One of the rare days where I looked at @NYTimes Spelling Bee and knew the pangram right away.

Today in Iran…

Oh, well that changes . . . nothing.

I'm sorry, if you're going to make a big show about how you've got a Department of WAR helmed by a Secretary of WAR and staffed by WARfighters, it's totally inane to then claim that your massive bombing of a foreign country constitutes something other than a war.

Ex. of Sec Albright's "There's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other."
Lauren Boebert going against agreed upon rules and posting a verboten picture of Hillary Clinton during Clinton's testimony, and then Nancy Mace calling Clinton unhinged for reacting to the violation.

Or was it, as mentioned on @morningjoe-msnow.bsky.social this AM, part of Pres. Trump's show/salesperson like ability to escalate credentials of his inner circle, elevating Mrs Trump from advocate to expert.
One source I spoke with referenced this pattern in his cabinet appts too.

Outside the Council, before today's UNSC afternoon meeting, among the diplomats and experts I spoke with, takes went in two directions.
Was this further signs of Trump's disdain for the UN or a distraction from Iran and other issues?

Liberia's statement is worth reading as it acknowledges barrier to entry to tech

Exs flatter & civility extended to Mrs. Trump:
France: "Your presence here is an encouragement" which the PR then equated to the presence of Eleanor Roosevelt at the UN
DRC: mentions specific work Mrs Trump has done, both w/in US & her part in repatriating children taken to Russia from Ukrainian

As expected, the atmosphere is the height of civility. Member statements seem to follow some combination of: recognize the vulnerabilities to harm & exploitation tech presents to children, recognizes role of UN & their country in "child protection & education capacity", then flatter Mrs. Trump

"Conflict arises from ignorance, but knowledge creates understanding, replacing fear with peace and unity." Trump ends her speech highlighting the role of AI and technology in advancing education, especially in conflict torn areas.

As @scprocedure.bsky.social noted on X/Twitter, "It is noteworthy that in expressing her appreciation for the welcome of the Security Council members, Melania Trump first names all the other P5 before the elected members, rather than addressing the members in their alphabetical order."

Melania starts her SC meeting on Children, Technology and Education in Conflict.
Oddly appropriate timing giving her husband just began a conflict on the ground in MENA that has crushed at least one school & closed others across the region.

The subconscious is a crazy thing. Words i just realized I’ve played on Crosswords this AM: pillage, gaslit, ransack.

BREAKING: IRAN is closing the strait of Hormuz and is turning vessels around according to Reuters.

This is threatening 20% of the world’s oil & LNG flow.

So much for Affordability.

Donald Trump Suffers Double Legal Blow On ICE Actions In Hours

Two federal judges delivered major defeats to the Trump admin’s immigration policies on the same day.

I'm old enough to remember when the Trump administration blew up the JCPOA

a bald man is smiling and saying `` you fell victim to one of the classic blunders ! `` ALT: a bald man is smiling and saying `` you fell victim to one of the classic blunders ! ``

(Also, Never get involved in a land war in Asia)

Security Council will meet today at 4pm est on Iran attack

Completely agree.

with effective impunity for religious scholars & the so-called nobles, & the imposition of harsher punishments on those designated as “lower class.”

The provision call for "the further subjugation of women, the normalization of (GBV), the legalization of slavery, the formal division of society into “free” & “enslaved” persons, further classification into four social classes,

The Taliban’s New Criminal Regulation Legalizes Slavery, Violence, and Repression of Women - Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security On January 7, 2026, the Taliban’s emir issued a two-point decree formally endorsing a new Criminal Procedural Regulations for Courts (119 articles, 3 chapters, 10 sections) and announcing that it woul...

More sad and scary things happening in Afghanistan, @giwps.bsky.social on the latest from the Taliban:
On January 7, 2026, the Taliban’s emir issued a two-point decree that "was not publicly announced, debated, or widely circulated by the authorities."
giwps.georgetown.edu/2026/01/30/t...

Hey!

Thank you Madam Speaker

Trump just said, "in closing" about two minutes ago. more empty promises.

Watching on CSPAN and it appears that the broadcast of #Trump's #UNGA speech has been switched over to the Russian translator. Someone there has a great sense of humor.

Trump moves onto attacking Obama, after saying Europe is "destroying its heritage."
(He's not even bothering to code anything at this point, just letting the crazy and racism hang all out. I guess that's honesty.)

"I really good at predicting things, I don't say that in a bragadocious way, but I'm always right."

So Trump just said, "I'm here to tell the truth."