America has been at war with Iran since 1980. This is not something new. It is very old. It is America's version of the 100 Year War. People need to understand that this is our chance to end this 45 year old war started when Jimmy Carter agreed to return the Ayatollah Khomeini to Tehran, stabbing America's ally, the Shah Pahlavi, in the back (Iran had been a dependable ally for the West, originally Britain, since before WW2). Getting rid of a nuclear threat against America by a rogue regime, ending the proxy wars funded and organized by the Mullahs since 1980, including attacking American troops in Beirut in 1983, getting rid of the threat to our ally Israel by eliminating Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis, would allow peace to break out in the Middle East and would cause the Abraham Accords to flourish all over North Africa, the Arab peninsula all the way to Turkey. Maybe even the new Syrian leadership will "get religion" and allow multiple cultures in their country, including the Kurds.
Muslims initiated war w non believers centuries ago.
'According to Ayatollah Khomeini anyone who did not believe that Mohammed, Islam’s genocidal warlord prophet was a messenger of Allah, is defined as an infidel, and the only thing to do is to convert him, enslave him or kill him. “If one permits an infidel to continue in his role as a corrupter of the earth, the infidel’s moral suffering will be all the worse. If one kills the infidel, and this stops him from perpetrating his misdeeds, his death will be a blessing to him.” ~ https://jihadwatch.org/2025/06/israel-took-death-to-israel-seriously-we-should-take-death-to-america-seriously
Opposing the Ayatollahs just made America one of the first ‘infidels’ in line for destruction.
Right BrianM...if Trump will explain that we are contributing to Israel's dismantling of Iran by helping with a surgical strike of certain mountain centrifuges that only our planes and bunker-busting bombs can deliver, and then that US is immediately retreating from further involvement. He needs to put at-ease the MAGA faction that fears long-term war.
This is the best, most golden opportunity to dismantle Iran in 50 years....Iran, the irresponsible govt led by 7th Century mullahs.
The entire WORLD needs to be rid of Iran's ultra-dangerous 50 year folly. Surely the TuckerCarlson faction can understand the importance of a no-nuke Iran.
Or Operation Countenance in 1941, that put the most recent Shah in power in the first place. That was an Anglo-Soviet operation. German incursion into Iraq and Syria had already been thwarted and was no longer a threat to Persian oil and the Lend Lease supply line to the Soviet Union.
Crazy times. Have to trust Trump that he won't get us in another Forever War. Giving Israel a giant bunker buster to take out the underground facility is ok. Giving Israeli air dominance, a C130 could deliver it. Just don't get involved in nation building. Iran is a really big place. We have enough problems at home..
A post-theocratic, semi-authoritarian regime with strong military influence (like Egypt after Mubarak) is more likely than immediate liberal democracy, but with sustained popular and international support, secular democracy is possible in the long term under the leadership of say Reza Pahlavi – son of the former Shah.
Trust Trump? He doesn't even know himself what he plans to do tomorrow, obviously. He lashes out at people like Tucker Carlson, who he calls "nutty" for opposing another war.
You want to give Israeli criminals U.S. weapons, paid by U.S. taxpayers, to murder more people. You're dumb enough to believe Zionist lies about Iranian nuclear weapons WHEN U.S. INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES HAVE REPEATEDLY SAID IT'S FALSE. The last time they said this was in March this year.
But facts don't matter to you who want the Gaza Holocaust to go on without opposition. I bet you read Israeli statements every day about how "there are no innocent Palestinians" and Palestinians should be "destroyed." "Get rid of any lingering Christian morality." Disgusting.
The so called Anti-Zionists never answer a simple question: What comes next? How do you propose to eliminate the Zionist experiment? What does the world look like after you achieve your goal?
They dare not articulate what they really endorse, so they settle for foaming at the mouth about Zionism.
Zionism is a political ideology — not Judaism. That distinction matters. Just like we can criticize Wahhabism or Christian nationalism without “hating Muslims” or “hating Christians,” we must be able to critique Zionism without being accused of antisemitism.
Zionism is not a faith. It’s a nationalist project with real-world consequences — displacement, apartheid policies, endless war. Calling every critique of it “hate” is a lazy way to shut down uncomfortable conversations.
Labeling criticism as “hate” is the same tactic used with Islamophobia to block discussion about actual extremist ideologies. It protects power, not people.
We don’t get anywhere by making certain ideologies sacred and untouchable.
Zionism is the idea of Jews returning to their ancestral homeland so the next time there's a worldwide attempt of murder of Jews they will have a place to go to.
Apartheid? Wrong. That is a libel. Arab Israelis have more rights in Israel than in their own countries.
War? Israel has been attacked by its neighbors who find it a religious blasphemy that Jews dare rule themselves. They won these wars.
Displacement? People flee wars. If you didn't want displacement, don't initiate wars.
You call them "Critiques." But they are lies and libels.
I don't mind people talking about Zionism. Seeing the word is a handy indicator to me to just ignore the ensuing tirade of a strong partisan, though. You can only spend so much time hashing and rehashing a polarizing conundrum. Me, I don't feel strongly, resent aspects of both warring factions, and just want them to settle it. I don't need the arguments of people who fetishize either ethnicity.
