91 thoughts on “In Dire Strait’s Dilemma”


  1. President Trump boasted about how much he likes the name “Operation Epic Fury,” Iran is following through on threats to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz, Pete Hegseth can’t stand the sight of his own face, and Stephen has updates on some real-deal Sasquatch sightings.

  2. Attribution: Russia Helps Iran Target US Military Assets by R.J. Matson, Portland, ME
    [R.J. Matson is the editorial cartoonist with Roll Call, and is syndicated internationally by Cagle Cartoons.]

  3. Newsweek via https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/

    Russia is raking in billions because of Trump’s Iran war

    Russia has raked in nearly $7 billion in fossil fuel revenues since the U.S. and Israel’s strikes against Iran led to the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a new report.
    The strait is a critical chokepoint for global energy markets, with roughly a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil and one-fifth of liquefied natural gas passing through it each year.
    Why It Matters
    Moscow had been facing severe budget strains because of collapsing oil and gas revenues coupled with the high costs of the four-year war against Ukraine.
    Russia’s oil industry is set to get a further boost as President Donald Trump mulls rolling back some sanctions levied following President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Trump administration argues this will help stabilize energy markets, but critics say the move would strengthen Russia’s hand in the four-year war.
    Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Treasury and the Russian Foreign Ministry by email with requests for comment.
    Trump’s War is Feeding the Kremlin’s War Machine
    Russia has profited to the tune of €510 million ($589 million) per day since the start of the Iran war, a 14 percent increase over the daily average in February, according to an analysis released Thursday by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
    As of time of writing, that’s approximately €6 billion ($6.9 billion) from gas and oil exports, or enough to buy 17,000 Shahed-136s every 24 hours. The Shahed-136 is the Iranian-designed attack drone that Russian forces have widely deployed in Ukraine.
    “That is the reality of fossil fuel geopolitics. When markets panic, authoritarian exporters cash in. In less than two weeks, Russia has earned an estimated €6 billion from fossil fuel exports, money that ultimately feeds the Kremlin’s war machine,” said Alexander Kirk, a sanctions campaigner at Urgewald, a German environmental and human-rights-focused nonprofit.
    Speaking to the prospect of the U.S. easing sanctions on Iran, Kirk said such a move would not stabilize markets but simply enable Russia to sell its oil at a much higher price.
    “U.S. sanctions have forced Russian crude to trade at a steep discount. A rollback closes that gap overnight and hands the Kremlin a revenue boost worth billions, at the very moment that pressure is starting to bite,” he said.
    Russia’s ‘Double Whammy’
    The blockage of the Strait of Hormuz came at a good time for Russia, Chris Weafer, chief executive officer of the strategic consultancy Macro-Advisory, told Newsweek.
    “In fact, it can be said the war is saving Russia from potential budget problems,” Weafer said.
    “It is a double whammy positive, as A) the market price of oil and gas is a lot higher and B) Russia does not have to offer discounts to Asian buyers who have been nervous about sanctions and tariff risk,” he added.
    The longer the Hormuz Strait is blocked, the more Russia also stands to benefit. Buyers in Asia, which sources 46 percent of its seaborne crude from the Middle East, have bought Russian oil at more than double the price of the previous three months, Weafer said.
    While China is better insulated from such shocks thanks to diversified supply sources, decades of oil stockpiling and its push into renewables, a prolonged crisis could still see Beijing lean more heavily on Russian energy. It could also buoy Putin’s chances of persuading Chinese’s President Xi Jinping to sign off on a favorable deal to pipe 50 billion cubic meters of gas via the long‑delayed Power of Siberia 2 pipeline.
    China and India account for approximately half Russia’s oil revenues.

    In a controversial move last week, the Trump administration announced a 30-day waiver for Indian purchases of Russian oil. [continues]

