Welcome to The Now

 

 

 

 

  Looks like someone was paying attention to what happened in the Persian Gulf and doesn't wanna end up like an abandoned vassal state. 

 In some part, the War on Iran was supposed to get the Epstein Files off the American front page (sure the Policy Papers say attacking Iran is part of the US geopolitical plan, but there can always be more than one reason to conduct war). And for some time, this actually worked, especially when the President of the United States began threatening Iran with total annihilation. Thankfully in that ordeal a "ceasefire" was met. And with Attorney General Pam Bondi sacked, it seemed like Epstein might become a story in America's rear view. Then this happened: Even crazier was this happened a bit after : Was this really a response to immigration (which resulted in murdered Minnesotans and Kristi Noem being "reassigned")? Or maybe a not-to-subtle threat to his wife? Trying to decipher this -especially given that the person in question is emotionally stunted, self-centered, and has a fragile ego- is an exercise that mostly moot because something else is bound to pop of...

 As Nima and Rachel explain in their respective videos, "peace" was not genuine. More to the point: President Trump wasn't looking for an off-ramp (even if they were, they've tasked Israel to sabotage it); he and the Administration was looking for an excuse to claim victory before planning another attempt to disrupt Iran.

 

 

 Do we really have peace? Did The White House truly accept Iran's 10-Point Plan ? What about Israel?  Here's Nima's take: And Laith Marouf visits Dialogue Works to share how the events impact Lebanon: Also, Rachel Blevins and Brian Berletic cover some of the details of the "deal" as well it's authenticity: So Israel considers their conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon (who is part of the Axis of Resistance) is separate from their conflict with Iran. Unless this issue is managed, this could be a crisis point that causes the United States and Iran to resume their war. Also, there's  this nugget (mentioned in the videos but worth highlighting) from the Associated Press : The two-week ceasefire plan includes allowing both Iran and Oman to charge fees on ships transiting through Hormuz, a regional official said. The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction. It wasn’t immediately clear what Oman would use its money for. The strait is i...

  Not just checking IDs : U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 800 people following tips ​shared by federal airport security officials from the start of Donald Trump's presidency through February 2026, internal ICE data reviewed by ‌Reuters show, a figure far above what was previously publicly known. The leads came from the Transportation Security Administration, which supplied ICE with records on more than 31,000 travelers for possible immigration enforcement, the data showed. Reuters could not determine how many arrests took place inside airports, although the TSA tips would mainly be useful in determining when a person would ​be traveling. ICE and TSA are part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The agencies have historically shared information related to national security ​threats, but they began focusing on routine immigration arrests last year as part of Trump’s mass deportation effort.

  I know people would be quick to cite The Terminator, The Matrix or even Marvel Comic's Ultron here, but I'd like to add the OS Star Trek episode, " The Ultimate Computer ."

 Like President Trump's threat to take Iran back to "the Stone Age:" Or President Trump's threat to arrest the new person who "leaked" information about the second pilot:

 

 

 

 

 Ben Norton discusses:

 In addition to a previous post , Rachel Blevins did her own dive into the story:

 

 For the "official mainstream account" I'll refer you to the Guardian's timeline as well as Wikipedia's article .  Here are my questions: Why was the F-15 in that part of Iran in the first place? The C-130 Hercules is designed for "troop, medivac and cargo transport." Why were two of them needed to rescue 1-2 pilots? How did the pilot make it up the mountain with a sprained leg without being seen/caught? Anyway, Danny Haiphong and Dialogue Works had separate interviews that add some more "meat" to the story: My take (based on everything above): The US had a planned land operation for Easter Sunday. Iran thwarted the operation before it could get going. The US uses "rescue the pilot" as a cover. Patriots' Day is April 20th. Then there's the 4th of July. We know that White House likes to plan military operations around holidays or other historical/religious events to make them resonate more.

 

 

 

 

 

  UPDATE: Apparently one of the crew members has been found

 

  It's interesting that one of the arguments was that people are deliberately coming to the US to give birth on US soil, like that hasn't been the case over 200 years. The only difference now is that it's (a bit) easier to travel.

 

 

 Maybe a decrease in odd-to-offensive social media posts, but other than that...

