Detour Left (FreightWaves)
• Spain and UK Response to Iran Conflict Shows NATO Weakness and Duplicity (CTH)
• Briitish Muslims and UK Reaction to US Strikes Against Iran (CTH)
• Zelensky Warns Iran War Could Starve Ukraine Of Critical US Arms (ZH)
• European Commission Wants Your Free Speech. X Is In the Way (Adina Portaru)
• OpenAI Rewrites ‘Sloppy’ Pentagon AI Deal After Backlash Over Surveillance (ZH)
• Video Released of Clintons’ Deposition Over Epstein (Lucas)
• Rep. Ted Lieu Spreads Bizarre Conspiracy Theory in Congress Hearing (Turley)
• Supreme Court Delivers Key Victory for Parental Rights in California (Turley)

 


 

Stephen Green: “Carlson on Monday repeated propaganda claims that Qatar and Saudi Arabia caught Mossad agents planting bombs to massacre Arab civilians — something that literally never happened.”

https://twitter.com/ivan_8848/status/2028617747534430335?s=20

 


 

 


 


“Iran is losing this war, badly,” [..] “Because if they weren’t, the Gulf states part of the map below would be absolutely awash in red icons.”

• The War’s Going Pretty Well, Ackshully (Stephen Green)

“The dog did nothing in the night-time,” a confused Inspector Gregory said to Sherlock Holmes, who replied, “That was the curious incident.” Without glossing over the losses suffered by American, Israeli, or coalition forces — not to mention the civilians targeted by Iran’s terrorist regime — in the first few days of Operation Epic Fury, Iran is so far the dog that didn’t bark. Or, more accurately, tries to bark but not much comes out.Or at least that’s my impression after seeing a nifty map of all of Iran’s attacks, courtesy of a generally reliable X user calling himself Plane Fag. Sorry, I don’t name X users. “I popped over to GeoConfirmed’s website… and it verified the impression I’d got from my OSINT feed: Iran is losing this war, badly,” PF posted early Monday. “Because if they weren’t, the Gulf states part of the map below would be absolutely awash in red icons.” Here’s PF’s map:



The data is roughly 30 hours old now, but the current map — which you can see for yourself at this link — doesn’t look all that much worse. “It’s normal to go after an enemy’s C3 (command, control, communications) to disrupt their ability to pass on orders and co-ordinate attacks, but by erasing almost all of Iran’s most senior military and political leadership in one stroke, there wasn’t even anyone to give those orders even if C3 had been intact,” PF added. “Operating on their own initiative and/or pre-planned strikes, they’re just not massing enough fires to achieve salvo weights that can effectively saturate defenses.”Translated into civilian speak: You’ve got to fire a lot of missiles or drones all at once at a single target to overwhelm defenses, and Iran either lacks the physical ability or the command cohesion to do so.

Roughly half of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers are believed to be destroyed, and that’s a number that can only go up. I’d also add that Tehran announced that it had closed the Straits of Hormuz, but the spice oil still flows. So, yes, the war’s going pretty well. There are at least three caveats, though.The longer the bombings continue, the greater the likelihood of being “one mechanical failure or magical BB away from having an American held prisoner or worse,” as CDR Salamander put it in that column I linked to yesterday. Along a similar line, Iran’s terror attacks (via missile, drone, or direct) are meant to create cracks in the coalition (even such as it is), and Tehran might have some success there.

Russian strongman Vladimir Putin got on the phone Monday with Emirati and Qatari leaders, and according to the Kremlin, both agreed that both men “emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire and a return to the political and diplomatic process.” (But a caveat within the caveat: That’s to be expected of both Qatar and the UAE. Keep an eye on Riyadh, though. If it starts to waver, then SecState Marco Rubio will be knee-deep in shuttle diplomacy before breakfast.) Finally, there’s the missile/interceptor logic. Does the coalition run out of ballistic missile and drone defenses before Iran’s offensive capabilities are smothered or the regime collapses/cries uncle? All while the clock ticks on the coalition and that “magical BB” gets a lucky hit on an F-35.

Read more …

“The State Department has urged Americans currently in the Middle East to leave their respective countries in light of the escalating conflict.”

• President Trump, Rubio Warn Iran ‘Hardest Hits Are Yet To Come’ (JTN)

President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued stark warnings to Iran Monday that the “hardest hits” in its new conflict in the region is still to come if it does not agree to end its nuclear program. The United States and Israel launched missiles at Iran over the weekend, which resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini. Iran has since retaliated by targeting Israel and U.S. bases in several Middle Eastern countries.Trump told CNN that he thinks the U.S. side of the conflict is “going very well,” and warned Iran that bigger hits could still be coming.


“We’re knocking the crap out of them,” Trump said. “We’ve got the greatest military in the world and we’re using it … We haven’t even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon.” The president also commented that the U.S. was ahead of schedule in the amount of damage it has caused Iran, but that he anticipates the attacks will last approximately one month. Rubio echoed the president’s comment, stating that the next phase of U.S. attacks on Iran will be “more punishing” than the ones they have dealt it so far.

“The hardest hits are yet to come from the U.S. military. The next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now,” Rubio told reporters. “The objectives of this operation are to destroy their ballistic missile capability and make sure they can’t rebuild it, and make sure that they can’t hide behind that to have a nuclear program.” The State Department has urged Americans currently in the Middle East to leave their respective countries in light of the escalating conflict.

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“Even back in the early 2000s, I knew better. Thus, my days as a Big Apple Bolshie ended. On September 11, 2001, I became a Republican.”

• Trump Makes It Painful to Be a Liberal, Blue-Haired Gorgon (Kevin Downey Jr.)

As some of you know, I was a big ole New York City liberal for many years. I was really bad at it, and I got increasingly worse. Back in 2003, a white lib friend with a bachelor’s from Brown and a need to downplay zher privilege once “bravely” decried “systemic racism,” while chugging a $10 IPA and occasionally checking its $700 phone (big money in 2003). As zhe spoke, I silently recalled my first racially motivated ass-kicking. I was six or seven years old, growing up in Detroit. They were older, bigger, and there were more of them. Two held my arms while one or two beat the potato salad out of me. Another bigger kid bopped my five-year-old sibling. My helplessness to save him still infuriates me.


I had never even been in a fight. In all seriousness, I thought we had been thumped by members of the Jackson Five. Humiliatingly, one of them was Janet. FACT-O-RAMA! To be a devout libstain in New York City, one must have a tenuous-at-best grasp on reality. A lack of verisimilitude isn’t shameful; it’s a necessity. Logic is a roadblock that your bald, vegan batwanger-in-law can capriole over with a tumulus of Care Bear virtue, though phantom as it may be. Is it just me, or does that last FACT-O-RAMA! try too hard? Let’s continue…Anyhoo, to the well-to-do apparatchik, black folks in the U.S. are constant victims of white racism, and illegal immigrants don’t rape and kill. Yet somehow, I am responsible for all of the terror they totally “don’t” commit.

Even back in the early 2000s, I knew better. Thus, my days as a Big Apple Bolshie ended. On September 11, 2001, I became a Republican. Days later, as I lay in my room, smelling the bodies of my fellow New Yorkers burning in the heap that used to be the World Trade Center, I watched George W. Bush assure We the People that Islam was “the religion of peace.” That’s when I left the Republican Party and became a nuisance of the New World Order. Today, I not only do not possess the delirium to be a leftist, but I am also sickened by those who do.As a comedian, I can read a room like nobody’s business. My weakness is that I assume everyone sees what I see, and that’s not the case.

I assumed everyone saw what I saw, including that:

• states, even red ones, were kidnapping kids if their religious parents refused to fillet their child’s genitalia if the kid so deemed

• people were fired if they didn’t use the selected “pronouns” of the mentally ill incel in the next cubicle

• communism is everywhere

But, man oh man, the prerequisites necessary to be a Democrat today require a level of denial not seen since your friend’s creepy Uncle Gerhard told you the Holocaust never happened. If you want to wave the chimerical flag of liberal virtue today, you have to pretend:

• Hamas isn’t a bunch of evil rapists; they are “victims”
• the mullahs of Iran aren’t genocidal animals who behead women who think for themselves and toss gay men off of buildings; they are “austere religious scholars”
• men in makeup aren’t responsible for more mass shootings than their population would suggest; you are just a “transphobic” conservative who doesn’t understand “bigotry”

• You were told to be “inclusive” to groups of radical miscreants seeking to treat your kids’ genitals like Waffle House hash browns, and render them diced, shredded, and scattered, and it’s groovy to take those kids from your home if you refuse to play along.
• We were informed that trans decepticons were being “genocided” despite the reality that trans people are slaughtering WAY more people than their populations would represent, usually kids.
• And lefty stool samples are defending the trans animals gunning down innocent children

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“I think their strategy, to tell you, was kind of a Muhammad Ali “Rope-a-Dope” where they were going to ride it out.”

• ‘ Their Whole Currency Is Lying’ (Victor Davis Hanson)

Jack Fowler: Victor, your thoughts if we don’t take action because Iran is, despite what happened a few months ago, the bombing of the enrichment and the nuclear facilities, they are constructing new facilities even deeper in some other mountain. But is there any doubt in your mind that if Iran goes unchecked for the next months or years, that there will not be a catastrophe from them having nuclear capability?


Victor Davis Hanson: No, you can’t negotiate with them because their whole currency is lying, and they’re fanatic ideologues. And they have a supernatural view of what’s going to happen, and they’re on the right side of Cosmic Divinity and all of these ideas. I think [former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi] Rafsanjani in a disputed statement, but I think it was accurate, said that Israel was a one bomb state, and that was the advantage that you got half the Jews in the world in one place, where all you needed was one bomb. So you can’t negotiate.

I think their strategy, to tell you, was kind of a Muhammad Ali “Rope-a-Dope” where they were going to ride it out. And then [President Donald] Trump would be gone in three years, and people would be angry, and you’d get a Joe Biden, or better yet a type of puppet of the Left. But better yet, you would get an [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] or a “squad” member, or a [Gavin] Newsom or [Kamala] Harris, and then you’re home free to get the bomb.] Because they would not do anything. That was the strategy. I think it would’ve worked actually if Trump had let him off the hook. So now the question is the domestic support. When the statue [of Saddam Hussein] fell in April of 2003, I think most polls showed that George Bush had a popularity rating of between 80% and 90%.

There was a controversy over the carrier flag “Mission Accomplished” because there was a little bit of terrorist activity. I was in Washington at the Naval Academy, and I remember distinctly that Chris Matthews, I was watching CNN, who ended up despising Bush, was a big critic. He said, “We’re all neocons now,” on the air. And then I remember Andrew Sullivan, who was sort of a chameleon in his political views, but mostly started out as, I guess, a British conservative, but ended up very left-wing. He was all for it. There was a guy who did little green footballs. Remember that little podcast? I knew the guy. He was a nice guy.

I rode a bike with him once and he was all in, and then all of a sudden the insurgency came. And the American casualties started and everybody adopted. And then there was a Vanity Fair on the neocons that they felt had been the architects, Richard Perle, David Frum, Bill Crystal, and all of them, had adopted, I guess you would call it my beautiful war and your lousy occupation. And the scapegoat they focused on was [former Secretary of Defense] Don Rumsfeld. If you just get rid of Dom Rumsfeld, everything will be okay. What I’m saying is that domestic support will depend on how many American casualties, how quick is it over, and how effective are the results.