  4. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/13/

    US temporarily lifts sanctions on Russian oil at sea as Iran war sees global prices surge
    Trump administration announces 30-day waiver on Russian oil stranded at sea as concerns over US-Israel war on Iran unsettles markets
    […]
    Scott Bessent, the US Treasury secretary, announced a “temporary authorization” late on Thursday, allowing countries to buy the stranded Russian oil for 30 days. Trump is “working to keep prices low”, he said, after average US fuel prices rose by 65 cents per gallon in a month.
    “This narrowly tailored, short-term measure applies only to oil already in transit and will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government, which derives the majority of its energy revenue from taxes assessed at the point of extraction,” Bessent claimed.
    Brent crude, the international benchmark, remained above $100 per barrel during early trading on Friday despite this latest in a string of measures designed to soothe concerns around the economic impact of the US-Israel warn on Iran.
    The Middle East conflict has all but closed the strait of Hormuz, one of the most important arteries in global trade, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and seaborne gas tankers typically pass.
    While the Trump administration has repeatedly pledged to escort vessels through the strait, activity has yet to recover. The Iranian regime has declared that it will not allow “one litre of oil” to be exported from the region while US and Israeli attacks continue.
    The Trump administration last week permitted Indian refiners to temporarily buy Russian oil for 30 days – a month after Trump claimed India had agreed to stop purchasing it, in a shift that he said would “help END THE WAR in Ukraine” by cutting off a vital source of funds for Russia.
    There were about 124m barrels of Russian-origin oil on water across the world as of Thursday, Fox News reported.
    Brent crude was up 0.3% at $100.74 per barrel after Bessent’s announcement, having broken above $100 earlier this week for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine four years ago. The oil price started the year at about $60 per barrel.
    Moscow claimed on Friday it was “increasingly inevitable” that Washington would lift sanctions. The US is “effectively acknowledging the obvious: without Russian oil, the global energy market cannot remain stable”, Russia’s economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev wrote on Telegram.
    Some US allies have pushed back, however. The paralysis of the strait of Hormuz “in no way” justifies lifting sanctions on Russia, French president Emmanuel Macron said after a call with other G7 leaders about the economic ramifications of the war in Iran. [continues]

  5. other dire straits in other times and places


    concluding lyrics of the above:
    There’s so many different worlds
    So many different suns
    And we have just one world
    But we live in different ones
    Now the sun’s gone to hell, and
    The moon’s riding high
    Let me bid you farewell
    Every man has to die
    But it’s written in the starlight
    And every line in your palm
    We’re fools to make war
    On our brothers in arms

  6. PROGRAMMING NOTE: Our daily Digital Diner podcast airs 11-Noon ET on YouTube. JOIN chatroom here. WATCH yesterday’s replay here.

    What America is Actually Clicking: March 13, 2026

    1. MILITARY: [Ongoing] Four U.S. Air Force crew members confirmed dead after KC-135 refueling tanker crashes in western Iraq during Iran operations. – Washington Post
    2. CONFLICT: [Ongoing] Global oil prices surge back above $100 per barrel as U.S. and Israeli airstrikes intensify across Tehran. – Washington Times
    3. CRIME: FBI identifies suspect in Michigan synagogue ramming as Ayman Ghazali, a Lebanese-born U.S. citizen. – CBS News
    4. TERROR: [Ongoing] Gunman in fatal Old Dominion University shooting identified as Mohamed Jalloh, a convicted ISIS supporter recently released from federal prison. – Fox 5 DC
    5. SECURITY: Two Pennsylvania teenagers charged with “ISIS-inspired” IED plot after throwing homemade bombs near NYC’s Gracie Mansion. – CBS News New York
    6. GOVERNMENT: [Ongoing] TSA warns of worsening airport delays as partial DHS shutdown enters its fifth week with no funding deal in sight. – CBS News
    7. MEDIA: White House expresses outrage over CBS News hiring former Liz Cheney communications director Jeremy Adler. – Poynter
    8. ENTERTAINMENT: Conan O’Brien preps his return this Sunday as host for the 2026 Academy Awards following high ratings last year. – The Hollywood Reporter
    9. ECONOMY: German corporate bankruptcies hit 10-year high as energy costs from the Iran conflict cripple industrial growth. – Reuters (via Investing)
    10. OFFBEAT: Hidden Valley Ranch announces search for four “Ranch-bassadors” for an all-expenses-paid flavor quest across Europe. – Travel And Tour World

    These are the stories driving the most traffic across U.S. outlets right now—not necessarily the stories we think you should read, and not always the most recent.

    A roundup by our AI partner Silas (Gemini).

  8. Dumbass gives Putin another gift (grift?). Lifts sanctions on Russian oil at sea, giving him access to profits to fund the war against Ukraine. Stupid muthafugger.

  10. Crockett should be AG if we ever get Repugz out of the WH.

    Where is the original YouTube without Maddow? I’m finding some from February. Did this happen that long ago? I want to see if I see what Rachel saw or if there were flourishes added to the story. I kept wanting her to shut up and play the video.

  11. https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minority/in-24-hours-senate-republicans-block-five-separate-bills-to-fund-tsa-fema-cisa-coast-guard-and-other-dhs-functions

    In 24 Hours, Senate Republicans Block Five Separate Bills to Fund TSA, FEMA, CISA, Coast Guard, & Other DHS Functions

    “This isn’t complicated: if Republicans won’t agree to rein in ICE and Border Patrol, they should at minimum work with us to pay TSA agents and fund disaster relief. But they won’t,” said Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “Right now, Republicans are holding TSA agents’ paychecks hostage because they want to provide more money to ICE, without basic reforms to protect Americans’ rights and safety. Democrats will keep fighting to get TSA workers paid and fund FEMA and the Coast Guard, and we’ll keep pushing to enact common-sense steps to prevent more Americans from being hurt, or even killed, by masked federal agents.”