Yes! And "gay" means happy happy joy joy! And "pride" refers to positive affirmation of an accomplishment! Wait a minute -- this just in! Words kinda stay the same but their contemporary context -- meaning, even -- is kinda squirmy!
that may be true but I have yet to read someone who hates zionists as someone who likes jews at all. they are nasty and derisive and they condemn Israel. I also may not read far and wide or search it out enough, but that is what I have come away with.
It's not "false" and they aren't saying it's "false"...they are saying it's another year or two until Iran has a nuclear weapon......BUT WHAT WILL BE GOING ON IN 2 YEARS? Dems could have control of Congress and they'll (behind the scenes) HELP Iran get the nuke! Bibi could be out of the government and replaced with a "Well, it's okay if Iran wants to destroy us......" leader. So many things could happen and REMEMBER - WE ARE THE BIG SATAN (Israel is just the LITTLE SATAN) and they want to destroy us TOO!
The thing is, only US B2 bombers can deliver the bunker buster that is required for Fordow. It has to be the US to drop it. Otherwise, I agree with your post
Without knowing where you got that information, I think a careful reading would show the info referred to the GBU-24 or GBU-28, which have been around a long time and were used in the Iraq war, indeed dropped from the C-130.
Unfortunately, neither of those can penetrate deep enough to destroy Iran’s Fordow facility under 300 meters of rock; that takes the GBU-57 Massive Ordinance Penetrator, so big and so secret we only had 15 built and so heavy the only two planes with lift ability are the B-2 and B-52. We have never allowed another country access to the planes or that bomb.
If the Fordow lab isn’t destroyed, Iran is right back in business. The only way it’s destroyed is by us dropping the MOP on it.
Putin has given us a green light, as of today, so no prospect of another Forever War.
Can you give a source for a Putin greenlight on such an operation? Grok didn't find it for me, only that he offered to store materials & facilitate diplomacy.
BTW, I was completely against bombing the nuclear facilities in Iran until I read this article from George Webb, an independent investigative journalist I really respect for his amazing track record over more than a decade of providing copious receipts on the activities of the deep state enemies of America (spoiler alert, they may have stolen US weapons-grade uranium & helped Iran build secret nukes that could be delivered by suitcase).
Why not lend it to them? Have a pilot to teach them? Like texting for an "Uber" but for war? Or give them one of ours? After all, Biden gave away lots of our weapons of war to the Taliban and Russia when he abandoned them in Afghanistan.
Well so much for trusting Trump won’t get us into another forever war; he just bombed Iran. Anyone who thinks this will end without significant US casualties is avoiding history and reality. And the major American casualties are going to be poor white straight Christian male teenagers. Being killed for Zionists and not America. Too bad the Neocon warmongers never go.
That Trump just bombed Iran proves Trump is now aligned with the Neocons. Please stop defending him and them as your knowledge and ability to communicate matters.
Middle East is a greater risk because now we are directly engaged in a hot war with a significant military and because Israel is engaged and they now control Trump and Congress in a way Zelensky does not remotely compete with.
The Russians have 7500 nukes. Putin has proved remarkedly restrained considering the provocations. Mullahs on the other hand are crazy waiting for the the 13 Imam but have no nukes as far as we know. But at the end of the day, they are Israel's problem and we should have let them deal with it.
Sasha, you do a great job in the new format, but news roundups don’t play to your strengths. A news roundup is headline driven and will be stale by tomorrow morning’s news cycle. These are fast moving stories. Hard to keep up.
Your best work adds thoughtful perspective and context at the intersection of history and popular culture. Those insights age well. They are timeless. And you weave your story into those.
I agree with your opinion. Sasha has a unique style that attracted me to her podcast. She tackles subject matter in a relatable way. That writing talent is rare nowadays with everyone trying their hands at starting a podcast. Hers has flourished and deservedly so!!
Only Congress can declare war, not the President, according to the Constitution. Unfortunately every President since FDR didn't believe that, and involved the UN instead, which is why we always lose.
A lot of people seem to confuse themselves by not distinguishing between "war" in the sense of "strikes" and "war in the sense of "boots on the ground". The prospects for "boots on the ground" are nil. And the prospects for a "forever war" are nil. Iran cannot go on much longer. I predict that the situation will be over in at most a week, or more probably in half a week. There will be no "regime change", or even any attempt at "regime change". It is good that Iran is about to lose its nukes program. Other than that, all of this is "much ado about nothing". The whole episode will soon be as thoroughly forgotten as what happened with Syria losing its nukes program.
Carlson is being muddle-minded, and Bannon is being childishly simplistic. And MAGA is not being significantly split. The polls show 80% support, and much or most of the remaining 20% must be due to anti-Trump knee-jerkers. I would guess that MAGA opponents are about 5%.
My "information" on the polls, which I got from Hannity, may well be wrong. (Since it was radio, I do not remember exactly what he said.)
