Public Occurrences The Ides of March 2026

"It was not clear if that multination push was set to begin or if Trump only hoped it might..."

Analysis: Two weeks into war with Iran, Trump has been knocked back on his political heels


He’s grown more agitated with news coverage...Trump is increasingly complaining about media coverage of the conflict, on Saturday writing: “Media actually want us to lose the War.” ...and has failed to find a way to explain why he started the war — or how he will end it — that resonates with a public concerned by American deaths in the conflict, surging oil prices and dropping financial markets. Even some of his supporters are questioning his plan and his overall poll numbers are declining.

Trump had pledged at the beginning of the war that U.S. naval ships would escort tankers through the waterway. But that hasn’t happened yet. “It’ll happen soon. Very soon,” he said before boarding Air Force One to fly to Florida.
...
The [Ayatollah], who kept allies other than Israel in the dark about his war plans for Iran — also for the first time suggested the U.S. would need to lean on the international community to help oil tankers move through the Strait of Hormuz

Still, questions about the strait continue to undermine Trump’s recent pronouncement during a Kentucky rally that, “We’ve won.”

“You know, you never like to say too early you won. We won,” he said. “We won the, in the first hour, it was over.”

6:45 pm:

Trump Regime to Announce Escort Coalition for Strait of Hormuz

The Trump administration as soon as this week plans to announce that multiple countries have agreed to form a coalition that will escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which runs along the Iranian coast, U.S. officials said. They are still discussing, however, whether those operations would begin before or after hostilities end.

The White House declined to comment on the expected announcement, which could shift depending on battlefield conditions. Publicly, many countries have been noncommittal to such an escort mission until hostilities cease, given the risks involved.

Wally

Good morninga. It's the Ides of March

March 15 is the date that Roman dictator Julius Caesar was assassinated. It was "a turning point in Roman history." 

Public Occurrences March 14, 2026

 Ayatollah Trump: Little help please.

Trump claims international coalition will send war ships to reopen the strait of Hormuz

Trump claimed on Saturday the U.S. and several other countries will send war ships to the Gulf to reopen commercial shipping in the strait of Hormuz.

Why it matters: The attacks in the strait of Hormuz brought commercial shipping to and from the Gulf to an almost complete halt, dramatically disrupted oil exports from the region and destabilized global energy markets.

U.S., Israeli and Western officials say the situation at the strait has been the key concern for the Trump administration in recent days.

What he's saying: "Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran's attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Axios, my friend, "will be sending" is not a "claim", it is a hope plus a nudge. 

While claiming the U.S. has "destroyed 100% of Iran's Military capability," Trump acknowledged the Iranians are still sending drones, dropping mines and launching anti-ship missiles against vessels in the strait.

Except for that, 100% destroyed "Military".

"Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated," he added.

Lol Ayatollah!

The president later said on Truth Social that "the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT!"

So Axios, that is a plea + a hope + a nudge.

"In the meantime [i.e. before The Countries of the World arrive], the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats  and Ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!"

Plea + hope + nudge + bluster. Let me know if I can further assist you with your Trump Interpretation.

XXs and XYs, the state of Iran is very near helplessness. But very near is not "100%". You know that, this isn't Talmudic parsing. And even if the state collapsed, I predict that there still will be asymmetric warfare on the American-Israeli Axis of Assholes. The Strait of Hormuz is like your asshole, stuff has to come out of it. If you have a blockage, you're in deep doo-doo. And then there's lone wolf or small cell terrorism. Nineteen Muslims brought down the World Trade Center on 9/11/01. Put assbackwards, and in the form of a question to yinz, do you think Ayatollah Trump is going to turn the Iranian people into MAGA supporters (he actually posted that his intent was "MIGA", Make IRAN Great Again) and the state deep red?  I don't think any of you think that and I think, for what it is worth, that there is going to be a lot of hurt on the American people, and on the American state too. I'm all for hurting the American people and the booby American state.

Trump says US may strike Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub ‘just for fun’

“The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way, but the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help – A LOT,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

He added that “the US will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well. This should have always been a team effort, and now it will be – It will bring the World together toward Harmony, Security, and Everlasting Peace!”

Trump’s assertion that “this should have always been a team effort” could be seen as somewhat of a pivot from his earlier stances that Operation Epic Fury was a unilateral (plus Israel) show of force that didn’t require international permission. 

