Teed Off

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Warning: sand traps and other hazards ahead

Attribution: Trump in gulf cart among iran/gaza/ukraine fire by Schot, De Volkskrant, Netherlands

[Bas van der Schot, who goes by the pen name “Schot,” is a political cartoonist / illustrator for the Dutch daily newspaper De Volkskrant.]

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48 thoughts on “Teed Off”

  1. https://apnews.com/live/israel-iran-attack-conflict-updates#00000197-8225-df5e-a1f7-eab587650000

    US moving military aircraft to European bases
    By The Assoicated Press
    Updated 5:35 AM EDT, June 18, 2025
    Share
    Intense Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran’s capital in a conflict that a human rights group said had killed at least 585 people across Iran and wounded 1,326 others.
    Iran has retaliated against Israel’s airstrike campaign by launching some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel.
    […]
    By SAM MEDNICK
    Share
    Overnight, the United States moved air force refueling tankers and C17s to European bases in Prestwick, Scotland, and Aviano in Italy, according to Aurora Intel, a group that reviews open source information in real time in the Middle East.
    This comes as the U.S. is shifting military aircraft and warships into and around the Middle East to protect Israel from Iranian attacks as President Donald Trump warns Tehran to step back from the conflict.
    On Tuesday, the U.S. relocated a dozen F-16s from the Italian base to Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, said the group.

  2. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/us/politics/iran-israel-us-bases.html

    Iran Is Preparing Missiles for Possible Retaliatory Strikes on U.S. Bases, Officials Say
    American commanders have put troops on high alert throughout the region as fears of a wider war grow.
    Iran has prepared missiles and other military equipment for strikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East should the United States join Israel’s war against the country, according to American officials who have reviewed intelligence reports.
    The United States has sent about three dozen refueling aircraft to Europe that could be used to assist fighter jets protecting American bases or that would be used to extend the range of bombers involved in any possible strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.
    Fears of a wider war are growing among American officials as Israel presses the White House to intervene in its conflict with Iran. If the United States joins the Israeli campaign and strikes Fordo, a key Iranian nuclear facility, the Iranian-backed Houthi militia will almost certainly resume striking ships in the Red Sea, the officials said. They added that pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria would probably try to attack U.S. bases there.
    Other officials said that in the event of an attack, Iran could begin to mine the Strait of Hormuz, a tactic meant to pin American warships in the Persian Gulf.
    ommanders put American troops on high alert at military bases throughout the region, including in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The United States has more than 40,000 troops deployed in the Middle East.
    Two Iranian officials have acknowledged that the country would attack U.S. bases in the Middle East, starting with those in Iraq, if the United States joined Israel’s war.
    Iran would also target any American bases that are in Arab countries and take part in an attack, the two officials said.
    “Our enemies should know that they cannot reach a solution with military attacks on us and will not be able to force their will on the Iranian people,” Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said in a statement on Monday. Mr. Araghchi told his European counterparts in phone conversations that if the war spread, the blame would be on Israel and its main supporters, according to a summary of the calls provided by Iran’s foreign ministry.
    U.S. officials said Iran would not need much preparation to attack American bases in the region. The Iranian military has missile bases within easy striking range of Bahrain, Qatar and United Arab Emirates.
    […]
    But critics of aggressive, militaristic foreign policy said it was not too late for the United States to turn back.
    “It is never too late not to start a war,” said Rosemary Kelanic, the director of the Middle East program at Defense Priorities, a think tank that advocates a restrained foreign policy.
    Ms. Kelanic acknowledged that Israel’s strike had given Iran an incentive to potentially develop a nuclear weapon. But she added that the incentive would “multiply dramatically if the United States joins the war.”
    “Once you get involved, man, it’s really hard to step back,” she said. “You are just going to go all in.”


  3. President Trump appears ready to officially enter the Israel-Iran war, you can tell the Pentagon is on a war footing because of all the pizza they ordered, Stephen shares a decade-old photo of his writers room on the day Donald Trump came down the golden escalator, and fans of the president’s merch have a raft of new collectables to spend their cash on.


  4. Jordan Klepper dives into Trump’s Irish exit from Canada’s G7 Summit to explore a “better than a ceasefire” between Israel and Iran, and how Trump’s threats against Iran’s ayatollah started an intra-MAGA beef with Tucker Carlson. Plus, Michael Kosta finds a delicious way to capitalize on the situation in Iran.