As for Perot, the conventional wisdom that he drew more from Bush than from CIinton emerged only after the election, and I am somewhat dubious. During the election, the conventional wisdom was that Perot was drawing equally from Bush and Clinton. Maybe there was a "break" away from Bush and toward Perot at the very end.
I am not sure what Trump is up to with his "two weeks" statement: "head fake" or delusions of grandeur about being the "Greatest Of All Time" deal-maker. The Iranians are not serious about any deal.
All it takes is 5%split see Ross Perot 1992 it wasn't a massive split or divorce but Ross Perot split brough just enough GOP to 3rd party to allow Clinton to "win" (he never got 50%)
GOP did not forget 1996 I think you want them to forget but many who will be turned off wont return., The problem of the Sasha dream land Empire it falls apart very quickly and like Democrats empire hard to unite and keep united.
We just passed the 10 year - can you believe TEN years - anniversary of the Outsider coming down the escalator and the den of vipers erupted into a sphere you can actually see now.
I trust Trump. And Gabbard. And Rubio. And NOT the media of any kind other than a few.
Trust those in the Admin who have been attacked by the Blob as they are hardened; just look at what they have done to the single most important intelligence person(Gabbard) in America.
Trust nothing but Trump. He and his team are the Outsiders and it is them against the Blob.
The Establishment killed, maimed, and ruined our Founding Fathers and they are doing the same to DJT.
There is a strong whiff in the air of deep state neocons attempting to distract and corrupt the drive to take down the bureaucratic leviathan that has brought our Republic to the brink of destruction. Pray that the right decisions are made.
Simplicius the Thinker shows how the Israelis have been lying about "Iran is just 3-5 years from a nuclear bomb!" since at least 1992. Over and over again, year after year, always 3-5 years away, or 1-3 years away, or 1-2 years away.
In 1995 Netanyahu claimed that Iran was "three to five years away" from making a nuclear bomb. In 1996 he told the U.S. Congress that it was "extremely close." In 2009 he wanted the U.S. to attack Iran.
And remember his ridiculous claim that he had computer discs obtained from a secret warehouse outside Iran that detailed Iran's nuclear weapons program.
The real reason is that he wants to destroy a pro-Palestinian nation, just like the neocons wanted Iraq invaded for the same reason.
Netanyahu knows that as soon as he is out of office he will be investigated for corruption, because of his part in taking bribes from a Jewish billionaire in the U.S. So he needs to keep his coalition going, and he needs to appease the extremist parties, "Jewish Power" and "Orthodox Judaism." With the Israeli economy tanking and with his failure to defeat Hamas he is looking for another war - now against Iran.
Only, he failed to cause a "color revolution" with the help of the communist MEK terrorists that must have helped Israel in Iran, just like they have killed technicians and professors for Iran, paid by the U.S. And Iran's ballistic missiles are penetrating Israel's defenses every day. The Israeli public was told their defenses were perfect, nothing to worry about. The truth is different. If this becomes a war of attrition, Israel won't win.
His only chance now is, like Zelensky, to try to get the U.S. to do the fighting for him. In this he is helped by the Zionists in U.S. media, who give power over U.S. Middle Eastern policy to the Zionists in Washington.
“Judge me on one thing: Does this deal prevent Iran from breaking out with a nuclear weapon for the next 10 years and is that a better outcome for America, Israel and our Arab allies than any other alternative on the table?”
All of this new nonsensical garbage that Iran's nuke program is just a fabrication or at most just misunderstood is astounding in its naivete and stupidity. Of course, Obama's deal didn't really do much to deter Iranian efforts.
I'm not sure what was vague about 911. Iran cheered for it; Hamas cheered for it. It's beyond time to crush the anti-human ideology of radical Islam. Dropping a bomb on Iran's nuclear efforts would be doing the world a massive favor.
There was a very real fear shared by many going back to Truman that Asia would fall like dominos to communist China just as Eastern Europe did to the Soviet Union.
The main problem in VN was we did not admit we were in a full fledge war with China we would not/could not commit to winning, and didn't know when or how to cut our losses.
MAGA is not divided. The isolationist/restrainer wing overestimated their influence and are being sidelined by the 80% who support Trump on Iran. I guess they learned little from the Democrats they're now aligning with about being in the 20%.
‘No new wars’ is akin to ‘no new taxes’ if you’re old enough to remember. Trump and his successor are gonna wear that like a scarlet letter if they invade w/ US forces and shit ever goes sideways.
Bannon is entirely correct, this is our only real chance to actually defeat the monstrous deep state hydra. We are in the Thunderdome, only one of us comes out alive, Another forever war is a complete victory for the psychopaths. It is that black and white.
In 1967 Israel attacked the USS Liberty to blame it on Egypt, which they were at war with at the time. They murdered 34 Americans and injured another 171.
The attack went on for hours even though pilots clearly reported that it was an American ship, and one U.S.-born pilot refused to attack, for which he was arrested. An officer in the headquarters has confirmed the obvious, that they knew it was a U.S. ship with U.S. flags and radio calls in English which the Israelis blocked. The Israeli planes had their star of david markings covered so that Egypt could be blamed.
