"Newsweek has found no independent corroboration for the claim."

I thought that meant a journalist couldn't run the story?

“I would have won Vietnam if I didn’t dodge the draft five times.”

I guess one reason for Labour to keep Starmer in place for the next few weeks is so he can take the blame for the May local election results, on top of the Mandelson debacle. Then I imagine there will be a challenge.

Somewhere Bismarck is looking down in confusion as Germany projects power by sending 4,000 pensioners, 12 buffet stations and a TUI loyalty program through the Strait of Hormuz

#counterforcefail

"We expended billions of dollars of munitions and resources so you could pay $4/gallon for gas. Give us more money," seems like not great domestic-political messaging, to be honest.

We are fortunate we ran the North Korea crisis in Trump 1.0 and the Iran crisis in Trump 2.0 because the other way around probably gets you a nuclear war.

US: Do more and buy American!

Also US:

a man in a suit and tie is smoking a cigarette . ALT: a man in a suit and tie is smoking a cigarette .

"If we fail here there will be war."

Me: Please be good please be good please be good.

Trailer: IN 1986 THE WORLD WAS ON THE BRINK OF NUCLEAR ANNIHILATION

Me: Noooooo.

I want to like it and I am professionally obligated to watch it, so it better be enjoyable at least.

Me: Please be good please be good please be good.

Trailer: IN 1986 THE WORLD WAS ON THE BRINK OF NUCLEAR ANNIHILATION

Me: Noooooo.

Free-association presidenting.

I think HMT are trying to get agreement to take over procurement in return for the cash and that's what's causing the delay.

Gone down a bit of a rabbit hole in the archives of Jackie. So on 19th April 1980, one 13-year-old reader wrote movingly to the Cathy & Claire agony aunt page about her fear of nuclear war.

The advice is basically, "Cheer up!"

I can't believe "Give up your nuclear program and then we'll economically colonize you" didn't work as a sales pitch.

This is an important point: the UK has been marginal to the US-Israel-Iran War. If the US acts against our interests there, there is very little we can do about it.

It would be the same in a US-China war. The UK needs to focus on Europe and drop the pretense of influence elsewhere.

It's really hard to work out what is going on with the UK strategically these days.

We appeased Hitler to buy time for a defence buildup. Now we are confronting Putin, but without devoting the necessary resources to restoring our military capability.

Unfortunately, the Strategic Defence Review failed to trigger the much-needed national debate not just on defence spending, but, more broadly, Britain’s strategy in this dangerous time. Easy to blame the media, but it would have been No 10‘s job to drive this conversation./4 But

It's really hard to work out what is going on with the UK strategically these days.

We appeased Hitler to buy time for a defence buildup. Now we are confronting Putin, but without devoting the necessary resources to restoring our military capability.

The Iranians' secret hack: sending people with "diplomacy experience" to a diplomatic negotiation.

Is it still a cease-fire if one side is employing an act of war against the other?

These people are completely unburdened by any knowledge or self-doubt

So weird that a state on the receiving end of existential threats from the US government less than a week ago doesn't now want to give up its nuclear program in negotiations with the US government.

Andrew Johnson.

This is all so stupid, it really defies analysis.

As soon as the initial sugar rush wears off, Trump will cast around for someone to blame.

Domestically, it will probably be Hegseth. Internationally, NATO.

This