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(Kevin Kallaugher, The Economist)
(Joey Weatherford, Tribune Content Agency)
(Michael Ramirez, Las Vegas Review-Journal)
(Ted Rall, Rall.com)
(Clay Jones, claytoonz. substack.com
(Drew Sheneman, The Star-Ledger)
William "Bloody Bill" Kristol, an early Never Trumper, neocon philosopher and regular antagonist of the mentally ill and reckless Malignant Fascist, has these observations on Melanoma Melania Trump's strange speech yesterday trying to absolve herself -- but not her corrupt husband -- from the taint of the Epstein-Trump scandal:
"Melania is perhaps not a deep thinker, but she’s no fool. Since immigrating to the United States three decades ago, Melania Knauss has done well for herself. She’s shown that she has a shrewd sense of how to operate in her adopted country. She’s risen to the top, while mostly avoiding being directly engulfed in all the scandals that have raged around her.
And now she seems to think that the man to whom she hitched herself may be going down. She’s trying to arrange not to go down with him.
She presumably doesn’t think her husband can be induced to become one of those 'prominent male executives' who resigns from his powerful position. But she knows that he can be removed from it. Isn’t Melania signaling others in the Trump administration and her husband’s supporters in Congress that it’s time to abandon ship, that it’s time to remove him from office?
It should not have taken Melania Trump, acting in her own self-interest, to spur this action. Others should have come to this conclusion based on a judgment of what’s necessary for the well-being of the nation. But one welcomes any helping hand in our current drama." (our emphasis)
We're less sanguine about the effect of Trump's speech, but better late than never, better a little than nothing.
(photo: Trump to bff Epstein: "she's hot")
Was Melanoma Melania Trump's Epstein speech to defuse a bombshell ?--
Follow this thread. Most likely, and of course, all speculation right now, this is why Melania did her 6 min statement today. Amanda Ungaro was brought here as a 17-year-old model. She flew to NYC on Epstein's private plane. 1/2
— Wajahat Ali (@wajali.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 2:53 AM
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Paolo Zampolli, the modeling agent who allegedly introduced Melania to Trump in 1998, fathered Ungaro's child. They were engaged in an ugly custody battle. Zampolli leaned on ICE and his Trump connections to DEPORT Ungaro. Zampolli also allegedly represented Melania when she was a model...
— Wajahat Ali (@wajali.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 2:55 AM
MacFarlane: If the first lady is trying to preemptively defuse a journalistic bomb that's coming on the Epstein files, I know a lot of good PR practitioners would say: you don't defuse a bomb by calling attention to the bomb
— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 11:39 PM
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I was pleased to learn that Melania agrees
— George Conway ⚖️πΊπΈ (@gtconway.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 10:37 PM
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Operation Epic Epstein Fury: Mission accomplished loser --
SUMMARY: Trump told Iran to “open the fuckin’ Strait you crazy bastards…or your civilisation will die.” Iran did nothing. Trump ceased attacks on Iran and agreed to lift all sanctions set over the last 30 years. The Strait of Hormuz is now fully closed.
— News Eye (@newseye.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 8:05 AM
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“.. Not all wars have a winner. But every war has at least one loser and if — a big if — the ceasefire marks the end of the war in Iran, the biggest loser will be Donald Trump.” @economist.com www.economist.com/leaders/2026...
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 7:42 AM
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Tired of winning, yet? Inflation edition --
STARMER: “.. I’m fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy, businesses’ bills go up and down on energy, because of the actions of Putin or Trump across the world.” @cnbc.com π¬π§ www.cnbc.com/2026/04/09/k...
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 7:51 AM
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Inflation was already rising before the war. Trump's failed war has caused it spiral completely out of control.
— Simon Rosenberg (@simonwdc.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 8:37 AM
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The Malignant Fascist's collection of stooges serving the biggest stooge of all --
New in PN: A regime of idiots — A complete inventory of Trump stooges "The downside of Trump’s reliance on sub-mediocre stooges is they amplify his own stupidity & terrible judgment. Dumb stooges inevitably emulate his sadism & laziness, leading to a govt marked by sociopathology on a grand scale."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) April 9, 2026 at 8:56 AM
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Briefing in Situation Room on Israeli pitch for war: C.I.A. director Ratfcliffe: "farcical" Secretary of State Rubio: “it’s bullshit” Vice President Vance: "expressed strong skepticism" General Caine: "They oversell" President Trump: "Operation Epic Fury is approved" www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/u...