The Israelis sent gun boats to attack the life boats. But the USS Liberty managed to escape. The sailors, once reaching port again, were met by Navy lawyers forcing them to sign papers demanding their silence, even before they got medical aid.
US cuckservative "evangelicals": "Durr, Israel! Israel! Israel! It's in the biiible!"
Jews rate evangelicals LOWER THAN ANYONE OTHER RELIGIOUS GROUP. They rate them even lower than they rate Muslims. As evangelical is a stand-in for "white conservative," though the least intelligent kind. Meanwhile the evangelitards rate Jews as high as they rate their own group.
When I say "Jews," I don't mean the few who oppose the mass murderers in Israel, like Glenn Greenwald. But evangelitards are too dumb and too cowardly to listen to his show. Gotta belong to the herd, like good little sheep.
My understanding of the USS Liberty attack by Israel was to ensure that our intel ship could not accidentally ‘tip off’ Syria that Israel would take the Golan Heights.
What is shocking, is that Tish James thinks illegals have civil rights. They broke the law; I think, not. Being deported is their only right, if one can call it that.
As PRESIDENT TRUMP perfectly said: "Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON! I don’t know what Tucker Carlson is saying. Let him go get a television network and say it so that people actually listen. Thank you. AMERICA FIRST means many GREAT things, including the fact that, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!"
I agree with Bannon (even though I have never listened to him) that the war is against the Deep State. @MikeBenzCyber @DataRepublican and @COSProject are some great follows on X for those not aware.
RE Iran. It's a tough call. I naturally prefer no war, but that is not where we are at. If Trump can negotiate a deal he is satisfied with, I am good with it. If we have to bomb Fordow, fine. Iran CANNOT have a nuke. What I fear most is the US not helping Israel with Fordow and that Israel becomes desperate enough that they nuke it. Israel is rightfully very determined to end Iran's nuclear threat
So Iran going nuclear is just something Israel made up out of thin air?
President Obama. Wednesday, 15 July 2015:
“This nuclear deal meets the national security interests of the United States and our allies. It prevents the most serious threat, Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, which would only make the other problems that Iran may cause even worse.”
“Judge me on one thing: Does this deal prevent Iran from breaking out with a nuclear weapon for the next 10 years and is that a better outcome for America, Israel and our Arab allies than any other alternative on the table?”
Not to mention in their negotiations with Trump they could have solved everything by offering to open their sites to inspection by the US if they were not trying build a bomb. They didn’t do that. If they were not building a bomb, they could then have cut a deal with Trump, got sanctions relaxed and rejoined the world. But they refused even to stop enriching uranium well past the level for peaceful uses. Iran’s nuclear program is very clear in its purpose.
America has been at war with Iran since 1980. This is not something new. It is very old. It is America's version of the 100 Year War. People need to understand that this is our chance to end this 45 year old war started when Jimmy Carter agreed to return the Ayatollah Khomeini to Tehran, stabbing America's ally, the Shah Pahlavi, in the back (Iran had been a dependable ally for the West, originally Britain, since before WW2). Getting rid of a nuclear threat against America by a rogue regime, ending the proxy wars funded and organized by the Mullahs since 1980, including attacking American troops in Beirut in 1983, getting rid of the threat to our ally Israel by eliminating Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis, would allow peace to break out in the Middle East and would cause the Abraham Accords to flourish all over North Africa, the Arab peninsula all the way to Turkey. Maybe even the new Syrian leadership will "get religion" and allow multiple cultures in their country, including the Kurds.
Muslims initiated war w non believers centuries ago.
'According to Ayatollah Khomeini anyone who did not believe that Mohammed, Islam’s genocidal warlord prophet was a messenger of Allah, is defined as an infidel, and the only thing to do is to convert him, enslave him or kill him. “If one permits an infidel to continue in his role as a corrupter of the earth, the infidel’s moral suffering will be all the worse. If one kills the infidel, and this stops him from perpetrating his misdeeds, his death will be a blessing to him.” ~ https://jihadwatch.org/2025/06/israel-took-death-to-israel-seriously-we-should-take-death-to-america-seriously
Opposing the Ayatollahs just made America one of the first ‘infidels’ in line for destruction.
Right BrianM...if Trump will explain that we are contributing to Israel's dismantling of Iran by helping with a surgical strike of certain mountain centrifuges that only our planes and bunker-busting bombs can deliver, and then that US is immediately retreating from further involvement. He needs to put at-ease the MAGA faction that fears long-term war.
This is the best, most golden opportunity to dismantle Iran in 50 years....Iran, the irresponsible govt led by 7th Century mullahs.
The entire WORLD needs to be rid of Iran's ultra-dangerous 50 year folly. Surely the TuckerCarlson faction can understand the importance of a no-nuke Iran.
I’d argue that it started with Operation Ajax in 1953 and the US and UK started it!
Or Operation Countenance in 1941, that put the most recent Shah in power in the first place. That was an Anglo-Soviet operation. German incursion into Iraq and Syria had already been thwarted and was no longer a threat to Persian oil and the Lend Lease supply line to the Soviet Union.
