Trump has never seen the presidency as a job or a responsibility. He thinks it is a prize he won and can use to please himself.

My message to Americans and to US servicemembers:

Being the "good guys" isn't a legacy you inherit. It's a legacy you have to live up to.

A stupid idea for many reasons, not least of which is that it keeps oil prices high while giving Iran a break to rebuild its depleted drone supply.

How many ships will go *into* the Gulf in the next two weeks? I suspect not many.

“Fire the women first” is exactly what we should’ve expected.

A big touch-the-stove problem is that a lot of people came to believe that assholery is the key to success, but also see the appeal of acting like an asshole as an end in itself and vicariously enjoy seeing it at the highest levels. I'm not sure if seeing the biggest asshole fail can fix that.

As Jamelle says, this is really good. So much of global politics these days is gender -- it's obvious to the naked eye but, as this author says, it's vaguely embarrassing to political scientists & other analysts. It seems silly & fuzzy. And it is! But it's so real.

Trump is still desperate for some form of escalation dominance, and to Trump that's more psychological than military. Congress or the cabinet needs to remove Trump from power before he starts floating the idea of nukes.

Prediction: 48 hours will pass, all hell won't rain down on Iran, and the world will once again see Trump is, like all bullies, a coward at heart.

Sadly, not surprising but also not new. He is incapable of empathy for anyone.

I hope the US pilot is rescued soon. The larger point here is that the US still doesn’t have air superiority over Iran. This makes any ground operation even riskier.

I'm editing an interview with the amazing @patrickww.bsky.social, whose work you should get to know. He tells me something so obvious but so insightful.

"Insurers don’t write coverage in active war zones."

Trump apparently believes an invasion of Iran is gonna solve his problems. It won't.

This is my interview with @patrickww.bsky.social.

Ahem…

Great story with some quotes from me.

Worse, it's not just the cargo (and the ship itself) that has to be insured. It's liability for the environmental disaster that will occur if a loaded supertanker gets blown up close to shore. Potentially billions of $.

The IRGC surely has Kharg wired to blow on command. Good luck capturing it intact.

A great mystery of our time. Every thinking person, even MAGA people, knows Trump routinely lies and can't be trusted to keep his word. Yet they keep making deals with him.

This is stupid. Anyone who trusts Trump deserves whatever happens to them.

I talk to Republican business people all the time. They fully understand that tariffs are a giant tax increase. But they won't say it out loud because
a) they fear Trump retribution or
b) they don't want to anger MAGA peers/customers.

This trend has yet to reach the Texas Longhorns at DKR. Perhaps because we have no empty sections in which shirtless fans can assemble.

If your movement needs more than 1 second to decide whether it embraces an overt racist, maybe something is wrong with your movement.

Obamacare Prices Become Public, Highlighting Big Increases

NYT framing of this story is terrible, completely ignoring that it is Trump's Republicans causing the increase.

The headline and image seem more designed to deflect blame onto Obama.

Link to transcript: www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/spe...

President Reagan's Radio Address on Free and Fair Trade on April 25, 1987 YouTube video by Reagan Library

Link to video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t5Q...

The Reagan radio address on free trade which Ontario used in a TV commercial that so upset Trump is interesting for another reason: A president spoke clearly and coherently about public affairs and didn't make it all about himself.

I suspect that's what really annoyed Trump.

Another good reason Russians should keep their windows closed. Was it a random apartment or was someone targeted?

AI and Hot Mics AI is changing the way business leaders talk. Investors should change the way they think.

When AI execs talk, are they describing reality or trying to please the president? No one knows. And that's a problem. www.mauldineconomics.com/connecting-t...

Why Republicans’ attempts to kill Obamacare keep backfiring The White House and some Republicans are growing nervous that Democrats’ demand to boost Obamacare as part of a government funding bill has salience with voters.

It keeps backfiring because their alternative plan is "let the sick people suffer and die."

It’s also stupid. Millions of his own supporters still live in those states.

Female vets fire back at Hegseth over claims of lowered military standards Federal law already prohibits gender-based standards for specific roles.

I spent 2 years commanding a mixed-gender company. My observation:

Soldiers are uncannily good at knowing who they can rely on in combat, and it has almost nothing to do physical fitness or personal appearance.