KentK93 said:

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nortex97 here is another reason we need to rethink NATO because so many of our so called allies are letting the lawyers run the show. Most Americans don't know about this story of betrayal of UK hero's:

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The three-hour battle was brutal. It was the first time in decades that soldiers had fixed bayonets and charged across open ground to trenches where the enemy, armed with rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns and assault rifles, had dug in. Three other soldiers received Military Crosses for their valiant actions that day.

But while L/Cpl Wood was being decorated for bravery, behind the scenes, human rights lawyers had already started the ball rolling on a legal case that would become the greatest smear of British troops in recent history.

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A travesty. Thanks for posting and linking.

Btw, L/Cpl Wood is one of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers that our President Trump shamefully insulted and wrongfully denigrated two months ago.

Good God you just can't help yourself, can you?

Every single post, regardless of topic, has to have some little progressive spin thrown in. Like a wind up doll.

nortex97 said:

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An anchor of freedom/resistance to China/capitalism in South America? In all seriousness we've been steadily increasing our military and economic cooperation with them over the past year, as part of the Donroe doctrine.

We do import a lot of beef/agricultural products I think from the Argentinians, and they jumped on a free trade deal this year.

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china's already got deep roots into Argentina whether you realize that or not. they have a "space exploration" site in Patagonia. currency swap deals when Argentina was (and still is) desperate for cash. a friendly president is good but kind of meaningless. we have a long way to go to supercede the head start China has there.

Ellis Wyatt said:

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Who gives a ****? They bring nothing to the table. At all.

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You sound like Trump. I don't think many US military commanders from the Iraq War 2003-2011 and Afghanistan War 2001-2021 agree. There were 1200 Allied soldiers who died from those two U.S. conflicts. Several thousand more Allied soldiers were wounded, and thousands of those wounded have permanent injuries. That doesn't even count the damage from PTSD. We asked for their help. They came. Show some respect. They earned it.

DeschutesAg said:

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Ellis Wyatt said:

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Who gives a ****? They bring nothing to the table. At all.

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You sound like Trump. I don't think many US military commanders from the Iraq War 2003-2011 and Afghanistan War 2001-2021 agree.

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I am talking about NOW. Keir Starmer is a marxist. He clearly has no intention of helping us with anything.

They can't defend themselves and bring NOTHING at all to the table. Zip. Zero, Nada.

sts7049 said:

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nortex97 said:

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An anchor of freedom/resistance to China/capitalism in South America? In all seriousness we've been steadily increasing our military and economic cooperation with them over the past year, as part of the Donroe doctrine.

We do import a lot of beef/agricultural products I think from the Argentinians, and they jumped on a free trade deal this year.

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china's already got deep roots into Argentina whether you realize that or not. they have a "space exploration" site in Patagonia. currency swap deals when Argentina was (and still is) desperate for cash. a friendly president is good but kind of meaningless. we have a long way to go to supercede the head start China has there.

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Argentina and Chile cannot detach themselves from China fast enough. Its happening and will continue to happen. And both of those countries, just like Panama, will do what we tell them in regards to telling the Chicoms they are no longer welcome and they sill not be shooting rockets from Patagonia (which would seem weird - perhaps space exploration refers to an observatory?).

Whatever "head start" China has made is likely built out of paper and balsa wood and crumbles without constant Chinese support.

China is facing mounting internal struggles from both economic pressures but also the perceived weakening (perceived in China but is an actuality if one looks at it objectively) on the global stage.

As much as people think China remains strong the signs all point to a weakening and contracting China particularly regarding its ability to project influence and power beyond its borders.

flown-the-coop said:

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DeschutesAg said:

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flown-the-coop said:

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Here's to hoping negotiations go nowhere and we get back to bombing Iran in earnest.

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Trump said there aren't many legitimate Iranian military targets left to strike from the air or the sea. Trump and Bibi said they have hit and destroyed almost all of them.

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But one thing remains, the Islamic Republic of Iran must be ended.

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A warranted, justifiable objective.

But how can that be accomplished?

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Still have some ayatollahs, mullahs and IRGC leaders that need their one way ticket to paradise.

