I was at a party at somebody's house here in LA and a live session started with piano, guitar and dulcimer. think the song was based on Bertrand Russell's A History of Western Philosophy. I play a version of this to cheer me up sometimes. I like this cover.
NATO chief defends calling Trump ‘daddy’ By Penry Buckley NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has defended his use of the word “daddy” in praising what he said was US President Donald Trump’s boldness in attacking Iranian nuclear sites, then forcing Iran and Israel into a ceasefire. Before talks at the summit began, Rutte thanked Trump for his “decisive action in Iran”. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte refers to Trump as a “daddy” who “has to sometimes use strong language” to stop a conflict between two warring entities. Later, he doubled down on his praise, referring to Trump as a “daddy” who “has to sometimes use strong language” to stop a conflict between two warring entities. “Doesn’t he deserve some praise?” Rutte said later at his own news conference when asked whether his use of “daddy” for Trump made him appear weak. with AP
How NATO’s ‘daddy strategy’ conquered Trump By playing to the president’s ego and rolling out the red carpet, the alliance has strengthened its bonds with its biggest financial backer. Andrea Palasciano, Flavia Krause-Jackson and Josh Wingrove Jun 26, 2025 https://www.afr.com/world/europe/how-nato-s-daddy-strategy-conquered-trump-20250626-p5maf6 It was a reception fit for a king. The pillows had been fluffed at the Dutch royal palace. King Willem-Alexander had a special guest staying overnight and a key role to play in the careful choreography unfolding in The Hague for the NATO summit with the singular goal of making sure US President Donald Trump didn’t pull the plug on the world’s biggest military alliance. President Donald Trump poses with Netherland’s King Willem Alexander and Netherland’s Queen Maxima at the royal palace. AP He and fellow Dutchman, Mark Rutte, had compared notes ahead of their speeches at the state dinner and made careful seating arrangements — Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, a Trump favourite, was placed next to him. Alongside the charred tuna and veal fillet, flattery was served for the benefit of one. Rutte stood up and looked directly at the US president. “Today, I am pleased to announce that NATO has already added an additional $US1 trillion in defence spending over the past decade,” Rutte told the assembled leaders. “Mr President — dear Donald — it is thanks to you pushing us.” The joint efforts paid off. Trump woke up in a great mood, and posting about breakfast in “beautiful Netherlands” with his “spectacular” hosts. “We’re with them all the way,” a beaming Trump said on arrival at the World Forum, the venue for the summit, as he sat down next to Rutte. On his flight over, Trump was typing feverishly on his iPhone on Air Force One, firing off a series of posts that increasingly alarmed NATO officials preparing to roll out the red carpet for him. Spain iced out commit to spending 5 per cent of their GDP on defence spending. This pledge, which involved some fudging of the math to make it work, was a critical piece of the NATO charm offensive and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was not playing along. In another, Trump leaked a personal text message from Rutte whose fawning tone made some officials squirm with embarrassment. But the widely understood reality was that shameless flattery has become the modus operandi — and indeed the diplomatic strategy — for European leaders to deal with Trump, even if it yields mixed results. At times, Rutte laid it on so thick that it made for uncomfortable viewing. Seated beside the president on Wednesday in front of photographers, he watched as Trump described how he’d got Iran and Israel to stop fighting. “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language,” Rutte said laughing, referring to the expletive Trump had used to lash out at ceasefire violations. From afar, the Russians were trolling, picking up on the whiff of obsequiousness. But Rutte wasn’t going to be thrown off course. As he herded leaders into the summit’s sole plenary session, those present were told to leave their phones outside the hall and to keep their opening remarks to a brief 3 minutes. It was understood, having seen Trump walk out of meetings before, that the president didn’t much enjoy drawn out events and gatherings. Flattery will get you everywhere: President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the plenary session. AP Trump was given unlimited time. He talked for 8 minutes. At the summit’s enormous round table, Trump was seated next to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer — another leader who knows a monarch impresses the Republican president and who’d hand delivered a royal invitation to visit from King Charles III. One person inside the room said that Trump had said he didn’t understand why some countries didn’t want to invest in their defence. His message was: buy weapons only from the US. According to one senior defence official, Spain deserved to get a kicking. Several countries were angry with the alliance’s lowest spender because they realised that everyone had to suck it up, the person said. Sanchez duly got iced out as punishment, shunted off the frame in the family photo, seated at a table as far from Trump as possible