It's because they're in distress but trying to hide it from Trump.
Not sure The Donald is getting the reaction he thought he would with his threat of pulling his troops out of Europe. Maybe he can base some in his mate's country - Russia.
Not sure The Donald is getting the reaction he thought he would with his threat of pulling his troops out of Europe. Maybe he can base some in his mate's country - Russia.
Some great comparisons being made to a protection racket
dementia is brutal
Trump: "I took three cognitive tests. Aced all of them, by the way. I'm the only president to take a cognitive test. I don't think Obama could pass it. The first question is very easy -- it's a lion, a giraffe, a bear, and a shark. They say, 'Which one is the bear?'"
Not sure The Donald is getting the reaction he thought he would with his threat of pulling his troops out of Europe. Maybe he can base some in his mate's country - Russia.
Some great comparisons being made to a protection racket
Performative nonsense.
He can't withdraw too many because that'll trigger congressional oversight, same with their weapons. It's basically a reset to pre-2022/invasion of Ukraine levels.
A brief follow-up on the asset discussion above,
"There are two keys to answering this question. The first is to ignore the distractions of the (presently, at least partially) unknowns, the “what is motivating these actions?”"
"The only thing we need to look at to understand that, yes, indeed, Donald Trump is a Russian asset is whether he acts in a way that meets the definition of a resource that provides benefits. So, we just have to look at what he’s done."
KYIVPOST.COM Looks like the demented old fool is bored of the Iran war now and thinks that he hasn’t quite caused enough economic chaos, so he’s firing up another trade war with Europe. As well as withdrawing troops from Germany, Spain and Italy in a toddler like tantrum. But he’s definitely not a Russian asset, right?
There’s certainly been absolutely no evidence of it whatsoever in this second Trump term. Just an Emperor doing what the hell he likes.
Hegseth was humiliated the other day during Senate questioning, and it became obvious that these fools have started a war with no plan or strategy
But that doesn’t change a bloody thing. All it did was highlight how impotent congress is. They can’t actually do anything at all to restrain Trump. He started a war, without bothering to even inform congress, never mind consult them.
So much for their much heralded constitution that they’re always banging on about. In the face of Trump, it’s shown not to be worth the paper it’s printed on. America doesn’t have a democracy, it now has a monarchy. Ironic given what we’ve seen this week with a visit by our own (ceremonial) monarch
I beg to differ.
He's classifying the ceasefire as the end because to continue beyond 60 days means that he has to go to Congress; he's concerned about something and it isn't the 1973 War Powers Resolution.
Hegseth outright lied to the Senate Armed Services Committee by following Trump's "Biden gave $300bn to Ukraine" line, which is anything from 2x to 5x overblown depending on how you count it.
Hegseth also reportedly halved the cost of Iran so far.
The Senate forced Hegseth to find $400mn that Congress allocated to Ukraine some time ago and get their cheque in the post
Germany appear to be nonchalantly shrugging their shoulders at Trumps latest tantrum withdrawing 5k troops from Germany by saying it was anticipated and another reason to basically move away from made in USA.
It appears to me, and maybe I'm wrong, but it's a home goal by Trump. No country, aside from Israel, trusts any USA security guarantee any longer. So having US troops in your country doesn't by default mean they will protect you.
By reducing troop numbers - it by default decreases US influence. I wonder if Merz etc has intentionally goaded the predictably fragile Trump into doing this.
It appears to me, and maybe I'm wrong, but it's a home goal by Trump. No country, aside from Israel, trusts any USA security guarantee any longer. So having US troops in your country doesn't by default mean they will protect you.
I think theres another angle too. A ceasefire with Iran doesn't mean all the troops in the Middle East can just go home now. Even if an another shot is never fired the US is going to have to maintain a significant presence there from now on.
The troops being withdrawn from Germany are the extra troops that were moved there at the start of the Ukraine invasion- so the US presence is just being reset to 2022 levels.
Trumps dressing it up as a punitive act but it's basically driven by need - he's pulling people away from Europe becuase he can't afford for them to be there anymore. The US blundered its way into this conflict with Iran but they can't just blunder their way back out - whatever outcome they might have been hoping for, no matter how quickly they might have thought it would be over the military is now committed to be being present in numbers in the Middle East and is necessarily going to now be short handed everywhere else.
