27 minutes ago, theshu25 said:

To take mugs like yourself money,then give you credit to use but no refund.

So major airlines are scamming people according to you? You really don't have a clue.

Why are airlines having sales then?

I don't know. And I didn't know they were having sales. Examples?

Some U.S. airlines, like Alaska, are raising baggage fees to help recoup their rising fuel costs.

20 minutes ago, Hawaiian said:

Why are airlines having sales then?

I don't know. And I didn't know they were having sales. Examples?

Some U.S. airlines, like Alaska, are raising baggage fees to help recoup their rising fuel costs.

Bali to Perth $180. Just recently.

13 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

Bali to Perth $180. Just recently.

Interesting. Here in the U.S., Some flights from the West Coast to Hawaii prices have doubled.

Trump and Israel are prep

6 hours ago, Hawaiian said:

Many economies are on the brink of collapse. Do you call that winning?

If the country on the brink of collapse is China, then yes, that is winning.

In the short term, Trump and Israel are about to unleash another bombardment of Iran. This time they will target energy assets and so, as predicted at the start of this thread, Iran will soon run dry.

https://www.maariv.co.il/news/opinions/article-1311403

13 minutes ago, Hawaiian said:

Interesting. Here in the U.S., Some flights from the West Coast to Hawaii prices have doubled.

Jetstar is having a sale on domestic plus Bali. Maybe their supplies are higher.

6 minutes ago, davb said:

Trump and Israel are prep

If the country on the brink of collapse is China, then yes, that is winning.

In the short term, Trump and Israel are about to unleash another bombardment of Iran. This time they will target energy assets and so, as predicted at the start of this thread, Iran will soon run dry.

https://www.maariv.co.il/news/opinions/article-1311403

This past quarter China's GNP increased by 5%. The war in Iran will most likely slow it down a bit. Even with deflation I doesn't look like China's economy is on the verge of collapse.

I rather doubt it that the war will be a win for the average Iranian. To remain in power the mullahs will concentrate on rebuilding the military first and then the war ravaged infrastructure.

On 4/15/2026 at 5:57 PM, spidermike007 said:

tHave you ever tried stand-up comedy my guess is that you might actually be quite good at it. Sending that modesty squad to Pakistan was a mistake of huuuuge proportions, there wasn't a man amongst them that is regarded highly or respected by anyone.

Every aspect of this war so far has failed. Trump failed to protect the Striat, he failed to escort ships through the Strait, as promised, he failed to shut down Iran's nuclear program or get the nuclear material, he failed at regime change, and he ended up replacing a hardliner with another hardliner who is far more extreme. In addition he's created an extreme amount of economic chaos throughout the world by essentially stopping shipping through the Strait. That is not on Iran, that is on Don's tiny shoulders. Over 130 ships a day passed through there prior to this stupid war of choice.

The cost of gasoline is over 2.5 Euros a liter throughout Europe right now, and $6 a gallon in some places in America. Good job Don. Keep going, the worldwide economic destruction is nearly complete.

I find it extremely difficult to understand how anyone can defend Trump's fiasco in the Middle East. Everything he does turns to smelly excrement that seems to attract his supporters like flies.

11 minutes ago, Hawaiian said:

I rather doubt it that the war will be a win for the average Iranian. To remain in power the mullahs will concentrate on rebuilding the military first and then the war ravaged infrastructure.

THey will if they negotiate a deal that will allow them to do that and they will do it quicker than many expect.

With the straight closed and the world quickly adapting, Iran is screwed and they know it and so does Trump. They will be forced to give the USA their uranium and allow foreign inspections at will to determine they aren't rebuilding their war machine. They've lost and know it - it is just a waiting game. With that said, I might be missing something that would alter the outcome.

As for Trump, give it time. I think he is more than capable of screwing himself and his conservative supporters. :) It would be great if he just rambled on about how great he was after this success(if it goes like I think it will ) and didn't have feed his mammoth ego doing something he can't fix.