    *Calling Republican Senators (and Fetterman) to stop holding paychecks hostage to protect the unconstitutional acts of tRUMP’s ICE Gestapo. Republicans are to BLAME for every illegal, cruel, and unconstitutional act of the tRUMP regime because they have refused to do their jobs to serve their constituents. That includes allowing the US to be dragged into an illegal war and commit human rights violations and war crimes. You are complicit. Do your job while you still have one because a dictator does not need legislators.
    ps – Release the Epstein files and start the Epstein trials.

    (and that’s my script for the day!)

    Cruz, Hawley , Fetterman. Time for a tea break.

  13. FRIDAY FAKES
    Welcome to the autopsy of the week’s biggest lies. Today we’re running a forensic audit on the digital ghosts and spin doctors trying to steal your sanity.
    — Silas (Gemini Pro)

    1. THE “PATRIOTIC REBATE” PHISHING SCAM: A hyper-realistic deepfake of the President is circulating on TikTok, announcing a one-time $500 “Energy Dividend” to offset the “Patriotic Tax.” The video directs viewers to a fake government portal designed to harvest Social Security numbers and bank details.

    2. THE “STRAIT OF HORMUZ” BLACKOUT CLIPS: Generative video clips are trending on X, appearing to show a massive naval engagement and a “blockade” in the Strait of Hormuz. These clips are being used by bot farms to drive oil futures up in real-time and trigger panic-buying at local gas stations.

    3. THE “DRAFT LOTTERY” AUDIO LEAK: An AI-cloned audio file mimicking a high-ranking Pentagon official has surfaced on encrypted messaging apps. The voice discusses a “secret draft lottery” for citizens under 30 to support the Iran conflict. It is designed to maximize domestic civil unrest.

    4. THE “FUEL RATIONING” EMERGENCY APP: Misinformation is spreading via fake “Emergency Alert” screenshots claiming that a national fuel rationing app will become mandatory on Monday. The “download” links install a banking trojan that targets mobile wallets.

    5. THE “BSE CEO” PART 2 MARKET MANIPULATION: A new, real-time generative deepfake of the Bombay Stock Exchange CEO is appearing in “live” YouTube ads. This iteration uses a sophisticated “Q&A” format where the AI appears to answer live chat questions about an impending global capital collapse to drive crypto-scam sign-ups.

    — More on this new Digital Diner feature today at 11am ET 🍽️ https://trailmix.cc/diner

  15. Someone whispered “incursion” in Dummkopf’s ear and now we are taking a delightful “excursion” through the Irani countryside.

  17. And the economic news ain’t good.NYT

    By Talmon Joseph Smith
    March 13, 2026
    Updated 9:52 a.m. ET

    Economic growth was slower at the end of 2025 than data first showed and inflationary pressures persisted at the start of this year, a troubling snapshot of an economy on unsteady footing before war with Iran upended oil and financial markets.

    Consumer prices increased moderately in January, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge showed on Friday. Economists worry prices will march even higher in the coming weeks. And gross domestic product, the benchmark measure of economic growth, which is adjusted for inflation, was revised down to a 0.7 percent annual pace for the last three months of the year.

    The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, notched a 0.3 percent monthly increase in the first month of 2026. Compared with the same time last year, prices were up 2.8 percent. The “core” inflation reading, which strips out more volatile food and energy prices, came in at 0.4 percent on a monthly basis, and 3.1 percent on an annual basis. That is a full percentage point above the Fed’s 2 percent target.

    “It basically shows that inflation firmed up to start the year,” Omair Sharif, founder of the research firm Inflation Insights, said of the data. “All the key measures are moving in the wrong direction.”

    Let’s face it everything that Trump is doing is fucking this country up.

  18. The true triumph of reason is that it allows us to get along with those who do not possess it.

    —Voltaire

    Mmmmm…..
    [chomp chomp] COULD be.
    —Bugs Bunny

  26. Craig,

    I came back too late to do an edit. Could you delete my post above that links to my Chat GPT. I just realized that the way the link is constructed, anyone could use it.

    Thank you.

  27. Gas Prices & Patriotism Taxes: The Digital Diner Live

    Gas prices hit terminal velocity while the “war party” calls it a patriotism tax. We’re going through the receipts at the Digital Diner.