— Mark Klamberg (@klamberg.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 7:46 AM
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Russia's asset in our intelligence community protected by perverse dirty trickster Stone --
The guy investigated for years for conspiring with Russia (who may have gotten not one, but TWO pardons for his ties to Russia) interceded to make sure Trump didn't fire Tulsi. Great. Just great. www.axios.com/2026/04/10/t...
— emptywheel (@emptywheel.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 9:39 AM
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Ukraine continues to attack and decimate Russian oil facilities. Slava Ukraini! --
The results of the Ukrainian FP-2 drone strike on an oil depot in Feodosia, Russian-occupied Crimea. The oil terminal has been almost completely destroyed by Ukrainian attacks. Source: Dnipro Osint
— Anton Gerashchenko (@antongerashchenko.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 5:53 AM
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And finally, an important ship passes through Strait of Hormuz. Will the MF order it sunk? --
Let’s hope the files make it through unmolested.
— ππ¦ππππ πΎπ¦π£π (@sundaedivine.lol) April 8, 2026 at 5:11 PM
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Music giant and international treasure Sir Paul McCartney, who will be 84 years young in June, hasn't stopped making glorious music that the world loves. He has a new album -- his 20th solo album -- coming out in a few weeks, "The Boys of Dungeon Lane," a reference to a road in Liverpool "along the Mersey shore" where as a child he bird watched and swam.
"Days We Left Behind" is a song from that upcoming album that was released recently: a lovely, wistful melody that has Sir Paul almost whispering the deeply personal lyrics accompanied by an acoustic guitar and piano. Just beautiful. (Sir Paul will be the featured guest for SNL's season finale on May 16, so he's likely to sing this and other songs from the new album).
In an unanticipated and brief statement yesterday, Melanoma Melania Trump vigorously denied having any friendship or connection to underage sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, responding to allegations circulating about how she and her deviant husband the Malignant Fascist met. It was very odd timing, as the MF's blunder into a war with Iran was taking most of the public's attention away from the Epstein-Trump files and Epstein's victims, much to her husband's relief. Garrett Owen at Salon.com writes:
"Rumors have swirled around Trump thanks to her husband’s relationship with the late sex trafficker. In 2025, Hunter Biden claimed President Donald Trump and Melania were introduced to each other by Epstein. Author Andrew Lownie made a similar accusation in his book, 'Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York.' Both claims sparked a swift legal response from Melania Trump’s lawyers, though Biden refused to retract his statement.
Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Melania Trump said she had 'never been friends with Epstein.' [snip]
Emails between Melania Trump and Epstein’s inner circle were revealed earlier this year. In January, emails released as part of the Epstein files showed a 2002 correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell. The first lady refers to Maxwell as 'G,' and Maxwell calls her 'sweat pea.'
Melania Trump downplayed these emails as 'casual correspondence.'
'My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note,' she said.
The easy familiarity of the e-mails says more than "polite reply", as you can see for yourself:
Emails between Melania Trump and Epstein’s inner circle were revealed earlier this year. In January, emails released as part of the Epstein files showed a 2002 correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell. The first lady refers to Maxwell as “G,” and Maxwell calls her “sweat pea.”
Melania Trump wants these photos and emails to be scrubbed from the Internet. Please stop liking and sharing them. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
— MeidasTouch (@meidastouch.com) April 9, 2026 at 7:19 PM
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Trump called for Congress to have Epstein's (and her husband's) victims testify in public hearings to tell their stories and identify their abusers, hopefully including the young girl who accused the MF of raping her when she was 13. We'll see where that goes. Also, the MF's corrupt Deputy AG Todd Blanche has already announced that as far as DOJ is concerned they're putting the Epstein - Trump matter in the past.
Just when a disastrous war distracted the public, attention is now back on the Epstein-Trump files, thanks to Melania Trump's little hand grenade.
(photo: double dating with the predators)
(click to enlarge image)
(Michael de Adder, The Contrarian)
(Clay Jones, claytoonz.substack.com)
(Drew Sheneman, Tribune Content Agency)
(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
Despite the demented and lying Malignant Fascist's boastful b.s. about a "ceasefire" and the Strait of Hormuz open to ship traffic, only a trickle of ships are moving through the strategic waterway, as shippers weigh the risks in transiting the Iran-controlled Strait. From the New York effing Times:
"There were few signs on Wednesday of a large-scale return of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran and the United States said they would work to move vessels through the crucial waterway as part of their cease-fire agreement.