52 minutes ago, Hawaiian said:

I find it extremely difficult to understand how anyone can defend Trump's fiasco in the Middle East. Everything he does turns to smelly excrement that seems to attract his supporters like flies.

I agree. And I find it rather difficult to understand how people can defend Trump in general at this point in his second administration. He has had so many failures and so few successes, you really have to be guzzling the juice to continue to support him, without being highly critical of him at the same time. I see a few objective minds on the part of people who voted for him, but not many.

7 hours ago, Hawaiian said:

I find it extremely difficult to understand how anyone can defend Trump's fiasco in the Middle East. Everything he does turns to smelly excrement that seems to attract his supporters like flies.

You can dislike Trump all you want, but pretending Iran just became a problem yesterday is ahistorical nonsense.

Iran has been a serious problem for decades, not a Trump-era invention. It’s been designated by the U.S. as a state sponsor of terrorism, it backs armed proxy groups across the Middle East, and the IAEA has reported deeply concerning enrichment levels along with gaps in verification.

So no, this isn’t about defending every Trump move like it’s sacred scripture. It’s about recognizing that stopping a regime with a 40-plus-year record of proxy warfare, regional destabilization, and nuclear escalation is not a “fiasco.” It’s called dealing with a problem before it gets worse.

On 4/14/2026 at 12:36 PM, davb said:

A "bridge day" or two can address whatever meager domestic production is happening. This regime is on its last legs.

"The regime is on their last legs". Those who support Authoritarian /Terror regimes saluted you with multi thumbs down posts for your support of countries who desire peace & harmony in the region.

3 hours ago, ericthai said:

You can dislike Trump all you want, but pretending Iran just became a problem yesterday is ahistorical nonsense.

Iran has been a serious problem for decades, not a Trump-era invention. It’s been designated by the U.S. as a state sponsor of terrorism, it backs armed proxy groups across the Middle East, and the IAEA has reported deeply concerning enrichment levels along with gaps in verification.

So no, this isn’t about defending every Trump move like it’s sacred scripture. It’s about recognizing that stopping a regime with a 40-plus-year record of proxy warfare, regional destabilization, and nuclear escalation is not a “fiasco.” It’s called dealing with a problem before it gets worse.

Doesn't Iran still have their enriched uranium? And we still haven't heard the last of the Houthis and Hezbollah. And Iran most probably has sleeper cells in Europe, the U.S. and perhaps elsewhere.

Nurse ,NURSE,NURSE - Trumps' off his meds again.

What's gonna happen next he will beat the Nazis on genocide, get Barron a clothing line - or farm out Melania for P2P ?

Tune in turn on and drop out.... I love me meds and I love my nurse....off his effing rocker

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116428826144790728

Again Don is humiliated by the Pope. He needs to be more careful about who he insults. But, he can't as he has no self control, nor control of his emotions.

President Trump has been rampaging around the globe like Grendel at dinner time, a rapacious, feral creature. Who could stand up to him?

The soft-spoken, humble Leo, who strives to unify, squared off against the bombastic, solipsistic Trump, who strives to divide. And watching the saintly pope school the amoral president is a blessed sight.

I’m sure His Holiness watched askance as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cast the conflict with Iran as a holy war, trying to put God on the American side as our troops are asked to rain “death and destruction from above” on “apocalyptic” Iranian foes.

In March, Hegseth called for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy,” asking God to “break the teeth of the ungodly.”

This past week, he recited a passage that was an adaptation of a Quentin Tarantino “Pulp Fiction” adaptation of a biblical passage: “And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother.”

He also denounced the press as the “Pharisees,” plotting to harm the Trump administration the same way the Pharisees plotted to harm Jesus.

Leo, who’s Chicago-tough, hasn’t backed down. On X, he said: “God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”

He reminded the authoritarian, Strangelovian president that he should be promoting peace through dialogue and multilateralism.

“Too many people are suffering today, too many innocent people have been killed,” Leo told reporters, “and I believe someone must stand up and say that there is a better way.”

