Alona Ferber

No! Strong disagree! It’s musical genius!

US troops were told war on Iran was ‘all part of God’s divine plan’, watchdog alleges Religious freedom group says 200 troops sent complaints of superiors using extremist Christian rhetoric to justify war

One service member said their commander had “urged us to tell our troops that this [Iran war] was ‘all part of God’s divine plan’ and he specifically referenced citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and imminent return of Jesus Christ”.

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Savour the irony here. For a year the Trump administration have browbeaten Zelensky as a loser with no cards. Now they turn to him for anti-drone defences. Perhaps they will now recognise that Ukraine is a valuable, battle-hardened ally.

My word

In today’s papers: 🧵

1. A comedian warns other middle-aged women they look weird without Botox.

Again, Farage, Badenoch and their fellow travellers on X are wildly out of touch with the public on Iran.

Even the majority of Reform supporters oppose their position.

he is saying that is one scenario that's possible, not the only one that's possible with regime collapse

he gives that as one of the options, out of a few!

EXC: Inside Morgan McSweeney's cosy leaving drinks last night

— Acc to multiple witnesses Keir Starmer, in a speech to room full of Labour right types, said that McSweeney is not only one of the best political strategists in the country, "but in the entire world"

Iran’s next chapter: succession, conflict or regime change This is one of the most dangerous moments in Iran’s history. The state could move in one of four directions

"whether the country moves toward deeper authoritarianism, limited reform, or a complete political transformation will depend on the US and Israel’s policies, the balance of power among the remaining elites and the reactions of Iranian society itself" www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/middle...

Fair

The new Prospect is out, with @ellenhalliday.bsky.social's excellent and terrifying piece on a future of extreme, freezing winters, @imaanirfan.bsky.social on Modi's cinematic universe, @mrhenrymorris.substack.com with a dispatch from a Reform Away day, and @benansell.bsky.social on zombies....

Also, because it’s dress up, most of the kids just wear the costumes they have already that have nothing to do with books. I bet this year there will be lots of K-pop Demon Hunters outfits…!

Well, quite. We saw what this supposed precision did in Gaza

The Israeli army did similar in Gaza

www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-...

A tidy summation of current events.

Be glad of Starmer’s caution over Iran Bellicose critics of the UK prime minister have learnt nothing from the recent past

This is a very good piece.

www.ft.com/content/eaee...

Reform fury as someone else wins by Our By-election Editor Tim Shipsink The losing candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election, Matt Goodwhinge, has demanded an immediate re-run of the election on the grounds that he lost comprehensively to someone else. "It's totally unfair and rigged," said Goodwhinge. "I shouldn't be required to sit there and suck it up, just because I lost." Mr Goodwhine continued, *I can't believe that all those voters I demonised failed to back me. Especially after I was endorsed by Tommy Robinson and ten million Russian bots on X. "We have clear evidence of family voting, where people voted in order for me to stop deporting their families." Mr Badloser concluded. "I'm the victim of colour prejudice. They didn't vote for me simply because I'm not green." Reform leader Mr Farage, speaking from a sun lounger on a rock near the Chagos Islands said, "It's a tragedy that the people of Manchester won't see Matt in Westminster, but my constituents don't see me in Clacton either." PLUMBER DEFEATS MATT GOODWIN Photo of Hannah Spencer with speech bubble saying… I've stopped the cock

Beautiful from Private Eye on the massive toddler-tantrum that Matt Goodwin and Reform are having, because they got whooped in Gorton and Denton.

A tanker has been attacked, and appears to be sinking, inside the Khor al-Zubair zone off the coast of Kuwait 🇰🇼

This is a key tanker loitering area for vessels taking Kuwaiti and Iraqi crude.

Lebanon 🇱🇧: Israeli strikes this evening on the city of Tyre.

Tyre is well within the southern portion of the country, from where Israeli is forcing everyone to evacuate.

Take a break from WW3 to read my interview with Juliet Mitchell, the second-wave feminist who challenged her peers on Freud and then became a psychoanalyst herself

Iran's Assembly of Experts elects Khamenei's son Mojtaba as new Supreme Leader

Iran's Assembly of Experts elected Ali Khamenei's son Mojtaba as the next leader under pressure from the Revolutionary Guards, informed sources told Iran International.
iranintl.com/en/202603030390

The coffins of the Minab students are solemnly carried by the people.

Important piece from @emmahaslett.bsky.social on five years since Sarah Everard's murder www.thepersistent.com/sarah-everar...

Trump said Spain "has been terribly" by refusing US military base use, and added "we can just fly in and use them, nobody is going to tell us not to use it." Trump said he personally told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cut all trade with Spain. #US

Iranian state media shows crowds mourning in Minab after a strike on a girls’ school killed 150 students. The UN called the attack ‘absolutely horrific’ and urged an investigation

11,000 people - mostly Syrians - crossed from Lebanon into Syria yesterday, fleeing escalating conflict.

BREAKING: The UAE is weighing military action against Iran.

Emirati officials say they reserve the right to respond.

Source: Axios

Problems with the "Israel made us attack Iran" rationale from Rubio:

1) After decapitation raid in VZ, Trump was already emboldened & eager to attack Iran for another "win."

2) US proactively involved in opening strike on SL.

3) Neglects US leverage w/ Israel due to critical military support.