Indonesia, US sign ‘major’ defence
cooperation agreement
Posted By: Dreadnought, 4/14/2026 2:12:35 PM
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has hailed the establishment of a “major defence cooperation partnership” with Indonesia, saying it underscores the “strength and potential” of ties with Jakarta to maintain stability in the Asia Pacific region. Hegseth hosted Indonesian Minister of Defence Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin at the Pentagon on Monday, where the deal was signed. “This [partnership] signifies the strength and potential of our security relationship… bolsters regional deterrence, and advances our shared commitment to peace through strength,” Hegeseth said, according to a Defense Department statement. The US defence secretary also said Washington and Jakarta’s security relationship was “active and growing”, noting that both countries’
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Iran demands compensation from Gulf states
after accusing them of role in US-Israeli strikes 10 replies
after accusing them of role in US-Israeli strikes 10 replies
Iran is demanding compensation from Gulf states it has attacked repeatedly after accusing them of complicity in the US and Israel strikes that began on February 28.
In the letter to the UN Security Council, seen by The National on Monday, Tehran claimed Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan allowed their territories to be used for attacks on Iran after the US and Israel launched strikes. Iran called that a “flagrant act of aggression” in breach of international law and the UN Charter. “By their internationally wrongful acts, they have breached their international obligations owed to the Islamic Republic of Iran under international law,
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has hailed the establishment of a “major defence cooperation partnership” with Indonesia, saying it underscores the “strength and potential” of ties with Jakarta to maintain stability in the Asia Pacific region.
Hegseth hosted Indonesian Minister of Defence Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin at the Pentagon on Monday, where the deal was signed. “This [partnership] signifies the strength and potential of our security relationship… bolsters regional deterrence, and advances our shared commitment to peace through strength,” Hegeseth said, according to a Defense Department statement.
The US defence secretary also said Washington and Jakarta’s security relationship was “active and growing”, noting that both countries’
Donald Trump claims that the "right people" in Iran have reached out to cut a deal for real after imposing a naval blockade and cutting off Iran's income stream. Who are we talking with in Tehran? Mahdi al-Hall?
That's what Trump claimed in an ad-hoc press conference on the veranda of the Oval Office this afternoon. Trump didn't specify the identities of the "right people," but hinted that the blockade may have changed some minds over the last few hours: One can understand why some Iranian regime remnants may want to cut a deal with Trump that meets his demands. As Trump himself put it, "Iran is doing absolutely no business
Almost 40 years ago, one of the great buddy cop franchises was born. Lethal Weapon, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, hit the screens for the first time. It made a whole bunch of money and spawned three sequels over the next dozen years.
In one early scene, Gibson's character, a L.A. cop going through an immense amount of personal and mental grief and trauma, is up on a roof with a potentially suicidal jumper. The conventional wisdom, of course, is to talk to him, keep talking, and wear him down by talking until he gives up and lets himself be taken away in a rubber truck. Gibson's Martin Riggs
Iran: A Blockade? That's An Act of War!
8 replies
No kidding. Man, you can't put anything past those mullahcrats! Imagine how embarrassed they'll feel when all of their neighbors explain that firing missiles and drones at their energy production facilities and hotels are also acta belli.
The US will impose a blockade on all Iranian ports, effectively cutting off all income to the Iranian regime and the IRGC, starting in less than an hour. The IRGC junta responded from its fainting couch that it considers a blockade "an act of war," and threatened escalation:
The spokesman for the National Security Commission in Iran’s Parliament said President Trump’s threat to impose a naval blockade could be nothing more than “bluster,”
"The spice must flow."
Fans of Frank Herbert's Dune know that melange makes interstellar travel and trade possible. Its only source is the desert world of Arrakis, which makes it the most valuable real estate in the known universe. The spice is addictive. Arrakis is home to crusading religious fanatics whose supreme leader holds the spice hostage.
If you're thinking, "That sounds an awful lot like Persian Gulf oil," Herbert is way out ahead of you.
President Donald Trump gets it. But what if, instead of spending another 40 or 50 years letting religious fanatics keep a stranglehold on the world's supply of melange — er, oil — we just sort
Monday morning begins with a slight setback on the litigation front for President Donald Trump: A federal judge in Florida has dismissed his lawsuit for defamation against the Wall Street Journal and related defendants. But — it's important to note that this dismissal was "without prejudice," meaning Trump is free to amend his complaint and take another crack at the case if he wishes to do so.