If it is over within three weeks, and there’s a revolution and they have some type of transitional government, unlike Iraq, then everybody’s going to say, I was for it all along. Even the ones that were against it. If, on the other hand, they start shooting down planes or they hit an American base or they take out a frigate or something, they get a lucky shot on a carrier, and we don’t get a change and we stop, then everybody said I was never for it.

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” Is a country with a population this uninvolved, this completely stupid, really a superpower?”

• Are White Nations Too Far Gone To Recover? (Paul Craig Roberts)

For decades, Americans have been brainwashed about the virtues of being a Tower of Babel. The liberal-left calls it “multiculturalism” and sings its praises. I have in front of me evidence of the extent to which our ethnic American nation has disappeared. It exists in the form of a notice from a Medicare supplement provider, that is, an insurance company that for a premium will ensure a person against the medical expenses that Medicare will not pay. In other words, Medicare only provides partial protection. To be insured, you have to pay for a private insurance policy.


The notice from the supplement provider lists the languages in which customer representatives can supply assistance. English, of course, and Spanish, America’s second language. Arabic, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, German, Gujarati, Vietnamese, Hindu, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Farsi, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Tagalog, and Urdu. These are languages in which just one Medicare supplement company can provide assistance. The list for Medicare itself, which I once saw, list 50 or more languages in which it provides assistance.

For a Medicare supplement company to provide assistance in 20 languages for Medicare covered persons is expensive to the company and implies that there are many people in America who speak these languages, but not English. Think about this for a moment. How many countries have a world population in place of an ethnic population that is the basis of the countries name? Does Israel have a world population? Does Japan? Does China, Indonesia?

What multiculturalism does is to destroy nations. Multiculturalism replaces nations with Towers of Babel. This process has gone the furtherest in the white ethnic countries. For example, the red state of Texas faces a vote whether to permit Sharia law in Texas and whether to permit Israeli indoctrination as a mandatory requirement in Texas education. Insouciant white Americans have sat on their butts while the liberal-left stole their country from them and turned it over to immigrant-invaders. Is a country with a population this uninvolved, this completely stupid, really a superpower? Or is it instead a nation that has defeated itself by its own insouciance?

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Dugin aka Putin’s philosopher. “Now the cult of Baal reigns supreme, the cult of the golden calf, the cult of global power, the cult of the United States and Israel. This is a civilization of violence, Satanism, cannibalism, perversion, and pedophilia.”

• Iran: The Last Stand against Baal (Alexander Dugin)

What happened on the first day of the US and Israel’s war against Iran fundamentally changes the balance of power in the world and the rules of international politics. Trump has already said that international law does not exist: ‘What is moral is what I consider to be moral.’ In principle, in the wake of the abduction of Maduro and the establishment of direct external control over Venezuela, and now after the strikes on Iran, with the targeted destruction of the military-political and religious leadership of the country — a sovereign power that was willingly in negotiations with the United States — it is no longer possible to talk about rules, laws, or any norms of international relations in the world.


Indeed, now only the right of the strong, the right of the quick, applies. Whoever strikes faster or acts faster is right. Everything else becomes merely supplemental justification. That is, it is now important to strike a decisive blow against the enemy, break his resistance, destroy his leadership, and strike at his main military and energy facilities. After that, you can frame it however you want, justify it however you want, and spend a long time sorting it out.

I think that now almost everything depends on how long and how decisively Iran can resist. If it continues to wage war even after the destruction of its political leadership, if it does not surrender, does not raise the white flag, and does not capitulate, then this could end badly for the West itself. After all, then everyone else will start acting in exactly the same way, paying no attention to anything and overestimating their own potential regardless of their legal status. This will give free rein to many regional powers, which will do whatever they want. This could very quickly lead to the use of nuclear weapons — perhaps in the Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict, perhaps in others. There are definitely no rules anymore.

In short, if Iran continues its resistance under new leadership, this could have very serious consequences for the West itself, affecting Trump, the US, and NATO countries. But if the situation with Venezuela repeats itself – either the new leadership declares surrender, or the military is simply unable to continue fighting – then the war will be short. If this proves to be the case, then we should expect a similar scenario. There is no doubt that Trump and the West, seeing that this scheme works, will simply turn to eliminate Russia’s main political and military-political leadership as their next move.

Today, it is already clear that we are acting indecisively. Following the same model, we could be struck right in the middle of the next negotiations with Kushner and Witkoff. Perhaps even with a nuclear weapon. Therefore, I believe that the situation is critical for us. We did not stand up for Venezuela or Iran, and China is also remaining neutral. But in such a case, China will be next after us. And then the “kingdom of Epstein” will reign over the whole space of mankind.

I would like to emphasize that today we can already say that we are not just dealing with the liberal West. Liberalism has quickly faded away and disappeared from the agenda. No one talks about liberal values or democracy anymore — all that is in the past. Now the cult of Baal reigns supreme, the cult of the golden calf, the cult of global power, the cult of the United States and Israel. This is a civilization of violence, Satanism, cannibalism, perversion, and pedophilia. And this “pedophilic civilization of Baal” is dropping its masks before our very eyes and going on the attack in earnest.

From all points of view, what is happening now is very reminiscent of the End Times. If we do not find the strength within ourselves to comprehend the situation, we will find ourselves in a catastrophic position. Many insist that “this is no time to panic,” but sometimes it is better to take what is happening seriously than to assume that we will get through it unscathed. Now it is clear that we will not get through it unscathed: Iran is the last thing standing in the way of a direct war between the civilization of Baal and Russia.

If we had enough will and determination (although I have serious doubts about this), we would have to start acting according to the same rules that everyone else besides us is already acting on. That is, we could eliminate the military and political leadership of Ukraine and, without paying attention to any costs, we could solve the tasks of the Special Military Operation. By the way, against the backdrop of names world powers are using, like “Shield of Judah,” “Operation Epic Fury,” and “Seal of the Flood,” I would rename our modest Special Military Operation “Sword of Katechon.” And that would immediately change a lot.

But I’m afraid we won’t dare to do that and will continue with the same old song. And then, I repeat, missiles will fly into Moscow right in the middle of negotiations with Kushner and Witkoff, literally following the Iranian scenario. The civilization of Baal is simple: it repeats the same scenarios over and over again, and they work every time, because everyone thinks that this only applies to Gaddafi, Hussein, Milosevic, Mubarak, Nasrallah, Assad, or Khamenei, but not to themselves. Thus, step by step, the civilization of Baal achieves its goals.

Therefore, either we mobilize urgently, or the situation will become extremely difficult. And if we still harbor any illusions, then there is some kind of profound falsehood at large within our own camp. This is especially noticeable against the backdrop of what has happened in Iran, which is a catastrophe of global proportions. Wonderful people, remarkable spiritual leaders, have been killed. For comparison, it would be like the Patriarch of Moscow, the President, the Chief of the General Staff, and all the key ministers were killed at the same time, along with more than a hundred schoolgirls, innocent souls, killed by missiles. After such an event, is it possible to remain indifferent and pretend that it does not particularly concern us, that it is not our business?

Therefore, if we endure all this and remain silent, then next time they will do the same to us. That is why I am absolutely certain that in the current situation, we should immediately declare a state of emergency, at least at the highest level of government. After all, the situation is becoming simply critical for us.

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“There is no viable alternative to getting containers in or out of ports such as Jebel Ali by ocean if the Persian Gulf is off limits..”

• Persian Gulf Goes Dark For Container Shipping; No Detour Left (FreightWaves)

Ocean lines flee Strait of Hormuz as Iran targets Persian Gulf ports While tanker vessels came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz, container lines were suspending operations to Persian Gulf ports following the joint Israel-U.S. attack on Iran. Media reports said ports in the United Arab Emirates and Dubai’s port of Jebel Ali were hit by Iranian missiles, and that Tehran had attacked at least three tankers in the strait. A fire began at Jebel Ali after an incoming drone was intercepted. While the strait has not been officially closed, several liner operators suspended operations to the Persian Gulf, and ordered their vessels to seek shelter.


Hormuz is the gateway for Persian Gulf energy transport, with about 20% of the world’s crude oil supply passing through its waters. While futures prices ticked up late Sunday, analysts note that 80% of Iran’s oil is sold to China, so it’s unclear what the extended effect could be on global markets.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre, which monitors maritime security in the Middle East and Indian Ocean region, reported a number of attacks against vessels on Sunday. Shipping was caught in the crossfire after Tehran responded following Saturday’s Epic Fury attack that killed Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other high-ranking government and military officials.

US Central Command on Sunday denied Iranian claims that it hit the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with a ballistic missile.Maersk, CMA CGM and Mediterranean Shipping Co. suspended or shifted vessel services to the region. CMA CGM also announced an Emergency Conflict Surcharge of $2,000 for 20-foot, $3,000 per 40-foot and $4,000 per refrigerated container. The surcharge covers all Red Sea ports in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Djibouti, Sudan and Eritrea, as well as Persian Gulf destinations. Maersk prior to the outbreak of hostilities said the deteriorating security situation led it to divert the MECL service to the United States and ME11 to North Europe away from the Suez Canal route and around Africa. The carrier had only recently restarted regular rotations through the Red Sea.

Iran-sponsored Houthi rebels in Yemen warned they would resume attacks that all but shut down Suez transits for the largest container carriers since late 2023.“There is no viable alternative to getting containers in or out of ports such as Jebel Ali by ocean if the Persian Gulf is off limits,” said Xeneta analyst Peter Sand, in an email to FreightWaves. “Carriers will instead omit these calls on east-west services and drop boxes at a least-worst alternative port for onward transportation by road. This will cause severe disruption and port congestion at a regional level, but will not have a major impact on a global scale when compared to the seismic influence of conflict in the Red Sea.”Sand noted ex-Asia container rates had ticked up since Feb. 15 as the US massed forces near the Gulf.

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“Once, again President Trump’s lack of trust in NATO proved correct.”

• Spain and UK Response to Iran Conflict Shows NATO Weakness and Duplicity (CTH)

When addressing Greenland’s strategic value within U.S. Arctic defense efforts, President Trump argued that although the European Union and NATO insisted there was no need for American control —promising instead to marshal their combined military strength to defend the territory— he remained skeptical of their assurances. Trump’s remarks were met with swift shock and visible dismay. Pearls were clutched and jaws stood agape.However, it only took a few weeks for a moment of clarity to surface following the Israeli/U.S. decision to strike Iran and eliminate the long-standing nuclear threat. Suddenly Great Britain and Spain tell the U.S. they will not allow American military use of their joint airbases. Once, again President Trump’s lack of trust in NATO proved correct.


This visible example of unidirectional self-interest is happening at the same time European and British leadership are requesting demanding the United States provide the security guarantees for their Ukraine ambitions. The contrast is stark. Concerns about Islamist extremism within the U.K. appear to influence the thinking of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. With a significant number of immigrants from Muslim-majority countries now living in Great Britain, some argue that actions perceived as antagonizing more radical elements abroad could have domestic repercussions within the U.K. That said, the contrast in support is so stark that opposition leadership inside the U.K. are now confronting the British Prime Minister.

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Britain is no longer a Christian nation. Do you see how serious that is? Your world is gone. You will never get it back.

