Most Democrats in Pennsylvania disapprove of his voting record.
His highest approval rating is with Republicans.
Pennsylvania Democrats should have a real person to vote for.
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Time is here to present a far better proposal Russia cannot refuse.
Assessment as of: 8:00 PM ET. Data Cutoff: 12:30 PM ET (click here)
Russian President Vladimir Putin is leaning on nuclear saber-rattling to project military strength after Russia’s apparent failure to ensure full security for the May 9 Victory Day parade without asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a ceasefire. Putin claimed on May 12 that Russian forces successfully tested the RS-28 Sarmat super-heavy intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), also referred to as the SS-X-29 or SS-X-30 in NATO classification....
...Putin’s posturing with the Sarmat ICBMs also likely aims to distract from Russia’s worsening performance on the battlefield, particularly during the Russian spring-summer 2026 offensive. Putin and senior Russian military officials have intensified their exaggerations of Russian battlefield successes throughout 2026, but the Russian rate of advance has declined monthly since October 2025 as Ukrainian forces escalated their mid-range strike campaign and imposed additional costs on Russian efforts to advance....
...Putin’s posturing with the Sarmat ICBMs also likely aims to distract from Russia’s worsening performance on the battlefield, particularly during the Russian spring-summer 2026 offensive. Putin and senior Russian military officials have intensified their exaggerations of Russian battlefield successes throughout 2026, but the Russian rate of advance has declined monthly since October 2025 as Ukrainian forces escalated their mid-range strike campaign and imposed additional costs on Russian efforts to advance....
Aid to Ukraine cannot be postponed.
A rescue worker (click here) at a Philip Morris factory in Kharkiv, Ukraine, which was hit in a Russian missile strike in January.
By Tomáš Hrivňák
...The situation illustrates (click here) a schizophrenia in Slovak foreign policy. On the one hand, Fico continues to maintain close ties with Moscow, seeking to normalise trade and political relations with the country that launched a full-scale war against Slovakia’s neighbour Ukraine.
On the other hand, the Slovak defence industry has been exporting record number of artillery shells, helping Ukraine maintain necessary ammunition levels – while making eye-watering profits for the manufacturers with political ties to Fico’s government.
Behind closed doors, the Slovak side is toeing the Nato line, and Bratislava’s military spending even reached two percent of its GDP in 2024, as required by Nato.
Meanwhile, Fico continues with ever stronger criticism of Ukraine, the EU and the West, and boasts about the effectiveness of authoritarian regimes such as those in China, Vietnam and Putin’s Russia.
Fico says war always comes from the West and peace always comes from the East....
By Jakub Krupa
The aftermath (click here) of the Russian drone attack in Odesa Oblast on May 13 (Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Odesa Oblast/Handout via REUTERS)
At least six people were killed (click here) in an intense daytime Russian attack on Ukraine, with over 800 drones launched against targets in the country, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said (9:57, 11:47, 16:54).
Neighbouring Slovakia has closed temporarily its border crossings with Ukraine in response to expected further attacks near the border (17:12).
The attack comes as top regional leaders, joined by Zelenskyy, met in Bucharest to discuss the European security, reaffirming their support for Ukraine (16:35, 16:43).
As much as there is a reason for a changing of the guard it is not time for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to be replaced. Too much uncertainty will only increase unease throughout the alliance. Russia is fond of the unease within NATO.
May 12, 2026
By Brian Melley and Pan Pylas
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer (click here) insisted Tuesday that he has no intention of resigning as calls grew louder within his Labour Party for him to step down and some junior members of his government quit in protest.
A day before the state opening of Parliament when the government will present its legislative program for the coming year, Starmer tried to shore up support within his Cabinet.
Starmer’s future has become a hot topic over the past few feverish days following historic losses for the Labour Party in local elections last week, which if repeated in a national election that has to be held by 2029, would see it overwhelmingly ejected from power....
A day before the state opening of Parliament when the government will present its legislative program for the coming year, Starmer tried to shore up support within his Cabinet.
Starmer’s future has become a hot topic over the past few feverish days following historic losses for the Labour Party in local elections last week, which if repeated in a national election that has to be held by 2029, would see it overwhelmingly ejected from power....