With the current disruption of global oil supplies, it is increasingly falling onto the international community to help manage the effects.

At the same time, Trump has long argued that the US pays too much to protect global trade routes (like the strait of Hormuz) that he says primarily benefit other countries like China or European nations.

The Guardian

Gr8 comeback but we still can't beat these guys. FT 117-121

We've beaten every team in the league, OKC, Beans, even Pebbles. Can't beat this team. 0-4.

THE HEAT HAVE COME BACK TRAIL 119-117, 8.5"!!

HT 🎡 (7W) 55 🐭 (6W) 71

Bam: 13 pts.

20! 43-63

We can't beat these guys. This will be 4L this season.

BLEAK House! 43-58 Mouse 6:16 2Q

Seven Foot Sixers beat Nyets 104-97 in Phila.

God damn the pusher man

Pigeons are headed for their NINTH straight dub, 102-86 Male Deer, 7:19 4th in HOTlanta.

Eleven would rather I not read

 

Public Occurrences March 13, 2026

Ayatollah Trump is Going to Have the Marines Make Kharg Island American Real Estate

7:40 pm

The first two reports below are buried among other reports of American action against Iran. They are right out of Israel's playbook: under that obscuring cover they are free to carry out war crimes and genocide in Lebanon. It's bad cop-worse cop, two-front deflection.

Israeli Strike on southern Lebanon health center kills 12 medics

An Israeli strike hit a health care center in the village of Burj Qalaouiyah in the Bint Jbeil District, killing 12 doctors, paramedics and nurses who were on duty, Lebanon’s health ministry said. The toll was preliminary as rescue teams continued searching for missing people, it added.

The ministry said it was the second attack on the health sector within hours, after another Israeli strike on the southern village of Souaneh killed two paramedics and wounded five others when it hit a paramedic center.

The ministry condemned the attack and denounced what it called as continued violence against health workers.

Israeli strikes have so far killed 18 paramedics among 773 people reported killed in Lebanon since fighting between Hezbollah and Israel reignited March 2.

• Over 100 children are among the 773 people killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon after 10 days of fighting the Hezbollah militant group, the Lebanese Health Ministry said Friday. Israel said Friday its strikes are “continuing and intensifying” in Lebanon and Iran.

7:22 pm:

U.S. sending USS Tripoli, thousands of Marines to Middle East

From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli

JUST IN: Trump says US forces ‘obliterated’ *military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, warns oil infrastructure there could be next

*See Lunatic's claim re Midnight Marshmallow

The president announced the action in a social media post as he prepared to fly to Florida for the weekend.

“Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Trump said.

For reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.”

Trump Regime Sends 2,500 Marines to Help in Iran War Already "Won" in "First Hours"

[A senior] U.S. official said U.S. Central Command asked for the new force in order to have more options for military operations against Iran.

The Marine expeditionary unit will be able to conduct ground operations if ordered.

2:57 pm:

Six U.S. Airmen Killed in Mid-Air Collision of Two Air Re-supply Tankers Thursday

9:20 am:

Trump claimed in G7 call that Iran is "about to surrender"

Axios

“We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time – Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today.

“They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. What a great honor it is to do so!

“We are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily, economically, and otherwise, yet, if you read the Failing New York Times, you would incorrectly think that we are not winning.

“Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth."

Bam finished with 21 tonight, only 62 off his career high

FT HI-Cs 112 Male Deer 105, 7W for Miami, 38-29, .567 --> 47-35

6th place (playoffs) two one-thousandths behind Disney--who needed OT to finally squish the Lizards! The two Florida teams are on rolls. Miami 7, Orlando 6.

Hottest team in Least, though...Hotlanta. 8W, 9-1 last ten. The Pigeons are soaring!

"Heat" 13-0 run, 64-51, 10:47 3Q

HT Hi-Cs 59 Male Deer 51

Zollner's pistons are firing right on Phila.s head.

Mouse is eating Lizards.

Pigeons are just saying No to Nyets.

Public Occurrences March 12, 2026

Trump bragged about low gas prices. The Iran conflict has him doing an about-face

“The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money,” Trump said Thursday on his social media site.

It was only last month, in his State of the Union address, that Trump had bragged about gas prices at $2.30 a gallon, a figure that has since soared more than 50% to a national average of $3.60 a gallon, according to AAA.

AP

I hate to hate. I especially hate to admit publicly that I hate a person. Can't mask how I feel, though, I hate him.

