josh powers

@HullJtank @BonkDaCarnivore No they won't. It's going to be much more favorable to Iran.

@BonkDaCarnivore what i read in the news thise morning *at the end of the day,the trump administration will prpbably have a peace deal in all similarity with the one obama had with iran* like really? really? all this shit for this? really? the american fatigue is real,let me tell you this

So to recap the last 24 hours w/ Iran: -Iran hands Trump an easy optics W on a platter, proclaims they're reopening the Strait while ceasefire talks are ongoing -The stock market flies. Oil prices crumble. Ships start to move through the strait. -Trump, never satisfied with just taking a W, decides to lean into this. He proceeds to go on national TV and proclaim Iran has basically surrendered, the Strait will be open forever, that Iran is going to give up all of its uranium, that Iran admits the enrichment facilities were destroyed, etc. He also proclaims that the strait is now open to everybody EXCEPT Iran, who are still blockaded -Iran hears of this and immediately says everything he just said is a complete fabrication (fact check: True, because we know there's no way we got to their facilities last year), that he's once again broken trust, and that they were closing the Strait again. -The ships immediately turn around. -Trump proclaims the Strait is open. -A ship starts to go through, gets fired on, turns around -Trump claims that he's going to bomb the hell out of Iran again Just another day in the chaos administration; this is why you don't let someone with dementia have final say.

@RectalAnarchy69 @BriannaWu Zionists are fine with antisemitism, it's criticism of behavior they won't tolerate.

@BriannaWu So according to you, AIPAC is "the Jews"? I'm not sure that's the framing you actually want, given how antisemitic it is, but okay. I wonder if from now on, any time AIPAC says something, you will say "the Jews said this"

I like Mallory, but I hate that the Democratic Party requires you to prove you have not taken money from Jews.

@BriannaWu This is pretty antisemitic of you to reduce a lobby org made up of multiple groups of people all the way down to the jews.

@KweenInYellow The irony here is I think his last statement might actually be very true, or at least had been. The real problem they all face is that many have begun to understand.

It really cannot be stated enough that the most powerful elected Democrat in the country believes he's entitled to your house if the Torah says so, and if you take issue with that then you're the problem for not believing in the Torah. 🥴

@Badger419256 @S_Fitzpatrick @TheAtlantic Explain what you think an anonymous source is and how it works.

@S_Fitzpatrick @TheAtlantic Lmao 🤣 omg, guess we found out how low the Atlantic will go. Was it anonymous sources. 🤣I didn’t realize the propaganda mag was still in business.

EXCLUSIVE @TheAtlantic On multiple occasions Patel’s security detail had difficulty waking him because he was seemingly intoxicated, according to info supplied to DOJ and White House officials. A request for “breaching equipment”was made because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors. theatlantic.com/politics/2026/…

@Benji1675080 @PoliceThePolic1 No we won't. The entire thing falls apart as soon as we reach having to adjudicate who owns the liability.

@PoliceThePolic1 Pretty soon, we will be driven around 100% by robots or AI controlling the car. What will that transition look like? They’re gonna have a hard time letting go of probable cause to pull you over.

*Question of the day:* Is driving a privilege or a right?

@dorkwad21 @PoliceThePolic1 That makes it definitionally a privilege.

@PoliceThePolic1 Driving is a right. Driving on public roads is a right that the public can and should regulate, and withdraw from individuals when appropriate.

@BriannaWu They just want to defen themselves x.com/i/status/20442…

The Democratic Party is trapped in a purity spiral. You take a reasonable issue, like being opposed to war crimes. And then, the radical fringe of our party takes that idea lefter and lefter and no adults are willing to hit the brakes. Are you opposed to strikes to take out terrorists where there could potentially be civilian casualties? That answer becomes Yes. And now we’re at the purity spiral point where Israel literally cannot defend itself ever. Israeli civilians are supposed to ignore missile strikes hitting their homes. It’s an insane position. I work in Democratic politics. Our fundamental problem is a moral cowardice, ironic since we spend so much time moralizing. It’s how we ended up with such extreme policies on trans women and immigration - which is to say no policy. This is not a party that is nationally viable. It’s not just about Israel. It’s about us being divorced from reality. America does not like the Republican Party, but if you force them to choose, they will pick assholes over cult delusion.