Crazy times. Have to trust Trump that he won't get us in another Forever War. Giving Israel a giant bunker buster to take out the underground facility is ok. Giving Israeli air dominance, a C130 could deliver it. Just don't get involved in nation building. Iran is a really big place. We have enough problems at home..
A post-theocratic, semi-authoritarian regime with strong military influence (like Egypt after Mubarak) is more likely than immediate liberal democracy, but with sustained popular and international support, secular democracy is possible in the long term under the leadership of say Reza Pahlavi – son of the former Shah.
People aren't impressed with the Dauphin but time will tell
Suspect there is an intense urban rural split
Trust Trump? He doesn't even know himself what he plans to do tomorrow, obviously. He lashes out at people like Tucker Carlson, who he calls "nutty" for opposing another war.
You want to give Israeli criminals U.S. weapons, paid by U.S. taxpayers, to murder more people. You're dumb enough to believe Zionist lies about Iranian nuclear weapons WHEN U.S. INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES HAVE REPEATEDLY SAID IT'S FALSE. The last time they said this was in March this year.
But facts don't matter to you who want the Gaza Holocaust to go on without opposition. I bet you read Israeli statements every day about how "there are no innocent Palestinians" and Palestinians should be "destroyed." "Get rid of any lingering Christian morality." Disgusting.
I immediately discount anything written with "Zionist" in the text. It reveals hate.
The so called Anti-Zionists never answer a simple question: What comes next? How do you propose to eliminate the Zionist experiment? What does the world look like after you achieve your goal?
They dare not articulate what they really endorse, so they settle for foaming at the mouth about Zionism.
The Palestinians are pretty explicit about what they endorse.
Yes, and American Anti-Zionists conveniently ignore it.
fuzzi, you may want to scurry back over to The Free Press? We are much more free thinkers here at Sasha’s site.
Zionism is a political ideology — not Judaism. That distinction matters. Just like we can criticize Wahhabism or Christian nationalism without “hating Muslims” or “hating Christians,” we must be able to critique Zionism without being accused of antisemitism.
Zionism is not a faith. It’s a nationalist project with real-world consequences — displacement, apartheid policies, endless war. Calling every critique of it “hate” is a lazy way to shut down uncomfortable conversations.
Labeling criticism as “hate” is the same tactic used with Islamophobia to block discussion about actual extremist ideologies. It protects power, not people.
We don’t get anywhere by making certain ideologies sacred and untouchable.
Zionism is the idea of Jews returning to their ancestral homeland so the next time there's a worldwide attempt of murder of Jews they will have a place to go to.
Apartheid? Wrong. That is a libel. Arab Israelis have more rights in Israel than in their own countries.
War? Israel has been attacked by its neighbors who find it a religious blasphemy that Jews dare rule themselves. They won these wars.
Displacement? People flee wars. If you didn't want displacement, don't initiate wars.
You call them "Critiques." But they are lies and libels.
I don't mind people talking about Zionism. Seeing the word is a handy indicator to me to just ignore the ensuing tirade of a strong partisan, though. You can only spend so much time hashing and rehashing a polarizing conundrum. Me, I don't feel strongly, resent aspects of both warring factions, and just want them to settle it. I don't need the arguments of people who fetishize either ethnicity.
Yes! And "gay" means happy happy joy joy! And "pride" refers to positive affirmation of an accomplishment! Wait a minute -- this just in! Words kinda stay the same but their contemporary context -- meaning, even -- is kinda squirmy!
But you knew that.
What is your solution? What exactly do you want to happen? What does the world look like after the goal of eliminating Zion is achieved?
that may be true but I have yet to read someone who hates zionists as someone who likes jews at all. they are nasty and derisive and they condemn Israel. I also may not read far and wide or search it out enough, but that is what I have come away with.
It's not "false" and they aren't saying it's "false"...they are saying it's another year or two until Iran has a nuclear weapon......BUT WHAT WILL BE GOING ON IN 2 YEARS? Dems could have control of Congress and they'll (behind the scenes) HELP Iran get the nuke! Bibi could be out of the government and replaced with a "Well, it's okay if Iran wants to destroy us......" leader. So many things could happen and REMEMBER - WE ARE THE BIG SATAN (Israel is just the LITTLE SATAN) and they want to destroy us TOO!
You'd rather have Cackles the Prostitute being led around by her nose by Obama, who gave YOUR money to Iran to build nukes they could use against us?
Do tell, mr. communist.
The thing is, only US B2 bombers can deliver the bunker buster that is required for Fordow. It has to be the US to drop it. Otherwise, I agree with your post
Watching a lot of debate about this. Consensus seems to be that a C130 can dump one out the rear ramp.
Without knowing where you got that information, I think a careful reading would show the info referred to the GBU-24 or GBU-28, which have been around a long time and were used in the Iraq war, indeed dropped from the C-130.
Unfortunately, neither of those can penetrate deep enough to destroy Iran’s Fordow facility under 300 meters of rock; that takes the GBU-57 Massive Ordinance Penetrator, so big and so secret we only had 15 built and so heavy the only two planes with lift ability are the B-2 and B-52. We have never allowed another country access to the planes or that bomb.
