The russian refinery says alumina shipped from Ireland does not end up in weapons.
The Irish Government seems uninterested in testing that claim.
So I took a sample myself.
It will now be compared with battlefield debris from Ukraine.
This should have been done by the state.
Donald J. Trump walked off "Meet the Press" this weekend because a reporter asked him to back up his own words with evidence. He couldn't. So he called her "crooked," called her "darling," and walked.
I know what courage under pressure looks like. This isn't it.
Watch the pattern. "Quiet, piggy" to one reporter. "The most obnoxious" to another. "Dumb" to a third. "Smile more" to a fourth. The cruelty he saves for women is personal and it's about putting them in their place — because a coward picks the target he thinks won't hit back.
Deflect. Delay. Demean. Then flee.
That's not strength. That's a man who folds the second he's asked a question he can't answer.
An appropriate post from Zelensky on the anniversary of D-Day. Nothing from Trump. Which is appropriate, since Zelensky is a fighter against tyranny, unlike Trump.
Trump‘s hands have been untied for a year and a half and he’s only used them to try to strangle Ukraine and put Russian money into he and his cronies' pockets. Letting Trump do whatever he wants means letting Putin do whatever he wants.
@coti_marc@COTInetwork I agree with this wholeheartedly. Delays are common, but they need to be communicated. We need to know what to expect and when. It's bad for business to keep people guessing.
@ZelenskyyUa You shouldn't make such a deal with the current US government. They cannot be trusted with this, because they are not on the side of Ukraine in this war. Focus on other countries.
The unfolding disaster of the Trump administration in regards to Iran, is a self-inflicted wound on so many levels. It showed that military might alone is not a silver bullet. What went wrong?
1.) Atrocious planning and slow reaction
It was known for 47 years that if Iran gets attacked that the Strait of Hormuz will be a target. When Iranian civilians were rising up in January 2026 and then were left alone, it was claimed that the military built up had to be concluded before an military engagement can happen. This cost valuable time. A military intervention so early and in conjunction with uprisings on the ground would have caught much more momentum. Worse, even after that delayed attack, the US strategy still didn't account for the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. So it was a double-loss.
2.) No coherent strategy and missed military developments
Once the operation started, again, Iran was reacting in a predictive way, launching thousands of drones and missiles which they had refined in the war in Ukraine. It was clear that the low-cost but numerous weapon systems will eventually cause a lot of damage. Ukraine has been experiencing this for 4 years and developed effective countermeasures. The Trump administration, however, repeatedly refused to heed the help and advice from Kyiv, and even belittled it. The US military, on the other hand, and even more the Arab countries in the Gulf quickly learned the hard way that this rebuff was stupid. Eventually, they invited Ukrainian drone experts. The USA lacked any kind of strategy when the Iranian regime refused to collapse and were absolutely ill-prepared for this kind of war.
3.) Lacking support by allies
You might argue that Bush's Iraq war was ill-planned and when it comes to long term planning this was certainly the case, but it was far more successful in bringing in allies. More than 30 countries participated as the "coalition of the willing" back in 2003. Trump's Iran war, on the other hand, was widely an "one-man-show". Aside from Israel, the USA were practically alone. This resulted directly from Trump's repeated attacks against allies, including those who supported the USA in Afghanistan and even Iraq. It was clear that after that nobody wanted to risk his or her neck for somebody who repeatedly insulted them and their countries. The fact that Trump didn't bother to consult them beforehand only reaffirmed their stance.
4.) Decline of US soft power thanks to "DOGE"
The destruction DOGE left in its wake is immeasurable. Gutting crucial elements of American soft power such as USAID, Voice of America and dozens of other programs destroyed a lot of goodwill the US had in the region and across the globe. The perception of the USA moved from a powerful benefactor to an aggressive and transactional bully. In its relentless obsession to fight "wokeness" - or what was perceived as such - the foundation of soft power, which was built in almost a century, was trampled on in a matter of months. From the carrot-and-stick approach only the stick remained, and that one turned to be flaccid.
5.) Overall downfall of the USA
Let's not mince words here. Trump is a wrecking ball for US' democracy. Insider trading, corruption, mass lying, cozying up to dictators and an absolute disdain for the rule of law had a direct impact on America's standing in more than just political or morale questions. No matter how loud you scream in certain parts of the USA, it is fact that the USA under Trump have lost huge respect in the world. The enemies of the USA hate you just as must they hated you before, maybe even more, but your friends are absolutely shocked and aghast about what is happening. Far more devastating, however, is US' unreliability. What was agreed upon before, can change on a whim. "Good relations" are defined by one man and one man alone.
This is not how you conduct policy, neither domestic nor foreign. The USA are in full decline and the big bang will certainly come if the trajectory is not immediately corrected. The strategic defeat in Iran is even worse than Vietnam, because Vietnam gave Washington the lesson from which they learned and eventually won the Cold War. What Trump is doing, however, is just doubling down on stupid and denying reality, which didn't work before and won't work even less now.