 

 

 Turns out that the "professor" is not quite as advertised:

 

 

 I'll admit that after what happened with Hezbollah and then Syria , it wasn't crazy to think that Israel and the United States had effectively crushed the Axis of Resistance. Yemen, while resolute, could only do so much. Iraq wasn't considered a factor. The other Arab states in the Persian Gulf were either "neutral" or loyal to the US/Israeli side. Iran was thought to be standing alone. And "help" from other allies were not coming. Russia was supposed to be too busy with Ukraine. China was still war-avert; preferring to continue with their plan for true global economic independence (or in the eyes of America: economic dominance). Iran was thought to be standing alone. Then, with the double-dose of "success" in Venezuela and pressure connected to the Epstein Files (and apparently with the lessons of the 12-Day War forgotten), President Trump decided to have the US team up with Israel and attack Iran. And now?

 

 

  If the extra troops is merely a intimidation tactic, it's not working. But if something happens that Trump can call a "victory" (whether real or symbolic) he may have his "offramp." But as we know, that doesn't mean Israel will stop, and if the US does end their participation in this war, the US media will go back to focusing on domestic stories (ICE/immigration, midterms, Epstein, etc.). 

 

  Nothing says, "success" like begging people to work for you for free (especially since on of the draws for ICE was offering a nice paycheck).

 

  Israel cancelled Palm Sunday in Jerusalem .  Hezbollah is taking out Israeli tanks left and right. Gazan journalists are (still) not safe , despite "ceasefire." Guess who wants Syria to get (more) involved? Why the "offramp" the US is looking for might not happen .

 

 

 

 

 

 Again: ignore the American political pendulum and break from the duopoly. One of the American Right's biggest events could only muster terrible merch, non-name influencers and the children of former dictators: Neither Republicans nor Democrats have much to offer but violence, abuse, and extraction of wealth.  The Democrats kneecapped Bernie Sanders twice, than made him carry water for his opponents. Joe Biden mumbled his way through four years, ignoring infrastructure, the economy and geopolitical issues abroad. When Donald Trump returned to the spotlight, all of a sudden Biden was too old and his own party booted him out (after telling the voters that there won't be any primaries) and crowned Kamala Harris the candidate. Harris spent her campaign failing to disassociate herself from Biden, the genocide in Gaza, and a crumbling economy. Trump was no better; for his second term he promised to fix the economy and end/prevent wars. Instead, he tariffed the planet (making America...

  I'll let others go on about this, because I personally don't think it's necessary to go beyond a reminder that this happens during every electoral cycle. Leftists, socialists, communists and post-duopolists don't need to spend too much time mocking supporters of either the Democratic or Republican Party. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  A preview of Venezuela if Maduro doesn't return.

 

 

 

  According to Fortune, apparently so : The U.S. government is insolvent. That’s not hyperbole — it’s the conclusion drawn directly from the Treasury Department’s own consolidated financial statements for fiscal year 2025, released last week to near-total media silence. The numbers: $6.06 trillion in total assets against $47.78 trillion in total liabilities as of September 30, 2025. Importantly, the $47.78 trillion in reported liabilities does not include the unfunded obligations of social insurance programs like Social Security and Medicare — those are disclosed separately in the off-balance-sheet Statement of Social Insurance (SOSI). The government’s consolidated balance sheet position, excluding the SOSI, deteriorated by nearly $2.07 trillion between FY 2024 and FY 2025, reaching a staggering negative $41.72 trillion. Total liabilities are now nearly eight times the value of reported assets. The largest drivers were a $2 trillion increase in federal debt and interest payable (no...

 

 

 

 No; but listen to Rachel Blevins and Elijah Magnier discuss what's really going on:

 

 As Dialogue Works' guest explains, intelligence must be as objective as possible to get the most honest assessment. If your data-gathers and analyzers can't separate their biases from their work, the findings will always be skewed (comments start around 10-minute mark):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 That's apparently the suggestion from Lindsay Hooper (CEO of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership), who spoke at the World Economic Forum: No riddle me this: Who will control these assets? Who determine their prices? What if these assets are not found in the nations of the answers to Q1 and Q2? Sounds to me like the wars for oil and "rare earths" will pale in comparison to the wars over water, soil and air?

 All because it involves Russia working with African countries:

 

 

 Let's not forget the source of every distraction (both serious and silly) we're experiencing: calls for the "Epstein Files" (aka, the names of the accused abusers and details of their actions) to be released. To that end, MintPress News highlights Epstein-related revelations that may have flown under the radar , including: Epstein's role in war with Iran; How Epstein leaned on noted people like Noam Chomsky and Steve Bannon; Epstein's impact on internet culture; Who was possibly responsible for Epstein's death.