If the Fordow lab isn’t destroyed, Iran is right back in business. The only way it’s destroyed is by us dropping the MOP on it.
Putin has given us a green light, as of today, so no prospect of another Forever War.
Vietnam and Afghanistan weren’t forever but they sure chewed up a lot of good young men.
It seemed like forever
I think the better definition is nation building wars where we try to impose an alien belief system (ours) on another culture.
Can you give a source for a Putin greenlight on such an operation? Grok didn't find it for me, only that he offered to store materials & facilitate diplomacy.
BTW, I was completely against bombing the nuclear facilities in Iran until I read this article from George Webb, an independent investigative journalist I really respect for his amazing track record over more than a decade of providing copious receipts on the activities of the deep state enemies of America (spoiler alert, they may have stolen US weapons-grade uranium & helped Iran build secret nukes that could be delivered by suitcase).
https://open.substack.com/pub/georgewebb/p/time-for-trump-to-take-out-the-nuke?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1dvul1
It’s behind a paywall but
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/world/middleeast/iran-russia-relationship-analysis.html
I picked it up on a broadcast this afternoon but it’s pretty widely covered.
Discussion was about the MOP. I am.not expert enough to verify but they did make the distinction between the weapons that you did.
It’s a big one, for sure, and next up is the -109 under development.
Now THAT'S interesting! 24, 28, 57... 109? At what point must planetary fracture become a concern?
Both were botched by neocons.
Why not lend it to them? Have a pilot to teach them? Like texting for an "Uber" but for war? Or give them one of ours? After all, Biden gave away lots of our weapons of war to the Taliban and Russia when he abandoned them in Afghanistan.
Imbecilic word salad. As soon as the words holocaust and Zionist come out, you know you’re dealing with a retard.
This is great...if you have the time.
Well so much for trusting Trump won’t get us into another forever war; he just bombed Iran. Anyone who thinks this will end without significant US casualties is avoiding history and reality. And the major American casualties are going to be poor white straight Christian male teenagers. Being killed for Zionists and not America. Too bad the Neocon warmongers never go.
Not pleased with it but I can live with it if it is one and done. But Trump aligning with Neocons is worrying. If so, I am done.
That Trump just bombed Iran proves Trump is now aligned with the Neocons. Please stop defending him and them as your knowledge and ability to communicate matters.
Too soon to tell but as I said, I am displeased.
I am really more concerned about Ukraine. If Trump has aligned the with the neocons, that is a big problem there.
Middle East is a greater risk because now we are directly engaged in a hot war with a significant military and because Israel is engaged and they now control Trump and Congress in a way Zelensky does not remotely compete with.
The Russians have 7500 nukes. Putin has proved remarkedly restrained considering the provocations. Mullahs on the other hand are crazy waiting for the the 13 Imam but have no nukes as far as we know. But at the end of the day, they are Israel's problem and we should have let them deal with it.
Sasha, you do a great job in the new format, but news roundups don’t play to your strengths. A news roundup is headline driven and will be stale by tomorrow morning’s news cycle. These are fast moving stories. Hard to keep up.
Your best work adds thoughtful perspective and context at the intersection of history and popular culture. Those insights age well. They are timeless. And you weave your story into those.
I agree with your opinion. Sasha has a unique style that attracted me to her podcast. She tackles subject matter in a relatable way. That writing talent is rare nowadays with everyone trying their hands at starting a podcast. Hers has flourished and deservedly so!!
Only an extreme hatred can lead thinking people to side with a 7th century death cult over Western Civilization.
Anyone who finds the Squad lining up to support the bill he proposes needs to do some serious rethinking of the situation.
Only Congress can declare war, not the President, according to the Constitution. Unfortunately every President since FDR didn't believe that, and involved the UN instead, which is why we always lose.
A lot of people seem to confuse themselves by not distinguishing between "war" in the sense of "strikes" and "war in the sense of "boots on the ground". The prospects for "boots on the ground" are nil. And the prospects for a "forever war" are nil. Iran cannot go on much longer. I predict that the situation will be over in at most a week, or more probably in half a week. There will be no "regime change", or even any attempt at "regime change". It is good that Iran is about to lose its nukes program. Other than that, all of this is "much ado about nothing". The whole episode will soon be as thoroughly forgotten as what happened with Syria losing its nukes program.
Carlson is being muddle-minded, and Bannon is being childishly simplistic. And MAGA is not being significantly split. The polls show 80% support, and much or most of the remaining 20% must be due to anti-Trump knee-jerkers. I would guess that MAGA opponents are about 5%.
My "information" on the polls, which I got from Hannity, may well be wrong. (Since it was radio, I do not remember exactly what he said.)
As for Perot, the conventional wisdom that he drew more from Bush than from CIinton emerged only after the election, and I am somewhat dubious. During the election, the conventional wisdom was that Perot was drawing equally from Bush and Clinton. Maybe there was a "break" away from Bush and toward Perot at the very end.
I am not sure what Trump is up to with his "two weeks" statement: "head fake" or delusions of grandeur about being the "Greatest Of All Time" deal-maker. The Iranians are not serious about any deal.
All it takes is 5%split see Ross Perot 1992 it wasn't a massive split or divorce but Ross Perot split brough just enough GOP to 3rd party to allow Clinton to "win" (he never got 50%)
Poor analogy dimwit. There isn't anything close to a Ross Perot in the mix right now.
So what happened 1992? Did Ross Perot rebel or what is a Democrat covert op?
This will all be forgotten by 2026, let alone 2028.
GOP did not forget 1996 I think you want them to forget but many who will be turned off wont return., The problem of the Sasha dream land Empire it falls apart very quickly and like Democrats empire hard to unite and keep united.
No. Trump didn't win the election based on foreign policy, and the 2028 election will not be determined by foreign policy.
We just passed the 10 year - can you believe TEN years - anniversary of the Outsider coming down the escalator and the den of vipers erupted into a sphere you can actually see now.
I trust Trump. And Gabbard. And Rubio. And NOT the media of any kind other than a few.
Trust those in the Admin who have been attacked by the Blob as they are hardened; just look at what they have done to the single most important intelligence person(Gabbard) in America.
Trust nothing but Trump. He and his team are the Outsiders and it is them against the Blob.
The Establishment killed, maimed, and ruined our Founding Fathers and they are doing the same to DJT.
There is a strong whiff in the air of deep state neocons attempting to distract and corrupt the drive to take down the bureaucratic leviathan that has brought our Republic to the brink of destruction. Pray that the right decisions are made.
Bingo
Simplicius the Thinker shows how the Israelis have been lying about "Iran is just 3-5 years from a nuclear bomb!" since at least 1992. Over and over again, year after year, always 3-5 years away, or 1-3 years away, or 1-2 years away.
In 1995 Netanyahu claimed that Iran was "three to five years away" from making a nuclear bomb. In 1996 he told the U.S. Congress that it was "extremely close." In 2009 he wanted the U.S. to attack Iran.
And remember his ridiculous claim that he had computer discs obtained from a secret warehouse outside Iran that detailed Iran's nuclear weapons program.
The real reason is that he wants to destroy a pro-Palestinian nation, just like the neocons wanted Iraq invaded for the same reason.
Netanyahu knows that as soon as he is out of office he will be investigated for corruption, because of his part in taking bribes from a Jewish billionaire in the U.S. So he needs to keep his coalition going, and he needs to appease the extremist parties, "Jewish Power" and "Orthodox Judaism." With the Israeli economy tanking and with his failure to defeat Hamas he is looking for another war - now against Iran.
Only, he failed to cause a "color revolution" with the help of the communist MEK terrorists that must have helped Israel in Iran, just like they have killed technicians and professors for Iran, paid by the U.S. And Iran's ballistic missiles are penetrating Israel's defenses every day. The Israeli public was told their defenses were perfect, nothing to worry about. The truth is different. If this becomes a war of attrition, Israel won't win.
His only chance now is, like Zelensky, to try to get the U.S. to do the fighting for him. In this he is helped by the Zionists in U.S. media, who give power over U.S. Middle Eastern policy to the Zionists in Washington.
Then why did Obama negotiate and sign the JPCOA in 2015?
Why did he give piles of cash to Iran on his way out?
Because Iran's not really attempting to build a nuke.
“Judge me on one thing: Does this deal prevent Iran from breaking out with a nuclear weapon for the next 10 years and is that a better outcome for America, Israel and our Arab allies than any other alternative on the table?”
-President Obama, 2015
All of this new nonsensical garbage that Iran's nuke program is just a fabrication or at most just misunderstood is astounding in its naivete and stupidity. Of course, Obama's deal didn't really do much to deter Iranian efforts.
I am also wary.
I recall how we all got suckered into Vietnam and Iraq. Both disasters with 70,000 Americans lost for nothing.
Just let Israel finish it off. Why not let Israel take out all of Iran’s nuke facilities and keep our pilots and troops out of it?
Why not knock the doors down to the deep underground facility and destroy it from the inside?
I'm not sure what was vague about 911. Iran cheered for it; Hamas cheered for it. It's beyond time to crush the anti-human ideology of radical Islam. Dropping a bomb on Iran's nuclear efforts would be doing the world a massive favor.
There was a very real fear shared by many going back to Truman that Asia would fall like dominos to communist China just as Eastern Europe did to the Soviet Union.
The main problem in VN was we did not admit we were in a full fledge war with China we would not/could not commit to winning, and didn't know when or how to cut our losses.
It’s Iraq and WMDs over again.
It’s exhausting they are still using the same playbook, and so many people are just guzzling the propaganda down 😢 😔
Israeli Defense Minister Katz today even warned Al Khomenei not to ‘end up like Saddam Hussein’:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/katz-warns-khamenei-will-end-up-like-saddam-hussein/
MAGA is not divided. The isolationist/restrainer wing overestimated their influence and are being sidelined by the 80% who support Trump on Iran. I guess they learned little from the Democrats they're now aligning with about being in the 20%.