According to the Polish Prime Minister and the President of Lithuania, the introduction of severe sanctions is one of the key measures to put pressure on Russia. During a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki argued that the removal of Russian companies from the MSCI index and complete cut-off of access to the SWIFT banking system and financial systems would be the only noticeable sign of protest against further attacks on Ukraine. Extensive measures should also include the discontinuation of the use of Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines and the closure of European airspace to Russian aeroplanes. The head of government issued an appeal for Germany to provide real support in terms of weapons....
...The Russian invasion of Ukraine (click here) is not just an attempt to deprive this country of its sovereignty or the tragic fate of its people. It is a violation of the entire order established after World War II. Russia is attempting to destroy the world we know.
The head of the Polish government appealed to the German public: “We must stop Putin because we can see another threat of genocide on the horizon. Innocent people are dying – children, women, men, soldiers – you see these images every day. What about your consciences? Let's help them together. The sanctions package must be crushing."...
(Click here)
May 13, 2026
...Rep.Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, launched the discharge effort almost a year ago. Now Democrats are planning to force the vote the first week of June, according to three people granted anonymity to describe private plans.
It’s the latest headache for Speaker
Mike Johnson, who has already seen a staggering number of discharge petitions succeed this Congress and is now seeking to unify his conference around a party-line immigration enforcement bill.
A pair of centrist House Republicans, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Don Bacon of Nebraska, had already signed the Ukraine petition and had been lobbying GOP colleagues for months to join them....
...The Russian invasion of Ukraine (click here) is not just an attempt to deprive this country of its sovereignty or the tragic fate of its people. It is a violation of the entire order established after World War II. Russia is attempting to destroy the world we know.
The head of the Polish government appealed to the German public: “We must stop Putin because we can see another threat of genocide on the horizon. Innocent people are dying – children, women, men, soldiers – you see these images every day. What about your consciences? Let's help them together. The sanctions package must be crushing."...
It is important Russia receive a clear understanding that the five year old war it is engaged with Ukraine cannot be toleratred any longer. Change in leadership anywhere in NATO with the exception being Trump will only prolong the process of shutting down the war. New faces in leadership will create a learning curve for new leadership that can delay the end of this war. Now is not the time for creating uncertainity. Now is the time to close in around a resolve to this war and end it.
...Rep.Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, launched the discharge effort almost a year ago. Now Democrats are planning to force the vote the first week of June, according to three people granted anonymity to describe private plans.
It’s the latest headache for Speaker
Mike Johnson, who has already seen a staggering number of discharge petitions succeed this Congress and is now seeking to unify his conference around a party-line immigration enforcement bill.
A pair of centrist House Republicans, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Don Bacon of Nebraska, had already signed the Ukraine petition and had been lobbying GOP colleagues for months to join them....
Sunday, May 10, 2026
Just for the record.
Michigan Medicine isn’t able to settle a contract with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan. That’s okay. The Blues cancelled the policy contract as of December 31, 3025 of which I subscribed. I did the math. My costs under this new contract, if I had the exact same costs as last year will cost me $7855.00 more in co-pays.
I have had The Blues all my life.
My family has had The Blues all their lives.
That increase is highway robbery in the face of lousy tactics with Michigan Medicine negotiations. The Blues were sending out opinion polls to their subscribers to find pickable points during negotiations.
Not only that, but for three years running The Blues have tried to send nurse practitioners to subscribers homes to gather information that was only in Private Doctor files. Then the nurse practitioners were to be Case Managers and advise subscribers in regard to medications, etc.
The practices are highly unethical.
I will be looking for new healthcare insurance on June 1st because of failed contract negotiations. My doctors come first!
The profits these companies are making are obscene. There needs to be stronger regulatory laws. When a major health care insurer can’t enter into a contract with the state’s premier university hospital because it isn’t profitable there is something very, very wrong.
Saturday, May 09, 2026
Have ya thought about it?
The whole Voting Rights Act of 1964? I am certain there are lots of pundits trying to justify racism. That really isn’t the argument to prove the racism though.
There once were carriages that horses pulled before there were horseless carriages.