@BriannaWu Remember when you used to say it was cause sports all the time?

Some of you would be less progressive if it were actually your rights being dismantled because of all this self ID nonsense. It doesn’t affect you so you do what’s best for your personal clout.

@NickLogicProbe @tparsi The US is not in any way energy independent, that phrase is meaningless. Every drop that comes out of US soil is controlled by the private capital of international corporations. Haven't you noticed how US prices didn't stay low with this so called independence?

@tparsi Spot on, @tparsi Ceasefire gave Trump the off-ramp he needed while Iran still begs for sanctions relief to rebuild. Hormuz tolls hurt Europe/Asia more than a US now energy-independent. Tehran overplayed and Trump can walk & claim win. Deal or no deal, momentum flipped

Why the Iran ceasefire may have shifted the dynamics back in Trump's favor Diplomacy between Washington and Tehran has not yet unraveled, despite JD Vance’s theatrical departure from last week’s talks in Islamabad. Trump now signals that the two sides could reconvene within days in the Pakistani capital. Whether negotiators return to the table or continue their exchanges through quieter, remote channels before the ceasefire lapses, one reality appears to have shifted: Trump has clawed back a measure of momentum—and with it, leverage—over Iran, largely by virtue of the ceasefire. Here’s why. Trump entered this moment politically cornered and strategically constrained. Surging gasoline prices were inflicting acute domestic pain, eroding his standing at home. More critically, he faced a barren escalation ladder. Each conceivable move—strikes on Iran’s oil infrastructure, attacks on civilian targets, the seizure of Persian Gulf islands, or covert operations to capture enriched uranium—carried the near-certainty of forceful Iranian retaliation. Such responses would not merely match his escalation but compound it, deepening his economic exposure, amplifying political risk, and entangling him further in a perilous and unwinnable strategic bind. Nor could he simply extricate the United States from the conflict on his own terms. Absent an understanding with Tehran, Iran retained both the capacity and the incentive to continue targeting Israel and vulnerable U.S. assets across the Gulf. Trump needed Iran’s permission to get out of the war. The ceasefire, however, has subtly altered that equation. Trump may no longer need a formal nod from Tehran to step back. If he disengages now—without a comprehensive agreement—Iran will almost certainly maintain its grip over the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic setback for Washington. Yet Tehran is unlikely to resume direct military operations against U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf. To do so, in the absence of renewed American strikes, would cast Iran as the aggressor, inviting severe and potentially coordinated repercussions—not only from Washington but from wary global powers such as Russia and China. Moreover, the balance of needs has tilted. Iran now appears to need an agreement more than the United States does. Trump has already secured his central objective—the escape from a war he was ill-advised to begin—while Iran, despite accruing leverage through its command of the Strait, remains far from realizing its broader ambitions: meaningful sanctions relief, a definitive and enduring end to hostilities, and perhaps even the contours of a more stable, constructive relationship with Washington. Tehran’s decision to dispatch its largest, most senior, and most expansive delegation to Islamabad for direct talks with the American vice president reflected a striking confidence—that it occupied its strongest negotiating position vis-à-vis the United States since 1979. Yet to convert that moment of perceived ascendancy into little more than a cessation of U.S. bombardment would fall short of its aspirations. Even if Washington were to acquiesce to Iran’s control of the Strait, such an outcome would pale against the far more consequential gains Tehran believes are within reach. Instead, Iran needs to translate this leverage not only into a durable end to the war, but ideally, into a new peace: One that delivers sweeping sanctions relief and inaugurates a more stable, mutually defined economic and political relationship with Washington. Such an arrangement would serve as a bulwark against renewed conflict. The economic imperative is especially stark: sanctions relief is indispensable to reconstruct a country now burdened with damage running into the hundreds of billions of dollars. As I have argued before, sanctions relief is not merely an economic demand—it is a strategic necessity. Without it, Iran risks a condition of chronic erosion, a slow but steady weakening that would leave it exposed. That vulnerability, in turn, could invite further attacks. It was, after all, the misperception of Iranian weakness that helped open the window for initial strikes. But Trump does not, in any fundamental sense, require any of this. The United States can endure without a formal agreement with Iran and without the benefits of an economic relationship with Tehran. To be sure, a negotiated settlement would better serve long-term American interests: the nuclear constraints Trump seeks can only be credibly secured at the negotiating table. Abruptly abandoning diplomacy while leaving Iran in undisputed control of the Strait would also unsettle key regional allies. Yet these are strategic preferences, not immediate necessities. Trump’s calculus is far more transactional and far less patient. He can point to the damage already inflicted on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and conventional forces, proclaim a hollow victory, and disengage. He has already emphasized that the United States no longer depends on Persian Gulf oil, insulating it from the direct economic consequences of Iran’s toll regime. As a result, the burden shifts outward: the Strait becomes a problem for European and Asian powers—countries that Trump has noted declined to rally to his side when he sought their help in prying the waterway from Tehran’s grip. The window now open offers Tehran a chance to convert battlefield leverage into lasting strategic gain. To let it close would mean forfeiting not just incremental progress, but the possibility of reshaping its economic and geopolitical position. By contrast, the United States, having already secured a tenuous exit ramp through the ceasefire, has less at stake in the short term. Walking away, therefore, is politically and strategically easier for Trump than for his Iranian counterparts. Both can live with diplomatic failure, but Tehran has more gains to lose. How Tehran chooses to navigate this narrowing corridor—whether it presses its advantage or overplays its hand—will be interesting to see.