• Briitish Muslims and UK Reaction to US Strikes Against Iran (CTH)

Susan Kokinda and the Lyndon LaRouche network give their perspective on the British reaction to the U.S. strikes against Iran. The analysis has value from a review of the historic relationship of the British imperialist policy toward matters of foreign entanglement and the control mechanisms that have historically flowed from the U.K As a consequence of British government policy much of the Kokinda analysis accurately touches on the root cause of U.K response. However, the emphasis on the modern UK government as the lead of a global network is not always as severe or πcomplicated as the Lyndon LaRouche network would espouse. WATCH:



Great Britain has imported a large percentage of extreme Islamists. As Iran is confronted, and as Israel is viewed as a significant beneficiary to that confrontation, the leftist British government -represented by majority base supporting Prime Minister Keir Starmer- is politically trying to retain stability. Starmer does not want to upset the Muslim population within the U.K. That is a significant political facet undiscussed in the Kokinda review of British response. Additionally, the Trump Doctrine in confronting totalitarian dictators, or oppressive government systems, has always been to support the rise of the authentic nationalist voice of the nation in question.

President Trump has no personal or policy motive to drive the outcome when the authentic rise of the voice happens. Instead, he seeks to remove the anti-American sentiment carried by the former -hopefully replaced- regime. In all of President Trump s prior foreign policy examples we see he focuses on creating opportunity for liberty and freedom, but he does not seek to determine how that liberty and freedom are ultimately expressed so long as there is no negative outcome to American interests. President Trump positions the United States to remain the biggest, most powerful and influential nation in the world.

To the extent that Chinese tentacles need to be severed, Trump policy delivers. (North Korea, Panama Canal, Canada, Venezuela, Iran) To the extent that malicious actors in the world need to be removed, his policy delivers. (Venezuela, Iran) To the extent that American economic interests are represented in all of the outcomes, he forces reciprocity. (Canada, EU, NATO, ASEAN, trade tariffs) America-First. Let each nation compete on equal footing; but let there be no doubt America has the biggest footprint.

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“At a moment the depth of American arms supplies and ammo stockpiles are in question given the rate of expenditure in the new Iran war ..”

• Zelensky Warns Iran War Could Starve Ukraine Of Critical US Arms (ZH)

This isn’t the first time the world’s attention has shifted away from the Ukraine war, but it certainly marks the biggest other conflict to erupt throughout the four-year long war in Eastern Europe. Every time there is a ‘distraction’ – President Zelensky takes pains to try and refocus attention on Kiev’s plight, quite naturally. At a moment the depth of American arms supplies and ammo stockpiles are in question given the rate of expenditure in the new Iran war, the Ukrainians are rather nervous to say the least. Zelensky has freshly warned that deeper US involvement in the conflict with Iran could disrupt the steady flow of American weapons that Ukraine depends on in its war against Russia.


Of course, Ukraine was issuing desperate pleas for more arms and ammo even long before Trump’s Operation Epic Fury kicked off. On slowed arms flows, he said as quoted in WSJ: “We understand that a long war–if it is long–and the intensity of the military actions will affect the amount of air defense we receive,” Zelensky told reporters on Monday, according to audio of his remarks published by Ukrainian media.m Zelensky said he spoke to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about the issue of weapons supplies to Ukraine, and was in contact with other allies. So far, he added, there are no signs of any delays.

“Everyone understands that, for us, this is a matter of life,” Zelensky said of the arms Ukraine receives through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, a program European allies use to purchase weapons from the U.S. for Ukraine. But then again America’s Gulf allies, who are also desperate for anti-air replenishment, consider this moment a matter of life and death too.WSJ notes further, “Ukraine has said it desperately needs PAC-3 interceptor missiles for the Patriot systems supplied by the U.S.” Further, “The U.S. has been using its own Patriot systems to protect U.S. military bases and the airspace of allied countries in the Middle East from Iranian retaliatory strikes.”

So it seems like Zelensky’s arms wish list will be further delayed – not for lack of money, but simply based on rate of slow replenishment, but mostly Washington’s new conflict theatre priority: Iran and the Gulf. What’s worse is that the war is already threatening expansion across the whole Mideast region, as the conflict spreads to Lebanon. Still, Ukraine has come out in favor of Trump’s strike on Iran, given especially that Russia uses Iranian suicide drones in the Ukraine conflict, and has from nearly the start.

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We need Trump to stop this. He will, because the Digital Services Act will bother Americans too. But what a mess.

• European Commission Wants Your Free Speech. X Is In the Way (Adina Portaru)

Last week, Elon Musk’s X launched a landmark legal challenge against a $140 million fine issued by the European Commission last December under the Digital Services Act, an EU censorship law. The case was filed at the General Court of the EU, which hears high-stakes challenges to EU regulatory and enforcement actions.The commission claims the fine, the first to be issued under the DSA, was for alleged transparency and procedural breaches, all of which X denies. But the real reason the company was targeted is clear: X is a free speech platform, and Elon Musk refuses to implement online censorship in the EU and around the world.


This case, which ADF International is proud to support, concretizes the severe threat to free speech posed by the DSA. The EU law, which came into force in 2024, requires “very large online platforms,” like X, Meta, and Google (platforms with more than 45 million users per month), which operate or are accessible in the EU, to remove so-called “illegal content.” “Illegal content” is defined in line with a plethora of anti-free speech legislation across EU countries, such as in Germany, where it is illegal to insult a politician (Section 188 German Criminal Code). The legislation additionally requires platforms to “mitigate” so-called “systemic risks,” such as “negative effects” on “civic discourse,” “electoral processes,” and “gender-based violence.”

Codes of conduct have also been added to the legislation regarding “disinformation,” “hate speech,” and guidelines on electoral processes and the protection of minors, resulting in 153 pages of additional regulations that were never voted on. Platforms face massive fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover for non-compliance with the DSA and can even be suspended in the EU. The vague terms used in the legislation and codes of conduct are extremely broad and lack precise legal definitions, meaning they are ideal tools for the commission to censor disfavored views. And the commission’s reach extends far beyond Europe through the DSA.

A recent report from the House Judiciary Committee showed big tech platforms face immense pressure from the commission to set their global content moderation rules to censorial DSA standards. This means the EU law is censoring speech not just in Europe, but also in the United States and around the whole world. The case of Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen demonstrates what DSA censorship will look like in practice. After six years of criminal prosecution, Päivi is awaiting a verdict from the Supreme Court of Finland for tweeting a Bible verse. She was prosecuted under the “War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity” section of Finland’s criminal code. Under the DSA, censorial laws like this will become the global baseline.

Since Elon Musk bought X and turned it into a free speech platform, Brussels has been clear about its hostility toward the platform. Former European Commissioner Thierry Breton issued a stark warning in 2023 stating: “You can run but you can’t hide … fighting disinformation will be legal obligation under #DSA. … Our teams will be ready for enforcement.” Former commission Vice President for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova added: “Twitter has attracted a lot of attention, and its actions and compliance with EU law will be scrutinized vigorously and urgently.” In this context, it’s clear why the commission gave X the first-ever DSA fine last December. They were sending a message to all big tech platforms about what will happen to platforms that refuse to accept censorship. That is what makes X’s legal challenge so important – they are fighting for the right of citizens around the world to freely express their views online. In this case, X is challenging the centralized powers given to the commission by the DSA, which it argues violate its right to due process and are contrary to the rule of law. The commission is able to set the rules for content moderation, set up the infrastructure, launch investigations, and issue penalties under the DSA, all with no meaningful oversight. If this is allowed to stand, the EU will have the unchallenged ability to police the global public square, with dire consequences for online free speech.

Read more …

Question: Did OpenAI -the system-really write it, or was it their owners/lawyers? Ifthelatter, what does that say about the quality of the system?

Here’s what to do: Let OpenAI write two scripts: one in favor of OpenAI, one in favor of the Pentagon.

Let Grok, Anthropic et al do the same.

• OpenAI Rewrites ‘Sloppy’ Pentagon AI Deal After Backlash Over Surveillance (ZH)

OpenAI – which millions of users trust with everything from legal documents to tax returns – is revising its newly signed contract with the US Department of War, just days after it was announced that they would replace Anthropic for use in government systems because the rushed rollout “looked opportunistic and sloppy.” Hours after negotiations collapsed between the Pentagon and rival startup Anthropic on Friday, the San Francisco-based company agreed to supply its AI models for use in classified military operations. The breakdown followed talks with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over how the government could deploy advanced AI tools.


OpenAI initially described its agreement as containing “more guardrails than any previous agreement for classified AI deployments, including Anthropic’s.” But on Monday, CEO Sam Altman said the company was working with the department to add explicit contractual language barring the intentional use of its systems for domestic surveillance of U.S. persons or nationals. “The AI system shall not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of US persons and nationals,” Altman said the revised terms would state, adding that intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency would be excluded from the deal for now. So – while OpenAI has likely bought some legal cover with these changes, there’s always the possibility of unintentional use. From a Monday update to OpenAI’s statement on the deal:

“Throughout our discussions, the Department made clear it shares our commitment to ensuring our tools will not be used for domestic surveillance. To make our principles as clear as possible, we worked together to add additional language to our agreement. This language makes explicit that our tools will not be used to conduct domestic surveillance of U.S. persons, including through the procurement or use of commercially acquired personal or identifiable information. The Department also affirmed that our services will not be used by Department of War intelligence agencies like the NSA. Any services to those agencies would require a new agreement.

The new language reads: “Consistent with applicable laws, including the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, National Security Act of 1947, FISA Act of 1978, the AI system shall not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of U.S. persons and nationals.For the avoidance of doubt, the Department understands this limitation to prohibit deliberate tracking, surveillance, or monitoring of U.S. persons or nationals, including through the procurement or use of commercially acquired personal or identifiable information. The Department of War plans to convene a working group made up of leaders from the frontier AI labs, cloud providers, and the Department’s policy and operational communities.

OpenAI will participate and expect this will be an important forum for ongoing dialogue on emerging AI capabilities, privacy, and national security challenges going forward. These updates build on the framework we announced last week and we hope will help create a pathway for other labs to work with the Department going forward.

* * *
OpenAI says it can uphold its own red lines through a mix of contractual provisions and technical controls. The company says it will deploy models via cloud access rather than installing them directly onto military hardware and will keep its personnel involved in the loop. It has reiterated that its technology cannot be used to direct autonomous weapons systems. Altman suggested the company was comfortable relying in part on existing law. “Anthropic seemed more focused on specific prohibitions in the contract, rather than citing applicable laws, which we felt comfortable with,” he said Saturday.

But by Monday, he acknowledged concerns about how AI systems could enable large-scale data gathering.“We shouldn’t have rushed to get this out on Friday. The issues are super complex, and demand clear communication,” Altman wrote in a message to employees reposted on X. “We were genuinely trying to de-escalate things and avoid a much worse outcome, but I think it just looked opportunistic and sloppy.”The updated language would “prohibit deliberate tracking, surveillance or monitoring of US persons or nationals, including through the procurement or use of commercially acquired personal or identifiable information,” according to the company.

The Pentagon’s pivot to OpenAI came after Anthropic’s negotiations unraveled over two core red lines articulated by its CEO, Dario Amodei: no domestic mass surveillance and no use of AI in lethal autonomous weapons systems – and would require the Pentagon to seek approval to use it in the heat of battle.. According to the Financial Times, Hegseth sought language permitting the models for “all lawful use.” Anthropic executives argued existing U.S. law could allow mass AI-enabled data collection and pressed for tighter contractual safeguards until new legislation was enacted. Discussions reportedly stalled over terms governing the mass collection of publicly available data.