(Click here)
The laws regulating horse drawn carriages are still on the books, right? There are only a few instances where they still apply. The Amish use their horse drawn carriages. Now a days they use signal lights so they are easier to see. In cities like New York the rules and regs would still apply because of the tourist businesses that still apply. So, while the laws are mostly obsolete, there are still instances where they are important.
The United States of America is a highly dynamic country. The freedoms of the First Amendment alone bring about a lot of tolerance to difference. The Freedom of Speech alone is vital to the democracy we all love and pledge allegiance.
None of those foundation documents are obsolete except to people who see authoritarianism as a real answer to taxes and the ever increasing diversity of the people of the USA.
The Voting Rights Act of 1964 is being actively dismantled. That is a hostile act.
When laws go into effect there is a good chance as time goes by they become obsolete. Laws becoming obsolete don’t have to be dismantled and in most instances are simply a part of history. It is a really fun and is funny to look at laws as they were 100 years ago and realize how far we have come, including child labor laws and the laws that set up the public education system. Where would we be as a sovereign country without public education?
The Voting Rights Act of 1964 was necessary at the time it passed into law. The Roberts Court would like Americans to believe it is obsolete and therefore has to be examined for updated high court remedies. That is corruption. High handed corruption.
If the Voting Rights of 1964 were obsolete there would be no need to litigate anything because it would mean the law worked and equality and respect for voting was achieved. If the law became obsolete it simply would not be used anymore. So, in Shelby vs. Holder they wanted the law watered down so they could conduct elections as they wanted. That’s the truth.
Shelby didn’t thank the founders of the Voting Rights Act of 1964 for seeing where correction needed to be made and bringing about equality. No. There was no thank you. My guess is there is too much hate to even recognize why the law was necessary in the first place.
If a Supreme Court decides in majority a law is obsolete and rightfully should be dismantled, what is next? The Constitution itself?
The Roberts Court Conundrum
Roberts has made quite a mess of things, hasn’t he? We’ll find our way out if it. I think he should be sued along with the other five personally. If they get but in the ass they might begin to understand what life is all about.
(Click here)
It is real. It is corruption of our judicial system at the highest level. It is legislating from the bench. It is based in ideology, political and personal judicial beliefs no different than the destruction of Roe. Now, they are going after contraception in preventing the free and open distribution of the abortion pill.
See these decisions based in personal choices by the conservative judges cause harm. They affect people’s lives adversely. I guarantee the poor and lower middle class are more deeply affected by these decisions than Caucasians in the middle class while the upper class and very wealthy experience no repercussions at all.
Those class distinctions are important.
Why?
Simple. The right of upward movement promised by a society based in capitalism. Otherwise what do people do in a society CAST in roles rather than opportunity? Hm?
Let’s establish a fact or two that is pivotal to the ideology driving the oppression of average Americans. Is there racism? That has to be answered to establish the false narrative of the Roberts Court and the current ideological choice exhibited by the lack of resolve of an administration that based in sexism and racism.
In Shelby vs. Holder the bottom line with Roberts is that it has been decades since the passage of The Voting Rights Act. Nothing else just that the law passed during the Johnson Era was in effect for too long. That was the decision and reasoning by the Chief Justice himself. There were four other conservative justices at the time and they all fell in line.
(Click here)
There were no clear violations or damages exhibited by the Voting Rights Act of 1964. Just basically Shelby County was tired of being thwarted by the law. Now, what is occurring across this country with the permission of the same court that sought to end the Voting Rights Act? What is occurring across this country? Is there hands off voting rights for every American wishing to cast a ballot? Is voting being facilitated or destroyed? Voting was attacked, that was attacked in the most recent aggression in Virginia.
The Republican Party wants to ELIMINATE voting to replace our democracy with a king even in the face of the recent reference by King Charles of the United Kingdom of the Monroe Doctrine.
Is there racism? All anyone has to point to is the vicious campaign by ICE and Border Patrol under Trump. Trump is not carrying this aggression against minority people alone, the Republicans DEFEATED the immigration reform under Biden. The bill was about to pass both houses, but, the Republican Party unilaterally thought it best to campaign in fear of the other instead.