@TonyMHobbs @TerrellSocialst @briebriejoy Wait, do you think the companies currently providing insurance today are local companies?

@TerrellSocialst @briebriejoy You missed one critical exchange. Democrats: Let’s make the Federal Government control the system! Healthcare Lobby: Instead of regional and local providers? Democrats: Yes. For those who want government healthcare, we’ll make sure they vote Democrat forever.

Voters: We want Universal Healthcare Democrats: Okay we'll do that Healthcare Lobby: If you do that, the $20 - $70 million we give you is cut off Democrats: Whoah, we need that money. How about we allow most of the party to vote yes, but we get at least 3 dems to vote no so that it will fail, this way the heat is on those 3 democrats instead of the whole party. This way the party looks like we want to give it to the people, but we cant because those 3 Democrats stopped it.

@MichaelRapaport That doesn't even make structural sense

And being loved by a human and or animal will never be synonymous with Ana Kasparian

@carkarl95 @HeerJeet He absolutely does, it's the only way that statement makes any sense.

@HeerJeet what does "life seems more meaningful with hierarchies" mean? how so? he must imagine himself at the top of the hierarchies.

The interesting thing about Hanania is that he has never really given up his fascism, but merely decided (quite reasonably) that fascist goals are better achieved via mainstream liberalism than by the populist right. And he's gained an audience among liberals for this tactical shift.

@spaceforce_Lt @RnaudBertrand What? Only an F-15 and Warthog were shot down, the rest were destroyed on the ground. With both countries claiming they did the destroying.

@RnaudBertrand It’s extremely unlikely, and almost impossible, that all the aircraft would land next to each other after being shot down by Iran. These people are insane.

