Grudgie the Whale

Push from Saudis, Israel helped move Trump to attack Iran President Trump launched a wide-ranging attack on Iran after weeks-long lobbying by an unusual pair of U.S. allies in the Middle East: Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Does Trump just rent out the US military to a Saudi price? "Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made multiple private phone calls to Trump over the past month advocating a U.S. attack, despite his public support for a diplomatic solution, the four people said."
wapo.st/403tJwt

/Mistaking the SCIF at Mar-a-Lago for the coat-check for a chiropractor's second wedding that is happening in the ballroom right next to the SCIF at Mar-a-Lago and briefly seeing a drowsy Donald Trump in a suit and baseball cap looking at a TV with a bunch of tweets on it. "Ope, sorry guys."

Most striking to me: the lower level of Republican support. This is a Republican president taking military action against a country most Republicans dislike and see as a threat — and yet just 69% support it? Highlights the complete absence of any attempt to rally the public in advance of the war.

‘Kennedy Center Honors’ Will Be Renamed ‘Trump Kennedy Center Honors,’ With Program Moving to a Smaller Venue ‘Where Ticket Demand Will Be Even Higher’ 'The Kennedy Center Honors' will henceforth be called 'The Trump Kennedy Center Honors,' and move to a small hall while the host venue is shut down.

“Where ticket demand will be even higher,” lol variety.com/2026/music/n...

someone transported here from 1995 with a layman's understanding of the Republican Party - "they like low taxes for the rich and aggressive use of the military" - would be more correct in their assessment of the party than many ostensibly savvy pundits working right now

Florida just cut off HIV meds for 16,000 people.

If you accept their evil without commentary or outrage great you’re just like our media

“The woman who directly named Trump in her abuse allegation claimed that around 1983 when she was around 13 years old, Epstein introduced her to Trump… FBI interviewed this Trump and Epstein accuser four times… Only the first…is in the public database [and it] does not mention Trump.” @stphnfwlr.com

Wait until we find out that the advisor who talked him into a war of decapitation strikes is also married to the beneficiary of his estate.

Wow what different reactions…

User Chris: What was the core difference why you think the DoW accepted OpenAI but not Anthropic Sam Altman: I can't speak for them, but to speculate with the best understanding of the situation. *First, I saw reporting that they were extremely close on a deal, and for much of the time both sides really wanted to reach one. I have seen what happens in tense negotiations when things get stressed and deteriorate super fast, and I could believe that was a large part of what happened here. *We believe in a layered approach to safety--building a safety stack, deploying FDEs and having our safety and alignment researcher involved, deploying via cloud, working directly with the DoW. Anthropic seemed more focused on specific prohibitions in the contract, rather than citing applicable laws, which we felt comfortable with. We feel that it it's very important to build safe system, and although documents are also important, I'd clearly rather rely on technical safeguards if I only had to pick one. *We and the DoW got comfortable with the contractual language, but I can understand other people would have a different opinion here. *I think Anthropic may have wanted more operational control than we did

I saw some folks asking what the difference was between what OpenAI signed with the DoD and what Anthropic said they wanted, and Sam more or less admits here the key point: OpenAI's deal requires them to trust the NSA. Anthropic's contract had real safeguards.

Please for the love of god don’t post anything that implies Republicans don’t have agency. Stop doing them favors.

And if you call raping a girl “ending a war” the tally just grows!

I guess if call starting a war “ending a war” that’s how you can claim Trump ended 8 wars

What makes Trump such a unique horror is that he’s the worst possible person to deal with any circumstance. He has no concept of interests outside his own insatiable appetites. He can’t deal with any problem lobbed his way. Creates countless new crises. And considers himself unconstrained by law.

This should be interesting because at least one the two reporters, Marc Caputo, regularly provides stenography for the wh

Seems relevant

There are so many people who just fucking love war in the center

I mean, look, it pains me to admit that Niall Ferguson (if you aren't familiar with his epic levels of unseriousness, allow me to introduce you: bsky.app/profile/mcop...) is right...

At least in 2003, the GWB admin went to Congress & got approval, then went to the UNSC & lied before going to war.

Someone should build an AI program that scans prediction markets and flags surges in unusual activity

Security violations

This is like the knowledge check on annual security training

Trump does unpopular thing in direct violation of a campaign promise, part #976348
It’s not a mystery why his approval rating is 37% and Dems are leading by 10 on the generic ballot in our latest poll. Break enough promises and people start to notice

Blocking Epstein releases isn’t transparency.

Taking bribes isn’t cleaning up corruption.

Committing fraud isn’t cleaning up fraud.

Arresting nannies isn’t public safety.

War is the opposite of peace

It pisses me off to no end the media just quotes this.

Jeffrey Dahmer against cannibalism.

HE ILLEGALLY CHANGED THE NAME TO THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR IT IS NOT SUBTLE

Trump is the biggest war monger in a party of war mongers.

Dusting this one off again:

It’s not just that they’ve indoctrinated voters, Fox sets the agenda for the entire party. It’s completely changed how Republican officials operate.

They’re launching wars from a dressing room at a sample sale