The answer to the issue of the injustice found in the rulings of the Roberts Court is obvious. The Shelby decision and all others that followed were clear decisions to advance an ideology in complete disrespect of the USA Constitution and every man and woman that died defending it.
Power brokers. That is the focus of justices like Alito as if entitled to turn this country on it’s head for the simple fact they made the cut into a permanent office of power to advance whatever their political urges might be.
I have no problem pointing a finger at those that abuse the power of their office and the racketeering it takes.
Rouge Waves
(Click here)
Dead serious about climate.
Air-Water interface.
Helmets are a good idea. I have to wonder how understudied seamen are in regard to head injury and concussion.
(Click here)
There is the very rare thought that the worst rough waves occur when tides, moon gravity, currents, and Rossby Waves converge, along with the air-water interface.
“Shelter Skelter”
(Click here)
It is strange to live with the threat of reckless nuclear annihilation in a country with that capacity and as well as being a target. I always thought “The Twilight Zone” did a great serve to Americans about the folly of such weapons.
Given Hegseth's record of self-destruction in battle, it is a rather appropriate lesson even today.
I definitely would not rearm Hegseth. Seriously.
Friday, May 08, 2026
India
If there is one country that has the greatest capacity for danger from nuclear aggression it is India.
Sort of.
The question with India is, “Is there greater safety in close proximity should the wind on any given day not be favorable?”
I remind all countries temped with nuclear weapon capacity, they are now facing a highly volatile Earth with its fluidity of air and water and heat. No weather condition is guaranteed not to backfire.
Our friends in Asia and the Asian Pacific
I suppose all the saber rattling of North Korea and the expansive mission of China can seem threatening. The USA under its current leadership isn’t exactly steadfast in the commitment to its alliances. For that reason, the great democracies of Asia and the Asian Pacific, including Australia should reassess what will work best for them going forward.
Please don’t ask us to give up “K Pop.” That would be cruel beyond understanding.
But, all these years have been laced with military war games to establish greatness in our friends and allies. Those lessons are still very real and will continue to work as their national defense. The difference is, “Who calls the ball?” I think the best answer to that is everyone.
An alliance isn’t about a single authority. It is about the meeting of great minds to bring about the best response to any threat in the region. I think a reassessment of all the USA Allie’s will not only bring about greater communication, but a far better response. I know the leaders of these countries are upto acting in unison to protect freedom loving people.
When it comes to a nuclear threat, the Asian Pacific has a density of danger as two of the permanent governments are there. Additionally, there is an unknown response from North Korea. I believe the leadership in South Korea can engage in dialogue with North Korea with ease. Perhaps an open dialogue is what is best for now. I believe the leadership of North Korea feels threatened by an unpredictable Washington, DC. That is reinforced by pure unadulterated hatred between the two countries. It is not a good place to be. It is vital North and South Korea have an ongoing dialogue based in the truth and reasonable trust. It is after all their people most important.
The Pacific alliance can also dialogue with NATO in reassurances about maintaining a nuclear deterrent. It may be time for Australia, Japan, and South Korea to take on
The challenge of their own nuclear response. Their own Triad, if you will.
It is a peculiar time in the world. I personally believe much is possible both on the military front, but, also the peace initiative. It is important a balance of power is maintained. However. Nuclear Non-proliferation has a new place in the stark reality of an se of power. If one believes much can be done then it can.
Along with all this aggression the world is facing there are strong climate challenges. Those challenges can be met with cooperation on other fronts so peoples can count on a day to day life with stable parameters rather than uncertainty.
Peace, the final and lasting frontier.
Peace is where the greatest economic engine lies.
NATO is correct in each countries involvement of genocide.
(Click here)
The reasons for the war with Iran make no sense. The reasons Trump is FINDING reasons to war with Iran is because he started it with the assassination of Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei. Trump murdered him along with any nearby civilians including schoolgirls valued differently by the Shi’ite faith as opposed to the Sunni faith. No one will convince me those girls are dead by accident. They are dead because of their status and proximity to the Ayatollah.
There is a difference between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims when it comes to the lineage of their leaders. It is up to the leaders of both faiths to resolve to end hostile feelings of each other which I can’t believe are of God/Allah. The Saudi Crowned Prince has begun that process by ending permission for Trump and Hegseth to use sovereign Saudi land for extrajudicial killings of Iranians.
