I'd start backing away if she told me this at a party.
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
How Much Damage
Aside from this WSJ piece from 3 weeks ago, I haven't seen very much investigation into the true damage Iran has done to US military assets in the region.
The extensive damage done to America’s sole naval base in the Middle East—along with hits to at least 20 U.S. sites across the region, including military installations and diplomatic facilities—has the U.S. re-evaluating its entire footprint in the region, according to U.S. officials familiar with the deliberations.
Damaged sites include warehouses, a water tank, two satellite communications terminals and a communications management facility, and the headquarters building for the U.S. Navy in the Middle East. Airbus
The military is now considering revamping the base in Bahrain, reducing the U.S. presence in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and moving some bases or base functions west, farther from the reach of Iranian missiles and drones, according to the officials familiar with the deliberations.
"I haven't seen" doesn't mean it doesn't exist, of course, as I don't see everything, but my broader point is I haven't noticed too much interest from journalists in finding out.
All We Need Is More Magic
While I tend to be pessimistic (sometimes correctly, occasionally not) about the latest supposedly world-changing gadget, I am not actually anti-technology or even pessimistic about the potential of technology. It's just that a lot of what is been sold to us in the past decade or so has been hype and scams.
Anyway, as long as we invent yet another technology this one will live up to its promise. Trust me, bro.
(Bloomberg) — SoftBank Group Corp. founder Masayoshi Son said that in the not-so-distant future, nuclear fusion technology will offer the most realistic solution for powering AI data centers’ ballooning needs.
Natural gas will provide the bulk of data centers’ power needs for the time being, Son said. But he predicted that nuclear fusion — the process by which the sun and other stars generate energy — has a role to play, predicting the world will need 3 terawatts of data center capacity in 2040.
The fantasy version of nuclear fusion would be great. I do not think powering data centers would be its greatest use.
As for energy generally, a lot of exciting things are happening! But they got coded as "left" so the supergeniuses don't care.
At Least The War Is Over
Whether or not it really has much to do with him, wouldn't you expect Trump to be angry at Whiskey Pete by now? Obviously this whole endeavor is doomed, but shouldn't Trump be mad that Mr. Warfighter isn't WINNING?
Train services have resumed along a critical international transit route in Iran days after a US air strike damaged a key railway bridge.Getting rid of Pete wouldn't change everything, but it might slow down his attempts to drive all black people out of the military.
According to local news outlet SNN, the Aqqala bridge in Golestan province is fully operational again following rapid repair. Iranian officials have frequently described it as the country’s “most important transit corridor”, serving as a central link between Tehran and the northeastern border towards China and Turkmenistan.
Heroes Of The Revolution
I don't think we'll be talking about him in 2 months. Trump certainly won't be talking about him after a week. Ever again. The man does not like to be reminded of his mortality.
Most people are forgotten, except by their loved ones, pretty quickly. I'm not even insulting Graham. But the only way he remains relevant is if Meet the Press puts out an honorary empty chair for him every week (they might!).
Charlie Kirk had more chance of remaining relevant in death. They really tried, too.Stephen Miller on Lindsey Graham: "He's someone we're still gonna be talking about 200 years from now"
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) July 13, 2026 at 9:18 PM
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Most people are forgotten, except by their loved ones, pretty quickly. I'm not even insulting Graham. But the only way he remains relevant is if Meet the Press puts out an honorary empty chair for him every week (they might!).
Monday, July 13, 2026
Put It On Your Calendars
I bet all the networks will run it, as is the tradition for Republican presidents.
Redemption Plot
Those of us who have been around for awhile remember when Ahmadinejad was, for awhile, the Big Bad of the discourse, when there was big push to go to Iran before it was too late (before Bush was out of office).
Mr. Ahmadinejad’s 2024 visit to the university and a second one the following year were part of a yearslong Israeli effort to groom him as an intelligence asset who, when the time came, could be installed as Iran’s new leader, according to both American and Iranian officials familiar with the operation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive intelligence.