The Pentagon had signaled openness to revising phrasing that Anthropic viewed as overly broad, and senior figures at the company believed a deal was close. But negotiations ultimately fell apart.Since then, the Trump administration has moved aggressively against Anthropic. President Donald Trump has directed agencies to phase out the company’s tools. The Treasury Department, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and government-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac all announced they would end Anthropic contracts – with full dis-integration to occur within six months. The Pentagon also designated the company a supply chain risk.

Read more …

All 4,5 hrs at the link.

• Video Released of Clintons’ Deposition Over Epstein (Lucas)

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released full video of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s testimonies about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The depositions for each before the bipartisan panel lasted 4.5 hours. Hillary Clinton was deposed last Thursday. Bill Clinton was deposed on Friday, the first time a former president has been compelled to testify before Congress. Clinton said he first flew on Epstein’s plane in 2002 and took trips to Asia, Africa, and Europe. Clinton said his former treasury secretary, Larry Summers introduced him to Epstein. He said that Epstein was interested in funding brain research and other humanitarian work.


“He knew I was planning to set up a global network to provide lots of AIDS medicine to as many people as possible as quickly as possible,” Clinton said of Epstein. Clinton said his relationship with Epstein ended when the humanitarian team expanded. “A lot of other people who might do better, and who really cared about the work, came forward,” Clinton said. The former president said Epstein “never asked me anything untoward.” He later added, “There was nothing that I saw when I was around him. It made me realize he was trafficking women.”

During the Democrats’ questioning, Clinton was asked if he was aware of President Donald Trump’s interaction with Epstein. “I don’t want to leave the impression, since there was no follow up question, he never, the president never, this was 20-something years ago, never said anything to me to think he was involved in anything improper with regard to Epstein, he just didn’t,” Clinton said. Hillary Clinton was asked how she felt about photos of her husband in the pool at the home of Epstein, which were published in batches of the Epstein files released by the Justice Department. The former secretary of state replied she was not there to provide opinions.

Read more …

“Lieu’s rave about the alleged murder of a child made the National Inquirer look like the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.”

• Rep. Ted Lieu Spreads Bizarre Conspiracy Theory in Congress Hearing (Turley)

Years ago, Rep. Ted Lieu (D., Cal.) demanded that “Facebook should do more internally to regulate fake news and point out fake news.” This week, he finally made his case for such private censorship. Lieu went full conspiracy theorist during a congressional hearing this week, leaving many gobsmacked. Lieu’s rave about the alleged murder of a child made the National Inquirer look like the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. In an age of rage, Lieu knows that you must go louder and bigger to be heard above the mob. Facts are now passé and Lieu is known for sensational claims like claiming that “Trump is broke.”


At a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Epstein files, Lieu won the race to the bottom with his colleagues in making outrageous, unsupported claims. It was a moment reminiscent of the recent face-planting by Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Cal.) in disclosing the names of powerful men shielded by the Administration in the scandal. (Four had no connection to Epstein). He suggested that Trump not only abused a minor, but that she was later bumped off to keep her from speaking. What Lieu does not inform the public is that his blockbuster disclosure was based on the unverified account of an anonymous man, who worked as a limo driver in 1995. The bizarre account claimed the driver picked up Trump and overheard him on the phone with someone called “Jeffrey” and made references to “abusing some girl.” The driver said that he wanted to pull over and “hurt[] him”.

Driver Dan Ferree has self-identified as the source referenced by Lieu. Ferree reportedly has posted hundreds of politically anti-Trump and extreme memes to his Facebook account, including a recent image of Trump in what appears to be a casket. He has also reportedly claimed that he was stalked by Trump associates. In a defamation case, Ferree would be difficult to pass off as a credible source for a publication. The use of such sources is a familiar tactic in Washington. During the Chandra Levy scandal, politicians and pundits piled on Rep. Gary Condit (D., Cal.) as the presumptive murderer of the congressional intern. The source cited by Vanity Fair’s Dominick Dunne turned out to be a “horse whisperer” in Dubai who said that he had heard Condit arranged for her murder. (Condit was later cleared in the case).

Ferree is only marginally better than a horse whisperer as a source of Lieu. Ferree told the FBI that he met a young girl who told him she had been raped by Trump and Epstein at a “fancy hotel.” He claimed that the young girl was later found with her head “blown off.” He said that, while the officers at the scene thought it was murder, the coroner later ruled it a suicide. There was no proof of such a case. It appears that Lieu knew or suspected that the source of the allegation was unhinged or unreliable because he later re-posted only two of the three pages of the statement to the FBI. The third page included other bizarre claims about the Oklahoma City Bombing and a drunk Hillary Clinton.

Lieu decided it was best to withhold the third page and the details of a raving, drunken Hillary Clinton and an effort to frame an innocent man for the Oklahoma bombing. It seems that he was not aggrieved that the FBI did not investigate that part of Ferree’s allegations.Nevertheless, at an earlier event, Lieu declared: “Why are Republicans so interested in Bill and Hillary Clinton? It’s because they’re trying to distract from the fact that Donald Trump is in the Epstein files thousands and thousands of times. In those files, there’s highly disturbing allegations of Donald Trump raping children, of Donald Trump threatening to kill children.”

What is striking is how so many politicians supporting the crackdown on disinformation on the right are purveyors of such disinformation. From the Russian conspiracy hoax to the flogging of migrants by Border agents, members and the media have regularly spread false accounts with impunity. It is not considered disinformation if it appears on BlueSky or MS NOW. The intentional omission of the third page of the allegation puts this disinformation effort in a particularly menacing light. This was not some hair-triggered posting that failed to research the underlying story. This was a knowing effort to later re-post the sensational allegation while removing a third of the document that undermined the credibility of the source.

Read more …

“What Plaintiffs seek is to force the State to respect their enduring federal constitutional rights as citizens of the United States.”

• Supreme Court Delivers Key Victory for Parental Rights in California (Turley)

The Supreme Court on Monday issued an important order on its shadow docket in Mirabelli v. Bonta. The court granted an emergency appeal filed on behalf of Catholic parents by the Thomas More Society, blocking a state law that barred parental notification that their children had changed their gender identity. I previously wrote about the case after heralding the decision of District Court Judge Roger Benitez, who wrote a powerful opinion in support of the rights of all parents. He wrote: “The Attorney General on behalf of the State of California says Plaintiffs’ lawsuit is “properly understood as seeking a federal constitutional exemption from the California constitutional right to privacy, as applied to gender identity in the school context.” State Defs’ Oppo to Plaintiffs’ MSJ, Dkt 256, at 9. But the Attorney General gets it upside down. Plaintiffs do not ask the State to magnanimously permit a sort of federal constitutional exemption. What Plaintiffs seek is to force the State to respect their enduring federal constitutional rights as citizens of the United States.”


The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit stayed his injunction. For years, some of us have been raising the attacks on parental rights. That is why this order is so notable. I recently wrote about this fight in Michigan, where parents secured the right to sue to defend their rights against the Rockford Public School District. The District refused to inform them of gender identity changes in their children. While it only restores the injunction during the pendency of the litigation below, it reflects a clear notion of the likelihood to prevail on the merits. There remains ambiguity on where individual justices fall on the issues. The parents raised both free exercise and substantive due process challenges. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas wanted to go further in ruling on the merits in favor of the parents.

In her opinion, Justice Amy Coney Barrett rules for the parents, not the teachers, in the case. In her concurrence with the Chief Justice and Justice Kavanaugh, she focuses most on explaining why a view in favor of substantive due process is consistent with the decision in Dobbs. The three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson — dissented. Justice Kagan decried the rejection of California’s priorities and objected to “throwing over its policies in a slapdash way.” Justice Sotomayor was the only member of the Court who opposed all of the parents’ and teachers’ claims. Without writing a dissenting opinion, she would have denied their application in its entirety.

The decision puts even greater focus on another case. Last year, I wrote about a startling decision in Foote v. Feliciano in which the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled against parents in a similar challenge. Massachusetts parents Marissa Silvestri and Stephen Foote demanded notice of any gender identity change of their child after learning that the 11-year-old child had self-declared as “genderqueer.” The First Circuit dismissed the challenge, holding “as per our understanding of Supreme Court precedent, our pluralistic society assigns those curricular and administrative decisions to the expertise of school officials, charged with the responsibility of educating children.”

The petition for review to the Supreme Court is now pending. Foote could allow the Court to reaffirm the fundamental rights of parents and, most importantly, clearly establish the standard for review in future cases. The previously stated in Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925) that “the child is not the mere creature of the State; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations.” It is time for the Court to back up that constitutional right with clear and robust protections.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/Lissa4Maga/status/2028645571804729596?s=20 Thiel Bloom Cancer https://twitter.com/ShiningScience/status/2028759204232941763?s=20 https://twitter.com/NextScience/status/2028517198122348771?s=20

 

 

 

 

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Home › Forums › Debt Rattle March 4 2026

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 77 total)
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  • Author
    Posts
  • March 4, 2026 at 9:42 am #233248
    Raúl Ilargi Meijer
    Keymaster

    Vincent van Gogh Landscape Under a Stormy Sky 1889 • The War’s Going Pretty Well, Ackshully (Stephen Green) • President Trump, Rubio Warn Iran ‘Hardes
    [See the full post at: Debt Rattle March 4 2026]

    March 4, 2026 at 11:38 am #233264
    Raúl Ilargi Meijer
    Keymaster

    Was a sunny day
    Not a cloud was in the sky
    Not a negative word was heard
    From the peoples passing by

    March 4, 2026 at 11:39 am #233265
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    Dear DBS,

    Would you please provide analysis of the ideas presented by this lady Joti Brar in the attached video

    March 4, 2026 at 12:17 pm #233266
    Topcat
    Participant

    More Dripping Hypocrisy from the Trump Mafia

    Barron Trump should join the military and serve the latest war in the Middle East.

    DraftBarronTrump.com

    “No, no!” says Daddy Trump, 5 time draft dodger during the Vietnam War

    The White House says Barron Trump is “too tall” at 6’9″ for military service.

    David Robinson was 7’0″ and put his NBA career on hold to serve in the Navy. Height clearly wasn’t an excuse then and it isn’t now.

    My Boy

    “This moment is really about Barron, okay? Always has been. He represents strength, courage, and service. I’ll be honoring that sacrifice in my own way, mainly by talking about it from a safe distance.”

    Donald Trump JR.

    The family that plays together stays together

    “People always say I’m stupid, which is totally unfair, because I understand a lot about pancakes. Pancakes are complex. You’ve got batter, heat, timing. If you rush it, you ruin everything. I think about pancakes a lot. Mostly pancakes.”

    Eric Trump

    Barron’s Dad Speaks:

    “It’s not about me”

    “People come up to me, with tears in their eyes, and they say, ‘Sir, you’re the strongest. Send Barron off to war’ I’ve always been strong. Very strong. Stronger than anyone expected. Some say the strongest ever. And strength matters. Believe me.”

    Donald J. Trump

    March 4, 2026 at 12:22 pm #233267
    Topcat
    Participant

    BREAKING NEWS:

    Trump Sec of State Marko ‘Narko’ Rubio announces emergency government assistance to help evacuate USSA citizens and embassy personnel from the Middle East!

    March 4, 2026 at 12:25 pm #233268
    Topcat
    Participant

    “It’s not a war”

    “Nothing to see here, move along.”