Shipping traffic could increase, experts said, if the vessels’ operators concluded that the terms of making the passage were clear and the risks of attacks were reduced. Global shipping traffic and energy flows could yet take months to return to prewar levels, they added.
Iran has blocked the strait, which carries a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil and one-fifth of its gas, throughout the war by laying mines and launching sporadic attacks on ships.
A Greek-owned bulk carrier and a Liberia-flagged vessel crossed the strait on Wednesday, according to Kpler, a global ship-tracking firm. But there were also 'no clear signs yet of large-scale positioning or queuing that would indicate ships are preparing to move through in significant numbers,' said Dimitris Ampatzidis, a senior risk and compliance analyst at Kpler. 'Most operators appear to be holding back.'” (our emphasis)
Most operators "appear to be holding back" because they trust the word of neither the Iranian Revolutionary Guard nor the unstable MF, as missiles and drones continue to be exchanged in the region. There are reports that the Strait may be mined, further deterring ship traffic. There's also a question whether Israel has any intention in observing the "ceasefire," as they pound southern Lebanon, a violation of the ceasefire conditions announced by Iran. Small wonder shippers don't want to chance the Strait for now.
(photo: Backlog of ships waiting for Strait to open. Bloombertg News)
Operation Epic Epstein Fury: our "ceasefire" partner, missing plan, more --
Rick Perlstein is right, and we saw the clearest evidence yet yesterday: We cannot credibly promise not to bomb Iran, because we have tied ourselves at the hip to another country, Israel, who might keep bombing them no matter what we say or do. Iran will reasonably treat this bombing as the shared
— Scott Horton (@robertscotthorton.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 8:44 AM
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I mean just show us the plan, if there is one…
— Shipwreck (@shipwreck75.bsky.social) April 8, 2026 at 11:14 PM
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There’s a lot going on here. Almost all of it deeply disturbing.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 3:47 AM
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GHALIBAF: “.. there is no room for denial and backtracking.”
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 7:38 AM
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Clumsy cipher J(unior) D(icator) Vance will stop wife from jumping from plane --
It’s honestly hilarious that this guy thinks he’ll ever be president. He’s like if Mitt Romney and Ron DeSantis had a wildly unlikable baby who was raised by Sean Hannity and a gallon of white paint.
— Rex Huppke (@rexhuppke.bsky.social) April 8, 2026 at 9:41 PM
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The unbridled corruption of the Trump regime and family, part infinity --
Unprecedented corruption
— Brendan Nyhan (@brendannyhan.bsky.social) April 8, 2026 at 9:14 PM
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Good morning! Since Trump was re-elected, Forbes estimates— π°His net worth is up $2 billion, to $6.3 billion π°Eric’s is up 10x, to $400 million π°Don Jr.’s is up 6x, to $300 million π°20-year-old Barron is worth $150 million And Jared became a billionaire last year. Have a great day!
— Zach Everson (@zacheverson.com) April 9, 2026 at 8:26 AM
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Because of course. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 9:00 AM
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The Malignant Fascist's best European lapdog. When Dems return, he should be gone --
Sec Gen NATO Rutte: “We like each other… I really admire Trump’s leadership… The world is safer today than before the war…” He won’t even condemn Trump’s genocidal “civilization” post. This dude is somehow more of a lapdog than anyone in Trump’s own cabinet.
— The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 8:13 AM
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No, Mark Rutte, Mr. Trump does not have a point. He treats America's NATO allies as personal servants, and demands tribute even while dishonoring America's commitments. Trying to placate him by highlighting ways Europe did help with a terribly misguided, illegal, failed war just makes things worse.