Over 80% of the people in Iran DO NOT SUPPORT the illegal theocratic regime that has oppressed its population, murdering tens of thousands of them, in what has been 47 years of terror propagated by Iran against its people, its neighbors, its foes, its declared call to destroy the USA and Israel, and now adding attacking their allies to their list of atrocities.

True regime change should remain an objective,...

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Well put. I agree strongly with the part you wrote which I bolded. But I don't see any possible way that will happen unless (a) we do it militarily by force, or (b) there is a successful uprising and successful coup from within.

We would love to see (b) occur, but afaik no encouraging signs on that front has occurred.

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...but I believe Trump will accept something less if they agree to and abide by the other demands.

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This is probably the type of U.S. exit that will occur.

Or we could just walk away, and leave resolution of the strait ship traffic issue to the M.E. nations / EU / BRIC diplomats and their soft power / hard power tactics. This option might have some consequences for us that we don't like, though.

JUST IN - Trump admin places economic sanctions on a major China based oil refinery and approx 40 companies and tankers involved with shipping Iranian oil — AP

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) April 24, 2026

Here is an article supporting your understanding.

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The Iran war cannot be understood in isolation. It is one front in a broader campaign that began the moment Trump returned to the White House on January 20, 2025. The pattern is unmistakable: the trade war against China (which Washington won), the eviction of Chinese influence from Canada, Mexico, Panama, and Greenland, the realignment of Asian and Central Asian nations away from Beijing's orbit, the seizure of Maduro's Venezuela and its oil redirected to American markets, the flipping of Colombia, and the deployment of U.S. military forces to Nigeria ostensibly to protect the country's persecuted Christian population which brought Africa's largest oil producer firmly into the American strategic sphere. Add to this the ongoing strangulation of Cuba, and a coherent global picture emerges.
Now comes the Middle East. Before Operation Epic Fury, China received 5.35 million barrels per day through the Strait of Hormuz. That figure has now collapsed to approximately 1.22 million. China is already experiencing fuel shortages, with queues forming at gas stations and strategic reserves declining daily. China bought 95% of all Iranian crude exports. The Hormuz blockade, in effect, is an energy embargo on Beijing executed through Tehran.

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https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2026/04/16/the_hormuz_blockade_is_not_about_iran__its_about_china_1177062.html

DeschutesAg said:

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flown-the-coop said:

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Here's to hoping negotiations go nowhere and we get back to bombing Iran in earnest.

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Trump said there aren't many legitimate Iranian military targets left to strike from the air or the sea. Trump and Bibi said they have hit and destroyed almost all of them.

Quote:

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But one thing remains, the Islamic Republic of Iran must be ended.

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A warranted, justifiable objective.

But how can that be accomplished?

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Take out Kharg.

When folks set aside their TDS or attempt to cast everything Trump does as dumb, no plan, war monger, big spender, unhinged, etc… then his "strategy" and plan is pretty obvious and straightforward.

America First is not just about focusing on America above all else, it has another meaning which is to return America to being first in the world at everything that matters.. wealth, trade, education, military, space, technology, etc.

Why we conceded some of these things to China or other areas is something folks will write about decades from now.

And Trump fixing it will similarly be under appreciated until years from now.

Trump certainly has his faults, but he is focused and determined and I believe 2026, our 250th year, will be one that pivots us from an era of fecklessness, capitulation, half assing, concessions to our advisories and we will be firmly on a path to restoring ourselves to the Alpha Dog of humanity.

flown-the-coop said:

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When folks set aside their TDS or attempt to cast everything Trump does as dumb, no plan, war monger, big spender, unhinged, etc… then his "strategy" and plan is pretty obvious and straightforward.

America First is not just about focusing on America above all else, it has another meaning which is to return America to being first in the world at everything that matters.. wealth, trade, education, military, space, technology, etc.

Why we conceded some of these things to China or other areas is something folks will write about decades from now.

And Trump fixing it will similarly be under appreciated until years from now.