6:43 pm:

Building That Was Iranian School Mistakenly Was on U.S. TARGET LIST

WaPo

Outdated intel is the current assessment; use of faulty Artificial Intelligence is the strong current suspicion.

Recall that in Operation Midnight Marshmallow, AI models, not human inspection, were the basis for Trump's statement that Iran's nuclear sites had been "totally obliterated." Now, in Operation Epic Fumble, AI is strongly suspected as being the geolocate tool.

What is the Trump regime supposed to do when they lack human intelligence?

12:57 pm

Lebanon appeals to Israel’s allies to intervene as hundreds reported killed

WaPo

Iran’s new supreme leader says Strait of Hormuz will remain closed in first purported message to public

CNN

Mideast Shipping Crisis Widens With More Tankers Hit in Gulf

Bloomberg

Calls grow for Hormuz ship escorts as Iran escalates attacks

Axios

Thursday Night Hoops

Hi-Cs 39 Beer 31, 9:24 2Q

HT Zollner 69 Phila. 60

HT Disney 63 Lizards 56

Pigeons 30 Nyets 21, 11:02 2Q

"England is beaten and it is only a question of time when she will admit her defeat. The Axis Powers are, therefore, not considering how they can win the war, but rather how rapidly they can end the war which is already won." 

-Joachim von Ribbentrop to Vyacheslav Molotov, November 1940

"We won. In the first hour, it was over. We don't want to leave early, do we? We got to finish the job."

-Donald Trump, March 2026

Molotov in reply: "If that is so why are we in this bunker and whose bombs are those which fall?"

In reply to Trump: "If that is so whose mines are those which have closed the Strait of Hormuz?"

The Least Association

Sensitive City lost agayne tonight in Disney World. They are again trending in disappointing Land. They are in 4th place, 5-5 last 10, and are as close to Ontario State in the play-in at 7th as they are to Beans, who are creating gas in Zollner, in 2nd place and home court in the play-offs first round. Maybe their bold, reckless We-don't-care-about-Nov.-Dec. will pay off in the playoffs (or play-in). Or maybe Dead Dan Gilbert will guillotine Drunk Toby Altman and Kenny Atkinson.

Mamdani City won. They are in 3rd, 5.5 out of 1st, 2.0 behind Beans, who they will not catch.

The "Heat" are still 6th (playoffs), 6W, 8-2, one-half game ahead of Ontario State and two-thousandths of a decimal point behind Disney. Miami's next three games, Beer in Bleak House Thursday night, Borelando same place Saturday, and at Queens Tuesday, March 17, are more winnable than losable. Tonight, Wednesday March 11, the "Heat" is -5.5 vs Beer; the House hasn't set lines for Borelando and Queens, because they will change on the outcome of the Beer game. 

The bottom of the play-in is set. Queens are 10th, five games ahead of Beer.

Public Occurrences March 11, 2026

Trump, in continued contradictions, says Iran didn’t have ‘nuclear potential’ after last summer’s strikes

Trump, along with others in his administration, have said as they justified the strikes on Iran that the country was weeks away from a nuclear weapon — despite claiming last summer’s strikes had destroyed the program.

AP

This is too much for Trump. He cannot handle this mentally and emotionally. He doesn't know what he is saying and not saying. His mind is shot. He is deteriorated and engaging in suppression.

5:08 pm:

Does Trump even know what’s happening in Iran?

Noodles

It's a legitimate question, not solely snark.

On Saturday, President Donald Trump claimed it was Tehran that struck an Iranian elementary school early in the war, killing scores of children.

On Monday, he admitted he basically had no idea what he was talking about when he said that, then went on to suggest other countries, including Iran, use Tomahawk missiles, the type of munition that appears to have hit the school. Iran does not have Tomahawks.

When pressed at a news conference why nobody else in his administration was making the same claim about Iran being responsible (and instead pointing to an investigation), Trump said,“Because I just don’t know enough about it.”

...
Trump in the same news conference also wagered that the slowdown in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s southern coast “doesn’t really affect us,” because the US now produces so much oil of its own.

[And, the war will be over in four weeks, maybe five, maybe less. And United Israel is "running out of targets" to hit.]

Trump often seems to be residing in an elaborately crafted alternate reality.