    The gaslighting is at terminal velocity. While Trump and his advisors act surprised that Iran might actually hit back by closing the Strait of Hormuz—a channel they’ve only been threatening to block for 40 years—the rest of us are left staring at $6 gas and being told to enjoy the “badge of honor.” It’s a masterclass in under-qualified “DEI hires” (as Blue calls them) failing upwards while the public picks up the tab.

    Between the hoarding-level shoe shopping in the Oval Office—apparently, Rubio’s shoes are visibly too big because Trump keeps ordering Florsheims from a catalog—and the unsettling Epstein-Russia connections surfacing in the latest record releases, the distraction machine is in high gear. We’re keeping all the tabs open, from Jasmine Crockett’s 83 seconds of silence that destroyed Pam Bondi’s credibility to the “exhausturwhelmulated” state of the modern news cycle.

    TODAY’S RUNDOWN
    00:00 Intro: Patriotism Taxes and Gaslighting
    01:34 Robert Byrd’s Spring Poetry Tradition
    02:37 Global Spring Report & Minnesota Grilling
    04:25 TikTok Gas Price Trends & “Winning” Audio
    05:20 Iran, Trump, and the Strait of Hormuz
    08:18 The Oval Office Shoe Catalog Incidents
    10:11 DOGE, Lies, and Social Security Data Leaks
    12:31 Exhausturwhelmulated: The Modern News Cycle
    14:08 How to Call Congress and Why it Matters
    16:16 Sheldon Whitehouse: Epstein-Russia Connections
    19:16 Jasmine Crockett vs. Pam Bondi’s $2.3M Settlement
    30:30 Mark Epstein and Financial Transfer Mysteries
    33:02 Kai Kushner’s $25 Strawberries & Secret Service
    35:11 The $8 Heirloom Tomato & Road Trip Geography
    40:24 Friday Fakes: AI Draft Lottery Audio
    42:54 Selective Service Automation vs. Voter Registration
    45:11 Texas Myths: Judge Roy Bean & Langtry
    48:18 Liver Eating Johnson & Hollywood History
    51:03 National Loon Day & Ted Cruz Getting Booed
    52:43 Americanism vs. Fascism: The 1950s Warnings
    55:09 Winston Churchill: Drunk on a Camel in 1921
    56:45 Murder and Munchies: A Trail Mix Exclusive
    1:01:00 Final Spring Poem by Senator Bob Byrd

  28. I just heard Gym Jordan try to defend the higher gas prices resulting from this fucking idiotic war that dumbass has put us in. I was just struck by the fact that Jim Jordan has raised non-sequiturs to a fucking art form.

  29. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/scott-bessent-sky-news-wilfred-frost-situation-room_n_69b3d78de4b05771d5b1f1b2

    Treasury secretary gets pulled from interview to see Trump, comes back rattled

    The secretary was discussing Japanese economics with “The Master Investor” host Wilfred Frost of Sky News when an aide told Bessent offscreen, “Sorry, the president wants you right away.”

    Someone removed Bessent’s microphone and off he went at 10:22 a.m., according to Sky News. He resumed the sitdown at 12:07 p.m.

    “How was the president? Was he stressed?” Frost asked.

    “Uh, no, the the president is in great spirits,” Bessent answered nervously. “The Iranian mission is proceeding well ahead of schedule. And I have to tell you, Wilf, that I’ve a teenage teenager [sic] who’s considering, uh, military service. And I could give this team my highest compliment. From President Trump to the head of the joint chiefs to the secretary of war. I would they say that I would trust my child’s life in their hands.”

    *What a weird response to inquiring if tRUMP was stressed.

  30. https://www.foodandwine.com/erewhon-viral-tochiaika-strawberry-11685638

    What about $19 for a single strawberry?

    … in addition to their $19 price tag per fruit, these berries from luxury Japanese fruit vendor Elly Amai come packaged individually, set on a soft cushion inside a miniature plastic cloche to protect the strawberry.

    ***

    Search Assist

    “In 2026, the maximum monthly SNAP benefits for a family of four in the 48 contiguous states and Washington D.C. is $994. Benefits may vary based on household size and location, with higher amounts available in places like Alaska and Hawaii.”

    Maximum Monthly Benefits
    Household Size 48 Contiguous States & DC
    1 $281
    2 $511

    *A TALE OF TWO ECONOMIES!

  31. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2026/03/11/kai-trump-erewhon-outrage/89088913007/

    Kai Trump, the president’s 18-year-old influencer granddaughter, went to a grocery store. And a lot of people aren’t happy about it.

    In a YouTube video titled “I Brought My Secret Service to Erewhon,” posted March 9, Trump documented her Erewhon experience, which included purchasing a jar of dates and a smoothie for about $20 each. Overall, her bill came out to $233.

    “I’m about to go, like, bankrupt with this stuff,” she said in the video. “I’m going to need to file for bankruptcy.”