Trump has committed murder and how convenient to call it war. The USA has a policy of NO ASSASSINATION of global leaders. End of discussion. Trump broke that rule not just in his second term but also his first. Because it is difficult for Iran to retaliate there was no response in his first term, hence, the changed military response by Iran the second time around. Now, as long as the USA is within reach and allies are backing the illegal war by Trump, Iran has every right to defend itself and retaliate for the assassination of it’s leader.
NATO allies are not obligated to carry out extrajudicial killings or an illegal war. NATO remains a strong alliance in respect of moral actions militarily with soldiers understanding their own responsibilities within that respected morality.
Intimidation should never exist in relationships between the USA and any other country, especially allies. Intimidation is not only leveled by Trump daily it is a favored approach and strategy in his dealings internationally.
Thursday, May 07, 2026
It is important the USA continue to grow on what is already proven best.
Solar and wind are proven to be vital to American energy. Personal capacity is already available. Solar arrays in apartment windows can recharge batteries. It is all safe, clean energy.
She should be telling the world the importance of Iranian women, not prisoned for it.
Iran must show compassion for it's own people. She is harmless and needs medical attention and soon.
Please.
6 October 2023
When the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee (click here) announced the winner of the peace prize, Narges Mohammadi, she recited a slogan associated with the women’s rights movement in Iran.
“Women, life, freedom,” Berit Reiss-Andersen said on Friday.
When the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee (click here) announced the winner of the peace prize, Narges Mohammadi, she recited a slogan associated with the women’s rights movement in Iran.
“Women, life, freedom,” Berit Reiss-Andersen said on Friday.
6 May 2026
Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner (click here) Narges Mohammadi could die in prison unless she is urgently given proper health care after suffering two suspected heart attacks in recent weeks.
The technology is so magnificently simple.
(Click here)
Five hundred meters below the Pacific, off the coast of Los Angeles, a hollow concrete sphere the size of a small house will soon sit anchored to the seabed. When the grid needs power, a valve opens, seawater rushes in, and a turbine spins. When surplus electricity needs somewhere to go, the water is pumped back out. No lithium. No rare earth metals. Just concrete, pressure, and physics. This is StEnSea (Stored Energy in the Sea), a project from Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology, now heading for its first full-scale ocean test off Long Beach, California, by the end of 2026.
Trump is a danger to consumers and benevolent energy sources.
(Click here)
The Rhode Island Block Island Offshore Wind Farm is probably the most studied environmental project (click here).
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) (click here) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation today announced $52 million for 20 projects across 15 states to enhance the competitiveness of American industry and support the onshoring of American manufacturing. Selected projects will accelerate the development of secure, affordable energy technologies in trade-exposed industries to reduce reliance on imports while driving economic growth and supporting job creation for American families and businesses across the country....
Why would any president order wind farms to be delayed if not dismantled? Corruption. There is no other answer. The economic delay of the offshore energy is litigable. The federal authorities engaged in racketering and need to be sued for it's interference.
Today, Trump's administration is offering grants for ONSHORING energy.
Why?
The American people have already spent money on such energy infrastructure as offshore wind farms. Why spend more? The courts are already saying interference by Trump is illegal. So, now he will simply spend more money to fund an industry already served.
These are more minor attempts at energy efficiency. There is no reason to substitute these projects for projects like offshore wind farms that provide energy to power some of the most inefficient uses of power. Every little bit helps, but, these are not substitutes for real power generation.
May 7, 2026
Michigan Medicine is the state's premier health network. It isn't going anywhere, however, Blue Cross and Blue Shield might be.
By Jack Springgate
May 7, 2026
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (click here) is telling members who go to Michigan Medicine to start looking for other providers.
The insurance company's contract with the healthcare system ends on June 30, and negotiations for a new one have been unsuccessful so far.
University of Michigan Hospital patients like Larry Prout Jr., who's had more than a hundred lifesaving operations there, say his family is facing major out-of-network medical costs or giving up their 20-year relationship with University of Michigan doctors if Blue Cross Blue Shield and Michigan Medicine can't agree to a new contract by the deadline.