In a puerile fit of apparent retribution on Thursday, Trump canceled an $11 million federal contract with Catholic Charities in Miami to house and feed migrant children coming to America alone. (Even my Trump-indulging sister found that disgusting.)

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/opinion/pope-trump-hegseth-iran.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

NB : The above was written mostly by the very Catholic Maureen Dowd who has been covering Trump, often in person, since the late 1980's.

On 4/14/2026 at 12:06 PM, davb said:

By his strategic chess move of blocking the Straight of Hormuz, President Trump is causing Iran to run out of gas and diesel in 10-14 days (they don't refine their own). In addition, they will have to shut down their oil pumps because they don't have enough storage, but oil wells perform poorly after doing this. There will be permanent long term damage to their oil production ability.

The Mullahs will be forced to surrender, negotiate, or be overthrown by their own people.

There will be short term pain for the rest of the world, but this move will create intense pressure on the brutal Iranian regime.

This is false

They do refine their own. Some of that has been damaged yes. But they do refine oil. So the story is full of BS.

Not to mention they are now selling more oil today at higher prices than before they were attacked. Well done Trumper, mission accomplished.

20 hours ago, Hawaiian said:

Doesn't Iran still have their enriched uranium? And we still haven't heard the last of the Houthis and Hezbollah. And Iran most probably has sleeper cells in Europe, the U.S. and perhaps elsewhere.

Yes — and that is called reality, not a rebuttal.

No serious person said one round of action would make enriched uranium vanish, turn the Houthis into pacifists, make Hezbollah retire quietly, and have every suspected sleeper cell mail in a resignation letter.

The point is to degrade capability, buy time, and raise the cost for a regime that has spent decades funding proxies and pushing its nuclear program. The fact that the threat still exists does not prove the decision was pointless. It proves the threat was real to begin with.

And on “most probably has sleeper cells” — possible, sure. But “most probably” is still speculation unless someone has actual evidence instead of just a dark imagination and a keyboard.

11 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Again Don is humiliated by the Pope. He needs to be more careful about who he insults. But, he can't as he has no self control, nor control of his emotions.

President Trump has been rampaging around the globe like Grendel at dinner time, a rapacious, feral creature. Who could stand up to him?

The soft-spoken, humble Leo, who strives to unify, squared off against the bombastic, solipsistic Trump, who strives to divide. And watching the saintly pope school the amoral president is a blessed sight.

I’m sure His Holiness watched askance as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cast the conflict with Iran as a holy war, trying to put God on the American side as our troops are asked to rain “death and destruction from above” on “apocalyptic” Iranian foes.

In March, Hegseth called for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy,” asking God to “break the teeth of the ungodly.”

This past week, he recited a passage that was an adaptation of a Quentin Tarantino “Pulp Fiction” adaptation of a biblical passage: “And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother.”

He also denounced the press as the “Pharisees,” plotting to harm the Trump administration the same way the Pharisees plotted to harm Jesus.

Leo, who’s Chicago-tough, hasn’t backed down. On X, he said: “God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”

He reminded the authoritarian, Strangelovian president that he should be promoting peace through dialogue and multilateralism.

“Too many people are suffering today, too many innocent people have been killed,” Leo told reporters, “and I believe someone must stand up and say that there is a better way.”

In a puerile fit of apparent retribution on Thursday, Trump canceled an $11 million federal contract with Catholic Charities in Miami to house and feed migrant children coming to America alone. (Even my Trump-indulging sister found that disgusting.)

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/opinion/pope-trump-hegseth-iran.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

The Pope is doing what Popes are supposed to do: call for peace, dialogue, and restraint. Fair enough.

In fact, Pope Leo has said he is “not a politician” and does not want to “debate with Trump.” but a call for peace is not the same thing as proving Iran is harmless, or that confronting a regime with a decades-long record of proxy warfare and nuclear deception is somehow immoral.

You can dislike Trump’s style (I do) — plenty of people do, including people who voted for him. You can even roll your eyes at some of Hegseth’s theatrical language.

