There's just no good way for Trump to get out of this. He's trapped.

Old enough to remember when unsanctioning Iranian oil was a “ju-jitsu strategy”.

Talking to @rorytruex.bsky.social about Xi Jinping and China today. If you have any questions, let me know.

Recruitment in Russia is slowing down. In Q1 of 2026, numbers were down by 20% compared to last year. This change is evident in both official statements and budget data. On average, it was 800 new contract soldiers per day this year.

Thank you! Glad to hear it

12.7 million battery electric vehicles were sold globally in 2025.

In 2010, the number was barely 10,000.

In China, 1 in 2 new cars sold last year was electric.

The transition is happening faster than almost anyone predicted.

hell yeah it should have ramps for cool tricks too

I knew it was bad but really didn’t appreciate it was quite this bad

as.ft.com/r/db911dd6-f...

Yeah, I think that's probably right. But at least we're trying! Before we give up

Hahaha. Thank you!

I just happened to be searching Bluesky for posts about hedges & came across this podcast about NATO. Well worth the time.

Wow. To see it visually like this.

Thanks! Will watch. Always good to learn

No I'm actually not 100% sure. I'm guessing apocalypse will do better, but the problem there might be wrong expectations. If you click on the hedge thumbnail, you'll probably expect some guy talking in front of a hedge. The other thing could be a video essay etc so viewers may stop watching

🇰🇭 Cambodia unveils statue for mine-sniffing hero rat

Cambodia unveils a statue of the landmine-hunting rat, Magawa, the only rat ever awarded the PDSA Gold Medal for animal bravery.

YouTube allows you to upload multiple thumbnails to see what people are interested in and I wasn't sure what to pick. Any guesses as to which thumbnail will do better? Man in front of hedge or apocalypse?

Trump Killed NATO YouTube video by Dr Marcel Dirsus

Oh no
@marceldirsus.com is back
Not that I am not happy but the video background contradicts the message

I love that hedge

Trump Killed NATO YouTube video by Dr Marcel Dirsus

Another guest had to cancel so instead of a podcast episode, here's me standing in front of a hedge talking about the death of NATO:

youtu.be/26vcTSlVak4?...

Ha! Good point. Storm, chaos, misery. Sunshine!

The Iran Ceasefire What is going on?

„I can’t see any other American president accept Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz.

But Trump?

Just this morning, he gave an interview in which he said the US could form a joint-venture with Iran to charge tolls.“

@marceldirsus.com

thehundred.substack.com/p/the-iran-c...

That sounds great! Thank you

Nice of Europeans to say they'll send warships to Hormuz after there's an agreement with Iran. But beyond maybe clearing mines, what exactly is the point?

Thank you! That's great to know. And yes, we're getting old...

Has anyone here ever been to Bogotá? What's it like?

Democrats and Republicans are not the same

More news on the ceasefire:

This, from the New York Times, is quite something. Read it and compare to reality:

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/u...

So in summary: There's a ceasefire across the region and Hormuz is open but Israel is bombing Lebanon and UAE air defenses are firing at an incoming Iranian missile barrage. Over in the strait, ships that don't receive Iranian permission to transit get destroyed

Habe den Eindruck, die Iraner sehen das anders