‘No new wars’ is akin to ‘no new taxes’ if you’re old enough to remember. Trump and his successor are gonna wear that like a scarlet letter if they invade w/ US forces and shit ever goes sideways.
THEY WILL NOT INVADE. You all do not understand Trump.
The loudest people in MAGA are cult minded people they even vocally say whatever gives Trump a win they are for.
Again, repeating what the cows on The View told you.
I dont watch the view I actually read all sources unlike probably you.
NO. MAGA does not want troops on the ground. Where do you get the idea that Trump wants to start a ground war?
Crazy. Yes, stop listening to Whoopi.
Just bomb Iran and their nuclear labs.
Not easy without creating a massive toxic aftermath.
Fuckem.
Bannon is entirely correct, this is our only real chance to actually defeat the monstrous deep state hydra. We are in the Thunderdome, only one of us comes out alive, Another forever war is a complete victory for the psychopaths. It is that black and white.
In 1967 Israel attacked the USS Liberty to blame it on Egypt, which they were at war with at the time. They murdered 34 Americans and injured another 171.
The attack went on for hours even though pilots clearly reported that it was an American ship, and one U.S.-born pilot refused to attack, for which he was arrested. An officer in the headquarters has confirmed the obvious, that they knew it was a U.S. ship with U.S. flags and radio calls in English which the Israelis blocked. The Israeli planes had their star of david markings covered so that Egypt could be blamed.
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2017/09/phil-giraldi/the-uss-liberty/
The Israelis sent gun boats to attack the life boats. But the USS Liberty managed to escape. The sailors, once reaching port again, were met by Navy lawyers forcing them to sign papers demanding their silence, even before they got medical aid.
US cuckservative "evangelicals": "Durr, Israel! Israel! Israel! It's in the biiible!"
Jews rate evangelicals LOWER THAN ANYONE OTHER RELIGIOUS GROUP. They rate them even lower than they rate Muslims. As evangelical is a stand-in for "white conservative," though the least intelligent kind. Meanwhile the evangelitards rate Jews as high as they rate their own group.
When I say "Jews," I don't mean the few who oppose the mass murderers in Israel, like Glenn Greenwald. But evangelitards are too dumb and too cowardly to listen to his show. Gotta belong to the herd, like good little sheep.
My understanding of the USS Liberty attack by Israel was to ensure that our intel ship could not accidentally ‘tip off’ Syria that Israel would take the Golan Heights.
What is shocking, is that Tish James thinks illegals have civil rights. They broke the law; I think, not. Being deported is their only right, if one can call it that.
As PRESIDENT TRUMP perfectly said: "Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON! I don’t know what Tucker Carlson is saying. Let him go get a television network and say it so that people actually listen. Thank you. AMERICA FIRST means many GREAT things, including the fact that, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!"
I agree with Bannon (even though I have never listened to him) that the war is against the Deep State. @MikeBenzCyber @DataRepublican and @COSProject are some great follows on X for those not aware.
RE Iran. It's a tough call. I naturally prefer no war, but that is not where we are at. If Trump can negotiate a deal he is satisfied with, I am good with it. If we have to bomb Fordow, fine. Iran CANNOT have a nuke. What I fear most is the US not helping Israel with Fordow and that Israel becomes desperate enough that they nuke it. Israel is rightfully very determined to end Iran's nuclear threat
Hello.....there's a new sheriff in town, duly and fairly elected by America. If you don't like it, you're free to leave. Please take Whoopi with you.
Such language, and coming from a 'lady.' Four letter words happen to weaken your argument my friend....a recent trend amongst liberals.
Do you kiss your children with that mouth?
As suspected, your trigger is very easy to trip. You ought to do something about that anger streak.....try a support group
Hahahahaha...
TRIGGERED. That's all liberals can do...
Shout shout shout at others, and change the world 🙄
So Iran going nuclear is just something Israel made up out of thin air?
President Obama. Wednesday, 15 July 2015:
“This nuclear deal meets the national security interests of the United States and our allies. It prevents the most serious threat, Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, which would only make the other problems that Iran may cause even worse.”
“Judge me on one thing: Does this deal prevent Iran from breaking out with a nuclear weapon for the next 10 years and is that a better outcome for America, Israel and our Arab allies than any other alternative on the table?”
Yes, it’s made up nonsense. That BB and others have been spouting since 92.
Is that why Iran built a nuclear enrichment facility hundreds of feet underground? Just for the hell of it?
Not to mention in their negotiations with Trump they could have solved everything by offering to open their sites to inspection by the US if they were not trying build a bomb. They didn’t do that. If they were not building a bomb, they could then have cut a deal with Trump, got sanctions relaxed and rejoined the world. But they refused even to stop enriching uranium well past the level for peaceful uses. Iran’s nuclear program is very clear in its purpose.
How do we ensure Iran is not and will not build nuclear weapons?
Blast them to hell! Send the leaders to meet their Allah and 72 virgins!
Thank you, Sasha, for the great article.
I see all of these issues as falling under a single theme: Accountability.
For the first time in a long while, countries, political parties, and individuals are being held accountable to their own realities.
It may be chaotic now, but once the dust settles, I believe humanity will emerge better for it.