Trump is not intelligent and he is in cognitive decline. But I don't think those are mainly responsible for these Alice in Wonderland fantasies. I think Trump does live "in an elaborately crafted alternate reality" in his mind. Advisors do not give him bad news. Recall how he handled COVID. "Kung Flu", "COVID, COVID, COVID", inject bleach (That was his last news conference on the subject and he simply walked offstage). I think history bears me out here: When a problem gets beyond his "instincts" to bludgeon into submission, he cannot handle the complexity and simply walks away or changes the topic of discussion. It's an ego defense mechanism, suppression.

4:45 pm:

Tehran residents report explosions over city "with the distinctive smell of burnt powder and gasoline"

AP

Google AI:

Ordnance that produces a distinct smell of burnt powder and gasoline (or, more accurately, petrochemicals/hydrocarbons) is usually associated with fuel-air explosives (FAEs), certain specialized thermobaric weapons, or munitions used in armored vehicles, as these systems rely on dispersing an fuel agent before ignition. 

I don't know whether the U.S. or Israel is doing the bombing today (Iz used FAEs in Lebanon). It is indiscriminate bombing intended to burn and kill civilians, especially when used in a densely populated city.

1:41 pm

Live updates: Global energy concerns mount as Iran effectively stops cargo traffic in the Strait of Hormuz

Updated 1:37 PM EDT, March 11, 2026

Major developments we’re following:

Iran attacked commercial ships across the Persian Gulf and targeted Dubai International Airport, escalating a campaign of squeezing the oil-rich region as global energy concerns mounted.

25 sec ago

Death toll in Lebanon climbs over 600 in the spiraling Israel-Hezbollah conflict

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB

Ninety-one children — nearly one in seven dead — were among the 634 people killed by Israeli fire since fighting broke out last week, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said. At least 47 women have been killed and more than 1,500 people wounded.

AP

10:17 am:

March 11, 2026, 10:06 a.m. ET4m ago

Rebecca F. Elliott

Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, has started speaking in Paris. “The conflict in the Middle East is having significant impacts on global oil and gas markets with major implications for energy security, energy affordability and the global economy.”

10:00 am:

Spain Recalls Ambassador to Israel

9:58 am:

At Least 3 Oil Ships Attacked in Strait of Hormuz, Iran Vows "not a liter of oil will pass"; Japan, Germany, Austria to Release Strategic Reserves Against Shortage

"Second in points, last in ethics?

🤦‍♂️ When a foreign outlet writes this, there's a stain.

"That will be the accusation against the Miami Heat and Bam Adebayo..."

The Guardian

I can't help my instant reaction to a thing. It's pure Id unmediated by reflection. Oftentimes when I sleep on it I have a different reaction. But in this case I don't. I feel sleazy and uneasy. We should not have brought this on ourselves.

@HoodiiBron


Parody account

Ur idol’s 81 just got broke by “Bam Adebayo” 

It’s over

Austin

@ChefTrillie

Not Shaq, not Hakeem, not Kareem, not Jokic, not Joel Anthony, not Ewing, not Embiid….Bam motherfucking Adebayo

These are awful reactions for the Lizards and the NBA. AWFUL!

WAS IT?!?!

WBR

@W_B_Rick

Bam Adebayo just foulbaiting up 20+ against a tanking team that’s shamelessly playing along and he’s gonna break Kobe’s record with over double the FTA The NBA died tonight

10:05 PM · Mar 10, 2026

·

53.2K

Views

I had an icky feeling about this.

WAS it a CONSPIRACY?!?!

X


Craig Carton * @craigcartonlive

•..

This Miami Heat vs Washington Wizards game is a disgrace to basketball. Miami Up 26 and fouling Washington as soon as ball is inbounded and missing free throws on purpose to get Bam Adebayo more shots and points is pathetic. Wizards are triple teaming Bam full court trying to prevent him from scoring 83 which he now did. He has taken over 40 free throws and over 40 shots. Total shit show @NBA

Last edited 10:13 PM • Mar 10, 2026 • 258.1K

Views

•149 L7290 C1.9K

104

Public Occurrences March 10, 2026

Miami's Bam Adebayo Scores 83 Points in a Game, Second-Most in NBA History

That is a significant public occurrence. It belongs here on the adult page.

10:09 pm:

[Rep. Randy] Fine [R-FL] “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.”

