Trump: NATO Was Useless When We Needed Them, But Actually We Didn't Need Them
Sunday, April 19, 2026
Mad King Ludwig admits he might be nuts
This is all because Joe Rogan got his ear.
Trump accelerates psychedelic treatments and asks, 'Can I have some?'
... “In many cases, these experimental treatments have shown life-changing potential for those suffering from severe mental illness and depression, including our cherished veterans,” Trump said during a signing event in the Oval Office. ...
“Can I have some, please? I’ll take some,” Trump said, adding that he would “take whatever it takes,” prompting laughter in the Oval. “I don’t have time to be depressed. You know, if you stay busy enough, maybe that works, too. That’s what I do.” ...
Ibogaine is the only psychedelic mentioned by name in the executive order, but LSD, MDMA and psilocybin – the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms” – have also been studied in the US as treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. ...
Dumbass Trump, who never paid the slightest attention to what's been happening in and to Ukraine, is surprised how easily Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz with drones
The Wall Street Journal, here:
... The strait has been a particular source of frustration. Before the U.S. went to war, Trump told his team that Iran’s government would likely capitulate before closing the strait, and that even if Tehran tried, the U.S. military could handle it, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Some of the president’s advisers were caught off guard that tanker traffic would grind to a halt so quickly after the bombing began, according to a person in contact with the White House.
Trump has since marveled at the ease with which the strait was closed. A guy with a drone can shut it down, Trump has said to people, expressing belated irritation that the key waterway was so vulnerable. He has publicly oscillated between demanding support from allies to help open it and insisting that the U.S. doesn’t need or want military assistance. ...
White House concerns about security threats have been heightened, aides said.
In recent weeks, for example, Trump and his team have noticed an increase in security. On a cloudless night in April at Mar-a-Lago, every umbrella was up on the patio in an unusual arrangement, guests said. Club members were told that there was an effort to limit drone visibility, a Mar-a-Lago member said.
Rubio told others about standing outside his home at the military compound where he lives and watching a suspicious drone, administration officials said. Secret Service protection teams have expanded to carry weapons White House officials had never seen before. ...
Fars News Agency: Iranian silence is not golden lol
Iranian state news outlet questions foreign minister’s ‘unexpected tweet’ on Hormuz Strait
... The Fars News Agency added that Iranians worry about the “absolute and strange silence” from the country’s Supreme National Security Council and its negotiators.
“They [Iranians] accept it, but it is expected that at least a clear explanation be provided regarding the ‘reason for silence,'” the agency continued. “Public opinion raises this question: if it is in the country’s interest that the details of the negotiations or recent developments not be publicized, why is this very interest and the reason for avoiding transparency not explained to the people?”
The Fars News Agency called on its government to not “allow the enemy’s narrative and hostile media to fill the created narrative vacuum by toying with the spirit and psyche of society.”
“These days, Twitter and short, pithy statements are no longer a suitable medium for persuading domestic public opinion; rather, even this very ‘not explaining’ requires explanation,” the agency wrote in its last post in the thread. ...
Saturday, April 18, 2026
I should have guessed who was behind this ridiculous episode: Chaos agent Bill Pulte involved with Trump's Christ-like healer meme
Try to imagine Dwight Eisenhower golfing with a friend on a leisurely Sunday and discussing an image such as this one.
Trump discussed "Jesus" meme with Bill Pulte before posting it, sources say
... The original image of Trump as Christ-like healer didn't include the horned creature. It was published in February in a since-deleted X post by MAGA influencer Nick Adams, who wrote at the time that "America has been sick for a long time. President Trump is healing this nation."
Him is blocking voter ID lol
REP. ANNA PAULINA LUNA (R-FL): John Thune is a problem. I do not like what he's done because he has every ability, and really it's him that's blocking voter ID. He has every ability to embrace the standing filibuster or remove the filibuster.
Here.
-- B.S. Biology, University of West Florida
In case you aren't convinced yet, Iran shot at the Sanmar Herald this morning
Iran says Strait of Hormuz is closed again as vessels attempting to cross come under gunfire
... Shortly after the Iranian statements, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations said a tanker reported being fired on by two gunboats operated by Iran’s IRGC. The incident happened 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman, the UKMTO said. The tanker and its crew were reported safe, and authorities are investigating, the UKMTO said. ...
Buffoon says what?
Trump says U.S. has ‘good news’ on Iran as Tehran says the Strait of Hormuz is closed again
... Ghalibaf, quickly disputed Trump’s claim that Tehran had cleared the strait for transit.
“With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open,” Ghalibaf wrote in a translated X post.
Indeed, video footage from ship tracking firm Kpler shows a number of tankers and cargo ships did try to exit the waterway on Friday, but turned back.
“They’ve clearly not been given approval to pass through,” Matt Smith, director of commodity research at Kpler, told CNBC. ...
Friday, April 17, 2026
Friday night fright night for Ukraine as Trump keeps Russian oil unsanctioned for a second consecutive month
Trump is an asshole.
Update from CNBC Saturday:
U.S. renews Russian oil waiver after pressure from countries dealing with Iran war price shocks
... “As negotiations (with Iran) accelerate, Treasury wants to ensure oil is available to those who need it,” a Treasury Department spokesperson said. Just two days earlier, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would not be renewing the waiver for Russian oil and another for Iranian oil, which is set to expire on Sunday. ...
U.S. lawmakers from both political parties had slammed the administration over the sanctions waivers, saying they stood to help the economy of Iran while it was at war with the U.S. and of Russia as it was at war with Ukraine. ...
It's not
Published last night at 2040:
U.S. oil price plunges below $84 as Iran declares Strait of Hormuz open, easing supply fears
Published at 0900 this morning:
Iran declares Strait of Hormuz open to shipping but Trump says U.S. blockade still active
The Joint Maritime Information Center Update 033 for the Strait of Hormuz April 16 2026 15:56 hours includes 2 full days of the Iran blockade April 14-15
"Historically average daily transit through the Strait of Hormuz is approximately 138 vessels per day."
Transit Average April 9-15 Strait of Hormuz: 5.1 vessels per day
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Inflation, whether pandemic induced or war induced, has been berry berry good for hiding price increases to boost corporate profits
... Sonu Varghese, the global macro
strategist at the Carson Group, a financial firm, said many of the
companies he tracked viewed inflation pressures from “outside shocks,”
such as this war, “as an opportunity to raise prices and boosts
margins,” which can, in turn, raise profits.
“I think we’re actually going to get some margin expansion,” Mr. Varghese added. ...
A liberal who hates filing his very complicated taxes wants our payrolls run through the government, our incomes tracked, and our taxes automatically deducted
Yeah, that'll be popular.
... Some years ago, I traveled to the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory of Denmark, to report on their tax authority, which is arguably the best in the world. There, all normal wages are routed through a central government database, which automatically keeps track of how much you are making, and what benefit programs you are eligible for.
While this computerized system is quite sophisticated and required a lot of initial investment, it is incredibly easy to operate. For an ordinary worker, what you owe automatically comes out of the paycheck, and any benefit payments automatically go right into your bank account. Ordinary employees don’t have to file their taxes or any enrollment paperwork (if they have a child and become eligible for the Faroese child allowance, for instance, the money just starts showing up), while employers don’t have to hire a payroll processor to handle their tax payments. ...
Why the world has the petrodollar, not a petroyuan
Don’t call time on dollar dominance just yet, say analysts as ‘petroyuan’ call sparks debate
... “Oil is not priced in US dollars simply because the United States has long acted as the world’s policeman,” wrote Sonal Desai, Franklin Templeton’s fixed income CIO.
“Oil exporters have a strong self-interest in getting paid in USD, because of what dollars represent: access to the deepest, most liquid capital markets in the world, backed by an institutional and legal framework that protects property rights and enforces contracts, supported by a strong, dynamic, and innovative economy.” ...
Franklin Templeton’s Desai added in the note that building the right infrastructure for a credible replacement, consisting of “deep markets, rule of law, full convertibility, a track record of macro stability”, takes decades, not years. ...
Desai added that the dollar’s recent weakness is simply a function of its characteristics.
“Some dollar softness is perfectly consistent with global reserve currency status,” Desai wrote.
“Unlike the renminbi, the dollar is a freely floating currency. It floats – up and down.”
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
My morning coffee, my Sunday hamburger, my Italian tomatoes, pasta and olive oil, and now even my salad
I coulda mentioned salad the other day, but I didn't.
The average price made a new record high in 1Q2026.
Why BLTs and salad just got more expensive — tariffs, war send tomato prices soaring
This story is about fresh tomatoes, not salad, and it is interesting, but the average price of tomatoes in 1Q2026 still hasn't surpassed 1Q2016.
Adjusted for inflation since 1Q1980, tomatoes could cost $2.64 per pound, but they were only $1.98 in 1Q.
