At 8:03 this morning, Pete Hegseth stood before reporters at the Pentagon in a gray suit that looked like it was pulled straight from the 1980s, his greased-back hair slicked tightly against his head. Behind him were the Air Force flag and the American flag, perfectly arranged, like a set designed to project maximum patriotic symbolism for the cameras. And for the next thirty minutes, he didn’t brief the press so much as shout through a set of pre-written remarks about the Iran war, reading directly from papers placed on the podium. At one point, he suggested Europe “might want to start doing less talking and having less fancy conferences and get in a boat,” while also describing the war, the global instability, and the surging fuel prices that came with it as a “gift to the world.”
Von trump destroys everything. Quite a very obedient czar putin's poodle. By mounting a scorched earth campaign his moron secwar is doing his best to antagonize the previous american allies. Insults all the way. Insane indeed. Thank you. Enjoy your week end!
If ever there was a description for a war that fits this Iranian disaster it is “Vague mission(s) and little to show for it”!!! Unless you count, mass loss of innocent lives, global economic meltdown, US separation from NATO and allies etc,etc.
Hogsbreath’s knowledge of religion is as comprehensive as his military experience. Zero. Playing a part as a TV host, paying the part of military strategist, playing the part of a religious convert - quoting Pulp Fiction speech as a biblical verse!!!
King Charles is due to visit US in a couple of days. Very mixed feelings about the sense behind this. Charles was always outspoken and uncompromising. He could cause a massive backlash. Or, he could be seen and spun as a supporter.
Remember, we hate the regime, not the people of America.
Re: King Charles. If I was a betting person, I gotta say the king is not going to win points in Great Britain for what will look like a Chamberlain move. We in America will drool over the royalty, though.
Weird though when we Venn diagram Charles, his brother, Twump and EPSTEIN. Charles may come away from a Twump visit smeared with that nasty goo.
Danielle you are kicking us when we are down. It hurts to hear your words, written from your heart and head and with emotions we can all relate to. Keep punching at us, we'll take it because we have not given up. We are indeed a fat lazy nation but not all of us and not most of us.
We have laws and we have a political system. We have never faced a despot. Our systems are weakened by an administration that does not follow those laws. We are held hostage and we are more unhappy and miserable than you can imagine.
But keep watching this channel because I believe you will see a sea change in November and then the fun begins with impeachments and God knows what else when the big bloated orange rat is cornered and all his friend rats jump ship with their ill gotten gains and go work for a right wing think tank.
Maybe we won't learn. Maybe we are too big to be a democracy and need to be told what to do. Maybe we don't deserve the democracy WE INVENTED. Maybe but maybe not. But no one is giving up.
We have a lot of work to do. We first need to not get discouraged. Giving up is so easy, frogs in warm water easy.
My prediction is there will be an October Surprise sometime this summer. It will be a terrorist attack, blaming Iran, and calling for Marshall Law with an attempt to close the polls. Then you will see an uprising that may lead to civil war. I hope not.
That is where we are at. We are terrified that our own government will kill our own citizens. I'm not a conspiracy theorist but seeing what evil powerful men are capable of, even in America, (especially in America?), is nauseating. These men would destroy a democracy for their financial gain. We have some evil motherfuckers like Jeff Bezos et all enabling and funding this regime. We have a billionaire, Epstein class that doesn't give a fuck about your daughter. We have a rabid racist undercurrent which has bubbled to the surface and is warping young minds through social media. We are, in short, our own worst enemy.
I often think about how this will look in history books. I think about all of the 20th century history and how much we learned from our mistakes and yet how human we are to slip right back into some medieval shit when unchecked.
You are an American ally, don't give up on us. We will be back and better. I hope. I hope. I hope.
Actually corrupt real estate developers who will be doing their utmost to find a way for Rump, and themselves, to benefit financially (the only thing that matters to them). Never an expression of concern over the thousands of innocent people killed and maimed, never an expression of concern over the catastrophic impact the destruction has had, and will have for decades, never a recognition that the depletion of our weapons makes us more vulnerable, only constant posturing and swaggering and pontificating by the ignorant miscreant bullies to whom We the People gave power, even as we knew this desecration would be the result. The stain on our country’s honor will never be erased.
