I wanted to use a portrait of Che Guevara, the heroic guerrilla fighter, as my logo, and I made a mistake. I used Trump, the orange-clad pedophile.

Ugh!

Cuba, a “failed state in decline,” constitutes an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the United States, claims Trump, who is considering a friendly takeover of the island — or maybe not. It doesn't matter, because they are truly at their wits' end. They have no more energy. They have no more money. They are in a critical humanitarian situation.

In truth, it is not Cuba's military or economic power that they fear, but the force of its example.

The best thing to do is read this article:

From Trump to Putin [NUPE*], the narratives leaders tell themselves shape global conflict – and the war in Iran shows the consequences when belief overrides reality.

If the worst calculations are correct – that it will take many years for Australia and the world to recover from the economic fallout of the US and Israeli war on Iran – then the US will have done more harm to the so-called free world than China or any other ‘unfriendly’ nation is ever likely to have done in the foreseeable future.

George Browning

How did this happen? Why did this happen?

US President Donald Trump has gloated over the death of Robert Mueller, a key figure behind the Russiagate probe, stating he will no longer be able to “hurt innocent people.” 

Mueller, who led the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2001 to 2013, passed away on Saturday, aged 81. Between 2017 and 2019, he was a special counsel overseeing the probe into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and related issues, including alleged ties between Trump and Moscow.

Shortly after the news of Mueller’s death broke, the US president took to his Truth Social platform to openly celebrate the occasion.  

“Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!” Trump wrote.

The major parties have learned to control the narrative at the expense of courage, with policy reduced to fragments, slogans, and lines tested for survival, not truth. Andrew Brown on why Labor is no longer the party of reform. Part 3 of 6.

Political retreat does not arrive with a speech or a surrender. It is learned. Then it becomes instinct.

Kabuki politics. Style over substance, controlling the narrative

by Andrew Brown

Governments study their environment the way an animal studies an electric fence. First, they test it. Then they flinch before touching it. Eventually, they do not need the shock. They carry it inside themselves. What passes for caution is often nothing more than internalised fear.

We reported earlier that President Trump has again expressed his extreme frustration at lack of direct NATO participation in a plan to open up the Strait of Hormuz. He declared the US has "militarily WON" - and lambasted lack of allied interest in a "simple military maneuver" to open the Strait of Hormuz, calling NATO a "Paper Tiger" without the US.

These Seven Allies Concocted A 'Hormuz Coalition' Statement To Placate Trump, Which Failed

BY TYLER DURDEN

Now in its third week, the Iran war has engulfed the Middle East, killed more than 2,000 people and sent oil prices skyrocketing worldwide. The United States and Israel continue to strike Iran daily. Israel is also fighting the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In response, the Iranian regime — now led by Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — has launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel and at U.S. military targets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. By threatening to bomb ships, Tehran has forced the Strait of Hormuz to close, blocking one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.

The losses the U.S. military currently incurs in its war on Iran continue to accumulate.

ABC News confirms that Iran has managed to destroy at least 10 radar installation in the Middle East. Most of these were U.S. owned while the rest were supplied to U.S. allies. The loss of early warning radar lets more Iranian missile slip through the U.S. missile defense curtain. It will cause more losses in other installations especially in Israel.

Antony Loewenstein examines how Israel’s modern identity has been shaped by a powerful founding idea: the creation of the “strong Jew.”

In this conversation, he unpacks how early Zionist leaders, including David Ben-Gurion, framed a new national identity in direct contrast to the perceived “weakness” of European Jews during the Holocaust — a framing that ignores the reality of widespread Jewish resistance under Nazi rule.

We also explore how this narrative continues to influence Israeli politics and public messaging today, particularly in moments of conflict. From government rhetoric praising national resilience, to disparities in civilian protection between Jewish and Palestinian communities, Loewenstein argues that power, perception, and storytelling remain central to how the war is understood — both inside Israel and globally.

This episode looks at:

Sept. 4, 2012 -- quicklist: 1title: Chuck Norris Warns of '1,000 Years of Darkness' If Obama Re-Elected text: Action film actor and martial artist Chuck Norris issued a grave warning to America's voters this week: Head to the ballot box, or sentence your children to "1,000 years of darkness."

Norris, along with his wife Gena, filmed a two-minute video urging people to "unite for God and country" by casting their ballots against Obama this November.

A Supreme Court ruling, an unauthorised war and open defiance of legal limits point to a presidency no longer constrained by institutions – but defined by them being ignored.

Mark S Pirie,  Christopher Tang

Tensions in the Middle East are reaching a dangerous new phase as fears of a possible U.S. military strike on Iran intensify. The Kremlin has issued a stark warning, saying any American attack would seriously destabilise the region, while urging restraint and a return to diplomacy.

Iran, meanwhile, says it is prepared for “any scenario,” vowing a painful and decisive response to any U.S. or Israeli aggression. As the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group enters CENTCOM waters and Iran unveils AI-generated military visuals, the risk of miscalculation grows. With diplomacy strained, military forces on alert, and rhetoric escalating on all sides, the region once again stands on the edge of a wider conflict.

Two crew on the USS Gerald R. Ford -- the world's largest aircraft carrier currently deployed for the war against Iran -- were injured Thursday in a laundry room fire, the US Navy said.

"Two sailors are currently receiving medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries and are in stable condition," a statement from US Naval Forces Central Command said.

The Navy said the fire, originating "in the ship's main laundry," was "not combat-related and is contained."

The Navy said the Ford is now in the Red Sea as part of Operation Epic Fury -- the name given to the massive US bombing assault on Iran launched by President Donald Trump on February 28.

"There is no damage to the ship's propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational," the statement said.

From childhood to adulthood, Refaat Ibrahim recounts a life marked by repeated war, displacement and loss — a personal testimony of a generation growing up under siege in Gaza.

Refaat Ibrahim

The war in Gaza is not merely the one that began in 2023, but an unending policy of suffering that Palestinians have endured for 77 years under Israeli occupation and its crimes. I have lived this suffering since I was born on March 21, 2001. Today, I turn 25, having witnessed five wars and dozens of military escalations.

Jan 06, 2020 — Amid growing concern that President Donald Trump will further escalate tensions with Iran and start a new war in the Middle East, Rep. Ilhan Omar--an outspoken anti-war Democrat in the U.S. House--shared a historic clip of comedian George Carlin Monday morning that bemoaned the pattern of American militarism in which the United States--often with the help of a conspiring media and pliant public--start or jump into a major war with another country just about every twenty years.

BY JON QUEALLY

'No Laughing Matter': Ilhan Omar Shares Searing Anti-War Standup Routine by George Carlin