But this is where the poetry should end and reality should begin.

Iran has been on the U.S. state sponsor of terrorism list since 1984. The State Department continues to describe Iran as supporting groups like Hizballah and Palestinian militants. And the IAEA has said it still cannot provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful because access and verification remain incomplete.

So no, this is not “the saintly pope schooling the amoral president.” It is a Pope reminding the world to seek peace, and a president dealing with a regime that has spent decades making peace difficult.

Both things can be true at the same time, but pretending the Pope’s moral appeal somehow cancels the Iranian threat is a little like bringing incense to a missile briefing.

with HD satelites covering every inch of Iran if and when iran started the process of digging out the uranium or building nukes the USA could and would see all of this activity via the sat images and could have then bombed the sites again,,,,hedgeseth just said to iran remember we can see everything you do.. meantime the straits would remain open and world economies would not be wrecked for months/years along with thousands killed.

so why invade them to stop nukes?

1. major bone spurs gets to play tough guy while at same time changing news away from epstein

2 .manipulating stock markets and allowing his billionaire buddies to make massive profits with insider info

3. creating an excuse to attempt to cxl midterm elections where he knows maga candidates will get whipped bigly.

Iran may run dry, but will it happen before America is bankrupted, like one of many of Trump's businesses? It appears his dreadful policies are chasing nations away from the dollar. More Don failures. They just keep adding up. Making America a diminished nation by the day.

U.S. Treasury yields are climbing sharply as geopolitical tensions, a $1.9 trillion deficit, and waning foreign demand undermine their safe-haven status. China is selling Treasurys at rates unseen since 2008, while Japan’s yields hit multi-decade highs, signaling a structural shift in global capital flows. The resulting pressure threatens the dollar’s purchasing power, fuels inflation risks, and may force the Federal Reserve into controversial debt monetization.

The Iran conflict, which closed the Strait of Hormuz and ended the Carter Doctrine era, has disrupted oil supplies and driven inflation higher before U.S. consumers regained pre-pandemic purchasing power. This crisis coincides with the Treasury’s struggle to finance a $1.9 trillion deficit without its usual base of foreign buyers. The result is a surge in yields as investors sell off Treasurys, reversing decades of safe-haven behavior during global crises.

China is dumping U.S. Treasurys at a pace not seen since the 2008 financial crisis, while Japan’s yields have reached a 27-year high, reducing their appetite for U.S. debt. The erosion of the petrodollar paradigm and the weaponization of the SWIFT system have further alienated once-captive buyers. This shift suggests a longer-term weakening of the dollar’s role in global finance, with implications for U.S. borrowing costs and fiscal stability.

https://share.google/waEC4LIVlF5ybUu5A

the lies, the contradictions, the flip flops, one day is white the next day it's black, in other words nobody knows what shxx will came out of his mouth, he has been claiming the war will finish soon, it's all AGREED, we will see in 2-3 weeks and the latest one is that Iran has agreed on everything, it's how the POTUS governs, giving false hopes to his citizens

Friday afternoon, April 17: Trump says Iran has "agreed to everything".... question, so has Iran agreed on everything or not LOL .... Then the president went a step further, saying that if Iran doesn't take the deal the U.S. is offering, the U.S. will attack all of its power plants and bridges.

spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry released a statement that said, in translation, "Enriched uranium is as sacred to us as Iranian soil and will not be transferred anywhere under any circumstances." The comment went on to say that "transferring uranium to the United States has not been an option."

How Trump's messaging on Iran has shifted since saying they "agreed to everything"

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trumps-messaging-iran-shifted-since-174611651.html

16 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Iran may run dry, but will it happen before America is bankrupted, like one of many of Trump's businesses? It appears his dreadful policies are chasing nations away from the dollar. More Don failures. They just keep adding up. Making America a diminished nation by the day.

