Hektor

And he does all that without a Charlie

Next Time You Order a Dairy Queen Blizzard, You May Be Talking to AI A chatbot is ready to take your order for a Mint Oreo Blizzard with cheesecake pieces and caramel topping. Dairy Queen began a test with technology company Presto to bring a drive-through chatbot to a handful of its U.S. stores last year, said Kevin Baartman, the company’s executive vice president of information technology. This week, the Berkshire Hathaway owned restaurant chain is expanding the test to several dozen franchised locations out of its 3,000 U.S. and Canadian drive-throughs. https://www.wsj.com/business/hospitality/next-time-you-order-a-dairy-queen-blizzard-you-may-be-talking-to-ai- 59518c93

+1

Isn't this a stretch?

Sanctioned Chinese Tanker Makes U-Turn in Hormuz After U.S. Blockade Takes Effect A sanctioned Chinese tanker with a history of evading U.S. restrictions on Iranian oil appeared to do a U-turn to sail back into the Persian Gulf after trying to exit through the Strait of Hormuz. The Rich Starry, built to carry chemicals and oil products and flying a false Malawian flag, made it past the narrowest stretch of the strait before turning around on Tuesday, according to ship-tracking firm Kpler. The apparent change of direction came a day after the U.S. blockade of ships sailing to and from Iranian ports took effect.

Saudi Arabia Is Pressing U.S. to Drop Its Naval Blockade Gulf energy exporters worry Iran could escalate and close the Bab al-Mandeb, the main exit route for bottlenecked Persian Gulf oil https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-us-strait-of-hormuz-blockade-25fbd430

https://houseofsaud.com/pakistan-troops-eastern-province-smda-deployment/ Pakistan Deploys 13,000 Troops to Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province as Its Own Ceasefire Collapses Pakistan deployed approximately 13,000 ground troops and at least ten fighter jets to King Abdulaziz Air Base in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province on April 11, the same day its ceasefire brokerage between Washington and Tehran collapsed in Islamabad The deployment, confirmed by the Saudi Ministry of Defense via the Saudi Press Agency, represents the first formal invocation of the Saudi-Pakistan Mutual Defense Agreement signed on September 17, 2025.

He has unlimited supply of Felix Felicis

Grab a beer and go to the beautiful beach, @Gregmal

A Closer Look at Iran’s 10 Demands—and Which the U.S. Might Accept President Trump said the Iranian plan is a starting point, but there is a lot of ground to cover before a deal can be reached https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/a-closer-look-at-irans-10-demandsand-which-the-u-s-might-accept-c0148284

How Trump Took the U.S. to War With Iran In a series of Situation Room meetings, President Trump weighed his instincts against the deep concerns of his vice president and a pessimistic intelligence assessment. Here’s the inside story of how he made the fateful decision. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/us/politics/trump-iran-war.html For a shorter read: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/us/politics/trump-iran-war-takeaways.html

+1. Interestingly. DJT has posted the Iranian ministers quote on Truth!

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-war-2026-trump-deadline-latest-news/card/iran-signals-intent-to-continue-influence-over-hormuz-T3cGYgkI1Nr0rcjx5Gzn Looks like Iran is giving up nothing, at least for now.

He might get himself a new SecWar https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/04/07/hegseth-iran-rhetoric/

+1

Something like this

TACO or no TACO, Trump reads the pulse of the people better than any other politician operating today, in my opinion. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/01/iran-war-polls-ground-troops/ Americans have little appetite for sending U.S. troops to Iran, polls show Most want the war to end quickly, and opposition has hardened since it began, posing political dangers for the president and his party as the midterms approach.

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-war-news-updates/card/third-u-s-aircraft-carrier-deploys-to-middle-east-BQiAVrUaFj22m7WOtXy3 Third U.S. Aircraft Carrier Deploys to Middle East The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and its accompanying warships are deploying to the Middle East, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike groups in the region, according to U.S. officials.

I guess they don't know of this statement from a historically great person: "You're not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now"

Is Johnston @dealraker's alter ego? He sounds like one

It is, in my opinion. Definitely less poor than before.

+1

They will never. There is something magical about them that they always find some patron to support them

Thanks for the visual, @Viking Wouldn't the % of oil (% via Hormuz as well as % of consumption) matter for impact? For e.g. 80% of Pakistan's needs pass through Hormuz. May be about 1-3% for USA?