    *My bad; she’d Junior’s daughter. I thought she looked like Ivanka. Was she making a bankruptcy joke about her pedophile grandpa, it is she just completely clueless?

  32. Not that I want to boost her platform, but here she is in all of her obscene privilege, taxpayer-funded security in tow.

  33. Trump Jr.’s fiancée goes to famed White House bathroom to sell $780 pants

    Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancée, Bettina Anderson, has joined his daughter, Kai, in using locations in the White House as backdrops for selling pricey merchandize.

    The Palm Beach socialite shared a selfie on Instagram Story, showing her posing in front of a gilt-framed mirror in the controversially remodeled Lincoln Bathroom, the Daily Beast reported. She’s wearing a blouse and a pair of taupe-colored pants. In true influencer fashion, Anderson shared a link to Oriane, the designer of the pants, which her own “Shop My” profile shows retail for $780.

    It appears that Anderson, 39, snapped the photo while she was in Washington, D.C., for President Trump’s State of the Union…

    She either was given a tour of the executive residence, the Lincoln Bedroom and its newly remodeled bathroom, or she and Trump Jr. were invited to stay the night there. The president faced blowback for the bathroom remodel, which he unveiled on Halloween to show it filled with gold fixtures and “Mar-a-Lago-esque,” white-and-black marble pretty much everywhere, the Daily Beast said.

  34. “War is hell. War is chaos.” -Leaky Pete Hegseth, Incompetent, warmongering, white supremacist.

  35. https://www.rawstory.com/trump-iran-2676097373/

    Trump’s own top officials admitted to lawmakers behind closed doors that they never planned for the possibility that Iran would shut down the strait in response to U.S. military strikes, multiple sources familiar with classified congressional briefings told CNN. The scenario is among the most catastrophic economic scenarios American national security planners have war-gamed for decades.

    A former senior U.S. official who served in both Republican and Democratic administrations delivered a blunt assessment when asked about the Trump administration’s failure to plan for Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz: “I’m dumbfounded.”

    *They are bag-of-hammers dumb.

  36. Little things in life – I filled up the truck the day before stupid put his name to attacking a country that was not attacking the U.S. And, have not been driving since then. Today I did venture out to pick up sushi and fruit. Gas prices up at least fifty or sixty cents per gallon.

    I started on zepbound the end of December, it took a few days and suddenly I had no appetite or even thoughts about food. It is very effective, I have dropped over thirty pounds since then. I eat like I wished I could have for years. My food bill is a quarter of what it used to be.

    An example is the everyday tuna fish sandwich. After putting it together I cut the sandwich into quarters. Then I sit down to eat it. After the first quarter I am slowing down. then I start on the second quarter, usually I can finish it, although not all the time. The other half of the sandwich is boxed up for tomorrow. This is how I am making it through the sfb tariff/taxes and the war shortages price increases. Pure coincidence between war and my weight loss.

  38. https://www.timesnownews.com/world/middle-east/marine-expeditionary-unit-explained-us-marines-to-iran-war-strait-of-hormuz-uss-tripoli-article-153829374

    Marine Expeditionary Unit Explained: Why US Is Sending 5,000 Marines to Middle East

    The unit is typically organised into four main components:
    Command Element: This serves as the headquarters of the unit, coordinating operations and maintaining control over all ground, aviation and support forces within the MEU.
    Ground Combat Element: This is the unit’s main fighting group and is usually built around a Marine infantry battalion. It is also often supported by tanks, artillery, amphibious vehicles, engineers and reconnaissance teams.
    Aviation Combat Element: This component provides air power and mobility. It usually includes a medium helicopter squadron with transport helicopters, attack helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, along with air defence teams and the ground crews needed to support them.
    Logistics Combat Element: This unit essentially responsible for operational support that includes medical services, transportation, equipment supply and maintenance and other logistical needs.

  40. https://meidasnews.com/news/knockoff-bags-spotted-being-sold-at-lara-trumps-mar-a-lago-charity-event-again

    Knockoff Bags Spotted Being Sold at Lara Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Charity Event… Again!
    The counterfeit bags were spotted by a fashion aficionado and called out on Instagram

    In an Instagram story, Coco Cha spotted the bags being sold by a vendor at Lara Trump’s charity event this past weekend. This is the same event where Lara Trump auctioned off rescue puppies.

    Coco Cha posted a video panning over a table displaying the counterfeit bags with logos from Louis Vuitton, Hermès and other high end designers along with text asking, “Who in [Palm Beach] is buying these fake bags? 😅😅😅.”

    This wasn’t the first time fake bags have been offered for sale at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. In fact, Coco Cha spotted them last year at the same event.