Trump certainly has his faults, but he is focused and determined and I believe 2026, our 250th year, will be one that pivots us from an era of fecklessness, capitulation, half assing, concessions to our advisories and we will be firmly on a path to restoring ourselves to the Alpha Dog of humanity.

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Trump will walk away from the SOH as soon as he can take as much oil business from Iran as possible. Once the tankers arrive in Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska and even Venezuela from Japan, China, India, and even Europe, long term contracts of established routes will be signed meaning contractual stability will be in place and must be honored even if an oil hating democrats is elected.

Trump continues to tell us this plan but the press is not listening, this war is not about Israel or atom bombs, this war is about taking customers from Iran.

Trump is a businessman, that is all he knows and tells us this everyday.

Whether or not Europe stands with us, whether or not your journalists do their jobs, whether or not your politicians demonstrate the courage to act, I will fight for my people and my country. pic.twitter.com/bbE5842oiT

— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) April 24, 2026

There was a blurb earlier on Fox about how the IRGC is relying on Pakistani and other ME "mercenaries" to tamp down any anti-regime protests. The rationale was that foreign mercenaries would hesitate less when firing on the civilians.

Thing is, though soldiers like to be paid, mercenaries demand payment from the start. Where Economic Fury really has an impact is in areas like this where regime coercion is impotent without the cash.

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They can't defend themselves and bring NOTHING at all to the table. Zip. Zero, Nada.

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Apparently the Trump Administration and DoD don't agree with you. They continue to ask them for help.

DeschutesAg said:

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Quote:

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They can't defend themselves and bring NOTHING at all to the table. Zip. Zero, Nada.

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Apparently the Trump Administration and DoD don't agree with you. They continue to ask them for help.

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Big difference between him asking / pleading for help and him telling them they should help and needling Starmer that he's being such a big girl's blouse.

DeschutesAg said:

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Ellis Wyatt said:

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Who gives a ****? They bring nothing to the table. At all.

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You sound like Trump. I don't think many US military commanders from the Iraq War 2003-2011 and Afghanistan War 2001-2021 agree. There were 1200 Allied soldiers who died from those two U.S. conflicts. Several thousand more Allied soldiers were wounded, and thousands of those wounded have permanent injuries. That doesn't even count the damage from PTSD. We asked for their help. They came. Show some respect. They earned it.

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They also staffed and manned field hospitals and saved quite a few American lives. In fact, in Afghanistan, they were among the last to leave, and took care of those hit at the Abbey gate. Can't remember which country was manning the hospital there at the time, but their doctors and nurses stepped up, along with ours of course.

flown-the-coop said:

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When folks set aside their TDS or attempt to cast everything Trump does as dumb, no plan, war monger, big spender, unhinged, etc… then his "strategy" and plan is pretty obvious and straightforward.

America First is not just about focusing on America above all else, it has another meaning which is to return America to being first in the world at everything that matters.. wealth, trade, education, military, space, technology, etc.

Why we conceded some of these things to China or other areas is something folks will write about decades from now.

And Trump fixing it will similarly be under appreciated until years from now.

Trump certainly has his faults, but he is focused and determined and I believe 2026, our 250th year, will be one that pivots us from an era of fecklessness, capitulation, half assing, concessions to our advisories and we will be firmly on a path to restoring ourselves to the Alpha Dog of humanity.

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'The US has a lot of fronts that it has to fight & defend from China this is a huge one:

https://open.substack.com/pub/amuseonx/p/chinas-two-front-war-on-american?

Today, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Co., Ltd., a China-based independent teapot refinery. China-based teapot refineries continue to play a vital role in sustaining Iran’s oil economy, and Hengli Petrochemical…

— Treasury Department (@USTreasury) April 24, 2026

More information on the Chinese refineries sanctioned:

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/scott-mcclallen/2026/04/24/treasury-sanctions-chinese-refinery-and-40-ships-in-sweeping-iran-oil-crackdown-n2675043

for the dummies around the world too lazy to do basic research

The death cult's dream may be complete.

Thank God. And good riddance.

Yet here we are.

the hardest working man in the internet keeping people informed

Bessent said a currency swap line was getting worked on for the 4 middle eastern countries (this is likely to be profitable for us and also secure the petro dollar yet again).