As the story says, canned tomatoes are much cheaper. I make my sauce from stewed whole plum tomatoes from a can, preferably Italian, preferably San Marzano or Parma, but there are many acceptable American brands to choose from.
Mad King Ludwig can't get Kevin Warsh confirmed on time, throws another tantrum at Powell
Powell staying on as acting chair until Trump can get his shit together would be customary procedure, not an anomaly.
Trump threatens to fire Powell if Fed chair doesn’t leave office on his own
Fed nominee Warsh filings detail vast wealth, far exceeding past chairs
... Warsh’s filings detail roughly 1,800 individual assets. Many individual items are identified as being subject to “pre-existing confidentiality obligations” that prevent him from specifying the underlying assets.
Warsh in the filings pledges to divest these assets if confirmed. ...
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
CNBC wholesale prices headline spin zone: "rose much less than expected"; Ragin' inflation reality: "the biggest 12-month gain since February 2023"
And core wholesale inflation in 1Q2026 also rounds to 3.8% yoy, and is right back where we started with Trump in 1Q2025, if you give me 0.04 for 3.77% year over year.
Wholesale prices rose 0.5% in March, much less than expected despite war impact
The producer price index, a gauge of pipeline costs for final demand goods and services, increased a seasonally adjusted 0.5% for the month, well below the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 1.1%.
Excluding food and energy, core PPI was up just 0.1% against the forecast for 0.5%.
On an annual basis, the all-items PPI accelerated 4%, the biggest 12-month gain since February 2023. The core PPI posted a 3.8% annual gain. ...
All items
 |
| Core |
Monday, April 13, 2026
Ann Coulter, born in 1961, is looking pretty good for a 64 year old boomer, but she is a little testy about it lol
I can see the jowls of 74 forming already. 🤣
My favorite part of this is her concern for the little girls of Iran.
After 911 she didn't care about their little girls at all, when she wanted all these countries invaded, their leaders killed, and everyone converted to Christianity. She didn't want us to be too careful about it either, because we carpet bombed Germany in WWII and killed civilians because it was a war then, and 911 was also a war, even though it wasn't. It too was undeclared just like this one now against Iran, but Ann pretends otherwise.
If Trump had a decent PR machine, he'd be talking about how awful the crackdown in Iran was after the Christmas 2025 university demonstrations. Thousands of Iranians desiring freedom were brutally massacred by the regime. Trump wasn't ready for that, but he did begin the airbridge to Europe and the Middle East in mid-February, beginning the process of shuttling military assets in theatre to confront the Ayatollah. I know because I monitored it myself day after day. This was not a surprise.
Those military assets weren't as strong or ready as they needed to be in the last week of February when Trump got the call from Bibi about the decapitation opportunity, but he pulled the trigger anyway. That's Trump, always reactive, not proactive. He's not the commander in chief many of us would choose, but you fight with the commander you have.
If we had taken Ann's advice in 2001, the Persian Gulf would be a Christian paradise today, and we wouldn't be having this stupid conversation about the terror regime in Iran yet one more time a quarter century later and how to solve that problem.
They have missiles to destroy their neighbors and reach Europe, and they have demonstrated their willingness to do so. It doesn't matter now how it started. They must be stopped.
Sunday, April 12, 2026
Tanker transits in both the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea crawled to a virtual halt on April 10-11
Just two out of the Strait of Hormuz April 10-11, just nine through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait in either direction after Iran attacked the Saudi pipeline to Yanbu on April 8-9.
Gold is up 9.9323% YTD, silver 5.9767%
Silver and gold had a good week:
Silver: $76.60 USD +$4.04 USD +5.57% 1W
Gold: $4,764.80 USD +$112.50 USD +2.42% 1W.
Silver was $72.28 on Jan 1, gold was $4,334.30.
Prices are per APMEX, where the 3M and YTD results just happen to be nearly identical as of April 12th, indicating more stability actually Mar 31 to Apr 12.
The war in Iran has been net negative for both gold and silver in the last 30 days, however, as oil prices rose in a volatile manner, which is where all the betting action went. Gold was down over 7% and silver over 10% in the last 30 days.
The blockade of Iran is likely to cause oil prices to spike much more this week, and precious metals to fade, but you never know from day to day with you know who in charge.
Stackers of precious metals will view future price drops as buying opportunities.
Trump cuts off the flow of Iranian oil with blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, about 1.5 million barrels per day, China most hurt
Trump says U.S. will blockade Strait of Hormuz after Iran peace talks fail
Iran sends millions of oil barrels to China through Strait of Hormuz even as war chokes the waterway
Saturday, April 11, 2026
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