  6. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/a-hawkish-general-known-as-the-gorilla-is-emerging-as-hegseths-key-decision-maker-on-iran/ar-AA1GWzeB?ocid=BingNewsSerp

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has given an unusual level of authority to a single general in the latest Middle East crisis — an Iran hawk who is pushing for a strong military response against the country.
    .S. Central Command chief Gen. Erik Kurilla has played an outsized role in the escalating clashes between Tehran and Israel, with officials noting nearly all his requests have been approved, from more aircraft carriers to fighter planes in the region.
    The pugnacious general, who is known as “The Gorilla,” is overruling other top Pentagon officials and playing a quiet but decisive role in the country’s next steps on Iran, according to a former and current defense official, a diplomat, and a person familiar with the dynamic.
    Hegseth’s apparent deference to Kurilla undermines the image the Pentagon chief has sought to project of a tough-talking leader who has vowed to reduce the influence of four-star generals and reassert civilian control.
    “If the senior military guys come across as tough and warfighters, Hegseth is easily persuaded to their point of view,” said the former official. Kurilla “has been very good at getting what he wants.”
    The longtime military official — who is close with Mike Waltz, the former national security adviser and nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations — has had more face time with the president than most other generals, according to one of the people, who, like others, was granted anonymity to discuss internal conversations. Kurilla is also at the end of his tenure leading U.S. Central Command, meaning he may be less fearful about pushing the president.
    […]
    Despite his sometimes abrasive character — including the alleged shoving of a military crew member that prompted an Army investigation — the battle-tested and media-averse Kurilla has impressed top officials for his courage. He won a Bronze Star for leading U.S. troops in a firefight in 2005 at the height of the Iraq War despite having been shot three times. (CENTCOM said at the time that officials weren’t aware of any investigation into Kurilla.)
    “He’s got the look of the general that both Hegseth and Trump are looking for,” said the former official. “He’s a big dude, he’s jacked, he’s exactly this ‘lethality’ look they’re going for.”
    Officials who have participated in talks with Kurilla about military assets in the region said he also has a knack for convincing others about their importance.
    “He’s extremely strategic and persuasive about what CENTCOM can do given adequate resources,” said Dan Shapiro, who until January was the Pentagon’s top Middle East policy official. “That was certainly true in the Biden administration. It may be more true now.”

  7. So Dumbass said he’d end the chaos in the middle east and prevent WWIII if he was elected. Well, no WWIII yet, but chaos in the ME is anything but ended, and Iran’s leader goads him and Nettyhoo listens apparently to Kurilla and ignores DoDo. Or am I missing something here?

  8. I saw thing about troops being served steak & lobster a day or so ago. Apparently, that means we’re going to war.

    Man, Taco Don really doesn’t want us talking about those Epstein files.

  15. Tucker (Putin’s mouthpiece), is saying “NO” to war with Iran, but how many tax dollars will go to Israel for them to do the job? Did you know they have universal healthcare in Israel? I sure wish we could have nice things.

  16. https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/18/middleeast/pro-israel-hackers-iran-crypto

    Hackers stole the equivalent of roughly $90 million from Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange on Wednesday, according to multiple independent crypto-tracking firms.

    A skilled pro-Israel hacking group known as “Predatory Sparrow” took credit for the cyberattack, which appeared to be aimed at further weakening Iran amid Israeli’s military strikes on Tehran.

    Crypto-tracking firms Elliptic and TRM Labs confirmed the crypto was stolen and sent to “wallets” or crypto accounts, with an expletive that referenced Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

    In a separate hack on Tuesday, Predatory Sparrow said it had destroyed data at Iran’s state-owned Bank Sepah, claiming IRGC members used the bank’s services as a justification for the action. Iran’s state-affiliated Fars news agency warned of potential disruptions to bank services at gas stations.

    A source in Tehran told CNN they have gone to about 10 ATM machines over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday and found all of them either non-functional or out of cash.

    Predatory Sparrow has emerged in the last five years to claim spectacular cyberattacks that have previously disrupted an Iranian steel mill and payments at Iranian gas stations. The hackers cast themselves as anti-government Iranian hacktivists but are widely suspected among cybersecurity experts of having ties to Israel.

  17. https://www.newsweek.com/first-photos-show-white-houses-new-flagpoles-2087441

    Two towering new flagpoles have been installed on the White House grounds after President Donald Trump offered to pay for them himself.

    ~Right~

    During the ceremony to install the new poles, Trump asked construction workers if they were illegal immigrants, and said he hoped they all voted for him.

    President Donald Trump, Tuesday on Truth Social: “These are the most magnificent poles made – They are tall, tapered, rust proof, rope inside the pole, and of the highest quality. Hopefully, they will proudly stand at both sides of the White House for many years to come!”