So, if I got that right, here's the narrative: - A US F-15E fighter jet got shot down over Iran, despite Trump saying 2 days beforehand in his nationwide address that Iran has "no anti-aircraft equipment. Their radar is 100% annihilated." (apnews.com/article/donald…) - The plane's weapons systems officer - a "highly respected Colonel," according to Trump - ejected from the plane and got "seriously wounded" (still according to Trump: @realDonaldTrump/116351956955900185" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTru…) - He still managed to "hike up a 7,000-foot [2.1km] mountain ridgeline and hide in a crevice" in the Zagros Mountains, despite his wounds (time.com/article/2026/0…) - U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones started killing all "Iranian military-aged males believed to be a threat who got within three kilometers of [the American's location]" (x.com/ByChrisGordon/…) - To retrieve him the U.S. managed to seize an "abandoned airport," 200 miles deep inside Iran, near Isfahan (bbc.com/news/articles/…), which happens to be where Iran's largest atomic scientific center is located (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isfahan_N…) - They landed two MC-130 military transport planes in that airport (theaviationist.com/2026/04/05/u-s…) in an operation involving "hundreds of special forces troops and military personnel" (time.com/article/2026/0…) - Both MC-130 planes got "stuck in the sand" and the U.S. destroyed them themselves "to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands" (theaviationist.com/2026/04/05/u-s…) - They deployed "three new aircraft to extract all the U.S. personnel" on the ground (theaviationist.com/2026/04/05/u-s…) - There are videos circulating online of "heavy clashes" with presumably Iranian missiles raining down in Kohgiluyeh County, in the Zagros Mountains during that night (x.com/Afshin_Ismaeli…) - Iran sent pictures of the aftermath at the "abandoned airport" and it's a sight of utter destruction, with US plane and MH-6 helicopter parts scattered all over the ground, still smoking (turkiyetoday.com/region/wreckag…). Iran claims they are the ones who in fact destroyed all the aircraft. - Meanwhile a second U.S. plane, an A-10 Warthog, also crashed on Friday near the Strait of Hormuz according to two U.S. officials speaking to the NYT (#47863db0-d61e-51bf-b7e1-6c4a9dc988e7" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">nytimes.com/live/2026/04/0…). In that instance too the lone pilot was apparently "safely rescued." - In all this, after the multiple planes and helicopters destroyed or shot down, the documented heavy clashes, the "hundreds of special forces troops and military personnel" operating deep inside Iran, not a single US soldier was reported killed "or even wounded" (according to Trump: @realDonaldTrump/116350133044957842" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTru…). - And the 'highly respected Colonel' this was all for? No name. No photo. No interview. Nobody has spoken to him nor knows who he is. So to sum up: anti-aircraft equipment that supposedly didn't exist shot down an F-15 (and, apparently, an A-10 Warthog the same day). A seriously wounded man climbed a 2.1km mountain. The US seized an airfield 200 miles inside a country it's at war with, next to one of its most strategic nuclear sites, and deployed hundreds of troops all apparently unimpeded. Lost two planes to "sand" and destroyed their own helicopters. Videos show heavy clashes, missiles raining down - but not a single person got "even wounded". And the man at the center of it all? Nobody knows who he is, completely anonymous, zero pictures, but Trump says he is "SAFE and SOUND." And so is the rescued A-10 Warthog pilot, who also remains anonymous. Trump concludes this all proves the US has "achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies" (@realDonaldTrump/116350133044957842" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTru…), despite the whole episode only happening because Iran shot his planes out of the sky. Basically, the only thing that's "overwhelming" here is the audacity of the storytelling...

@SenRickScott Ricky boy in 2022 x.com/i/status/20405…

Hey TMZ. Yes, I’m at Disney with my grandkids. Should we be in DC? Yes! But I don't get to make that decision.

@citrinowicz 10 years in and I see we're all still pretending what trump says today has any actual relationship with tomorrow.