U.S. Treasury yields are climbing sharply as geopolitical tensions, a $1.9 trillion deficit, and waning foreign demand undermine their safe-haven status. China is selling Treasurys at rates unseen since 2008, while Japan’s yields hit multi-decade highs, signaling a structural shift in global capital flows. The resulting pressure threatens the dollar’s purchasing power, fuels inflation risks, and may force the Federal Reserve into controversial debt monetization.

The Iran conflict, which closed the Strait of Hormuz and ended the Carter Doctrine era, has disrupted oil supplies and driven inflation higher before U.S. consumers regained pre-pandemic purchasing power. This crisis coincides with the Treasury’s struggle to finance a $1.9 trillion deficit without its usual base of foreign buyers. The result is a surge in yields as investors sell off Treasurys, reversing decades of safe-haven behavior during global crises.

China is dumping U.S. Treasurys at a pace not seen since the 2008 financial crisis, while Japan’s yields have reached a 27-year high, reducing their appetite for U.S. debt. The erosion of the petrodollar paradigm and the weaponization of the SWIFT system have further alienated once-captive buyers. This shift suggests a longer-term weakening of the dollar’s role in global finance, with implications for U.S. borrowing costs and fiscal stability.

https://share.google/waEC4LIVlF5ybUu5A

Yes, the U.S. deficit is too large. Yes, higher oil prices and war risk can push inflation and bond yields higher. But the latest data doesn't show the world is suddenly fleeing America in panic.

Foreign holdings of U.S. Treasury just hit a record high. Japan actually increased its holdings. China has been reducing it holdings, but the latest monthly move was small — not some dramatic 2008-style liquidation.

Same with the dollar: its reserve share has drifted lower gradually for years, but it is still by far the world’s dominant reserve currency. That is not what economic collapse looks like.

So criticize U.S. policy if you want, but let’s stay factual. America still has the deepest capital markets, the reserve currency, and the military upper hand.

That doesn’t mean there are zero costs, It means the “America is being bankrupted in real time” line is more of a slogan.

I don't think anybody is surprised as TACO did it again, he has absolutely no idea how to deal with Iranians, they will not bend to his games and they know he's only trying to save face and create delays, they realized that Trump's goal is to be on the front page of the international news outlets just to get attention, dementia is taking over his little brain and he's throwing Vance under the bus and the laughing stock of the game is Trump once again claimed....

Donald Trump insisted, yet again, that “we’ve totally won the war.”..... which war we don't know

Vance Humiliated as Trump’s Peace Talks Descend Into Farce

https://au.yahoo.com/news/vance-humiliated-trump-peace-talks-174423299.html

a lot of people don't like to hear the truth about them and Trump is one of them, some news reporter at WSJ just told him that Iran is taking him for a sucker LOL

In his telling, the regime’s navy sits at the bottom of the sea, its air force is finished, its air systems wiped out, and its nuclear infrastructure “obliterated” in a single shadowy strike by U.S. B-2 bombers.... ALL has been obliterated and yet the Strait is closed and the gulf states have been attacked, somebody is not telling the truth and doesn't face reality

The Wall Street Journal’s Elliot Kaufman wrote an op-ed on Monday that suggested Tehran was playing the president, as peace negotiations continue to falter.

Kaufman wrote: “How many times will President Trump pay Iran for the same real estate?

“Twice he has announced the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and twice he has given up US leverage in exchange.

“Yet the strait remains closed, as Iran’s regime demands more.”

Trump Completely Loses It After Being Branded a ‘Sucker’

https://au.yahoo.com/news/trump-completely-loses-being-branded-092911978.html

That's a good one!

So far, Iran had shown that it was well prepared for this day (underground missiles silos for instance). Why would they not have prepared for oil shortages?

If Iran keeps operating after so many attacks, Trump will have to blame Obama for the oversight.

ok guys, the lying, deflecting and hiding the truth can only last for so long, now the reality of the destruction made by Iran to the US bases/interests in the middle east has surfaced and it appears the US was hit hard, very hard but they don't want to talk about it, that "wannabe" secretary of war has been making the usual statements and avoiding telling the truth, luckily he was caught covering the damages, some on his circle wanted to speak and he fired them, that's how it works with this shxx administration

Hegseth and Trump previously rejected the notion that Iran had the capacity to inflict such damage.