  18. How much more ridiculous horseshit can we stand?
    Well, this crooked Trump just appointed Charles Kushner as Ambassador to France.
    Oh yeah, of course, he’s a felon too.
    Felonious conduct and a rap sheet reading laden with prison term, is essential for a Trump appointment today.
    I just learned that not one, not two, but MANY bunker penetrator bombs (bunker-busters, the cutie name) must be dropped to ruin the centrifuge plant in Iran. B2 bombers can only carry 1 15 ton bomb at a time. Only USA pilots can be trusted to deliver the drop accurately. This propels the USA into another full-fledged foreign war. Drones, yes, bombers, yes…but no President would ever rule out a land invasion. It’s ‘our’ DNA. Trump is at least as incompetent as WBush43 was. I don’t for a second believe a land invasion of boots on the ground is or would be out for certain. After all, Trump’s parade likely led to massive enlistments of killer soldiers, no?

  20. “I may do it, I may not do it,” Trump said in an exchange with reporters at the White House . “I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.”

    The US military is not Trump‘s personal plaything, impeach this motherfucker

    I prefer President Mike Johnson to Evil and Butthead, and I am as liberal as they get

  21. https://www.newsweek.com/pope-leos-first-us-bishop-against-trump-ice-migrant-crackdown-2084985

    Pham, Bejarano and Pulido wrote in their letter: “We know that migrants and refugees find themselves in the difficult predicament of being called to appear, which is what the government asks of them, and then being given orders for expedited removal from our country,” they continued.

    They went on to add that “the presence of faith leaders makes a difference in how the migrants are treated.”

    “On the morning of June 20th, which is International Refugee Day, a group of priests and faith leaders are planning to visit the federal court building to stand in solidarity with migrants who are making their court appearances,” they wrote.

    *The optics of masked goons cuffing priests…will be wild.

  23. And, they can pop up anywhere, because they wear street close.

    They just pull that gator over their face and start kidnapping and trafficking humans.

    The vehicles vary from unmarked, to out-of-state, to foreign (Mexico), but at some point they were in those vehicles, or stepping out of them, unmasked, and there are cameras everywhere…so we should be able to try at least some of them for crimes against humanity…and they’ll probably snitch on others to save their own skin heads.

    Actually, we need moles to infiltrate the “ice” bounty hunter program and get the goods on them.

  24. https://www.newsweek.com/kristi-noem-hospital-allergic-reaction-biohazard-lab-fort-detrick-2087130

    On Monday, the day before the DHS head was hospitalized, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted a photo on social media of Noem with himself and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.

    “With Secretary Noem and Senator Rand Paul inspecting the biological hazard labs at Fort Detrick,” Kennedy Jr. wrote.

    The facility was created and built by DHS as a federal response to anthrax letter attacks in 2001. It was also a key site for investigations into the characteristics of the coronavirus.

    The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases is also part of Fort Detrick—the Army’s main lab for biodefense research.

    The U.S. Army said about biodefense: “The modern biodefense landscape is becoming increasingly complex and dynamic. The coronavirus pandemic demonstrated how novel infectious diseases can pose an urgent threat.

    “Experts are concerned that potential adversaries will soon be able to combine machine learning algorithms with emerging biotechnologies to create biological weapons more easily.”

    What Happens Next
    It is not yet clear what caused Noem’s allergic reaction or when she will be released from hospital.

  25. i know we’re in a shitty situation when I agree with everything Tucker Carlson is saying

    😭

    (well everything except him saying he still supports Unpresident Trump)

  27. It does feel weird, but I did enjoy watching Tucker cackle as he tore Ted Cruz a new one. Leaving Iran alone is Putin’s directive to Tucker. Russia, China, Iran…US.

  33. https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/18/politics/social-security-trust-fund-annual-report

    Social Security will not be able to fully pay monthly benefits to tens of millions of retirees and people with disabilities in 2034 if lawmakers don’t act to address the program’s pending shortfall, according to an annual report released Wednesday by Social Security’s trustees.

    The combined Social Security trust funds – which help support payments to the elderly, survivors and people with disabilities – are expected to be exhausted in 2034, one year earlier than previously forecast, according to the trustees’ annual report. At that time, payroll tax revenue and other income sources will only be able to cover 81% of benefits owed.

    *This smells. With all of the undocumented workers paying in, but not taking out, and with all of those who never live long enough to see a dime like my mom and 3 out of 4 of my grandparents, it seems unlikely. Where’s the money going?

    If nothing fishy is going on, did they take into account the loss of incoming funds from those undocumented workers?

    And, that means no COLA, so seniors will be struggling even more.

    It’s time for a general strike. They’re eating the millionaires, they’re eating the billionaires.