  Call them the Elite, Deep State, 1%, Epstein Class, Donors or all of the above; they are the ones who want to fight these wars, not the people.

 

 

 

 

 We're entering the heart of the "find out" phase. But what else do you expect from a real-estate slumlord-turned-reality show host-turned president?  Anyway, via Middle East Eye : Democratic senators said on Tuesday night that the US has “no plan” for the war on Iran, after President Donald Trump’s administration conducted a two-hour behind-closed-doors briefing for the Senate Armed Services Committee. This absence of any coordinated strategic thinking extends to the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy chokepoint, regime change in Iran and the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme. Following the Trump administration’s briefing on Tuesday, a procession of opposition senators came out to condemn what they described as the illegality, incoherence and lies surrounding the war, with Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland saying Trump was simply doing what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had wanted to do for 40 years. “ What you hear behind closed do...

  Case in Point : "mass deportations" is OUT and "removing violent criminals" is IN: The Trump White House is reportedly urging House Republicans to cease touting the mass deportation strategy it has championed ahead of this fall’s midterm elections. According to Axios’s Katie Santaliz and Marc Caputo, “White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair privately urged House Republicans on Tuesday to stop emphasizing ‘mass deportations’ and instead focus their messaging on removing violent criminals.” President Donald Trump and his allies have long touted immigration and border security as one of his top priorities, and Trump moved back into the White House last year after promising to initiate a mass deportation program on the campaign trail. His advantage on the issue has shrunk, however, amid a rash of controversial stories, and especially the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, both of whom were shot by federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this year. Trump decided...

 I asked Google: "How long does it take the United States to make a tomahawk missile?" Google responded: It takes approximately 18 to 24 months for the U.S. to build a single Tomahawk cruise missile. Production is slowed by a thin supplier base for specialized components, such as solid rocket motors and advanced sensors. While the minimum sustainment rate is about 90 units per year, the Pentagon is working to increase production.  Production Time: 1.5 to 2 years per missile. Production Rate: Approximately 90 per year (minimum), with capacity to scale. Bottlenecks: Shortages in the solid rocket motor supply chain and specialized, single-source components. Cost: Roughly $2.2 million per missile. Considering that the United States was not fully stocked before they attacked Iran, and the likelihood that other similar ammunitions were neither fully stoked nor being manufactured at a faster rate, people really need to start asking how long the United States can continue before ente...

  If this is true, I say:

 

 

 

  Apparently : As the United States continues to strike Iran roughly 10 days since ordered by President Donald Trump, questions about how long the war may last have been coupled with the prospect of a military draft that administration officials admit remains "on the table.” Six U.S. soldiers have been killed in the war that Trump has continually defended on the backdrop of what he and other senior officials have attributed to “an imminent threat” posed by Iran towards the U.S., Israel and other Middle East nations. The potential length of this conflict has drawn many assumptions, as Trump has floated a “4-5 weeks” duration while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been more clandestine in presenting any particular timeframe due to not giving away U.S. military strategies. That, in turn, has led to questions of whether U.S. troops could ultimately be on the ground in Iran due to airstrikes historically not providing enough military might over time for sustainability.  On Sunday...

 Two Rachel Blevins videos explain. First, her interview with Foad Izadi who addresses the logic of some of the military targets: Then, there is Sharmine Narwani who discusses the impact on the Gulf: Bottom Line: Iran has more leverage than most people thought going into this conflict.

 Mojtaba Khamenei, son of assassinated Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has been chosen to succeed his father. The world and the markets react .

 

 Anyone who's been following American politics, especially stories involving West Asia/Middle East/Persian Gulf, knows that there's always been speculation regarding what US Senator Lindsey Graham loves. There have been jokes, teasing, inferences...but the Senator has been relatively tight-lipped despite being a very vocal figure in foreign policy. Interesting that it took a war against Iran to shed some light on the issue; Senator Graham loves...oil & money : Hawkish US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has expressed concern over Israeli strikes on Iranian oil facilities.  On Sunday, Graham, a strong supporter of the US and Israel's war on Iran, wrote on X that Israel had shown “amazing capability when it comes to collapsing the murderous regime in Iran,” adding the US was appreciative.  “However, there will be a day soon that the Iranian people will be in charge of their own fate, not the murderous ayatollah’s regime,” he said. “ In that regard, please be cautious a...