Recruiting Mr. Ahmadinejad was of such priority for Israel that the country’s then-spy chief David Barnea even traveled to the Hungarian capital in 2024 to meet with Mr. Ahmadinejad personally, according to former American officials. Soon afterward, they said, Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service, notified the C.I.A. that it had been in contact with Mr. Ahmadinejad.
Israel’s decision to build a regime-change plan around Mr. Ahmadinejad is an extraordinary twist in the saga of the country’s relations with the former president, who was known for accelerating Iran’s nuclear program, calling regularly for the destruction of Israel and denying the Holocaust.
He was president when Netanyahu did the cartoon bomb.
People are good or bad independent of The Discourse, of course, but whether someone is the chosen Big Bad for the moment has little to do with how they are relative to our many bad pals. And they can all be redeemed when desired.
Civility
There are plenty of members of Congress who support this. Not even that they support the policies which inevitably, if "sadly," lead to this, but that they will fight to protect individuals and institutions responsible from consequences and fight any efforts to ensure the abuses don't continue.
During Peña López’s transfer to California City Detention Center last August, the lawsuit says, “detention staff denied Ulises timely administration of his daily medication, violated his disability rights, and subjected him to unnecessarily harsh conditions,” such as not getting adequate medical care. At the facility operated by CoreCivic, Peña López also struggled to get his medications. As a result, Peña López’s health worsened before he was deported.
People Who Matter
Lindsey Graham spent much of his career advocating - often successfully - for the mass murder of innocent people. He had been doing so, quite energetically, recently!
And Lindsey's popularity has never extended beyond the Green Room. Sure he wins re-election, but it isn't as if he has ever been a favorite among the Republican (pre- or during Trump) faithful.
He is the Beltway's man. What an I supposed to think of the people who elevated and maintained his stature for years? People who were at best not bothered by his regular advocacy of mass murder.
"Civility" means do not speak ill of the people we think matter, you scum pig person.
Hope Greta and her friends can swim!https://t.co/Noab4QyJtV
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) June 1, 2025
"Unraveling"
Guys, if what is happening at the moment isn't enough to demonstrate that it's an ex-ceasefire, Trump himself declared the ceasefire to be over. Did we forget?
Live Updates: Cease-Fire Unraveling as U.S. and Iran Trade Strikes Again
Sunday, July 12, 2026
Our Colleagues Are Great
I don't expect his Senate colleagues to piss on his grave, but they can stop short of praising him in a way that makes people think that Republicans are good actually, maybe I should vote for them.
This is a general issue. You can't separate the Republican party (especially, but not limited to, Graham) from Trump, and you can't message on days ending in 'y' that they are a threat to all we hold dear while also messaging on days ending in 'y' that they're a great bunch of guys and gals.
This is a general issue. You can't separate the Republican party (especially, but not limited to, Graham) from Trump, and you can't message on days ending in 'y' that they are a threat to all we hold dear while also messaging on days ending in 'y' that they're a great bunch of guys and gals.
President Deals
Seems like he made a great deal!
Critics say that Mr. Trump conceded this new status quo in the June agreement with Tehran. At the insistence of Iranian negotiators, that 14-point document acknowledges Iran’s power in the strait.President Deals made the deal to prevent economic meltdown (in his mind, whether it would have happened or not) but the key thingsabout President Deals is he doesn't believe deals are ever binding on him!
It prohibits the charging of tolls or fees, but only for 60 days while negotiations toward another agreement continues. (Mr. Trump has said the United States could try to charge tolls.) The memorandum also does not include an ironclad guarantee that ships can safely sail any portion of the strait.
Iranian officials and diplomatic experts say the final line formally ceded to Iran a central role in managing the strait: “The Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz, in discussion with other Persian Gulf littoral states, in line with the applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.”
At the time, Mr. Trump praised the agreement as a return to free navigation through the strait. But Iranian officials were soon citing it as grounds for dictating where ships should sail — namely, along a route near Iran’s coastline.
What A Great Guy
After reading the many tributes to Senator Graham from his friends across the aisle, I'm suddenly very sad that I never had a chance to vote for him.
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