To quickly refresh, in July, Trump sued the WSJ and related individuals/entities for defamation after the Journal ran what was hailed as a damning exposé — claiming that its reporters had seen a birthday album compiled for Jeffrey Epstein's 50th
America awoke Sunday to find that President Trump had a contingency plan for the almost certain failure of Vice President JD Vance's diplomatic mission (see New: Peace Talks With Iranian Regime Have Failed, Vance Gives Details From Islamabad – RedState) to end the war with Iran on terms that are politically and militarily acceptable to the U.S. President Trump, using Truth Social as his platform, announced that the Hormuz Strait was closed:
So, there you have it, the meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not. Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World,
We’re Blockading Iran, Not the Strait
6 replies
Centcom has clarified exactly what our naval forces will do, beginning tomorrow evening: So we aren’t closing the Strait, we are blockading Iranian ports. This means that Iran won’t be able to sell any oil. Two countries will be hurt: Iran and China, which buys 80% of Iranian oil. The Gulf States will be able to ship their oil through the Strait as soon as they choose to do so.
Meanwhile, we are sending vessels to the Strait to try to dispose of the mines that Iran may or may not have laid there. Other countries may aid in that effort. Iran still has a lot of small boats
Iranian negotiators failed to meet the United States on six of its key red lines during talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, over the weekend, according to a U.S. official.
An official told Breitbart News that Iran did not agree to the United States’s red lines, which include ending all uranium enrichment; dismantling all major nuclear enrichment facilities; allowing for the retrieval of highly enriched uranium; accepting a broader peace, security, and de-escalation framework that includes regional allies; ending funding for terrorist proxies Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis; and fully opening the Strait of Hormuz, charging no tolls for passage.
President Trump on Sunday announced plans to blockade the Strait of Hormuz after negotiations in Pakistan to end the Iran war collapsed.
“Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “The Blockade will begin shortly. Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade. Iran will not be allowed to profit off this Illegal Act of EXTORTION.”
The president said the blockade will be enforced in an effort to stop Iran from policing the strait to its economic benefit
It took 21 hours for the American negotiators in Islamabad to confirm what we’ve known about the regime in Iran for the last 47 years. The IRGC won’t ever negotiate in good faith.
And this time, even J.D. Vance had enough. In a presser from Islamabad, the Vice President announced he would withdraw from talks after the Iranian regime refused to come off of their list of demands. Vance told reporters that he left our “best offer” on the table and said it would be up to Iran to figure it out. As Hugh Hewitt commented on X, it’s a replay of the Reykjavik conference between Ronald Reagan
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President Trump's Sunday night Truth Social post of an AI-generated image appearing to depict him in the likeness of Jesus Christ sparked intense backlash, even from some of his most vocal supporters. The image, a slightly altered version of one posted months ago by right-wing influencer Nick Adams, shows the president in a white robe and red sash with a ball of light in one hand and the other hand extended in healing.
President Trump slammed Pope Leo XIV for being “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” in a lengthy Truth Social post following the American pontiff’s veiled rebukes of the Iran war. “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote Sunday night. “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country,” he continued.
Monday on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe,” former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Republicans needed to rein in President Donald Trump before he does “irreparable damage to our country.”
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When Joe Biden was installed as president, he wanted one thing more than almost anything else: to be remembered as the president who beat COVID. His strategy was simple: go all in on pushing the COVID vaccines — the same vaccines he said before the election shouldn’t be trusted. Be that as it may, his decision to put all of his chips on pushing the vaccines forced his administration to make some very shady decisions.
New details emerging from a Senate investigation confirm that Biden administration officials at both the FDA and CDC knew about a significant stroke risk tied to Pfizer's bivalent COVID-19 booster in people over 65.
Former President Joe Biden reportedly wanted Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to be his vice president but "had to choose" former Vice President Kamala Harris. An Atlantic article profiled the Democratic governor and potential 2028 presidential candidate on Sunday and reported how Biden considered Whitmer to be his running mate in 2020, particularly after her pushback against President Donald Trump. (Snip) The report said a former senior staffer for Whitmer said, "The moment called for a Black running mate," and how Biden really wanted the Michigan governor instead. According to the Atlantic, a former adviser to both Biden and Harris said
Just a few weeks ago, Rep. Eric Swalwell was said to be leading a crowded pack of Democrats trying to win the nomination for California’s governor. Then, in the blink of an eye, his party abandoned him.