Here you are at past midnight still writing, which is beginning to make you a national treasure. You’re not the only independent journalist who is trying to get the word out, but maybe one of two writing every day. Hegseth, on the other hand, is a national embarrassment who is touting American war fighting capabilities that are being wasted in pursuit of ill defined goals and aiding Trump, probably against their will and better judgment. We do have an outstanding military, who manage to demonstrate their ability in a war that should never have been started. You are making sacrifices while a Fox News personality visits his make up room before preening before the American people and lying. He and Trump are bullying Iran, talking about peace talks that are bound to fail because Trump has sent real estate developers to negotiate. Iranian leadership know they represent a conflict of interest and communicate by their being chosen the unseriousness of the negotiations and insult Iran by sending unprepared, unqualified men to talk with serious negotiators to talk. Trump shows his disrespect by not even sending the Secretary of State and Congressional leadership to negotiate. It’s a slap in the face. Please support both Heathers, who daily write intelligently from different perspectives, the other a history professor who puts what is happening from a historical perspective.
RK, thank you for your comment which mirrors my thoughts exactly. I also added a comment to HCR’s letter today. In essence, I rat out our Congress. They should be on TV to counter all of the lies this administration is spewing. Citizens can protest, send letters or make calls to our representatives, but we can’t do much more. Of course we’ll vote in November , but this disaster of an administration can do a lot more damage between now and then. The Congress should be front and center, screaming from the rooftops, about the damage this administration has done and will continue doing. That’s their job!
If they put the on TV, they would be sued and prosecuted. We can forward their Substacks to others, and some will read them, but some of the people who need to get them won’t accept what’s in them. I quit all my social media, actually Facebook was the only one I used. My wife still uses Facebook, but it’s loaded with garbage now. I got tired of friends from my high school graduating class of 1963 calling me a dumbocrat and unfriending me. I graduated from a high school in Jackson, Mississippi that actually had some very smart people, including 2 Federal judges, a very talented singer who moved to Canada and recorded early albums in French before some in English- Nannette Workman. If you enter her name on YouTube, you can see several videos. The most impressive was singing Lady Marmalade and then joined on stage by Celine Dionne. We had 11 National Merit finalists in a class of 250. The class of ‘62 had 22 in a class of about 220. Needless to say, they didn’t have Facebook pages. I think Judge William Alsup, Joe Turnage, and Nannette may have Wikipedia histories.
Thank you. We are getting a lot of flack from Europe because we deserve it. But most of us, millions and millions of people are being held hostage by our own laws which are being manipulated by this corrupt administration. They literally have their boots on our necks.
Don't give up on America and we won't either. This too will pass, one way or another, and we will be a better and smarter country for it. We will prevail.
The trouble with Tillis' deal is that as soon as the latest billionaire is confirmed, those lying stinking rats will renege and reinstate the investigation.
Tillis got a concession so that he could try to hold his head high as he votes to confirm a wholly unqualified candidate to a position that will allow this corrupt administration to wreak even more havoc on the economic stability of our nation and the world. Quite a principled stand indeed.
Yeah, I thought the same thing. It's a Lucy/Charlie Brown and the damn football situation. We keep running at the ball like we have an even playing field. Right now, that field is tilting.
I'm torn about Hegseth being next. I mean, RFK Jr seems equally worthy. They're both killing innocents, they're both barely functioning idiots, they both lack even one socially redeeming value. Could they both go in one Friday night Tweet?
He is obviously a student of Orwell, or perhaps Orwell channeled Hogsbreath in his use of language to lie and twist words and truth. I caught that "warfighters" as well. What a fn dope.
When is someone with an ounce of moral courage going to ask the question of TanTrump and each individual sycophantic croney, “How many millions of dollars have you personally gained (not earned!) since your administration began?”
