World

Now it begins, now it starts. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC, says “it has hit U.S. Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq with tens of missile,” Press TV urgent banner read. — Vaughn Sterling (@vplus) January 7, 2020 TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran state TV says Tehran launches "tens" of surface-to-surface missiles at Iraq's Ain Assad air base housing US troops — Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) January 7, 2020 State TV in Iran is reporting that operation “Martyr Suleimani” is in progress. In a statement issued by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard, “The fierce revenge by the Revolutionary Guards has begun.” Associated Press: U.S. forces could not be immediately reached for comment. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said the White House is aware of the reports. “The President has been briefed and is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his national security team,” she said. Ain Assad air base is in Iraq’s western Anbar province. It was first used by American forces after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. It later saw American troops stationed there amid the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. And here’s some cheery news from retired General Barry McCaffrey. Raw Story: “My instinct is it’s going to turn out that these were very large rockets to go the range, to target an air base,” continued McCaffrey. “We do have incredibly effective protective measures, not just bunkers and concrete reinforced command centers all over these basis. Afghanistan routinely, they’re rocketed every two, three days. So we’ve learned to live with this. With very few casualties. But the large missiles are quite a different thing. They’re horrifying. You hear them coming in for miles. And when they hit, it shakes the ground for a half mile around it. So this could be a serious blow. We’ll have to wait and see what the casualty count is.” That’s where the ego of the Moron in Chief has put us. We’re waiting to see what the casualty count is. And don’t tell the families, “Your guy knew what he was getting into.”

With the Trump administration moving ahead Monday with punishing new sanctions against Iran with the goal of completely halting the country's oil exports, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly joked about a secret White...

Sarah Sanders has quit … hasn’t she? It’s hard to tell. But it’s certain that Hope Hicks is long gone, and so is anyone else who stood between Donald Trump and the camera lights. And...

Donald Trump went to Singapore, elevated the status of North Korea, signed an agreement consisting of 100 percent platitudes, and made an off the books deal with Kim Jong Un to weaken military preparedness.  And his most notable insight was over his...

I sit in my living room with a face swelling up from an allergic reaction — to what I do not know. It is accompanied by my sinuses constantly draining down my throat, make it difficult to sleep.  I am neither pleasant to look at nor physically...

In this roller coaster in Wonderland thrill-ride that we call American politics, 2019, here’s yet another unexpected and stomach-knotting plunge. Donald Trump has decided to withdraw troops in Syria. Already the reaction is fiercely negative, but guess who has joined that chorus? Can you believe — Lindsey Graham? * Ensures ISIS comeback.* Forces Kurds to align with Assad and Iran.* Destroys Turkey’s relationship with U.S. Congress.* Will be a stain on America’s honor for abandoning the Kurds. — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 7, 2019 Also, if this plan goes forward will introduce Senate resolution opposing and asking for reversal of this decision. Expect it will receive strong bipartisan support. — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 7, 2019 Graham is going to introduce a Senate resolution and oppose Trump. Oh, my ears and whiskers, I can barely parse this. This is almost not believable. Not at 6:30 a.m. on the West Coast, which is where I’m reading about this and writing this piece. The sun is barely up here, and Washington is plunged into chaos, once more and again. Is the old Lindsey Graham back? The side kick of the Maverick? Perhaps he is, but he’s taking heat for what he’s been saying and doing the past three years. Don't worry. It's partially your fault and you fucked us all. (Especially our allies.) — Jeremy Newberger (@jeremynewberger) October 7, 2019 Oh look, he's pretending to have a spine! Of course he knows Trump has complete power to make the move and his resolution is worthless shit intended to distance himself from the imminent slaughter of Kurds who fought ISIS. Lindsey Graham is human garbage. https://t.co/51kLzRy37L — Michael (@Schmutzie_) October 7, 2019 Military leaders are reacting against this ploy of Trump’s and they are not pleased, to put it mildly. Raw Story: On Monday, retired Gen. Mark Hertling laid into President Donald Trump on CNN for his sudden order to pull the military out of Syria and transfer U.S. responsibilities to Turkey. “This is devastating across the board in so many ways,” said Hertling. “It’s devastating for anyone who has an alliance with us in the past and looks to work for us in the future. It’s devastating for the military planners that are on the ground and the soldiers working with the Kurdish allies. It gives the NATO allies the opportunity to do some things that will significantly affect not only the Middle East but also the European footprint. I think it will certainly provide an impetus for the war against ISIS to be renewed in a much bigger way than it already was being renewed. So there are so many things you could talk about that are complicated by this action, this spur of the moment action, if you will, by the White House. It’s just incredibly jaw-dropping from my perspective. It’s going to be a wild week.  

The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday indicted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for a "computer hacking conspiracy," a charge some corporate talking heads and reporters immediately touted as evidence that journalism is not under threat. "Indictment...

In a move mirroring President Donald Trump's own justification for assassinating Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani, Iran's Parliament on Tuesday unanimously voted to declare all members of U.S. military leadership "terrorists." The vote came four...

There are not many things at which Donald Trump can claim real expertise, but when it comes to the subject of lying, he is a genuine master. As CNN points out, in just one...

Trump’s latest interview with the New York Times has a lot of WTF moments, but there’s a small piece of information that’d make anyone giggle. During an exchange about his impromptu conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump claimed that...