@#12 ... "Okay, you guys go first. We'll be right behind you." ...

As I mentioned in a prior message, Pres Trump seems to want other nations to join the US in his war.

At which point, Pres Trump would likely just bow out saying that it is now ~their battle to fight.~

@#3 ... Unthinkable?
Uh ... no. In fact, blindingly obvious. ...

The US Military knew of the ramifications of attacking Iran, and closing the Strait of Hormuz was one of those ramifications.

The problem is likely that Pres Trump may have been of the opinion that his war against Iran would end so quickly that the closure of the Strait would not matter in the longer run.

Unfortunately for Pres Trump, he didn't get the "quick win" with Iran that he was expecting.

Now he seems to be desperate for an exit ramp, as his unprovoked war drags on ...

Without a block ...

@#1 ... Isn't the point of this that Texas is going Blue? ...

I'm not yet convinced about "is going blue" but I do have to say the folk from the Northern blue states who have been moving to the South for the weather may have a longer term effect upon the politics of the South.

@#3

Related ...

@#2

How far inland does one have to go in Florida to get a couple feet above sea level?

@#9 ... You do realize thanks to Trump's bungling, Iran is actually better off than they were before he attacked? ...

In some respects, absolutely.

For starters ...

Iran now knows the choke hold they have upon the world economy via the Strait of Hormuz.

Thank-you Pres Trump.

@#80 ... How about we start taxing the uber-wealthy who have, for the past 40 years, been able to dodge their financial responsibilities that provide them with a country that protects them and their money and their property? ...

Mayor Mamdani wants to tax the billionaires who own and profit from secondary investment properties in NYC without paying their fair share to help the City.

Mr Griffin of Citadel seems to have an objection to that prospect.

@#77 ... Is Turds aware how many times he's posted the lie about Biden raping his daughter? ...

It seems to be that current alias' go-to deflection attempt.

... Trump Administration Closes Watchdog Office For Immigration Detention Abuse ...

Quelle surprise.

The cruelty seems to be the purpose.

@#8 ... This type of stuff is nearly the entire reason he's back in office. This was planned from the get go to be nothing but grift after grift after grift. ...

I cannot disagree.

Pres Trump, when he ran for his second term, seemed to be more of the opinion, ~what can I get out of this?~

As opposed to, ~what can I do during the second term to serve Americans?~

More from the article ...

... Climate change is dramatically reshaping how Greenland's ice sheet melts, according to a new study led by the University of Barcelona and published in Nature Communications. Researchers found that extreme melting events are now happening more often, covering larger areas, and producing significantly more meltwater than in the past.

Since 1990, the surface area affected by these extreme events has been expanding by about 2.8 million km2 per decade. At the same time, the amount of water released from melting ice has surged. Between 1950 and 2023, extreme melt events produced an average of 12.7 gigatons of water per decade. Since 1990, that figure has jumped to 82.4 gigatons per decade, marking a sixfold increase.

Record-Breaking Melt Events Are Becoming More Common

Most of the most intense melting episodes have occurred in recent decades. Seven of the ten most extreme events on record have taken place since 2000, including major events in August 2012, July 2019, and July 2021. These events stand out because they have no comparable dynamic precedents, highlighting how unusual current conditions have become. ...

Speaking of airports ...

That $1B could go a long way to providing security to existing structures should a National Special Security Event be declared. There was no need to destroy the East Wing of the White House, except to assuage Pres Trump's oversized ego.

... Justice Department has indicated Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon -- a candidate to replace Pam Bondi as attorney general -- will represent her in a transcribed interview later this month ...

Asst AG Dhillon is probably trying to get into the good graces of Pres Trump with this maneuver.

But the question remains, will this apparent effort outshine Acting AG Blanche telling Pres Trump that he loves Pres Trump?

@#1 ... Trump reiterated Tuesday while signing a proclamation. "You can't let a bunch of lunatics have a nuclear weapon or the world would be in trouble." ...

Then why did Pres Trump tear up the agreement with Iran during his first term?

More from the cited article ...