The BBC (as they often do) have done the hard yards by opening the door for the American media to ask more questions but NOTHING seems to be happening. WHY is that? Is EVERYONE (in those higher echelons) on the make one way or another ? …benefitting however they can from the chaos and manipulation of the markets by the most corrupt cabal ever to have pitched camp in The White House? (Shouldn’t we all start calling it the ‘Shite House’?? )
Here on the ‘right’ side of the ‘pond’ (regardless of our political leanings) those of us with the mental fortitude can see what needs doing to bring it all to an end but the people of America seem to be in two minds and still living in fear of what HE might do if they actually rose up, took to the streets and made their feelings heard. So here’s an idea that anyone can do to feel like they’re taking some action:
One day (4th July would do nicely) the whole country should protest AS ONE- stop waving flags (Stars&Stripes) that HE can hide behind and wave a different (black?) flag that says ‘NO MORE MR TRUMP’ - Everyone could do that on 4th July. And HE could only respond in two ways - a crack down right across the States or an admittance that ‘the country has spoken’. Then SOMETHING has to change.
If you have to wait until November I really worry that HE will have manipulated enough of his ‘supporters’ to maintain his hold on power. If that does happen you (and the rest of us) are totally screwed!
Get those flags out to get rid of him!
Heather, I’ve finally felt I just HAD to support you in a small way because, in this crazy ‘pantomime’ that is ‘The President’s New Clothes’ (although it’s not just him!) you are the voice of reason, truth and resistance. Please keep encouraging your fellow patriots to take on these monsters in any way they can - the black flag might be an easy way to spread the word and give the people a form of protest. 4th July is made for it! Good luck to you all!
Yes, I get that Lynne but most other colours can be interpreted differently. Black has always stood for ‘Anti’ anything. It’s the negative response. The opposite of the white flag of surrender and the ‘end of the race’ for the errant F1 driver!
HE needs to see how ANGRY we all are and colourful positivity will not send that message. IMHO.
Not a black flag - ISIS used a black flag - something with a more hopeful colour associated with it Correct visuals are important to get across to someone whose shallow life is lived out in optics
I admire the contribution you make every single day with your well researched and informative work
And in the spirit of adding a bit of humour your British readers may remember this comedy character from the early 2000s from the Fast Show called ‘Swiss Tony’ who was a smarmy car salesman - step forward Pete Hegseth
A Fox News TV host with a drinking problem and a history of cheating when it comes to marriage vows, is in charge not only of our military, but the lives of those who serve. When people like Lindsey Graham and Joe Wilson, who are in my state, are allowing an unqualified beyond measure clown to actually put our service members in harm’s way for any and no reason whatsoever, you have to wonder what Joe and Lindsey are getting in return. Is it the authoritarian government they’ve always wanted? Is it the Christian nationalism they’ve always wanted? Are they getting rich? And to the future plans this regime has for our country, particularly midterms, what do they know that we do not, making them so incredibly loyal that they risk burning not just our country, but the world? Also, why are we waiting for the fire to start?
Thanks Heather, as usual. Unfortunately, one word hit me toward the end—‘if’ - if we can keep up the pressure, if we vote. I take solace from the elections we have seen thus far- but the ‘if’ is so important - we ‘have’ to keep the pressure up and we ‘HAVE’ to vote. If we don’t, I have grave concerns for the future.
"The Iranian Navy which has been destroyed 8 times, closed the Strait of Hormuz again, because the US for the seventh time won the war that wasn't a war, so the US can open the Strait of Hormuz that was open before the not war. The Not war that started to get the uranium that was completely obliterated, so that the Iranians can't build the nuclear bomb that they weren't building for the not war that the US started. Then the US, which has nuclear weapons threatening to use nuclear weapons to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons because having nuclear weapons is dangerous. If the US saw what the US is doing in the US, the US would invade the US to liberate the US from the tyranny of the US."
I think your column would profit from more historical perspective in regard to Hegseth's dismissive comment in regard to the pope. The Protestant tradition in which Hegseth participates defines the papacy as the Anti-Christ (openly, literally). For him, there is no religious reason to respect what the pope says. Ignoring it, dismissing it, is part of the doctrine to which his denomination subscribes.
Von trump destroys everything. Quite a very obedient czar putin's poodle. By mounting a scorched earth campaign his moron secwar is doing his best to antagonize the previous american allies. Insults all the way. Insane indeed. Thank you. Enjoy your week end!
Hi Heather,
Thank you for excellent post as always.