  34. https://abc7ny.com/post/authorities-investigating-pizzas-anonymously-sent-lawmakers-us-capitol-police-leadership-sources/16784014/

    Both Democrats and Republicans in the House have received the unsolicited pizza deliveries, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office. Pizzas also were sent to current and former leadership of the U.S. Capitol Police, sources said.

    *I’d kind of like an unsolicited pizza at the moment. Can’t they figure out who paid for them?

  36. https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2025-06-18/senate-republicans-hold-hearing-on-bidens-mental-fitness-as-democrats-boycott

    Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee brought in three witnesses Wednesday — none of whom served in Biden’s administration — to scrutinize his time in office, arguing that the former president, his staff and the media must be held accountable.

    Democrats boycotted the hearing and criticized Republicans for “armchair-diagnosing” Biden when the committee could be looking into serious matters.

    ***

    Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, age 91, held a hearing on Biden’s cognitive decline.

    Senator Durbin walked in, played a video of Trump’s crazy statements, told them they’re wasting everyone’s time, called the hearing a distraction and left.

    A 91-year old is 3rd in line for the presidency.

  38. Blue
    For four decades, the Boomers paid way more in than went out. Those excess funds went in to the General fund. On paper these were invested in US securities. In truth, they made it possible to reduce the top income rate from 91% in 1960 to 28%. in 2024. Now those Boomers are retiring. The smaller generations behind them are not paying in enough to support those retirees. Trickle down didn’t trickle and the billionaires don’t want to add to the flow.
    We need a bullionaire tax. Any dollar over $999,000 should be taxed at the old 91% rate with all of it going to SS. Of course, at the rate AI is eliminating jobs, we may be facing a time when no one but the most irreplaceable earning any income which could be, shall we say “interesting”.

  39. Yeah, and they offshore funds, too. It not only doesn’t trickle down, it flows out. And then there are the crypto-Chuck-E-Cheese tokens. The fact that Israeli hackers were able to steal or burn Iranian crypto speaks volumes as to the silliness and insecurity of the blockchain, blah, blah, blah.

    Two, military jets flew low over me while I was in the garden. Usually, they fly higher and not together. Maybe it’s nothing.

    By the way, what’s up with Fluffy Carlson? Has he always been a maniacal cackler? Pressure from Putin? Drugs? Proximity to Ted Cruz?

  41. OK, i just took a small harvest from the rhubarb plant i am growing!

    i’ve never had it before so i am going to share the experience with you!

    OK, so i just eat some of the leaf part? All right here goes. Nibbling on it… a little bitter… wait everything is going fuzzy… oh no now I remember the leaf part is poisonous and I was supposed to eat the stalk, why didn’t i look it up first whyyyyyyyy… not feeling so good… room is spinning… i just wanted to say that i

  42. am i dead?

    Is this heaven or hell?

    Who is the president? I will be able to tell from that information.

  44. Ah-Ha!

    i will tape the rest of this rhubarb leaf, that my corporeal form didn’t eat, to my sunflower and then when my deer frenemy comes to eat my sunflower, she will bite the rhubarb leaf and think “oh no this is not delicious sunflower this is gross poisonous rhubarb. i am never coming back here to this garden.”

    This omniscience stuff is fantastic!

  45. lol i don’t even need tape and it looks just like a sunflower leaf. Now, to wait for the payoff..

    i feel like if you’re playing harmless pranks on local fauna with native flora, you’re afterliving right 🤷‍♂️

  46. OK, so my former self learned this trick on “Gardener’s World” and i am sharing it because it is so good:

    Take a plastic bottle, like a quart milk jug or a 16 oz soda bottle or whatever, get rid of the cap you don’t need it, and cut off the bottom at an angle CAREFULLY (not on your thigh, don’t cut off a finger either please), and then dig a small hole near the base of your most precious plants and stick the inverted bottle in that hole, firming around it to secure it

    When a heat wave hits and you need to keep those plants hydrated without wasting water or saturating the foliage and creating fungal issues water directly into that bottle it works so well and it’s also a great way to feed with diluted fertilizer

    The reason you’re cutting the bottom off of the bottle at an angle is so that you can insert the bottle into the ground at an angle so if you want the bottle at a 45° angle so that it’s convenient to pour into you would cut the bottom off at a 45° angle

    you should be discarding caps from recyclables anyway because they can’t be processed with the caps on

  47. oh, and one of the hosts in an episode I watched yesterday germinated seedlings in old gutters, and then the goal was to slide the seedlings out into the final planting spots in one motion, but they stuck a little bit, but if she waxed the inside of the gutter they wouldn’t have so it was a good concept

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