"I don't know what we would do. Stay at Michigan Medicine, and that's all we would have to do, and just figure it out," said Larry Prout Jr.'s mother, Kathryn Prout....
May 6, 2026
By Bruce Japsen
Health insurer Oscar Health (click here) swung to a $679 million first quarter profit – the highest in company history – as its health plan membership jumped more than 50% and medical costs eased.
Oscar, which grew to 3.2 million health plan members as one of the nation’s largest providers of individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act, on Wednesday reported net income of $679 million, or $2.07 per diluted share. That compares to $275.3 million, or 92 cents in the first quarter of 2025.
Founded in 2012, Oscar had yet to turn a profit for a full year until 2024, but Mark Bertolini -- the former chief executive officer of Aetna who was tapped as Oscar’s top executive in March of 2023 and his team – have delivered on their promises as they remain bullish on the individual health insurance market even as rivals are retreating. This year’s first quarter profit was several times what the company made last year and the year before.
Oscar’s revenue rose 53% to $4.6 billion from $3 billion in the year-ago quarter thanks to the 56% increase in health plan enrollment from 2 million last year after Oscar expanded sales of its health insurance products into new markets for this year.
May 7, 2026
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (click here) is telling members who go to Michigan Medicine to start looking for other providers.
The insurance company's contract with the healthcare system ends on June 30, and negotiations for a new one have been unsuccessful so far.
University of Michigan Hospital patients like Larry Prout Jr., who's had more than a hundred lifesaving operations there, say his family is facing major out-of-network medical costs or giving up their 20-year relationship with University of Michigan doctors if Blue Cross Blue Shield and Michigan Medicine can't agree to a new contract by the deadline.
"I don't know what we would do. Stay at Michigan Medicine, and that's all we would have to do, and just figure it out," said Larry Prout Jr.'s mother, Kathryn Prout....
The profits the insurance companies are making is obscene. Blue Cross and Blue Shield can complain all they want, but, they are offering very minimal payments to the health care providers. This year alone the copays have increased at least five times higher than last year. Blue Cross, Blue Shield has moved Schedule one medications under the Affordable Care Act to schedule three or four. These are well established medications that are no longer protected by patent rights. This is nothing short of profiteering at the expense of it's subscribers. No doubt if BCBS were going to pay more to Michigan Medicine the subscribers would be the first to feel it.
It is time to seek out better coverage, not abandon the doctors and nurses that take on the toughest cases in the state.
By Bruce Japsen
Health insurer Oscar Health (click here) swung to a $679 million first quarter profit – the highest in company history – as its health plan membership jumped more than 50% and medical costs eased.
Oscar, which grew to 3.2 million health plan members as one of the nation’s largest providers of individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act, on Wednesday reported net income of $679 million, or $2.07 per diluted share. That compares to $275.3 million, or 92 cents in the first quarter of 2025.
Founded in 2012, Oscar had yet to turn a profit for a full year until 2024, but Mark Bertolini -- the former chief executive officer of Aetna who was tapped as Oscar’s top executive in March of 2023 and his team – have delivered on their promises as they remain bullish on the individual health insurance market even as rivals are retreating. This year’s first quarter profit was several times what the company made last year and the year before.
Oscar’s revenue rose 53% to $4.6 billion from $3 billion in the year-ago quarter thanks to the 56% increase in health plan enrollment from 2 million last year after Oscar expanded sales of its health insurance products into new markets for this year.
The USA should reassess it's need in the region.
A large swath of the Straits of Hormuz belongs to Iran. There is no way at this juncture the USA military can believe it is in the least appreciated by Iran. Quite the contrary it is a threat. As a threat there is no way any country can expect Iran to stand down from it's state of readiness to survive any other attack sent it's way. With that reality comes the need to reassess and realize the peril the USA is creating for the global economy. Iran needs to be left alone to develop it's sovereign waters and allow passage of friendly ships. Not every ship is going to be considered friendly or desirable.
The USA should escort any ships in the region considered in danger while standing down from any blockade or interruption in Iran's movement within it's own sovereign waters. As a reference point, Oman believes it has an agreement with Iran for peaceful intent for it's shared waterway. I think Oman's ability to broker a peace with Iran should be reinstated.