    The 2023 video also contained a comparison between a Hermès “Kelly” bag versus a fake one on sell at Mar-a-Lago’s Big Dog Ranch Rescue charity event. Coco Cha tagged the Big Dog Ranch Rescue charity and urged them to “not admit” the owner of “Amber Shane Bags” as a vendor again.

    *IT’S STILL ABOUT MORALITY. Shaming the MAL audience for spending too much on a knockoff – they should still be doing something better with their money than trying to have close proximity to a pedophile and his grifting family, even if it’s for ~charity~
    They have gaping holes in themselves that will never be filled, because even their ~charity~ is actually transactional.

  41. BB – Good timing to reduce your grocery bill. Please make sure you get enough nutrition. Food is more than calories.

    Heard a guy say it would take 80,000 marines to secure the Strait of Hormuz/deal with Iran? Interested to know your thoughts, because what happens to the measly 5,000 sent into harm’s way?

  43. Us: Hey! We gettin’ quite a few dead servicemen ova heah!

    Them: Yeah, we’re thinking about starting up The Draft.

    All these people appointed to government positions by the Stump…..you know how you can tell just how stupid they are?
    Not a damn one of them had enough sense to turn it down.
    See?
    That’s really fuckin’ stupid.
    That’s an entirely new realm of stupid.
    It’s pegged every meter.

  44. bId – eating is important, even when “not hungry”. I do plan for three meals each day, but include “snacks” things like fruit, nuts and liquids. I have been eating more fruit than I since I was a teen. Weight loss is supposed to be a long marathon not a fast sprint. So I am not concerned about losing a lot as fast as possible. A nice thing has happened is I have become excited about doing things again. Not sure why or where it came from, but it is there.

  47. https://newrepublic.com/post/207693/palantir-ceo-karp-disrupting-democratic-power

    Palantir CEO Alex Karp thinks that his AI technology will lessen the power of “highly educated, often female voters, who vote mostly Democrat” while increasing the “power of vocationally-trained, working class, often male voters.”

    “This technology disrupts humanity’s train—largely Democratic voters—and makes their economic power less. And increases the economic power of vocationally-trained, working class, often male, working class voters,” he said in a CNBC interview Thursday. “And so these disruptions are gonna disrupt every aspect of our society. And to make this work, we have to come to an agreement of what it is we’re going to do with the technology, how are we gonna explain to people who are likely gonna have less good, and less interesting jobs.”

  49. PAM BONDI’S TAXPAYER-FUNDED EPSTEIN PAYMENTS.
    The team breaks down the records showing Bondi authorized $2.3 million to a Cayman Islands company for “Epstein-related” claims. Watch the fallout from the 83 seconds of silence that destroyed her credibility.

    Watch the moment on today’s Digital Diner replay:

  50. wow, WaPo is pushing content from “Common Sense Media”, Democracy dies in stupidity

    8 years ago: hard-hitting journalism no one else had the courage to print

    Now: TV content reviews for parents

    thank God for the Guardian

  51. https://x.com/amuse/status/2031084650626764911

    “ SENATE RACE: The Trump administration is becoming increasingly concerned about growing rumors that John Cornyn used taxpayer funds to cover up a sexual relationship with a male staffer.
    Cornyn must authorize the release of settlement records.”

    *Male or female, a payoff is a problem. Is there a pro-Paxton mole leaking info about Cornyn?

  53. IMHO the screaming takeaway from that interview reported by Rachel is that the attorney general of the US pled the 5th and refused to answer questions about her knowledge of the payment and who it was to – with the express purpose of incriminating herself for lying to Congress about it. But here’s the thing – I can’t find the interview on line. I need the date of the interview to listen to the question- answer exchange. Anyone know it?

  54. Palantir CEO Alex Karp thinks that his AI technology will lessen the power of “highly educated, often female voters, who vote mostly Democrat” while increasing the “power of vocationally-trained, working class, often male voters.”

    That is funny, In a very clueless misogynistic way. Like women can’t move into those jobs too. Or aren’t already working side by side with men.
    But hey, he came of age in the tech world where women hating was a requirement for advancement.

    Jack

  55. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bondi-maxwell-trump-lies_n_698cf9dae4b02cd58c098d2a

    Bondi Lies To Congress, Tells Them Maxwell Was Not Transferred To A ‘Lower-Level Facility’

    Bondi’s answer came in response to a question from Deborah Ross, a Democratic committee member from North Carolina, who asked her: “Does a convicted sex offender like Ghislaine Maxwell deserve special treatment in prison and special privileges in prison?”

