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Trump: Iran asked me to be Supreme Leader, but I said no thanks

Trump’s “Iran asked me to be Supreme Leader” joke at an NRCC fundraiser uses a real, deadly leadership crisis in Iran to normalize assassination-as-policy and blur what’s confirmed about the war and succession.

Mar 26, 2026

Featured

‘Men need to be perp-walked’ after Epstein files release, Massie tells BBC

A GOP lawmaker says the Epstein document releases are still falling short—because redactions and withheld material may be blocking accountability and survivor-centered justice.

Mar 25, 2026

Buried.News

The stories buried under the noise

Primary focus

Trump fires Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary

A Cabinet secretary was forced out amid contracting and oversight scrutiny, signaling that executive control—not transparent accountability—can dictate leadership of the agency driving mass detention and deportation.

Mar 5, 2026

Featured

The Trump gold coin is not normal : Consider This from NPR

A federal design panel OK’d a Trump portrait for a commemorative gold coin, but the key question is whether Treasury can legally bypass long-standing limits meant to keep living politicians off U.S. money.

Mar 23, 2026

Featured

White House Confronted Over Huge Bets Made Minutes Before Trump’s Big War Move

A $580 million burst of oil-futures selling minutes before Trump’s Iran “talks” post raises a basic public-interest question: did anyone trade on advance knowledge of a market-moving national security decision?

Mar 24, 2026

Global oil price stuck in triple digits. Goldman Sachs says it may stay there for years | CNN Business

Oil is staying expensive mainly because war risk has constrained flows through the Strait of Hormuz—not because Goldman “knows” prices will stay above $100, but because it’s warning what could happen if disruption persists into 2027.

Economy

Mar 20, 2026

Sources

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/20/energy/oil-gas-prices-intl-hnk

Summary

Oil prices dipped slightly on March 20, 2026 but stayed elevated amid damage to Middle East energy infrastructure and constrained shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The story frames Goldman Sachs as predicting years of triple-digit oil, but the bank’s own language centers on “risk scenarios” tied to the duration and severity of supply disruptions. This matters because readers may mistake conditional risk analysis for a baseline forecast, which can distort expectations about inflation, gasoline prices, and policy choices.

Reality Check

The most important correction is that Goldman’s “may stay above $100 for years” framing is conditional: it is tied to *risk scenarios* where disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz and/or regional supply losses persist longer than markets expect, not a guarantee that triple-digit oil is the bank’s baseline path. The real anchor for prices here is the degree and duration of physical disruption (shipping constraints, facility damage, and knock-on insurance/shipping costs), which can change quickly with military and diplomatic developments. Readers should treat the “through 2027” language as a warning about tail-risk persistence, not a settled forecast.

Detail

CNN reports Brent around $108.5/bbl (after touching about $110) and US crude around $95.6/bbl on Friday, March 20, 2026, despite a slight dip. The stated driver is geopolitical disruption: damage to energy infrastructure in the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz being “largely shut,” constraining flows. Goldman Sachs is quoted warning that prior supply shocks have proven persistent, implying oil could remain above $100 longer under “risk scenarios” with longer disruptions and persistent supply losses. The piece notes a widening gap between Brent and US crude, attributing it partly to US efforts to bring more domestic production online and the US role as the world’s largest oil producer. It attributes a market move to comments from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about heeding President Donald Trump’s call not to repeat attacks on key Iranian energy sites. The article describes an escalation cycle: an Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars field followed by retaliation against Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG facility, which it says helped drive prices higher earlier in the week. Key missing context: what “largely shut” means operationally (full blockade vs. limited/controlled transits), how much volume is actually disrupted, and what other supply buffers (strategic reserves, OPEC+ spare capacity, demand destruction) could alter price paths. Key clarity gap: whether “may stay above $100 through 2027” is presented as a tail-risk case vs. a base-case forecast; the headline emphasis can blur that distinction.

Hegseth insists the Iran conflict is ‘not endless’ and declares, ‘We fight to win’

As war-driven energy shocks collide with U.S. midterm incentives, national security decisions risk being shaped by domestic political pressure rather than transparent, accountable governance.

Economy

Mar 2, 2026

Sources

https://www.bastillepost.com/global/article/5654669-hegseth-addresses-strikes-in-iran-and-says-this-conflict-is-not-endless

Summary

Oil and natural gas prices spiked as tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped sharply amid attacks and navigation disruptions tied to the U.S.-Israeli military campaign on Iran and Iranian threats in the region. The conflict is now shaping U.S. political calculations, with an economist explicitly linking presidential incentives to domestic fuel prices ahead of U.S. midterm elections. Americans could face higher gasoline prices within weeks while global inflation and growth risks rise if shipping disruptions or infrastructure strikes persist.

Reality Check

When military conflict and market shocks are framed through a president’s electoral incentives, our democratic guardrails weaken by normalizing war management as a tool of domestic political protection. That precedent blurs the line between public interest decision-making and self-serving calculations, eroding expectations of transparent accountability. Over time, it conditions the public to accept executive control over high-stakes security choices without clear, institutionally grounded constraints.

Detail

Oil prices rose Monday after disruptions to tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz increased uncertainty over energy supply impacts from U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and Iranian responses. U.S. oil traded 7.6% higher at $72.12 per barrel and Brent crude rose 8.6% to $79.11.

Kpler reported tanker traffic dropped sharply amid satellite navigation disruptions, and the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported attacks on multiple vessels near the strait and warned of elevated electronic interference. Oman said a bomb-carrying drone boat struck a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, killing one mariner. Iran was reported to have threatened vessels approaching the strait and is believed to have launched multiple attacks.

Saudi authorities reported intercepting Iranian drones targeting the Ras Tanura refinery near Dammam, and said the refinery was shut down as a precaution. European natural gas futures jumped more than 40% after QatarEnergy said it would stop liquefied natural gas production due to the war.