Any military activity by Iran is below the threshold of aggression into war. That reality is one that has sustained for some time and must be respected. It may very well be that is the only level of attack Iran is capable of with it's depleted infrastructure. Waiting for something greater to act on is hideous no matter how this is viewed. The USA needs to be underway to remove itself as a threat and allow Iran the authority it needs to establish conditions for passage through it's sovereign waters.
By Adam Schreck, David McHugh and Russ Bynum
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military (click here) said it intercepted Iranian attacks on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and “targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces.”
The exchange occurred Thursday as U.S. Navy destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said in a social media post. U.S. forces intercepted “unprovoked Iranian attacks” and responded with self-defense strikes, it said.
The U.S. military said no ships were hit. It said it doesn’t seek escalation but “remains positioned and ready to protect American forces.”
Iranian state media said the country’s armed forces exchanged fire with “the enemy” on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. It is the largest Iranian island in the Persian Gulf, home to about 150,000 people. It also houses a water desalination plant.
Iranian state media also reported loud noises and defensive fire in western Tehran. In southern Iran, explosions were heard near Bandar Abbas, semiofficial Iranian news agencies said. The reports from the Fars and Tasnim agencies did not identify the source of the blasts.
I congratulate the Crowned Prince.
This is a clear understanding Saudi Arabia wants peace with Iran. It is a wonderful realization and hope for peace for the region.
Saudi Arabia is the understood leader of OPEC. With the UAE leaving OPEC the organization had to reflect on it's future and the future of petroleum at all. The production from Saudi Arabia fell by 7.76 barrels of oil a day because of Trump's war. The remaining OPEC countries have increased production to attempt to stem the increasing global impact. Saudi Arabia had unearthed an oil pipeline that lie dormant for sometime in order to begin an alternate route than shipping. Other countries have begun land routes to move their oil.
Moody's Analytics warns oil at $125 could trigger a global recession (click here)
Moody’s Analytics' Gaurav Ganguly expects the conflict to ease soon, with Asia-Pacific growth around 4% this year. He cautions that a prolonged Middle East conflict would drive oil prices higher, and warns Brent crude at a sustained $125 could trigger a global recession.
Iran's sovereign waters are it's to manage. I don't blame them for not only seeking control but an attempt to bring fiscal solvency to it's country.
I realize the reputation Iran has in the world, but, in reality it never has really been let up of the mat. Iran, since the revolution, has had the Free World putting pressure on it's governing regime to bring about change. As a result the country, perhaps no different than North Korea, believes it's sovereign state relies on weapons of mass destruction as well as terrorism.
Iran currently has no plans to recover any military nuclear program. There is no proof one exists currently or will in the future. The attacks by Trump's orders have caused widespread damage to Iran's infrastructure as well as civilian death. It is very difficult to believe the current leadership of Iran has not reflected on that loss to realize the future may be nothing but danger if nuclear war technology was resumed.
...A refusal by Saudi Arabia to allow the US to use its bases and airspace to provide a military escort for oil tankers passing through the strait of Hormuz lay behind Donald Trump’s decision to shelve the plan days after it had been launched.
Riyadh told the White House it would not allow its Prince Sultan airbase to be used to mount the operation billed as Project Freedom, which the US presented as the successor to the bombing campaign called Operation Epic Fury.
Saudi Arabia refused to drop its objections despite a personal call between the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and Trump, NBC reported....
Trump and Netanyahu think they are achieving goals.
They are not. They are making the world less viable for capitalism and many may think that is a good thing. When the very militaries they are exploiting for their hegemony are supported by capitalism their venture is headed to doom.
Trump has managed to either crash over Iran, either through friendly or hostile fire every form of USA military technology. The opposition, including Russia and China no longer have to send spies to steal secrets, Trump just has to get pissed off enough to drop bombs.
Iran successfully mastered the American drone to sell it to Russia. Ukraine is paying the price. Now, Iran has radar and F35 technology. It won’t be long before the Iranian F35 will be in the skies. The Iranians don’t need nukes, they have USA war capabilities.
Trump is an enormous existential threat.
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