— Nicholas Grossman (@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 8:04 AM
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For the record.... --
Yesterday Israel murdered another Palestinian journalist in Gaza Jodie Ginsberg: ".. at least 260 journalists have been killed.. that makes Israel the biggest killer of journalists since @pressfreedom.bsky.social started documenting those deaths in 1992"
— Saul Staniforth (@saulstaniforth.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 1:03 AM
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In nature news from The Onion --
Once-Adventurous Salmon Can’t Believe She Ended Up Moving Back To Birthplace, Having A Bunch Of Kids https://theonion.com/once-adventurous-salmon-can-t-believe-she-ended-up-movi-1825827223/
— The Onion (@theonion.com) April 8, 2026 at 5:00 PM
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In another burst of manic threats, the demented and volatile Malignant Fascist took to his social media platform and threatened Iran if "the REAL AGREEMENT" isn't reached the "Shootin' Starts." Of course, he left it to one's imagination as to what the "real agreement" is, because he may not know himself in his addled condition. Just yesterday, the unstable MF was rhapsodizing about sharing responsibility for the Strait with Iran, after writing on April 7 that "We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate. Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran..."
The MF claimed to have brought about a change in Iran's theocratic regime and that more reasonable officials were in charge to negotiate with, despite referring to them as "crazy bastards" in his unhinged, profane social media post on Easter Sunday. He's clearly flailing and looking to bluff, deceive and con everyone that's still not on to his methods. With the "ceasefire" showing signs of failing, we may not have to wait two weeks before the MF does another 180 degree turn.
Jimmy Kimmel spent a good part of his show on the TACO move of "Mafia Don" Trump, who's looking to make a buck off of the Iranian toll for the Strait of Hormuz, and who's making unctuous nice with the Iranian regime that he called "crazy bastards" just a few days ago. Stick around for Jimmy's "Trump Oil" segment at the end. Good stuff.
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(Jen Sorensen, jensorensen.com)
(Pedro Molina, Tribune Content Agency)
(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times and Free Press)
(Drew Sheneman, GoComics)
(Bill Bramhall, NY Daily News)
Operation Epic Epstein Fury: Stop, pay toll and more --
NYT reporting that under this ceasefire each ship will pay $2M to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. It was $0 before Trump launched this illegal war. 100-130 ships pass the Strait daily. Trump just gave Iran an extra $100M-$130M per day. Masterful gambit, sir. Impeach and remove this fascist—NOW.
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@qasimrashid.com) April 7, 2026 at 8:17 PM
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Wow. What an achievement.
— digby (@digby56.bsky.social) April 7, 2026 at 8:24 PM
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The president is just posting his negotiating position on main. None of this is agreed to, and the fact that this is all he is asking for is a startling admission of U.S. strategic defeat. He is HOPING Iran will let him get back to a position worse than JCPOA.
— Matthew Gertz (@mattgertz.bsky.social) April 8, 2026 at 8:29 AM
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IRANIAN NAVY: “.. You must receive permission from Iranian Sepah navy for passing through the strait. If any vessel tries to transit without permission, will be destroyed.” @wsj.com www.wsj.com/livecoverage...
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) April 8, 2026 at 6:11 AM
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Iran continues its trolling
— Olga Nesterova (@onestpress.onestnetwork.com) April 8, 2026 at 8:29 AM
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Latest “ceasefire” news: Iran's oil refinery facility on Lavan Island is burning, and Iran is blaming the UAE for the attack. In response, Iran just fired retaliatory missiles and drones at the UAE and Kuwait. #IranWar
— Jon Cooper (@joncooper-us.bsky.social) April 8, 2026 at 7:14 AM
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Saudi Arabia’s vital East-West oil pipeline attacked ft.trib.al/gjwfP4p
— Financial Times (@financialtimes.com) April 8, 2026 at 8:55 AM
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Are you awake yet, mainstream corporate media? --
Good morning, mainstream media! Today you have a fresh opportunity to stop ignoring the biggest story around: the mental derangement of the person in charge of the deadliest killing force in the world.
— Mark Jacob (@markjacob.bsky.social) April 8, 2026 at 8:39 AM
Meanwhile, J(unior) D(ictator) Vance interferes on behalf of Putin's guy in Hungary --
Foreign election interference…
— PatriotTakes πΊπΈ (@patriottakes.bsky.social) April 8, 2026 at 7:27 AM
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Netanyahu's and Israel's favorability numbers in U.S. are tanking. Look like Trump numbers. --
The Iran War has caused Americans to reassess, once more, their view of Israel. • 60% of American adults now have an _unfavorable_ view of Israel • That’s up from 53% last year and 42% in 2022. • In both political parties, a majority of adults under age 50 view Israel negatively (84% D, 57% R)
— Scott Horton (@robertscotthorton.bsky.social) April 7, 2026 at 11:27 PM
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Great victory in Wisconsin State Supreme Court race. Progressives now hold 5 - 2 majority --
Liberal judge cruises to victory in Wisconsin Supreme Court race
— Politico (@politico.com) April 7, 2026 at 9:40 PM
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In his Substack column, history scholar Timothy Snyder looks at the vile, genocidal words the mentally ill and violent Malignant Fascist used against Iran, and how they made acts of mass violence more likely.
