From John Gruber:
“The Pentagon pegs the cost of the Iran War so far at $25 billion. Larry Ellison currently has a net worth of $220 billion. That’s just short of 9 Iran Wars. But since the start of the war on February 28, his net worth has grown $46 billion. That’s about 2 Iran Wars during the time of the actual Iran War thus far.”
Postscript. Today, apparently, Ellison’s networth is up $6b.
Among the selfless things I do for my beloved readers, paying some attention to Trump’s True Believers has to be near the top of the list.
Think of MAGA like a glacial iceburg. That’s calving. The number of defectors is on the rise, but like in a cult, there’s still a lot of True Believers who literally cannot find it in themselves to criticize the foreign policy of the best President since maybe Lincoln.
After listening to Lindsey Graham and others of them express absolute appreciation for Trump’s Middle East war, I’ve come to this conclusion. Their anxiety is different than yours and mine.
They are not worried about . . .
Nearly as much as they are about the Iran’s nuclear capabilities. When they wake up, they seemingly ask themselves, “Is today the day?”
All of us are anxious. But the roots of the True Believer’s anxiety and most of ours are radically different.
From “Swalwell’s Stunning Downfall Creates a Reckoning for Democrats“.
“In late March, two content creators started posting allegations from women against Swalwell. With each post, new women reached out with allegations of abuse, said Cheyenne Hunt, one of the influencers. They helped connect the women with a lawyer and with reporters. Hunt said more than 30 women have now reached out to her to share experiences ranging from uncomfortable messages to sexual assault.”
More than 30. Just might be a pattern.
“Vance Says the Pope Should Be More Careful When Talking About Theology.”
I’m sure Leo will take that to heart given Vance’s long, exemplary, Catholic journey.
Tim Alberta.
“God did not ordain Donald Trump to rescue the American church, or revive the American church, or redeem the American church. God ordained Donald Trump to test the American church. And the American church has failed.”
President Trump on Thursday expressed real appreciation for Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and two other leading conservative podcasters who oppose the war in Iran in a heartfelt 482-word Truth Social post that celebrated the fact that a few conservatives had the courage to criticize him and help him see all the mistakes he has made in the Middle East over the last month.
Trump went on to say it’s only through the thoughtful constructive criticism of friends like Tucker and Megyn that he can course correct and begin undoing the damage he has done. Trump apologized to the American people for getting distracted from more pressing domestic issues like affordability, strengthening the social safety net, and job creation.
He also apologized to the Iranian people for threatening their civilization, a moment he deeply regrets. He vowed to never use such bombastic language again and hopes one poorly worded Truth Social doesn’t detract from his legacy of ending wars not starting them.
He also apologized to all our NATO allies and Europeans more generally for criticizing them for not going along with his war and for all of the unintended negative economic consequences.
Future Presidential historians will marvel at how DJT was able to pivot and model personal accountability and growth so profoundly in only 482 words.
I found the 2005 documentary, Grizzly Man, the story of a dude intent on befriending bears in Alaska, riveting. Spoiler alert: It ends with him getting eaten.
I still remember walking out of the Capital Theater thinking, “That was the most intimate portrayal of mental illness I’ve ever seen.” Up close and personal with someone in serious need of help.
Fast forward to this morning. Hit Masters swimming hard. Then recovery in the form of coffee and oatmeal. With apples, raisins, avocados, eggs, and pumpkin seed goodness mixed in. Grabbed the coffee and Mount Oatmeal and headed upstairs to eat in front of the t.v. Oh, the market’s up. Oh, the Lakers are winning. Oh, damn, the President is riffing on “having predicted everything”.
It’s no coincidence that a few days ago the Paper of Record wrote that the President was caught completely off guard by the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. He said he not only predicted that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed, but also that Osama bin Laden was going to knock down the World Trade Center a year before it happened. And not just that, but he predicted “everything”.
Several assassinations, schoolchildren are killed in mass along with many other civilians, US servicemen and women are injured and killed, energy prices tank European economies, longstanding allies are further alienated. And the President’s primary concern is to bolster himself.
It’s impossible to exaggerate the level of insecurity. Something that, I suspect, we’d have to trace back 75 years to understand even a little.
This is Grizzly Man level mental illness. But this dude isn’t sleeping in a tent surrounded by bears in the Alaskan wilderness. He’s the Commander-in-Chief. This story will not end well either.
Has there ever been a time when less competent people have taken more consequential action?
Tomorrow’s question if you like to get your homework done early . . . How long until the assassination boomerang returns with such force not even the Secret Service can catch it?
Ghandi, “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.”
Meanwhile, back at home, the War President declares the affordability crisis is over.
Jessica Grose writing in the New York Times:
“On Thursday, a woman named Sharon from Minnesota called into C-SPAN’s ‘open forum’ to express her despair about the cost of living. ‘I’m 65 years old. I’m legally blind. I’m on disability. I went to my doc, and I lost 28 pounds in the last year. I did not need to lose 28 pounds. I did not try to lose 28 pounds. I lost the 28 pounds because I cannot afford to eat anymore,’ Sharon explained, speaking clearly even though she sounded near tears. Because of Trump administration cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and the high cost of groceries, gas and electricity, Sharon only allows herself $65 a month for food.”
Pressing Pause 