Iran has 93 million people and the average person eats 3 lbs of food a day. 16 thousand metric tons of food a day.

Iran produces about 35% of its food. Their rail capacity through Turkmenistan is only 800 TEU a YEAR or 21 metric tons a day lol

They’re going to starve

— Latinx Adjacent Doctor PhD (@TonerousHyus) April 25, 2026

The rail line out of Iran via Turkmenistan is really for “secret Chinese goods” so things like missile precursors or weapons. So they won’t use it for food or anything tbh and it takes weeks to bring one train in.

Really they only have the small merchant ships in the Caspian

— Latinx Adjacent Doctor PhD (@TonerousHyus) April 25, 2026

Great point, not that I wish starvation on the Iranian population.

Are we supposed to think the regime with all the weapons care if people are starving. The huge amount of population that wants regime change they would be more than glad to watch them starve. In reality they know we care more for them than they do. If there is a humanitarian crisis who do you think will get the blame for that.

Queso1 said:

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Yet here we are.

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Maybe Jared can present that to them in the negotiations if they show this time. I'm sure he's tired of the interruptions this is causing for his business deals involving his multibillion private equity firm investing in Israel.

He needs to get something done soon. The likelihood of Israel making it for three weeks without blowing something up is not great.

flown-the-coop said:

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When folks set aside their TDS or attempt to cast everything Trump does as dumb, no plan, war monger, big spender, unhinged, etc… then his "strategy" and plan is pretty obvious and straightforward.

America First is not just about focusing on America above all else, it has another meaning which is to return America to being first in the world at everything that matters.. wealth, trade, education, military, space, technology, etc.

Why we conceded some of these things to China or other areas is something folks will write about decades from now.

And Trump fixing it will similarly be under appreciated until years from now.

Trump certainly has his faults, but he is focused and determined and I believe 2026, our 250th year, will be one that pivots us from an era of fecklessness, capitulation, half assing, concessions to our advisories and we will be firmly on a path to restoring ourselves to the Alpha Dog of humanity.

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Agree with all of this but I won't let him off the hook of being a big spender. However, I will give some credit that he's thinking about it; he's just thinking about it differently. He's thinking he can generate enough new revenue via tariffs and all of these other geopolitical changes to offset our spending that we have chosen to ignore.

I think he's wrong on that and we won't get to see the outcome of it anyway once the Dems get control back. He has 3 years to get these changes too ingrained that the Democrats can't change it back.

YouBet said:

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flown-the-coop said:

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When folks set aside their TDS or attempt to cast everything Trump does as dumb, no plan, war monger, big spender, unhinged, etc… then his "strategy" and plan is pretty obvious and straightforward.

America First is not just about focusing on America above all else, it has another meaning which is to return America to being first in the world at everything that matters.. wealth, trade, education, military, space, technology, etc.

Why we conceded some of these things to China or other areas is something folks will write about decades from now.

And Trump fixing it will similarly be under appreciated until years from now.

Trump certainly has his faults, but he is focused and determined and I believe 2026, our 250th year, will be one that pivots us from an era of fecklessness, capitulation, half assing, concessions to our advisories and we will be firmly on a path to restoring ourselves to the Alpha Dog of humanity.

---

Agree with all of this but I won't let him off the hook of being a big spender. However, I will give some credit that he's thinking about it; he's just thinking about it differently. He's thinking he can generate enough new revenue via tariffs and all of these other geopolitical changes to offset our spending that we have chosen to ignore.

I think he's wrong on that and we won't get to see the outcome of it anyway once the Dems get control back. He has 3 years to get these changes too ingrained that the Democrats can't change it back.

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That's the problem- time. 3 years? Depending on how bad the midterms go he likely will be taken out at the knees.

Congress will be a circus way worse than it is now. Then the presidential cycle starts up and the Republican Party will start to knife each other way worse than it is now. They will turn on Trump too maybe even worse than the first term.

Nobody has seen Trump yet when he's not running for president. No doubt he's going to be part of the upcoming circus.