A reminder that Russia is waging a terrorist war on Ukraine, and a reminder that standing by and watching are the richest nations on Earth, controlling the most powerful military alliance in history, an alliance created specifically to stop Russia in Europe. Sickening.
Rubio says that US-led peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine "were not fruitful." Not fruitful?
Let’s look at the facts: your negotiators visited Russia seven times, and Ukraine zero times. You demanded concessions from Ukraine before negotiations even began, and throughout the entire process.
You pressured Ukraine by cutting off weapons support entirely, constantly badmouthing us, and showing up at our doorstep waving Russian "peace plan" you demanded we sign immediately.
And now, after Ukraine stands more firmly on its feet without your support, you realize you can't pressure us anymore. So your excuse is that you are tired and leaving?
How about, for once, you actually support the victim, which is Ukraine instead of terrorist Russian regime? Send your team to Kyiv, support our fight, and apply real pressure on aggressor.
Sanction Russia and seize their shadow fleet instead of handing out sanction waivers. Do that, and maybe negotiations will magically become "fruitful."
Trump just got exposed for running the biggest insider trading operation in American history.
Nancy Pelosi traded $5 million in stocks and Congress lost its mind.
Trump literally executed $750 MILLION worth of stock trades in ONE quarter while being President.
His ethics filing just dropped and the numbers are genuinely unprecedented in history:
Between January and March 2026, Donald Trump personally executed 3,700 individual stock transactions worth between $220 million and $750 million.
That's roughly 60 trades PER DAY.
While signing executive orders, meeting foreign leaders, and making policy decisions that directly impact the companies he's buying and selling.
Now here's where it gets really insane:
On February 10, Trump bought between $1 million and $5 million worth of Dell stock.
Three months later, on May 8, he stood at a Mother's Day event at the White House, thanked Michael Dell by name, and told Americans to "go out and buy a Dell."
Dell stock surged 14.6% that day to an all-time high of $263.99.
Since Trump's February purchase, Dell is up 96%.
And 5 months BEFORE Trump bought Dell stock, Michael and Susan Dell donated $6.25 billion to Trump Accounts, one of the largest philanthropic commitments to a sitting president's signature program in modern history.
So the timeline goes: Dell donates $6.25 billion to Trump's program -> Trump buys Dell stock ->Trump tells America to buy Dell from the White House podium -> Stock hits all-time high
And that's just ONE stock...
The same filing shows Trump bought Nvidia stock on February 10. One week later, Nvidia announced a massive chip deal with Meta.
He bought more Nvidia stock one week BEFORE his own Commerce Department approved the sale of Nvidia chips to Saudi Arabia.
He bought Intel stock starting in March 2026. The US government already owned a 9.9% stake in Intel worth over $41 billion. On April 30, Trump posted on Truth Social praising Intel, writing that "Intel Stock continues to rise."
Intel jumped 3% in after-hours and is now up 140% year-to-date.
He bought Palantir stock while his administration was actively handing them billion-dollar government contracts for immigration enforcement and defense.
He bought Robinhood stock while his own Trump Accounts program uses Robinhood as the broker.
He's currently sitting on over 100% profit on AMD, Intel, Bloom Energy, Marvell Technology, and at least 10 other positions.
Every single president since Lyndon B. Johnson has used a blind trust to avoid exactly this situation. But Trump didn't.
His assets sit in a trust controlled by his own children, and the filings show a broker acted as agent on several trades.
The White House says the portfolio is "independently managed."
But here's what independently managed looks like:
Buy Dell stock. Three months later, publicly endorse Dell from the White House. Stock hits all-time high.
Buy Nvidia stock. One week later, your own government approves their chip sales. Stock rips.
Buy Intel stock. Post about Intel on Truth Social. Stock jumps. The government you run already owns a 10% stake.
Buy Palantir. Hand them contracts. Buy Robinhood. Route a federal program through their platform.
Nancy Pelosi got absolutely destroyed for her husband's stock trades.
Her husband's total disclosed trades in his most controversial year were worth roughly $5 million.
Trump just disclosed up to $750 MILLION in a single quarter.
While making the actual policy decisions that move these stocks.
This isn't a left or right issue.
We're talking about the President of the United States averaging 60 stock trades per day in companies his own administration regulates, contracts with, and publicly endorses.
What do you think?
@NatasaIvanova9 It's illegal to not want to be Russia's ally, huh? Must be aggravating to see your former allies turn their back on you. You did this to yourself.
The Russians want Ukraine’s permission to hold their parade – so they can safely take to the square for an hour once a year, and then go back to killing *our* people and waging war. The Russians are already talking about strikes after May 9. A strange and certainly twisted logic from the Russian leadership.
There are also messages from some states close to Russia that their representatives intend to be in Moscow. An odd desire at a time like this. We do not recommend it.
@Mila07032022@ErgoMinnow Same here. I reached that conclusion 2 years ago. Such a pity, because the goal of the project was very good and the academic focus was admirable.