The alleged reason is evidence of sexual misconduct. In reality, Swalwell fell victim to the Democratic Party’s unquenchable lust for power and California’s bizarre jungle primary.
On Friday, the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN both ran stories about women accusing him of sexual misconduct. Within hours, Democrats were taking their endorsements back and calling on him to drop out of the race. By Sunday, he’d suspended his campaign.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, a former Democratic frontrunner in the California gubernatorial race, resigned from Congress on Monday amid sexual misconduct allegations. Swalwell announced his resignation in a statement posted to his X account, while still denying some of the allegations made against him in recent days. “I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past. I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make,” Swalwell said in the statement. This is breaking news. Please refresh for
Miguel Díaz-Canel, the figurehead “President” of Cuba, claimed to NBC that any military attempt from the United States to depose him would be met by Cubans willing to die for the communist regime that has oppressed them for 67 years. Díaz-Canel issued the claim speaking with NBC News’s “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker in Havana. NBC published the full, roughly 53-minute interview on Sunday days after releasing a five minute-long snippet in which the figurehead claimed he will not step down from his position at a time when U.S. officials and members of the Cuban communist regime have engaged in talks.
Staggering 8-figure sum NYC taxpayers
will pay to fund Mamdani’s first city-owned
grocery revealed 19 replies
will pay to fund Mamdani’s first city-owned
grocery revealed 19 replies
Zo’s cheap groceries will cost taxpayers a pretty penny.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s first-unveiled city-owned grocery store will cost a staggering $30 million to build from the ground up at East Harlem’s longstanding La Marqueta, officials confirmed – as local grocers worried it’d gobble up their business.
The new grocery at the longstanding city-owned La Marqueta marketplace will run with a yet-to-be-picked operator reaping the benefits of a rent- and tax-free deal, City Hall officials told The Post on Monday. Mamdani envisions that the low-cost deal — which he anounced during a Sunday celebration of his first 100 days in office -–
Most Americans Say They Face ‘Higher
Taxes’ This Year, Call Tax Code ‘Unfair’:
I&I/TIPP Poll 17 replies
Taxes’ This Year, Call Tax Code ‘Unfair’:
I&I/TIPP Poll 17 replies
‘April is the cruellest month,” T.S. Eliot wrote in his epic poem “The Waste Land.” This year, it seems many American taxpayers might be inclined to agree with the venerable poet. More people than not say they will be paying more in taxes this year, not less, and call the federal tax code unfair, the latest I&I/TIPP Poll shows.
In its monthly national online poll, I&I/TIPP asked 1,464 adults about their taxes. The poll, taken from March 31 to April 2, has a margin of error of +/-2.7 percentage points.
The first question: “Compared to last year, do you feel your federal taxes are …”,
France Doubles Down on Taxes
16 replies
France is reducing its enormous budget deficit in the current fiscal year. However, the price for this minimal relief is high: only massive tax hikes can still slow the debt spiral.
On both sides of the Franco-German border, the same problem persists: overburdened and reform-averse politicians struggle against a rapidly accelerating debt spiral. Their preferred tool: higher levies.
Last week, France’s Finance Minister Roland Lescure reported a revision of the projected budget deficit for the current year. Initial estimates for 2026 had suggested a deficit well above five percent. Yet numerous fiscal measures brought last year’s deficit down to 5.1%. For 2026,
Another Red State, Fully Californicated
15 replies
20 years ago Colorado was a Red state and thriving," the State Leadership Initiative posted late last week. "10 years ago liberals were writing pieces about how Colorado was the next Silicon Valley." And now CBS News reports that "Colorado is losing businesses and jobs at an alarming rate."This was the hope, according to Denver-based 5280 magazine in 2020: "With another tech company setting up an office in Denver, the state could become a magnet for Silicon Valley firms and other prestigious businesses during the worst economic climate in nearly a century."
Instead of Silicon Mountain, Colorado is quickly becoming "an economic backwater,"