    March 4, 2026 at 12:28 pm #233269
    Topcat
    Participant

    The Empire of Lies With It’s Zionazi Master

    The Price of Perfidy

    March 4, 2026 at 12:31 pm #233270
    Topcat
    Participant

    Even MOAR: “It’s not a War”

    March 4, 2026 at 12:44 pm #233271
    Topcat
    Participant

    Professor Jiang Xueqin Lays It Out For The Dumbest Among Us

    March 4, 2026 at 12:50 pm #233272
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    Iran Just Destroyed THAAD — The U.S. Has No Defense Left

    March 4, 2026 at 1:06 pm #233276
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    Worse Than 2008: We Are Witnessing History Right Now

    March 4, 2026 at 1:11 pm #233278
    Topcat
    Participant

    Also for the dumbest among us, you know who you are:

    Closing the Strait of Hormuz will precipitate a huge rise in gas and oil prices and futures about 3 to 4 WEEKS after the closing.

    It is a war and will produce economy crashing stats but it historically has had a lag time which “The Market” is slow to react to because of supplies left in the “pipeline”

    Doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen, just need to ring the last juices out of the system.

    $150 a barrel oil?

    Easy Peesy

    March 4, 2026 at 1:20 pm #233280
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    Iran Attack on Port Shuaiba — 6 U.S. Soldiers Killed

    March 4, 2026 at 1:25 pm #233286
    Topcat
    Participant

    “Peter Thiel says AI is not coming for the writers first.

    It is coming for the math people.

    The coders, quants, engineers.

    The people Silicon Valley put on a pedestal for two decades.

    His argument is devastatingly simple.

    Within a few years, AI will solve the hardest math problems on Earth faster than any human alive.”

    Eric is the managing director for Thiel Capital since 2021

    Wake up and smell the Java

    March 4, 2026 at 1:28 pm #233287
    kultsommer
    Participant

    And this.

    March 4, 2026 at 1:49 pm #233288
    Topcat
    Participant

    The cost to produce electricity in China is 1/6 of the cost in the Empire of Lies

    Electricity is the Axis Mundi of AI

    Axis mundi

    “(Latin for “axis of the world”) is a profound mythological and symbolic concept representing the center point or vertical bridge connecting heaven, earth, and the underworld.

    It acts as a sacred, rotating axis for the universe, often visualized as a world tree, mountain, or pillar”

    March 4, 2026 at 1:53 pm #233289
    Topcat
    Participant

    Do the Math

    March 4, 2026 at 2:06 pm #233290
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    “
    US legacy media are complicit in covering up pedophilia and what amounts to a treason by ruling class
    “
    http://smoothiex12.blogspot.com/2026/03/they-are-free-to-discuss.html

    March 4, 2026 at 2:33 pm #233291
    kultsommer
    Participant

    It’s being said in so many ways and it’s tiresome.

    March 4, 2026 at 2:35 pm #233292
    zerosum
    Participant

    OPINIONS

    Yesterday is gone.
    Your world is gone. You will never get it back.
    there is a ‘distraction’
    a matter of life and death.
    ————
    Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL,
    a program European allies use to purchase weapons from the U.S. for Ukraine.
    ———–
    … violate its right to due process and are contrary to the rule of law.
    The commission is able to set the rules for content moderation, set up the infrastructure, launch investigations, and issue penalties under the DSA, all with no meaningful oversight.
    If this is allowed to stand, the EU will have the unchallenged ability to police the global public square, with dire consequences for online free speech.

    ————–
    “The AI system shall not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of US persons and nationals,” Altman said the revised terms would state, adding that intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency would be excluded from the deal for now.
    According to the Financial Times, Hegseth sought language permitting the models for “all lawful use.”
    ———–
    https://x.com/ShiningScience/status/2028759204232941763?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2028759204232941763%7Ctwgr%5E95c667fff89e0846eb6b94988b72a57b0250e008%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theautomaticearth.com%2F2026%2F03%2Fdebt-rattle-march-4-2026%2F

    China is preparing to approve Russia’s groundbreaking cancer vaccine, a development that could disrupt the $2.6 trillion Western oncology market. This vaccine, designed to target and train the immune system to attack cancer cells, this vaccine works by boosting the body’s natural defences.

    ———–

    March 4, 2026 at 2:36 pm #233293
    kultsommer
    Participant

    The eye averting and that special face “glow” that we remember from the schooldays when our classmate, or our selves, uttered that killer excuse: “The dog ate my homework.”

    March 4, 2026 at 2:42 pm #233294
    kultsommer
    Participant

    Mock them and laugh at them at any occasion that you may be.
    Wipe that seriousness from their faces. Make them feel like us.

    March 4, 2026 at 2:51 pm #233296
    zerosum
    Participant

    Ground Operation Prepares in the Middle East
    Spring Military Campaign in Ukraine
    MS 2026.03.04

    March 4, 2026 at 3:23 pm #233299
    Topcat
    Participant

    They are talking about you.

    Yeh, You


    Rewarding Dumbness: How Modern Society Filters Away Intelligence

    March 4, 2026 at 3:40 pm #233300
    John Day
    Participant

    The Basis Of War https://drjohnsblog.substack.com/p/the-basis-of-war

    Steve Hall​, Our understanding of what could be a catastrophic conflict between the West’s ruling neoliberals and Iran is missing the elephant in the room. Since deindustrialisation, Western economies were financialised and became dominated by networks of investors – the ‘creditor class’. The big players exert influence to the extent that they operate as a shadow-government behind elected politicians. Their income depends on wholesale privatisation of assets – existing and under development – as investment targets. Their ability to indebt individuals, households, companies and nations ensures a constant flow of free money, in the form of compound interest, into their bank accounts.​..
    ​..In ​the 14th century, European morality, customs and law shifted from sympathy for the debtor to discipline on behalf of the private creditor. By ​the 17th century, even the monarchs and the state were placed under that disciplinary regime as bond markets grew. This culture was, of course, exported to the US.
    ​ This the core of the East-West clash – it rests on a fundamental cultural-economic disparity that determines the reproduction of class-structured wealth and power. Powerful Eastern nations such as China, Russia and Iran have their own ways of restricting and disciplining the investment banking system, which the Western creditor class cannot accept.
    ​ The creditor class have been subjugating nations and funding wars for centuries. Schumpeter’s ‘creative destruction’ has a dark, violent kernel which he understated. They don’t care how many ways of life are disrupted, or how much infrastructure is destroyed – they make fortunes rebuilding it in the most tasteless styles and for the most crass purposes imaginable. They don’t care how many peasants and workers die, men, women, or children, because they regard us as inferior and dispensable. The Epstein network is little more than the creditor class’s entourage. The creditor class is our principal enemy and must be consigned to history’s dustbin. The production of money as investment must be brought under full public control.​ https://x.com/ProfHall1955/status/2028422698867511328​

    Putin & Bush talked at Bush’s Texas ranch November 15, 2001: Putin gives Bush a lecture about international terrorism as a fight for a redivision and control of global financial markets “by a new, young, aggressive financial Islamic capital” which is “trying to push away representatives of Jewish capital.” According to Putin, Osama bin Laden is just a leader in this struggle who was trying to “subjugate all others to his will.”​ https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/russia-programs/2026-01-07/bush-putin-transcripts-how-vladimir-putin-and-george-w

    ​There is no path to profitability for AI or Data Centers: AI Debt Is Spiralling Out Of Control​ – The real threat of AI is to the economy. https://www.planetearthandbeyond.co/p/ai-debt-is-spiralling-out-of-control

    ​ More vulnerable infrastructure: Drone Strikes On Amazon Data Centers In Middle East Reveal Urgent Need To Defend AI
    For the first time in modern warfare, Iranian kamikaze drones struck commercial data centers in the Middle East operated by Amazon. This marks a major escalation in the targeting of civilian digital infrastructure.
    ​ Amazon wrote on its website that three Middle East data centers were hit by Iranian drones, causing widespread outages at Amazon Web Services facilities tied to the “ongoing conflict in the Middle East.”​ https://www.zerohedge.com/ai/drone-strikes-amazon-data-centers-middle-east-reveal-urgent-need-defend-ai

    March 4, 2026 at 3:42 pm #233301
    John Day
    Participant

    The unacceptable condition was peace: Oman’s Foreign Minister Said US-Iran Deal Was ‘Within Our Reach.’ Then Trump Started Bombing https://israelpalestinenews.org/oman-trump-admin-bombing/

    ​ Trump’s Strategy Is A High Risk-High Reward Gamble
    So, why did Trump do this now? Because there was a strike opportunity; reportedly, a U.S. fear of an Iranian missile launch; Iran was rearming – China was about to supply it with new advanced missiles; India’s Modi had just talked up an alliance with Israel; and above all as the attack on Iran is an essential part of his Grand Macro Strategy to retain 21st century hegemony vs a rising China.
    ​ We’ve previously explained that Chinese control of supply chains and rare earths is an U.S. Achilles’ heel. The logical response is to ensure the raw materials China relies on –where it cannot project hard power now and the U.S. can– are in U.S. or U.S.-allied hands. That allows it to exert counter pressure to give it space to reindustrialise. Energy is the obvious candidate, and food is another.
    ​ This concept predicted the coup de main in Venezuela. The logic for Iran is clearer given it supplies China with much more energy that Venezuela did. Indeed, this leaves Russia as the main cheap oil vendor to China –strengthening Moscow’s hand in that partnership – but cuts off the flow of Shahed drones and ammunition that Iran was providing for the war in Ukraine. Equally, this latest action likely increases U.S. pressure on Moscow, or encourages further tactical outreach in an effort to isolate China. Is it a coincidence that Zelenskyy now says Putin has accepted the terms of a U.S. security guarantee for Ukraine?
    ​ There are parallel parts of the Trump plan in play. If Iran is flipped, it opens up the India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) that ties India’s growing economy to the West’s via the Middle East’s energy – with no role for China and the Belt and Road initiative effectively subverted. This would be impossible to achieve if Iran continued to play spoiler. Still, the Trump strategy is a high risk-high reward gamble. There is no safety net if the US doesn’t manage to land this manoeuvre.
    ​ If we see quick regime change, even just via a changing of the revolutionary guard as in Caracas, Trumpism will be entrenched. Most U.S. voters will appreciate the win; oil prices will fall and stay low; and all Middle Power ‘strategic autonomy’ alternatives to US hard power will be revealed as an irrelevance. The Trump focus can then swing back to reindustrialisation and affordability as the midterm elections approach.
    ​ The huge ‘what if?’ would be China immediately escalating in Asia vs a depleted U.S. military. Beijing has substantial oil reserves while the U.S. doesn’t yet have large rare earths equivalents – and its industrial capacity is still in no state to challenge China​. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/trumps-strategy-high-risk-high-reward-gamble

    ​ Thanks Wigs. What means “Europe” here? Old money? Analysts: The US is destabilizing the Middle East to economically destroy Europe.
    This is the opinion of analysts from the Telegram channel “Black Swan,” who commented on the situation on March 3.
    ​ Gas and oil prices are currently showing steady growth. Europe now faces an existential choice, a fundamental decision that will determine its future.
    ​ “Yes, it’s possible to buy LNG and oil from the US at exorbitant prices. But that’s a dead end. Europe’s economy can’t handle it. If the EU doesn’t want that, it’s not too late to change its mind and begin negotiations with Moscow.​”​ – analysts clarified.
    ​..Regarding Washington’s attempt to hurt Beijing with attacks on Tehran and to call into question Iranian oil shipments to China, this presents excellent opportunities for the Russians to deepen cooperation with the Chinese.
    ​ “Just like with New Delhi, given that the conflict in the Middle East has put many of India’s oil imports in question​.​”– analysts added.
    ​ At the same time, the prospects for the development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) are now appearing in a completely new light. Japan and South Korea can secure their own energy supplies from Russia, but to do so, they must stop dancing to the American tune.​ https://en.topcor.ru/69201-analitiki-ssha-destabilizirujut-blizhnij-vostok-dlja-jekonomicheskogo-unichtozhenija-evropy.html