and given a cold handshake from Rutte on his arrival. But the biggest kicking came at Trump’s end-of-summit news conference, where he linked two issues — defence and trade tariffs — that Europeans want to keep separate in talks with the US. “You’re the only country that is not paying,” Trump said, threatening to make Spain “pay twice as much” through tariffs. “We’ll make it up.” US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, at dinner with his counterparts, conceded the Americans knew they’d run NATO colleagues hard, but they had delivered and it was appreciated, according to one official present, speaking on condition of anonymity. Zelensky cut a mournful figure Language on Russia was carefully calibrated in the final communique. Some countries had wanted to label it an aggressor, which was never going to fly. Trump didn’t mention Russia directly in his speech, according to a person who heard it. That NATO still described Russia as a “threat” was seen as a win, though inevitably disappointing for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who cut a mournful figure at this summit. Trump enters Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. Getty Images Having missed his chance at the Group of Seven in Canada, when Trump left early, Zelensky at least got an audience here to lobby for weapons sales to Ukraine. Trump acknowledged Zelensky is “fighting a brave battle,” though he still doesn’t plan to continue to donate military support for Kyiv. The general sense is that Trump has largely washed his hands of efforts to get a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine, which suits President Vladimir Putin well. The highlight for Trump was Dutch royalty. “Beautiful people,” Trump said. “Central casting I must say.” The royal family were more than bit players in a summit Rutte built to stroke Trump’s ego and appeal to his indulgences. But the Dutch leader knew he needed to go all out. America is the pre-eminent superpower in the NATO alliance whose military strength towers over all of Europe combined. The United States alone accounts for 66 per cent of total NATO defence spending; the other 31 allies provide only a third put together. Hence Trump’s rage – which was shared by his predecessors – that America is paying too much and the Europeans are shamelessly free-riding. These European allies expect the US to honour its pledge in the alliance to come to their defence – even at the risk of nuclear war – and yet they consistently fail to pay their way. Rutte batted away suggestions he’d demeaned NATO by lavishing praise on Trump. “Doesn’t he deserve some praise?” he told a news conference. This time at least, the strategy worked. Trump called Rutte a genius in his speech to the summit’s closed session, according to a person present. Later, the president enthusiastically stood by NATO’s mutual-defence commitment — “That’s why I’m here” — at the “fantastic” summit. “I came here because it was something I’m supposed to be doing but I left here a little bit differently,” Trump said. “These people really love their countries, it’s not a ripoff. And we’re here to help them.” Bloomberg
Iran Caused $3 Billion of Damage With Missile Strikes on Israel Rescuers amid the debris of damaged buildings in Tel Aviv following an Iranian missile attack.Photographer: Menahem Kahanna/AFP/Getty Images By Galit Altstein June 26, 2025 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...lion-of-damage-with-missile-strikes-on-israel Takeaways Israel estimates the cost of damages from its 12-day war with Iran at 10 billion shekels, which will be used to repair missile-hit buildings and pay compensation to local businesses. The total cost of war could be as high as $12 billion, according to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and may impact Israel's economic growth of 3.5% for the year. The war caused significant damage to densely-populated cities in central Israel, with ballistic missiles carrying at least 500 kilograms of explosives and fragmented bombs that scatter on impact. Israel has estimated the cost of damages incurred during its 12-day war with Iran at 10 billion shekels ($3 billion), with funds needed both to repair missile-hit buildings and pay compensation to local businesses. The calculations shared by the Israeli finance ministry and tax body this week indicate the extent to which Iran broke through Israel’s defenses during nearly two weeks of rocket fire. “This is the greatest challenge we’ve faced — there has never been this amount of damage in Israel’s history,” Shay Aharonovich, the director general of Israel’s Tax Authority who’s in charge of paying out compensation, told reporters. The sum doesn’t include the cost to Israel of replacing weapons and defense systems used in the campaign, which is likely to push the total figure much higher when assessments are complete. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told a press conference the total cost of war could be as high as $12 billion, while Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron put the figure at about half that when speaking to Bloomberg TV on Wednesday. Whatever the final figure, that presents a challenge to an economy already strained by 20 months of wider conflict. Israel’s central bank projects economic growth of 3.5% for the year, though this may be impacted by the recent war. Israel launched an initial barrage of drones and missiles at Iran on June 13, and the two sides exchanged regular fire until US President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire in the early hours of Tuesday. Israeli emergency services said 28 people were killed in missile attacks and more than 1,300 injured, while Iran’s government reported 627 people killed. A damaged shop, following an overnight strike in Bat Yam, IsraelPhotographer: John Wessels/AFP/Getty Images While Israel has some of the world’s most-advanced air defenses, it typically expects 10% to 15% of missiles to get through. “Those ballistic missiles, boy, they took out a lot of buildings,” Trump said on Wednesday. Israel and Iran are “tired, exhausted,” he said. During the 12-day campaign, the Israeli economy was almost completely shut down, with schools and businesses closed barring those designated essential. The government will pay compensation to businesses, estimated by the Finance Ministry at as much as 5 billion shekels. The amount of compensation potentially owed by the government would be double that paid for damages to property since October 2023, including sums paid to entire communities destroyed in that month’s attacks by Hamas militants. Costs shouldered by the state since then include those related to missiles fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon into northern villages. Israel’s war with Iran was so much more expensive than conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah for two main reasons. The first is that communities that came under attack from Tehran-backed militias were small and in rural areas. In contrast, Iran itself directed ballistic missiles at densely-populated cities in central Israel — an area spanning some 1,600 square kilometers that includes the wider Tel Aviv metropolitan area. That’s where at least 50% of Israel’s population live in often crowded neighborhoods or tall buildings. The damage inside a synagogue near Kiryat Gat, in southern Israel.Photographer: Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP/Getty Images The second reason is that Iran’s missiles are far more powerful than that of its militant allies, with some carrying at least 500 kilograms of explosives and fragmented bombs that scatter on impact. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during the campaign that restricting Iran’s ballistic-missile capacity was a key war goal, alongside destroying Iran’s nuclear program. Israeli estimates are that on the eve of the conflict Iran had 2,000-2,500 such missiles, and still possesses about half of them. Apart from neighborhoods, the Weizmann Institute of Science — one of Israel’s main research institutes — and the country’s biggest oil refinery in Haifa were badly damaged. A public hospital in Israel’s south took a direct hit. — With assistance from Chris Miller
Trump calls for end to Netanyahu trial Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks … more > By Mallory Wilson The Washington Times Thursday, June 26, 2025 https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jun/26/trump-calls-end-netanyahu-trial/ President Trump called for the corruption trial against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be canceled or for him to be pardoned. “I just learned that Bibi has been summoned to Court on Monday for the continuation of this long running (He has been going through this ’Horror Show’ since May of 2020 – Unheard of! This is the first time a sitting Israeli Prime Minister has ever been on trial.), politically motivated case, ’concerning cigars, a Bugs Bunny doll, and numerous other unfair charges’ in order to do him great harm,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday. He said he was “shocked to hear that the State of Israel, which has just had one of its Greatest Moments in History, and is strongly led by Bibi Netanyahu, is continuing its ridiculous Witch Hunt against their Great War Time Prime Minister!” he said. Mr. Netanyahu faces accusations of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three cases, in which he has denied wrongdoing, reported The Associated Press. Prosecutors say Mr. Netanyahu exchanged favors for favorable media coverage, giving benefits to media tycoons in exchange for gifts, like tens of thousands of dollars of champagne and cigars. The trial has been running since May 2020. “Bibi and I just went through HELL together, fighting a very tough and brilliant longtime enemy of Israel, Iran, and Bibi could not have been better, sharper, or stronger in his LOVE for the incredible Holy Land,” Mr. Trump posted. “Anybody else would have suffered losses, embarrassment, and chaos!” He called the Israeli leader a “WARRIOR, like perhaps no other Warrior in the History of Israel.” “We were fighting, literally, for the Survival of Israel, and there is nobody in Israel’s History that fought harder or more competently than Bibi Netanyahu,” he said. “Such a WITCH HUNT, for a man who has given so much, is unthinkable to me,” the president said. “He deserves much better than this, and so does the State of Israel. Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State.”
Meanwhile hundreds of dead civilian Palestinians just keep piling up on a weekly basis and continually ignored while America supplies the perpetrators with an endless stream of bombs and weapons. The perpetrators are 'victims' while the victims are "nothing." The perpetrators call for 'peace' while maintaining the bombing of the real victims.