If ever there was a description for a war that fits this Iranian disaster it is “Vague mission(s) and little to show for it”!!! Unless you count, mass loss of innocent lives, global economic meltdown, US separation from NATO and allies etc,etc.
Hogsbreath’s knowledge of religion is as comprehensive as his military experience. Zero. Playing a part as a TV host, paying the part of military strategist, playing the part of a religious convert - quoting Pulp Fiction speech as a biblical verse!!!
King Charles is due to visit US in a couple of days. Very mixed feelings about the sense behind this. Charles was always outspoken and uncompromising. He could cause a massive backlash. Or, he could be seen and spun as a supporter.
Remember, we hate the regime, not the people of America.
Re: King Charles. If I was a betting person, I gotta say the king is not going to win points in Great Britain for what will look like a Chamberlain move. We in America will drool over the royalty, though.
Weird though when we Venn diagram Charles, his brother, Twump and EPSTEIN. Charles may come away from a Twump visit smeared with that nasty goo.
And you just KNOW that Dumb as a stump tRump will drool and fawn over the king because he thinks he “rules” the U.K. and wants to BE him.
Danielle you are kicking us when we are down. It hurts to hear your words, written from your heart and head and with emotions we can all relate to. Keep punching at us, we'll take it because we have not given up. We are indeed a fat lazy nation but not all of us and not most of us.
We have laws and we have a political system. We have never faced a despot. Our systems are weakened by an administration that does not follow those laws. We are held hostage and we are more unhappy and miserable than you can imagine.
But keep watching this channel because I believe you will see a sea change in November and then the fun begins with impeachments and God knows what else when the big bloated orange rat is cornered and all his friend rats jump ship with their ill gotten gains and go work for a right wing think tank.
Maybe we won't learn. Maybe we are too big to be a democracy and need to be told what to do. Maybe we don't deserve the democracy WE INVENTED. Maybe but maybe not. But no one is giving up.
We have a lot of work to do. We first need to not get discouraged. Giving up is so easy, frogs in warm water easy.
My prediction is there will be an October Surprise sometime this summer. It will be a terrorist attack, blaming Iran, and calling for Marshall Law with an attempt to close the polls. Then you will see an uprising that may lead to civil war. I hope not.
That is where we are at. We are terrified that our own government will kill our own citizens. I'm not a conspiracy theorist but seeing what evil powerful men are capable of, even in America, (especially in America?), is nauseating. These men would destroy a democracy for their financial gain. We have some evil motherfuckers like Jeff Bezos et all enabling and funding this regime. We have a billionaire, Epstein class that doesn't give a fuck about your daughter. We have a rabid racist undercurrent which has bubbled to the surface and is warping young minds through social media. We are, in short, our own worst enemy.
I often think about how this will look in history books. I think about all of the 20th century history and how much we learned from our mistakes and yet how human we are to slip right back into some medieval shit when unchecked.
You are an American ally, don't give up on us. We will be back and better. I hope. I hope. I hope.
Actually corrupt real estate developers who will be doing their utmost to find a way for Rump, and themselves, to benefit financially (the only thing that matters to them). Never an expression of concern over the thousands of innocent people killed and maimed, never an expression of concern over the catastrophic impact the destruction has had, and will have for decades, never a recognition that the depletion of our weapons makes us more vulnerable, only constant posturing and swaggering and pontificating by the ignorant miscreant bullies to whom We the People gave power, even as we knew this desecration would be the result. The stain on our country’s honor will never be erased.
Here you are at past midnight still writing, which is beginning to make you a national treasure. You’re not the only independent journalist who is trying to get the word out, but maybe one of two writing every day. Hegseth, on the other hand, is a national embarrassment who is touting American war fighting capabilities that are being wasted in pursuit of ill defined goals and aiding Trump, probably against their will and better judgment. We do have an outstanding military, who manage to demonstrate their ability in a war that should never have been started. You are making sacrifices while a Fox News personality visits his make up room before preening before the American people and lying. He and Trump are bullying Iran, talking about peace talks that are bound to fail because Trump has sent real estate developers to negotiate. Iranian leadership know they represent a conflict of interest and communicate by their being chosen the unseriousness of the negotiations and insult Iran by sending unprepared, unqualified men to talk with serious negotiators to talk. Trump shows his disrespect by not even sending the Secretary of State and Congressional leadership to negotiate. It’s a slap in the face. Please support both Heathers, who daily write intelligently from different perspectives, the other a history professor who puts what is happening from a historical perspective.
RK, thank you for your comment which mirrors my thoughts exactly. I also added a comment to HCR’s letter today. In essence, I rat out our Congress. They should be on TV to counter all of the lies this administration is spewing. Citizens can protest, send letters or make calls to our representatives, but we can’t do much more. Of course we’ll vote in November , but this disaster of an administration can do a lot more damage between now and then. The Congress should be front and center, screaming from the rooftops, about the damage this administration has done and will continue doing. That’s their job!
If they put the on TV, they would be sued and prosecuted. We can forward their Substacks to others, and some will read them, but some of the people who need to get them won’t accept what’s in them. I quit all my social media, actually Facebook was the only one I used. My wife still uses Facebook, but it’s loaded with garbage now. I got tired of friends from my high school graduating class of 1963 calling me a dumbocrat and unfriending me. I graduated from a high school in Jackson, Mississippi that actually had some very smart people, including 2 Federal judges, a very talented singer who moved to Canada and recorded early albums in French before some in English- Nannette Workman. If you enter her name on YouTube, you can see several videos. The most impressive was singing Lady Marmalade and then joined on stage by Celine Dionne. We had 11 National Merit finalists in a class of 250. The class of ‘62 had 22 in a class of about 220. Needless to say, they didn’t have Facebook pages. I think Judge William Alsup, Joe Turnage, and Nannette may have Wikipedia histories.
Please please get your paperwork and everyone around you’s paperwork in place and spotless for the elections in November.
Trump will try every dirty trick in he book to stay all powerful with his rotten bag of cronies
Hegseth dared actually dared to try and start interfering in UK politics and threatening us.
Back off we are a sovereign European country and he has no right to threaten Spain with expulsion from NATO.
He might feel strong and a thorough going bully but NATO is run first and for most by Europe.
United with you sensible USA
Thank you. We are getting a lot of flack from Europe because we deserve it. But most of us, millions and millions of people are being held hostage by our own laws which are being manipulated by this corrupt administration. They literally have their boots on our necks.
Don't give up on America and we won't either. This too will pass, one way or another, and we will be a better and smarter country for it. We will prevail.
You have my back all the way ( support )x
The trouble with Tillis' deal is that as soon as the latest billionaire is confirmed, those lying stinking rats will renege and reinstate the investigation.
But Tillis can't withdraw his crucial vote.
This is all just theatre.
Tillis got a concession so that he could try to hold his head high as he votes to confirm a wholly unqualified candidate to a position that will allow this corrupt administration to wreak even more havoc on the economic stability of our nation and the world. Quite a principled stand indeed.
Yeah, I thought the same thing. It's a Lucy/Charlie Brown and the damn football situation. We keep running at the ball like we have an even playing field. Right now, that field is tilting.
I'm torn about Hegseth being next. I mean, RFK Jr seems equally worthy. They're both killing innocents, they're both barely functioning idiots, they both lack even one socially redeeming value. Could they both go in one Friday night Tweet?
"Warfighters." Give me a break. And "free-riders?" Kegsbreath must think he's so cool, but I picture rot inside of him. Exactly like his psycho boss.
He is obviously a student of Orwell, or perhaps Orwell channeled Hogsbreath in his use of language to lie and twist words and truth. I caught that "warfighters" as well. What a fn dope.
When is someone with an ounce of moral courage going to ask the question of TanTrump and each individual sycophantic croney, “How many millions of dollars have you personally gained (not earned!) since your administration began?”