Another good week for Putin.
Even if an another shot is never fired the US is going to have to maintain a significant presence there from now on.
I think a number of ME countries are re-evaluating whether it's worth having the US maintain a presence. Every US site in the region has suffered damage including Camp Buehring in Kuwait. Even bribing the Pres with a $400 mil airplane couldn't protect Qatar from being targeted. The blowback from this hasn't really started yet.
Even if an another shot is never fired the US is going to have to maintain a significant presence there from now on.
Whilst I can agree with this. How any conflict against Iran in that area will be fought, its not likely to be a ground war like Ukraine where boots on the ground matter, it would be a missile/drone conflict. And high tech equipment, not high number of troops would be needed. Lets not forget that Ukraine were asked to help protect those gulf countries with their tech.
Trump just continues to degrade the USA more and more almost every day. Yes, Putin will be happy.
I know he doesn't care but spitting the dummy and talking about partners like that makes him a silly Billy. Quite a lot of American troops at Ramstein, like a helluva lot. Pissing of the Germans and endangering that base would massively curtail operations in this hemisphere.
Oh and his ****s is that "thank you for your attention....." Actually him thanking himself. The language structure makes much more sense if read that way.
And while all this usual Trump nonsense carries on, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, with it becoming increasingly obvious that there’s no end in sight.
The petrochemical plants around the middle east are now shut down as they have no more storage. You can’t just turn those things on and off. It’s a massive undertaking. The long term economic fallout of this is only just beginning
All while that orange buffoon sits blustering in Washington, picking more fights as a distraction, as he clearly hasn’t got the remotest clue how to finish what he’s started
And as the warnings of food shortages and famine spread, there will be migrants on the move again, and the circle will start again
The US blundered its way into this conflict with Iran but they can't just blunder their way back out
This is very accurate. Everything Trump does, whether intentioned or not, is a blunder. And whilst some things have been resolved or worked with, its had nothing to do with strategically thought out planning .. it's been through coercion or plain luck.
I read an article previously that explained part of reason Trump typically gave "two weeks" or similar was large part wishful thinking that things would either resolve themselves in that time, or preferably, people would forget.
And as the warnings of food shortages and famine spread, there will be migrants on the move again, and the circle will start again
There’s a full blown humanitarian crisis on the horizon if this continues, with millions being tipped into starvation.
Not that anyone in Washington gives a shit. There are more pressing matters need attending too, such as ballrooms 🙄
I read an article previously that explained part of reason Trump typically gave "two weeks" or similar was large part wishful thinking that things would either resolve themselves in that time, or preferably, people would forget.
Apparently it’s the only media coaching that he’s picked up on, and is now his standard response when he doesn’t have a clue.
There’s a full blown humanitarian crisis on the horizon if this continues, with millions being tipped into starvation.
That’s probably why trumps doge team cancelled USAiD programs beforehand and aided in the deaths of 100’s of thousands , they think it’s pointless attempting to keep folk in underdeveloped regions alive n’ healthy
In a victory that the country has never seen before, with the best numbers ever, the US is now in 64th place in the annual Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, dropping from 57th in one year, while Ukraine has risen, also by seven, to 55th (coincidentally the US position in 2024).
The UK is at 18, having risen from 20th despite the US being "greatly concerned" about a lack of freedom of speech in the UK.
"Authoritarian states, complicit or incompetent political powers, predatory economic actors and under-regulated online platforms are directly and overwhelmingly responsible for the global decline in press freedom. Given this context, inaction is a form of endorsement."
Some US press freedoms are curtailed by circuitous means, such as making drone flights over "Department of Homeland Security (DHS) facilities and mobile assets, including vessels and ground vehicle convoys" a violation of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight restrictions.
By definition those assets will sometimes be covert so you don't fly to report events because you have no way of knowing if you're breaking the law. This, needless to say, is being tested in the US Courts as ROBERT LEVINE, Petitioner, v. FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, Respondent (link below).