    ​ John Helmer, ON THE BRINK OF ISRAELI NUCLEAR ATTACK ON IRAN — TRUMP JUST SAID SO
    The Israelis have been emphatic in Netanyahu’s meetings with Trump in Miami and Washington that they have no choice but to attack and will go nuclear if they judge it necessary — with or without Trump’s say-so.
    ​ The Americans replied that they would agree to attack and try to head off nuclear attack.
    ​ The Russians and Chinese have known all of this. They have concluded that if they tried to deter militarily the US-Israeli attack, it would go ahead anyway, and with nuclear weapons. Whether that was a Netanyahu bluff or not, President Putin believed there was reason not to issue an advance warning. We don’t know what President Xi Jinping thought of the nuclear war risk and what he thought of the reason for not issuing an advance warning. We know he didn’t. ​ https://johnhelmer.net/on-the-brink-of-israeli-nuclear-attack-on-iran-trump-just-said-so/

    ​Gilbert Doctorow, Russian State TV sees Russia threatened: What the Russians are saying about the Iran war: Iran is being destroyed, Trump is winning! https://gilbertdoctorow.substack.com/p/what-the-russians-are-saying-about-645

    March 4, 2026 at 3:43 pm #233302
    John Day
    Participant

    ​Make certain there is a war: Before Khamenei Killing, CIA Assessed He Would Likely Be Replaced by More Hardline Elements of the IRGC https://news.antiwar.com/2026/03/01/before-khamenei-killing-cia-assessed-he-would-likely-be-replaced-by-more-hardline-elements-of-the-irgc/

    Gold & Geopolitics, The story of the day is what Israel did to the Assembly of Experts in Qom.​
    The Assembly of Experts is the 88-member clerical body constitutionally responsible for selecting Iran’s supreme leader. After killing Khamenei on Saturday, the logical next step in any “regime change” playbook would be to let the succession process collapse under its own contradictions. Let the factions fight. Let the moderates and hardliners tear each other apart.
    Classic divide and conquer.
    Instead, Israel bombed the building while they were counting the votes.“We wanted to prevent them from picking a new supreme leader”. – Israeli defence official to Axios
    They struck the assembly in Qom while the body was in session. Iranian state media confirmed the building was flattened…
    ​..Trump had killed his own “very good choices” for Iran’s next leader in the opening strikes, and that Iran’s military units were operating mostly without central command. Today, Israel deliberately destroyed the constitutional mechanism for selecting a replacement. You killed the leader. You killed the people you wanted to replace him with. And now you bombed the room where the country’s legal process for choosing a successor was literally in session.
    ​ Who exactly are you planning to negotiate with?
    This is either the most incompetent war strategy since… well, since Iraq. Or it’s deliberate. And if it’s deliberate, the implication is that the goal was never negotiation. The goal is permanent decapitation. Keep killing anyone who might consolidate power until there’s no coherent state left to resist. The problem is that Iran pre-authorised decentralised command specifically to survive this scenario. You’re not preventing resistance. You’re preventing surrender.​ https://no01.substack.com/p/march-3-no1-left-to-call

    ​ Israel hacked security cameras, phones to track Khamenei – FT
    Israel spent years hacking Tehran’s traffic cameras and penetrating mobile phone networks to monitor the movements of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his security detail ahead of his assassination, the Financial Times reported, citing multiple current and former Israeli intelligence officials and other people familiar with the operation. Nearly all traffic cameras in Tehran had been hacked for years, with footage encrypted and transmitted to servers in Tel Aviv and southern Israel.​ https://www.iranintl.com/en/202603027711

    ​ Trump Says US Decapitated Iranian Leadership As They Ate Breakfast​
    President Donald Trump said Monday the initial strikes targeting Iran killed dozens of Iranian leaders during a breakfast meeting with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. ​ https://dailycaller.com/2026/03/02/trump-us-decapitated-iranian-leadership-ate-breakfast/

    Putin Decries ‘Cynical Murder’ Of His Friend Ayatollah Khamenei​ https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/putin-decries-cynical-murder-his-friend-ayatollah-khamenei

    March 4, 2026 at 3:44 pm #233303
    John Day
    Participant

    Iran holds mass funeral for girls, staff killed in US-Israel school attack
    Thousands gather in Minab for a mass funeral, chanting against the US and Israel after the school bombing.
    ​ The attack took place on Saturday after the US and Israel announced joint strikes on Iran, marking the deadliest incident in the war against Tehran so far, targeting civilians.
    ​ Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday accused the US and Israel of killing the schoolgirls.
    “These are graves being dug for more than 160 innocent young girls who were killed in the US-Israeli bombing of a primary school. Their bodies were torn to shreds,” Araghchi wrote on X, alongside an image of newly dug graves.​ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/3/iran-holds-mass-funeral-for-girls-staff-killed-in-us-israel-school-attack

    ​ Iranian president decries US-Israeli attacks on schools, hospitals in Iran
    ‘The world must condemn it. I stand with my grieving nation. Iran will not remain silent or yield to these crimes,’ Pezeshkian says​ https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iranian-president-decries-us-israeli-attacks-on-schools-hospitals-in-iran/3847086

    ​ US, Israel on Sunday targeted Natanz nuclear facility twice: Iran’s nuclear chief
    In letter to Rafael Grossi, Mohammed Eslami urges International Atomic Energy Agency to condemn attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities​ https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-israel-on-sunday-targeted-natanz-nuclear-facility-twice-irans-nuclear-chief/3847239

    ​ Gold & Geopolitics Daily Digest excerpts: Strait of Hormuz effectively closed. Lloyd’s List intelligence data: vessel transits down 81% on Sunday vs. the prior week… Only Iranian and Chinese ships reportedly passing…
    ..Western interceptor stockpiles in crisis. Rubio confirmed publicly: the US produces 6-7 Patriot interceptors per month. Iran produces 100+ missiles and launches up to 700 drones per day. Qatar and UAE reportedly begging Washington for interceptor replenishment and being stonewalled. US considering stripping THAAD/Patriots from South Korea…
    ..Qatar LNG shutdown. QatarEnergy officially ceased LNG production after drone strikes on Ras Laffan Industrial City and Mesaieed Industrial City. Qatar is the world’s largest LNG exporter, roughly 20% of global supply. European TTF gas spiked +50% intraday. UK gas up 93% since war began.​..
    ..Israel begins ground operations in Lebanon. IDF officially confirmed soldiers entered southern Lebanon as part of Operation “Roaring Lion,” positioning at border points. Lebanese army evacuated 50+ border positions. Hezbollah struck Israeli military base south of Haifa with drones/missiles…
    ​..Iran’s attrition strategy appears to be working. Lord Bebo’s detailed breakdown is worth reading in full: Iran is running two simultaneous campaigns – a war on regional oil/gas trade via Hormuz, and a war of interceptor depletion via cheap drone/missile saturation. The math is brutal. CENTCOM’s released strike footage shows they’re hitting abandoned, already-fired launchers and broken trucks – field commanders can’t locate active Iranian missile forces. The strategy doesn’t require Iran to “win” in any conventional sense. Lord Bebo. Multiple sources corroborate. Confidence: HIGH.
    ​ Three F-15Es downed in Kuwait – the “friendly fire” narrative is falling apart. CENTCOM says Kuwaiti Patriot batteries shot them down. Multiple analysts (Armchair Warlord, Patricia Marins, Adam Cochran) independently concluded this is technically implausible​… Armchair Warlord’s specific theory: an Iranian fighter slipped into Kuwaiti airspace and used IR-guided missiles.​..
    ​..China providing targeting intelligence to Iran. Multiple sources note that MizarVision (Chinese commercial satellite startup, Hangzhou) published AI-annotated imagery of US forces at Prince Sultan Air Base in the days before strikes began. The US bases subsequently struck by Iran match the targeting data. Lord Bebo and Geroman both flag Chinese military cargo planes delivering weapons to Iran over the past two days.​..
    ​..Iranian drones now carry Russian Kometa jam-proof antennas. The drone that struck RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was found to contain a Russian “Kometa” GLONASS antenna module – the same system Russia uses to make Geran-2 drones nearly impervious to Ukrainian EW. This confirms a technology transfer loop: Iran supplied basic Shaheds to Russia, Russia returned the upgraded version. Dramatically changes the threat model. https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-03-03

    Russian Guidance Chip With Western Parts Found In Iranian Drone That Hit UK Air Base In Cyprus​ https://www.zerohedge.com/military/russian-guidance-chip-western-parts-found-iranian-drones-hit-uk-air-base-cyprus

    March 4, 2026 at 3:45 pm #233304
    John Day
    Participant

    ​Double-tap strike to maximize civilian deaths during Ramadan:
    As groups of families and others gathered Sunday evening at cafes around Niloofar Square—a middle-class area in eastern Tehran—after breaking their fast for Ramadan, a series of explosions struck the area, leveling several buildings and killing over 20 people, according to witnesses at the scene and later reports from local news sources.
    ​ Witnesses who spoke to Drop Site said two explosions hit the area—a smaller strike in the vicinity, followed by a larger one that devastated much of the neighborhood…
    ​..As has been the case with nearly all of the bombings in Iran, it remains unclear whether this attack was carried out by the U.S. or Israel. Israel has used “double tap” strikes in Gaza, Lebanon, and elsewhere. In one prominent incident, the Israeli military killed 22 Palestinians, including five journalists, in a double tap strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in August. The U.S. repeatedly engaged in double tap strikes during the so-called “War on Terror” in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen and, most recently, in a September 2025 attack on an alleged Venezuelan drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean.
    ​ Survivors of the Sunday attack at Niloofar Square described a similar pattern in which an initial bombing was followed by a much larger attack a short time later.
    ​ “One hit and it wasn’t that bad but when the second one hit, suddenly everything exploded. The windows all shattered. Whoever had hookahs were thrown to the floor,” Shahin said. “One of my friends whom I don’t know that well he was sitting here. His hookah was in his hands until the last moment. He was severed in half. Half of him was thrown to the side. I put him back together and placed him where he was. A piece of his brain was thrown here on the floor.”​ https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/tehran-iran-double-tap-bombing-trump-israel-war-niloofar-square

    ​ Meryl Nass MD, There are very serious laws of war. We and Israel are commiting war crimes. We are the terrorists today, not Iran. This is being done in our name, and we too may experience the consequences.
    You are not allowed to attack civilian targets, period. It is a crime and those who select and bomb those targets deserve a court martial. https://merylnass.substack.com/p/there-are-very-serious-laws-of-war

    US-Israeli war on Iran rages, as 2 Gaza babies die of starvation – Not a ceasefire Day 142​ https://israelpalestinenews.org/us-israeli-war-on-iran-rages-as-2-gaza-babies-die-of-starvation-not-a-ceasefire-day-142/

    Israeli arrest campaigns surge in February with increased targeting of women and children​ https://english.palinfo.com/news/2026/03/02/358834/