    Bondi answered: “I did not know she was being transferred, and she was not transferred to a lower-level facility.”
    Later, she repeated twice, falsely, that Maxwell was transferred to a “same level” prison.
    It is unclear how Bondi could not know about the transfer, given that the Bureau of Prisons comes under her agency’s purview, and her “same level” assertion is demonstrably false. Even in a low-security prison like Tallahassee Federal Correctional Institution, inmates sleep in prison cells behind tall, razor-topped fencing. There is a section at Bryan with no fence at all, and inmates there sleep in dormitories.

    It is unclear whether Bondi will ever face a consequence for Wednesday’s falsehood. The normal process for Congress to hold witnesses who lie to them accountable is to refer them to the Department of Justice, which Bondi runs, for prosecution.

    *Pog- I think she plead the 5th the same day, after she’d already committed perjury. (Based on what Crockett is wearing in the Maddow video, it’s from 2/11.)

  56. Going back to Craig’s AI researcher digging into all the false/fake AI creations. Where does a person get facts they trust? The old fashion way from trusted networks.
    Who is best at the social interaction it takes to develop good networks? Women.
    So, what Palantir’s CEO misses, the men may be doing the plumbing but it will be the women who put together the deals that make the project happen.
    Of course it is more complex than that but as I said, he boys only tech world makes him blind to that idea.

    Jack

  59. Pog

    Ive been trying to confirm that video. People are speculating it is a fake constructed from real events created by Chinese source. Videos of the type have happened before and Maddow blog has had to deny them.

  60. Every video from that day has a commentator interrupting it, but Crockett/Bondi did happen on 2/11/26. There has to be a transcript of the testimony, right?

  62. Yes but what I’m seeing discussed is that it is a mashup of the questioning about 230 million payment and another questioning round plus no video of Bondi taking the fifth and the only “silence” being refusal to look at Epstein victims.

    If it happened it should be able to be found without the Maddow cover/intro.

  63. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/13/brazil-pulls-visa-of-trump-adviser-who-asked-to-visit-bolsonaro-in-prison

    The government of Brazil has revoked the visa of Darren Beattie, a far-right adviser to United States President Donald Trump who had planned to visit ex-President Jair Bolsonaro in his prison cell in Brasilia.

    Bolsonaro is a far-right ally of President Trump, and he is currently serving a 27-year sentence for his role in a coup plot after Brazil’s 2022 election.

    *Damn, I wish he could have an orange cellmate.

  65. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/pam-bondi-epstein-files-house-judiciary-committee-b2918233.html

    Pam Bondi accused of ‘running a massive Epstein coverup’: Live updates

    *This link gives a bit of a rundown as it was happening, by Representative…but this is still not the full, unadulterated video. What I remember from that day was her refusing to look at survivors of tRUMPstein standing behind her, Bondi playing mean girl and saying nasty things to those questioning her, and a screenshot of notes in her file (someone also did that the first time she was called before Congress, so she put fake intel in her notes this time) noting a Brazilian age 19, when the Epstein files actually stated a girl from Brazil, age 9.

  66. https://apnews.com/article/iran-israel-us-march-13-2026-oil-prices-2a86a1f5c5997b70c6586d957074fb0c

    The American military has ordered 2,500 Marines and an amphibious assault ship to the Middle East, a U.S. official said Friday, in a major addition of forces in the region after nearly two weeks of war with Iran.

    In an interview with Fox News, U.S. President Donald Trump said the war would end “when I feel it in my bones.”

    *The numbers keep changing; 5,000 – 2,200 – 2,500. Boots in the ground.

  67. https://newrepublic.com/post/207554/donald-trump-iran-war-iran-jared-kushner-steve-witkoff

    Ahead of Trump’s military campaign in the Middle East, Witkoff claimed that Iran had amassed 460 kilograms of uranium at 60 percent enrichment, enough to potentially make 11 bombs within a few weeks. The Wall Street Journal reported Iran had enough uranium to make 12.

    However, during negotiations, Iranians offered to turn over that uranium, the Middle East diplomat told MS NOW. The Iranians told Witkoff and Kushner that they’d only started enriching uranium after Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018.

    A senior Trump official had confirmed that Iranians “talked about turning over material to us.” But talks ended abruptly when the United States launched a joint attack with Israel.

  69. https://popular.info/p/update-trump-says-kushner-helped

    at a press conference on Monday evening, President Trump said his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was one of a handful of top advisers who convinced him to launch major combat operations in Iran.

    The disclosure raises additional questions about the role of Kushner, who is being paid tens of millions of dollars annually by Middle Eastern governments that were reportedly lobbying Trump to attack Iran.

    “The situation was very quickly approaching the point of no return… based on what Steve and Jared and Pete and others were telling me, Marco is so involved, I thought they were going to attack us,” Trump said…

    Kushner had said he was focused on running his private equity fund, Affinity Partners, which has raised billions of dollars from foreign governments.