"In the United States (which ranks 64th out of 180 countries and territories) journalists who were already fighting against economic headwinds and dealing with a crisis of public trust — among other challenges — now also contend with President Donald Trump’s systematic weaponisation of state institutions, including funding cuts to public broadcasters such as NPR and PBS, political interference in media ownership, and politically motivated investigations targeting disfavoured journalists and media outlets.
Since his return to office, journalists have also been targeted on the ground during protests, reflecting a broader deterioration that amounts to one of the most severe crises for press freedom in modern US history."
RSF.ORG http://www.rcfp.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-03-16-Levine-v.-FAA-Petition.pdf
I see Trump is now trying to sell his war as a ‘humanitarian mission’. That’s a new one.
The upshot of it all seems to be utter desperation at the monumental economic shitstorm they’ve unleashed on the world for no discernible reason other than Netenyahu told them to.
Now that you post that, it’s impossible not to notice the similarities between Walter and Pete Hegseth
I see Trump is now trying to sell his war as a ‘humanitarian mission’. That’s a new one.
The upshot of it all seems to be utter desperation at the monumental economic shitstorm they’ve unleashed on the world for no discernible reason other than Netenyahu told them to.
Venezuela was sold as a drug enforcement operation.
The point is to avoid Congressional oversight. By either not calling it a "war" or declaring it ended at the 60 day limit means that the President can fund it using his personal authority.
If he goes back to bombing Iran (I'm not convinced that he will) then his theory is that the 60 days have been reset. Congress needs to tell him that "ceasefire" doesn't equal a negotiated "end", which is where Congress falls down.
He's scared of being told that the US won't fund his schemes and stop him operating. It hasn't been widely reported but the longest-ever shutdown of a Federal Dept, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ended last week (76 days) with an agreement to pay DHS workers, but not fund ICE and certain Customs and Border Protection (CBP) roles within DHS.
The money was due to run out this week for airport staff, secret service and other DHS roles, while ICE and CBP have continued to paid from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Hegseth was told that in the senate hearing (clips of which have been popping up in my YouTube feed). Hegseth seemed to think that ceasfires, stopped the clock for the War Powers Act or something, but it apparently does not, which means that he's going to have to come up with a different bullshit excuse.
The art of the deal. 200 is better than 500, right?
""Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Trump described the agreement as a significant breakthrough in US‑China economic relations.
“Boeing wanted 150, they got 200,” Trump said, adding that the order would include large aircraft, according to Bloomberg.""Prior to the deal, Chinese airlines had been expected to place orders for up to 500 Boeing aircraft, including 737 Max models and wide‑body jets."
Senator Bill Cassidy (Republican) lost Louisiana's primary yesterday to President Trump-endorsed Julia Letlow.
Cassidy voted against Trump during his second Senate impeachment hearing and later voted to allow RFK Jnr into the Government, maybe hoping that it would save his career.
Letlow now faces a race with the third candidate, John Fleming, to become Republican nominee for Louisiana.
Trump is also threatening to withdraw support from Representative Lauren Boebert (Rep), calling her "weak-minded" because she backed Thomas Massie (Rep) who has publicly disagreed with the WH (widely reported)
This won't be a problem for President Trump, his ballroom project is entirely privately-funded. Isn't it?
"A US Senate official on Saturday removed security funding that could be used for Donald Trump’s planned $400m White House ballroom from a massive spending package, Democratic lawmakers said, imperiling Republican efforts to devote taxpayer money to the contentious project."
THEGUARDIAN.COM The art of the deal. 200 is better than 500, right?
In the same way nothing is better than something perhaps
The 600,000 people who thought they had bought Trump phones last year and paid a $100 deposit haven't received a phone or a date when they might get a phone. In the interim the terms on the website have been re-drafted. People haven't in fact paid for a phone - they've paid for the opportunity to buy a phone "if Trump Mobile ever decides to make one" the removed contact information form the website
Next… the “Trump Car”, or am I looking for too many rhymes with 1930s Germany?
Incidentally- the planes Trump has announced China are buying….. neither the Chinese government or Boeing seem as certain as he is that deal has been done
Looks like grandpa is off his meds again.
