Trump says he bombed Iran

[Astyanax]

you can never have enough wealth

You sound like a poor man who is too busy surviving to appreciate the real blessings of life. But you are mistaken, my friend. I know plenty of people who have all the wealth they need, and they aren’t all as rich as Croesus either.

[IdeomotorPrisoner]

If you believe that the world’s power elite can be bribed with wealth, that scenario may apply. I think it may be true of poor, backward countries that lack wealth of their own, but it is certainly not true of Putin or the rulers of the Gulf states. These men literally own their countries, and there is no amount of wealth alone that can possibly tempt them. The only bribe that works with people on that level is power, and Trump has none left to offer.

North Korea is poor, and its dictator is certainly bribable – not personally, but through investment in his country’s economy, which he, as with Putin and the sheikhs in their own countries, is basically his to do as he pleases with.

Polymarket is just for small-timers as far as I know. Millions at best, not billions, per play.
 

If that were true, it might be funny... in a really appalling way.

Maybe its like in the movie Rat Race where all the rich people care more about betting on absurd shit because they can.... and it can pay for the superyacht staff..

I swear there's insider trading reasons for almost every twisting Trump announcement.. maybe to buy off lesser influence.

He really has a habit of making abrupt declarations right before the open stock bell.. like almost telegraphed even.

Theres something "deal oriented" afoot and this is a different war with atypical players. 

Like the BRICS country pushing us against Chinese interest in Iran, two other BRICS countries. 

For all the comments theis being Israel's guard dog again, we sure are coordinating with the wishes of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi WAY MORE than Jerusalem.

​@ Cherokeetoy 

I'm glad that PLA post isnt verified, though it could be real, because China counter posturing with hypersonic missile at Trump's blockade is something I am going to guess isn't part of the 5 week plan...

And probably terrifying for everyone with deployed Navy loved ones.

[Astyanax]

Maybe its like in the movie Rat Race where all the rich people care more about betting on absurd shit because they can.... and it can pay for the superyacht staff.

Status competition at head-of-state level certainly exists, but it is relatively muted because the world order dictates status no matter how many yachts or jumbo-jets the head of state has. States compete in terms of the size of their arsenals, the wealth of their economies, the influence they exert geopolitically – stuff like that. And bribing their leaders has no effect in this area – which is why the positions on the global scoreboard rarely change in a hurry.
 

He really has a habit of making abrupt declarations right before the open stock bell.

Oh yeah. We’ve all noticed. But Trump is an outlier, you see. He knows he’s an impostor in the world of real power, which is why money still means so much to him. He’s making his pile before justice catches up with him and chucks him out. Typical kleptocrat stuff, the kind of behaviour you associate with François Duvalier, Mobutu Sese Seko, Idi Amin and others like that.

Yes, I know it’s taking a long time. But it’s coming, and soon now. The dog-eat-dog tendency ReturnofBrocolli was talking about is almost at an end. Orbàn is the canary in the coalmine.
 

Theres something "deal oriented" afoot and this is a different war with atypical players. 

Indeed. See above. These are grifters, small-time scavengers who dwelt, until recently, in the sewers of capitalism. Now, almost miraculously, they find themselves running the world’s sole superpower. They can scarcely believe their luck. So it’s amateur hour, and naturally the play looks different. The professionals have all been benched and these guys are just flailing about.
 

For all the comments this being Israel's guard dog again, we sure are coordinating with the wishes of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi WAY MORE than Jerusalem.

As I said, it’s amateur hour. But I read what is happening as the Trump gang doing its best to keep their accomplices in these countries on side. Not MBS and the policymaking big boys, but all the minor princes and oil billionaires with whom Trump and Kushner and Witkoff and the rest have struck their crooked deals.

Along with Trump’s indecisiveness and progressive descent into insanity, this is the other key reason why US policy is a senseless mess. The people making it have two agendas: one dictated by the needs of the country, the other dictated by their own. When the two conflict, their own agenda wins. And on the policy side, they have no clue what they are doing anyway.
 

I'm glad that PLA post isnt verified, though it could be real, because China counter posturing with hypersonic missile at Trump's blockade is something I am going to guess isn't part of the 5 week plan...

If China wanted to lob a missile at an American warship, they wouldn't launch it themselves, they’d just give it to the Iranians and tell them to do it. No-one would even know.

[Kwaka]

If China wanted to lob a missile at an American warship, they wouldn't launch it themselves, they’d just give it to the Iranians and tell them to do it. No-one would even know.

If a US battleship sinks an oil tanker on its way to China, I don't see China having a problem in the world knowing it was them that sank the US battleship in return.

[Astyanax]

If a US battleship sinks an oil tanker on its way to China, I don't see China having a problem in the world knowing it was them that sank the US battleship in return.

If a US warship (battleships don’t exist any more except in Trump’s sundowning fantasies) did sink a Chinese-flagged tanker en route to anywhere, the Chinese would have a broad range of policy options that would do far more damage to the US than the retaliatory sinking of a naval vessel. They could, for instance, turn off the rare-earths tap altogether, so that the US couldn’t build any more guidance systems for its precious THAADS and Patriots.

Our MAGA friends on this thread would not be overjoyed to learn how much of the supply chain for US and Western munitions actually runs through China. In fact, no Westerner should be.

America Is Waging War on Iran With Chinese Hardware

China’s export controls threaten US interceptors during conflict with Iran

Missiles, Magnets, and the Quiet Choke Point Behind America’s Iran Arsenal

And guess who the alternative supplier is? 

China's Rare Earth Grip on the U.S. Military Is About to Break

You only have to read the article to realize it’s a hopeless propaganda piece.

[Sky727]

[Sky727]

[angelchemuel]

Diesels around £1.40-£1.50 per litre.

Which is a kick in the nether regions imho.

Well, you are lucky up in Glasgow. I heard it was about to hit £2/litre yesterday.
Did a quick Google/Ai search.....

The most expensive Diesel in the United Kingdom ?? is on the Isle of Tiree on the Inner Hebrides, Scotland ??????? at 225.6p per litre. The most expensive diesel in England ??????? is EG Rivington Services on the M61, where the price is 199.9 per litre or 219.9 for premium diesel.

I paid £1.75.9/litre for Premium petrol last week in Gloucestershire.
Rainbows
Jane

[andy06shake]

Well, you are lucky up in Glasgow. I heard it was about to hit £2/litre yesterday.
Did a quick Google/Ai search.....

I paid £1.75.9/litre for Premium petrol last week in Gloucestershire.
Rainbows
Jane

I don't doubt it, Jane.

And you're correct, it's about £2/litre...

So a price increase of about 33.3% since the last time I've been near a pump.

[andy06shake]

"Trump PANICS as Fox host EXPOSES Ceasefire FAILURE"