“'A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.'
These are not the words of Hitler, or Stalin, or Mao, or Pol Pot, or Assad, or Putin. These are the words of the president of the United States, today.
Do not be distracted by circumstances. Of course there are emotions, personalities, politics, a war. None of this excuses that sentence. The reason we have a notion of genocide, and a convention on genocide, is to define certain actions as always and definitively wrong.
Are these 'only words'? No, they cannot be 'only words.' As any historian of mass atrocity knows, there is no such thing as 'only words.' The notion of killing a whole civilization, once spoken, remains. It enables others to say similar things, as when another elected representative compared the entire country of Iran to a cancer that had to be removed.
Whatever happens tonight, the president, by saying such things, has already changed the world for the worse, and made acts of mass violence more likely. If we are Americans, he has also changed our country. He has changed us, because he represents us; we voted for him, or we didn’t vote and allowed him to come to power, or we didn’t do enough to stop him. These words are America’s words, until and unless Americans reject them." (our emphasis)
The MF is our national disgrace and stain, speaking words that were once unimaginable for a U.S. President to utter. It was also once unimaginable that a mentally ill, pathological liar, convicted felon and likely pedophile would hold that office.
Last night, the demented and violent Malignant Fascist announced a two week ceasefire just an hour before he claimed he was going to obliterate Iran's power plants and bridges. Details of the agreement that Pakistan worked out emerged, and it's no win for the MF. Known for setting two week timeframes to divert interest or to stall for time, the MF -- who's also known by "TACO" or Trump Always Chickens Out -- is agreeing some of the points in the Iran / Pakistan-negotiated agreement, including most significantly Iran's right to police the Strait of Hormuz and to collect a "toll" for a ship's passage. The toll would help Iran rebuild from the damage of the six-week attack. CNN is reporting that the 10-point agreement offered by Iran includes firm assurances that Iran would be compensated for damages:
"While the White House has not detailed what Iran’s 10-point proposal consists of, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council laid out key parts of the plan.
CNN obtained the statement from Iranian officials. It was also reported on by multiple Iranian state media outlets.
It included regulating passage through the Strait of Hormuz; terminating attacks on Iran and its regional proxy forces; the withdrawal of US forces from the region; compensation to Iran; the lifting of international sanctions and unfreezing of assets; and a binding UN resolution to secure any ultimate peace deal." (our emphasis)
Also, there are reports this morning of attacks following the ceasefire, according to CNN:
"Two US-allied Arab countries say they were targeted by Iran this morning with drones and missiles despite Iran agreeing a ceasefire.
Iranian drones fired on Kuwait caused 'significant material damage' to oil facilities, power stations, and water desalination plants, Kuwait’s army said. In the United Arab Emirates, the defense ministry said air defenses were 'engaging with missile and drone attacks originating from Iran.'
State media in Iran said the attack was in response to strikes on its energy infrastructure, citing a statement from the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company saying oil refinery facilities on Lavan Island were 'subjected to a cowardly attack by enemies.'”
Notably, Israel, the MF's partner in the attack on Iran, is continuing to attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, which has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and killed 130 children.
Claiming falsely as he has previously that Iran had undergone a "regime change," the MF also said sanctions and tariff relief were coming, as well as a plan "to dig up and remove" the uranium buried under the rubble, and impose tariffs on countries supplying Iran with weapons. Iran has denied that the U.S. would be helping retrieve its uranium. What will likely happen over the next two weeks is the MF will desperately seek a face-saving way to fully get out of the mess he created, leaving Iran's grip on the Strait stronger than ever and the threat of new attacks from them ever present.
(click on images to enlarge)
(John DarkΓ³w, Columbia Missourian)
(Joe Heller, Heller Syndication)
(Bill Bramhall, New York Daily News)
(Dave Whamond, GoComics)
