Reed Carringer

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) keeps getting dismissed over a thirty-second origin gag, while the rest of the film just moves. Train heist, Donald Glover locking into Lando & a crew dynamic that actually clicks. It never really got judged on what it is.

Day 1: it's going to take a couple of days Day 20: ok we need 200 billion dollars

This is not receiving enough attention: Qatar is the world's 2nd-largest helium producer, supplying ~33% of global output, at 63 million cubic meters in 2025. When Qatar's Ras Laffan facility, the world's largest LNG export plant, shut down due to the Iran war, helium supply was cut, as helium is extracted as a byproduct of natural gas processing. As a result, the market is now losing ~5.2 million cubic meters of helium per month, with almost no spare capacity globally, as helium evaporates during storage and must reach end users within ~45 days. The disruption has already DOUBLED helium prices since the Iran war began. If disruptions last 60 to 90 days, prices could surge another +25% to +50%, potentially exceeding $2,000 per thousand cubic feet, over 4 times early 2026 levels. The Iran war is disrupting far more than oil and gas.

Rand Paul: "The fact he can't bring himself to say that we shouldn't settle political questions with violence, I think that would be a terrible example for ICE and Border Patrol"

President Trump is considering deploying thousands of additional troops to the Middle East a the U.S. prepares its next campaign steps against Iran -Reuters Officials are discussing multiple options for boots on the ground in Iran, including capturing Iranian shores near Hormuz

Iranian Missile Launches on the Rise After neutralizing at least 10 U.S. and allied radar sistemas, Iran has begun launching more missiles and drones, even under intense bombardment. This escalation shows no signs of slowing down. The launches are conducted via mobile units and silos, carefully deployed to avoid detection. I would describe this as an extremely complicated situation for the Americans, as there is no clear plan, and arguably no way to formulate one. Both the seizure of the Strait of Hormuz and any invasion to seize enriched uranium are high-risk operations with low probabilities of success. This creates a defeatist pressure that cannot be resolved through rhetoric alone. Iran is currently refusing diplomatic engagement following the deaths of its leaders. The U.S. and Israel have closed the diplomatic doors to this conflict without managing to open any others.

Anne Applebaum nails it: