Adam Plowright

Paris-based journalist @AFP. Writer and author represented by @SLALondon

[Adam Plowright @ADAMPLOW]

Will any European leader say anything about this? Will someone take a stand on their airspace/territory being used for war crimes? Starmer, the former human rights lawyer? We'll find out

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

Trump: “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH!”

[Adam Plowright @ADAMPLOW]

This is nowhere near where the airman was reported missing and not the same province (Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad)

[Michael Weiss @michaeldweiss]

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

[Adam Plowright @ADAMPLOW]

Also those people who spent years saying President Trump was a compulsive liar whose statements should never be taken at face value should maybe think twice before uncritically repeating him and other officials saying a US airman was rescued in Iran in a perfect operation ..

[Miles Taylor @MilesTaylorUSA]

I remember the first piece of advice I got on briefing President Trump in 2017:

He doesn’t read. Bring pictures. Only try to impress ONE thing on him. And if there has to be words, single page only.

[Farrukh @implausibleblog]

President Macron scolds the US and Israel for attacking Iran,

"The day you say I don't like your regime, I consider you threatening your neighbour so I will intervene and bomb you, you open a Pandora's box"

"Iran is a very bad regime, no discussion about that. I disagree with on a lot of topics"

"But I don't agree we will fix the situation just by bombings or military operations"

"Look at what happened in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya - we never delivered. Never"

"You have to respect the sovereignty of people, if people want to change a regime, they can do so"

"Having an agenda shared by Korea, France, the other Europeans, Canada, Japan, India, Brazil, Australia, you start having a third way"

"Those who don't want to be dependent on China, or aligned by definition, on the US"

[CALL TO ACTIVISM @CalltoActivism]

This is Marco Rubio explaining how the USA promised to defend Ukraine forever if they got rid of their nuclear arsenal left after the Soviet Union fell.

This is why lil marco was sinking into the couch. He was hoping we wouldn’t find it…so don’t RT right now this very second.

[Declassified UK @declassifiedUK]

❗️We've identified the man filmed intimidating Al Jazeera journalists in London -- he's a serving Met Police officer.

https://t.co/GU8K8b5DaT

[Deborah Meaden 🇺🇦 @DeborahMeaden]

And there it is. A Prime Minister who consults with his team ( which includes experts) versus a President who makes his mind up on his own… dangerous dangerous man.

[Ben Smith @semaforben]

Most convincing argument I've read recently that the Pentagon knows what it's doing, from ... Al Jazeera https://t.co/8w126fO3ay

[Tom Holland @holland_tom]

The Economist’s obituary of Khamenei up there with Swift’s disgraceful suggestion that the starving Irish sell their babies to be eaten

[Kim Ghattas @KimGhattas]

Trump wants to chose next leader of Iran. His speech in Saudi Arabia criticizing Western interventionism was less than a year ago.
"And it’s crucial for the wider world to note this great transformation has not come from Western interventionalists or flying people in beautiful planes giving you lectures on how to live and how to govern your own affairs..." 1/3

[AFP News Agency @AFP]

Joint statement on Gaza from @AFP, @AP, @BBCWorld and @Reuters

[Joe Weisenthal @TheStalwart]

If it weren't for the tariffs, this would be one of the biggest stories in the world right now. From Bloomberg economist @D_W_Wilcox:

[Mig Greengard @chessninja]

Just listen to the billionaires and think long-term, folks. Your small business with 150 American employees that depends on inexpensive parts from China will go out of business now, but when we re-shore the sweatshops in five years there will be jobs there for all of you.

[Adam Plowright @ADAMPLOW]

"I assure you that I have made this decision carefully, rationally, and by relying on as much empirical data as possible". Bill Ackman endorsing Trump last year.

[Bill Ackman @BillAckman]

Our stock market is down. Bond yields are up and the dollar is declining. These are not the markers of successful policy.

I am receiving an increasing number of emails and texts from small business people I do business with or have invested in, expressing fear that they will not be able to pass on their increased costs to their customers and will suffer severely negative consequences.

For example, I am invested in a start up that makes cold brew coffee. Here is an excerpt of an email from the founder sent prior to China tariffs doubling:

“Despite our efforts to mitigate risk, the new tariffs have immediate and significant negative implications for our cost structure, and have the potential to compress our gross margin by 60%+.

Coffee and glass bottles are the largest % of COGs, and will be impacted by the following newly levied tariffs:

•50% increase in cost of glass bottles (sourced from China)

•26% increase in cost of chai (sourced from India)

•10% increase in cost of coffee (sourced from Ethiopia, Peru, and Canada)

These new coffee and glass bottle tariffs alone will add an estimated $1.53 of COGS/unit for our 32oz, reducing our gross profit by nearly 60% to a ~12% gross margin (from 30%). We are currently priced at the top of the range for our set and do not believe we have the ability to increase price to offset this impact in the near-term.

What is particularly concerning is the sudden and sweeping inclusion of coffee and tea in U.S. tariffs, reversing a long-standing precedent dating back to the McKinley Tariff of 1890, which removed duties on these essential commodities. The decision to apply a universal 10% tariff on all imports -- including those that have historically been exempt -- marks a dramatic shift in trade policy and presents an existential threat to Explorer Cold Brew and other specialty beverage producers.

Unlike many industries, there is no 'reshoring' solution for coffee. The U.S. simply does not grow coffee at commercial scale, and domestic tea production is virtually nonexistent. There is no viable domestic alternative in the short or the long term.

We remain steadfast in our commitment to navigating these challenges. We are actively evaluating all options -- supplier negotiations, cost engineering, strategic reformulations -- but the impact of this policy is real, material, and immediate.

We will continue to keep you informed with full transparency as we assess and respond to these developments. Your support and partnership remain invaluable as we work to safeguard Explorer’s future and continue building a brand rooted in quality, transparency, and innovation.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or thoughts.”

If you want to support Explorer Cold Brew, you can now find it at Whole Foods. A high quality cold brew available in varying degrees of caffeination for so long as it can survive.

And this one from a company that designs and installs home audio and video solutions:

“You wrote, “Almost no business can pass through an overnight massive increase in costs to their customers,” and I fear this could be devastating enough to put me out of business.

Will my clients tolerate a near doubling of their contract costs overnight, or will they expect me to absorb the increases my vendors are already threatening?

If clients resist price hikes and my employees demand higher wages to offset their rising cost of living, we end up in a lose-lose scenario—no spending and no jobs.

While I understand you may not have time to respond, I hope that sharing the fears of a small business owner adds a tangible voice to the broader implications of your posts.”

If the president doesn’t pause the effect of the tariffs soon, many small businesses will go bankrupt.

Medium-sized businesses will be next.

A 90-day pause will enable @realDonaldTrump to accomplish his objectives without destroying small businesses in the short term.

May cooler heads prevail.

[BigBad @BigBadLeo33]

@P_Kallioniemi Another pearl ;)

[Yaroslav Trofimov @yarotrof]

It’s clear from this that the only difference between Steve Witkoff’s and Vladmir Putin’s views on the war in Ukraine is that Putin actually knows the names of all the five Ukrainian regions he wants to keep.

[Malcolm Turnbull @TurnbullMalcolm]

It’s only because of France that the Americans aren’t playing cricket and singing God Save the King.

[Adam Plowright @ADAMPLOW]

Truly remarkable that leading US oil and gas figures more in favour of regulation than the incoming Trump administration

[The Economist @TheEconomist]

There is a growing recognition that government regulation matters in a world worried about climate. The boss of ExxonMobil, America’s biggest oil-and-gas company, advocated for such an intervention at the UN’s annual climate summit this week https://t.co/ccIzFZlUhP 👇

[The Economist @TheEconomist]

There is a growing recognition that government regulation matters in a world worried about climate. The boss of ExxonMobil, America’s biggest oil-and-gas company, advocated for such an intervention at the UN’s annual climate summit this week https://t.co/ccIzFZlUhP 👇