American bases in the Middle East suffered “extensive damage” from Iranian strikes that is “far worse than publicly acknowledged,” a new report alleges.

Insiders tell NBC News that the public has been shielded from the true damage inflicted by Iran, including that an Iranian F-5 fighter jet breached U.S. air defenses to strike a base in Kuwait.

Trump Goons Caught Covering Up Massive War Damage

https://au.yahoo.com/news/trump-goons-caught-covering-massive-180231771.html

NBC News Drops Bombshell Report on Trump War Battle Damage: ‘Far Worse’ Than Trump Team Said

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/nbc-news-drops-bombshell-report-143236870.html

American military bases and other equipment in the Persian Gulf region suffered extensive damage from Iranian strikes that is far worse than publicly acknowledged and is expected to cost billions of dollars to repair, according to three U.S. officials, two congressional aides and another person familiar with the damage.

The Iranian regime swiftly retaliated after the Trump administration attacked on Feb. 28, hitting dozens of targets across U.S. military bases in seven Middle East countries. Those attacks struck warehouses, command headquarters, aircraft hangars, satellite communications infrastructure, runways, high-end radar systems and dozens of aircraft, according to the U.S. officials and an assessment by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C.

In the initial days of the war, an Iranian F-5 fighter jet bombed the U.S. base Camp Buehring in Kuwait, despite the base having air defenses, a rare breach that marked the first time an enemy fixed-wing aircraft has struck an American military base in years, according to two of the U.S. officials.

The U.S. bases that came under attack are home to thousands of American troops, and in some cases their families, though they were largely cleared out in the days and hours before the U.S. and Israeli went to war with Iran.

34 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

ok guys, the lying, deflecting and hiding the truth can only last for so long, now the reality of the destruction made by Iran to the US bases/interests in the middle east has surfaced and it appears the US was hit hard, very hard but they don't want to talk about it, that "wannabe" secretary of war has been making the usual statements and avoiding telling the truth, luckily he was caught covering the damages, some on his circle wanted to speak and he fired them, that's how it works with this shxx administration

Hegseth and Trump previously rejected the notion that Iran had the capacity to inflict such damage.

American bases in the Middle East suffered “extensive damage” from Iranian strikes that is “far worse than publicly acknowledged,” a new report alleges.

Insiders tell NBC News that the public has been shielded from the true damage inflicted by Iran, including that an Iranian F-5 fighter jet breached U.S. air defenses to strike a base in Kuwait.

Trump Goons Caught Covering Up Massive War Damage

https://au.yahoo.com/news/trump-goons-caught-covering-massive-180231771.html

NBC News Drops Bombshell Report on Trump War Battle Damage: ‘Far Worse’ Than Trump Team Said

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/nbc-news-drops-bombshell-report-143236870.html

American military bases and other equipment in the Persian Gulf region suffered extensive damage from Iranian strikes that is far worse than publicly acknowledged and is expected to cost billions of dollars to repair, according to three U.S. officials, two congressional aides and another person familiar with the damage.

The Iranian regime swiftly retaliated after the Trump administration attacked on Feb. 28, hitting dozens of targets across U.S. military bases in seven Middle East countries. Those attacks struck warehouses, command headquarters, aircraft hangars, satellite communications infrastructure, runways, high-end radar systems and dozens of aircraft, according to the U.S. officials and an assessment by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C.

In the initial days of the war, an Iranian F-5 fighter jet bombed the U.S. base Camp Buehring in Kuwait, despite the base having air defenses, a rare breach that marked the first time an enemy fixed-wing aircraft has struck an American military base in years, according to two of the U.S. officials.

The U.S. bases that came under attack are home to thousands of American troops, and in some cases their families, though they were largely cleared out in the days and hours before the U.S. and Israeli went to war with Iran.

Now Trump will either accuse NBC of fabrication and/or disclosing classified information.