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Stephen returned last night for his stretch run….then he’s off to make a “Lord of the Ring” movie….
His old buddy Jon on No Kings, Iran war and Trump fluffing nutters:
Ukraine’s Zelensky tells Axios: "I am sure Russia wants [a] long war. They have benefits: The U.S. is focusing on the Middle East and may decrease military help to Ukraine. Sanctions are partially lifted. I see only benefits for Russia from the war with Iran continuing."
Spain has closed its airspace to U.S. planes involved in the Iran war, marking another step in the country’s opposition to the conflict.
Lauren Wolfe with her usual focus on civilians:
Everyone is watching the Middle East map — tracking tankers, missiles and airspace closures — but a devastating story related to the Iran war is unfolding far from the front lines. It is playing out in delivery routes that no longer function, in shipments that stall and in the slow realization that essential goods are simply not arriving where needed. The effects are being felt most sharply in places like Gaza and Sudan, where families already living on the edge are pushed closer to starvation and sickness.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, combined with regional airspace shutdowns, is not just a regional disruption. It is a shock to the fragile system that moves food, medicine and fuel across continents. The International Rescue Committee warns that delays are already affecting “critical nutrition, medical and emergency supplies.” As its president, David Miliband, put it, this is “not a contained crisis,” but one whose consequences radiate outward, hitting the most vulnerable first.
Heather Cox Richardson:
An Associated Press–National Opinion Research Center (AP-NORC) poll from March 25 shows that 59% of Americans think the U.S. has gone too far in Iran, with only 13% supporting escalation. Sixty-two percent oppose sending ground troops into Iran, while only 12% favor the idea.
Even so, as David Kurtz wrote today in Talking Points Memo, “There’s no telling what President Trump will resort to doing to save face, create the mirage of victory, and extricate himself from the box canyon into which he so triumphantly galloped.”
Paul Krugman on possible oil catastrophe:
What would it take to get to my “high disruption” scenario? That’s what might happen if Iranian oil exports are cut off, say by a U.S. attack on Kharg Island, and if supply via pipelines is hindered by Iranian retaliation against other Gulf oil facilities as well as attacks by the Houthis on Red Sea shipping. That is not an outlandish possibility. It is, in fact, exactly what we should expect if the Trump administration follows through on what appear to be its current war plans.
And if oil really does go to $200 or more, it’s all too easy to envisage a full-blown global economic crisis, with an inflation surge and quite likely a recession.
Sony, Laura Dern and Adam McKay are teaming up for a limited series about the investigation by reporter Julie K. Brown that blew open the Jeffrey Epstein case. Dern will play Brown in the series.
Music Picks
The Guardian has a surprising report today that a draft of Dylan lyrics for his most mysterious “Basement Tapes” era song has been found inside an Allen Ginsberg paperback that he gave to the wife of Albert Grossman. The song, of course, was “I’m Not There,” later the title of that weak Todd Haynes Dylan bio-pic. The song, written around 1967, did not emerge from the basement for decades and with often vague lyrics seemingly made up on the spot. The new lyrics sheet only matches the recorded song in part. One discarded stanza:
She drags me around
Shes a drag queen
Shes a drag-a-muffin
Shes a drag
The eventually released song, Garth on organ:
Meanwhile, from Springsteen land:
Tonight tune in for the first two songs from the opening night of the Springsteen & E Street Land of Hopes & Dreams American Tour, live from Minneapolis, MN. The livestream will be free on YouTube, as well as for subscribers in the nugs app. Watch live at youtube.com/@brucespringsteen or youtube.com/@nugsnet. Afterwards, listen to the official audio from the show in the nugs app. Pre-orders are available now. Sign up at nugs.net/BruceSpringsteen to get exclusive access to every show from the tour and the Live Archive Series.
From Tunes to Toons
Brodner:
Ann Telanaes cites headline,
Lindsey Graham: Ya Failed to Keep Gov’t Open, So What Ya Doing Now? v“I’m Going to Disney World!!”
Granlund:
Anderson:
KAL:
Photo Finish
From my camera to you, today: “A Rainy Morning in P-town”
Wait, you're in Ptown? So am I. Maybe coffee someday?
Brodner is spot on. As usual if you want truth look to the cartoonists