[Rep. Andy] Ogles [R-TN] went on an Islamophobic social media rant (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/09/tennessee-republican-islamophobic-rant) on Monday, writing that “Muslims don’t belong in American society” and calling for the deportation of New York City’s Democratic mayor, Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim who is a naturalized US citizen.

Democrat blasts Trump administration’s ‘incoherent’ Iran strategy

Democratic senator Chris Murphy said that, after attending a two-hour classified briefing on the US-Iran war today, the strategy against Iran (https://www.theguardian.com/world/iran) seems “incoherent” and unlikely “to achieve any of our stated objectives.”

...

“This is a disaster of epic proportions."

...

“This has just been a debacle, a 10-day debacle..."

11:57 am:

“Issuing mass evacuation orders does not grant the Israeli military the right to treat these areas as open-fire zones, nor does it absolve Israel of its obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and to take all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians, wherever they are. In the 24 hours since the mass evacuation order for Beirut’s southern suburbs, for example, the Israeli military has carried out repeated air strikes, many without warnings.

“The repeated use of overly broad warnings, paired with the Israeli military’s extensive destruction of civilian property in more than two dozen municipalities along Lebanon’s border both before and after a ceasefire was in place, raises serious concerns that some of these mass evacuation orders are intended to forcibly displace civilians, which is prohibited by international humanitarian law.

“The absolute impunity that Israel has enjoyed after previous rounds of fighting has paved the way for these same violations of international law to recur, once again placing civilians at grave risk. We urge parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, to protect civilians and to refrain from unlawful attacks.”

...

On 2 March 2026, Hezbollah launched a series of attacks into Israel in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei following a US-Israeli attack on Iran. Since October 2023, Amnesty International has documented Israel’s unlawful attacks on civilians and civilian objects, use of white phosphorous and its extensive destruction in Lebanon’s border villages, as well as Hezbollah’s repeated firing of unguided rockets into civilian areas in Israel. All must be investigated as war crimes.

Amnesty International

11:41 am:

Under international humanitarian law, the use of airburst white phosphorus is unlawfully indiscriminate in populated areas and does not meet the legal requirement to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm.

Human Rights Watch verified and geolocated an image posted on social media the morning of March 3, showing at least two artillery-delivered white phosphorus munitions being airburst over a residential neighborhood in the town of Yohmor in southern Lebanon. Human Rights Watch identified the shape of the smoke cloud caused by the airbursts in the picture as entirely consistent with the “knuckle” made by the expelling and bursting charges of the M825-series 155mm artillery projectile that contains white phosphorous. 

...

Human Rights Watch has previously documented the Israeli military’s widespread use of white phosphorus between October 2023 and May 2024 across border villages in southern Lebanon, which put civilians at grave risk and contributed to civilian displacement.

...

Forced Displacement War Crime, Too

The Israeli military has issued displacement orders for the entire population of Lebanon south of the Litani River and all residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs, which include hundreds of thousands of people. The sweeping nature of the Israeli military’s displacement orders raises concerns that their primary purpose is not to protect civilians but to instead spread terror and panic, especially in the context of recent large-scale displacement of civilians in Lebanon, raising serious risks of the war crime of forced displacement, Human Rights Watch said. 

Israel should prohibit all use of airburst artillery-delivered white phosphorus munitions in populated areas because it puts civilians at risk of indiscriminate attacks. There are available alternatives to white phosphorus in smoke shells, including some produced by Israeli companies such as the M150 smoke projectile, which the Israeli army has used in the past as an obscurant, a means of hindering the visibility of its forces. These alternatives can have the same effect and dramatically reduce the harm to civilians.

Human Rights Watch has urged Israel’s key allies, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, to suspend military assistance and arms sales to Israel and impose targeted sanctions on officials credibly implicated in grave crimes. ...

Israel’s widespread use of white phosphorus in southern Lebanon highlights the need for stronger international law on incendiary weapons, Human Rights Watch said. Protocol III of the Convention on Conventional Weapons is the only legally binding instrument dedicated specifically to incendiary weapons. Lebanon is party to Protocol III, while Israel is not.

HRW

10:43 am:

Human Rights Watch says that Israel has been illegally using white phosphorous in Lebanon

Reuters

Texts with a friend,

Me: 9:35 pm: at this pace he'll have 83 at end. he has 62 in 31 mins. 2 pts/min. that's efficient.

Friend, 11:17 pm: Good prediction

Me, 11:22 pm: oh my god, i forgot about that.

###

Yes, a surreal night.