    Prisoners’ institutions: Israeli courts postpone sessions for Palestinian detainees indefinitely​ https://english-wafa-ps.translate.goog/Pages/Details/167953?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

    March 4, 2026 at 3:46 pm #233305
    John Day
    Participant

    US B-2 Bombers Belatedly Authorized To Use British Bases To Hit Deep Inside Iran​ https://www.zerohedge.com/military/us-b-2-bombers-belatedly-authorized-use-british-bases-hit-deep-inside-iran

    ​ I can still watch the video on this X post I downloaded, but the link is now dead. It shows small, apparently heat seeking missile, as would be fired from another airplane, chasing down the exhaust of an F-15 doing evasive maneuvers, then detonate right behind the plane, damaging it, and the 2 pilots ejecting.
    Iranian Missile’s Targeting American F15 in Kuwait: It wasn’t Friendly Fire ,Three American F 15 were destroyed by Iran last day. https://x.com/iranwarnroom/status/2028694702908953003

    ​ A Kuwaiti F/A-18 fighter jet was the cause of the accidental shootdown of three American F-15s on Sunday, according to WSJ. “One F/A-18 pilot launched three missiles against the U.S. aircraft, all 3 F-15E went down”​ https://xcancel.com/MenchOsint/status/2028998276087783677

    More X: So he’s flat out telling us that we’re in a war with Iran because Israel forced our hand. This is basically the worst possible thing he could have said.
    @SecRubio: “The president made the very wise decision—we knew that there was going to be an Israeli action, we knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks​. https://x.com/MattWalshBlog/status/2028587163240071656

    ​ An Iranian missile has struck a luxury skyscraper in Bahrain reports suggest that this skyscraper is housing senior U.S. military command personnel. Bahrain officials have not yet released any statements.​ https://x.com/TheBritLad/status/2028422696682373275

    March 4, 2026 at 3:47 pm #233306
    John Day
    Participant

    ​ Dubai just shut down. The busiest international airport on earth. Closed. Indefinitely.
    Dubai International and Al Maktoum International both suspended all operations on February 28 per official Dubai Airports statement. Over 280 flights canceled. 250 more delayed. The airspace that handles more international passengers than any hub on the planet went dark this morning because Iranian ballistic missiles were flying through it.​ https://x.com/shanaka86/status/2027727164364493003

    Saudi Aramco Shuts Down Middle East’s Largest Refinery at Ras Tanura After Iranian Drone Strike​ https://www.thedefensenews.com/news-details/Saudi-Aramco-Shuts-Down-Middle-Easts-Largest-Refinery-at-Ras-Tanura-After-Iranian-Drone-Strike/

    Iran: We have nothing to do with the attack on the Saudi Aramco refinery, it was Israel​ https://en.topwar.ru/278749-iran-my-nikakogo-otnoshenija-ne-imeem-k-udaru-po-npz-saudi-aramco-jeto-izrail.html

    ​ Tass, Russia says: Israel attacked Saudi Aramco’s refinery in false flag operation — news agency
    According to the agency’s source, the port of Fujairah in the UAE is one of the next targets of Israelis​ https://tass.com/world/2095095

    ​All the air defense missiles in the US are for Israel. “America has abandoned us” – Saudi official https://en.topwar.ru/278737-amerika-brosila-nas-saudovskij-chinovnik-v-jefire-telekanala-al-jazeera.html

    March 4, 2026 at 3:48 pm #233307
    John Day
    Participant

    The Kremlin does not say if they talked about Israeli false-flag attacks. Telephone conversation with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud
    ​ During Vladimir Putin’s telephone conversation with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the leaders had a thorough discussion of the escalation in the Middle East resulting from the United States and Israel’s armed aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.​ http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/79245

    ​ Iran has not confirmed or denied the embassy attack: US Embassy in Riyadh, Omani port hit by drones; US base in Bahrain targeted
    Saudi Defence Ministry says a fire broke out at the embassy, while local media reported a drone attack on Oman’s Duqm port.​ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/3/us-embassy-in-saudi-capital-riyadh-hit-by-drones-fire-reported-ministry

    ​Meryl Nass MD, Tucker Carlson unpacks many of the hidden forces affecting the war and the aftermath.
    Mossad agents discovered in two Gulf states attempting to bomb. Saudi Aramco bombed but Iran says it didn’t do it.​ https://merylnass.substack.com/p/tucker-carlson-unpacks-many-of-the

    ​ Mossad’s ground operation and US military plans: Middle East conflict​ – US President Donald Trump has claimed that it is “too late” to negotiate with Iran​ https://tass.com/world/2095739

    ​Hire moderate terrorists: Trump Floats Backing Anti-Tehran Insurgency As Alternative To US Boots On Ground https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-talks-kickstarting-anti-tehran-insurgency-place-us-boots-ground

    March 4, 2026 at 3:49 pm #233308
    John Day
    Participant

    Previously-owned and shopworn, but ready to go: CIA Moves To Arm Kurdish Forces To Foment Govt Collapse In Iran: Officials Trump tries to articular war justification: says if we have a little high oil prices, could be for a little while, but they will drop, and could even be below the levels before, but that he ‘had to’ act or else Iran would have ‘used nukes’. Claims Israel didn’t force America’s hand.
    ​..IAEA’s Grossi says there has been no evidence of Iran building a nuclear bomb; Iran’s large stockpile of near-weapons grade enriched Uranium and refusal to grant IAEA full access are cause for serious concern​…
    ​..Drone hits CIA station in Saudi Arabia, also reportedly a consulate in Dubai. WaPo: A suspected Iranian drone attack hit the CIA’s station in Saudi Arabia in what would amount to a significant symbolic victory for the Islamic Republic​ https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/israel-opens-second-front-day-4-trumps-iran-war-irgc-refuses-back-down

    ​ Iran’s new missile tactics throw US, Israeli war planning into disarray Iran dramatically revamped its missile strategy after the June 2025 war. The past 24 hours have shown how:
    ​ Immediate retaliation: Instead of waiting days or even hours, the IRGC began reciprocal strikes immediately. Initial US-Israeli attacks: 9:27-9:45 am. Iranian retaliation by 10 am.​
    ​ Regionwide, multi-front targeting: “Extensive missile and drone” attacks on 27 US bases, from Al Udeid Air Base, CENTCOM’s regional HQ, to Naval Support Activity Bahrain, home to the 5th Fleet, to sites in Jordan and Saudi Arabia where US forces amassed in recent weeks. Multiple waves (20 or more) against Israel, targeting Tel Aviv, Haifa, the Golan Heights, etc.
    ​ Clockwork launch: Instead of firing swarms of missiles and drones, predominantly at night, Iran has switched to 24-hour continuous launch, designed to physically and psychologically drain enemy defenses and sow shock among US regional allies.
    ​ Overwhelming defenses: Footage from multiple locations shows Patriots firing frantically attempting to intercept Iranian projectiles, often failing to do so thanks to Iran’s time-tested strategy of pairing slower missiles designed to keep enemy air defenses busy with hypersonic Fattah-series missiles against priority targets.
    ​ Urban strikes: Unlike past counterattacks, where Iranian Israel-facing social media kindly provided civilians with warnings on the city blocks or specific buildings that would be targeted, this phenomenon has not been seen this time around. Given the barbarity of the Israeli-US attack (decapitating Iran’s leadership, killing their family members, targeting a girl’s school, etc.), Iran may be forgiven for not ‘playing nice’ this time around.
    ​ Precision urban attacks: Footage from the Gulf shows what looks like the deliberate targeting of certain buildings, like Dubai’s Fairmont The Palm hotel and the Burj Al Arab. Iranian media channels and OSINT sleuths suspect the attacks targeted sheltering US military personnel and/or clandestine CIA sites.
    ​ Decentralized execution: The pace and fury of Iranian retaliation shows the IRGC was prepared for exactly the type of scenario that unfolded, with strikes proceeding despite severe blows to Iran’s political and military leadership.​ https://x.com/SprinterPress/status/2028071517095923922

    ​ There is now a circulating report claiming that 6 senior CIA officers were killed in the UAE after a precision strike hit a residence used by agency personnel in Dubai, with 2 others reportedly injured. The strike is described as part of the missile barrage launched by the IRGC yesterday.​ https://x.com/iwasnevrhere_/status/2028159859418398750

    ​ Iran’s intelligence aware of where Netanyahu holds his meetings — IRGC
    Iran’s intelligence knows all the targets around the Islamic Republic, as well as Israeli and American targets, senior adviser to the commander-in-chief of the Iranian army Rahim Safavi said​ https://tass.com/world/2095659

    ​ U.S. Considers Relocating THAAD, Patriots to Middle East
    South Korea-based systems may be moved amid prolonged U.S. military operation against Iran​ https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/03/03/OTCQNNDNORCHHG6Q5RB6YZ4NLA/

    March 4, 2026 at 3:51 pm #233309
    John Day
    Participant

    ​ The first real signal of a war is not the missile. It is the price of exit.
    Tonight the ultra rich are paying up to £260,000 ($350,000) for a single private jet charter just to get out of the Gulf, because the normal map is gone.​ https://x.com/shanaka86/status/2028464980983472408

    More Than 100,000 Britons Register for Help in the Middle East​ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62drgzled6o

    ‘DEPART NOW’: US Tells Citizens To Flee Middle East, But Most Airspace Closed​ https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/depart-now-us-tells-citizens-flee-middle-east-much-airspace-closed

    ​ So far we’ve heard that although we killed the whole Iranian regime, this was not a regime change war. And although we obliterated their nuclear program, we had to do this because of their nuclear program. And although Iran was not planning any attacks on the US, they also might have been, depending on who you ask. And although we are not fighting this war to free the Iranian people, they are now free, or might be, depending on who seizes power, and we have no idea who that will be. The messaging on this thing is, to put it mildly, confused.​ https://x.com/MattWalshBlog/status/2028494055554871490

    Some think the COVID “vaccines” and boosters gave ​Trump white-matter-dementia:​ ‘Peace President’ Breaks Record for Attacking the Most Countries​ https://dnyuz.com/2026/03/02/peace-president-breaks-record-for-attacking-the-most-countries/

    March 4, 2026 at 3:52 pm #233310
    John Day
    Participant

    ​ Jeffrey Sachs: ‘Trump Is An Utter Disgrace To Our Nation – He Lied To Us’
    Columbia University economics professor Jeffrey D. Sachs appeared on Judge Napolitano’s ‘Judging Freedom’ podcast Monday, where he railed against the US-Israeli attack on Iran and the ‘CIA-led security state,’ calling President Donald Trump a ‘disgrace to our nation’ because ‘he lied to us.’​ …
    ​ “This is a long-term plan. This is a Mossad CIA plan for American control of the Middle East and Israeli military hegemony in the Middle East that has been underway since 1996,” Sachs said. “This is madness. This is murderous delusion.”​ https://www.zerohedge.com/political/jeffrey-sachs-trump-utter-disgrace-our-nation-he-lied-us

    ​ The UAE will run out of water. People are already panic buying water, the smart ones at least.
    Tap water isn’t drinkable. Bottled water has to be shipped in. The airways are closed. The sea (Hormuz) is closed. Nothing is coming in.
    ​ It’s the desert. Temperatures can rise up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit (55 degrees Celsius) with 100% humidity.
    The government has instructed people not to panic buy, which means they know they will run out of water.​ https://x.com/Partisangirl/status/2028455701933387893