But time is not on Trump's side and the timing of this attack on Iran was not good.

AGHouston11 said:

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YouBet said:

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flown-the-coop said:

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When folks set aside their TDS or attempt to cast everything Trump does as dumb, no plan, war monger, big spender, unhinged, etc… then his "strategy" and plan is pretty obvious and straightforward.

America First is not just about focusing on America above all else, it has another meaning which is to return America to being first in the world at everything that matters.. wealth, trade, education, military, space, technology, etc.

Why we conceded some of these things to China or other areas is something folks will write about decades from now.

And Trump fixing it will similarly be under appreciated until years from now.

Trump certainly has his faults, but he is focused and determined and I believe 2026, our 250th year, will be one that pivots us from an era of fecklessness, capitulation, half assing, concessions to our advisories and we will be firmly on a path to restoring ourselves to the Alpha Dog of humanity.

---

Agree with all of this but I won't let him off the hook of being a big spender. However, I will give some credit that he's thinking about it; he's just thinking about it differently. He's thinking he can generate enough new revenue via tariffs and all of these other geopolitical changes to offset our spending that we have chosen to ignore.

I think he's wrong on that and we won't get to see the outcome of it anyway once the Dems get control back. He has 3 years to get these changes too ingrained that the Democrats can't change it back.

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That's the problem- time. 3 years? Depending on how bad the midterms go he likely will be taken out at the knees.

Congress will be a circus way worse than it is now. Then the presidential cycle starts up and the Republican Party will start to knife each other way worse than it is now. They will turn on Trump too maybe even worse than the first term.

Nobody has seen Trump yet when he's not running for president. No doubt he's going to be part of the upcoming circus.

But time is not on Trump's side and the timing of this attack on Iran was not good.

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Certainly an aggressive time line with the headwinds you mention. Chances are low.

I will thread needle on Iran....that's part of this overarching strategy of his geopolitical maneuvers mentioned so timing is irrelevant in that regard. I say this not being a huge fan of attacking them, but I also completely understand why he's doing it. This is bigger than Iran.

sts7049 said:

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the hardest working man in the internet keeping people informed

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To be honest, this is sort of LMCane's area. I may not agree on the love of Govna RonnieD, but they are very focused on Israel and have been for quite some time. Believe they may have even liver over there for a bit.

On this topic, LMCane provides info that is relevant, timely and mostly accurate. It's evidence of a passion which most people work hard at their passions.

AGHouston11 said:

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Queso1 said:

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Yet here we are.

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Maybe Jared can present that to them in the negotiations if they show this time. I'm sure he's tired of the interruptions this is causing for his business deals involving his multibillion private equity firm investing in Israel.

He needs to get something done soon. The likelihood of Israel making it for three weeks without blowing something up is not great.

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Affinity Partners is based in Miami (Florida which is in the United States, not Israel). It focuses its investment in American and Israeli companies and did receive $2 billion in investments from… Saudi Arabia.

So Jared is manipulating the Iran negotiations on behalf of Israel using a US company and Saudi sovereign wealth money to do what exactly?

Also, seems the US and Israel are already working on some infrastructure deconstruction.

But let's not let any facts get in the way of insinuating Jared Kushner is working for Israel and not the US.

It would be nice if we could actually fulfill the goals of DOGE and then take a look at what remains. There is a whole lot of government spending that is good and worthy. Military, infrastructure, education, health and welfare, etc.

Should much of this be returned to community responsibility particularly concerning health and welfare (help thy neighbor, etc)? Absolutely.

Eliminating waste and graft vs cut all government spending is not just a worthwhile goal, but an achievable one. But at some point Congress and the Judiciary have to be on board or it matters not how much Trump (or anyone else) wants to cut budgets.

I think growth can make a much bigger cut to the debt Thant people realize (Kudlow and Laffer are both bonerized on this), but it would indeed seem to be a pipe dream it would take care of the debt and deficit without other drastic actions like cutting spending.

Breaking: Negotiations for today have been called off. Kushner and Witkoff trip cancelled.

Let the bombs fly.

Death cult gonna death cult.