Honestly, the more he tries to posture like some Bond Villain sat there in his volcano lair with his death ray, the more he looks like Dr Evil. It’s tragic really that the actual president of the US is posting AI slop that looks like a 13 year old boy created it .
if it was anyone else other than that demented tango terrorist you’d assume that image couldn’t possibly be real, but now you just sigh sadly because you know it is.
The Iranians must be absolutely laughing their tits off at this pathetic, juvenile nonsense
It’s tragic really that the actual president of the US is posting AI slop that looks like a 13 year old boy created it .
Interesting to hear today about the role of Natalie Harp in these things. The presumption is that the clumsy. unhinged nonsense that Trump Tweets and Trooths are all straight from the horses mouth (becuase you'd imagine you can't fake that) - but they are often actually the work of Natalie who seems to be this sort of odd fawning fan-girl. Her job seems to be two-fold - following Trump around with a portable printer and printing out any favourable mention of trump in and article or email and waving it in front of him (She used to following him around golf courses in a golf cart with a portable printer until the Secret Service took the buggy off her - she now runs behind Trumps golf cart with the printer in a backpack) and the other is to write and post a lot of his social media content.
Although she's a minor player politically - in terms of the authority of the position she holds - she actually is quite a crucial gatekeeper of a lot of the information Trump consumes and also is actually the author of a lot of the information that seems to come from him.
She's oddly infatuated - so as well as providing him with a filtered version of reality by only handing him favourable material - in with that material though are basically love letters from her to him. And it would seem a lot of the self-aggrandising tweets apparently from trump are basically her fantasies about Trump.
What all the people around trump know is that theres an audience of one. So Trump's social media posts only have one goal which is to make Trump feel good when he reads them - they are basically love letters to him written in the from of posts from him
Former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who is wanted in Poland in connection with the alleged misuse of victims of crime funding, fled to Viktor Orban's Hungary in January.
With the change in Hungary, he then headed for the US and has been granted a visa on the grounds of "national security".
It isn't clear what the "national security" issues are (widely reported)
$1.776 billion to be paid by USA government to law breaking Trump supporters.
1.776
US year of ideological change and the adoption of a constitutional representative government
In a PR statement that George Orwell would be proud of, President Trump is putting an additional 5000 troops in Europe,
Based on the successful Election of the now President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, who I was proud to Endorse, and our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland
Three weeks ago he made the decision to remove 5000 troops from Germany, which preceded the announcement a week ago that 4000 US troops would no longer be sent to Poland.
Two days ago VP JD Vance clarified that the 4000 troops would be sent to Poland after all because it wasn't a reduction but a delay.
And now an additional 5000 troops will be posted to Poland. My brain hurts but I think that we're at net zero in Europe and the move putting 5000 US troops closer to the Russian border will please President Putin no end.
President Nawrocki's golden endorsement actually happened last summer prior to his election in August 2025.
Bonus points for the confectionery-based Orwell quote 🤔
So they are charging Castro with murder for shooting down a couple of planes that offered support to cubans but also propaganda against the government.
Will south American countries return the favour given the blowing up of boats with their nationals on them?
So they are charging Castro with murder for shooting down a couple of planes that offered support to cubans but also propaganda against the government
Does this mean that other countries charging president and politicians is the done thing?
If so, let's prosecute the orange bone-spur baby..?
So they are charging Castro with murder for shooting down a couple of planes that offered support to cubans but also propaganda against the government.
Will south American countries return the favour given the blowing up of boats with their nationals on them?
Is charging Castro the next step towards military intervention to go and arrest him/take over?
Honestly, I can see that as a causus beli. Cuba is economically and structurally on its knees right now because of the US blockade and the invasion of Venezuela, so an invasion a la Venezuela might be easier now than before. It's also a handy distraction from the shitshow he created in the Gulf and an Inceptio n-distraction from the distraction from the Epstein files.
On a purely cynical note, invading Cuba would make the Cuban diaspora in florida happy and shore up support for him at home and he could probably move the war room for the invasion to Mar e Lago and charge the DoD for a few more million while he stays at home and plays golf.