    Ship insurers cancel war risk cover due to Iran conflict​ https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/ship-insurers-cancel-war-risk-cover-due-to-iran-conflict-2026-03-02

    ​ World At War: Iranian Warship Reportedly Sunk Off Sri Lanka In Submarine Attack
    Reuters reports that Iran’s Navy Mowj-class frigate Dena was sunk by a US submarine off Sri Lanka’s Indian Ocean coast. According to a source in Sri Lanka’s navy and defense ministry, the submarine attack left 32 personnel rescued by Sri Lankan authorities, while 101 remain missing.​ https://www.zerohedge.com/military/world-war-iranian-warship-reportedly-sunk-sri-lanka-submarine-attack

    Trump Announces US To Cover Insurance For All Ships Traveling Through Gulf, Will Provide US Navy Escorts​ https://www.zerohedge.com/political/oil-tumbles-trump-floats-insurance-tankers

    March 4, 2026 at 3:53 pm #233311
    John Day
    Participant

    Spain Risks Wrath of Trump After Denying US Forces Permission to Use Jointly Operated Bases to Attack Iran​ https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2026/03/spanish-government-infuriates-trump-by-denying-us-permission-to-use-jointly-operated-bases-to-attack-iran.html

    ​ Indian authorities crackdown on protests in Kashmir
    Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in India-controlled Kashmir to protest and mourn the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.​ Demonstrations took place in Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla, Bandipora, Pulwama and Kargil.
    Protesters carried black flags and portraits of Khamenei, chanting anti-America and anti-Israel slogans…
    ..Support for Khamenei in Kashmir is across the board, with Mirwaiz Mohammad Umar Farooq of the Jamia Masjid issuing a condemnation of his killing and calling for a strike in Kashmir on Monday.
    ​ In Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, there were significant protests as well, with unconfirmed reports that a UN office was set alight.
    The Jammu and Kashmir government in India-controlled Kashmir called for the closure of all educational institutions for the next two days.
    Kashmir has a centuries-old cultural and linguistic connection with Iran, and was known as “Little Iran” as a result of the scale of influence.​ https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/indian-authorities-crackdown-protests-kashmir

    At least 22 people killed in Pakistan as protesters try to storm US Consulate​ https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-protesters-attacked-us-consulate-karachi-iran-a3cc0c3c6f126cc54a657f61d312a203

    ‘They’re Not MAGA’: Trump Remarks On Tucker Carlson And Megyn Kelly’s Iran Criticism​ https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/theyre-not-maga-trump-remarks-tucker-carlson-and-megyn-kellys-iran-criticism

    ​ More Bark Than Bite: Kaine’s War Powers Resolution Is An ‘Imminent’ Failure​
    We now have a glimpse of the War Powers Resolution promised by Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.), which is reportedly scheduled for a vote in the Senate today or Wednesday. The resolution purportedly ends all combat operations against Iran … until you reach the very end where there is a hole that you could drive a combat task force through.​ https://www.zerohedge.com/political/more-bark-bite-kaines-war-powers-resolution-imminent-failure

    March 4, 2026 at 3:55 pm #233312
    John Day
    Participant

    Netanyahu’s son ‘highly vulnerable target’ while living in Miami as he dodges IDF reserve
    Benjamin Netanyahu’s 34-year-old son Yair has been living in Miami while Israeli soldiers mobilize, sparking outrage among troops and security warnings from experts​ https://www.the-express.com/news/world-news/200816/netanyahu-son-IDF-Iran-war

    ​The war you need to bring Jesus back… Israel launches Bible study program targeting US evangelicals https://israelpalestinenews.org/israel-launches-bible-study-program-targeting-us-evangelicals/

    Qatar’s LNG Blackout Just Broke the Global Gas Market​ https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Qatars-LNG-Blackout-Just-Broke-the-Global-Gas-Market.html

    Russia Says Ukrainian Drone Boat Blew Up Shadow LNG Tanker In Mediterranean​ https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/tankers-burn-strait-hormuz-mediterranean-sea-amid-spillover-war-risks

    Ocean lines flee Strait of Hormuz as Iran targets Persian Gulf ports​ – Tankers anchor as critical crude oil route shuts down​ https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ocean-lines-flee-strait-of-hormuz-as-iran-targets-persian-gulf-ports?oly_enc_id=7576E4150945E5B

    March 4, 2026 at 3:56 pm #233313
    John Day
    Participant

    China Panics, Urges Ceasefire To Reopen Strait Of Hormuz As Beijing Is Addicted To Cheap Iranian Crude​ https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/china-panics-urges-ceasefire-reopen-strait-hormuz-beijing-addicted-cheap-iranian-crude

    ​ [Not yet] Andrew Korybko, What Are The Prospects Of Putin Mediating An End To The Iran War?
    Russia is the only country in the world that’s on decent terms with Iran, the US, Israel, and the Gulf Kingdoms, thus making Putin the only person who could potentially mediate an end to the war.​ https://korybko.substack.com/p/what-are-the-prospects-of-putin-mediating

    ​ Russia offers India a helping hand with energy supplies amid Gulf crisis
    With tensions in West Asia threatening global oil supplies, Russia has offered to step in with energy support for India, as per a Russian source quoted by Reuters.​ https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/gulf-crisis-russia-willing-help-india-energy-supplies-oil-prices-us-deal-iran-2877148-2026-03-03

    ​ ​Act of War or ​Piracy? ‘Russian shadow fleet’ tanker seized in Belgian-French North Sea raid
    The ship, which is on the European Union’s sanctions list, is now being escorted to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.​ https://news.sky.com/story/russian-shadow-fleet-tanker-seized-in-belgian-french-north-sea-raid-13513905

    Jim Rickards: “Cuba’s Next” After Iran Strikes​ https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2026-03-02/jim-rickards-cubas-next-after-iran-strikes-why-10000-gold-locked-accelerating

    March 4, 2026 at 3:57 pm #233314
    John Day
    Participant

    Caribbean countries pledge humanitarian support for Cuba amid rising tensions with US
    Disagreement among Caricom members hampers unified response on Cuban sovereignty and US intervention in the region​ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/28/caribbean-countries-pledge-humanitarian-support-for-cuba-amid-rising-tensions-with-us

    Bug? Feature? Zelensky Warns Iran War Could Starve Ukraine Of Critical US Arms​ https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/zelensky-warns-iran-war-could-starve-ukraine-critical-us-arms

    ​ Macron to set out how France’s nuclear arms could protect Europe
    Paris (France) (AFP) – France will on Monday unveil how it could use the European Union’s only atomic arsenal to protect the continent in an unstable world, with Russia becoming increasingly aggressive and the United States turning away.​ https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260302-macron-to-set-out-how-france-s-nuclear-arms-could-protect-europe

    ​ [Rothschild-Paris banker] Macron Throws Out French Nuclear Policy Over Russia And China Threats
    President Emmanuel Macron on Monday broke several decades of French nuclear taboos, promising to increase the country’s arsenal and positioning France for a lead role in European security. Macron also called for the deployment of French nuclear capable aircraft to allied nations (which could potentially include Ukraine). The new policies are some of the most significant changes in French nuclear doctrine since the end of the Cold War.
    ​ “Today, a new phase in French deterrence may therefore be taking shape. We are embarking on what I would call forward deterrence,” the French president said…
    ​..French political analysts note that Macron and his leftist political compatriots may be attempting to lock France into military action before the next presidential elections in 2027, so that new leadership will be unable to reverse course. In other words, conservatives in France are gaining significant ground due to mass immigration issues and the leftist establishment is hoping to embed military forces in Ukraine before they lose power in government.
    ​ Macron argued to qualify nuclear proliferation in his speech while standing at a podium in front of a nuclear submarine. The statements came off as empty posturing, but the implications are still broad.
    ​ “Whoever wants to be free must be feared. Whoever wants to be feared must be strong…To be free, we have to be feared.”​ https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/macron-throws-out-french-nuclear-policy-over-russia-and-china-threats

    ​ France’s nuclear ‘renaissance’ faces uncertainty amid uranium crunch
    France’s new multi-annual energy plan doubles down on nuclear power, but questions over uranium supply amid Niger’s coup and China’s rise are threatening President Emmanuel Macron’s “nuclear renaissance”.​ https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20260301-france-s-nuclear-renaissance-faces-uncertainty-amid-uranium-crunch

    March 4, 2026 at 3:58 pm #233315
    John Day
    Participant

    Starmer to be accused of ‘crimes against humanity’ in legal challenge to Chagos deal​ https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/starmer-accused-crimes-against-humanity-161037082.html

    Trump Says He’s ‘Disappointed’ by Starmer For Blocking Use Of Diego Garcia For Iran Strikes​ https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-says-hes-disappointed-starmer-blocking-use-diego-garcia-iran-strikes

    ​ Bill Pervs Out Over Epstein Memories, Hillary Goes Berserk, And They Both Lied: Top Viral Moments From Clinton Depositions
    Bill Clinton Smirks While Flipping Through Epstein Photos; The #1 clip on the entire internet: Bill casually thumbs through old pictures with Jeffrey Epstein, nodding and smiling – until his lawyer lunges in and yanks them away…
    ..Bill Explains the Hot Tub Photo from the Epstein Files; Lawmakers press Clinton on a specific photo of him in a hot tub with Epstein associates. His awkward answers and body language have everyone talking…
    ..Bill Says He Felt “Closer” to Ghislaine Maxwell Than Epstein Because She Was ‘good friends with Evelyn Rothschild and his wife, Lynn.’ …
    ..Hillary’s Full “I’m Done” Table-Pounding Meltdown; After learning Rep. Lauren Boebert leaked a photo of her testimony, Hillary explodes, pounds the table, screams “I’m done with this!” and storms out threatening contempt…
    ..Hillary Goes Berserk and Slams the Table at Rep. Nancy Mace; Hillary loses it during a heated exchange with Nancy Mace over an Epstein invite to a private 2016 fundraiser. Repeated table-slamming and yelling ensues…
    ..Hillary Triggered by Pizzagate Questions; Rep. Lauren Boebert asks Hillary straight-up about Comet Ping Pong, Podesta emails, and the “Life Insurance” file on Weiner’s laptop. Hillary and her lawyers immediately go off the record and freak out.​..
    ..Bill Clinton Emphatically Denies Ever Visiting Epstein’s Island; Pressed on Virginia Giuffre’s claims and diary references, Bill declares under oath: “I have never been on his island. Period.”​ https://www.zerohedge.com/political/bill-pervs-out-over-epstein-memories-hillary-goes-berserk-and-they-both-lied-top-viral

    ​ European Commission Wants Your Free Speech. X Is In the Way
    Last week, Elon Musk’s X launched a landmark legal challenge against a $140 million fine issued by the European Commission last December under the Digital Services Act, an EU censorship law. The case was filed at the General Court of the EU, which hears high-stakes challenges to EU regulatory and enforcement actions.
    ​ The commission claims the fine, the first to be issued under the DSA, was for alleged transparency and procedural breaches, all of which X denies. But the real reason the company was targeted is clear: X is a ​[cough, MOSTLY] free speech platform, and Elon Musk refuses to implement online censorship in the EU and around the world.​ https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2026/03/02/european_commission_wants_your_free_speech_x_is_in_the_way_153890.html

    ​ Electricity prices could triple after a few years: Houston Chronicle examines risks of Blackstone’s proposed TXNM takeover https://pestakeholder.org/media_coverage/houston-chronicle-examines-risks-of-blackstones-proposed-txnm-takeover/

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