I thought we won this war eight times already. 

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Angry middle manager.

I saw someone say he’s basically Biff Tanner.

trump giving billboard material for his own funeral is a turning point in the “mandatory decency for kirk” social argument and enforcement  .. how’s that for “locker room talk” and +1 for the pun

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/21/trump-robert-mueller-death

reporter finds three pennsylvania trumpers to offset the pump lady
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-voter-went-viral-cursing-163225154.html

DoubleEgger said:

Trumpers and MAGA have no real remorse. They are just scared and pissed that the fire has gotten too close to them. 

They are the fire, and they are the fuel. 

From Politico on the latest with Iran:

DON’T SAY TACO: President Donald Trump backed down this morning from his threat of significant strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, just hours before his own deadline for Iran to effectively reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Markets breathed a temporary sigh of relief. Oil prices dropped. But questions abound about how much of this is real progress, and whether it’ll stick beyond this week.

Trump on Truth Social announced the U.S. had “very good and productive conversations” over the weekend, and that consequently the U.S. would pause “any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure” for the next five days, POLITICO’s Eric Bazail-Eimil and colleagues report. Talks will be ongoing this week, he wrote. This all follows the standoff over the strait, which is a key transport zone for oil exports that Iran has been using as a chokepoint — setting off alarms for weeks in the oil market and among major U.S. allies.

The possibility of negotiations to end the war, conveniently announced prior to the markets opening, saw stocks jump and the S&P leap to one of its best days since before the war started, per AP. The price of crude oil fell to around $100, down from its $120 peaks last week.

Not so fast: Iranian state media quickly contradicted Trump’s post, raising doubts about how far along any negotiations actually are. They denied that direct talks have happened between the U.S. and Tehran, labeling Trump’s statement as a bid to lower energy prices and buy time, per Axios’ Barak Ravid.

And another grain of salt: This is the latest war assessment we’ve gotten from the president, which has so far ranged from the U.S. “winning” to the military potentially “winding down” to more promises to “obliterate” Iran’s energy sector. All the while, the Pentagon has Marines en route to the region, and while Trump may see an off-ramp, Israel does not. They plan to continue operations while avoiding Iran’s energy sector, though they were told about Trump’s post ahead of time, Bloomberg’s Dan Williams reports.

But Trump doubled down today, telling reporters before boarding Air Force One to Memphis that both sides have engaged in “very, very strong talks” with “major points of agreement.” Trump’s diplomacy duo — Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — are leading the talks, which kicked off yesterday and will continue by phone today. “We have a very serious chance of making a deal,” Trump said. He insisted that “they called.”

Asked about Iran’s denial, Trump said “they're going to have to get themselves better public relations people,” adding the conflicting reports may have been a miscommunication. Trump declined to specify who the U.S. is talking with on the Iranian side but that they’re “very solid” people. Axios reported Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan indirectly passed messages between Washington and Tehran over the weekend.

Iran also doubled down: “No negotiations have been held with the US, and fakenews is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped,” Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, wrote on X.

Trump left the door open to the U.S. jointly controlling the Strait of Hormuz, which would be a significant change to the regional power dynamic. “Maybe me, me and the Ayatollah ... whoever the next Ayatollah is,” Trump said. The leadership question is looming over Iran as Trump continues to dangle the specter of regime change. He told reporters he doesn’t consider Mojtaba Khamenei to be Iran’s new supreme leader.

The five-day trial period for talks could set the groundwork for settling the war — or risk further bombing, as Trump framed it. But the president signaled that the deal Iran is “very willing” to make includes an agreement to get rid of their nuclear weapons — a central sticking point. But he also said he can’t “guarantee” a deal.

One to watch: Axios’ Ravid reports that the key mediating countries are trying to put together a meeting in Islamabad later this week, with Witkoff, Kushner — and possibly VP JD Vance."

A good read from Dave Pell:

The Bull---- Market

March's Other Madness, ICE at Airports

It’s too bad the March Madness moniker is already taken, because there aren’t a lot of better ways to describe the latest mad-making weekend in geopolitics. In a social media post, Trump gave Iran a 48-hour ultimatum to open the Strait of Hormuz or he’d start bombing power plants. Iran issued counter-threats about hitting other power and desalination plants in the region. By Monday morning, Trump had backed off his original ultimatum, saying that the highly inexperienced and highly conflicted team of Kushner and Witkoff had some productive talks with Iranian leadership. Iran went so far, we’re told, as to agree not to have a nuclear weapon. The Iranian side insists that no such talks took place, and given Trump’s track record with honesty (including when it comes to this war), it’s hard to imagine he’s the one telling the truth (even when being measured against what’s left of one of the world’s most awful and perennially mendacious regimes). To summarize, an unstable leader leading an optional war made threats via social media and then rescinded them based on what appears to be imaginary talks and then lied about the whole thing, leaving our strategy unclear, our goals still a mystery, and a key energy route still closed. And the market responded to this mind-boggling instability (and what looks a lot like its own manipulation) by ... soaring. Yes, the same market we’ve long depended on to be an unemotional measure of corporate health and future earnings, dependent on stable leadership and the rule of law, seems to be going as insane as the rest of us. We’re talking crazy money, here. Before we follow the money, shouldn’t we consider who the money is following? It’s not like investors aren’t aware that the person whose words are dramatically moving the market is known for constant lying. But they’re still buying his BS. Trump has given new meaning to the phrase, bull market. Don’t get me wrong. My portfolio is as relieved as yours. But it sure seems like the market is in denial about what’s going on in American politics. Or maybe, like the rest of us, the market was happily distracted while tracking college basketball brackets over the weekend — at least there, we’re supposed to have madness."

That's fine if it was terminated rather than the requirements still in play requiring the passenger adherence to the requirements.  
I did not fully read Project 2025 so there's that.
But right now this whole deal with TSA holds the traveler hostage while the people's representatives (not really) screw us over.  WDIB comes to mind (Who's Richard is Bigger!) F' me and all of us at the bottom of the food-chain.  

Gulfcoastguy said:

Could be Pelosi, again.

Yeah she definitely seems like someone Trump would text message just before posting to Truth Social.  

The trump family is just getting into their groove regarding the grift. They’ve got three more years to be even more brazen. $1.5B this time turns into $15B next time and $150B after that. Nothing’s stopping them. 

JohnInCarolina said:

Gulfcoastguy said:

Could be Pelosi, again.

Yeah she definitely seems like someone Trump would text message just before posting to Truth Social.  

Who knows? A donation to his campaign fund, give in on the SAVE Act, some dirt on AOC? Plenty of back channel back scratching. Money is green not red or blue.

JohnInCarolina said:

fishlessman said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Gulfcoastguy said:

Could be Pelosi, again.

Yeah she definitely seems like someone Trump would text message just before posting to Truth Social.  

Good work, Columbo.  Bulletproof evidence here.