... The backstory:

President Donald Trump has said one of the major reasons he went to war was to deny Iran the ability to develop nuclear weapons.

"You can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon,"

Trump reiterated Tuesday while signing a proclamation. "You can't let a bunch of lunatics have a nuclear weapon or the world would be in trouble." ...

Meanwhile ...

Why is fmr AG Bondi apparently so afraid to testify?

More from the article ...

... House Democrats are sounding the alarm about the Justice Department's purported plan for Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon to represent former Attorney General Pam Bondi in her "official capacity" during an interview with lawmakers about the agency's handling of the Epstein files.

It would be a striking move by Dhillon, who is considered by some to be a top contender to replace Bondi at the head of the Justice Department. The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee argued Monday it would likely violate agency policy and ethical standards.

The Oversight Committee's Republican majority last week announced that Bondi, ousted by President Donald Trump in April, would sit for a "transcribed interview" with lawmakers later this month on her compliance with federal law requiring the Justice Department to publish documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The former attorney general's participation in the congressional Epstein probe has been a contentious topic on Capitol Hill -- Democrats have accused her of dodging an initial deposition date set in a committee subpoena from March. ...

Sec Defense Hegseth never seemed to have a concern about the security of his meetings.

Another view ...

More from the OpEd ...

... The Defense Department, Mr. Hegseth proclaims in his video canceling Harvard, needs "leaders who can wrestle with multiple viewpoints," not useless "ideological automatons." But cutting ties to these universities is less likely to produce independent thinking, and ironically, more likely to produce the very ideological automatons the Secretary decries.

The inferences are direct. Secretary Hegseth apparently believes his officers are not just impressionable, but ideologically brittle. He implies that years of operational experience, command responsibility, and professional military education can be undone by seminar discussions and exposure to alternative policy perspectives. He subtly suggests that the same men and women entrusted with lethal authority and national secrets cannot be trusted with a syllabus.

That is not a serious critique of an academic institution. It is a tacit indictment of the military officer corps by the Secretary of Defense.

As a former commissioned officer himself, Mr. Hegseth knows that military officers are not plucked from obscurity and handed commissions as a social experiment. They are trained, screened, evaluated, promoted, and tested repeatedly. The system prizes resilience, independent judgment, intellectual rigor, and moral steadiness under pressure. Those selected for competitive graduate programs " whether at Harvard or elsewhere " are typically among the most capable in their cohorts.

And yet Secretary Hegseth proclaims that graduate school might unravel all of that.

Despite the Secretary's unfounded logic, elite education doesn't weaken a military officer's character; it strengthens it.

I speak from experience. I am a veteran military officer and a graduate of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. I am also a registered Republican and a gun owner. I did not arrive in Cambridge confused about my political identity. I did not leave with it erased or chastened.

At no point during my time at Harvard did I feel ostracized or vilified for holding views different from many of my peers. I encountered disagreement. Robust disagreement. It is, after all, a school of government.

The Kennedy School classrooms are not therapy circles designed for social and emotional validation. They are debate forums and intellectual proving grounds where you check your ego at the door. Faculty span the political spectrum, many having served in presidential administrations of both parties. Discussions are sharp, substantive, and often uncomfortable. That is precisely why the experience is valuable. ...

More from the article ...

... The number of cafes run by six major chains that serve Yemeni-style drinks grew 50% last year to 136, according to Technomic, a restaurant industry consulting company. The count doesn't include the many smaller chains and independent cafes serving coffees and teas imported from Yemen.

Yemeni coffeehouses are meeting the moment for several reasons. They stay open late -- sometimes past 3 a.m., especially during Ramadan -- and provide a place to socialize for the growing number of Americans who don't drink alcohol. Last year, a Gallup poll found that just 54% U.S. adults reported drinking alcohol, the lowest percentage in 90 years.

"Generally in the Middle East. our nightlife is coffee, right? People hang out at coffee shops, they play cards, they talk. We wanted to bring that here," said Ahmad Badr, who owns an Arwa Yemeni Coffee franchise in Sunnyvale, California. ...