Trump’s Iran Ultimatum Has Boxed Him In The prospect of a negotiated agreement with Iran, at least under current conditions is close to nonexistent. In practical terms, talks are not even underway. And the terms that would make a deal possible from Tehran’s perspective are politically untenable in Washington: a halt to U.S. military pressure, credible guarantees against future attacks, tacit recognition of Iran’s position in key maritime chokepoints, and likely some form of compensation. This is precisely why the familiar “carrots and sticks” framework is unlikely to succeed. It assumes a willingness to trade concessions for relief. But Iran’s leadership today does not see itself under sufficient pressure to compromise. On the contrary, it views the current moment as one of strategic advantage. That reality raises a more troubling question: Is the president being presented with a clear-eyed assessment of Iran’s posture? The U.S. government has no shortage of seasoned Iran experts. Yet recent public statements suggest a persistent gap between Washington’s expectations and Tehran’s calculations. Mr. Trump’s ultimatum reflects that gap. By setting terms Iran is almost certain to reject, he has narrowed his own options to two unattractive paths. He can escalate, risking a sharp disruption to global energy markets and potentially severe damage to the international economy. Or he can step back without an agreement, a move that would hand Iran a narrative of resilience and erode the credibility of U.S. pressure. A third option, delaying the deadline under the pretense that progress is imminent may buy time. But it would come at the cost of further undermining U.S. credibility, both with adversaries and allies. There is, in short, no easy exit. And absent a fundamental reassessment of Iran’s strategic mindset, Washington risks making decisions based on a misreading of the other side, one that could prove far more costly than anticipated. #iran

@___R_E_D____ @michaeldweiss My guess would be the c-130's were stuck on the makeshift strip, making it unusable for even non-stuck craft.

@michaeldweiss Why would they need to abandon the MH-6 Little Birds

Details about the rescue op for the U.S. Weapon Systems Officer, via a U.S. military official: "The mountain top area on the left is where the WSO was hiding (he ejected 5ish miles northwest of there). The right area is the makeshift landing strip where they landed 2 C-130s and had 4 MH-6 Little Birds. "One Little Bird flew to that mountain top area and rescued the WSO and brought him back to the landing strip. And of course the two C-130s' nose gears got stuck in the dirt. So after a few hours they had to bring in three AFSOC Dash-8s to fly out the rescued WSO and the 100 or so personnel involved in the op." 1/2

@bresreports Donald Trump's vice president is the ONLY politician to publicly call Donald Trump America's Hitler. What specifically have any of these guys done that makes you doubt they wouldn't do the exact thing you describe? List them.

Cornyn has called Paxton a “corrupt, self-entitled serial philanderer,” untrustworthy, “an embarrassment,” “a fraud,” “a liability, “flawed, self-centered and shameless.” But Cornyn should turn around & vote multiple times in cmte & on the floor for Paxton to become the nation’s top law-enforcement officer in order to save Cornyn’s own political career? That’s the genius plan????

@JonahPlatt I mean, Israel's saying it prety loudly.

No one is saying caring about Palestinian children is the problem. The problem is claiming to care about ALL children while your own public record tells a different story. 234 mentions of Gaza since October 7th on Ms. Rachel's account. Near silence on Israeli kids. Then gaslight anyone who points it out. You don't get to call yourself a universal advocate and then pick and choose which children count.

@Thirdmainlom @carolinekwan Yes, that was my point you reiterated. A wife was expected to have sex her husband, so no matter where, when, or how he fucked her, there was never rape. It didn't count, because it's what was expected to happen.

@josh_notch @carolinekwan Are you stupid? The judge said it would count as SH if it happened in a non acting environment but since it was during an acting scene, it didn’t count. The improvised acts are expected to happen while performing his role as an actor. Dunce!

because people are too fucking stupid/misogynistic to understand this update: the judge threw out the sexual harassment claims (she’s still able to bring claims of retaliation) because he ruled that Lively couldn’t bring a SH claim under federal law since she was an independent contractor on the film. federal anti-discrimination laws including Title VII do not protect non-employees. California state law DOES have protections for ICs, but the judge ruled that she can’t file a claim under CA state law because the movie filmed in New Jersey. This is a horrifying reminder of how fucked our system is