    Kushner’s largest investor is the Saudi Arabian government, which provided Kushner with $2 billion in funding in 2021.

    Each year, Saudi Arabia pays Kushner 1.25% of its investment, $25 million, as a “management fee.” Meaning he has received in excess of $100 million from the Saudi government over the last few years.

    Notably, “Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made multiple private phone calls to Trump” in February, advocating a U.S. attack,” according to reporting in the Washington Post. Trump’s comments reveal that Kushner used his role in Geneva to push Trump toward the outcome favored by his biggest client. Affinity Partners also received more than $200 million from the UAE. According to CNN, behind the scenes, the UAE was also lobbying Trump to strike Iran.

    The Times of Israel, quoting an anonymous administration source, said that Kushner told Trump that Iran was “basically playing games.” According to the source, Kushner told Trump that it would only be possible for Trump to strike an “Obama kind of deal“ with Iran and even that “would take months.”

    *Imbeciles! If we all die it will be due to greedy imbeciles! Effing greedbots!

  71. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE ON THE EPSTEIN-RUSSIA NEXUS.
    The “Bulldog of the Senate” is digging into the Epstein-Russia connection that everyone else is ignoring. The receipts are finally surfacing.

    Watch the moment on today’s Digital Diner replay here →

  72. i made it home to my homemade spicy tuna salad which is better than mcdonalds but less initially seductive

  73. Search Assist

    “Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, has been criticized for withholding Jeffrey Epstein’s financial records, despite ongoing investigations by Senator Ron Wyden and others seeking transparency regarding Epstein’s financial activities. Wyden has introduced legislation to compel the release of these records, highlighting concerns over the lack of accountability in Epstein’s financial dealings.”

    *This is the guy I was thinking of; Senator Wyden has been on the Epstein financials for months.

  75. https://www.finance.senate.gov/ranking-members-news/wyden-questions-dea-over-mystery-epstein-investigation

    Following a recent report that Jeffrey Epstein was among several individuals targeted in a years-long investigation spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) into drug trafficking and money laundering, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) sought details today from DEA Administrator Terrance Cole about the investigation’s findings, whether it resulted in any federal criminal charges, and the manner and timing of its conclusion.

    The fact that Epstein was under investigation by [OCDETF] suggests that there was ample evidence indicating that Epstein was engaged in heavy drug trafficking and prostitution as part of cross-border criminal conspiracy. This is incredibly disturbing and raises serious questions as to how this investigation by the DEA was handled,” Senator Wyden wrote. “Since Epstein and his 14 co-conspirators were never charged by the DOJ for drug trafficking or financial crimes, I am concerned that the DEA and DOJ during the first Trump Administration moved to terminate this investigation in order to protect pedophiles.

  76. Is there a clip of Bondi’s 80+ second very silent non-answer after Rep Crockett’s reading of the email?

    Bondi thinks of herself as being smart but I can almost smell the fear…..it smells like…..day-old Estée Lauder.

  77. Blondi knows the Epstein class throws away women when they’re done with them, the fear is justified

    She could’ve not taken the position though

    the crypto scam buck stops well short of the Resolute Desk in trumpco

  79. ah yes, great minds and all that 🥂

    actually, more hubris than “stupidity” in my estimation, as in “surely the leopards won’t eat MY face!”

  80. trump enabler: “i did everything that was asked of me, surely i’ll be protected!”

    trump: “never heard of them”

    it’s a mob, he’s a mob boss

  82. I mean, listen, he took over the greatest empire in human history, trivialize him all you want

    libs and cons should be equally ashamed

    and I know you libs are thinking “hey I didn’t do anything to cause this”

    Who is to say? it happened, you were here for it.

  83. No matter what he did…..he’s still an asshole.

    And he had a lot of help. Gobs

    And who knew how so many Americans were willing and so eager to to assume the mantle of treason.

  85. who knew how so many Americans were willing and so eager

    the indicators were there

    libs got arrogant and assumed their values were more widely-held and deeply-rooted because they were in their upper-middle class bubble, a class which no longer exists

    most of y’all knew it, the Dem
    honchos ignored you because they just HAD to have HRC

    shit politics

    if you don’t believe me, look who beat you

  88. and by the way, Dems are still playing by the old rules as if it’s business as usual

    Like what the fuck

  89. Donny Dumbass is using dead soldiers to grift money from his cult members. A pic of flag-draped coffins & him in his white MAGAt cap.

  90. i am partial to ‘King Fucko’, although i actually do try to watch my language

    imo profanity is less offensive than trumpco policies and unapologetically targeting civilians unprovoked and handcuffing children and ignorantly endangering women’s lives and…

    Go go, Talarico!

    if you can get THAT seat…

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