The BBC (as they often do) have done the hard yards by opening the door for the American media to ask more questions but NOTHING seems to be happening. WHY is that? Is EVERYONE (in those higher echelons) on the make one way or another ? …benefitting however they can from the chaos and manipulation of the markets by the most corrupt cabal ever to have pitched camp in The White House? (Shouldn’t we all start calling it the ‘Shite House’?? )
Here on the ‘right’ side of the ‘pond’ (regardless of our political leanings) those of us with the mental fortitude can see what needs doing to bring it all to an end but the people of America seem to be in two minds and still living in fear of what HE might do if they actually rose up, took to the streets and made their feelings heard. So here’s an idea that anyone can do to feel like they’re taking some action:
One day (4th July would do nicely) the whole country should protest AS ONE- stop waving flags (Stars&Stripes) that HE can hide behind and wave a different (black?) flag that says ‘NO MORE MR TRUMP’ - Everyone could do that on 4th July. And HE could only respond in two ways - a crack down right across the States or an admittance that ‘the country has spoken’. Then SOMETHING has to change.
If you have to wait until November I really worry that HE will have manipulated enough of his ‘supporters’ to maintain his hold on power. If that does happen you (and the rest of us) are totally screwed!
Get those flags out to get rid of him!
Heather, I’ve finally felt I just HAD to support you in a small way because, in this crazy ‘pantomime’ that is ‘The President’s New Clothes’ (although it’s not just him!) you are the voice of reason, truth and resistance. Please keep encouraging your fellow patriots to take on these monsters in any way they can - the black flag might be an easy way to spread the word and give the people a form of protest. 4th July is made for it! Good luck to you all!
Yes, I get that Lynne but most other colours can be interpreted differently. Black has always stood for ‘Anti’ anything. It’s the negative response. The opposite of the white flag of surrender and the ‘end of the race’ for the errant F1 driver!
HE needs to see how ANGRY we all are and colourful positivity will not send that message. IMHO.
Black IS the non-colour!
Not a black flag - ISIS used a black flag - something with a more hopeful colour associated with it Correct visuals are important to get across to someone whose shallow life is lived out in optics
I admire the contribution you make every single day with your well researched and informative work
And in the spirit of adding a bit of humour your British readers may remember this comedy character from the early 2000s from the Fast Show called ‘Swiss Tony’ who was a smarmy car salesman - step forward Pete Hegseth
Thank you💕
Appreciate your work.
Difficult to keep informed, but you give us facts, and that helps.
Thank you for thr pictures. Take care.🗽🇺🇲🇺🇦
Excellent post. Liked + restacked.
Thanks, Heather.
A Fox News TV host with a drinking problem and a history of cheating when it comes to marriage vows, is in charge not only of our military, but the lives of those who serve. When people like Lindsey Graham and Joe Wilson, who are in my state, are allowing an unqualified beyond measure clown to actually put our service members in harm’s way for any and no reason whatsoever, you have to wonder what Joe and Lindsey are getting in return. Is it the authoritarian government they’ve always wanted? Is it the Christian nationalism they’ve always wanted? Are they getting rich? And to the future plans this regime has for our country, particularly midterms, what do they know that we do not, making them so incredibly loyal that they risk burning not just our country, but the world? Also, why are we waiting for the fire to start?
Have you ever tasted power? Your boys Joe and Lindsey are at the trough slurping it up.
Thanks Heather, as usual. Unfortunately, one word hit me toward the end—‘if’ - if we can keep up the pressure, if we vote. I take solace from the elections we have seen thus far- but the ‘if’ is so important - we ‘have’ to keep the pressure up and we ‘HAVE’ to vote. If we don’t, I have grave concerns for the future.
Gil Wald
"The Iranian Navy which has been destroyed 8 times, closed the Strait of Hormuz again, because the US for the seventh time won the war that wasn't a war, so the US can open the Strait of Hormuz that was open before the not war. The Not war that started to get the uranium that was completely obliterated, so that the Iranians can't build the nuclear bomb that they weren't building for the not war that the US started. Then the US, which has nuclear weapons threatening to use nuclear weapons to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons because having nuclear weapons is dangerous. If the US saw what the US is doing in the US, the US would invade the US to liberate the US from the tyranny of the US."
Sounds like one of Baldrick’s cunning plans
I think your column would profit from more historical perspective in regard to Hegseth's dismissive comment in regard to the pope. The Protestant tradition in which Hegseth participates defines the papacy as the Anti-Christ (openly, literally). For him, there is no religious reason to respect what the pope says. Ignoring it, dismissing it, is part of the doctrine to which his denomination subscribes.